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I met Will one fateful evening in Philadelphia through a mutual friend who he had studied abroad with.  The stars must have been aligned that night because all the people involved and events leading up to our meeting were somehow interconnected and continue to be to this day.  After dating for nearly five years across two states, Will proposed to me when I least expected it.

Will loves history and is a public interest lawyer, and I love art and work at an art museum as an educator.  We are both nerds when it comes to art, history, and culture, so naturally we wanted to design our wedding to reflect our passions.  We chose to have our wedding at the German Society of Pennsylvania, a historic building in Philadelphia built in the late 1800′s.  The space was beautiful and had a transcendent atmosphere that we thought was unique – especially to those coming in from out of town.  In true nerd-fashion, we held our ceremony in the German Society’s library, which was filled with books from floor to ceiling.  The reception took place in the German Society’s ballroom, which had simple, historic wood-work design throughout the room.

Will and I are very proud of Philadelphia and the things we like to do.  We wanted to be resourceful and share what we love with our family and friends.   For our centerpieces, we drew inspiration from the library and stacked hand-painted and stamped books and topped each stack with flower arrangements in mason jars.  Instead of table numbers, we decided to identify each table with names and biographies of “Phamous Philadelphians.”

As wedding favors, we made and canned apple butter – a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe and tradition in Will’s family.  We used all local, organic apples to make the apple butter throughout the year.  To decorate the jars of apple butter, we cut squares of various patterned fabric with pinking shears, laid the fabric over the lid and put on the screw top over the fabric.  The nametags were crumpled and antiqued using distress ink and then tied around the jars using raffia.

Our wedding cake toppers were made by a ceramic artist named Jacqueline Jrolf who works at my art museum.  The birds are called “speros” which translates into ” I hope” in Italian.  Besides having wedding toppers by an artist I admire, I thought her birds also had a meaningful message that fit with our day.

One of our favorite moments at the wedding was our first dance.  We decided early on to take dance lessons and it really paid off!  We learned the fox trot and mastered a few surprising moves and dips, which had our guests applauding and cheering throughout the entire song.  We also really enjoyed the speeches given by my father and our wedding party because so many things were said that were meaningful to us.

Venue: German Society of Pennsylvania / Brides Dress: BB Couture / Bridesmaids dresses: J. Crew / Grooms Suit: Henry A Davidson / Florist: Market Blooms / DJ: Feme Olatunji aka DJ Femstar / Catering: Catering Concepts / Cake: Erin Grissinger at Ciao! Bakery / Photography:  Lindsay Hite & Jacqueline Schlossman for Readyluck / Cake Toppers: Jacqueline Jrolf

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Post tags: Apple Butter, BB Couture, Catering Concepts, Ciao! Bakery, Color Palette Purple Green, DJ Femstar, German Society of Pennsylvania, Henry A Davidson, J. Crew, Library, Library-Chic, Market Blooms, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Readyluck, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

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Burlap, antique mason jars, vintage buttons and lace, a rustic aspen log arbor, and a stained glass window from home, log benches, an old church pew, a borrowed altar, and combined talents from family and friends, all came together to make our wedding day more beautiful than we had dreamed.  Mount Princeton Hot Springs, located at the base of one of Colorado’s 14,000 ft peaks, set the stage for this awe inspiring splendor.  A simple Kraft paper welcome bag tied with a flower made from industrial paper towels and tulle greeted each guest. The flowers and decorating were all created and assembled at Mount Princeton by family and friends, so the spirit of community was in joyful celebration for a day and a half up to the ceremony and reception.

The reception was time to celebrate the newlyweds! Vintage tags, strung up with old wooden clothespins, directed guests to their tables. A DIY photo booth complete with old wood  picture frames, paper bow ties and mustaches made for a a fun keepsake. Vintage typewriters for typing a message to the Bride and Groom added to the guest book that was created from engagement photos. Old wedding photos of parents and grandparents and great grandparents were hung on rope.  An old blue suitcase from the 50′s, found at a Thrift store, held favor bags of freshly ground coffee, labeled  Jenna and Mark’s Blend,  from the local Roastery. We were showered with lavender buds as we drove away in a classic Volkswagen “Thing.”

