Alexandra and Brian actually live in Venice, California but decided to plan a destination wedding in Austin, Texas. The stunning couple also chose to have a French Provence Countryside feel to their wedding, which we’re completely lusting over.

Here’s what we’re loving about their French Provence Countryside theme – the wildflowers, the barrels, the burlap grain sacks, the wood lanterns, the fresh lavender shades, the tablescapes, the fruit centerpieces, and the paper cones filled with flower seeds.

We also can’t help but love the adorable honorary flower girl and the story behind her significance. The couple originally met at a party in California, where Alexandra learned that Brian had a dog-named ‘Shea’. Alexandra wanted an excuse to see Brian again, so she offered to babysit ‘Shea’ on his next business trip. Brian accepted and the rest was history. So ‘Shea’ came to hold a very special place in their hearts, so much so, that ‘Shea’ was made honorary flower girl.

Hyde Park Photo captured all the breathtaking wedding photos.

Congratulations Alexandra and Brian and thank you for sharing your vibrant wedding pictures with One Stylish Bride.

Alexandra and Brian’s Style Guide

Photographer: Hyde Park Photo / Wedding Dress: Vera Wang / Thank you: Two Bright Lights

]]> http://www.onestylishbride.com/real-weddings/french-provence-countryside-wedding-alexandra-brian/feed/ 1 http://www.onestylishbride.com/bridal-fashion/wedding-accessories/the-papered-nest/ http://www.onestylishbride.com/bridal-fashion/wedding-accessories/the-papered-nest/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:00:56 +0000 Liz http://www.onestylishbride.com/?p=24484 If you’re looking for some charming wedding accessories, check out the adorable party décor kits at The Papered Nest. Talk about delightful wedding reception ideas!

The Papered Nest has designed a collection of party items with a cheery feel that offer a stylish canvas to build on.

These bright and colourful hand-crafted products, created by two talented California women with a passion for party planning, could spark a host of ideas around which you can plan your big day.

We love the cheery feel of the party styling kits and we can’t stop smiling over quaint accents like the mini cupcake stands, and mason jars with stamped pewter lids (fill these with colourful jellybeans or small lollies to make charming wedding favors). Also, the oh-so-lovely hand dyed paper doilies are sheer heaven.

Each party styling kit contains everything you need to create a one-of-a-kind partyscape and includes the following hand-crafted and selected items:

1 X Favor Bag Kit (includes 12 kraft window favor bags, 12 yds of Divine Twine, and 12 coloured 1.5” scalloped circle “Thank You” tags)

12 X Striped paper straws

12 X Striped greaseproof cupcake liners

6 X “Yum” cupcake picks

6 X Food flags

12 X Treat sticks

5 yds Coloured 5/8″ ribbon

5 yds White 3/8″ ribbon

12 X Scalloped food tags

1 Drink Kit (includes 12 yds Coloured Divine Twine and 12 coloured 1.5″ scalloped circle “Cheers” tags)

6 X Coloured 10″ Hand Dyed Paper Doilies

Personalizing your The Papered Nest wedding accessories is easy too. Drink tags, favor bag tags, and cutlery can be stamped with “yum”, “cheers”, “thank you”, or “enjoy”! You can also purchase a personalized stamp and mark your wedding accessories with your names, wedding date, or even an affectionate message. The Papered Nest party kits are also available to accommodate guest lists of eight, 10, and 12, and they’ll work with you on custom orders of any size.

They’re perfect for engagement parties too!

{Images via The Papered Nest}

Gorgeous Hanna and Corrie wed in Stockholm, Sweden. Their venue of choice was M/S Borgila and their photographers of choice were Isabelle and Emmi-Sabina of 2 Brides Photography.

The couple also picked a chic colour combination of “black and white with splashes of bright purple, pink, orange and blue,” explains Hanna.

Here’s what else we love about this wedding – the brides La Sposa wedding dress, the grooms suit, the colourful bridesmaid dresses, the darling bouquet, the napkin tissue pom poms from Miss Prop Shop, and the fun wedding banners.

Hanna recalls, “The ceremony in general was so emotional. We felt like finally everything we had been fighting to make happen was official and that our love had been strong enough to conquer all obstacles we had previously faced to be at this point in our life. One moment that was very strong was when we saw each other in church. Corrie was crying and we grabbed each others hands to walk the last steps together. At that point we really felt how right this was and how it was truly worth all of our struggles to be here.”

