Sunday Edition #74

{by Feather Love Photography}

Real Wedding: Anna & Walter

When Anna first got in touch with me, I loved being able to chat with her a bit about Mississippi (some of you who have been reading forever might remember that I taught kindergarten there for two years). She and Walter had such a charming wedding, planned in only three months. They got engaged in May 2009, and set a date for May 2010, but, Anna says:

As the summer wore on, we both got rather impatient. All the anticipation and planning was driving me bonkers. I was so over wedding planning - as much fun as planning can be, all of that lost importance compared to the simple fact that I wanted to share this important moment with him. We were so excited to make this commitment to each other – felt so fortunate that we found this kind of love – and decided that waiting was for the birds. Our families were going to officially meet each other over the Thanksgiving holiday, so we thought, “Why not go ahead and get married?!” So, we announced to everyone at the end of August that we had decided to move the date up. . . and had only three months to plan. . .










This was Anna's second wedding, and she wanted something a bit different for her wedding dress, so she opted for a brown dress which fit perfectly with the autumn date. Her shoes brought in the jewel tones present throughout the wedding.


We wanted the ceremony site to have a “certain something” so we considered the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum. It is a fantastic location with several museums. It has lots of character designed to look like a late 19th century, early 20th century rural Mississippi town, recreated with authentic buildings like a General Store (complete with Moon Pies, Cheese Straws and Co-Colas), gas station, Masonic Lodge, Doctor’s office, a cotton gin, old tractors, a school room – and also a small Chapel. The chapel was just the right size for us, fitting 80-100 comfortably. The rich, dark wood on the interior was already so beautiful it really didn’t need much more decoration.






You'll probably hear this a million times, but it's true: make it your own. What shines through is who you are as a couple. The bridesmaids walked in to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," I walked down the aisle to Rufus Wainwright's song "Danny Boy" and we walked out as a married couple to the Peanuts "Linus and Lucy" theme. Everyone enjoyed it. So many times I heard, "Well, that's different," meaning untraditional. Too bad! That's who we are.






Anna shares a bit about how they kept their food and drink within budget: The menu for our reception was Tex Mex - Walter is from Dallas and we wanted to incorporate a little Texas into our Deep South Mississippi affair - besides, we thought having tacos would be a great change of pace for everyone who had overdosed on Turkey and dressing! Our cocktail hour had roasted corn salsa and a savory Mexican cheesecake. Upstairs lunch was a taco bar and also quesadillas made right there. We had cupcakes in our favorite flavors, red velvet with cream cheese icing and German chocolate. They were divine! The only alcohol we had was a champagne toast. Walter and I didn't want to break the bank with alcohol but I also don't like the idea of a cash bar, so we invited our friends to bring wine or any sort of alcohol of their choosing if they decided they might want more to drink than a glass or two of champagne. Our friends were fine with it - and it turns out we had a lot of champagne left over, too.








Our DJ is a friend of ours named Daniel Guaqueta - he DJ'd a brunch for the film festival one year and it was so much fun. I'm a Classic Soul music fanatic - I'm from Memphis, home of Stax and Hi Records and worked for four years at Malaco Records here in Jackson. We compiled all our favorite soul songs - from Motown to Stax to Malaco, added some funk and others of our favorites from other genres, gave them to Daniel and he put together a great playlist. Everyone loved the music and danced for hours.



Photographer: Erin Fults

Custom napkins: Jean M

Ceremony venue: Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, Jackson, Mississippi

Reception venue: Northpointe Red Barn, (601) 991-9461

Bride's dress / shoes: Bari Jay / Sofft

Bride's birdcage veil / fabric flower: Tessa Kim / Miss Ruby Sue

Groom's suit / tie: Men's Wearhouse / Belk

Bouquets / boutonnieres: Tulip Design Studio

Ceremony, reception decor: DIY

Catering: Catering by Debbie, 601-937-0630

Cupcakes: Viva La Cupcake, 601-278-1742

Happy, happy wishes to you Anna and Walter! Thank you so much for sharing your wedding with us, and for sharing so many great details about the day. And thank you to photographer Erin Fults for kindly sending over all of these great shots. You can also read tons more and find a link to a slideshow of even more photos from Anna and Walter's wedding over on the Jackson Free Press site.

Happy Weekend!

Yesterday, one of my very dearest friends and I did a little cupcake taste test (which really just means we bought cupcakes from two places and ate them), so I'm not quite sure how the weekend could live up to that, except that I'll be spending it with my honey, which is always a treat. I'll also be keeping my fingers crossed for nice weather, because I'd love nothing more than to read one of my new book purchases out of doors. What are you up to this weekend? If you happen to be somewhere in New England, this pic for you. (Isn't it just the cutest? Jeff Newsom takes amazing photos, and he shoots weddings, too...)


{by Jeff Newsom}

A touch of spring.

