Oh! This is just too sweet and romantic. I spent the day with my clients’ mothers today, running some last minute errands for her daughters upcoming wedding.  She was telling me some inside secrets to her 35 year long marriage and I was pretty impressed. Then I got back to the office and got this email from a girlfriend of mine about Herbert and Zelmyra Fischer, who hold the Guiness book of World Records title for longest married couple- 86 Years today!  How cute are they?  More about the Fischers on Essence.com

I was so excited when I got an email from Janet the other day. She had seen my post on yellow and silver inspirations and thought I might like to see shots of her West Coast wedding.  I didn’t just LIKE them, I LOVED them!  Some of you may have seen this stunning wedding shot by Stephanie Williams Photography, but if you haven’t, be prepared for a treat.  Janet and Matt used Yellow and Silver and spiced it up with little splashes of red… Such a delightful detail. She also pulled out the most glorious little detail- the heart from her invitations- and pulled it into her adorable Vivian Westwood shoes (her dress was Pronovias, btw).  I forgot to ask her who designed her wonderful stationary, but I think that the bride herself may have had a hand it it… it just has such a fantastic personal feel to it.

One thing that I love that Janet and Matt did was to really style their fabulous wedding party. I just adored the bridesmaids dresses, which were from J.Crew. These photos go to show that when it comes to things like accessories, there is no detail that is too small. The added splashes of color from the bridesmaids’ bracelets gave them such a “finished” look. And I adored Matt’s tie!!!  This color scheme worked so well for them because their ceremony was able to have a much more romantic and soft summer feeling, while the reception got “spiced” up a bit with some more hints of red! Here are some shots of their attire and the gorgeous chapel in Palo Alto where they had their ceremony.

The couple then headed to the Rosewood Sand Resort for their reception.  Janet said that they spent a ton of time on DIY details, and her hard work paid off.  Here are some shots of the fantastic details, but for more stunning pics of this wedding, head over to Stephanie’s blog.  Wasn’t Janet just the most adorable bride?  Wishing her and Matt a very, very blessed marriage!

So, finally, reception pictures!  Roey just absolutely outdid himself with these amazing images!  The inside of the New Leaf Cafe only seats about 40 people, so most people end up tenting the rear of the space.  We opted to do cocktails inside and then used Westside Party Rental for tenting. They are familiar with the space, and they also offered up the best price.  I urged Rebekah to invest in a tent liner- the draping fit the romantic style she was going for AND it acts as a decor element in and of itself, enabling us to do a little less on the tables.  The venue provides plates, flatware, etc, but you do need to provide your own tables, chairs and linens so we went to Classic Party Rental and opted to use white cotton on the long tables, but ordered a pink Toile runner to drape over the tables and to use for the escort card table. This pattern made it feel like there was even more floral than there was- though Fleurs VOLUMINOUSLY long, stunning arrangements really stole the show.  Rather than rent chargers ($7 each) we found some online and Rebekah bought them (6 for $10).

Rebekah and Manuel’s took great care to blend in their love of music and Manuel’s Venezuelan culture.  The Cuban trio traded on and off with a DJ to create an atmosphere that offered something for everyone and this crowd LOVED to dance!  I’ve never seen a group of people hit the dancefloor quite so hard, quite so early in the evening.  Probably because the bride and groom were so into it!  The night was filled with moving and funny toasts and dances- including some of the sweetest parent dance photos.  The rest of the pics can be seen on  Always a Bridesmaid Facebook Fan page.

Best wishes to the wonderful couple!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen readers, I’m so excited to introduce Salomé, who has been working with us for some time AND is starting up Always a Bridesmaid New Jersey!  After toiling as a PR director for a couple of big fashion houses, she was inspired to join the wedding world, and how lucky are we that she chose to join us!  Here’s her very first post, re-capping the wedding of Marti and Whitney! -XG

This past weekend I had the pleasure and honor to work with a couple that reminded me how important it is to be surrounded by love, family, laughter and beautiful music. Marti Newland and Whitney Slaten exchanged vows in Saint Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University this past Saturday, the 25th of July. This beautiful couple met at Columbia University in January of 2006 while pursuing their PhD’s in Ethnomusicology, so it seemed most fitting that they tie the knot at their beautiful Alma mater. After an intimate ceremony surrounded by 60 of their closest family and friends, M & W whipped down Manhattan’s Upper West Side where the evening continued with a cozy and elegant dinner reception with their guests at Tavern on the Green.

Every detail of this wedding was thoughtfully planned as Marti & Whitney seamlessly integrated their passion and penchant for music, while never sacrificing intimacy or originality. Guests received CD’s of the couple’s work (I had to grab one too!) and the evening’s festivities were punctuated with the sweet sounds of the Radam Schwartz Jazz Trio. The couple chose a color palette of lavender and white which made cameos in both subtle and bold hues. From the lilac programs and the bands of deep purple ribbon on the ceremony candles, to the bride’s vibrant bouquet of lavender tulips, courtesy of Julian Calderon, floral designer at Tavern on the Green. And of course, how can we forget Mr. Newland’s bold and beautiful purple lined tux…a dapper dad indeed!

I am not ashamed to say that more than a tear was shed by this planner on that humid day in July. I hate to go there ladies and gents, but Mr. and Mrs. Slaten sure do make some beautiful music together. I’m just happy they let me listen in :)  Thanks to Dante Williams Photography for these amazing images.

First of all, I love my job. I really do. People sometimes ask me if I get tired of talking about weddings, but I enjoy it and I really love when I get to talk to friends about their weddings. So I was THRILLED when last summer I got a facebook message from my college friend Robyn telling me about her engagement. I told her to call me and, during a cross-town cab ride she told me a bit about her soon-to-be hubby Jermaine and I tossed out some referrals and some ideas. And then she was off to plan her awesome day! From the beginning Robyn and Jermaine knew they wanted a small, intimate affair and their dream was to have it Brooklyn AND to be married outside at the Botanical Gardens. They knew they were on a budget, and wanted to make some smart choices. The result was a stunning, thoughtful, Brooklyn brunch celebration whose images absolutely moved me! One of the best suggestions I made (patting myself on the back here) was to hire Elisabeth Millay, who was just the perfect person to capture this intimate celebration. I’m so excited to post this! I love seeing gorgeous weddings, but it’s even nicer when they are weddings of someone that I just adore.

The couple had a morning ceremony in the Botanical Gardens one week before the Cherry Blossom festival. I think they made a BRILLIANT move by selecting such a stunning location and what a great investment in the harpist- elegant, live music for such an intimate affair. The locaton gave them a great backdrop for photos. Their 40 guests then made their way to Frankie’s Spuntino on Court Street where they took over the stable and gardens for their brunch. The bride and groom rented a classic car, which not only gave them a great photo op, but gave them some alone time too! The bride selected a fitting springtime color palette that added a lot of life to the event. thoughtfully tied up pashminas for her guests as gifts as well as a traditional black cake- a Guyanese tradition. Their more traditional wedding cake was baked by Made In Heavenand their lovely flowers were done by Jenny Bayley . She selected delightful letterpress place cards that added an additional element to the table as well. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did. Many, many blessings to Robyn and Jermaine, who are just too adorable for words and THANKS to Elisabeth for sending these over.