Rehearsal Dinner: Megan & Mihir

Megan and Mihir kicked off their wedding weekend at The Old Village Post House in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Blue Moon Events designed and planned the party, and my buddies at A Bryan Photo took the photos...














The decor was a charming blend of classic and modern - I love those cork-wrapped candle holders!









Venue: Old Village Post House in Mount Pleasant, SC

Flowers: Blossoms Events

Stationery: Dulles Designs

Linens: DC Rental

Congratulations Megan and Mihir, and thank you to A Bryan Photo and Blue Moon Events for sharing these photos and details with us!

Rehearsal Dinner: Laurel & Veli

Featuring a summery barbecue rehearsal dinner might seem totally out of place this Thanksgiving week, but I imagine there are still some summer brides here looking for inspiration, right? Besides, it's so much fun for me to share celebrations inspired by Snippet & Ink, especially when that celebration is as fun (and budget friendly!) as Laurel and Veli's rehearsal dinner. I love what Laurel shared about their planning:

I'm an avid Snippet & Ink reader, and when we first began planning our vineyard wedding, I knew I wanted something elegant in shades of deep purple, but I kept being drawn to your summery "picnic chic" inspiration boards in cheery shades of red and yellow. When both my fiance and I found ourselves casualties of the bad economy and had even less of a budget for our wedding - let alone our rehearsal dinner - I got my chance to put your backyard inspiration boards and our creativity to work for us! We were able to throw an intimate and beautiful backyard BBQ rehearsal dinner that became a lovely and very memorable night - all on a bail out budget!

With the help of friends and family, as well as day-of-coordinator Stacy McCain, Laurel and Veli's low-key rehearsal dinner was a huge success. And now, on to the darling photos, taken by Veli and his best man!


Laurel and Veli designed the invitations (and tables signs) together, inspired by an illustration of a ketchup and mustard bottle in love.








Dinner was served on Bambu wear. Each guest was greeted with a floral name tag hand-drawn by Laurel's father, who was to ill to attend the wedding.


Drinks were spiked Arnold Palmers, sangria and sun tea (made by Laurel's bridesmaids).










Friend Scott Turnipseed, a sous-chef at Cafe Bernardo in Sacramento, created and executed the menu of sliders with homemade pickles and spicy aioli, home-fried rosemary potatoes, and a salad of mixed greens and strawberries. Laurel's mom made peach cobbler (yes please!).

Venue: Private home, Sonoma, California

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Retro soda: Faygo

Day-of-coordinator: Stacy McCain

Thank you so much to Laurel and Veli for sharing your sweet rehearsal dinner with us - it's always so inspiring to see how much you can do without a big budget. I think this could definitely work as inspiration for a wedding reception, too. And of course, congratulations on your marriage!

Bridal Shower for Erica

This sweet bridal shower comes to us from the lovely Maria of Ritzy Bee! This summer, she hosted a brunch for her younger sister, Erica, with a tying-the-knot motif - and she was kind enough to share it with us. Kate Headley was there to capture it in photos. This party is such a great example of how beautiful doesn't have to mean over the top or elaborate - simple can be just perfect.


The letterpressed invitations by Simplesong Design (oh, how I love her work!) were enclosed in linen envelopes.




Holly Chapple created some beautiful arrangements for the buffet table and around the house.


The brunch buffet, catered by RSVP Catering, included bagels and lox, shrimp and grits, french toast, and of course mimosas and bellinis.


The tying-the-knot theme even included the straws! Napkins read "Tie One On."


I love the use of burlap and twine to add texture and interest to a simple glass vase.




Guests took home burlap sacks filled with saltwater taffy.

Thank you Maria for sending this over, and to Kate Headley for sharing the photos. And of course, congratulations to Erica and Craig who were married in September!

Rehearsal Dinner: Chrissy & Alex

Today's feature is actually a rehearsal dinner, but I think it could just as easily be a really fun wedding, and it felt like a really fun theme for the Fourth of July weekend. Laurie Arons created this retro hoedown party for a bride and groom in Calistoga, and Thayer Allyson Gowdy captured it all in these great shots...




The wedding took place at a private home in Northern California.




