Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tressa & Ben: The Wedding Story

Hey everyone!

I'm back today with the beautiful images from Benfield Photography that tell the story of Tressa & Ben's wedding day. I'm going to let them speak for themselves....
Tressa's first look with her bridesmaids! Bridesmaids dresses from Tesori Bridal & Formal.
And the bride & groom's First Look. 
The kiss! And can we talk about how perfect Tressa's Galia Lahav gown looks?! 
Just married!
Now off to the party in the perfect classic car from Autumn Ridge Plantation.
How perfect is that enormous chandelier over their first dance?
The biggest cake ever and his & her bottles of Dom Perignon
Al Paris & The Heartbreakers were amazing.
and then Michael Jackson showed up. 


Come back tomorrow for the beautiful wedding portraits!

Monday, March 30, 2015

Tressa & Ben: The Details

Hey everyone!

I'm back today with the incredible details from Tressa & Ben's super glamorous wedding last weekend. Tressa is the kind of bride who knows exactly what she wants! She knows her style and her taste and it was our job to turn her ideas into reality. Here are a few of my favorite details from the day...
top left: brooch bouquet;  top center: biggest centerpieces I've ever seen; top right: custom chocolate bars displayed with cake; 2nd row left: custom elk head bourbon luge by Ice Dimensions; 2nd row center: wedding rings; 2nd row right: flower girls with brooch bouquets; bottom left: the sweetest note from Tressa to Ben; bottom center: garters; bottom right: Jimmy Choo bridal shoes.
Custom made {by JLK Weddings} 12 foot long crystal chandelier over the dance floor.
gorgeous head table with floral runner by Pigmint accented with gold candelabras. And check out those crystal curtains hanging above! 
Gorgeous cake by Sweet Boutique; Cascading roses by Pigmint; Custom napkins by Shindig Paperie; Rentals by RSVP.

Literally the biggest centerpieces I've ever seen by Pigmint
Super sweet kid's tables place settings! 

Benfield Photography did an excellent job capturing these details! Come back tomorrow to see how they captured the story of their wedding day!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Tressa's Autumn Ridge Plantation Bridal Portraits

Hey everyone!

I'm so excited to be sharing the GORGEOUS details and moments from Tressa & Ben's wedding! Lets start with Tressa's lovely bridal portraits shot by Benfield Photography at Autumn Ridge Plantation just 5 days before the wedding! The session had to be postponed a couple of times as we waited on the brooch bouquet to be shipped, but everyone came together and made it happen and the results are spectacular...
Incredible Couture Gown by Galia Lahav.
The cathedral length veil in all it's splendor.
The perfect girl, in the perfect gown, in the perfect location.
You can see many more of Tressa's bridal portraits over on the Benfield Blog! And come back Monday for my favorite details from the wedding day.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Magical Winter Wedding

It's been a lovely winter and we've had a great time playing in the snow! 
Model: Mattie Marsh
Gown & Jewels: Tesori
Hair & Make Up: Nikki at Enve Salon

Friday, March 13, 2015

Snowy Shoot {Day 5}: Behind the Scenes

It was a challenge. So I want to spend today's blog post thanking all of the people who made our Snowy Inspirational Shoot possible. Behind the scenes...
Lindsey from Tesori took the wedding gown home with her the night before the shoot so she would have it even if she couldn't make it to the store in the snow - and she stopped to get ALL of us coffee on the way!
Nikki at Enve Salon stepped up to do Hair & Make Up with 15 hours notice & continuously fixed and refixed the hair as it was snowed on for hours!
Pam at Flora expertly whipped up the bouquet, centerpiece, and boutonniere that morning! 
Rick's Bakery created a fresh display cake for me with less than 24 hours notice.
Randal & Randy at Eventures drove their own cars out to the venue with the furniture and decor to make sure we got everything we needed!
Leslie at Soho Clothiers went into work early on an icy day, when she probably wouldn't have even opened, to gather up the clothing for our "groom".
Mark from Autumn Ridge Plantation was an amazing host and didn't bat an eye as we tracked snow into their gorgeous home. 
Taylor, from our team at JLK Weddings, picked up the flowers and drove out to the location to create this magic with me!
Our models, Mattie & Trent, braved the cold, wet snow in sippery shoes! And did it with grace and a smile.
Erika Dotson captured it all so perfectly. 

