Project Wedding Blog

This little DIY favor project is so bright + fun!Why not give your guests colorful fortune cookies, with an auspicious reading inside?

Learn how to make them {here}.

Photographs and Project Styling by Victoria Hudgins.

Tags: bright, colorful, DIY, fortune cookie favors.

There is something new and utterly inspiring on the web!

It’s called REVEL, and it’s brought to you by the brilliant ladies behind 57 Grand.  They shared a little bit about their new venture and this amazing rose and gold inspiration board with us- it’s chock full of gorgeousness for a trendsetting wedding. Of course we were beyond happy to spread the word! 
Revel is like nothing we’ve ever heard of.  Here’s the scoop: It’s a daily source of styled inspiration AND it’s completely shopable!  Which means no more falling in love with some must-have item, only to be completely lost on how to find or recreate it.  Revel will feature both wedding and party boards… catering to those passionate about creative entertaining! 

Head on over to REVEL to shop these rose and gold pretties and for more fabulous boards!

Oh, and I’ll be making a guest ‘appearance’ over there soon, in the expert Q & A column.. so stay tuned!

xo

Tags: Revel Blog, rose and gold inspiration board.

Jon and Keri first met while studying abroad in Italy, but it wasn’t until years later, when they ran into each other at a mutual friend’s birthday party in California, that the sparks flew. Their wedding was both a fun celebration of their love, and a snapshot of gorgeous, Tuscan-inspired details.  In fact, I’m in awe of just how much these photos by Amanda Patrice take me straight to the dreamy, rustic Italian countryside…I just love the sophistication of black bridesmaid’s dresses…  The palette featured black, pewter, and hints of purple.  Cupid’s Arrow Floral Studio worked with heavy greenery in the bouquets and décor to create a balancing effect, a pairing of deep hues with organic accents.

The Mission Inn couldn’t have been a more perfect venue…with its amazing architecture and old world ambiance. Italian lights hung from above, while authentic postcards marked each table. 

A special thanks to Amanda Patrice for sharing these awe-inspiring photos!

Sending heartfelt wishes to this beautiful couple, Jon + Keri…

Photos by Amanda Patrice

Reception Venue: The Mission Inn

Event Design by HMC Event Solutions

Bridal Beauty by Dollhouse Hair & Makeup Design

Flowers by Cupid’s Arrow Floral Studio

Video by Godfather Films

Tags: black, green, Italian, pewter, rustic, succulents, Tuscany-Inspired.

What a gorgeous Real Wedding of the Week we have for you! Jenny and Aashish blended two cultures in a ravishing, radiant ceremony and reception in Minneapolis.  We’re just loving the contemporary portraits and radiant details, captured by Photogen Inc.

The couple wanted to integrate both of their cultures, religions and backgrounds into the day.  To do this, they incorporated rich and elegant Indian details into Jenny’s Midwest scene.  Aashish wore traditional Indian attire, while Jenny wore a gown by David’s Bridal, paired with a red scarf and gold bangles. Cranberry reds and vibrant yellows bloomed brightly in the bouquets.  Pazzobello did an incredible job capturing the couple’s vision in the florals and décor. Two officiants helped to unify their backgrounds into a memorable and completely unique ceremony.  Jenny and Aashish sat under an exquisite mandap, also designed by Pazzobella. The reception was clean and modern.  Simple black and white linens provided a foundation for exotic florals, and a marvel of a cake by D’Amico and Sons.

Oh, but there’s lots more to see… Enjoy the full story and album in the {Gallery}!

Many thanks to the talented Eliesa at Photogen; and a big congratulations to Jenny + Aashish!

Photos by Photogen Inc.

Venue: Calhoun Beach Club

Bride’s Hair by Dawn of Sakada Hair Studio

Bridal & Bridesmaid’s Gowns by David’s Bridal

Flowers by Pazzobello

Cake by D’Amico and Sons

Ceremony Music by The R Factor

Tags: contemporary, cranberry, Indian, multicultural, red.

I love a good fashion find…

Somehow these party dresses from Dahl bring me back to my youth.. they have such a sweetness to them, with delicating ruchings and empire and natural waistlines.  

How lovely for maids (they come in lots of colors), or something simple for the bride!

Photos via Dahl

See more wedding fashion here.

