Style Me Pretty: Wedding Blog for the Style-Obsessed Bride

This Couple Turned Their Centerpieces into A Flower Bar At The End of Their Wedding!

An all-white wedding with hints of light gray is what Olive & Belle planned for today’s beautiful feature at the Villa Del Lago in Austin, Texas. A stunning and, classic outdoor ceremony and reception made up for the day and Honey Gem Creative captured it all! The special couple wanted to incorporate special details for their guests including taking the centerpieces by Lovelily Flowers and creating a flower bar for guests to take home with them! Take a peek below and check out the full gallery here!

From Lovelily Flowers…Liz + Alex were absolutely dream clients of mine. They were the perfect cocktail of classic meets creative. We incorporated this feeling within the florals by keeping an all-white palette while mixing in dried, bleached, and painted foliages to add sparks of interest. They cared deeply about their guests and focused on making the night special. With that, we decided to break down centerpieces after dinner, and use these florals to create a flower bar! We handed out individually wrapped posies at the end of the evening for the guests to take home with them! It was an unforgettable night!

From the Bride and Groom…

What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning? We had a very simple vision for our wedding, we wanted three points to be covered. 1. Fun 2. Memorable and 3. Simple, Elegant and Reflective of our Personalities

What was your color palette and your style vision?

We are big fans of muted pastel colors so we tried to keep with that and ended up with blue and grey hues which ended up complimenting the day really well.

What unique elements or DIY details did you include?

We didn’t have too many DIY details, but Elizabeth picked some really unique elements as part of the wedding which included 1 really long table for everyone to sit at, tied instead of folded napkins, a champagne tower, and fireworks!

What was your favorite moment?

Our absolute most favorite moment was seeing all of our family and friends sitting together for dinner at one long table. It’s something we will more than likely never see again so in that moment in time it was extra special.

What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?

Stay true to your self and do exactly what you want. It can be easy to get influenced by others but don’t do it, stay authentic to your desires and the day will be fun, genuine and filled with love.

How did you meet?

A love that sparked on Spring Break AND CONTINUED AROUND THE WORLD From Sweden to London. From Italy to Portugal. From Aruba to the US. Our love story began in Panama City Beach, FL back in 2010. Alex and Liz were enjoying the fruits of life on a college spring break (the kind of spring break you used to see on MTV) and bonded over a rambunctious night out. The two didn’t go to the same school nor lived in the same country but they stayed connected over the years. Their lives would go on separately for quite some time, but there was never much time passing without a gentle reminder of the presence of each other through a comment, like or text message. It wasn’t until Alex resided for a year in the US for an internship that they finally got to meet up. Alex came to Houston for a week, and instantly neither wanted to be without the other. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy as there were life commitments such as college, let alone an ocean (the Atlantic Ocean to be exact) between them. Fast forward 7 years worth of memories, many air miles earned and used and Alex turning into a fully-fledged Texan (or so he claims!) and we’re ready to share the next chapter of committing to forever with our family and friends!

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Petit Bouquet

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Chic Snow-Caped Sunday Supper Dinner Party

This moody, two-day winter gathering with Sobremesa by Sunday Suppers is quite possibly one of the chicest things we’ve run across in a while. Tucked away in one of the coolest homes in Rhode Island, this snow-capped gathering is sure to inspire you to host your own elevated, seasonally inspired dinner this holiday season.

This past year I had the pleasure of co-hosting Sobremesa by Sunday Suppers in Tiverton, RI. The dinner series started by Karen Mordechai is now a global event, and we all loved participating. Hosts around the world embrace 10 guests in their space and execute and serve a meal that celebrates the seasons. The theme carried throughout this series was Winter Harmony. The balance between light and dark was used by Karen to create the recipes and vibe of the meal that the hosts went on to prepare.

Taking place at the beautiful Quonset Hut, sustainably restored and designed by Moore House, guests were welcomed in from the morning’s snow to enjoy a housemade cocktail in the living room. Once everyone was present, we moved into the Quonset Hut area itself for our community activity, making preserved lemon altogether. Guests had a seat, and our meal service began.

From a design perspective, our dinner curation was an ode to infrastructure versus nature, focusing on creating in a slower, more economically sound frame of mind within the home and how nature can help reflect that change. We took the concept of winter and harmony between light and dark and created two unique yet similar dining experiences for our two nights of Sobremesa by Sunday Suppers.

The menu and execution remained the same, however on night one we embraced the light, and on night two we looked to the dark for a well balanced weekend of creation and collaboration.

Design notes from Kim Lamothe of Greenlion Design

+ Consider your backyard or neighborhood for tabletop treasures. Many dried
elements from your yard or gardens translate well to the tabletop. Think
beech tree branches, dried grasses or pods from perennials.

+ Use all the same flower elements to mix with some dried or foraged pieces,
fewer ingredients can add that warm and modern feel.

+ Warm hued candles in caramel or sand add warmth and mood with their color.

Design notes from Blair Moore of Moore House

+ Find a neutral color palette: Look at what color of plates and or linens
you have and build from there. Layering in different tones and hues derived
from that color.

+ Sparsely layout your plates and cutlery. Remember space and absence is
your friend.

+ If you have any fabric lying around and or you can head to your local
fabric shop and buy a few yards of fabric. If you buy a linen or
cheesecloth you can rip the edges and use them for a table cloth and or
napkins. You don’t have to have perfectly hemmed edges for a fabulous
dinner scape.

+ Layer in sparsely laid out dried foliage and tall candles

+ Then set your napkins laid out with some individual salt and pepper in a
small dish or plate for the guest’s individual use.

+ Top it off with a handwritten card and or menu and your table is set!

Find out the Meaning Behind Cherry Blossoms at Their Wedding – Warning: Major Happy Tears Ahead!

Not only is this wedding one of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen – from the venue to the fleurs – but it’s also sprinkled with sentimental design elements that all have a beautiful story behind the them. Wep in Provence took inspiration from the bride’s childhood memories to create a truly personalized and special day from start to finish. The couple’s adorable 7 month old son completely stole the show, the amount of “awww’s” that happened while going through Oliver Fly Photography’s stunning images were too frequent to count. Oh, and did we mention BIG DAY’s INSANE floral arrangements? I mean…. that arbor.is.everything. Keep on scrolling to see all this French fairytale has to offer.

What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning? What was your color palette and your style vision?

From the Bride… When we first started to plan the wedding, I envisioned an intimate and romantic setting. We wanted to celebrate our special day with our closest family and friends. Therefore, choosing La Bastide de Gordes worked perfectly with the vision of the wedding. Then, came the wonderful wedding planner who introduced us to Morgane of Big Day Flowers. The initial starting point was the floral arch. I wanted to create an ethereal, romantic, yet natural setting. I had taken a picture of a natural arch in one of my daily walks at Regent’s Park, London (I lived there for 10 years, before moving to Paris and meeting the love of my life in Paris). I showed the picture of the arch to Morgane, and then I told her the story of how I made a wish under a cherry blossom tree on Hyde Park, where I spoke to my late grandmother and asked to unite my life with my soulmate: someone who gets me, who is there for, someone I dance and laugh with together. 7 months after making this wish under the cherry blossom tree, I met my husband in Paris, where I had just moved. I asked Morgane if we could somehow incorporate the cherry blossoms into the floral arrangements, and she did so. It was a spring, a new beginning, love and romance featured in the wedding. The other detail was white butterflies. When I was a little girl, growing up in Bulgaria, my grandfather will take me to our villa in the summer, and on the way there, he will point out white butterflies that we will see flying above the grass and say to me ,”If you see a white butterfly, it means your whole summer will be beautiful!”

