Embellished Weddings

We loved, loved getting to know Jacqueline and Keystone and help them plan their wedding. Keystone was the most organized, detailed groom and was a huge help in getting things planned and finalized. Their ceremony was extremely personal and special and took place at Crossing’s Chapel.

The guestbook table at Crossings. Custom photo guestbook provided by Holli B. Photography. Centerpiece by Poppy Lane.

The gorgeous bride:

Custom robes for the ladies:

Could she get any more beautiful?

First look and reading the notes they wrote each other:

The beautiful bridesmaids. Bouquets by Poppy Lane.

Their reception was at Harn Homestead and packed full of personal details and special touches. Groove Merchants was the band and we could not have hand picked better weather for an indoor/outdoor reception by the barn. It was beautiful!

The super cute husband and wife:

I LOVED all of the different centerpieces created by Poppy Lane!

Just a few of my favorite details: Pictures wrapped around a tree trunk// custom sign at entrance// Abbey Road Catering// cute food centerpiece by Poppy Lane

If your name is Keystone, it only makes sense to have a Keystone beer groom’s cake, right? Both amazing cakes made by Mishelle Handy Cakes.

One very special moment of the night, was when the bride’s sister surprised her with a gift before the reception started. It was her NEW monogram on a necklace! The necklace is so cute and she got it at Chirps and Cheers in Edmond!

One touch that added so much to the night was the custom lighting provided by IES. The hung mason jar with lights in the trees, vintage bulbs over the barn entrance, custom “H” light over the barn, and more!

Beautiful exit to end a beautiful night!

It was so much fun to work with this couple. They thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of the wedding and the reception. Nothing else mattered but that they were getting married and celebrating with all of their friends and family. No stress. No worries. Just madly in love and taking in every moment. It was a beautiful wedding to be a part of. Thank you for letting us help you with every detail!

(Thank you to Holli B. for providing all of these beautiful images).

Okay, so we normally showcase our 2012 weddings on “Wedding Wednesday” but I am a little behind and have lots of weddings to showcase so I am blogging a wedding on a Monday! We loved working with Brittany and her sweet mom, Keli! We had a great time planning their wedding and making sure every detail was perfect! Shane and Brittany are a darling couple who love the Lord and wanted their ceremony to glorify Him in every way. It was all so sweet and meaningful.

What a beautiful wedding party!

Hello beautiful girls!

Beautiful cake by Debbie Schwab at Sweet Treasures.

One of many gorgeous centerpieces by the amazing Morrison Floral.

Thank you to Taylor at Holli B. Photography for these incredible images.

We can’t say it enough, we love our brides and grooms and their families. We love that we get to serve them and help them save money. We love that we can help save fights between the bride and her mom because we are helping so much with the details.

Shane and Brittany, we wish you the best of luck in all you do! Thank you for letting us be a part of your big day!

Megan Lewis is VERY dear to my heart. I got to know her when she was in high school when she came to my house every week for Bible Study. Then she went to OU and we stayed in touch while she was in college. Then she met Stephen, got to know Stephen, dated Stephen, got engaged to Stephen, and now, here is the wedding! We were so thankful that we got to help plan their special day.

The beautiful Westminster Presbyterian Church in OKC.

We loved her custom runner from Mariannes:

We love Thetas!! We have done a lot of Theta weddings and always love them!

And we would love to put in a shameless plug for one of our very favorite jewelers, Lewis Jewelers. Megan’s dad owns Lewis Jewelers in Moore. For more than thirty-five years, Lewis Jewelers has been one of the most trusted names in jewelry in the southwest. What started as a means to pay the way through college for the Lewis brothers, has grown into the largest single selection of bridal jewelry in Oklahoma. We enjoy the finest of reputations that we have built upon one customer at a time. So enjoy browsing these pages, but remember that this web site represents only a portion of our inventory. If you like what you see, then we would love the opportunity to serve you and become your jeweler. Nobody will work harder to deliver to you quality jewelry at the very best possible value. (from their website).

