Lindsay & William: Part II

Amanda was on hand as Lindsay and Will were married at King Plow Arts Center on May 24th. As you will see from my last post, Lindsay and Will are high school sweethearts and their immense love, respect and affection for one another shows through in every glance, kiss and even slightest touch of the hand that they share. Lindsay chose a gorgeous red and slate blue color palette for the personal flowers which was just beautiful with the chic red bridesmaids dresses. Lindsay and Will chose to see each other which made for an very emotional and sweet moment before the ceremony. The wedding took place "in the round" with all of their family and friends surrounding them as they exchanged vows. Guests then proceeded to the back gallery for the reception where Bold American's designer Steve Bales created a very modern and sleek look using all estate tables for guest seating and lots of romantic candle light, submerged orchids and curly willow. The guests enjoyed the party all the way through to sparkler send-off. This really was one of those weddings that I feel so lucky to have been a part of. What a great couple. We wish Lindsay and Will ALL of the best as they start their new life in New Jersey where Lindsay begins her career as a Veterinarian! Thank you Shawna Herring for these breath-taking images {that first image is a picture of Lindsay's dress taken through a piece of lace from her Mother's wedding dress- I mean wow}. See the complete slideshow for more amazing pictures.

Lindsay & William: Part I

So, I am a blog stalker. I just looooove to see wedding pics after the big day, especially if one of our super talented ladies was working a wedding that I was not at. While perusing Shawna Herring's blog anxiously awaiting pics of Lindsay and Will's wedding that Amanda worked this weekend at King Plow, I found their engagement pics and learned something I did not know about them. Lindsay and Will were high school sweethearts and dated for eight years through college and as Lindsay completed Veterinary School! Not only that, but she shares the adorable story about how they started dating: "...Will finally got up the nerve to admit that he liked Lindsay, and he confessed to her best friend. She had just hung up the phone with Lindsay and put her cell in her pocket. She accidently pushed the call button which rang Lindsay and Will's entire confession was recorded in a voice mail on Lindsay's phone!" Shawna captured their fun, sweet spirit in these pics and even recreated their first kiss, which happened in the exact spot you see in the last pic here. Super cute. And I love that random finger-in-the-ear pic, too!

W Midtown

One of our ultra-hip clients Kelly is getting married at the brand new W Midtown next year. She sent me this link as the hotel officially opens today. This place is unreal- you must check it out! The hotel is "techno glam" focusing heavily on sleek lines, "clubby" public areas and gray and black interiors. And whether you are visiting Atlanta or live nearby, be sure you indulge all of your senses at the W with an amazing meal at Jean-Georges Spice Market restaurant, nightlife at Wiskey Park and a day at the Bliss Spa, of course!

Lucky Us

The Lucky Magazine that is on newstands now features a local Atlanta section and I am excited to report that our shop, The Paisley Umbrella, is mentioned!

Jessica & Sheppard

Emily was on site as Jessica and Sheppard were married on May 10th at Peachtree Presbyterian. The touching ceremony was performed by one of their dear friends who is also a Pastor at the church. Jessica looked like a timeless, classic beauty in her Rivini gown and her maids brightened things up in HOT pink. After the moving ceremony, guests proceeded to the Georgian Ballroom at the Biltmore as the bridal party had a blast as they rode a trolley to the reception! Inside the ballroom, bright pink, orange and peach peonies, roses and tulips were a cheerful sight as guests made their way around the room for a "stations-style" dinner. After dinner, Sheppard found his Georgia football cake adorned with a suprise from Jessica- "buckeye balls" (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate) from her home state of Ohio. And the band- Uptown Entertainment- ROCKED the house and kept guests dancing late into the night when chocolate-dipped rice crispy treats on a stick were passed. I hear they were a HUGE hit! The last suprise of the evening came from the groom who had arranged for a rare, vintage Packard car to wisk the newlyweds away to a romantic wedding night- all unbeknownst to the bride! What a sweet couple! Thank you to the always fabulous Christine Gallagher for these pretty images- see the complete slideshow here.

Devon & Jonathan

Devon and Jonathan came back to Atlanta from their new home in Texas to be married at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer on May 10th. Their reception followed right down the street at Rhodes Hall. There was a Georgia/Texas theme as the bride and groom both paid tribute to their Alma Mater. Red and orange decor and florals completed the theme and included bright calla lilies, ranunculus, gerberas and submerged fruit centerpieces. Even the menu was infused with the 'South meets Southwest' concept and was finished off with the couple's favorite treat- Blue Bell Cookies and Creme Ice Cream! And you have to love that shot of Devon showing off her Texas style in those cowboy boots! Thank you to fellow Little Black Book member Liana Lehman for these beautiful and FUN images! I believe there may be more to come, so check back!

Flashback...

So I am in the bank today waiting in the longest line ever. I finally get to the teller and we are speaking for a few moments when she says, "I think you did my brother's wedding- your face looks so familiar." I was shocked! I said," Who is your brother?" She said "Daron Jones." I could not believe it- I was the planner for Azure and Daron's wedding at the Biltmore last Fall! I am constantly reminded that it is a small, small world!

Can't Wait!

Cutest Ever

As we await photos from some of our recent weddings, I thought I would share this sweet story. As I was reading my daily blogroll, I came across a story on shop friends about David and Tien who met in grade school and are searching for fun ways to incorporate their history- and whales (read on)- into their big day. See their Save-the-Dates above- too cute! Here is their story told by Tien:

"David and I met in first grade (when I fell head over heels for him--must have been the short shorts and bowl cut) and gradually became better and better friends as we passed through elementary school, middle school (I still liked him, this time it must have been his excellent grades and his CD Diskman!) and high school. We never dated, though we were always the couple kids would push together at dances or make fun of should we be caught in the same hallway together. It was cute, I guess...as well as heart wrenching, since I actually did love the boy.

