Real Wedding: Amy & John

After looking at venues up and down California, Amy and John visited Olive Oaks and knew it was just the place for their wedding. Says Amy, "We knew that we wanted to keep our event to around 100 guests total, so we needed a space that didn't feel too overwhelming for our party size. Although the property has a very vintage/rustic feel to it, there were also many modern touches throughout. This really helped to inspire and inform the rest of the event design elements."

Amy couldn't find bridesmaid dresses in the styles and fabrics that worked with the relaxed aesthetic she wanted for her wedding, so she designed and made these lemon silk chiffon dresses herself (she also made the flower girl dresses). She was even inspired to start her own line of bridesmaid dresses, Swoon!




From Amy: My hands-down favorite moment of the entire wedding was when John and I were able to walk back down the aisle together as husband and wife with all of our closest friends and family cheering us on. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like it.




Other than the invitations, Amy made all of the paper elements, using resources such as Paper Source, Paper Mart, and font websites.




Centerpieces in wooden boxes included white roses, succulents, green coxcomb and scabiosa pods.






For all of those brides out there who feel like they have to DIY everything, here's some advice from Amy: My #1 piece of advice to brides - particularly for those of us who have, shall we say, "control issues" - is to take your time researching vendors. If you have open lines of communication during the planning process and can build trust in their taste and ability to see how you want your event to look and feel, then by the day of your wedding you won't feel the need to sweat the small stuff. The last thing you want to be thinking about on your wedding day is flower arrangements, place settings or wedding favors!

Photography: Michelle Pattee

Venue: Olive Oaks, Sebastopol, CA

Bride's dress / shoes: Monique Lhuillier / Sigerson Morrison

Bridesmaid / flower girl dresses: Swoon

Groom's custom suit: Isaia

Planning: Kim Yee Events, kim_creates@yahoo.com (650-773-6916)

Flowers: Hunt Littlefield

Catering / Cupcakes: Elaine Bell Catering Co. / That Takes the Cake

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Thank you to Amy and John for sharing your beautiful wedding with us, and for sending over all of these great details. Best wishes to you for a lifetime of happiness!

Board #374: Vineyard Vows

Napa Valley might seem like a wedding cliche, but there's a reason for it - California's wine country is classic, gorgeous and romantic, and I thought it would be a nice way to end this series of regionally-inspired boards. I obviously haven't even begun to cover all of the possibilities with only seven boards, so I'd love to hear your ideas. What regions do you have in mind? How would you play up that region in a wedding?

Mood: low-key elegance
Palette: grape leaf, ivory, oak

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Top row from left: photo by Positive Light, bentwood chairs photo by Elizabeth Messina, bouquet from Brides, calligraphy by Maybelle
Row 2: olive tree centerpieces from Martha Stewart Weddings, photo by Jesse Leake, fruit and cheese plate via The Invitation Lady, wine bottle favors from Duet Weddings
Row 3: invitation by Ceci New York, photo by Ian Grant, photo by Leah McCormick, cake from Martha Stewart Weddings

Board #313: Dinner at the Vineyard

Vineyard weddings are so timeless and beautiful, yet I haven't done very many vineyard inspiration boards. I thought I'd use one of my new favorite fall colors, aubergine, and use it in this formal, rustic vineyard wedding board. Grapes, violets, an intimate candlelit dinner. Change the floral and harvest elements slightly, and this venue and color scheme could work in any season.

Mood: formal, intimate, vineyard
Palette: grape purple, vine green

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Top row from left: al fresco candelabras, bouquet photo by Gemma Comas, cake and Oscar de la Renta dress both from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 2: grape centerpiece, invitation by Wiley Valentine via Oh So Beautiful Paper, Merryvale's cask room photo by Jen Siska
Row 3: violet seating card table by Ariella Chezar, dress by Jenny Yoo, violet nosegay by Artfool, ring pillow from The Knot
Row 4: tweed jacket, shoes photo by The Image is Found from Events of Love & Splendor, photo by Mulberry Photo

Real Wedding: Kacie & Brandon

Kacie and Brandon's vintage-inspired wedding took place in the California wine country, and she sent me these photos knowing that I'm a northern California girl and would just love them. I've had these waiting in the wings since July, and I just can't wait any longer to share them with you - and today, following Paul Lowe's vintage-lace projects, seemed like the perfect time. This wedding is so full of handmade details - I know you'll appreciate it as much as I do, no matter where you're from. As Kacie wrote to me, "Every single detail meant something." Take a look and see what she means...




The ceremony took place this summer at Kacie's parents' home in the wine country, the same place where they were married twenty-seven years earlier, where Kacie grew up, and where her grandparents lived before that.




Kacie wore a flower made of delicate Alençon lace by the talented Myra of Twigs & Honey.


Kacie wore a Melissa Sweet gown, and sported vintage sunglasses throughout the day.


