Tuesday Shoesday

The perfect black holiday flat. For those of you out there {like myself} who tend to be the last one to leave the dance floor. Cheers to you.

be sure to check out these ladies: {brancoprata} {magnolia rouge} {demoiselle} {meant to be sent} {simply & forever} {landlocked bride} {swatchbook weddings}{luna & chloe weddings} Or check out #tuesdayshoesday on Twitter!

Silver & Gold Holiday Inspiration

It's no secret I love the Holidays.  The last few years of holiday decorating I've been getting further away from the traditional red and green and going more for the elegant silver and gold.  Our living room is in the process of being painted a dark gray (at this very moment by Mr. C's very talented Aunt) and I can't wait to really bring this board to life in our living room once it's all done!

click image for full credits

Happy Monday everyone!


P.S. 5 more days until the puppy arrives!

SMP Guest Post: Pecan Orchard Shoot

I hope you are enjoying a little post Thanksgiving day off, but even if you are at work {for shame!} you won't want to miss this pretty little inspiration shoot on Style Me Pretty.

Shauna Maness Photography via Style Me Pretty

P.S. Let the holiday decorating begin!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is just so much to be thankful for. So much. I could write a book for all that I am thankful for, but today I will use this space to say that I am very thankful for each and everyone of you that stops by this blog. Thank you for all of your support and love :)

{Kate Spade Ad}

 

 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! xoxo

Thankful Dining Spaces

I feel it's only appropriate to feature a few pretty dining spaces places today.  Seems fitting for Thanksgiving eve. What do you have planned for your Thanksgiving table? It's such a crucial detail, because let's face it, everything tastes that much better at a perfectly set table. No one will even notice the overcooked turkey...ok, maybe that's a lie.

{via}

{via}

{via}

{Rue Magazine}

Hope everyone is able to sneak out a bit early today. I just love Thanksgiving :)

SMP Guest Post: Virginia Garden Wedding

Another gorgeous garden wedding to liven up your Tuesday on Style Me Pretty! Click the beautiful image below to see the entire lovely feature!

 {Jennifer Colina Photography}

Tuesday Shoesday

Today I present my version of a perfect Thanksgiving dinner shoe complete with bow.  They can even dress up your sweatpants post-meal, whatever floats your gravy boat.

{JCREW}

For more delicious picks, be sure to check out these ladies: {brancoprata} {magnolia rouge} {demoiselle} {meant to be sent} {simply & forever} {landlocked bride} {swatchbook weddings}{luna & chloe weddings} Or check out #tuesdayshoesday on Twitter!

On the Mantle

Mr. C and I are in the process of finally decorating and furnishing our living room. Yes, I realize we have been here for quite some time and the room has been empty, but we are finally making progress. I even picked out a nice shade of dark gray for the walls today, and our yellow rug came in last week.  See? Progress.

On top of all the decorating projects, I am obsessed with mantlescapes {if that is even a correct decorating term}.  I may or may not have spent 2 hours this morning before Mr. C even woke up browsing Lonny Mag's Mantle section on their website {isn't it awesome they have that on their site!?}. Mantles to me are the finishing touch that tie the entire room together. When done right, mantles really make such a statement, and now I just need to determine what I would like to say with our mantle....

I also need to admit that I will be sad when this room is complete. I liked having this project on the horizon. Once again, I'm weird.

Check out all the beautiful mantles here.

Happy {ladies} Weekend!

Hellloooo Friday! What a great week it has been. I have been all over the place today, so pardon the extremely late post. It's ladies weekend in the Super Burbs so my Grandmother, Mom, Aunt and Cousin are coming down today to take part in the 2nd Annual ladies only weekend. I decided to host a bake off of sorts {thanks for ALL of your recommendations - I am set with ideas for ladies weekend until I am 50!}, and each lady is required to bring a surprise dessert recipe and the ingredients. I am making these pumpkin whoopie pies thanks to the lovely Angela at Swatchbook Weddings. It is definitely going to be a flour fest here tonight.

{Abby Jiu via Style Me Pretty}

Tomorrow we are headed to Newport to tour the Newport Mansions - they are all decorated for Christmas and it is just amazing.  Obession with decor and decorating runs deep in my family, so we will all be just gawking over each and every detail. Heaven.

Hope you all have a simply fabulous weekend!

xoxo,
Abby

The New Addition

If you follow me on twitter or facebook you know that we are expecting a new addition of the puppy variety in the Super Burbs the first week of December. Specifically we are expecting an absolutely adorable golden retriever. To say I am excited would be the understatement of the year. I found myself "nesting" yesterday in preparation for this little man - which kind of scares me {I never claimed to be normal}.  Lord help us when we actually have real kids.

