click here to see the whole gorgeous affair!

Our wedding was a culmination of almost a year and half of planning, looking back now I see what was meaningful and what was crazy making. When we were first engaged (in a fabulous little place called Zihuatanejo) we were living in forever-hip Portland, Oregon while I was attending graduate school. However, we knew we wanted to get married closer to home, so we started the search for a site in Sonoma County, where we both are from. On a side note Kevin and I have gone to school together since Kindergarten at least, maybe earlier but neither of us can remember for sure. We didn’t start dating until after college however, when I was living in NYC and he was back in the Bay Area. Nothing like a year of long distance to start it off right!

Knowing the general area of where we wanted to get married was a good start but in all honestly the location search was not as fun as we thought it would be. I was pretty shocked at the site fees of various venues and what they may or may not include. It wasn’t until we went through Off the Beaten Path Weddings that we found a site we both fell in love with that we could really, for the first time, picture ourselves getting married at! Once we had a site we knew our other main priority was our photographer and I don’t think I really have to say too such about Tanja Lippert but I will anyways. I love her. I fell in love with one of her weddings featured on SMP when I first started peaking around the site (http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/05/13/real-wedding-9/) and have loved everything else she has shot since. Aside from her talent she is just painfully fabulous to be around. She makes you feel incredibly comfortable and beautiful, all the time. She also opened my eyes to the amazingness that is Tia Reagan, her partner in crime, who did all the hair and makeup at our wedding. Just perfect.

The rest of the planning kind of fell into place. I had envisioned long farm tables and globe lights and picked up other style ideas along the way. I love champagne and pretty things so that is what I gravitated towards. Some things were incredibly meaningful so I made them priorities even if no one else noticed. I made the jam favors with local Portland raspberries and my Grandma’s much-loved recipe. We also went for music that we really listen to, which is how we ended up switching our first dance song to Atlantic City by The Band literally two minutes before we started dancing! In the end it was just a beautiful day that really was over so fast. I could get into all the nitty gritty details but think what stands out after the fact is the love and affection Kevin and I felt from every single person there. Our family, friends and wedding vendors made it what it was and we left with such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Well that and the giddiness that came with staying at The Farmhouse Inn, which is just so amazing I wanted to move in. Really.

Photography: Tanja Lippert / Wedding Hair & Makeup: Tia Reagan of Freebird Productions / Wedding Design and Execution: Mary Ellen Murphy of Off The Beaten Path Weddings / Officiant: Steve Thrush / Location: Winery in Healdsburg, CA / Catering: Peloton Catering / Wedding Dress and hair flower: Amsale, style Calista / Bridesmaid Dresses: Varied / Groomswear: J.Crew / Wedding Cupcakes: Kara’s Cupcakes / Invitations: Elum and Paperwhite of Petaluma, CA / Flowers: La Belle Fleur Design / Hotel: The Farmhouse Inn / Flower Girl Dress: Nastershum / Potted succulents, chalkboard and chicken wire windows, escort cards, seat numbers, guest book, and jam by the bride (and husband and family!)

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 73 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amsale, Elum, Freebird Productions, Healdsburg, J.Cravata, Kara's Cupcakes, La Belle Fleur Design, Off the Beaten path Weddings, Paperwhite, Tanja Lippert, The Farmhouse Inn
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Real Weddings, The Blog

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

We married on a warm summer day at my grandparent’s house on the lake where I grew up. The day was old-fashioned, personal, and full of love.

During the day, guests played bocce ball, croquet, horseshoes and badminton, which were set up around the property with handpainted wooden signs marking the areas. One of my favorite details was using one of the antique wooden badminton racquets from my childhood to decorate the sign post. A string quartet, who were friends from my grandmother’s days in the local symphony, played a mix of classical, swing and motown tunes, followed by a hip young backwater blues band that kept the party hopping till midnight. Our 100 guests enjoyed summer cocktails with quirky names, a menu of Spanish tapas selected by the groom, a Spanish professor, and buttercream-frosted chocolate-and-raspberry and carrot wedding cake.

Under a driftwood arbor I built with my dad, a close friend officiated, using words which described not only our love, but the meaning of bringing friends and family to this place filled with so much history and meaning. My father also built the long farm tables, the bar, and helped with the extensive restoration of the property, which had fallen into neglect since my beloved grandfather’s death. My wedding was a tribute to my grandpa, my most-loved role model, and his love of gardening and of literature. In the year before our wedding, we grew the lavender as well as nearly all the wedding flowers used for the tables and bouquets. We planted over 80 Grosso lavender plants around the ceremony arbor. I recommend doing this more than one year in advance, however!