Happy Weekend to you!

xo

Tags: Dahl.

Kerianne and Ryan celebrated their vows with an elegant dinner party held in a grand and very sentimental space: the dance studio that the bride grew up dancing in!  Kerianne is a floral designer, so she had so many ideas going into the planning process. Their shared vision was to have an elegant, English garden themed dinner party. Their mission was simply to share the love between them with their closest friends and family. Laura Parent of Relive Photography captured all the European-inspired, hand-crafted details of the day.The English garden theme really came thru in the florals and reception décor.  The tables were dressed in warm gold lamour linens and Imperial Bee table runners, both hand-sewn by the bride. Kerianne constructed the centerpieces in antique cast iron ivory garden urns.  They were filled with antique colored roses, hydrangeas from a friend’s garden and lush summer foliage.

With the dedicated help of family, friends, and their wedding party, it was a mission accomplished.

♥

Photos by Relive Photography

Bride’s Hair by spa ni’joli

Florals by Les Fleurs

Day-Of Coordination by Details Events & Weddings

Reception Venue: DNE School of Dance

Tags: dinner party, Elegant, English Garden, european.

By: Chelsea Fuss

Make guests and helpers feel appreciated with a hand-written thank you note after the wedding. We like the idea of including photos from the wedding too! Give your photographer a list of shots you need, or if you have a photo booth, you can include those photos.  Here’s a quick and crafty how-to:

Materials Needed:
A6 size postcards and envelopes
a white pen
waxed twine
photos of your guests at the wedding (optional)
printed paper
spray adhesive, double stick tape, or a glue stick

Directions:
1. Line the envelope with printed paper by tracing the shape of the envelope and cutting the paper about an inch smaller all around.
2. Adhere the paper with double stick tape, spray adhesive, or a glue stick. Be sure to let it dry if needed.

3. Write your note on the postcard, and tie up the postcard and photo in waxed twine.

Everyone loves a handwritten note! Your friends and family will just adore your thoughtful gesture!

Photos and Project Idea by Chelsea Fuss

Tags: handwritten, paper goods, thank you note.

Darlene and Michael are East coast transplants, living in San Francisco.  For their engagement session, they brought some New York Love to the Pacific, traipsing around the beach, downtown, and China Town!  JC Page Photography followed them around a fun day in the city, capturing their sweet connection. 

JC gushed about a love that was tangible, saying that the couple made all the tourists in China Town smile from ear to ear!

Congratulations Darlene + Michael!

Photos by JC Page Photography

Tags: San Francisco engagement.

Use ‘em for a creative centerpiece, or perhaps a fanciful place setting.

Baking glitter just gets me everytime.. I love that stuff.

{See the Full DIY Tutorial}

Thanks so much to our contributor, Victoria Hudgins, for her endlessly creative mind.

For more winter merry-making, see the new issue of Victoria’s online mag Styled.

Photo by Pictilio.

Tags: glitter stamped pear centerpiece, place settings.

The setting in this week’s Real Wedding of the Week is just incredible.  Without even seeing it in person, Vanessa and Scott chose The Inn at Palmetto Bluff to host their dream of a good old fashioned Southern wedding.  They couldn’t have chosen a more perfect locale.  The charming architecture and breathtaking landscape of Carolina Lowcountry provided an entirely unique backdrop for their day.  Enjoy the gorgeous photos by Michael Moss. To complement the setting, Vanessa and Scott opted for a neutral palette of pewter, beige, white and green.  The invitations were a custom design by etsy vendor {B.} Designs.  Vanessa layered strips of burlap on the paper goods, for a rustic effect. 

See the full feature in our Real Wedding Gallery, and read more of Vanessa and Scott’s story down below.

Photographs by Michael Moss

Venue: The Inn at Palmetto Bluff

Day-Of Coordination: Weddings with Leah

Flowers by Garden on the Square

Invitations by {B.} Designs

Cake Topper by YourTops

Cake by Signe’s Bakery

From the Bride: Scott and I met at a wedding!  A good friend of mine, who also happened to be a good friend of Scott’s sister, was getting married in October of 2008.   Both Scott and I ended up going stag and happened to find ourselves on the same corner of the dance floor when the band started to play one of the night’s inevitable slow songs, “At Last” by Etta James.  Instead of retreating to the bar with other singles in the crowd, and inspired by Scott’s parents’ endless energy on the floor, I asked Scott to dance.  A year later we were in Hawaii celebrating our one year anniversary.

