Month: October 2015

Hand-Painted Invitations
Puerto Rico Wedding invitation
- October 15, 2015
- by Allison
The Puerto Rico Wedding Invitation is inspired by a recent trip my husband and I took to Puerto Rico. We had a fantastic trip, and while we weren’t there for terribly long we explored the rainforest, went kayaking in Fajardo, and explored the nooks and crannies at the most unique artist’s inn in Old San Juan, the historic district, but the most memorable part was when we stayed in a villa on Flamenco beach in Culebra, an island off the main island in Puerto Rico. Culebra is a small island, with most tourists (ourselves included) bouncing around in golf carts traveling from beach to beach. We adored taking our snorkel equipment to each and every beach on the island in search for the perfect underwater view…which happened to be the first beach we went to…go figure. 🙂

We were also so lucky to get a villa right on the beach. Flamenco beach has super clear waters and is part of a Natural Reserve area, so beyond the set of villas we were in, and the one next to us, we had the beach to ourselves at night after the day-trippers took the ferry back to the main island. It was magical seeing the sunset and then watching the stars from the beach. One of the unique things about Flamenco Beach is that the beach is like a cove with the beach arching around like a horseshoe. That is what I captured in the Puerto Rico Wedding invitation. The villas we stayed at along with the beautiful beach would make this an ideal location to get married. This design is ideal for destination wedding invitations as well.

While I am calling this beautiful beach invitation a Puerto Rico invitation, because that is where I gained the inspiration for this painting, I am sure this would be an ideal design for any couple’s beach wedding invitation.
Inspired by
Inspired by Bridal Fashion week runway shows
- October 12, 2015
- by Allison
I have fallen in love with periscope and bridal fashion this past weekend while watching Bridal Fashion week runway shows in NYC. I’ve only joined periscope in the last couple of months and I know a lot of you haven’t joined yet…let me just say…do it! Watching these runway shows as they were happening through periscope has been such a treat!

I think I watched about 20 fashion shows, and while I’m not an expert in fashion by any means, I loved the artistic expressions and the creativity flowing through the fashion shows. I can’t wait to see some real brides wearing these fashionable dresses!

There were a few trends that I thought would be fun to highlight (see below).

The first one is cap sleeves! I happen to think cap sleeves look amazing on most women and they are so delicate and feminine. Another little trend here is that the dresses were very lightly lined so you could see the model’s legs through the dress. This lightly lined look allowed the intricacies of the lace and beadwork to shine through.

https://instagram.com/p/8okUV-JbBl/?tagged=fw16marchesabridal

Another trend I noticed was the plunging neckline. My friend just bought her plunging neckline dress this past summer from BHLDN and I was sure to tell her that her style is very fashion forward, because there were a lot of versions of the plunging neckline.

https://instagram.com/p/8vQnArrzai/?taken-by=reem_acra

It’s all about the backs. When the models came down the aisle I could not wait until they turned around and I could see the backs of their dresses, because there were so many interesting backs to these dresses. Really, I could do an entire blog post featuring the backs of dresses.

https://instagram.com/p/8qSK8fjNdv/?taken-by=allurebridals

The Berta Bridal runway show blew me away! One of the other trends I had noticed were these (I believe they are detachable) trains. What a fun way to separate the ceremony dress from the reception dress, and an easy way to avoid bustling.

https://instagram.com/p/8s3UklSLTP/?taken-by=bertabridal

Illusion wear was big! So sexy, yet ethereal, with lace trailing throughout the body, illusion wear was maybe the biggest trend I saw on the runway.

https://instagram.com/p/8qd-WvubQn/?taken-by=moniquelhuillier

Another fun thing I saw was headwear. I do not know how realistic it is that brides will be wearing some of the very loud headpieces that were on the runway (I mean some had antlers), but I’m excited to see where artists take this trend and make it a reality for everyday brides.

https://instagram.com/p/8opp8jm1ik/?taken-by=smpweddings

Capes were seen throughout the runway shows as alternatives to veils.

https://instagram.com/p/8rrWshKgkL/?taken-by=oncewed

And one of my favorite trends…sleeves. Delicate lace sleeves were all over the runway. I cannot wait to see more everyday brides going for sleeves on their gowns!

https://instagram.com/p/8rDXvlSLYi/?taken-by=bertabridal

Super inspired by the artists who orchestrated these shows as well as the artists behind each one of these dresses. I saw a lot of unique fashion but also a lot of ready-to-wear fashion. It was truly a beautiful sight!
Real Wedding
Country Backyard Wedding – Bride’s favorite moment
- October 9, 2015
- by Allison
A few more glimpses of this fun country backyard wedding including a photo of the joyful wedding party (there I am, third from the left). The girls all wore tan cowboy boots…including the bride, which fit right in with the country theme. The bouquets were lush with a lot of greenery for texture. And we were all given Budweiser beers to drink right after the ceremony – so American!

My favorite question to ask brides after the wedding is “what is their favorite moment from their wedding”. The reason is because I think it gives the bride a second to reflect and see what moment is still lingering with the emotion of the day. It is really powerful. I have also found that it is usually a moment that is unexpected, and has an emotional impact. Laura’s favorite moment is incredibly touching and I feel blessed to share it with you below:

Allison: Favorite moment at your wedding?

Laura: “Obviously the vows and the first dance were top of the list, but for me one of the most special, and unexpected, moments of the day was shared with my dad. My dad and I haven’t spent much of our adult life together and in the time we’ve spent apart he had become a little unfamiliar to me. And here was this man, a little strange to me now, holding his arm in mine as I was waiting to come out the door and turn to the aisle. His hand was held proudly to his chest, a hand that I know every freckle on, and he turned to me and said, “Walk slow baby, this is your moment.”

It hit me in the chest, I felt so overwhelmed with love and with pride. Pride for the woman that I had become, the family that I made, the man that was waiting for me at the end of the aisle and love for the man that was giving me away.”

Congratulations to the beautiful couple, who I’m so blessed to call family!

Photos by Neal Palumbo at Studio 11 West.