All Tied Up

This charming cake is dressed up in fondant that mimics the look of vintage floral fabrics; wouldn't it be a darling way to use the fabric of your bridesmaids' dresses or your tablecloths in an unexpected place? I love the idea of incorporating your favorite details and prints everywhere, including your wedding cake!

Photo c/o Martha Stewart Weddings.

Classic

Absolutely smitten with this charming photo by Duston Todd. I love the bride's classic red lipstick and pearls, and the glass-bottled Coca Colas herald the beginning of my favorite time of year!

How are your Christmas plans coming along, darling readers? John and I have flights booked all over the country to see our families, and I'm just waiting for my very last gifts to arrive!

Real Wedding: Nadia and Eli

What do you get when an Etsy programmer and a brilliant blogger decide to tie the knot? In the case of Nadia and Eli, it's an absolutely stunning fall wedding!

This gorgeous couple were married at Bronx's Wave Hill garden in a traditional Jewish ceremony that they carefully tailored to serve as a public expression of their pairing, officiated by Rabbi Andy Bachman. Save the dates by Hello!Lucky and invitations by Ceci New York set the for this beautiful autumn celebration. Nadia walked down the aisle in a Vera Wang gown she said she "felt like herself in" and a classic pair of Kate Spade pumps. The groom wore a custom suit made by Alton Lane, which he was delighted to discover was measured with futuristic lasers (lasers!) and fit like a glove. Bridesmaids were dressed in charming chambray dresses and necklaces made by the bride, with each of their birthstones wrapped into the back clasp.

Other amazing DIY projects at this fall fête? The wooden ring box was made by the bride's brother, who even sewed the tiny pillow nestled inside, the chuppah included 64 sunrays, inspired by their song, "When I'm 64" and was made by the bride's mother, and Eli serenaded his bride, backed by the band and his college a cappella group (a man after my own heart!). The talented pair also designed their own wedding website, which included a virtual RSVP and voice message mailbox.

After their intimate ceremony, guests were greeted by possibly my favorite wedding detail ever-a stunning mailbox quintet that held personal notes for each guest. This wasn't the only magic florist Barb Salzman of Hatch Creative Studio employed though; each floral arrangement and centerpiece was a stunning ode to fall florals, including garden roses, zinnias and ranunculus. Tables were also sprinkled with vintage books, amber votives, succulents and scrabble tiles. A gluten-free meal by caterer Great Performances impressed everyone, and an absolutely stunning cake by the Sylvia Weinstock was a mouthwatering delight. Nadia and Eli counted on Annie Lee of Daughter of Design for day-of event planning to make sure all their amazing planning went off without a hitch, and entrusted Robert Sukrachand with capturing each beautiful moment with grace and an absolutely breathtaking perspective.

See more of this stunning wedding, and get a bit more from the bride and groom on Style Me Pretty, or take a peek at Nadia's blog, Birds with Brains for more about this talented pair!

a Cheerful Morning

I hope all of my turkey eaters feasted yesterday (I discovered that the potent combination of red wine, turkey and Benadryl for a headcold makes for one fantastic nap), and that all my darling readers abroad enjoyed an equally wonderful day!

I thought this darling shot was the perfect way to tie up a wonderful week-simple, sweet and sunny. Wishing you all an absolutely divine weekend!

Photo by Penny Sylvia.

Keep It Simple: Part 3

Sure, Sandra Lee is a little scary (have you all been enjoying the Food Network references?), but she's got some pretty terrific ideas about maximizing your time in the kitchen. My final words of sage Thanksgiving advice? When in doubt,

Fake it.

Frozen, uncooked dinner rolls. Pillsbury pie crusts. Canned pumpkin. Cranberry sauce. Most people agree that rolls, pie and some kind of cranberry to spread on turkey sandwiches after the big feast are required at your Thanksgiving table, but you don't have to make them all from scratch. If you pate brisee is inconsistent or makes you want to pull out your hair, you'll be glad you can just roll out that pre-made, perfectly even crust. If you'd prefer not to spend hours cooking down impossibly hard cranberries, Whole Foods has a delicious cranberry relish that no one will complain about. Don't make yourself crazy trying to make something from scratch if you've never seen all the ingredients assembled in one place together before. Enjoy yourself-it's your Thanksgiving, too, after all!

Photo c/o Martha Stewart Living.

Keep It Simple: Part 2

After you've determined what your dinner guests' must-haves for Thursday are, don't be afraid to employ the second rule of Thanksgiving harmony:

Enlist help.

