Ruffled

I can admit it: I have a bit of a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. From “500 Days of Summer” to She & Him to the New Girl, I never tire of her cute and quirky retro style. So naturally, when I heard Jessica Schmitt Photography and ever swoon wanted to construct a styled shoot with Zooey in mind, I couldn’t wait to see the result. Not only that, but these images are also filled to the brim with great ideas to throw a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner or a small wedding.

From the photographer, Jessica Schmitt: Our photo shoot was inspired by Zooey Deschanel and her playfully pretty style with a retro 50’s flair. The project united a team of wedding vendors that were emphatic about bringing together fresh and free spirited styles to give brides original and off-beat ideas for their own special day. The challenge: How to make an “adorkable” wedding chic, pretty and a little kooky!

Starting with a lively color palette of hot pink and turquoise with dashes of gold, soft pink, and tangerine and mixing in a common graphic motif of polka dots we created a visual theme that carries through all the elements of a quirky, cool wedding day. This thread was carried through the style of the dress with its muted pink dot appliqués all the way to the homemade coconut crusted snowballs. Other retro desserts surround a polka-dotted cake studded with sweet tarts. Edible shot glasses hold His & Hers cocktails. Home sewn garland and mesh pinwheels dangle over tables. Circular notecards for guests to hang transforms a blank wall into a decorative element. Bright bunches of vibrant flowers in lemon yellow and magenta create big balls of fluffy bouquets.

The invitation, printed on canvas and mounted on wood, evokes a throwback flair with line art silhouettes of the bride and groom that carry throughout all the paper goods. Colonie, a quaint restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, provided the perfect canvas for all the vivid decor, desserts, and sparkling bridal accessories. With its exposed brick walls, deep wood hues, original paned windows, and metal topped bar the venue conveys a personality that is vintage and friendly, but familiar in modern-day Brooklyn. Just like Zooey!

Shoot Location: Brooklyn, NY / Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography / Shoot Venue: Colonie / Event Coordinator and Stylist: ever swoon / Wedding Flowers: G! Designs / Wedding Dress: Dolly Couture / Jewelry: I Do Jour / Makeup: Face the Day NY / Desserts and Styling: Alison Dulaney / Cups: Loliware / Wedding Invitations: Shindig Invites / Videographer: Love + Brain Films / Model: Alessandra Perez-Rubio

We’re always down for ogling gorgeous flower arrangements — always. So when Tessa Woolf, editor of Salt Lake/Park City Bride & Groom, sent this styled shoot our way with images from Chudleigh Weddings, we couldn’t have been more ecstatic to see the leafy arrangements put together by four of Utah’s finest floral masters!

From the shoot editor, Tessa Woolf: For the new winter/spring 2013 issue of Salt Lake/Park City Bride & Groom magazine, we teamed up with photographer Britt Chudleigh to create an elegant and ethereal floral feature. The focus of the feature, titled “Light Fantastic,” is pale and pastel blooms—think stems in sorbet shades like peach, mint, and butter yellow -— captured in a dreamy, all-white studio drenched in natural light. We paired the pretty flowers with equally pretty frocks: a guipure lace gown by Modern Trousseau, a frothy ball gown by Allure, and a chic chiffon bridesmaid dress by Amsale.

Rachael MacLaughlin of Roots designed a lush centerpiece featuring green antique hydrangea curly bittersweet vine, and a coordinating bridal bouquet of garden roses, roses, dinner plate dahlias, dahlia buds, dusty miller, ranunculus, and scabiosa pods. Amanda Schelin of Branches Event Floral dreamed up a fanciful bouquet and romantic floral crown. Schelin used fluffy blooms to bring the arrangements to life: gloriosa lilies, garden roses, ranunculus, cafe dahlias, spray roses, variegated pittosporum, dusty miller, astilbe, and maidenhair fern.

Elegant garden roses set the tone for a sophisticated bouquet by Julie Prince of Julie Prince Flowers. She added lightly hued ranunculus, poppies, anemones, snowberries, and astilbe, and finished the sculpted arrangement with broad, open-face anthurium and radiant amaryllis. Brynn Larsen of Blooms and Co. designed texture-rich bridal and bridesmaid bouquets showcasing cafe au lait dahlias, roses, lisianthus, ranunculus, snowberries, astilbe, and lamb’s ear.