Kacie's bouquet, by Christine's Flowers, consisted of gardenias, blowsy garden roses, and stephanotis. Kacie and Brandon's siblings were their attendants.






Before exchanging rings, Kacie and Brandon had a ring warming ceremony, where all of the guests passed the rings and silently blessed them with love and good wishes.


100 guests joined Kacie and Brandon for the celebration.


Kacie and her father walked down the aisle to The Beatle's I Will, played by her cousin and best friend. Kacie and Brandon wrote their vows, and because Kacie was an English major, they included poems among the readings, such as Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda and a love letter by George Bernard Shaw.


Brandon and his groomsmen wore suits from J.Crew, and a single fragrant gardenia for a boutonniere.


Gardenias were everywhere, and the entire garden smelled like them.


Do you see the vintage glass drawer pulls?






In addition to champagne, they served Pinot Noir made from grapes grown by Kacie's parents.


So many of the details of the day - including the invitations, hanging votives, vintage hanky prayer flags, table cloths, pomanders, and doily favor bags - were handmade by Kacie's mother and family, mostly with vintage linens, ribbon and lace.


The handmade doily favor bags were filled with a classic wedding favor: white Jordan almonds. Kacie's mother also made small doily boutonnieres for guests to wear.


Instead of a sit-down dinner, there were Sonoma cheeses, fruit, and passed hors d'oeuvres, giving guests the chance to mingle and chat and dance at their leisure.




Kacie's grandmother, was not well enough to attend the wedding, but she did send her collection of silver mint julep cups for centerpieces, and gave her mother's (Kacie's great-grandmother's) engagement and wedding rings to Kacie as a gift.


A family friend baked the cake, with two layers of dark chocolate and one layer of lemon, covered in delicious vanilla cream cheese frosting, and decorated with gardenias. Along with cake, bite-sized desserts were passed around, and guests helped themselves at the gourmet coffee and cocoa bar with Kahlua, chocolate shavings, peppermint sticks, Torani syrups, fresh whipped cream. Yum!


Kacie and Brandon spent a month before the wedding painting the house and barn, sewing, and stringing lights in trees.


Hundreds of string lights and votives created a magical, romantic glow once the sun went down.




Kacie and Brandon are singers - they met in their high school choir and have been together ever since! - so music played a large part in the wedding. Kacie's sister sang a song she wrote during the wedding ceremony, everyone danced the night away to the music of the swing band, Stompy Jones, and toward the end of the night, Kacie and Brandon sang a duet. Then Brandon sang a song to Kacie that he had written about her.




After their first dance (to I've Got the World on a String), Kacie changed into a dress that was custom-made by Tawny of Amour Sans Anguish, made entirely of vintage doilies! Kacie's dad built the beautiful checkered dance floor himself. With all of the handmade details and creative touches, Kacie and Brandon were able to pull this beautiful wedding together for under $20,000. That may not sound like a budget wedding after our last two real wedding features, but for such a glamorous event full of so many details - and in the Bay Area! - it is quite an impressive feat.

Congratulations Kacie and Brandon - and thank you so much for sharing your beautiful wedding and all of these details with Snippet & Ink. And thank you to Brandon's sister, Lisa Dick, and Kacie's childhood friend, Dawn Heumann, for sharing these pretty pretty pictures.

Board #276: Budget Friendly #8, Keep It Simple

Isn't the main point of a wedding to be married to the person you love at the end of it? All the rest seems like gravy. I think it's pretty obvious that I love the pretty details that go into a wedding, but I also know that it is entirely possible to have a beautiful wedding even without seating cards, a garter toss, elaborate flowers, favors, a clever guest book... Not to mention, those little details add up! If a few key elements are there, your guests will never notice that there's no candy buffet.

Who says...you can't do without all the details?

Mood: simple chic
Palette: green, gray, white

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Top row from left: potted herbs via Fish Food, framed chalkboard via This Is Glamorous, photo by Jesse Leake via Brooklyn Bride
Row 2: pear-lemon fizz from Martha Stewart Weddings, Vera Wang dress from Neiman Marcus, photo from Custom Event Group, parsley centerpiece photo by Mikkel Vang
Row 3: guest book photo by Marla Aufmuth, cupcake tins with baby tears, pear invitation from Wedding Paper Divas, pocket "boutonniere" from The Sartorialist
Row 4: bouquet by Paul Lowe, photo by Karyn Iserman, family-style dinner from Martha Stewart

The Paper: These simple pear-motif invitations - including envelopes - from Wedding Paper Divas will only run you about $2 apiece (depending on how many you order), and you can add other matching stationery pieces if you like. Instead of seating cards, why not use a unique framed chalkboard (a great DIY project, or available to purchase from Blue Bell Bazaar) to alert guests as to their seat assignments? And then use it in your home after the wedding!

The Fashion: Who says you can't have a designer dress for a decent price? Though not technically a wedding gown, this gorgeous modern style by Vera Wang is $995 (a steal for Vera Wang!). Choosing to have only a few attendants (or even none at all), is another way to keep things simple. Let bridesmaids wear the dress of their choice within a range of colors (or black), and let the groomsmen wear a nice dark suit they already own.

