You might recall a few weeks ago I posted about an event I was taking part in called Bubbles & Bling.  It turned out to be a super fun, intimate evening with some great area vendors, brides-to-be,  yummy champagne at Solas and to die for bridal fashion from TreBella Bridal.  I was flattered to be asked to style the private dining room at Solas into a chic, modern rehearsal dinner space.  Thanks to the fab Martha Manning, the whole thing was captured to share with you today.

The evening started out on Solas’ new, retractable roof covered deck (so awesome…now you can have cocktails up there all winter long!)  Some of TreBella’s new dresses were on full display as the models weaved their way in and out of the roof top cabanas.  I loved this set up.  It let you get right up close to the dresses and even touch them if you wanted.  So much better than looking longingly from afar like at most fashion shows.

After some yummy champagne cocktails and dress gawking, the party moved downstairs where Bailey’s Jewelry had a gorgeous display of bling for everyone to “oooo” and “aaaah” over.  Cinda’s Creative Cakes provided an equally bejeweled and delicious cake.  A few more models floated through the party, even stopping for a minute to pose in the rehearsal dinner space your’s truly pulled together for the event.

In keeping with the very modern aesthetic of the space, I really wanted the room be pretty, not overly “done” and utilizing as much of Solas’ existing inventory as possible.  Anyone can design an over the top space using all rented pieces but since the goal of the event was to display the space to brides-to-be as a chic alternative for your private dining events, I wanted to use as much of what they already had on hand as possible.  Two long 12′ tables provided seating for 24 guests with plenty of room left over for a loungey seating area.  You could easily nix this area in exchange for more tables if your party required more seating. To work with the existing black, white and red colors in the room, I decided to make jewel toned purple my main inspiration.  Simple white satin linens, crystal beaded chargers and purple napkins were all provided by CE Rentals.  I love the pop of color that the purple napkins give the table. Everything else was provided by Solas and available for use at any event you host there.

I collaborated with TreBella Flowers on the floral elements of the table design.  Simple white and purple orbs of the ever budget friendly carnation look modern and chic in this setting, adding just the right amount of texture.  I added a bit more “bling” with some crystal-encrusted tea light and candle holders throughout.

This was such a fun event!  A huge thank you to the folks at Solas for letting me get involved and to the lovely ladies at TreBella for pulling me into the mix.  I loved meeting so many brides-to-be and hearing first hand what they’re looking for, what challenges they’re running into, etc.  Writing the blog is great but actually talking to you ladies is 100x better!

And of course, this whole post wouldn’t exist without the phenomenal work of Martha Manning.  Not only is she super talented but she’s honestly so stinkin’ nice, it hurts.  If you are still on the hunt for a photographer or have just recently gotten engaged, do yourself a favor and call Martha.  I promise you will not be disappointed.

An intimate wedding at a historic bed & breakfast nestled high in the Appalachian Mountains…um, sounds just about perfect to me!  Today’s couple was lucky enough to have this exact wedding, hosted at the Mast Farm Inn, a historic mountain farm turned quaint bed & breakfast.  It proved to be the perfect spot for their destination affair, surrounded only by their closest friends and family, just how they wanted it.  Captured in all it’s gorgeousness by Jade McCully, it’s hard for me to pick a favorite shot.  But if I had to choose, I think it might be the  long black and white with the couple at the alter in the incredible, 1 room St. John the Baptist Chapel.

I love the expression on Mandy’s face in this photo as she approaches the alter and her almost-hubby!  It’s equal parts excited, giddy & nervous.  So pure, I love it.!

So much love in these images, it’s amazing!  Thank you so much Jade for sharing these with White Thread!  See more of Jade’s work on her site and blog including Matt & Mandy’s recent reception at Ford Plantation where the hosted a larger group.  And of course, congrats to the happy newlyweds!

You already know White Thread is all about celebrating the incredible weddings that take place throughout the Carolinas AND the uber-talented vendors that make those events possible.  Which is why I was so excited to see the fantastic duo of Millie Holloman Photography and event designers extraordinaire Salt Harbor Designs featured in a drop dead GORGEOUS series of posts on Style Me Pretty yesterday.  I mean seriously, take a look at these images and try not to swoon…not possible, I swear.

This was part of Style Me Pretty’s new Inspiration to Reality series and I am SO happy that some fantastic Carolina vendors get to show their stuff on a national stage.  Maybe I’m biased, but this is definitely my favorite resulting “reality” yet.

Ladies, you outdid yourselves on this one!  There is so much eye candy here, I can’t stand it.  Get over to Style Me Pretty for the full series of posts, including many more pictures and a full listing of the awesome vendors that made this shoot possible.

If you are font freak like me, you have no doubt already heard of Jessica Hische. Her work is so pretty, I find something new and inspirational every time I look at her site. Her whimsical design aesthetic has a vintage quality too it that I haven’t seen elsewhere. In addition to corporate identity projects, Jessica does some incredible hand lettering work and has even recently released her first font, Buttermilk.  I am happy to say I own this font and probably use it WAY more than I should…maybe I should post some of my invitation designs I’ve been playing with using it?

otice anything fabulous about this post?  Jessica’s latest venture is a fun blog called Daily Drop Cap where she shares a unique, hand-crafted decorative initial cap for all our viewing (and blogging!) pleasures.  Seriously, how pretty are these?  I’m sitting here trying to think up sentences that start with J just so I can use the insanely beautiful one below!

Don’t you love them?  If you have a blog, give yourself and your readers a little treat this week by working one of these into a post (leave a comment on this post with a link if you do!) I love to see these babies in action.