Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog

White Wedding: The Look for Less

Abby Larson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:45:01 +0000

Okay, so I have a little confession. We actually featured a little peek of this wedding that the fabulous Jose Villa sent our way… a year and a half ago. And for that feature, we included a great look for less. But, seeing that I am doing a photo shoot and blogging simultaneously (not an easy task), I thought you might give me a little leeway and let me post it again! It’s really great information and for any of you that missed it the first time around, here we go again!

Here are a few things that you can do to get this perfect look, while keeping your budget in tact. With just a little elbow grease, this style is something that is not only doable…it’s kind of simple!

-Use one type of flower. In this case, hydrangeas, split among a variety of bud vases. By doing this, you’ll create a look of abundance, without an actual abundance.

-Use white sheers to create “rooms.” White sheers go along way in creating a romantic look and ambiance, without breaking the bank. You can even by fabric by the yard, then use an iron-on hem to save a little more $$.

-Japanese lanterns are used for lighting, for decor and for ambiance. Japanese lanterns usually run under $10 and in my opinion, create such a beautiful atmosphere.

-By using white linens and clear/white china…your cost options are really much more plentiful. I would go with a simple white linen, that has a bit of texture and just enough quality to look chic.

A few other cost cutting bonuses that come with a monochromatic wedding…you can buy in bulk. Scour ebay for vases, candles, linens, vintage silverware, etc. Ebay is one of the best sources for wedding decor. You can even think outside the box a bit and buy teacups or mint julep glasses to hold a single flower bud, mason jars or old milk jars to hold candles. Adding a vintage charm to an all white palette is a good thing!

To really create this look…put your money into rented furniture. A few white sofas, coffee tables and ghost chairs will really bring this style home.

Coming up next, a HUGE treat. The amazingly talented Joel Serrato has sent us a film vignette of the day…and it’s beyond incredible.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Corridan & Co., Firestone Vineyard, Jose Villa, Look for Less, White, White Wedding
Post categories: Look for Less, Traditional Elegance

White Wedding by Jose Villa, III

Abby Larson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:00:39 +0000

As clean and tailored as the ceremony was, the reception was a bit more swank. It had that “we’re throwing a serious party” feel to it that just makes a girl really happy. Giddy even. And from what Jose told me, as he was lucky enough to shoot the entire evening, it was a pretty fabulous affair. If the cake is any indication of that…I am completely convinced.

Ummm. Yep. Layer, upon layer, upon layer of stunning whites is almost too much to bear. The chocolate brown menu cards and table numbers give the look that little bit of dimension that it needs and the hydrangeas, oh the hydrangeas, well…they complete me.

If you’re like me, you are probably fanning yourself right about now…wondering how in the world you can make this happen on a budget. Coming up next we are doing a look for less on this PERFECT, perfect wedding.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Corridan & Co., Firestone Vineyard, Jose Villa, White, White Wedding
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

White Wedding by Jose Villa, II

Abby Larson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:15:42 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve featured one of Jose Villa’s little pieces of heaven. I covet every wedding he sends me, honestly never having turned one down. His photography is the epitome of gorgeous with a style that is as clean and simple as it is layered with emotion, elegance and depth. Lucky for us, Jose is sticking around for a while and is going to be sharing lots of his picture perfect weddings with us in the coming weeks.

So…back to affair at hand. There really are no words for this one, so I am going to just default to Jose’s photographs which seem to tell the story of the day to perfection.

You know, an all white palette can really have so much depth, so much dimension. When done right that is. With the perfect white parasols, the fluffy white flowers (hydrangeas maybe?) lining the aisle, the crisp white chair covers…there are so many different textures behind the forever simple palette. It just screams elegance.

The INCREDIBLE reception is coming up next! And it is so worth the wait.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Corridan & Co., Firestone Vineyard, Jose Villa, White, White Wedding
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

White Wedding by Jose Villa

Abby Larson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:30:33 +0000

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We are actually jumping in the car in just a few minutes to head out to Connecticut where we are shooting the “From Inspiration to Reality Shoot” that we spilled the beans on last week. For those of you that missed out, you HAVE to check out the fun inspiration board contest that we held where the winner’s board is literally being transformed into the cutest, most fabulous real life table setting! And it’s all happening today…check BackStage in just a bit for more details.

Okay, on to today’s RIDICULOUSLY gorgeous wedding. This one is for all of you girls out there that love clean, modern design. That love an elegant, totally chic all white palette. That fall hard for all things perfect, all things completely blissful. Photographed by the forever talented (and seriously, I mean one of the BEST) Jose Villa…this wedding is just about as beautiful as it gets.

The wedding was held at the Crossroads Estates Firestone Vineyard and was a study in simple, beautiful design. The bride’s gown is Jenny Packham and in my opinion…is perfection. It’s actually a little tricky to feature a wedding that is this gorgeous…the design is so simple and yet it just screams luxury and style. Bottom line, this wedding is amazing. And Jose’s photos, flawless.