Scott’s family has vacationed in Point Au Baril, Ontario, Canada for years. A vacation getaway passed down from generation to generation, several weeks out of every summer, the entire family makes it a point to get away from the rest of the world to relax and lavish in the natural, serene beauty of Point Au Baril to focus on the most important thing in this life: family. In the summer of 2010 I was invited along.  Mid week I was sitting down on the dock, book in hand, oversized straw hat shielding my face from the afternoon sun, when Scott came down from the house and asked me if I would like to go out and see the lighthouse. I jumped at the chance to go exploring and we hopped aboard a tiny wooden boat. In no time we were speeding across the inlet when I realized I had forgotten to grab shoes, Scott said it didn’t matter. His family had known the lighthouse keeper for years and he had called ahead. As we approached the lighthouse I was taken aback by how perfect it seemed perched where the water met the land, its red and white hues standing boldly against a backdrop of bright blue sky. We docked the boat and headed in. We were greeted at the front door with giant hugs from the tiny lighthouse keeper and her husband. We made our way to the back of the house where I was ushered up a tall ladder to the very top of the light house, out a small hatch, and back into the sun. We stood at the top of the deck, hand in hand beside the brilliant lamp which would guide boats back to Point Au Baril once the sun went down. It was so beautiful and such a perfect day!  Much to my surprise, Scott turned to me and said, “You know. I brought you out here for a reason…”, then he dropped to one knee, and pulled out a beautiful wooden ring box. I immediately burst into tears, I was completely shocked, and had absolutely no idea that he was going to propose. The next few minutes were a total blur. We kissed, I cried, and he slipped his great grandmother’s wedding ring onto my finger after I finally managed to get out a “YES, of course I will marry you!!!” When we went back downstairs, the lighthouse keeper presented us with a bottle of champagne and two antique glasses.  We found a place to sit on the rocks, drinking our champagne, and taking it all in while celebrating our future.

We wanted a good old fashioned Southern wedding… and we found the perfect place during a random google search.  The minute we saw the Chapel at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff we knew that was it!  We called and found that October 8, 2011 was booked… so we booked the very next weekend sight unseen and its a good thing we did!  It ended up pouring rain on October 8th in Bluffton, but on our big day, October 15th, the sun was out and a nice cool breeze lazed across the lawn.  It could not have been more perfect!  We actually planned our entire wedding from San Diego, before moving to Indiana.  Quite a challenge!  But we pulled it off and I have to say it was pretty incredible pulling onto the property, having never seen it, feeling like we were coming home, and having it not only meet but exceed all expectations!

We picked a natural palette of colors to complement the absolutely stunning grounds and scenery of our venue. Our invitations were custom made from a designer on Etsy that helped me to create one of my favorite elements for our wedding.  We used dark grey and ivory papers with burlap bands and unique touches that made it “us”.  The florals featured oversized white dahlias and draping greenery reminiscent of the huge Spanish Oaks covered in moss that originally caught our eye and drew us to the locale.  The guys wore lightweight tan suits with grey tennis shoes that matched the bridesmaid’s dresses.  The palette reminded us of the color of sand and the color of water on the May River at twilight. My dress and jewelry had a very vintage feel with a soft, understated Southern elegance.  I did a lot of the décor myself, using burlap and twine.  I even made my own clutch from burlap and a vintage bridal headband I found at an antique store!  We had a trolley transport the wedding party to add a little Southern thrill.  Scott’s two best friends played acoustic guitars and my little sister sang me down the aisle to “Make You Feel My Love.”  We had about 100 guests in the tiny chapel, filling it to the brim.  Fishbowl vases were filled with an assortment of flowers and hung on the end of each pew.  Our cake was another one of our custom touches! Scott’s dad makes custom vintage wedding cake toppers and he made an intricately detailed replica for us- including details like Scott’s beard and tennis shoes, along with the exact details of my dress.  Our friends and family came from all over to join us in Bluffton and I think it was an experience that none of us will forget!

Tags: beige, pewter, rustic, South Carolina, Southern, vintage.