Uber Romantic Real Wedding: Rona & Brian

I had the pleasure of working on this sweet wedding for Rona & Brian in the fall. It was held at the gorgeous and intimate Royal Palms Resort in Phoenix.

The fall harvest colors and fruits make this wedding a simple stunner. And nothing brings emotions to the surface like a bag piper leading a bride and her father, dressed in Scottish kilt, down the aisle. Teary!

Beautiful photography provided by Jeff & Rena Colling of Colling Photography (who shot my own wedding 12 years ago!) Ivy at The Garage By Ivy created the most perfect flowers - truly unbelievable. And Rene Showalter with Celebrations In Paper designed the sparkly, elegant paper suite.

Rona & Brian - thanks so much for allowing me to be part of this truly special day.


Oh Badgley, you do know how to make my heart stop with your pretty, pretty shoes...

The most perfect Fall bridal bouquet. Ever.

The gorgeous bride waiting to get a first glimpse of her groom...

She spots him...


These next 3 photos make me just bawl like a baby. Brian is moved to tears to see his radiant bride...


Oh my. It doesn't get more romantic...






Can you imagine a more beautiful color combination of flowers?




I simply adore this shot. The contrast of the Father's kilt attire and the bride's feminine toes. Precious.

A peek inside the salon where the party will start...

Brian is a pilot and Rona is a flight attendant, so they've traveled the world together. A subtle travel theme was a natural... the couple used vintage postcards from all the places they've been so guests could write them notes to be read on their first anniversary.



Love the use of pomegranates and pears in the centerpieces...




You don't need much more than fall leaves, fruit and berries to make a simple cake amazing. It also didn't hurt that the cake flavor was peanut butter chocolate-chip. A huge hit!



Dreamy, isn't it?

Anthropologie's BHLDN Review: From a Wedding Planner's Perspective

Today was the unveiling of the much-anticipated Anthropologie wedding line, "BHLDN," short for Beholden. I could just lead you to the link to check out the gorgeousness for yourselves, but I wanted to give you some perspective on the line, the prices, the everything - in the opinion of one wedding planner. Here is some food for thought... And just like your movies on DVD, I'll add my own little disclaimer that the opinions hereafter are those of mine alone and not all will share in them, but hey - get your own blog then. ;)

The BEST things about this line: the cover-ups (bolero jackets) and the wedding gowns and their prices. We'll get to the boleros in a minute, but first the lovely gowns. They're extremely unique and capture the essence of what we all love about Anthropologie... modern twist on vintage, feminine, different. Right now, the line only consists of 16 gowns -- not a large selection, but they do have a nice number of formal, vintage, and short dresses. The prices are, for the most part, very reasonable.
Here are my faves:
$3,600 Pleated Fantasy Dress


$1,800 Zinnia Dress

$2,400 Tulip Gown$1,000 Eyelet Medley Sheathe


Buying your wedding gown online has NEVER been recommended for many different reasons. However. I will say buying online from a trusted seller such as Anthropologie has its benefits. They have a 30-day return policy if you're unhappy for any reason; the gowns ship out (typically) within a WEEK - unheard of unless you buy off the rack, which may very well not be in your size. They give you a good fitting chart (ALWAYS get fitted by a professional seamstress to get your accurate measurements first.) Of course, you're still highly likely to need alterations of some sort. They also have online stylists available to answer questions and - the best part - they have video for every gown where you can see them on a live model and watch the material of the gown, the way it moves, and looks from every angle -- key to your happiness by setting your expectations.

Pitfalls - gowns look SO so so very different on various body types, complexions, etc. so it would be really hard to determine if they'll actually look good on you. However, you can always return. They've got good shipping rates too.

OK, on to the outstanding lineup of bolero jackets, which are very in right now. They're such a nice touch to add at your reception if it gets chilly. One of my sweet brides put hers on during the reception and said that she was married now and wanted to cover up for her new husband. So sweet.

Here are some faves:


Other things I like:

Pom-Pom ($25) and Festooned ($85) shoe clips (note the gold glitter shoes - fab!)


Sinuous Silk Bracelet ($290)


Voluminous Silk Headband ($130 )

Chantilly Romper (what bride doesn't want to wear a romper for her honeymoon night? :) ($390)

And probably my favorite item on the site is just this little number for $1,600.


Negatives? I would just say the lingerie is very expensive, and the jewelry is not all that great -- there are definitely some jaw-dropping pieces, but you'll pay for them - $450 - 700 for necklace is probably out of many brides' price range for one piece.

So what are your favorites from the line?