kristen + galen :: 3.12.11

kristen and galen were married on march 12, 2011, a gorgeous and warm spring day! wedding was at christ presbyterian church (where kristen and her family are longtime members), and reception was held at the war memorial downtown (as i'm sure you folks know by now, is one of our favorites!) thanks to the ever fabulous photographer mary rosenbaum for these gorgeous shots...

kristen's bouquet was absolutely stunning. martha really knocked this one out of the park!

the moms carried mussy tussys in silver vases with stands. it's a great keepsake- you can even have it engraved with the wedding date after it's all over!

bridesmaids in taupe silk tafetta with bouquets in shades of ivory and pastel- kristen loved blue hydrangeas and white roses

mary did such a great job with kristen and galen's portraits....of course it didn't hurt that kristen and galen are adorable, and kristen is a ballroom dancer- she had such grace, poise and movement all day

arrangement in the sanctuary with french tulips, hydrangeas, delphinium, stock, and cherry blossom branches:

on to the reception...did we mention kristen is a professional ballroom dancer? i think galen may have received some training too- definitely a "dancing with the stars" worthy first dance!

kristen loves jordan almonds, and also loves bird nests (they were incorporated throughout her stationery)- so we did a tablescape in the lobby that incorporated little "birds' nests" of jordan almonds:

more cherry blossom branches, locally sourced!

the main table arrangements were topiaries of roses and hydrangeas in ivory, blue and pink:

and, we couldn't let this blog post pass without mentioning the food. it. was. incredible. kristen winston did a great job, and boy oh boy, did mary rosenbaum do a great job of shooting the food!?! it is beautiful!

we packed hydrangeas around the base of the cake, and then the cake table itself had a petticoat...that's right people...we basically turned this table into scarlett o'hara...it's a great way to add some drama! the lace overlay was a vintage piece from kristen's family.

what a great night! and, to cap it all off, kristen let us know that she and galen are expecting their first child this fall!!!! many congrats to you both, and thank you for letting us be a part of your special day.

amy & chris's wedding featured on weddings unveiled blog!

we just found out that a wedding we designed and planned back in august is being featured today on the weddings unveiled blog, completely unveiled! we're so excited to share amy and chris's day with you all. we really loved the vintage vibe of this wedding, and photographer caroline fontenot's pictures totally captured that feel. take a look at the feature here, and see below for more details from us on this special day!

amy loves anemones and so do we...and so we made them the focus of her bridal bouquet....don't you adore the vintage handkerchief pinned to the base???

we custom ordered amy and chris's guest book

arrangement in the entry with a mix of branches, hydrangeas, greenery, and dusty miller, in old world stone urns, added to the vintage feel

bridesmaids' bouquets with more dusty miller (and lovely tv console by the hermitage hotel, where the girls got ready)

we were all in love with amy's custom made necklace and birdcage veil. so old hollywood!

aisle markers were hanging balls made of pages from vintage encyclopedias

we always love seeing different photographers' viewpoints on locations...it keeps our eyes fresh...we really enjoyed caroline's take on war memorial plaza

amy and chris chose to do cupcakes for their wedding dessert, but kept a little bit of tradition with the small cake topper...great way to mix the old and the new, and that way you still have something to cut!

wheatgrass with votives and antique paper balls served as decor on the guest book table

we kept the florals on the tables pretty simple, cocktail tables and hiboys got glass vessels filled with black river rocks, water, floating candles, and fresh green ferns

we've said it before, we'll say it again: candles= low cost + BIG impact

the patterns in light on the dance floor really popped!

be sure to check out the feature on weddings unveiled for more info, and caroline fontenot's blog for more pictures (including some portraits in the world famous art deco men's bathroom at the hermitage hotel)!

kate & justin

we had a great time with the garman wedding....not only were the bride and groom fun spirits to work with (she's a huge fan of all things disney!), but we got to go for a more modern and monochromatic look which turned out to be one of our favorites to date. we were back at one of our favorite venues, war memorial, for both the ceremony and reception. and luckily, the weather had (finally) cooled down a bit, so it made for a lovely day! we were also reunited with mary rosenbaum, photographer extraordinaire, so we knew these photos would be amazing, and they are...

kate's dress hanging in the hermitage hotel....what a gorgeous gown!

kate, her mom, and sister. love this shot!

kate's precious shoes! what a great way to show that extra bit of personality !

simple bouquets of calla lillies for the bridesmaids

mary guided us over to this wall covered in vines in a parking lot...i knew the picture would be cool, but I didn't expect it to be this AMAZING. now that's a photographer with vision!!

we loved the way kate's bouquet turned out- roses, callas, and arabicum

justin sent over a gift to kate right before the ceremony....one of the cutest things we have ever seen...it was the beautiful tiffany key with a key ring- and attached was a key to justin's house! how creative and thoughtful??!!

the letterpress wedding invites...we carried this motif throughout the wedding as their "brand," from the water bottles to the menu cards

the black chairs really popped against the stone plaza

even though it was cooler, it was still warm enough that guests needed a water!

pomanders made of cream roses hung on the aisle chairs

we incorporated manzanita branches into floral arrangements for a natural feel

another adorable ring bearer and flower girl!

cocktail hour in the courtyard

more manzanita branches with hydrangeas and white orchids

warm amber uplighting

as guests entered war memorial, they saw this sign...

and these were the escort cards with the names and table numbers!! miniature black chairs. we meant it when we said "take a seat" :)

centerpieces were more manzanita branches with orchids and crystals dripping off of them. the amber tones of the lighting looked great with the black and white details!

there was lots of soft candlelight- always a great bang for your buck!

long tables flanked the sides with banquettes and more white chiavari chairs with low floral arrangements of roses and candles

a crystal chandelier is so beautiful in the auditorium!

the cake was arranged on a floating platform, underneath which had moss, green orchids, and branches

justin surprised kate with the perfect first dance song for a disney lover- a whole new world!

justin's favorite dessert is bananas foster, so instead of a traditional groom's cake, kristen winston catering did a bananas foster station. YUM

and then, kate passed out blinking rings to all her guests. it created quite a dance party!

sam levine and the city lights orchestra got the party going!

and there was a candy bar with all of kate & justin's favorites for guests to help themselves to

at the end of the night, justin surprised kate with sparklers for guests to wave at them for their exit

thanks to kate and justin and their families for a great night, and thanks to everyone involved!