Sandy wrote about her wedding for Style Me Pretty and I wanted to share her perspective of the day…

From the bride...We had a small wedding of less than 100 people, as we really wanted an intimate evening with our closest friends and family. We chose Jonathan Edwards Winery because we are big wine people, and we thought the place had a great mix of Connecticut charm and outdoor elegance. September is the perfect time to get married there, as the grapes are almost fully grown, and the weather is mild. Since many of Mike’s friends and family members live on the West Coast, it was exciting to show them the beauty of New England. The natural, understated beauty of the venue also allowed me to design my own space from the ground up, not only for the ceremony, but inside the gorgeous Sperry tent for the reception. I worked closely with Candice of Jubilee Events to make my vision come to life and loved every minute of it. I didn’t want to go with the typical dark, fall color palette, and chose to mix pops of colors and textures. I have a real love for beautiful typography and had calligraphy strewn throughout the wedding. My Amsale “Dahlia” gown served as a great inspiration for everything, from the floral design and the wedding cake to the welcome bags I designed. We included a lot of thoughtful details that had special meaning for us as a couple. We had succulents throughout the space as a nod to Mike’s home state of Arizona and a tequila signature cocktail to represent our shared love for Mexico (I studied abroad there, and Mike lived there for five years). Robert & Kathleen Photographers captured our day so beautifully, and thanks to them and the rest of our wonderful vendors, we had a lovely wedding day!

And now, the beautiful images by one of our favorite photographers, Robert and Kathleen.. and the wonderful video by our friend Mike Cyr of Buzz Media Company.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to all our amazing creatives that made this wedding one of the most beautiful events we’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. I can’t stretch my arms wide enough to thank Sandy and Mike for letting me be apart of their personal history. Congratulations guys– love ya! XOXO

Credit Reel

Photography:Robert & Kathleen Photographers
Venue: Jonathan Edwards Wineryin North Stonington, Connecticut
Event Design + Planning: Candice Coppola of Jubilee Events
Floral Design: Blush Floral Design Studio
Wedding Cinematography: Buzz Media Company
Officiant: Mary Coburn
Catering + Wedding Cake: A Thyme To Cook
Lighting: Shoreline Audio Visual
Rentals: Party Rental Ltd.
Linens: La Tavola
Calligraphy: Elizabeth Porcher Jones
Ceremony + Cocktail Hour Music: Joe Kiernan Trio
DJ: Rob Alberti
Tent: Sperry Tents Marion
Wedding Signs: SweetWeddingDetails
Cake Topper: ReadyGo
Wedding Invitations: Smock
Wedding Gown: AmsaleDahlia via Amsale Flagship Salon
Jewelry: Prins & Volkhardt Jewelers (610-687-8840) +Tiffany & Co.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale via Plumed Serpent
Beauty: Jennie Fresa
Bride’s Shoes: Milk & Honey Shoes
Groom’s Attire: JoS. A. Bank+Brooks Brothers
Flower Girl Dresses: CrewcutsSimilar Posts:

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• Today is Jennifer & Clark’s Wedding Day!
• Engaged: Jennifer & Clark

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Some of my favorite details from this shoot include the customized menus made out of gorgeous satin ribbon with gold foil engraving, the ghost chairs we designed with Datura: A Modern Garden that included inset calligraphy as a place card and boxwood trimming on the chair backs, the classic half wedge of pineapple that guests truly dinned at at Jackie and John’s wedding, the customized blue taffeta skirt and white collared shirt by Coren Moore (Beth’s vision that was designed especially for our shoot), the classic hair and makeup by Dana Bartone, and of course, my own personal Louie Vuitton suitcase as part of the going away look!

Credit Reel

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Shoot Design & Tablescape: Jubilee Events
Fashion Styling: Beth Chapman |  The White Dress By  The Shore
Location: The Bee and Thistle Inn
Floral Design: Datura: A Modern Garden
Beauty: Dana Bartone
Cake: A Little Imagination Cakes
Paper Design: Coral Pheasant Stationary
Gown: Anne Barge
“Going Away” Dress: Siri
Fascinator: Bijou Van Ness
Jewerly: Aquinnah for The White Dress by the shore
Bridesmaid: Coren Moore (skirt), Ann Taylor (shirt)
Tuxedo: Valentino Tailors
Chandelier: Ryan Designs
Linens: La Tavola Linen
Tableware & China: Party Rental Ltd
Calligraphy: Elizabeth Porcher JonesSimilar Posts:

• Jubilee Events featured on the COVER of Connecticut Bride and in 4 page fashion spread!
• Nautical Preppy Wedding Photoshoot in Essex, Connecticut for The Connecticut Bride
• Classic Preppy New England Mini Shoot at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island
• New Orleans Photoshoot: A preview — the inspiration board!
• Behind the Scenes from Vintage Cinema of Southern New England Weddings: Destinations Shoot!

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Credit Reel

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Planning: Jubilee Events
Location: Belle Mer
Floral Design: Datura: A Modern Garden
Paper & Invitations: Leigh & Kelsey
Officiant: Rev Steph
Bridal Gowns: The White Dress by the shoreSimilar Posts:

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• Jubilee Events Featured In The Newest Edition of Southern New England Weddings: Destination Edition
• Jubilee Events featured on the COVER of Connecticut Bride and in 4 page fashion spread!
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• Graduation Photoshoot at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Connecticut

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I met with the lovely Christine D’Angelo of Azalea Floral Design, a Connecticut based floral design company. She turned me on to the idea of using locally grow, fresh Connecticut flowers in your event. Christine and her team will pick and acquire locally grown flowers for your event to be used through out your decor. This is a really great way to support your local Connecticut small business and farms. Christine has also said that this option is affordable, but couples need to have an open color story as some varieties and colors are not always available.

I really love the gorgeous arrangements that Christine put together above using local flowers! Check out her website to learn more about her company, style, and approach. She recently started a blog, too! Similar Posts:

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The shower took place at my grandparents home — which is over 100 years old. It is a great place where we spend many holidays and the most important of occasions. We had a fantastic June day too, and spent the first half of the afternoon out on the front veranda sipping wine and pellegrino. My mom made a delicious and refreshing sangria, and hand chose some great wines.

A lot of my favorite things were on hand… wine, cheese, delicious fruits, veggies, and my friends and family. I can’t really take any credit for the design, look, feel, or details of the day. That’s all my mom! She did such an incredible job! There were wine maps (that I did make… but that’s it!!) that told guests about the wine we were tasting from Napa, a jar for guests to recommend a vineyard for Mike and I to visit on our honeymoon, and lots of pretty signs explaining what guests were imbibing. These little touches are a great way to transform your party and do something unique and inexpensive.

The delicious menu was catered by one of our favorite local restaurants, Jesse Camilles in Naugatuck. Carla and Larry did an incredible job on the food. The menu was really light and inspired by the region: citrus grilled chicken, dill and yogurt salmon, and carpaccio. There were a variety of delicious salads to pair with the meats too (my favorite the baby spinach with goat cheese… yum!).

Nestled on the North side of the house was a variety of pretty dining tables. My mom created purple table runners and used flowy white linen on the tables. The gorgeous centerpieces were created by Lori of Flore. They featured a beautiful variety of flowers such as dahlias, purple calla lilies, green hydrangea, white roses, and purple grapes!! Are they not incredible? So beautiful! My mom had been collecting wine corks for the occasion and had them spread around as accents in various jars. I love that touch (and do it often as they make a great centerpiece). I just love all the purples, greens, white, and oranges. It’s so reminiscent of the region and all the colors we saw while we were out there.

The delish carrot cake was a design collaboration between my grandmother and the talented folks at Let’s Eat Cake.

Guests took home red velvet cupcake lollipops, all hand made by my maid of honor and bestie, Corine. They were so delicious! Something even more incredible and awesome was the fact that Corine has started her own business crafting these and other yummy confections. Check her out: lovely-lollies.com.

What an incredible bridal shower — incredible day! Thanks for letting me share. Hopefully it inspires you to do something personal and unique for your friend or daughter’s bridal shower.

xoxoxooSimilar Posts:

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I was so honored to be apart of Jennifer and Brenda’s wedding. It was an emotional day filled with love, happiness, joy, and a fabulous purple martini. I can still remember when Jennifer and Brenda first contacted me — they said, “Girl, we’ve been watching WAY too much of Platinum Weddings and we need your help!!”

Event Ingredients

Photography: Robin Dini Photography
Floral Design: Flore Floral Design
Cupcakes: Sweet Cakes, Fairfield
Furniture Rentals: Signature Event Rentals
Linens: Cloth Connection
DJ: Todd Armstrong, Powerstation
Martini Luge: Bill and Jen of Ice Matters

On July 25th, 2009 they celebrated their incredible love for one another overlooking Long Island Sound at Anthony’s Oceanview in New Haven, Connecticut. Surrounded by 80 of their closest family and friends, they exchanged vows they had written for each other in an emotional ceremony. By their sides were their “Best Girls”, Brenda’s best friend and Jennifer’s sister. Their nieces scattered rose petals down the aisle and held onto their wedding bands. When they were pronounced married, they danced up the aisle to McFadden and Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” (precursor to the epic dance party to come, let me assure you!!). They had a modern and elegant wedding with shades of purple and orange. I love how they integrated interesting floral shapes into their bouquets — aren’t they fun and unusual?!

Jennifer and Brenda wanted to host an amazing party for their family and friends. We brought in white, sleek and modern lounge furniture from Signature Event Rentals. Their couches are so gorgeous! We also used these fabulous Lucite highboys and coffee tables that had an amazing light system. Bistro tables were draped in gorgeous violet pintuck linens, with varying arrangements of floating flowers (tulips, gerbera daisies and orchids). They were accented by orange crush linens on their candy station and martini bar. Take a look at that fabulous luge, created by Bill and Jen of Ice Matters!

Brenda had proposed to Jen on a wine cork (sooo romantic!) so we had wine corks for guests to leave messages of love and encouragement. Their fabulous orange and purple cupcake tower was created by the very talented Suzette of Sweet Cakes in Fairfield. I’ve worked with her on numerous events this year and her confections are not only beautiful to look at, but absolutely delicious!!

Jennifer and Brenda chose some of their favorite candy for favors — dum dum pops, orange jelly bellys, dove chocolates, hersey kisses. Delish! Jubilee Events provided the candy jars, scoops, and pretty little signs that we modeled after their invitations (also designed by us!)

Jennifer and Brenda had such great style and picked up decor items through out their planning. They added splashes of color to the lounge through pretty purple pillows. They used pretty candle holders with dangling crystals and orange votives on the highboys and found lots of cylinder containers for their modern centerpieces. Each month when they came up from their home down south they’d have a ton of beautiful little accent pieces for me. It was so fun and amazing to see their vision come together!

Big props to my girl Robin Dini for her amazing and talented artistic eye. She did an incredible job capturing the details and emotion of their day!

It was such an honor and pleasure to work with them on their spectacular wedding. Congratulations!!Similar Posts:

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Matt and Kim were married on May 30th, 2009 at 2:30 in the afternoon at the Assumption Church in Westport, Connecticut. Immediately following, guests enjoyed a gorgeous preppy and nautical inspired fete at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. Kim and Matt were an amazing couple to work with! At our initial meeting I knew we’d be a good match — they wanted a preppy, tailored, and nautical wedding in blue and yellow with pops of red.

The day began with Kim getting ready at her apartment with her parents and bridesmaids. Kim had her makeup done by the talented artists at Naomi’s Makeup Studio out of West Hartford. Kim wore a gorgeous and simple Matthew Christopher satin gown with an elbow length Mantilla Veil, purchased at Bridal Trousseau on Main in Branford. Her bridal bouquet (by Peter’s Wholesale Florists in Stamford) was made up of white peonies, yellow ranunculous, and white hydrangea wrapped in yellow and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon. It was absolutely stunning!

Matt and his Groomsmen spent the later morning and early afternoon having lunch at his parents house. They wore gorgeous seersucker jackets from Brooks Brothers with a navy brooks brothers tie and khakis. The groom wore a head of ranunculous as his boutonniere and his groomsmen wore a single yellow rose. The flower girls and ringer bearer were all Matt’s nieces and they wore the most darling little red and yellow polka dot dresses!

After their beautiful ceremony at Assumption Church in Westport, Matt and Kim went to the spot that was very meaningful and sentimental to them. A place where they spent many nights watching the sun set as a couple. They love Combo Beach in Westport and try to visit at least once every weekend during the summer months. Her love of rowing and his love of the water really drew them together. After the ceremony, Kim took off her gorgeous veil and pinned a fabulous little white flower in her hair. Doesn’t she look STUNNING?

The reception was held at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport. The views? Stunning. It was obvious to them that it was the perfect location, which would marry her love of rowing and his love of the water. Guests were greeted on the blue slate patio overlooking the Saugatuck River and the docks that lead out into the water. They enjoyed Matt and Kim’s signature cocktail, the Pimms Cup, served from large sea glass canisters into high ball glasses which were garnished with a lemon wheel, cucumber spear, and a seersucker swizzle stick. Heaven.

The tablescapes were gorgeous and filled with SO many details. We used navy linen as a base, and brought in beautiful beechwood chiavari chairs with white pads from Party Rentals, Ltd out of Greenwich. Centerpieces were of one tall, french galvanized bucket filled with white peonies, ranunculous and hydrangea. They were fluffy and tightly filled — so gorgeous! There were three satellite arrangements of yellow and white gerbera daisies in smaller galvanized buckets. Each bucket had the same yellow and white polka dot grosgrain ribbon from Kim’s bouquet wrapped around them. The taller, french galvanized buckets had thick red grosgrain ribbon.

Each place setting had a rattan charger with an accompanying blue polka dot plate and clear glass saucer for the chilled gazpacho, all rented from Party Rentals, Ltd. Their navy napkins were rolled and tied onto them was a menu “tag”, which we created in the round. It had a seersucker boarder and a cute little yellow grommet, tied together with white grosgrain ribbon. Each guest received a cute little galvanized bucket filled with red swedish fish. We created red and blue favor tags with lyrics to their first dance song by U2 and tied it on with red grosgrain ribbon.

Each table was named after a New England town that held special significance to the bride and groom. Places like Westport, Newport, Nantucket, Block Island, Bar Harbor, Mystic…. we even inserted the GPS coordinates of each location onto their table sign. A fun little detail we carried through out the event — like on the custom stamp we made for their invitations!

Guests dinned on chilled gazpacho, surf and turf with filet mignon and lobster tail with steamed red potatoes and corn on the cob. There were even toothpicks on the table for pickin’ corn out of your teeth! The entire event was catered by the Club’s restaurant, Riverview Restaurant. Chef Danny and his team did a fabulous job!

Their delicious cake was made by Sweet Cakes out of Fairfield, Connecticut. Suzette did a fabulous job bringing Kim and Matt’s vision to life. The guests REALLY enjoyed the cake and complimented on how delectable it was! We displayed escort cards on a red linen wrapped cork board with some retro metal pushpins. It was perfect! We also had custom napkins, swizzle sticks, and coasters made for the event. The beautiful calligraphy was done by Lisa Ridgley of Pen and Ink Calligraphy out of Westminister, Maryland. I LOVE Lisa. She is so good to our brides and does AMAZING work! One of the little details I loved most about this wedding that you may not be able to notice was the lowercase letters we used on everything — even their yellow monogrammed letters that were tied to the back of their chairs. When I think preppy I think kate spade and j. crew, so we channeled some of their branding. A little detail that goes a LONG way! In lieu of a traditional guest book, guests also signed rowing oars. They also dropped their cards in a lobster trap.

Guests danced the night away to music provided by Jim Nuzzo of Dance to the Music Entertainment. He did an AWESOME job! Photographs are courtesy of Kelley and Todd Whittaker (website coming soon). Matt and Kim made their grand exit via a sparkler send off and rounded out the evening across the street with their family and friends, sipping Margareta’s at Vivas!

The day was captured on video by Matthew Fink of Digital Media Odyssey. He already has their teaser trailer up! Check it out below!

Thanks Matt and Kim for letting us share in your SPECTACULAR day. It was a pleasure designing your event and working with you. Similar Posts:

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• Today is Anna & Matt’s Wedding Day!

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I think it is pretty awesome that Jessica just recently graduated with her Master’s degree. It is even MORE awesome that she threw herself a CRAZY swanky party in Oakville, Connecticut to celebrate her life milestone! When she contacted me a few months ago to design an event for her I was really excited to do so — a nice break from weddings! We had a ton of fun developing her ideas and came up with a fabulous black and white party that included delicious cupcakes from Cakes Unlimited, submerged tulips, gerbera daisies and orchids as centerpieces from Flore Floral Design, and a rockin’ photobooth manned by the ridiculously talented Robin Dini. I also custom created an awesome 5×5 black and white invitation to her event!

We brought in some gorgeous and modern white lounge furniture, including couches, ottomans, and coffee tables. Guests dinned on a lot of yummy appetizers with some Miami flair!

And for the photobooth? I’m sorry, it is a MUST have at any event! It was a huge hit too — almost 1,000 pictures taken of all her family and friends! Here are a few of the many awesome pictures taken that night by the new photobooth queen, Robin Dini.

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Dagney and Michael were married on May 16th, 2009 at Calvary Church in Trumbull, Connecticut in a moving ceremony filled with personal touches and a lot of song! Their reception was held at Oxford Airport, in Oxford Connecticut in one of the working hangars. It was truly spectacular! But before we delve into the details of their one-of-a-kind event, here is their incredible love story.

They met after being matched up on eHarmony. They were two pilots who had individual loves of aviation, they hit it off from the start. Dagney grew up flying planes with her Dad and Michael is a pilot in the military. Their love of planes and their faith brought them together. Michael actually proposed in an airplane as he flew them to a celebratory dinner. One word to describe that: amazing! I think you’ll be hearing me say that a lot about this wedding.

When Michael & Dagney contacted me in January to help plan and coordinate they had one idea – they wanted to be married in an airplane hangar. If you knew them and their families (with long aviation history) it was a no brainer. People may have said it couldn’t be done, but they had an incredible set of people helping them to pull it together.

The event was catered by emily’s catering, where guests dined on a duet of chicken and salmon with delicious vegetables passed around the table family style. They had the most incredible band, The Joe Holmes Swing Band from Norwalk, Connecticut. They LIT UP the hangar and provided throw back, 1940’s war time sound. They were nothing short of amazing! Bouquets and floral centerpieces were provided by Flore Floral Design in Southbury, Connecticut. The cake was provided by a family friend, Crystal, who did an incredible job! Lastly, the event was captured by very good friends of Jubilee, the talented group at Robert & Kathleen Photographers. They did an amazing job of telling the story of how Dagney & Michael’s day began and ended. Finally, Jubilee Events (that’s us!) coordinated and planned the event. Big thanks to Style Me Pretty who featured this event (before we even did!) in their Friday edition. Thanks Abby and Eddye!

The day began with the bride getting ready at her parents’ home with her maids.