The event design, including the flowers and invitations were all designed by Corridan & Co. We have SO much more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Corridan & Co., Firestone Vineyards, Jose Villa, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Unabashed Elegance by Distinct Occasions, II

Abby Larson — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:30:48 +0000

This wedding is ALL about luxury. A crisp white color palette, a bride that is girly and gorgeous, an elegance that is hard to deny. It’s a fun change from the more rustic affairs we often feature and it just goes to show, gorgeous weddings come in so many styles!

More from Crystal at Distinct Occasions…

We started with the charming Bellvue Manor as the backdrop for their nuptials. Together with the amazing team of designers at Rachel A Clingen we chose a simple palette of white for an etheral and super pretty ceremony space. We followed that with a champagne, white and green reception in the venue’s downstairs round-room Library. Special treats for the guests included white chocolate and caramel dipped apples for the Groom who is an Apple dealer.

Their photographers, Erika & Ryan, from Rowell Photography truly captured this couples big day in an intimate manner and left both the couple and guests wowed.

photography by Rowell Photography

Thank you so very much to the fabulous Crystal Adair Benning of Distinct Occasions! We have lots more coming up for you guys today!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Distinct Occasions, Luxury, Rowell Photography, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Sophisticated, Chic Wedding in Calistoga, II

Abby Larson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:42:26 +0000

Tanja Lippert is the photographer behind some of my all time favorite weddings here on SMP…Amy and Aaron’s wedding just might be the greatest wedding in the world (see Amy and Aaron’s full gallery right here) and the photographs, well…they are perfection.

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, Gray, Green, Tanja Lippert, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Sophisticated, Chic Wedding in Calistoga

Abby Larson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:47:13 +0000

I chose this wedding to feature for one, because of the blissfully gorgeous photographs that Tanja Lippert snapped. But also because I am kind of obsessed with the color palette. I la-la-love the sophisticated grays paired with the pops of green and healthy dose of whites. It’s clean, it’s elegant, it’s modern. LOVE.

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

NYC Loft Wedding by Daughter of Design, II

Abby Larson — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:00:49 +0000

Today, we are featuring one of those weddings that everyone can love. Although not all brides swoon at the site of a fabulous loft affair, as I do, I think that it’s fair to say that all brides swoon at the site of gorgeousness…in every shape and size!

the gorgeous photos are by Heather Waraksa

From the beautiful bride, Laura…

The ‘mood’ of our wedding was inspired by our venue: silver and crystal chandeliers in an otherwise plain white space. We put together a vintage-meets-modern feel and decided the best way to decorate the loft on a relatively tight budget was not to fight it, but to complement it: thus the colors were shades of white, black, silver, candlelight & champagne. When Annie, of Daughter by Design, brought us down to see the space fully decorated, after cocktail hour, I immediately knew it was the best choice we could have made.

We went with very minimal flowers, mostly to save money but also because I wanted the candlelight to be the focus. So we filled the tables with candlesticks (from CB2), floating candles in tall tapered glass vases, and tons of votives; small arrangements of hydrangea and freesia were accents. I’m a designer, and I made all of the paper goods other than the invitations – menus, programs, escort cards, signs, etc.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Daughter by Design, Heather Waraksa, Laura and Eric, Loft, New York, NYC, White
Post categories: Contemporary

Real Wedding: Janice and Edward

Abby Larson — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:36:24 +0000

We are all about elegant affairs today on SMP. Classic, traditional styles with a whisper of chic sophistication. The kind of wedding where guests fall in love all over again, where brides look perfect in their white dresses, where flowers are lush and gorgeous and the whole day just seems to sparkle.

This wedding, shot by the wonderfully talented Jenny Smith of Alders Photography, took place this past May at the Happy Trails Catering Venue in Pasadena, California…

This was an intimate, hands-on celebration with the entire family helping to make the day beautiful. The bride’s mom helped bake the cupcakes, the bride’s dad hosted a spirits and cigar bar (to come) and a friend of the family did all of the flower arrangements.

So much more to come from the fabulous Alders Photography!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alders Photography, Classic, Happy Trails Catering, Janice and Edward, White
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

Real Wedding: Julia and Brian

Abby Larson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:36:29 +0000

It just occurred to me that we have been doing real weddings pretty much every day lately. And it’s been pretty great…so I figure, why change a good thing?

One of SMP’s very favorite photographers, Myrtle and Marjoram, sent us today’s featured wedding and based on some of the weddings they’ve sent us in the past, it’s not surprise that this one is absolutely beautiful…

This wedding reminds me a little bit of yesterday’s featured affair…a modern sensibility with touches of pure charm. The yellow is such a happy hue, but paired with the sophistication of black and white, it’s contemporary, it’s smart, it’s simply beautiful.

So much more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Black, Myrtle and Marjoram, White, Yellow
Post categories: Contemporary, Traditional Elegance

Color Palette Contest, Day 3

Abby Larson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Here is our next entry, all about Blue, Black and White…

To see all of the entries, click on Color Palettes at the top of the blog or on our Contest section!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Black, Blue, Wedding Colors, White
Post categories: Color Palettes, Contests