“Corrie’s speech at the dinner was also truly something special. It was so genuine and grateful and full of love and did not leave a dry eye.”

From the Couple:

What made your wedding unique?

“Our wedding was unique due to what it symbolized. Corrie being American and Hanna being Swedish, it has been a struggle to make this relationship happen, since we spent a lot of time apart with great distances between us. This wedding truly was a manifestation of love, as all weddings are, but we think the love and happiness that surrounded our wedding was really something extraordinary. We had so many people coming from all parts of the world to share this day with us, which truly set the international and loving spirit of our wedding.”

Did you DIY any details?

“We made copies of Hanna’s parent’s placement cards that was used at their wedding 26 years ago {yes, they are still married} and used them again at our reception.

We also made a sign for the church entrance in black and white and colourful ribbons that stated ‘Once in your lifetime you meet someone who changes everything’, which exactly describes our story. Corrie left his life in sunny California to come and live with Hanna in Sweden with all the difficulties and joy that brought.”

What was your biggest challenge?

“The biggest challenge was planning it while being in different countries. Hanna was in London for much of the time before the wedding doing her masters while Corrie was in Sweden. Besides that the biggest challenge was making sure that everyone understood what was happening during the ceremony and reception since we were using both Swedish and English as well as Swedish and American traditions.”

What’s your advice?

“Enjoy the day, feel the love you share and the love from everyone who are there to share your day. Live every moment of it.”

Cheers to the happy couple and thank you for sharing your pretty wedding pictures with One Stylish Bride.

Hanna and Corrie’s Style Guide

Photographer: 2 Brides Photography / Hair Stylist: Piz of Cake / Dress Store: Stockholm Brud och Fest / Dress Designer: La Sposa / Ceremony Location: Hogalidskyrkan / Makeup Artist: Gabriella Elio / Event Venue: M/S Borgila / Etsy Designers: Jewellery via Earrings Nation; Cufflinks via Photojule; Napkin tissue pom poms via Miss Prop Shop; Other via Floral World / Thanks: Two Bright Lights

Gorgeous Alexandra and Simon wed at St Matthews Church Jamberoo, followed by their reception at Ravensthorpe, NSW.

The chic colour combinations were “French Blue, black and white with pops of country colours in pink, peach, green and lavender.”

Alexandra wore a custom made “Steven Khalil gown with silk organza overlay, over 100 buttons at the back, and a 3 tier ruffle mermaid.”

Alexandra recalls “Coming down the aisle after the ceremony to ‘thats amore’ by Dean Martin really set the tone for the celebrations and made the day feel joyous and romantic.”

“Having my 3 best friends and 2 sisters as my bridal party, each of them added such a sparkle, bringing to light their 5 very distinct personalities. I hardly have one photo in which the 5 of them are not close to me looking stunning in their blue shantung silk strapless dresses. They definitely poured their hearts and souls into celebrating our marriage and I love that they surrounded us with love the entire day.”

From the bride:

What made your wedding unique?

“Our wedding was a weekend away so we had a number of celebrations before and after so [we] got to spend lots of time with our guests and everyone was on holidays so [they] were extra relaxed.

We [also] had a desert buffet with an assortment of all our favourite desserts in mini sizes, that way our guests could dance and mingle and graze on these when they felt like a break. [We had] rosewater jelly, pannacotta with mixed berries, mini pavlova on spoons, espresso mouse, crème brulee.

[Also] we served a delicious daiquiri style champagne cocktail for the reception. It was the biggest hit of the wedding, surprisingly many of the men we had pinned as beer drinkers were nursing these most of the evening.”

Did you DIY any details:

“We ended up tying a lot of bows, we tied black and white ribbons around each menu and used blue ribbon on our church booklets, both jobs took a lot longer than expected, but it was a fun way to get the family together the day before our celebrations.

We had a printer create our invitations from a customized design featuring a French blue country style check, bold black lines, and a monogram featuring both our initials A&S. This design was carried through on the church booklets, menus, and place cards.

I had the pew ribbons made by a tailor from a gorgeous silk fabric I found in Hong Kong that matched the blue of the bridesmaids’ dresses.”

What was your biggest challenge?

“As the marketing manager of Swarovski the hardest decision of the day was jewellery and I couldn’t decide until the last minute. I ended up placing all my stunning crystal jewellery collected over the years onto a tray and my mother and bridesmaids selected what they liked. I also selected the Crystal evening bag to carry my lip-gloss and the crystal toasting flutes for our first toast after the cutting of the cake.”

