wedding – Page 9

08/01

jill + luke

I grew up with this darling couple in Wheat Ridge, Colorado – so, working with them on such a special occasion was a dream come true! I had the honor of working with Jill (and her wonderful family!) on the paperware for the couple’s wedding day. Both Jill and Luke are two of the most down-to-earth, sweet, humble, genuine, and beautiful (inside and out) people I have had the pleasure of knowing. Their sweet story reminds me that fate does indeed exist 🙂 and I cannot wait to show you these gorgeous photos from their perfect wedding day on Coronodo Island, San Diego.

The colors were navy and white, and the bride looked stunning in her Alice Padrul wedding dress and Jimmy Choo shoes. The design on the bottom of the custom dress was our inspiration for the wedding invitations – a chic rose design. Love love love everything about this San Diego wedding!

In the bride’s words:
Luke and I became friends in 8th grade when he was my student assistant in Spanish class. He would tutor me on my flashcards and most times give me a few more points than I probably should have earned ;). Our friendship grew more over freshman year but was interrupted when I moved away for 2 years in high school to Washington state. When I returned to the same high school my senior year, not only did we pick up where we left off, but we became even closer. As our friendship and interest in one another continued to grow the timing never seemed to be right. We parted ways and went to separate colleges, him to Kansas and me to Indiana. Throughout our frequent visits home and to visit each others schools, we never skipped a beat. It wasn’t until I visited Lawrence, KS for his graduation that we finally decided to give it a shot. I was moving to Chicago and Luke was also interested in moving to Chicago instead of back home to Denver. By the end of summer we were both living in Chicago and what started as a friendship moved quickly into a strong foundation for where we are today. We have both lived in Chicago less than a mile away from each other for the last 4 years before we got married in April. We currently live in the Lakeview neighborhood just a few miles from downtown, where we both work. We both love to travel, as seen by our careers. I work for United Airlines and Luke for Hyatt. We spent Thanksgiving last year in Beijing and hope to travel a lot this year, and for years to come.

… and they lived happily ever after …

Church: Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church
Reception: Grand Ballroom at the Hotel del Coronado
Wedding Coordinator: Victoria Schroeder at Coronado Weddings
Photographer: Jennifer Dery
Band: Wayne Foster Band
Cake: CAKE
Dress: Alice Padrul
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Shoes: Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo
Paperware: Jenna McKinlay, owner of Fleur de Lis

posted by jenna Leave a Comment
Filed Under: wedding Tagged: beach wedding, invitations, wedding, wedding photography

07/30

pucker up

I was driving home the other day and saw sweet young girls selling lemonade on the corner. It brought me back to my childhood when my sisters and I would set-up a makeshift lemonade stand in front of our house in hopes cars would stop and we could add $10 to our piggy banks. For me, lemonade stands represent happiness, youth, optimism and summertime.

Take time to make yourself a glass of lemonade today…or stop by your corner lemonade stand and reminisce on your childhood summers.

Vintage Lemonade Stand by Reverie and photography by Work of Heart Photography

Lil Luna Yellow Vintage Lemonade Stand
{full DIY tutorial by Lil Luna found here}

Even weddings are not excluded from lemonade stands…how adorable is this wood lemonade stand featured on Wedding Chicks

We LOVE wine barrels {and have some serious wine barrel love when we feature Jodi’s wedding}, so we swooned when we saw a lemonade stand made with wine barrels on Ruffled Blog

So, now that you have lemonade stand inspiration and a DIY tutorial, you might as well spread the lemonade love and throw a lemonade themed party…here are some party tips for you.

DRINK
Obviously, I would serve lemonade…both pink and regular. Make both and serve in a large pitcher like this one from Pottery Barn.
Next to the pitcher, line up mason jars set with pink and yellow striped paper party straws.
For the adults, serve their mason jars with lemonade cocktails spiked with vodka

DÉCOR
Lemons in containers of all kinds – glass jars, hurricanes and galvanized buckets.
A lemonade burlap banner
Glass jars or mason jars filled with change and labeled with a vintage .25 cents sign
Lemons hanging from the ceiling or trees outside; hung with yellow and white twine, of course.
Lemonade and Vodka framed sign on the bar for adults
Single bud vases with a pink peony or yellow daisy, or canned good cans wrapped in a festive yellow and white or yellow and pink decorative paper and ribbon filled with a single {or several} flower buds.
Pink and yellow pinwheels
Signs bought at etsy or diy on wood like Poppies at Play

DESSERT
Lemon, blueberry yogurt loaf by sweet pea’s kitchen {this is yummy, I’ve made it}
Pink lemonade cupcakes using this recipe by real mom kitchen
Pink and yellow striped lemonade flavored hard candy sticks

FOOD
Picnic style food served in individual packages

FAVORS
Mason jar filled with ingredients for lemonade or lemonade cookies
Bottles filled with pink lemonade and a custom label from I Do It Yourself on Etsy
For the adults, make a lemon gift bag with a recipe and ingredients for a lemon, lavender martini like these from A Subtle Revelry

And, last but not least, you can’t have a party without the perfect invite. So, Jenna at Fleur de Lis, a paperie, has created this adorable invite for you. Click here to order from our etsy shop for $15.

