Wednesday Nesting: Holiday decor

Jumping the gun a bit, I know ... but just like when I was little, I can't wait for Christmas to come and I love bringing out all the decorations! My favorite is natural greenery - wreaths for the doors and garlands for the doorways. I remember being tiny and accompanying my Mom into our backyard, watching her trim foliage from the pine trees and creating the most beautiful fresh wreaths and swags of greenery for our porch railing ... Looking back now, I can't help but imagine how gorgeous those swags would be for an intimate holiday wedding. What's your favorite holiday decor?

{All images from Country Living}

Getting ready for the holiday ...

Lately I've been busy as a bee planning our Thanksgiving menu for the family {my first year cooking for everyone!}, setting out festive decor throughout the house and getting into the general spirit of the holidays ... and this fab inspiration board from Peach and Pearl seems to sum up all that's wonderful about this time of the year ... falling leaves, good company, pumpkins galore ... and, of course, giving thanks for all we've been blessed with ...

Anyone having a Thanksgiving wedding?

Beaaaautiful boleros

You can never go wrong with a little bolero or shrug and I am just over the moon for these two - so ethereal - they literally look like they were frosted with sugar. Love!

Tulle bolero: Eve of Milady, $995, Bridal Reflections; Beaded bolero: Monique Lhuillier for Kleinfeld, $2,500, Kleinfeld

{Images found on Merci New York}

A Sunday kind of Love ...

Loving the slip-style dress. Have a beautiful Sunday!

{Amber Valletta for Harper's Bazaar via A Cinderella Project}

Elegant Bride ...

Fab spread from an archived issue of Elegant Bride. I even love how that first photo looks rather ridiculously contrived and overly polished in a Stepford Wives-kind-of-way.

{Images found via The Cinderella Project}

Classic Finds: Dress forms on FoF

Continuing with my fall guest posts, click over to Flights of Fancy for my full inspiration board and post on incorporating dress forms - new or old - in your wedding ... love the idea of adhering escort cards to a form using straight pins for an authentic look ... Have other ideas? Share them in the comments section!

And while I'd really love to find a fabulous French vintage form for myself, this one from Restoration Hardware isn't looking too shabby! Have you found any great sources for finding dress forms? Let me know!

Real Wedding: Phuong + Gregory

You might recognize the beaaaaautiful bride as Mrs. Perfume from Weddingbee or from her highly addictive wedding blog, Macarons and Marie: My Modern Vintage Wedding. Regardless, I got hooked long ago following along as she planned a most decadent affair, absolutely fit for a queen, and by queen I am, of course, referring to the always très-chic Marie Antoinette. ;o) Scroll down for more eye candy and some fabulous insight from the bride herself ...

Tell us about your wedding style ... :
All we knew in the beginning was that we were having a garden wedding at a historic mountain resort, The Homestead. The trend or fashion when I started wedding planning was "vintage." I interpreted this as 1930s, somewhere between old Hollywood and Gatsby. Gauzy, delicate, soft, and time-worn was the look combination I was going for. It worked very well with the setting. I blended in a bit of crisp 50s retro with my getaway dress (which my mom made from a vintage pattern).

Personal touches ... :
My mother made my veil out of two different types of vintage lace: Chantilly along the sides and a more substantial beaded Alençon at the bottom. She also sewed the bridesmaids dresses. I couldn't find the color I was looking for in ready-to-wear dresses, so my mom came to the rescue. I made macarons for the favors. The jewelry I wore was antique and vintage. Gregory's mom is an antiques dealer and has a garage full of amazing pieces. She gave me the vintage 1930s Art Deco earrings (the antique locket and clip I found on eBay). She also loaned us a bunch of old sterling ice buckets, water pitchers, and candlesticks for the centerpieces on our reception tables.

Favorite moment ... :
The stand-out moment of the wedding was when our officiant mistakenly read the marriage twice. So we kissed twice and are doubly married!

Advice to fellow brides ... :
It's easy to feel overwhelmed. Be present in the moment; find a minute or two to drink in the day. You will miss it otherwise.

And now, for all the nitty, gritty details:

Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia; set in the Allegheny mountains, it's a picturesque location. We had been going there on weekends for some time, and decided it would be the perfect location. I guess now we've solidified it as our special getaway place. In terms of wedding location, it was most convenient. Everything was right there in one spot so we didn't have to worry about transportation, lodging, etc. Also, the onsite coordinator made it so easy to plan.

Florist: Mountain Laurel Creations; a tiny start-up business. They were so accomodating and incredibly reasonable in their pricing. Last minute, I changed my bouquet to Amnesia roses, which were hard to source. They came through.

Dress: Vera Wang; it was a sample from www.yourdreamdress.com; the amazing thing is that the only alteration needed was a little hemming.

Invitations and paper goods: Lindsey Ryan. She's incredible and did a great job combining my idea of vintage, Parisian flea market, Ladurée, garden, Chinoiserie/indochine into a fantastic paper suite.

Etc.: I was obsessed with Ladurée macarons. Unfortunately they don't ship to the U.S. I was also keen on making something by hand that I could give to guests. So I made macarons for our favors. For those who know the difficulties of making macarons, I found a fool proof recipe!

Thanks so much for sharing an intimate sneak peek of your wedding with us, Phuong! And congratulations to both of you - all the best wishes for a long and loving marriage! xox.

And make sure to check out Phuong's gorgeous Etsy shop, Little White Dress, filled with oh-so-chic handmade dresses and accessories for weddings & parties! I especially love the sweet heirloom ring pillow! Timeless.

