Style Me Pretty: Wedding Blog for the Style-Obsessed Bride

Emily Jackson of The Ivory Lane’s Gorgeous Home Tour

If you follow Emily Jackson of The Ivory Lane, you know you’re dealing with a superhuman. She’s gorgeous. She has kind of exquisite taste. And she’s the mom to not one, not two, not three… but FOUR children including the sweetest set of twins you’ve ever laid eyes on. And today, she’s opening up her doors just for us. And sharing her entire home with ideas and inspirations that will have you green with envy…but not in that grumpy kind of way. In that really good, really inspiring way that makes you want to be her best friend. Read on to see Emily’s stunning space!

LIVING ROOM

When we started designing this space, we already had the built-ins so I knew I wanted to play off the color! I chose a range of neutrals with accents of blue and greenery! We spend so much time in the family room so I wanted it to be a comfortable space where everyone could hang out. Being right off the kitchen, I knew I wanted to keep the design style chic and timeless, but with an edge. Alice Lane captured my design vision perfectly!

Design services and products from Alice Lane. Photography by Lindsay Salazar.

KITCHEN

Our kitchen is exactly what I have always dreamed of and fits our family’s needs perfectly. I also love how it reflects my own personal style. It has definitely made our house feel like a home. When we are at home we are in our kitchen, so it was REALLY important that we got it right. I couldn’t be happier with the end result!

Design services and products from Alice Lane. Photography by Lindsay Salazar.

MASTER

I’ve said before that I’m a homebody and LOVE to be at home with my family. When I was pregnant with my twins I was so exhausted and tired, so I’m happy to admit that I spent plenty of time in my master and still so in love with everything about the space! Some of my favorite pieces of the room are of course the bed (plus the accent pillows and bedding), the curtains (by Q Design,also here), and the gorgeous chandelier!

Design services and products from Alice Lane. | curtains by Q Design | Photography by Lindsay Salazar.

MASTER BATH

I knew I wanted a lot of natural light spilling into my master bathroom to give it a light, airy feel. My favorite features are probably the gold accents and the marble floor and bathtub!

Design services and products from Alice Lane. Photography by Lindsay Salazar.

CLOSET

I started dreaming up my closet space with Alice Lane a few months ago. We met in their gorgeous reveal space to go over concepts, and I was blown away by their ability to capture my vision for space. I wanted my closet clean and comfortable, but I still wanted it to be different, a space where I could find inspiration. Some of the key things that really impact the feel of the room include the window treatments (my favorite part), the wallpaper, and the built in custom island (cabinets by Christopher Scott, slab by White Water Design). It all turned out exactly how I imagined and I could not be happier!

Design services and products from Alice Lane. Built-in custom cabinetry by Christopher Scott, slab by White Water Design. Photography by Lindsay Salazar.

CANNON’S ROOM

I envisioned Cannon’s “big boy bedroom” to be a grey/navy color scheme with a modern vibe and a slight nautical twist! I worked with RH Baby & Child to design a “big boy” room for Cannon and it has been such a fun process seeing it come to life (you can see my design inspiration here and my experience going to my local RH Design Atelier in Salt Lake City to meet with their interior design team to pick out everything here). To say Cannon is loving it is a huge understatement; it suits him and his personality perfectly!!!

CAPRI’S ROOM

Capri’s bedroom is one of my favorite spaces in the house! I love how feminine and classic it is, but not too elegant and not too girly. It suits Capri’s personality perfectly and I love how it turned out!! Curtains by Q Design, bench from Anthropologie, Arm Chair by Wayfair, desk by Wayfair, Gatehouse rug, Gatehouse lamps, lamp Kate Spade, dresser by Wayfair, Chandelier by Wayfair, Mirror by Wayfair, bed, nightstands by Made Goods, Stool by West Elm, Duvet Cover and throw by Serena and Lily, Restoration Hardware bed.

Designed by Becki Owens. Photography by Paige Nicolle

TWINS’ ROOM

I’ve been working hard on the twins’ nursery since before they were even born and I’m thrilled to be sharing the finished product with you all. More than anything I wanted the space to be light and airy, open and DREAMY! The wallpaper was my inspiration and starting point for the room – the second I saw it I knew I had to have it.

Design services by Alice Lane. Photography: Nicole Gerulat

Two Beautiful Brides Say I Do on Captiva Island

I love these Bride’s for a few reasons… #1 being their ridiculously beautiful (and elated) smiles and love for one another. #2 They let their wedding location inspire the design of their day—always a good idea! and who doesn’t love a beach wedding? And #3, their ceremony began with Van Morrison. But really, there is SO much more to love about their incredibly special day captured by John Cain and planned by Kelly McWilliams. I think you might find your very own favorites layered in the gallery and their words.

From the Brides… I (Frances) basically grew up on Captiva and brought Gina down there the first chance I could. Captiva is all about family, friends and fun, so it was the obvious choice!   We wanted to embrace the natural landscape of Captiva; the greenery, the flowers, the natural beauty and simplicity of the island.

Our ceremony was held on the beach   just before sunset.   Our officiant, Lydia (Gina’s Aunt) summed up our journey together into a beautiful story to share with our guests. It was perfect. And so us. Our processional song was Sweet Thing by Van Morrison and our exit song was Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder  .

