There is a trend sweeping Style Me Pretty (and the rest of the wedding world) that I am beyond excited about. Brides in gorgeous, soft gowns with sweet, subtle POLKA DOTS all over them. It adds the perfect pop of the brides personality into the gown, and I for one, am smitten. This Texan bride, for example, wed her Aussie groom in a perfectly dotted Christos gown from Mia Bridal Couture, and it set a playful yet oh-so-chic vibe (just look at that bouquet) for the entire Southern California affair, captured brilliantly by JL Photographers. Make sure to stop by the full image gallery for more!
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Nathan and I met in November 2008 through a mutual friend and started dating a few months later. Nathan was impressed with my craft beer knowledge and I melted at the sound of his Australian accent. Things got serious pretty quickly, and after asking my Dad for his blessing to marry me, Nathan proposed on October 27, 2009. We were carving a jack-o-lantern for Halloween and Nathan asked me to go find a candle and a lighter. When I came back and opened the lid of the pumpkin I was surprised to find a beautiful ring resting on the bottom. I turned around and Nathan was down on one knee, ready to pop the question. We celebrated with champagne at the wine bar we went to on our first date.
Since Nathan is from Australia we decided to have the wedding in Southern California so that his relatives and friends traveling across the globe wouldn’t have to make a connecting flight once in the states to come to Houston. I grew up in Newport Beach, but I knew I wasn’t going to find something with the rustic vibe I was looking for there, so we decided to check out the wineries in Temecula. Nathan and I had been wine tasting in the area previously and had loved the amazing views of the vineyards from atop the hill at Falkner Winery.
I wanted our wedding to be rustic chic and a lot of fun. I tried to play up the rustic side of things with the winery, having it all outdoors, and our chocolate brown and pale yellow colors.
I collected milk glass from antique shops in Texas and California for eight months before the wedding to use for our centerpieces. I also collected postcards that were either wedding and love or Texas, California or Australia themed and instead of having a regular guestbook we asked the guests to fill out a postcard. My Mom has been mailing them to us every couple of weeks since the wedding, and it is so fun to get them in the mail as a reminder of our wedding!
A couple of my favorite little special touches with the details were our cake toppers and my bouquet with LOVE spelled out in scrabble letters. I also went with non traditional music for the ceremony and used songs that fit us better. The bridal party walked down the aisle to “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles, my Dad and I to “Better Together” by Jack Johnson, and we recessed to “Beautiful Day” by U2. One of my bridesmaids sang “Marry Me” by Train. She had kept the song choice a secret from Nathan and me, and she even inserted our names into the song!
Photographer: JL Photographers / Floral Designer: Sheri’s Flowers / Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas / Cake & Desserts: Cakes to Celebrate / Wedding Gown Designer: Christos purchased from Mia Bridal Couture / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: AriaDress / Bride’s Earrings: Blue Nile / Bride’s Head Piece: Acme Hair Dressing / Cake Topper: The Pretty Pixie, Etsy / Groom’s Attire: Jos. A Bank / Bride’s Shoes: Tory Burch / Venue: Falkner Winery