T minus one and a half weeks until – eeeeek! – our wedding book comes out! Our holy-cow-we-can’t-believe-we-have-a-book book that is literally overflowing with, I kid you not, the prettiest weddings you have EVER seen in your life. For every budget large and small. For every bride, for every wedding style, for every girl who simply loves all things pretty. But guess what. We have one more chapter for you. And it just might be one of the best. Because it was dreamed up exclusively for SMP readers by the genius that is designer Lisa Vorce and our wonderful friend/ photographer Jose Villa with contributions by the best in the biz like Sweet & Saucy Shop (who crafted my FAVORITE part of this shoot…the cake), Flowerwild, Mr. Boddington, the Carondelet House, La Tavola Linens & Classic Party Rentals.
Tucked within the Style Me Pretty Weddings book is a fun little, “What’s Your Couple Style” Quiz. Kind of seventeen magazine style but updated to really capture the essense of the modern bride. In it, we define 5 different wedding styles: Classic, Modern, Whimsical, Rustic & Al Fresco. Okay, so Al Fresco isn’t so much a style but we thought it deserved its own category because of its pure awesomeness. Anyway, for each of the five wedding categories, Lisa, Jose and crew have helped us craft a blueprint to achieve each style to perfection. But there is one category, one blueprint that we saved just for SMP readers. Glam. And not Glam as in dripping with crystals and glitter. Glam as in subtle, sophisticated, no holds bar luxury. Approachable, attainable, must-have-able Glam. So we turned to the best in the business, Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming, to craft her version of what turned out to be this insanely stunning bonus chapter.
From Lisa…The shoot was inspired by me feeling the need to gold leaf something! I had the amazing table lamp above in my garage (in it’s original state – a a deep brown base with a paisley lamp shade). I gold leafed the entire thing and used that as my starting point for the table as a whole. I loved how pairing the gold in this table with the deep, rich tones of the brick and black wainscoting at the Carondelet House turned out. And how the privet berry mimicked the tones in the wainscot. The entire look felt like luxury with an attention to detail tucked into every corner.
If you’re planning your own intimate, glamorous, all out luxurious celebration, here a few tips to keep in mind.
*Nothing says GLAM more than caviar and champagne! Caviar w/ creme fraiche on individual spoons is a great “starter” to have at each guest’s seat as they sit down to the table. Pair it with crisp Champagne and your guests will know that they are in for something special.
*Consider petite mono-botanical arrangements of richly colored privet berry. It’s rich in style without dominating the look.
*Metallic gold-edged invitation with coordinating metallic envelope liner will set the tone for the entire evening.
*We opted for a two-tier cake with metallic gold layer and privet berry detailing. Simple – yet visually stunning.
*Consider including a super luxe treat for your guests. Gold-dusted truffle provided a something fabulous for our guests to part with.
*Tailored napkin fold with modern gold band napkin ring are simple and yet scream taste.
*Consider using something off the beaten path for your centerpiece, like this gold leaf lamp that we DIY-ed. It looks so expensive and yet is actually a flea market find.
*Gold rimmed patterned china formally stacked at each place setting allow for a traditional style with a greater impact. Gold flatware for added the blig!
*For linens, go for a layered effect. We chose a gold underlay paired with organdy overlay which provided a subtle touch of glam.
So there you have it; our GORGEOUS bonus chapter and just a hint as to what you can find inside the pages of our book. By now, we’re hoping upon hope that you guys have saved your pennies and rushed out to buy it – well not so much rushed out as just popped on over to one of the three online sellers. But for those of you that haven’t, we hope that this was just the bit of pretty needed to sway you to the other side and convince you once and for all that you just have to get your hands on one of these babies.
Cover Photography by Jose Villa / Styling & Design: Lisa Vorce / Cake by: Sweet & Saucy Shop / Photography: Jose Villa / Flowers: Flowerwild / Linens: La Tavola / Stationery & Invitations: Mr. Boddington / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Venue: Carondelet House