{love is in the details...}
Last year, I was so honored when I was asked to create bridesmaids looks for a big Tennessee wedding featuring two of my most favorite people in the whole wide world: Catherine and Witt. These two are just about the coolest two people you'll ever meet, and it was no surprise that they had big plans for their wedding. They came to me with a two part job: First, create a wistful and romantic bridesmaid dress fit for a beautiful summer wedding in the South. Second, design jewelry gifts for the bridesmaids, program and book girls.
Step One: the Dresses
Cat had a clear vision for the bridesmaids dresses. After spying a dress on Style Me Pretty (right), she knew that she wanted to combine a lightweight fabric for the body of the dress with a crocheted lace trim. At first this seemed like a strange combination...crocheted lace isn't exactly the first thing to go with a light and airy bridesmaid's dress, but we were determined to make it work. After a little research, a serious lace hunt and a quick sketch, we were on our way.
Because Cat had 10 bridesmaids that lived in several different locations, we decided to keep the dress simple. And instead of attempting to make ten custom bridesmaid dresses from long distance, Cat did the smart thing and found a simple, easy to wear Amsale bridesmaid dress from Bella Bridesmaids.
This is a great tip for anyone looking for a unique dress for their wedding:
Choose a dress from a reputable brand with a good consistent fit and then introduce your personal style by adding a special detail to the dress. It is much easier--and a lot less expensive--to start with something that already fits.
Ask a tailor or a designer (that's me!) to add a custom detail rather than starting from the ground up and you will still get the effect without the headache of actually going thru the entire process.
The bride and her ladies in waiting were thrilled with the final results. The lace was the perfect way to add a little romance to the bridesmaids dresses without complicating the silhouette.
step two: the jewelry
Next up: the jewelry! Cat and I agreed that we needed to design jewelry that would not compete with the beautiful lace detailing of the dresses, while still keeping the overall theme of the wedding in mind. (From the flowers to the table settings to the meal itself, an "old world Italy meets the South" feeling carried through every detail of the wedding. The husband and wife signs below were one of my most favorite details.)
For the bridesmaids' gifts we chose delicate rose gold bracelets set with tiny diamonds and simple bezel set quartz earrings in either silver or gold.
The rose gold bracelets were the perfect complement to the soft peaches and pale pinks used throughout the wedding decor, and a simple initial monogram was added to the clasp of each bracelet for a personal touch. To complete their looks, elegant quartz earrings provided the perfect amount of sparkle for the sunny Tennessee day without over doing it.
We chose pearl pendant necklaces with a monogramed charm for the program and book girls. (And a special surprise for the bride: a pendant necklace in her favorite stone, turquoise, with the groom's first initial monogramed on a dainty heart charm. )
And to further tie the gifts back to the wedding theme, we created packaging out of the envelope liner papers and tied them with gold and celadon satin ribbons.
From beginning the end, this wedding was absolutely beautifully charming and filled with love...but like I said before: I wouldn't expect anything other than something extra special from these two. Thanks so much to one of the loveliest couples I know for allowing me to be part of your special day! May your future together be filled with happiness, magic, laughter and as much love as possible!
xo...
ki
*{the beautiful wedding photography is by the talented Joe Hendricks Photography}