This is why, I found paper white butterflies, and had the lovely calligrapher Jessica Shady, write the names of our guests on them. The wedding style was very intimate, authentic, and romantic. It felt like a fairytale, and a dream come true.

Why did you choose this wedding venue?

We chose the wedding venue, because we had taken a weekend trip there two years prior to getting married. It was still the beginning of our relationship, and it is a special place for us. The venue is intimate, and incredibly romantic. We also thought the staff showed incredible hospitality towards us, and we thought it will be a great place to get married. I am Turkish-Bulgarian, and my husband is American. Many of our guests travelled from far away, and we wanted to give them an experience where they will truly enjoy themselves and have a lovely time. What uniquement elements or DIY details did you include ? The butterflies, the arch (the write up above explains it), but another detail is also the cake. It was litchee vanilla, and Made in Cake recreated the cake I used to have in London with my maid of honour, Anabela, during our coffee dates. Another unique detail was having my friend Tania (Grier) do my makeup. She was there during cocktail, wedding, and brunch, never leaving my side for a minute. I met her in London more than 10 years ago, and we immediately became friends. Whenever she would do my makeup for events I was invited to, we would jokingly say that she will one day do my wedding makeup. It was wonderful to have her there. She was also the one to put my veil on before I walked down the aisle – a very special moment for me.

What was your favorite moment? Your favorite detail?

All of it, but here are some of our most special moments:

– Our son :
This was the most wonderful and blessed moment of our wedding: to have our son be present and celebrate with us. He was there with me when getting ready, and he was the one to bring the rings down the aisle. The day after we had the ceremony, he turned 7 months exactly, and we had a ‘birthday party’ for him during brunch with his own cake and balloons that spelled his name. He was the highlight of everything.

– The ceremony led by my father in law :
It was very personal to have my husband’s father lead the ceremony. He did a beautiful job. It was personal, warm and lovely. In addition to that, we had three people that are very special to us (my husband’s two sisters, and my cousin) read three special poems to us. It was a very intimate and personal ceremony.

– Having Anabela as my maid of honor :
Anabela, my maid of honor, was absolutely wonderful. She has a very special place in my heart, and she has been such an inspiration, a friend. When my husband decided to propose to me, he had contacted her (she is a jewellery designer) and asked her to create the engagement ring. There is a pink heart inside the ring, to symbolize ‘the eternal romantic’ that I am. I wore her earrings during the ceremony, cocktail party the night before, and even during brunch. She was next to me along the way in this journey, and not only during the wedding. When I look back, it feels like she has been there in the most crucial moments of my life. An incredible friend, and it was such an honour and a blessing to have her there at every step of the way.

– The vows :
We decided to write our vows, and it was incredibly beautiful and touching. When my husband started to speak, I could not hold back my tears. It was the most romantic and wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me, and I will remember this very moment for the rest of my life. He wrote them that morning, and he kept showing me funny vows on Youtube couple of days before. He is also not someone to be very vocal about his emotions (instead he shows it with his actions), and I did not expect the vows to be so heartfelt, so beautiful and touching.

– Walking down the aisle, entering the aisle and seeing it all for the very first time :
We had spent a long time with Morgane planning the arch, the floral details, and the aisle decorations. However, I did not see any of it and how it all came together until I walked out into the gardens. It’s already a very emotional moment, but the second I walked out, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. It is an indescribable emotion, and it is absolutely thrilling, and beautiful. Overall our wedding made me feel that my whole life came together, from my childhood in Bulgaria, life spent between London, Istanbul, Paris and US, and the end was a fairytale like ending. I said in my vows that many years ago I had rewritten my life story as a fairytale, where everything that has happened good or bad, makes sense in the end, because it all leads me to my one true love. Our wedding day was truly the representation of that. In the end, it was only and ever love.

Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors for your guests, your cake… we want all the deets!

I have a leather goods label, and we decided to create custom business card holders for all the guests. We had our names and a logo that was created for us, by our talented graphic designer friend (Blackballoon Agency) printed on them. It was a personal touch to the wedding, and something the guests could take with themselves and use every day.

What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be ?

Simply relax and know that this is a day to celebrate your love. I did not stress over any details, including my dress. In fact, I chose it in few hours. It was the second store I went, and the second dress I tried on. I could have spent months trying to find another dress, but I focused on what matters: celebrating love, and that wedding celebration is only one day of your life. We also invited only closest family and friends, which made the wedding even more special and everyone commented on the positive and happy vibe. It was a wonderful wedding, because of the people we got to share it with. They were the ones who made it beautiful. This also reminds me of another important factor: choosing the wedding planner and all the other vendors. Once again, I chose everyone very quickly and looked not only at their portfolio, but their positivity as people. I spoke to my wedding planner over the phone (I live in Paris, and she is based in Provence). She was the second person I had spoken to, and I knew right away, she was the right one. I didn’t need to call anyone else on the list. I believe choosing the right people around you is important, because they can be there to support you and remember to have trust. This is very important.

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Petit Bouquet

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Chocolate Martini

Chocolate lovers—you’re in for a serious treat! This decadent chocolate martini from Olivia’s Cuisine is a must-try. It’s made with vodka, Bailey’s and a special ingredient – chocolate ganache instead of the typical chocolate liqueur – for an extra rich and creamy take on the dessert cocktail.

How genius is the grated chocolate rim? We think it’s the perfect drink for parties or really whenever a chocolate craving strikes. Go ahead and treat yourself!

For the full post and more delicious recipes, check out Olivia’s Cuisine!

Chocolate Martini

prep time
10 Minute/s

cook time

total time
10 Minute/s

Ingredients

For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
5oz semi sweet chocolate (I use 1.5 bars of Lindt), roughly chopped
For the Chocolate Martinis:
1oz good quality vodka, divided
4oz Baileys irish cream, divided
Grated chocolate to decorate glasses

Instructions

To make the ganache: Heat the heavy cream, over medium high heat, until it starts to boil.
Pour the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl and stir until the chocolate melts.
Let it cool before making the cocktails
To make the Chocolate Martinis: To decorate the glasses, moisten the rim of your glasses with cold water. Turn the glasses upside down and dip them into the grated chocolate, twisting them around so you get more chocolate on the rim. Reserve.
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway through with ice.
Add 1 cup of chocolate ganache, 0.5oz of vodka and 2oz of Baileys. Shake it vigorously for 30 seconds.
Pour the Chocolate Martini into one of the decorated glasses.
Repeat those steps to make the 2nd cocktail.
Serve cold.

Photography: Olivia's Cuisine | Recipe: Olivia's Cuisine

The Many Subtle yet Special Details Honoring the Bride’s Late Mother Will Bring You to Tears

Sometimes a wedding is so special, it feels like no words can do it justice – that’s how we feel about Kari and Cam’s gorgeous Lake Tahoe wedding. Every detail of their day was so thoughtfully chosen to honor Kari’s mother, Rosemary. Her dream was for their guests to feel her presence through the design elements of their day, and Jenn Lazon, their amazing wedding planner, made sure of just that. Keep on reading and check out the full gallery to learn the stories behind every subtle detail, from the arbor to the place settings – all captured by Mandy Ford Photography!

From Mandy Ford Photography… Not only were the details to this wedding stunning, the bride chose to honor her mother, Rosemary, throughout the entire day with subtle notes of detail. Kari and her mother were extremely close, before she lost her battle with cancer in 2011.

Rosemary has been described fun-loving, outgoing, and loved by everyone. She had no problem being the center of attention, and was truly the glue that held her family together. When Kari spoke with me briefly about her mother, I couldn’t help but draw similarities from Kari’s own magnetic presence. There’s clearly no question that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. When first deciding to plan their wedding, Kari dreamed of being wed in a rose garden, so that she was surrounded by her mother’s presence. Since there aren’t many rose gardens in Lake Tahoe, the team at Love and Lupines put together the most lush, romantic, rose-filled, garden-inspired altar I have ever seen.

