Most wedding blog followers will be familiar with the gorgeous hand calligraphy work of Laura Hooper, and the fun canvas city totes she recently released, but how well do you know her invitation line, Lucky Orchid Invitations? They are a delight! I love the pink chandelier design and her delicate use of colors and fonts.
Laura also has the most ideas for creative place cards that I’ve seen in ages. Who knew you could hand letter sand dollars, compasses, ginko leaves and Spanish tiles? Nice! What incredible decor details as well as thoughtful wedding favors. Check out Laura’s website, blog and Etsy shop for all the info and eye candy.
If you’ve been reading this blog over the past few months, you are sure to remember Justine, the amazingly lovely bride in today’s Real Wedding! While I was away in Africa, Justine filled us in all all her creative wedding plans for her vintage French themed wedding, and in early September it went off without a hitch! She and Kurt were married in Port Gamble Washington in a celebration that was full of whimsy, romance and personal sentiment. It was photographed by Kim and Adam Bamberg of La Vie Photography (and Junebug Weddings!) and I can’t get enough of how beautiful the photos are!
The wedding took place on Kurt’s grandmother’s 99th birthday, Justine wore her grandmother’s wedding veil, their nieces, nephew and dog Jazz were all part of the ceremony and family and friends were the focus of the day. To bring a bit of their French theme into the ceremony, their officiant was a good friend and Justine’s former French teacher, and there was a reading from the book, The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery. Everyone wept with joy as Justine entered the church, saw Kurt waiting for her, and burst into tears herself.
The pink, lavender and peach details made the church and reception tent into it’s own special wonderland. Justine wanted the decor to be, “gorgeous, but without being fussy or overdone.” Their wedding cake was made with French madeleines, and a table filled with French sweets delighted the guests. Pretty paper extras like place cards, favors and rose petal cups were ordered frominvitation designer, the Folios of M. Thomas from Stuhlbergs, and lovingly designed and assembled by Justine’s mom, Irene.
During the reception a special photo booth was set up in front of a custom painted Parisian themed backdrop created by painter and family friend Judy Wise. Extra props like fans, wigs and boas got all the guests in on the action and made for some fantastic photo opportunities! Even photographers Kim and Adam are in there, 10 points if you can pick them out!
Justine’s dress was by Vera Wang, and being the creative woman she is, she redesigned it slightly, taking the belt made of fabric flowers and moving it up to the bust line.”I wanted to highlight my best feature!” says Justine. Smart! At the end of the day the happy couple sped off in Kurt’s uncle’s car, a 1953 yellow Plymouth and had an impromptu party with loved ones on the ferry ride home to Seattle.
Justine and Kurt truly succeeded in creating a day that was timeless, heartfelt, romantic, and joyful for everyone involved. Thank you for sharing it with us you two! For all the info on Kurt and Justine’s wedding and wedding professionals, check out our Real Weddings section.
Todays Real Wedding is a sparkling white winter affair that was as classic, elegant and romantic as can be. Amy and Matt got married December 30th, 2007 in the Spanish Ballroom at the Downtown Seattle Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the same place where his grandparents had celebrated their marriage many years before. They wanted to continue the tradition by returning to this timeless place with their friends, family and future generations to remember where it all began.
Capturing the emotion of the day and of their relationship was very important to Amy and Matt, so they spent the day together, head over heels in love and having fun all over Seattle, while being photographed by the stellar crew from J. Garner Photography. Looking back, they were delighted they planned their schedule that way. Jim Garner and his team created such incredible wedding photos, I didn’t even know where to begin making these layouts! Pure romance! (Check out the 3rd photo in the layout below, which won Photo of the Year at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International convention)
The Spanish Ballroom was decorated with ivory flower arrangements and glowing candelabras, Amy wore a Romona Keveza dress and her mother’s vintage fur stole, Matt wore a custom designed tux from Sam’s Tailor, and the bridesmaids wore full length Nicole Miller gowns. All of the guests were dressed to the nines in beautiful black-tie attire. Amy and Matt had planned the wedding together, working as a team on even the smallest details, and everything came together perfectly. Their black, ivory and gold wedding color palette was carried over throughout the ceremony and reception; the menus, place cards, cake and chocolate truffle wedding favors were all ivory and black with gold accents, and even the chandeliers in the ballroom cast a gorgeous golden glow over the celebration.
After the wedding, Amy and Matt flew off to Maui for their honeymoon. There, they continued their wedding excitement and romance with a lovely island photoshoot with their photographer, Jim Garner. What a treat to have such stunning images from their honeymoon!
