updo uproar.

one: Michael Radford Photography | two: Nessa K Photography | three: The Graziers | four: John the Photographer | five: The Nichols

This weekend, I'm honored to be standing beside one of my beautiful cousins as she says "I do." Whenever I'm asked to be a bridesmaid, I always get a bit nervous--because of my hair. Do a quick Google search of "curly bridesmaid updos" and you'll be seriously frightened. It's where the butterfly clips and jewels of the early 2000s went to die. There are a few celebrities in the mix, but walking the red carpet is very different than walking down the aisle.

Growing up, no one at the hair salon knew how to tame my hair. I ended up with cornrows and a puffball of curls for my junior and senior proms. {I wish I was kidding.} In a few recent weddings, my hair has been so cemented to my head that I get a three-day headache. The only day I've ever really loved my curly updo was my wedding day. The difference there? It was my wedding day and he spent two hours constructing that perfect pile of curls.

As a bridesmaid, you're simply an auxiliary part of the day. While important, guests are really only focused on one thing: the bride. I'm really ok with that. {I've had my day in the sun!} My argument with curly updos is simply that I don't want to look embarrassing in photos. I don't wear my hair down because it inevitably would find its way up. I don't have those curls hanging in front of your eyes because I have weird flashbacks to eighth grade dances and butterfly clips. I simply want some loose curls which look elegant and not frizzy. Is that so much to ask?

For the wedding this weekend, I've decided they should simply blow out my hair and add some curls into the mix. Thankfully, my hair would happily hold whatever shape someone puts into it. I'm just going to pray for no rain {or snow!}. If you're a fellow curly girl, what directions do you give your stylist when you ask for an updo? Cross your fingers for no cornrows this weekend ;) xoxo {av}

lowcountry love.

Back when we got married in 2010, wedding blogs were just gaining steam. Though I'm jealous of current brides who have so many resources at the click of a mouse, I think I would get very overwhelmed with all the inspiration. When my bff {kj} asked me to be in her wedding next June {!!!}, I knew I had to wise up on weddings again. With her direction in the color department, I created a Pinterest board for her sure-to-be-gorgeous Lowcountry wedding! Here's a peek at what I've pulled together so far...

find them here: cake: source, taken by Erin Hearts Court | bouquet: source, taken by Austin Gros 
table: source, taken by Caroline Joy | place setting: source, taken by Katie Stoops | vases: source

I'm seriously loving the softness of her color palette...isn't it perfect for an early summer soirée??

{source: Grey Likes Weddings, taken by Lola Elise}

{kj} and her fiancé smartly hired a wedding planner, but I'm happy to do some fun research for her on the side. It will be fun to share bits and pieces of it with all of you too :) I am so so honored to stand beside her on her big day--and couldn't be more excited to see her wedding come together. Knowing this pair, it will be a picture-perfect Southern wedding. I'm counting down the days already! Love you, {kj}!

two years.

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you may have already seen this little clip, but I hope you'll indulge me in sharing it again...especially since today marks our second wedding anniversary!

Two years after Kate Headley {our photographer extraordinaire} shot this 8mm, I still find little parts which make me laugh/smile/cry--even after seeing it more times than I can count. The awkward still shot above? From the good ten minutes spent trying to figure out the buttons on my dress. The girls in the window? Those are two of my bridesmaids, spying on the first look {cv} and I had before the ceremony. The blue drinks? They were glasses of blue cotton-candy topped champagne before we discovered they turned our guests' teeth extremely blue. I could go on and on...but I'll spare you.

My favorite moment of the whole film occurs at 1:51--when {cv} does a little clap clap walking down the aisle. I didn't see it that day, but I am so glad I now have this moment etched in my mind for a lifetime. Here's to celebrating more of life's special moments with clap claps--and each other :) I love you, {cv}!

psst: we were honored to appear in Martha Stewart Weddings and Southern Living, so if you want to see more of our wedding--you can check them out there. {It has also been pretty surreal to happen on our wedding images on pinterest!} Endless love and thanks to our vendors friends: Kate Headley, Maria + Kelly at Ritzy Bee, Holly Chapple, Paper Moss, Design Cuisine, and the staff at Dumbarton House. Surround yourself with a fantastic team--and you'll have a dream wedding day like we did :) xo

burlap + lace.

Hello friends! Today, I'm pretending {cv} and I had another wedding to plan ;) I just adore the rustic elegance of the burlap and lace combination...it has sophistication and grace, without being stuffy.

