Inn at Palmetto Bluff

Taking a break this week to catch up on some projects that need lots of attention, so we will leave you with pictures from one of our favorite weddings at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina. We love the ceremony options- either a sweet white chapel by the riverside or the village square surrounded by towering oak trees. See more pictures here.

{photos from Palmetto Bluff}

Mark Staff Photography has several beautiful slideshows from Palmetto Bluff weddings on his website, but this one really stole our attention- yes, that is Reese Witherspoon as a beautiful bridesmaid in yellow (top right photo, far left). And the cake looks inspired by Martha's dogwood cake! See more pictures from the wedding here and here.


{photos from Mark Staff Photography}

Low Country Weddings

{photo from Brides}

We've had several requests for more destination ideas, so Faye researched two amazing plantations near Charleston, South Carolina for a low country wedding. We love the idea of having outdoor weddings under grand oak trees, access to the beach or lakes plus city amenities, and Charleston offers at least two historical plantations that meet all three ideals.

Drayton Hall Plantation

{photo from Brides}
Drayton Hall Plantation has the rich feel of southern history, having been built in the 1730s. The double storied balconies and white columns look over streets with horse-drawn carriages where the drivers still wear suits and top hats. The towering oak tree in back is situated next to a pond and looks ideal for a late afternoon wedding.

Boone Hall Plantation

{photo from flickr}
Another historic farm perfect for outdoor weddings is Boone Hall Plantation. With its oak-lined avenue leading to the property, even the entrance says southern hospitality. There is an open-air dock house to enjoy the sun setting. Cocktails can be enjoyed on the dock or inside and include their signature drink: “amaretto sunsets.” For any fans of "The Notebook", this is the house that acted as the summer house for Allie and her family; she and Noah broke up right in this driveway. Inside Weddings also featured a wedding at Boone Hall, view the slideshow here.

Surf & Sand Inspired Weddings

We are getting ready for vacation ourselves, but it seems like everyone else we know is already at the beach! Here are our favorite beach wedding details:

Cakes (find more of our favorites by The Cake Girls and April Reed here, browse our favorite Lovin Sullivan cakes here)

{(L) coral cake from Martha Stewart Weddings, (M) Asian-inspired wave cake from Martha Stewart Weddings; (R) starfish cake by The Cake Girls}

Paper- We love the combination of cork and sea glass by Two Paperdolls. The sea glass could also be used to prop up escort cards. (More sea-inspired paper products here)

{all photos from Two Paperdolls}

Boutonnières (more choices here)

{all photos from Brides; clockwise, L to R: seashell, yellow freesia, hot pink calla lily, hydrangea and orchid with sea glass beads}

Luggage Tags

With more and more couples choosing to throw destination weddings, travel seems to be becoming a theme in itself. Personalized luggage tags are great favors that can double as place cards and napkin rings, and they are a sweet touch for any traveling guest.

{clockwise, L to R: silver luggage tag on Brides; Tepper Jackson leather luggage tag on Brides;
place cards on Brides; boat luggage tag on Brides}

Martha Stewart also featured these vintage print clip-art luggage tags (left). In Martha Stewart Weddings, traveling place cards (right) were made using paris street map gift wrap by Cavallini, but you could pick any gift wrap that matches your own colors.

{photos from Martha Stewart}

Beaulieu Gardens

If we had planned this wedding even remotely close to the West Coast, we would have been seriously tempted to have it at the Beaulieu Gardens in Rutherford, California; a private estate at Beaulieu Vineyards in Napa Valley. All the wedding pictures we have seen from Beaulieu make it look like 'The Secret Garden': imagine a reception dinner with a natural arbor in full bloom overhead and taking a stroll through the vineyard in your wedding gown. The venue can only be booked through Elaine Bell Catering.


{photos from Brides}


{photos from Brides}

Chelsea Lembi-Muraswki, otherwise known as The Charming Gardener, also held her wedding at Beaulieu Gardens. I love how, even though they all chose the same location, each wedding has such a different feel- but what they share is the same stunning and naturally beautiful surroundings.

