I have an opportunistic, $5 credit charge minimum to thank for putting me and my husband together. We were in line at a coffee shop – his Americano came only to $2.50, and since he had no cash, he turned around and asked if he could pick up my cappuccino. That was two years ago, and we’ve sipping coffee and sharing our love story ever since.

From the time we started envisioning our wedding, I warned everyone that there would be pink. As a former ballerina, I saw no way around this. I pictured a gown with a full skirt, one that would remind me of the many soft and sweeping tutus I wore in my dancing days. Our wedding was planned for May, so I also knew I wanted to be surrounded by full blossoms of light pink with touches of gray, white, and apple green throughout. I owe many thanks to Cori Cook, my wonderful florist, and Jessica Adler, my talented wedding planner, for making our springtime wedding a beautiful reality.

Our reception venue was an enchanting incongruity in the Rocky Mountain foothills: a Mediterranean Style villa, complete with iron chandeliers, massive wood beams, and an arcade of archways that framed a view of the sunset. We found this setting embraced the soft, romantic elegance we hoped to capture that day.

Our signature cocktail, a pink mojito—did I mention I love pink?—helped ensure that everyone was enjoying themselves. For a special touch, because I collect typewriters, my husband and I decided to use an old Smith-Corona in place of a guest book. Though a few of the guests struggled with it initially, we now have our guests’ best wishes in an entirely unique format…one that includes many a typo!

For additional accents, we used an apple green filigree pattern on the escort cards, table numbers, and as inspiration for the cake design. With this pattern, my invitation designer echoed the layers of my skirt, the flourishes of the bridesmaids’ dresses, and the lush floral arrangements—a conversation starter in and of themselves! We also displayed our parents’ and grandparents’ wedding photographs at a front table in honor of our beloved family members who shaped us into the people we both love and appreciate so much.

Photography: Gaston Photography / Floral Design: Cori Cook Floral Design / Event Coordination: JA Special Events /Venue: Villa Parker / Catering: Tony Rosacci’s Fine Catering / Cinematography & Photobooth: All Digital / Cake: Elegant Bakery / Rentals:  Events Rents / Transportation: Sunset Limousine / Accomodations:   Marriott Denver South / Wedding Gown Designer: Paloma Blanca / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: The Limited

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Post tags: All Digital, Ballerina, Color Palette Pink, Colorado, Cori Cook Floral Design, Denver, Elegance Bakery, Events Rents, Gaston Photography, JA Special Events, Marriott Denver South, Paloma Blanca, Spring Wedding, Sunset Limousine, The Limited, Tony Rosacci's Fine Catering, Traditional Elegance, Tutus, Villa Parker, Wedding Flowers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

From SugarLove Weddings … The city chic Rydges in Brisbane was the chosen location for the wedding of Sarina & Eric in summer time. The hotel room was transformed by Rouba Alamein from The Style Salon and SugarLove Weddings was flown in with his team to cover the event. Another treat for guests was international musician & singer Guy Sebastian who sang for guests before Sarina & Eric danced the night away to fireworks on the rooftops overlooking the river. The styling & decor was magical and the fairytale setting that Sarina had always dreamed of. Combined with so many beautiful roses, candles & vines throughout it also smelt divine.

Photography: SugarLove Weddings / Flowers: The Style Salon / Event Design: The Style Salon / Ceremony Location: Rydges Hotel, Brisbane / Reception Location:  Rydges Hotel, Brisbane / Bride’s Pink Gown: Elie Saab

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Post tags: Australia, Ballroom Wedding, Brisbane, Chinese Tea Ceremony, Chivali Chairs, Color Palette Muted, Color Palette Pink Green, Destination Weddings, Elie Saab, Fireworks, Queensland, Romance, Roses, Rydges Hotel, Spring Wedding, SugarLove Weddings, The Style Salon, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Cake
Post categories: Australia Weddings, Queensland, Traditional Elegance

From Weddings by Design … What an amazing Spring Wedding! Paige and Frank tied the knot at her parent’s beautiful home in Rancho Santa Fe. Paige was radiant in her white silk chiffon gown with wide satin sash, complimented by her lovely bouquet of white peonies and blush roses. Her bridesmaids, in kiwi chiffon cocktail gowns, carried a lovely mix of deep and light pink peonies with pink and white hydrangea.

