From Tracy, the gorgeous bride…

Our wedding was May 31, 2008 at Murrieta’s Well in Livermore, CA.  My husband, Steve, and I wanted an intimate, rich event filled with warm textures, great food and wine and lots of laughter!  We really achieved all three of these (and even more).  I really focused on textures when putting together my look and feel for the day.  Andrea, at Studio AYT, incorporated cork into our invitations to reflect the winery venue, we used white dogwood and orchids to mirror the rough/soft feel of the concrete barrel room and soft twinkle lights.  I wanted to bring in a classic old Hollywood feel to my look and my hair designer really did a great job with the soft waves to match the lace of my dress.   Finally, I LOVE LIGHTING so we really used different shades of up lighting on the outside of the winery and in the vines to give the dance/lounge area a jeweled fabric feel. 

We were so pleased with how everything turned out and are even happier to be married!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bay Area, California, Dogwood, Livermore, Murrieta's Well, Orchids, Studio AYT, Wedding Hairstyles, Winery
Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

For my hair, I wanted it to be up, in a disheveled bun for the ceremony and photos, then I wanted to take it down for the reception. This easy up-do was perfect for me because it felt so soft and romantic, but in that really non-prom-ish way. My cousin set it without using rubber bands so that I had no creases when we took it down.

For my make-up, I wanted to look natural…all eyes and a subtle lip. When I tell you that I loved what our make-up artist, Lynne Avallone did, it just might be the understatement of the year. I felt beautiful, but I felt like myself. Lynne used warm neutrals with touches of pink, champagne, copper and chocolate. She also applied subtle false eyelashes that made my eyes pop in pictures. My maids all chose their own hair and make-up styles…some wore low, loose buns and others just had some waves put in. Everyone looked and felt gorgeous.

If you are in need of more beauty inspiration, check out Lynne Avallone’s site…she is an absolutely incredible make-up artist, who I cannot recommend highly enough!

And, I am so excited that Nikol of Fresh Beauty in Florida, is stopping by a little later today to share some of her best make-up tips and ideas! Don’t forget to check back in!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Boston, Fresh Beauty Studios, Lynn Avallone, Wedding Beauty Tips, Wedding Hairstyles, Wedding Makeup
Post categories: Wedding Fashion

To hire a make-up artist or not is a big question. It’s an expense that is often difficult to justify. And yet, I have to say…my make-up artist, my hair stylist and of course my pretty dress were the reasons that I felt as beautiful as I did on my wedding day. There is something special about someone coming in to help transform your look…from you, into your BEST you…that just makes you feel like a princess.

So, I am curious, how many of you guys are planning on hiring someone to do your hair and make-up? Bringing a friend in to help out? Doing it yourself?

We have more to come on this subject so definitely stay tuned!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: MakeupNV, Wedding Hairstyles, Wedding Makeup
Post categories: Wedding Fashion

How to make Coat Check Tags…

I designed the template myself and printed them out at home on Crane’s 179 lb. Pearl White Cover (www.crane.com). I trimmed each one out using an x-acto and ruler. Then, using Fiskars 1/8″ hole punch I made a hole to place the eyelet. Before adding the eyelet I scored each card so that the ticket could be torn evenly. To do this I used the Fiskars Rotary Paper Trimmer with the Perforating Blade (www.fiskarscrafts.com). Then the 1/8″ eyelet t is added by hammering it with a setter (www.impressrubberstamps.com).

Email me for the Coat Check Template, abby at style me pretty dot com!

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These hair pins are drop dead gorgeous. Romantic, ethereal and subtle…they would be the perfect addition to any gown…

Flower Hair Pin Instructions from Thryn…

The materials I used to make my hair pins were as follows:

scraps of silk, both sheer and opaque
small pearl beads
wired pearl beads (these have a pearl drop at each end of a short piece of white-wrapped wire)
clear plastic hair comb
silver hairpins (that look like big bobby pins) with a flat piece at the top for attaching something
wired bridal florals (or whatever other color/style of additional pieces you want to add to the fascinator–wired is best since it keeps it flexible)
hot glue gun

To make the flowers, I cut first small petal shapes out of the silk.

