Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Our wedding theme was “burlap & lace,” right down to my gown. And oh, the cotton! I was obsessed with it, envisioning tufts of wild cotton and peonies delicately framing everything. Peonies evidently weren’t in season, but my florist used these romantic cabbage roses to my delight. My then-fiance and I love rummaging through antique stores and fairs in our free time. As such, we felt that it was both necessary and appropriate to incorporate vintage elements and found objects into our wedding. Almost all the decor and personal touches, both seen and not seen here, were handmade by me or with the help of my fiance. He was my ultimate hero in building frames for the signage with reclaimed wood and drawing the handsome thumbprint tree. I made straw and burlap nests for our escort cards, filled with a variety of wildflower seeds and secured the envelope with a darling lace tie. And I cannot speak enough about what an incredible resource Etsy was. My stunning veil and fascinator, antique rose lace belt, estate jewelry, vintage purse and invitations were all found there.  

So was I one of “those” brides?  Yes and no. Yes, I was eager, shopping for and trying on wedding gowns before my boyfriend formally proposed. No, I did not chew off anyone’s head in the months leading up to the wedding (at least not that I’m aware of). I was, admittedly, a very particular bride. Having my heart set on an outdoor rustic wedding, we drove all over from Sonoma to Santa Cruz not two weeks after the engagement to locate a venue with a barn and an overgrown oak tree that would shade us during the ceremony. Many of the farmhouse venues in Napa were beyond our budget, while the ones that came within were rough around the edges. Crestfallen, the leading contender was, in our minds, one too many tool sheds and manure piles away from confidently selling the idea to our traditionally-minded parents. So we let go of the wine country wedding to find the happy medium at Nestldown. I got my romantically lit, airy barn and abundant orchards, and our parents won pristine perfection in the flourishing ponds and manicured gardens.  Instead of a single oak tree, we exchanged our deepest vows in a magnificent cathedral of towering redwood trees. I will never forget how the sun’s rays cast a spotlight down in between the trees on just the two of us, my veil almost glowing from the sumptuously spiritual light. In the end — between the synergy of the fairy tale venue, each one of our truly amazing vendors, my DIY touches, Ivan’s penchant for collecting antique typewriters and cameras, and my friend who acted as day-of coordinator — our rustic elegant vision was fully realized, and we wished the day could have been played on repeat.

Among other things, we had not a spare moment to enjoy our antique wooden croquet set with friends, but in our minds, the day was nearly perfect.  It lives on in my dream and in the breathtaking photography of Tanja Lippert. She carefully, lovingly, captured all the special details we wished we had all the time in the world to take in. Love.

Wedding Photography: Tanja Lippert Photography / Assistant Photographer: Luke Goodman / Venue: Nestldown / Wedding Planning + Design: The Bride / Flowers: Precious and Blooming / Wedding Dress: Robert Bullock Bride for Birnbaum & Bullock / Shoes: Nine West / Earrings: Passionate About Vintage / Vintage Purse: Storied / Wedding Invitations: Papier Lapin / Wedding Cake: Margaret’s French Bakery / Hair + Makeup: Julie Dy / DJ: Woody of Big Fun DJs

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Big Fun DJs, Birnbaum & Bullock, Blush, California, Green, Julie Dy, Los Gatos, Luke Goodman, Margaret's French Bakery, Nestldown, Nine West, Papier Lapin, Passionate About Vintage, Precious and Blooming, Robert Bullock Bride, Silicon Valley, Storied, Tanja Lippert Photography, White
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Jono and I first met when I was on a job interview at UC Santa Barbara. I was interviewing to be the ticket manager and he was currently an assistant basketball coach for the men’s basketball team. I was being shown around the office and introduced to staff and coaches when I was introduced to him. He asked where I was from, and I said Spokane, Washington. His response was, “I hate you.” I was slightly taken aback but laughed, and he explained that he had been there a few months earlier and had a horrible case of food poisoning, so he didn’t have the best memories. We always joke about the fact that the first thing he said to me was “I hate you.”

