Today is such a fun day for me because I get to show off my very first designed shoot! I was so thrilled when Sara Gray asked me to create a shoot for her latest MarryThis! wedding guide, and immediately enlisted the amazing Kelly Marie Uss of Fleur to join in to help me style a romantic summer wedding shoot, full of vibrant colors and elegant and fluffy blooms. I love trends, but wanted to take a few of the design trends that are popular today, such as vintage china and lace, and use them in a way that was classic and timeless, a wedding that would stay fresh and inspiring for years to come. We chose the absolutely fabulous Aeree Loft at Room 1520 as our venue, its clean white walls and amazing light were the perfect backdrop!
{if you just can’t wait to see the rest, hop on over to the gallery!}
Kelly set the scene by creating absolutely gorgeous centerpieces and bouquets of parrot tulips, coral charm peonies, ranunculus, garden roses, astilbe, and dusty miller. I have to tell ya’ll, I literally sighed when I got the first glimpse of the fluffy, colorful flowers! Each of the three arrangements were housed in cut crystal vases, which matched perfectly with the lace table runner I created using simple strips of 6″ lace from JoAnn’s stitched together on the straight side (SO easy and only $13!). The table could be easily modified for any budget by using a single large arrangement in the center and smaller blooms on the side.
Vintage china rental company Plate provided the elegant mismatched china place settings. We used a 4-piece setting including teacups, bread plate, salad, and dinner plates and had so much fun choosing which patterns to pair from the amazing assortment of china.
We chose simple but elegant gowns for our bride-to-be and bridesmaid. Alexia and Nick are getting married this summer and had so much fun doing a little dress rehearsal. :) If it’s even possible, Gia Tummillo and Nika Vaughan made Alexia and Justine, our bridesmaid, even more drop-dead gorgeous with their hair and makeup styling.
Alexia is wearing the beautiful Oysters and Pearls gown from The English Dept. by Elizabeth Dye, Nick, a clean black J Crew suit, and Justine wears the Rosebay full length in Cobblestone matte silk from Simple Silhouettes. Headpieces and earrings from Chicago’s The Left Bank completed the look.
What better to serve at a summer afternoon wedding than plenty of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables? Fresh strawberries, spicy herbs, and thirst-quenching cucumbers were just some of the tasty features in the fresh fruit and drink station and small-plate meal from Pure Kitchen Catering.
The herb and berry spritzer and strawberry rhubarb mojitos were not only a colorful and pretty addition to our drink station, but they tasted amazing! Small plates of truffled sour cream with strawberry on a creamy polenta cube and walleye poached with a green goddess aioli atop a bean salad fit perfectly with the cocktails.
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Sara and her team have put together a fabulous concept with MarryThis! and I am so happy to have been a part of it. Their wedding guides are incredibly comprehensive, detailing everything from exact costs to DIY projects (I created lace doily place cards to go with this tabletop!). There are currently six guides available, including mine, and you can see them all here. The MarryThis! ladies have offered all EAD readers a discount code, simply enter eadreader to save $5 on any guide!
Styling – Elizabeth Anne Designs \ Photography – Sara Gray Photography \ Floral – Fleur \ Venue – Room 1520 \ Gown – Oysters and Pearls from The English Dept. by Elizabeth Dye \ Bridesmaids dress – Rosebay full length in Cobblestone matte silk from Simple Silhouettes \ Suit – J Crew \ Headpieces and earrings – The Left Bank \ Hair – Gia Tummillo \ Makeup – Nika Vaughan \ Catering – Pure Kitchen Catering* \ China – Plate \ Rentals – Tablescapes \ Couch – Event Creative