Memorial Day

I'm all about red, white and blue this weekend.

Love this cake.

{ Bride.Net }

Love this kiss.

{ Wedding Channel }

Love the troops.

 { Sky News }

Don't forget to thank them this Memorial Day. Enjoy the weekend!

As American as Apple Pie

It's almost Memorial Day, the official start of summer. Friends and family will soon be in route to the Cape for this kick-start weekend... beach, Figawi, drinks on the deck, cookouts are all in the works. Maybe a wedding crashing or two.  Should be good times.

In honor of this patriotic holiday, a little piece of Americana in the form of apple pie. (Or cherry, strawberry, lemon meringue, really, whatever kind of pie. Pie is good.)

{ Martha loves pie. }

You can serve pie at a wedding. It's very cute, and very handi-crafty, but in a good way.

{ See, Martha really loves pie. }

Pie doesn't need to be 'haute'. It's just pie. Simple, plain, American pie.

{ Project Pie... err... Project Wedding }

Serve them up individually.
Please note: I have a particular love of cute little flags sticking out of food.

{ Wedding Obsessions }

These Centerville Pie Company pies are made right here on Cape Cod. Oprah loves 'em.  You will, too.

{ Bello Photography for Desiree Spinner Events via Style Me Pretty. }

Happy Almost Weekend!

Dog Days

I'm melting. And it's only May. If it's this hot now, what will it be like in the true Dog Days of Summer?

But despite it being too early - way too early in my opinion - we'll have a Dog Day:

{ Wedding Course }

{ Patricia Lyons via Style Me Pretty }

{ Love his collar boutonniere. From The Knot. }

{ Martha loves dogs, too }

{ Dog wedding cakes from Tiny Water Photography via Wedding Chicks }

{ My dog. He wanted to be famous. }

And probably the most famous 'dog' seen on Cape Cod:

 { Ubiquitous sweatshirt from The Black Dog Tavern }

Make a Splash

With super-cute mermaid prints from Cape Cod artist Kathy O'Neil:

Send the most charming thank you cards. Or use as a guest 'book' by having guests sign the mat of a larger print.  

Renting a Private Home for Your Cape Cod Wedding

It seems so easy. Rent a house for the weekend and set up a tent for your wedding. A private beach for the ceremony, a nice big lawn for the reception. There must be hundreds of places on the Cape to do this....Right?

Wrong. 

People who own waterfront property on Cape Cod are fiercely protective of it. The houses are often old family homes, or were terribly expensive to purchase, and huge money is involved in their upkeep. Beaches are fragile. Lawns get damaged by trucks, tents, catering equipment, and 150 people trampling around celebrating a wedding.

And if for some reason someone doesn't mind the idea of 150 people gettin' jiggy in their backyard, the neighbors might mind very much.

Alas, a few of these elusive spots exist. They usually permit only a handful of weddings a year - a few in May/June, and a few in September/October.  At nearly all the houses you must set up a tent, provide portable restrooms, make transportation or parking arrangements, hire a caterer. And the pricetag for one of these places is in the high four figures, or more.

But make no mistake, these are truly the premiere venues of Cape Cod with their incomparable beauty, stunning views and the opportunity to create something incredibly personable and reflective of everything you love about the Cape.

So how to find this Private Home Available To Rent That Allows Weddings, which isn't advertised, is seemingly impossible to track down on the Internet, has becomes a long series of phone calls and following up on rumors: "I think I heard of this house in Chatham, maybe it was Brewster,  that sometimes allows weddings..."?

Some select caterers and wedding planners maintain inventories of these private homes.  Need more help? Email us and we'll point you in the right direction.

{ Private home in Orleans, via Grazier Photography }

{ Private home in Chatham, via Erin Curran Photography }

{ Private home in Chatham, via Sand Dollar Ceremonies }

You've Been Framed

I'm loving the idea of using frames as part of wedding decor:

Chic (and cheap) centerpiece:

 { The Knot }

Display escort cards:

 

{ Dog N' Bird Artful Wedding } 

For a Cape Cod wedding, I think I'd fill the frames with sand:

{ JL Designs }

Like this:

{ Kiley Walker }

Photo booth prop:

{ Vero Suh via Style Me Pretty }

Exhibit photo booth Polaroids:

{ Wedding Obsessions }

Inspiration: Cape Cod Clambake Wedding

Gettin' naughty with nautical for a clambake-style reception. Who doesn't want some lobster, steamers and beer on this beautiful summery day?