Shoot Location: Salt Lake City, UT / Photographer: Chudleigh Weddings / Creative Director: Samantha Gardner of Salt Lake/Park City Bride & Groom / Shoot Editor and Wardrobe Stylist: Tessa Woolf of Salt Lake/Park City Bride & Groom / Shoot Venue: Studio Elevn / Wedding Flowers: Blooms and Co., Branches Event Floral, Julie Prince Flowers, and Roots / Wedding Dresses: Modern Trousseau via Alta Moda Bridal, Allure via Danielle’s Bridal / Bridesmaids’ Dress: Amsale via Lily & Iris / Jewelry: O.C. Tanner / Hair and Makeup: Gabby Gabbitas / Models: Emma Jones and Abby Sands via McCarty Talent

We’re simply teeming with joy to share this wedding workshop from The Carrs Photography with you all! Michael Carr put together an all-star cast of wedding pros, including Jenny Haas, The Ivy League, and Borrowed Vintage Event Rentals to make the perfect early winter woodsy shoot. The different textures are a particular favorite of mine, from the chevron cake to the striped ribbons to the bride’s faux fur jacket!

From the photographer and workshop mentor, Michael: I have always desired to blend my passion of teaching and photography together, and I finally felt prepared to do so this past fall. So after long deliberation and lots of brainstorming, Fancy Pants Workshops was created. With a bit of humor intended, the cheeky name is designed to make you smile, and also convey a strong sense of quality. Fancy can be different for every individual, but all photographers love fancy weddings. Your fancy might be a black tie wedding, or it might be a sunset wedding in a field. My “fancy” is not the same as yours, but we all love Fancy. Once the name was decided, I instantly knew I wanted and needed a talented stylist to come along side and give their expert touch to the photo shoot. Without hesitation I called Jenny Haas. The work she displays was exactly what I envisioned for this workshop, so when she said yes to my request, I did a little dance.

Our theme for this cozy styled photo shoot was “woodland/earthy.” We wanted to use colors and materials that reflected the soft, natural feel of fall, and include the beautiful colors of our favorite season like golden yellows, creams, and navy. Inspired to create something classy, but with a twist, Christina wore a short, flirty lace dress, collar necklace, polka-dot tights, and hand-made veil. Her style easily transformed by adding the faux fur jacket, a must for the fall, and removing the veil and necklace, creating a softer and comfier second look. For the grooms attire we wanted a layered look. We chose a striped green and navy tie to fit in with our colors, and a navy jacket with gray pants. We also added a grey sweater and a scarf, pieces that can be easily added or taken away when it is chilly outside.

The Ivy league, the florist we worked with, put together the most beautiful flowers in a can that Jenny painted cream, and they also matched the bouquet. I love how she added the accents of blue in the flowers, everything went perfectly with the autumn colors surrounding us. For the favor table, Jenny used glass jars to hold trail mix with a sign saying “for the trail back home” a clever slogan devised by Will, Jenny’s husband, that fit the theme perfectly. The sweetheart table was covered with moss, accented with doilies and succulents, wooden chargers under the plates, and a clear glass dome as the centerpiece. Lastly, the table linens were towels that Jenny cut down from Ikea, using two different patterns to break things up a bit. By including a rugged white barn, wide-open fields, and intimate pathways, each part of the session blended perfectly together to create an inspirational shoot for any bride who wants an outdoor fall wedding.

Shoot Location: Tipp City, OH / Photographers: The Carrs Photography and Jenny Haas Photography / Workshop Mentor: Michael Carr of The Carrs Photography / Event Design and Styling: Jenny Haas / Venue: Honey Creek Preserve / Wedding Flowers: The Ivy League / Wedding Dress: Ruche / Bride’s Jacket: The Spotted Moth / Bride’s Necklace: ModCloth / Wedding Shoes: DSW / Hair: Caralee Fox / Makeup: Sara Corona / Groom’s Sweater: H&M / Groom’s Jacket and Pants: Macy’s / Wedding Cake: elé cake co / Rentals and Decor: Borrowed Vintage Event Rentals / Moss-covered Deer Head: Jenny Haas & Haas Signs / Wedding Invitations and Paper Goods: Ruby and Willow

We love a couple who not only embraces a theme for their wedding day, but can also encourage the guests to take part as well! Anita and Dominic asked their loved ones to come bedecked in vintage attire, which only heightened the surreality of their big day. Good friend Dan O’Day tagged along to take pictures, including bridesmaids wearing the most striking cobalt blue vintage dresses!