After the ceremony, guests were invited to light a candle in honor of Rosemary. What a beautiful thing it was to see. The subtle hints of roses continued into the reception. Each place setting displayed a sprig of Rosemary wrapped in lush crushed-mauve velvet napkins. Cam’s Swiss heritage was intertwined into the event as well where they had an array of the best chocolates I’ve ever tasted. They couldn’t have blended Kari’s rose-filled vision with the place Cam grew up any more perfectly. It was a true reflection of both of their styles.

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Petit Bouquet

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You’re Going To Love This Not So Typical Color Palette For This Seaside Soiree!

A San Diego, seaside wedding is exactly what we all need on the first day of December! Taking place at Scripps Seaside Forum, with a bright color palette and an array of palm trees, today’s wedding will have you daydreaming of warmer weather! With beautiful blooms by The Dainty Lion and stunning tables and views, Natalie Bray Studios had quite the day to photograph and she captured it all! Take a peek below and see how Kelsey Rae Designs, brought this day to life!

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From the Bride: A few sentences about our love story…
We met in 2014 at my best friend’s St. Patrick’s Day party through her roommate. We ended up talking to each other the entire night. From that point, we went on dates weekly. We’ve spent our relationship sharing in each other’s hobbies, passions, family and friends. From Marc’s love of playing golf and enjoying craft beer to my love of Irish dancing has led us all over the country and world to live out the most incredible experiences. At around the time of our four-year anniversary, on a cold, rainy day, Marc surprised me with lunch at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. Shortly after, we made our way to the hotel balcony, completely secluded and he proposed. We later visited a Dana Point restaurant to continue soaking up the moment and enjoy some live music, but I was surprised again with an enthusiastic welcome from our families.

How did you pick venue?
Hours and hours of research but we eventually settled in narrowing our venue search to San Diego because 1) we love it there and 2) it was really important for us that we selected an area that our family and friends, especially those traveling from out-of-state and out of the country, could share in some of our favorite places as well as see the beauty and variety of California. We knew we wanted to get married in church and (ideally) find a reception venue with an ocean-view to have an outdoor dinner. We committed to researching venues available in the summer season for the great weather and to not impact our relatives with young kids and their school schedules.

We came across Scripps Seaside Forum and knew we found our reception venue. We loved that it was a blank slate, an ocean-view venue that wasn’t a hotel and thus had more privacy. It was also a priority that the venue had an indoor space in case the weather didn’t permit an outdoor reception. We were only able to book our date because a couple released their hold for a Sunday date. Around the same time, we found a church we loved, Our Lady of the Rosary, in Little Italy (our favorite area of San Diego). Their website didn’t explicitly state no Sunday ceremonies, which Catholic churches are notorious for. After writing a letter to the priest and meeting the deacon, we were able to schedule our marriage ceremony!

Dress choice?
I discovered the dress during my first dress shopping experience, at Kinsley James Couture Bridal. I fell in love with a Liz Martinez dress for its delicate 3D floral detailing in the bodice and crystal beads on the skirt. However, the original bodice was very revealing, especially for a church ceremony. After visiting tons of other bridal stores, I came back to Kinsley James during a Liz Martinez trunk show, met the designer (who is so sweet and generous) and I tried on the dress again. By this time we confirmed our venues, which was a big determinate of picking the dress style. I still loved the same dress from the first visit and was able to do a custom design using the shape of another one of Liz’s dresses for the bodice and added detachable cap sleeves to wear for the ceremony. A huge part of my making my wedding dress vision a reality was the seamstress and owner of Folklore Dress Studio, Lara Prawat.

Design ideas
For the church, we wanted to maintain it’s authenticity (plus it was so intrinsically beautiful already) so we opted out of any decor. This also allowed more room in our budget to use for the reception venue. For the reception venue, we loved that it was a blank slate. The overall design vision was simple, modern, coastal elegance that exuded joy. We felt colors of the sunset would be the perfect color scheme to illustrate our joy and complement a beach-side wedding.

Learnings from the wedding:
There are soooo many! Finding the right vendors predicts the success of the wedding because the reception space was a venue only rental, we needed to select every vendor for every element of the wedding. We had a selection of about 15 caterers to choose from that the reception venue allowed, but everyone else was found through researching online. We looked for vendors that had experience with our venue. A coincidental bonus was finding vendors who have also worked together. We set our priorities and selected the best vendors we could afford because we didn’t want any pre-wedding planning stress to leak through to our wedding day. It was very important to us that our families and friends were not responsible for anything at the wedding. We wanted everyone to soak in the day, be present and not worry about setting up or tearing down the venue (especially since we were having a mini-destination wedding). Hiring a full planner was outside of our budget but thankfully Kelsey Rae Designs offered month-of coordination and that was game-changing. On the day of the wedding, the only thing our family and friends had to worry about was where to keep their tissues. Be gracious to your vendors! Yes, you’re paying for their service but they work extremely hard to ensure your day is as you envisioned it.

Venue search:
Finding a church and reception venue that both connected with us and was available on the same day was the most challenging and stressful part of the wedding planning journey. All I can say is that we were lucky that our dream venues ended up being available.

Wedding dress shopping:
Try on every silhouette because you really don’t know how it will frame your shape until you do. If you want to avoid trying on tons of dresses (like I did), decide on the silhouette early on. The variety of dresses is endless but narrowing down the silhouette first makes it easier to then narrow down the neckline, then the fabric, then the detailing. If you decide to make changes from the original dress, don’t expect that it will arrive as you envisioned it. It was very hard to commit to paying for a dress that wasn’t what I tried on. Things do get lost in translation and there were many changes that were needed to work through with the seamstress. But after several fittings, the vision came to life.

Keep in mind how your guests (and vendors) will experience the day. Ask yourself a lot of questions: How will people travel to different venues? Is there free parking nearby (especially if located in the city)? Restroom amenities? Are your dining chairs comfortable? Do you need to rent high chairs? There are so many little details to consider. Everyone will tell you to just do what the two of you want, but we both wanted to make sure our wedding was just as special to us as it would be for our family and friends. Guests traveled from all over to be there, so making sure we were having a meaningful and fun-filled day was top priority. Though we did have our non-negotiables specific to us, so much of our decisions were made to ensure we honor the people that made us who we are and led us to each other. Accept the help of your loved ones. I wish we did this more but we planned everything ourselves and didn’t want to burden anyone. However, you learn that your wedding day is anything but a burden to those that care about you. Whether it’s helping collect addresses or researching transportation companies, accept the help.

Details designed:
We wanted to include as many personal touches where we could. Instead of doing engagement photos to use for the Save the Dates, we featured a portrait sketch of us drawn by Marc’s uncle who is a plein air artist. That little piece of paper means so much to us.
We displayed wedding portraits of our parents and grandparents to honor their relationships, which have been a model to ours.
Once we booked the dining and lounge rentals, we mocked up designs of the floorplan for various guest counts in a Word doc by cropping screenshots of the tables, chairs, candle votives, you name it. That was then provided to our month-of coordinator, Courtney Heath of Kelsey Rae Designs. We then worked with her on refining the floorplan to ensure everything would flow nicely at the venue.

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Natalie Bray Studios

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A Magical Night Under The Stars in Positano At A Classic Italian Villa!

For these two lovebirds who also love travel, a destination wedding in Italy was a no-brainer and once they saw Villa San Giacomo in Positano, they were sold on a magical night under the stars with everyone closest to them! With the venue itself, as the inspiration, Weddings Italy by Regency went to work planning and detailing their elegant and timeless affair with blush and light pink florals by Flora Garden Positano and a stunning tablescape! Julia Kaptelova Photography captured all of the moments like the couple playing homage to the bride’s Vietnamese background to the breathtaking views for days! Take a look below and be sure to read all about their epic honeymoon!

