I am feeling a bit Marie Antoinette this morning, so cake we shall have!  I am not even going to be bashful about it, I have a ridiculous sweet tooth so when it comes time for cake tastings, desserts, or the not so occasional cupcake craving…..well… just steer clear of me, that’s all I am going to say!  But in all seriousness, sweets are such a wonderful part of the wedding process and a truly epic place for design!

For today’s WIWW feature, I have chosen a Great Gatsby {might as well embrace the current trend!} inspired cake that comes to us from SBW friend, Style Unveiled.  Now if you don’t already know of her {I find this pretty much impossible!} most certainly carve out some time in the very near future to get to know her and her delicious site which is filled with tremendous amounts of pretty, inspiration, and everything in between.  Everything she selects to feature is beautifully styled & perfectly on trend.  You’re welcome ahead of time!

Ok so back to our Gatsby cake.  To view Styled Unveiled’s sneak peek post on the cake,  Click Here and for the full write up on the Gatsby inspired wedding, Click Here.  What makes this gorgeous cake work so well, isn’t as much about texture {though always a key player!}, color & a beautiful mix of media, but design itself.  Specifically how Paola Cake Atelier was able to whip literal art deco design elements into cake form.  The overall effect is a stunning art deco cake that is perfectly on trend with the roaring 20′s!

 *Photograph by Jamilah Photography

There are two major attention grabbing elements at play here, both of which echo that of art deco design.  Working from the bottom up, our base layer is given the rhinestone chevron treatment in impressive symmetry relaying a very classic art deco design from back in the day.  The sharp lines & crisp angles are very much inline with the elements used in the 1920′s,  often immortalized in the florish of buildings created around that time.  It is a hallmark of the art deco era and an unmistakable fingerprint.  Whether these sparkling gems are edible or not, I can not say, but if I know my bakers, these crafty wizards can make just about anything edible, so my money is on yes!

The show piece layer of the cake is indeed a stunner, playing handily into a look often seen in the brooch headpiece many flappers would wear in the roaring 20′s.  Perfectly designed & expertly made, this band layer utilizes not only fondant carving to mimic fabric but hand crafted detailing that, piece by piece, assembles into that of an art deco brooch.  Ovals, tear drops, even more rhinestones come together to create a show piece element that is a gorgeous piece of jewelry all its own.

When viewed together, these two layers resemble that of an outfit a flapper may wear, a sequined chevron dress with jeweled headpiece, dont you think!?  The overall design is terribly clever and I would be remiss if I did not point out that the finishing elements of the softly beaded pearl dots & simple 2 row rhinestone base layer are the the perfect accoutrements to such terrific design work.  Poignant and beautifully understated exactly as they ought to be.  Likewise the choice of cake stand is incredibly brilliant, here again, echoing the art deco style.

I really encourage you to head over to check out Style Unveiled’s Full Post on their Gatsby Inspired Wedding.  There are so many terrific elements that your  little fingers are going to get tired from all the pinning!  So do tell me, which are your favorite elements of this beautiful cake?  Are you a chevron fan or do you fancy more complex patterns?  Gatsby certainly has a strong hold on design at the moment, are you a fan of all things Great and Gatsby like?!

Vendor Love

Wedding Cake: Paola Cake Atelier | Venue: Vizcaya Museum & Gardens | Photographer: Jamilah Photography

I am really excited to announce a new weekly feature on the Wednesday of each week called Why It Works Wednesday.  I have been marinating on this for sometime now and am excited to finally get the ball rolling.  Before I jump into the first post, allow me to explain what exactly WIWW {no why I am writing that out each time } is.  Each week I will be featuring one gorgeous element to a wedding {in photograph form} that has been pinned, tumbled, stumbled you name it.  Class favorites if you will, be it from the weddingverese or directly from our amazing features here.  The goal of WIWW is to explore what elements about said table set up, cake, bridal look etc, are at play that make it the amazingingness that it truly is.  Often everyone saves images for later, never fully understanding the why of how it all works so well together.  My goal for this section is to literally laundry list the elements at play, hopefully bridging that design gap from editorial awesome to something everyone will be able to take something away from to become more stylish!  Let’s get started shall we!?

Today’s feature comes to us from Ruffled Blog: Mint and Gold Winter Wedding with Utah Events by Design at the helm of things.  While the feature is indeed a winter time styled shoot, the color scheme is a classic, one that easily transcends time of year.  Our focus for today will be the place setting portion of the shoot which is dripping in minty golden goodness.

