We have lots more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Casual Elegance

After the outdoor ceremony, the couple held their reception indoors and let their easy, breezy elegance infuse every detail. The centerpieces are totally approachable, with single blooms and fruits immersed in tall vases. A great way to add a bit of intrigue to your tables. Love that. Everything about this wedding is refined, sophisticated and absolutely gorgeous!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Today’s wedding that Tanja shot is just as beautiful, just as vivid. The style is absolutely chic, built around a color palette of gray, chartreuse and a sea of white. Love, love, love.

From Tanja...

The wedding was on a gorgeous day at the Solage in Calistoga, CA.  The coordinator was Crystal Lequang from Amazae special events , the florist was Asiel Design.  The venue was perfect for a relaxed, beautiful wedding, with the bride and groom’s design choices being crisp and classic.

Solage is a great space with a laid back atmosphere.   The spa, pool areas and bicycles make for a care free, relaxed and fun environment.  I love the platinum/gray color mixed with the bright green, it really mixed the elegant, classy feeling with the laid back, casual feel, perfect for the venue!

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Post tags: Amy and Aaron, California, Gray, Green, Tanja Lippert, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

It’s it beautiful! The wedding was held in Calistoga where basically everything is beautiful, but it’s the little touches that the bride and groom infused that really made the day lovely. We have lots more coming up in just a few!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Gray, Green, Tanja Lippert, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

The really good stuff from the bride…

The programs took a while to complete. I bought all my paper from the Paper Source because they made it so easy with all the different paper/envelope choices. I printed out one of my favorite quotes on a piece of vellum. An image of the scale was underneath. This detailed shot I took was symbolic because the scale’s weight was set on 12, which was our wedding date and this image was used on our save the dates as a teaser to what people would see at the reception. I tied everything together with an “antiquey” ribbon that was also used on the favors.

We used wish rocks as a paperweight for the programs. It was also used for a moment of silence for all of our friends and family to bless us with good thoughts. The rocks were then collected and we have them in our home as a source of good energy.

The pound theme was even displayed in the favors. A couple days before the wedding my 2 bridesmaids and my mom & dad helped me bake mini bundt pound cakes. Then we wrapped them in tulle with a thank you note and a pound quote. That was a great day, though tiring, because it really helped my friends and my folks bond.

My favorite piece of collateral though was the table seating cards. I designed a three dimensional mini tent card piece, shaped like little gram weights with the table numbers on them. I had used the gram weight shape as a border throughout the collateral. It took me forever to cut them out, but it was well worth it. I then used a metallic pen and hand wrote everyone’s names on them.

I worked with Stephanie Masquelier at Flours to design a cake that went with our look. I designed a modern look by using the circle from our logo. It was a 3 tier round fondant cake made up of white cake with organic raspberries and crème mousseline.

Because I had such a great experience designing my own wedding I’ve decided to start my own personalized invite company called The Gala Girls. I really want to share my experience as a former bride and my extensive design experience to help other couples develop an identity system and theme for their special day. My services will be a melding of graphic designer and event planner to make up a couple’s event experience.

Thank you so much to Lisa for sharing your big day with us! And to Tanja Lippert for inspiring us yet again!

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Post tags: Flours, Tanja Lippert, The Gala Girls
Post categories: The Blog, Traditional Elegance

all photographs by Tanja Lippert

Loving the splash of red to an otherwise hugely elegant palette. So chic. Here are a few more details from the bride…

Another part of the family we wanted to incorporate is our little chihuahua mix, Bisou. She was our little flower girl and her boyfriend, Zoomer, was the ring bearer. Our friend Heather helped out with the training and also conveniently Kim’s wife and Zoomer’s mom!

More to come!

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Post tags: Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

So, without further ado, here is the first look at Lisa and Benjamin’s September wedding…

all photographs by Tanja Lippert

Here are some fun details from the gorgeous bride, Lisa…

After proposing to me on Santorini, Benjamin and I came back to San Francisco and immediately started looking for a winery location. We knew we wanted this because he is French and it was a nod to his heritage. Also, my top priority for the day was location, photographer and dress. I’ve been a graphic designer for over 15 years now, so having all the design elements just right were ultra important.

Stay tuned to see the gorgeous design elements that Lisa crafted!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

* * *

Photographers are a tight knit group –and what we love most is gabbing about getting hot, rockin’ images, and what makes or breaks a shoot. After having been through the ins and outs of countless wedding days, we photographers have so much to share with brides and grooms, not only to help them get amazing photographs, but also to fully enjoy their wedding celebration.

I asked eight of my favorite wedding photographers to spell out some of their best advice on getting the images you always dreamed of.  Follow this advice, and your wedding day joy will shine in every shot:

1. PUT US ON TRIAL

photograph via Jose Villa

“Take some time at the first meeting with the photographer and do an engagement session so that you can all practice working together. Treat it like a trial run, and be sure to tell your photographer what you loved and didn’t love from that session. This will help to produce the best photos possible for your most important day…your wedding”  -Jose Villa

2. KICK UP YOUR HEELS!

photo via Karen Wise

“The pictures always look better when the couple is truly having fun! The couple should be playful with each other -tickle, hug, kiss, talk… this always looks really nice in the shots instead of a face-forward grin.” -Karen Wise karenwise.com

3. TRUST ME

via Elizabeth Messina

A wedding photographer is intimately involved with most aspects of the day. It’s crucial that a couple feel at ease & trust in their photographer’s ability to capture the nuances of the day.” -Elizabeth Messina

4. SPICE IT UP!

via Tanja Lippert

“Throw out the traditions and have a celebration that is about YOU!!!! This will ensure that photos are unique, beautiful and individual.”  -Tanja Lippert

The next four tips are on their way in just a bit!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Brown Mouse Photography, Elizabeth Messina, Jose Villa, Karen Rusten, Karen Wise, Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Wedding Photography

Thus, she has enlisted the help of some pretty fabulous photographers (think Jose Villa, Elizabeth Messina, Tanja Lippert…) to share their secrets for getting stunning images of you and your soon-to-be on your wedding day.

Before we get to the tips though, I wanted to share a few pictures that Karen has taken. The first is a bridal shoot that she shot that I kind of fell in love with…

This next set is from a fun wedding in Napa Valley that Karen shot over the Summer…

Stay tuned to hear the photographer’s tips for looking your best and getting those spectacular images you’ve always dreamed of on your wedding day!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Brown Mouse Photography, Elizabeth Messina, Jose Villa, Karen Rusten, Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Wedding Photography