Four Years!! {The Bridal Party}

I'm going to keep the Amanda and Ilario Wedding Par-tay going for a little while longer :o)  Right now its some of my favorite photos of The Bridal Party then we'll finish it up tomorrow with some shots of just the two of us and The Reception!!

I love, love, love the photos of my sister and I - we have the middle one framed on our gallery wall in our home because I love it so much!

My hubby is so handsome and our fathers look just as dashing in the photo to the right.  We have the photo of the men walking down the street framed on our gallery wall as well - love it!

There was never any doubt that our photographer, Sticky, was going to be an amazing father after seeing these photos of him and our flower girl,  Hannah. . . also, no doubt Hannah is going to grow up to be a stunning beauty!

The corn field may have been a bit messy, but the results were well worth it!!  Love, love, love :o)

Four Years!!! {Getting Ready}

Can you believe it?!?!?!  Ilario and I have been married FOUR years today!!!  I couldn't be more blessed to have found such an amazing man to spend my life with!

And since reliving that very special day is one of my favorite things (EVER!), I'm going to spend today and tomorrow showing you all some of my favorite details.  Right now, it's all about the ladies (and a few of the handsome men) getting ready.  All photos by Brandy J Photography :o)

My bridesmaids, flower girls and mom spent the morning of October 27th getting ready at a salon in my hometown, which unfortunately is no longer open :o(  My dear friend and hair dresser, Jen, flew in from Charlotte to do my hair while my cousin Kristie and another stylist at the salon helped out with hair as well.  I also was lucky enough to have the talented Jordanne Clyde doing my makeup and an Arbonne specialist working on the rest of the ladies!

I adore the moments captured in these next few photos - my sister is obviously making fun of me while helping put on my jewelry (lol!!), I'm assisting my cousin's little girl, Alivia, put the finishing touches on her flower girl dress and then Alivia and our family friend, Hannah, twirling in their gowns - LOVE!!

The photo of my garter is a very special one - my grandmother, mom and aunts have all worn that garter on their wedding days!!  Jami even wore it earlier in this month :o)

Once again, a few more of my favorite moments - I was having a little fun while the ladies were fluffing my crinoline and then my mom making my brooch (which I purchased in Charleston - where we were engaged!) look just perfect.

Stay tuned for photos from our ceremony!!

Wedding Wednesday | Wedzu - indie & handmade weddings

I can not truly describe with words how excited I was when my brother-in-law sent me the link to the newly created Wedzu.

Wedzu, a newly launched marketplace for all things handmade - very similar to our love, Etsy, but Wedzu concentrates on the one thing all of us ladies are obsessed with: WEDDINGS! Wedzu has just made it so much easier to search for unique items for your big day by removing everything non-wedding - it's beautiful!! Wedzu Designers, like some of our Etsy favorites Paloma's Nest and Letterpress Light, offers products in the following categories: Accessories, Apparel, Bath + Beauty, Ceremony + Reception, Jewelry, Design + Calligraphy and Honeymoon.

Here are a few items that peaked my interest :o)

Custom Silhouette Cufflinks by Le Papier Studio - The perfect gift for your groom to wear on your big day!

Lilium Necktie by Ulterior Motive - A fun, colorful way to spice up your groom's attire.

Flourish Double Feather Flower, Style 014 by twigs & honey

Layer Cake Wedding Statement Necklace by Flora Bond - I just can't get enough of the beautiful materials in this necklace!

The Emma Custom Flower Girl Party Dress Set by PetalPetal

Garden Delight Set by Fritts Rosenow Bespoke Boutonnieres - I ADORE these!!! You must check out the rest of their amazing creations in their shop.

Bridesmaids' Clutches by CuteandUnique - These are gorgeous enough to send your ladies down the aisle with in place of bouquets -- bonus, they can be part of your bridal party gift to them!

Dirty Laundry Guest Book by Mélangerie Inc. - The kit even comes with a coordinating prompt label that encourages guests to write notes that is shaped to fit on a 50 fluid oz. Tide detergent bottle! Love it!!

State by Celebrity Tote Bag also by Mélangerie Inc. - I may have to order one of these for myself!

New York Pencil Set by Paper Pastries - These would perfect to stuff into the State by CelebrityTote Bag for a fun and unique Welcome Bag!

