photographs by Lisa Franchot

So much more to come!

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Post tags: Daisies, Lisa Franchot, Oh How Charming, Parasols, table setting, Wedding Details
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Real Weddings

From Fiona, the lovely bride…

On each table there was a pink wine glass with a small paper butterfly perched on the glass as the name card to again tie in with the garden party style of the day. I had bought lots of pink painted tea glasses from a recent trip to Marrakech (they were so cheap, I think I got them for about 20 pence each (about 40 cents) I think and they looked like they cost so much more!) and these were used to decorate the table. We had candelabras as the centre pieces and these were filled with roses, hydrangeas and ivory. At the entrance to the marquee we also scattered rose petals and lavender so the smell when everyone walked in was amazing!

At the end of the evening just as we left each guest was given a pack of matches with our names and the wedding date on and a huge sparkler, I wanted fireworks but the budget didn’t stretch to that so I thought that this worked just as well. It was so much fun, particularly as people got carried away and quite a few were set off in the marquee!

{and finally, some shameless bragging on SMP…I couldn’t resist}

In terms of my inspiration – honestly, it came from Style Me Pretty. I absolutely love the website and really it is so much better than anything you get in the UK (that was one of my biggest frustrations with the wedding, everything I liked was from the States!). All of the weddings on the site are so so beautiful and detailed, the colour palettes and ideas were just incredible and I wish that I could get married 10 times over so I could use all of the ideas I collected! The weddings featured really inspired me and I love the fact that no matter what the budget the weddings are beautiful.

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Post tags: British Wedding, Color Palette Pink Lavender, English Gard Wedding, Mark Wallis, Table Settings, Wedding Details
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

From the bride, Fiona…

The pink theme ran through the day – bridesmaids dresses, flowers, ushers ties, wine glasses, pink lemonade, pink champagne, pink ribbon to tie the order of service together, rose petals etc. The favours were small packs of mints that had ‘mint to be’ written on them in pink along with our names. I actually got them from the For Your Party website in the States.

I didn’t want a formal meal (in The UK everyone seems to go for meat and vegetables!) so for the wedding breakfast we served sausages and mash and we served the chocolate wedding cake as part of the desert. We then had a tiered cheese cake which we served later on in the evening.

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Post tags: Color Palette Pink, English Garden Wedding, Mark Wallis, Wedding Details, Wedding Programs
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I know that it’s way beyond many budgets out there, but look to the style of the day for inspiration. Whether it’s the antique silver, white and black palette or the collection of vintage china, there are so many ways to incorporate this type of look into a more modest affair.

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Post tags: Black and White Photography, Docuvitae, Oh How Charming, Wedding Details
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

The black and whites really allow the emotion of the day to shine through. They have that old world, kind of forever classic look that makes the entire affair seem so romantic. If you haven’t already, spend some time looking at the Docuvitae site…it’s filled with beautiful images that convey such romance, such inspiration.

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Post tags: Black and White Photography, Color Palette White, Docuvitae, Oh How Charming, Orchids, Parasols, Wedding Details
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

photos by Docuvitae (more to come on the photographer behind the event)

From Lisa…

The dinner reception was beyond gorgeous. Sharon and Ashley at Floracopia created stunning residential-like floral arrangements using an insane amount of crisp white phaleonopsis orchids, dutch hydrangea, and just the tiniest mix of succulents for a little unexpected detailing. The arrangements were housed in an eclectic mix of mercury glass and smaller vintage china vessels. Barker Decor cut custom mirrored tops for all of our round tables which added the perfect amount of sparkle to the dinner reception.

For the china and glassware, we used all platinum patterned china, platinum banded glassware, and a gorgeous platinum banded charger from my friends at Tabella.  Carlos and Anna at Tabella also supplied the perfectly simple “vertical pintuck” linens which were a great backdrop for the eclectic mix of decor on each table. And…my darlings Sara and Ian allowed me to use a zebra napkin on half of our tables (white hemstitch on the others). It was the little nod to Tony Duquette that we needed to complete our look.

* * *

The place settings are to die for, the collection of mercury glass stemware and accents, the perfect parasols…even the stinking Jimmy Choo’s, oh my! I have looked at these pictures a dozen times and each time, I see something different. Another beautiful detail that went into this incredible day.

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Post tags: Color Palette White, Docuvitae, Jimmy Choo, Mercury Glass, Oh How Charming, Orchids, Parasols, Table Settings, Wedding Details, Wedding Shoes
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

all photos by Miguel Irias Photography

After the ceremony, we headed back to the cocktail hour and reception where we were welcomed with a great Calypso band and incredible hor’dourves. There was a photo booth, complete with props, that guests could snap pictures of themselves and there were even two pinatas that Erich and Deb broke into later that evening. Such a cute touch to a formal affair!

