24 Apr

We love it when a bride shares a handful of details from her wedding. It puts us right smack in the middle of it all and is the perfect excuse to feel like we were actually invited. Based off the dazzling photos by A Girl in Love Photography, Kristine + Justin’s wedding was totally fun. 135 guests with a few fabulous party crashers in the mix (always a good sign of a happening party) + homemade maple syrup favors + a live concert during the reception + a bouquet so pretty and bright the bride is having it memorialized (kinda)… this was the event where friends and family who didn’t know one another at the beginning of the night left as friends.

Rifle Design Co. Michigan Farm Wedding Invitations

Do you even need us to tell you who designed these adorable invitations? Only the talented Anna Bond from Rifle Paper Co.

Billy Balls, Succulents, and Bright Boutonnieres

We know. Most adorable boutonnieres ever right? Succulents, craspedia, dill flowers, celosia, and gomphrena made for a bright little arrangement for the dudes.

Wedding Well Wishes for 1st Anniversary

Fun guest book idea: Leaving out a box with paper and pens for guests to write sweet notes with and not opening the box until your 1st year anniversary.

Rifle Design Co. Michigan Farm Wedding Pins

Bright Michigan Farm Wedding

Michigan Wedding Welcome Tote

We are crazy fans of guest tote bags! If you have guests traveling far distances for your wedding chances are they’ve planned ahead to make a weekend out of it. Help them get their feet wet by putting together a tote full of goodies that represent your city.

Bright Bouquet of Pinks, Peaches, and Purples

Want to know why Kristine looks giddy as can be here? That’s because she was in LOVE with her bouquet. As she should be. The pincushion protea, parrot tulips, coral charm peonies, dahlias, ranunculus, garden roses, craspedia, cosmos, scented geranium foliage and passionflower vine are perfect together. It was wrapped with lace from Kristine’s dress and affixed with a pendant that her grandmother , who passed away in 2002, wore on a necklace every day.

Cute side note: Kristine loved her bouquet so much that she told Justin that the only thing she wants for future anniversaries is to have her bouquet recreated each year!

Bright Ribbon Details & Ceremony Decor

Michigan Farm Wedding Ceremony Decor

Michigan Farm Wedding

Low Chignon Wedding Hair

Peony, Succulent, and Bright Floral Reception Centerpieces

What were in their bright centerpieces: succulents, lady’s mantle, dahlias, ranunculus, garden roses, zinnias, hypericum berries, craspedia, parrot tulips, safflower, celosia, and scented geranium.

Rifle-inspired Illustrated Floral Chalkboard Menu

Instead of having paper programs and menus, they wanted to be a bit more playful and share the information on chalkboards. They purchased easel chalkboards from Ikea for $14.99 and hired Sweet Heather Anne, a local cake artist who dabbles in sign artistry, to create the program, menu, and schedule for the day based off their invitations.

Patchwork Couple's Initials

Flowerbox Centerpieces & Floral Fabric Napkins

The story about those handmade napkins: My family called me crazy when I started talking about making napkins for our wedding. While Justin was deadset on the invitations, I was deadset on mismatched napkins. Once Rifle finish the design of our invitations, I started purchasing coordinating fabric and thread at Joann’s. While it was a considerable amount of work, I became a coupon-war vixen snipping Joann’s coupons from their weekly circulars, so we probably spent the same amount of money we would have on rentals. As it turns out, our guests liked the napkins so much that many of them shoved them in their pockets and purses to take home. A few weeks after our wedding, I received a package containing three pressed napkins and a note of apology from my aunt saying that in the moment she just couldn’t help nabbing them. 

Maple Syrup Wedding Favors

Kristine’s dad actually made all the tree slabs that displayed their homemade maple syrup favors that he and his friends tapped, processed, and bottled for the event.

Barn Wedding Band

One of our favorite bands, Scythian, pretty much played a private concert for our guests. We had been to a few of their concerts and knew of their gift for getting people up and going, but we couldn’t believe how their music enticed just about every guest out on to the dance floor until they stopped playing. As the evening went on, their music inspired tambourine dancing, a fiddle off between their lead fiddler and my dad (who was playing a stump fiddle – an old German tradition), chair dancing, and crowd surfing. I kept pulling Justin back on the dance floor when he needed a break, as I knew it would be the last time I could push to the front of the crowd simply because of what I was wearing.

Barn Wedding First Dance

Michigan Farm Wedding

These two know how to have a good time and throw one heck of a party! Congratulations Kristine + Justin!

Photographer: A Girl in Love / Day of coordination + partial planning: Viva la Diva / Flowers: PassionFlower / Caterer: Eat / Venue: Misty Farm Event / Tent & China Rentals: Special Events Rental / Maple Syrup Favors: Sugar Bush Maple Syrup / Invite Calligraphy: Margaret Haas / Desserts: Decadent Delight / Bride’s dress + sash: The Gown Shop / Mink stoll: Vintage (belongs to Mom’s friend) / Shoes: Chie Mihara / Dance Dress: Elizabeth Dye / Dance Shoes: Chie Mihara for BHLDN / Broach: Belonged to bride’s great-grandmother / Bridesmaid Dresses: BHLDN and JCrew / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss

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23 Apr

Top o’ the morning to you, everyone! So very excited for today’s post. I finally get to share Tim and I’s engagement photos with yous. We took a little trip out to the desert awhile back with Elizabeth Messina for a spiffy photo shoot at Hotel Lautner, an amazing mid-century hotel in Desert Hot Springs. We wanted to have some fun with this shoot and do a more editorial-style approach. I think Elizabeth captured us perfectly.

