{Photo credit:  Michael Howard Photography}

Have a great Halloween and a wonderful rest of the weekend!  xoxo

The super talented Tara Mauldin has shared yet another gorgeous wedding!  Jen + Adam were married at the charming Victorian Crow’s Nest in Monroe, NC.  It proved to be the perfect, tucked away retreat for their intimate wedding with the ceremony taking place beneath the gazebo in the property’s garden.  I love that they kept the bridal party super streamlined – one maid of honor and one groomsmen, THAT’S IT!  Jen’s gorgeous gown is the Kyle style from Priscilla of Boston’s Vineyard Collection.

Adam’s family is from England and many, including his mom and sister made the trip over the pond to attend the big day.  As is customary for ladies at weddings, they both donned TO DIE FOR hats.  Seriously…why aren’t we (Americans) doing this?  There aren’t enough good reasons in life to wear a fabulous hat (Derby parties, Easter…?? I can’t think of any more!)

So simple and elegant, I love it!  Thank you Tara for sharing yet another wonderful event with White Thread.  And of course, thank you to the newlyweds for letting us share in your special day.

A gorgeous wedding on Style Me Pretty yesterday turned me on to the truly fabulous Etsy designer Sarah Seven.  As much as I love the grandeur of bridal fashion week and all the hoopla that comes along with it, you have to marvel at the amazing world we now live in where an unknown but incredibly talented designer can get her work out to the world.

Sarah’s designs have a raw and unfinished look to them.  I love the slim silhouettes and raw, unfinished look.  If you’re still on the hunt for your dress and looking for something a bit less conventional or just don’t want to deal with the bridal boutique experience, definitely check out Sarah.  But give yourself plenty of time.  Word is she’s super busy (not surprising, look at these dresses!) And no I don’t know Sarah or have anything to do with her company…but I know a hot dress when I see one!

p.s. Great photography and styling too!  Love it.

One of the best things about writing this blog is getting to meet so many incredible Carolina artists and vendors that I completely admire.  These folks toil away in the shadows to make your wedding dreams come true and every once in a while I like to shine a light on their amazing talents.

Recently I sat down with Mari Palmer of Bel Canto Designs.  Mari has been designing vintage (no, no… like really vintage), one of kind jewelry for a while now.  One look is sure to make every bling-loving bride’s heart flutter.

Besides being obviously incredibly talented, Mari is a warm, fun loving lady who I could probably talk to for 4 hours before ever even looking up.  She got started in jewelry design when she needed to finance her then teenage daughter’s school trip.  The pair got together and started creating earrings.  One craft show later and a side business was born!

Year’s later she found herself admiring beautiful, vintage rhinestone pieces at a flea market and decided to try her hand at bringing some of these beauties back to life in some new and improved designs.  This is up-cycling at its very best.  Not only is her beautiful craft totally eco-friendly, the result is a truly one of a kind piece fit for the monumental life occasion of a wedding.

While we spoke, Mari broke out her inventory of gorgeous pieces that she’s collected over the years and seriously, the sight left me speechless!  Each lovely is just waiting for Mari’s able touch to breath new life into it.  Her favorite part of her Bel Canto designs? Working one-on-one with bride’s via her Etsy store to customize pieces that are perfect for their day. What an absolutely amazing heirloom.

If you’re still on the hunt for the perfect wedding day accessories, you MUST get over to Mari’s Etsy store.  Stunning, one of a kind, heirloom-quality, eco-friendly AND reasonably priced, all from a genuinely nice person.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Today we’re featuring the first installment in a series with the fab Martha Manning.  We’ve heard from Martha on the countless reasons to love the Carolina Inn. Now Martha is back sharing a few images from the gorgeous wedding of Sarah + Andrew.

Having met as students at UNC, they knew a Carolina wedding would be just the trick to get all their friends and family back together in a location that is near and dear to their hearts.  The stunning flowers are by Fresh Affairs and that incredible cake is by Art of Cake.

Martha will be back soon with her next Top Six installment. Thanks Martha!