The Gulf makes a pretty spectacular backdrop for everything—we didn’t want to do anything that would compete with the island’s natural beauty. It was all about celebrating our natural surroundings.   After the ceremony we walked barefoot in the sand over to the reception tent    . It was a gorgeous clear tent that our wedding planner Kelly McWilliams built across two of the resort’s tennis courts. Underneath the tent were long tables with green garland down the entire table and name cards with gold calligraphy on monastera leaves. The greenery/floral chandeliers and the lounge areas that surrounded the dance floor were stunning.   

We wanted dinner to be served family style and the food was a hit! The menu included: beef tenderloin, linguini fra diavolo, eggplant caprese, roasted root vegetables, green salad and focaccia and olive oil. For dessert, we had 3-tiered naked cake decorated with fresh flowers (vanilla cake with fresh raspberry and chocolate ganache fillings). In addition, we had Key Lime Pie Shooters, Chocolate Peanut Butter Shooters and a variety of macaroons all provided by Show Me Love Cake Pops & Confections.

Our first dance was That Girl by Justin Timberlake, followed by our Dads giving two lovely toasts. From there, it was all about the dance floor! We knew it was a good party when the confetti cannons went off and we were crowd surfing on the shoulders of our friends! That is exactly what we wanted. A killer dance floor and party all night long! Our band was Libido, out of Miami—the absolute greatest band of all time!!! So talented. The final hour of the reception was a DJ accompanied by a live sax.  

Our favorite memory of the day was our first look on the beach path, the same path we’ve walked together hundreds of times before. It was pretty special to basically take over the small resort with all of our friends and family for the entire weekend.   

For our honeymoon, we went to Tulum, Mexico for a week after our wedding. We only had one week to get away and didn’t want to waste much time traveling, so Mexico made the most sense and we’ve always wanted to check out Tulum. We stayed at Be Tulum. It was paradise!

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5 Apps That’ll Help You Step Up Your Instagram Game

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without Instagram. I live and breath it everyday for Style Me Pretty and my own personal brands… I share my work, I shop through it (probably too much), find dinner inspiration, discover vacation spots, make friends, learn about causes that I’m passionate about and so much more. But there’s no question it can be a tough nut to crack sometimes—especially when you’re trying to promote yourself or your product/service. Thankfully there are a handful of really helpful apps out there that help do that in a purposeful way. Today, I’m sharing five of my favorites that I use on the daily, paired with this image of Monika Hibbs lovely office!

1. Over

Think of this one like Photoshop for your iPhone. I first started using this to create story templates for blog posts a few months back. I love that you can save each template and simply pop in an image or update text! Over is also great for posts too, say if you’re creating a giveaway graphic, product announcement, inspirational quote, etc. There’s really so much you can do with this one. Over also has templates you can use if you’d rather not create your own.

2. Word Swag

This one is similar to Over. Although you can’t customize as much as Over, it’s a great app for overlaying text on images, quickly and effortlessly. Rather than doing the formatting yourself, Word Swag gives you several different options with the shake of the dice.

3. Unfold

Unfold let’s you create beautiful and engaging stories for Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook with minimal and easy-to-use templates. I love the clean and modern templates that really showcase beautiful photography!

4. Planoly

I first started using Planoly to see the visual arrangement of my feed before posting photos… but the app offers SO much more than that now. Not only can you see what photos will look like in your feed before posting, you can schedule out posts that publish automatically, analyze data to better understand your audience, manage comments and more.

5. HashtagBook

This one is super simple, but SO helpful if you use hashtags! Create different hashtag groups for topics you post about (fashion, interior design, food, etc.) and simply copy and paste. Voila!

Office: Monika Hibbs

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Dallas Area Wedding at The Grand Ivory with Flowers for Days

I’ve been waiting to share this wedding since the moment my husband, Tait, and I reacquired Style Me Pretty. To me, this is a perfect wedding. It doesn’t necessarily fit into a box, it doesn’t necessarily follow a script. You can simply feel the joy seeping out of every pretty photograph that Lauren Brandon snapped. You can sense the glow, the charm, the unabashed love. You instantly understand the purity and the beauty that the day brought based solely on the looks that grace the faces of this adorable bride and groom. And if you scroll down a bit, you get to feel like you were right there beside them with a lovely video from Lizzie Allen and a day planned by Lindsey Brunk.

From Lauren Brandon Photography… Savannah and Logan’s gorgeous whitewashed, airy wedding was brought to life with vibrant splashes of color by Moss Floral, set against a weathered white chapel only from your dreams.

No doubt that a wedding in January may be risky, but Savannah and Logan knew that the Grand Ivory was the venue they had always imagined from the first moment they saw the sweet white chapel overlooking the lake and fields that seem to go on forever.

Savannah trusted that Moss Floral would be able to see her vision for her colorful floral to warm this cold day, and did it ever. The bouquets spilled over with ivy, and peonies stood tall on the handcrafted farm tables, making the reception feel as bright and warm as a spring day. Savannah said, “ I didn’t know I loved flowers so much until I saw my – and my bridesmaids’ – bouquets. They were by far the most beautiful detail of the day.”

Savannah wanted to be sure to keep the wedding simple but elegant, and added more sweet, subtle details such as her pink suede shoes, and soft wine colored bridesmaids dresses. They added a fun touch to the groomsmen attire with striped ties! But in the end, the focus of the day – the marriage of two sweet souls – beamed brighter than it all. Savannah and Logan both said that their most memorable moment of the wedding was seeing each other for the first time as she walked down the aisle.

