Reem Acra Resort 2013 Collection

I spotted a GORGEOUS pair of mint gowns on one of my blogs yesterday and learned that it was part of the Reem Acra Resort 2013 Collection. I knew I had to google that collection RIGHT AWAY and boy am I glad I did. There was SO much gorgeousness packed into one collection, I knew I just had to share with my readers! Let’s dive in, shall we?!

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Um, hello gorgeousness. These were the gowns that caught my eye, and for good reason! The color, the sashes, the necklines, the lace, the draping…truly flawless!

Here’s some more of my favorite looks. Notice the color palette (some jewel-tones, some nude, some metallics, the details, the elegant use of sleeves, and the abundance of lace. It’s no wonder she’s an incredible bridal-wear designer as well.

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

This dress above is very similar to the dress Julie Bowen wore to the Golden Globes this year. Olivia Wilde has also worn this gown.

Reem Acra Resort 2013

GORGEOUS.

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

LOVE LOVE this one. Such a unique neckline!

Reem Acra Resort 2013

SO so honeymoon resorty glam.

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

Reem Acra Resort 2013

So what are your favorites of the bunch? I love the last one, the mint green ones,  the pair of nude ones, and the pair of coral ones the very best, but I really love them all! Don’t forget to view the ENTIRE collection here. You won’t regret it for one second!

 

Pinterest rings I love

Radiant cut white sapphire – .75 ct. The band is a REAL TWIG set in 14k recycled gold. It’s only $785 too! Click on the image to go to the seller’s site.

Classic brilliant cut diamond with a pave setting and pave wedding band.

The groom MADE his ring. Whoa. And the bride’s rings are custom by a place called Virtu in Chicago.

I love this band. Love. This. Band. $1,920 for 22k gold.

Gorgeous ring. I couldn’t find the image source!

This is a classic setting with a contemporary twist, set in rose gold. Love!

Bezel set brilliant cut diamond flanked by two round sapphires. I love the bezel set diamond wedding band too. This is so unique and gorgeous!

Gorgeous pink engagement ring. I’m not sure what this stone is, but I love the color of it against yellow and gold and diamonds. Stunning.

Cushion cut diamond flanked by a trilliant cut diamond on each side with a brilliant cut infinity band. OH MY GUH.

Antique style engagement ring. Lots of brilliant cut diamonds = expensive!

Classic and stunning. I have NO idea what this cut is. It’s similar to emerald but much more facets..

Such a unique and beautiful 3 stone ring. I’m in love with the proportions of the side diamonds to the center stone.

This is so beautiful! 3 stone brilliant cut diamonds surrounded by pave diamonds.

I saved the best for last :) 3 pear shape diamonds. I love how the side pears are turned sideways. So unique and blingy!

These are just some of my favorites from my pinterest boards. Trust me, there are many many more!

 

Inspiration Board #6 – Yellow, Green, Grey, and Chevron

So…I’m so obsessed with my own wedding, that I decided to make an inspiration board with 100% of the images pulled from our day. Special thanks to Stephen DeVries for the amazing photos.

1. Koozies – Corey designed the koozies, and Personalized Drinkware printed his custom design on their neoprene koozies. We loved them!

2. Save the Dates – Corey and I designed the save the dates, they are printed on paper from Paces Papers, and we got them printed and cut out at Sam Flax. We loved the fun quirkiness of postcards! Read more about our paper products here.

3. Initials – My mother sewed the ‘placemat’ under the letters, assembled the letters on the base, and Corey spray painted them. The letters are plain cardboard from a local craft store. This was a $5 project.

4. Shoes – Kate Spade’s ‘Crown’ – you can read ALL about them on this post.

5. Straws – We already had the straw holders and mom printed paper labels to cover the Coke labels on them. The striped straws are from Kikkerland.

6. Cake – I loved loved loved my wedding cake. I designed it and Hilde from Magnificent Cakes brought the design to life. It was delicious too! The bunting cake topper was from an Etsy store called domesticcharm. Katelyn, who owns the store was so great to work with!

7. Bridal Clutch – I ordered this custom clutch from Waterpath Designs on Etsy. I loved how I was able to customize the fabric and they even sewed a grey lining on the inside for me! It was only $30!