I accepted the job and moved to Santa Barbara. We became friends and hung out with a group of young, single co-workers often. We started working out together and hanging out just the two of us at times. I thought he might like me but I shrugged it off because I didn’t want to date a co-worker. But eventually after being set up on a date with someone else, I realized I was thinking about Jono the entire time and I should probably give it a shot (no basketball pun intended!). That was November of 2008 and we’ve been together since!

We looked at two other locations for the wedding. But I think we knew once we visited Bacara that it was the spot for us. We worked very close to Bacara and went on walks nearby often. We loved that our ceremony site had a garden like feel, but with views of the cliffs, beach, ocean and islands. We didn’t have to worry about the challenges of getting married on the beach (sand and wind issues). It was also important for us to be able to take some photos after the ceremony on the beach. We both agree that those beach photos are our favorite and we’ll hold the memories of taking those photos very dearly.
I had part of my baby blanket sewn in to my dress. I have loved my baby blanket my entire life and my great-aunt gave me a hard time since I was little that I should have it sewn in to my wedding dress, so I did! My baby blanket is blue and white gingham, and she actually hosted a bridal shower for me with a blue and white gingham theme!

Our place cards were designed to look like tickets to a game. I was the ticket manager at UCSB and sold tickets to the games Jono coached… tickets and games have played a significant role in our lives for sure! They were situated at the cocktail hour in green lentil beans, which is also significant as I grew up in Eastern Washington, which is the lentil capital of the world. Our save the date, invitation, place cards and menu’s were all from a hand drawn design specially created for us by Wendy Ware. She did an amazing job! She also hand-glued 10 crystals on each of our wedding invitations! In addition, the Bacara took the design from the invitations and created it for our cake.

From Tanja Lippert Photography…This was a beautiful, intimate wedding that I was asked to shoot for an amazing online inspirational show for photographers called the [Framed] show.  The wedding was gorgeous and the bride outdid herself with gorgeous details, amazing venue and everything was picture perfect!!!  The cool thing about this wedding is that is was filmed for an episode of the [Framed] Show and there is a very cool behind the scenes inspirational video that highlights Tanja Lippert Photography.

Venue: Bacara Resort & Spa / Florist + Design: Adorations Botanical Artistry / Invitations, Placecards, Menu’s, etc.: Wendy Ware / Linens: Concept Design / Wedding Photography: Tanja Lippert Photography / Assistant Photographer: Melissa Niu Photography + [Framed] / Dance Floor: Barker Décor Service / DJ: Gavin Roy / Ceremony Music: AMS Entertainment / Officiant: Rev. Miriam Lindbeck / Wedding Coordinator: Tracy Apodaca / Wedding Cake: Bacara Resort & Spa / Hair: Angel Puente of Mishay Salon & Spa / Make-up: Tomiko Taft + Romina Murillo / Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse / Flower Girls Attire: Children’s Place + Kalinascopes

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Adorations Botanical Artistry, AMS Entertainment, Bacara Resort & Spa, Barker Decor Service, California Weddings, Concept Design, Gavin Roy, Jimmy Choo, Kalinascopes, Melissa Niu Photography, Men's Wearhouse, Mishay Salon, Modern Trousseau, Rev. Miriam Lindbeck, Romina Murillo, Santa Barbara, Tanja Lippert Photography, The Children's Place, Tomiko Taft, Tracy Apodaca, Wendy Ware
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Click here for the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… From the moment Greg and I got engaged I was completely over-the-moon with excitement.  After contemplating the idea of having a small and intimate beach wedding, we ended up deciding on having a larger wedding closer to home so that we could share this special day with all those who mean so much to us.  We began scoping out different venues and when we came across Concannon Winery we both fell in love and knew this was exactly what we envisioned for our wedding day.  It was such a beautiful venue with many different elements that made it perfect for Greg and I.  It had a gorgeous Victorian house (the Glen Ellen home) for the ceremony, a beautiful vine covered arbor for dinner and my husband’s favorite, the barrel room with large wine casks for the reception.  The venue was surrounded by hills covered in vineyards which gave it such a romantic and elegant feel.