From the Bride… I was overwhelmed with joy when I walked into the chapel and saw everyone who was there to celebrate with us, and Logan tearing up at the end.

Savannah’s advice to future brides: When the wedding day finally comes, enjoy all the different emotions, feelings, and moments of laughter. Enjoy talking to all the people who came to support you, and enjoy the dancing. Don’t worry about the small details anymore because at the end of the day you will be married and that is all that matters.

Los Angeles Glam – Romance Garden Wedding

Not too long ago we interviewed Sara from onelove photography about ‘natural light photography’ and featured the chat on SMP (right here). It’s kind of no wonder that we publish her weddings pretty often on the Little Black Book Blog! Today’s wedding – at the Los Angeles River Center & Gardens is filled with so many special touches and design elements that the bride took on herself. We really hope you’ll take a close look at the full gallery for SO many more images of the fun details.

See more of Sara’s work on onelove photo as well as on Art Is For Lovers!

From the Bride… Our wedding had to be number one, beautiful, and number two, a lot of fun for the guests. We provided a whiskey bar, a donut bar, a taco truck, and plenty of time to dance. We even kicked off the after-dinner party with a special couple’s coordinated dance to Silento’s Watch Me (Whip/Ne Ne) song, which set the tone that we wanted for the rest of the evening. It was an exciting and memorable night for everyone.

The look we were going for was a 1920’s garden wedding, but we didn’t want our wedding to be overly “themed” either, so there were only gentle touches of decor that reminded us of it. We wanted the party to feel classic and relaxed at the same time, and filled with tons of botanicals, so the garden venue Los Angeles River and Gardens was a perfect location for us to celebrate.

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Wedding Dresses

Hayley Paige

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Spring 2016

Blush by Hayley Paige

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Fall 2016

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Blush by Haley Paige

Spring 2018

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The Most Elegant Desert Garden Wedding in Paradise Valley

Give us pretty details and we are happy wedding bloggers. Give us a story that goes along with said lovely deets? And you’ll probably find us (literally) jumping out of our seats with joy. Today’s desert fete is just that my friends—painstakingly pretty, thanks to Imoni Events and Carte Blanche Design (and allll of the vendors below). But it’ll also pull at your heart strings in other ways… such as the Groom’s careful and loving attention to detail (read the story below after you peruse Charity Maurer‘s stunning images!). Plus, all of it took place in the Groom’s father’s backyard… bet you didn’t see that one coming.

From Charity Maurer… It’s truly heartwarming when not the bride, but the groom first reaches out to you as a photographer. After proposing to the love of his life, Katie, groom Chasen knew that he wanted their day to capture the warmth and sincerity of his love for her. From the first moment of their elegant wedding day, every detail was set in place to celebrate their closeness and bond with one another.

Before Chasen first laid eyes on his glowing wife-to-be, he had her read a letter enclosed in card he had purchased for her. Little did she know that he had searched high and low for months to find a duplicate of the card he had sent her years ago, after their very first date. Talk about a man who loves details!

The two tied the knot in Chasen’s father’s backyard, surrounded by friends and family. They wanted to incorporate their love of lush plants and botanicals despite living in the arid southwest. With the help of the immensely talented floral designer, Randi Eshelman, they merged the natural beauty of the native landscape with the luxuriously abundant greenery they so desired, creating an incredible desert garden wedding.

This precious wedding was a work of art, from the close-knit relationship of the bride and groom, to the perfect execution of the garden-party décor; from the custom cocktails and signage to the fanciful Volkswagen bus photo booth. It was an honor to be present at the start of Katie and Chasen’s married life together.

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A Gorgeous Bride Who Customized Her Own Gown

For my own wedding, I made my paper goods. But I was a stationery designer so that seemed reasonable. For this bride’s wedding…she MADE.HER.OWN.DRESS. Well, at least the top and the amazing cape. But, still. To this mere mortal, that is a feat of epic proportions and I stand in awe of the gorgeousness that came from her efforts. Photographed by the lovely, lovely Leila Brewster, fall head over heels in love with this bride, her cute hubby, these insane pics and the gown that just might need it’s own label.

From the Bride… We met on Facebook and decided to set ourselves up on a blind date with each other! Come to find out, we actually lived just down the street from each other here in Brooklyn! I’m a cellist and Jordan is a drummer, which of course I instantly fell in love with and jokingly started to title our love story as #rockstarlovestory (which Jordan is always a little embarrassed about as he is the most selfless and modest guy around).

With every detail of our wedding, we did our best to add in something that was sentimental to us such as designing my dress, personally recording cello and drums for our first dance song, making bouquets with my bridesmaids the night before the wedding, handing out maps of my hometown to all of our guests or giving out romantic vinyl records as our wedding favors that we had hand selected from all of our favorite record shops here in Brooklyn.

