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From Simply Perfect by Melissa… Jessica and Jordan are a sweet couple from the Cincinnati area who planned a Chicago destination wedding. Jessica wanted to add some quintessential Chicago elements while creating a soft, feminine feel with a mix of vintage and contemporary.

Her day started off being pampered and treated like a princess in the famous Princess Diana Suite at The Drake Hotel. The couple tied the knot in a beautiful Catholic Church- Holy Family Parish. Guests were transported around town in trolleys allowing them to take advantage of the sights of Chicago. The 95th Floor of the John Hancock Building at the Signature Room for her reception brought in classic Chicago, along with some skyline touches here and there.

Guests were seated at square tables covered in gunmetal grey with each place setting perfectly set a with beaded charger and ornate silver trimmed plate topped with a personalized round menu, and stemware to match. Her soft floral shades, gorgeous billowing dress, and the overall inviting ambiance of her celebration created a perfect combination bringing her vision to life.

Wedding Photography: Gerber + Scarpelli / Floral Design: Fleur Inc / Wedding Coordination: Simply Perfect by Melissa / Wedding Ceremony Location: Holy Family Parish / Wedding Reception Location: The Signature Room at the 95th / Getting Ready Location: The Princess Diana Suite, The Drake Hotel / Lighting: Chicago Lighting Design / Bridal Gown: St. Pucchi via Belle Vie Bridal Couture / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Band: Jeff Sandler Orchestra / Linens: BBJ Linens / Place Settings + Chairs: Tablescapes / Invitation + Paper Goods : Bold Paper Design / Transportation: Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Bus + Empire Limousine / Favors: Frango Mints

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Post tags: Amsale, BBJ Linens, Belle Vie Bridal Couture, Bold Paper Design, Chicago Lighting Design, Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Bus, Chicago Wedding Dance, Empire Limousine, Fleur Inc., Frango Mints, Gerber + Scarpelli, Holy Family Parish, Illinois Weddings, Jeff Sandler Orchestra, Simply Perfect by Melissa, St. Pucchi, Tablescapes, The Drake Hotel, The Signature Room at the 95th
Post categories: Chicago Weddings, Illinois Weddings, Traditional Elegance

From Bella Cupcake Couture & Crinoline & Tweed … This enchanting Paris-inspired tabletop display provides a peek inside of an intimate setting for two and is the perfect setting for one of the most special occasions – an engagement.

Bella Cupcake Couture in a collaboration with graphic designer, Astrid Mueller, had her create a proposal card which incorporated into this elegant display. We all imagined an evening scene in a Paris Cafe where a couple after sightseeing stopped by for a glass of red wine and dessert and he popped the question.  We pulled the color scheme from the proposal card and went with an Art Nouveau theme bringing in lush black and white prints accented with highlights of red.  Emici Bridal provided the silk flower brooch which we pinned to the napkin to create a surprising way to present the engagement ring.

Miki of Clara French Ceramique created an elegant tiered cake stand which was filled with cream puffs, eclairs, and beautiful berry tarts baked by Tallant House.  Trophy Cupcake baked up an assortment of pink frosted lemon raspberry and vanilla cream cupcakes which were set into black and white Lu Lu damask cupcake wrappers created by Bella Cupcake Couture. The flowers were arranged by Romanza Floral. This romantic tablescape was styled by Crinoline & Tweed  who also created a napkin band and floral wine glass coaster to compliment the setting. All photos were beautifully captured by Red Box Pictures –truly magnifique!

This elegant setting will make you and your guests feel like they are celebrating at a European Villa tea party.  We chose a lush cheery color palate of spring greens, blush pinks and buttery yellows and accented it with soft vintage floral motifs found on the vintage tea cups and tea pots collected.  Throw pillows, a rose table runner and cloth napkins were custom stitched to bring a custom touch to the table design.

The delectable entremet chocolate cake baked by Tallant House is sitting atop a Clara French scalloped pedestal ready to be served on her matching darling dessert plates. We nestled the vintage tea pots in between towers of Trophy cupcakes, a vibrant flower arrangement created by Romanza Floral and french macaroons by Tallant House.

Crinoline & Tweed’s handmade pillows spruced up a vintage couch and matched the gorgeous macaroons perfectly.

