Shannon and Chris

When I first met Shannon, I knew her wedding was going to be a blast to plan. She has such a great sense of style, and knew exactly what she wanted . Wanting a very eclectic style for their wedding, Shannon spent months gathering all of the beautiful glassware we used to create the "gypsy" inspired look she was going for. The flowers were a simple, but lovely combination of roses and button mums. We dressed the gazebo in the courtyard of The Fairhope Inn with yards and yards of beautiful sari fabric to create the perfect backdrop for their ceremony, and finished it off with beautiful pillows and rose petals. After dinner the courtyard was lit with Shannon's amazing collection of colorful lanterns and hundreds of votive candles. Everyone danced and had SO MUCH FUN with the photo booth. It was magical night, and I am so thankful they let me be a part of it.  Keegan from Admoni Photography did a phenomenal job on the photograhs, and was a pleasure, as usual, to work with. Here are a few photos from the "gypsy" wedding...

Admoni Photography and Marybelle's

Admoni Photography

Embracing the Elements with Southern Bride

Happy New Year! I am a little late saying it, I know, but I am so excited about all of the possibilities this new year holds! Dana, Sherrie, and I are working on some exciting plans for B|is|for|Bride, and I had a wonderful meeting with Lita, who is getting married in May, earlier in the week. She has decided to get married at The Courtyard Manor. The location is so beautiful, and my inspiration folder is already full of ideas. I can't wait!

We were also thrilled to see the new issue of Southern Brideis now on the stands. In early fall Lynn and Sherra contacted me and asked us to style a layout for their Embracing the Elements theme for the winter issue. We were of course totally on board, and we had a great team of vendors to help us execute the design.

The shoot took place at Marriott's Grand Hotelin Point Clear, Alabama. The hotel sits right on the point and has amazing bay views from almost every spot on the property.  With it's large old oak trees draped in spanish moss, and gracious porches, visiting The Grand feels almost like stepping back in time to a slower paced world. When I was a little girl, our family used to drive over to The Grand for Sunday brunch and the place still has a sort of magical quality to me. Anyway, the shoot took place one of the verandas overlooking the bay, and as fate would have it, it rained, no, it POURED. I guess this was appropriate, as our assigned element was water.

Sherrie handled all of the stationary elements, and Dana and I worked on putting the decor pieces together. We were lucky to have Joey from Ribbons and Roses there to handle all of the flowers, and Pam Newberry with Buttercream Dreams sent a fun and modern cake for us to work with. We wanted the linens to have a very layered look so we ended up getting them from both Blue Rents and Miller's Grand Events. I can't say enough great things about the staff at The Grand, especially the event director, Debbie Weeks, she was right there to help with anything we needed. 

I was so excited when Sherra told me that Keegan Raybon McWhorter from Admoni Photographywould be the photographer for this shoot. She is so talented and easy to work with. We all had such a fun time putting this together. Just as an aside, Dana was Keegan's planner when she and Robby were married last year. Not only is she talented behind the camera she is just as great in front of it. You can see a few of their photos here.

It was a great day despite the rain, and I look forward to working with the ladies at Southern Brideagain soon! Here is the layout mixed with a few of my own pics from the day...

Admoni Photography and Southern Bride and Marybelles

Happy Anniversary Mary and Jon!

Today is Jon and Mary's first anniversary. I look back on the last year, and they have had quite a journey. This past summer Jon suffered a brain aneurysm.  It was shocking and sudden. He had surgery, and is now recovering really well.  Also this year, Mary graduated from law school, and they are now moving across the country to New York.  They had an amazing, terrifying, and joyful first year. Mary and Jon, I wish you both many years full of love happiness and good health. Happy Anniversary! Here is my favorite photo from their wedding.

Javon Longieliere Photography

Lita's Spring Wedding Inspiration

I am very excited to meet with a new bride tomorrow. Lita is the daughter of the midwife that cared for me when I was pregnant with Catie. Her mom talked a lot about her and I am really happy to finally meet her in person. Lita lives in Washington DC and this will be her only trip down to Alabama before the wedding. We have a lot to talk about. We will be looking at four locations tomorrow. Hopefully plans will be well under way by the end of the day. We have been emailing photos and talking about the look she is wanting for a while now.  So I am posting up a few of the ideas we are considering for their intimate spring outdoor wedding.

Jose Villa, Le Collezione, Style Me Pretty, and Project Wedding