I was so pleased with how my dress turned out. I knew that, for me, something flowy with a long train was a must, and was ecstatic when I walked into the sample sale at Schone Bride and fell in love with the first dress – from Rebecca Schoneveld – that I tried on. I wanted a more modest top than what was included on the dress, so I designed a crop top to go over it with the most magical fabric that I found in the Garment District. I knew that I wanted bell sleeves and that I HAD to have a cape (because, duh!), and I could not be more in love with the final product. Wearing my dress was pure magic, only adding to the most perfect day of the marriage to my forever rockstar.

photography: Leila Brewster | dress: Rebecca Schoneveld | bridal salon: Schone Bride

An E-Session at the Four Seasons Tented Camp in Thailand

When I was little, my dad always told me that I should wait to get married until I had travelled the world. It never made any sense to me. But, I think his deeper meaning was that marriage also brings responsibilities and real life in a way that being on your own doesn’t. And turns out, he was sort of right…I haven’t travelled abroad for pleasure since my honeymoon. Well, this couple is proving his theory wrong with a STUNNING engagement shoot at The Four Seasons Tented Camp in Thailand that embraces travel and adventure and discovery and was captured so magically by KT Merry. Flawless coordination by The Wedding Bliss Thailand.

From The Wedding Bliss Thailand… For one extraordinary couple there needs to be a very special engagement shoot. Nadear and Andres not only share their love for one another, but also their many passions in life, one of which is exploring some of the remote corners of the world, discovering unique locations. Their adventures have took them all around the world, but when it came to their engagement photos, they needed something truly special.

Combining their adventurous spirit, love for luxury and the desire to honour the country they met and fell in love in (which is also their home at the moment), the choice fell upon Chiang Rai, Thailand: a very unique corner of it called The Golden Triangle. This area is known around the world for being a tri-country border between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, as well as having a unique landscape combining mountains, river and tropical forests.

Tucked away in this remote area is an opulent Four Seasons Tented Camp, which brought to life the core of the inspiration behind the shoot.

Reflecting the shared adventurers’ spirits of Andres and Nadear, the shoot was styled as a vintage jungle safari and adventure romance.

Starting their day in Explorer’s lodge the couple enjoyed a serene morning admiring the views from their balcony. It was a beginning of a very inspiring and saturated day. To not overwhelm the beauty of the place, we stared in easily on the design, focusing on the couple’s looks rather than floral decor first, and then slowly added more as the story developed.

We pay tribute to the location and tell a cohesive story of the day. Floral set up at the infinity pool drew its inspiration from Swan Lake, a beautiful love story by the lake full of flowers.

The afternoon was marked with the bohemian chic tent set up at the river bank, referencing the times of Victorian splendour, with its colonial trends enhanced with floral motifs.

The highlight of the day was the river cruise in traditional Thai long-tailed boat, decorated in lush florals. We created a stunning set up using the colour trend of the year, ultraviolet with the greens, creating a perfect juxtaposition to the earthiness of the background.

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KT Merry Photography

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If Perfume is the Key to Your Memories…We’ve Found the Perfect One.

Lavender always reminds me of Summer. I have lavender plants growing in my own garden and that familiar smell seems to find its way into my home, always making me smile. It’s floral and fresh and sort of romantic in a sun-kissed moment kind of way. And Vera Wang has bottled it up to pure perfection with her newest addition to the Embrace collection, French Lavender and Tuberose. The perfect scent for a Style Me Pretty inspired wedding. Spray it on to your bouquet, share it with your bridesmaids or just apply right before you walk down the aisle. It will beautifully balance the magic of Summer with the intimacy of I-Do.

The beauty in Vera Wang Embrace is so much more than the iconic name and the pretty packaging. It’s in the marriage of scents – with notes of French Lavender and Tuberose blending so beautifully into sparkling Mandarin and the warmth of Cocoa Bean and Vanilla. Simply put…it’s heavenly.

The Vera Wang Embrace collection has a scent for every Style Me Pretty bride. She is feminine and yet strong. Elegant and yet real. She loves beautiful moments amidst perfectly curated details. From the way that she wears her hair, to the dress that she so carefully chooses and the flowers she selects with thought and design.

She is not any one thing and yet her many layers work together in a way that simply makes her – and her wedding – sparkle. When we smelled this perfume – the lovely Vera Wang Embrace – we felt that same instant familiarity that we find in the weddings that we share with you.

I still remember the hours leading up to my own Summer wedding… drinking champagne with my bridesmaids, eating tiny sandwiches because we didn’t want to mess up our makeup, opening the window so that sun shone through and made us all feel rested and relaxed. For our shoot with Vera Wang Embrace, we wanted to capture that same sweetness, that same warmth and sentiment that is so naturally infused into the moments just before you walk down the aisle.

Someone once said to me, “Perfume is the key to your memories.” And how incredibly true that is. A special scent for your most cherished day ever — one of the loveliest ways to remember this moment… giving you the chance to feel that joy every time you open the bottle.

Photography: Ruth Eileen Photography | Styling: Jess Blazejewski

10 Things Jasmine Roth Can’t Live Without

Come to my house on any given day and you’ll likely find HGTV on in the background. When you can do home research and be entertained at the same time, it’s a win-win, right? Well, my latest obsession is the uber sweet Jasmine Roth, host of HGTV’s newest hit show, Hidden Potential (airing every Tuesday at 10pm EST)! Jasmine works with families to transform cookie-cutter houses into unique family homes, without breaking the bank. AND, this boss lady rocks it as the founder of the boutique development company, Built Custom Homes, too. With her bright aesthetic and gem of a personality, we knew we had to include her in our 10 Things series. Let’s see what she can’t live without on the daily!…

13″ MacBook Pro – If you know me, you know I’m always on my computer and you have probably heard me say (only semi-jokingly) that my MacBook Pro is my most prized possession. Oh, and I keep everything on the cloud for that extra peace of mind.