{find the inspiration here: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10}

See you back here tomorrow for Friday's Fancies! I hope you have a wonderful Thursday! 

wedding bliss.

Though we've been married almost a year and a half, my obsession with gorgeous weddings continues. When I saw the blog crawl hosted this week by Love is Home and cornflake dreams, I realized it was my chance to profess my love for weddings among the vines. After our trip to Napa and Sonoma in May {see my recap posts here, here, and here}, it affirmed my adoration for gorgeous settings like the ones you see below. Since we've already tied the knot, a girl can dream for her girlfriends--right?

{images sources: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9}

I love the endless tables, the luscious light, the rows of vines, and most of all, the wine!
All in all, I really do think a winery would make a dreamy destination wedding spot.

Have you ever attended {or had!} a wedding at a vineyard? 
What's your dream destination wedding venue?

If you're a lover of weddings like me, link up with Joelle and Jillian this week :)
Get excited for the debut of a new feature tomorrow featuring one of everyone's favorite bloggers!
Enjoy your Tuesday! xoxo {av}

bold + beautiful.

On Monday, I promised photos from our weekend away--and I'm finally delivering! {cv} and I received an invite to the wedding of a close Georgetown friend, {cd}, and his bride, {vp}, in New Jersey. It was our first experience at an Indian wedding--and we enjoyed every minute! We made the trek down from Rhode Island on Friday night to make it to the Raas Garba, which can best be compared to their version of a rehearsal dinner. Follow along to see more of the photos from this vibrant wedding weekend...

I simply couldn't get enough of the bold and beautiful colors from the sarees which surrounded us
all weekend. We were so honored to be present for {cd} and {vp}'s big day and have the chance to experience their culture up close and personal :) It was simply magical to witness, especially since
their traditions are so different from our own! Everyone welcomed us with open arms and we even
picked up a few new dance moves along the way...

I was so entranced by everything around me that I didn't get any photos of us on Saturday. This is particularly sad because I had worn some fabulous dresses from Rent the Runway. The lone picture of me from Friday night does show me sporting a Mark & James by Badgley Mischka.  {You helped me pick earlier this summer in this post!} It was also my first time to try out their accessories line--and let's just say that I'll definitely be rocking some rental bling one day soon! I simply can't sing the praises of
Rent the Runway enough...

On another fun note, I'm super excited to be a part of {dm}'s girls who inspire series on
Breakfast at Toast! {dm} and I have become quite the bloggy friends while working to create the
sun savvy movement and I can't wait to meet her in real life one day! I can't thank {dm} enough
for including me in this fabulous circle of ladies :)

Have such a wonderful Thursday--I can't wait to see your back to school best tomorrow for Friday's Fancies! I'm getting what feels like the first day of school happy jitters just thinking about it ;) xoxo {av}

psst: stop by cornflake dreams to see another fabulous giveaway we're doing
at rendez-vous: new england! It's from one of my favorite bloggers, Sarah :)

au naturel.

One of the highlights of the 2011 awards season was Mila Kunis on the Oscars red carpet in Elie Saab. She played up the lacy details of the dress and rocked  the color lavender. This ensemble inspired my inspiration board for today...as did a few photos appearing recently on Style Me Pretty.

{source}

If I was planning a wedding again, this soft and natural purple+green color palette is one I would certainly explore. It's about as natural as natural can get {hello, lavender and herbs!}. One of the most redeeming qualities of this color combination? It works for at least five months out of the year in New England...from April all the away through August. So many of the "en vogue" combinations are super seasonal, but this combo is in a league of its own.

{sources: large cake - place cards - bouquet - boutonniere - purple glass - paper straws}

I appreciate the organic--or "au naturel" feel--of this color palette. I was big on using herbs in my own bridal bouquet and arrangements...the final product was super thoughtful and positively gorgeous. The natural feel took the purple+green combo from typical to absolutely unique. Many herbs have meanings too, so it makes for another interesting twist...rosemary, for example, is for remembrance. Since my grandmother, Rosemarie, passed almost 15 years before our wedding, I honored her by carrying rosemary in my bridal bouquet. It smelled wonderful and kept me smiling all day!

If you're planning an event, what color combination is catching your eye this season?

Can't wait for Friday's Fancies tomorrow! Maybe this post can help inspire your outfit--though there isn't an official theme this week! {Have an idea for a theme?! Email me!!} I can't wait to "feature" the winner of the most "likes" this week :) Have a wonderful Friday--and I'll see you all back for Friday's Fancies! xoxo {av}

P.S. A very happy birthday to my bloggie bestie + dear friend, {jd}! 

a city hall elopement.