During the cocktail hour guests enjoyed a full bar, including the signature drink of whiskey sours, as well as mesquite grilled prawns and chipotle deviled eggs, provided by Daniel Ripley Catering. Dinner included buttermilk fried chicken, barbecue ribs, biscuits, cornbread and coleslaw.


Hats and bandannas from Oriental Trading Company.


Everyone came dressed in their cowboy gear! Welcome baskets included the classic children's book This is San Francisco, old fashioned peanut brittle, Popchips, sunscreen, a San Francisco/Napa Valley Zagat guide customized with the couple's wedding date (a gift from the Zagats, close friends of the couple), a tin of roasted almonds from Torn Ranch, Calistoga mineral water, and a detailed welcome letter listing the weekend's activities.



A bluegrass band, booked through Innovative Entertainment, serenaded the cocktail hour, and played after dinner.








PSPaper created the table names - each one named after vintage western movies and shows.


Guests enjoyed a country western themed movie about the bride and groom!






After dinner there was square dancing, complete with a caller.


The bride loves cake, so she had Perfect Endings make a display of home-style favorites, including devil's food, banana, spiced pecan, and red velvet. There were also s'mores (with organic dark chocolate, and homemade marshmallows and grahams - of course!) to end the evening. Guests were sent home with small burlap bags filled with retro candy.

If this doesn't look like a fun time, then I don't know what does! Congratulations Chrissy and Alex, and thank you so much to Laurie Arons and Thayer Allyson Gowdy for sharing this wonderful party with us. You can also see some of Thayer's pics of the actual wedding day over on Laurie's blog.

Rehearsal Dinner: Sharon & Francis

When the ladies at Gertrude & Mabel sent Sharon and Francis' rehearsal dinner photos to me, I could not wait to share them with you. The photos are wonderful, and all of the details are so much fun. Plus, I thought the red and white color scheme was fitting for Valentine's Day.


The wedding and rehearsal dinner took place in Bristol, a town that straddles the Virginia/Tennessee border, and Sharon's hometown.


140 guests joined in the fun at The Olde Farm for the rehearsal dinner.


Sharon wore a dress by Miu Miu and shoes by Sigerson Morrison.






The evening was planned in the spirit of "cheap and cheerful." Red bandannas used for napkins were purchased from Oriental Trading. Red geraniums from a local garden center were placed in basket from the Texas Basket Company as living centerpieces.










Since Sharon and Francis live in New York City, and Francis is from England, they thought it would be fun to treat their out-of-town guests to some Southern food and music - barbecue and and bluegrass (a local bluegrass band played)! Dinner was catered by The Olde Farm, and included Southern favorites like pulled pork, barbecue chicken, baked beans, and slaw. Beer was kept cold in big galvanized tubs full of ice, with vintage bottle openers hanging from ribbons tied to the handles.


Strawberry shortcake was served in red- and white-checked paper trays.


There was also homemade ice cream in a variety of regional flavors such as peach and Southern Comfort pecan.


Sharon designed the paper napkins and wooden spoons to match a motif on the invitations (she is a graphic designer at Yours Etcetera).


The large barn was decorated with custom papel picado banners from Mexican Sugar Skull - a great keepsake!


To make the huge barn seem more intimate, they "lowered" the ceiling by hanging the paper banners and strings of round party lights.


The piñata in Sharon and Francis' initials was a huge hit. It was filled with all kinds of adult-appropriate goodies, like mini liquor bottle chocolates, candy cigarettes, fake engagement rings, little metal bird and bug pins from Silver Crow Creations, and old fashioned candy from Economy Candy in New York. The pins and rings were wrapped in small glassine bags, sealed with a red dot sticker from Staples.


The red lanterns were purchased from Oriental Trading.






The evening ended with a big bonfire and s'mores - graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate were in little bags nearby, along with sticks for marshmallow roasting.






This looks like such a fun party - thank you so much to Sharon and Francis for sharing all of the details with us, and to Gertrude and Mabel for sharing your perfect photos! For even more inspiration, check out Sharon and Francis' beautiful wedding, featured on Martha Stewart Weddings.