A brass quartet announced the bride’s entrance with her father which was framed by gorgeous swags of lemon leaf ending in four foot spheres of white carnations.  The altar,  with it’s densely capped arbor of foliage, was completed with an abundant mantle of white tulips atop the lions head fountain backdrop.

Cocktails were poolside, then the bride and groom lead their  guests into a clear tent for dinner. Guests were seated at long tables covered  with crisp white linen and adorned with classic arrangements of white anemone and an abundance of candles. The wedding party was centered around a rustic, wooden table, complete with  antler candelabras and a massive branch candelabra overhead.

An amazing four course dinner was prepared and served by The Kitchen For Exploring Foods, followed by a decadent moss covered desert buffet of cakes and treats from several local bakeries. Following dinner, the guests joined the bride and the groom to dance under the stars to the fantastic music of The Xceptions and a surprise guitar and vocal serenade form the groom to the bride.  A truly magical night was had by all.

Florist: Isari Flower Studio / Photographer: Darin Fong Photography / Caterer: The Kitchen for Exploring Food / Brass Ensemble: Select Brass / Band: Xceptional Music Co / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals, Culver City / Valet: Sunset Parking Service / Officiant: Rev. Steven Murray / Coordinator: Laura Rizzo, Weddings by Design

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Post tags: California, Classic Party Rentals, Clear Tent, Color Palette Pink Green, Darin Fong Photography, Flower girls, Isari Flower Studio, Outdoor Ceremony, Outdoor Wedding, Rancho Santa Fe, Select Brass, Spring Wedding, Sunset Parking Service, The Kitchen for Exploring Food, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Flowers, Weddings by Design, Xceptional Music Co
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance

Dress purchased from Little White Dress – how cute is that name?

From Sapphire Celebrations … Kelly and Mark’s wedding this summer was more than just their becoming husband and wife, they were also committing to each other’s children – creating a family. Incorporating their three children into the wedding ceremony was important to them both.

The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs was the perfect location for the intimate wedding ceremony and reception. Guests were treated to delicious cuisine butler passed and set up in action stations while enjoying the sounds of a jazz trio. Keeping the kids in mind, a special table was set up for them with an activity book, crayons and candy for each.

At the end of the night, guests were sent off with a special treat of milk and cookies.

Photography: Hannah Photography / Flowers: The Perfect Petal / Event Design: Sapphire Celebrations / Event Planning: Sapphire Celebrations / Ceremony Location: The Broadmoor / Reception Location: The Broadmoor / Invitations, Napkins and Cookie Bags: Paper Works / Dress: Little White Dress Bridal Shop / Lounge Furniture: In Design / Music: A Music Plus / Welcome Baskets: Colorado Pine Gift Basket Company

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Post tags: A Music Plus, Color Palette Green White Pink, Colorado, Colorado Pine Gift Basket Company, Colorado Springs, Cookies, Crayons, Hannah Photography, Kids, Paper Works, Sapphire Celebrations, Spring Wedding, The Broadmoor, The LIttle White Dress, The Perfect Petal, Wedding Planners & Designers
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog

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From the Bride… Our overall goal was to make the wedding personal by sharing things we love with our guests and ensure they were well fed and had a good time.  Special touches we added to our day included Clara, Ben’s cousin, reading a piece that summarized marriage to Ben and I.  It meant a lot to us to hear the reading from her. Also, we designed a chuppah, which my brother-in-law built for us. The chuppah was designed so that, though there were “four-posts,” they did not obstruct the view of anyone, and the lace used was the same piece my sister had used in her wedding. We really enjoyed working together to design and create the chuppah, and my brother-in-law made our vision come true by assembling and hanging it for us.

