Finishing Touch: An official Little Black Book member!

Finishing Touch is now an official Style Me Pretty Little Black Book member! We were contacted several weeks ago by Style Me Pretty and invited to be a member of their exclusive wedding vendor database, Little Black Book. In any given area they only invite 5-7 vendors in any one category, so we are one of very few wedding coordinators in Arkansas that will be included in this database. I am beyond honored to have been invited to be a part of this exclusive group, as I am a devoted Style Me Pretty follower and I absolutely adore their style and aesthetic. After a phone interview on Friday morning, I was officially asked to join the Little Black Book, and as of today the Finishing Touch Little Black Book page is up and running!

I {heart} J.Crew wedding gowns...

J.Crew has some of the most beautiful, and most affordable, wedding gowns out there. Check out these three new beauties...

chiffon Augusta gown, $995

Duchess satin Margeaux gown, $1,800

Bow monde gown, $1,500

Check out many more amazing bridal gowns at jcrew.com and their killer bridesmaids dresses too!

Book Inspired Wedding

With my sister Brooke's wedding just over 2 weeks away, I am getting so excited to share some of the details with you. Brooke is a free lance writer in Napa Valley and is engaged to Rhett who is also a writer among other things. So of course books and writing had to be incorporated into their wedding design.
This bride and groom, who's wedding was recently featured on Style Me Pretty, also went with the book theme and it is stunning...

Keep an eye on the vintage typewriter...this element will make an appearance in Brooke & Rhett's wedding next month.

LOVE these table numbers!

I'll be leaving on September 9th for Napa, California begin Brooke's wedding festivities, and I will most definitely share the details with you along the way.

Until then, Sarah & Justin will tie the knot next Saturday in another beautiful Garvan Gardens Ceremony. See you then!

Trendspotting: Art Installations

I recently came across this post from Flights of Fancy recognizing the newest trend in weddings: art installations. This trend has been gaining steam for a while, and it's not showing any signs of stopping. Check out these beautiful displays...

See more on the Flights of Fancy blog.

After seeing the Flights of Fancy post, I came across this photo from the newest issue of Utterly Engaged and fell in love!This is definitely my favorite installation display I've seen so far. This look is perfect for a wedding with a more casual style. So much fun!

Ruffly Dream Cakes

I just came across these amazing ruffled masterpieces by Magpie's Cakes in Washington DC. I want one of these for every frilly, feminine bride out there. They are absolute perfection!
I'm completely in love...
Search Magpie's portfolio for amazing inspiration for your wedding cake.

Casey & Andrew's wedding day!

With a day that started like this (literally flash floods & my car getting struck by lightning) you need a bride & groom that can go with the flow. And Casey & Andrew were so happy to be marrying their "best friend", as I heard each of them say several times throughout the time we worked together, that nothing could ruin this day!
Beautiful details...

A few special notes:
top, right - In the bouquets, we incorporated Sweet William, which was Casey's grandmother's favorite flower. This was our way of making sure they felt her presence on the wedding day.
center - Casey's dad, who adores his daughters, works for a printing company in Fort Smith, and designed and created all of Casey's paper goodies (including letterpress invitations that HE did by hand!). This dance floor logo is just one of the many.
middle, right - Casey's grandmother's horse pin adorned her bouquet wrap. Her sweet "something old".

One of my favorite ceremony details...

2 large silver trumpet vases with a cloud of baby's breath in each set atop the lord's supper table with cylinders of floating candles filling the space between. Simple & striking.

Father daughter moments...This bride & her dad have such a sweet relationship that the father daughter moments from the wedding are plenty!

Just before walking down the aisle. AMAZING light!

I LOVE this one too. As they're walking down the aisle. Notice how she's squeezing his hand. So sweet.

And I couldn't resist posting this one! Just after the ceremony ended... I bet you $100 they're saying "I can't believe we're married!"

The shoe shot...Fabulous!
My favorite shot of the reception...
First dance...Check out that light!
One of my favorite Garter Toss shots ever...Crazy good light again!

And the Get Away!Check out the Benfield Photography Blog. Dale posted one of my favorite Get Away shots ever today! Along with more gorgeousness from Casey & Andrew's beautiful Fort Smith wedding.

Congratulations again to one of the sweetest couples I've ever had the pleasure of working with. You two will have a wonderful life together. Congrats to Casey & Andrew Shelor!

Vendor Love
Wedding Coordination & Design: Finishing Touch Event Design
Photography: Benfield Photography
Rentals: Unforgettables
Cakes: Confectionately Yours
DJ: Groove Productions
Ceremony Venue: Eastside Baptist Church
Reception Venue: Fort Smith Convention Center
Florist: Finishing Touch (centerpieces & altar arrangements), Expressions (bouquets, boutonnieres, and candelabra centerpieces)
Caterer: Golden Corral

Casey & Andrew's beautiful wedding portraits

Casey and Andrew are the kind of couple everyone loves. They were so happy and so excited just to be husband and wife, that I had a constant state of goose bumps throughout the day. As soon as they walked back out of the sanctuary after the ceremony, Andrew picked up his new bride, twirled her around, and they basically skipped off hand in hand. It was so touching to see two people that happy with no one else around. It wasn't for show or for the cameras, it was just them.
These absolutely gorgeous portraits by Benfield Photography are some of my favorites of the day. Here's a little more of the sweet sweet couple, Casey & Andrew Shelor...
For more of their amazing portraits head on over to Dale & Meredith's blog. And stay tuned for more from their beautiful wedding over the next few days!