Wedding Photography: Smitten Photography / Wedding Gown: Mori Lee / Bride’s Shoes: The Frye Company / Bridal Wrap: Vintage / Floral Design: Kelly Brown / Wedding Cake and Desserts: Michelle Gapp / Cake Topper, Ring Bearer Pillow, Table Numbers and Tags, Flag Banners: Mother of the Bride / Location: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs / Bridesmaid Dresses: Target / Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Kenneth Cole Reaction / Flower Girl Dresses: Target / Bridesmaid Sweaters: JCrew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor / Reception Music: Celebration Station DJ / Caterer: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs / Bride’s Hair + Make-up: Mouton Salon (Jenn Williams) / Hairpieces + Fascinators: Mother of the Bride / Favors: Buena Vista Roastery / Calligrapher, Invitations, + Programs: Angela Tingle / Bow Ties: Etsy / Arbor: Ron Reese

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Post tags: Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, brownies, Buena Vista Roastery, Celebration Station DJ, Colorado, Cowboy Boots, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, flag banners, JCrew, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Mori Lee, Mouton Salon, Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, Rocky Mountains, Rustic Wedding, Smitten Photography, Target, The Frye Company, Thrift Store Chic, Vintage, Wedding Favors & Gifts
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired

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Post tags: Delphine, For Your Party, Wedding Favors & Gifts
Post categories: Featured

From the horse’s mouth…

“Wedding genealogies are customized charts, similar to a family tree, that detail the relationships of the bride and groom to all of their wedding guests. Great for the cocktail hour and receptions, these charts fill guests in on who’s a friend from childhood, a neighbor, a family member, and more.

We have three distinct chart aesthetics available in a myriad of formats. Couples can customize the chart best suited to the style and environment of their wedding, and keep the diagram afterwards as a unique piece of memorabilia. We hope you enjoy glancing through the following samples!”

The above option is my fav…this chart features a modern design using seating information, icons, color and size of tables to denote personal connections. All information and colors are customizable. SO COOL.

I also love this family tree style option…a design that organizes groups of friends and family by branches of categories and color. All information and colors are customizable.

If these aren’t the perfect way to personalize your wedding, I’m not sure what is! It’s also a pretty incredible keepsake that will forever remind you of those people who were there to help make your wedding the best day of your life. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Melangerie for designing such an innovative product!

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Post tags: Genealogy Charts, Melangerie, Wedding Favors & Gifts
Post categories: Wedding Favors & Gifts

When one of their clients wanted to surprise her friend with a flower arranging class, Melangerie crafted this handmade paper flower bouquet that announced the lessons on an attached note. So cute!

This is probably my favorite of all of Melangerie’s featured designs…it’s a custom Spice Book designed for a woman’s 90th birthday party. The book is filled with her friend’s and family’s recipes along with a spice box containing the appropriate seasonings with which to make them. LOVE.

This time inspired wedding invitation was crafted for a couple who met through a series of “fortuitous events.” Along with the invitation, the couple gave their guests a mixed CD of their favorite songs, all related to time.

I am so glad that Amy shared this incredible source with us! Melangerie is THE place to find inspiration for really cool, wonderfully personal wedding favors and gifts. Their capabilities are so far reaching…custom event identities, invitations, correspondence, favors, packaging and welcome gifts. The best part though is that each design is crafted with TLC and reflects the client’s personality to perfection.

Thank you so much to Amy and to Melangerie!

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Post tags: Amy Atlas, Melangerie, Silhouette Boxes, Wedding Favors & Gifts
Post categories: Wedding Favors & Gifts

Materials

Clear flat bottom candy bags which can be purchased in bulk from candy store

Lots of gum balls (about 10 per bag). They can be color specific to your wedding!  We purchased ours from gumballs.com

White labels to fit the width of the bag

Clear tape

Instructions

1. You can have your labels designed or you can design them yourself using a program like Microsoft Publisher or Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

2. After your labels are printed, put the labels on your candy bags.

3. Fill your bags with about 10 gum balls per bag.  Make sure you have enough gum balls to fill each bag evenly before taping the bag shut with clear tape.

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Post tags: DIY Project Instructions, Gumballs, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Whimsical Wedding Details
Post categories: Contests, DIY Favors and Gifts, DIY Projects

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Post tags: Amy Atlas, Brownie Pops, Halloween, Wedding Favors & Gifts
Post categories: Featured

From the bride…

My amazingly artistic fiance, Josh Lowe did three block prints for our upcoming wedding on November 1, 2008. A landscape of where we are getting married for the save-the-date, a nest for the invitation and a graphic carving of the word Love on notebooks for our favors. We wanted our paper goods to feel like little pieces of art that we hope will end up in frames. They are all different and unique and really set the tone for our rustically elegant diy wedding.

Instructions

1. First draw what you want to carve

2. Then transfer the drawing onto the wood (pear wood works well)

3. Use small woodcarving tools to carve out your design

4. Next roll out the paint on the woodblock with a brayer

5. Place the paper on the block print and use a spoon to press down all over the design, you want to use firm but even pressure.

6. Finally, peel the paper off carefully

7. Let the print dry 

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Block Prints, DIY Instructions, Save The Dates, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Woodblock Carving
Post categories: Contests, DIY Projects, Wedding Resources