Between a turkey, stuffing, pies and rolls in the oven, and mashed potatoes and gravy on the stove, there isn't a whole lot of room for much else, especially if your first shared home has a small kitchen and an even smaller oven. So why make life harder on yourself by insisting that you do it all?

If your sweetheart's Aunt Jenny makes the world's best Jell-O salad, compliment her famous side dish and ask her to bring it along. Maybe grandma makes a prize-winning pecan pie; she'll be happy to make it, and you'll be happy to have a little extra space in your oven!

On the other hand, if you are a guest at someone else's table, don't be afraid to offer your help (Thanksgiving is a pretty big meal for anyone to cook solo!). Tell them you'll bring the pumpkin pie or your amazing sweet potato casserole, but only if it's your very best Thanksgiving contribution. If your hosts make Ina and Jeffrey look like slobs, don't bring a supermarket pumpkin pie to dinner!

Love, Wishes and Thanks

The blog world is full of some pretty incredible people, and I'm always delighted to call the amazing Sylvie of Silver Lining my very dear friend. Reading her wonderful insights into wedding planning, this beautiful city by the bay and her blessed life always fills me with joy and inspiration, so when she asked me to participate in an amazing feature she's doing for Thanksgiving called "Love, Wishes and Thanks", you can imagine I was thrilled! The image above is my Christmas wish list (didn't Sylvie totally nail it?): I hope you'll go take a peek at my guest post, and be sure to visit Silver Lining all week for other wonderful bloggers' Love, Wishes and Thanks!

Tell me, what's on your Christmas wish list?

Keep It Simple: Part 1

John woke me up this morning whispering, "It's Thanksgiving week!" In our little house, this is a big deal. I pre-ordered our organic turkey weeks ago, and have carefully been amassing all the necessary ingredients for an autumnal feast come Thursday. All this planning and excitement has often made me think of you, darling readers-how many of you are cooking a Thanksgiving meal for your sweetheart for the first time this week, or will be joining your future mother-in-law around the table? How many of you are seasoned Thanksgiving pros, and how many of you are staring down the gauntlet of an enormous turkey?

Whether this is old hat or new territory, I hope you'll all enjoy some of my best advice for pulling together a fantastic Thanksgiving meal (I officially ousted my mother from gravy duty when I was 12, so I've got some experience) and delight in some of my family's famous Thanksgiving failures!

My Thanksgiving mantra is, "Keep it simple", and there are three easy steps to help you achieve turkey nirvana. The first is:

Determine your diners' expectations.

The first year we celebrated Thanksgiving with my cousin Maria and her family, she served a stunning 32 lb turkey, homemade cranberry relish and...whole roasted sweet potatoes. My younger brother Charlie and I picked at these strange orange roots politely (we were 11 and 9, respectively) and demanded a Thanksgiving do-over complete with mashed potatoes once we were in the car.

Figure out what's expected at your Thanksgiving table. If there's always a green bean casserole, don't disappoint your dinner guests. Ask your sweetheart or a family member you're close to about what's served. People are usually pretty flexible at the dinner table, but since Thanksgiving traditions are mostly about food, you don't want to miss a key component (like our mashed potatoes)!

Photo by Kate Headley.

Real Wedding: Annette and Brian

When a crafty music librarian and her rocker sweetheart tie the knot, the results are sure to be divine. By sticking to what felt like them, Annette and Brian celebrated their big day with the perfect combination of rock n' roll and romance.

This crafty couple actually writes a blog called Daily-Craft (which is packed with hundreds more images from their gorgeous day, and is absolutely worth a peek!), so it's no surprise that this wedding was full of DIY projects. The bride screenprinted all the invitations (on gorgeous vintage hankies) and the groom lined each envelope with vintage sheet music. An avid quilter, Annette invited guests to sign a patch of quilt instead of a more traditional guest book. A vintage card catalog held escort cards, while vintage books littered the tables. Each guest received a jar of homemade jam, which featured screenprinted silhouettes of the couple that made their way onto all of the homemade papers.

Annette and Brian were married in Pasadena's Holy Family Catholic Church and celebrated with family and friends at Castle Green. Annette designed her own gown, which was made by LA's custom darling, Mina Design and Tailoring, and bride and groom exchanged custom made rings. Floral arrangements were designed by Flowers by David Z and the delicious pink cake was made by My Sweet and Saucy Shop. Veronika Pedrosian of Completely Couture Events helped bring Annette and Brian's vision to life, and the amazing Our Labor of Love captured it beautifully.