Photo Fridays

If something is French inspired, black and white, and filled with peonies, I'm pretty much guaranteed to swoon. So when Kristen Steele sent this lovely inspiration shoot over, I got giddy with excitement! It's all those good things I love and more! My favorite detail? The adorable bow tied place settings, just too cute and chic for me to handle!

Photographer | Kristen Steele Photography
Event Planner | Mr. & Mrs. Weddings and Events
Floral Designer | A Village of Flowers
Reception Venue | CJ's Off the Square
Invitation Designer | Prim and Paper
Dress Designer | Priscilla of Boston
Equipment Rentals | Classic Party Rentals

I've got a really AMAZING giveaway coming at you on Monday!

You really won't want to miss it!! Have a lovely weekend!

Inspiration Board: A Little Bit Country

This week I'm feeling a little bit country. You can still have a down home feel without getting too cliche with the country feel. I love this old wagon wheel as an escort card holder. It is a lovely and unexpected detail. This lush bouquet is rustic chic perfection. Some simple white streamers add a lot of charm with very little work. And for the first time ever on Glamour and Grace, a pair of cowboy boots are just what this rustic bride needs! They are comfy and great for getting out in a field for some gorgeous photos.

[ Credits ]

Top: Once Wed, Once Wed, Ruffled, Piperlime

Bottom: Once Wed, Minted, Green Wedding Shoes, Watters

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

Inspiration Board: Romantic Neutrals

There is something so beautiful about neutrals. They are clean, crisp, and chic. I love using neutrals in a soft romantic way. Fresh blooms and fruit in antique silver set the mood for elegance. Bring in some vintage wood pieces to add some rustic whimsy. Go for classic with a monogram invite. A gown like this Vera is just too dreamy! Pair it with some lace earrings to complete the look. All together, it creates an event full of sweet romance!

[ Credits ]

Top: Snippet & Ink, Style Me Pretty, Betsy White, Piperlime

Bottom: Style Me Pretty, White Owl, Style Me Pretty, Vera Wang

Real Wedding: Emily and Tim

Today's wedding is a gorgeous and classic black and white affair. And I will be honest, I am in dress lust with the bride and bridesmaids' gowns! Gorgeous! This couple also took a lot of care in making their wedding memorable and meaningful, which I love. The stunning photography comes from the amazing couple/photography duo at We Heart Photography. Enjoy!

From the beautiful bride, Emily:
My husband, Tim, and I had three top priorities for our wedding: the location, the decor and the photography. We wanted to treasure our wedding photos forever, so making sure the setting was as beautiful as possible was important. We chose the Rancho Bernardo Inn for our location because it was so lovely on its own, we hardly had to add anything. We wanted an elegant, yet relaxed wedding, so we chose the hold both our ceremony and reception outdoors. We chose black, ivory and silver as our color palette. Tim and I wanted our wedding party to consist of people who had influenced us and would also be a part of our lives in the future. My Maid of Honor was my actually my mom because she has been my best friend and role model for my whole life.

Favorite parts of the day: Honestly, the whole day was so awesome, start to finish. One of my favorite parts was the ceremony. I am really shy and the most nerve-wracking part of the whole wedding was walking down that aisle in front of nearly 200 people. As soon as I turned the corner and saw Tim's smiling face, I instantly relaxed. I loved listening to Tim say his vows with the biggest, brightest smile on his face. Also, we used Papa, Tim's 92-year-old grandfather, as our ring bearer, and we brought him up during the ceremony to give us our rings. He cried and held our hands as we exchanged rings, and it was the sweetest moment.Another favorite part was when Michael, Tim's brother and best man, recounted the story of how Tim got me to show up to his family's Christmas dinner wearing pajamas. When I showed up at Tim's house, all the men were wearing tuxes, and his mom and sister were in formal gowns. When Michael finished telling the story, he whipped off his tux pants and underneath, he was wearing flannel pajamas!

DIY: I made the favors for our wedding. I was took a bunch of graphic design classes through college, so I created a monogram that was both modern yet elegant. I purchased about 200 little white boxes at Michaels, as well as black satin ribbon. We filled the boxes with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and our guests loved them! I also brought in a lot of the decorations that were used. We had this incredible indoor/outdoor fireplace with a huge mantel, and I stacked all kinds of silver candlesticks up there. I am not the biggest fan of DJ's, so Tim and I created several playlists to be played throughout the wedding. My brother, who is an amazing musician, helped us create out playlists and he was in charge of audio for the wedding. One of my favorite moments in the wedding was rocking out to James Brown with my brother. Finally, I got my jewelry from Etsy and my dress from a vintage and couture bridal store. My dress was awesome because it weighed barely anything, so I wasn't exhausted by the end of the night.