Firm Grip General Purpose Workgloves – Not all work gloves are created equal and when you spend as much time using your hands as I do, you want something with added padding that really fits. These gloves in a size small are my best friends.

Jergens Natural Glow – Camera ready legs in the winter? No problem! I apply this to my legs almost every day when I get out of the shower to keep them looking healthy year round.

Vans Old Skool Sneakers – I seriously might have an addiction to these! As long as Vans is making colors, I’ll be buying these and wearing them to any and every event.

Tejava Tea – I’m not sure why I gave up coffee when we started filming Season 1 of “Hidden Potential” on HGTV, but Tejava quickly took it’s place as my new favorite drink with a kick. Oh, and it literally has zero calories.

Stanley 35 Foot Tape Measure – Even when I travel, I always have a 35 foot tape measure in my purse. I’ve tried tape measure apps or carrying a small cute one, but at the end of the day, I always just need the real deal.

Lululemon Wunder Under Leggings – If I’m not in work clothes, it’s these leggings all day, every day. They may cost a bit more, but they last forever!

Sun Bum Clear Zinc – Living in California, I take sun protection really seriously. Never mind that I work outside a lot! This is the best protection I have found and it smells amazing.

OPI Gel Nail Polish “My Chihuahua Bites!” – I love my little 6 lb rescue dog, but if he doesn’t know you…well let’s just say he’s a good guard dog! And when you use your hands as much as I do, a gel manicure is necessary.

Ray Ban Clubmaster Oversized – My husband bought these for himself and I stole them! They are perfect for being active (building houses, running errands, going to the beach) and still have that little metallic accent to make me feel fancy.

SHOP JASMINE’S FAVORITES

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Northern California Wedding That All Began With The Dress

When today’s Bride, Lindsay, sent us her wedding, she started out by saying, “SO glad SMP is back!” When we hear that, our hearts sing a quiet little Hallelujah! In case you don’t know me, I’m Abby’s proud mama! I treasure each and every email that starts out like that! So thank you, sweet Lindsay (and Jennifer Bagwell Photography), for your support… and for sharing your beautiful wedding with us today!

Lindsay went on to tell us that when planning her Northern Cali wedding, one of the most important considerations was to make their guests feel oh-so-special… to be sure they were comfortable… and for the whole day to convey a sense of intimacy while having a blast… a day that would lead to so many awesome moments that their guests would be blown away with memories!

More from Lindsay… My wedding gown, designed by Hayley Paige, was covered in multi-colored flowers. After trying on more gowns than I could count, this one was by far the most unique and magical. I truly felt like I was wearing art. I feel very lucky to be able to say that was my dress.

At this point, our wedding was taking on a flower theme, so we figured, why not keep it going? Adam’s tie had a very delicate blush and ivory floral print, which tied in perfectly with the bridesmaids’ and Maid of Honor’s watercolor floral print dresses by Jenny Yoo.

It was very important to us that our guests felt like they were somewhere special. Our families flew from all over to be with us in Wine Country, and we wanted the venue to showcase that we were in one of the most beautiful areas California has to offer. As soon as we saw Trentadue Winery, we felt a sense of comfort. It sounds really cheesy, but it was as if it had been waiting for us. The sweeping views of the mountains, the miles of vineyards, and the beautiful green arbor made us feel like we were in another world. It’s a very special place.

We had a Jewish wedding, and my Rabbi from New York flew all the way out there to officiate. We are incredibly grateful. Adam danced the horah for the first time, which was amazing to see! Additionally, I ordered our Ketubah from a very talented woman in Israel and it came out quite beautifully. It was important to us that everything felt special and unique.

We wanted our wedding to feel organic with a touch of romance. We tried to convey that starting with the invitation set, which had a delicate watercolor floral design and gold thermography. We tied in the floral and gold elements with the place settings, seating cards, and signs throughout the event. We even had floral print straws in the welcome drinks! The table-scape completed the theme with king’s tables, lined with lush bouquets in mercury glass vases, candles and gold flatware. The table numbers were done in gold metallic script on ivory paper with a raw-edge. This really added to the organic, warm and elegant aspect. The chandelier under the arbor completed the ambiance. We wanted it to feel like a romantic and quiet dinner in wine country, amongst the vineyards with our closest friends and family. It was perfect.

The flowers for the ceremony were in light shades of blush and ivory, from the bouquets to the wine barrel arrangements to the petal-lined aisle. For the reception, we stuck with the same color palette but added accents of deep pinks. We used gold and rose gold in the vases, table-card holders and flatware. We wanted the palette to feel a little warmer as the night went on.

In terms of the food, we wanted it to truly represent Wine Country. For cocktail hour we served charcuteries and passed hors d’oeuvres. Dinner offered a choice of pecan crusted halibut with a Dijon crème sauce, filet mignon with a red wine and mushroom sauce, or a stuffed Portobello mushroom. The sides included garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus bundles with balsamic drizzle. It felt authentically California! Our cake was covered in printed flowers, and consisted of vanilla cake and a strawberry/lemon filling. For our favors we gave away chocolate covered almond toffee from Healdsburg Toffee Company, a local favorite. It was delicious; I still crave it!