{ Clockwise from top left, Nautical flag cake from Martha Stewart, Sperry Tents at Nauticus Marina from Bello Photography, Bridesmaid dresses from Stacey Kane, Boat bucket of beer from Pottery Barn, Tablesetting from The Casual Gourmet,  Thank you! from Imprintables, Invitation from The Knot, Beer coasters from Seacrets, and Bouquets from The Knot. 

In the middle: Lobsters from Merge Weddings. }

Dreamy.

J'Adore.

{ Cape Cod wedding at the Overbrook House by Lisa Rigby. }

Tuesday Shoesday

Across the internet, Tuesday is celebrated as Tuesday Shoesday. Here's my contribution to this fine tradition.

Please note: Cape Cod Wedding = Sandals. 

Stiletto heals make absolutely no sense on the beach.

Pearls are a classically timeless choice. Even on your feet. 

{ Beverly Feldman's Dubai sandal. }

Pretty in pink. How cute would these look with a navy bridesmaid's dress?

{ Stuart Weitzman Labamba }

Simple. Lovely.

{ Who else does simple loveliness? Lilly Pulitzer. }

They are silver. They look like knots. They are nautical. 

They are perfection.

{ Kate Spade. Practically perfect in every way. }

Oh my. These are the Pièce de résistance. 

{ Valentino }

Happy Tuesday Shoesday! 

You're a rock star

Call me a minimalist, but there's something very appealing about river rocks as wedding decor.

{ Centerpieces by Martha; table numbers by Moira Events & Design via Project Wedding: 

escort cards via The Knot; aisle decor via Project Wedding }

My First Love

I'm not sure how old this picture is. It's from good ole' Martha Stewart, and I love it. I get lost in the candlelight, the white-on-white linens, the canopy of leaves, and those lanterns.

I think it's this image that made me truly, madly, deeply fall in love with weddings. 

P.S.: So I did a little digging found the original MS Weddings issue. Fall 1999. It's been a long love affair.

The Ikea Wedding

Brides on a budget, rejoice.
Chic centerpieces from IKEA:

{ IKEA Sweden via The Sweetest Occasion }

{ Above two from The Knot }

{ These are all from And Unlimited Photography. The whole wedding is wicked awesome. 

It's my nautical wedding heaven. }

Those little white buggers are only $1.99. Can you hear my joy?

Cape Cod Wedding Venue: Heritage Museums & Gardens

Perhaps it's all the gardening I've been doing, but I've been spending some time thinking about a Cape Cod garden wedding. There's a few bucolic garden spots on Cape Cod that make pretty places for a wedding, but none are as dynamic as Heritage Museums & Gardens.

The museum is actually comprised of a handful of museums situated on more than 100 acres of gardens. They have spaces for indoor receptions, most notably a four-story Shaker round barn that houses an impressive antique automobile collection, and an art museum with one of the country's oldest working carousels. There's a windmill. There's a pond. And then there's the gardens. Award-winning, lush, verdant, vibrant gardens.

Find your favorite nook for your ceremony or tented reception.

{ Both above from The Casual Gourmet }

This is the pimp ride you get as the bride to drive around the property. 

Yeah, it's a Bentley golf cart.

In the background you can see some of the world-famous
Dexter Rhododendrons

The lawn in front of the Shaker Round Barn. Perfect for cocktails before moving inside for dinner.

{ above three photos from bride Sarah McCracken via Flickr  }

Wedding a Deux

There's a day during the process of planning a wedding that you'll want to chuck it all and elope.
If eloping looks like this, I'm in.

{ Kate Webber via Style Me Pretty }

Happy Monday, y'all.

Happy Mother's Day

To all the Mothers of the Bride and Brides Who Are Mothers and Mothers Everywhere:
Happy Mother's Day! (Belated... sorry... life was complicated for a minute there.)

{ Marcin Rusinowski for Dog N' Bird }

Too Much Tequila?

Hangover Helper Kits.

{ Tommy Hilfiger via ELLE Gift Guide 2009 }

{ Swanky Stylings }

{ Wedding Obsessions Blog }