From the bride, Leaya: We really wanted the wedding to reflect who we were as a couple. Our first piece of inspiration was actually the video for one of our favorite songs, Elephant Gun by Beirut. It has this eccentric, bohemian, circus-y style that we love. From there, we just tried to incorporate everything we liked, including my obsession with color, stripes, paper products, and Japanese toys (domo and labbits) and Chris’s love for superheros and UFOs.

What are some adjectives that best describe the look of your wedding? Colorful, fun, quirky, vintage yet modern, and very personal. There was no overall theme except trying to incorporate everything we loved in all the details. Chris and I both love the DIY-look, but neither of us is very crafty, so etsy was a great resource. Kimberly Fink (our stylist/planner) was also an amazingly talented crafting genius who made all the awesome paper flowers and our striped ceremony backdrop, among other things, and really made all our wedding dreams come to life.

We knew we wanted a city wedding and a venue that wasn’t a hotel or a ballroom. When we walked into PAFA, we just knew right away that it was special. Since it’s an art school and museum and has both a historic and a modern building, it was the perfect venue for us, style-wise – we used the historic building for the ceremony and the modern one for the reception

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Just to enjoy the planning process as much as possible and to stay true to who you are and not feel pressure to have things just because it’s tradition. We didn’t feel like we needed a wedding cake since we like other sweets better, so we had a dessert bar instead – things like that. And also to pick vendors whose work you admire. We really lucked out by having such talented vendors who were so easy to work with.

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Wedding Songs:
Parents and groom’s processional: “Scenic World,” Beirut
Wedding party’s processional: “God Only Knows,” the Beach Boys
Bride’s processional: “Elephant Gun,” Beirut
Recessional: “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” Gipsy Kings
First dance: “The Book of Love,” the Magnetic Fields

Below is the music video that inspired them + the song that Leaya walked down the aisle to:

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Ceremony and reception venue: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts / Event Designer: Kimberly Fink at Styled Creative / Florist: Margaux St. Ledger at Fleur De Lis Floral / Wedding photographer: Carina and Amanda of Love Me Do / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang “Evelyn” / Headpiece: Lo Boheme / Wedding shoes: BHLDN / Hair and Makeup: Claudia Seyler / Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss / DJ: DJ Prof from Roots and Groove / Caterer: Jimmy Duffy’s / Wedding Dessert: Felix’s Caketeria / Wedding Stationery: Loveleigh Invitations

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Posted under: Whimsical Weddings indoor weddings, Love Me Do Photography, Loveleigh Invitations, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Styled Creative

We both envisioned we would put together a wedding that would feel like us. If we could have married in a backyard or a barn we would have- so that kind of cozy feel was something we hoped to achieve..but in a larger space. We didn’t want anything to feel very traditional or “standard”. We also knew from the start we wanted to incorporate as many friend’s talents in the details- so I guess we did see it as a DIY/with your friends type of event,too. And we kept our focus on having everyone we love for one day together to eat good food, drink & celebrate.

Steve and I wanted to find a venue that was handicap accessible (for a good friend) and one that allowed for our own caterer (I’ve catered on the side for 10yrs and wanted to hire the group I work for). These two elements were a little difficult to find at first but then I stumbled upon the German Society of Pennsylvania online and that was it!

No real color scheme. We used a lot of burlap for the rustic feel: burlap wrapped flower personals, as overlays on all tables and used as the lining for the drawers. For the ceremony we used the library theme with the library card programs our friend made (photos: ). She also took a hard backed book I found at a thrift store and refurbished it as our guest book. We also used these old flat file drawers we trashed picked years ago as the vessels for the programs, the bubbles, the favors, etc.. so that was the library portion of the theme- oh because we were married in a library built in 1888. We didn’t really run that theme any further though.

We planned every element of our wedding with lots of help from friends and family. I searched through wedding blogs, Ruffled was a great influence, and magazines until I had all my ideas set- then I asked friends & family to help me bring it all to life. I was so luck to have all of their help!