Advice to other brides: Remember that you will be looking at your wedding photos for years to come, so choose the things you love, but choose wisely. Also, when it comes to money, invest in what you care about the most. For Tim and I, we wanted awesome photography, so we invested in We Heart Photography and they did a phenomenal job. Finally, don't be afraid to break tradition. We put our flower girl in black, my mom was my maid of honor and our ring bearer was Tim's grandfather. Having those people involved in our wedding was meaningful for us and for them.

Photography | We Heart Photography
Venue | Rancho Bernardo Inn
Bridesmaid Dresses | Vera Wang

Inspiration Board: Toasted Meringue

While winter whites are popular, I'm loving it paired with a toasted taupe. It still feels fresh and elegant, but with a modern touch. I was inspired by this stunning toasted meringue cake. It's so fun and different, yet lovely and sweet at the same time. Keep the tables simple and chic with white on white candles. Add in a bit of whimsy with these doily place settings. Delicious desserts are a must! Love these doughnut holes and milkshakes for an evening snack. This layered lace J. Crew number is pretty much perfect! I love it paired with some fabulous earrings that are sure to make a statement!

[ Credits ]

Top: Emma Stine, Style Me Pretty, Kate Spade, Style Me Pretty, Martha Stewart Weddings

Bottom: Martha Stewart Weddings, Minted, Melissa Sweet, Martha Stewart Weddings, J. Crew

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Real Wedding Kristin and Chris

Today's wedding is a classic and elegant vineyard wedding full of sweet details. The photos come from the fabulous Stephanie Baker, who you might remember from this amazing shoot (one of the most popular posts ever!)

The stunning bride Kristin shares some details:
The wedding was set in Sanger at Wolf Lakes because it was different. I loved the outdoor intimate setting of the garden for the ceremony and the lakeside reception fit our style of crowd perfectly. Wolf Lakes was wonderful to us, with all the littlest things I asked for to make the day special.  I wanted to incorporate a lot of things from my great grandma's (who passed away last year right before the wedding) into the wedding such as my great grandma's broach on my bouquet, my other great grandma's hankey, my great grandma's wedding ring, etc. That made the day more special to me.

I also request the excalibur car to pick Chris and I up at the house so we had the ride to WL all to ourselves. It was awesome. Since the day of the wedding is crazy, I wanted a few minutes to my self with my groom to be before hand! The colors were simple yet elegant. Black, Ivory and Champagne. I intermixed the centerpieces to give it character and we had a candy bar for our guests.

I wore two gowns, becuase we had a Chinese Wedding Banquet (thrown by his mom) three weeks after the wedding and I wanted to help perserve my gown. When I changed into my short gown, the bridesmaids had their gowns shortened as well (the bottom of them tore off and turned into a short gown). This made it fun for all of us to dance and not have to worry about dragging our gowns! My bouquet was my favorite personal item of the wedding beside my gown. It was hand tied gardenia's. Beautiful! I actually got to meet the designer of my gown to helped customize it to my body. Edric Woo from Tara Keely (he no longer is with them) but we still are in touch today.

Advice: tell all the little details to someone else or write it down for the planner. I wanted to do all the planning myself, wanted no one else's input but forgot some details in my head that made the day of planner wonder what I ment when I said guest book and there was no guest book, hehe. Only I knew the guest book was the Kendall Jackson Reserve bottle of wine to sign. Oops. But it all turned out well. If you can afford it, have at least day of event planners. I had 3 and it made the day sooooo much smoother!

Photographer | Stephanie Baker
Venue | Wolf Lakes Park
Event Designer | Wildflower Designs
Florist | Stems at the Palantine
Cake | Olde Tyme Pastries
Dress | Mia Bella Couture
DJ | Haro Entertainment

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Inspiration Board: Christmas Time is Here

Christmas time is here! Its that time of year where bright berry reds and soft snow whites flourish. I love a rustic winter wedding filled with antlers, pine cones, and mistletoe. Simple centerpieces with cranberries and pomegranates keep it fresh and festive. A sweet snowflake garland brings in the winter touches without being too cliche. Go with wood printed invites for the rustic chic feel. This Pricilla of Boston stunner is the perfect winter wedding gown! Just enough warmth with plenty of sparkle.

[ Credits ]

Top: Eva Lindh, Kate Spade, Style Unveiled, Bird and Banner

Bottom: Style Me Pretty, Maisy and Alice, Piperlime, Pricilla of Boston