Swooning Over French-Inspired Wedding Details

Happy Bastille Day! I hope you are doing or appreciating something French today in honor of the French holiday.  [Sidenote: whenever July 14 hits, I am instantly transported back to my college days, when I worked as a records clerk at a mid-sized law firm in Washington DC.  For whatever reason, this firm loved Bastille Day and celebrated to the hilt: French food (including cheese - hello!), French wine, and firm-wide singing of La Marseillaise, which yours truly played on the piano that was in the firm's cafeteria.  So random.  I don't think any of the attorneys were even French.  But I digress ...]

There are so many swoon-worthy French touches you can add to a wedding.  When I think of France, I think of three things: food, fashion and wine.  Here are some simple ways to add some French flavor (literally and figuratively) to your event.

* serve French macaroons or give them away as a favor.  Oh my - have you ever had a French macaroon?  They are delicious.  Ridiculous. And they can be made in any color of the rainbow, so you could have them made in your wedding color(s).  Guests will be delighted by the sight and taste of them.  And if you have any extras, please feel free to send them along to your friends, the Swoon Girls.

* have a croquembouche (french wedding cake) instead of a traditional wedding cake.   My friend Patti had a croquembouche as her wedding cake at her wedding a few years ago.  Love this.  Croquembouche is amazing: little pastries filled with cream, piled high and topped with spun sugar, nuts, and/or chocolate.   Trust me: your guests will not miss the typical layer wedding cake for one second.

* incorporate lush French details:  OK, I realize that Marie Antoinette is kind of the antithesis of Bastille Day, but you've got to give it up for her style.  Rent the movie Marie Antoinette (with Kirsten Dunst) from a few years ago to get a great idea of the period's decor, fashion and style.  So many lovely details.  I found this inspiration board and had to share it.  I could look at it all day long.

Are you swooning over anything above? You know me: those shoes in the bottom right have my name all over them.  Love.

See you swoon,

Real Events: Julia’s Wedding {Part II} Wedding Party Attire

Lately I have been talking about my best friend's wedding at the Joseph Ambler Inn. I thought it would be nice to show all of you some pictures of the bridal party, our attire and all of the colors used to pull the whole affair together.

All of the ladies in the bridal party wore aubergine dresses that were purchased at Priscilla of Boston. The men all wore suits that they purchase for a STEAL in Franklin Mills. They had aubergine ties that complimented our dresses, and as a finishing touch all the women in the wedding wore hair accessories from Petals and Thorns, the bride's sisters accesory line that I talked about in a previous post.

Where did your inspiration come from for your wedding?  I would love to see pictures or hear about the colors you used to make your day unique.

See you swoon,

{all photos courtesy of Lisa Levine Photography}

Real Events: Julia’s Wedding {Part I}

Last week, I blogged about Lisa Levine, the photographer who captured so many memorable shots at Julia & Eric's early June wedding at the Joseph Ambler Inn, in Horsham, Pennsylvania.  Jamie and I were also involved in the affair: Jamie, as Julia's best friend, was the matron of honor, and I coordinated the ceremony and handled a few decor details, which are the focus of today's post (Jamie will blog more about the wedding tomorrow).

The wedding, like the bride and groom themselves, was laid back, cool, so much fun and filled to the brim with style.  When guests arrived at the 6 pm ceremony, they were given a flute of champagne to sip before the ceremony began and to toast the couple after their lovely outdoor ceremony.  Julia and Eric kept the ceremony short and sweet: 10-15 minutes, tops, and capped it off with a terrific kiss and champagne toast with their bridal party and guests.  I thought this was such a fun, unique way to begin and end a wedding ceremony.

Julia wanted the details to be very simple, but not bare.  She wore a lovely lace gown and her bridesmaids wore a deep aubergine.  She chose vibrant florals, which looked stunning on the lawn of the Joseph Ambler Inn in the early evening light.

The reception details were sweet and memorable.  I created a sunflower arrangement for the placecard table, which was easy and elegant - the sunflowers worked well with the bright florals that she and the girls carried.  She wanted the table centerpieces to be simple - so we simply placed cylinder bud vases (purchased from Dollar Tree!) on the tables with a few open blooms.  And perhaps my favorite detail was the favors: the groom made limoncello for the guests and created custom labels for them.  The bride and groom love limoncello, so it was a perfectly fitting favor.  Oh how I wish I could have snagged one for myself!

What are your favorite details of Julia's big day?  I have to say, I'm torn between those amazing jewel tone florals and the limoncello favors.

See you swoon,

{all photos courtesy of Lisa Levine Photography}

Jamie's Favorite Magazines

Food shopping is one of my least favorite things to do, however, I love when I get a new magazine whether it is a Women's Health magazine, Lucky, People....oh right, and the endless supply of wedding magazines (I am still shopping for wedding dresses).   It amazes me how much this excites me to get home and sit on the couch with my new magazine...and my laptop so I can check out all the new websites that I read about.

Now that I have been talking about "what Jamie would wear" I want you to see two of the magazines that really bring me joy and inspiration.

This magazine and website are AWESOME!  They give you everything from new trends to style advice and the sites that they love.  It really is fun to browse what they have created online and they have a blog too!  Check them out at www.luckymag.com.

Ahhhhhh the style watch, LOVE THIS!  People is not a magazine I always gravitate to unless I see a cover like this.  It is all about finding items that are beautiful and unique and for the most part very budget friendly.

I do not think I could forgive myself if I did not mention a wedding magazine.  Actually the best part about this one s that it is not just weddings, it will carry you through all aspects of life.  Everything from home & organizing, beauty advice, recipes and entertaining, and of course lots of shopping and advice on weddings!!  Check this one out, I know you will fall in love with it.  Real Simple at www.realsimple.com.

What are some of your favorites?

See you swoon,

Swoon-Worthy Pros: Lisa Levine Photography

Life is pretty funny sometimes.  I met Lisa, of Lisa Levine Photography, at a place where we both used to work.  We have both since moved on, but we became friends and (of course) Facebook friends, too.  I was checking out her page and when I stumbled upon her photos, I was blown away -- especially by the pictures she took of her relative's wedding.  They were so professional-looking.  Soon thereafter, I saw her at a mutual friend's wedding, and we got to chatting about her talent for and love of photography.  She said she dabbled in photography but was hoping to do more with it.  A short while later, Lisa Levine Photography was born.

We recently referred Jamie's friend, Julia, to Lisa for her wedding photography.  Lisa photographed Julia's wedding back in June, and her photos are unbelievable.  The bride and groom were beyond thrilled with the shots she got, and Lisa was effusive about the experience as well.  You can read more about it on her blog here.

As you can see from the photos, Lisa is truly talented.  She is the type of photographer that brides and grooms love: laid back, deferential to the wishes of her clients, yet strong willed enough to speak up when she knows something will (or will not) work.  She's delightful to be around: super fun and cool.  Check out her photos and her blog if you have a chance!  We're lucky to be able to feature a bunch of Lisa's photos in upcoming posts, from the wedding mentioned above to a fun project that Jamie and I took on back in the Fall. Stay tuned.

Need a photographer reference? Let us know! We know several who we'd recommend in a heartbeat for every budget out there.

See you swoon,

{all photos courtesy of Lisa Levine Photography.  And I should mention that Lisa has not paid or otherwise perked us to blog about her today.  She's fab and we love her!}