Rustic Elegant Blush and Red Wedding Ideas

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Apr 12th

by: Lauren

Inspired by romance and the natural beauty of Colorado’s plains, everything about these blush and red wedding ideas are reflective of the beautiful location, Cottonwood Glen. The natural, rustic element of wood was incorporated into the table decor and place cards, while soft florals in shades of blush and red added a bit of romance to the design. Laser etched escort cards, place cards, and table names were inspired by various types of hunting dogs, frequently seen on the property- a perfect idea for dog lovers too (I know I love it)! The ceremony location nestled among a grove of cottonwood trees is accented by a stunning cathedral window backdrop, and might possibly be the most beautiful we’ve seen yet. And finally, a lovely floral design makes it debut in the stationery and on the cake, lending an elegance that beautifully completes this gorgeous inspiration captured by Kristina Lynn Photography & Design.

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Kristina Lynn Photography & Design // Candle Decor: Candlelight Ambiance // Other: Colorado Party Rentals // Reception Venue: Cottonwood Glen // Couch Rental: Couch LLC // Dress Store: d’Anelli Bridal // Bridesmaid Dresses: D’Anellis Bridal // Hair Stylist: Girls and Curls // Cake Designer: Intricate Icings Cake Design // Linens and Coverings: Linen Hero by Chair Covers & Linens – Colorado // Wardrobe Stylist: Maureen Mika LLC // Invitation Designer: Platypus Papers // Event Planner: Wendie Bass, Weddings.Events.More // Florals: The Fresh Flower Market

What To Wear Underneath Your Wedding Dress

Category: SPONSORS, WEDDING PLANNING 0 Comments

Apr 12th

by: Lauren

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Let’s be honest- your wedding is dress is likely one of the most important parts of your wedding day. I don’t care how much you spend, whether you’re eloping or hosting a grand ballroom soiree- just about every bride is going to be wearing a wedding dress on her wedding day. Spending hours searching for the perfect dress is one of the very first things that you’ll do- from research via magazines and websites, to the time you spend going to bridal shops. But once you do find your perfect dress, there’s something that I’ve noticed many brides tend to overlook- what to wear underneath your wedding dress.

You may think that a simple strapless bra may do the trick, but this could be far from the truth. You see, the right or wrong undergarments can do all kinds of things to your wedding dress- everything from sliming you to making your dress look ill-fitting. You could spend thousands on your wedding dress, but in the end, how your dress looks can all can depend on what you’re wearing *underneath* it all.

The important thing to keep in mind is that not every dress is equal, and therefore not every undergarment is going to be right for the same dress. This is why we turned to the experts, our friends at Le Mystere, to find out what the best options were for different styles of wedding dresses out there.

Strapless: If you’re wearing a strapless dress and you want some extra slimming or smoothing, you will want to go for a bustier or corset. If your dress has boning built into your dress, you may be able to just opt for built in cups, a backless strapless bra, or a normal strapless bra like Le Mystere’s Soiree Strapless.

Mermaid: If you’ve chosen a Mermaid dress, you’re already aware that your curves will most definitely be making an appearance on your wedding day. However, you’ll likely still want to flatten your stomach and smooth out your hips, so a high waisted slimming undergarment or a bustier will be your best bet.

Halter or V-Neck: If a plunging neckline is what you’re working with, the Infinite Possibilities Plunge Bra or the Ultimate Plunge Bra may be solutions.

Sheath: The neckline of a sheath gown can vary, but you can definitely expect that they will be slim-fitting, so it’s important to wear seamless undergarments. Depending on your dress, you may need to have cups sewn in to your dress, or the seamless Sculptural Strapless may do the trick.

A-Line: And finally, the most popular dress style, the A-Line. Since this dress style is flattering on many body types and can come in various cuts, you can really pick and choose what you want to wear under your dress. We recommend going for the simplest, most comfortable of options with the Bridal Seduction Bustier or the gorgeous Sophia Strapless.