 Happy Monday, everyone! I'm writing from quiet and cozy Cambria, a coastal town on beautiful US Highway 1. {cv} and I are enjoying weeklong roadtrip of California--and while I'm gone, I have four fabulous guest posts lined up. The first comes from La Petit Coquin, one of the first wedding bloggers I stumbled upon after I started this blog. Lena was kind enough to step in today--and I'm so glad she did! Her eye for beauty is spot-on and the wedding she chose to share is no exception.
Thank you Lena! Enjoy :) xoxo {av}

 ---

{av} emailed me a few weeks ago for my favorite California spots, and I immediately sent her back a list of about a million places to see and eat in the Bay Area. While {av} + {cv} are enjoying a well-deserved vacation--and all my recommendations, I'm sharing one of my very favorite places with you, San Francisco City Hall, and the very best thing to do there: elope!

Michelle and Mikhail were married at San Francisco's magnificent Beaux-Arts City Hall with just a single witness, the groom's brother, in attendance. Michelle wore a custom-made Erin Fetherston dress after seeing images from a recent runway show; she paired the perfectly sweet French silk tulle frock with Valentino peep toe pumps, a posy of red roses and a classic trench coat, perfect for foggy San Francisco.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds headed to the beach for photos. The shot of the bride up on the sea wall, the wind whipping at her full skirt, the slate gray sky behind her, might just be the most perfect shot of our little City by the Bay I've ever seen. 

I couldn't be more delighted to share this little gem with you, or thrilled that {av} asked me to guest post while she's away. I hope {av} + {cv} are having a divine time, and enjoying whatever weather our fair state throws at them!

{all photos by Anna Kuperberg - please do not reuse without permission}

extra helping of southern charm.

I hope you all had a great start to the week! As promised yesterday, here is an extra helping 

of southern charm to help you get through this Wednesday!

After the meet-up on Saturday morning, I roamed the city for a few hours solo...yes, solo. {cv} was slaving away back at the hotel and I decided to make the most of it. With my photography class under my belt, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out a few of my new skills. {You saw some of the pictures from that walk in my windowboxes post last Thursday!} At the suggestion of {jt}, I grabbed lunch at Fast & French {otherwise known as Gaulart & Maliclet}--satisfying an undying craving of mine in the form of a delicious croque monsieur.

I headed back to the hotel around three, with cupcakes in hand, to give {cv} a little celebratory boost before we gussied up for the wedding. I dragged my Nikon D5000 to the wedding--and I'm so happy I did! {lh} and {bh} got married in the stunning French Huguenot Church in downtown Charleston. Their celebration continued at the Old Rice Mill, just a short trolley ride from the church. 

Their venue exuded Southern charm from the first moment we arrived. {I sported my Rent The Runway dress and I couldn't have been happier with this Shoshanna rental! Though I'd never buy a pink dress, it was fun to sport one for a night!}

{lh} and {bh} threw a spectacular party, complete with a killer band, off-the-charts food stations, and two very tasty cakes. {lh} looked positively gorgeous! My favorite part of the night? Seeing {bh} so enthralled with his brand-new wife that he never took his eyes off of her! {cv} and I were so honored to be guests at such a fabulous celebration :)

Have you ever been to a wedding in Charleston? 

What are your favorite "southern" wedding touches?

Endless love to the {h}'s! You deserve a lifetime of happiness and we can't wait to see that come to fruition! Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! xoxo {av}


P.S. Yours truly will be making a trip to NYC for the Royal Wedding! {more on that next week!}

Over that weekend, I have lots of fun plans with my girlfriends, but one that involves a few new friends too! I'll be joining a few other lovely {actual NYC} bloggers in hosting a little New York City blogger meet-up!

If you're in the City that weekend and would like to join in the fun, send over your email RSVP! The meet-up will be on Sunday morning, May 1st--and we would love to put a face with your blog :) More details will be emailed to you before the event! YAY!

love love love.

{Alison and Chris from Kate Headley on Vimeo}
366 days ago, I became {av}. This is a little peek into that special day, as captured by the incomparable Kate Headley. Make sure your volume is on...the music should help make your Monday a little bit brighter!
I'll be back tomorrow :)Hope you enjoy! xoxo {av}
P.S. Want to see more of our wedding? Click here and here.