What was your favourite moment?

“So many moments!

Everybody gave us the advice that you needed to allocate time to spend together and my husband thankfully remembered this on the night and he whisked me away after we were seated at the reception, we sat just the two of us and enjoyed a glass of champagne and a moment in peace together.

The wedding day just flys by so be sure to enjoy and celebrate the engagement and lead up to the wedding just as much. Our bridal party definitely earnt their titles and we had lots of lunches and dinners before hand we counted up 12 wedding functions in total across the 18 months ! I even had 3 hens celebrations: hawaii with my family, bangkok with my work colleagues and one in Sydney with my friends and family!”

What’s your advice?

“Choose colours, so many weddings are so traditional with only white flowers and neutral colours however use bright colours and flowers to add happiness and life to your day, choose colours you love and plan your details around these colours.

Have a hair trial – I ran out of time to do this and my hair was finished only at 2:30 the same time our ceremony started needless to say it was a mad dash to the church and I was a bit frantic. I chose to have my hair down for the ceremony and lifted it up after for the reception.

Save money on cars we used the cars of friends and family 3 x black mazda 7′s and a black range rover for the bridal car. It was so comfortable having our bridal party as drivers rather than strangers and cruising around with an esky in the back listening to our favourite tunes was so enjoyable!

Use husband and wife vendors I think this really added to our day as both our photographers and reception owners were married couples and seeing couples so in tune with each other and able to work together in sync under the most demanding and stressful of circumstances is amazing and beautiful and the reality of seeing that on our wedding day definitely holds a lesson for us and the way that we will operate and navigate our marriage.”

Congratulations Alexandra and Simon and thank you for sharing your wedding pictures with One Stylish Bride.

Alexandra and Simon’s Style Guide

Photographer: atdusk photography / Wedding Dress: Steven Khalil / Accessories & Jewellery: Swarovski jewellery / Other: Casey Daniels

The adorable pair chose The Legacy in Texas as their venue and talented Lissa of Lissa Anglin Photography to capture their day.

Lissa had this to say, “Jessica (along with her friends and family) worked for months to create custom pinwheels, burlap runners, and other natural/vintage elements.”

We’re infatuated with this wedding. We adore the venue, which was an old church now converted to an art gallery. We adore the fresh green, grey, and white colour palette. We adore the simple centerpieces. We adore the wedding cakes. We adore the bride’s hair. And we absolutely adore the unique reception styling.

Congratulations you two and thank you for sharing your wedding pictures with One Stylish Bride.

Jessica and Kris Style Guide

Photographer: Lissa Anglin Photography / Invitation Designer: Davidson Taylor / Invitation Designer: Hodge Podge Design / Dress Store: J. Crew, BCBG Max Azria, Gown Town / Dress Designer: Mori Lee / Cake Designer: United Market Street / Makeup Artist: Bobbi Brown / Bridesmaid Dresses: ModCloth / Photo Booth Equipment: 4 Frames Photobooths / Bakery: The Slaton Bakery / Event Venue: The Legacy Event Center / Etsy: Designer: The Chica Boutique / Thanks: Two Bright Lights

You can incorporate holiday touches into any wedding decor with subtle touches that are oh-so-pretty. For instance, a pink themed wedding can embrace the romance of the holidays with shades of blush-coloured floral centerpieces surrounded by white or pink candles.

Or add shades of blues, aqua, silver and gold for some holiday elements that are inexpensive and beautiful.

Some brides incorporate traditional holiday colours with a touch of red at the waistline or red wedding shoes. This can be super sexy, romantic, and perfectly bridal!

Other holiday wedding reception ideas can include a festive New Year’s theme, with plenty of the requisite over-the-top décor. Think gold and silver, champagne glasses and…holiday drinks! That’s right, why not incorporate a decadent eggnog martini or gingerbread Manhattan into your list of wedding reception ideas? Many couples opt for a signature cocktail, served in addition to wine and beer at their receptions. Why not make yours holiday-appropriate!

High on our list of holiday wedding ideas is taking advantage of seasonal flora for centerpieces and bouquets. Floral designs today are so beautiful, you can have full-on holiday inspired flowers that are modern, romantic, and perfectly fitting for your wedding. Some other holiday wedding ideas take advantage of all things seasonal – from cranberries to poinsettia to pine cones.

If a winter wonderland is something you would like to incorporate into the reception décor, it can be done with twinkling lighting, some artfully placed candles, crystals to reflect light, and a backdrop of white, white, white! White linens, white fabric draped from the walls and ceilings.

