Sweet Inspiration

Hey everyone!
I came across these gorgeous, modern cakes from DC cake designer, Maggie Austin several weeks ago and have been waiting for a good time to share them. I absolutely love the simple, yet unique designs! And I love the way she's used cake pedestals to display and make them appear even taller.
I especially love the one on the 2nd row, left side with the gorgeous sculpted flower on top and the third row, right side with the chunky lace texture. Absolutely stunning!

{click on photo to enlarge}
{photo via White Thread}

To be inspired by more of Maggie's amazing designed, check out her website today!

Amber's Beautiful Bridal Portraits

While we wait for Amber & Alan's wedding photos, I thought I'd share with you just a few of Amber's gorgeous bridal portraits by Erika Dotson Photography.
To see more of her beautiful portraits, head on over to Erika Dotson's blog.

Brooke & Rhett: Reception Details Galore

Their reception was one of my favorites! And not just because Brooke is my sister, but because it was full of amazing details and sweet sentiment.

Some of my favorite moments were the special dances. Brooke & Rhett danced one of the best first dances I've seen (they had to have been practicing!) to "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers. Brooke & her dad danced to "Daughter" to Loudon Wainwright - listen to it! It is perfection - followed by Rhett's dance with his mother to "Georgia on my Mind" by Ray Charles which couldn't have been more suited for this Georgia boy!
Friends and family ate well, drank well, toasted the bride & groom, and danced under the starts as the night went on. Overall, it was everything Brooke & Rhett hoped for and I don't think it could have been more perfect for this sweet couple!

As promised, here are my favorite photos from Brooke & Rhett's reception...

The bride & groom make their grand entrance into the reception. The light was amazing...

{photo by Ashley Teplin}

Another nod to these 2 writers, we just had to incorporate books into the centerpiece design. And I'm crazy about the results!

{photos by Ashley Teplin}
Wedding Design & All Florals by Finishing Touch Event Design.
left: unbound booked set atop vintage lace.
top, center: books with mason jars full of flowers and flowers placed on the table loosely.
bottom, center: mason jar with candle wrapped with twine.
right: mason jars tied with ribbon or twine were placed atop bundles of books and filled with flowers. All were placed on a vintage lace runner & surrounded by mason jars with votives.
Flowers used: Yellow Garden Roses, Pink/Red Garden Roses, Eggplant Calla Lilies, Orange Calla Lilies, Chocolate Cosmos, Fiddlehead Ferns, & accents of Magnolia Leaves.

And I couldn't resist a little spot light on Romeo & Juliet...

{photo by Finishing Touch}

The first dance...

{photo by Ashley Teplin}

Food & drinks were the focus of this southern wedding. A dear friend of the bride & groom, Nick, chef of Crooked Porch BBQ Catering, created a truly southern dinner for their guests, consisting of Fried Chicken, Collard Greens, Grits, & Succotash. It was absolutely delicious!

{photos by Ashley Teplin}

Guests toast Brooke & Rhett...

{photo by Ashley Teplin}

Continuing the Southern style cuisine, Brooke's friend & fellow book-club member, Diane, owner of Napa Farmhouse 1885, created a buffet of fresh pies and cobblers and home made ice cream in place of the traditional wedding cake.

{photos by Ashley Teplin}

And as a surprise, friends of the groom, ordered a special groom's cake just perfect for the die-hard Georgia Bulldog!

{photo by Ashley Teplin}

And they're married!

{left: photo by Ashley Teplin, right: photo by Robb Donough}

A big thank you everyone who rolled up their sleeves and did everything they could to help make Brooke & Rhett's wedding day absolutely perfect. Without each of their friends (Anna & Mark - who opened their new home for the wedding venue, Nick - the caterer, Paul - the DJ, Diane - the baker, Ashley, Ann, & Robb - the photographers, & all of Brooke's book club ladies & family who helped throughout the weekend) and family (Cozy - the officiant & aunt of the bride, Christopher - the musician & cousin of the bride, Steve - vocalist & uncle of the bride, and the team at Finishing Touch - sisters, step-mother, and brother in law) none of what we accomplished would have been possible! It was a perfect day for this couple who is so special to us all.
To Brooke & Rhett - We love you both! And are so excited for you and the new family you're starting!

To see more of Brooke & Rhett's wedding photos, go to their gallery on our website.

Brooke & Rhett's Sweet Ceremony

Brooke and Rhett Gadke were married in a sweet, intimate ceremony last Saturday in Napa, California. It truly was a ceremony filled with family & tradition - the bride's grandmother said a blessing over the couple, the bride's aunt officiated the ceremony, and Brooke & Rhett said the beautiful traditional vows that have been said by countless brides and grooms before them.

