I don’t think I could begin to count the number of times I watched “The Wizard of Oz” as a young girl. There was something about the magic of whimsy, those sequined red shoes, and of course the flying monkeys that always kept me captivated time and again. A few years later, I still love seeing bits of design pop up inspired by Dorothy and her travels, just like today’s shoot from BLoved Events and Sandy Tam. Add in a wedding gown from Rivini with endless layers of tulle, and I’m smitten!

From the stylist, Berlyn Lai of BLoved Events: The magical and whimsical world of Oz was the main inspiration for this styled shoot. Ever since Emerald was announced as the Pantone colour of the year, I have been secretly hoping to plan a wedding leveraging this vibrant colour. Also knowing that the new movie Oz the Great and Powerful was being released this year, I knew I wanted to design a styled shoot inspired by the classic Wizard of Oz movie.

While Sandy (the photographer) and I were brainstorming ideas, we agreed that we wanted to take a whimsical route for the shoot, but layer it with various elements. Inspired by Dorothy’s signature ruby red shoes, I wanted to find ways to bring in pops of ruby red, but not use a literal interpretation from the original classic. Instead I loved the idea of gold glitter shoes accented by a red sequined heart clip, which could also be indicative of the Tin Man’s heart. The wedding dress was inspired by Glinda the Good Witch, and the intricate beading on this Rivini dress reminded me of the brick road.

We chose gold for the guest table canvas and layered textures for our table scape to bring out the whimsy of the land of Oz. We used unique details like nested charger plates and made our own emerald green glitter plates. The guest favours, a candied apple, were beautifully sculpted by SweeterE. The centrepieces were a lovely mix of red anemones, ranunculus, dusty millers and twigs, surrounded by mercury votive candles. One of my favourite details of this shoot was the DIY string chandeliers, which added another layer of whimsy and texture. The cake and dessert table was filled with a beautiful 4 tiered gold and emerald cake, cake pops and cupcakes to tantalize your palate. Everything came out as beautifully as we originally envisioned, and we had a great time working with this wonderful team. I hope we can now inspire couples considering a Wizard of Oz theme to challenge the norm and go outside the box.

Shoot Location: Toronto, ON, Canada / Photographer: Sandy Tam / Event Planning, Styling, Invitations, and Paper Goods: Berlyn Lai of BLoved Events / Flowers: Flowers by Emillie (flowersbyemillie @ gmail.com) / Shoot Venue: Dessert Trends Bistro / Wedding Dress: Rivini via White Toronto / Bride’s Accessories: Stella & Dot / Hair: Emily Pike / Makeup: Joy of Makeup / Groom’s Suit: Gotstyle / Wedding Cake and Dessert Table: The Sweetere / Chair Rental: Detailz / Models: Beatrix and Travis via Peggi Lepage / Videographer: RC2 Films

It might be a bit early in the year to call it, but I’m tempted to say Julia and Chris’ cake table backdrop is already my favorite of 2013. The couple wanted a fall wedding without the overdone burnt warm colors, and instead opted for cool tones with a crisp pop of copper. Thanks so much to Summer Street Photography for capturing the newlyweds’ day to perfection and sharing it with us!

From the bride, Julia: My husband and I really wanted to have an autumn wedding that represented both the season and us without falling into the typical red and orange color palette. We felt that the navy and mossy green really played up the crispness of the season and the transition into winter, and the gold played up the warms colors in nature. Our thematic vision was a combination of natural elements with a vintage/eclectic flair. My main goal was to have people feel like it could only be our wedding.

Our colors were moss green, navy and gold. Adjectives that best described it are natural, eclectic, unique, personal elements, romantic. I had a ton of DIY projects! I made the invitations, flower wall, paper products, cake topper, runners, name cards and I think that is everything.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? A lot of people gave me a hard time for starting an inspiration book over a year before my wedding. It was important to me to pay attention to fall weddings during the year of my engagement so I would know what flowers were in season, what the temperature would be like and what details would be more readily available. I was able to get dresses for my bridesmaids for a great deal during the Dec prior because I knew exactly what I wanted rather then scrambling and paying high prices towards the end of summer. So start early and looks at lots of blogs and magazines! Get inspired and give yourself enough time to figure out what you love and what is you – sometimes they are the same, but not always.

From the photographers, Summer Street Photography: We loved photographing Julia and Chris’ wedding at The Linden Place in Bristol, Rhode Island. Julia and Chris are both extremely intelligent, creative and well spoken people whom we admire. Their wedding was such a beautiful representation of them as a couple as well as their friends and family coming together as one big happy group. Once the ceremony started Chris’ face lit up when he saw Julia for the first time and the two of them only had eyes for each other which made the rest of us swoon in their sweetness. After the ceremony we zipped down to the Bristol waterfront for a few photos of the newlyweds on the docks and on the streets. The evening continued with a warm and cozy reception by a *huge* fire and lots of dancing and desserts. I’m in love with the giant paper flower installation Julia “whipped together in an afternoon” (super bride?) and tried to convince Chris that they need it as their headboard now. The paper flowers and loving, energetic celebration were just two small manifestations of what a great job Julia and Chris did infusing their wedding day with their personalities.

Wedding Music:
Processional: “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” The Beatles
Recessional: “All You Need Is Love,” The Beatles
First Dance: “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You,” Ingred Michaelson

Wedding Location: Bristol, RI / Wedding Photographer: Summer Street Photography / Wedding Venue: The Linden Place / Wedding Flowers: Broadway Florist / Wedding Dress: Vows / Wedding Shoes: Off 5th / Hair: New Leaf Hair Studio / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew / Wedding Caterer and Cake: Simply Devine Catering / Wedding Invitations: Bride via Paper Source

Barneys New York has always been synonymous with fashion forward amazingness, so one can only imagine what Barneys New York Bridal means for weddings. When they asked us to create a Pinspiration board for the Upper East Side bride, the first thing that came to mind was what I loved most about my old neighborhood: its numerous museums and amazing architecture. So blending art and geometry, our board is inspired by paintings and geometric shapes, mixing masculine and feminine. Check out the entire board at our Pinterest account right here.

Clockwise: faceted clutch, faceted save-the-date, painted table runner by shot by, dresses from Barneys

Barneys New York offers everything you dream for your wedding. They carry bridesmaid dresses that your ladies will feel like they will walking down the runway, everything for your men to look sharp such as tuxes , cufflinks, dress shirts…for the bride, they also carry wedding dresses, unique engagement engagement and shoes. And do they have shoes. Heels from Lanvin, J. Mendel, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Dolce & Gabbana, Zac Posen, and many more.

Barneys New York Bridal is also pleased to offer personal shopping services for all your wedding needs, a gift registry, and catering and private events courtesy of their restaurant, Freds — which recently hosted a proposal by the groom with the help of their staff! Hop over to see their bridal line right here!