For a little added fun, we had a photobooth, an old school popcorn machine, donuts, and some glow sticks for good measure. Overall, it was the most incredible weekend of our lives. The details came together perfectly, and most importantly, our closest friends and family got to witness such a special day. The whole event felt very intimate, which gave us a chance to appreciate all the details and everyone that was there. We feel very lucky to have had such a momentous occasion take place in Northern California. I wish we could relive it a million times.

Now that you’ve read Lindsay and Adam’s story… and heard how very much they wanted their wedding to be special for their guests, it’s time that you hear their vows and see the whole day come together in this heart-warming film from Silver Tie Films!

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/261417739 600 338]

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Bridesmaid

Jenny Yoo

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A Blue Playroom Designed by Olive & Tate for the One Room Challenge

Having a toddler, I understand the importance of play time. Although we don’t have a playroom of our own (we try to make every room workable for our little guy), if we did—I’d surely be taking a cue from this adorable room that would spark the imagination of any tiny brain. From the statement wall using Livette’s Wallpaper to the pops of blue throughout, Olive & Tate designed this sweet space in just six weeks for the One Room Challenge. Tour the full room here in the gallery from Laura Sumrak!

From Olive & Tate… Even though it’s been declared a kids only space, our new playroom is the first room you see when you walk in our front door, so it was important to me to create a vibe that was welcoming, fun, playful and bright, while still being stylish and organized. I took on the space for the Spring One Room Challenge, which meant I had six weeks to turn what was a bland living room into a play space fit for both my three year old son and my almost one year old daughter. Add in that we had just moved into our house and the six week timeline seemed like it might be biting off a bit more than I could chew!

I knew I wanted to add pattern and color without the hassle of painting the entire room, so I decided to work with wallpaper for the very first time. The fireplace wall in the new playroom is long and visually takes quite a bit to break up, so I relied on the wallpaper pattern to give it some life. The fireplace itself was also a challenge as it had a brass and glass accordion door fireplace screen that was just begging for a babe to open and then pinch their fingers in. As it turns out, it’s really simple to remove those outdated fireplace covers, so with a couple of twists of screwdriver, we removed the heavy doors and I set to work making a DIY cover. To cover the fireplace opening, I spray painted a piece of plywood with chalk board spray paint in a bold blue and used heavy duty velcro strips to mount it to the fireplace tile surround. It serves as the perfect pop of color and artistic backdrop for our IKEA doll house.

Of course, the most important element of any playroom is the toys. My absolute favorite way to store toys is an open bin system that my son can easily access and then use for clean up. The little bins are all from Petit Pehr (in natural pom pom) and I used every single size I could get my hands on. I’ve noticed that instead of pulling out a thousand toys from the shelves, my big boy will just pull out one basket, dump it out and play with the contents. We keep an empty, larger basket on hand and call it the “clean up basket” for quick clean ups. He runs around and fills the empty basket with whatever is on the floor and we call it a win.

I created little play zones like a reading nook with a book shelf very low to the floor and tons of poufs to snuggle into, an art zone with an easel, tons of supplies and an art display area and each kiddo has a storage shelf just for themselves. Because the room is so large, we used a full size sofa (that has lived a long and happy life in our living room before being sacrificed to the playroom chaos) and used a children’s play table and chairs in place of a coffee table and ottoman. The acrylic ghost chairs add adult seating for playdates and can withstand the hurricane force of my babes.

This space is absolutely one that we live in, so it really has to go to work for us, and ultimately I am so pleased that I managed to create a room that I visually love and that my kids can rough house, host play dates and relax in.

Photography: Laura Sumrak | Blogging Event: One Room Challenge | Design Sources: Stephanie, Olive And Tate | Interior Design: Stephanie, Olive And Tate | Wallpaper: Livette's Wallpaper

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Ashley Torres of Everyday Pursuits Gets Married!

From engaged to I-Do in five months, the aaaaaah-dorable Ashley Torres – blogger boss behind the beloved brand Everyday Pursuits – is here to share her boho chic, totally steal-worthy SoCal wedding with us and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Aside from the fact that she is entirely lovely, she’s also super real. Super cool. And makes living the good life look not only fun, but actually kind of easy. And her hubs a’int too hard on the eyes either. Photographed by Gina & Ryan Photography and planned to a T by Amy Abbot Events, you’re going to want to get good and comfy for this one.

From Ashley…Can you believe it? We planned our wedding in 4. 5 months! We were in no rush to get married after our Barcelona Engagement but when I found our venue online I booked a flight to Mexico the next weekend and the rest was history. ACRE was the only venue we looked at!

I remember how hard it was to nail down our “theme” when initially talking to our planner Amy Abbott. Hard because I wanted the vibe to be US … A little boho, a little glam, a lot of fun, not too stuffy or serious but also not silly. Most importantly: tropical vibe but NOT tiki.

And I remember just listing all these things out for her and thinking to myself “man, I hope she understands what I mean” and boy did she. Our wedding captured the essence that is A + A and we couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

Want to know more about the big day? Head on over to Everyday Pursuits and Ashley breaks down everything…the excitement, the nerves, the planning, the joy. It’s like your very own “holy sh*t we’re getting married” blueprint! And make sure to click thru the A-LIST group of vendors below that came together with Ashley to pull of such a gorgeous day!

