I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

If your heart weren’t already bursting at the seams from Ginny and David’s Engagement, then get ready, because you may not be able to take all the loveliness of this wedding. This is officially our biggest post ever because we literally could not pick our favorite images by photographer Jen Huang. The bridal party, fashion, flowers (by Poppies & Posies), the setting–it’s all so magical! Are you ready? 

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What made the wedding unique?

The beautiful island of Nantucket set the tone for our special day and made it truly unique. Dotting the water just south of Cape Cod, it is one of the first places David and I traveled to when we first started dating. This magical seafaring isle took our guests back in time with its whitewashed homes, cobblestone streets, and abundance of history. The place feels virtually stuck in time and was the perfect venue for our 1950’s vintage theme. For our wedding, the island was enclosed in fog, which made for some mysterious but beautiful photographs. It reminded us of why Nantucket is nicknamed The Grey Lady! We are so happy we were able to share a place that is dear to our hearts with our family and friends.

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Tell us about your dress and where/how you found it.

I found my wedding dress at Evalina Couture in Calgary. Evalina was closing her store and getting rid of all of her inventory. I only tried on 4 dresses and the one I ended up choosing was the second that I tried on. It was a beautiful Christos gown that had never been tried on before, covered in small polka dots. I had always wanted a ballerina length dress that looked very similar to my grandma’s 1950’s gown. The dress was originally full length, but I had it shortened to be ballerina length and used the leftover fabric from the bottom to make a matching jacket.

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What were some touches added to make it personal?

Our ring bearer (my godson) carried the wedding bands down on the same bible that my mother and father and grandparents used for their weddings. I hope to one day have a daughter that can also take part in this tradition for her wedding.

The beautiful speech that my father did during our reception dinner. My dad was a wonderful speaker and the speech that he did for us was so genuine and from his heart. He passed away unexpectedly just 8 months after the wedding so the kind and loving words he said to both David and me at the reception will always be so special.

Out cake topper was a beautiful exact replica of how we looked on the wedding day, made by Gwen from Concarta.

Instead of having a DJ for the wedding we hired The Smoke Rings a swing band from New York City, that specializes in songs from the Great American Song Book. They truly set the tone at the reception and were the perfect music to complement our 1950’s themed wedding.

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What was the most memorable part of the day?

The most memorable part of the day was without a doubt the ceremony. It took place in the beautiful First Congregational Church, which dates back to 1725. The minister put together a truly heartfelt sermon and it felt wonderful to be surrounded by our family and closest friends.

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Tell us how you met and became engaged! 

David and I met in New York City at the International Culinary Centre. We were in the same class and we began dating in the third month of the program. As I am from Canada, David showed me around the city and we quickly became best friends. We would constantly laugh about all the ridiculous things that happened during class.

Our first date was at the Mary Poppins broadway show. After the show, we ate pizza at my apartment and talked until 1:30 in the morning. From this point on we were inseparable. David then picked me up every morning on his way to school and during class we would spend as much time as possible with one other. At nighttime we would often go to Yankee games, walks around Central Park, and to Broadway shows. We had the most wonderful time together in New York. It is a beautiful place to fall in love.

David wanted to keep the proposal simple. We always go on walks in the summertime and one day, at the end of our walk, he got down on one knee, presented a gorgeous rose gold and white sapphire ring, and asked me to marry him.

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Ginny & David’s full super 8 wedding film: Nantucket, MA – The White Elephant Inn from Hello Super Studios on Vimeo.

Vendors: Photographer: Jen Huang Blog // Rehearsal Dinner: The Wauwinet // Wedding Venue: The White Elephant Inn, Nantucket // Church: First Congregational Church // Menus, Favor Tags & Escort Cards: Jen Huang Art // Floral Design: Poppies & Posies // Invitations: Rifle Paper Co. // Wedding Dress/Veil: Christos (Dress), Bolero & Veil custom made // Wedding Shoes: Chie Mihara // Accessories: Gloves – BHLDN, earrings are from the Gold Market in NYC // Hair & Makeup: Stacy Pitt (hair) and Maureen Sullivan from Jenni Fresca Makeup and Skincare Boutiquerie (makeup) // Rentals: The Trove // Invitation Designer: Rifle Paper Co. – Anna Bond // Floral Designer: Poppies & Posies // Catering: The White Elephant Hotel // Band/DJ: Sarah King and the Smoke Rings // Cake: Jodi’s Cakes // Groom’s Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna and the Grooms shoes are Prada // Bridesmaids Dresses & Shoes: BHLDN (peach dresses) and Custom Made (Tiffany blue dress) BHLDN (Tiffany blue shoes) Chie Mihara (Cream shoes with hearts) // Rehearsal Dinner Dress: 1950’s vintage dress from Rococo Vintage // Rehearsal Dinner Shoes: Chie Mihara