And a big big BIG thank you goes to my husband, Logan. He was worried about me driving on the snowy/icy roads, so he drove me around {picking up things & picking up people} and he stood out in the snow holding an umbrella to keep the snow off of our "bride" as much as possible! And more importantly, he missed watching the Razorback Basketball game to be there! He's my hero.
I love you!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Snowy Shoot {Day 4}: From Inspiration to Reality

Today's the day! When you see these images you may think it's beautiful but completely impractical. Well, we are so excited to share with you how to take these ideas and use them for your real winter wedding!

1. Outdoor Setting
Of course it's not practical to set up your tables outside in the snow, or even just in the cold! Your guests would hate you! But if you choose your venue well it can feel like you're bringing the winter landscape inside. Tents with windows {and heaters!} work if you choose an outdoor venue like Autumn Ridge Plantation with a spectacular wintery view. If that's not for you, choose an indoor venue with big windows to let the outdoors in. Either way, bring in evergreen hedges {Eventures carries them in all shapes & sizes!} to line the dance floor. Bonus, you can even make it snow inside using a snow machine as guests enter or as they dance the last dance!

2. Greenery Instead of Flowers {or with minimal flowers}
This can be taken straight from inspiration to reality! Have your florist use mostly greens and you can stretch your money further. And if you're anything like me, you'll be excited by the idea of doing something new and different!

3. Shearling or {Faux} Fur Elements
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I don't recommend this use for shearling or fur. While it looks AMAZING, it is far from practical. This is the rug from my office. It smelled awful after getting wet & took 5 days to dry out in the garage hanging up on a ladder. While this wouldn't happen to you in an inside setting, it would get spilled on! Wine, beer, liquor, water, etc. {You'll notice we don't have glasses on the table, that's because they wouldn't stand up!} Instead, use shearling or fur as an overlay on tables that guests won't be sitting around with drinks - small tables holding a huge flower arrangement on either side of the entrance into your reception would be gorgeous! If this is still too risky, use faux fur pillows on your chairs, sofas, and other furniture. And wrap your bridesmaids in fur stoles. 

4. Dusting of Snow
It wasn't our original intention to have a dusting of snow on everything, but no matter now many times we wiped off the tables, and dishes, and silverware, and chairs, the snow kept falling. And I'm glad it did. The dusting of snow is beautiful! And while real snow isn't doable for a wedding, you can use fake snow. I've used it before to accent centerpieces and it is beautiful, but I even love it like this - just a dusting over the entire table! Just make sure you avoid the actual plates! No one wants to eat fake snow :)  
Bonus, you can use white biodegradable confetti to toss for your send off and it looks like you are being showered in snow! Plus it's extremely affordable & most venues allow it since it is biodegradable. 

5. Call Us! 
We can help design even more perfect details for your winter {or any season!} wedding! Call us today to schedule your free bridal consultation: 479.414.4136. 

Vendor Love:
Nikki at Enve Salon for Hair & Make Up

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Snowy Shoot {Day 3}

Hey guys!