DIY elements:

I wanted to use tree trunk pieces for the guest tables and at the bar so Steve went out and found a fallen tree then sawed it into pieces.

Table signs & other signs for the wedding- Steve and I made all of them from wood we painted with chalkboard paint. For the 18 tables we identified them using street names of all places we have lived either individually or together.

Seating Chart, library card programs & guest book all made by our friend & designer, Allie LeFebvre Flower vessels: I collected mason jars, milk glass, crystal skinny vases, colored glass jars and other random vessels from one friend and my grandmother & great-aunt’s basements. I made little flag pie garlands for all the homemade pies and larger ones for the dessert table. I also made ring bearer’s books tied with burlap string. Flower crowns for the four flower girls were made by our good friend Kristal Hill. Flower children’s felt heart pins made by my sister & bridesmaid, Amy Crossley. Flower children’s felt “Here Comes the Bride” banners made by Amy Crossely. Favors were homemade chocolate bark made by our good friend & chocolatier, Jenna Derhammer. The favor tags were embossed by the bride and three friends (Aseel & Tara Rasheed and Sarah Fishman).

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Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? I would suggest using as many personal touches as you can. We wanted the day to feel like “us” and that was the biggest compliment we received! It was so lovely to hear that from our guests- that they really felt like all the elements were representative of us as a couple. I would also advise to utilize the amazing talents of your friends and family. It has a large effect on the entire event and it took the focus from all about the couple to the community that surrounds and supports you. It made it so much more for us to know how many people helped with all the details it takes to put on a wedding.

Wedding Songs:

Processional & recessional instrumentals played by David Falcone.
Gimmie Shelter by the Rolling Stones for entire announcement of the bridal party include bride and groom.
Bride & Groom danced to the Red House Painters cover of “Follow You, Follow Me” on the Shanti Project Collection album
Groom & his mother danced to “Wild Horses” by the Sundays on Blind album.
Bride & her father danced to “God Only Knows” by Beach Boys.

Wedding Vendors and Venue (Philadelphia, PA):

Venue: Philadelphia German Society / Photographer: Love Me Do Photography / Dress: JCrew Bridal / Suit: DKNY / Caterer: Meg Gillespie, Staffing Associates / Invitations: Awesome Dudes Printing / Pies/cookies/cake: Isgro Pasticceria and La Copine / Buttons and Bags: Designer, / Tim Gough / DJ: Julian Grefe aka Julian S Process / Wedding Shoes: BHLDN / Florist: Alicia Neal (friend & artist) / Hair: Kerri Fawley / Makeup: Renee Pasceri who works at the Philadelphia salon, Adolf Beiker / Veil: made by bride’s aunt / Bridesmaid Dresses: Jcrew / Groomsmen suits: Their own grey suits / Ceremony Musician: Ceremony & cocktail hour music by friend David Falcone Reception DJ: Julian Grefe a.k.a. Julian S Process / Caterer: Staffing & day of event coordinating by Meg Gillespie (friend) & bride. Cocktail hour food provided by bride and dinner buffet prepared by Kristyn Marchus, Chef/Owner, Cream Valley Farm Catering / Wedding dessert: ricotta cookies from Isgro’s Pasticceria and homemade Pies made by friends and La Copine

Love Me Do Photography is a member of Blue Label. To find more vendors in your area, click here

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Posted under: Vintage Weddings Love Me Do Photography, Philadelphia

From Amanda of Love me Do Photography: Stephen and Amy had a down-to-earth and sincere, thoughtfully-handcrafted Philadelphia wedding inspired by our loving families, local history and passion for adventure. They set out to create a lively and heartfelt backyard garden party where guests felt like participants – not members of an audience. Stephen had all three of his brothers as his “Best Men”, Amy’s short wedding dress had pockets, their cake was 65 inches long and their “getaway car” was a bicycle pedicab. Our venue, tucked away on a tiny street in the middle of downtown Philadelphia, was warm and inviting with antique clocks, portraits of presidents past and ivy covered brick walls..