Take it one step further by adding soft shades of blues and gold to the lighting or add tall twig centerpieces in crystal vases that are spray-painted white and maybe even sprinkled with silver or gold glitter!

{Image 1 & 2 Kate Spade via Red Balloon; Image 3 via Jared Wilson Photography; Images 4 & 5 via Jean M; Image 6 via Project U;  Image 7 via Beauty in Everything; Image 8 via The Brides Cafe; Image 9 via Bright Bazaar}

Cynthia and Matthew held their wedding in Russellville on a residence that has been in Cynthia’s family for 7 generations. The couple exchanged vows on a bridge within the residence, which was made by the Roanoke Bridge Co. over 100 years ago.

This charming wedding was full of southern rustic flare and sunflowers. Cynthia explains, “I’ve always known that sunflowers would be a main part of my wedding ever since I was little. My mother has always grown them in our backyard.”

Handmade and original details surrounded the wedding. Cynthia explains, “My mother, cousins and I made the wish tree. The sunflowers were planted and grown by my parents. My mother cut all of the burlap table runners. My aunt and a close family friend made all the bouquets. The photo booth was set up by two of my best friends.

I looked at many magazines and DIY websites to compile ideas that I loved and put in some of my own to make it unique for Matt and I. Our focus was to make it memorable and fun. I found most of our stuff like paper and fabric, bottles, and the bunnies from Hobby Lobby. In the end I think what made it special to us was all the hard work we had put in together and all the hard work we had seen our friends and family put into it. It meant so much more to us because of that.”

Cynthia remarks, “The wish tree idea was not original. However, I think we made it unique in the end. My grandaddy cut branches from a pear tree and cemented them into a pot for us and we tied the fabric on. The moustache idea I had wanted to do since I was about 15 years old and I have seen it since then but we still wanted to do it. Matt and I used a laser cutter at MSU to cut them and Kayla and I glued each one on a stick. The seed packet idea was one that Mom, Matt, and I came up with together. I really loved the way it turned out. The sunflower seed packets tied it all together.”

Green Tree Photography was responsible for capturing all the gush-worthy moments.

Congratulations to the happy couple and thank you for sharing your charming wedding pictures with One Stylish Bride.

Cynthia and Matthew’s Style Guide

Photographer: Green Tree Photography / Caterer: Pilgrim’s Place / Reception Venue: Private Residence / Dress Store: The Something Blue Shop / Other: Hobby Lobby, Thread Fabric Store / Cake Designer: Sugar On Top / Linens and Coverings: Party Pros / Shoes: Belk / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Burch and Hatfield / Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal / Thanks: Two Bright Lights

After organising and packing your garments, accessories, and wedding favors, focus on the décor next. Delegate a separate bag or suitcase especially for the decorating pieces, so the table runners don’t get mixed up with your gown and the pom-poms aren’t lying beside your veil. Also, choose only those materials that are lightweight and pack flat, so that you don’t use up extra bags for them. Remember, extra baggage = extra effort and extra charges!

Here’s some wedding inspiration on five fabulous and affordable ways to pack your destination wedding décor:

1. Fabric table runners – pick a material that doesn’t need ironing, unless you want to be ironing (or looking for someone who wants to iron) when you arrive at your destination! Linen and burlap are not good choices because they wrinkle easily. But if you’re bent on using that cute burlap runner you bought online, go ahead—except you must roll, not fold.

2. Flags and bunting – these are very popular in weddings today. They’re really adorable and take up very little space when packed. But they tend to wrinkle easily especially if packed with heavier items. To make sure that they don’t get creases from the other articles in your suitcase, place the carefully folded flags or bunting in a large re-sealable bag or manila envelope before packing them with the other décor pieces.

3. Fabric chair slipcovers – ask the hotel or resort for their chair measurements to make sure that your slipcovers will fit. Bring only those that only go over the back (or only on the seat), because you will need a lot more room in your luggage if you opt for the ones that cover the whole chair. But hey, if you want to cover the entire chair, that’s fine, too! Again, consider wrinkle-free fabrics so that all you need to do is unpack and dress up the chairs.

4. Cardboard cupcake tower – Get cake boards and cake dummies from your local bakery or supermarket and decide how many tiers you’re going to have. Place the materials inside re-sealable bags to keep clean. Here’s a post from Cake Journal on how to assemble the tower when you’re at the hotel; don’t worry because it’s super easy! Although to save time, you might want to cover the boards with wrapping paper before packing.