Definitely do your research when it comes to what you should be wearing underneath your wedding dress. We also highly recommend asking your bridal consultant about what she recommends for undergarments when you’re trying on gowns. Once you’ve decided on what to wear, make sure you bring your undergarments with you prior to your first dress fitting so your seamstress can give you the best fit possible- and make any recommendations as well. And don’t wait until the last minute either, because sometimes what you need can’t be found in stores, and you will have to turn to a place like Le Mystere to find the right option.

*This post is sponsored by Le Mystere. All thoughts and opinions are the author’s own.

Elegant Ivory & Blush Minnesota Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 1 Comments

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Apr 11th

by: Carly

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Sometimes a single element serves as the inspiration for the design for your entire wedding. That was exactly the case for Crystal and Jake! Crystal happened upon a mercury vase centerpiece on Pinterest that was filled with peonies, Juliet garden roses, and hydrangea in shades of blush and ivory. Crystal and Jake included the same blooms in the same palette as the photo in their centerpieces, bouquets, and boutonnieres because they loved both elements so much! Plus, they added a gold chevron runner to their tables – so lovely!

C+J were married at The Carlson Towers Rotunda and Amphitheatre in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and their venue is stunningly modern. The pair was married outside with The Carlson as the backdrop before enjoying an indoor reception. The cake greeted guests as they picked up their escort cards because the late night sweet treat served as the centerpiece. But the fountain in the center of the venue is the showstopper, not to mention the draping and string lights that made the room truly glow once nighttime fell! There’s no better way to kickoff your Monday than with the beautiful photos by Jeannine Marie Photography and wonderful planning advice from bride Crystal!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

Let me start off by saying that I am a super organized, planning type of person. Once I got engaged, I spent many hours looking up vendors in our area through The Knot, and once I selected a few (based on aspects I was looking for), I made plans to meet with them. I had met with five photographers before settling on Jeannine Marie Photography (whom I absolutely loved!), and literally brought a list of 33 questions to ask them. Some people thought I was crazy but to me, I was just being prepared. The other person that made my life so much easier in wedding planning was our planner, Kristin from The Simply Elegant Group. She was our day-of coordinator and worked with all of the vendors to make sure they were on the same page, and made our our day went smoothly. She was great to work with!

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Personality! How well my husband and I connected with that person was by far the most important piece. I wanted someone that would be able to go with the flow and have fun with us. The other important piece to me was the style in which our photographer (Jeannine Marie) and videographer (Jon Anderson) worked. I like a lot more candid pieces, and they both delivered perfectly! Plus they were a blast to work with and were just as goofy as us!

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

I knew that I wanted a romantic feel, but I actually saw a centerpiece on Pinterest that I fell in love with, and ended up being my complete inspiration for our colors and design for the wedding. It was a gold and ivory sequin runner with a gold mercury vase and blush and ivory hydrangeas, peonies and english roses. So our colors ended up being gold, blush and ivory, and we used those flowers in our bouquets and centerpieces.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

My favorite thing was having all of our close family and friends there to share this experience with us! Although the look on everyone’s faces when we exited to “The Throne Room” theme from Star Wars was pretty priceless to! :)

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Enjoy your day and savor the small moments- It goes by quickly! And don’t sweat the small stuff. Nothing will go perfect, but your guests won’t notice and they will still have a great time.

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Jeannine Marie Photography//Caterer: Bon Appetit at Carlson Center // Floral & Event Designer: whimsy designs // Event Planner: The Simply Elegant Group // Cinema and Video: J Walter Anderson Photo and Video //Event Venue: The Carlson Towers Rotunda and Amphitheatre // Cake Designer: Queen of Cakes // Hair Stylist: Sanctuary Salonspa // Makeup Artist:Sanctuary Salonspa // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Savvi Formalwear // Dress Designer: Stella York // Dress Store: Charlotte’s Bridal // Officiant: Grand Avenue Wedding Officiants // Other: International Cigars // Photo Booth Equipment: The Photo Booth Group // Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas// DJ: Adagio Djay Entertainment//

A Rustic Blush Catskills Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 1 Comments

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Apr 8th

by: Carly

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Michelle and Jason are both from Brooklyn, but one of the most important facets about their Catskills wedding day was their wish to welcome guests to a beautiful barn venue in upstate New York. M+J found Owls Hoot Barn, which is located in The Catskills, one of the places they vacationed together while dating. There are few words perfect enough to describe this venue, but saying that it seems like one of the most lovely places will have to do.