Before the wedding, I was lucky enough to spend an entire week with my maid of honor, my best friend since third grade; she helped me prep the flowers as I arranged bouquets, centerpieces and aisle flowers. I letterpress printed our four-color save the dates, invitations, and signage seen around the ceremony and reception. It took 50 hours at the old platen press, but was well worth it. I made a lifelong friend of my letterpress mentor, Robert Johnson. Part of the letterpress design included a drawing of a mason jar hanging from a branch by a ribbon, and I knew just where to mimic that—from a twisted oak branch hanging over the ceremony area.

While I was never one to fantasize much about my wedding as a child, I did always have a favorite “wedding” book: A Frog Went A-Courting, so I used illustrations from the book as backings on our program fans. To celebrate my mother, a children’s librarian, we included a reading based on The Runaway Bunny. Marrying near the willow trees was appropriate because I used to beg my grandfather to plant one so I could get married beneath a willow “just like in Frog Went A-Courting.” He was adamantly against it, saying it would block the view of the lake. But about six years before he died, he planted not one but four willow trees, sprinkled around the lakeshore. He wanted to fulfill my dream.

Style Me Pretty was a huge source of inspiration for me. I truly enjoyed designing our wedding from scratch on an affordable budget: collecting vintage jars from antique shops, beverage dispensers, café lights, apothecary jars and other décor second-hand; handmaking eyelet lace candle holders, birch wood centerpieces, calligraphy drink name tags which we hung on a magnet mirror, and spending hours crafting eyelet candy favor boxes and other DIY projects.

I have since helped several friends with their letterpress, floral and design needs. Thus my event planning and design business was born, Clementine & Clover, based in Southern California. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you are planning a wedding and are in need of a swift sidekick, a deft day-of designer or a fiesty florist!

Wedding and Floral Design: Elizabeth Nixon of Clementine & Clover / Catering: Chic le Chef / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet / Wedding Hair: Danielle’s Dream Salon in Lakeport / Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal / Menswear: Jos Bank / Wedding Cake: McKee Somerville in Kelseyville / Graphic Design: Bellew Creative / Letterpress Printing: Clementine & Clover / Band: Quinn De Veaux and The Blue Beat Review / Photography: Tanja Lippert

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Backyard, California Weddings, Clementine & Clover, David's Bridal, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, dock, lakeside, Melissa Sweet, Southern California, Tanja Lippert
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

{click here for more images from Sarah + Andrew’s happy, happy day}

Sarah and Andrew met in Tiburon, California. They were both on a bike ride with friends and Sarah asked Andrew about the local ferry schedule.  When the couple was engaged in late April they decided to plan a wedding for that October in California wine country. They knew it would be a challenge planning for the high season with such little time but it all came together. Sarah learned about their venue from a colleague at work. When she called about availability, it turned out a date had been made free the day before. They knew it was a sign. They looked at a few other places for reference but fell in love with the gardens and rustic barn at Healdsburg Country Gardens. All of their vendors were exceptional. They loved everything about the event, especially fantastic food and lots of dancing with all of their family and friends.

Photographer: Tanja Lippert / Venue: Healdsburg Country Gardens / Florist: Dragonfly Floral / Caterer: Preferred Sonoma Caterers / Paper Goods: Emma Rose Papery / Makeup: Tia Reagan, Free Bird Productions / Cake: Auntie B’s Bakery / Band: Blue Moon

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Auntie B's Bakery, Blue Moon, California Weddings, Dragonfly Floral, Emma Rose Papery, Freebird Productions, Healdsburg Country Gardens, Napa, Preferred Sonoma Caterers, Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Real Weddings, The Blog, Whimsical

{to see TONS of additional images, click here}

We loved the juxtaposition of the country setting with a fancy style, yet relaxed style. We choose all white candles and flowers in the Redwood Grove to highlight the formality of the ceremony and the serene beauty of the grove. For the cocktails on the lawn and the reception, we did not want a particular color scheme. We loved the idea of many bright jewel-tone colors of the flowers and lanterns offset by the dark wood of the barn at the reception. An eclectic uniformity was the goal, rather than a formal or overly designed look. Let me know if you need more write-up about the wedding!