Bag Tote That No Newlywed Can Do Without by C'est Superbe!

Hopefully you'll soon see baci on Wedzu, too!!! Stay tuned :o)

Wedding Wednesday | Nordstrom Wedding Shop

Following the likes of J. Crew and White House|Black Market, Nordstrom has launched a Wedding Shop. I have always thought of Nordstrom as a go-to for special occasion dresses so this is a perfect fit for them! Obviously, I couldn't help but peruse through the goods to find my favorites for you all. . . a little bonus, everything I choose would go perfectly together for an actual wedding, so if you're looking for a little color and style inspiration, look no further!

Bride Attire + Accessories: Tadashi One Shoulder Rosette Chiffon Gown - $398, Nadri Tiered Chandelier Earrings - $138, Ficcare Swarovski Crystal Headband - $60, Lauren Jones 'Bonnie' Sandal - $119.95. . . an entire Bridal Look for under $800 is so awesome!!!

Not sure what shoes to buy with that dress or what shirt and tie goes with this suit? No worries, Nordstrom Wedding Shop offers Head-to-Toe Looks for Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Grooms, Dads and Moms! This was my favorite Groom Head-to-Toe Look: Joseph Abboud Three Button Suit and Nordstrom Smartcare Dress Shirt with Accessories - $49.50 to $695

Bridesmaids: Eliza J Rosette Details Strapless Taffeta Dress in Eggplant - Only $158 for a totally wear-again dress, Badgley Mischka 'Randi' Sandal in Black Satin - $215

Groomsmen: HUGO 'Aikonen' Two-button Suit in Light Grey - $795, Penny Black 40 'Baby Ruth' Cuff Links - $85, A great groomsmen gift for under $100!

You can't forget about the little ones: Nordstrom Two-piece Suit (Toddler and Little Boys) - $140 - $145, US Angels Taffeta Rosette Bubble Dress (Toddler, Little Girls and Big Girls) in Ivory - $128 - $132

Mother-of-the-Bride or Groom: Kay Unger Stretch Satin Sheath Dress in Champagne - $328

In love already? Well, there's more! Nordstrom Wedding Shop also offers Wedding Stylists that are available for Live Chat or in-store plus you get free shipping when you place your order with one of the Stylists. There are also Certified Bra Fitters, On-site Tailors as well as Beauty Services available from the Wedding Shop. And no need to worry about minute details like steaming your gown or tying the perfect tie - they'll take of that for you at your nearest Nordstrom store, too!

Wedding Wednesday | Carissa and Brian's Malibu Wedding

JL Designs is one of my absolute favorite floral and event design companies - so many of my inspiration boards seem to start with something fabulous created by them. I recently started following the JL Designs Blog and I came across founder Carissa Jones' Malibu wedding to her now-husband, Brian. I was floored - not only with the gorgeous flowers, but the colors, the cake, pretty much the everything. . . I had to create a board full of the images captured by Jasmine Star Photography.

For more photos from their splendid day, as well as a full list of vendors and plenty of details explained by Carissa, check out the full post.

Wedding Wednesday | Amanda & Ilario 10.27.07 {Defiance, Ohio}

Since yesterday was Ilario and I's Two Year Anniversary, I thought today would be the perfect Wedding Wednesday to share details from our big day with all of you! All images were captured by the amazing and talented Brandy J and Sticky of Brandy J Photography - since our wedding day we've become great friends with them. Brandy J and Sticky are not only talented photographers, they are truly great people!

The incredible Jordanne Clyde did my makeup that day - she's such a sweet and talented artist! I also personalized my wardrobe for the pre-ceremony preparations - you can get your own "Mrs." Hoodie at the Wedding Channel Store.

I designed all of our wedding stationery - below is a glimpse at our ceremony program. To see more of our stationery, check out the "amanda & ilario" page on baci's site.

My Touch Ups bridal shoes can be found at the Benjamin Walk Corporation - they were incredibly comfortable and affordable!

