Happy Weekend!

Just a quick heads up that tomorrow we're doing a server switch, and any emails that are sent while that's happening probably won't get to me. But Sunday I should be all set to get emails again. Other than that, my weekend will include breakfast with Leila, catching up with my favorite blogs, meeting with our stationer to talk about invites (!), and enjoying some outdoor time with my honey. I think one of my favorite things about the summer is that there's no need to make big plans - a simple, relaxing weekend is just fine.


{via sfgirlbybay}

Some weekend links for you! And if you feel like it, share some of your favorite finds from around the interwebs in the comments.

Short dress, big bouquet.

Congrats to Max and Margaux!

Science never looked so lovely.

Love this sneaker roundup.

Portland pop-up postcard, via simple + pretty.

Delightfully whimsical photos, via Black Eiffel.

Tiny flashcards.

Sweet candy, sweet packaging.

Have a happy, happy weekend lovelies!

Real Wedding: Wendy & Sean

Thirteen people were present at Wendy and Sean's June wedding, and that's including the bride and groom! Their intimate and charming ceremony is a great example of how to include children from previous marriages in a second wedding. Says Wendy:

We have three boys between us, from our first marriages, and we both felt very strongly that this wedding wasn't just about Sean and myself, but about our new family. It was a chance for our children to heal from the divorces and to feel safe and secure in our new family. Everything we did was geared towards making it a happy, special day for them.








The day before the ceremony, Wendy and her sons decorated the church inside and out with magnolia leaves taken from trees she had planted when they were born.









A few details from Wendy: For our first "family date," we visited a little church in Amelia where a small battle had been fought during the Civil War. We took Frisbees and had a really fun picnic, plus we got to share a little of Virginia's Civil War history with my sons. It was a magical day and the real start of our family. When we were trying to figure out where we wanted to get married, that little church, Namozine (maintained by the Amelia Historical Society), seemed like the perfect place.

For the wedding, we did a sand ceremony with our boys. Each of us had our own jars of sand, which we poured into a larger jar to symbolize that we are individuals, but joining together into one family. The children took the sand ceremony very seriously and I think that it meant a lot to them. I hope that every time they look at that jar of sand, they will know how much we love them and want to make a happy, secure family for them.

Wishing all the best to this new family! And thank you to Susan Bolling for sharing these charming photos with us.

Discounts, Giveaways, Etc.

Discounts

If you're in the Los Angeles area, check out Ban.do's studio sale tomorrow from 11am to 4pm, and get half-off everything from the Heart collection to Black Label. 7958 Beverly Blvd.

Each week, Calligraphy by Jennifer is giving one client 15% off, free return ground shipping (U.S.) and 25 free thank you notes. See details here.

Giveaways

Brenda's Wedding Blog is giving away a custom wedding guest book, card box and pen set. See details here.

Get a free $50 gift card to the restaurant of your choice when you set up your wedding registry with A Simpler Bridal Shower Registry. See details here.

Etc.

The very talented Noa from Feather Love Photography is holding an artist workshop in September. You can see all of the details here.

Voting has begun for Project Wedding's Budget Savvy Bride contest. You have until tomorrow, 7/31 to make your pick! See details here.

Project Wedding is a sponsor of Snippet & Ink.

On the road again...

So sorry for being such a delinquent blogger this week - I'm starting to realize that multi-tasking and planning ahead aren't my biggest strengths, and I'm making a mid-year resolution that involves improvement in those areas. This week I've been at my sister's house in San Diego, spending some quality time with my darling nephews and stopping by the Film Is Not Dead workshop to meet up with some awesome wedding photographers.


{via ffffound!}

Since I'm on the road with my honey heading back to the Bay Area today, I don't have a post for you, but I have a charming real wedding to share with you tomorrow (and weekend links, of course), so make sure to stop by and check it out. And in the meantime, have a good Thursday!

Board #496: Secret Garden, Revisited

One of the very first inspiration boards I ever posted was inspired by The Secret Garden, and when I saw this post over on Dress Design Decor a couple of weeks ago, I immediately wanted to revisit the theme (and hopefully improve upon it). Faded blue, vintage keys, overgrown vines, and romantic stationery pull the look together, while a chandelier hung in a tree, a unique candelabra, and paisley printed linens add something unexpected.

