Glamour and Grace: Blue

Showing posts with label Blue. Show all posts

February 24, 2011

Real Wedding: Michelle and Bill

Today's wedding is a true example of a beautiful family affair. Family members were able to pitch in to help with food and music. Her mother's watercolor was the invitation art. This wedding was all about everyone coming together to have a great time. The couple even kept it fun for the kids with pizza and glow sticks. And if you want a beautiful wedding, it doesn't hurt having a few darling flower girls either. The lovely photos come from the one and only Melissa McFadden.

From the sweet bride Michelle:
The most important things were for people to come over to Walla Walla because it was a destination for all of our friends so we planned the gold day we hired a bus and we choose our favorite wineries. We planned every detail of our wedding most of the supplies were off Craig's List our biggest things were the ambiance and we really wanted people to stay and dance!

Some special things about our wedding were my dad played the violin during the procession and in the ceremony. My mother's watercolor painting was featured on our wedding invitations, so many details went in to make this our day and very customized. We took dance lessons at Arthur Murray and learned to Salsa so I changed dresses to a BCBG so everyone could see our moves. We choose By Your Side by Sade. It was amazing and we love everything about it!

My father and god father made some of the food we served and I spent months making the tissue pompom balls that were hung in all the trees. My husband knows I love twinkle lights so we spent the week before hanging them along wire and around all the trees checking them daily to make sure nothing went out. The last couple things I made were the letter "H" on the table for gifts and cards covered in moss, the Mad Libs guest book we asked people to fill out and the baggies with labels for our candy bar.

My favorite part of our wedding day, we actually broke all the traditional rules and spend the night before the wedding together at a B&B (Abeja winery) and in the morning we got up relaxed and ate the amazing breakfast they provided outside so we had time together on "our" big day. Best thing we did!

February 22, 2011

Real Wedding: Julie and Sergey

Today I've got a simple vineyard wedding that is oh so sweet. This couple is so in love, you can't help but smile when you see them together. Plus it's shot by one of my favorite photography duos, Justin & Mary, so what's not to love?

The lovely Julie shares:
First of all, our wedding day was amazing. Our photographers - We absolutely love Justin and Mary's style, so we knew that we wanted them to shoot our wedding as soon as we got engaged. In fact, while planning the wedding we used their blog for inspiration.

We had the ceremony outdoors in a vineyard so the main color was green, but we added white accents (the chairs, columns, and flowers), as well as some navy blue (the ribbons on the flower baskets) since that was our main wedding color. I didn't want an arch, so we worked with our florist to come up with beautiful but cost-effective displays that wouldn't take away from the natural beauty of the vineyard.

The ceremony was beautiful, and we feel like the pictures literally got every angle and every detail we could have wished for. Justin was taking pictures from relatively close-up, while Mary and Alison were taking them from further away. As soon as the ceremony ended, Justin & Mary "whisked" us away for a few "just married" pictures - and those are definitely some of our favorite ones! We headed down to the wine cellar for a few pics and then took our family and formal pictures. Then everyone went and had a good time at the reception. Overall, I don't think there is anything that we would have done differently!

For the reception, our vendors really did most of the work. We worked with the florist to come up with centerpieces that we liked, had our food tasting with the restaurant, and then had (several!) wine tastings to figure out what wines we wanted served at the reception. Rhea at the Ginny Lee Cafe made sure that the tables were laid out exactly how we wanted, and everything went according to plan.

The best part I think is that since we chose to get married at a vineyard, we get to go back there as often as we'd like. We were actually there this past weekend, we both stood quietly and looked over the (now snow covered) grape vines and recollected our wedding day six months ago.

February 17, 2011

Inspiration Board: Crisp Spring Blues

Today I was feeling the blues, but in a fresh country chic kind of way. It just feels so crisp and the perfect compliment to a Spring day. I was inspired by this simple and stunning tulip bouquet with the sweet striped ribbon. Some charming print fans help tame the heat and make cute programs too. Burlap and lace are musts for any rustic chic wedding. I love these quick chair covers and dainty lace detailing on the vases. Both are easy DIY ideas. You all know how I love a bow tied groom. This one looks so dapper with his patterned tie and flower boutonniere. And of course I have fallen in love with yet another J. Crew gown. This beauty is so modern and elegant and perfection paired with these killer heals.

[ Credits ]

Top: Love and Lavender, Ellen Silverman, Once Wed, Green Wedding Shoes, Piperlime

Bottom: Once Wed, Green Wedding Shoes, Once Wed, J. Crew

February 3, 2011

Inspiration Board: Golden Apple

Spring will soon be here and I'm inspired by bright golden yellows. I love spring weddings with some sweet rustic charm. Mixing patterns is an easy way to bring in a bit of country chic. A bounty of fresh flowers adds sunny cheer. Serving up a few tasty tarts and pies in lieu of cake is always a delicious option. And I am a huge fan of the vintage key escort cards. It is always sweet and unexpected. I love this cute flower bracelet by Alexis Bittar, its the perfect accessory for a spring wedding.

[ Credits ]

Top: Ellen Silverman, Style Me Pretty, Alexis Bittar, Martha Stewart Weddings

Bottom: Style Me Pretty, Minted, Jenny Yoo, Martha Stewart Weddings

January 25, 2011

Real Wedding: Cari and Marty

There are so many reasons I love today's wedding. First off, it's shot by one of my fave photographers, Ken Kienow, who is amazing. Second, I am dying over the bride's stunning Carolina Herrera gown! Third, her brooch bouquet is probably one of the most gorgeous I've ever seen. And lastly, because of this beautiful moment of when Cari sees her brother, who just got back from Iraq, for the first time. It is so sweet, and truly what great weddings are made of!

From the bride Cari:
We live in Chicago and decided, on a bit of a whim, to get married in California. My dad and I had biked down the coast the year before and I fell in love with the central coast. My husband thankfully let me talk him into it all! And our parents were so gracious to generously help us achieve the idea.

Planning was easier than I ever thought it would be. We planned a weekend trip out to the SLO area about six months before the wedding and I set up one appointment for each prospective vendor. I figured with all the research that I had made great picks. And I was right! Everyone we met with, we hired. The most important things to us while planning was that we felt a sense of trust with our vendors since we were planning from a distance.

We also felt it was important that we have a Catholic ceremony (which my husband's uncle, a deacon, performed); hence we chose the incredible Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. I also really wanted to showcase our surroundings since most of our guests had not been to that area before. So we chose to have the rehearsal dinner at Edna Valley Vineyards and then conclude the celebration with a tented reception at Dolphin Bay, on a seaside cliff, as the sun set. It was truly magical for everyone there.

My favorite parts of the day: Seeing my brother in his dress Army uniform for the first time. Hearing my husband say when I reached him at the end of the aisle to marry him, "Well... that was worth every penny." And an impromptu stop at the Tolosa winery on our way to the reception with just our wedding party and us! We really just laughed so much through it all. THAT was the overall best memory of the day.