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To continue with our week of features, courtesy of our resident photographer, Jen Huang, we are bringing you a Southampton Wedding with a unique twist! When Judith–and English girl born and bred–married her Texan groom, Paul, the trick was to find a way to merge their heritage into one. The job fell to planner, Claudia Hanlin of The Wedding Library, NYC. The result is a masterfully crafted wedding that combines the elegance of the English countryside (hello, most gorgeous arrangements ever by Poppies & Posies), with the ease of the Texas south. We’ll let Claudia tell you more!

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Planner Claudia Hahnlin tell us:

I immediately bonded with this English bride and Texan groom over their desire to have their wedding feel “natural”, as if they effortlessly threw together a lovely get-together for family and friends and it all turned out magical and perfect. To achieve this perfectly effortless look, every gesture was carefully constructed, from the exacting shades of peach, steel and greige, to the immaculate but lived-in Bridgehampton Victorian that was the setting for this party. Hidden orchard trees held escort cards on seam binding, lace ribbons and twine in wedding colors – we tied them to zinc table numbers that we found to weigh them down from the passing breeze. We sourced the ribbons worldwide, including this steely-blue double-faced satin. I re-oriented the ceremony to include some of the Hampton’s famous tall hedges.  A perfect backdrop. These “hens and chicks” succulents capture the steely gray color the couple loves, and also speaks to the terrain of Texas, a nod to the groom. The succulents doubled as place cards and favors in rustic terracotta pots with our waxed ribbon ties and kraft paper tags. A giant Audubon picture book houses notes from guests; the bird theme is repeated on the guest book signage and vintage stamps on guests’ invitation envelopes. To create the “perfectly thrown-together look” we mixed farmhouse tables, vintage containers, greige linens and lace runners on the tables. Pewter chargers and vintage plates are complemented by our ingenious paper menu napkin rings. We sewed the table numbers onto invitation stock, carefully tucking the couples’ monogram under the stitching for a perfectly finished look on both sides of the card. We made sure both English and Texan sides of this new family felt welcome with traditions and nods to both heritages. The flag-topped sailcloth tent held a buffet of whole roast suckling pig with all the traditional Tex-Mex accoutrement–and an English dessert.

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Vendors: Photography: Jen Huang // Planning: Claudia Hanlin, The Wedding Library, NYC // Invitations: Paperfinger // Styling, Florals: Poppies & Posies // Location: Private Villa, Southampton, NY // Processing: RichardPhotoLab // Grooms’ Suit: J.Crew // Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier

This week, we are excited to kick off a full week of gorgeous features from our resident photographer, Jen Huang. You may have noticed that we have an overwhelming amount of beautiful images in our Grey Collective categories–those are all Jen’s! She also happened to shoot our wedding! Jen is always shooting the most beautiful weddings, engagements, and shoots, that we decided to pack it all into one week! So get ready because we absolutely can’t handle how excited we are to share it all with you!

Our first wedding was originally feature in Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine in February of 2014 and we’ve got special permission to share it with you here! Michael and Sierra decided to hosting their wedding for 39 of their closest friends and family at a private villa in Costa Rica. We really couldn’t wrap our brains around the gorgeous invitation “field guide” by Paperfinger or the welcome gifts and hangover cure that all guests received. Oh my. But it’s no surprise, as Sierra is the mastermind behind Poppies & Posies–perhaps one of our all time favorite floral, design, and styling companies. It’s all so lovely, we’re going to let the bride and groom take it away with their story right away! You are absolutely going to fall in love with it all!