Each setting was dressed with its own one of a kind vintage tea cup, springy green dessert plate by Clara French a top a cream and gold vintage plate.  Crinoline & Tweed also made hand made dessert napkins and wrapped them in silk ribbon and found the perfect gold dessert flatware to match the gold etching on the cups and teapots.

The sweet place cards designed by Astrid Mueller welcomed each guest and also thanked them for attending this sweet affair. With so many Trophy cupcake flavors to pick from these are perfect for a shower setting as each guest can select her favorite flavors.  They look so pretty on the Clara French pink tiered dessert stand.  Each cupcake is dressed up in a Bella Cupcake Couture cupcake wrapper to match the color scheme.  This is a perfect theme for an intimate girly shower to celebrate with close friends and family.

A popular wedding color theme is Silver & White. Perfect for a couple who likes a clean, chic style or is planning a Winter Dream occasion.  This tabletop setting features a gilded silver mirror  as a sparkly backdrop which creates a modern Scandinavian style for the table softened with some feminine cut crystal accents.  Our stylists, Crinoline & Tweed  loaded the table with lit candles to balance the coolness of the icy silver and glass.  Silver and white modern place cards and an acrylic cake topper were designed by Astrid Mueller.

Our overall goal was to create textural warmth of soft whites and silvers.  A silver charger was topped with simple white china and layered with a decorative floral etched glass salad plate.  An assortment of vintage silver, crystal, and mercury glass candle holders in different shapes and heights were collected and scattered between the flowers and dessert centerpiece.  Keeping with our Scandinavian theme, we chose a repetitive modern shape for the champagne flutes, water glasses, and vases.

The centerpiece of desserts was built using layered Clara French cake stands.  Our photograph of a beautiful lace wedding dress inspired the lacy fondant covered cake baked by Tallant House.  We chose a variety of Trophy Cupcakes in shades of white and cream nestled inside Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers in a variety of silver and white textile-inspired designs. The flower arrangements were provided by Romanza Floral. This setting was in an intimate corner of the Tuscan Tea Room.

An exquisite display of simple elegance- your guests will be captivated by the dessert display and have a hard time picking which little treat to indulge in first.

Venue: The Tuscan Tea Room / Designers: Crinoline & Tweed / Photographers: Red Box Pictures / Flowers: Romanza Floral / Cakes & French Pastries: Tallant House / Cupcakes: Trophy Cupcakes / Ceramique Cupcake Stands: Clara French / Stationary: Designs by Astrid Mueller & Artisan printing by Digby and Rose / Cupcake Wrappers: Bella Cupcake Couture / White Ring Bearer Pillow: Emici Bridal

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Post tags: Astrid Mueller, Bella Cupcake Couture, Cake Stands, Clara French, Crinoline & Tween, Cupcakes, Digby and Rose, French Pastries, macarons, Red Box Pictures, Romanza Floral, Seattle Washington, Tablescapes, Tallant House, Tea, The Tuscan Tea Room, Trophy Cupcakes, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Centerpieces
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cakes

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From Nika Vaughan…This was a July 2011 Modern Loft wedding shot at Room 1520 in Chicago, IL by Laurie Peacock.  The bride, Paige, is a super laid back girl, and gladly let her mom, Sandy, and awesome event coordinator Alexzandra Higgins organize a night they knew she would love.  The details for the wedding were picked to suit Paige’s bend towards things that are a touch vintage, but with a very contemporary feel.  Sandy and Alexzandra sourced the details from a wide range of vendors, splurging on the stuff they knew the couple would especially love, as well as finding amazing deals on sites like Etsy and stores like Filene’s Basement.  Corey, the groom, actually made his cuff links from hardware pieces, and Paige was dying to see him in his Hugo Boss suit at their first look before the ceremony.

On the day of the wedding, the bride’s one makeup request was for some really awesome lashes.  Both her dress and her hairstyle were vintage inspired, but with a more modern twist.  Her dress was actually two pieces that fit her like a glove.  The gorgeous purse was found on a whim at Filene’s Basement (for 19.99!), while the mother of the bride managed to hunt down the perfect blue gray flower girl dresses for both the girls–but each from a completely different company.    The flower girls wore wired flowers in their hair from Chicago Botanicals.