{via}

I have chosen to embrace the crazy and nest away...aka find cute dog things to buy.  If you have any fabulous sites I need to be aware of, please let me know.  This is a whole new world of shopping for me {side note: I will never dress this dog up. Not that there is anything wrong with that...} Here are a few things on my wish list right now, apparently I've fallen in love with Harry Barker.

 Collars/ Bed/ Dog Bowls/ Canisters/ Toys

Any additional ideas? Leave them in the comments below - looking for lots of links to visit :)

SMP Guest Posts: Oregon, Cape Cod, & North Carolina

I'm setting up camp over at Style Me Pretty today and there are some gorgeous weddings coming your way each and every hour.  Basically what I am saying is you should just set up camp and click refresh all day long.   

{but let's be honest, that's what we all do everyday...}

For my guest posts click here, here and here!

Tuesday Shoesday

Because I spent the morning at a horse farm for a wedding site visit, and every time I get around horses I looonnnnng to ride again - this Tuesday Shoesday I thought I would go with this gorgeous riding boot.  Riding boots have always been in style if you ask me (and Prince William I bet - I hear he has some big news today).

{Frye}

For more shoes worthy of the Royals visit these lovely ladies: Swatchbook Weddings, Landlocked Bride, Meant to be Sent, The Demoiselle, Postcards & Pretties, and Brancoprata.  Or check out #tuesdayshoesday on Twitter!

SMP Guest Post: Dreamy DIY Wedding

{Duston Todd Photography via Style Me Pretty}

This lovely wedding has so much DIY you won't even believe it. It's a must see on your blog travels today.  Check it out here.

Have a lovely weekend...

{via}

....and a very happy bridal shower day to one of my favorites Alyssa! Cannot wait for this afternoon!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

xoxo, Abby

P.S. We get to see the puppy on Sunday! eeekkk!

Inspiration to Reality: Wedding Row Event

You might have already seen the recap on TRUE Event's blog, but I thought I would also share the inspiration to reality for the Wedding Row event I mentioned a few weeks ago in case you missed it. Be sure to get the whole run down here. The inspiration for the evening was also featured on Brides.com. We created five different inspiration boards which set the tone for the styled vignettes - the vignettes and inspiration boards were broken up as Romantic Vintage, Coastal, Romantic, Chamard and TRUE Event. Thanks to Maggie Conley for the lovely photos!

From Romantic Vintage Inspiration...

...to Romantic Vintage Reality

{Maggie Conley}

From Coastal Inspiration...

...to Coastal Reality

{Maggie Conley}

From French Country Inspiration...

...to French Country Reality

{Maggie Conley}

From Chamard Winery Inspiration...

...to Chamard Winery Reality

{Maggie Conley}

From TRUE Event Inspiration...

...to TRUE Event Reality

{Maggie Conley}

A big thank you to everyone that made the evening an absolute success and to Venetucci Home for being such a great source of inspiration!

Wedding Row members:

True Event – Sarah True/Jennie Fresa Beauty Library /Beneath the Gown/ Stonington design + paperie/ The White Dress by the Shore

Event Contributors:
Cake: Ana Parzyc /Entertainment:Photobooth Planet/ Catering: La Cuisine / Flowers: Hana Floral Design / Men's Attire:Valentino Tailors / Music: Nicole Frechette and Elan Artists (Carte Blanche) / Photography: Maggie Conley /Rentals:Rentals Unlimited / Wine: Chamard Vineyards

SMP Guest Post: Backyard Wedding

This Style Me Pretty wedding pulled at my heart strings and table setting strings...you must check it out.  Do so by visiting here. 

Photography: Jen Stewart Photography / Cinematography: Jen Stewart Photography / Floral Design: Philip Rice of East Sac Florist / Event Planning: Kate Miller Events / Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal / Ceremony & Reception Location: Private Estate/ Invitations: Kate Miller Events / Cake: Sweetcakes by Rebecca / Catering: Juan in a Million / DJ: SJ’s DJ / Hairstylist: Megan Stamps of Jolie Femme Salon/ Makeup Artist: Tiffany Stout of Mary Kay Cosmetics / Officiant: Jesse Peterson (Family Friend)/ Rentals: Emily King of Classic Party Rentals, Sacramento / Valet: ENC Valet

Elegant Decay #10 {Blogging Around the Wedding World}

Enjoying the fun so far? Every 15 minutes today there have been Elegant Decay updates {see schedule below} from blogs all over the world. Well you aren't even halfway around the wedding world yet, so take off your coat and stay awhile in the Super Burbs. Rest your feet {or fingers, I suppose} and let's use this stop on your Elegant Decay scavenger hunt to talk about entertaining, Super Burbs style. After all of your pre-event planning, the table is finally set {after stressing about the perfect color palette and menu choices}, your guests have all RSVP'd {miracle!} and the cocktails are poured {hooray!}.  You think you've covered all the details, but the one often over looked detail is the ever important one: conversation.

