Modern Romantic Lavender and Blue Wedding

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Sep 4th

by: Lauren

Wanting something romantic and vaguely Victorian with a modern twist, Alexandra and William’s lavender and blue wedding was absolutely gorgeous and filled with personality. Drawing an underlying theme from their love of movies, this couple was able to have a wedding that reflected their personalities perfectly- and Sarah Tew Photography was there to capture all of the beauty!

Insight from Alexandra:

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

My mom was definitely the biggest help when it came to planning our wedding. Since Will and I live in LA and we were getting married in New York, we leaned on her and some of her close friends to help out when it came to the things I just couldn’t be in town for, like going to tastings, looking at mockups of the floral arrangements, and making sure all the little details were all set. In the months leading up to the wedding we were emailing back and forth almost constantly, ironing out every piece of the wedding. I don’t think we could have done it without her. We were also fortunate that she has a great group of friends who were as excited about the wedding as my bridesmaids and I were. Their additional support made a world of difference in terms of keeping both my mother and I calm and collected in the lead up to the wedding.

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

We wanted to make sure we found vendors who understood our vision for the wedding. When picking out vendors we knew the only ones worth talking too were those who got our description of “Wes Anderson like, if he did something set in a Victorian garden wonderland”. I did a lot of online research and on a 3 day trip back to the East Coast we found a florist and photographer who exactly got what we were trying to say, and a DJ who kept everyone from my 19 year-old cousin to my 90 year-old grandmother on the dance floor all night long. I found it’s important for everyone to be speaking in the same language and working with the same vision and plan to make everything spectacular!

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

We knew we wanted something romantic and vaguely Victorian with a modern twist. We’re both movie buffs (I work in the entertainment industry) and our wedding evolved from a language of movie references and moods. I would frequently reference my favorite films and directors, the films of Wes Anderson, Pixar, and the French New Wave were big touchstones for us. To decide on specific details I used blogs and magazines to find things that inspired me and evoked the moods we were describing. Our love of movies even trickled down to our music during the ceremony, where the bridal party walked in to “The Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie and we recessed to the music from Up. It was the perfect way to incorporate the things we loved without going overboard.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

There are so many things that I loved about our wedding, from the perfect setting, to the amazing food, to the fact that everyone was on the dance floor all night long, but for me there are two things that stuck out more than anything else. The first was our ceremony. I come from a Jewish family and Will from a long line of Methodist ministers. We worked with our Rabbi and our Pastor, who happened to be Will’s sister Kate, to craft something that incorporated both of our faiths as well as family traditions. Using my grandfather’s tallit (prayer shawl) and Will’s grandfather’s wedding band, made the ceremony extra special and kept our family close to our hearts during the whole thing. The second was the fact that we got to celebrate with our closest friends and family. Being surrounded by people who I love and care about while marrying the love of my life was the most amazing thing I could ask for. To me that made the day perfect.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Before the wedding should be all about organization: lists, spreadsheets, checkboxes, you name it. Keeping track of what’s going on when and what still needs to be done will make your day run so much easier. I made a day of timeline that the bridal party kept track of, listing what needed to happen when. Being organized before your big day means that on the day of the actual wedding you don’t have to sweat the small stuff, hopefully it’s already done. I handed our timeline to my maid of honor and stopped worrying about anything on the day of my wedding. On your wedding day you should focus on the fact that you are getting married and enjoy. It should no longer be about the right color flowers or the cake flavor or what time the shuttle for the guests arrives, but it should be about you and your new husband and the start of your married life. Because I planned early I was able just to focus on me and Will and our wedding day, without any stress. Enjoy every last moment!

I just love how Alexandra and Will used their love of movies as their inspiration and theme!

How about you- will you be using something that you and your partner love as inspiration for your own wedding? I’d love to hear all about it!

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Sarah Tew Photography / Flowers & Decor: Rebecca Shepherd Floral Design / Catering: Charles Sally Charles / Reception Venue: The Palm House / Invitations & Stationery: Inkredible / Ceremony Officiant: Rabbi Renee Feller / Ceremony Musicians: Venus Ensembles / Cake Baker: Ana Parzych Cakes / DJ: 74 Events / Bride’s Dress: Rivini / Hair & Makeup: Facetime Beauty Concierge / Bride’s Shoes: Rene Caovilla / Bride’s Jewelry: Bashinski Fine Gems & Jewelry / Bride’s Jewelry: Kate Spade

Colorful Preppy Rustic Wedding Inspiration

Category: INSPIRATION 2 Comments

Sep 3rd

by: Lauren

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I immediately fell in love when this beautiful preppy rustic wedding inspiration from Teasley Photography arrived in my inbox, and I know you will too! The bright, preppy color palette paired with a rustic, southern style makes for some gorgeous inspiration- and when you add in great details and adorable kids, we have ourselves today’s beauty of a shoot!

From Meredith of Teasley Photography:

I teamed up with Melissa of Vintage Florals to style a delightful family-filled Spring wedding inspiration shoot. We wanted to do something a bit different to incorporate the preppy, vintage look that we love with a relaxed, backyard feel. We also wanted to include some children in the shoot, so we added fun details inspired by what all kids love- popcicles and old school toys! Las Paletas, a local Nashville popsicle shop, donated popsicles to match our color palette of coral, peach, hot pink, and green. The bright, beautiful florals and details (and sweet kiddo smiles) really brought this shoot to life!