Here are just a few of my favorite details and photos from the beautiful ceremony...

Pre-designed programs from One Heart Weddings, printed locally in Napa.

The fabulous guest book table was one of the many nods to Brooke & Rhett's profession and passion - writing...

A vintage typewriter filled with flowers set atop unbound booked tied with twine. Guests wrote messages to Brooke & Rhett on vintage library cards and placed them in an old library card box as a keepsake for years to come.

The gorgeous bride, gorgeous bouquet, and gorgeous light...

The groom looked sharp...

Armani suit with a Darcy Peony rose & fiddle head fern boutonniere.

The bride & her mother...

The bride & her father walking down the aisle...
The vows...
The kiss...

Walking back down the aisle...{all photos by Ashley Teplin}

It was a short and sweet ceremony that I will always remember. Love you guys!

Reception details to come tomorrow!

Brooke & Rhett: Unique Rehearsal Dinner

From the beginning Brooke & Rhett's wedding theme was "more fun, less fancy", and they kept that feeling going throughout the weekend's festivities. For the rehearsal dinner, they invited their families and friends to join them at Dim Sum Charlie's, a fantastic, newly opened outdoor restaurant in downtown Napa, owned by a dear friend of the groom.

photo by Finishing Touch

Guests helped themselves to beer and wine displayed in beautiful, rustic barrels...

photo by Ashley Teplin

Dish after dish of dumplings, rice, and other amazing food was brought out in bamboo baskets from the fantastic polished airstream trailer. Just a couple of the delicious dishes that were served...

Lotus Leaf Wrapped Sticky Rice
Photo by Ashley Teplin

Pork Buns, a favorite of all the men!
Photo by Ashley Teplin

The guests thoroughly enjoyed an evening of dining under the stars, fantastic conversation, and delicious food and drinks.

Photo by Ashley Teplin

The amazing atmosphere of the evening was topped off by the beautiful sail/canopies over the picnic tables and globe lights strung throughout the space.

Photo by Finishing Touch

Photo by Ashley Teplin

I absolutely adore everything about Brooke and Rhett's rehearsal dinner. It was the perfect blend of delicious food & drinks and a casual, but unique location.

If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, choose a completely unique location and build your rehearsal dinner around it. It will make a huge impression on your guests and will set the tone for your wedding weekend.

Stay tuned for Brooke & Rhett's ceremony details tomorrow...

Brooke & Rhett: Fabulous Boutonnieres

Since there is so much to share about Brooke and Rhett's gorgeous Napa wedding, I'll start with a small detail, and one of my favorites: the boutonnieres.
Designed and Created by Finishing Touch, each boutonniere for their wedding was unique. They consisted of similar elements - all included fiddlehead ferns and were wrapped in twine - that were used in different ways and with little extras added.

The Groom wore a fiddlehead fern, a peony garden rose, and a magnolia leaf all wrapped in ivory satin ribbon and tied with criss-crossing twine...

{photo by Ashley Teplin}

The father of the bride wore a fiddlehead fern paired with a picante orange mini calla lily all wrapped in ivory satin ribbon and tied with a thin band of twine...

{photo by Logan Kersey}

The Best Man, Brandon - Rhett's brother, wore 2 fiddlehead ferns wrapped in ivory satin ribbon and tied with a cluster of twine...

{photo by Ashley Teplin}

Stay tuned next week for more gorgeous details from Brooke and Rhett's unique Southern wedding in the Napa Valley!

Brooke is a Mrs!

My sister tied the knot on Sunday in a beautiful ceremony in Napa, California. It was a weekend filled with fun, friends and family, and wonderful food and wine! Of course there will be much more to come over the next few weeks. But until then, here's a sneak peak of one of my favorite details of the day...

{photo by my sweet husband}

Much more to come...

Napa Bound!

I leave tomorrow at 5am for my sister's wedding in the beautiful Napa Valley! Brooke and Rhett will be getting married on Sunday in what they call a "Southern Fried Wedding" with their closest family and friends.
Brooke is a food and wine writer who keeps a fantastic culinary blog called The Aficionada. This week she wrote a wonderfully fun post about their wedding and all of the amazing friends who have come out to help make it perfect for them. It will be a wonderful time with family and friends and with 2 foodies getting married we're sure to eat and drink well!
I cannot wait to share more details after the weekend! See you all next week!