Mood: romantic, storybook
Palette: faded powder blue, pale garden green, white

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: secret garden door via Dress Design Decor, chandelier from Brides, faded blue door via Dress Design Decor, ring bearer ensemble by Marie-Chantal via Brides UK
Row 2: photo of weather vane candelabra by Elizabeth Messina, springerle cookie cake from Martha Stewart, botanical RSVP card by Austin Press
Row 3: white wine and vintage wine glasses via Style Me Pretty, vintage key via Dress Design Decor, vine save-the-date by Austin Press, The Secret Garden and vintage key via Dress Design Decor
Row 4: blue display box-frame from Cox & Cox, garden bridal hat from Martha Stewart Weddings, white garden chair with roses from Wedding Style Guide, blue paisley linen by Peter Dunham Textiles via Style Court

PS - I am so excited about being able to hang out at the Film Is Not Dead workshop while I'm here in San Diego. Thank you to Jonathan Canlas for inviting me to speak!

Real Wedding: Lilly & John

It's always so fun to learn about a wedding venue that I didn't know about before, like the Penthouse at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel. Lilly and John were joined by 90 guests for their wedding at the historic venue. The couple wanted their wedding to feel like a chic cocktail party in a fabulous apartment, with amazing food, an amazing location and amazing views. The ceremony took place on the balcony overlooking San Francisco, after which guests were able to explore the penthouse, playing pool in the billiards room, nibbling on hors d'oeuvres in the living room, and dancing in the dining room.

Says Lilly, "We pretended that we were throwing a party at our apartment which was super helpful with focusing our attention on what we really wanted, instead of the many wedding things that everyone says you must have. We decided there would be no walking down the aisle, no first dance and no sit-down dinner. And that we definitely wanted black tie, amazing food and definitely Russian vodka!"










How amazing is this Persian-inspired billiards room?










Framed photos of Lilly, John and their families were placed around the penthouse to give it a lived-in feel. Pink peonies were arranged in vases throughout.






To honor her Russian heritage, Lilly and her family made flavored vodka which was served from an ice bar, which featured iced shot glasses and a selection of caviar. Pink cocktail napkins which were personalized with celebratory Russian sayings.









Photography: Kate Harrison

Planning: Lauren Geissler at Downey Street Events

Venue: Penthouse at The Fairmont San Francisco

Bride's dress / shoes: La Sposa / Valentino

Bridesmaid dress / clutch: J.Crew / Eclu

Hair / makeup: Julie Morgan

Flowers: Not Just Flowers

Officiant: Rabbi Gershon from A Sacred Event

Catering: Adriana McKee-Abbe for Barbara Llewellyn

Congratulations Lilly and John! And thanks so much to Lauren Geissler and Kate Harrison who shared details and photos from this gorgeous wedding.

(Photos submitted via Two Bright Lights.)

Eclu is a sponsor of Snippet & Ink.

Sponsored Post: Project Wedding

Besides all of the incredible wedding ideas, one of my favorite features on Project Wedding is their huge gallery of real weddings. There's inspiration for just about any style of wedding you can imagine. Here's a little sneak peek of one of my favorites, shot by Robert Sukrachand...









See more of this wedding right here, and click on over to find beauty, photography, DIY wedding projects and tons of other planning resources on Project Wedding!

Sunday Edition #95

by Jenna Walker

Happy Weekend!

Well dearies, what do you have planned for the weekend? My honey and I are taking a little road trip down the coast to Santa Barbara for my cousin's wedding this weekend, and then further on to San Diego for a few days where we'll hang out with my sister and her boys, and where I get to stop by Jonathan Canlas' Film is Not Dead workshop. I can't wait!


{Kate Spade}

Hope you enjoy these links from around the web this week!

Frenchwomen's secrets to aging well (thank you to Mariam).

I write like ________.

Quite a fancy business card.

Custom fingerprint paper cutting? Brilliant save-the-date idea!

My bed wants to wear Leontine Linens, via i suwannee.