The sweetest couple Christina and Will with their family and friends traveled all the way from sunny California to the Italian Amalfi coast, where they had an absolutely dreamy 2-day destination wedding in a picture-perfect Positano.

From the Bride Christina: Since the day we started dating, Will and I shared the same passion and love for travel. We knew immediately when we started planning that we wanted an intimate destination wedding with our family and closest friends, and Italy has always been a dream location! As soon as we saw Villa San Giacomo, we couldn’t imagine a more perfect place to say I do. From its beautiful views to the incredible cuisine and wine, Positano was everything we had imagined, and we are so blessed to have shared an entire weekend with so many of our loved ones!

Villa San Giacomo was the inspiration for our wedding style. We wanted the day to be elegant, classic and timeless while highlighting the picturesque views of the Positano cliffs and stunning coastline. All we ever wanted was a magical night under the stars and our venue provided the perfect romantic setting for us.

My journey to finding the wedding dress was an eventful one after several different bridal boutiques with my best friend/MOH. Lucky for me, she was extremely patient and went to every single appointment! Galia Lahav was the 7th store, and my experience was truly unforgettable from the start. I’ve always imagined a long train and veil to match, so the second I tried on my gown, I knew it was the one. The detachable train was also great for a more elegant look for my reception, and I was able to dance all night without having to worry about tripping over it!

Our wedding flowers were blush, ivory, and light pink to complement the neutral colors of our venue. I wanted soft florals and natural greens to create a romantic, soft, and organic feel throughout the garden and terrace.

Our favorite detail of the day was the Neapolitan quintet during cocktail hour. We wanted to create a unique Italian experience for our guests and also loved having a live band kick off the evening, while everyone drank and danced into dinner!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? It’s easy to get lost in the pressure of planning the “perfect wedding day,” but remember to enjoy the process and that the day is truly about you and your significant other! Second, on your wedding day, breathe and stop to take in moments with your husband as the day goes by so quickly and you’ll want to cherish every second if you can!

It’s so difficult to choose one, but our most memorable moment would be dinner along the terrace. Seeing the smiles and laughter of our family and best friends across the long imperial table with the gorgeous view of Positano at night is truly a moment we’ll be cherishing forever.

Even with a destination wedding in Italy, we wanted to incorporate some traditional elements into the evening and honor our families. While our guests enjoyed dinner, we snuck away to change into our traditional Vietnamese wedding attire and surprised all of our guests, as we walked around the table and greeted them with hugs, kisses, and lots of wine! We chose the color red to symbolize luck for our new journey ahead as a married couple.

We had the best honeymoon and are so grateful to have been able to visit 2 amazing countries! We wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to travel with our best friends, so we opted for a “friendmoon” for the first half, followed by a romantic week in Santorini as newlyweds. We had an amazing time with our friends in Hvar, Croatia and then made our way through Dubrovnik as my husband is a huge fan of Game of Thrones. Following Croatia, we left for Greece, and everything was incredible – from the history in Athens, the beaches and parties in Mykonos, to the stunning views of Santorini, we fell in love with the country and cannot wait to go back!

Recently Engaged? One of These Gorgeous Gowns May Just Be Your Dream Dress!

It’s officially our favorite time of year again – engagement season!! Whether your S.O. just popped the question or you’re dreaming of opening a sparkly gift underneath the tree, we’re ringing in the holidays with some gorgeous gowns to get you feeling inspired. If you don’t already know about one of our favorite designers, Maggie Sottero, then boy are we glad you’re reading this. Maggie Sottero offers gorgeous gowns (at affordable prices) for every type of bride – from classic to boho. The biggest reason why we love them so much? Their gowns are available in sizes that range from 0 to 28 (that’s right!) Finally, a brand that understands every bride is unique and encourages women to embrace their beautiful curves! Keep on reading to see a few of our all-time favorite styles!

Tuscany Lane by Maggie Sottero

Hello gorgeous! This romantic A-line gown is the perfect silhouette to flatter any body shape. It’s complete with beaded spaghetti straps, a plunging illusion V-neckline and a sheer beaded lace bodice – just the right amount of romantic with a little dose of drama.

Obsessed with the gorgeous matching lace veil!? Yeah, so are we. This unique lace is offered in many different variations, from a sheath silhouette to a slightly sexier version with illusion details, not to mention a plus size design and even a more modest take on this stunning style. The options are truly endless!

Cheyenne by Maggie Sottero

This dress is a dream for the bride who’s looking for some coverage while still hoping to feel sexy on her wedding day. The bateau neckline with keyhole detailing is timeless while the illusion long sleeves and fitted silhouette make a bold statement! We’re in love.

Marisol by Rebecca Ingram

Unleash your inner modern Disney princess with the Marisol gown. Lovely lace motifs over tulle, a delicate sweetheart neckline and beaded spaghetti straps. Your modern fairytale begins with this dress!

Lilana by Maggie Sottero

All you boho brides out there – this one’s for you! The Liana gown features artistic geometric details, a deep sweetheart neckline and a flattering fit and flare shape to accentuate those gorgeous curves. Major heart eyes for this beauty!

How One Couple Brought the Charm of the French Countryside to Their SoCal Wedding

From the venue to the stationery – today’s gorgeous wedding brought the romance and charm of the French countryside to Southern California. HauteFêtes truly thought of everything to bring the couple’s vision to life, drawing inspiration from Greystone Mansion’s gorgeous grounds to create their color palette and elegant design details. Plenty of Petals incorporated delicate, organic blooms to every arrangement that we’ll be swooning over for weeks to come. Head on over to the full gallery to completely fall in love with this sophisticated beauty – captured by Jessa Schifilliti!

From Dani at HauteFêtes….The vision really stemmed from the couple’s desire to have a French country feel that complemented the French inspired architecture of Greystone Mansion.

We looked at the venue and surroundings to gain our inspiration which influenced both our color palette and the casual sophistication of our table top.

With nods to the French countryside, we added organic detailing – specifically the honeysuckle motif – that ran through elements from the stationery to the embossed detailing on the cake to the specific variety of honeysuckle vine in the floral arrangements.

As an homage to the bride’s love of pink, we incorporated subtle blush references in the bridesmaids dresses, stationery and rose gold flatware.

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How To Narrow Down Your Wedding Venue Search

When planning my wedding, finding our dream venue was easily the most stressful part of wedding planning. When determining how to narrow down your wedding venue search, you might be totally lost like I was. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got you covered with my top tips below!

Set Your Budget

You absolutely must set a budget before beginning your venue search. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a venue only to realize it’s either out of budget or takes up too much of your budget and you have very little leftover for other priorities.

When determining your budget, do be mindful of a few possible logistical challenges:

What rentals are included with the venue? If it’s a “bare bones” venue, then you’ll need to make sure you have enough room left in your budget for all necessary rentals.
Does the venue provide catering and alcohol? If so, then you can merge your catering budget with your venue budget.
Does one of the venues require that guests be brought in on a shuttle because they don’t offer parking? If so, your transportation costs will increase.

Determine Your Guest Count

Guest count should be determined in conjunction with your budget, as the number of guests at a wedding has one of the largest impacts on costs (rentals, meals, beverages, place cards, etc.). Additionally, knowing whether or not your guests will fit in a venue is imperative. On the flip side, you might not want a venue that’s too spacious for your guest count and thus feels empty and sparse.

Start Your Research

To find venues, now that you know your budget and guest count, you can start with one of three ways. One: Hire a wedding planner for full-service planning and have them spearhead your search. Two: Ask friends and family for their personal referrals. Three: Do your own online research via Google or vendor guides like our Little Black Book.