Guests were welcomed to M+J’s rustic soiree with refreshments prior to the ceremony, and I can only imagine what Michelle was thinking as she crossed over the floral draped bridge as she walked down the aisle! Post ceremony, guests retreated inside of the barn. The space was filled with beautiful vintage details, such as post cards that served as a guest book, lace and burlap table runners, gold balloons that spelled LOVE, string lights, and flowers upon flowers in bud vases. Make sure to take in each and every photo captured by Alicia King Photography and pause to read all of bride Michelle’s fantastic advice below. P.S: There’s a sparkler exit and wish lantern sendoff. We’ve reached wedding perfection, y’all!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

I have to say, my (month of) wedding planner Tatiana from Whimsy Weddings, was such a great help! I had almost not hired one and I am so glad I did. Because my wedding was such a DYI project, she was really helpful with tying up all the loose ends and really seeing my vision through. We had come 3 days before our wedding day to set up and really, with all her help we probably didn’t even need to. When I look back at my wedding pictures, it was such a Pinterest dream! And I really have to thank my wedding planner for helping us set up.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

We really wanted vendors that reflected our taste and people would think, this is so Jay and Michelle! We had a list of top priorities that included: Venue, caterer, and photography. We were so excited to work with people that really understood what we wanted. The caterer was able to do so many personalized touches for us like serving signature cocktails (hers: “Marry Me Motito”- a mojito type of drink with my favorite liquor Tito’s vodka and his: “Jay Sway”- a bourbon, lemonade with tonic). They were also able to serve cute comfort foods like grilled cheese bites with tomato soup and pigs in a blanket. We wanted our wedding to be fun and laid-back and not so uptight.

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

Again, we really wanted our wedding details to reflect our personal taste and our love for the outdoors. Since we started dating, we would always go on these small getaways to the Catskills, the Poconos, Lake George, and Cape Cod. When we first started dating, these little getaways really brought us closer together. As our relationship grew, we continued to go on these special getaways every chance we got and some of our favorite memories are hanging out around a fire pit, laughing, and having drinks together. We wanted our wedding to be like another one of our getaways, except with our closest 100 friends and family, hahaha. Our wedding was in the Catskills, NY and most of our guests traveled at least 2.5 hours from the NY metro area and spent the weekend to be there with us. We wanted them to have the sense that they were far away in the countryside. Being from Brooklyn, NY, most of our friends and family have never been to a barn wedding, so it was important for us to have a unique experience very personal to us. We wanted to do things like have a huge bonfire at the end of the night and lawn games during cocktail hour.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

It is hard to say, but I think it was hearing my husbands vows. We were both really nervous about writing and saying our own vows, but it was so special.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Get enough sleep! And don’t stress over the small stuff that is beyond your control. The day of our wedding, I was stressing out about the weather being too warm (it was an unusually hot day for September). But looking back, it was not a big deal, and it was a perfect day.

Absolutely LOVE Michelle’s advice to not stress over the small stuff! There’s no use in getting worked up over things that you can’t control, right?

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Alicia King Photography // Event Venue: Owls Hoot Barn // Floral Designer: Whimsy Weddings // Event Planner: Whimsy Weddings // DJ: A Perfect Blend Entertainment // Second Shooter: Brittany Cohen Photography // Hair Stylist:Kelsey Gabriele // Beauty: Makeup Artistry by Jillian // Shoes: Nina // Dress Store: RK Bridal // Veils and headpieces: YuriCWeddingShoppe