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We chose to take our closest friends and immediate family to one of our favorite destinations, Costa Rica, to say I do. It was the best decision we ever made. 39 people joined us for the week in a small town on the West coast of Costa Rica called Dominical. We rented a big house that overlooked the ocean and used it as our wedding day venue as well. We said our vows in a small garden off the side of the house. Michael’s childhood friend led the ceremony and almost every guest spoke during the ceremony. Michael’s niece played and sang an original song she wrote for us when we got engaged. We enjoyed a locally inspired meal under a palapa on the property. For dinner we set up one long table reaching the entire length of the structure to help create an intimate dinner party feel. My closets friends helped us to fly down six suitcases all weighing over 50lbs and filled to the brim with linens, plates, flatware, candles, and other special decor pieces. The bride’s close friend, Juliet Totten, designed the bride’s bouquet and centerpieces using local blooms. The vibrant color palette fit perfectly with our surroundings. We finished the evening in the main house by the pool where we all danced and spent the night under the stars.

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What made the wedding special and unique?
We rounded up 37 of our closets friends/family and hopped on a plane to Costa Rica for a week long celebration. We wanted to keep our wedding intimate so that we could create a week long celebration vs. the typical 10 hour day. We rented a big house in CR that slept over half of our guests and did everything from right there.

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What were some touches added to make it personal?
We have so many talented and generous friends who helped create the whole experience for us. There wasn’t one person who didn’t contribute to the day or week. My close friends helped me fly down 6 suitcases filled with all kinds of goodies from linens and candlesticks to vases and flatware. We even carried down wooden plates to use on the dinner table.

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What was the most memorable part of the day?
The most memorable part of the day was the ceremony. Michael’s friend was the unofficial officiant and he had secretly asked all of our guests to write a memory, advice or thought down for us. Almost ever person spoke at our ceremony which was really thoughtful and special.

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Tell us how you met/proposed!
Michael and I met when one of our clients booked his catering company for their wedding. We went along with our clients to their tasting and I met Michael. It took us the rest of the 6 months we spent planning our client’s wedding to go on a date.

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Tell us about your dress and where/how you found it.
My dress was a custom made by Ellen Couture in NYC. She was amazing and made me the dress in less than a month due to a snafu with my original dress. My friends and I went to the garment district chose the lace, the trim and the silk charmeuse. It was really special to have the chance to choose the pieces of my dress and then have it made to fit me perfectly. She did an amazing job.

8MM Final from Sierra Steifman on Vimeo.

Originally published in print, Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine February 2014.

Vendors: Photography: Jen Huang // Invitations: Paperfinger // Watercolor Menu: JenHuangArt // Styling, Florals & Rental Coordination, Tabletop Rentals: PoppiesandPosies // Location: Private Villa, Costa Rica, Town of Dominical // Videography: JenHuangBlog // Processing: RichardPhotoLab // Dress: Ellen’s Couture, NYC // Hair & Makeup: Tutorials by Jessa Blades Natural Beauty & Styles on B, expertly reproduced by Brides friends Ellen & Juliet Totten // Getting Ready Robes: PlumPrettySugar // Brides’ Shoes: J. Crew // Groom’s Suit: J. Crew // Bowties: Boutaugh with PoppiesandPosies

Morgan and Chris had, what looks to us, like the most fun wedding ever. The bride, Morgan, had a head start on all of us because of her job as the Production Sweetheart for Milou + Olin Photography (who naturally jumped in to photographer her big day!!!). With her toes in the wedding industry already, Morgan dove head first into wedding planning with coordinator, Yelena Johnson of The Stylish Soiree alongside their floral designer, Asiel Design. We just can’t get over all the fun details, ideas, and personality that shine through their big day, which took place at The Sainte Claire Hotel. I mean, the flowers, the aisle runner, those invites from The Aerialist Press, the striped linens from La Tavola Linens, and the cake from Sweet Tooth Confections!!! We are dying! We also decided to include a chance for you to “shop the post” because we really can’t get enough of the details! Are you ready to be bowled over?!?

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Tell us about finding the dress!