{All photos by Tim and Jamie Jackson}

SP: Wednesday Nesting, For the Well Dressed Home

I love coming across interesting home decor shops and that's just what I found when I clicked onto The Well Dressed Home several months ago. The site is brimming with beautiful things to fill your home - some are elegant, some are fun and silly, and some would be just perfect for a wedding.

The Well Dressed Home was kind enough to send me two of their fabulous boxwood wreaths featured above and while I currently have the beauties adorning our front and back entrance doors for the holidays, I think they would add such a refined touch to a wedding by gracing the double doors of a church or side doors to a garden ... remember this beautiful getaway idea using a boxwood wreath? All you'd really need is some white satin or velvet ribbon to tie and secure the wreath and presto! ... gorgeous + simple wedding decor!

Here's a few other items that I've been admiring from the shop:

This whitewash artichoke candle is the definition of classic. Would be stunning used as centerpieces on a long table for a modern, stream-lined reception.

Soaps almost too pretty to use - wouldn't they be a special touch in the bathroom for a seaside wedding?

The Well Dressed Home also has a vintage collection which I can't help but love, love, love! How cool is this art-deco styled box?! I think it would make such a unique gift for a special bridesmaid!

Enjoy shopping!

*Sponsored Post

Chandelier of memories

Every time I think I'm tiring of Pottery Barn, they do something to reel me right back in. This time it was a paper chandelier. Seriously, how great is that?! As soon as I saw it, I starting thinking how sweet and sentimental it would be to cover it with memories - sepia-toned photos, movie stubs, love notes, pages from favorite books, photobooth strips - and, of course, display at a wedding. I think it would be fab to place a paper chandelier over every table and bonus points if you figured out a way to actually illuminate it ... it could spur great conversations among guests and you could include memories of your coupledom {is that a word?} as well as childhood memories from both your pasts. Love it? Buy the chandelier here.

{Originally found here}

Feathers + Brooches = Love

Wow! I'm really liking some of the styles from ban.do's new Black Label collection. Check them out here. Wouldn't they be fun for a rehearsal dinner? What do you think?

Brooklyn Bride's 3rd annual card swap!

So much fun! Thanks for putting it together again, Vane!

A Sunday kind of Love ...

Loving Livy's Apple Week over on A Field Journal ... click over for directions on how to make these delicious-looking caramel apples and enjoy your Sunday! Also so lovely for a fun spin on the wedding dessert bar.

Key to my heart ...

Continuing with the skeleton key trend from yesterday, I just adore this photo ... wouldn't it make such a sweet Save the Date?

{image by Elizabeth Messina}

Classic Finds: Antique Skeleton keys on FoF

Continuing with my fall guest posts, click over to Flights of Fancy for my full board and post on collecting vintage skeleton keys and for tips on incorporating them in your wedding ... so many great options ... adorable for decorating escort cards ... strung through ribbon, they make a great heirloom gift for bridemaids/flowergirls ... if you have another idea, please share in the comments!

And if you're hunting for your own collection of vintage skeleton keys, make sure you check out the three darlings I currently have available at CB Vintage - they're in the top left photo above! {the smallest one is engraved and reads: "1 Natl. Cash Register Co.; Dayton, Ohio." Check them all out here!}

Classic Bride featured in Southern Weddings magazine!

The second issue of Southern Weddings magazine hit newstands this week and I am so excited and honored to have been included not once, not twice, but three times in their fabulous publication! Below is a sneak peek at my mentions but make sure you pick up your own copy for a great big dose of beautiful wedding inspiration! Congratulations to SWS for another tremendous issue and a big, big thank you to Emily and all of the staff at Southern Weddings for including me! xox.


Quoted in the article, 60 Ways to Have a Southern Wedding:

Mentioned as a planning resource in the Destination Wedding Guide section:

... and mentioned as a blog love among the best of company:

My kind of frosting ...

Totally in the mood for some diamond eye candy today. Which is your fave?

{Images from Martha Stewart found here}

Wednesday Nesting

We have been shopping for a new couch/sectional for our newlywed nest for over a year now. I've just had the toughest luck finding anything that appeals to my aesthetic in local shops. I fell in love with Room & Board's mid-century + streamlined designs but the closest shop is almost 8 hours away in Atlanta - boo! I've been thinking about a few leather couches from Restoration Hardware ... has anyone else experienced such disappointing couch shopping or is it just me?

If you have any suggestions for comfy mid-century designs, please let me know. I'm certainly open to suggestions. :o)

{Tufted blue sectional via Veranda magazine}

Rooftop love

Absolutely LOVING the Hotel St. James sign in the background for this rooftop wedding in San Diego! So classic in an old-school-made-new kind of way.

{Photos by Feather Love Photography}

Breakfast at Tiffany's ... in a whole new light

A friend sent me a link to this spread last weekend and I couldn't wait to share it with you! Utterly Engaged - a wedding e-magazine that I highly suggest you start scouring for ideas if you haven't already - put a modern wedding spin on the timeless Breakfast at Tiffany's and I am in looove. Unlike the typical translation of using Tiffany blue on everything, they instead drenched the palette in colors that were present in Holly Golightly's apartment - pops of white, pinks and reds. So very fresh! Check out the full spread here.

A Sunday kind of Love ...

Possibly the best e-shoot prop ever! Takes me back to Valentine's Days filled with balloons, conversation hearts and those cards you buy in packs at the grocery to give to all your classmates ... lots and lots of simple happiness - the best kind. See more from the shoot here.