Project Wedding Blog

Laurel and Adam’s destination wedding in Carillon Beach, Florida had all the trappings of a shabby chic, East coast party… and we’re just marveling at all the details…  The couple chose a palette of red, pink, and green that displayed beautifully against the blue backdrop of the ocean town buildings.  A special thanks to Kay Meyer Photography for sharing their lovely day with us!After the fresh, daylight ceremony, Laurel and Adam cozied up on the beach for portraits. The groom’s cake was a work of confectionary art…  while the wedding cake was pretty in oh-so-shabby lace.  For favors, the guests were sent home with adorable S’more packets!

But the dearest part was, of course, family.

♥

Photos by Kay Meyer Photography

Event Coordination by Carillon Weddings

Florals by Nouveau Flowers

Bridal Gown by Jim Hjelm

Catering by Townsend Catering Co.

Cakes by Confections on the Coast

Tags: beach, blue, East coast, Florida, green, ocean, pink, red, shabby-chic.

Mary Kate and John’s Austin wedding has that feeling of the classic South, yet the color palette and details were perfectly unique.  We were taken by the blues and greens, and of course the beautiful Barr Mansion setting.  Katherine O’Brien did an extraordinary job capturing the day in creative film and digital photos!  Each bridesmaid selected her own ivory dress, but they were coordinated with blue ribbon and the gorgeous hydrangea and succulent bouquets by  STEMS Floral Design.  Love those blue nails in the pic below!Mary Kate and John first bonded over a similar taste in music and they definitely had music on the mind as they planned their day.  During the ceremony, Barton Strings played Over the Rainbow for the processional and Here Comes the Sun for the recessional.   Along with their officiant, Sarah de la Fuente, the two designed a custom ceremony that spoke to them.  They said their vows on the scenic grounds of the Barr Mansion.  The reception, held in the Barr Mansion’s modern ballroom, featured a rainbow of rustic florals and lots of dancing to local Austin band, Soul Track Mind.  Their music was a hit with guests!Mary Kate and John married on what would have been her grandparents’ 61st wedding anniversary.  To honor them, she baked 700 peanut butter cookies (her grandmother’s recipe) to give to guests as favors!

Read more from the bride just below or {click here} to see the full feature…

Photos by Katherine O’Brien Photography

Venue, Event Coordination & Cake by Barr Mansion

Bride’s Hair & Makeup by Snodene Blakenely

Bridal Gown by Modern Trousseau from Unbridaled

Invitations & Programs by Bella Figura

Ceremony Musicians: Barton Strings

Officiant: Sarah de la Fuente

Florals by STEMS Floral Design

Reception Band: Soul Track Mind

From the Bride:

The weather was perfect considering the summer we had. The week of our wedding was the first break we had from 100+ degree temperatures all summer long.

One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing for the first time the bouquets that Abby Daigle of STEMS put together. When we met to discuss the flowers, I didn’t have a concrete idea of what I wanted. I told her the colors that I wanted in my bouquet and the bridesmaids’ bouquets and she was able to help me pick out some flowers that would include all those colors. Then she took it from there and put together the perfect bouquets. I could not have been happier with them!

We were very glad we chose to see each other before the ceremony. It calmed our nerves. And despite the fact that our wedding party was all watching with our photographers Katherine and Jeff taking pictures, it was still a very personal moment.

My father has a huge baseball card collection from his childhood that he has kept in great condition over the years. On the day of the wedding he gave John, John’s father, and his groomsmen each a baseball card from his collection. They were all cards of Red Sox players as John and his groomsmen all grew up in the Boston area and love the Red Sox.  John and the guys also toasted with John’s favorite whiskey before our first look photos.

I gave John Ghostbuster cufflinks the day of the wedding. It has been his favorite movie since he was a child. His grandmother has lots of stories of him pretending to be a Ghostbuster when he was younger.

The ballroom where our reception was held was newly built, finished just a few months before our wedding. Just before we got engaged in June of 2010, lightning struck the original Barr Mansion ballroom and burned it to the ground. It had been a beautiful structure and was a huge loss for Barr Mansion. Right away they set out to begin the rebuilding process. We were confident that they would rebuild it to be just as beautiful as the original. And they did!

Although we wanted a short ceremony, we wanted it to be meaningful to us. We chose Sarah de la Fuente to officiate our wedding because she was more than happy to help us write a ceremony that spoke to us. It was really special to know that we didn’t just write our own vows, but helped create the entire ceremony.

