The more intimate and the more personal the better!  That was the motto Hayley Burney & Seth Butler kept in mind when creating their gorgeous wedding day all on  their own {along with help from family and friends of course!}  Hand selected unique furniture served in lieu of boring tables, personally drawn Save The Dates were used as well as a special note to greet guests upon their arrival,  even the wedding bouquets were even hand wrapped!  Each element had their stamp of personal touch to it making everything that much more special!  Hayley’s mother tirelessly altered, again by hand, a dress from J.Crew to tailor make the gown to her dreams.{Way to go mom!!}  Guests were treated to homemade banana nut and red velvet cakes, along with hot cocoa cups with marshmallows of course, each topped off with striped straws and message.  The entire affair is a wonderfully gorgeous refined fete with such a wonderful level of detail & style!

Novella of the Bride…

Since we both like attending weddings that have a lot of details that reflect the couples’ personalities and style, we wanted our wedding to be like that. We didn’t want it to look “store bought”, so we did a lot of things ourselves like designing and making our save the dates, our programs, and painting some of our furniture to use for the guestbook and program tables.  My grandmother’s milk glass collection was used in all the flower arrangements and centerpieces. My amazing mother worked tirelessly up until a few hours before the wedding (!) modifying a dress I had bought on sale from J. Crew to my design.

I have two favorite moments. The first was the moment, in the middle of the ceremony, that my sister/maid of honor realized she had forgotten Seth’s ring upstairs! She instead handed me her wedding band, which wouldn’t fit past Seth’s knuckle. The second was at the end of the night when everyone was singing “Purple Rain” at the top of their lungs. As we were dancing, our family and friends unexpectedly made a circle around us and bum-rushed us at the end of the song. It was a really fun and unforgettable moment.

All of our vendors including the staff at the Caldwell House, Don’s Custom Catering, Aaron Lane Entertainment, and of course Mark Eric Photography were absolutely incredible!

Vendor Love

Venue: Caldwell House | Dress: J.Crew | Caterer: Don’s Custom Catering | Music: Aaron Lane Entertainment | Photographer: Mark Eric Weddings

I don’t think I could say it any better myself!  A brilliant and wonderfully descriptive note from Mark Eric Weddings:

Feminine ,classy ,traditional details of old New Orleans. Classic modern sophistication. Just a few phrases to describe Lauren and Dan’s wedding. Residents of New York City, the couple wanted to host an authentic memorable night to share w/ guests. Lauren a native of Louisiana, knew nowhere better than NOLA.She choose Windsor Court Hotel as hub of their wedding giving guests a chance to experience the enchantment that NOLA has.St. Patrick’s Church, where couple exchanged vows.Attire of the party was thoughtfully planned by the bride, w/ her tiered lace Lazaro gown setting the tone for the fashions. The gown was a cascade of lace & ruffled tulle, & her cathedral length veil had been hand sewn and beaded by the mother of the groom. Monique Lhuillier bridesmaids dresses mimicked the ruffles of Lauren’s dress & custom-sewn toile flower girl dresses carried on the soft, sophisticated theme. Bridesmaids carried ivory parrot tulips & green hydrangeas, bride carried a timeless arrangement of roses & rice flowers. Groom’s attendants accented their tuxedos with fleur-de-lis tux studs and boutonnieres of ivory roses & fiddlehead ferns. Delicate arrangements of baby’s breath and votives softened the bold atmosphere of the ballroom.

Nothing was sweeter than the intricately crafted duo of doberge cakes. The 7-layer wedding cake featured a playful, subtle paisley pattern, including cake pulls with charms, a southern bridal tradition. The grooms cake was uniquely connected to the couple, as it featured the bride and groom themselves! Peanut butter-banana “Elvis” cake was a show of couples rivalry over their fav teams, Saints & Giants. Cake’s wooden fig. were even painted by Lauren.Guests from New York & New Orleans danced to Mixed Nuts, the East coast guests got a special treat when the entire room transformed into a second line dance, following the feather-trimmed umbrellas the bride & groom waved farewell !

Novella of the Bride…

My name is Lauren DiLorenzo and I am originally from Louisiana but have been living in New York City for the past five and half years. Daniel and I met randomly at a neighborhood hangout in the West Village in Manhattan and have been together ever since. Daniel’s proposal plans were shaken up a bit when Hurricane Irene decided to hit the Island in August 2011. He proposed in our apartment on a Friday just before we evacuated to Connecticut to ride out the storm. We were able to celebrate with friends upon our return to Manhattan. After the wedding, we honeymooned in France (Paris, Champagne and Nice) for two weeks and are currently living and working in New York City.

We were going for a classic look with modern touches.  Daniel and I chose the Windsor Court Hotel because it is our favorite hotel in NOLA! We stayed there several times before and always had a great expexperience.  The 23rd floor views are amazing and offer such a unique look at the Mississippi River and the NOLA skyline.  Planning a wedding from far away is not so easy. I was lucky to have the assistance of my mother as well as my amazing maid of honor. They both helped to make the planning as easy as possible!

