I love how spot on styled shoots can be, even when they dont mean to.  Case in point is this truly AH-dorable Pretty In Pink spring fever shoot!  The idea is fresh poppy vibrant colors that take you that spring tingle along with some super fun whimsical elements.  This sweetheart bride is styled in an adorable short rosette gown from Ivy and Aster, which is paired with a bright pink cardigan & matching thick pink tights!  The cardie & tights are two amazing elements that, given the freakish overly cold weather that most of the country is dealing with right now, is incredibly spot on!  Spring brides are brides that always run the risk of getting either truly phenomenal weather or weather to snuggle up to!  The use of elements like a wrap or cardie, along with thick tights not only transcends a bride into a fun quirky persona, they keep her quite warm too!  Spring and even fall weddings often give couples the chance to wear some extra layers, really giving them the chance to pick some  statement pieces that really show of their personalities!  {SBW Note: I’ll touch on some of the fun styling details after the gallery!}

SBW Styling Notes:

When fun, bright & whimsical are some of the buzz words for your wedding planning, there are a few great things to remember when coming up with the style for your day. Much as I noted in my intro, dont be afraid to play with non-traditional elements when crafting your bridal style.  In addition to the perfect cardie & tights, our bride is wearing one gorgeous crown of fresh florals.  What I really love about this particular crown is that they weren’t afraid to play with big full blooms.  These big blooms provide a sense of wonder all themselves bringing the whimsy to life!  Keeping with the gorgeous florals for just another moment, the centerpieces are utterly divine & play perfectly into bright & fun!  What makes this arrangement work so well is what I love to call structured chaos.  Its very clear to see that the arrangement was skillfully put together, with plenty of thought into what went where and why.  However its the use of various long leafy greens the expertly hang out of the arrangement that keep you on your toes, really bringing in that sense of chaos, order in chaos though!

Lets be honest, everybody loves toys.  So why not work a few stellar props into your day!  Balloons are great, streamer balloons are waaay better and waaay cooler!  Get creative when your putting together your streamer balloons, use anything from thick gorgeous lace, to simple bakers or farm twine to attach to your balloons.  Additional florishes are really fun touches, in the case like our couple here with hearts drifting down from the balloons.  Lastly, unique props like our couple’s bow & arrows are beyond super cute!  Just make sure that the props you use truly work into your day and fit the overall feel, dont force anything, and it will indeed be lovely!

Cakes are a terrific way to really punctuate whatever your overall wedding vibe is.  Dont be afraid to choose bold looks in the cake design department that really reflect how you want your day to feel.  In this case the three tier decadent treat has three distinctly unique looks from the piped rosettes which pay homage to our brides gown, the simple clean white background mid-layer which is finished with multicolored hearts, & a top petite tier which is covered in a ribbon like look, all finished with a gorgeous giant sugar rose.  Each of these elements in some way relates to portions of the wedding beyond that of just the colors.  The rosettes in the dress, the hearts & ribbons in the balloon streamers & on the bridal bouquet, and the giant rose for the large gorgeous blooms!  This cake is as much of a fingerprint of the wedding as the entire package itself!

Vendor Love

Floral design and Fashion Styling: Janie Medley Flora Design from The Bride’s Cafe / Creative Direction and Styling: Dana FitzGerald / Dress: Ivy and Aster from Bella Bridesmaid in Richmond, VA / Cake: Candy Valley Cake Company / Makeup: Emily Hudspeth / Invitations: Page Stationery / Venue: Historic Mankin Mansion / Models: Tori + Aaron of Marvelous Things Photography / Flowers: Fifty Flowers / Photographer: Gina Petersen Photography

Life is a funny fickle thing at times.  There are times when I am pretty convinced that as your  merrily plucking along, it decides that you’ve simply had to easy of a go and its time for a personal earthquake.  I am sure that many of you wonderful readers might have noticed, the offerings on site last week….sucked.  I know they sucked.  I am sorry they sucked.  While something wasnt happening to me directly, (thank you all for your love!) it was something directly effecting my immediate family, and we all know, it consumes everything.  Things are finally settling back down and starting tomorrow, I promise to be back full force and get back to writing more as I had been as well!  Tomorrow’s feature will be a gorgeous Vegas wedding with the adorable couple from the desert ghost town engagement shoot!  Today, allow me share the love to some of my fellow bloggers, and direct you to some wonderful must reads! Xo-Jess

Start things off with a stunning Golf Club Wedding on LoveToast

Want to try something a bit out of the ordinary for your bouquet?  Check out fabric flowers with Glamour & Grace