We LOVED working with this family and are so excited for Stephen and Megan! Thank you for letting us help you on one of the biggest days of your life!

(Thank you to Shirley Kay Photography for all of these amazing images).

There really are not adequate words to describe Alicia and Kevin’s wedding day that took place a few months ago. They were an incredible couple to work with that had incredible style. I always looked forward to the design meetings with Alicia to talk about new and unique ideas. I am kind of sad that their wedding already took place because our monthly meetings are over. It was a such a joy to work with them and serve their families. Now get ready for a lot of incredible details!

First, typically before a bride books us, we have a free consultation where we meet at our studio or a coffee shop close to the bride to go over all the ideas and details that she is envisioning for her wedding day. Brides used to bring cut outs of magazine or a binder full of pictures. Now, they whip out their Ipad or Macbook and log on to www.pinterest.com and show us their wedding boards! Typically, brides show us pictures of past weddings that either took place in Oklahoma or some other state where they found the picture on Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings, or other wedding blogs/websites.

When I asked Alicia to show me ideas for her up-and-coming wedding, she did not show me pictures of past weddings. To my surprise, she showed my two pictures of two different Kate Spade stores:

She told me that the inspiration for her wedding is based off of the above pictures and she lovingly branded her theme as “Preppy Modern.”

I about died when she showed me her inspiration pictures. My mind was racing and a lot of ideas where all coming together. I threw out some ideas that she loved, and some ideas got booted out. Here are a few more of her inspiration pictures:

Now are you ready to see the final design? Get excited!! It was one of my favorite weddings of all time! Kate Spade, meet, Gaillardia:

Stunning, right? You can thank the bride for this amazing style and design. She is just that cute! A few details to make note of:

Almost every venue provides 60 inch round tables. Since a lot of this design was modern, we decided to stick with straight lines and not a lot of curves. We rented square tables from Mariannes that perfectly fit the design we were trying to achieve.

Second, did you see those linens? Custom linens from Mariannes. To-die-for. Enough said.

You can thank IES for the incredible lighting all over the room.

You can thank Poppy Lane for those stunning centerpieces.

And the incredible dessert table with cakes by Mishelle Handy and two macaroon towers by Coco Flow.

The cake table was in front of the curtains in the ballroom at Gaillardia. Alicia bought gold garland from at Etsy Seller and IES hung it from the curtains to add to the cake’s background. It was a perfect touch.

Alicia bought all of the gold chargers for the tables and also found really cute Wedding Libs on Etsy. Leslie and I spent the morning turning every napkin into a bowtie with help of a silver sequin ribbon and a stapler.

Here are a few other details that we loved:

Of course the bride was wearing the cutest Kate Spade shoes that matched her wedding theme perfectly.

And, you can never go wrong by hiring Cafe Evoke to supply a specialty coffee bar for your reception. Guests love them. We love them. It’s a win-win.

We loved this wedding guestbook alternative idea. You can find it here on Etsy.

Let’s not forget the details that made the wedding ceremony “preppy modern” too:

Are you not just in love with this wedding? We seriously have the most incredible brides. If you have not heard me say it before, hear me now: my favorite part of a wedding is when the guests walk in and I hear them say, “Oh my goodness, this is totally Alicia and Kevin.” And that is exactly what I heard with this wedding. They perfectly customized their wedding with their style, their ideas, and their budget. We just helped them make sure not one detail was overlooked and that they could enjoy the whole day because we took care of all of the set up and clean up. Every detail is in the hands of a professional, so you do not have to worry about a thing!

June 2, 2012 was an incredible day for Alicia and Kevin. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of it. We really enjoyed working with you and wish you the best of luck in all you do!

(Every picture besides the inspiration pictures were provided by the incredible Aaron Snow Photography).

Are you ready for one of the most crazy wedding stories of 2012? Or perhaps, of every single wedding I have ever planned in my whole life? It was one wild day, and in the end, everything was perfect. But, let’s just say that nothing went as planned.

