Connecticut Weddings

Engagement party, bridal shower, bachelorette shindig – whatever the occasion, a pretty celebration is always a must. Luckily we’ve got the entertaining experts at TRUE Event here to dish a few tips along with industry favorites, Hartford Prints! They’re recapping a recent West Elm event and pulling out ways you can steal the color-loving look for yourself. Read on for all the fun!

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Summertime Party Tips with True Event!

ONE |  Don’t be afraid to use color! Whether it’s with flowers, linens or decor items, you can change a mood in an instant with color.

TWO |  Get crafty with paper accessories!

THREE |  A fun way to add details is with signs, colorful straws or decorative napkins. Come up with a color scheme and get shopping!

FOUR | Coming up with a signature drink is a great way to get your guests excited about the party. Think of the season you are entertaining and use fresh herbs to add flavors or make it look pretty!

FIVE | Don’t be afraid to get crafty hitting up your local craft store. It’s always a great way to get inspiration and make your event special, unique and not cookie-cutter.

SIX | Keep it simple. Don’t overthink the menu – have four main dishes that you know are tried and true and can rely on beforehand so you aren’t stressing out before the party.

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From Hartford Prints!…New Orleans is one of our favorite cities. From the bright colors of the French Quarter to the syncopated sounds of jazz music, New Orleans is definitely a place to indulge your senses. When we brainstormed creating wedding stationery for the West Elm couple, we immediately thought of this city and its historic “funkiness!” West Elm is definitely a store that brings out a couple’s personal style and story. Whether it’s looking for the right sofa or the perfect accent pillow, a couple registering at West Elm is definitely in the mood for something high-quality, yet unique. The geometric shapes, moderns fonts, and color block overlay of our New Orleans suite speak perfectly to the couple looking for handmade, high-quality, and one-of-a-kind wedding paper. We love how the bright white, chartreuse, and turquoise of the paper contrast so beautifully against the rich boldness of the mid-century modern table. We also drew inspiration for the graphic pattern from the geometric design of many of the accent decor. Our paper – like West Elm itself – brings out the creative, artistic, and adventurous side of any couple!

From True Event…When we started to plan this fun event with Hartford Prints & West Elm we envisioned an airy spring atmosphere with spring colors emanating from the beautiful patterns and geometric shapes! This really lends itself for a super fun design working off of the invitation suit designed by Hartford Prints. We knew adding inviting colors and a tropical theme with floral touches would bring on a festive mood. Katherine from KD & J Botanica created the most amazing floral arrangements with adding mini pineapples to make it feel very tropical! Roe from Festivities catering provided the perfect little brunch menu for couples to nibble on while they made their perfect registry. And it isn’t a party for the ladies if they aren’t getting all dolled up! Upstyle provided brow and lip color tips for the spring wedding season. Julia Elizabeth Photographer captured this little soiree so perfectly!

Photography: Julia Elizabeth Photography | Floral Design: KD&J Botanica | Invitations: Hartford Prints! | Catering: Festivities | Makeup: Upstyle | Event Design + Coordination: TRUE Event | Location: West Elm | Tea: David's Tea (Glitter And Gold)

I’m all for shower games but a farm-to-table feast is sure to trump all. And that’s not the only fab activity on the docket for this pink infused shower. The mama-to-be and party planner extraordinaire behind Lovely Day Styling & Events also fashioned a floral crown making station with the help of Jakkelyn Iris Designs + dip dyed the prettiest pink linens (in her third trimester, no less!). Click through the vault captured by Victoria Gloria for even more!

I’m a wedding planner who loves obsessing over the smallest decor details that make our couples’ weddings unique, so when my Mom approached me to help plan my own baby shower, I was all for it. It was the chance to combine my passion for party planning with complete creative control — which was the best gift she could have given me! The planning process was so fun and the perfect pregnancy distraction in my third trimester.

We invited an intimate group of my closest friends and family and decided to host the party at Terrain in Westport, CT, a local spot that inspires me each time I walk in. My Mom and I worked together on the decor, focusing on special touches like calligraphed place cards and home-baked banana and pumpkin bread favors. We spent the day before the event dip-dying the table runners in my tiny kitchen sink, laughing for hours and trying not to dye our hands pink!

I really wanted my friends to have a lovely evening together, so we replaced traditional “shower games” with a delicious farm-to-table harvest supper and a hands-on group activity. My friend and floral genius Jakkelyn Dickey lead us in a wonderful flower-crown making class, which fit perfectly with the Garden Cafe theme and sent my guests home with a hand-made souvenir.

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It was the perfect celebration for my baby girl, and the talented Victoria Shaefer captured it all in beautiful photos that I’ll have as a keepsake for years to come.