When picking out many of the details for our wedding, I wanted the day to feel very romantic with small handmade touches to give it a more personalized feel.  I love the relaxed and vintage feel of burlap and twine so for some of our centerpieces my mom and I wrapped mason jars with twine and added a cute little bow, then staggered them around the table on small wooden blocks.  Through the planning process, ETSY and I became best friends, finding many great ideas to incorporate into our day like our love bird cake topper, that I absolutely adore, our burlap signs, and the Mr. and Mrs. Signs for our chairs.  Greg and I were also very lucky to have his Aunt Allie (a local artist) to paint a tree to match the one on our invitation as our sign-in for our guests.Our florist Nicole was also amazing and was able to capture my vision perfectly.  She used a combination of peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, and lisianthus, with sage green foliage to give it a romantic and soft feel.  I couldn’t have been happier with the florals.  She did an amazing job!

Looking back I have so many amazing memories of our day, from the excitement and overwhelming happiness I felt when I first saw Greg, how on an extremely cloudy day the sky opened up and the sun shined down as we said our vows, and how all our family and friends celebrated the night away.  It was the most amazing night of our lives and Tanja our photographer captured that day exactly how I remembered it, she is truly amazing at what she does and I couldn’t imagine a better way to be able to look back and remember those memories. Our day was perfect thanks to all of our amazing vendors, family and friends.  Without their love and support, our wedding would never have been so special.

Wedding Photography: Tanja Lippert Photography / Wedding Venue: Concannon Vinyards / Florist: The Petal Pusher / Event Planner: Maggie Wise + The Bride / Caterer: Alex’s Catering / Bride’s Dress: Enzoani / Cinematographer: Bryan Mclain / DJ: Rob from Amos Productions / Cake: Cake Delight / Lighting: Amos Productions / Rentals: Chairs for Affairs

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alex's Catering, Amos Productions, Bryan Mclain, Cake Delight, California, Chairs for Affairs, Concannon Vineyards, Enzoani, Livermore, Maggie Wise, Tanja Lippert Photography, The Petal Pusher, Winery
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

{Click here for even more colorful inspiration from the gallery}

We are both very close with our families and friends and wanted the entire event to reflect not only our union, but the union of two sets of friends and family. We had a golf event and rehearsal barbeque dinner the night before the wedding (my mother-in-law made all of the delicious pies for dessert) and a beautiful Sunday brunch the day after the wedding, all at the River Highlands Ranch. On our wedding day, my brother-in-law married us, my sister was my matron-of-honor, Aaron’s brother was his best ma, my two nieces were our flower girls and my mom lovingly made all of the baci-di-dama (Italian “Lady kisses”) that were handed out as favors.

Our ceremony took place in the early evening on the beautifully landscaped grounds of the River Highlands Ranch, surrounded by oak trees, ponds, fruit trees and vineyards. After the ceremony, we ventured into the beautiful cathedral barn, starting with cocktails and appetizers over live piano music. Dinner was served in the barn; an amazing family style dinner by the stellar ladies of Gourmand Catering. We then danced under the twinkling lights of the barn late into the night and chatted and danced around the warm firepit outside. It was a truly magical day.

My husband and I continue to reminisce about our wedding day. The entire event turned out better than we could have ever planned. It was just so full of love.

