black wedding cake

Ok I know this sounds weird.....a black wedding cake......but how gorgeous is this cake?  It totally took me by surprise.  I read more about this unique elegant wedding and thought they did a beautiful job.  Who knew a black cake could be so feminine and romantic?

Thanks to Green Wedding Shoes for allowing me to discover this stunning wedding.


photography: Wedding Nature Photography // venue name: Ancient Spanish Monastery, Miami, Florida, USA // florals: VNDesign Studio // wedding dress: BHLDN // hairpiece: Shop Gossamer // bride's shoes: Jimmy Choo // hair stylist: Julia Brig // makeup artist: Julia Brig // calligraphy: Papel and Co. // cake: Cloud 9 Bakery // furniture rentals: Love in Vintage // linen rentals: Nuage Designsa

helping a friend wedding dress shop

One of my sweet friends asked if I wanted to join her for her first wedding dress appointment.  I was thrilled!  So excited to be amongst beautiful dresses and so honored to be part of such a special moment.  Here are the four dresses she tried on.  Such a tough call as she looked gorgeous in all four!  Which one would you choose?

It is a good idea to have a friend, sister, or mom help you with the decision.  Sometimes a second set of eyes will see it differently.  I did the initial round on my own and brought in Mom & a good friend to see the finalists.  In the end though....it's your dress, and it's your day.  Go with your gut!

The dresses at Marina Morrison.

 

A few other dresses that caught my eye:

Flowers I brought for my friend to say congratulations.  Of course I included garden roses and asked for something delicate and feminine from the Bud Stop.

our wedding on style me pretty

Our wedding was just featured on Style Me Pretty.  Such an honor!  Thanks, Abby & team!

The day was magical. It was everything I dreamed of. Not only was it all so beautiful….it was so much more. It was sentimental, emotional, and full of love. The best part of the wedding was the deeper, spiritual part and feeling love and support from our nearest and dearest.

We are both very close with, thankful for, and grounded by our families. We dedicated our wedding to our parents, who have each been married for over 40 years. We honored our loving grandparents by including a table of photos of their weddings, we know they were there in spirit with us, and they had a ball. The maids of honor were my sisters, the groomsmen were Greg’s dad and brother.

Favorite memories include Dad’s heartfelt toast which brought tears to all 110 guests, and our 7 nieces and nephews who brought that family-ish at home feel. Anyone who knows us knows how much we adore our nieces and nephews. It would not have been the same without those precious faces as our ring bearers and flower girls.

I was inspired by 2 things. First, Greg proposed in France, one of my favorite places in the world. So, of course I wanted a French feel. Second, I always thought I would get married in my parents’ backyard. I love the old-fashioned homey feeling, and the space we used at Arista feels like a backyard. I grew up with huge oak trees and a large grass yard (Winter Park, FL), which looks a lot like the Oak Grove at Arista. The ambiance I was going for was effortless elegance, vintage, rustic, romantic, bohemian, and French. Mom understood my vision and really brought it to life. We used my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s lace on the cocktail tables, books from my home, and a painting of where we were engaged in Eze for a personal touch. Many of the personal ideas were from my Mom……who is a version of Martha Stewart meets Mother Goose.

wedding shoes tip

My sweet friend Martha shared some wise advice regarding wedding shoes.  Every year on her anniversary, she wears her wedding shoes.  Adorable!  And helps you feel better about a splurge.  So, I am following in her footsteps and am doing the same.

Some photos of me, my husband, and my wedding shoes at our anniversary celebration at the winery where we were married.  Wear your wedding shoes on your anniversary!  

marsala flowers

The marsala postings this week were inspired by my friend's upcoming wedding.  We had discussed color schemes that would fit in with her venue.....and I had initially suggested soft neutrals.  She surprised me when she asked how would marsala look thrown into the mix.  She had a beautiful vision, and she was right!  Adding marsala really brings out a richness....and looks beautiful for fall.  

As you can tell from the photos below, marsala looks lovely mixed with greens, wood, and a soft blush color.

What do you think of marsala added into your flowers for fall?

Photo credits starting from top left:
Chair: Photography: Photo by Sara & Rocky, Blog: Mod Wedding
Dahlia bouquet: Photography: With Love & Embers, Blog: Ruffled Blog, Florist: Little Big Farm
Anemone bouquet: Photography: Alyssia B Photography & Brooke Bakken Photography, Blog: 100 Layer Cake , Florist: Flowers by Adrien.
Berry colored bouquet: Photography: Katrina Louise, Blog: 100 Layer Cake, Florist: Barrels & Branches Nursery, Florist: Fox Floral Design Studio
Sign: Photography: Jillian Bowes, Design: Kenley Event Design, Blog: 100 Layer Cake , Florist: Damsel Floral Co.
Fig table: Photography: Onelove Photography, Blog: Style Me Pretty
Flowers with greens: Photography: Ty French Photography, Blog: Wedding Chicks, Florist: Soiree Design & Events.
Cake: Varese Wedding.  Blog: Get Married in Italy.

 


 

 

 

 

 

the white lace dress

No, not my wedding dress (which was also white lace).  The day after dress.  Above is a photo with my husband the day after our wedding.  I wore this white lace dress to the farewell brunch and back to the winery where we were married.  I knew I wanted something white, flowy, & bohemian for the day after.  This one was perfect!

Photos below show I also wore it on our honeymoon in Puglia, Italy.  

I have received so many questions about where to buy this dress.  It really is perfect for summer or for wedding events.  My exact dress from Alice & Olivia is a year old, so not available, but I found a very similar one for you.  Links below for shopping.

champagne coupe

coupe definition:  shallow, saucer shaped stemmed glass for sparkling wine.  Rumor has it the coupe is modeled after a certain part of Marie Antoinette's figure.  These glasses were fashionable in France from the 1700's-1970's and in the US from the 1930's to the 1980's.    What do you think-do you prefer a coupe or a flute?  Would make a festive wedding gift!

 

my yellow dress

Still on the topic of the wine country wedding last weekend..........everyone loved my yellow dress.  I'll fill you in on my little secret.......it was rented!  I love Rent the Runway for events.  Otherwise, you buy an expensive dress, wear it once, and then it takes up space in your already stuffed closet.

I also found the dress with the help of a few dear friends.  Thanks to Terra for telling me about Rent the Runway.  Thanks to Courtney for finding this gorgeous dress!  Courtney wore it to my wedding, and looked adorable.  She was gracious enough to let me copy her.

The dress is by Monique Lhuillier.  Since the dress has a more sweet, old-fashioned shape, I paired it with huge funky bright green earrings to give a more modern feel.  I wore my hair up to show off the earrings, and added gold heels and a gold bag.  No necklace as the bright yellow color & huge earrings were already enough.

The dress was delightful , and I am thankful for good friends who led me to it!