100 Layer Cake

27 Jan

Intimate Arizona wedding: Jackie + Brandon

categories Real Weddings

Jackie is a gorgeous bride with a healthy obsession for paper pinwheels. She’s also a DIY extraordinaire with an amazing trick on how to save for the biggest party you’re ever going to throw and have all the stuff you want. You know – the small things that end up adding up to hundreds of dollars. Strict spending habits aside, Jackie was able to win over $1000 worth of items for her wedding! She’s obviously amazing.

intimate arizona wedding

These adorable pinwheel bouquets are just a few of the many DIY projects Jackie made. She also made the pinwheel boutonnières, pinwheel wreath (above their arch), table numbers, tissue paper poms, chalkboard drink menu, wine bottle centerpieces, wooden chalkboard program, and lemon aisle décor. Whew!

intimate arizona wedding

Music: She walked down the aisle to “Heaven” by Brandi Carlile, exited to “What I Got” by Sublime, and had their first dance to “Let it Be Me” by Ray LaMontagne.

intimate arizona wedding

The secret:

There were many items that I so coveted but simply couldn’t afford – so I set out to win some via entering giveaways. My technique? Constantly visualizing my name being announced as the winner was my way of putting the energy out there. I had NO IDEA how well this would work. Hundreds of giveaway entries later, I ended up with over $1,000 worth of items: invitations by Paper & Thread, a ring bearer bowl and custom hangers by Paloma’s Nest, a veil & feather hair fascinator, and my Mother’s dress to name a few. What a blessing!

Jackie has us inspired to enter giveaways now! Congratulations Jackie + Brandon!

Photography: Sloan Photographers / Videography: NoBox Films / Venue: Val Vista Lakes / Flowers: Jennifer Wood of Mignonne Handmade / Catering: Nando’s Mexican Cafe / Day of coordinator: Swanky Cue / Desserts: Liberty Market / Plantable placecards: Pulp Art / Bride’s dress: Allure Couture / Shoes: Miss L Fire / Bowties: Wickham House

26 Jan

California ranch wedding: Holly + Jon

categories Real Weddings

What you may notice after just a few images of Holly + Jon’s wedding, is there’s no defined “theme”. This wasn’t because of any lack on their part, it was because Holly decided to let go of the whole “wedding colors” topic in the beginning stages of planning. Instead of pining over two colors that went good together, she focused on a palette of several hues (that just so happen to go perfectly with our blog’s design). Start with a palette of soft, dreamy, earth tones and a venue with two beautiful plantation style homes, peach trees, a farm – all at the base of Mt. Diablo and you’ve got a romantic, no-fuss, comfortable California wedding!

minted wedding invitation

They ordered their super cute blush rose invitations from Minted.

Blush wedding dress

California ranch wedding

Holly’s bouquet had English Garden roses, Dusty Miller, Jasmine, Dahlias and mini Daisies.

California ranch wedding

The music: The boys walked in to Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny, the girls walked to Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Café Orchestra and Holly walked to Canon in D. Their recessional song was a great classic 80s jam - Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. Later, they entered their reception to Renegade by Styx and had their first dance to Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne.

California ranch wedding

Vintage brown bottles were a must and Holly was determined to have them everywhere. 2011 was the year of collecting vintage brown bottles at flea markets, antique fairs and thrift stores.

California ranch wedding

For the escort cards they purchased arrow pins from Miniature Rhino and attached them to kraft paper and stamped the table number on them. Easy and cute. Plus, they got to see everyone wearing their pin throughout the night.

California ranch wedding

Advice from the bride… A note about vendors. Don’t rush when selecting your vendors. Obviously their aesthetic and quality of work is number 1, but chose them how you would chose a friend. Do they respond to you in a reasonable amount of time? Are their responses thoughtful? Meet vendors in person and see if you click with them. If you don’t, move on and keep searching. This will make the whole planning process more enjoyable and those days leading up to the big day you won’t be second guessing anything. And if you can, hire Kate Harrison and Enjoy Events Co.!

Photography: Kate Harrison Photography / Day of coordination: Enjoy Events Co. / Florist: Anne Mendenhall Flowers / Catering: Trumpetvine Catering / Cake: Le Gâteau Élégant / Invitations: Minted / Venue: Mt. Diablo Ranch 925-899-8752 / Makeup: Trish Ward / Bride’s dress: Aire Barcelona by Rosa Clara/ Shoes: Franco Sarto found at a discount shoe store for $40 / Ring: Rivka Friedman blue quartzite ring from Gilt / Earrings + bracelet: Sister in law’s / Groom: J.Crew / Bridesmaids dresses: Alice + Olivia, Madewell, Modcloth, Just Cavalli and vintage

26 Jan

Macy’s Wedding Registry

categories Registry, Sponsored Post

There’s a floor in every Macy’s that you can walk into with your soon-to-be hubby and scan your future household appliances, and other pretty obsessions away! Or you can do it from the comfort of your home. It’s amazing. From dinnerware to a juicer, to Jonathan Adler, Kate Spade (we could go on) product under the sun – they seriously have it all.