The dress was a magical serendipitous moment that fell in my lap! I have loved Lazaro’s dresses since I first knew what wedding dresses were, and had subscribed to his trunk show schedule a few years earlier. The night before Chris and I were set to go on vacation to Disneyland for a few days, I got an email that a trunk show was going on only a few minutes away – I dropped in for an appointment and immediately fell in love with a “sherbert” colored light peach tulle creation that was unique from anything I’d seen before. I even got to meet Lazaro Perez (he’s a really nice guy!), and he gave me a signed sketch of my dress! The alterations team at the Mon Amie bridal salon in Santa Ana are so talented; they made small changes that made the dress fit like a glove! They also somehow tackled hemming those yards and yards of tulle!

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How did decide on your wedding look?

What we weren’t expecting was how much our friends and family had looked forward to having a giant celebration like this! My parents wanted to jump immediately into wedding planning, and we were off on a venue hunt before we knew it. We searched wineries in the central coast, hotels in Monterey, country clubs in the Bay Area, but nothing really struck either of us as “the one”. Around the time we wanted to call it quits and elope, I was narrowing down my years of Pinterest wedding inspiration boards, and defining the theme – I noticed that my favorites all were a sort of homage to my long standing love of Kate Spade, and succumbed to poppy brights and black and white stripes with gold polka dots.

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How did you find your venue?

We decided to visit The Sainte Claire Hotel on a whim; its adjoining restaurant Il Fornaio had black and white striped valances and had popped up in a search for wedding photos. We walked in to glorious 1920’s architectural details and an amazing ballroom space that could easily accommodate our guest count. (bonus: it was also two blocks away from our first “date” together; ice skating at the San Jose rink!) We knew it was too perfect, and booked it immediately.

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Tell us about the details that came together for the big day.

This wedding was a product of so many years of love and support from both sides of our families. I had an incredible team of vendors sourced from personal contacts I’ve made in the wedding industry, so the entire event felt like I was surrounded by nothing but friends and family.

I knew my coordinator, Yelena Johnson, through some drop dead gorgeous styled shoots we’d done with her at Milou + Olin, and we are essentially style twins. She was in love with my theme even before I was done describing it, and I knew she would design my wedding with a personal touch. Her eye for detail was everywhere – even down to the adorable striped and polka dotted cocktail straws! She took everything I wanted and made it even more magical than I could have ever hoped for. Our florist, Linnea of Asiel, was so smitten with my theme that I gave her the reigns; all the flowers on our wedding day were a surprise! I’d seen her incredible work with Milou + Olin on shoots before, so I had full confidence in her, and I wasn’t let down! I am still in love with the photos of my bouquet, and the flower hedge at our ceremony was perfection.

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What were some of your favorite highlights?

If you didn’t know yet, I work for Milou + Olin Photography as a production assistant, and have seen Caroline shoot some seriously gorgeous weddings in the two years I’ve been here. I knew from the beginning that she was going to be my photographer, and she didn’t disappoint. Caroline told me she was really nervous since I know the business in and out, but you would never know it – she and our assistant photographer Don were like photo ninjas all day; they are so quick to catch all the perfect moments!

Live music was something Chris and I really were passionate about, and thankfully we were able to find a little extra in our budget, because it was our favorite element of the wedding. Our band, put together by Fil Lorenz , exceeded all expectations. They provided a pianist for the ceremony, two-piece for the cocktail hour, and a full “little big band” for our reception, and our guests were raving the entire night about how amazing they were. We had a combination of jazz, blues, and a little funk that kept everyone on the dance floor all night!

I have to mention the food as well – Il Fornaio, who runs all the events at the Sainte Claire, had the most delicious options for us! They even created special entrees for my mom, who is gluten intolerant, and our guests could choose between beef tenderloin, sea bass, rack of lamb, and mushroom crepes (they were all amazing at the tasting). They also served a peach Bellini sorbetto as an intermezzo, and it was such a big hit! Peach Bellinis are my signature drink, so needless to say, it was my favorite.

The biggest surprise hit of the night was the Giggle and Riot photo booth! It was an awesome way for our guests to get instant, high-quality images from the wedding, and for the next week they were busy sharing them via Facebook and e-mail talking about how much fun the event was. Some of Chris’s favorite photos are the ones he got with family friends and the groomsmen in the booth; they are priceless!