I gave each of my bridesmaids and the reader pressed flower stained-glass pendants from Glass Works Waters Edge.  Each was unique, so I was able to choose a specific pendant for each. At Madre de Olivia I found a beautiful jade necklace for my mom to match the jade ring my father gave her when I was born.  The earrings I wore were my Grams’ pearls.  She passed away about 10 years ago- she was a very strong women and had a beautiful marriage. I wore a necklace which I found when browsing with my sister (matron of honor) on South Congress at the Turquoise Door, and Ben wore the watch his Uncle, a very important figure in his life, left Ben when he passed away.

For flowers, Lilacs are my favorite since my parents house growing up had lilac bushes, and they always remind me of home. We also chose peonies (an omen of a happy marriage), delphiniums for some blue for Ben, and wax flowers, hardy yet dainty little flowers.

The photo of our first dance is one of our favorites.  It was a special moment for us, to feel united and be surrounded by those who love us and support us. We are not usually affectionate in public, and the photo really captures the intimacy and true joy of that moment.  My biggest piece of advice to brides would be to try to make room in your budget to hire a great photographer and wedding day-of coordinator, they are both worth it!

The best moment of our day was being pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Choi.  We walked out seeing people so important to us smile and cheer, then once we got outside, we turned to each other and said “you’re my husband/wife” and smiled and kissed.

Wedding Photography: Sweet Caroline Photo / Wedding Venue: House on the Hill / Event Coordination: Beth Walker of 36th Street Events / Floral Design: Abby Daigle of STEMS Floral Design / Wedding Dress: Paloma Blanca via Brickhouse Bridal / Dress Alterations: Linda’s Couture / Bride’s Shoes: BP. / Bride’s Earrings: Vintage / Bride’s Necklace: The Turquoise Door / Groom’s Watch: Vintage / Hair: Shannon Briggs-Hack of Path Salon / Makeup: Sister of the Groom / Groom’s Attire: Calvin Klein / Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Catering: Salt Lick Bar-B-Que / Wedding Cake Balls: Austin Cake Balls / Rentals: Austin’s World of Rentals

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Post tags: 36th Street Events, Austin, Austin Cake Balls, Austin World of Rentals, Blue, BP, Brickhouse Bridal, Calvin Klein, Grey, House on the Hill, J. Crew, Linda's Couture, Men's Wearhouse, Outdoor Reception, Paloma Blanca, Path Salon, Purple, Salt Lick Bar-Be-Que, Spring Wedding, Stems Floral Design, Sweet Caroline Photo, Texas, The Turquoise Door, TX, Vintage Jewelry
Post categories: Austin Weddings, Casual Elegance, Texas Weddings

Check out the entire image gallery here!

From Wednesday, Inc. We embraced the approach of spring with vintage umbrellas and a handcrafted shower to create a scene that felt very dream-like and intimate, while still maintaining a strong sense of play. The ceremony was held in a sophisticated loft in downtown Fort Worth. Dramatic windows offered perfect natural light for our afternoon ceremony, and umbrellas hovered above the scene to offer a delicate touch of whimsy. The setting for the reception could not have been more picturesque! Our cozy table sat on top of a hill in a park overlooking the Fort Worth skyline. It was undeniably a site for sore eyes!
Teacups overflowing with ranunculus and french tulips doubled as table decor and favors for the guests. The flowers, provided by Kate Foley Design, were truly my favorite part of the day and tied everything together perfectly.