For the large flower, I cut them in three different sizes, and used about 5-6 petals for each layer. For the small flowers, I used 5 petals for each that were all the same size.

Make a gathering stitch at the bottom of each petal, pull it tight and tie a knot to give the petal some dimension.

Then, overlap 5 or 6 petals at their bottoms, and sew straight up through the center, making sure the stitch goes through all 5 petals. Sew a few stitches to secure the petals in place. Lay another layer of petals on top of the bottom layer in the same formation, and sew through the center again. Keep adding layers of smaller petals until the flower is the desired size. I used three layers of opaque petals, and then added 1 or two layers of sheer petals on the very top. It will obviously get more difficult to sew through the layers as you keep adding more, but just push it straight through and be careful not to break the needle.

To finish the flower, I glued three small pearl beads to the center of the flower to cover up the stitches. Then I took two of the wired pearl beads and bent each one in half so it looked like this:

I glued them to the center so the pearl drops stick out from the center of the flower.

Once the large flower is complete, it’s time to assemble the fascinator. This excellent online guide by Corvus Tristus explains the basics for making a fascinator and was extremely helpful. In my case, I had a wired bridal floral piece that was leftover from my older sister’s wedding that I placed behind the flower. The wired piece was key since I didn’t know in what direction the comb would be facing when my hairdresser attached it to my head. So she was able to put the comb in my hair, and then move the flower piece around so it was facing the right direction.

To make the small flowers, follow the same directions as you would to make one layer of petals of the big flower (overlap the petals at the center and sew through). Glue three small pearls to the center to cover up the stitches, and glue to the flat part of the silver pin.

In total, it’s about an evening’s work to make a large flower and four small flowers. I hope this guide is helpful!

To see images that coordinate with the instructions, check out Thryn’s website.

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The flower top favor boxes that this reader designed and created look absolutely professional. Based on a modified template she found online, these boxes fold from a single sheet of paper without glue…

Instructions for Flower Top Favor Boxes from Thryn…

This favor box template is fairly easy to modify to whatever size you need the boxes to be. The ones I made are 2.75″ x 2.75″. The top part could be cut out in any shape that is semi-curcular. It might also look nice to just use scalloped scissors to cut out the half-circles for a variation. It would also be pretty to trace the template onto pretty handmade paper. I find that coverstock works the best, but I printed my tests onto text paper and the boxes still held up. The thinner paper just made them a little less durable. To get the template, check Thryn’s website!

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These beautiful olive branch inspired invitations and favors are about as close to perfect as you can get. They are elegant, soft and seem so personal.

Instructions on Making the Olive Branch Details…

I designed the wedding invitation using Adobe Illustrator. Then, my dad printed the invitations for me on an off-set lithography press using a medium gray ink. I hand-stamped each one with the Olive Branch using a “Soft Celery” colored archival ink pad. I even stamped the outside of the envelope next to the addressee’s name.

On the wedding day, guests received programs with the familiar stamp on the cover. The program was also designed using Adobe Illustrator and was printed in a medium gray ink.

At the end of the reception, guests picked up a small glassine envelope which was filled with birdseed and sealed with sewing thread and a slip of paper stamped with the olive branch. These were all handmade by me the week before the wedding! I used my sewing machine set on the zig-zag stitch to sew through the layers. It was simple for the guests to rip them open when the time came to toss the birdseed at the bride and groom.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2007. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Corvus Tristus, Crane Paper, Wedding Hairstyles, Wedlog
Post categories: DIY Projects

A couple of readers have asked me for pictures of my hair at my own wedding…I was lucky enough to have my cousin do my hair, so she was able to follow me around all night with extra bobby pins and hair spray. Otherwise, this is a little bit of a tricky “do” as your hair can’t be too short, too fine or too heavy.

My cousin set my hair so that we could easily just take out the pins and have a more casual look for the reception. She didn’t use any rubber bands so there weren’t any funny creases or bends in my hair. The only thing that you can’t really see in the photos is the gardenia that she tucked into the base of the bun…it was a really subtle, romantic touch.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2007. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Wedding Hairstyles
Post categories: Wedding Fashion