In their ceremony programs they had written “Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy taleThank you for being a part of ours,” which I think perfectly sums up this fairy tale wedding! Thanks so much for sharing your day with us Amy and Matt! For all the information about their talented wedding team as well as over 60 other wedding stories, please visit our Real Weddings section.
Over the weekend our own amazing Junebug Image Editor Kim Bamberg, along with her husband Adam of La Vie Photography, were the photographers at the wedding of Courtney Gregoire and Scott Lindsay, the daughter and new son-in-law of the Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. The outdoor wedding was the very first to ever take place at the 100-year-old Governors mansion in Olympia, Washington and was absolutely spectacular! We are thrilled to be able to share their wedding photos with you!
Governor Gregoire was gracious and relaxed, in true Northwest spirit. She was involved throughout the day from documenting the set up first thing in the morning to ending the night celebrating on the dance floor. Like the Washington native she is, she knew that contrary to popular belief it doesn’t rain ALL the time here, and sure enough the clouds parted and the rain stopped just as the ceremony began. Courtney’s dad felt the air for raindrops as he began to walk her down the aisle, and everyone cheered (the bride included) when he gave the “all clear” thumbs up.
Courtney and Scott chose a bright and lively orange, pink and grass green wedding color palette and filled their celebration with sweet personal touches. Courtney’s “Something Blue” was her grandmother’s blue stone ring that she attached to her garter, fabric from Governor Gregoire’s wedding dress covered the ring pillow and was wrapped around the stems of Courtney’s bridal bouquet, and Scott’s dad carved the lovebirds they used as a cake topper. Courtney wore a gorgeous Judd Waddell gown from The Bridal Garden and custom made accessories from Abaloria Jewelry. Her bridesmaids wore Abaloria accessories as well, and strapless orange J. Crew dresses with gold metallic shoes. Beautiful!
For the reception Courtney removed her mantilla veil and wore her hair down in lovely loose waves. The cake was covered in summer fruits and flowers, the tent that surrounded the mansion was strung with colorful paper lanterns, and the place cards were set out for guests in summery green wheatgrass. Signature champagne drinks were served on the lawn and dinner was a Northwest menu of cedar grilled salmon, fig and hazelnut salad, lemon herb risotto and stuffed portabella mushrooms. The night ended with yummy blue cheese sliders served to guests and family as they had a ball dancing late into the night.
Thank you so much Courtney and Scott for sharing your day with us! It has been a real honor for Kim, Adam and the whole Junebug team to be able to share your story!
San Francisco’s famed specialty store Bell’occhio has always held a special place in my heart, and now with all these woody green wedding details they’ve created I think I love them even more! Imagine an moonlit forest wonderland or Midsummer Night’s Dream themed wedding, with your wedding cake on top of their faux bois cake stand that looks like a tree trunk festooned with moss and twigs, tea lights tucked in your real moss table runners and place cards held up by their wee log place card holders. Gauzy cotton wedding favor bags tied with their light green leaf ribbon or dark green fabric ox wood garland and labeled with their simple wooden tags. Signs and place mats made with their amazingly versatile blackboard oilcloth, and your guest book table covered in wood grain oilcloth and featuring a French inspired wooden box for guest’s best wishes to be sealed into for posterity. Love! Thanks Bell’occhio!
Today’s Real Wedding took place last August at the beautiful Pacific Northwest destination, The Inn at Port Ludlow, and was the perfect reflection of everything this lovely couple holds dear. Just three months before the wedding, Diane and Mark’s darling daughter Charlotte was born, so their marriage wasn’t only about honoring the two of them, but celebrating their whole family. During the ceremony Mark held Charlotte (the “best baby”) in his arms as Diane walked down the aisle, and as they all stood together at the alter there wasn’t a dry eye in the house! Photographers Kim and Adam Bamberg from La Vie Photography captured all the action, and wedding coordinator extraordinaire, Jody from Good Taste Events, helped the new parents create a wedding that was a joy for all who attended. From the handmade favors of lip balm and soaps, to the apple harvest place cards and decor details in an ivory and champagne color palette, it was a stunningly beautiful and meaningful event!
The evening before the wedding, Diane and Mark skipped the traditional rehearsal dinner and had a special ceremony blessing their new little bundle of joy, Charlotte Grace. Each guest wrote down their personal wishes for her life, and hung a card listing the qualities they would help teach to Charlotte in a tree that would later be planted in their yard. So sweet! It was a weekend full of events that celebrated every aspect of their lives. How perfect. Be sure to check out our Real Weddings section for more information on Mark and Diane’s talented wedding team.
