A few more details from the bride, Ashley…

My mom did all of the centerpieces. The tables were all named after some of our favorite singers from the 40’s and 50’s. We even bought the chargers off another bride and made the black cloth’s to go under the flowers to tie it all together. Our food was vegetarian (as I am).

We had Phil Shane, a local legend of an Elvis Impersonator, perform and he had everyone up and dancing!

And we had a photo booth which doubled as favors for our guests and we asked them to take one set to put in our guest book!

All in all, it sounds like a pretty incredible day!

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Post tags: Phil Shane, San Diego, Stephanie James
Post categories: Real Weddings, Vintage Chic

From Ashley…

We got married on May 17, 2008 in Rancho Santa Fe, California (outside of San Diego). I grew up in the area and although I have been living in Los Angeles for 10 years, I wanted to return to have our wedding at my favorite place in the world. The home of Eleanor “Bita” Dean, who is like my grandmother and was my nanny growing up. Her home was built in the 1930’s and is so elegant and filled with vintage class and flare. I spent much of my childhood at her home, from the age of 3 months! It was absolutely perfect for us and had the perfect mix of sentimentality, class and sass, just our style!

My dress was a Stephanie James which I had her put black polka dot tulle underneath because our wedding colors were black and white (and I love polka dots!), and our wedding had a clear vintage rockabilly theme throughout.

We were on a budget for the entire event, so I found a photographer through a friend of mine that was only $900! AMAZING! Her name is Pamela Marie and she has since relocated to Pennsylvania, but she was incredible to work with and I thought the photos were unbelievable. I did the invitations myself, and my mother did the flowers.

We wanted to infuse our personalities into the day as much as possible…so, I walked down the aisle to Jonny Cash! It’s a Scandinavian wedding tradition for a newly married couple to saw a log together so we did just that! I wanted our flower girls to have dresses that were fun and could be worn again, just like the bridesmaids. Their mother picked these out and they were perfect! And, I asked all my bridemaids to pick dresses that they loved and felt good in, as well as could be worn again.

More to come!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: San Diego, Stephanie James
Post categories: Real Weddings, Vintage Chic

How beautiful are these dresses!?!? Stephanie’s blog is filled with amazing creations, you absolutely have to check out. Even more exciting, she features tons of pretty awesome head pieces and accessories…

Sigh…so in love! Stephanie’s dresses range in price from $1200 – $4000 and accessories range from $150-$300. If you want to work directly with Stephanie, you can see the ordering information right here. Otherwise, stop in to one of her retailers and try one on!

So…I am curious to know…how many of you would consider wearing a tea length gown? I LOVE the look, but it is a bit untraditional and I would love to know who is looking to embrace the style?

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Stephanie James
Post categories: The Blog, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Fashion

From Anna and Breanna…

As owners of a bridal boutique in Denver, we are lucky enough to spend our days poring over magazines, meeting with designers, and attending fashion shows. The three trends that we are just loving in bridal gowns right now are texture, fabrics, and details. They are a modern way to infuse a little sophisticated style without going too trendy. After all, no one wants to look back on their pictures and have the equivalent of the 80’s pouf!

Texture – A dress with texture just comes to life. It’s got dimension, interest, and is something that you just want to touch and feel.

Fabrics – So long duchess satin… designers are using everything from silk wools, laundered silks, velvet, and new, modern lace.

Details – It’s the small touches that really make a dress stand out and well-placed seams, knots, tucks, and pleats prove that you don’t need bling to make a statement.

Here are a couple of our favorite gowns that exemplify these trends:

Elena by Junko Yoshioka (top left)

Love the unique fabric pearl accents along the empire line as well as the velvet chiffon overlay – so soft and buttery. Yum!

Mica by Junko Yoshioka (top right)

Check out the cord detail throughout the skirt and train – an updated take on embroidery. But this is definitely not your grandmother’s dress. It’s got a peekaboo sheer chiffon accent right underneath the bust that adds a little sass.

Lizzie by Stephanie James

This amazing vintage lace is perfect for a short dress, but it’s really the bow detail and scalloped hem that makes the dress sweet.

We have more pics from Anna Be to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anna Be, Junko Yoshioka, Stephanie James
Post categories: Wedding Dresses, Wedding Fashion