Wedding Flowers by Kim England, Fleurs du Soleil / Lighting by Carmel Plant Tenders / Catering + Location by Santa Lucia Preserve / Wedding Dress by Ines di Santo / Shoes by Christian Louboutin /Wedding  Cake by Parker Lousseau Pastries

Back in a bit with even more inspiration! Oh and if you need something to keep your wedding creativity flowing, check out two of my all time favorite weddings that Tanja photographed. Seriously two of the coolest weddings EVER. Click here to see the first chic but approachable wedding and here to see the second contemporary and whimsical affair. Oh wait…this one too if only for the fabulous pair of shoes!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 42 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Carmel, Christian Louboutin, Ines Di Santo, Lousseau Pastries, Santa Lucia Preserve, Tanja Lippert
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Okay, first. The dress. Umm…where have you been all my life. Add to that an adorable smile, bright red patterned bridesmaids dresses, a dreamy groom and a completely whimsical style and it’s basically the recipe for perfection. It’s so great to see a bride that doesn’t take herself too seriously, that set out to design a wedding that not only her guests would enjoy but that also became a reflection of them, a little window into their super fun, super cute life.

From the bride…Classic story of dork meets dork. We are equal parts cheesy and genuine. We met and fell in love over 3 years ago through a mutual friend and everything completely fell into place for both of us. We are both very different in personality but we both love to do the same things, such as dance like Mia (Uma) and Vincent (John) in Pulp Fiction (our own version of course), sing our hearts out at the karaoke bar, in the car, basically anywhere, and spend tons of time with friends and family.

I really wanted the wedding to embody what Brian and I are all about -good times, family and friends, and lots of libations!! Not to forget my own style and quirkiness!! Our wedding had an off-beat city feel and I really wanted to make sure the guests didn’t feel like it was a typical wedding. We played up the SF vibe by picking a venue that had tall windows that overlooked the city. Terra is a beautiful space that we decided would best fit our city feel.  We spoiled our guests rotten with 3 different food stations that included a delicious yam bar (bonaito bar), porcini truffle raviolis, and other Asian and American dishes. As guests were dancing, servers passed out ice cream sandwiches from Ici on large silver platters. Before the clock struck midnight, we had late night snacks that included sweet potato fries and pigs in a blanket snacks.

The colors that I chose, poppy red, black, and cream, really brought the wedding to life. During the ceremony, we had low hanging flowers balls in all white. We wanted to keep everything monochromatic in color and soft and romantic. During the reception, the largest center flower ball was switched to a deep red flower ball which really set the tone and mood for things to come. My red Fendi shoes that I changed into after the ceremony signified it was party time! We really wanted the reception to be a huge celebration and people danced the night away!

We incorporated a lot of hand sewn items to the wedding in fabric patterns that had our colors – poppy red, black, and cream. Each table was identified by a bird dressed in a unique fabric of pattern and color. My mom in law sewed together a custom bags for each guest in the their table fabric. The bags were later used at the candy bar.  She also sewed together custom pillows and stool covers. A friend of mine, who interns with Rachel Comey in NYC, hand picked the material and hand crafted my white floral reception headpiece. The topper on the cake was a mini sugar version of the same headpiece. It was absolutely fabulous and really tied everything together quite well.

Click here to see more from Tanja Lippert!

Photography: Tanja Lippert Photography / Venue: Terra Gallery / Venue Flowers and decor of space: Dusty Derouen, of Terra / Bouquet: Not Just Flowers / Bride Makeup/Hair/Bridesmaid hair: Tia Reagan / Bridesmaid Makeup: Jenny Nguyen, Bride’s Cousin / Hotel: Hotel Frank / Cake: I Dream of Cake / Dress: Melissa Sweet Billie dress / Shoes: Christian Louboutin & Fendi (red) / Suit: Hugo Boss / Caterer: Devoted Catering by Amiee Alan / Our wedding website for more details: vaethnguyen.blogspot.com

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 66 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amiee Alan, California Weddings, Hotel Frank, I Dream of Cake, Melissa Sweet, Not Just Flowers, San Francisco, Tanja Lippert, Terra Gallery
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Whimsical

We have lots more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: California Weddings, Calistoga, Solage, 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: California Weddings, Calistoga, Solage, 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!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Amy and Aaron, California Weddings, Calistoga, Gray, Green, Solage, Tanja Lippert, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance