Rustic Chic Table Runners

The table runner is an important piece of your overall design. The runner dresses up the table just enough to create a perfectly complete overall look. I know that a lot of you rustic chic brides love the look of burlap, but before you make a firm decision on the ever popular burlap, check out some of the other options you have! 

There are a ton of different fabric choices that are a little softer and much more interesting. Paper, wood and garland are all other options that offer a different dynamic and most of the time are the same price as a burlap runner. 

And guess what?! I have all of these and many more up for rent! And yes, I'll ship. :)

Modern Color Engagement Shoot

Wow, these two found the perfect backdrops for their engagement shoot. So much color which I'm absolutely loving!

Modern engagement session at the Miami Wynwood Art District. Elizabeth and Matt are a very stylish couple. Elizabeth has been a visual merchandiser for many retail stores so she was looking for a setting that would fit her personality. We felt Wynwood Walls would be the perfect place.

Photographer:  Starfish Studios//Reception Venue:Miamia's Wynwood Art District//

Newlywed Holiday Cards by Minted

I got a jumpstart on ordering my holiday cards this year, and while I was looking through all the awesome designs, guess what I found?! Turns out they have a category just for newlyweds! I'm sure this is old news, but for those of you who got married this year, here is your chance to send out your very first holiday card as a married couple! And you don't need to stress about getting photos taken, just use one from your wedding.

Minted features crowd-sourced designs from a community of talented designers. This means every card is designed with a different personality, different color palette and different creative process. There are so many awesome ones to choose from. I have attempted to group a few of my favorites for you below. 

Brilliant Minted. As always.  Shop newlywed cards.

These are just a small few of my favorite, but there are a lot more where that came from! I love getting and sending out holiday cards, and I bet you will too!  

DIY Alabama Wedding by j.woodbery photography

Weddings like this make me want to move to a remote area with sprawling land and gorgeous scenery. This wedding features both, as well as some gorgeous details!

1. What was your favorite memory from the day?
The whole day was incredible! One of the most fun things I remember was the morning of the wedding. I got all of my bridesmaids to spend the night at one of their apartments with me the night before, and we all cooked a big, yummy breakfast together when we woke up! We invited other friends to come too and just shared stories, did our hair, and watched the Katy Perry movie; it was so chill and awesome. I loved getting ready with all of them and feeling so stress-free because all of the girls I loved and admired were with me encouraging me before the most important day of my life. I also loved having a first look with my husband before the ceremony and taking so many beautiful and creative pictures together. We were in our own world and not thinking about anything but each other and how excited we were to be married! It really made us feel so much less antsy before the ceremony and helped us to get more of the pictures we wanted.

2. What advice do you have for brides planning their weddings now?

My advice to other brides is to soak up every moment and not stress about the small things. There were definitely a hundred tiny mess-ups that happened throughout the day, but when I just let it roll off my back and said a quick prayer, none of it mattered, and I felt a lot better. At the end of the day, we were married, and everything was beautiful. I would also recommend hiring babysitters for your ceremony if you are expecting a lot of kids to show up, and tell the guests ahead of time and before they walk into the ceremony. It really helped the parents enjoy the event so much more, and it made sure there were no crying babies during your vows. We had an entire tent dedicated to kids' activities, and made coloring books, got hula hoops and bubbles, painted a table with chalkboard paint that they could draw on, and had all sorts of other fun things for them to do; they loved it. Also, DANCE :) take at least 30 minutes to just dance with your husband and enjoy it, not worrying about anything else. We had an incredible band that played all kinds of fun swing dance music, and we made sure to take full advantage of it. Our friends said it was the most fun wedding they've ever been to, and I know that's partly because of all of us doing the Wop and the Wobble and all sorts of other crazy dances. Our photographers even got on the dance floor and showed off a few moves ;) The photobooth was also a HUGE hit, and people loved all the fun props we had for it! If it's in your budget, definitely try to get one! Most of all, have the most incredible day with all the people you love!

Photographer:  j.woodbery photography//Dress Store: Bella Couture//Bridesmaid Dresses: Enzoani//Dress Designer: Jenny Yoo Collection//Event Venue: The Oaks at Centreville//

Union Station Wedding by F/stop Poetry

Here is a fun one for your Friday. The ceremony was held in the bride's backyard, then they headed to Union Station for a glam-filled reception. The day was captured in dreamy photos by F/stop Poetry .

This is the story of their wedding...

It was a hot and humid day, the threat of rain was on everyone’s mind because there was no plan B. Tiffany had her heart set on having the wedding outside on her family’s property. It wasn’t looking promising that it wasn’t going to rain. We even hid umbrellas in the bushes just in case it down poured and we had to keep on shooting. The rain didn’t scare us though, We had a feeling even if it down poured Tiffany and Josh would make it romantic. There are couples who always seem to have a good time no matter what happens, and it’s because no matter what goes wrong, they feel lucky to have one another. As soon as it was time to walk down the aisle the sun came out and surprised us all. What also surprised us was how heartfelt and emotional their ceremony would be. Josh’s dad officiated the service and talked about how proud he was of both of them and how there wasn’t anyone else in the world who could make Josh smile, like tiffany could. They surprised Josh with a family heirloom ring when the vows were exchanged. If you could make it without crying up till’ that point you had no hope of holding it together after that. The photos of their families’ reactions to the ceremony became some of our favorite moments we have captured at a wedding. After the ceremony everyone drove to Joliet to celebrate in the train station. The train station is near and dear to my heart. It has been laughed at in reality TV. Shows, been immortalized in the blues brothers and taken for granted by those who call it home. It’s a town with a lot of character and heart. And some of my favorite artist is inspired by it. We thought their wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful and personal. We felt honored to be chosen to document the day.