Las Alamandas: Paradise Found

My fiance has always wanted to stay at Las Alamandas, on the Costalegre coast in Mexico. It is a six-villa hideaway, accommodating a maximum of 30 guests, tucked into Isabel Goldsmith's 1,500-acre private property of pristine beaches and tropical gardens. The resort even features its own runway for small aircraft! The rooms are all cheerfully decorated with Mexican folk-art with pops of turquoise, yellow, and pink. Kelly Wearstler, the well-known interior designer, recently chose the resort for her birthday celebration last year, and they are also a choice spot for luxurious destination weddings.

Their photo gallery is filled with many more stunning pictures of the resort and the view. And if you want to enjoy Las Alamandas' view of the Pacific Ocean while working out, check out Self's Bikini Ready Fast workout DVD- I just bought this and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was filmed on location at the resort, although you only see the beach and ocean on the DVD. I can't say the DVD is too great other than the view though- I'll be posting my favorite workout DVDs next week so check back!

{photos from Las Alamandas}

The Greyfield Inn

Yesterday I mentioned one of my friends who is trying to decide on a destination for her upcoming wedding, and since I wanted to help, I have searched all over the contiguous United States and Mexico for wedding venues! In the process, I have stumbled across so many amazing places not just for weddings but also to visit, so I thought I would start sharing these beautiful destinations.

One that I am seriously in love with at the moment is The Greyfield Inn, located on Georgia's largest and southernmost coastal island, Cumberland Island. If it sounds familiar to you, it is because this was the remote location chosen by the late Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy, Jr. for their very private wedding. Cumberland Island is known for its pristine beaches and lack of development, allowing deer, wild turkeys, horses, and otters to roam freely.

The Greyfield Inn is the only hotel on the island, originally built in 1900 by Thomas & Lucy Carnegie for their daughter. Alarmed by the developments on neighboring islands in the early 1960's (like Hilton Head), Carnegie heirs donated most of the property to the National Park Service. However, the granddaughter of Thomas & Lucy Carnegie kept Greyfield, converting it into an inn in 1962.

Read more about Cumberland Island in this New York Times Travel article, Cumberland's Peaceable Kingdom. Look how peaceful- I can just picture myself sitting on the front porch swing with a good book and an iced tea, watching wild horses graze. Now all I have to do is convince my fiance to take me there!

{photos from Flickr}

Mexican Paper Flowers

In the June/July issue of Domino, Laura Cramer lists Mexican paper flowers as one of her "10 things that make me happy" and we would add them to our own top 10 lists as well!

{Top: (L) photo from National Park Service, (R) photo from Flickr}

If you are having a destination wedding in Mexico (or if you are lucky enough to be invited to one), this save-the-date by Bird & Banner comes with directions on how to create your own flower using the contents of the invitation!

{photos from Bird & Banner}

Interface Lift

Anyone who sees me working on my computer comments on my wallpapers, and I get them all from Interface Lift. It is a website where people from around the world, both amateur and professional photographers, upload their pictures that you can download for free in any size- widescreen, thumbnail, whatever you need. When I feel like I need a change of scenery in my sad little office with no windows, I browse the most downloaded and the highest rated wallpapers. For a little escape, these are in my current rotation:

{Top: (L) Estontown in the Netherlands, (R) Truk Lagoon, Micronesia;
Bottom: (L) White Houses in Santorini, Greece, (R) St. Maarten Caribbean Harbor}

Destination Weddings

One of my friends is contemplating a destination wedding, but she has no idea where! So while trying to help, I stumbled upon this simple letterpress destination wedding invitation from A Day in May:

{image from A Day in May}

What I like about this invitations is that you can customize it just by changing the stamp design and for $100 they will design a new stamp for your wedding locale. This is a great way to get a customized letterpress invitation without paying the custom price! Here are all the existing destination designs:

{images from A Day in May}

Hopefully you will have nailed down the location before looking at these- I want to go to all of these places now!