From the bride, Sara: Color is dominant! Each of my bridesmaids will be wearing dresses in the same gray shade, but they’ll be accessorizing and carrying flowers in their “assigned” color. Each of us accessorized in various shades of our color- monochromatic and layered- not all the same shade of blue, etc. We had multicolored blooms on the table, multi-colored fans for guests, a colorful candy buffet, and much more. As you can tell, I love color… However, I wanted to set the color against crisp white, so the table linens will be white, our cake is white with white sugar flowers, the gift boxes for guests are white with green ribbon. All in all it was a colorful and fun day!

Wedding Vision: Spring in Bloom with Color All Over (with retro details)

Wedding Vendors (New York, New York):

Venue: Brooklyn Botanic Gardens / Photographer: Jen Huang / Wedding Dress: Vineyard Collection, style Morgan / Wedding Shoes: Gwyneth Paulette Pump (dyed two shades of green) / Invitations: Designed by the bride Sara who is a Graphic Designer / Florals: Zuzu’s Petals of Park Slope / Catering: The Palm House / Band: The Gainsborough Trio / DJ: Dj Shakey aka Julie Covello / Cake: Ana Parzych / Groom’s Suit: Brooks Brothers / Bridesmaid Dresses: Shabby Apple

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Posted under: Garden Weddings 1950's, Brooklyn, NYC, retro

From the photographer, Erica: Sally and Kelsen, their family and friends created the most adorable, handmade, vintage inspired details for their wedding day. It was so cute, warm and unique. You instantly felt like you were home… well you were… because the wedding took place at a family friend’s home in Scottsdale! Not only did the details look amazing, so did Sally and Kelsen. She radiated with joy, and he was clearly smitten with her beauty.

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Wedding vendors (Scottsdale, Arizona):

Ceremony and reception venue: Private residence / Wedding photographer: Erica Velasco Photographers / Jewelry: etsy

Erica Velasco Photographers is a member of Blue Label.

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 11 comments | Posted under: DIY Weddings Arizona, blue, bridesmaid dresses, bunting, Erica Velasco, ivory, paper flowers, retro, Scottsdale, vintage details

From the bride, Jia: The wedding theme reflects our personalities and it was a whimsical vintage one. I love vintage, especially the 1950s. The church ceremony was a solemn affair, which followed the traditional Chinese “gatecrashing” involving the groom and groomsmen trying to overcome “obstacles” prepared by the bridesmaids to enter the home of the bride. Dinner was held at a beautiful colonial house at the Botanic Gardens. 

Inspiration was gathered from many many different sources, some of them from the movie “Up” and most of them using recycled items and handmedowns from my family.

The corsages on the groomsmen’s vests; bridesmaids’ lace hairclips, ushers’ badges were all handmade. I love buttons and cheery colours. :) We also made a picture gallery with cheap frames sandpapered to give them a rugged look, vintage lace cloth as a table runner complete with old photographs of our past to give our guests a peek into what life was like before we met. I do a little bit of copywriting at work, so I came up with the table names – associated with our love life, the little signs at the photobooth and desserts table etc.

Wedding Vendors (Singapore): 

Ceremony Venue: Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church / Reception Venue: Burkill Hall, Botanic Gardens / Photographers: Joseph from BitterSweet, Fengzhi from This is It! & Charity from Charity Goh Photography / Wedding Dresses & Veil: bespoke / Birdcage veil: custom made by Blessed Brides / Make-up & Hairstyling: Cleo Chang / Wedding Styling & Planning: Anna from Spellbound Weddings / Caterer: Kriston / Wedding Cakes: lovingly made by a friend / Wedding Stationery: lovingly designed by friends / Transportation:  Vintage Wedding Car / Photobooth: Baicapture

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments | Posted under: Vintage Weddings 1950's, balloons, birdcage veil, BitterSweet, Charity Goh Photography, lace, pink, retro, Singapore, This is It!, vintage wedding dresses

From the event stylist, Rebecca: This is a styled wedding shoot I’ve been working on for a little while. The idea behind it is that you can have a theme wedding without being tacky and going overboard, the theme here being a St. Patrick’s Day wedding. I wanted to use lots of green and white with gold accents. I love the look and feel of paper so I wanted to incorporate that as well. I think it turned out looking really airy and fresh and not themey at all! I love it. The bride’s dress is a vintage 60′s dress that is just adorable. Almost all the tableware is vintage from etsy.

