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Painting Chi-town Red

Our latest featured wedding from Chicago’s Kehoe Design is a lovely shade of pink and red with a bit of whimsy as well. Worth a peek!

Bride’s Head Revisited

We found this lovely resource for brides looking beyond the veil for the wedding accessories. Bride’s Head Revisited was founded in 2002 by Emily Martin and Alexandra Kowalski when they were working together at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Emily and Alex use their love of history and contemporary design when creating their designs. Each is a distinctive couture quality bridal accessory that captures the individuality of each bride. Visit their website to learn more about their designs and where they can be located.

Featured Wedding: Painting Chi-Town Red

“Shannon arrived in a stunning long red coat to our first meeting and just as the color suggests, I quickly learned that she was a beautifully strong and passionate person. Red is her favorite color and she wished for her wedding to read bold, saturated and inviting. Shannon also wanted to incorporate her playful personality into the design, so we made sure to include some thoughtful quirky accents, such as feathers and whimsical black and white patterns,” said Jamey Harding, Kehoe Designs Event Producer.

Incorporating Dean’s traditional Greek heritage was also important to the couple, so they were married in St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church. Shannon’s delightful bouquet featured a collar of fuchsia gloriosa lilies, dahlias, a variety of orchids and roses in deep red and fuchsia tones, plus a touch of exhilarating black feathers. Deans boutonnière consisted of an orchid, fuchsia gloriosa lily, black feather and since his father was unable to attend the wedding, they attached a locket with a photo of his parents. This way, although not present in body, they were close to his heart throughout the entire day.

After the ceremony guests were whisked away to a dreamy red and fuchsia wonderland at the W Chicago Lakeshore. ”We chose the W because it is the only Chicago hotel that is both a part of the city and on the lake. We wanted out of town guests to enjoy some of what makes Chicago special: the city and the beautiful lake front, in the ’360 Room’ you can enjoy both at the same time,” said bride Shannon.

“I went with Kehoe Designs because Sarah at the W said they were the best,” noted Shannon. A fanciful illuminated red spandex place card table hosted a collection of intriguing black and white vases with a beautiful design of complementing red and fuchsia floral. A breathtaking ceiling treatment draped over the dining area for ultimate impact. Beautiful low centerpieces incorporated saturated tones of red and fuchsia seasonal floral, within a collection of various square glass vases.

All in all Shannon and Dean enjoyed a beautiful day filled with love, whimsy and glamour to embark upon their new lives together.

Couple: Shannon Roberts & Dean George

Wedding Date: July 17, 2010

Décor: Kehoe Designs, Jamey Harding

Ceremony: St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church

Reception: W Lakeshore

Photographer: Studio This Is, Jeremy Bustos

Dress: Amsale

Shoes: Christian Louboutin

Source: Kehoe Designs

Brides Cook Too! New cookbook from our friend Holly Clegg

Our good friend, Holly Clegg‘s 14th cookbook from her trim&TERRIFIC® cookbook series, Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle At Any Age, features 200 easy and exciting recipes with 100 color photographs and illustrations, designed for today’s busy woman.

When it was time to plan her daughter’s wedding, Holly relied on StrictlyWeddings.com as her luxury wedding resource!

As our brides start testing their budding cooking skills (or enhancing already existing skills), we bring you an entertaining cookbook filled with practical recipes. Holly’s focus on healthy eating is from the perspective that these scrumptious recipes have been trimmed down while keeping them terrific and full of flavor.  Get ready to learn the secrets to sizzle in your own kitchen!

English Country Wedding – From Texas to England: Portrait of an Antique Wedding

What is it like to get married in a castle on a hill in the countryside of England? It wasn’t long after Robyn and Billy decided to move their wedding from the states to the UK that they asked one of our photographers Thisbe Grace to join them for the entire wedding week. They already had met her and hit it off. Then they weighed the idea of close access for pre portraits, planning and post albums. Thisbe was there for bridal portraits, exciting phone calls to chat plans, on the tour bus with family and friends and covered the wedding day to final farewell. It’s another testament that when you choose your wedding photographer, it’s essential to “click” and to love their style. Robyn wanted an heirloom feel in her photographs, also candid yet fashionable along with great details.

Robyn brought local flare with her wedding gown from local partner Stanley Korshak and Calligraphy by A Written Treasure. A custom morning suit and waistcoat by Neal and Palmer and logo by Emily and Jo Stationary of London certainly made a statement. Hat coinsures custom dressed guests for the big day. All in the silhouette of Highclere, the magnificent castle where this all took place, they sipped Pimms during the cocktail, were entertained by world-renowned opera singers posed as waiters and choreographed fireworks to U2.

