Saturday, January 31, 2009

Real Wedding Saturday: Laurel & Jedd

You may remember Laurel from her sweet bridal shower a few months back, or maybe you know her from her jewelry line, Laurel Denise. It's so fun to have her back on Snippet & Ink, this time sharing her wedding! I also thought I'd let Laurel share a little about how she and Jedd saved money in some places: Cut corners in some obvious places. I did my own makeup, after watching hours of You Tube tutorials and visiting the closest MAC store for some expert advice. My maid of honor is really great at makeup and I had a friend come and join us who's also great at it - they helped the bridesmaids while I did my own makeup. This is something some brides pay hundreds for and I was happy to save on this. I also swapped services with a friend of mine who is an amazing event coordinator (I designed all of the print materials for her wedding and she made my day happen without a hitch, at least not one that I knew about!). I also found a caterer who let me supply my own alcohol - I can't tell you how much this saved! There are many caterers out there who will do this, you jut have to ask!

And now, on to the photos!


Laurel and Jedd held their October wedding at the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington, Virginia, and they couldn't stop raving about it - the beautiful scenery and the service were all they could have hoped for. Laurel suggests extending the cocktail hour to give guests more time to wander around the venue if it is especially beautiful - her guests couldn't stop raving about it!


Jedd surprised Laural with a pair of diamond earrings before the ceremony. Not only was the gift itself a beautiful surprise, but he wrapped it in keeping with the style of the day - with kraft paper and twine.


Laurel found two dresses that she liked, so she worked closely with the bridal shop to create a one-of-a-kind hybrid of the two, starting with a dress by Casa Blanca.




All of the flowers were arranged by Blue Ridge Floral Design.


Lemonade, iced tea, and bottled water were available for guests to cool down before the ceremony.




Laurel cross-stitched all of the signs herself, including the table numbers. Here are her thoughts on the projects she took on for the wedding: Everyone always says don't try to do everything, just take it easy and don't stress yourself out before your wedding. I do agree with that, but I also think that if you can plan wisely and not procrastinate on the small touches, then you should really try to do everything you can! For instance, I cross-stitched the table numbers and the reserved signs that were used in my reception and ceremony. People thought I was insane and maybe they were right, but if I hadn't done things like that (designing the invitations, hand-tying them all together, hand-stamping the seating cards, etc...), I would have been disappointed. Those creative things define me and I knew that they were important to me, so I started creating the table numbers 9 months before the actual wedding day! That way, I wasn't losing any sleep the week before and I could really get everything done without too many last minute break downs. I assigned myself something each day to do for the wedding and it really paid off.












Laurel designed all of the paper goods for the wedding, as well as cross-stitched all of the table numbers.




A caramel apple was placed at each guest's seat. The cake, by Hot Cakes, was chocolate with raspberry cream filling and piled high with fresh berries. (Laurel says she wishes that she and Jedd had practice cake cutting before the actually wedding!)




The reception was catered by Harvest Moon Catering, who really brought Laurel and Jedd's vision to life - fun food that was just a little dressed up, but not fussy.


DJ Derek Tobler kept guests dancing all night and was incredibly in tune to the mood of the party.

Thank you so much Laurel and Jedd for sharing your lovely day with us! And thank you to Meg Runion of Rob Garland Photographers for sharing these images (Laurel said that she's known since high school that she wanted to use Rob Garland Photographers for her wedding, and even changed the date of the wedding so that she could!). Oh, and also, right now Laurel is offering Snippet & Ink readers 30% off her jewelry line. Just enter coupon code laurel30 at checkout.

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Friday, January 30, 2009

Sneak Peek: Laurel & Jedd


Stop by tomorrow to see more from this sweet, Southern wedding!

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Happy Weekend!

Any big plans this weekend? Mine involve eating delicious tacos for half of it, and then hibernating for the rest. For your enjoyment, some of my favorite links from around the web this week...


{via Design Crush}

Valentine tea bags from Creature Comforts - and while you're there, check out all of her other free (and darling) printables.