There is nothing I love more than sitting around a beautifully decorated guest table {the one below was styled by Aleah + Nick Valley of Valley & Co} talking for hours.  On the opposite side of that spectrum, there is nothing more uncomfortable than an awkward silence at a dinner party/guest table or people rushing to finish their meal at said beautifully decorated table. So I thought I would pass along some fabulous ideas to make help start the conversation to make sure your next dinner party or event is the talk of the town.

Conversation starters from the top: I spy from Martha Stewart/ Convo Pebbles/ Guest card questions from Martha Stewart/ Calendar: guests pin the year they met the host or hostess from Martha Stewart/ Table Topics / Menu quiz place card/ Question prompting book from Martha Stewart


From the dynamic duo behind the table design:
We're Aleah + Nick Valley of Valley & Co. and we're so excited to partner with some of our most favorite blogosphere friends for this Blog Around the World: Elegant Decay post! Today you're invited to a worldwide scavenger hunt on these awesome blogs where you'll find snippets of our Elegant Decay photo shoot, designed to show off the after effects of a celebration: fun! We all spend so long putting together amazing designs and table scapes for our couples, and this shows off the end result {and the most important element}: enjoyment. We hope you enjoy this - thank you to all of our friends for participating and be sure to visit these other fabulous blogs for more photos, ideas, tips, and fun!

Vendors: Design + styling and JOY cards: Aleah + Nick Valley of Valley & Co./Photography: Jeremy Leffel/Floral design: Anne Bradfield of Floressence/Crystal and marble decorative candle accents: vintage pieces from Nick's mom/Venue, dessert, and drinks: Palace Ballroom by Tom Douglas/Linens: Choice Linens/Chairs, silverware, and china: AA Party Rentals


There is so much more to come! Check out the schedule below:

1: Steph Durant: Bubble Rock  - to hit 11:00 AM EST @stephbubble
2: Magnolia Rouge  to hit 11:15 AM EST @rubyandwillow
3: Cap Classique to hit 11:30 AM EST @capclassique
4: Brancoprata  to hit 11:45 AM EST @brancoprata
5: The Demoiselle:  12:00 PM EST The_Demoiselle
6: Engaged + Inspired:  12:15 PM EST  @EngagedInspired
7: Postcards and Pretties :  12:30 PM EST @postcrdsprettie
8: Paper Garland:  12:45 PM EST @papergarland
9: Sparkle and Hay : 1:00 PM EST @sparkleandhay
10: Superburbs:  1:15 PM EST @superburbs
11: Every Last Detail :  1:30 PM EST @ELD_Lauren
12: Brenda's Wedding Blog:  1:45 PM EST @weddingsites
13: Niche White:  2:00 PM EST @NicheWhite
14: Simply and Forever:  2:15 PM EST KatieSaeger
15: Bride Goggles:  2:30 PM EST @BrideGoggles
16: Landlocked Bride:  2:45 PM EST @LandlockedBride
17: Forget Me Knot Weddings  3:00 PM EST @forgetmeknotwed
18: Fabulously Wed :  3:15 PM EST @fabulouslywed
19: The Bride Suite :  3:30 PM EST @thebridesuite
20: Enchanted Dreams Wedding & Affairs: 3:45 PM EST @NaomiVGoodman
21: Marry You Me  4:00 PM EST @MarryYouMe
22: Luna and Chloe Weddings:  4:15 PM EST @lunaandchloe
23: La Petite Coquin:  4:30 PM EST @lapetitecoquin
24: Glamour and Grace Weddings: 5:00 PM EST @GlamandGraceWed

SMP Guest Post: Sweet Savannah Wedding

I'm guest posting on SMP's Little Black Book Blog this week - first up is the sweetest Savannah Wedding with Parisian flair. You won't want to miss it! Check it out here.

{the talented Allison Reisz Photography via Style Me Pretty}

Tuesday Shoesday

How's it going lovelies? I took yesterday off from blogging to play catch up after a very fun weekend in the city to support some of my favs as they ran their very first marathon. It was delightful. I am back for Tuesday Shoesday of course, and in honor of my darling friends {well, the girls at least} I thought I would post the perfect fall marathon recovery shoe.

{J CREW}

I think it just might be the perfect fall supporter of the marathon shoe too ;)

For more sole supporters visit these lovely ladies: Swatchbook Weddings, Landlocked Bride, Meant to be Sent, The Demoiselle, Postcards & Pretties, and Brancoprata.  Or check out #tuesdayshoesday on Twitter!

Wedding Recap: Buying Guide

First and foremost, Happy Friday! What a week it has been - are you still with me on all of this wedding recapping? I thought I would wrap up the week with a little buying guide.  I am sure I am missing a few things, so if you have questions - please ask!

