Bustles & Blooms & Blogs

Courtney & Justin – The ideal end to 2008

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:42:31 +0000

Courtney and Justin were the perfect way to close out 2008. A beautiful wedding, great couple, fun theme and the dress. THE dress. Courtney’s Vera Wang stunner took our breath away. She looked so beautiful, we nearly fell over. We can only imagine how Justin felt when he saw her!

3 months. That’s how long we had to plan Courtney & Justin’s wedding. Not a long time, but that’s why we do this for a living. This wedding had an incredible number of moving parts that came together like a symphony, from grand pianos and full lighting set ups to full transportation for guests and bringing the outdoors inside. We designed a “Secret Garden” theme in purple, silver and green and used all sorts of vintage garden accents. With the letterpressed invitations, matching paper products and topiaries covered in gardenias to create the amazing aroma, the result was stunning. The focal point, though, was the iron garden arbor covered in flowers for the cake. Guests flipped out when they saw it.

Kellie Kano brought her magic to the photos – as usual!

Here’s a sneak peek until we get the full portfolio!

A preview of the details. More to come soon!

Ginny & Ben – Modern, traditional and whimsical

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:37:28 +0000

We met Ginny in January of 2008 and started the planning right away with her and her ridiculously stylish mom, Ruth. (This woman had the best clothes ever and won the award for the best dressed MOB, handsdown.) Since Ginny grew up in Durham, everything was planned for her hometown. The ceremony was at the Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church off of Ninth Street and the reception at the Washington Duke Inn. It was a great blend of modern, traditional and whimsical elements (The B&B signature trio.) A homemade cookie buffet, a cool lounge area outside with white leather furniture and stunning lace-like cake were just some of the details. Oh, and that 20+ person wedding party!

Take a look at the stunning photos by Rachel Garrison for Tamara Lackey photography.

Ginny looked so incredibly beautiful - like actress Julianne Moore!

One of our favourite wedding images of 2008.

Ginny & Ben had a great sense of humour - and fun!

We had the tux elements made in Ginny's family tartans for a personal - and stylish - touch.

Floral Dimensions in Durham did all the outstanding florals.

These colours influenced all the flowers, from the door wreath to the bouquets

Ring "pillow."

Custom Designed programs with a gold print cover

The ballroom was opulent and formal, yet comfortable

Custom-designed table numbers

More custom-design -- menu cards

The favour was a homemade cookie buffet - the moms, bride and sister in law all baked!

We custom designed and made all the signage to reflect a cohesive style

Cinda from Cinda’s Creative Cakes impressed again with a fondant cake designed with eyelets. Simply Amazing.

Hello, gorgeous cake

This shows why you don't always need a topper

We brought in all white leather furniture for outdoor lounge seating

The Mother of the Bride!

Karen & Wes – High Style brought to life

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:14:24 +0000

This wedding will be featured in the July 2009 issue of The Knot Magazine.

Karen truly proved the high-style in our tagline. Starting from her Kate Spade invitations and ending with her gold Manolo Blahnik heels– we knew Karen’s wedding would be uniquely stylish. She was so incredibly fun to work with and we planned many evenings over wine and Mac & Cheese at the Umstead! She had her ceremony at the bed and breakfast in Brevard that her sister-in-law owns and then had a killer reception two weeks later at The Umstead. We infused the modern look of the Umstead ballroom with natural details – like the succulents on the cake by Sweet Memories Bakery and in the flowers by Fresh Affairs– and classic touches – the hand calligraphy placecards and menu cards. We also made things personal with favours of specially roasted coffee beans from the local roaster that supplies the bed and breakfast!

Kathleen and Christobal Perez from Azul Photography captured the events. And, you’ll have to excuse us for not narrowing down the photos more. Quite frankly, we couldn’t. There were too many good ones!

We’ll start at the B&B in Brevard for the private family ceremony.

The Kate Spade letterpressed invitations

Getting ready for the ceremony

The Red House Inn -- Brevard, North Carolina

Vintage caketoppers from Karen's parents cake

To the Umstead for the reception!