First, remember that one time we posted that blog about rain on your wedding day?

And we even included an incredible video about rain on your wedding day:

Well… I guess that was preparing us for what was coming!

May 20th at Harn Homestead. It was a Sunday. We started watching the forecast 10 days out. The percentage stayed around 20% the whole time. We decided to forgo the last minute tent idea. We didn’t care if it rained during the day. We just needed it to not rain around 4:00 when the wedding started.

I hate 20% chances. I am an all-or-nothing kind of girl. If it was 100% chance of rain, we go with Plan B. No questions asked. We go that route. If it was 0% chance of rain, great, we go with Plan A: get married at the gazebo outside. But 20%? Really? What are you supposed to do with 20%? Decide in advance to go with Plan B and take the chance that it might NOT rain and you missed the chance to have your perfect, dream wedding? Or do you go with Plan A, praying and hoping it just doesn’t rain at 4:00?

We wake up at 6:00am and watch the weather for an hour before we decide which route to take. If brides choose an outdoor venue, than most likely, they REALLY WANT an outdoor wedding and reception. I want to do everything I can to make their dream still happen, even with a 20% chance of rain.

8:00am we begin set-up. It is NOT raining. Not even close. We make the call to do everything as planned. We set up the gazebo just the way she wants it and get everything ready:

We wait to set up the outdoor table and chairs because we knew it was going to rain on and off the whole day possibly. We work on a lof of other details in the meantime.

Finally, we set up all of the tables and chairs and put the centerpieces on all the tables outside. We cover each individual table with a very large plastic tarp that we bought at Home Depot days before (we had to be prepared). That way, in case it were to rain, the linens and centerpieces would not be wet or ruined:

I do not want to bore you with all of the details of the day, but let’s just say it rained on and off all day long. We stayed in touch with Lauran, the bride, seeing if at any point, she wanted to make the call to move the wedding in the barn. We NEVER make that call. We offer advice and wisdom. But at the end of the day, the bride and her family (or other people involved with the wedding) will make that call.

3:30. 30 minutes before the wedding starts. Guests begin to arrive. It is NOT raining. We let them know the wedding is still taking place at the gazebo.

3:45. 15 minutes before wedding starts. Still NOT raining. About 225 guests have arrived. Still waiting on a few more.

3:55. It is almost go-time. Wedding starts in 5 minutes. It begins sprinkling. I get nervous, but act calm and peaceful and pray it doesn’t get worse.

4:00. Getting a little more nervous but still acting fine. It is sprinkling a little heavier but decide to start the ceremony. All the grandparents are ushered down the aisle.

4:05 Parents are ushered down the aisle. By this point, IT IS POURING down rain! The guests look miserable. I am freaking out on the inside but no one could tell from the outside. Here is a picture of the mother of the bride coming down the aisle. Please notice the pouring down rain:

At this point, the wedding has started. The grandparents are down the aisle. The parents are down the aisle. I go back and get the groomsmen and bridesmaids and open the door to see the bride and her father sitting there, and the father of the bride looks at me and says, “we cannot do this wedding in the pouring rain. Move everyone in the barn immediately.”

Father’s orders. I go and tell the ushers to please ask everyone to move in the barn as quickly as they can. I am not going to lie. It was a little chaotic. 225 guests. Umbrellas everywhere. Moving in the barn.

Here is where the wedding started:

And here is where the wedding ended:

Inside the barn. People on the 2nd floor looking down. People everywhere. They got married with their cake table as the backdrop! Was it what was planned? No. Was it perfect the way it happened? Yes!

I must say: This is the first and only wedding that I have ever done that we started at one location and ended at a different location. Very special memories. And a wedding guests will always remember!

Now, after the fact, I can’t help but think, as a planner, if I would have done anything different to avoid them moving locations. And honestly, we all did the best we could with a 20% chance of rain. I didn’t want to move it inside (the safe way) unless it was an absolute emergency. Lauran really wanted it outside. I wanted to do whatever I could to make that happen.