She wore a gorgeous dress by Maggie Sottero and her mother’s vintage 1960′s veil which was cathedral length. Believe me when I tell you it was magnificent!

The ceremony was held at the Bride’s church in Trumbull, Connecticut. Dagney walked down the aisle first with her father, and turned around to face the church doors while she waited for her groom to come and receive her. It was very moving and unique!

After the ceremony guests waited outside for the sabre arch. They dashed into an awaiting black towne car and off they went to their amazing reception!

Their reception was held at Oxford Airport in Oxford, Connecticut. I think everyone, guests and vendors alike, were overwhelmed with how awesome it was to be celebrating in a working airplane hangar, surrounded by 7 planes. Dagney and Michael had a vintage 1948 Beech D-15S flown in especially for the occasion. It was gorgeous and the perfect centerpiece to their event. We positioned it, along with two other planes, behind the The Joe Holmes Swing Band and black and white checkered dance floor.

When guest arrived to the hangar they were greated with fabulous hor’dourves and cocktails from emily’s catering. They were invited to look at photographs that documented the couple’s families aviation history, sign their handmade wooden propeller, and grab their boarding pass which promised to take them to an amazing location that was significant to the couple. Each table was assigned a gate number for the guests to fly out from.

The tablescape was dreamed up by Dagney’s mom, who loves to dress up tables! Her and I worked together on the design, but all the credit goes to her. They really loved a family style table setting and wanted something unqiue, so we used rectangular tables instead of round or square. They had custom yellow overlays made to bring in a pop of color, and we brought in stone slabs to pay homage to their new last name (Stone). Sitting atop each stone slab was a floral centerpiece by Flore Floral Design. Filled with spray roses, ranunculous and other yellow and white flowers arranged in a glass pedestal vase. The centerpieces were flanked by hand cut lilacs in silver mint julep cups and tall fluted vases with hand cut branches, both of which Jubilee Events arranged. It was really breath taking!

The cake was lovely — white buttercream with green scroll work and their monogram on the second tier. It was decorated with pretty yellow roses and sat on top of a fun green poodle linen that Dagney’s mother picked out. It was simply gorgeous with one of the planes as a back drop!

They danced their first song to At Last by Etta James, as sung by their good friend Ana. It was extremely romantic! Guests danced the night away to big band 1940′s war era songs preformed by the The Joe Holmes Swing Band, who I can’t stop raving about. They were amazing!!

Their final exit came about a half hour before the soiree ended. Originally they were to fly out, but because the fog was so thick and bad, we had to come up with a Plan C. Dagney’s father has a vintage 1967 porsche and they used that as their get away car. We opened up the hangar doors and invited all the guests to join us outside on the ramp. Bubbles were passed out on silver trays as we got the bride and groom ready for their final exit. With the car in position, they made their way outside and into the awaiting car. It was quite emotional! My favorite image from the night is above. Robert and Kathleen really captured the day so perfectly; their images are amazing. We loved working with them!!

Dagney and Michael — we wish you all the love, joy and happiness the world has to offer. It was an amazing experience that I am so proud to be apart of!

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I spied these really gorgeous spring arrangements on Blush Floral Design’s super fabulous blog the other day and wanted to share! Elisabeth has such amazing style and I love everything she creates. Major talent! I love the lilacs — they are my favorite flower and so in bloom right now. I love when you drive down some of our country roads with the window open and you can smell them! Similar Posts:

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Love the above shot from the real wedding of Sommer and Justin as posted by polka dot bride. Makes me want to have a coffee bar at my wedding!

Fair tale details are totally inspiring us from ritzy bee.

I am in LOVE with these gorgeous floral arrangements featured on wedding chicks of designs by English Garden Florals

Got plans for Cinco de Mayo? Well, I can assure you that with a little help from the party dress, these cocktails will make your soiree super festive!

I’m definitely feeling flowers this week, and my absolute favorite is this eye candy posted by the brides cafe. Loving the yellow and pink!