From the bride, Anita: I would describe our day as “Musically Vintage.” Red, Blue and all things old! Majority was DIY, we also asked the guests to dress in vintage attire and glad we did; everyone looked amazing and felt part of our big day.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? DIY is rewarding but getting help is a must and make time for the little things, don’t compromise as you may be disappointed… I took the time to make and do everything I wanted to do and was happy with the result. I wasn’t going to make the paper music flowers for the pews, but with some help did and was glad I did in the end. Location weddings are great, but know the area, suppliers and include shipping in your budget! Decide what is important and spend money on it… food and drink was ours and glad it was…

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Let’s Stay Together,” Al Green
Signing of the Register: “Signed Sealed Delivered,” Stevie Wonder
Recessional: “Feeling Good,” MUSE
A selection of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Otis Reading, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Issac Hayes, Richard Cheese, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett &KD Lang that Dom made a playlist on his iPod and played on shuffle.

Wedding Location: Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia / Wedding Photographer: Dan O’Day / Wedding Venue: St. Mary’s by the Sea / Wedding Flowers: Flowerama, Castle Hill, Sydney / Wedding Dress: Bad Girl Vintage / Wedding Shoes: ModCloth / Veil: made by bride / Hair and Makeup: Mermaids / Wedding Caterer: ZINC Restaurant / Wedding Cake: guest

We have been on a polka dot obsession lately. So much that this project popped up while finishing our preparations for our table for the The Cream Event NYC. Using masking tape and a paper punch I had in my drawer, I gave old bottles a new life. What better way to shake things up than with confetti? You can try this on pretty much anything that’s in need of some polka dot cheer!

bottles, vases, jars, cups
masking tape
hole punch
spray paint

If you’re painting the interior of your bottles like I did, start by pouring paint in your clear glass vessels. Shake them to cover the interior and let them dry upside down. Though it would look just as fab with clear glass :)

While the bottles are drying, start punching holes in the masking tape. You can anchor the end of the tape on the edge of your desk while you work on your polka dot. No need to follow a pattern – just punch holes randomly. Once the bottles are dry from the paint in them, wrap the dotted masking tape and cover the rest of the bottle with solid tape. Spray paint. Let it dry for a few minutes and gently peel the tape away. I was able to reuse the masking tape a few times on other bottles, so as long as you can remove the tape without ripping, you can definitely use the same dotted strip again.

It’s pretty much a given that any wedding that Jade + Matthew shoot will be epic. Remember their first feature? We’re still swooning over these images. Today we have a new wedding to gawk over. Uniquely them and totally gorgeous, Autumn and Ken’s wedding may very well convince you to add a touch more color to your inspiration. A blush pink wedding gown and flowy polka dot dresses for the ladies is just about every girl’s dream, including ours.

From the bride, Autumn: Vintage was my first thought, then I found my wedding dress… that really set the tone. Everything kind of evolved as far as colors and vision… I really just took time and let it all fall into place.

I feel that the day ended up feeling fun, free and whimsical and romantic. Our colors were coral, pink tangerine and grey… again not a choice per se, it just evolved once I found the boutonnieres that I loved (in Coral). Once I came across the polka dot dresses for the bridesmaids I wanted to tie the dots in without making it seem like a child’s party. I found someone on Etsy who sells “dots”, I ordered some 3-inch dots from her and used those as the place cards, I also ordered multiple sizes of smaller dots and glued them on the ceremony programs.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Our first idea was to go to Savannah and have the Reception at Vic’s… we went for months looking at other places and checking out a ton of venues online and in person. We ultimately went with our first thought! I would say that you have to stay true to what you want to do and don’t feel pressured to make decisions, you never know when you just come across the right things (like my bouquet, boutonnieres, guestbook, makeup artist etc.). Don’t sweat it, it will all come together!