Perhaps on of my favorite sites for straight up prettyspiration, this is glamorous has a swoon worthy collection of Instagram images to bring out your inner girly

Looking for a midsummer’s night dreamy lake wedding, head to WellWed Hamptons

Personally, I like peering into what the interior design world is doing.  Believe it or not, its a fantastic source of creativity for weddings! Check out Elle Decor‘s interview with Rose Tarlow on California style

Wedding day timeline is super important, there is no getting around that, but at the end of the day, its allowing your event to truly flow as its needs to, regardless of your timeline.  Let Bitchless Bride smack the watches offer your wrists

A lil rain never hurt a good wedding especially when its a backyard stunner like this lovely treat from Style Me Pretty

My favorite post for last, Alice In Weddingland follows her dream dress down the rabbit hole known as trying to source a designer from a Pinterest pin.  This dress….is….. AMAZING!  I want to wear it and run bare foot in a field of wild flowers while a stormy sky forms overhead.  But I digress….Alice has first dibs  ;)

Captured within this wedding, an absolutely elegant & lovely affair, is a bridal portrait that literally made me drop everything I was doing and just think to myself, damn,that is one stunning photograph! (and a ping of jealousy that it wasnt me, if I am being totally honest!)  After I moved passed that photograph, I was greeted with not 1 but 2 adorable flower girls, gorgeous bridesmaids in well mix matched fuchsia dresses, a very dapper looking groom & a super picturesque venue.  Angela Vineyard & Brett Giarratano had a whirlwind courtship that cultivated in such a lovely day for the two of them!  This is the perfect Friday wedding feature, the kind that can happily linger with you all weekend!

*SBW Note: I have been getting some inquiries lately regarding Angela’s stunning ring and where it was from!  I got in touch with Angela & here is what she had to say:

“Aaaah….that’s so sweet We actually designed it and had Oliver Smith Jewelers in Gainey Village Scottsdale make it. We also picked out the cushion cut diamond from him as well. He was great to work with and very honest, so was an enjoyable experience. Would definitely recommend him to anyone!”

“The reason for the Bridesmaid dress choice was to give them freedom to select dresses that everyone felt gorgeous in that day-(and in the pictures) and would wear again-(so would be easier on the pocket book!)  They just had to be close to the color fuchsia.”

“It was literally a “love at first site” moment when we met. Our first date lasted 4 hours, so at that point it was pretty clear that we had a lot in common. Within 2 months of dating, we both shared feelings that each other was “the one”. Very exciting moment in our lives!! By month four, we had started designing the wedding rings at Oliver Smith’s in Gainey Village. Two months later, we were engaged!  Neither of us wanted a long engagement, so once we made the decision to have a spring wedding, we planned the whole thing in 6 weeks! We just got back from our Honeymoon in Italy and couldn’t be happier with how things have turned out. We feel so blessed!!”

“We both wanted something intimate with an elegant feel. We researched every venue in town and even explored destination wedding options. It came down to price and logistics. We live in Eage Mountain, so to have the wedding at our community Country Club made sense for a variety of reasons. The views are absolutely spectacular and there’s a resort on site for out-of-towners to stay at. They were exceptionally wonderful to work with and easily arranged things to stay within our budget. We were very impressed with the end result!”

Angela’s Favortie Moments:

“Three top memories come to mind. Our “first Kiss” after exchanging our vows, pictures together all over the golf course, and during the reception- looking out to all the friendly faces that mean so much to us, that made the effort to be there and witness that occasion with us. It really touched our hearts and will always be remembered.”

“All of our friends AND family have been soooo supportive throughout the entire process!! We felt such a strong presence of love and generosity from our parents and closest friends, especially. It truly helped make that moment special and memorable.”

*SBW Note:  This is hands down one of my all time favorite bridal portraits to date.  This photograph is absolutely to die for!

*These two stunning lil beauties are actually Brett’s from a previous marriage.  How incredibly adorable are they?!

Vendor List

Wedding Dress: Ian Stuart from Mariee’s in Gainey Village
Shoes: Prada
Hair Stylist: Park Avenue Blow Dry and Beauty Bar
Make-Up: Kensington Makeup Artists
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Eagle Mountain Golf Club
Caterer: Eagle Mountain Golf Club
Florist: The Florist Shop in Fountain Hills
Baker: Bamboo Bakery
Music: Steve Simonis from Universal Disc Jockey
Photographer: Visionyard Photography