John and I bonded over similar tastes in music when we first met, so it was important to us to have a great band for our reception. In Austin we have a great local band called Soul Track Mind and we were thrilled that they agreed to play at our reception. Our guests could not stop complimenting them long after the wedding was over.

Our friends and family gave some great toasts during the reception. Most were planned but a few folks jumped up on stage without warning, including the father of one of my bridesmaids who told us to “live long and prosper.” John’s brother (and best man) also read a beautiful poem written by their grandfather for our wedding, as he was not able to make the trip from Massachusetts.

One of the funnier moments of the night was towards the end of the reception. My father and his friends have a history of dancing the Gator as they do in the movie Animal House during each other’s wedding receptions. They continued the tradition at our reception when our band played the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.” They were a huge hit.

As a result of the hot, dry weather we had all summer we were in a burn ban so we could not have a sparkler send off at the end of the night. In place of sparklers we bought a few hundred glow sticks. John and I have gone to quite a few concerts where we threw around glow sticks so it was very appropriate for us.

We did not want to take on a lot of little DIY projects for our wedding, mostly because the Barr Mansion grounds really don’t need much in the way of decorations. But I did know I wanted to honor my paternal grandparents as we were getting married on what would have been their 61st wedding anniversary. My grandmother was a great cook and our favorite treats growing up were her cookies, specifically molasses cookies and peanut butter cookies. So the week of the wedding, using her recipes, my sisters, bridesmaids, and I made over 700 cookies as favors for our guests. It ended up being quite a project but I am glad we did it!

Tags: Barr Mansion, blue, classic, green, Katherine O'Brien photography, rustic, Southern, succulents.

If you haven’t seen the movie Amélie yet.. well, we highly recommend that you queue up your Netflix account.  It is so utterly sweet, colorfully cinematic, and all-around inspiring.  So inspiring, in fact, that one of our fave bloggers, City of Dionne, designed a girls get together based loosely on the movie!  Perhaps this might make a cute shower, or the décor elements suitable for a travel-themed wedding.  Either way- we had to share it!

The film is about a quirky young French woman who goes about her days doing good for others, while engrossed in a quest to solve a personal mystery.  All of the décor was specific to the movie… Like the gnomes!  (Amélie’s father had a gnome that traveled the world).  The menu was inspired by French cuisine, and the color palette reflected bold hues seen throughout the film.

For escort cards, Dionne used antique keys tied to name tags, and pinned them to a hand-drawn globe that documented the gnome’s travels. Cute, cute, cute!
How creative and beautiful- kale centerpieces!  Below, Dionne curated vintage tins and little childhood trinkets for added cinematic flair.As a child, Amélie liked to play with raspberries on her fingers….  We just love how Dionne picked up on all the sweetest particulars of the story.  Sigh… how fun.  You can see more of her brilliant décor and style ideas here!

Party Venue: Recollection Vintage Rentals

xoxo

Tags: Amélie, blue, City of Dionne, green, red, themed bridal shower.

Kristen and Grant in Lakewood Ranch, Florida

We’ve got something stunning in white, royal blue, and yellow for you today!  Kristen and Grant’s modern, ballroom wedding overlooked a scenic golf course.  We just love their fresh approach to contemporary styling and how they softened these primary colors with natural greenery and earthy décor elements.  Take a peek at their album and read more just below.

Photos by Brooke Images

Event Design by Uniquely Yours

Flowers by Fudgie

Venue: Lakewood Ranch

Invitations by Wedding Paper Divas

Photobooth by Shutterbooth

From the Bride: The day of our wedding was absolutely perfect, the weather could not have been better.  Clear skies, sunny and 75 degrees. While planning our wedding, we both agreed to create a day where our friends and family could celebrate our love and have one of the best times they’ve ever had. We invited a good handful of out of town guests and we wanted to make it truly an event to remember.  While looking at dozens of wedding magazines, I fell in love with our color palette: white, royal blue, and yellow.  I loved the purity of white and royal blue, and the pop of yellow just stood out to me as playful and happy. In some ways, it brought together the elegance that I love and playful fun side that my husband brings to every party.

The moment I tried on my dress, I just knew it was ‘the one.’ My dress was modern but elegant, and showed the fun side, once again, when the train came off to convert into a short dress- a definite plus for a night of dancing.

Our cocktail hour overlooked a lush, green golf course, perfectly timed so that everyone enjoyed a breathtaking view of the sunset.