Send a garden through the mail, via Oh So Beautiful Paper.

Totally digging these engagement photos.

Happy blog birthday to 100 Layer Cake!

Lovely lips.

Pothole gardens, via Oh Joy!

50 steps to simple happiness, via A Cup of Jo.

Piano love.

John and Jackie.

I remembered this article, and now I'm dying to make some perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Have a happy weekend!

Discounts, Giveaways, Etc.

Discounts

Please share any discounts in the comments section below.

Giveaways

Unusually Fine Photography is giving away wedding photography to one New York couple. Find out all the details here (seriously - they take amazing photos!).

Third Coast Bride is giving away two Juliska champagne flutes from Tabula Tua. See details here.

Intimate Weddings is giving away a $150 custom shirt from Blank Label. See details here.

Brenda's Wedding Blog is giving away a $100 gift certificate to Accent the Party. See details here.

Etc.

Help Julianne Smith celebrate the launch of her 2010 garter collection at a party in Washington DC on 4/7. See details here.

Kristen from Haute Boudoir will be in NYC on 3/20 and is offering boudoir sessions at the Soho Grand, or at your own private residence. $400 includes a 90-minute shoot, three 8x10 prints and a 3x3 Mini Accordion Album. Space is limited. Email Kristen at xoxo@hauteboudoirphotography.com if you're interested in setting up a session.

Papeterie Store* has recently added an earth friendly line of brightly colored postcards.

*Snippet & Ink sidebar sponsor

Real Wedding: Karen & Nick

I always love seeing wedding photos, but when they come from a reader, and when that reader found her venue through Snippet & Ink, that's even more of a treat! Karen and Nick booked the Acqua Hotel for their May wedding after seeing it in this real wedding feature, and planned a beautiful celebration. (Karen also made an inspiration board to help her vendors understand the vision she had for the day!) I also have to point out Aubrey Trinnaman's gorgeous photography - this is a lady whose work I imagine we'll be seeing plenty of in the future...










Before the ceremony, the bridal party took photos in the Marin Headlands. Though the day started out foggy, the fog lifted in time for the ceremony.










Karen and Nick's budget friendly decor included 36" white balloons and bright orange flowers in IKEA vases.


Karen and Nick used miniature clothespins to attach seating cards to the balloon strings.


Buttons were customized with quotes and photos about Nick and Karen, things like "Virginia is for Lovers," "I Heart NY," and "Coke tastes better out of a glass bottle" (Nick loves Coke, and guests enjoyed Coke in glass bottles, as well as Guarana, a drink from Brazil where Karen is from). Karen says, "The buttons were a hit with guests who added flair to their outfits throughout the evening." (You can have custom buttons made at Busy Beaver Buttons.)











Venue: Acqua Hotel, Mill Valley, CA

Bride's dress / shoes / headpiece: La Sposa / J.Crew / K. Autumn

Bridesmaid dresses / Groomsmen vests: J.Crew

Flowers: Yasmin at Wildflower Event Florals

Cupcakes: Teeny Cake

Congratulations Karen and Nick - thank you so much for sharing your lovely wedding day with us! And thank you to Aubrey Trinnaman for sharing these incredible photos. I really hope we'll be seeing much more of her work soon!

#463: Robin's Egg Blue

Well, it took me long enough, but here's today's inspiration board! Robin's egg blue for a sophisticate Spring wedding. Creamy white and outdoor garden green keep it fresh and sophisticated, as does using mostly white flowers for bouquets, with ribbons in blue. And for anyone who has the original issue of Martha Stewart Weddings that has the blue cake in it, you'll be able to see that the pale blue frosting is flecked with vanilla beans, making it look just like a robin's egg!

Mood: sophisticated spring garden
Palette: robin's egg blue, spring green, cream

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: hydrangea bouquet with blue moire ribbon and pussy willow nest both from Martha Stewart, blue flower girl dress from Flora and Henri
Row 2: bouquet with lace by The Green Vase, robin's egg blue cake from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 3: plantation house photo by Caleb Chancey, nests under cloches from Williams-Sonoma, bay leaf chair garlands photo by Meg Smith
Row 4: Modern Day Design muscari boutonnieres photo by Jose Villa, rice packets from Martha Stewart Weddings, Marie-Chantal ring bearer outfit from Brides UK, blue and white favors from Martha Stewart Weddings

Zzzzzzzz......

Hi friends! I just spent the most wonderful day with my mother, and then my sister's godmother stopped by for the evening, which turned into a slumber party, and now it's nearly 3:00AM, and my inspiration board isn't posted yet. All that is to say that I do have one for you, it just may be up a bit later than usual. In the meantime, don't forget to vote!

Sponsored Post: Feathers & Frills

As much as I absolutely love veils, lately I'm finding myself drawn to pretty headbands and flower headpieces, like these lovelies by Krystle of Feathers & Frills. She calls them confections, which sounds so perfect for such sweet and charming pieces. Here are just a few of the pretties you'll find in her Etsy shop.