I think for future outdoor venue brides, we are going to talk about the 20% plan. We have the original plan we work on for months/year at a time. Then we have Plan B. Do we do plan B with 100% chance of rain? Or plan B with 20% chance of rain. I would love to hear what other planners do with a 20% chance of rain. Leave a comment and let me know!

With all of that being said, it is unbelievable how perfect the night was. I am not lying when I tell you that the minister pronounced them husband and wife, they kissed, and ran out of the barn, and the sun begins to shine. The reception starts and the evening is perfect for an outdoor reception and all of the guests are outside the remainder of the night.

That made us really thankful that we covered each individual table with a plastic tarp. When the wedding ceremony was over, we removed all of the plastic tarps and all of the guests sat around a perfectly dry table and enjoyed the reception:

Now to the fun part! There are so many incredible details that I have to show off.

I LOVED Lauran’s flowers! Birdie was her florist! I HIGHLY recommend Katie at Birdie!

I also loved Lauran’s centerpieces. Lauran bought a lot of the items used in her centerpieces. And she made all of the different frames for them. They were so cute!

And of course, the cakes were delicious. Amy Cakes did an incredible job. Lauran, the bride, made her super cute cake topper.

Want to know who one of my favorite vendors is at a wedding? Cake Evoke! Specialty coffee bars are my favorite. It might be because once I hit the 13-14 hour mark of work for the day, a little caffeine goes a long way, or it is because all of the guests always love their coffee bar that Cafe Evoke provides. I highly recommend Cafe Evoke to all of my brides.

We designed a really cute pergola for the bride and groom to sit under at their sweet heart table. I love how it turned out:

And last but not least, a few more details from Lauran and Mitch’s big day:

I have to brag on Lauran. She pretty much made EVERYTHING for her big day. One of the cutest DIY weddings we have done. She is a VERY talented designer and made her own invitations, RSVP cards, stamp, envelopes, burlap “Mr” and “Mrs” pillows, front gate sign, coffee sleeves for Cafe Evoke, cake topper, napkins, and more! Everything was VERY personal and that made their wedding so unique and so “them.” Those are our favorite weddings. When the guests walk in and we hear them say, “This is so Lauran and Mitch.”  Or, “This is so Ashley and Mike.” (enter you and your fiance’s name). We want your wedding to reflect you two perfectly!

Lauran and Mitch, thank you for trusting us to make your day perfect. I know it did not go as planned, but after talking with you after the wedding and after the honeymoon, it sounded like it was still better than you could have imagined. We loved getting to help you behind the scenes! We loved working with you and your mom, Cai. It was a joy to serve you all. We wish you the best of luck in all you do!

(All pictures provided by Holli B. Photography).

Here is an incredible video created by Scissortail Media:

For some brides, flowers are the most important aspect of their wedding. Most everything can be lavished in florals-centerpieces, table runners, cakes, ceremony aisle, bouquets-but for those brides seeking a more understated look, cutting costs with florals can be a tricky task, so we’re giving you some tricks of the trade on how to do so!

1. Centerpieces: Opt for more smaller pieces than taller ones.

2. If  you’re having floral arrangements at your ceremony, use them at the reception.

3. Have your florist provide vases around the reception for your bridesmaids’ bouquets.

4. Incorporate non-floral decor into your centerpieces.

5. Choose flowers that are in-season.

SUMMER FLOWERS

All photos taken from Pinterest

Known for his evening wear and classic designs, Valentino started out as a designer in Italy and soon made his way into the hearts of every fashion capitol of the world. Well-known for his elegant style, Valentino designed his first wedding gown in 1968, which was worn by Jacqueline Kennedy. He later developed an all-white collection, but his love for red is what ultimately influenced his signature color, “Valentino Red.”

As one of the most prominent fashion icons, Valentino has been a huge influencer in the bridal fashion industry. His most recent summer collection features several pieces ideal for a bride. From embellished evening gowns and tulle cocktail dresses to lace mini’s and resort party dresses, this collection is the perfect inspiration for all bridal events.