Photography: Tanja Lippert Photography / Florist: Blooms by Martha Andrews / Venue: River Highlands Ranch / Wedding Coordinator: Jackie Young of Every Little Detail / Catering: Gourmand Catering / Cake: Freeport Bakery / Makeup: Cynthia Uranga Eye for Detail Artistry / Hair: Laura Schumacher of Blondie Salon / Music: Mountain Event Productions / Pianist: Doug Matson

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blondie Salon, Blooms by Martha Andrews, Doug Matson, Every Little Detail, Eye for Detail Artistry, Freeport Bakery, Gourmand Catering, Mountain Event Productions, River Highlands Ranch, Smartsville, Tanja Lippert Photography
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

Until then, we want to share some very interesting information with you. Tanja Lippert,  the fabulous LBB photographer of last Wednesday’s popular post {Ashley & Christian’s Texas Wedding} has started a new website dedicated to photographers (and everyone else!) who loves film photography!!

From Tanja’s first post on Keep Film Alive …

Welcome to Keep Film Alive! My name is Tanja Lippert. I am 100% film shooter dedicated. I love film. I love it so much, it almost hurts. I believe film is the #1 reason that my business as a photographer has thrived. I wanted to create this blog as a resource to photographers all over the world who love film like me. I wanted to create a place where photographers who love film and would like to see it STAY ALIVE forever could come and gain useful information relating to film and all the lovely things it offers. I also wanted to create an online resource that would INSPIRE and encourage photographers who have forgotten about film or only use it sparingly … might be inspired to run out and buy a few rolls. Who knows, maybe one day put down their shiny new digital cameras, dust off their Rollei and get back to work!!! :0)

Richard Israel is one of Tanja’s many, many, many fellow-film-lovers. He shoots fashion, beauty and weddings throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S. Richard’s goal? “To capture the mood, the moments and the beauty of his subjects in a sensitive, artful way.”

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Richard discussing his and Tanja’s mutual obsession with film …

KEEPING FILM ALIVE ~ RICHARD ISRAEL RETURNED TO FILM AND WILL NOT LOOK BACK!

Q. Richard, Where are you from and where is your studio based, what do you shoot?

A. I’m from London, England and have been living in Charlotte, NC for 20 years, working mainly in the southeast and lots in Charleston, SC. I have a studio in my home. I shoot wedding, portraits and some commercial work. I’ve also started an Etsy.com store for my art photography. I shot fashion and beauty for a good part of my career. I love movement, mood and texture.

Q. What is your main equipment set up? What are your favorite films?

A. I shoot Nikon F100’s with the 85 1.4 and 35 2.0 lenses, for medium format I use a Mamiya 645 AFD, with 80mm 1.9, and 150mm lens and a Rolleiflex. I love to experiment with lots of different films but my mainstays are, Fujicolor 400H, Fujicolor 800Z. For black and white, Kodak 400CNBW, Tri-X, and Ilford Delta 3200.

Q. Tell us what made you decide to switch back to film from digital; what motivated you to make the switch back?

A. I was browsing through some of my old darkroom fiber based prints and saw the light. The depth, tonality, texture and the pure organic rawness of film is what initially turned me on in my photography and in my opinion can never be replicated by digital imaging ever. I have always been totally passionate about my work, but now it’s off the chart.

Q. How did making the choice to switch back to film change your workflow? How did it change your lifestyle?

A. My workflow has been reduced to approximately 1 ½ hours for weddings and 30 minutes for portraits. I’ve got my life back. I spend more time with my family and spend time growing my business instead of spending 80% of my life in front of the computer.

Q. What advice would you give to digital photographers who are thinking of trying or switching to film?

A. Take it slow, test shoot, get comfortable with shooting without chimping, take time to discover the different characteristics of the many different films available. At each wedding shoot a couple of rolls and build up to shooting more as your comfort level grows. Check out keh.com for amazing deals on Canon and Nikon 35mm cameras as well as killer medium format gear.

Q. What have the advantages been that have resulted from your switch back?

A. A renewed passion for my work, I feel like I’ve come out of the (digital) wilderness. I’m now an anomaly in my market and separated from the pack, I am a niche.