Event Design and Paperworks: Wednesday Inc. / Florals: Kate Foley Designs / Photography: EE Photography and Amanda Marie Portraits / Bakery: The Pie Place / Models: Crystal and Sammy, Brandi and Tyler / Brides Dress: Ella Bleu / Bow Ties: Nerds of a Feather

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Post tags: Amanda Marie Portraits, EE Photography, Ella Bleu, Etsy, Fort Worth, Intimate, Kate Foley Designs, Natural, Nerds of a Feather, ranunculus, Spring Wedding, The Pie Place, tulips, Vintage, vintage umbrellas, Wedding Favors, Wednesday Inc., Whimsy
Post categories: Photo Shoot

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From the Bride… As much as the term ‘vintage’ has become overly popular and cliche, our wedding was mainly vintage. It was also colourful, spring, nostalgic, farm, picnic, red & white checked, doilies.  Our entire wedding was to be outside. It wasn’t going to rain and we didn’t have a back-up plan. On the morning of the 11th it was gray and overcast and my brother welcomed me with the news that there was a 75% chance of rain. By the time I walked down to meet my almost-husband, it had all blown away and the sun had come out and it was a lovely spring day. It didn’t rain one single drop and the party carried on till late under an umbrella of stars. The next day it rained.

The most memorable part of the day was the walk from the Farm house to the ‘Chapel’ under the trees. This walk involved everything that is dearest to my heart and everyone that I love the most.  A few weeks after Travis proposed, our awesome and incredibly-loved dog ‘Bokkie’ was knocked down by a car. She was supposed to grow old with us.  We buried her underneath some Cherry blossom trees on the farm, which I passed en-route from the farm house to the ‘Chapel’.  My best friends and my sister were with me, smiling and joking and being awesome.  My dad and I walked hand in hand through the yellow fields and met my mum about half way.  Our favourite song ‘Staralfur’ from Sigur Ros was playing.  Even though the day had started miserable and grey, the sun was shining and it was a lovely spring day.  And then at the end of the walk, there was my almost-husband, waiting for me, looking all handsome and awesome.  Oh my, just writing about it makes me go all tender and soppy.

My wedding dress was made by my darling friend and super talented fashion designer Terese Meijering from Nooi. After getting engaged, my one grandmother gave me her original wedding dress (60 years old!) and my other grannie gave me some hand-made lace. Sentimental and nostalgic me wanted to create a new dress with that. Terese had the vision and the awesome talent. She made the most beautiful soft and simple dress using mainly the lacy fabric from the vintage dress, layering it with off-white coloured silk and rounded it all off with the hand-crocheted lace from my other grandmother. Et voila.

This wedding wouldn’t have happened without all the love and patience and hard work that was poured out for us from our family and friends. Every single item at this wedding was made possible by our friends and family – from my grannies doilies to the hand-painted signs to my dress sewn by an amazing friend. Travis and I have had long chats about the few days before the wedding, and we think we only now understand how utterly and awesomely we are loved by our friends and family and ultimately that this is a representation and extension of HIM. Our wedding would not have been close to what it was without all the helping, blistered hands, the sweating brows, the big laughs and the frustrated sighs, the dirty feet and hay-bale-slaving, the tree-cimbing and heart-hanging, the sign-painting and the high fives, the bunting-flag-sewing and origami-bird-folding, the invite-designing and dress-making, the organising and sourcing, the cupcake decorating and paper-flag-folding, the teepee-tent-sewing, the never ending patience and finally and above all, the never-ending love.

Wedding Photographer: Otto Schulze Photographers / Wedding Flowers: Multiflora Flower Market / Catering: Prep’ed by Sasha / Wedding Cinematography: pixelated pixies / Wedding Venue: Frankenhof (Private Residence) / Officiant: Pierre of 3rd Place / Wedding Coordinator: Nadine van Aswegen / Wedding Gown: Terese Meijering from Nooi / Bridal Make-Up Lessons: Nadja Seale / Bridal Shoes: g-mo footwear / Bridal Accessories: Friend of the Bride, Skermunkil and Country Road / Groom’s Wedding Band: Tinsel / Bride’s Wedding Ring: Antique / Wedding Decor: In Good Company / Wedding Stationary: Gerhard of This Pencil /  Wedding Cupcakes: Friend of the Bride / Wooden Signage: Michael Linders

