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.

Board #495: Champagne and Cake

The other day, I was revisiting one of my very favorite blogs, Faye & Greer. It was one of the first blogs I read, and it was one of the reasons I decided to start Snippet & Ink. Though it's been "out of service" for nearly three years, I still find ideas and inspiration there when I stop by and browse the archives. On this visit, I came across an inspiration board they made for a champagne and cake wedding, and I thought I'd expand on that look and idea for today's post.

Having a champagne and cake reception is such a sweet and sophisticated way of saving money on your wedding. Though I imagined a venue with a rustic feel to it, this type of wedding could easily translate to a garden setting, church hall, or historic building. Splurge on two or several gorgeous (and delicious) cakes, and buy champagne in bulk (some places will even let you return unopened bottles). Fabric rosettes appear on the bride's dress and the table linens, lending a feminine and romantic touch. Not that good wedding cake needs improvement, but vintage forks with mother-of-pearl handles are a glamorous detail. Send guests home with pretty packages of chocolate truffles.

Mood: romantic and warm (with just a touch of rustic and vintage)
Palette: champagne, sugar, rosé

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: rustic ceremony photo at Mankas by Thayer Allyson Gowdy, wedding dress with rosettes from Rebecca Thuss, photo of peach ranunculus by Aaron Delesie, vintage-inspired wedding cake with sugar anemones by April Reed
Row 2: coconut cake slices from Rebecca Thuss, photo of peach and gold dresses by Cherry Blossom Girl via Dress Design Decor
Row 3: chocolate truffle wedding cake by April Reed, photo of champagne bridesmaid dresses by Aaron Delesie, classic pink stationery by Sugar Paper, mother-of-pearl flatware
Row 4: pink ranunculus centerpiece by Saipua, champagne chocolate truffles from Martha Stewart Weddings, photos of champagne bottles and rosette linens both by Aaron Delesie

Real Wedding: Heidi & Michael

The very talented floral designer, Amy Osaba, sent over this colorful wedding. 60 guests joined Heidi and Michael at their May wedding, where they were married under a beautiful old tree.








Be-ribboned drink stirrers and monogrammed cocktail napkins.




During the cocktail hour, guests lounged in vintage lawn chairs and gliders, played croquet, sipped plantation punch and enjoyed Big Band music.


Favors were eco-friendly Meyer's Spruce saplings planted in mason jars and tied with twine.




In addition to wedding cake, a dessert table included blackberry and peach cobbler, mini pecan pies, pound cake, and a German chocolate cake made by the bride's grandmother.




Says Heidi: As a surprise to Michael, I bought each of us a beach cruiser bicycle to ride off on from the reception. So as we left on our new bikes, guests blew birthday horns to send us off.

Photography: Woodland Fields Photography

Planning: John Gandy Events

Venue: Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, Georgia

Bride's dress: Casablanca

Bridesmaid dresses: Lela Rose

Flowers: Amy Osaba

Cake: Sandy's Sweets (850-893-7779)

Real Wedding: Ayesha & Zachary

Dear readers - you have the most beautiful, charming weddings! And I love it when you share them with me! Ayesha and Zachary sent over pics of their lovely DIY wedding (taken by Julia Davis), and wrote about all the details, too. So, without further ado, Ayesha and Zach and their beautiful day...

We knew we wanted a small outdoor wedding with some coverage in a superbly unique setting. I was inspired by a mix of natural elements with things that define us as a couple and individuals. I wanted people to look around and go “Yup, that’s Ayesha & Zach.”




My dress was by Maggie Sottero, which I accented with flowers by Emersonmade. I found my shoes at rue21 of all places for like 8 bucks. They were flats which I knew I wanted and had a small ruffle detail. My honey's suit was a white linen suit he got at Dillard's. We just asked his guys to wear black pants, a white shirts, and we provided the ties for them.














Ayesha and Zachary commissioned watercolor portraits from Etsy artist, Jenny Meilihov, which were used for the invitations, and then displayed at the ceremony.




Zachary is my first, last, and only love. It was a truly magical day that brought together our families in a profound way. One of my favorite moments was when my Uncle (who married us) asked "Who supports this couple in their decision?" and everyone took out noise makers and rattled the Treehouse. We knew we had our friends and family rooting for us!














The menu for the Treehouse was very simple: old fashioned sodas and pretzels. Only the day of the wedding we realized that pretzels we ordered had mold on them! So we went with kettle corn instead.




My mother-in-law and 3 of my bridesmaids were my floral designers. I had scoured the internet for ideas, so we knew exactly what we wanted and the challenge was to recreate it, including growing wheat grass myself. The flowers turned out lovely and we saved a ton of money by doing it ourselves.


DIY projects included miniature paper pennants for the cupcakes, tissue paper pom poms, posters and signs, "instant conversation" menu cards, and CD favors.

Photography: Julia Davis

Venue: Treehouse at the Chattanooga Nature Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Wooden guest book: Lacuna (Etsy / flickr)

Bride's dress / fabric flower pins: Maggie Sottero / Emersonmade

Shoes: rue21

Groom's suit: Dillard's

Congratulations Zachary and Ayesha! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!