I'm loving...Calligraphy Details

To all the brides out there: Remember calligraphy! Calligraphy details add a touch of sophistication that is absolutely priceless. You can keep your cost down by just having a few small calligraphy details rather than hundreds of place cards. And items like these from Ritzy Bee Blog make a huge impact on your guests...
For more beautiful calligraphy details, head on over to Ritzy Bee Blog.

Contact your local calligrapher or call Amy of Sincerely Yours Paper, Inc (for a printed version of calligraphy) or Nikki of The Left Handed Calligrapher for hand calligraphy in a variety of styles.

Casey's stunning bridal portraits

Casey & Andrew were married just over a week ago in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They are such a sweet couple and so in love. Their happiness was absolutely contagious! I'm so excited to share the first sneak peak of their wedding with Casey's bridal portraits by the always amazing Dale and Meredith of Benfield Photography!
These are just a few of my favorites! And they are absolutely gorgeous! For more from Casey's bridal session, check out the posts on Dale and Meredith's blog here and here.

Stay tuned for more details from their wedding throughout this week!

The "first look" steals the show again!

Molly and Colby were married on June 17th in McAlester, Oklahoma. While working with them to plan their rustic, southern wedding Molly saw the First Look photos from Lauren & Ryan's wedding last January and was completely blown away. They just had to do the First Look, and their images from these private moments are my favorite of the entire day...
I highly recommend the First Look. If you don't feel strongly about not seeing each other prior to the wedding, do it! Not only do you get those amazing private moments together, your nerves will melt away, and you'll have some amazing photographs! You won't regret it.

Thanks to their fantastic photographer, Melissa Claborn for capturing such breathtaking First Look photos!
Stay tuned for more from Molly & Colby's wedding in the days ahead...

Custom Calligraphy Stamps

I am in the beginning stages of a calligraphy invitation design with Nicole, owner of The Left Handed Calligrapher out of Plano, Texas. After sending her the details of this new project I did a little searching on her blog and found some incredibly beautiful designs!
One of my favorite services Nicole offers to her clients is a custom calligraphy stamp for your return address or other paper goodies. Feast your eyes on these gorgeous designs...
And I love this little extra detail...
Beautiful, right? A custom stamp is a very affordable way to accentuate your paper designs. Check out a few more examples by Nicole on her blog. And give her a call for your custom price quote.

Sweet Sweet Words

Yesterday I returned home from an extremely hectic weekend (a gorgeous wedding on Saturday in Fort Smith, church/bridal consultation/beautiful baby shower on Sunday in Fort Smith, and a meeting with KNWA's wedding give-away winners on Monday in Fayetteville). Needless to say, I was wiped out when I finally returned home to Little Rock yesterday afternoon, but was completely rejuvenated when I opened an amazing thank you letter from one of my favorite brides!

Jessica,
Where do I begin? Our wedding was all that it was because of you! The Finishing Touch team worked their tails off in the days prior to our wedding! And it did not go unnoticed by my entire family (who also loved you all!). You handled every detail of our wedding flawlessly. You were always incredibly prompt in response to all of my crazy e-mails, texts, and phone calls. You dealt with my indecisiveness gracefully, and most of all, you have a heart of gold!
I am very grateful for our new-found friendship that we have formed in the process. I hope to enjoy that for years to come!
Love, Ashley Rausch
Thank you Ashley, for giving me a renewed sense of excitement! That note truly made my week. I love my job and it's always amazing to receive a letter like that on a day when I'm exhausted. I have the best brides!

3 days until Casey & Andrew tie the knot!

With just 3 days until THE day, I've been dying to share more about Casey & Andrew. They are one of the sweetest couples I've met and I am so excited for their wedding this weekend. So I was thrilled when I found out they had some more engagement photos that are absolutely killer!

Their wedding photographer is the amazingly talented Benfield Photography, who took the gorgeous engagement photos I posted back in May. Click here to refresh your memory.
But I've just discovered that Casey and Andrew also won an engagement session at a bridal fair with another incredible photographer, Shannon Walker of A Moment Captured. Here are just a few of my favorites from their session with her...
Stunning, right?! Amazing job, as always, Shannon.

Stay tuned for more from their beautiful wedding by Benfield Photography! It's going to be gorgeous!

Meet Marissa & Tyler!

Marissa and Tyler are getting married in May 2011. When their wedding arrives, we will have been working with them for a year and a half to make their wedding dreams reality!
They've chosen a dream team of vendors so far: Marlsgate Plantation, Benfield Photography, NILO Productions, Sincerely Yours Paper, Inc, and Jeremy Shrader's Memphis Hepcats just to name a few.
Marissa and Tyler met up with Dale and Meredith of Benfield Photography a few weeks ago for their engagement session, and here is the first peak at this amazingly stylish couple...For more of Marissa and Tyler's engagement photos head on over to Benfield Photography's blog.