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Post tags: 3rd Place, Country Road, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, farm wedding, g-mo footwear, In Good Company, Multiflora Flower Market, Nadja Seale, Nooi, Otto Schulze Photographers, Picnic, pixelated pixies, Prep'd by Sasha, Red and White, Skermunkil, south africa, Spring Wedding, Terese Meijering, This Pencil, Tinsel, Vintage, Whimsical Wedding Details
Post categories: Destination Weddings, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Vintage Chic

We all LOVE a great DIY wedding! No news flash there. But a DIY wedding at the Park Plaza in LA? Seems an unlikely venue for a hands-on kind of bride! But, just you wait and see what Liz did …

images courtesy of Kim Fox Photography

from Amber at Amber Events …
Liz approached me inquiring about my services as a “day of” coordinator for her April 3  DIY wedding at the historic Park Plaza Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. As a wedding professional who’s reputation is at risk when DIY projects don’t go as planned, I was a bit hesitant about taking on her wedding. Plus, I don’t really do “day of” ~ my base package is more of a 6 weeks of …

However, we met, and bonded over our mutual obsession with Anthropologie, Etsy, and our cats. Her projects were realistic and manageable and really, really cool. So I agreed and asked Liz to give me a list of what all she had going on  …

ALL the florals … bride’s bouquet, bridesmaids’ bouquets, boutonnieres, olive branch wreaths, ceremony gazebo flowers/draping, cocktail table arrangements, reception table centerpieces, bar/bathroom/assorted arrangements, moss letters, olive branch wreaths …

… meringue towers,lemon shortbread cookies on dessert table, escort cards, cake stand, bridesmaids’ pearl necklaces and earrings, wooden wine crate/box for ceremony (made by bride’s dad and a friend), all signs (pashminas, dessert table, etc.), chocolate-caramel popcorn favors, family photo table (spray painted frames/assembled/made signs), votive holders (sprayed w/frosting spray, lined with doilies so the bride wouldn’t have to get a fire permit!), table numbers, tassled napkin rings, save-the-dates (reproduction of an antique postcard that the bride found; composed text for the back), booklet with ceremony text/readings …

Liz (the bride) said, “It didn’t seem like that much when we were doing it…. wow!”

Wow, indeed. The florals alone are a monstrous job. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Liz was finishing up her last semester of law school here in LA while her fiancé Ryan works and lives in New York. She was juggling all of this, law school, and a long distance relationship. Watch out, world. Superwoman is about to get unleashed on you!

Their wedding day was beautiful and crisp and everything flowed smoothly and beautifully. Liz and Ryan were so over the moon for each other! Their ceremony was meaningful and touching and officiated by Ryan’s brother, John. There was a portion of the ceremony where Liz & Ryan put love letters that they had written to each other into a box with a bottle of wine and nailed shut. If they ever have any serious problems in their marriage, they are to open the box, drink the wine together, and read their love letters.

The guests loved all of the personal touches put into the wedding day. It was an extraordinary day!

One quick logistical note … the florals were carefully coordinated so that Liz did not do any work on her wedding day thanks to the help of her step-mom. {Our staff did assist with the breakdown at the end of the night.}

soooo?

~ awfully terrific, isn’t it ?!!

A classic and totally gorgeous wedding with a super hands-on bride with her absolutely dreamy groom! Please ~ a standing ovation!

Liz ~ your DIY projects were perfect! Our congratulations to you and Ryan! And to Amber Events, thanks so much for sharing it with us!  See more here!

Venue - The Park Plaza
Photography- Kim Fox Photography
DJ – Nik Bordokoff
Cake- NancyKay’s Confections
Floral – Bride & Stepmom
Ceremony & Cocktail hour music – Strings by Reiko
Bride’s Dress - J Crew
Bride’s hair- Monique’s Salon
Bride’s makeup- Annette Reddington
And my wonderful assistants at Amber Events ~ Krista and Sacha

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Post tags: Amber Events, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Escort Cards, Los Angeles, Meringue Tower, Moss Letters, Park Plaza, Spring Wedding
Post categories: Budget Beautiful, Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Planners & Designers