It's weddings like this that make me LOVE logging onto Style Me Pretty every. single. day. Totally unfussy, graced with a backdrop you can't beat and effortlessly pretty in so many ways. Initially inspired by the Bride's vision of pops of watercolor with gold mixed in and her 'gold-dipped' style dress, the images from Love by Serena radiate happiness in the form of color, warm ocean breezes and of course, the sweet chemistry between these two.

From the Bride & Groom, Jamie & Steve... The Proposal: We got engaged in Saint Maarten March of 2014! It was a vacation we were looking forward to after a snowy winter. We took a drive to the French side and watched the sunset from a local bar. The seats sat on a small pier, so you could feel the waves crashing under you. I walked up to the counter and when I turned around to come back, Steve was kneeling by the shore on one knee. He was so nervous he broke the ring box! It was very sweet and perfect for me because my heart has always been at the ocean. Everyone cheered and toasted, it was a perfect night!

About our wedding: We felt really lucky to be getting married so close to my home town! The Celebration Cottage used to be a pier, where my family went almost every weekend growing up. We wanted a space that felt cozy, open, warm and inviting. We also wanted all of our family/bridal party to be together. We rented a beach house next door to the venue and stayed the week before. Our bridal party also stayed there, so we could have some time to be together before the wedding. It was really important to us to have everyone close, not at separate hotels!

For the wedding, we wanted to keep it simple-the ocean as your background is pretty incredible. In my head I was dreaming of pops of watercolor with gold mixed in. I was an art major and have always been drawn to bright mix and match colors and whimsical details. My dress is from a local designer in Canada and it was the initial inspiration (GOLD)! I told Valerie all of this and didn't ask for any specific flower. Her outcome was beautiful and captured what was in my mind perfectly!

From Valerie (Bridesmaid, Wife of Jamie's brother, and Lead Florist at Blossom Bay Botanicals)... Jamie and Steve’s wedding took place in Atlantic beach NC at a brand new space called The Celebration Cottage. The Celebration Cottage is a huge, beautiful beach house built just to serve as a wedding and event venue.

Jamie and Steve were engaged March of 2014, in Saint Marteen and were the first couple to book the Cottage as it was still, as the bride puts is “a pile of wood!” Luckily this couple is the laid back creative type, so the enormity of the construction project did not intimate them. They had no doubt that the space would be finished and better than they could have ever imagined!
Jamie and Steve chose a palette with shades of nude and muted pastels, with splashes of gold. These colors are so reflective of this couple’s personality - very down to earth, but filled with spark and surprise!

They met the first day Jamie moved to Baltimore from North Carolina. On this life-altering first day in the big City, Jamie got a flat tire in the McHenry Tunnel! I think it is safe to say that this is any young woman’s nightmare, much less on such a pivotal moving day. She thought maybe that was a sign to turn around go back home, but it’s a good thing she didn’t! Five hours later, in the midst of a torrential downpour, and after being subjected to the anxiety of holding up inner city traffic for hours, Jamie’s best friend Perry managed to get her out of the traumatizing tunnel experience. Perry did what any best friend would do next – take Jamie out for drinks! It was there that Steve sat next to the beautiful wet rat that would soon be his future wife. It’s funny how one ordinary day can unfold into a complicated challenge that may change the rest of your life.

[dotted]