Catering: Food Evolution / Florals + Decor: Botanicals, an HMR Design Group Company / Rentals: Tablescapes / Hair: Suzy of Hairspray Revolution / Make-up: Nika Vaughan / Venue: Room 1520 / Wedding Planner: Alexzandra Higgins/Atomic Jaguar / Band: Devil Dogs / DJ: Pete Huels / Wedding Photography: Laurie Peacock / Wedding Dress: Ultimate Bride Chicago / Bride’s Shoes: Nine West / Bride’s Bracelet + Earrings: Bloomingdales / Veil + Hair Brooch: Etsy / Purse: Filene’s Basement / Grooms’s Suit: Hugo Boss via Formerly Modern Tuxedo / Grooms’s Cuff Links: The Groom / Flower Girl Dresses: David’s Bridal + Nordstrom

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Post tags: Alezandra Higgins, Bloomingdales, Chicago, Chicago Botanicals, David's Bridal, Devil Dogs, Etsy, Filene's Basement, Food Evolution, Formerly Modern Tuxedo, Hairspray Revolution, Hugo Boss, Illinois Wedding, Laurie Peacock, Nika Vaughan, Nine West, Nordstrom, Pere Huels, Room 1520, Tablescapes, Ultimate Bride Chicago
Post categories: Chicago Weddings, Contemporary, Illinois Weddings

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From Hello Darling… A few months back during “coffee talk”, we all got to chatting about some fun and unusual ideas for a bridal shower shoot. Trying to stray away from an ultra feminine and popular palette of pale peach, buttercream, and gold, we mused over the endlessly stylish “For Like Ever” poster with contrasting colors of bubblegum pink and cherry red and everything began to fall into place. We fell in love with a stunning Graham Atkins Hughes photograph of a woman donning a knee-length, Emerald green dress with colorful balloons spilling out from underneath it, and other blissfully bright textural images from doughnuts to décor. Our inspiration board grew into a playful story of two bridesmaids and a glowingly glam bride.

Take one part 1980’s slumber party, one part Lilly Pulitzer dress and you have our recipe for a stylish and celebratory bridal shower. Bridesmaids, Gwen and Quinn, arrived at Jane’s Restaurant in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood for a bridal brunch greeted by bride-to-be Mimi. The ladies wasted no time toasting to their gal pal at the customizable Bellini Bar. After the clink of a glass, and a few words to honor the blushing bride, the gals grabbed their personalized rainbow lollipops and cozied up in the mod white booth.

Strawberry garnished cocktails, fresh fruit, and scones atop vintage white scalloped gateau pedestals framed color blocked bouquets. Lemon yellow garden roses, tulips, spider mums, and craspedia in white boxes were tucked between mod turquoise vases highlighting luscious pink peonies and oh-so-hot lily of the valley. Without a doubt, these beauties brought the something old and something blue to this celebration. White eyelet-bordered plates wrapped in alternating shades of magenta and tangerine linen napkins held retro-prep, powder blue striped menu cards which tied together the boldly patterned sweets display and centerpieces in a pretty little package.  Layers of glittery polka dot inspired décor hung above the table popping off the crisp white walls turning the modern soda shop into a whimsical oasis in the heart of this windy city. Jane’s first course of quiche and mixed greens was followed by a second course of beautiful strawberry crepes. The girls made sure to save room for the indulgent mini sweets buffet complete with classics like chocolate doughnuts with rainbow sprinkles, chocolate and red velvet whoopee pies, key lime and lemon pies with sugared citrus garnish, pastel pink cake pops and adorable umbrella cookies. The desserts were displayed atop custom fabric-wrapped pedestals and labeled with petite flags which complimented the paper suite.

After opening her brightly wrapped packages and reciting from the pages of her poetic Pablo Neruda paperback, Mimi presented each of her honorable bridesmaids with their own girly gifts. Chic costume jewelry nestled into blush pink peonies filled each of the Lucite favor boxes.  The bridal party made their final toast and grabbing a few pretty blooms and sweets, they waved goodbye to their friend and the enchanted afternoon they all shared together.