More to come!

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Post tags: Miguel Irias, Palm Beach, Wedding Details
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all photographs by the lovely and talented Ingrid of Myrtle and Marjoram

Kiki let me know that her dress and veil were custom made for her in Hong Kong, as were those beautiful bridesmaid dresses. Although she designed her own cake (WOW), Beaux Gateaux executed it to perfection. And those flowers (sigh….) were designed by Arlene Boyle at Violetta Flowers.

I have to say, this wedding was flawless. The dreamy, oh-so-dreamy flowers, the gorgeous cake, the perfect details…every element was absolutely lovely. And, lucky for us, we have more pictures coming!

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Post tags: Beaux Gateaux, Myrtle & Marjoram Photography, Violetta Flowers, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Details
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

I am obsessed with those earrings. If you haven’t already, check out Twist Style (the source for the jewelry)…they have some great options!

Thank you so much to Amanda Kraft for sharing this gorgeous wedding!! I love the sweet simplicity of the affair and the overall elegance that seems to pour through every element. And to the bride and groom…congratulations on an absolutely beautiful day!

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Post tags: Accessories, Amanda Kraft, Bouquets, Twist Style, Wedding Details, Wedding Hair
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From Melissa, the bride…

The theme of the wedding was a shabby-chic garden wedding with ivory and muted greens and blues as the primary colors.  It was very important to match the existing atmosphere of Lauxmont farms, as well as show my own antique, shabby-chic taste.  The ceiling of the rotunda (ceremony site) is green and ivory striped, which was perfectly tied in with the centerpiece containers painted green and white (found on clearance at Michaels, already painted!!) Planning was done by Melissa Rau of the Event Planning Network.

Our favors were personalized coozies with our monogram and wedding date. We served beer from a local brewery to give visitors a taste of Lancaster.

My earrings were made by a Richmond artist, Maryellen Kim of TwistStyle, and incorporated  pearls with a blue stone drop for her something blue.  Rob’s Aunt embroidered a handkerchief for me and my mother, aunt, and grandmother with the “tree of life” and personalized monogram, which all carried during the ceremony. 

The cake was made by Bellamanse and included blue buttercream frosting with fondant lace decor to coordinate with the bride’s gown.  The flavors included chocolate with chocolate filling (my favorite) and white cake with blueberry filling.
 
Flowers were done by Kelly Steadman from All Things Beautiful. My bouquet included white roses and stephanotis with pearl accents and the bridesmaid’s bouquets included blue hydrangea and sweetheart roses.  It was very important to me to have very small bouquets that were easy to handle with little-to-no greenery.

My wedding dress was designed by Mon Cheri, a cap-sleeved ivory lace gown with a fitted bodice and a victorian feel.  The dress was a one-of-a-kind and was bought off the rack over 2 years before the wedding day! The tuxes were men’s warehouse with traditional cummerbunds, and bowties by Peter Blair, Richmond VA.

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Post tags: All Things Beautiful, Amanda Kraft, Bellamanse, Event Planning Network, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Details
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

The pink and brown scheme is adorable. I really wish that I could have seen that cake in person…every tier is so unique, so different and yet brought together…holy cow! What a great design!

Thank you so much to Aaron Delesie for sharing these images. If you are lucky enough to book Aaron for your wedding, your photographs are going to be spectacular. Guaranteed.

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Wedding Details
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Thank you so much to Andrew and Katrina of Sedona Bride for sharing this incredible wedding with us!

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A bit more from Heather…

Wanting our guests to feel as involved as possible, we included a space to fill in a song request on the response cards, then complied the entire playlist based on requests and songs that were special to us. We used our Ipod instead of a DJ, which not only cut costs, but was perfect for a dinner party-style wedding.

Using a selection of our favorite songs played throughout the night, we made CDs for guests to grab on the way out. We enlisted the help of our talented friends Fred Brunton (fredbrunton@hotmail.com) and Kelly Gao (kbg28@mac.com) for the photography, making it very personal and, again, budget friendly.  

With the help of our amazing parents, brothers and sisters, and an awesome caterer (monica@checkerscatering.com), we managed to design and execute every aspect of the wedding on our own.  The attention to detail together with the great company of our guests created a result that matched our vision perfectly!

A few more gorgreous images to come!!

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Post tags: Dessert Table, Wedding Details
Post categories: Budget Beautiful, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Real Weddings, Vintage Chic