So glad that real simple introduced me to studio violet.

These DIY centerpieces from pink avenue bride would be so gorgeous for a bridal shower!Similar Posts:

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Last month Abby of Style Me Pretty asked all her Little Black Book vendors to dream up and create a DIY capable tablescape for her readers. I love any opportunity to dress up a table and quickly went to work on a simple Spring design using common household items. This tablescape was featured here!

Yellow has become my new FAVORITE color. I’ve become so inspired by it and now have a ton of new yellow cardigans, shirts and dresses. It has even worked its way into the redecorating of my living room this weekend! I love is cheery disposition and ability to brighten every room. The color yellow was my inspiration for this design and I set out to find all the pieces!

I didn’t have to look far — I opened up my pottery closet where I store way too many platters, dishes, and glassware. I pulled out items that we all have — a white cake stand (by Martha Sewart), some standard household vases (no doubt purchased at homegoods), and some vintage glass coke bottles passed down to me by my mom (a flea market or tag sale find, I’m sure). Real simple stuff, nothing super fancy, expensive, or unique. I knew I wanted to use these items but didn’t know what to put in them.

I took a drive over to one of my favorite florists, Flore in Southbury and asked the owner, Lori, what she had chilling in her cooler. Here is what I purchased on the fly:

1 stem white hydrangea
1 stem green hydrangea
1 ½ dozen circus roses
1 bushel of fancy yellow tulips (5 total used)
2 football mums
3 stems white lisianthus
Total Price: $60 wholesale

On my way home I stopped by the local fabric store to find something for our table runner. I spied some really gorgeous eyelet fabric and walked out with three yards (which proved to be a bit too much, but excess is always best!). I also popped over to the craft store and grabbed some yellow 8.5×11 heavy card stock (for the “charger”) and lacy inspired corner punch. Last stop: the dollar tree, where a good bargain is hit or miss. Fortunately they had some pretty yellow pillar candles and I scooped up two.

I had previously designed the menu card, which you can see, once I had decided on my color scheme. My inspiration for the menu was certainly my kate spade black and white tidbit plates, which I also incorporated into the tablescape. I love those plates! I had the menu cards them from a 8.5×11 sheet of standard white card stock and used this particular corner punch to add a little femininity.

After I had purchased my materials it was only a matter of putting it together. No one ever comes home with all the right ingredients and has a perfect centerpiece — there was a lot of playing around, new ideas, eliminations, and additions. In the end, this is what I came up with in about 20 minutes after focusing my ideas. I love it! After I was finished photographing it in my home studio, it graced our dining room table for the week.

Our tablescape can translate into any event and would look gorgeous at a wedding, mother’s day brunch, bridal shower, baby shower, or any other special occasion. You can dress it up, down, and adjust the formality pretty easily. Similar Posts:

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I love brides who roll up their sleeves and get involved in the process of creating for their wedding. Nothing is more amazing than when a bride hand crafts her invitations from scratch. Ashley did just that when she created these thoughtful and amazing invitations for her wedding! I love how the story of how they came to be unfolds in the invitation. You can see how much time and thought they put into designing them and she did such a wonderful job!

Ashley decided to make her own invitations when she couldn’t find what she wanted. She researched paper and ordered samples over a series of three months. She hand folded the accordion style invitation, cut and glued the printed cardstock and pictures on each panel. The final touches were the ribbon which held it closed and the printed inner and outer envelopes. To put it in her own words: “It was a lot of work!” They ended up being her pride and joy and really started the whole theme of “home,” which you can see throughout their wedding. This led into the napkin cards which was a letter that she to their guests thanking them for their love and support. To tie it all together, she created her own favors which were a set of 4 stoneware coasters. Three of them had the images used in the invitations of their three main “homes” CT, CA, and England, and the fourth had the main line from the napkin card, “Home is the comfort, support, and love of friends & family.”

