Real Wedding Nichole and Chris {Sneak Peek}

Nichole and Chris became Mr. and Mrs. Gregg at the oh so amazing Condor's Nest Ranch in Pala on June 26th. Their "vintage east meets country west" theme was beautifully captured by David Champagne. More details to come.

I heart ML

June 23rd marked our 3 year anniversary. My husband and I like to look at our wedding pictures and think back to that day. We laughed, we ate, we danced....a lot. Our ceremony and reception were held at the historic Eisenhower House in Newport, Rhode Island. Kristin Spencer captured our day perfectly. She and her husband Jared are awesome and we've become great friends over the years. I hope you enjoy our photos.

Some details of the day: Matt and I made buttons with icons that were designed by our good friend, Dustin Ortiz. He also made our save the dates and invitations. He's a super talented artist. Votives served as seating assignments. We set up a photo booth for guests to enjoy. They took home pictures to remember the night, some sweet and innocent, some naughty. Little did they know we were able to view all of the pictures taken that night. Haha, classic!

I splurged and bought myself a pair of Prada flats. Matt added some flair with a vibrant belt. I gave all my bridesmaids necklaces from one of my favorite stores in Encinitas, Dreamy. They were designed by Chris Bolton and had each of my friend's monogram engraved on the silver charm. I chose my color palette based on that store!

Our ceremony was simple, focusing on our love for each other, our families, and friends who were there celebrating with us.

When Matt decided to take our relationship to the next level, he brought me to a special place that was special to him and his close friends, a small bar in Providence called The Custom House Tavern. It was jazz night and the "jazz beaux" as they were known at the time were playing their usual set. Ken "Kenny" Carpenter and Robert "Buzz" Buzzerio, those two names stuck with me. We discovered The Custom House had closed when it came time to plan our wedding, but I thought about how cool it would be to have the "jazz beaux" play at our wedding. So I began searching and was having a difficult time finding Kenny and Buzz. One day, I happened upon a music student who provided a phone number for Buzz, his former trumpet teacher. It worked. I found them and they agreed to play music for our ceremony and cocktail hour. Truly EPIC!

After announcing our wedding party, we danced our first dance to Dustin Kensrue's "Pistol." His words were so fitting of the two of us and our relationship. Dustin himself hand wrote and sent us the lyrics to this song on a piece of paper for us. So awesome!

The Eisenhower House in Fort Adams State Park is an absolutely stunning place to get married. Ceremony and reception in one spot, right on the water overlooking Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. We bused our guests from their hotel to the site by yellow school bus. This was much appreciated after a night of partying.

Take a look at that food. It took my father a while to warm up to the idea of having meals served in martini glasses. "How does one cut their foot exactly?" Let me just say that our caterer killed it! The food was so good. Family and friends still comment three years later. Hungry yet? Save room for dessert.

We chose to forego the traditional wedding cake, another idea not quite understood by my father, until the words "Coldstone Creamery" station were uttered. Enough said. Our caterer had the cold stone slab and all the fix ins. Everyone loves ice cream, right? It was a hit!

How can I go any further without talking about our flowers. I had always loved orchids, still do, and I wanted a centerpiece that guests could take home with them. Cymbidium orchids were chosen for the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets. White and fuchsia phalaenopsis orchid plants in modern black square containers were the perfect fit, clean and simple. Stoneblossom did an amazing job with the design.

One of the best compliments that we received was from our caterer's waitstaff. They came up to us at the end of the evening to tell us that our wedding was the most fun wedding they have ever worked.

THE best of the best:

Dress - Melissa Sweet from Chez Bride Moderne

Shoes - Prada

Bridesmaid dresses - J.Crew

Necklaces - Dreamy + Chris Bolton Jewelry

Venue - Eisenhower House

Photographer - Kristin Spencer

Photobooth - RI Photobooths

Florist - Stoneblossom

Caterer - Russell Morin (special thanks to Heather Morin who went above and beyond for us and our guests)

Band - The Jazz Beaux, Ken Carpenter + Robert "Buzz" Buzzerio

Invitation + Button Designs - Dustin Ortiz

Tent - ABC Rent-A-Tent Inc.

First song - Dustin Kensrue's "Pistol"

Real Wedding: Julie + Forest {Sneak Peek}

Julie and Forest said their "I dos" and became Mr. and Mrs. Stanley on Friday with an intimate gathering on the lawn of the County Administration Building in San Diego. On Sunday, they celebrated with friends and family at Quail Gardens in Encinitas. Congratulations Julie and Forest. Enjoy your two weeks in Costa Rica!

*Photos by The Floral Lab

LBB

As a small business owner, I'm constantly setting little goals for my company. There are also those few big goals that I hope to someday reach. It's just little old me here running this ship (with a lot of love and patience from my biggest fan, my husband). I'm with my clients from start to finish. I meet with them, design a proposal, purchase, prep, arrange, set up, and break down. So, meeting those few big goals could take some time.

Well, I am overjoyed to blog today because I reached one of my big goals. It came unexpectedly and I have to admit, it made me a bit nervous. A few weeks back I was asked to be a member of Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book of San Diego Floral vendors. Style me Pretty is not just another wedding blog. It's so well respected and it's the go to blog for today's modern bride.

One of my favorite features is the Inspiration Board. I meet with a lot of brides who need a visual. This wedding planning tool allows you to pull all your inspiration together to create a cohesive look and view other boards created by others. I think it's genius!

Thank you Style Me Pretty for this most amazing opportunity. I hope to make you proud.