8. We collected glass bottles from EVERYWHERE. Ikea, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, antique stores, relatives’ attics, you name it! All in all, there was about 150 bottles! The great thing about the bottles was that they were high impact, so we didn’t have to have lots of flowers to make an impression.

9. Bridal Bouquet – I asked the florist for dusty miller (how appropriate), coral colors, succulents, billy balls, and something white and fluffy. This is what they came up with and I ABSOLUTELY loved it. The florists were Rachel Gaudel and Andy Boyles. I told the florist to wrap a swatch of the leftover chevron fabric around the base. It turned out adorable!

10. Bridesmaids’ bouquet – I love it just as much as mine. The white tulips were such an elegant addition!

11. Boutonniere – The florist wrapped the fabric around his bout and used succulent, dusty miller, and billy ball.

12. Bridesmaids dresses – I let the girls all pick out their own Lula Kate style and choose from three colors I thought looked pretty together. The dresses are all from Bella Bridesmaid in Birmingham. I thought they looked gorgeous and the Silk Shantung fabric coordinated beautifully with my gown.

From inspiration to reality – The paper products

Designing invites, programs, save the dates, signage, and RSVP’s was one of the MOST daunting tasks we underwent during the wedding process, but it was so worth it. If you design it yourself, it really has YOU in it and you know that you will be 100% happy with it. I definitely don’t recommend it if you don’t have Adobe Creative Suite to help you out though! My biggest advice with DIY invites, is don’t procrastinate (like we did) because it makes life so stressful. Also, ask for a fresh set of eyes ALWAYS to help you proofread. The last thing you EVER EVER EVER want is a misspelling or error on something that you could have prevented! And be aware that you will need to print things constantly to check it all, so have one handy! Now for the fun part!

Invite inspiration

Loved the shape of this so much! Click the image to see the original post!

I really liked the narrow chevron and the paper texture. I also loved the location of the chevron at the top.

Corey designed the adorable logo on the RSVP. The Aerialist Press letterpressed the invites and address on the envelope on gorgeous Crane textured paper. Corey and I designed and laid out all of it. We loved coordinating the stamps to the invite colors and we tied yellow baker’s twine around the suite.

 

Save the date inspiration

We really liked the postcard idea and the layout on the back. We also loved the metallic paper. Click image to go to the etsy listing!

We loved the white blocked out squares on the bold yellow background. We incorporated that onto the front of our save the date. Click the image to go to the designer’s site.

Finished result of our save the dates. We designed them (Corey drew the adorable logo) and had them printed at a local art store called Sam Flax. We ordered linen finish 80# metallic paper from Paces Papers in Buckhead. We were so pleased with how they turned out at the end! Notice the coordinating stamps ;)

 

Program inspiration

We liked the shape, again, and the logo on the front of the bifold program.

Loved the chevron background of this and the script combined with the block font. Please do yourself a favor and click the image, the wedding is GORGEOUS.

The beautiful wedding programs. I was so thrilled with how these turned out. Corey had a heavy hand in designing these – he came up with the logo on the front and drew the map on the back. He also came up with the idea of using light grey chevron in the background instead of yellow. I used the same font that was on the invite and RSVP for the script front. My mom printed these and folded them for us too!

Everything together! I can’t forget the Rehearsal Dinner invites, which were designed and printed by Darby Cards in Nashville. She was GREAT to work with and we loved them!

So there you have it! I would love to hear what you like best!

 

 

Inspiration Board #5 – Navy, Purple, and Lace

 

Inspiration Board #5 – Navy, Purple, and Lace

I made this for a very good friend of mine – you know who you are!! When she told me the color palette, I instantly pictured a lush garden reception with classic and formal details, but a little on the non-traditional side. I envisioned a groom in a dark suit with a bright fun tie and bridesmaids in fun dresses. These anthropologie gowns fit the bill! I love the subtle inclusion of lace in the cake and the bridesmaids adorable gowns. The Anna Maier Ulla-Maija gown is to DIE for. I also love Sperry tents for a garden reception in the spring. Tell me what you think below!

