There is special aspect to the wedding day that I feel is often too quickly moved through in favor of more traditional wedding fare.  The morning of the long awaited wedding day is one filled with high hopes, sweet anxiousness, the joy of having your girls around you, & the anticipation of finally seeing everything that you have worked so hard for, all together in one big picture.  Details shots taken by photographers are ever so very important, capturing the small touches you put together, stolen moments directed toward one of your girls… the emotion of that day.  Recently my gal, {& blogger!} Ashley Nicole Catherine married her love, James Roy Edmund Smith, in a gorgeous Chicago wedding!  We decided to do a slightly different feature, showcasing her wedding by touching on the lovely details on the morning of her wedding day.  It is a sweet peak into how wonderful her day truly was!  You look amazing Ashley!!

“We lucked out so much with our venue, Hotel Monaco - we had a suite to ourselves to get ready in the morning and used it to the fullest extent! My bridesmaids, a few of my girlfriends, my mom and Jame’s mom all gathered for breakfast, rocking out to fun music and our catering manager surprised us with orange and grapefruit mimosas! My girls mean so much to me, so it was so fun to have that time with them before the ceremony to relax, have a few laughs, and just enjoy having all my best friends in the same place at the same time.”~Ashley Nicole Catherine

Vendor Love

Reception Venue:   Hotel Monaco
Floral Design:   Flora Chicago
Wedding Invitations:   Paper Source
Baker:   Alliance Bakery
Wedding Dress:   Watters
Bridal Shoes:  Badgley Mischka
Jewelry:   The Left Bank Bridal Finery
Hair Comb:   Dana Castle
Hair + Makeup:   Carley Martin
Bridesmaids’ Dresses:   J.Crew
Photographer:   Lorenzo de Gregorio Photography

I believe there is an unsung hero in the wedding photography ensemble.  Maybe its just because I suffer from a pretty big shoe addiction myself, but I Loooove shoe shots!  I love my own, I love peeping other peoples, I love seeing what brides choose and why and so on.  I think the magic of the shoe shot is that the heels are still yet fresh & full of life.  The photographers incorporate them in the bridal environment, creating gorgeous still life imagery.  Depth of field is as powerful a force as is the setup of the shoes themselves, as well as where they are displayed.  I hope to continually bring wedding shoe images on an on going basis, and any photographers reading this, please send them my way!  I encourage & challenge you to get creative, innovative, really make the shoe shot a piece of art in and of itself.  I really look forward to seeing many many more wonderful shoes!

Photo Love:

(1)Brittany Anderson Photography, (2)Sharon Arnoldi Photography, (3)Annie Agarwal Photography, (4)Annie Agarwal Photography, (5)Casey Fatchett Photography, (6)Sharon Arnoldi Photography, (7)Sharon Arnoldi Photography, (8)Casey Fatchett Photography, (9)Tilt Shift Studios, (10)Sharon Arnoldi Photography, (11)Amber S. Wallace Photography

PS to Brides-I know it is a difficult thing to ask, but a huge part of what makes the shoe shot so amazing is the newness.  Yes that means…. stay out of those heels ladies!  Dare I say, even on the carpet!  You dont want the slightly wear mark showing up in these photos.  Listen, if I can own amazing Louboutins for almost 9 months without wearing them, so can you!!!

Today’s feature wedding is a sweet early fall affair in New England.  The couple brought 2 worlds together & celebrated both in style.  Hill  Stead Museum provided the perfect backdrop for this colorful fall outdoor wedding.  I love the couple’s idea of how they handled table numbers, though I must admit, it made my head hurt to think!

“Both of our families were very supportive throughout the planning – Ina’s parents were a huge help with vendor planning and arrangements, and Matt’s family was instrumental on the creative side, designing and making many of the special touches for the wedding. Our florist was fantastic – she had lots of great ideas that perfectly articulated our vision and helped with many last minute touches.  Of course we would not have been able to make it without the tremendously helpful staff at Hill-Stead.”

“We wanted our wedding decorations to be in harmony with the setting and time of year. Our overall theme was rustic elegance, with natural colors and autumnal floral arrangements. Our ceremony, reception and dinner were all outside which allowed everyone to experience the natural splendor of the area. For special touches, we had signs of weathered barn wood and small chalkboards for the table numbers, giving a very rustic feel to the wedding. For some fun we built small paper chairs with everyone’s seat assignments, directing everyone to “please take your seat”.”

The Couples Favorite Moment?

“It’s hard to pick just one!  Exchanging our vows and having our first dance in front of all our friends and family were definitely highlights of the day.”

Ina grew up in Bulgaria and came to Connecticut when she was in high school, while Matt was raised in North Carolina.  We both ended up in New England for college, and met shortly after graduation, when we both then moved to Boston. We immediately hit it off. After dating for a few years we went on an exciting adventure together, living in Germany and travelling around Europe for most of a year. Our next stop was New York City, where we still live.

“At the reception we had some Bulgarian songs and dances to celebrate Ina’s Bulgarian roots. It was so great to see everyone join in on the fun.”

Vendor List

Wedding Dress Designer: Oleg Cassini
Hair & Makeup Artist: Larissa Lake Makeup Artist
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Hill Stead Museum
Caterer: Jordan Caterers
Cake Designer: JCakes
Floral Designer: Stems Floral Design
Musicians: Wildwood Groups
DJ:  Scratch Weddings
Equipment Rentals: Party Rentals
Tent:  Sperry Tents
Officiant: Justice of the Peace
Photographer: Eric Foley Photography

As everyone knows at this point, there are about a million and one deal sites.  I seem to be on the mailing list of most of them.  Ideeli is one of those sites that I always keep one eye on, as they seem to have some of the best savings all together.  I was surprised today when I was going through all my deal site emails, to see that Ideeli was tossing its hat into the wedding world!

Ideeli doesnt typically cater to the wedding industry, but it seems they are today.  The bridal suite that they have put together is pretty fabulous covering a lot of the key areas of wedding purchasing.  They have put together boutiques from gowns, shoes, even adorable ensembles for the little ones, to gifts & honeymoons.  While the collection isnt complete, sorry Bridesmaids, the overall suite is a great place to shop around & snag a great deal.  I know my budget conscious brides are going to jump all over this.  Be sure to head over there ASAP as the entire suite is just about to go live & knowing the bridal world, the sharks are already in a frenzy!

Hello my lovelys!  I am happy to report its Fashion Week here in NYC!  Its a super fun energy filled time & lets face it, non-stop eye candy.  The hair, the accessories, the shoes!!  Oh right, and the fashions!  We have been lucky enough to score access to a few shows throughout the event & we will defiantly be bringing you some amazing coverage of what we see!

Now I realize this isnt Bridal Fashion Week, however the world of fashion is wonderfully interchangeable & believe it or not, one influences the other!  Style speaks no one language, therefore its restricted by no one!  I look forward to seeing whats coming down the fashion pipe line, what hair styles the ladies will be rockin & how we can take all that and help you style yourself to be as hot as you can be!

I’ll be posting updates & new pics with each show, so be sure to write a little note to yourself to keep checking back with me!  Your not going to want to miss one minute!   Xo!