Blue uplighting lined the reception ballroom to create a modern, yet romantic club style feel.  We had an all white dance floor lit up by our monogram. The monogram was also used on our invitations and “fortune teller” place cards.  For entertainment, we had a caricature artist and a photo booth with fun props.

My husband is a firefighter, so our getaway car was a vintage fire truck.  Everyone blew bubbles as we headed off into the night.

Tags: blue, modern, yellow.

A love story for you:

Ana Luísa is from Portugal, Paolo from Italy…

An international romance, you see… and we hear that they are positively made for each other.
The couple wed in Portugal, and hired the photography and event design duo, Branco Prata, to capture their day.  The couple incorporated some traditions from each heritage, but the simplicity of it all was truly heavenly. Branco Prata created a modern look; the day was accented by shades of pink and blue.  Ana Luísa wore an ethereal chiffon gown by Paula Rola.   This blue and white floral graphic made its way onto several of the design elements. The ceremony site was majestic and awe-inspiring.  Below, the bride and groom snuggle up for portraits. Branco Prata created cute little plant favors for local guests, and adorable seed boxes for those who travelled from afar.

Catch the full story and more from their day in our Real Wedding Gallery.

Photos + Event Design by Branco Prata

Church Florals by Céu Florista

Paper Goods by Branco Prata

Bridal Gown by Paula Rola

Bride’s Shoes by Estribo

Bride’s Hair and Makeup by Whiteland

Groom’s Suite by Sartoria Chairman

Ring Pillow by design com texto

Bridal Bouquet by Horto da Ju

Reception Venue & Catering by Sameiro Eventos

Cake by Casa das Natas

Tags: blue, Branco Prata, contemporary, modern, pink, Portugal.

There is SO much to love about this wedding.

1. Conni + Clint are two stylish and cool peeps.  Made for each other, you could say? 2. the WOW color palette3. Rad photography by Anjuli.4. Super trendy styling (including our fave- feathers) Come on… that archway?!? awesome.Every aspect of the day was infused with creativity… the day not only embodied their love, but the things they love. The San Diego Children’s Museum was the perfect space for a day of whimsical artistry.Bright orange curtains made for an eyecatching backdrop… while patterned table runners fashioned a trendy, eclectic vibe. Chalboard love. Guests even had an opportunity to find their inner artist, by creating something for the newlyweds!The evening was topped off with a plentiful dessert bar embellished with peacock feathers.

‘love is color, love is character, and love is cheer.’ -Anjuli Pashcall

Photographs by Anjuli

Venue: San Diego Children’s Museum

Event Design: Before I Do Events

Tags: blue, chalkboard, colorful, feathers, indie, orange, trendy.

Inspired by the idea of creating a new ’story’ together, Sarah and Jeff had a storybook-themed wedding.  A day of sheer vintage elegance, we’re loving the antique blue and pewter palette and classic details.  Everything from Sarah’s Robert Bullock bridal gown, to the bridesmaid’s J. Crew dresses was in perfect style. The pair met while attending the University of Madison, but they currently live in Germany where Jeff is a pro hockey player and Sarah is getting her Master’s Degree in counseling. Notice the sweet storybook graphic on their sophisticated navy and white programs. The couple was overjoyed to be married at the same church that Sarah’s parents had been wed in, the historic Westminster Presbyterian in downtown Minneapolis.There was more classic beauty and elegant vintage styling at their Minikahda Club reception. 

There’s lots more to see from Sarah and Jeff’s beautiful day in our real wedding gallery!

Photographs by Paper Antler Boutique Photography

Bridal gown by Robert Bullock Bride

Bridesmaid’s Dresses by J. Crew

Ceremony: Westminster Presbyterian

Reception Venue: Minikahda Club

Day of Coordination by Sarah Bein of Landing Feet First

Flowers by Martha’s Gardens

Cake by Wuollet’s Bakery

And if you’re marrying in 2012… find out about Paper Antler’s wedding photography tour around the country.  They are photographing fifty weddings in fifty states to raise $50,000 to fight human trafficking. (And they’re booking now)!

Tags: blue, Fifty Nifty, Midwest, Paper Antler, pewter, silver, storybook theme, vintage elegance, vintage library.