Wedding Music:
Mothers’ Processional: “Love Theme,” The Godfather
Bridal Party Processional: “Down the Road,” Kenny Chesney
Bride’s Processional: Nessun Dorma
First Dance: “Free,” The Zac Brown Band
Last Song: “My Way,” Frank Sinatra

Wedding Location: Savannah, GA / Wedding Venue: Vic’s / Wedding Photographers: Jade + Matthew / Wedding Coordinator: Cindy Brown of All About You DJs / Wedding Flowers: Surroundings / Wedding Dress: Watters “Olivia” / Wedding Makeup: Sonja Sevin / Bride’s Fascinator: Amanda Vincent Salon (Sarasota, FL) / Bride’s Shoes: Vivienne Westwood / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: After Six via Dessy Group / Groom’s Suit: Tom James / DJ and Photobooth: All About You DJs / Wedding Invitations: Vista Print / Trolleys: Oglethorpe Tours

When this wedding from The Nichols landed in our inbox, we immediately felt the love jumping off the screen. Jennifer and Jake married in the middle of the Umlauf Sculpture Garden of Austin, TX amid their dearest friends and family. We’re ga-ga over the bride’s vintage dress found on etsy, the endless array of succulents, and Jennifer’s polka dot tights!

From the bride, Jennifer: We are both attracted to vintage style and subdued natural colors. We wanted our wedding to reflect that, and we aimed to create a relaxed environment that highlighted the beauty of the venue. The natural wood and fiber elements we used were meant to complement our surroundings, while the thrift-found glass elements and paper poms spoke to our love of vintage.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? We got married 6 months after getting engaged. We also waited a couple of months before really getting our plans organized. Our advice would be to plan as early as possible. Make a list and start making phone calls. Having a wedding coordinator was a life-saver, and we were so fortunate that she saw straight into our vision. If you can pull it off financially, invest in a well-suited coordinator. Most elements of our wedding were DIY. We got through each element by reminding each other to breathe and smile.z

Wedding Songs t:

Processional: Jake’s oldest son, Harper, played “The Swan” on the cello
Recessional: “The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side,” Magnetic Fields
First Dance: “Apple Blossom Time,” Flat Duo Jets

Wedding Vendors (Austin, TX):

Wedding Venue: Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum / Wedding Photographer: The Nichols / Event Designer: Aimee Villa of Lizbelle Event Management / Wedding Flowers: Central Market / Wedding Dress: Vintage / Wedding Shoes: Sam Edelman / Bride’s Hair: Sara Ostovar of Modesty Hair Studio / Makeup: Bride and Bride’s sister / DJ: Will Fiveash (will.fiveash@gmail.com) / Wedding Caterer: Takoba Restaurant / Wedding Desserts: Bake Sale / Wedding Invitations: Designed by bride and groom

The bride from this Brisbane wedding has more talent than you can shake a stick at. Not only did she design her cute-as-pie retro wedding dress, she had her hands all over the rest of the wedding decor! Get ready for lots of red and polka dots in this beauty from Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in the gallery!

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in

From the bride, Letitia: We wanted our day to be intimate and dignified but also loads of FUN! The idea of a large traditional wedding made us feel nervous; we wanted to keep it simple and relaxed. We had our ceremony at a hall in New Farm and enjoyed refreshments with our guests outside afterward. Our Reception was held at Bistrot Bistro, a fantastic French Restaurant in the Woolloongabba Antique District. We had looked at a number of venues that just didn’t move us, Bistrot Bistro had a cellar room that was exactly what we wanted… small with bucket loads of character and atmosphere. We sat with our guests around two long tables, it really made us feel part of the celebration and because we only had about 50 guests we were able to chat to everyone.

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in

I’ve always loved vintage and my entire wardrobe is full of plenty of 2nd hand and vintage bits and pieces sourced through my travels, as well as many ebay/etsy purchases. So I knew that I wanted my weddings dress to represent my love for Vintage things, however I wanted it to be handmade. The Design and ideas were conveyed by means of many words, hand gestures and picture samples to a friend/local dressmaker who brought it all together faultlessly from imagination to reality. I wanted a cream base for my dress, incorporating my love of colour and polka dots with a bit of flair.

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in

Food and music were high on our priority list. It only took one meal at Bistrot Bistro to convince us of the quality and it was in no way lacking on the night. We hired a French gypsy style duo called Paris Dreaming that played most of the night. The party started a lot earlier than expected with everyone dancing amongst the tables before the planned dance music had even started. We had no speeches organised for the night as we didn’t want to put any pressure on anyone, but my sister, bro-in-law and my beautiful little niece put on a surprise performance singing an altered version of “anyone else but you”. It was amazing. The photography was an easy decision with our dear friends Seth and Tenielle from Feather and Stone. We have always loved and admired their unique creativity and couldn’t wait for them to be a part of our day. They were thrilled to do the photos for us. We had such a blast driving around to the different locations with them, it really made a difference knowing them and feeling at ease and relaxed. This really came across in the photography.