And if it weren’t already sweet enough, they honored their little furry ones with cookies of them as good night gifts to guests.  I guess the answer is dream weddings really do come true.

Source: Thisbe Grace Photography

DFW Events – Wedding at Rough Creek Lodge

On October 2, 2010, one of our StrictlyWeddings.com partners, DFW Events, traveled to Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, Texas to celebrate and coordinate the nuptials uniting Molly McDonough and Brett Long. The couple attended SMU, though they did not know one another… Brett’s college roommate introduced the two post-college. They celebrated their wedding day exactly three years after their first date on October 2, 2007. It was such an honor for DFW Events to be a part of the wedding weekend, especially for Alison Baker, who served as Molly’s Matron of Honor (Molly and Alison were college and post-college roommates!). Enjoy the pictures below courtesy of Edmonson Photography…. we begin with a few snapshots from Molly’s bridal session.

Molly did a great job thinking through the styling of her portraits… she wanted a rustic, but elegant setting that captured the theme of her wedding from the very beginning. The settings above were the perfect spots, accompanied by the touches of elegance, making for a beautiful backdrop on this beautiful bride…

Following the ceremony, guests were invited back to the main lodge for a seated dinner… Molly is amazingly talented and created her menus on her own! There were TONS of amazing details throughout the entire reception … the menus are just a small taste of the inventive, stylish touches Molly added.

Vendors:
Ceremony/Reception: Rough Creek Lodge
String Quartet: Gyros String Quartet
Band: The Project
Photographer: Edmonson Weddings
Florist: Garden Gate
Videographer: Imagique
Cakes: Dallas Affaires
Linens: BBJ Linens
Specialty Lighting: Beyond
Photo Booth: DC Photo Booths
Hair/Makeup: Mo Bowers
Transportation: Glen Rose Transit
Coordination: DFW Events, 214-505-9142

Hannah Handmade – Luxury Wedding Invitations

Coming Soon!!! We are so excited to be bringing on Hannah Handmade for our Chicago Wedding Invitations partner. We thought to give our readers a sneak peak of some of her exquisite work.

A world-class design house recognized as creating the very best in luxury invitations, Hannah Handmade has been a leading innovator of couture stationery trends since 1991. Award-winning designer Andrea Liss’ impeccable style, attention to detail, and gracious personal service make her the go-to designer when only the best will do.

From save the dates to invitations, menus, and programs, Hannah Handmade’s original designs are meticulously fashioned to exacting standards in her atelier just outside of Chicago by a dedicated staff of experienced artisans.

847-864-8292 By Appointment Only

New York City Romance

New York photographer Brian Dorsey, one of our new StrictlyWeddings.com New York partners, just sent us these great engagement photos that we wanted to share. Wedding couples today are working with their photographers to come up with such fun engagement photos (while not loosing the romance). We just love these!

Wedding Shoes – The Perfect Pair

You have found your dream wedding gown and now you need the perfect pair of shoes to match.  Who do you turn to for the perfect Cinderella shoes? We’ve found that Brides make a fuss over their shoes just as much as they do their gown. All has to be perfect. One of our Photographers, Thisbe Grace, show us several shoes we are in love with.

Source: Thisbe Grace Photography, Jordan Payne Events

Bridal tip: Having the reception at your home

• Always make sure there is plenty of room for the number of guests attending the wedding.
• Be careful that the overall aesthetic of the home does not interfere with the color palette and style of your wedding décor. You may want to think about choosing colors that will work with the existing hues or find a space in the home that offers a clean slate for any palette.
• Check in with the city to get info on traffic regulations or permits regarding parking, and if hiring a valet company, confirm that they have somewhere to park all the cars.
• Design a detailed floor plan for your wedding vendors to ensure they’ll have room to get their job done.
• When designing your menu, ask the catering company if they will need access to any stoves or ovens, or if they will be bringing their own heating devices.
• If the event is scheduled to be outdoors, have a back up plan in case it rains. Using tents can require a permit so ensure you have the proper one(s) in place.
• Let your neighbors know as a courtesy since you’ll be taking up street space for hours.
• Budget for a service to clean your house before and after your reception; it’s a lot less stressful on everyone!

Source: Jordan Payne Events