Andrew Thomas Clifton’s photos tell such a beautiful story…
A story of Toyin and Daniel’s exquisite Nigerian-American wedding in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Toyin looked ravishing in a Claire Pettibone gown… the Orange Blossom.
The ceremony took place in the back yard of a colonial style home built in the 1930’s, called Little Gardens.There was so much rich family heritage incorporated into the day… Both of their families are Nigerian, so it was filled with both Nigerian and American traditions. Blue is the bride’s favorite color, while brown is the groom’s favorite color.  They wove these two hues with splashes of orange for a- traditionally colorful- Nigerian wedding feel.One of our favorite photos of the day was Toyin giving her father a big smooch.  We love how Andrew captured such memorable close-ups. 

Like is customary in both Nigerian and American weddings… there was tons of dancing all evening long!

Happy wishes to Toyin + Daniel!

Photographs by Andrew Thomas Clifton

Bridal gown by Claire Pettibone

Bridesmaid’s Dresses by Bari Jay

Bride’s Hair by Shana Nunnelly of Honeecomb Natural Hair

Bride’s Makeup by Alicia

Venue: Little Gardens

Flowers and Cake by Magic Moments Inc.

Tags: blue, brown, Claire Pettibone, Nigerian wedding, orange, Southern, The Love Deluxe.

So my friend Shel is one of those people who is constantly finding the funniest, cutest things on the web.  She sent me a note the other day with a link to these viewmaster invites by melangerie and I couldn’t resist posting!  I think these are the most creative invites I’ve come across to date.  Three cheers to the brilliant melangerie (and to Shel for scoping these out)!

…but that’s not all.. these invites were part of a Vintage Americana styled shoot designed by Melangerie and Rock, Paper, Scissors Events, and photographed by Jen Huang!

About the shoot: Inspired by nostalgic souvenirs and romantic road trips, the premise of this intimate wedding design grew out of an invitation concept we had at Mélangerie: to create a wedding invite using a Viewmaster (yes, like the ones we had as kids). We just love the Viewmaster form and thought it could be a great way for couples to integrate their engagement photos into their wedding invitations.

Viewmaster reels were originally conceived of as stereoscopic postcards in the late 1930’s, so this got us thinking about how we could blow out a wedding paperie suite based on other nostalgic souvenirs, like felt pennants, collectible USA state plates, vintage key chains, etc.

We began discussing the idea of styling a “nostalgic souvenir” inspired wedding design with our colleague, Ara Farnam from Rock Paper Scissors Events, and she introduced the complimentary “Road Trip” idea. When seeking a location for our photo-shoot, we instantly thought of our local favorite, James Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. James was the perfect setting for our intimate, vintage fete aesthetic.

Photos by Jen Huang.

Event Design, Paper Goods, Welcome Gift Design & Curation all by melangerie.

Event Design and Floral Design by Rock, Paper, Scissors Events.

Venue: James Restaurant

On that note, I hope your weekend is full of whimsy & fun (and includes a roadtrip of sorts)!

xo

Tags: americana, blue, creative wedding invitations, melangerie, red, viewmaster.

Sheena and Drew planned their day for peony season in Kansas City, MO, which happens in late May.  The couple knew they wanted a relaxed vibe for their day, so when they found Fresh Air Farm, it was a perfect fit. Read more from the bride just below.  Many thanks to One Tree Photography for sharing the photos with us!

Things we ♥: The rustic barn loft, DIY bunting, abundant (local) blooming peonies, and handmade candy flags!

Photos by One Tree Photography.

Venue: Fresh Air Farm

Florals: DIY (Local, in bloom)

Cake: Mother of the Groom

Favors: Ferrero Rocher

From the bride:

We met at a pick-up game of Ultimate Frisbee in May 2008.  I was just starting grad school and Drew was a new local high school biology teacher.  There were weeks of flirtation until Drew finally had the courage to ask me out.  We have spent all of our time together ever since going camping, running road races and marathons, gardening, traveling and playing with our puppy together.  In other words, we just hang out and enjoy time with each other.

We are pretty low-key and wanted a natural, relaxed setting for the wedding and reception.  We both agreed that an outdoor wedding had the most appeal to both of us; Drew is a high school biology and field & prairie ecology teacher and I am a biology/ insect ecology grad student.  I am an Army Brat and have friends and family all over the country while Drew is a Kansas City native with a very large family still mostly in the surrounding area.  We found Fresh Air Farm via Google, went out and saw the place and instantly fell in love with the setting and all-inclusiveness of their event package (they take care of set-up, food, drinks, music, nearly everything).  Everything else about the wedding was very DIY- from the hundreds of handmade doilies, wood discs, and hand-picked flowers to the handmade pennant flags that hung from the ceiling.

Tags: barn, blue, bunting, DIY, pink peonies.