welcome to the ladies' society of matrimonial finery

The first part of our Ladies’ Society of Matrimonial Finery has launched, just in time for Valentine’s Day! You can share your love and proposal stories, read others’, and for fun, even search stories by gem shape! In our Blogstress Mavens section, you’ll be able to start following along with Lady Grey as she plans her wedding, as well as a few real bride bloggers who will be blogging their story. Are you getting married in the next year (or have clients who are) and want to apply? Head here! If you want to know more about the Ladies’ Society, why it was formed, and what the heck our Latin motto, “Cygnus Inter Anates” means, head here to read the full story!

To top it off, all week long we’re running a giveaway! If you tell us your love story, you’ll be automatically entered to win! Our absolute favorite “getting ready pretties” designer, Plum Pretty Sugar is giving away an entire pampering collection to one lucky reader! To enter, just share with us your love story, and we’ll select one winner to receive a robe of her choice, one jewelry bloom, cotton eye mask, and cotton slippers! You’ll be ready for beautiful relaxation in an instant.

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Flowers:

Why Red is Sexy

and the most romantic valentine's day ever

Is it just us, or is red near about the most vivacious color ever? We’re proving the point today with another shoot in honor of Valentine’s Day! Jaime of On Pointe Floral Design created this city inspired styled floral photo shoot. She wanted to bring the timeless feel of NYC to the small town of Rexburg, Idaho where she currently designs. Their inspiration started with the idea to create a table runner made from fresh florals–which is an absolute show stopper! And the cake by Ashley’s Cakes by Designs is the perfect compliment! Very special thanks to Kimbry Studios for sharing such gorgeous images!

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Florist: On Pointe Floral // Photographer: Kimbry Studios // Cake: Ashley’s Cakes by Designs // Rentals: Signature Rentals // Vases: Jamali Garden // Venue: Woodman Ballroom // Dress: J.Crew // Hair: Radiance Salon

The Archive:

Valentine’s Day Elopement

Happy Valentine’s Day, darlings! We hope that if you’re waiting for a ring, you get what you’re waiting for! We’re going to be celebrating Valentine’s Day all day long. To start, we thought you’d love this romantic Valentine’s Date shoot put together by J Layne Photography, designer Amber Veatch, and floral designer Shea Hopley.

There’s more to come, so check back in a bit for a few more surprises!

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Sources: Photography: J Layne Photography // Styling and Event design: Amber Veatch Designs // Floral design: Shea Hopley // Makeup Artist: Amanda Hopcraft // Dress: Urban Outfitters // Paper Flowers and Gold Flatware: West Elm // DIY: Balloon Tassels, sweets, love letters

Showers & Events:

SimpleRegistry

our guide to getting your dream home

We shop on Pinterest these days, don’t you? If I see the perfect room, then I make it my goal to use it for inspiration to decorate my house. What doesn’t work, however, is trying to do this with a standard registry. For example, my dream is to one day own a Michelle Armas painting. However, her artwork is outside the range of the standard purchase you might make on your own. What I love about SimpleRegistry, one of our favorite sponsors, is the fact that you can register for big ticket items like a painting, and let your friends and family go in together using your digital registry so you really can get the home of your dreams! We love not feeling limited by just a few stores–especially when this is one of the only times in your life when your loved ones will literally be showering you with gifts for the home. Plus, as an added bonus, your more stylish friends can even suggest other great finds for you to add to the registry, so it makes the experience totally community oriented! All the gifts are of course redeemed in cash, so no returns, exchanges, or hassles. Dreamy, no?

So check out our dream registry below, and if you want to find out more, go here to see other members’ stories of how they used their registry for the perfect wish list. Oh…and BONUS: one lucky couple will receive a $5,000 credit toward their registry on SimpleRegistry if they register before 4/30/13!

Sources: Bedroom Inspiration // Pouf // Michelle Armas Artwork // Curtains // Rug // Gold Shade // Bedspread

Real Weddings:

Calistoga Ranch Wedding

napa in ivory

Kristin and Jamie New York City residents that planned a destination wedding in Napa–there’s nothing like California sunlight and weather for the perfect backdrop! Photographers, Tia & Claire Studio, were on hand to capture the gorgeous day! We were excited to get a little insight from Kristin on their big day:

Although we both are East Coasters at heart and long-time New York City residents, when Jamie and I got engaged in Napa last summer we were instantly sold on having our wedding in wine country! Calistoga Ranch seemed like the obvious choice as soon as we set foot on the property—it is lush, tranquil, and rustically elegant. Our inspiration for the wedding was largely influenced by the natural elements of the area itself. We chose a neutral, organic palette and exposed wood, antlers, and an abundance of varied floral arrangements, hurricane candles, and chandeliers. It was really important to us that the overall effect was romantically elegant but still felt authentic and genuine. At the end of the day it was everything we wanted and more- beautiful but rustic and warm- and hopefully very “Kristin and Jamie”!