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Amy Abbott Events

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Virginia Wedding That Embraces Timeless Beauty

We asked our bride, Grace, to describe her personal style, to which she said: Classic, feminine, simple, timeless. There’s nothing that give us more joy than when we see that our couples are able to successfully project their personal styles and preferences into their wedding. Grace and Stephen’s wedding at Rust Manor House in Leesburg, VA was a gorgeous display of delicate and simple elegance. Embracing the beauty of the venue, and being guided by the softness of the blue and blush hues, there was love and joy surrounding our sweet couple throughout the whole event. ~ Claire Duran Weddings & Events

From the gorgeous flowers by Holly Chapple to how Hannah Bjorndal captured everything masterfully, we truly love everything about this wedding and we hope that you do too! ~claire duran

More in the full gallery right this way!

A 70’s Hippie Inspired Kid’s Birthday Party!

I’m in the midst of planning my daughter’s 10th birthday – and if you’ve been a fan of SMP for any length of time, you know that I spend an embarrassing amount of time on my childrens’ birthday parties (Audrey’s 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th) – so we’ve been going round and round on what this year’s theme is. I like themes that ditch the playbook, that push us into fun new territory. So when I spotted this 70’s inspired party theme, I was sold. The launchpad for the party was Geese & Gander adorable party goods collection and was a collaboration between Black Twine and designer Jacqui Marino of Deets & Things and the best part? You can buy it all right here (totally NOT sponsored).

There’s no better way to kick off a 70s themed party than with the ultimate blast from the past—a vintage bus. They’re just so cool! Enter our friends from the Traveling Photo Bus who provided countless hours of merriment for our mini guests. Styled with Not Just in Novel’s buttery tree peonies and the grooviest sign that I ombre’d from Happily Ever Etched, turning back time never looked so fun and lively!

Clad in darling vintagesque clothing from Harlow Jade and felt floral headbands from Fancy Free Finery, our mini partygoers fit the part as they jammed on some funky tunes, snapped photos, and ate on the cutest array of partyware! At each setting Jomygoodness calligraphied funkadelic placecards with 70s lingo like Cool Cat, Disco Queen, and Groovy gal.

The talented ladies of Sugar Crush Sweets and Sweetleemade gave us all the feels with their delicious assortment of sweets. My inner flowerchild had complete heart eyes over the 70s rendition of the “unicorn” cake by Sweetleemade. She and her team also made daisy macaroons, VW bus cookies and more to complete the look. Finally, what’s not to love about a peace lovin’ cookie cake! Sugar Crush Sweets’ peace sign cake was the cherry on top and the kids couldn’t get enough of it! So much good vibes and peace love & party in one place – the perfect way to spend a summer day!

Magical Garden Wedding at Milton Park Country House in Australia

The secret sauce for a Style Me Pretty wedding? A standout something. A detail, a moment, a story, a capture that simply puts you there. For today’s Australian fete from Amelia, for me, it’s the first look. It’s a sweet flip on the traditional bride sneaks up behind groom, where instead, he comes to her in the prettiest garden setting as she reads a letter from him. How ridiculously romantic is that?! Those of you doing first looks need to try this and then immediately send me the results, because it’s my new favorite thing. With styling and florals by Miss Fleuriste, stationery by Inkberry, and more from the vendor team, the rest of this wedding is equally as memorable. Take a trip to the full gallery to see it all!

From Amelia… Ava and Rund tied the knot in the most romantic Milton Park country house where it is like a secret garden. Rund is a dream bride. She started the morning with a little walk around the rose garden, gathering beautiful blooms that she used in her bouquet. Alicia from Ms Fleuriste styled and created the most magical and romantic setting for this dream wedding to take place. Touches of pastel blue set against soft blush and whites and the dainty fine art stationeries from Inkberry evokes an old world charm. Rund looks so effortless yet ethereal in her down to earth vintage lace gown. The most memorable moment for Rund was when she sat on the pretty vintage blue sofa, surrounded with pretty blooms and lush green trees, reading a love letter from her groom to be. As he approached her when she finished reading the letter, they embraced as they were going to be husband and wife shortly. This truly intimate wedding, is definitely one of the most unforgettable I have seen!

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Hawaiian Wedding at Loulu Palm Estate

Raelee and Ryan got married at one of our favorite wedding venues, Loulu Palm Estate. We love the killer sunsets, private beach, and huge backyard for stunning ceremonies and receptions here. We fell in love with the soft tones Raelee and Ryan chose for their wedding, highlighted by Raelee’s stunning emerald engagement ring, copper cocktail cups, and the real star of the day, their flower puppy Juniper! ~Aria Studios

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9 Essentials for the Perfect Backyard Oasis

Anyone else find themselves sitting in their backyard these last few weeks dreaming up alllll the things you want to do to make your space an outdoor oasis? Picture me: glass of rosé in one hand, phone with Pinterest app open in the other… and dreams that may be a little too big. Truth is though, you don’t need a magazine status backyard to create a cozy and enjoyable space. These essentials are sure to get you there.

Home: Camille Styles | Photography: Kristen Kilpatrick

Fireplace

In my opinion, every outdoor oasis needs some sort of fireplace or fire pit to gather ’round. Where else are you going to make s’mores? We bought a cheapo one at our local home improvement store and it does the trick!