1. Cake – classic and elegant

2. Groom’s outfit – fun and formal, but not stuffy!

3. Lace gown – do yourself a favor and check out this amazing wedding. The venue in Charleston is to die for!

4. Sperry tent – totally gorgeous. So worth the expense ( they are VERY pricey! )

5. Bouquet – the wedding this bouquet came from has STUNNING flowers.

6. Bridesmaids – adorable. ‘Nuf said.

7. Invite – I couldn’t find where these came from but I LOVE the classic filigree but the modern layout.

 

From inspiration to reality – the bouquets

Inspiration #1

Inspiration #2

Inspiration #3

The FINAL result. Love the coral pops, the dusty miller, and green succulent, and the bouquet wrap!

Inspiration #1

Inspiration #2

Inspiration #3

Reality – I absolutely love the bridesmaid’s bouquets. I love the white tulips and the ranunculas.

 

 

Inspiration Board #4 – Nautical navy, coral, white, and light lime

I made this board for a sweet friend of mine that lets me indulge her day in and day out with wedding mumbo jumbo. I asked her if she were to get married, what her dream color palette would be. She asked for a nautical feel with navy, coral, white, and seafoam (which I went with more light lime in this board). The result is below! I encourage you to click the links as well – the weddings featured are all stunning.

Clockwise from top left:

1. Boutonniere  – a small pop of coral

2. Adorable ring bearer – I just LOVE his outfit!

3. Paper suite – preppy navy and coral designed by Posh Paperie

4. Reception space - I just love how glam this is!

5. Bouquet – don’t you just LOVE that striped bouquet wrap? So nautical!

6. Wedding cake – this is so whimsical and I love the stripes and the rope!

7. Sailboat

8. Amsale Dahlia gown – The wedding I pulled this image from is a stunner. This is also one of my friend’s favorite wedding gowns ever.

9. Bridesmaid’s outfits – probably my fave of all time. The skirt is from Anne M Cramer.

Hope y’all love it! I think this would be a stunning wedding if I must say so myself.

Natural Makeup How-To’s

One of my sweet friends from Auburn, Vicki Johnson, contacted me requesting that I do a blog post about natural wedding makeup since her wedding is coming up this weekend and she needs some ! Here are some adorable pictures from her engagement session. How cute are they?!

As far as strictly advice goes, I can’t put makeup advice for weddings any better than Steph can in this post, which I mentioned back in April, but here is her top advice, copied from her blog. My personal experiences/responses are in bold below each numbered section.

