I think at this point my obsession love of shoes is pretty well documented.  But hot pink shoes hold a special place in my heart.  The vibrancy just makes me happy!  And the contrast of a shocking pair of pink heels poking out from under a white wedding dress is just perfection.  So putting this post together was both fun and absolute torture because I want all of them lined up in my closet like the perfect little pretties they are!

{Photo credits:  1st row:  Stuart Weitzman “Monroe“, Martinez Valero “Corrine“, 2nd row:  Martinez Valero “Brit“, Nina “Elk“, 3rd row:  Kate Spade “Clarice“, Pura Lopez “N601“, 4th row:  Stuart Weitzman “Jumbo“, Stuart Weitzman “Gigiritz“,  5th row:  Manolo Blahnik Jeweled D’orsay, Pura Lopez “P259“}

{Photo credits:  Betsey Johnson “Kanata“, Christian Louboutin “Galaxy“}

Seriously, those Louboutin heels are RIDICULOUS!  Must.Exert.Self.Control.  But you don’t have to!  Treat yourself to a pair of hot pink heels for an unmistakable splash of personality on your wedding day.

I came across Little Flowers by Odyssey a few years ago and their flower girl dresses remain some of my absolute favorites out there.  With the most adorable, modern dress designs and customization options galore, you really can’t go wrong. Custom matching jackets and boleros, silk flowers, sashes, hair bows…the list goes on and on!  But what I really can’t get over is the beautiful array of fabric colors they offer, especially the  CUTEST plaids, stripes and polka dots.

Seriously, how cute are these embroidered polka dot silk shantung options?  I love that they’re beautiful AND youthful.  I personally hate when flower girls end up looking like little mini brides.  They’re little girls after all!  Let’s let them look like little girls.

Sadly, there are no boutiques carrying Little Flowers anywhere in the Carolinas (boo!), BUT you can order dresses directly from the designer!  Feeling uncertain about sizing, fit and colors?  Little Flowers has a great dress loan program.  For a refundable deposit, they will ship you the style and size of your choice.  Don’t you love it?

p.s. They also carry a huge assortment of beautiful bridesmaids dresses, junior bridesmaids and now even bridal gowns!

Large, lavish, six-figure wedding celebrations are easy to fall in love with.  The designer dress, the lush, abundant flowers, the over the top lounge areas…we love to “oooooo” and “aaaah” over all of them (guilty as charged).  These weddings get all the glossy  magazine features and make their way around the blogosphere at lightening speed.

Which is exactly what makes today’s real wedding feature from Missy McLamb Photography so special.  It is pure, unadulterated, bare-bones LOVE, stripped of the unnecessary and focused instead on the quiet beauty of commitment between two people in love. It is the kind of wedding you don’t see on blogs…which is exactly why I wanted to feature it.  The bride and groom married in secret on a Friday afternoon at the courthouse in Asheville, NC.  They told no one but their two witnesses and Missy, who they contacted the week prior.

Missy’s ability to capture the beauty and emotion of the moment is just mind blowing to me.  I love that, despite a sudden elopement, M.C. and Eric sought out such a talented artist to document their union.

From Missy:

“Wedding photography doesn’t get much more pure than this. At the end of the day it really can be about two people who are ready to commit the rest of their lives together. To have had such a quiet ceremony documented on film by a photographer validates the relevance of photography within the greater context about the story of life itself.”

Thank you so much Missy for sharing this gorgeous piece of work with White Thread.  I never get tired of looking at these images!  See more of Missy’s work and that of her associates at Missy McLamb Photography including more from M.C. and Eric’s wedding.  And, of course, congratulations to M.C. and Eric!

The wedding guest book has occupied a place in traditional wedding etiquette for as long as anyone can remember.  In bygone years, every guest at a wedding was considered a witness, and their signature was required to demonstrate their approval of the marriage taking place.  Of course today the legal requirements of wedding witnesses have changed but the tradition of the guest book endures, now as a remembrance of the occasion.

I’m not  a fan of those stale looking, satin wrapped guest books.  Sure they serve the purpose of collecting your guests’ signatures but then what? It’s destined to end up in a shoe box at the back of your closet somewhere…something you can’t part with but don’t quite know what to do with.

For a modern alternative, consider a lovely hardcover coffee table book that showcases your wedding location.  Artistically laid out and often with minimal text, photography books offer amble space for guests to leave you and your sweetie messages and well-wishes. Provide guests with an array of Sharpies (hint: include a metallic option to allow for easy writing on pages with dark backgrounds).

A quick search of Amazon will turn up lots of options to consider.  Getting married in a smaller town?  The local library or historical society is a terrific resource for tracking down more obscure, but equally beautiful books.  And best of all, after the wedding you’ll be proud to display this personal memento in your newlywed nest.  A lovely alternative that most certainly WILL NOT end up at the back of your closet!

{Top row:  Outer Banks Edge: A Photographic Portfolio, Charleston: Then and Now}
{Middle row:  Blue Ridge Mountains: America’s First Frontier, Historic Photos of Winston-Salem}
{Bottom row:  Historic Wilmington and The Lower Cape Fear, A History of Hilton Head Island}

{Photo credit:  Kellie Kano Photography}

Starting your weekend off with a smile.  Have a great one!

xoxo