Photographer:  F/stop Poetry//Dress Designer: Badgley Mischka//Jewelry:Brizan Couture//Hair Stylist:Lisa Thomas Salon//DJ:Manna Music//Makeup Artist:Megan Friend//Cake Designer:Fleckenstein Bakery//Floral Designer:Floralia House Design//Dress Store:Francia Bridal Boutique //Dress Designer: Paloma Blanca//Reception Venue:Grand Ballroom at Joliet Union Station//

Dreaming of Cable-Knit Details

I can't tell you how excited I am for fall. I'm so excited I keep wearing boots on 75 degree days. I'm just not willing to wait. I'm super into cable-knit this season which of course got me thinking to incorporating this totally awesome organic texture into wedding day goodness. And of course, Pinterest had a few pieces to carry on my dreams. 

I would love to do a winter wedding filled with cable-knit details, my favorite being a beautiful bountiful cable-knit runner. And of course, I'd create an awesome hot cocoa bar for guests to enjoy.  

Nearly Newlywed Introduces Collections

I've talked about Nearly Newlywed a few times and even have my own dress listed on the site. It is a curated marketplace to buy and sell dresses, and a well-designed, totally pretty one at that.

But they have some other things up their sleeve. Namely, new wonderful collections from some totally amazing designers including Sarah Seven and Paoblo Sebastian. Starting now, you can not only find some of the most wonderful used dresses, but also score some new pieces if that is what your heart fancies! (I swear, where was Nearly Newlywed when I was getting married!) 

Here are a few of my favorites. Shop their collections page and see if you can't find something you just fall in love with! 

NYC Engagement Session by A Guy + A Girl Photography

Hailing from NYC, a guy + a girl photography took this couple out on the streets for their engagement session. And it is a good one. Their fashion, their smiles and those locations. I want a photographer to follow me around in New York :)

FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER:

a little stroll on little west 12th. a mimosa and a bloody mary at the standard. a taxi cab cuddle. ahhh…these are the makings of a perfect weekend morning for a couple of lovebirds! a few things that you should know about this fabulous duo:

1. they are cali natives, living in nyc

2. alexis can walk (confidently) on cobblestone in louboutins

3. it was a balmy 19 degrees (and windy) on this february morning…but you’d never know it! honestly, they are two of the best sports EVER. their smiles read like it was 75 and sunny, right?

4. alexis has a background in musical theater (which may have helped her pretend that she wasn’t enduring an arctic chill)

5. mateo had a very masculine, business-like set of earmuffs that he would put on between shots (to prevent icicles from forming on his earlobes)

6. OBSESSED with alexis’s earrings

7. both alexis + mateo had just about the sparkly-est smiles in all five boroughs. you can tell that these two are SOOOO in love! a seriously chilly day like this is a true test… but they smiled and laughed and cuddled and smooched their way through the shoot…like it was no big deal.

we dare you NOT to smile when you see how perfectly smitten they are with each other!

Cornerstone Gardens Wedding by Inkspot Photography

Cornerstone Gardens is such a fun venue located in Sonoma. The venue is a the perfect spot if you want a glam wedding, and these two definitely did the property justice. Inkspot Photography equally rocked the photography for this gorgeous couple. And the floral? I am dying over that floral.

Day-of-Coordinator – Va de Vie Events

Photographer – Inkspot Photography

Videographer – Final Frame Studios

Venue – Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma

DJ – Big Fun DJs

Bride Hair & Makeup – PDArtistry

Catering – Park Avenue Catering

Cake and Desserts – Sweetie Pies

Ceremony Music – Eloquence Trio

Flowers – Tesoro

Photo Booth – Perspective Photo Booth

Rentals and Lighting – Wine Country Party & Events

You Need A Videographer

First thing I see go from a budget is the videographer. And I get it. But I don't. Before I got married I thought it wasn't important. I  even wrote a blog post about it and a ton of people said they don't ever watch theirs. It can be rather expensive and if you have a photographer, why do you need both?

I hired someone from Craigslist to shoot it and had it edited. 2 years later. I don't watch it a lot, but I still cry every single time I do.  A video brings about such a different set emotions. I have looked at my wedding photos so many times (and don't get me wrong, I love them) but I can go through the whole day in my mind based on those photos. The video has something more, something different. There are edits of a few of my friends laughing together. Edits of me while my dad is giving a speech. People looking for their escort cards (which I admittedly cared way too much about, so I was happy to see people hanging in that space!). Things I experienced and a lot of things I didn't.

And that's the point. You don't get to be everywhere. In fact, you get to be on a schedule from practically the moment you wake up until about an hour before the end of the event. You don't get to sit and hang with people as much as you wanted, and you truthfully don't quite get to enjoy the day like the guests do. (Obviously you get to enjoy it, but in a very different way) The video brings it all together, and allows the couple to experience it in different ways.

But there's more!

I've been to a lot of weddings. Heard a lot of great speeches and seen a lot of wonderful moments. I've never walked away thinking, "that wedding didn't need to be filmed". These memories are extremely special, and having a way to look back on them in 30 years, I guarantee you won't regret having had a videographer at your wedding.

I went to a wedding a few weeks ago and the groom surprised her by singing her a song on the guitar. The groom's brother also had one of the best speeches I've heard. Groom's surprise brides. It happens! So be prepared.

I'll leave you with a little surprise from my husband at our wedding. See, I'm really glad I got this filmed.

Ian's Wedding Proposal from Allison Silber on Vimeo.