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meet

How did you two meet?

Chris and I met in 2005 at college in San Luis Obispo, and immediately fell into a whirl-wind best friendship! We adventured around the central coast, spending endless hours tide pooling and taking long drives in the gorgeous countryside in an attempt to get lost and end up somewhere new. After a year we gave in and became an “official” couple, and since then we’ve finished college together, supported each other through multiple jobs and moves, and have only ever grown closer.

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How did the engagement happen?

After seven years of dating, I wasn’t necessarily itching to get married, but it seemed like a natural next step. Chris, however, kept insisting that marriage was a social construct that didn’t apply to us; we were happy, stable, and neither of our parents were pressuring us. I put the idea aside for a while, thinking that maybe he’d come around, or we’d have a small elopement somewhere someday. Chris made a big deal out of his “secret” valentines day plans for 2013, but I brushed it aside; he had set up great surprises before for my birthday or our anniversary previously. It turns out he had made reservations at The Firehouse – a historic, Zagat rated restaurant in Old Sacramento with an incredible romantic ambiance and even more incredible food. We had an unforgettable meal, and walked the docks on the Sacramento River afterward like we had hundreds of times before. He pulled a ring out of his jacket pocket when I wasn’t looking, and I don’t think I fully believed him, because it took me a minute to say “yes, of course!” I shouldn’t be surprised after seven years, but he chose the most perfect ring without anyone’s help – it’s a gorgeous rose gold filigreed band with rows of diamonds leading to a beautiful peach sapphire in the center. It’s traditional and unique all at once!

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What was your favorite moment?

Overall the wedding was a huge love fest of all our family and friends who have supported and cared for us for years, and it was bucketloads of fun. We danced, we schmoozed, we talked with friends we hadn’t seen in far too long, and it was perfect and magical. I’ll be reliving the best day ever with Chris for years to come.

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Vendors: Photography: Milou + Olin // Coordinator: Yelena Johnson of The Stylish Soiree // Venue: The Sainte Claire Hotel // Florist: Linnea of Asiel Design // Makeup + Hair: Nicole Nguyen of Blush SF // Linens: La Tavola Linens // Cake + Desserts: Sweet Tooth Confections // Band: Fil Lorenz Orchestra // Catering: Il Fornaio // Photo Booth: Giggle and Riot // Dress and Belt: Lazaro, via Mon Amie bridal salon // Veil: Bridal Galleria San Francisco // Shoes: Valentino // Earrings: Haute Bridal Couture // Rentals: Classic Party Rentals and A Party Place // Tuxedo Rentals: Men’s Wearhouse // Rings (both): Shane Co. // Groom’s Bowtie: Brackish // Save the Dates: Minted // Invitations: The Aerialist Press // LOVE sign: DIY (bride’s parents did it!)

Shop the Wedding Details: Chris’s Bow Tie // Morgan’s Shoes // Morgan’s Earrings // Polka Dot Straws // Kate Spade Place Cards // Kate Spade Bottle Stopper // Gold animal sculptures // Ceramic Owl Canister // Bridesmaid Earrings // Turquoise Pillar Candleholder // Turquoise Gallery Frames // Marquee Letters

Our story began three years ago, when we had the idea to reinvent the ring box. Taking inspiration from the petite boxes of the early 1900’s, we set out to bring back an heirloom that had fallen to the wayside. Inspired by the unique personalities and tastes of the brides whose stories and weddings we share on a daily basis, we created our first collection in a rainbow of colors from vintage French velvet, sourced from mills that are no longer in existence! For this reason, each color is a limited edition piece! This project involved months and months of research, and even more months of development! We are so beyond excited that we are finally ready to tell you all about it! We’ll be starting pre-sale orders in just a few weeks, so if you want to nab one, be sure to head over to TheMrsBox.com to sign up for our newsletter where we’ll let you know when you can order your very own. Follow us on twitter or instagram @the_mrs_box to keep up with our journey! And just you wait…many more photos to come!

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Images by Jose Villa with Joel Serrato featuring rings from Trumpet and Horn with styling by Type A Society