Contact Your Top Venues

Email or call the venues that catch your eye. Don’t be afraid to let them know your true budget, as they will quickly let you know if they can work with it or not. Most reputable venues are not going to inflate their pricing if it happens to be lower than your budget. By letting them know your budget upfront, you’ll save yourself and them a lot of time.

Schedule Site Visits

Schedule site visits with your favorite venues – preferably in the same season that your wedding would take place in, if possible. For example, seeing a winery in July might not give you an accurate look at what to expect for your January wedding. That way you’ll know better what the environment will look like with your venue. If that’s not possible, ask to see photos from the same month as your wedding so there are no environmental surprises!

During your site visit, ask about rental, catering, power, and getting ready room options. You can never ask too many questions and I recommend writing them down ahead of time and taking notes throughout the visit.

Lastly, take your own photos of the venue spaces as you’re touring. Not all venues have wide environmental photos on their websites that give a clear look at each space (they totally should!), so it’s best to have your own that you can reflect on the spaces after leaving. This will greatly aid you in making your final decision, which should be based on budget, availability, how well the venue fits your vision, how much you can envision your wedding there, and ultimately how right it feels in your heart.

Cavin Elizabeth is a wedding film photographer based in San Diego, California. Her wedding work has taken her all over the United States and abroad. In addition to being a photographer, Cavin is an educator and an avid blogger of wedding planning tips for brides and grooms. She authored the book A Bride’s Guide to a Picture Perfect Wedding, which teaches couples how to make wedding plans that are best for photography.

Three Cheers for this Simple and Festive Champagne Cocktail

It doesn’t get more festive and celebratory than popping a bottle of champagne. That is, unless you top it with sparkling pomegranate juice and cocktail accoutrements. This pretty number crafted by Kendall Simmons with photos by Alyssa Rosenheck is a Holiday must. From Christmas Eve to New Year’s, you best believe we’ll be poppin bottles and indulging in this delicious sip. Won’t you join us?

Simple and Festive Champagne Cocktail Recipe

prep time
5 Minute/s

cook time

total time
5 Minute/s

Ingredients

Your favorite bottle of champagne, or any other type of sparkling white wine that you love (Prosecco! Cava!)
Your favorite brand of pomegranate soda
Fresh orange
Fresh cranberries
Fresh thyme

Instructions

Pop the top on your champagne! Fill your flute halfway with champagne.
Add a splash of pomegranate soda to your liking.
Cut your orange into segments, then squeeze the juice from one segment into your flute.
Cut an orange segment into a small enough piece to fit into your champagne flute and add for garnish.
Add a fresh cranberry for garnish.
Add a single sprig of thyme for garnish.
Cheers!

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Easy 3-Ingredient Cocktails

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Easy 3-Ingredient Cocktails

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Photography: Alyssa Rosenheck Photography | Holiday Decor: Kendall Simmons

Romantic Vintage Inspired Christmas Home Tour

This glamorous Christmas home tour is the perfect way to kick off our holiday season! The neutral color palette, vintage detail (we’re talking personalized vintage channel-quilted velvet stockings, people) and gorgeous use of greenery all come together to create a romantic, chic holiday look.

Christmas is the most magical time of the year and I always strive to create a home that reflects that. This year I was inspired by the memories of my childhood Christmas at my grandparents. My grandmother always had a gorgeous variety of fresh greenery and floral and on every surface there would be a flower arrangement fit for a wedding. As a young decorator in the making, just seeing the house perfectly staged on Christmas Eve excited me more than the thought of presents. The glowing lights, perfectly wrapped gifts that coordinated with each year’s decor, bows that had to take hours to make, delicately placed Christmas china with personally written name tags. Every detail created memories that I’ll never forget. And It’s those thoughtful details that I wanted to incorporate in my own home this year.

Our Christmas tree is layered with soft gold ribbon and ivory lace, along with white berries, floral, and eucalyptus. My ornaments are a combination of gold and silver mercury glass and a collection of Lenox ornaments passed down from my grandmother who has collected them for the past 30 years. My wrapping paper is gold and ivory toile mixed with textured ivory ribbon and beige buffalo check ribbon. I always use the gifts as part of the decor and never feel like my tree is complete without them

The mantel is one of my favorite parts of the space with it’s garland of mixed greenery and snow flocked floral and wreath to coordinate. The embroidered channel quilted velvet stockings are subtle, but with the ribbons of lace, they bring romance and charm. I sewed the holiday stag pillows out of napkins because I fell in love with the pattern. I love how they look combined with the beige fawn pillows and ivory knit throw. A warm, glowing fire and candles throughout make the space feel cozy and inviting. And with the classic Christmas music in the background, you won’t ever want to leave. I may not be able to make it home for my grandmothers Christmas this year, but I know we’ll create special memories of our own with the help of the traditions she has started.

The bedroom is often a space that gets neglected or forgotten during the holiday seasons, so this year I wanted to make it into something special. What started as me dreaming of a white Christmas soon became something much more. With just a subtle touch of sage tones, soft golds, and florals, the space evolved into a romantic and elegant retreat. I used a variety of greenery to give the space a cozy Christmas feel. Along the top of the canopy bed lies several layers of lightly flocked garland and throughout the room, you’ll see eucalyptus, lambs ear, and frosted cedar.

The tree is decorated with a mix of ivory florals, gold leaves, silk ribbon, and beaded ornaments. I layered a chunky knit throw blanket with other textures like my linen duvet, velvet pillows, and white fur runner along the bench. Candlelit sconces and Christmas lights make the space glow and create the perfect setting for the Holidays. At the end of the day, I can’t wait to cuddle up in my bedroom, read a book, and admire the dreamy ambiance.

Photographer: Courtney Davey | Interior Decorator: Courtney Davey

This Pink on Pink Chateau Wedding Brings a Little Bit of Italy to California

Who wouldn’t want an Italian Chateau wedding?! I know I would! BUT, what happens when you find that little slice of Italy in California? You have the wedding of your dreams with soft blush details, beautiful views, and all of your closest friends and family in attendance! E Events Co. brought the couple’s vision to life at The Chateau Carmel, a stunning private estate in Carmel Valley! With Whiskers and Willow Photography along to capture all of the romance and all of the pretty pink, we have to say once you look below, you will think you stepped right into a little Italian town.

From Whiskers & Willow Photography…Megan and Jake wanted a destination wedding in Italy, but they still wanted to be able to have their family and friends join them in celebrating their union. So when they stumbled upon this private home dubbed “Chateau Carmel” in the middle of Northern California, they fell instantly in love with the venue.

Megan’s vision was for romantic florals to accent the European feel of this location, which Gavita Flora expertly delivered. The unique pink wall centered with a bell was a beautiful backdrop as the hills rolled along below. And they definitely wanted to make sure to have portraits in front of the Italian-feeling cypress trees that lined the road leading up to the chateau. If any bride is looking for a destination wedding at home, this wedding is surely jam-packed with inspiration.

About the Bride and Groom…Jake moved to Silicon Valley for work and just a couple of days after moving to the South Bay (Megan’s hometown), they went on their first date and hit it off immediately. Within their first year of dating and traveling to Hawaii and Europe together, they decided to make the move to Colorado.

They packed up their cars and drove out to Boulder, Colorado. After a couple of years of living in Colorado, Jake coordinated the proposal. He arranged for Megan’s two friends to take her hiking in Estes Park on a Sunday morning in September 2018.

After summiting the top of Lily Mountain, Megan was completely shocked to find Jake standing there at the top of the mountain in a suit. He got down on one knee and she, of course, said yes! Their friends were waiting for them at the top and they popped champagne and celebrated with the most incredible views of the Rocky Mountains.