Photography: Olivia Leigh Photographie / Floral + Décor Styling: Natalie Walsh of Hello Darling / Planning: Kelly Cavanaugh and Melissa Samek of Clementine Custom Events / Paper Goods: Kara Gordon of Magnificent Milestones / Desserts: Jewell Catering / Place Settings: Tablescapes / Linens: BBJ Linen / Hair + Make-up: Nika Vaughan / Wardrobe + Accessories: Anthropologie + Photographer’s Own (Vintage) / Venue: Jane’s Restaurant / Models: Corey Doyle and Megan Klehr; Grossman and Jack; Sarah Stark

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anthropologie, BBJ Linen, Bridal Shower, Clementine Custom Events, Hello Darling, Jane's Resturant, Jewell Catering, Magnificent Milestones, Nika Vaughan, Olivia Leigh Photographie, Retro Chic, Tablescapes
Post categories: Bridal Party, Chicago Weddings, Illinois Weddings

I have a huge, Italian family that mainly lives in Chicago so we knew it would be easiest for everyone to have the wedding there. Ever since I was little, I wanted to get married at Holy Name Cathedral because it is the most stunning church I have ever seen and the Chicago Cultural Center really fit in with the vintage glam theme.  The tiffany domes and architecture throughout are breathtaking. Also, the guest list was over 300 so we needed somewhere to accommodate everyone.

The NASCAR race season begins in the beginning of February and ends in mid November so we knew it would be a winter wedding. Once we started looking at the calendar New Years Eve was the date that seemed to make the most sense.  With the date set I started building the theme around that.  New Years is very glamorous and I have always loved the old Hollywood glamour.  I wanted to stick with darker tones since it was winter and purple is one of my favorite colors so I chose plum.  I also really love feathers that I have seen incorporated into weddings but I took it more to the extreme creating a full feathered bar and having ostrich feathers on my wedding dress! Also, my bouquet and the bridesmaids’ had feathers in them.

We had a traditional Catholic wedding and followed the tradition of not seeing each other on the wedding day until I was walking down the isle. I was really happy we did that because when the huge doors opened at Holy Name Cathedral and I saw my soon to be husband standing at the end of the very long aisle waiting for me it was truly a breathtaking, unforgettable moment.

Wedding Planning: Big City Bride / Venue: Chicago Cultural Center / Church  & Church Musicians: Holy Name Cathedral / Caterer: Blue Plate Catering / Photography: Robyn Rachel Photography / Cinematography: Indiana Motion Pictures / Bride & Groom Transportation: Flying Lady Rolls Royce / Guest Transportation: Windy City Limousine / Hair: Nicci Plachno / Make-Up: Juli Valdez / Rock Violin Show: The Cover Girls / Wedding Cake: Amy Beck Cake Design / Lighting:  Video, Light, Sound, Inc. / Floral + Design:  Heffernan Morgan Event Design / Band: Larry King Orchestra / Linens:  Carousel Linens & BBJ Linens / Rentals:  Tablescapes, Halls Rental & Classic Party Rentals / Invitations: Kustom Kreations / Menus, Signage, Place Cards: DG Invites / Interactive Place Card Table:  Redmoon

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Post tags: Amy Beck Cake Design, BBJ Linens, Big City Bride, Blue Plate Catering, Carousel Linens, Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center, Classic Party Rentals, DG Invites, Flying Lady Rolls Royce, Halls Rental, Heffernan Morgan Designs, Holy Name Cathedral, Illinois, Justom Kreations, Larry King Orchestra, New Year's Eve, Peacock Feathers, Robyn Rachel Photography, Tablescapes, The Cover Girls, Traditional Elegance, Windy City Limousine
Post categories: Chicago Weddings, Illinois Weddings, Traditional Elegance

{click here to see more details from the shoot}

We created this vintage inspired photo shoot at the Mill at Fine Creek- a Historic Landmark in Powhatan, Virginia. The old mill ruins provided a stunning yet rustic and simple backdrop for our tablescape. Florist Holly Chapple created the most beautiful, vibrant tonal purple florals. We adorned the adorned the table with vintage pieces- pretty floral china with a bright floral pattern and the delicate gold rimmed champagne goblets. I love this concept of an intimate affair where the bride and groom’s family can contribute to the decor (and therefore the meaning of the day) by bringing family heirloom pieces that are mixed and matched on each table– and even  mixing and matching the chairs with whatever is available.