5. Paper decorations, such as garlands and pom-poms – Make the garlands ahead of time. These are a bit time-consuming, so don’t think you can assemble them at the venue. Flat designs, such as leaves, are best for packing. Place them in a re-sealable bag or envelope, too, and make sure there are no creases. For the pom-poms, stack tissue paper, fold accordion-style, and secure middle with twine or wire. You can throw them all together in a plastic bag and fluff them up into full-fledged pom-poms just before hanging.

Finally, remember to check customs for the country we’re your hosting your soiree, as certain countries don’t allow certain items in. After all, it’s better to be safe then sorry.

{Burlap table runner via eab designs; bunting via Lovelorn Unicorn; slipcover via Surefit.net; cardboard cupcake tower via Cake Journal; leaf garland via Martha Stewart Weddings}

Here are five simple wedding reception ideas to incorporate Mason jars into your big day:

1. Jar your cake and eat it, too!

Mason jars make awesome wedding favor holders. Whip up your favorite cake batter and pour them into small Mason jars. Bake as usual, frost, pack on the lids, and voila—cupcakes in a bottle! Or assemble parfaits like the ones pictured above. If you’re more of a candy person, buy them in bulk and place in Mason jars. Whatever your preference, don’t forget the little touches that count—stickers, ribbons, pieces of fabric or buttons, maybe even spoons attached to the jars, and anything else that will tie the jarred favors to your wedding theme.

2. Bottoms up

Pass up on the old punch bowl and cups, and use Mason jars instead as containers for your beverages. Use the half-gallon-size jars like punch bowls and the cup-size ones as drinking glasses. You can either serve the drinks without lids, or punch a hole in the middle of the lids in advance and slide pretty straws in them. If you choose to go lidless, remember that you can still pack a punch by adding things like decorative-edge ribbons and fruit slices for garnish.

3. Fresh as a daisy

This is really easy—get a whole bunch of flowers, cut the stems to size, and place them in Mason jars. Remember to add water almost halfway up the jars. The key here is to keep the flower arrangement simple. No complicated designs, please. We want a homey, just-thrown-in-together feel, not something that was worked on for hours on end. Not to say that you can’t combine different flowers and colors, but keeping everything simple brings out the charm of the flowers together with the Mason jars.

4. Light and love

Add some twinkly love to your wedding by turning Mason jars into elegant outdoor lanterns. Again, with mason jars, there are several ways to do this: buy inexpensive solar garden lamps (these usually retail at a few dollars for a pack of lamps), take them apart, and put what you see inside into the mason jar. Paint the jars with frosting spray so that the light glows softly from within.  Another option is to attach lighting cord sets to the Mason jar lids and install light bulbs inside. The last—and easiest—method is to weigh down the jars with a bit of sand or pebbles and place tea lights or votives inside. Tie some heavy-gauge wire around the mouth of the jars so you can hang them from a tree. You can use all of Mason jar lamps individually in strategic places throughout your venue or group them together into chandeliers.

5. What’s that number again?

Mason jars also make excellent table number centerpieces. Draw your shape of choice onto a piece of cardboard, number the shapes, cut, and attach to the jars with string or ribbon. Or using an image-editing program on your computer, print appropriate-size numbers with a cute font and glue onto cardboard and place them inside the Mason jars. Finally, fill the jars with beans, coffee, seashells, or whatever strikes your fancy.

{Parfaits via Sweet & Saucy Shop; sangria via Laina Christine’s Blog; flowers via Backyard Bride; candles via Budget Wise Home; table numbers via Morgann Hill Designs}

Photographer Brianne had this to say about the wedding and the couple, “This wedding was a complete DIY wedding – Nicole handled all the décor! [Also] Nathan works for Coca-Cola so that was brought into the theme of the wedding.

When they met online about 6 years ago, and decided to meet for the first time, they realized that they drove the same truck and had the same CD playing in their car. They are a wonderful couple!”

We love the rustic flare of this wedding and don’t even get us started on the adorable couple – they’re seriously two peas in a pod!

Congratulations Nicole and Nathan and thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding pictures with One Stylish Bride.

Nicole + Nathan’s Style Guide

Photographer: Studio B Photography / DJ: Enchanted Nights Entertainment / Bakery: Meredith’s Home Made Delights / Event Venue: Indian Bear Lodge / Thanks: Two Bright Lights