On their way to the reception

Karen's Bouquet - so unique

Wes' cactus boutonnière

This tree anchored the placecard and favour table

Personalized coffee beans for each guest

Hand-calligraphied placecards by Yellow House Calligraphy

Hand Calligraphied menus matched the placecards

Karen & Wes' sweetheart table

The table arrangements mirrored the natural themes

Guests had inside lounge seating inside (thanks to rain.)

Personalized Bar Menus -- something B&B does for every bride

The sparkler send-off

Karen & Wes - Stylish, even in photos!

Nikki & Terrence – What a party!

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:38:53 +0000

We’ve never seen guests have so much fun at a wedding. Nikki & Terrence had a short window in which to be married, because Terrence and his brother/Best Man, Torry, both play in the NFL (For the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams, respectively). They wanted something indoors and stylish, so they chose the Umstead Hotel. We had an indoor, but candlelit ceremony for them in the Salon, which even featured their beloved dog, Chico, as a member of the bridal party. Then the party moved to the ballroom for a grand dinner and tons of dancing. Guests had a blast and the party went long into the night. Nikki looked so beautiful and Terrence looked amazing and Torry’s Best Man speech was a hilarious hit.

James Walters from Walters & Walters and his brilliance are below.

The wedding party included some NFL and NBA players! Most athletic groomsmen ever!

Chico!

The head table was dramatic and abundant with candlelight

Florals by Fresh Affairs

A monogrammed crystal cake topper added sparkle to the cake by Sweet Memories

Menu cards echoed the design of the program and invitations

The candy buffet was a success

The dance floor was packed all night

The bride and groom share a laugh at their reception - photos like these make us so happy!

Lizzie & Matt – Elegant, yet simple. Simple, yet stunning.

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:09:13 +0000

It really does describe Lizzie and Matt’s wedding at the Umstead Hotel in November. Whites, greens and brown were the palette for this reception and the resulting look was impactful in its simplicity. One thing we did here was the pinspotting – which we urge for all of our brides – on the tables. Look how it makes the arrangements pop. It ups the wow factor and the dramatic look of the reception space. You really get bang for your buck with lighting.

Lizzie and Matt are such a great couple and their families came from all over for the wedding. The outdoor ceremony overlooked the lake at sunset and was a gorgeous backdrop for the chuppah. A meaningful touch were Lizzie and Matt’s bouquet and boutonnière of Lily of the Valley flowers – flowers she used to pick in her grandmother’s backyard. The reception was a party and a half, thanks to DJ Joe Bunn. The hora brought the house down, as well as the groom – as Matt was bounced from his chair in all the excitement.

Check out Kevin Milz’s shots!

Lizzie looked amazing in her Carolina Herrera. Amazing.

Florals by Fresh Affairs

The Umstead Hotel's ceremony lawn

Breaking the Glass!

Pinspotting strikes again.

The head table

Cake by Sweet Memories

Fun with the Hora!

Sarah & Rick – Intimate, yet bold

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:52:34 +0000

We helped Sarah and Rick pull together many of the elements of their wedding and handle the day-of coordination, but this was a case of Sarah and Rick knowing exactly what they wanted and us helping fill in those details of where to find things and how to make it all work together. Autumn colours of coppers, oranges and greens make this wedding stand out. The ceremony for 60 guests was at the Mordecai Chapel in Downtown Raleigh and the reception was in the salon at The Umstead. Such a stylish and unique event accented by letterpressed-everything, and fabulous manzanita branch centerpieces and floral spheres by Mel Day at Dogwood Tree Florals.

Ken Luallen’s photos really showcase how striking this wedding was.