We’re Hanging on to the Last Bit of Fall with This Wedding That Is Everything We Needed Right Now.

The air is getting colder and colder, the trees are bare and the sounds of holiday jingles can be heard on every street corner… don’t get us wrong, we LOVE the holiday season, but we can’t help but miss all the beauty the Fall has to offer. We’re bringing it back to colorful leaves and crisp air with today’s gorgeous wedding from Studio of Dream! From her bouquet to the arbor to the indoor reception, fall foliage decorated their day with bright colors and all the cozy feels. Head on over to the full gallery captured flawlessly by Julia Kaptelova to fall in love with Autumn all over again.

From Julia Kaptelova… Fall is naturally a beautiful time of year and I loved capturing Boris and Daria wedding in a such wonderful and rich color palette.

A mixture of morning mist and golden fall sunshine created a cozy atmosphere of love and romance. Decorators from Holiday Everyday arranged floral arch inspired by warm shades of autumn, full of textures and bright colors of the season.

I still remember this warm October day, beautiful country side, the newlyweds’ happy faces, wedding ceremony on the charming pier of Seneshal hotel, festive dinner with loved ones and final great salute over the lake.

Photography: Julia Kaptelova Photography | Wedding planner: Studio of dream | Floral Design: Holiday Everyday | Venue: Seneshal | Make-up and hair stylist: Svetlana Sokolova

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Petit Bouquet

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This Bride’s Family United To Create A DIY That Will Take Your Breath Away

Can you think of the last thing someone did for you that totally blew you away? If you’re Melanie and Adam, the answer would be a resounding YES. The couple’s nearest and dearest banded together (and battled paper cuts!) to take on the daunting task of handcrafting over 2,000 origami cranes for their wedding day. Cranes are the Japanese symbol for good luck and long life, so friends and family joined forces to bestow them with this meaningful gift 2,002 times over! The jaw-dropping results captured by Jenny Quicksall Photography and thoughtfully planned by Jacqueline Hallgrath are an absolute must-see. You can see it all here in the full gallery!

From the Bride… We always knew we wanted to have a somewhat, non-traditional wedding. Living in Southern California, we wanted an outdoor wedding to take advantage of the weather. More than half of our guests were coming from out of town so we wanted to find a venue that was unique to LA. We toured a handful of venues but when we went to Cielo Farms we knew it was the one for us.

It’s Japanese tradition to fold 1,001 origami paper cranes for weddings, as the crane holds special significance in the Japanese culture. In Japan, the crane is considered a mythical animal believed to live for a thousand years, so it became a symbol of good luck and a long life. Our friends and family folded 2,002 origami cranes for us. They took 1,001 gold cranes and made them into a beautiful art piece that we displayed. The other 1,001 were incorporated into our escort card display.

With a venue like Cielo Farms, we wanted a rustic, Tuscan style that would complement the vineyard and incredible views of the Santa Monica mountains. We accented the floral centerpieces with a lot of greenery and fruits to highlight the Tuscan style.

We worked closely with our planner Jacqueline Hallgrath to develop the color palette and overall design aesthetic. Having the wedding in October, we wanted a romantic soft palette with dusty rose and mauves. It all came together beautifully to create a day we’ll never forget.

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Jacqueline Hallgarth Events

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Photography

Jenny Quicksall Photography

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SMP Round Up: 12 Christmas Mantels We Love

The mantel is the heart of the living room and at all times of the year it turns into a natural focal point, but good gracious when December 1 hits a whole new love of ~the mantel~ emerges. It not only acts as a focal point, but also becomes the holder of your gorgeous decked out garland, a hanging vessel for the ever-important Christmas stocking, the buddy to your Christmas tree and, most importantly, the tunnel to your home in which Santa can enter. So it’s no wonder there’s a lot of time and care that goes into staging the PERFECT mantel.

For a little inspiration as you tweak and adjust your own home’s feature, we rounded up a few of our favorites we’ve seen recently and provided some brief commentary on each one because let’s be real you’re here for the photos anyway.

1. Tiny Houses on Painted Brick

We LOVE tiny Christmas houses! Especially on the mantel and paired with a few bottle brush trees. Pair it with a chic deer heat and some garland, pull it all together with a muted blush dominant color palette and this set-up is just fab.

2. Neutral & Layered

Layering greenery and textured garland is a great way to add some pop! This color palette is pretty neutral, but the layered in festivity makes a big impact!

3. Glamorous Dark Backdrop

This is arguably THE most glamours set up we’ve seen this year! TWO trees frame this dark, moody wall of gorgeous trim, and the tapered candlesticks peppered throughout lush garland makes this view truly glam.

4. Gingerbread Houses

GINGERBREAD HOUSES ON THE MANTEL! We can’t contain ourselves this is just too cute. She’s been killing the mantel game for a long time, but this one might just be our absolute fav. You just can’t go wrong with gingerbread houses.

5. Rustic Rock Fireplace

This is so rustic chic with the traditional garland, stockings and candles on top of a rock fireplace. Many a good cup of hot cocoa can be consumed right in that beautiful blue accent chair.

6. Simple Beaded Garland

Simple is loud sometimes my friends. We look forward to the Laine and Layne holiday decor every year, and this simple set up is SLAYING it.

7. Industrial Glam Faux Fur

So lush, so refined and so, so lovely. These GLAM stockings paired up against such a raw surface is a beautiful way to balance your holiday look, and it looks GOOD.

8. Light Blue with tiny houses

A trend we’re spotting this year? Tiny Houses. We can’t get enough. Bring them on.

9. Greenery paired with the Pinstripe Wallpaper

We are such suckers for a good nuetral pinstripe wallpaper, but when you dress it up for the Christmas season we are just ecstatic. The way the greenery pops against the bright colors is just gorg.

10. Asymmetrical with Ribbon

Asymmetry is in! We repeat, asymmetry is a good, good thing. Intentionally breaking the mold is where creativity happens and this mantel is here for it. And we fully support it.

11. No Mantel, No Problem

At this point, you’re probably green with envy if you don’t have a mantel of your own, but this example is here to tell you to not be sad, get creative! Do you see a fireplace behind this GORG mantel? No. No you do not. And this opens up a whole new world to you! Go forth and get creative!

12. Lush Garland with red Velvet Ribbon

This is about as traditional as it gets and we will never, ever get over a luscious red velvet ribbon. That will always, ALWAYS be loved by us.

So now that you’re super inspired, go forth and get to decorating! Make a mantel Santa would be proud to squeeze through :)

For more Christmas decor inspiration check out

Christmas Decor Trend Report: Citrus!

SMP Christmas Tree Roundup — Our 10 Favorite Christmas Trees

Asymmetrical with ribbon: Anastasia Casey | Gingerbread House: Monika Hibbs | Glam Faux Fur: Joinery & Design Co | Glamorous Dark Backdrop: Craftberry Bush | Light Blue color with tiny houses: Design Love Studio | Lush Garland with red velvet ribbon: Rachel Parcell | No Mantel, No Problem: Josh Young | Nuetral & Layered : The Heart and Haven | Rustic Rock Fireplace : The Lilypad Cottage | Simple Beaded Garland: Laine & Layne, The Home Co. | Simple Pinstripe Wallpaper: Jen Morley Burner | Tiny Houses on Stucco: Kate Marker Interiors

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Petit Bouquet

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Here’s What Happens When An Event Designer Throws An Epic Destination Anniversary Party In Italy

The best way to celebrate five years of wedded bliss? In Italy of course! When Yahwe and Luca decided to throw an anniversary celebration, they knew nothing short of spectacular would do. An event designer himself, Yahwe of Del Cabo Events worked closely with Giorgia of Parade Weddings in Rome to make the couple’s vision come to life. Friends and family traveled from across the globe to spend an epic night dining al fresco and dancing under the stars at Rome’s Villa di Fiorano. Now that’s amoré! Check out the entire enchanted evening beautifully captured by Leila Brewster Photography in the full gallery.