 *Photograph by Pepper Nix Photography

In my humble opinion, there are two very major elements at work in the design aesthetic along with three complimenting lesser features.  The two design big boys in this table setting are texture and shape.  Let’s tackle texture first.  There are a quite a few interesting surfaces within this setting, starting from the ground up, the table itself provides a smooth organic surface leading the way for a what is in contrast, a busy plate setting.  The base charger has a gently rolling wave pattern, while the dinner plate has a strong and powerful wood grain impression.  The build from the smooth table, to gently rolling wave to forceful wood grain builds much like a crescendo does in music.  Serving as the perfect punctuation, the softly frosted salad plate at the top, with snowflake print, compliments both the gentle & bold patterns, keeping the texturing in motion.  The plate in this stack that is perhaps the unspoken star, the anchor if you will, is the simple cream one with gold rim.  This piece serves as a calm in the storm, something to break up the chaos if you will, yet hold it all together so beautifully.  Without this mid layer, the various textures would be simply competing with one another, screaming for attention.  It is ever so important to always provide the eye with a break, a calm, when designing just about anything.  Two other strong textures on the table are the bold square beaded napkin ring, beautifully set against the smooth napkin and the enchanting glittered apple set up in its own smooth palace.  Each works wonderfully with the table as a whole, not to mention how it echos the plate setting in both forceful & smooth textures.

The other big element at work is shape.  The most obvious is the juxtaposition of the softened snowflake shape of the menu against all of the round on the table. By choosing a die cut snowflake menu, the team easily brought in a subtle winter feel as well as finding the perfect counter shape to not only compliment all the round {Plates, glassware, vase base, rose blooms, apple, even the spoon} but beautifully detract from it all the same.  Its a much needed break in the table, one that provide a focal pop.  Believe it or not, the cutlery is also hard at work & carefully chosen against the voluminous plates.  Thin, almost wiry, cutlery balances out the volume of the plate stack, offering a lovely change of pace.  Even the billowy lazy fold of the napkin in a strong & structured square napkin ring serves as another guiding piece to the shape game.  Each working to harmonize with the other while being a standout on its very own.

The three smaller elements of design that are equally as important are color choice, lines and the apple.  The tones of soft mint & muted gold are a wonderful departure from the screaming hot mint & brassy golds we typically see.  These relaxed tones allow for a calmer, more soothing feel to the table, one that creates an inviting & welcoming table.  Lines are quietly playing in the background, from the wood slates in the table to the paralleling table runners, each creating a contrasting movement against the plates, cutlery & so forth.  There is a quite motion to the table, reinforcing the soothing nature of the color choices.  Lastly, the apple.  While it might seem a trivial thing, I absolutely love it.  It is the whimsy the table needs and wonderfully pairs with the organic feel of the wood table.  Its a simple touch, but one that serves to bring a spot of life into such a soothing environment.

So what do you think of this gorgeous  setting?  What elements are you loving and likely to borrow for your own designs?  What are you feelings on the softened mint and muted golds, are you a fan of toning them down?  I would love to hear what your thoughts are!  Likewise I would love for you to send me beautiful set ups that you’d like to see featured on Why It Works Wednesday, so please send them along!  Xo~ Jess

To view the full feature {and you should its amazing!!} on Ruffled Blog, Click Here

Shoot Location: Sandy, UT / Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Event Design, Planning, and Table Decor: Michelle Cousins of Utah Events by Design / Shoot Venue: La Caille / Wedding Flowers: Urban Chateau Floral / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier “Candy” via Alta Moda Bridal / Bridesmaids’ Dress: Alfred Sung via Lily and Iris / Hair: Kali Wengreen / Makeup: Kristen Packard / Wedding Cake: Cake-a-licious / Table and Flatware:Diamond Rental / Wedding Invitations: Freshly Minted Invitations / Calligraphy: Distinctive Inscriptions Calligraphy

I gotta tell you, I am in love with the idea of vintage camera equipment, as well as Polaroids, as THE perfect engagement session accessories!  Often times couples feel too overwhelmed by engagement sessions with big themes, lots of props, clothing etc.  Working with some wonderful old school camera equipment, having a good time shooting another with Polaroids, and of course bringing your best attitude, can truly make for a lovely engagement photographs, just as Andrea Garvin & Trent Breci prove here!  California photographer Siegel Thurston Photography uniquely captured some really fun aspects of working with cameras, from viewing the couple within the frame of a medium format camera, to artistic views of Polaroids held in our couple’s hands.  Andrew & Trent ham it up just the right amount to bring the extra zest that makes the session perfection!  With just the right accessory or two your session can be art all its own!