Plus they make it so easy to add anything you can dream of having in your new little home (online, via your phone, or in the store). Bonus: They give you gifts just for getting gifts. Every gift you get from your registry gives you 5% of that purchase price back in your pocket. So that KitchenAid Mixer you’ve been pining for? It retails for $399. Your mom buys it for you and you get 5% of that purchase in your Star Awards account. That’s like getting $20 bucks! Um, yes and thank you.

macy's wedding registry

The perks to registering with Macy’s: Ever try to return a wedding gift to a superstore? Not fun at all. Superstores make it hard to make returns if they go a month after the date of purchase. Macy’s makes it easy peasy. You can return on-line and in-store up to a year after your wedding date (enough time for you to settle into your new abode and figure out what needs to go back), as long as the item is on your registry. And you get back the actual price of the item when it was purchased, not the subsequent sales prices. Love that!

Those beauties above are some of our favorite picks. If you’re loving them and want to add them to your registry asap, head to Macy’s Registry to get started! Happy shopping, Cakelets!

{from left: Acacia Wood Cheese Board Set, Jonathan Adler salt + pepper shaker, Kitchen Aid, Arteriors Table Lamp, kate spade new york Dinnerware, Le Creuset French Oven, Core Bamboo Modern Mortar and Pestle, Mikasa Barware}

*not valid on any beauty/fragrance purchase. Nor do you get 10% back from furniture if it’s self-purchased. So while you cannot register for furniture at Macy’s, you can use your rewards gift card to purchase that sofa or Karastan rug of your dreams.

This post was sponsored by Macy's.

25 Jan

Bridal shoot by Elizabeth Messina

categories Wedding Wardrobe

And we continue our story of lace, tulle, faux fur, and silk organza wedding dresses from a few of the most well known designers shoot by the brilliant, Elizabeth Messina - these dresses are heavenly!

bride and groom fashion

We’re happy to welcome our gentleman, looking dapper in a Brooks Brothers Italian wool suit. The lace and tulle drop-waist La Sposa dress looks elegant paired with those Luly Yang leather gloves and Fabulous Furs faux fur and tulle wrap.

bride and groom fashion

And a must cover in case it sprinkles, this Bella Umbrella parasol is adorably perfect!

bride and groom fashion

Vera Wang brings a little bling with this Crystal-embellished gown with structured waves of Chantilly lace and tulle. Also featured, above and below is an Anne Barge silk organza gown with knotted bodice, Holly Stalder organic cotton cape, and Enzoani belt used as a headpiece.

bride and groom fashion

These two last gowns – the one-shoulder Badgley Mischka dress and Elizabeth Fillmore crepe-back satin slip gown with hand-appliqued flowers are both sexy and playful.

If you want to see more, check out the latest issue of Salt Lake Bride & Groom.

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina / Editor and stylist: Tessa Woolf / Hair and Makeup: Erin Skipley / Model: Alex Long for Heffner Management

25 Jan

Bella Luna Farms bridal shoot by Elizabeth Messina

categories Wedding Wardrobe

You’re either still glowing from your recent engagement over the holidays, stuck in the middle of figuring out what style dress you’re going to wear, or you’re kindly stalking our blog for future inspiration. It’s all okay by us! We’re here to help. Elizabeth Messina is here to inspire. This bridal shoot was photographed at Bella Luna Farms – 12 lush acres of organic gardens, ponds, pastures, a grape house, and a collection of European-inspired, custom crafted stone and timber structures. What’s that, you don’t have your venue picked out either? Hello, you’ve just hit the jackpot!

blush wedding dress

This beauty is a Monique Lhuillier embroidered illusion tulle blush-colored gown.

blush wedding dress

classic white wedding dress

This Matthew Christopher satin organza gown pairs beautifully with A Princess Bride Couture cathedral-length tulle veil. And let’s not forget that fantasy flower custom-made by Blue Elephant Weddings.

classic white wedding dress

lace white wedding dress

Monique Lhuillier long-sleeved re-embroidered Chantilly lace gown with Monique Lhuillier hand-applique and lace and tulle veil. This gown kind of reminds us of Kate Middleton’s wedding gown, no?

beaded white wedding dress

Or do you fancy this beaded lace and crepe-back satin dress by Luly Yang? So much pretty we hardly know what to do, so we’re going to give you more! If you want to see more, check out the latest issue of Seattle Met Bride & Groom. Don’t go anywhere because we have more bridal inspiration from Elizabeth Messina coming up next!

Photographer: Elizabeth Messina / Editor and stylist: Laura Cassidy / Hair and Makeup: Erin Skipley / Model: Alex Long for Heffner Management