I love every aspect of this inspiration shoot- the bride and her cardigan, the gorgeous florals and design, and the adorable kids!

Tell me- which part of this shoot is the most inspiring to you? What do you think of the preppy rustic style combination?

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Teasley Photography / Flowers & Decor: Vintage Florals / Reception Venue: Ellington Agricultural Center / Calligraphy: Noteworthy & Blue / Bridal Salon: The Bride Room / Bride’s Dress: Lula Kate Bridal / Napkins: Anthropologie / Popsicles: Las Paletas Gourmet Popsicles

Nautical Eclectic Navy and Aqua Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 1 Comments

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Sep 2nd

by: Carlee

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Happy Monday all! This adorable navy and aqua wedding from Katie Nesbitt Photography is full of some amazing nautical details! With a bright, preppy color palette and eclectic party decor (bunting!), this darling couple will make you want to “anchor yourself to someone special” and settle down by the shore. The lovely bride, Sirena, is here to share her planning insight:

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

I was very fortunate to have a lot of help during the process. My husband, mother, and matron of honor really spent a lot of time helping me during the planning. They were really great sounding boards during the entire planning process. (Yes, my husband played an active part in our wedding). Also, I had some really amazing vendors. Our wedding planner, Missy, from Antonia Christianson Events, and I have been friends since high school so I knew that I wanted her to be involved in our wedding and she recommended some other really great vendors that helped make our wedding amazing!

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

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work with Antonia Christianson Events and then from there she recommended some great vendors. We really wanted vendors that were professional, understood our vision and were fun to hang out with. Our photographer, Katie Nesbitt Photography, was an awesome fit for us and having an amazing photographer and wedding planner really helps. We would not have changed a single vendor from our wedding.

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

Our inspiration actually came from the venue location. We wanted our wedding location to be somewhere different and we wanted everyone to feel welcome. Cape Charles, Virginia was the perfect place for us and our families. Once we picked our location we knew right away that it was going to be a nautical theme to fit with the venue. Once we knew the theme our vendors really helped pull it through in all aspects of our wedding from the invitations, to the escort cards, to the cake.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

There were so many things from our wedding that I loved that it is hard to pick just one. I loved that we had a wedding planner. You spend so much time and money on your wedding and having a wedding planner on that day alone makes all the difference in the world. It really means that you don’t have to worry about a thing and that someone else is keeping track of everything for you. It allows you to really experience your wedding day and to just have fun.

We also set up two first looks with our photographer. I had one with my husband and one with my father and both of them were so special to me. The one with my husband was so calming to have that moment with him before the wedding and we now have so many wonderful pictures from that moment. The one with my father was very special because it was the first time my dad had seen me in my dress. It was a very emotional moment that we will remember forever.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Our best piece of advice is to design your wedding to allow for you to have a good time that day. Your wedding takes so long to plan but the day of goes by so quickly. Make sure that your wedding represents your personalities and that you are able to enjoy the day with your guests. You want your guests to have a good time but you also want to make sure that you are not so busy that you don’t get a chance to have fun. I have heard for years that your wedding goes by in the blink of an eye and it is true. I fully believe that a good wedding planner, photographer and a great DJ are the keys to helping you enjoy the day.

I kind of love it when couples take an idea for their wedding and run with it! The key to pulling off a “theme” is vision and commitment. Sirena and Derek carried the anchor and sailor’s knot detailing throughout their big day. I especially love the branded crab mallets that they gave as party favors. So cute and inventive! Will your big day have a theme? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

XOXO,

Carlee

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Katie Nesbitt Photography / Planning & Design: Antonia Christianson Events / Event Venue: Agua at Kings Creek Marina / Florist: Fluttering Flowers / Cake Baker: Cake Delights

Vendor of the Week: Simply Designed

Category: SPONSORS 0 Comments

Sep 1st

by: Lauren

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Custom wedding invitations are something that I think every single bride deserves- because no one wants to just pick something out of a book! Which is why I’m so excited to introduce custom invitation designer Simply Designed to you all today!

Why do you see yourself as being Modern, Vintage, Classic, or Eclectic?

We cater to our clients, and will design to their needs and wants, not to our personal likes. All of our clients want to design an invitation that will set the mood for the event that is centered around family and friends and the start of their new life together. They allow us to be more then just a vendor during the planning, we become an integral part of their day from the invitations all the way through to the menus and programs and most, if not all, we feel become friends.

What is your favorite wedding detail you’ve ever seen or created?

Seeing that we are all about stationery, I have to admit, I love when couples get really creative with their day-of stationery. We love all the unique programs, menus, escort cards, and table numbers that we have been seeing.

What is your favorite store or brand?

Our favorite store or brand… hmmmmm… that one is hard. I’m a die hard Apple fan, which is a bit of a cliché for a designer! As for stores, it is constantly changing, and it depends on what we are working on at the time. Currently we have been following everything that Jessica Hische has been designing and selling. She is one of our favorite typographers.

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

The moment the bride and groom see each other for the first time.

What qualities do you possess that enable you to work well with brides and grooms?

I’m down to earth, very friendly, honest, and listen.

What steps do you take to ensure that your clients will have amazing wedding days when working with you?

Same as above :) We work very hard to make our brides/grooms happy, this is their day, not ours. We are very collaborative with our couples, and work hard to ensure their visions become a reality. I pride myself in taking an idea or theme and translating that into the perfect design for our couples.