Letterpress recipe cards would be a great bridal shower gift, via decor8.

Some things are better upside-down (scroll to the last photo).

Eloping looks better everyday.

Monogrammed ties for the boys (and one for me), via m.writes.

Invitations printed on vintage ledger paper.

Tons of inspiration over at Wiley Valentine's blog.

Looking to cut costs? Make it a picnic wedding!

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Discounts, Giveaways, Etc.

And the winner of the Bella Figura giveaway is...

Jeanne who said: I'd have to say the Maja is my favorite. I imagine it representing a cozy, sweet and warm mood with a color palette of cream, khaki and tomato red. The needlpoint detail on the invitations could inspire small hand needlepointed place cards that double as favors. I'm seeing tables topped with vintage lace tableclothes and antique milk bottle filled with lush peonies and hypericum berries. These designs are full of inspiring ideas!

Jeanne, email me to claim your $350 prize from Bella Figura!

Discounts


SonyaRenee is offering Snippet & Ink readers 50% off all orders placed from now until Valentine's Day. Coupon code: snippetlove

Calligrapher Robyn Love has several offers available for all of 2009, including FREE table numbers and 10% off day-of calligraphy when you order invitation and save-the-date addressing. See details here.

Laurel Denise Jewelry is offering Snippet & Ink readers 30% off all orders. Coupon code: laurel30

Giveaways


Polka Dot Bride is giving away a wedding cake valued at $1500 (AUD) to one lucky Australian couple. See details here.

Get a free totebag with any order over $40 at Night Owl Paper Goods.

The Budget Bride's Handbook is giving away $800 worth of wedding coordination services. See details and enter here.

Isn't She Lovely is giving away a ring bowl by Paloma's Nest. Enter here today!

Etc.


Check out Hello Handmade's darling custom Valentine offerings at their Etsy shop.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, stop by ban.do's 1st Annual Hair Affair. Drink champagne, have your hair and makeup done by Design Visage, and check out ban.do's latest designs - all for 15% off. Tomorrow (1/31), from 1:00 - 5:00, at the ban.do studio (7958 Beverly Blvd).

In addition to her in-home newlywed cooking classes, Gilda Mulero is now offering newlywed cooking classes at the Manhattan JCC. See details here.

Lela Rose and Payless have paired up to offer cute, dye-able wedding shoes at reasonable prices. Starting in February, you can see the collection here.


Colin Cowie's new book, Wedding Chic, is now available, with over 1000 of his best ideas and tons of beautiful photos.

Click HERE to see all previous discounts and giveaways, including discounts that are still valid.

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Board #341: Mustard and Blue

I've had this photo of the yellow dress in my mind ever since I first saw it on The City Sage - are you as in love with yellow as I am? It certainly brightens dreary winter days...

Mood: sweetly sophisticated
Palette: mustard yellow, powdery blue, cream

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: dress via The City Sage, The Treasured Petal bouquet photo by One Love Photo, suit and dress from J.Crew, blue and yellow from Plum Events
Row 2: yellow shoes photo by Jose Villa, San Francisco City Hall photo by Michelle Walker
Row 3: bird print by Kareem Rizk via sfgirlbybay, lemonade photo by Myrtle & Marjoram, tulip bowl by Grandiflora, cake photo by Punam Bean
Row 4: arrangement from Martha Stewart, clutch from J.Crew, photo by Jonathan Canlas, invitation by Wiley Valentine

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

See you tomorrow...

I'm headed out of town today, but I'll be back to regular blogging tomorrow. In the meantime, check out some of my favorite blogs, on the left sidebar.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Board #340: Urban Lavender

It must be the weather, but I find myself drawn to soft colors these days. Here, rustic, French country lavender comes to the big city. A chic short dress, an urban venue, paired with a simple hand-tied bouquet, jars of lavender, and antique French linens. I imagine an intimate family dinner followed by meeting up with friends for dancing.