I’ve been trying to do a lot more work for myself this year. Things to help me grow as a photographer and wedding professional. I got the idea for this shoot when I saw a gorgeous, but simple green and white bouquet on another photographer’s blog. I really love the green and white color combo. It’s really versatile and fresh. You can use green and white for winter, spring, summer. I wanted to do a theme but not make it look to themey and blatantly St. Patrick’s. I started getting lots of green and white items but felt like it needed a little extra pop to help it catch peoples’ eyes and make it feel a little warmer, so I went with gold.

I really love hands on projects so I did most of the preparation myself. I made paper chains for the “photobooth” area over a few days. It didn’t turn out as great as I had hoped but that’s ok, that happens. I made the 4 layer cake and covered it with paper leaves I had cut out from a thicker watercolor paper, with a stencil. It was just a mix, with raspberries and buttercream frosting (it was really good!).

I used etsy as a major resource for finding a lot of the items used. I would encourage brides to look there for any vintage or handmade items the might need for their weddings.

I met the florist Becca Olcott a few weeks ago in boston and she is a dream. I showed her what I had for the shoot and just told her “lots of green and white” and she got it just perfect! She was really fun to work with and so adorable.

Kirsten Bingham is one of my best friends and designed the paper pieces for the shoot. I didn’t have to give her any direction other than green, white, modern. She does amazing work, and she knows me so well that I knew she would do it just perfectly. The models, Casey and Troy, are some of our good friends here in Boston and they’re great photographers as well. They were good sports to put up with all of my shenanigans and go to the beach in the cold.

View all photos here

Wedding Vendors (Boston, MA):

Venue: Hamel Mill Lofts, and Salisbury Beach / Invites, Menus, Placecards: EvaPaul Design Hair/Makeup: Kristen Strassel / Styling and concept: Rebecca Hansen Weddings / Photography: Rebecca Hansen Weddings / Floral: Petal Floral Design / Models: Casey and Troy Harrison / Tablecloth, Dishes, Glassware: Etsy / Ring: Westergard / Boutonniere: Wildfloret / Wedding Dress: Go Go Vintage Wedding Shoes: Old Navy / Paper Flowers: Luna Bazaar

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 15 comments | Posted under: Design Inspiration 1960's, Boston, green, inspiration, Massachusetts, photoshoot, Rebecca Hansen, retro, vintage dresses, white

From the photographer, Olivia Leigh: Sarah and John were a couple I met about 18 months before their wedding, and they easily grew into becoming one of my favourite couples of the year. Sarah has amazing style, and her touch was felt throughout all their choices. They wanted a wedding that felt authentic and modern and after getting to know them, it was clear the day was such a reflection of who they are. They chose a beautiful invitation suite that featured letterpressed lines that mimicked the Chicago skyline, and Sarah chose a stunning, modern wedding dress with straps. So chic! She had amazing Tory Burch dove grey shoes with bamboo heels, and vintage inspired jewelry that set off the look. Her hair was also something I so loved–such a unique and chic style that felt so modern but still had a touch of softness and vintage with the braid weaving through. John also did it up, looking very Mad Men in a retro-modern, Don Draper-esque suit from J Crew.

Prior to their ceremony, we went out to a few of my secret urban photo spots in a vintage car, and photographed some amazing portraits of the two of them together. After that, we drove back to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we happened upon a group of dancers that surprised Sarah and John with some dance moves. They were married in a simple, authentic, candle-lit ceremony on the third floor of the MCA surrounded by all of their friends, family and beautiful art. A low-key cocktail reception followed, with Sarah and John causing so many “aww”s with a sweet first dance to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story. It was such a sweet, emotional, simple, and still incredibly chic wedding, and I just adored getting to know them and being a part of this wedding.

From the bride, Sarah: Growing up, I had always envisioned my wedding day very classic and a bit grandiose – church ceremony, fingertip veil, and a big band to play the reception. However, John and I had been longtime friends before we started dating (after going to school together from 6th grade through high school!). By the time he proposed we had been a couple for 5 years and had already started our lives together, complete with house and dog. Suddenly, I found this type of affair really didn’t fit us. We wanted the day to feel really easy and comfortable not only for ourselves, but for our friends and family as well. I wanted the impact of the day to be big, but the tone to be intimate. Chic, but relaxed.

