You might know her as the designer behind Saffron Avenue, but today our dear Angela is joining the ranks as SMP’s newest blogger bride. She’ll be sharing the ins and outs of her wedding planning journey, and what better way to get things started than a dinner party celebration with the help of Coco & Fig, Mint 102 and Munster Rose? Read on for Angela and Kiley’s sweet story and be sure to visit the gallery of pretties a la Emily Steffen. Cheers to love!
From Angela… Hi there, Style Me Pretty Brides! I’m Angela, the designer and editor over at Saffron Avenue, a boutique branding studio and lifestyle blog. I am also a partner in Mint 102, a wedding and event branding company. I am still in total shock and extremely humbled to be SMP’s newest blogger bride and I am so beyond excited to share my story and planning process with you. Before starting my own design studio, I worked as a wedding planner and had the opportunity to design so many beautiful weddings for amazing couples. It feels like a dream to now be engaged and planning my own!
My fiancé, Kiley, and I met my sophomore year in college when we lived across the apartment hall from one another. After becoming friends, we played on the same Spring intramural softball league at school. That following summer he spent every day trying to teach me how to play tennis..that’s where I fell in love with him. Before we officially started dating, I let him know my plans to move away after college to build my career. He said he would support me no matter what..and he did. In our eight years together made it through college, our switch shift jobs, my move to North Carolina, two years of long-distance, and now working together side-by-side.
This past Christmas, Kiley’s gift to me was a formal dinner date to celebrate my move back to Wisconsin as well as my recent business venture. We sat across from each other and throughout dinner I was patiently waiting and wondering if he was going to pop the question. The reason I love this restaurant is that at each table, there is a small book filled with past customer’s stories and the reason for their visit. After we ordered dessert, we sat next to each other and flipped through the pages of others stories. When we turned to the last entry I recognized his handwriting immediately. The final two pages were filled with our entire story (needless to say I was crying like a baby). On the last page he had written “over seven years ago I asked you to be my girlfriend and you said yes…tonight I am hoping you will say the same…” and pulled out the ring at that very same moment.
I started following Style Me Pretty back in the summer of 2007 when I landed my first wedding planning internship. Back then, I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a SMP contributor blogging about my own wedding! Being a designer and having a background in wedding planning myself, I am so excited to share my journey with all of you. Kiley and I are planning an out-of-state wedding on a limited budget and we can’t wait to show you how we pull it all together.
Until next time! xoxo, Angela
Photography: Emily Steffen Photography | Floral Design: Munster Rose | Dress: Target | Cake: Cocoa & Fig | Invitations: Mint 102 Wedding + Event Branding | Calligraphy: Saffron Avenue | Necklace + Bracelet: Chloe & Isabel