Mood: French country meets city chic
Palette: sidewalk gray, lavender

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: dress via Nibs, lavender bouquet photo by Thayer Allyson Gowdy via Style Me Pretty, cakes from Martha Stewart Weddings, Brooklyn Bridge ceremony photo from Always A Bridesmaid
Row 2: invitation by Wiley Valentine via Oh So Beautiful Paper, boutonniere photo by Teresa Horgan
Row 3: place setting photo by Leigh Miller, jewelry box photo by Wendell T. Webber, lavender photo by Jose Villa, confetti photo by Meg Smith

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Monday, January 26, 2009

Sponsored Post: One Love Photo

I was trying to think of the best way to describe why I love One Love Photo's work, and then I came across this description: their images combine the style and sensibility of today's generation with yesterday's vintage look and feel. Perfect! Heather and Jon use a variety of cameras and techniques, from digital to medium format film to homemade lenses - you name it. And the resulting images are varied, timeless and unique. Here are just a few of my favorites...











Not only are Heather and Jon talented and willing to travel anywhere for cheap - as Heather says, "We LOVE to travel and experience new places!" - but they're also easy going and fun to work with. Hop on over to One Love Photo's website for more, and check out the blog for updates!

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sunday Edition #19

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Real Wedding Saturday: Danielle & Greg

When Danielle sent me a little package of all the pretty details from her wedding, I didn't even have to see the photos - I knew I just had to feature it. I think once you see the photos, you'll agree. Both Danielle and Greg work in the wedding industry (Danielle is an event planner for Samantha Smith Productions and designs stationery for her company Tallu-lah, and Greg owns Greg Piche Photography) so they knew they wanted their wedding to be something different - something fun and unique.


Inspired by the look of Hatch Show Print, Danielle designed all of the stationery with the help of Eunice at Hello!Lucky, and then printed everything on her own letterpress.




Danielle wore a dress by Amy Kuschel. To give it a glamorous vintage feel, she added a lace cap-sleeved jacket and a silver ribbon at the waist.






Greg wore a black suit by Dolce & Gabbana, and antique cufflinks with the letters D and G for Danielle and Greg. Danielle wanted to get married outdoors, and Greg wanted an urban setting, so the Foreign Cinema restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District was the perfect venue, and supplied the vintage movie theme. The ceremony took place in the courtyard.


In lieu of wedding bands, Danielle and Greg exchanged bracelets by Jeanine Payer, inscribed with an excerpt from their favorite song, Gotta Have You by The Weepies.


The wedding took place on a Friday in September, on Danielle's late grandmother's birthday as a way to remember her. Having the Friday wedding also allowed many of the guests who traveled from New York to spend Saturday with Danielle and Greg in the wine country.




Each bridesmaid chose her own dress in a gray or silver color.












To bring the outdoors inside, trees were brought in and placed throughout the restaurant. One of them displayed "movie tickets" that acted as escort cards.


Faux bois table linens were supplied by Wildflower Linens. Radeff Design Studios created the centerpieces of branches and seasonal fruit. Everything, from the invitations to the ceremony programs to the menus played on the vintage movie theme.




"Hooray" flags, made by So Inviting, were available for each guest to wave at the end of the ceremony. Danielle and Greg made a point of using Etsy and other local independent vendors whenever possible.


Jars of candy and trays of chocolates were set up for guests to enjoy, including Poco Dolce chocolate tile tastings with port.


A flag by So Inviting, bearing Danielle and Greg's screennames from Match.com - where they met! - topped the chocolate truffle cake made by I Dream of Cake.




After dinner, guests were invited to watch a silent movie in the courtyard, listen to Syd and Matt York, and snack on movie treats from the "concession stand" as well as groom's cake "hamburgers" from Elegant Cheesecakes, or they could party in the art gallery and watch Grease, dance to San Francisco DJ Chris Harnett, and enjoy treats from the dessert bar.



Congratulations Danielle and Greg! Thank you so much for sharing your fun wedding with us, and for sharing all of the creative and clever details, and to the photographers, Deb Mindel and Beth Hurley! You can see more of Danielle's work at Tallu-lah, and more from Greg's photo company at Greg Piche Photography.

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