{images via Reverie photographed by Work of Heart Photography, Lil Luna photographed by Jacquilyn Avery Photography, Wedding Chicks, Ruffled Blog and Tutto Bella}

posted by jessica Leave a Comment
Filed Under: diy, invitations, lifestyle, party Tagged: burlap, chevron, cocktail, diy, favors, fleur de lis, invitation, lemon, lemonade, lemonade stand, pink, recipe, summer, wedding, wine barrels

07/12

something special brewing

When I first saw these I love you more than coffee favors, I had to see more of the Etsy shop where they were created. And, the more I got to know Jennie-Mae, owner of Apropos Roasters, the more I wanted to drink her coffee and support her Etsy shop. I love her rustic, eco-friendly packaging, and of course what’s inside…coffee {or depending on your personal preference, tea or hot chocolate}.

I love a good cup of coffee, and I really love a good story…especially when people turn their passion into a successful business. And, that’s just what Jennie-Mae did.

In Jennie-Mae’s words: When I started Apropos, I didn’t have a lot of extra money, it all going into growing the business, so I started trading and gifting with coffee. I traded coffee for hair cuts and produce at farmer’s markets. I gave the coffee as gifts during the holidays and when I traveled, I always left coffee at the house of whoever let me stay with them.
Anyway, some friends of mine were getting married and I wanted to do something for them so I came up with smaller coffee packs they could use as their favors, as a way of contributing to their wedding. Two years later and I’m in the wedding business selling more coffee favors than I can count. I never would have guessed!
Now I’m in the process of opening a “brick and mortar” shop in downtown Richmond because I need more space. That’s pretty exciting for me, as well. I’m also planning a trip for next year to a coffee farm so I can see first hand where some of my favorite beans are coming from.

We wish you continued success with your new shop, Jennie-Mae!

Here’s some of my other personal faves from her cute shop you need to check out.

Coffee Wedding Favors in Vintage Red and White

Airmail Wedding Favors

Coffee of the Month {or Week} Club
{great gift for coffee lovers…each month the recipient will receive 12 oz. of beans in his/her mailbox along with a “coffee card” to read information about the variety of the month}

Something is Brewing Baby Shower Favors

Good news for all you Tutto Bella readers because Jennie-Mae is offering you a 10% discount {good until November 1, 2012}.
Just enter TUTTOBELLA into the discount box at checkout.

Visit Apropos Roasters today to get something delicious brewing in your life…or coffee pot…today! If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, contact Jennie-Mae and she will help you create it!

{images via Apropos Roasters}

posted by jessica 1 Comment
Filed Under: diy, wedding Tagged: coffee, etsy, favors, Gift, tea, wedding, wedding favor

07/11

robin + chris

We were first introduced to Robin and her mother, Karen, a few years ago when our very own, Jenna, got engaged. She bought her wedding gown at their adorable bridal boutique, Felice Bridal in Denver. And just over a year ago, we were back at {where else?} Felice’s shopping for my own wedding gown 🙂

Last fall, Robin and Chris tied the knot at an intimate, 24 guest wedding in Orlando, Florida.
The couple met right after one of Robin’s {many} knee surgeries. And after six short months, they were engaged!
… Guess the pain was worth it in the end!

We hope you enjoy the photos from their wedding celebration!

From the bride: One of my favorite details … Donna {Felice Bridal’s fabulous seamstress} surprised me and stitched a Tiffany charm with the letter ‘S’ on it for my brother that had passed away a few years ago. She attached it with a blue ribbon for my something blue.

The bride, mother of the bride and maid of honor all wore gorgeous Romona Keveza gowns.
{… I wouldn’t expect their taste to be any less than stunning!}

I surprised Chris with his wedding gift by flying his best friend, Nico, who lives in Germany, to the wedding to be his best man. Nico arrived from Germany a few hours before we did. I was going to have him waiting for us at dinner, but Chris requested that we have dinner alone before all of the wedding craziness started. So, the hotel coordinated with me to have Nico serve us our dessert, which turned out perfect!

I surprised Chris with a groom’s cake. Chris is a huge Chick-Fil-A fan. I tell him his has chickfiladar as directions are often based off of Chick-Fil-A locations, so I asked the Ritz if they could make a Chick-Fil-A groom’s cake. It was amazing!

VENDOR LOVE

Photographer: Sandra Johnson Photography
Gown: Romona Keveza from Felice Bridal
Hair Accessories: Erin Cole & Veil Trends
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Venue: Ritz Carlton, Orlando

{images via Sandra Johnson Photography }

posted by jodi 3 Comments
Filed Under: wedding Tagged: cake, felice bridal, grooms cake, wedding

07/09

here comes the bride

I love ring bearers and flower girls in grown-up suits and dresses made for their pint-sized bodies…and I love them even more when they have accessories for their outfits, and handmade signs.

My son has been a ring bearer in three weddings, and I’d say we’re 2 for 3. For Jenna’s wedding, he refused to walk down the aisle with anyone but me, and with a binky in his mouth. Not his finest moment. But, for Jodi’s wedding, he was absolutely perfect pulling his sister, the flower girl, in an antique wood wagon down the aisle with a sweet smile on his face. And for our friends 2012 winter wedding, he looked like a big boy walking down the aisle with a priceless, shy {yet proud} smile on his face, and did exactly what he was told to do…all with his pants falling down {they were HUGE, and the non-planning mom that I am didn’t put the pants on until the day of the wedding, and being that we were late, we had to improvise and attempt to use paper clips to hold them up}.

I LOVED the antique wagon my son pulled my daughter in at Jodi’s wedding. My mom found the wagon at an antique fair, we nailed a piece of wood to the back, and with paint and a brush, free-handed: here comes the bride. So adorable…and a great décor piece in your home once the I do’s have been said.