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in

We wanted the decorations to be simple and uncluttered but vibrant and happy. I sourced a large amount of Red Polka dot material which my mother tirelessly hand sewed into table runners. We used these runners in both the hall where the ceremony was held and on the tables at the reception venue. My mother also fan folded the material around single stem sunflowers and put them on the end of the chairs in the aisle. My folks and I wrapped some large glass jars in hessian (hot glued) and then finished off with some lace and polka dot ribbon. We filled those jars with some long-stemmed sunflowers. I do stencilling on canvases as a creative hobby, so I created a simple stencil and spray painted it on a canvas saying “Letitia & Kristian” for the entrance of the reception.

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in

We had a refreshments table outside the hall where we were married so that we could mingle with the guests after and any others that had come to share our special day. We covered these tables with gingham table clothes and decorated with fresh flowers. A friend lent us some vintage cake stands which held many home-made treats and also some toffee apples and heart lollipops – which were certainly a hit with the guests.

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in

Feather and Stone Photography. Check out the rest of the images in View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding vendors (Brisbane, Australia):

Reception Venue: Bistrot Bistro / Wedding photographers: Feather and Stone / Wedding music: Paris Dreaming / Fabric for bride’s dress: Gardams / Bride’s petticoat: Straight Razors and Parasols / Bride’s earrings: Crush Jewels / Bride’s shoes: Mollini / Cupcake holders and straws: IsaKay Boutique / “Eat Me” signs: Sweetly Scrapped Art / DIY Decor: Spotlight / Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss / Groom’s shirt and tie: Ben Sherman / Groom’s boutonniere: Bloomin’ Cute

Feather and Stone is currently based in Australia, but Seth is from the U.S so he loves traveling back home. Feather and Stone will be in the U.S in June and July for anyone who is interested in booking them for their wedding!

Continuing with our sixties Mad Men inspiration shot by Lilia Photography, Samantha of note•ify is back this afternoon to share a few DIY projects she crafted for the shoot. First up is this super easy polka dot pattern in metallic gold ink. I’m fascinated by the possibilities. Starting with a giant polka dot backdrop. DIY wall artwork, perhaps? Gift wrap, maybe? Big thanks to Samantha for sharing!

From Samantha of note•ify: as part of a styled shoot I did with Lilia Photography and Savage Rose, I got the idea to embellish these fun envelopes from Paper Source with some gold metallic ink. Since custom metallic print is super expensive, especially for short-run print jobs like wedding invitations, we wanted to show an easy and affordable way to add some sparkle yourself. This is a great way to be creative without getting messy.

What you’ll need:

– metallic gold ink pad
– small round sponge brush, often called a spouncer
– scrap paper

1. Ink up the sponge by pressing into the ink pad and rotating to make sure the ink is applied evenly. Use the same pressure and motion to then the ink the envelope/paper. Continue with desired pattern.

2. Let it dry overnight. I recommend setting up a drying rack and using clothespins to leave them hanging to dry.

View all step by step photos

I squealed when this wedding fell in my lap. It’s not only super adorable, but the bride is wearing a gown like the one from our shop by the same designer! Thank you Katrina Louise for sharing these images with us. Be sure to check out the gallery for more!

We envisioned our wedding to be welcoming, fun and comfortable so our friends and family could feel our love and party the night away:)

DIY project included all the wood details (table numbers wood slices) a tree fell in my parents backyard and it could have come at a better time so my dad sliced away with the tree!

My dad also made our photo booth and my husband and I painted it.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Don’t forget to have fun and don’t get overwhelmed it will all come together..it’s your special day so celebrate the way you two want it. Remember at the end of the day you are marrying your best friend and that’s what truly gets you through the stressfulness of planning.

Wedding Songs:

I walked down to lullaby by Dixie Chick! It is beautiful!