For the aisle

For the other parties

For the honeymoon

For more Valentino inspiration, visit www.valentino.com.

stylemepretty

Create a beautiful summer event with soft shades or purple, yellow, pink and green.

stylemepretty

Dress your maids in different pastel colors and mix it up with several styles!

Michelle Handy Cakes/stylemepretty

A simple, white cake with a dainty twist

Pair a crisp, white vintage gown with a colorful bouquet.

stylemepretty

Marie Antoinette inspired dessert table.

stylemepretty/Paper Chase

Fun props, cocktails and favors are other areas of your wedding where you can incorporate the color scheme.

images via polyvore.com

Do you want to make a bold statement in your wedding design? Neon colors have been showing up everywhere from the runway and style magazines to home decor. These playful neon pink, orange, and yellow accents can bring a delightful pop to any wedding.

Choosing a bold trend you love for your wedding is a great way to create a modern feel and a memorable day, but remember that all trends pass, and you will keep your wedding photos forever. While it is inevitable that any wedding planned today will look dated on 20 years (and is that so bad?), some trends will stand out more than others. Choose what makes you happy today, while keeping in mind how you will enjoy your wedding mementos in the future.

Neon hues are pretty happy colors for a joyous day, don’t you think?

It’s a bride’s duty and delight to make her bridesmaids feel special, beautiful and comfortable on her wedding day, but sometimes this special task makes it difficult to step outside the box when it comes to wedding attire. Now that summer is approaching, it’s the perfect time to play with colors and style. One look we just can’t get enough of is skirts!

projectwedding.com

Pastels and color blocking are two color pallet trends that are ideal for the skirt option. Use one color for all your maids, or let them pick different shades or styles.

stylemepretty.com

greenweddingshoes.com

Pair them with simple white blouses or knit tanks for a relaxed look. Opt for a chunky, bold necklace or belt for that something extra!

pintrest

For a more formal wedding, choose a special fabric like silk or a skirt that’s beaded.

shopbop.com

Let’s face it. When it comes to wedding attire we like a lot of choices, and with variety comes lots of opinions. So, to save the stress and loss of sleep over what decisions to make, try to focus on what a bridesmaid really is–a true friend. The important thing is to have fun and remember to be true to yourself!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a great holiday break! I know we had a great time with our families! My goal was to get all of the 2011 weddings blogged by the end of December, but I decided to take some much needed time off and unplug from everything and focus on my husband and kids! And it was WELL WORTH IT! Love my family so much!

So, now I am back to blogging the 2011 weddings. I am very happy to start the new year with this wedding from last June. Extravagant. Elegant. Romantic. Those are just a few words to describe Shelby and Cody’s big day!

Their day was truly spectacular. There were so many amazing details that made it “just them.” Here are a few of the vendors that made their day amazing:

Florist: Flowers by Ramon (in Lawton, where the bride and groom are from). Lori and Ramon and their staff did ONE INCREDIBLE JOB! The centerpieces were huge and unbelievable!

Photographer: Kevin Paul Photography

Ceremony: First Presbyterian Church in Guthrie, Oklahoma

Reception: Sand Plum Event Center

Lighting: IES

Cakes: Amy Cakes

Specialty Coffee Bar: Cafe Evoke

Vintage Car: Kings

One more thing! We definitely cannot blog about Shelby’s big day without sharing the behind the scenes story of how she got her wedding dress! Talk about a dream come true and a true fairy tale. Click here to read her AMAZING wedding dress story!!

We loved being a part of your big day Shelby and Cody! We are so excited for all that is to come in your life! Congratulations!

Here’s to hoping I can blog all the 2011 weddings by the end of the year. Or at least, most of them.

We loved working with Jenny and Eric throughout their planning process. Alex did the majority of the behind the scenes work and helped design a stunning ceremony and reception at The Skirvin. It was gorgeous!