All wedding day flowers were ordered wholesale from FiftyFlowers.com. Two friends of the family and my mom assembled all of the bouquets, boutonnieres, altar decorations and centerpieces. My bouquet consisted of white tulips, white ranunculus, pearl-studded stephanotis and chocolate cosmos. The flowers were hand-tied with ivory ribbon and my late grandfather's rosary was gently placed in the bouquet. My silk shantung Watters gown was purchased and altered by the lovely ladies at Poffie Girls in Gastonia, North Carolina.

Our flower girls were absolute dolls - their dresses were purchased and altered at Bridal Village in Hicksville, Ohio near my hometown. The bridesmaids were asked to chose one of two styles of chocolate organza layered Watters gowns which were purchased online at NetBride.

I absolutely love this shot of our dads! On the right, my father is holding the ring bearer pillows, which were handmade by Ilario's sister.

The bridesmaid bouquets were made using white tulips, chocolate cosmos and peach roses.

Ilario and I during the "Ave, Maria" - my cousin Sophie brought everyone to tears with her beautiful voice.

Our adorable nephew, Grant! All tuxedos were rented at Men's Wearhouse.

Ilario and I heading out of the church as man and wife :) My floor length veil was hand stitched with our monogram at Poffie Girls - it was my absolute favorite piece I wore that day!

The whole bridal party in the cornfield across the street from the church - we had SO much fun!

A few hot, hot, hot creative portraits of us. . .

In downtown Defiance, the annual Halloween parade was about to commence so we stopped and took a few fun pictures in front of the fried cheese stand!

Ilario and I during our first dance. . . I love the glow of the lights and tulle strung from the ceiling.

We certainly didn't skimp on desserts on our wedding day - coming from two generations of women who bake for a living, it wasn't hard! My grandmother baked our cake and my full-of-talent mother decorated it, she also baked and assembled the "10.27.07" cupcakes. Our aunts and Ilario's mom each made a favorite cookie recipe to add to the dessert buffet.

Ilario's friend, Ashley, created our beautiful toasting flutes and gave them to us as an engagement present - they added a very special touch to our day.

Wedding Wednesday | An "Etsy-full" Wedding

I've been waiting to share this with all of you for a while and I just can't wait anymore!

Etsy's The Storque blog editor, Vanessa Bertozzi, and her now-husband, Mickey Duzyj, were married in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. This wedding was bound to be fabulous from the beginning with Vanessa's love for all things handmade and Mickey's background as a cartoonist and designer! I just can't get enough of all of the unique, meaningful and handmade details!!

Mickey designed the cartoon-strip invitation that detailed how he and Vanessa met and fell in love. I even featured this invite on WeddingAces (which has an awesome new format by the way - you should totally go check it out if you haven't already!) because I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

The Ukrainian folk art inspired paper fans doubled as ceremony programs and table-assignment cards - they were emblazoned with the wedding's theme "Romance in Rehoboth".

Vanessa used Esty's sleepingdogstudio's 1950's enamel beads to create a gorgeous hairpiece for herself and boutonnieres for the gentlemen to wear.

Etsy's MitMitt (family friend Jillian Luz) created the bridesmaids' jewelry out of semi-precious beads. I just can't enough of these beautiful colors!

Etsy vendor furkidfever designed a custom outfit for Vanessa's sister's cockapoo, Hugo. It actually matched Mickey's suit!

This is hands-down my favorite bridesmaid's dress ever - it's reversible!! Vanessa couldn't decide on a color for the bridesmaid dresses so the girls wore the bright yellow cotton side for the ceremony then headed up to the hayloft to switch to the satin navy blue side for the rest of the evening. These were custom made by Etsy's missbranche. The dresses were made extra fun and pouffy with detachable petticoats, also made by missbranche.

Vanessa's niece and flower girl, Sabina, wore a gorgeous little pinafore by Etsy's rubypearl, complete with a lace apron for flower petal holding!

Handmade buttons were scattered throughout the reception tables for guests to wear and take home as mementos. What a great personal touch!!

Don't like wedding cake (personally, it's my favorite part, but I grew up with a mom and a grandma who bake as a profession)? Vanessa and Mickey had a family friend make heart-shaped strawberry shortcake in lieu of a traditional wedding cake.

Check out more details from Vanessa and Mickey's big day here on The Storque, The Bride's Guide and Martha Stewart Weddings!

* Images by Dave Robbins Photography