Bride’s Favorite Moment: “My favorite moment from the wedding was walking down the ailse with my mother and watching Daniel’s reaction as we got closer to the altar.”

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: St. Patrick’s Church  | Reception Venue: Windsor Court Hotel  | Wedding Dress: Lazaro  | Bridesmaid Dresses: Monique Lhuillier  | Shoes: Badgely Mischka  | Hair & Makeup: Flawless Bride  | Groom’s Attire: Paul Stuart  | Invitation Designer: Aundrepont Printing  | Transportation: Alert Transportation  | Music: Mixed Nuts  | Florist: Fleur de Jour  | Caterer: Windsor Court Hotel  | Baker: Debbie Does Doberge  | Photographer: Mark Eric Weddings

Every now and again a wedding comes through with such a lovely color tonal range that its just dreamy to look at and that is very much the case with Amanda Mertz & Jeremy Shook’s gorgeous Mississippi wedding!  Wanting to craft a colorful day without loud dominating colors, soft corals & greens were given the go head while a wizard in florist clothing Au Courant Floral created some of the most beautiful & unique arrangements I have seen in sometime!  Guest sipped on down home lemonade with mustache/lip straws while watching our couple say ‘I do’.  String quartet music wafted in the background as this refined modern affair took place under the setting sun with dancing under the stars to follow!  What a sweet lovely treat filled with the loveliest of colors, the perfect way to close out May and head into summer proper!

Note From The Bride…

Guests were treated to sweet, southern, pink lemonade in mason jars, as they enjoyed the sounds of a string quartet, before the ceremony. In lieu of programs, we chose a chalkboard, ornately framed, listing the wedding party and the evening events. Adding another personal touch, I created a large, wooden board with multi-colored envelopes secured to it, for guests to place notes, instead of a traditional guest book. The flowers: The day of the wedding, I stepped out of the elevator and was greeted by a long table full of the most beautiful, stunning bouquets I had ever seen. My bouquet was hydrangeas, peonies, lamb ear, balsa wood and succulents, wrapped in a turquoise damask cloth, secured with a gorgeous turquoise broach. Attached to my bouquet was a stone from my late grandmothers’ favorite earrings. We were married on Cinco de Mayo, so we featured a gourmet taco station with catfish, zesty chicken, and duck tacos, made to order. Signature drink was “The Shookarita”, a cute spin on our last name. A fresh, organic margarita on the rocks, garnished with salt. These were topped off with a turquoise “mustache” straw for the men, or a hot pink “lip” straw for the ladies. We incorporated our love for trail mix into the reception, and put our own spin on a traditional “candy bar”.

Vendor Love

Venue: Lost Rabbit Marina  | Dress: Martina Liana | Hair: Nathans Salon | Make-up: Brittany Thompson | Catering: Julep Restaurant | Floral Design: Au Courant Floral | String Quartet: Jackson Strings Quartet | DJ: Evan Tubbs of Birmingham, AL | Photobooth: Adam + Alli Photography | Lighting: Davaine Lighting | Officiant: Bill Boyd | Event Planner: Shanna Lumpkin Events | Photographer: Mark Eric Photography

Not every girl dreams of being down up to a T on her wedding day.  The idea of a big bulky dress, tightly pinned hair, heels as tall as sky scrapers, is enough to send many sweet ladies running in fear!  Some gals prefer the KISS method, Keep It Simple Stupid!  Our wonderfully ethereal styled bridal session  today has two lovely looks which will truly inspire ladies looking to keep things more simple on their big day, shoes optional even!  Softly tumbling barrel curl locks, a delicate strapless blush 50′s dress, or a lace vintage dress with pinched 3/4 sleeves, elements that are equally relaxed and laid back as they are elegant & beautiful.  Being ones true lovely self comes in many many forms, and for some, feeling the grass between her toes, while her sways in the wind, dressed in a simple yet beautiful dress, is all  she needs!

Vendor Love

Florist: Valle Wholesale Flowers | Makeup Artist: Flawless Team | Photographer: Lucy Munoz Photography

Simple, Classic, & Love Filled.  These are 3 stellar ways to describe Stefanie Metka & Alan El-Darazi beautiful outdoor engagement session with Illinois wedding photographer, Blue Mason Photography.  In effort to keep the focus on the love and admiration that Stefanie & Alan share, simple backdrops & set ups were chosen allowing their love to be the focal point.  While the sweet feelings that each bring out in the other were clearly on display, so was the ever adorable Puppy Z {Zizou}!  This light hearted lil man brought so much spunk and down right cuteness to the entire session I cant take it!  How sweet is the pic of just him wrapped in the blanket or the shot with Stefanie & Alan’s back & Z gleefully jumping about, LOVE!!  Stefanie, Alan, & Puppy Z make quite the trio & I absolutely love the Americana feel from start to finish!

*All Images By Blue Mason Photography