Photography: Victoria Gloria | Event Design: Lovely Day Styling | Floral Design: Jakkelyn Iris Designs | Dress: Asos | Cake: Sweet Maria's | Invitations: Minted | Calligraphy: DIY by the Bride | Cafe: Terrain at Styers

As much as we love a blush wedding at SMP, we also love a day bursting with color like this one from Ashley Therese Photography. And with invitations and stationery from Roseville Designs, a gorgeous Jenny Packham gown from Everthine Bridal Boutique and entertainment from Sweet Tooth & The Sugarbabies Band, the color scheme isn’t the only thing to love about this day. See all the beauty in THE VAULT!

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From The Bride…The only thing we were set on while planning our wedding was having some aspect of our day outside. We both love the outdoors and spending time with my family in Connecticut and wanted to share that with our guests. The Inn at Longshore is close by where I grew up and was the first, and only, venue that we visited. We loved the location and the waterfront view with the option of having the ceremony and cocktail hour on the lawn overlooking the Long Island Sound.

Brian gave me free reign when planning the wedding, since it really is every girl’s dream, but I didn’t have a specific vision in mind. I knew that I wanted it to be beautiful and romantic, and not feel dated when we look back at our photos in 20 years, but other than that I was open to anything. There are so many choices for every facet of a wedding that it can be overwhelming. Our wedding planner, Amy of Amy Champagne Events, was wonderful and really helped us to narrow down what we wanted and to find the perfect people to work with.

From the start Brian had his heart set on hiring Loudbyte as our cinematographers. They created the most amazing film for his brother’s wedding but because they are based in Chicago we only Skyped and emailed with them. That really got us hooked planning online as much as possible. Since we were living out of state in New York City and recently had a baby, we tried to keep traveling to a minimum. The bridesmaids’ dresses and groomsmen’s tuxes were ordered online. We didn’t meet our photographer, Ashley Therese Photography, in person until our engagement session, and all of the invitation and day-of paper design was done with Sandy of Roseville Designs over email. We actually never even saw our band, Sugarbabies, perform until our wedding! It sounds crazy but with social media and everyone having a website, you can get a lot of information and feel really comfortable with your choices even if you aren’t able to meet face to face.

Before the wedding one of my bridesmaids reminded me to stop every once in awhile and be in the moment; just to take it all in. I’m so glad she told me that because I think it really made everything slow down for us and we were able to enjoy and really remember the day so much more.

Photography: Ashley Therese Photography | Cinematography: Loudbyte | Event Planning: Amy Champagne Events | Floral Design: Diane Gaudette Custom Floral Designs | Wedding Dress: Everthine Bridal Boutique | Cake: Erica OBrien Cake Design | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Catering: On The Marc | Makeup: Caitlin Cotter Makeup Artistry | Calligraphy: Belles Lettres Calligraphy | Lighting: Shindig Lighting | Band: Sugarbabies Inc. | Groom's Attire: The Black Tux | Transportation: Gateway Limos | Venue: The Inn At Longshore | Bridal Boutique: Everthine Bridal Boutique | Invitations + Stationery: Roseville Designs

If this is what marrying the North to the South looks like, well count me in. With classic preppy New England style, this Connecticut affair had all the charm and comfort of the bride’s Southern roots. Melani Lust Photography was on hand to capture every perfect detail and the resulting gallery is one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Click here to see it!

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North Meets South. More than just a wedding theme – our reality. My now husband comes from a family born and bred in Connecticut. While I am from a family born and bred in Alabama and Tennessee. When we got engaged on my parent’s anniversary, he got his first dose of the deep South. My parent’s congratulated us and told us that this was the day that the South surrendered to the North, and now he surrenders to me, just like my dad did to my mom 29 years prior.

From then on, we tried to incorporate his New England upbringing with my Southern heritage. First, the venues – quintessential Connecticut. The church, Greenfield Hill Congregational, built in 1725, sits on the top of hill looking down on the town. The Patterson Club would provide guests with a night of true New England elegance and a reception to remember. The menu was a mix of the southern food I grew up on with a New England twist. Lobster rolls and fried green tomatoes. Shrimp scampi and Shrimp and grits. Everyone even looked the part. The groom and groomsmen wore traditional New England garb – khaki pants and blue blazers, with southern bowties and cotton boutonnieres. The bride wore an Amsale gown that when her Mother saw it said, “now that is a true southern wedding gown” while the bridesmaids wore J.Crew dresses in champagne with coral accents. The flowers combined the a rustic, natural look of the Connecticut woods with the elegance and softness of the South.

We welcomed guests with two simple rules and hoped for the best as our friends and families collided for the first time:

Southerners: Yankees are people too and they are about to be your family.