Vendor Love

Venue: Historic Sweetwater Bridge
Photographer: Siegel Thurston Photography

James Bond, 007, is one of the most iconic characters around, appealing to men & women alike!  The idea of a themed session with Bond as the inspiration is simply divine and I know that fanatics of the series will enjoy this session put together by a wonderful team of Florida vendors, headed by Tonya Malay Photography.  As it turns out, the couple, Amanda Beights & Andy Beights, are actually 5 years married and Tonya shot their wedding.  When the idea for this kind of themed session came around, Tonya knew she wanted to enlist this couple in particular!  ”They love pictures…LOVE…and styled engagement sessions were unheard of when they got married. Since they missed the opportunity to do a fun e session, they opted for a styled anniversary session on their double oh 5th anniversary!  We started our day at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club for their sexy beach portraits. Then Amanda headed to Salon Tease where makeup artist and hair stylist Gabriella Verderamo transformed Amanda into a gorgeous Bond Girl. We then headed to Bentley Naples for shots with a gorgeous Aston Martin. After drooling over the car we ended up at The Club at the Strand for their casino and bar shots, followed by portraits on the gorgeous terrace. We ended our day photographing our Bond and Bond Girl on a killer Harley Davidson motorcycle. And it wouldn’t be Bond without a martini shaken not stirred, an Omega watch and an impressive arsenal of firearms.” Gotta love the attention to detail and wonderful job that Amanda & Andy did, M would be proud!

Vendor Love

Venue: The Club at The Strand| Hair Stylist: Salon Tease | Caterer: The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club | Car: Bentley Naples | Event Planner: JET SET WED | Photographer: Tonya Malay Photography

Stepping away from the traditional bridesmaid look can bring about some truly phenomenal results and this gorgeous wedding filled with sequined touches certainly proves that point!  Elizabeth Evans D’Ascensao & Nick D’Ascensao’s wedding day was steeped in traditional while pursuing more modern takes in just the right areas.  Bridesmaids were dressed in gorgeous sequin dresses, while our lovely bride donned an elegant headband, shoes & clutch to perfectly compliment the ensembles!  The room at The Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center was dressed in champagne & blush tones with beautiful florals for pops of color.  Elizabeth & Nick’s wedding is a beautiful take on traditional with the perfect about of modern embellishments!

Novella of the Bride…

Nick and I met the old fashioned way… at a bar.  We went on our first date a week later and the rest, as they say, is history.  Nick is the director of sales for an advertising start-up and I am the executive director of a non-profit.  We live in Boston with our French bulldog, Clark.

We hoped to achieve the perfect balance of traditional and modern and drew a lot of inspiration from both our parish church and reception site, which were both recently restored and renovated.  We wanted our invitations to set the tone, and found a great graphic designer who incorporated our “champagne and blush” colors with a loose brushstroke design.  We balanced a classic shift dress for our bridesmaids with an incredible sequined fabric, incorporated a lot of texture into our flowers, and traded a standard wedding cake for mini desserts that could be brought to the dance floor.  Ultimately, we really just wanted to throw a great party for our friends and family.

We were thrilled to be getting married at St. Cecilia, our parish church in Boston’s Back Bay.  It is such a vibrant, warm and welcoming community and I know our friends and family sensed that on our wedding day.  We chose our reception site, The Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, because it had the perfect charm and character.  It was once a court house, and after being renovated is now a performing arts center.  After our friends and family enjoyed a cocktail hour in one of the center’s galleries, we enjoyed dinner and dancing in the former courtroom.  We were lucky to have so many family members and friends in town for our wedding, especially Nick’s grandmother who flew over from Portugal.  It meant so much for us to have her there.

I love flipping through our wedding photos because it seems like we had one favorite moment after another.  From exchanging vows and processing out of the church to dancing to one Michael Jackson song after another, everything came together just perfectly.  Our first dance was to Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest,” – I think that sums up exactly how I feel about the day, and about being married to Nick.

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: Saint Cecilia Parish | Reception Venue: The Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Bridesmaid Dresses: Pisarro Nights/Nordstrom | Shoes: Nine West | Hair Stylist: Kent Newton Salon | Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren | Invitations: Real Papel Design Company | Transportation: The Original Party Trolley | Music: Sheldon Gentles, C-Zone Music | Florist: Judy’s Village Flowers | Baker: Mix Bakery Boston | Second Shooter: Jaclyn L Photography | Photographer: Henry Photographers