The Decor: Instead of elaborate centerpieces, make your own by filling milk glass containers, which you can find for as little as 50-cents apiece on eBay, in antique stores or at flea markets, with a variety of live herbs. Potted herbs can be found at your local nursery, or you can even think ahead and grow them yourself. Use them in your kitchen after the wedding (or give them as gifts to attendants). Another idea is to fill regular household items, such as a cupcake tin, with moss or baby tears.

The Flowers: Don't over-think the boutonniere; instead, tuck a simple white bloom in the groom's pocket, along with a white pocket square. Or you could skip the boutonniere altogether. Same with the bouquet - instead of a complex floral arrangement, go with a simple bunch of scapes and fiddleheads hand-tied with twine.

The Food: Have some wine, beer, and soft drink options, but to save on hard liquor, go with a signature cocktail. Consider serving a family style meal. It can cut costs, and it's a great way to get your guests interacting with one another. If you don't especially care for cake, there's no need to have one. Instead, serve one dessert to your guests, and let it be your favorite.

Other Details: How many times after your wedding will you look at the guest book? If it's often, then go ahead and splurge. But if not, consider a small and simple Moleskine notebook for only $10.

Splurges: Splurge on the venue. Not only will your guests notice a beautiful venue more than they'll notice most other details, but a special location requires far less embellishment than a more common one. In general, think about your priorities, figure out what they are, and splurge there.

For Free: Add some fun to your ceremony - play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who will say vows first.

Real Wedding Inspiration: Julie & Brennan

Board #253: Vineyard Classic

Someone once said to me that vineyard weddings are a cliché. My answer to that would be, they're a cliché the way roses are a cliché, and traditional vows, and wearing white, and having a Champagne toast. I certainly appreciate deviating from things just because that's they way they've always been done, but there is also something to be said for tradition and classic style. If you want something classic, don't avoid it just because it has been done before, because the truth is, even if you get married while skydiving or wearing a plaid wedding dress, you and your fiancé/e are the most unique thing about your wedding. I say, do what you want!

And what I wanted to do was make a classic vineyard wedding board today, full of grapes straight off the vine, and herbal details such as a lavender motif on the invitations and rosemary in the boutonnieres.

Mood: classic vineyard elegance
Palette: green, white

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Top row from left: photo by Lisa Leigh, buffet from Custom Event Group, bouquet by Cyndi Turk (photo by Amanda Bevington), photo by Punam Bean
Row 2: lavender photo by Jose Villa, cake from Martha Stewart Weddings, car photo by Elizabeth Messina, seating cards from Flora Bella
Row 3: hors d'oeuvres buffet from Rebecca Thuss, flower girl via Une Fille Comme Moi, grapes photo by Sabine Scherer, bouquet from Table Tops Etc.
Row 4: dress photo and herb centerpieces both from from Martha Stewart, herb boutonnieres photo by Weeks Photography, lavender stationery from Martha Stewart Weddings

Board #179: Purple and Vine

I have seen so many beautiful photos of vineyard weddings, and while I think that a lot of Snippet & Ink's inspiration boards could easily translate into vineyard weddings, I haven't made very many with that specifically in mind. This is one way I imagine a vineyard wedding - rich purples, lots of vines, and bottles of wine at every table. This is definitely a more rustic approach, with lilacs in vintage bottles for centerpieces, mismatched flea market chairs, and a hand-painted sign pointing to the wedding. And then just for fun, how about a panini grill?

Mood: rustic and romantic
Palette: purple, green, brown

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Top row from left: photo by Suzy Clement, Livia Cetti bouquet from In Style, White Rose dress from Brides UK, photo by Elizabeth Messina
Row 2: brown suit from The Knot, blackberry tart photo by Sheri Giblin, invitation by Greenwich Letterpress, tied arrangement by Todd Events
Row 3: panini grill from Amorology, lilacs via The Simpler Things, wedding sign from Sharla Flock, bridesmaids from Love Luck and Angels, wine photo by Jeremy Samuelson
Row 4: hand-bound recycled notebooks via Suburose's flickr, chair from In Style, seating cards by Peculiar Pair Press for Michelle Rago (photo by Dasha Wright), clematis bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings

Board #73: Autumn Vineyard

Love the fall. Love vineyards. And they're oh so pretty put together...

Mood: vineyard rustic
Palette: green, deep purple, brown

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Top row from left: bouquet by Ariella Chezar, dress from Stephanie James, photo from Perspecta Photography, grape sorbet and grape pie both from MS
Row 2: boutonniere via An Excited Bride, centerpiece from Dandelion Ranch, vineyard grapes, photo by Anna Kuperberg
Row 3: table setting from MS, table number via House Martin, cake from MS, invitations by Karisa Winkel