In Arkansas everything shuts down when it snows! So we knew it would be difficult to get too many people together, and we decided to keep our Snowy Inspirational Shoot fairly simple. In its simplicity, there were some incredible details...
Invitation from Shindig Paperie
Bouquet by Flora Fayetteville. Gown from Tesori. Hair & Make up by Nikki at Enve Salon.
Boutonniere by Flora Fayetteville. Suit from Soho Clothiers.
Place Settings from Eventures: Clear Glass Charger with Silver Rim, Ornate Silver Rimmed Dinner Plate, Simple Silver Rimmed Dessert Plate, Silver Crush Napkin, Silver Flatware. Topped with a sprig of greenery and a little dusting of snow!
Rough textured buttercream cake from Rick's Bakery with a sprig of fresh greenery laid diagonally down the front. Hair & Make up by Nikki at Enve Salon.
Thank you Erika Dotson Photography for these incredible images!!

Come back tomorrow for my tips on incorporating these fabulous ideas into your more practical winter wedding!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Snowy Shoot {Day 2}

Hey everyone!

I'm back with more from our MAGICAL snowy shoot with Erika Dotson Photography at Autumn Ridge Plantation! Today I'm sharing the unbelievable table design.
Working with Pam at Flora is always a treat. We had been talking for months about an all green floral design with minimal flowers using lots of texture, greenery, berries, and much more. When the snow started to fall, she worked with what she had in her shop and created this absolutely gorgeous centerpiece. It was like something out of my dreams!
Eventures braved the weather and icy roads to provide the beautiful velvet linen, place settings, chairs, and pillows.  So gorgeous.
And lets not forget about the crazy idea I had to use my shearling rug on the table. {FYI: I don't recommend getting shearling wet. It took several very stinky days to dry out in our garage after the shoot! Totally worth it though for these breathtaking results.}

I adore the way you can actually see the snow falling in these images from Erika Dotson Photography. It snowed on us for 3 straight hours. It was cold and wet, but it was awesome! Tomorrow I'm sharing more details. So come back...

Monday, March 9, 2015

Snowy Shoot {Day 1}

Hey everyone!

Last weekend we played in the snow in style. Erika Dotson {of Erika Dotson Photography} approached me months ago about styling a photo shoot in the snow and I was so excited to do it! I worked for weeks designing a concept for the shoot, getting vendors involved, and choosing the gorgeous details. We had everything ready to go and then we just waited for the snow! On our word all of the vendors involved came together and created incredible inspiration! I couldn't be happier with the way it all turned out.

First I want to share the portraits!

bouquet by Flora Fayetteville 
These give me butterflies! They are so perfect. Tesori Bridal & Formal provided the incredible long sleeved lace & tulle gown for our stunning bride. And Soho Clothiers dressed our dapper groom in a gorgeous black suit, sharp white shirt, and classic bow tie. Our models, Mattie & Trent, were absolute pros!

A few individual shots that are equally gorgeous...
boutonniere by Flora Fayetteville.
How about that view from Autumn Ridge Plantation??

Now lets all give a round of applause to Nikki Corning from Enve Salon who killed it on Hair & Make up {and had to do constant touch ups because it was literally snowing on us for hours!}

Thank you Erika Dotson for coming to us with this idea & letting us run with it! And thank you to the amazing vendors who got out in the snow and created with us:
Tesori Bridal & Formal
SoHo Clothiers
Flora
Eventures
Rick's Bakery
Nikki from Enve Salon

Lots more to come from this magical day! So stay tuned...

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Autumn Ridge Plantation: Styled Wedding {Day 4}

Hey guys!

I'm back today to share the wedding itself from our Autumn Ridge Plantation event! I'll let the photos from Benfield Photography speak for themselves...
The bouquet by Flora was a masterpiece. Gown from Tesori.
bridesmaid bouquets by Flora.
Attire by Tesori. Boutonniere by Flora.
Romance Diamond Co. engagement ring & diamond bangle.
bouquet, boutonniere, and backdrop by Flora. Gown by Tesori.
chairs from Eventures.
ceremony with the view from the back yard at Autumn Ridge Plantation.

cake and petit fours by Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe.
sofa from Eventures. Flowers by Flora.
again Caroline with the perfect lighting!
bridal bouquet by Flora.

Isn't this just perfect! Thank you for the gorgeous images Benfield Photography!