Catherine and Ben

There are so many things we could talk about with this wedding ... it's hard to know where to begin. The ravashing bride! The fabulous mountain venue! The incredible food! The heat! The swollen river! The closed road... which led to the footbridge... which led to the football field (and a half )long walk to the lodge(repeated 15 times)... which led to the swollen feet. And did I mention that Hailey was 7 months pregnant! Oh... and I almost forgot the wind! Yes... everything was perfect:)Before we say anything else though we must give a HUGE "THANK YOU" to Brittany and Brian of Cascio Photography who without batting an eyelid lent us their camera when they heard that we had broken ours, just so we could take a few pictures for you, our faithful readers. I mean who does that!!! Lends their livelihood to a couple of photographic kindergarteners. So just for the record these images were taken by Hailey, then edited by Cascio . We get by with a little help from our friends:)

Hopefully we'll follow up with the photographers pictures at a later date...

so you can see this stunning couple in their entirety.

So these hand written windows for the seating charts were actually meant to be hanging from the tree outside but due to the incredible wind gusts we found a nice safe place in the entry.

These coral charm beauties were the most amazing I have ever seen. I think I would consider planning my wedding around their season just to have them.

Catherine is from Brazil and her father is from Belgium so guests flew in from all over. The tables were seated by language. The english speaking... the portuguese speaking and the french speaking tables.

A true foodie Catherine made flavored salts for her guest favors.

This one was Tangerine... yum!

All kinds of pretty cakes made by the ever popular Tulle Bakery

Thanks also to Dolly and Doug who not only were amazing help but got us safely home by

4 o'clock in the morning.

There was so much more to this wedding. Hopefully we

can share the rest with you when we hear from the photographer:)

Congratulations Ben and Catherine!!!

Vintage Violet

Nothing excites like finding an extraordinary specimen. This particular bunch of Nigella (sometimes referred to as "Love in the Mist") caught my eye for this very bloom. As perfect as I've ever seen, the rest of the bunch was pretty straggly but worth it for just one gorgeous blossom. It echoed the gorgeous bride Shea. She is a rare and exquisite bloom ... lovely in every way.

Thanks to Stacey Richards Photography for these two beautiful images of Shea's bouquet.


Vintage becomes more meaningful when heirloom pieces like this brooch are passed down from those who love us.

Next three images courtesy of Stacey Richards Photography

Thinking of you Shea...

They don't come any nicer than Sasha and Ace... a "MFEO" pair who were the most gracious, kind, selfless, fun-loving couples we've ever come across. We can't wait to see the pictures of their incredibly zaney wedding from Alana Lange Photography... until then, enjoy this fun video from Doug Larson of Pointe Digital

Sasha & Ace - Logan Temple Video from Doug Larson on Vimeo.

Bliss Wedding Blog Shoot

There’s definitely something about the color pink that is innately feminine. We’ve loved it from the time we were little girls… and even though we may rebel against it once in a while we find another way to acceptably “hue” it back into our circle of trust by giving it new names like, Raspberry, Fuchsia, Crimson, Rose, Watermelon, and even “Pantone’s 2011 color of the year… Honeysuckle Pink”. It can be as soft as a baby girl’s booties or some just like to call it “Hot”. However you like to take your pink, “Shell” or “Shocking”, there’s one thing that’s been clinically proven… Pink just makes us happy. So with that knowledge securely in tact, pull up a chair and come smile a while with us as we drool over these dreamy images by the very talented Brittany of Cascio Photography :)

One of the easiest ways to design a wedding is to start with an inspiration board…. a gathering of magazine tears or online images that you compile into a storyboard collage. This particular board started with the color pink… raspberry pink to be exact. Next came the secondary color in the form of this aquamarine lantern found at Z Gallerie. Both of these could be considered rather strong and bold colors so the challenge was to not over power the room with too much of a good thing.

Seeing this wedding would be more of a party styled event rather than a traditional line reception, there was no need for a focal backdrop so we chose to make the food area our focus. With an Amy Atlas styled approach the cake became the centerpiece of the table. Becky Mendoza of “Sweet On You Cake Shop” nailed the look with this two tiered simple design in the palest shade of pink and ivory then flanked it with two smaller ruffled cakes on their own stands.

I've yet to taste a macaron better than Hailey's...

these were delicate, moist and chewy all in one bite:)

Lamingtons!!! A nod to our down under heritage. Kiwi and Aussie readers will appreciate what I am talking about... let us know if you love them too:)

Guaranteed to be the hit of the party, simply made Ice Cream Soda’s become super chic when served in old-fashioned soda glasses and sipped ever so slightly through vintage striped straws.

For the veteran waitress, grabbing an armful of overflowing plastic drinking cups may be a no sweat event, but you might consider making it a little easier on your guests with this grab and go idea of tableside beverage bottles. Easily refilled from a chilled container in the kitchen, these pink lemonade bottles were not only convenient but pretty darn cute… don’t you think!

Although the tedious process maybe somewhat time consuming you’ll always get extra points for hanging points of interest from the ceiling. These pretty umbrella rentals from “Peter Loves Jane” created a glowing ambiance over the fireplace. Single stemmed flowers in a collection of glass bottles were displayed in gradient fashion across the Riter Mansion mantelpiece.

to choose a layout: Let’s see… we need to seat 64 people at any given time. That’s 8 round tables of 8 people, right! Well that’s ok but if you can think outside the circle… it could also be 2 rectangles of 12, 4 rounds of 6, 2 rounds of 4, plus 2 squares of 4.

Add a lounge area and you’ve gone way past breaking the mold and your guests will thank you for inviting them to the loveliest reception they’ve ever been too. Nothing quite says “inviting” like a cozy conversation area smack dab in the middle of your social soiree.

Signage is fast becoming a must for today’s weddings… it gives a couple an opportunity to not only personalize their event but is a great way to communicate. The signage and stationary elements of this shoot designed by “Peter Loves Jane” established a cohesive style to the reception. The use of prints, colors and fonts are an amazing medium to convey an impression… a thought or feeling

Thank You !!!

We get to work with some of OUR most favorite people.

Nikkol of Bliss Wedding Blog and Bliss Magazine

Peter Loves Jane Invitations and Graphic Design

Brittany of Cascio Photography

Marcie of Marcie Taylor Events

Becky of Sweet on You Bake Shop

Arlette and John of The Riter Mansion

Thanks also to our wonderful readers...we hope we made you happy:)