From Leila Brewster Photography… Yahwe and Luca recently celebrated their 5th anniversary in Rome, Italy, where Luca hails from. Villa di Fiorano, the historic, aristocratic villa they chose, lent a classic and enduring vibe.

The couple wanted to evoke the feeling of unity by using one long table for the entire group of 42. Reflecting the base color palette of pure yellow and white were powerful but ethereal florals that included garden and spring roses, sweet peas, delphiniums, dahlias, stock and cosmos.

Live music also contributed an elegant touch and varied from classical for the cocktail segment, jazz for dinner, and a 12 piece band delivering upbeat dance tunes for the after-party. The night embraced color, candlelight, and a feeling of pure joy for all in attendance.

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Event Planning

Del Cabo Weddings

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This Graphic Designer’s Colorful Ranch Wedding Just Did Western Elegance Oh So Right.

With a little help from the talented team at Soiree 99 Events, this gorgeous couple absolutely perfected their rustic yet elegant western wedding with a little southwestern twist – and the results couldn’t have been more beautiful. From the colorful flowers in the bride’s Disney princess-worthy hair to a horse-drawn carriage ceremony entrance to the breathtaking mountain views – we can’t even begin to explain the beauty in here, people… you’re just going to have to see for yourself at the full gallery, all taken by Orange Photographie!

From the bride… Montana is a place that is so close to our hearts. It’s where some of my greatest memories are from my childhood. It’s where my family lives. It’s the first place Chris and I visited together when we were dating, and where many of our first adventures took place. Living in New Jersey, Chris and I crave that mountain air and those open spaces. We visit every single chance we get. Friends and family frequently ask us “Why Montana?!” …which is clearly only ever asked by someone who has never been before! After Chris proposed, it was immediately agreed that our wedding needed to be in Big Sky so that we could share this beautiful place with all the people that mean the most to us. It’s the place where we truly feel the most “at home.” No other place in the world felt as fitting for us as a couple. Our wedding weekend was all about showing our loved ones, who traveled from all ends of the country, why Montana is called “The Last Best Place.” We kicked off the festivities with a group whitewater rafting trip where 45 of our guests joined us on the Gallatin River. That was followed by a cocktail party on my parents’ property, and we finished off the night with some of our closest family and friends at an outdoor country concert in the town center. When all of our guests arrived to town, we hosted everyone at our favorite local barbecue joint for a welcome dinner.

All of our guests stayed in cabins on the ranch where we were getting married. This is the ranch where I learned to horseback ride as a little girl. It’s where Chris rode a horse for the very first time! The ranch where we’ve have had countless holiday and birthday dinners, chuck wagon rides and sleigh rides. It was a no-brainer to pick the 320 Guest Ranch because of the nostalgia and its sentimental value to us. To make sure our guests experienced everything else Montana has to offer, welcome bags were delivered to each cabin. We filled them with our favorite local beers and antler bottle openers, hangover kits, monogrammed water bottles, huckleberry treats, plus a map and booklet filled with all our top eats, sights, and activities. As an artist, I had a clear idea of what I wanted our wedding to look and feel like. Chris and I both had a very good sense of what we wanted for this day and thankfully there was nothing we disagreed on (or that he put up a fight about… lol). So for the most part, the planning process was pretty effortless (I even purchased the very first wedding dress I tried on!). Owning my own stationery business, I had always dreamed of designing my wedding invitations so that part was definitely the most fun for me. It’s where the overall inspiration for the rest of our wedding was born. I love color, especially warm and bright colors! So it was important to incorporate that into our wedding palette while also blending it with colors and textures from the natural landscapes surrounding our venue. We combined sage greens, dusty teals/blues and tans with peaches, golden yellows, and pinks. We wanted our wedding to have rustic yet elegant western vibes with a little southwestern twist. We used leather accents to add that rustic touch, from our engraved leather invitations, to the place cards, and a dusty blue leather guestbook where guests filled out mad libs about their journey to get to our wedding and their experience in Montana. We also incorporated copper in every aspect of our wedding – from my boots, to the mule mugs and signage at our bar, the chargers and vases on the tables at our reception, to the copper on our wedding cake and Montana-shaped sugar cookies for dessert. We also tried our very best to bring in little “Montana” details into what we were wearing that day. My crocheted wedding dress and cowboy booties gave all the western feels, but my Montana Sapphire wedding bands were what really meant the most to me. I wanted to wear a constant reminder of not only my vows and my marriage, but the place where it all happened. Not to mention, they tied into our color palette beautifully. And Chris and his brother Kevin, the best man, had some Montana-themed socks hiding under their chambray suits!

THE CEREMONY

My dad and I rode in a horse-drawn carriage from the cabin where I got ready across the ranch to where our guests and my future husband were waiting at the ceremony site. Our ceremony took place under an arch with views looking out across a field into the canyon. The sun was shining, but the dark storm clouds covering the mountains behind us and the draft horses who followed us down made for such a cool backdrop. On the arch hung an elk skull that was gifted to us by grandparents. It meant so much to say our vows under something they had given us. I know it’s something we will keep in our home forever as one of the many reminders of how our loved ones were such an integral part of this day. Our florist also covered the arch in greenery and colorful blooms (after the ceremony, this was a great photo op for our guests!).

THE COCKTAIL HOUR

Cowboy boots were highly encouraged! Women wore sundresses, and many of the men wore jeans and blazers. Some guests even broke out the bolo ties! It was super important that everyone be comfortable and that our event feel as laid back as possible. During cocktail hour, guests could play corn hole, ladder golf, or have a seat by the fire pit. We had an outdoor seating area with blankets that guests could use to keep warm after the earlier storms had cooled everything off. In keeping with our Montana theme, our bar served all Montana-made wines, beers, and liquors. We had a menu that listed out these special options, as well as his and hers signature cocktails using some of our favorite Montana spirits. One included a huckleberry vodka and fresh huckleberries that our guests are still talking about! We had Montana trivia questions copper foil stamped onto our cocktail napkins so that guests could learn some fun facts with they sipped on their drinks. We opted out of some of the traditional wedding things like announcing our entrance to the reception (we just casually snuck into our cocktail hour), a bouquet toss, or garter toss. We replaced those with some of our own traditions like a set of shot skis that my dad made. He and my mom searched far and wide for months to find to get the perfect vintage wooden skis. My dad removed the bindings and affixed magnets to the skis that were strong enough to hold shot glasses. Having magnets on the bottom of the shot glasses made it so easy to swap them out each time. Each glass was engraved with our custom monogram so that guests could also keep their glasses as favors!

THE RECEPTION

Our reception was held in a tent along the Gallatin River. Our florist really helped us transform the space by creating and hanging 3 giant floral chandeliers down the center of the tent. Each of our dinner tables were named after Montana mountain ranges. Guests were directed to their seats with our escort display made from an old barn window that I found in a local antique store. The peeling rust-colored paint on the old wood fit with our wedding palette too perfectly to pass up! We used our wedding color palette to color code the designs on each menu based on our guests’ entree choices, and on the back was a thank you note to our guests who traveled so far to celebrate with us. Each menu was wrapped in suede cord that held a hand-lettered leather place card. My mom put her heart and soul into searching antique stores and thrift shops across Montana to find depression glass votives and vases and some old kerosene lanterns for our reception. The floral arrangements on each table were surrounded by a variety of these yellow, pink, and peach glass votives.