Some details from the bride, Amy :

My mother made my wedding dress and jacket using lace from her very own wedding dress. She sewed a 2011 penny into the pocket for good luck, and as a nod to Benjamin Franklin.

Stephen’s dad was our officiant and my uncle performed the same song that he played at my parent’s wedding 31 years ago. Bouquets were wrapped with my grandmother’s handkerchiefs.

Table assignments were printed on slides from Stephen’s collection of travel slides and the guestbook was fashioned from an old atlas.

Each guest received a jar of locally-sourced Hives for Lives honey accompanied by family recipes. 100% of the profits from this honey go to help beat cancer, a cause that is near and dear to our hearts.

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Wedding Venue + Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Bike cab: Chariots of Philly / Bridal dress: Julie Chidichimo / Cake: Katie Lanciano / Caterers: Birchtree Catering / Cookies: Lou Hahn / Dinner napkins: Barb Saxton / DJ: No Macarena / Embroidery hoops: Debra Touchette / Flowers: Whole Foods Plymouth Meeting / Hair: Snip / Invitations: Andy Schulz / Makeup: Tracy Lopez / Photobooth Backdrop: Nina Chidichimo / Photographers: Love Me Do Photography / Venue: Colonial Dames PA Headquarters / Videographer: Chris Carlone / Books for centerpieces: The Book Thing in Baltimore / Wedding Dress: vintage Amy’s mom

Love Me Do Photography is a member of Blue Label. To find more vendors in your area, click here

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 16 comments | Posted under: Vintage Weddings Colonial Dames PA Headquarters, Love Me Do Photography, pedicab, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, short wedding dresses, streamers, tea length wedding dresses, vintage books, vintage wedding dresses, yellow

From the bride, Carly: Our first date was in a canoe at a cabin we have gone to every summer since. Since we weren’t able to have the wedding at the cabin (the park ranger was not thrilled with the idea), we wanted to create an environment that would remind us of it.

Our color scheme was based on flowers that are significant to us: orange roses because they’re rick’s favorite flower to give me, and blue hydrangea because they were my grandmother’s favorite. Our vision was based on a rustic, vintage, and handmade theme. My mother helped me create a lot of the decor and it was wonderful to spend that time with her.

For the centerpieces, we hand sewed bird ornaments using one of my grandmother’s patterns. Then our florist, Michael Bruce, created an incredible arrangement of flowers, feathers, cattails and branches to hang the ornaments from.

We created orange, white and peach paper pom poms to hang around the dance floor (which also served as the ceremony space). My mom also made vintage hanky garlands that hung from the staircases. A few of the handmade details were provided by Etsy shops (ie, place cards, table numbers & holders, cake topper, our wedding bands, and the groomsmen ties).

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Wedding Songs:
Groom’s procession: “Oh! Darling” by the Beatles
Bridesmaids’ procession: “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles
Bride’s procession: “Something” by the Beatles
Recessional: “When I’m 64″ by the Beatles
First dance: “Beauty” by the Shivers
Father/daughter dance: “Always” by Frank Sinatra
Mother/son dance: “In My Life” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Ceremony and reception venue: Knowlton Mansion / Wedding photographer: Michael Smith of Ash Imagery / Wedding planner: Jennifer French of Daydream Events / Wedding flowers: Michael Bruce Florist / Wedding dress: Monique Lhuillier Bliss / Reception dress: Betsey Johnson / Wedding shoes: TopShop / Bracelet: Bride’s grandmother / Earrings: Coach / Necklace: Prada / Hair Stylist: Kristie Miller-Wright of Scruples / Makeup: Laura Stewart of Techniques Salon and Spa / Bridesmaids’ dresses: Aria / Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss / Groom’s shirt: J. Crew / Groomsmen’s ties: Tux and Tulle / Bridesman’s tie: ToyBreaker / Wedding music: No Macarena and Peter Smyser / Wedding catering: Conroy Catering / Wedding invitations: designed by groom

Ash Imagery is a member of Blue Label.