Our colors were orange and slate grey. Fall is our favorite time of the year, and I wanted to incorporate some of that color in a fresh way. The outcome was a bit dramatic, but easily polished with the addition of metallic and glass accents.

One of the best choices I made going in was to eliminate anything that would cause me stress the weeks just before the wedding. Ceremony programs, no thanks. Place cards, gone! Favors, passed on to some eager family volunteers. But I’ll admit – I got a bit blog obsessed during the planning process. There are so many creative and crafty brides out there, inspiration is endless. Weddings are incredibly detail focused and they can really take a wedding to the next level. However, I’m not a DIY queen and I probably took on one too many unfinished and expensive projects. You don’t have to have everything! I forgave myself instantly for this and focused on throwing a party to celebrate our love for each other and for our guests as well. Don’t forget, being a wedding guest can be stressful too! Your guests are giving you a day or even sometimes a weekend of their otherwise busy lives. Wearing uncomfortable shoes. And even bringing a gift! Make it fun and easy for everyone who comes out to support you.

We hosted our ceremony and reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Chicago. I wanted to find a really unique and memorable space and the MCA was the perfect setting. The building itself is 4 floors of floor to ceiling windows that showcase the city and it has a terraced sculpture garden that looks out on to Lake Michigan. An inside/outside space can be a challenge to find, but we could not have been more pleased as fall in Chicago sometimes lends us gorgeous 80 degree days in October – as it was on our wedding day!

Rather than hosting a seated dinner, we opted for a cocktail reception with modern white lounge furniture settings incorporated with traditional and cocktail tables and lots of lovely warm lighting. We wanted our guests to feel free to eat, drink, and mingle at their own pace – as well as browse the galleries and check out some eclectic art!

Wedding Songs:
Processional: Mothersbaugh’s Canon from The Royal Tenenbaums
Recessional: Wouldn’t It Be Nice by the Beach Boys
First dance: You Gotta Friend In Me by Randy Newman from Toy Story (Groom’s choice!)

View all wedding photos

Wedding Vendors (Chicago, IL):

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Site: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, IL / Wedding Photographer: Olivia Leigh Photographie / Florist: Bridal Party Flowers: Vale of Enna; Reception Flowers: Event Creative / Wedding Dress: Madison by Priscilla of Boston’s Vineyard collection / Wedding Shoes: Tory Burch / Earrings: Anthropologie / Bracelet: Noaki Jewelry on etsy/ Makeup: and Hair: Sonia Roselli / Groom’s suit: J. Crew / Ceremony Musician: String Quartet Ceremony Music by Artistrings / Caterer: Wolfgang Puck’s / Wedding Dessert: Hot Apple Cider and Cupcakes by Molly’s Cupcakes / Wedding invitations: Letterpress Invitations by Bella Figura

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Posted under: Real Weddings chic, Chicago, Illinois, indoor weddings, museum, Olivia Leigh Photographie, purple, retro, traditional

Personality, personality, personality! Chelsea and Brock were determined to infuse their day with plenty of it and the final product is a day full of fanciful color, favorite foods, amazing design and cozy holiday details. A wedding photographer herself, the bride had in mind exactly what she wanted out of her big day and started curating knick-knacks and attire that perfectly reflect her relationship with her fiance. I love how Chelsea describes the reception as “a world that reflects all that you and your hubby love!” You said it, my friend. Thanks to Jamie Delaine for the amazing photos!

From the uber-creative bride, Chelsea. Our colors were red and green originally. Red is Brock’s favorite color (one of his alma mater’s colors) and bright green is my absolute favorite color–I drive a green Beetle and all of my own business branding is green. The red and green really worked since we were having the wedding so close to Christmas. Then, I decided on a pink dress and started adding in touches of pink everywhere and the vision came together.

I acted in college and love the arts in general (Brock is a musician and I am a photographer) and decided that I would love the look of a black theater that gave me free reign to decorate as I desired. We had three pieces of furniture on stage, symbolic of the home we are building together. When we exited after being announced hubby and wifey, all of our family threw fresh long stem roses on stage, reminiscent of classical theatre!