We had the best time together that day.. all dressed up and feeling like a glamorous 60′s couple.. oh the life..

mid-century engagement photo

retro engagement shoot

retro engagement shoot

retro engagement shoot

100 Layer Cake engagement

retro engagement shoot

Fiore Beauty did wonders with my hair and makeup. They are good, those girls. Many of you had asked about my engagement ring. We had this one custom-made by Philip Press in Los Angeles. I always knew I wanted a modern styled ring, and I love how it turned out…a 3-sided eternity band with pave-set diamonds. It is so sparkly!

retro engagement shoot

retro engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

retro engagement photo shoot

60's engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

retro engagement photo shoot

mid-century engagement shoot

mid-century inspired engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

60's engagement shoot

desert engagement photo

100 Layer Cake engagement

Being engaged to Tim has made me feel like a new woman. I didn’t realize it would be different than being with someone for a long awhile, but it is. Life feels lighter, more conquerable, and we’re more connected with a deeper sense of love for each other .. it almost makes me teary to think about it. I’m such a lucky gal.

Our friends at Utterly Engaged are featuring some beautiful pages of our photos, along with an interview we did about how we met, our first “I love you” and some other fun tidbits. So make sure you pop over and check their magazine. There are always so many great bridal fashion and decor ideas in there too!

And you can read about our first kiss on Elizabeth’s blog Kiss the Groom. Let me tell you a bit about Elizabeth…she is a master at her craft, has an eye for creating perfect beauty in every moment and is an inspiring person to be around. Plus she has so much love to give… we were truly honored to be in front of her camera that day.

xx, Amanda

Photography: Elizabeth Messina / Styling: Amanda of 100 Layer Cake, with assistance from Catherine of The Life Styled / Hair and makeup: Fiore Beauty / Location: Hotel Lautner / Engagement ring: Philip Press / White dress: Halston Heritage. Black and white zebra dress: Kate Spade, and earrings all c/o Rent the Runway. Red, navy and white striped dress: Trina Turk. Orange heels: Zara. Heart swimsuit: Jcrew

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20 Apr

We’re getting ready to sign off for the weekend, but not before we can share Silvia + Bryan’s wedding. There was no specific theme per se, but you kind of don’t need one when your venue is a spanish cottage overlooking the ocean. Some gold accents here and there, found drift wood details, a variety of potted succulent escort cards, and a colorful ribbon arch is enough of a vision to keep us through the weekend.

quaint spanish california cottage wedding

bouquet of pink dahlias

glittery shoes

ribbon ceremony backdrop

ribbon ceremony backdrop

Bryan built the arch they married under and Silvia added her touch by hanging bright ribbon from it.

succulent escort cards

succulent escort cards

We’re a fan of escort cards doubling as party favors especially when they’re potted succulents! What lucky guests they had.

gold edged menu

Silvia printed and gold-paint-dipped the thank you/menu cards that were placed at each place setting. The table numbers were also painted/stained/put together by her. I bought unfinished wood craft frames from Michaels ($1 each) and stained them the same color as what went on the wedding arch. I used cardstock purchased at Michaels for the backing and painted the wooden numbers the same gold that I used for the thank you/menu cards and on the “pick a seat” sign for cohesiveness.

succulent and soft pink dahlia centerpieces

Hello, we want these centerpieces! Silvia wanted their centerpieces to look as if they had been plucked from a field… mossy and overflowing… very organic with a combo of white hydrangea, mini green hydrangea, dinner plate dahlias, white ranunculus, artichokes, dusty miller, maiden hair fern, green hypericum, succulents potted, succulents, moss and Manzanita branches.

craft paper reception decor

ribbon backdrop for sweets table

That fun gold LOVE print came from MadebyGirl.

white cake with succulents

The cake stand was also Bryan’s creation. They found the stump on a slope near their house, hauled it back to their place and cut it to size, polyurethaned it and carved their initials on it.

Quite the handy bunch aren’t they? Congratulations Silvia + Bryan!

Photographer: Love Ala / Coordinator: Nicola Matz / Catering: Priscilla Granger of At Your Service Caters / Rentals: Signature Party Rentals / Florist: Desdemonia Gilbert of Desdemonia’s Designs (desdemoniaj@netzero.com) / DJ: KIK Entertainment Florin Maracine / Bridehair + makeup: Makeup by KC / Cake + macaroons: Cinderella Cakes / Grooms suit: The Men’s Warehouse / Bride dress + veil: Village Bridal

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20 Apr

Here’s what’s best about today: the new Gilt Groupe Wedding Shop starts today at noon ET! But this isn’t just any wedding shop. You know how you’ve always dreamt about becoming friends with the entire team of editors at Martha Stewart Weddings? They’d be at your side as you pick out your gown, bridesmaid dresses, shoes, paper goods, even your lingerie (why not?). Point is, they’re basically the all-star team that can make wedding planning a breeze and with such style. If only they could curate an entire shop of all of the above and then some and put them on sale through Gilt. Well they did! Sneak a peek and get ready to shop the Martha Stewart Weddings: Editors’ Picks Gilt Groupe Wedding Shop at noon ET!

gilt groupe wedding

gilt groupe wedding

Some brands you can expect to see in the shop: BHLDNTheiaTemperley LondonL’Wren Scott, Bridesmaid dresses from TwoBirds and more! From what you can pack for your ooh la la honeymoon, to your engagement party, bachelorette party, and rehearsal dinner, you’re gonna find it in this shop. Less talk more shop, right?

Happy Friday shopping, Cakelets!

 

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dresses, shoes, hair, makeup, flowers, bachelorette party, photography, decor, invitations, ceremony, honeymoon