all photography by Jonathan Hanson

From Laya, the lovely bride…

I made one of a kind clutches for my bridesmaids – each one was different using various fabrics for the lining, as well as the details in the pleats, etc. I also made the hairclips worn by the flower girls.

Etsy was my main source for stationary and other decorations. My wedding invitations were designed and printed by Jennifer from Pink Lily Press. I also worked with Ashley Bowen, the designer/owner of 2BirdStone to create digital designs for map/direction inserts, table numbers, thank you cards and favor inserts/tags, inspired by my invitations – this gave me the opportunity to shop around for a printing company in my neighborhood to save money. The ring pillow was created by Rainsend, the Cake Topper by DK Designs, and my hairpiece was custom designed by LoBoheme. I had our photo guestbook custom designed by Amanda from Paperlust, and instead of seating cards, we had Giselle from GE Designs create a seating chart that matched our stationary. The chairback decorations were created by Maria from St Jude’s Creations using crepe paper.

Our wedding was everything I’d hoped for and more. Despite the weather channel’s predictions for rain, there was not a single dro pof rain all day and the sky was as clear as it could have been. The day really was filled with all the vintage charm the town of Havre de Grace could offer, with love and laughter, a whole lot of dancing, great music and amazing food!!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
13 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags:
Post categories: The Blog

Photography by Jonathan Hanson

From Laya…

My wedding colors were Tiffany blue, Ivory, and silver. My dress is by Watters – I loved the simple and flirty silhouette of the dress, especially the ruffles. The beaded sash added just enough sparkle to the ensemble. The bridesmaids’ and Flower Girls’ dresses were from J.Crew’s spring Wedding Collection. I love and live for J.Crew. I really wanted my attendants to be able to choose a dress that they felt most comfortable in. I also bought an after party wedding dress from J.Crew (I got it on sale for $70!) so I can continue the celebration in style.

As for the flowers, I knew I wanted white hydrangeas and peonies. The bouquets, boutonnieres and ceremony decorations were done by Amanda’s Florist. To save money, I only had Amanda incorporate peonies into my bouquet. I asked her to include pale pink peonies to add a touch of unexpected color and to make it super feminine. Amanda was always there when I had questions and was willing to do anything for my to fit my budget.

To save money, I arranged the centerpieces with a help of a friend. I had always loved flower arrangements in antique mason jars and galvanized buckets – I really got lucky and walked into one of the antique stores in Havre de Grace and got 15 antique blue mason jars for $1 each!  Each flower arrangement was accompanied by vintage lace doilies and tea light candles. I ordered 80 stems of white hydrangeas from Fifty Flowers – which we ended up only getting 40 2 days before the wedding…turned out to be a blessing in disguise because 40 hydrangeas were more than enough and arranged then 2 nights before the big day. We ended up having extra hyrangeas which Chasi placed everywhere. We used ribbons in different colors and width as accents.

More to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
6 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags:
Post categories: The Blog

I have to laugh, though! With each photograph, I find myself very carefully studying the choices and planning just what I would have placed in my goodie bag had I been there!

* * *

It’s not really fair to just talk about the fabulous candy displays that the Dooby Design Group creates. They are a Michigan-based full service design studio … from custom invitations, florals, event decor (to elegant candy stations)! They also have specialty linens that are just amazing!

Take a look at some of their fantastic custom invitations {here}.

So … if you are planning a wedding anywhere in their area … you totally have to consider meeting up with them!! Their blog {here} is loaded with beautiful wedding stationery, terrific inspiration boards and drop-dead gorgeous wedding decor inspiration. A seriously great blog for color palette ideas.

OH! And I also read on their blog that they designed the stationery for two weddings set to air on TNT’s Wedding Day series! (June 30th and July 14th) Congratulations guys!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
1 comment |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags: Candy, Candy Bar, Candy Buffet, Candy Station, Dooby Design Group, Michigan, TNT, Wedding Day
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Planners & Designers

I have to laugh, though! With each photograph, I find myself very carefully studying the choices and planning just what I would have placed in my goodie bag had I been there!

* * *

It’s not really fair to just talk about the fabulous candy displays that the Dooby Design Group creates. They are a Michigan-based full service design studio … from custom invitations, florals, event decor (to elegant candy stations)! They also have specialty linens that are just amazing!

Take a look at some of their fantastic custom invitations {here}.