Back in October I wrote a post about damask wedding day design, and I still get questions about it all the time. Damask is such a gorgeous and classic pattern, and recently it has made a huge comeback as both an elegant, traditional look and and as a funky, retro, visual dynamo. I love this pattern both ways, so I scoured the internet looking for some more fun damask wedding ideas. Enjoy!
and these fabric art panels of traditional flock damask design printed on a fine silk background in black and damson damask, available at Graham and Brown.
Graham and Brown also creates these stunning damask wallpapers, perfect for the DIY bride looking for gorgeous crafting paper for damask wedding invitations, damask place cards, damask favors, and more. These colorful patterns are just amazing!
Or you could go with their creamy, tone on tone beige or light beige.
Fabric stores like Joann Fabrics usually carry all kinds of damask fabrics like these driftwood, beige and green designs, or if you’re having trouble finding fabric, try buying inexpensive window panels like these solid and sheer options by Waverly at Target. They have lots of yardage to be made into damask table runners, napkins or other table linens.
For damask printed wedding favors check out these fresh verbena and lavender soaps by Pop Ink at Day-Lab.com, and for thank you gifts for your girls check out these pretty 3 piece votive sets and single candles by Archipelago Botanicals Royals.
Last but not least, my favorite items (because I love to organize!) are these bright and colorful damask printed office supplies to help you keep all your wedding planning information in order. Keep odds and ends in this silver and blue damask storage tote from Target, tidy up your work space with Thomas Paul’s pencil cup, wedding magazine holder and desk tray, keep your ideas in order with Thomas Paul’s file folders, and jot down all your inspirations in Thomas Paul’s mini notebook trio, all available at SeeJaneWork.com.
Continuing in Friday’s theme of alternative wedding dresses, take a look at these gorgeous vintage wedding dresses from Posh Girl Vintage! So fun! Posh Girl Vintage is family owned and operated by ladies with a true love of vintage fashion, so their ever changing lineup is a treasure trove for fashionistas everywhere. Choosing a vintage dress is a great eco-friendly wedding fashion option, and is a personal favorite look of mine. It adds all kinds of personality to your wedding style that can be carried through to every aspect of your day, and just couldn’t be a more darling look! Here are some ideas for a simple and sweet vintage inspired wedding, built around the all important wedding dress…
Today’s beautiful Real Wedding comes from cool Seattle couple Constance and Paul. Their wedding was a personal and intimate affair, blending their multicultural backgrounds and friends. As Constance puts it, there were “Pauls enduring friends from his punk rock days, my close friends from boarding school on the East Coast and my family members and friends from the Korean community. Somehow it all worked.” They wanted to celebrate everyone who had helped them along in their lives, so during their ceremony friends sang original songs, family read favorite poetry and other guests created a fabulous homemade feast of seared rib eye steaks, chive and garlic mashed potatoes and fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad. Wedding coordinator Keri Cooper from Bliss Events helped them create a celebration they would never forget, and John Hong of John and Joseph Photography exquisitely captured every intimate and spontaneous moment.
Their color palette was a combination of a rich brown, deep orange and vibrant chartreuse. The wedding favors at each place setting were champagne chocolate truffles from Joseph Schmidt placed in chocolate colored boxes tied with a chartreuse ribbon.
Constance wore the silk and Chantilly lace “Claire” dress from Monique Lhuillier and loved they way it looked both demure and sophisticated, while Paul’s simple black suit from The Tux Shop paired with a non-black tie gave him a hip, modern look that fit perfectly with their casually elegant atmosphere.
The green, orange and brown color palette was carried through into their invitations by Mmm…paper, their hand calligraphed place cards from Calligraphy by Michelle, and their gorgeous flowers arrangements from Juniper Flowers.
Congratulations Constance and Paul!!! And thanks so much for sharing your photos and wonderful ideas!
To see more about this wedding and many, many others, visit our Real Weddings section and have fun!
Damask, it’s a classic pattern that packs a big visual punch! It’s elegant and glamorous, and at the same time bold and graphic. Using the pattern in your wedding day decor could work equally well at a formal black tie evening event or at a funky modern afternoon party. I got an e-mail the other day form a reader looking for resources for damask patterned decor, and here are some of the great finds I came across on-line…
Top row:
Paper guest towels, dinner plates, dessert plates and napkins from Plum Party (search for “damask”)
Middle row:
Just a few of the damask woven fabric samples from Waverly (use their store finder to find a retailer near you)
Fabric inspired cake from Martha Stewart
Bottom row:
Menus and place cards from Apiary Design
Damask paper and ribbon wrapped tea cookies from Martha Stewart
.jpg "Photographers")
