REPIN WEDDING WEDNESDAY

Welcome to our newest blog feature - Repin Wedding Wednesday, where I'll be sharing my favorite wedding find of the week that I repinned on Pinterest. I am totally dying over this little girl and her ridiculously cute outfit. You may not think this is wedding related, but I am constantly asked by clients where to find unique flower girl dresses, and I think this one tops the charts. How perfect would this be for an outdoor bohemian chic wedding? I would be inspired to design a whole wedding just based on this ensemble. 

I found this pin on Shelby Helgeson's "All About Miss Harper" board, it's by Dollcake Oh So Girly, my new favorite baby girl clothing source, and it's available for purchase on One Good Thread. Someone PLEASE use this as a flower girl dress and send me pics when you do!

Image repinned on Pinterest from Shelby Helgeson, clothing by Dollcake Oh So Girly, available for purchase on One Good Thread

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Happy Memorial Day - bring on the white shoes! These Manolo Blahnik patent leather sandals are perfect for summer. They feature an oversized gold buckle and slim 4" heel. Yes, please.

 Image found via Nordstrom

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

It's my first Mother's Day as a mom and I couldn't be more excited to share it with my husband and our new baby girl - check out our first ever family pic below...

And to my mom, I love you more than words can say. I am so grateful for all that you taught me and all the love and support you give me. I am one lucky lady.

I love this shot that my sister took this past Easter. I've always known that I look like my mom, but we're pretty darn twin-like in this picture - from the way our bangs lay, the shape of our eyebrows and eyes, our nose, smile, teeth - it's crazy! And, if I didn't dye my hair practically every 2 weeks, we'd look even more alike. 

Happy Mother's Day everyone -  wishing all the mommas out there a beautiful day!

 

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Congratulations to Jessica Simpson for welcoming baby girl, Maxwell Drew Johnson, into the world last week! For that, I just had to pick a pair of shoes from her collection for today's post. These dainty slingback pumps are the perfect accompaniment to a simple black dress for a summer wedding. The black polka dots and blinged out bow detail add a bit of playfulness to the nude satin base, and the sky-high heel adds all the femininity you need.

 Image found via Amazon

5 TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED ON PINTEREST

To be a bride in the age of Pinterest is such a beautiful thing - it is the perfect place to keep track of all the inspirational eye candy that you come across while trying to piece together your event design. For all of you newbies, "Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web." It's like an online version of a wedding planning binder filled to the brim with tear-outs from magazines. Get started now with my 5 easy tips:

1. Request an invite: Pinterest is so fancy that you need to be invited to join, so you can enter your email address here to request membership, or email me at adrienne@rufflesandtweed.com and I'll get you in.
2. Set up your profile: once you're in, be sure to edit your profile. I suggest adding a bio (include something about your wedding day vision) and uploading a fabulous headshot. You can also update your email notification preferences and add Pinterest to your Facebook timeline.
3. Organize your boards: boards are a collection of pins, and by default, Pinterest will provide you with 5 templates for boards to get started: Products I Love, Favorite Places and Spaces, Books Worth Reading, My Style Pinboard, and For the Home. If you already know some of the categories you'll be pinning (wedding decor inspiration, dream wedding gowns, etc.), you can add them now, or create them as you go.
4. Follow other pinners: Pinterest will recommend some followers for you, but I think the best way to determine who you want to follow is to explore all the pins out there. At the top of the page, directly under the logo is a drop-down menu labeled "Everything" - you can either click on that to start browsing, well...everything. Or you can choose a category. Once you see something you like, click on the pinner's username, and if you're interested in their boards and pins, go ahead and follow them.
5. Let your inspiration run wild: now it's time for you to fill up those boards! You can pin images a few different ways - search through Pinterest and re-pin images that you love, search any website and pin images you love (you'll first need to install the "pin it" button on your toolbar - Pinterest will show you how here), or upload images that you love.

 Image found via Pinterest

 Now you're well on your way to making your dream wedding vision a reality. Be sure to tell your Wedding Planner to follow you on Pinterest so that he or she can be the first to know what inspires you. 

 And while you're at it, follow me for tons of wedding, home, fashion, and beauty inspiration: http://pinterest.com/rufflesandtweed/#

AMY & TIM'S RUSTIC BOHEMIAN CHIC WEDDING

WE'VE BEEN PUBLISHED ON STYLE ME PRETTY!! Words can't even describe how excited I was to see one of my 2011 weddings up on Style Me Pretty this week. 