A few of the highlights from this wedding: The flowers were done by Tony Foss and were of course- over the top amazing. The bouquets, the centerpieces, the flowers for the cake–all stunning. Jenny designed custom koozies as favors for her guests which were a hit. And probably, one of the most fun parts of the night was one Pistol Pete made an appearance. Jenny surprised her dad and it was such a fun moment. The guests went crazy and it was a very enjoyable part of the night.

And a behind the scenes story to share to help keep things real and to show that we take care of any last minute things that come up, good or bad. On the night before the wedding, we were getting ready to start the rehearsal at The Skirvin. Everyone was there, but the minister. The minister was no where to be found. After many phone calls, it was confirmed that he lost track of time and was not going to make it in time to the rehearsal. Without skipping a beat, I welcomed the guests and lead the entire rehearsal and informed them of how the ceremony would take place the next day. It went great! And the next day, the ceremony was flawless and you would have never known that the minister was not there the night before.

We loved helping Jenny and Eric with all of their wedding plans. Thank you for letting us be a part of it. Happy 6 month anniversary (as of yesterday)!

(Thank you to Tara Lokey for the pictures to use for this blog post).

You have no idea how much we adored (and still do!) Jenny and Ben and every detail that was involved at their wedding. It was extremely personal and perfectly reflected the bride and her style.

Alex was their wedding planner as I (Amanda) had another wedding that I was planning on that day. Remember, this is the same day that we had 2 outdoor receptions with a 90% chance of rain. (Side note: I cannot brag on Alex enough. Alex worked with Embellished Weddings the majority of 2011 and was AMAZING and incredible, and brides loved her and she did a fabulous job planning weddings. Jenny’s wedding was perfect because of all the hard work Alex did behind the scenes. Oh, and thanks to Kaitlin too as she was one of our summer interns that worked on this wedding as well).

Okay, back to Jenny and Ben’s wedding. It was very special, unique, and lots of homemade, DIY details were all over the place. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures:

Some of the important details:

Wedding Ceremony: Crown Heights Christian Church

Reception: In the bride’s stunning backyard!

Rentals (Tables, Chairs, linens, burlap runners, and more: Marianne‘s

Florist: Tony Foss

Photographer: friend of the bride and groom’s from Arizona: Chris Ward

Bridesmaids Dresses: JCrew

Centerpieces, Vintage Doors, Wood Sign, Photo booth, Mason Jars, Frames, Suitcases: All provided and made by the bride

Lighting: IES (I so wish I had a picture of how incredible the lighting was. Bistro lighting surrounded the perimeter of her backyard, and hundreds of mason jars of all different sizes with votives in them were hanging from multiple trees in her backyard. STUNNING!

Wasn’t her wedding just spectacular? I loved getting to help Alex with some of the details, and get to know Jenny and Ben better. They are one of the sweetest couples we know! Too bad they live in Arizona and I don’t get to see them much after the wedding!

Congratulations and Happy (almost) 6 Month Anniversary Jenny and Ben! We are still so happy for you!

There is a lot that happens behind the scenes on any given wedding day. Most of it is simply executing details and making sure everything gets done. Every once in a while, there will be a glitch in the set up and we are professionally making last minute decisions to make sure everything gets taken care of properly and smoothly.

On June 11th, 2011, we encountered one of our most stressful days regarding weddings and weather thus far. We had two weddings on June 11, 2011. And both of the receptions were outside. That all sounds great until you wake up at 6:00am on the day of wedding and see a forecast that looks similar to this:

Sunny all morning. Rainy in the afternoon. To make a long story short, I woke up to the most beautiful, gorgeous outdoor wedding weather a bride could dream of. However, the forecast was saying that it was going to storm around 3:00. We had to decide that morning, while the sun was shining perfectly, if we were going to move it inside or not. Because wherever it is set up at 10:00am, is where the reception will be. We took the chance, that perhaps it may not rain, or only sprinkle, and we set everything up outside at both outdoor receptions.

Set-up was going perfectly. 10:00am-2:30pm was absolutely gorgeous, stunning weather. Then 2:45 hits, and there are some really dark clouds rolling in. It definitely looks like it is going to pour down rain very soon.