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 7 comments | Posted under: Vintage Weddings blue, cabin, handmade, orange, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, short wedding dresses, vintage details

Here’s a little vendor love to some talented photographers new to Blue Label: one is Midwest bundle full of talent and the other is an East Coast gem …

Ash Imagery is headed by Michael Ash, a Philadelphia artist whose images all have a beautiful, light quality and artistic edge. We’re beyond excited to have him as part of the Blue Label! To see more than the sneak peek of the the above wedding shot by Ash Imagery, check out this post and then peruse the whole website.

Gene is the talented photographer behind Geneoh Photography and we’re just blown away by his creativity. Geneoh Photography is based in Minneapolis but is also loves to travel. For the wedding above (and more of Gene’s work) check out their website.

Hello Love Photography is offering 10% off a wedding package to Ruffled readers!
Eileen Garcia is offering 20% off to Ruffled readers getting married in the spring!
Rojo Photo is offering 10% your booking with him when you mentioned Ruffled Blog!

Also, be sure to mark your calendars for New York Magazine’s Weddings Event, being held on March 30th at the Metropolitan Pavilion. They’re hosting an online ticket sale at reduced prices, which you can find on their website.

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Posted under: Alerts DIY contest, Philadelphia, wedding photography

View all images from this shoot in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Photography: Wren & Field Photography / Styling and Event Design: Glitter + Rye / Flowers: Love n’ Fresh Flowers / Paper Goods: Anne & Kate / Hairpieces and Chiffon Flower Accessories: Preston & Olivia / Hair and wardrobe: Jessica Pineda / Makeup: Josie DiCarlo of Red Letter Girl / Location: One Shot Cafe / Models: George and Blair

Love ‘n Fresh Flowers is a member of Blue Label.

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Posted under: Design Inspiration Glitter + Rye, gold, indie, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, pink, red, Valentine's Day, vintage, Wren & Field Photography

View all images from this shoot in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Photography: Carina and Nadine of Love Me Do Photography / Styling and Design: Veronika Placek / Hair and Makeup: Veronika Placek / Location: Private home / Bride’s dresses: vintage / Bride’s skirt: Urban Outfitters / “Eat Your Heart Out” plate: Folded Pigs

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 17 comments | Posted under: Design Inspiration dreamy, engagement sessions, Love Me Do Photography, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, romantic weddings, vintage, white

View all images from this shoot in the gallery!

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA)
Photography: Alison Conklin Photography / Styling: Beka and Kimberly of Styled Creative / Paper Goods: Two Paperdolls / Baked Goods and wedding cake: Brown Betty / Makeup: Beke Beau / Hair: Mack Stylist / Flowers: Beautiful Blooms

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 43 comments | Posted under: Wedding Design Alison Conklin, indie, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, pink, red, Two Paperdolls, Valentine's Day, vintage

We wanted to tailor the wedding to exactly what fit us, as a couple, best. We omitted anything that we didn’t want to do (such as a bouquet/garter toss or first dance). We wrote the ceremony, including excerpts from the velveteen rabbit (I’m a huge fan of children’s books) and the poem “I like you”. We’re both huge beer fans, so we included a variation of the wine-box ceremony, using beer instead. I wanted a huge dance party for most of the night, and we definitely had that; my dad and stepmom didn’t leave the floor the entire night, and i got to see my 78 year-old grandmother dancing to Salt ‘n Pepa. Our family and friends played a huge role in the day, and it made the entire experience so special to Bryan and I.