I asked Ashley to describe her wedding day decor and style. She wanted to use her favorite color, pink, but add a spin to it as they were married during the fall. She chose a warm, salmon colored pink to fit in with the season. For her tablescapes she ordered 289 class cylinder vases in varying sizes, which she and her mom covered with a beautiful coral colored tissue paper. Now that is DIY dedication! This tablescape provided a really romantic glow with all the candles lit inside and provided the exact kind of atmosphere that Ashley and Mark wanted!

The flowers in her bouquet were shades of coral, salmon, peach and pink with curly willy branches within the flowers. She also used some as centerpieces to give it an authentic, organic autumn feel.

Guests dinned on a personalized menu that the couple crafted with the Seaman’s Inne. They show stopper? A last minute addition to the menu — a seafood pot pie with Stonington scallops and shrimp in a Maine lobster cream sauce. Can you say yum? Ashley and Mark loved that they had local, fall comfort food. They also paid homage to Mark’s British upbringing with the pot pie! e guests enjoyed a sweet little snack on the dance floor as they skipped the traditional wedding cake and opted for butler passed mini cupcakes, which is so Carrie-chic (remember her fabulous book launch party? love it!)

What family traditions did you incorporate into your wedding?

We tried to pay tribute to Mark’s English culture in subtle ways- the feather fascinator in my hair, the pot pie, and lots of British 80s pop on the dance floor! I tied my grandfathers alter boy pin on my bouquet and carried my Gram’s hankie (which I did end up needing halfway through the ceremony!) Other than that, I think it was more about the people we are today, the life we have built together, and the traditions that we maybe created for future generations.

What is the secret to a successful marriage?

I’m not sure if I’m actually qualified to say after only 4 months! BUT… I think what makes mine and Mark’s marriage wonderful is that there is no one else on earth I’d rather spend my time with. We know how to make each other laugh and more importantly, we know how to laugh at ourselves. Everything about us, as a couple, is honest, true, and sincere. I think that overall, what will continue to make our marriage successful over time is our commitment to family. Whether it’s a family of 2 or 10, it’s the commitment to your family and the life you have created together, that makes it a success.

Thanks so much to Ashley and Mark for allowing us to share in their fabulous wedding! I had so much fun learning about them and putting together this wonderful series.

The Vendors

The story of their day was told in photographs by the talented Amanda Herzberger of Orchard Cove Photography. The wedding ceremony was held at Noank Baptist Church in Groton, Connecticut with a classic New England fete at the Seamen’s Inne in Mystic. Hair and makeup for the wedding was by Deanna & Danielle of the Rob Rivers Salon in Mystic. The bride wore a magnificent gown by Cymbeline Paris, purchased at Lili Bridal in Tarzana, California. The bride’s attendants wore beautiful dark champagne colored Jim Hjelm satin dresses. The groom donned a custom tuxedo by Mattucci in Redondo Beach, California with a black and white stripped tie by Brooks Brothers. The groomsmen wore suits by John Galante. Personalized cup cakes were deliciously designed by You Take the Cake in New London. Floral design was by Adams Garden of Eden in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Guests danced the night away to music and entertainment provided by Rich Conway . The day was captured on video by Casey Moran, and the bride created the invitations and designed the wedding herself!
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Elisabeth from BLUSH floral design posted a fabulous purple centerpiece on her blog and I wanted to share. I just love these carnations in varying shades of purple. Believe it or not, carnations in bulk (like these) can look so gorgeous. The key is to use a lot and make your centerpiece very full. I agree with Elisabeth, too, that with these flowers the you can use the container to dictate the style of the arrangement. You can use square chunky vases, tall cylinders, old candy jars or medicine bottles, or mint julep cups. Although, I really love the antiqued vessels she used. And the sequin balls? Gorgeous! They’ll sparkle too in candlelight and are a touch of necessary glamour.

If you’re too busy for arrangements this season, give Elisabeth a call. Blush is offering holiday inspired arrangements at a really fabulous price. Get all the details here!

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