I was on my way to Island Farm on Elihu Island in Stonington, CT to meet with a potential 2013 bride as well as one of my May 2012 couples, when I saw the email from photographer extraordinaire, Anna Sawin. How perfect that I was headed to the exact location where it all took place, which just so happens to be one of my most favorite places in the entire world. At that moment all of the emotions and wonderful memories came rushing back.

Working with Amy and Tim has been one of the highlights of my career. They are the sweetest couple (not to mention, gorgeous), full of love and gratitude, and can literally light up a room (or a Sperry tent in this case). Their wedding was the epitome of rustic bohemian chic, and was full of personal details and all things pretty. The design plan stemmed from the gorgeous ikat stationary created by the amazingly talented Lucinda Wesson of Chocolate Creative Design, which was inspired by the dozens of images Amy shared with us that captured her overall vision. 

I used these unique paper pieces, as well as the natural beauty of the Island as a jumping off point and created this inspiration board to capture the essence of our vision for the day. 

INSPIRATION

Inspirational photos found via: Party Rental Ltd., The Knot, Flickr, The Knot, The Knot, Cupcake City, The Knot, The Knot, The Knot, The Knot, Alanas Vintage Collectibles, Modernepress, The Knot, Lovelyish

From there we dove into the details. The escort cards were polaroid pictures of EVERY guest that we hung from a clothesline and wrapped around a tree, perfectly executed by Kate the Great, my fabulous assistant and owner of Oh, The Days. The fact that Amy had a picture of every single guest just shows the type of person she is. The favors included a packet of saffron and her grandmother's paella recipe printed on artwork designed by her grandfather, and all bundled together in textured sacks stamped with a custom design by Lucinda. The guest book was a map of Stonington that everyone signed, and that I'm sure is hanging in their home now.

We made pillows and table toppers out of purple ikat fabric and burlap for the cocktail area, wrapped votive candles in shimmery burlap and lace, and decked out the kids table with jewelry, play-doh, and coloring books. We also created custom wooden signs that were dispersed throughout the Island directing guests to the ceremony, cocktails, dinner, dancing, and even beers on the beach.

Gourmet Galley served a scrumptious selection of food and drink, which included a PICKLE BAR! Hana Floral Design created the most gorgeous flower arrangements, which I won't even begin to describe since that wouldn't do them justice - you just have to see them to believe it. And New York City Swing rocked the dance floor all night long. All under a perfectly lit Sperry tent, while guests and the bridal party, beautifully made up by Jennie Fresa and the W Salon, hung out and smoked cigars in the pimped out vintage Ford pick-up truck.

Check out the photos below by Anna Sawin Photography, and don't forget to visit the feature on Style Me Pretty, which includes an unbelievable video by Buzz Media Company. Plus see all of the amazing photos in the full gallery.

REALITY

All wedding photos by Anna Sawin Photography

Amy and Tim made my job so enjoyable, and we had such an amazing time designing the day together. All of the vendors worked together in perfect harmony to give Amy and Tim the night of their dreams and we celebrated under the September stars. As happy as I was for Amy and Tim, I was sad to see the wedding (and our time together) end. I wish them a lifetime of happiness – they certainly deserve it!

Thank you to the amazing team of people who made it all happen - you all rocked it!:

Venue: Island Farm on Elihu Island 
Tent: Sperry Tents 
Rentals: Rentals Unlimited & Party Rental Ltd.
Paper (save-the-dates, invitations, programs, menu cards, map, cupcake tags, favor bags) & Truck Design: Chocolate Creative Design
Photography: Anna Sawin Photography
Cinematography: Buzz Media Company
Floral Design: Hana Floral Design and Boutique
Catering: Gourmet Galley Catering
Makeup: Jennie Fresa Makeup and Skincare Boutiquerie
Hair: W Salon
Ceremony Music: Golden Scroll Soloists
Reception Music: New York City Swing 
Guest Transportation: Livery Limited
Toilet Trailer: Country Portables
Generator: Power Posse
Pastor: Reverend Ron Lake
Babysitter: Caitlin McCoy 

Event Planning & Design (pillows, table toppers, candles, wooden signs): Ruffles & Tweed + Assistant: Kate Troxell - Oh, The Days

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS TO LIVE BY

Print by Ex Libris Journals, found via Etsy 

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Now THIS is how you wear neon yellow - interwoven with the perfect amount of natural leather. And the tassel ties hanging from the ankle straps are pure perfection. Thank you, Rebecca Minkoff, for bringing these lovely sandals into the world.

 Image found via Piperlime