Montana Farm Wedding from Jose Villa + Joy Thigpen Part II

You know, we are lucky. Like really lucky. Because our job is to write about beautiful moments. The kind of moments that people remember forever and ever. And if we're being really honest, it feels a little unfair. As dozens of moms and dads are lost in grief right now and as parents, we find it incredibly hard to continue with the prettiness, when some people are dealing with such ugliness. While this isn't at all enough, we wanted to let you know that we're donating all proceeds from today's book sales to the families of Newtown, Connecticut.

We've been celebrating the launch of the book with the wedding that started it all. That Joy Thigpen crafted to utter pefection and Jose Villa captured in photographs that will make you smile and cry and laugh simultaneously because they are just that beautiful. Rather than take up more of your time when I know you just want to see the goods, we'll just dive right in!





















So why did we decide to write this book, you ask? Well...it's simple. Every day we share inspiration. So much inspiration that our own heads are often left spinning. Then you layer on pinterest and magazines and art and movies and fabrics and colors and oh my, the inspiration is almost too much. So we wanted to show you HOW to use that inspiration that you are surrounded by. HOW to piece it apart, to break it down, and to put your own unique style stamp on it. This book may be pretty, but it's also a guide. That will help you brace yourself against the storm of pretty and design a wedding that is uniquely...you.

Style Me Pretty Weddings is on shelves TODAY or you can buy right here!

From the Bride...

We left floral design entirely to Joy. Almost all of our inspiration pictures were from weddings that Joy designed, so we trusted her absolutely and she exceeded any expectations we had. We got compliments on the flowers from life-long farmers and ranchers that have probably never noticed, let alone commented on, flowers before in their lives. FiftyFlowers also did an incredible job of getting flowers to Montana that every Montana-based wholesaler said would be impossible to get.    

We tried to add things to our wedding that were personal and fit us as a couple. We picked songs for the ceremony that were meaningful to us to replace traditional wedding music, and we wrote our own vows. We also tried to introduce our guests to both of our backgrounds.  For our out-of-state guests, we tried to show them what we loved about Montana and why we chose to get married there. My aunt baked her secret recipe cookies, a favorite of both of ours, as welcome treats for all our guests, and we wrote personal welcome notes to each guest letting them know what they meant to us. We also designed a wedding map that was filled with meaningful landmarks around the farm and showed nearby family farms, so that our guests could understand the significance of the location. We also tried to show our guests what we love about Justin's Lebanese background. We had our favorite Lebanese foods as appetizers, included baklava on our dessert table, and we used readings from a Lebanese poet in the ceremony. 

My advice would be not to forget that it's your wedding and that it needs to be true to who you are as a couple.  There are thousands of beautiful weddings and ideas, but at the end of the day, your wedding has to fit you.  There were times when we got overwhelmed by the options, but things came together for us when we looked at the credits on the inspiration pictures we both liked and realized that, although the styles in the pictures were different, the vast majority were pictures taken by Jose at weddings designed by Joy.  Once we had the dream team on board, it was easy to trust them to carry out our vision.



Wedding Photography: Jose Villa Photography / Wedding Venue: The Bride's Family Farm in Floweree, Montana / Floral + Event Design: Joy Thigpen / Wholesale Flowers: FiftyFlowers / Officiant: Reverend Jan Witman / Wedding Cinematography: Nathan Pickett Films / Catering: Zac's Montana Kitchen / Bar Service: Rocking K Bar / Wedding Cake: Cakes From Cabin Ridge / Cake Topper: Lollipop Workshop / Wedding Invitation, Program + Escort Card Design: Rifle Paper Co. / Calligraphy: Molly Suber Thorpe of Plurabelle Calligraphy / Vintage Stamps: Verde Studio / Map: Laura Condouris of Trial by Cupcakes / Music: Capital City DJ (406-227-8644) / Montana-Shaped Cookie Favors: Cakes From Cabin Ridge / Rentals: Celebrate Event & Party Rentals + Strobel's Rentals / Linens: La Tavola / Shuttle Service: Great Falls Historic Trolley / Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara / Wedding Dress Modifications: Nazzy Nazari / Bride's Reception Dress: Melissa Sweet "Fiesole" / Bride's Veil: Vera Wang + Nazzy Nazari / Bride's Ceremony Shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Bride's Reception Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride's Backup Shoes: Hunter / Bride's Jewelry: Custom by Wilson / Hair + Makeup: Mar Romero of TEAM Hair and Makeup / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Alfred Angelo / Groom's Suit + Shoes: Paul Smith / Groomsmen's Suits: Kohl's / Groomsmen's Ties: The Tie Bar