Sarah's bouquet was a mix of textures and natural elements

The Mordecai Chapel

The letterpressed programs

Group shots are always a fun portrait option

Pinspotting is a gorgeous way to create drama and highlight centerpieces

Low centerpieces offset the tall arrangements

Favour boxes doubled as placecards - with letterpress tags

More letterpress! Menu Cards

Floral spheres decorated the cocktail hour and bar area

Simple, yet stunning (and yummy) red velvet cake by Sweet Memories

Brooke & Will – Southern Elegance in Pinehurst

bustlesandblooms — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:34:05 +0000

Brooke and Will – who met at Elon– had a big (250+ people!) wedding at the Village Chapel in Pinehurst with a reception at the exclusive Pinehurst Golf Club. This was a true Southern affair, with a Southern-formal rehearsal dinner (the guys wore seersucker suits with bow ties. How cool is that?), after-dinner party complete with band, Pre-Wedding tea, brunch and …then the wedding! Her colours were pastels and just were ideal for Spring. And, Brooke’s bouquet of peonies was picture perfect. The Risse Band from Richmond, Virginia had everyone rocking. (They are truly one of the best.)
Courtney Gray for Tamara Lackey Photography captured all the details!

A bagpiper greeted people outside the Village Chapel

Peonies - the perfect shade of Spring pink

The Bridesmaids bouquets complimented with hydrangea

We worked really carefully to craft the details of this wedding to really compliment the theme, colours and overall feeling of the party. You can see how everything is tied together, and that’s always our goal when pulling together the little things. Because, we believe in sweating the small stuff!

Fabulous Programs

Menu Cards

Matching Table Numbers

Favour Boxes filled which matching chocolates

Very simple, yet striking tall centerpieces

Peonies, everywhere

The gorgeous couple!

Hatima’s Cake

bustlesandblooms — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:50:39 +0000

Hatima and Nate had a chic, non-traditional ceremony and wedding at The Umstead Hotel. Instead of a bouquet, Hatima wore a very cool custom wrist corsage! Her colours were also unique – navy blue and silver – and the tables were accented with tall branch like centerpieces adorned with twinkle lights by Floral Dimensions. We even brought in wall washing lighting in amber for the ballroom from Rick at Total Production Services. Everything looked so different and cool. We set up a modern lounge on the terrace outside and it was the hit of the century. It was such a gorgeous night, people really dug hanging out outside on the couches. And the cold seafood tower that The Umstead designed was the coolest thing ever. We’re still waiting for the photos from Wake Forest Portrait Shoppe, but when we get them back, we’ll post them. In the meantime, her cool cake, by Sweet Memories Bakery.

Hatima and Nate's fabulous cake

Meredith and Jon – Family, fun and lots of red details!

bustlesandblooms — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:40:25 +0000

Meredith and Jon are a very traditional couple, and wanted a traditional wedding to reflect that. And she knew she wanted red! Red was the signature colour for this wedding and could be seen in the gorgeous bridesmaids dresses, red roses and programs. This wedding was all about family, fun and love! And hail. Yes, hail! Right as the limo was arriving to the reception, quarter size hail began falling. (A wedding planner can control a lot of things, but hail is not one of them.) Once safely inside, guests enjoyed tear-jerking speeches, awesome tunes and an amazing strawberry cake.

Kellie Kano captured it all in amazing style as usual. Even the hail.

Then the rains came....

Red Details!

Not a dry eye in the place after this speech by Meredith's dad

Kimberly & Matthew – A Unique Jewish Ceremony

bustlesandblooms — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:30:48 +0000

We served as day of coordinators for this very unique Jewish wedding at the Governor’s Club in Chapel Hill. Because Kimberly and Matthew wanted a very traditional ceremony, it meant waiting until after sundown to begin. Wait, how was that going to work? Well, it worked out great. (For starters, the bride and groom knew they’d have to see each other before the wedding.) Guests arrived for cocktail hour, and then were ushered into the ballroom for dinner – which was awash in green and brown and candlelight from Total Production Services. We stood by the doors as people made their way in and listened to the gasps when they saw the room. You know, this is why we say “you must do lighting!! Dinner was served, and while the families were signing the Ketubah, guests made their way to the other side of the ballroom for the indoor ceremony. (Rain forced us into Plan B.) Following the traditional ceremony, dancing began. It was a unique solution to make sure the bride and groom got exactly what they wanted.

Kathleen Perez from Azul Photography captured all the emotion of the day.

The couples' sweetheart table with florals by Fresh Affairs

Table "numbers" were meaningful cities instead

Now this is a cake. Greg from The Art of Cake delivers again!