1. Pier 1 capiz chargers we used as cocktail hour serving trays / 2. Blue striped straws for drinks/ 3. Cake Stand {I think I got the very last one in the USA - it has quite the story to go along with it! / 4. Capiz chandelier {we borrowed these from Mrs. True and Mrs. Wesson}/ 5. Pottery Barn aqua striped pillows {I may or may not have ordered the last of these as well}/ 6. Clear dessert risers/ 7. Pier 1 lanterns/ 8. Capiz Bathroom basket/ 9. Aqua striped table linens

Thank you all so much for reliving each and every moment of such a surreal day - your comments and love made my week. Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Miss y'all already! xoxo, Abby

Wedding Recap: The Branding.

So we started the day with the beautiful invitations by Paper Moss.  Not to shabby. Well this afternoon, we'll continue on the paper train with all the wedding branding stemming from the invitations. This was another thing that was high on my priority list - a cohesive message from beginning to end.  The invitations set the tone and then when guests arrived the Welcome Bag picked up where they left off. Once again, I had a crazy vision in my head and like a fairy godmother, Emily waved her magic wand {or perhaps computer mouse in this case} and wallah!

{Leila Brewster Photography}

I love them and I may or may not use the leftover bags for grocery bags. Just trying to be green here people! We also had shirts made for our rehearsal dinner guest with our smaller monogram, which I now live in.  Ok, back to the paper. Mr. C and I are known to enjoy a nice cocktail, so I knew custom coasters and stirrers would be part of our paper story. We took the quote that was on the back of the belly band on the invitation and Emily created a fabulous coaster.  The stirrer was in each of the Del's cups with our little monogram.

{Leila Brewster Photography}

And now we shall talk escort cards. I had another crazy idea that I just wouldn't let go. Mr. C and I met in a quiet little beach community, and to get on the beach there you have to have a beach button. I wanted those buttons to be a part of our escort cards - Emily not only made it happen, but they were perfect. I swear she can get into my head. We pined them on cards with the same print that was on the back of the invitation. Tying it all together.

{Leila Brewster Photography}

Megan Chapin of Megan Chapin Calligraphy did all of the calligraphy work. To say she is fabulous would be an understatement. Not only does she do beautiful work, she proofreads and finds mistakes I shouldn't admit to making!

{Leila Brewster Photography}

Emily also whipped up signs for to make sure guests were all on the same page. I wanted these to add a little personality so I pulled together some goofy sayings for the escort table, guest book and dessert table.

I feel like I am missing a million things - but I think this will suffice for your afternoon pick me up! And have no fear, wedding recap week is not over my friends!

Wedding Recap: The Invitation.

I have always been an admirer of a good piece of stationery. I knew going into the planning process this would be a detail near and dear to my heart. I wanted our invitations to be something that people remembered, and I wanted to incorporate details from the invitation throughout the wedding. Pretty high expectations, right? I was a bit stressed about bringing my vision to life until I met Emily of Paper Moss.  The minute I started to explain what I was looking for, she got it and then some. The creative process began with me bringing a few scrap pieces of paper, an inspiration board and my lofty ideas - and it ended with something even better than what was floating around in my head.

So let's begin with our Save the Date.  With the Ocean House being such a historic and significant place {well, significant to Andrew & I}, I wanted to set that tone from the beginning. We reached out to the Ocean House for actual vintage postcards or images and used those for the design. We also started to bring in hints of what's to come {note the Del's stamp}, and in most of the paper goods I played with the traditional wording - I really wanted everything to have our "voice".

Then came the heart of the suite - the invitation. Oh how I wish each of you could hold these puppies because they will make your paper-loving heart leap. They are letterpressed greatness, and I am happy just thinking about them again.

{Leila Brewster Photography}

I wanted something traditional, but different.  Sounds impossible, right? I knew I wanted a clean white front with nice font changes, but I wanted there to be something exciting on the back.  So Emily took my tangent and ran with it. She incorporated that beautiful letterpressed pattern {seen above on the flap of the RSVP card} throughout the suite and on the back of the invitation.  When you hold it in your hand you feeeeelllll the letterpress and all your troubles go away.

I also wanted something a bit different to hold the RSVP card and map of Watch Hill {which we drew and brought to life} so Emily thought to bring in the muslin bag on the inspiration board, and I love her for that.

She also created two monograms for us - the Adirondack chair to eventually tie into the guestbook and venue and then the simpler A & A which we ran with throughout the wedding weekend. For some reason, I knew I wanted two Adirondack chairs in our monogram, don't ask me why - my brain is just stuck on weird things, but I think it's fitting and symbolic.  And low and behold, it looks good in a monogram! I also love typography, in particular ampersands, so we were sure to give that obsession a shout out.

I cannot speak highly enough of Paper Moss - ladies, you now have a fan for life.  The best part is - there is SO much more to come today, because let me just let you in on a little secret - the paper by no means stopped here.