Almost everything for the wedding was DIY. All of the paper goods (menus, favor tags, drink dispenser tags, program fans, guest book table instructions, sparkler wrappers) were all designed and printed in my home. Bryan made all of the drink concentrates (grapefruit-mint and blackberry) and peach iced tea. With the help of two friends, I cut, ironed, sewed, and goccoed 100 napkins. The 250 cocktail napkins were also goccoed with the same heart that we used on the dinner napkins. I collected vintage frames to use for the table numbers, and using chalkboard paint, made the backs into chalkboards. the bridesmaids hair flowers were made by a friend, as was my garter. Bryan constructed the entire bar (and I sewed the bunting!) and arch that we stood under during the ceremony. We also made the photobooth backdrop, and used our own cameras, lighting equipment, and computers. We made the cake-stands out of milk glass plates and candleholders, as well as wood plaques and branches.

With the help of my mother and grandmother and friend, I collected over 300 doilies and sewed them together to make the runners. They were starched and ironed a couple of days before the wedding. All of the jars for the flowers, the typewriter, milk glass and birdcages, were found by me through craigslist, flea-markets, and countless hours of searching thrift stores. I also found the various tables that we used for cupcakes and the ceremony at thrift stores and flea markets, antiquing them to better fit the feel of the wedding.

I asked each of the girls to pick a light pink dress to wear, and whatever color gold or silver shoes they wanted. for presents, I found each of them a white vintage beaded clutch (1920′s – 1950′s) and a beaded necklace. They looked absolutely stunning!

My advice for brides planning to arrange their own flowers is to take however long you expected for florals to take, and multiply that by 3. it took about 11 hours in 1 day to do all of the flowers, including 7 boutonnieres, 4 bouquets, and 4 large arrangements – as well as approximately 220 bottles and mason jars. Also, be sure that you have a cold room to do the arranging; we don’t have central air, so this was a problem. Make sure you buy a stripper (to get rid of thorns and leaves) and have lots of trash bags ready. Try to stay organized with tubs of water; group the flowers by color or size. I chose many different types of flowers/greenery, but stuck with the same color scheme so everything seemed a bit rustic.

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Venue: Colonial Dames / Photographer: Carina Romano of Love Me Do Photography / Wedding Dress: Jim Heljm / Wedding shoes: Bagdley Mishka Randee / Garter: handmade / Hair flowers for bridesmaids: Bernadette Paolucci / Bridesmaid Dresses: Anthropologie and Express / Groom’s suit: Indochino / Cufflinks: Halloween / Flowers: DIY, purchased wholesale from Pennock Florals / Cupcakes: Flying Monkey / Officiant: Reverend Pamela Brehm / Caterer: Shackamaxon Catering / Hair: Lena Guard / Makeup: Aleksandra Ambrozy / Bluegrass Band: Wanamaker Lewis Band / Pint Glass Favors: Custom Glassware

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings, Real Weddings bird cage, handcrafted weddings, indie, Love Me Do Photography, milk glass, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, typewriter

More from the bride, Kim:

We generally wanted our wedding to feel vintage and rustic, without feeling “kitchy”. We wanted a relaxed and casual environment, with everyone being comfortable in their own skin. We originally wanted the ceremony and reception outside, but couldn’t afford it. So we brought the outside in, with lots of flowers, branches, ivy, etc.

We had our ceremony and reception in the same location. Circle of Hope church in South Philadelphia, PA. Matt and I both go to the congregation in North Philly. As members of the church, it was very inexpensive to have the wedding here.

Most of our wedding was DIY. Our friends and community are a multi-faceted, multi-talented group of people.

Our church has an urban farm up in North Philadelphia. We planted the flowers there in the spring, and gathered them a few days before the wedding.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People don’t know what needs to be done and will assume it’s taken care of unless you ask. Also, expect things to not go completely the way you want them to. Be okay with that. And be nice.

Wedding Vendors (Philadelphia, PA):

Venue: Circle of Hope church / Photographer: Carina and Amanda of Love Me Do Photography / Wedding Dress: BCBG Max Azria / Bride’s Shoes: Payless / Bridesmaid Dresses: Aria Dress / Band: Phillybloco / Wedding invitations: Angela Miles

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings, Real Weddings brown, handcrafted weddings, Love Me Do Photography, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, rustic, vintage