Hello cutie pie! Wedding photographer and crafty gal Lauren Chapman of Open Field Photography indulges her fashionable side by making funky, one-of-a-kind handmade hair fascinators, headbands and shoe decorations called Handmade Lovelies. What a fab look it would create to wear one of her feathered headbands or barrettes as a wedding reception hair accessory after the veil comes off for your party! Check out her Etsy shop for more information, and send her a note to inquire about custom designs for your wedding.
Wooden Wedding Decor on Sale at Modern Press
In addition to designing creative custom wedding invitations, Carolina Della Valle, owner of Brooklyn’s Modern Press, also makes these cool wooden wedding accessories. I love the sleek modern table numbers made from 1″ thick by 5″ solid mahogany squares, and the romantic “just married” signs made from hand-oiled mahogany tiles, laser-engraved and bound together with twine. If you love them too, you’re in luck! Modern Press is having a summer sale through July 4th. Take 15% off all accessories, and 10% off all custom wedding invitations. Visit their website for more informaiton. Thanks Carolina!
Images courtesy of Modern Press, Bride’s magazine, Sarah Giambra
Real Weddings- Cari and Stephen

Cari and Stephen live in Chicago, but they planned a destination wedding in Southern California to give their friends and family a taste of the Pacific Coast. Their wedding was held at the Montage – Laguna Beach, a stunning oceanfront resort and spa (and one of our new Southern California member businesses)! The grounds at Montage are beautiful all on their own so Cari and Stephen chose a spring color palette of celery green and aqua blue to compliment the season and the ocean view. Wedding coordinator Jeannie Savage and her team at Details Details Wedding and Event Planning made the event look straight out of a storybook, and photographer extraordinaire Ira Lippke captured every delightful moment.
The ceremony lawn was decorated with flowering trees and the color palette was brought in with blue and green pashminas hanging on the backs of the chairs and flowing fabric on the huppah. The ceremony itself was what Cari calls “modern Jewish” incorporating traditional elements with personal extras that felt a bit more contemporary, like vows they wrote themselves and spoke to each other for the first time during the ceremony.
A cocktail hour followed the ceremony, and Cari’s mom had arranged for an image of Cari’s beloved dog Linus (who couldn’t make the cross country trip!) to be carved into an ice sculpture as a fun surprise. How cute! After cocktails everyone moved inside to the ballroom which had also been decorated with blossoming trees, and lush flower arrangements from Fiori Fresco Special Events. Creative blue and green lighting lit up the room and pewter accents on the tabletops, menus and place cards added an elegant touch. The band, West Coast Music, got everybody in the celebratory spirit which the happy couple was thrilled about. “They were better than any wedding band I could ever imagine!” Since this was a weekend long destination wedding, Cari and Stephen had already greeted most of their guests as they arrived the night before, so at their reception they weren’t worried about missing anyone. Instead they were able to relax, eat, dance and enjoy every minute of the party!
Thank you Cari and Stephen for sharing your wedding with us! Be sure to check out our Real Weddings section to learn about all the vendors who helped create this dream event!