Q. What have the disadvantages been for you?

A. The only challenge has been the extra expense of film and processing. As of now I’ve raised my prices to cover the extra cost involved so next year all will be good! I would suggest using the best lab possible, I’ve used local labs and would highly recommend a true pro lab such as Richard Labs in LA. unless you want to trade all the saved post processing time for hours of dust spotting in Photoshop. Yikes!!!

Q. Where can we see more of your beautiful work and find out more about you?

A. Website, Blog, I Love Film blog

Wow!!!! Just beautiful, Richard!!!

Thanks SO much to Tanja Lippert for allowing us to re-post the interview first published on her Keep Film Alive Blog. She has teamed up with some pretty amazing photographers to share the obsession and the wealth of information that film-shooters are so passionate about. You can see more of her fabulous photography on her website & blog.

this photo courtesy of Tanja Lippert

Stay tuned for that gorgeous wedding we have for you from Richard and Melissa in a bit!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Charleston Bride, Film Photography, Keep Film Alive, Richard Israel, Tanja Lippert Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

From Cynthia …  

Ashley and her husband, Christian, had such a gorgeous wedding in Houston this past November and put so much love and thought into every last detail that I just had to share. The bride worked with Monogram Inc. in NYC to design a gorgeous monogram that they used throughout their wedding including on the letterpress invitations we designed and printed. Their ceremony was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Houston with the reception following at The Junior League of Houston.

Ashley wore a beautiful French lace dress by Amsale, purchased at Louise Blum Bridal Salon, a gorgeous little bolero and the prettiest Kate Spade shoes, while Christian wore his own classic black tuxedo. {ps…Abby got her gown at Louise Blum’s as well … Melody became our new best friend!}

After watching an Oscar de la Renta fashion show last fall, Ashley designed her bridesmaids’ dresses based on a dress she fell in love with, working with Arlene Gamble in Houston to make her vision a reality. The beautiful rich deep purple of the bridesmaid dresses was carried throughout the event, paired with gorgeous reds and greens to create a really festive feel as a way to kick off the holiday season. 

All of the lovely photos are credited to their photographer, Tanja Lippert Photography {Little Black Book Photographer} out of San Jose, CA and I just love how blissfully happy they both look in all of their photos. It has been such a pleasure for me to flip through all of their images!

Ashley and Christian wanted to create a really warm and inviting atmosphere, combining old world elegance with modern sophistication. No stone went unturned, from coordinated paper products with a custom wedding monogram to unique wedding favors, the bride and groom paid special attention to every small detail.

Rich colored flowers and seasonal red berries filled the room, guests sipped champagne and lined up at the potato martini bar.

Guests danced the night away to the tunes from the Grady Gaines Band. Favors were fabulous chili mix packets.

Everyone enjoyed both a delicious chocolate peanut butter groom’s cake and a white almond wedding cake.

The cakes were made by Little Black Book Vendor Susie’s Cakes & Confections … both of Abby’s sisters’ wedding cakes were created by Susie! You should SEE the incredibly beautiful cake gallery on her website. And to say her flavors are fantastic is a massive understatement!

Ashley and Christian departed under a spray of sparklers!

Congratulations Ashley & Christian! And thank-you Cyd for sending us these beautiful examples of the stunning invitations your so, so, so talented team creates at Bella Figura!

Additional Vendor Credits: Save-the-Date Cards, Programs, Welcome Packets, Thank You Cards by PH Designs (Printing) ~  Calligraphy by Blooming Quill ~ Flowers by Gaye Jackson Price,  Houston & Dallas, Texas 

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Arlene Gamble, Bella Figura, Grady Gaines Band, Groom's Cake, Houston, Kate Spade, Letterpress Invitations, Louise Blum, Monogram Inc, Sephora, Susie's Cakes & Confections, Tanja Lippert Photography, Texas Weddings
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Photography