So … if you are planning a wedding anywhere in their area … you totally have to consider meeting up with them!! Their blog {here} is loaded with beautiful wedding stationery, terrific inspiration boards and drop-dead gorgeous wedding decor inspiration. A seriously great blog for color palette ideas.

OH! And I also read on their blog that they designed the stationery for two weddings set to air on TNT’s Wedding Day series! (June 30th and July 14th) Congratulations guys!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
Comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags: Candy, Candy Bar, Candy Buffet, Candy Station, Dooby Design Group, Michigan, TNT, Wedding Day
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Planners & Designers

Kakes by Karen is located in Naples, Florida … I LOVE the chic designs and delicate work that went into these cakes!

Here’s what Karen says about her creations on her website, “We pride ourselves in making hand elaborated, custom-made cakes that are never refrigerated, providing our customers a promise of freshness. Our cakes are decorated in high quality, glycerin free, delicious rolled fondant. Each cake is designed separately, working with the client, using only fresh ingredients to ensure quality. Some of our designs have been influenced and inspired by techniques learned from international chefs, as well as various judges and Food Network Cake Challenge winners.”

There are tons more photographs of her work in her cake galleries … all sizes and styles … and her cupcakes are just too pretty! So if you’re anywhere in her area, definitely give her a call!

Next up … candy stations …

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
Comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags: Cupcakes, Florida, Fondant, Kakes by Karen, Naples
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Cakes

The big winner for this awesome giveaway is, Elizabeth Do who said…

“I am in love with the design of the Deco LUXE Invitation.

I have based my entire wedding feel and vibe off of the vintage, elegance of my venue which these invites PERFECTLY match! My FI and I have been working our tails off to pay for our wedding ourselves – it is very important to not burden our family. We instead want to treat all those invited to an evening of love, a celebration of our love. Although I deeply love those invites, we certainly cannot afford them with our smaller budget. We are trying to DIY as much as we can but I can’t think of anything that is more “us” than these invites. Winning this would really make our day and we would be oh so grateful. I’ll be crossing my finders!!!”

CONGRATS, Elizabeth! You are going to be getting 100 Wedding Invitations plus 100 coordinating favors, in the form of THE most fabulous organic cookies, AND a free wedding website! We’ll be in touch very soon!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
6 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags:
Post categories: The Blog

Today, I wanted to share this adorable wedding that came through our office from a pretty devoted SMP reader. She has taken a lot of time to give us all of the fabulous details (which I love) so I am just going to get right to it!

From Laya…

We were married May 9, 2009 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and Vandiver Inn, Havre de Grace, MD. I love anything vintage-inspired. I’ve always pictured my wedding to be in a garden, or in an old mansion, maybe at a vineyard, or in a barn. A wedding that is intimate, with charming, shabby-chic details that are one of a kind. I didn’t want an event that was too formal – I wanted our guests to feel like they were at a backyard wedding reception. I really wanted a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

all photography by Jonathan Hanson

The Vandiver Inn, an old, Victorian B&B in Havre de Grace, Maryland, gave us everything I wanted in a wedding and more. The interior of the mansion was decorated with antique furniture and accents that I literally swooned when I first walked in the mansion. The pavilion out back, where we had our reception, was simply adorned with twinkle lights and chandeliers on the ceiling and the sides with white curtains. The pavilion had just enough decoration, giving me enough room to create a space that I wanted. We also booked all the rooms in the main mansion and in the two adjacent houses – total of 18 rooms for our closest friends and family, to make it a weekend long celebration. John and Susan, the owners of the mansion (and Susan is also the ONLY chef – exquisite food!) and Chasi, their wedding coordinator, made the planning process so easy and flawless. Chasi was there for me throughout the plannig process and on the day of the wedding, she really was like a Fair Godmother – what ever I needed/wanted, she was there to take care of me.

So much more to come!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
7 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags:
Post categories: The Blog

Just make sure to hurry, hurry, hurry because some of the designs are selling out!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
5 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags:
Post categories: The Blog

Every style is wildly different which I love and I have yet to pick my favorites. If you’re a designer and interested in throwing your masterpiece into the hat, entries need to be in by this Monday. If you’re a bride and are looking for a great Save the Date, this is a must read challenge!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. |
Permalink |
2 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags:
Post categories: The Blog

PS: thank you to Jen of Green Wedding Shoes for introducing me to Sarah’s photography

And, secondly, I’m in love with this vintage style wedding from Mehan Aileen Photography (she called it “Outdoor Elegance, Vintage Glamour”). You can see more from the wedding here.