My wedding party walked down too lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat

We exited too love by Matt White

Our first dance was to Forever by Ben Harper

The father-daughter dance was too I loved her first by Heartland

our shop by the same designer! Thank you Katrina Louise for sharing these images with us. Be sure to View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Camarillo, CA):

Ceremony and reception venue: McCormick Home Ranch / Wedding planner or event designer: Linda Carson at Glow Floral / Florist: Linda Carson at Glow Floral / Wedding Photographer: Katrina Louise / Wedding Dress, Veil: Fancy purchased at Camarillo Bridal / Bride’s Hair: Angela Lew at Salon HG / Bridesmaid’s Hair: Piper at Salon Studios / Bride, Mother of Bride and Maid of Honor Makeup: Tifanie White / Bridesmaid’s Makeup: Maggie Munroe / Caterer: Stone fire Grill / Wedding Cake: One Sweet Day Cupcake Parlour (skellington31@hotmail.com) / Wedding invitations: The Vintage Alley

This next wedding provides endless inspiration for all you brides planning an outdoors affair. The bride, Vanessa, brought her love of vintage and all things sweet to her March wedding to now-husband Alex. Frankly, we couldn’t be more in love with the bridesmaids’ dresses in every shade of pastel, or the dessert bar with treats aplenty. Thanks to Vanessa for sending her wedding our way, and also to Ben McGee for taking such gorgeous captures!

From the bride, Vanessa: We both love vintage and spend half our lives scouring thrift shops and vintage shops for the perfect find. We knew we wanted our love for all things vintage to be present. We also both work at a cake shop so that was something we definitely wanted – a giant dessert party! We are both vegan as well so it was all about our love for good vegan food, cute vintage finds and most importantly a reflection of US!

Words that describe our wedding would be vintage, giant dance party, girly, fun, whimsical, fun. We couldn’t decide on a colour scheme and after finding photos of my grandmothers wedding I decided i wanted to have a rainbow wedding with my bridesmaids in purple, mint, tiffany blue, pink and yellow!

Our DIY projects were making the cake stand our wedding cake is on, making our favours which are little jars of homemade raspberry jam, the invitations and programs were handmade, the bow ties were made because we couldn’t find the perfect colours, we had speech bubble chalk boards for our photo booth too! We made a ring book too as our page boy was young and this was great for little hands! We collected 100 tea cup, saucer and plate sets for all of our guests and found a lot of retro chairs on the side of the road and restored them, it was a lot of fun!

Any advice for future brides? I know this is said so often but Relax. Have things your own way, so many times people tried to push things i didn’t want and I’m so grateful I said no. Don’t worry when you don’t get the stockist you want, it will all work out. We had 3 months to plan our whole wedding which mean’t a lot of stockists were already booked so we just went with the flow and somehow did it! And last but not least don’t spend a ridiculous amount; weddings can still be fun without spending your whole life savings.

View more images from this wedding here

Wedding songs:
Processional: “Let’s Stay Together,” Al Green
Signing of the Documents: “Lovely Day,” Bill Withers
Recessional: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” by Stevie Wonder

Wedding Vendors:

Ceremony venue: Tabor College / Reception venue: Private residence / Wedding photographer: Ben McGee / Wedding dress: Vintage; Pushpin Boutique, Adelaide / Ceremony musicians: Liz Tobias / Catering: made by bride’s mother / Wedding cake: Cake Happens / Wedding desserts: Eggless Dessert Cafe / Wedding invitations: designed by bride / Transportation: Kombis4u

This wedding is truly the heart of vintage glam, from the amazing venue to the birdcage veil to the utterly precious flower girl and ringbearer in their sweet outfits! The bride and groom stuck to a classic black and white palette, with some gold accents thrown in for good measure. We featured Vicky and Sergio’s retro 1940s-themed engagement session back in January, and today we get to share their wedding day! Big thanks to Justin DeMutiis for sharing their wedding photos with us and to Vicky for sharing your wedding story. Congrats to you and Sergio!

From the bride, Vicky: Both my husband and I love vintage things and history. We really wanted to have an elegant wedding that captured “old” elements. I would have to say that the movie The Notebook and the whole 40’s era served as an inspiration for me during the planning process; even our engagement shoot! I wanted it to be elegant and timeless in the sense that when I look back at pictures, say in 40 years, I won’t think to myself “What was I thinking?!” — or at least I hope I won’t think that. We did not want a large wedding. It really meant a lot to us to keep it as small and intimate as possible, and share that moment with those that were closest to us. Plus, with a smaller guest list, this meant we didn’t have to spend so much on food and could use that money in other areas of the wedding budget.