Thankfully, that morning, we were prepared and the groom, which conveniently worked at Lowes, brought us 25 large plastic drop cloths to cover each guest table individually, the lounge areas, the food table, cake table, etc, in case it were to rain.

These came in very handy and we used every last one of them. My staff and I were running around the outdoor reception making sure every linen was covered, every chiavari chair was covered, that every last item was perfectly protected in case it were to start pouring down rain.

Sure enough, 10 minutes later, it starts POURING. The entire outdoor reception is being rained on. And, my staff and I, stood back, in perfect peace, because nothing was being ruined. We were just praying the rain would stop so our evening ceremony would take place.

And sure enough, it did. The rain stopped about an hour later. My staff and I took off every drop cloth and adjusted centerpieces and took care of final, last minute details, and 30 minutes later, guests began arriving for an outdoor ceremony and reception that took place in the sun. Not one guest had a clue what went on behind the scenes. They simply thought they were a guest at a gorgeous, outdoor ceremony and reception.

All the while, Alex, the wedding coordinator for the other June 11th wedding, was taking care of all of the details at her outdoor reception to make sure everything went smoothly and that nothing was ruined.

It was a bit of a stressful day behind the scenes, but we try to remain calm at all times and simply take care of what needs to get done. We are very happy to say that two gorgeous, outdoor receptions took place on a day with 90% of chance of rain, and nothing was ruined and everything went great!

Well, there you have it. The honest truth about what went on behind the scenes. Just another reason we recommend all brides have a wedding coordinator, so you are not the one that has to worry about those details. We take care of everything, professionally and perfectly.

Remember that one time, when I wrote in this post, that you might be seeing summer weddings being blogged about in November. Well, here they are. We had such a fun and busy summer and it is nice to remember all the amazing details that took place months ago to make these weddings extra special. Sadly, I do not think I will get them all blogged in two days, so you will probably see summer weddings being blogged about in December too. No big deal, right?

Meet Melissa and Matt:

Melissa and Matt are an incredible couple! They went through a lot during the planning process including a new job for Melissa, and Matt was in a car accident just weeks before the wedding. They love each other so much and are very supportive of each other. It is so nice and refreshing to see. And I cannot blog about Melissa and Matt without mentioning Melissa’s daughter, Emma. She is a doll and I loved having her join us for a few of the wedding appointments. We talked all about Tangled, her being the flower girl, and what kind of items we should offer at the kids table at the wedding!

Their wedding was nothing short of amazing! It was on June 11, 2011 and took place outside at the Gaylord-Pickens Heritage Museum. The wedding was on the front steps of the museum, and the reception was back in their garden area. It was gorgeous!

Some of my favorite details:

Photographer: Aaron Snow

Cakes: Sugar

Soda Bar: Pops

Florist: The Flower Girls

Personalized M&M Favors: 42nd Street Candy Company provided the M&M’s (for Melissa & Matt)

Bride and Groom Tom’s

Their wedding was very special and included a lot of personal elements, which is one of my favorite things. I was very honored they chose and trusted Embellished Weddings to make sure every detail was taken care of. Congratulations to Matt and Melissa. Happy (almost) 6 month anniversary!

Thank you to Aaron Snow for providing all of the amazing images.

The summer is an incredible busy season for anyone in the wedding industry. I focus so much on every detail of each of my wedding’s that the blog sort of becomes a quiet place in the summer. Then, when the season becomes a little slower, I am busy resting to gear up for the the busy fall season. Due to either the busyness of weddings, or just taking a moment to rest and enjoy the downtime, I have neglected the blog and neglected to share a lot of fun and exciting news, weddings, engagements, and even a couple of photo shoots that took place this summer! Don’t be surprised if you see some posts coming in November that are showcasing the incredible weddings that took place this summer!