1.  Use matte colors - Although shimmer can look great when applied properly, if you are a little unsure about what to do, it’s always safe to go with matte colors.  Matte makeup won’t reflect light, making it easy to apply and easy to photograph.
Too Faced makes a great eye color palette. I used this for my wedding.
 2.  Fill in your brows - Even if you don’t fill in your brows on a daily basis, fill them in for your pictures.  Your eyes and face will look so much more complete if your brows are looking polished.  This especially goes for blondes.  Blonde eyebrows will disappear in photographs.
3.  Makeup will photograph 2 shades lighter - In the picture above, Mallory’s lip stick color was a seriously BRIGHT orange, but you would never guess it by look at the picture.  Makeup doesn’t translate as vibrant in photographs.  I recommend doing your blush, eyes and lip color a little more vibrant than you normally would.
4.  Use powder - Even if your makeup is applied perfectly, if you look shiny in your pictures it can ruin your whole look.  Once your makeup is complete, use a finishing or setting powder to make everything more matte.  I recommend even taking some powder with you (or oil blotting sheets), especially if it’s a warm day.
 5.  Wear false lashes - I have never had a bride who didn’t like wearing false lashes, even if they were hesitant about them at first.  95% of the people in my portfolio are wearing false lashes, and they make all the difference!  Once again, Mallory’s false lashes were sooo long, but in the pictures they look perfectly proportionate.  If you want something more natural, buy the individual lashes and just put a few on the outer corners.
I wore false lashes for my wedding and it really makes your eyes pop in pictures! It feels freaky, but it photographs really well.
 6.  Apply your makeup in natural light - When you put on your makeup, sit by a window or in a room with a lot of natural light.  This will give you the best idea of what your makeup really looks like, and how it will look in the pictures.
7.  Wax - makeup does not adhere well to peach fuzz.  Whatever you normally wax on your face, wax it before your pictures.  I suggest waxing at least 48 hours before your pictures to give enough time for any redness and swelling to go down.
I did not wax. I never had before, and i didn’t have any problems with peach fuzz on my day.
8. Wear lip gloss- I, myself, never wear lip gloss.  I am a chapstick girl through and through.  But when it comes to photos, lip gloss is a must.  I consider my lips on the smaller side, so wearing lip gloss really helps them look full and plump in pictures.
I also did not wear lip gloss. I wore Sephora Lip Stain and with Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner under it, and let me tell you buddy, it stayed put.
9.  Wear black mascara - Some people think black is too harsh for their skin tone, but I promise that when it comes to pictures, black looks good on everyone.  Wearing black mascara will bring out your eyes a lot more than brown will.
Here are some other pointers from someone who loves makeup (me)! As far as natural makeup goes, I think it’s good to wear a light pink lip at the least – not nude because it will wash you out in pictures. I also think that lining the inner rim of your eye with a nude or bright white picture really brightens up the eye in pictures. Tarte makes a good inner rim liner. Putting a little bit of dark brown shadow in the crease always enhances the eye a lot and looks great in pictures when you are looking down. In general, keep blotting paper with you for the heat so your skin won’t look shiny in pictures. You can find these at any drug store. Even if you don’t wear foundation on a daily basis, it will make your skintone look much more even in pictures, so I highly recommend it.
Here are some pictures of great nude makeup.
Notice that she is wearing quite a bit of upper liner, but really keeps the shadow to a minimum. The bottom lashes are lined about halfway across and the top liner gets thicker toward the outer corner of her eye. I think she has some brightener on the inner rim of her eye as well.
 I love this look, I think her makeup stunning. She goes heavy with the mascara, light on the shadow, and fairly heavy on the the blush, and the bronzer. You can tell she sculpted her cheekbones with the colors and put some on the bridge of her nose. The coral pink lip is gorgeous. Click the photo for a link to the original post with the products listed.
I think that this is on the very light side when it comes to liner and mascara (which I don’t love), but I do love the bright pink cheek and the matching lip. I also think her eyes really pop with the nude shadows.
This is a personal favorite. I think it’s the best of both worlds, enough liner and mascara to intensify the eye but still a nude shadow. Just a small swipe of bronzer on the apple of her cheeks and a touch of lipstick to enhance the fullness of her lips. If you click the photo it take you to a tutorial with all the products used listed.
You can see in this photo how elegant it looks to have a small amount of dark brown shadow in the crease. She is wearing natural looking false lashes as well. This is a beautiful and natural makeup look with a neutral pink lip and hint of blush on the apples of the cheeks.
This is a great natural look with a light brown shadow from lid to crease with a light shadow highlighting the brow. A small amount of blush and a very small amount of shimmery gloss, black liner on the top of the lid, along with a heavy coat of black mascara tops off the look.
Hope this helps all of the ladies (especially you, Vicki!) out there looking for a natural, but still glamorous makeup look for their wedding day. I think for Vicki, the 2nd and 5th looks would look amazing with her gorgeous skin tone. Thanks for asking me to write this post – I love special requests!! Have fun this weekend and good luck!
I’ll leave you with another pic from their ADORABLE drive-in themed e-shoot by Leslee Mitchell.

Inspiration Board #3 – Faded gold and copper patina

My sister and I had a long discussion about what she were to do for her wedding if she could do it over. She gave me a pretty specific and complex color palette, but a venue in Georgia called Barnsley Gardens popped into my head immediately. As it turns out, most of the inspiration images I dug up were from weddings there. I like how the board turned out!

Image

Clockwise from top left.

1.This is my favorite image. The chandeliers hanging in the ruins with the vibrant colors is gorgeous. This is a wedding held at Barnsley Gardens.

2. Whit specifically asked for anemones because of their bold personality. It looks great next to the rustic richness of everything else. I like that her husband’s Japanese heritage also ties in since some species of the flower are Japanese.

3. I’m obsessed with these gold Valentino pumps. So classic – and expensive!

4. Monique Lhuillier Fall 2012 ‘Brooke’ - this is an elegant and sexy dress. The back of it is stunning too.

5. Copper patina lanterns to line the steps.

6. Rustic old doors in a rich patina color to serve as the seating chart.

7. Pale turquoise wedding cake with anemones cascading down the side.