Northerners: Listen carefully; there won’t be a translator available.

We needn’t have worried. The ceremony was perfection. The sun was setting, leaving a spotlight of sunlight on us as we took our vows. We left the church married in a 1950’s Bentley ready to party. As we walked into The Patterson Club, my sister had arranged for a mash-up of Sweet Home Alabama (Roll Tide Roll!) and Empire State of Mind (Go Yankees!) to play and it set the perfect tone for the night. We danced all night to our Motown band, Jump Street, until, I took a second and looked around. I realized in that moment that everyone I loved was in one room to celebrate us. All the running around and travelling between families for a year and a half ended with everyone in one room, North meeting South.

Photography: Melani Lust Photography / Dress: Amsale from Plumed Serpent / Venue: The Patterson Club / Church: Greenfield Hill Congregational / Invitations: CMR Design / Band: Jump Street / Florist: Flowers by Marna / Shoes: Kate Spade / Hair: Meredith Tuozzoli of Hair Spot / Makeup: Melissa D’Antonio for MAC / Cake: Great Cakes

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Photography

Melani Lust Photography

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It’s not very often that we come across a wedding sans flowers. Flora and Weddings are like peanut-butter and jelly. That is until we spotted this perfect day captured by Lisa Boggs Photography. It’s a beautiful mix of herbs and backyard festivities without a single petal in sight but the pretty factor is soaring right through the roof. This wedding definitely gets the SMP seal of approval for thinking outside of the wedding box. See more right here in the full gallery.

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From the bride… After my fiance and I got engaged, we started planning a large-scale rustic fall wedding in the Washington, DC area.  After about 9 months into the planning, we decided that we were way over our budget due to some unexpected financial issues that came up.  We drastically scaled back the wedding’s size and moved the date up from the Fall to the Spring of 2011.  Lucky for us, my fiance’s mother lives in Westport, CT, just one block from the Long Island Sound.  She has a beautiful and quaint back yard right on the canal, which also looks out towards the Sound.  She graciously agreed to host the wedding (for free!) at her home and our planning began in earnest.

Now that we were on a tight budget, we had to reassess the themes and cost of our wedding.  One of the things we had always planned to do, which certainly made the wedding more cost effective, was to have an entire wedding with absolutely no flowers!  Because we were in a beautiful back yard with lots of natural greenery, it made it really easy to do.  We chose very neutral colors — ivory and natural browns and beiges with pops of green.  Instead of floral arrangements at the dining tables, we had small potted herbs.  Instead of real flowers, we had the dining tables sprinkled with very small birch wood sculpted roses painted in multiple colors.  The overall effect of the muted design contrasted nicely with the lush greenery of the back yard.

Thanks to vendors on Etsy, we were able to purchase many lovely details to enhance our overall design scheme such as: mason jars with chalk board fronts, quaint table numbers, wood heart escort cards, wedding signs and arrows, personalized jars of honey for favors, and silk clutches for me and my bridesmaids to carry in lieu of bouquets.  My good friend and designer, Melanie Karlins, was responsible for helping me to articulate my vision and creating our beautifully rustic invitations, programs, and menus. AMG Catering provided the catering services for our wedding.  To start out, they served guests upon their arrival fresh squeezed lemonade and fresh brewed iced tea.  After the ceremony, the staff served up a deliciously long and gluten-free cocktail hour with beautiful plates of anti-pasta, delicious hors d’ oeuvres such as mini lamb burgers served with yogurt sauce on cucumber slices and and pulled barbecue pork served on sweet potato crisps.  The cocktail hour was was followed by a simple and delicious family style meal of grilled flank steak, rosemary chicken, grilled asparagus, and a beautiful mixed green salad with goat cheese, beats, and candied pecans.  In lieu of a wedding cake we had an over-the-top dessert buffet with multiple cakes, cupcakes, pastries, bars, and pies, about 1/3 of which were gluten-free!

Photographer: Lisa Boggs Photography / Wedding Dress: BHLDN / Hair & Makeup: Faces Beautiful / Desserts: Baked & Wired, Cherry Blossom Cakes, Angela Mia, Mariposa, AMG Catering / Catering: AMG Catering / Wedding Coordinator: AMG Catering / Paper Goods & Design: Melanie Karlins / Rentals: Abbey Tent & Party Rentals / Transportation: Teddy’s Limo / AV Equipment: A/V Davey

This next set of pink inspired details, photographed by the incredibly talented Justin Marantz, is insane! Just look at those flowers…they don’t get much more beautiful that this!

I am completely smitten with everything about this look…from the long tables, to the delicate candle holders and opulent pink florals. It’s just so dreamy and romantic!