Hop over to Feathers & Frills' shop to see all of the other bridal adornments that Krystle has listed - there's plenty more where these came from. And if you're anything like me, you'll have the hardest time choosing just one!

{photo credits: Jill Thomas}

Board #462: Pansies and Blush

I don't know about you, but Spring cannot come soon enough. But since we can't rush nature, I thought I'd put together an inspiration board based on one of the sweetest Spring flowers - pansies. Though they're not the best flowers for bouquets - they're awfully delicate and tend to wilt out of water, plus they have short stems that make them tricky to bundle up - it can be done if you really have your heart set on it. They also make delightful potted decorations, or even potted individually as favors or attendant gifts (here is a beautiful example using mercury glass votives and African violets). Though this is certainly a feminine color scheme, I think the richness of the purple and the hints of sage green keep it from being overly sweet.

Mood: sweet spring
Palette: palest blush pink, rich purple, a touch of faded sage

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: violet and pansy nosegay by Matthew Robbins for Martha Stewart Weddings, vintage dress and African violets both from Martha Stewart
Row 2: sugared chocolate truffles and embossed scallop-edged card both from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 3: calligraphy cake from Martha Stewart Weddings, Leone Pastilles photo from flickr, pale periwinkle bridesmaid dresses from Brides

Sunday Edition #73

by Love Me Do Photography

Real Wedding: Fiona & Niels

I've been following the work of photographer Polly Alexandre for awhile now, and today I get to share her beautiful work with you, with Fiona and Niels lovely wedding. As soon as they were engaged, Fiona says that she and Niels knew they wanted a small wedding in their adopted hometown of London, and that's just what they had...






Fiona's 1930's-inspired gown was beaded by hand with Swarovski crystals taken from her mother's wedding dress and Miyuki satin beads. She completed her look with a pair of silver and drop crystal earrings given by her parents when she moved from Scotland to London years ago.


How amazing is this hat! Made by milliner William Chambers, who also made Fiona's gorgeous headpiece.




Guests were treated to a short tour of London before going on to the reception in a red Routemaster bus. Says the bride, "The night Niels and I first met, he insisted on waiting with me for my bus (No. 139) in Bond Street, London. I will never forget the sense of certitude when I got on that bus that I had met someone quite special. So, as a surprise for Niels, I arranged for the red bus to be mocked up as the No. 139 bus."


Fiona describes their ceremony site: "We came across the historical church of St. Bartholomew the Great (built in 1123 AD) long before we got engaged and were struck by its heritage and beauty. Unbeknown to us, the church has played many a starring role in films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral."


"Our reception venue was located on the banks of the River Thames with stunning views of St. Paul’s Cathedral. This restaurant and brasserie is attached to Shakespeare’s Globe and we instantly fell in love with it, not only for the location but also for their ethos of serving seasonal produce in a relaxed atmosphere." Fiona and Niels love to throw dinner parties at home, so this was the perfect wedding reception for them: 38 guests joined them for dinner around one large table, allowing everyone to feel included, and allowing the couple to interact with each of their guests.






The wedding cake was a small square fruitcake. Also, Fiona says, "My mum is famous for her shortbread, so we asked her to make small individual heart shaped pieces for the reception. I forgot to thank her on the day so can I take this opportunity to say thank you so much, Mum!"






"Our first dance was to Glen Campbell's Grow Old With Me, as we think the lyrics say it all."



Photographer Polly Alexandre had entered Fiona and Niels into a contest to win wedding videography, and they won! Renaissance Studios shot this 8mm film of Fiona and Niels' wedding:

Stationery: Emily&Jo

Ceremony venue: St Bartholomew the Great, London

Reception venue: The Swan at the Globe

Bride's gown / headpiece: Jacqueline Byrne / William Chambers Millinery

Bride's shoes / red hearts: Bridal Rogue Gallery / Victoria Health

Mother-of-the-bride's suit / hat: Jacqueline Byrne / William Chambers Millinery

Groom's suit: Richard James

Flowers: Paula Pryke

Reception music: City Strut band

Cake: Tina Koorland

Scrabble tiles / tile racks: eBay and Tilefish / Seven Letters

Best wishes Fiona and Niels! Thank you for sharing a bit of your beautiful wedding with us, and thank you to Polly Alexandre for sharing these gorgeous photos - you can see even more from this wedding over on Polly's blog. Oh, and I just have to share this funny story from Fiona with you: "Niels and I decided to spend our wedding night at home as we live only five minutes from the reception venue and we weren’t leaving for our honeymoon until Monday morning. On arrival at the threshold Niels discovered he didn’t have any keys on him as they 'spoiled the look of his suit.' He had his iPhone with him but no keys!"