Our color scheme was a basic black and white. We chose black because not only can it be elegant but it is also easy to coordinate. I knew that no matter whether you purchase items in-store or online, black will be black. Unlike other colors such as pinks and blues, there are so many variations of these colors that it can be a challenge to purchase something online to coordinate with the rest. Also, when it came to doing things ourselves such as the stationery, it was almost a given that you would find black and white. So I may have cheated a little with choosing black but it sure made the planning process easier!

As far as things we did ourselves, we made our own stationery using DIY packages from craft stores. We also made the wooden plaques that had sayings like “Bride,” “Groom,” “Thank you” etc. I got this idea from other weddings and both the husband and I tag-teamed and made these ourselves. He did the crackle paint and I painted the words. Another thing we made were the pearl strands that we hung from the staircase rails. I had seen this in a wedding magazine and loved the look. Unfortunately, as much as I searched I could not find the pearl strands and decided to make them myself using fishing line and pearls. It seems like a lot of work but I would work on it a little bit every night while watching TV and had them done in no time. For our table numbers, we used different pictures from our engagement shoot and labeled them using stickers. It was an easy project and added a personal touch to each table.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? First and foremost, enjoy every minute of the wedding planning. It will go by faster than you think. It can at times be overwhelming and stressful (especially when working with a budget), but it will be worth it at the end. There is much satisfaction when seeing the results of the months of planning. Also, I would say that when thinking about a budget for the wedding it’s best to put your money in things such as photographer or videographer. When all is said and done, after the wedding what you have left are memories and whatever images and video you have to look back on the occasion. When I budgeted for the wedding, I was willing to put more money into a good photographer and videographer because I wanted to have a way to look back and cherish that special day. Even if you are not having a “platinum wedding,” the emotions and memories that photos and videos capture are priceless.

View more images from this wedding

Wedding Songs:

Bridal party procession: “Bella’s Lullaby/A River Flows in You,” Carter Burwell
Bride’s procession: “Only Hope,” Mandy Moore
Reception entrance: “Super Massive Blackhole,” Muse
First dance: “Still in Love,” Beyonce

Wedding vendors (Tampa, FL):

Reception venue: The Don Vicente Historic Inn / Wedding photographer: Justin DeMutiis Photography / Hair Stylist: Maria Santiago / Floral designer: La Vie en Rose / Cinematography: Trinity Wedding Video / Lighting: Inspire / DJ: Inspire / Ceremony musician: Christopher Dobson / Makeup artist: Nur Alaqili Makeup / Wedding dress: David’s Bridal / Groom and groomsmen’s suits: Men’s Warehouse / Wedding shoes: Steve Madden / Wedding cake: Alessi’s Bakery

I have a thing for polka dots. They are so cute and playful! Needless to say, when I set my eyes on Jess’s polka dot wedding dress, I was smitten! Even better than a perfect polka dot dress, is a perfect polka dot dress in an adorable ice cream shop! Jess and Brian took a trip to a local ice cream shop before their ceremony. Jess’s parents visited the same exact ice cream shop on their wedding day, so they decided to make a tradition of it!

Here’s a bit more info about Jess and Brian’s big day from their photographer, Gina Zeidler.

This little Iowa wedding was a dream to be a part of. Jess and Brian wanted to start their day with a quick first look and pop into the car (an amazing car they bought specifically for their get away ride) to visit the very meaningful ice cream shop a town away. Yes I repeat. It was my brides idea to go to this too cute for words ice cream shop , take photos and most importantly eat some ice cream (seriously when she sent me the link to this place I couldn’t believe my eyes, this is why I love my brides). The story behind the ice cream shop is that Jess’s parents were also there on their wedding day. I am all for keeping tradition so we pulled up, shared a banana spilit and snapped away.

After our ice cream trip, we returned to battle cold, wind, rain, and super bright sun throughout the rest of the day. The outdoor ceremonywent off with out a hitch and we headed to the reception in the upstairs of this awesome restaurant bar named P.M. Park.

Each centerpiece was a book of Jessie’s and the tables were also scattered with her families wedding photos.

I would have to say one of my favorite parts of the day was watching Jess and her dad interact. Not only do they share the same smile and laugh, they share the same amazing attitude and spunk towards life. It was truly a blessing to be part of this amazing wedding day.

Wedding Vendors (Clear Lake, Iowa):

Ceremony Venue: Central Gardens / Reception Venue: P.M. Park / Photographer: Gina Zeidler / Florist: Bride’s Aunt / Bride’s Dress: Henry Roth, purchased at Kleinfelds / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Made by Bride’s mother