Interior Design: Pencil & Paper Co. | Photography: Leslee Mitchell

Seating

An outdoor oasis is your space to relax, so thoughtful seating is a must. If you’re tight on space and you’re trying to decide between a table or a lounge space, remember that you can easily achieve both with small bunched tables and chairs or one large coffee table to use for serving and casual eating.

Interior Design: Pencil & Paper Co. | Photography: Leslee Mitchell

Greenery

Give your al fresco arena some life with pretty potted greens. Tuck them in between seating to fill gaps, create a wall of herbs or top your tables with them!

Home: Abby Capalbo | Photography: Erin McGinn

Outdoor Shower

No pool? No problem. Install an outdoor shower anyway to cool off during those super hot summer days. Plus, outdoor showers are just adorable. Not to mention, perfect for rinsing off if you come back from the beach or need to rinse off fur babies (and real ones too).

Home: Abby Capalbo | Photography: Erin McGinn

Serving Station

When we host a party in our backyard/pool house, I always set up a self serve station for drinks and food. It allows you to enjoy the party and mingle without having to play bartender!

Get Your Game On

Liven up your lawn with giant games! How fun is this life size connect four? You can do this with scrabble, tic-tac-toe, jenga and more.

Home: Abby Capalbo | Photography: Erin McGinn

The Perfect Playlist

A beautiful backyard doesn’t just come to live with tangible pieces—a playlist can help set the mood. I like to have a few varying ones for different events… a casual family day by the pool, a dinner party with friends or an at-home al fresco date night.

Source: Ella Claire

Lighting

It’s amazing what a bit of lighting can do. String up some market lights to warm up your space—big or small.

Blooms

Forget the decor… who wouldn’t love a wall of beautiful blooms in their backyard? Not to mention, overlooking a pool. Yes, I’m still dreaming.

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The Prettiest Summer Color Palette at The Farmhouse in Texas

I’ve been saving this inspiration shoot for the perfect day. Smack in the middle of Summer where color reigns Queen and sunshine dictates the vibe. This, to me, is the very most perfect July wedding color palette on earth. Pinks and oranges and big old fashioned dollops of yellow that are set in such a shockingly lovely way against the simplicity of The Farmhouse in Texas. With a design by Jennifer Laura, crazy beautiful florals by Petal Society and imagery from Awake Photographers, this is one of those shoots that just might influence every last detail of your big day.

From Jennifer Laura Design… This shoot was inspired by our venue The Farmhouse, it was the perfect simple backdrop to this beautifully detailed shoot full of southern details! We wanted to create something that was fun, fresh, and full of personality. The idea of summer and fruit started the inspiration and drove the color palette- the pink tones with orange, and even verging into some of that bright yellow all came from the grapefruit.

Our florist Kristen (Petal Society) had this beautiful idea to create an arched centerpiece for our reception table and seating chart, which is such a showstopper and truly feels like something any southern bride would dream about.

We kept the details simple, classic, and timeless, while still injecting a shot of personality with the color and fun details like the grapefruit, and pink gingham ribbon. I also asked Heritage Macarons to create some custom hand painted macarons for us because I knew they would be the perfect favors for this “wedding” and she did not disappoint. Those macarons are like miniature works of art, way too pretty to eat.

South Bay Wedding at the New Rolling Hills Country Club

We started planning our wedding a few weeks after our engagement. Our wonderful wedding planner, Mandana from Tres Jolie Events, worked with us to find the perfect setting, Rolling Hills Country Club! She also recommended our amazing photographer, Christina and her team at Hello Blue Photography. They kept us on track and we felt so comfortable with them. Christina even surprised us the next day with a ton of teaser images! ~from Roxi and Farbod

More from the couple… First on our list was to find a venue that would be the backdrop for our special day. Our wonderful wedding planner, Mandana from Tres Jolie Events, worked with us to find the perfect setting. We selected the Rolling Hills Country Club, because it is a newer venue and the design described our personalities so well. It’s also located in the South Bay which was so important to us because we’ve called the South Bay our home since we were very young. Mandana worked with Cordially Invited Events for executing the day of and we were very happy with their day of coordination of everything we planned.

After our first meeting with Majestic Floral Design, we felt that they would bring our vision to life. Our florals were primarily whites, ivory’s, blushes and an abundance of greenery. We chose to use peonies and garden roses as they are my favorites! We also used elements of rose gold and gold throughout. Noushin, from Majestic Floral Design was an absolute pleasure to work with!

Our rental company was another important vendor for us. We worked with Persiano Events and decided to use gold beaded charges, boxwood panels, ivory lace overlays, and farm house furniture. We love the combination of causal farm style pieces and glamorous gold accents. We used the boxwood panels in two areas: first for a for a photo wall in the ceremony area, which had a gold acyclic sign ‘The Azizi’s’. The second was used for our escort cards in the cocktail area.

It was important to us to maintain many traditional Persian traditions The sofreh aghd is the most important part of this. Terry from Elegant Sofreh Design put together our beautiful sofreh. My planner and I worked with her to select pieces that complimented the overall design of our wedding and I couldn’t be more happy with the end result.

Kiev Morales played the violin during our ceremony and it was absolutely magical! He also played for us during our first dance. DJ Moein kept the parting going all night with a mix of Persian and American songs.

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