Fast forward a few years after college....and one day I get a voicemail from David Lau, who had heard through the grapevine that I had returned from a two year long adventure in Shanghai. Just like that, he had looked me up on our old elementary school directory (asking my dad for my cell number) and asked me to dinner. It was all easy as pie after that :) I remember listening to the voicemail over and over, thinking "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...Wait, Tien, you're a grown up now. Stop it!" I'm glad I never did. A year later, he proposed the night before Thanksgiving, proving that someone out there was definitely listening to the little kid in me twenty years ago. To celebrate our past together, we wanted to hold our ceremony right where it all began, in the little lunch courtyard of our old elementary school.....but in the end were told that the school was now condemned for earthquake safety and thus was off limits. Crushed, we decided that the only logical thing to do was to just move our special ceremony to the reception site, St Regis Hotel. Originally, the thought was to give our guests a look into our history by inviting them literally back to where we began as students and friends, then give everyone a real party at the St Regis. Now that we lost the nostalgia element of the wedding, we were faced with the not-so-appealing possibility of just a plain ol' hotel wedding. The place is beautiful and stylish, but we {are}in need something to make it more personal. By the way, to explain our thing with Whales...I once made a card for David that said "I will love you forever" but screwed up on the "will" and had to turn it into Whale. I drew a whale to roll with it and after a while, it became our word to mean, "I will/whale do whatever it takes to love you."

Adorable! To see some of the great suggestions they were given check out this post on Style me Pretty and this post on shop friends. Their story reminds me of one of my favorite weddings I have seen in print (below). I absolutely fell in love with this wedding when I saw it in the pages of Martha Stewart in 2006. This is the wedding of Minhee and Truman Cho of Paper + Cup Designs. They, much like Tien and David, met in grade school. They were married at the Fuller Arboretum where they had attended a school field trip together. It was all in the details- shiny, polished apples with guests names and table numbers, mismatched socks for the groomsmen, hand-bound "school" journals, etc. As Cat Seto of shop friends says, "the weddings I remember the most are not the ones that have the most glitz and glamour, but the ones that tell a story and make me leave feeling that I have been privileged to be a part of something special." I couldn't have said it better myself!

Adrienne & Zealous

Adrienne and Zealous traveled all the way from San Francisco to be married here in Atlanta on May 4th. The ceremony took place in the Imperial Ballroom at the Biltmore. The bride looked amazing in a dress by Judd Waddell. The dress was appropriately named "necklace" {Adrienne is a jewelry designer and owns Frolick Jewelry}. Being a creative person, Adrienne had a very specific vision in mind for her wedding. She loved the idea of bringing the "outdoors inside" with a sweet- yet sophisticated- take on an afternoon garden wedding. As guests moved from the ceremony site to the Georgian Ballroom, they were greeted with "Southern Citrus Coolers" and hors d'oeuvres. Shortly there after, the drapes to the ballroom were opened to reveal a room filled with floral arrangements that included soft blue and green hydrangea, roses, orchids, and curly willow. Guests enjoyed Chimichurri Beef, Crab Cake "Cocktails" with European cocktail sauce, avocado and mango and Smoky Tomato Grits- all of this before the Strawberry Shortcake Wedding Cake- Yum! Thank you Christine Gallagher for these fabulous images! Click on the collage above for a larger view and check out their slideshow. I just received a post card from Adrienne and Zealous from their honeymoon in Venice and abroad. Thank you to to the two of you for being such a delight to work with and really one of the sweetest couples- Best Wishes!!!

Road Trip

What a great weekend with Erika and Chris as they were married at WaterColor Inn in the Panhandle of Florida. If you get the opportunity, you really must visit the beaches of South Walton. Amazing. The architecture in Rosemary Beach follows a St.-Augustine-esque Spanish Colonial style, with wooden balconies, and a few Cape Dutch elements. It really feels like you are on an island-- just a little ove 5 hours away from Atlanta! Stay tuned for some beautiful pics from Erika and Chris' wedding!

Jenna & John

I love this wedding! While I was with Courtney and Joe this past Saturday at Lake Lanier (post coming soon!), Emily was with Jenna and John at a private home in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Jenna and John wanted to do something a bit non-traditional, so they had a Derby themed wedding! The guests were instructed to wear "Derby attire" (hats!) on the custom invites and were served mint julips as they arrived for the wedding ceremony. The rain held off so the ceremony could be held outside on the beautiful lawn of the home and then guests proceeded inside to watch the Derby. Carolina-Style barbeque was served for dinner and the happy couple and their guests danced the night away to the sounds of a local bluegrass band and enjoyed a "photobooth" of sorts on the lawn. And look at those peonies- just gorgeous! Congrats to Jenna and John- we hope you enjoy your honeymoon in Italy! Thank you to Christine Gallagher for these awesome images- and you MUST check out their slideshow here!

A Paisley Baby Shower!

Last week we had a suprise baby shower for Katreisa of Olive Style at the shop. She is due with her first child- a girl who will be named Flora Madison- in July. We had such a great time planning her shower-- we all were able to get creative with something other than a wedding. She is decorating the nursery in a safari theme, so the decor at the party- and even the gifts!- coordinated with the theme. We can't wait to meet Flora!