I did all of the planning and coordinating myself, which may not be right for some brides, but being a professional wedding photographer myself, I knew JUST what I wanted. With our invitations, we sent out “tickets” that our guests signed and dropped in a box at the ceremony instead of a standard guest book. When our guests entered the ceremony, there was a red vintage suitcase with all of the programs in it as well as the “ticket box.”

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? To start with, your wedding day ia ALL about you and your hubby. Don’t ever forget that. Be respectful and sweet when family members and even friends try to tell you how it should be done, or what tradition is, etc, but remain firm in what YOU want for your wedding day.

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Montgomery, AL):

Ceremony location: Auburn University Montgomery Theatre / Reception Location: The Chapel Hill Meeting House / Wedding planner and event designer: the bride / Florist: Bride and Groom’s mother / Photographer: Jamie Delaine / Wedding Dress: Light in the Box Reception Dress: Light in the Box / Hair: Whitney Lemaster / Birdcage Veil: the bride, My Pink Wedding Dress / Shoes: Bordello and Luichiny / Groom’s suit: Banana Republic / DJ: Exponential Entertainment / Caterer: family friend/ Wedding Desserts: Family friends / Wedding Cakes: Big Bad Wolfe Catering / Photobooth: Joy Box Photobooth / Wedding invitations: the bride / Videographer: Ryan Rodinis

Jamie Delaine is a member of Blue Label.

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2011. | Permalink | 18 comments | Posted under: Indie Weddings Alabama, Jamie Delaine, Montgomery, pink, red, retro, rock 'n roll, winter weddings

Isn’t the bride just gorgeous?

Arboretums have such natural beauty and highlighting that beauty with bright yellow accents and birdcages made this event truly stunning.

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Dallas, TX):
Photography: Apryl Ann Photography/ Venue: Dallas Arboretum/ Bridesmaid Dresses: Calvin Klein/ Bridesmaid Jewelry: Lovely Things by Lily Lady Blue/ Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet / Flowers and Tables: Terry Inman/ Music: Inner City Allstars/ Caterer: Two Sisters/ Hair and Makeup: Shawn Bigby

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2010. | Permalink | 18 comments | Posted under: Garden Weddings Apryl Ann Photography, Dallas, retro, Texas, yellow

From Lora: Our style is eclectic, laid back, vintage, alternative. We had a dj spinning old funk and soul records, I wore a tea length Audrey Hepburn inspired 50′s wedding dress from a designer in LA, and the food is all Southern Indiana with an emphasis on local and organic; barbecue, corn on the cob, lemon poppyseed cake, Upland brew, etc. It’s nonstuffy and fun. We hope :)

Wedding Vendors (Bloomington, IN):

Venue: Deer Park Manor / Photographer: Megan of Megan W Photography / DJ: Seth Mahern of the Magnetic South recording studio / Flowers: made her mother and her mother’s best friend / Caterer: Lighthouse Lunchbox diner in Bloomfield, IN ((812) 384-4105)

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2010. | Permalink | 36 comments | Posted under: Vintage Weddings 1950's, 1960's, black and white, Bloomfield, Bloomington, green, Indiana, Megan W Photography, purple, retro, short wedding dress

From Sarah: They decided they wanted to do another “themed” session before their upcoming wedding for fun, so we thought of a vintage beach session. Jinni did a great job finding old vintage items for the shoot such as the magazine which happens to feature the very first woman lifeguard! She found many items on eBay and vintage stores.

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2010. | Permalink | 33 comments | Posted under: Engagement Sessions 1940's, beach, engagement sessions, retro, vintage

The couple placed photos of themselves from when they were children and photos of their parents on a wall for the photobooth. The vintage yellow fabric just brings more energy to such fun photos!




The Twiggy bridesmaid dresses are so sweet!






And their sweet ride…a fire red 57 Chevy with its glorious fins!

Check out part I of this vintage-tastic indie wedding here. Big thanks to Noa for sharing this wedding with me!

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Posted under: Real Weddings, Vintage Weddings 1960's, 1970's, retro, vintage wedding dresses