In the midst of the insane wedding season, I decided to take on being the designer behind an editorial photo shoot. Thankfully, I had two amazing interns and one amazing employee that helped me pull it all off! I worked with Amy Rae Photography who took every image with film, and not a digital camera. The pictures are absolutely stunning!

The photo shoot was published on Southern Weddings blog in August. They did an amazing job showing off some of the great southern elements that we incorporated.

A lot of hard work goes in behind the scenes to make sure every single detail is taken care of. There were so many details involved within one design element. And several different vendors to pull it all off. I am so thankful for everyone that was involved:

Lighting: Innovative Event Solutions // Catering: Abbey Rd. Catering // Paper: Paper and Thread and Love Byrd // Furniture: Mood Party Rentals // Trunk, pillows chargers: Pottery Barn // Flowers: The Flower Girls // Rentals: Mariannes Rentals // Cake Stand and Cake: Amy Cakes // Plates and Glasses: BC Clark // Milkglass Containers: Rebecca’s Silver Rose // Details and Decor: Thumbprint tree, large doily ball, banner, peaches, mason jars provided by Embellished Weddings, hanging doily balls from My Haley Girl // Barn: 4T Farms // Bride’s Dress, Veil, and Hairpiece: Bella Rose // Bridesmaids Dress and Jewelry: J. Crew // Hair: Jamy Green Makeup: Jennifer McLaughlin // Groom’s Suit: Tuxedo Junction // Bow Tie: Forage // Clutch: ila handbags

Choosing your menu can be a very big part of your wedding planning! There are so many options and kinds of foods to choose from, that it can be difficult. There are definitely certain kinds of foods and drinks that are better for a summer wedding. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Refreshing drinks:

Lemonade or ice tea bars are a great idea! You can pick out different flavors and colors to go with your theme for your wedding. Ex: If your colors are green and peach.. you could do a mint mojito, cucumber lemonade, peach tea etc. Adding fruit into the drinks is also a great and refreshing idea!

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2. Cool appetizers

Shrimp cocktail on ice, fruit and veggie bar, or anything served on a cup or stick that guest can grab and carry around while mingling!

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3. Entree selections

Think more of “barbecue” style foods than heavier meats. Any kind of fish is perfect for a summer wedding, as well as chicken and pork, especially with a lime or fruity seasoning.

4. Desserts

Think beyond just cake! Sweets seem to be the most popular part of wedding food for guest.. they always look forward to what will be offered. Colorful candy bars, dessert gardens, dessert bars, are all great ideas and provide no limitations- especially for colorful summer weddings!

Happy Fourth of July! For today’s blog post we thought we would share some patriotic delectable delights that we found on FamilyFun.com. We can’t get enough of this star studded blue berry pie, spangled sandwich pops, strawberry trifle and water melon pop stars! For more delicious food idea’s check out their page. We love getting wedding food inspiration from that site and then working with caterers to fit each brides needs!

Photbooths have become super popular for weddings.. and the even newer trend is now homeade photobooths! There are so many different styles, kinds and ways to make your own homeade photobooth. For one of our recent summer weddings, the bride and her photographer, C. Ward Photography, designed a homeade photobooth by setting up a backdrop for her guest to use and setting the camera up to an automatic timer. I wanted to share some of the hilarious pictures captured by the homeade photobooth at this super fun, summer wedding.

What a great way to capture some awesome memories for you AND your guest!

As big of a hit as mason jars have become for weddings.. we have discovered that they can be used in so many different ways. Just when I thought I had seen about every way a mason jar can be used for a wedding, I stumbled upon this super cute idea..Wedding bubbles in a mason jar!

This is such an awesome idea for flower girls and guest! Have your flower girl use bubbles in a jar down the isle instead of flowers, or create a bunch of jars for all of your guest and use as favors! (Perfect for an outdoor summer wedding) I also love that it is a very easy DIY project. Every part of this idea- from the jar and key, to the bubbles and yarn-is unique. All you need to create “bubbles in a jar” is a mason jar, some colorful twine/yarn, keys, and the bubble mix- which is soap, sugar, and water.