Mi madre in 1967, via Nibs.

Raspberry brown sugar gratin? How did I not know about this until now?

Delightful illustrations, via Mint.

One of these days I'll make it to this fabulous party.

Have a happy, happy weekend!

Discounts, Giveaways, Etc.

Discounts

Lovely Paperie by Meli would like to offer 15% off all letterpress invitations when you place your order before 8/13. Coupon code: Snippet10

Each week, Calligraphy by Jennifer is giving one client 15% off, free return ground shipping (U.S.) and 25 free thank you notes. See details here.

Giveaways

The first 50 Snippet & Ink readers to register with Wedzines and redeem this coupon will receive a free standard digital Wedzine ($20 value). Coupon code: SNIPPET

Souris Mariage is giving away a set of five paper pom-poms. See details here.

Wedding Nouveau is giving away a $50 gift card to Beau-Coup. See details here.

Brenda's Wedding Blog is giving away a Mindy Weiss wedding gift set from Gracious Bridal. See details here.

Etc.

Let us know about any discounts, giveaways or events you've got going on in the comments section below.

Real Wedding: Kelly & David

Today's pretty backyard barbecue wedding comes to us from photographer Kate Osborne. The bride, Kelly, stopped by to tell us a bit about the day:

Most of the decisions we made for our wedding were based on what was least expensive and what I thought would be the easiest and most fun. We wanted people to be able to have a good time. As far as location goes, I love, love, love, my mom and step-dad's backyard in West Bountiful, Utah and I wanted people to come out and see how pretty it was. I had a suspicion that my step-dad (who loves parties) wanted to utilize their nice space by one day having a wedding there and also I thought it would be cheaper and easier than renting a venue. Our reception was on Thursday, July 9th and I'm not positive, but I think we had 200-250 guests show up.

Pretty much everything about our wedding was do-it-yourself. I designed and printed our announcements; my mom and I designed and made my dress; my sister got a crew of us to make the pinwheel decorations, which cost a total of about $48, including ribbons, and which we hung them ourselves; my cousin made the beautiful flower arrangements; we made a couple of play lists and our friend managed the sound system.














Guests enjoyed lawn games such as badminton, horseshoes, and bocce ball.







Happy wishes to you, Kelly and David! See more of their lovely wedding celebration over on Kate Osborne's blog.

Real Wedding: Natalie & Matthew

Natalie and Matthew's beautiful Australian wedding is a perfect example of how a classic wedding look can still be unique and totally reflective of your personalities. 60 guests joined them at their June wedding at the Longworth House in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

Says Natalie, "The venue was kind of a hidden gem in the city - if you didn't know it was there you could walk straight past it. We didn't need to go far for photos and the different levels of the building allowed us to have the ceremony in one room which had a baroque feel to it, and then we all moved to the front lounge for drinks and canapes. For dinner we moved upstairs to a simple, light-filled room with amazing chandeliers from the ceiling.

"The look of our wedding was something a bit vintage Hollywood, but modern at the same time. There was no theme, just all the things we love - we had old Jazz playing during canapes and the wedding rings and invitations had a French feel, to them."














From Natalie: The whole day was divine, but the ceremony was my favorite part of the whole day. Our readings, 'The Owl and the Pussy Cat' by Edward Lear and lyrics from 'Dance Me to the End of Love' by Leonard Cohen were just perfect, and the candlelit room created a wonderful ambiance. It was a very special moment and I couldn't take my eyes off my man!




Natalie suggests choose a venue that has the look you want, and avoid having to do lots of extra decorating. "Keep it simple," she says. "Always step back and think, Do I really need this? We barely added anything to the dinner room other than fresh flowers to the tables."




Guests went home with boxes of Hunter Valley chocolates.



Photography: Zoe Lonergan

Venue: Longworth House in Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Bride's dress / shoes: Melanie Ford / Panache

Groom's suit: Rundle Tailoring

Chocolates: Hunter Valley Chocolate Co.

Many happy wishes, Natalie and Matthew! Thank you to San Francisco based photographer Zoe Lonergan for sharing these lovely photos of the day.

(Photos submitted via Two Bright Lights.)