THE BRIDE’S FAVORITE MEMORY

Besides getting to marry my soulmate, some of my most favorite moments of the day were those moments leading up to the ceremony. We woke up to sunshine on our wedding morning, and all day long it was clear blue skies. The iffy forecast from earlier that week had changed in our favor and the radar looked completely clear! Around 4:30pm, when the carriage came to pick up my dad and I, some dark clouds suddenly started rolling over the hills behind our ceremony site. All of sudden, thunder started booming in the distance but strangely enough, the radar was still completely empty. Then came the rain… and the hail! My dad and I were standing at the door of the cabin just staring at the sky and drinking some spiked seltzer together. I was weirdly calm for a bride who was watching it hail on her horse and carriage on her wedding day! I was just really appreciative of that time my dad and I got to spend together. The band played through the rain while our guests were hiding in the reception tent and our coachman (like a true Montanan) sat out in the carriage with his horses and denied the umbrella we offered him. This went on for nearly an hour. Since nothing ever showed up on the radar, when it was looking like there might be a break in the clouds, my dad and I decided to just make a run for it. We grabbed a bunch of towels from the bathroom, wiped of the carriage, and booked it across the ranch. As we were riding, we passed a field where the ranch’s draft horses were grazing. They got excited and started racing alongside our carriage. They followed us all the way to the ceremony site and stayed there amongst the beautiful backdrop for the whole thing! And not only had the rain stopped, but as my dad and I, arm in arm, reached the beginning of the aisle, the sun started to shine again. My dad stopped, looked out to Chris while pointing at me and said “here’s your sunshine!” And then the sun was out until it set that night. I hope this is a metaphor for what our life is going to be like as husband and wife.

Bold Reds, Bright Whites and Butterflies – This Midwestern Wedding Is a Rustic Chic Dream.

There’s always something about every wedding we publish on SMP that absolutely stops us in our tracks! For this one, it’s the stunningly bold contrasting color palette. I mean… that orange and red bouquet against her crisp white gown, it just doesn’t get any more beautiful than that. Sincerely, Ginger Weddings and Events designed every detail of their day flawlessly, from the intimate outdoor ceremony to the sailcloth tented reception. Katie Wachowiak made their organic-chic floral dreams come true with every lush arrangement. See all the pretty unfold at the full gallery – taken by Clary Pfeiffer Photography!

From the Bride… I have been spending summers “Up North” on Lake Michigan since I was a little girl and introduced Grant to this beautiful part of the country when he first started joining my family’s yearly vacations to The Homestead. Once we were engaged, we quickly decided Leelanau Peninsula was the perfect location for our wedding. We couldn’t imagine a better place to gather our friends and family and show off this special part of Michigan to Grant’s California relatives. After touring a few venues, we fell in love with Cherry Basket Farm’s historic white barns, picturesque fields, and delicious food from Epicurean Catering. In addition to having the ceremony outdoors, we really wanted to eat and dance the night away outside as much as Michigan’s unpredictable weather would allow.

With that in mind, one of the very first things we selected was a beautiful sailcloth tent for the reception. To put our own personal spin on the venue, I knew I wanted a mix of rustic elements combined with an elegant but bold color palette. I love how it all came together – from the farm tables, cross-backed chairs, and bamboo chandeliers to the subtle black striped napkins, butterfly details on the menus, and striking red floral arrangements. I would not have been able to bring my vision to life without an incredibly talented group of vendors including our florist, Katie Wachowiak. She created the most chic organic floral arrangements which felt like they could have been plucked from a nearby field.

When we arrived in Michigan for the wedding weekend, we hadn’t seen the farm in nearly a year. Since then the adjacent field had transformed from a manicured vegetable garden into a wild meadow. As the sun went down during our reception, the field gave off the most beautiful golden glow. It was the perfect, unexpected backdrop for our head table and golden hour photos. Working with our photographer Clary Pfieffer was such a wonderful experience. Not only does she somehow capture the feeling of a moment, but she is also the most wonderful person to be around. From the moment we met her at our engagement shoot, we were immediately comfortable in front of her camera and couldn’t stop laughing even though it was a very cold, windy day on the beach in Northern California.

As much time as I spent thinking about the various details of the day, the personal elements in our ceremony are what I’ll treasure most. When our wedding day finally arrived, I truly felt like I was in a dream. Grant and I both really wanted three things from our ceremony – to have that special moment of seeing each other for the first time when I walked down the aisle, to incorporate our families through a handfasting, and to write our own vows to each other. Without question, I can say that reciting my vows and declaring my love for Grant while looking into his eyes as he did the same for me were the most precious moments of the day. Jumping up and down on the dance floor screaming the lyrics to the last song of the night, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, surrounded by the people we love most was a close second!

See Why Fall in California Will Have You Falling in Love Over and Over Again!

To me, workshops are undeniably beautiful! The vendors involved put so much time, effort and detail into planning such an experience for everyone attending to showcase their best work and deliver something truly stunning! For Whiskers & Willow’s photography workshop, expect no different as you scroll below! HauteFetes Fine Weddings & Events were there to display their creative styling of this Fall inspired masterpiece at Sunstone Vineyards & Winery mixing a bit of Old World charm with modern touches and a blooming bouquet by Intertwine Flowers by Kelly Lenard. Take a look below and pause over that jaw-dropping Galia Lahav gown! (serious heart eyes!)

From Dani Blasena of HauteFêtes Fine Weddings and Events …Whichever season you choose to marry, there are always going to be pros and cons. That said, here in California, arguably some of our prettiest, and thus favorite, weddings take place in the early fall since that perfect light we are known for adds a soft golden glow, the florals and foliage have a dusty, sun-baked hue, and the evenings are still long and warm.

For the Whiskers & Willow Photography workshop, setting the scene in October made perfect sense and served as a seasonal jumping off point for our design inspiration. Coming together with the amazing vendor group led by Whiskers & Willow to create this exquisite editorial was a delightful and truly memorable experience for all of us and our attendees, and one we look forward to doing again in the future.

Looking to incorporate the timeless elegance of our designs with the vineyard romance of Sunstone, we set about creating a series of scenes that felt quintessentially Old World but also fun, youthful and modern. Over the course of the two days, attendees were led through a love story; an intimate pre-wedding boudoir session, the couple’s tender portraits, their wedding ceremony and reception, all replete with the most beautiful details and touching moments throughout.

We let our natural surroundings dictate the design and specifically, were inspired by the fields beyond Sunstone’s vineyards filled with golden grasses. The shape and texture of wheat really spoke to me and I saw it as a key design theme in the workshop, working with Plume to incorporate it into delicate hand-painted details in the stationery, and clustering it in sheaves in others.

For our color palette, we wanted it to be warm and soft, inspired by the sun-drenched colors of the dusty Santa Ynez river valley. While we love the deeper tones of fall foliage, we wanted to keep the florals light and embrace a softer palette with buttery creams and sages, combined with accents of terracotta and umber which Kelly Lenard of Intertwine created to perfection.

With that, we also loved the idea of playing with the early fall light, bringing it into the workshop by creating an interplay between light and shadow – sun-dappled shadows from the windows and magical flickering candlelight. We took it further, incorporating translucent textures like velum into the stationery suite and the barely-there gauziness of her exquisite Gahlia Lahav dress, and muted shadows cast by the branches of old oak trees in the setting sunlight.

Finally, for our reception table, Theoni’s beautiful velvet and wood furnishings met a custom fringed linen runner, with mottled mint-colored pillar candles, delicate scalloping in the Matouk napkins, and organic lines in the Casa de Perrin china and silverware keeping the setting cohesive and natural. Beautiful layered and textured personalized menus were created to add those perfect, and all-important finishing touches.”

We would like to thank special contributors to the workshop Stacey Foley and Richard Photo Lab, as well as our generous sponsors, Film Supply Club, Dubsado, Pic-Time, Dekora, C1ick, Locust Collection, and Angela Shae.