Flowers: Holly Chapple / Event Planning: Ashley Baber and Amanda Gray / Shoot Location: The Mill at Fine Creek / Invitations: Emily Ley Paper / Hair and Make-up: Mango Salon / Dress: Tiffany’s Bridal Salon / Tableware: The Elephant’s Toe Antiques 804-282-5550 / Photography: Julie Renee Photography

If you’re in the mood for even more flawless florals… we just added some GORGEOUS pics from poppies and posies, Jen Huang, and Lauren Napier to our facebook page.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amanda Gray, Ashley Baber, Color Palette Purple, Emily Ley Paper, Holly Chapple, Julie Renee Photography, Mango Salon, Purple, Tablescapes, The Mill at Fine Creek, Tiffany's Bridal Salon
Post categories: Wedding Decor, Wedding Details, Wedding Flowers

The insanely gorgeous collaboration between event planners Lina Wallace and Heather Ham was shot by photographer extraordinaire Meg Perotti.  Now on to the goods, shall we? Let the pretty parade begin…

From Lina and Heather, the event planners behind the shoot:

We mainly took our inspiration from the fourth book in The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, Breaking Dawn, in which the two characters Bella and Edward get married. The wedding was described as taking place at the house where Edward and his family live in the woods surrounded by all white flowers. We also took inspiration from the iconic cover of the first book where hands are holding an apple. Apples were used as escort cards, candleholders, a cake topper, and our signature beverage, hot apple cider.

For our ceremony setup we had floating rose heads and crystals hanging from a tree with a simple white rose petal aisle.

For the bouquet, we used peonies, roses, lisianthus, dusty miller and bluporum tied with a simple white ribbon that had the words “so the lion fell in love with the lamb” written by our calligrapher, Calligraphy Katrina.

Melody of Sweet and Saucy designed the cake. She took our themes and ideas and made a cake that is truly unique and beautiful incorporating our color scheme as well as the branches and the apple of course.

For the favors, we had several options including buttons with “Team Bella” and “Team Edward”, as well as miniature green trees and pashmina wraps in coordinating colors.

For our main tablescape we used all white flowers (roses, lisianthus and hydrangea) as well as some greenery (dusty miller and bluporum and a few succulents). We incorporated apples as candleholders as well as using floating candles in glass containers and silver candelabras. We had a lace table runner made by Sashes of love placed down the center of the table. We had menus made by our calligrapher with each guest’s name (Bella, Edward, Alice, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie and Jasper). We used a chocolate brown satin ribbon with a crystal broach at each place setting.

We also decided to do a “Luxe for Less” look to show brides how they could take a high-end tablescape and interpret it into something more reasonable for those concerned with their budget. Instead of the rented wooden tables we used a standard linen in camel. We used wooden folding chairs in an antique finish and used a single candelabra with a few floral centerpieces for a similar effect as the main tablescape.

We wanted to bring Bella and Edward’s wedding to life similar to how it is described in the book. We’ve seen other inspirations that are very gothic and dark using reds and blacks, but we wanted to show our interpretation of what their wedding would really look like with delicate, light, airy details.

Thank you ladies for the awesome inspiration and in case any of you out there are absolutely dying to know — I’m TEAM EDWARD all the way.

Event Design: Lina Wallace – A Stunning Affair and Heather Ham – Events by Heather Ham/ Photography: Meg Perotti / Floral design: Lina Wallace / Cake: Sweet and Saucy / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Stationery: Calligraphy Katrina / Table Runner: Sashes for Love / Venue: Church of Our Saviour

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Post tags: A Stunning Affair, Calligraphy Katrina, Church of our Saviour, Classic Party Rentals, Edward and Bella Wedding, Erin Ever After, Erin Wayt, Events by Heather Ham, Meg Perotti, Sashes for Love, Sweet and Saucy, Tablescapes, Twilight
Post categories: The Blog, Wedding Decor, Wedding Details

I absolutely LOVE that you can put all sorts of seemingly unrelated objects together and come up with a tablescape this amazing!

All you guys planning and dreaming and obsessing about wedding colors and wedding “themes” … you certainly must take a close look at all the elements in these designs. You don’t need a theme. You just need a dream-team like this on your side ~

Oh my gosh … this photography ~Simply Timeless Photography ~ is simply stunning!

Not to mention, drop-dead gorgeous bouquets from Courtenay!

Courtenay’s blog has lots more photos from the day as well as tons of inspiration for you. AND Kortnee and Ted have THE cutest vintage wedding & day after photos {Andy & Kaitlin} right now on their blog. LOVE their style! Thanks to all of you for the dazzling eye-candy.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Courtenay Lambert Floral, Glass Eye Video, Simply Timeless Photography, Tablescapes
Post categories: Bouquets, Centerpieces, Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography