The lush backdrop of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank is just the beginning of this beautiful and bright inspiration shoot by Myriam Michel of M&M Elite Events. We are SO ready for summer weather here, and this festive shoot is the perfect launch into the vivid colors that only summer can bring.

Myriam shared with us that each color was carefully selected to create the dessert bar table. The color palette included hues of lime green, sea blue, and hot pink which all coordinated in unison with each and every detail, even down to the cake. She also worked with Be Our Guest, who provided custom linens made to order for Myriams vision. Enjoy.

Once in a while you see a couple and you just know that faith played a part in their lives. After a year of being set up by close friends in Africa, they finally met, then later married in Colorado. This color palette of soft grey’s and yellow’s set the scene for this lovely early summer wedding. The adorable bride’s son played a key part in the ceremony as the groom also said vow’s to him. So sweet.

Yesterday, we had our planning meeting for the next issue and caught up on all of the wonderful happenings that has occurred over the past month, including my favorite time of year…Bridal Market! Romona Keveza’s  new Spring 2014 collection came up quite a bit in conversation for inspiration for the upcoming issue, that is set to debut in October. We here at Smitten wanted to share with you her latest collection and let you see why we all are raving about it!

Aptly titled, ‘A Passage Through Time’, the Spring 2014 Romona Keveza Couture Bridal Collection pays tribute to timeless style. Each moment, each decade informs us of a particular elegance, a certain gesture of glamour and refinement. Whether leaning back or facing forward, Keveza reflects on fashion’s best by mingling the truth of these moments with her own collection’s DNA in a thoughtful, subtle manner fusing the history of yesteryear with the mystery of tomorrow.

1800’s – Victoriana. While the preferred choice of this era was now the white wedding gown thanks to the trend-setting Queen Victoria, her daughter Princess Anne boldly chose to marry in blush. Keveza’s homage begins with a striking, romantic off-the- shoulder blush Silk Organza ball gown.

1920’s – Gatsby. A quietly decadent slim fluted gown in Beaded Chantilly Lace shimmies along to this era of elegance.

1930’s – Hollywood Glamour. Keveza’s Beaded Lace covered Silk Charmeuse gown has Film Noir Goddess Jean Harlow

written all over it.

1940’s – A Return to Luxury. Celebrating the joy of dressing up, Keveza’s Wedgewood Blue Silk Taffeta ball gown is an ode to the grand, sweeping gestures of Christian Dior and Charles James.

1950’s – Funny Face. Romona Keveza captures the essence of this new upbeat era and style icons like Audrey Hepburn with her pearl-covered waltz-length wedding dress.

1960’s – Camelot. Jackie Kennedy, the eternal beacon of sophisticated American style, inspires this Romona Keveza swirling ribbon structured gown.

1980’s – The Decade of Decadence. Channeling the ‘more was more’ ethos of the late great Couture Embroiderer, Francois Lesage, Keveza lavishes her own bell-shaped ball gown with beading, embroidery and charming scallops.

1990’s – A New Cool. Romona Keveza’s airy one-shoulder Soutache Lace circle-skirted ball gown reflects the era’s new sense of hushed chic.

The Millennium. Delving into her archives from yesteryear, Keveza updates her classic asymmetric neckline with the exciting new fabric technologies of today by layering a near-transparent tulle over-skirt atop a fluted Embroidered Applique Lace mermaid.

The Future. Keveza creates a new future classic while looking forward with pure, uninhibited imagination. With innovative hi-tech fabrics, her nude strapless column layered in silk tulle nearly disappears on the skin. Silicone Crystals sprinkled in degrade fashion add light and glimmer along the body.

photo credit: Romona Keveza Collection, Spring 2014

Brides to be, are you looking for some sassy inspiration for a boudoir session for your future hubby?  Look no further, here’s a beautiful and sweet Boudoir session by Darling Juliet. Don’t you just love the colors and lingerie choices?  We are especially smitten with everything by Whichgoose, who designed the hairpieces’.

Kick-start your week with these sweet nuptials that took place under a tree at the Lamont Earth Observatory in New York, and beautifully shot by Jessica Oh Photography. It’s hard to not smile when viewing the sunny yellow hues and lovely details. A cake that’s almost too pretty to eat, vintage china, and a mariachi band – what’s not to envy? Oh, and don’t think we didn’t notice the bride’s adorable Plum Pretty Sugar robe as she preps for her big day! Lush floral arrangements and refreshing mason jar cocktails will quench your thirst.

We are all about the savvy bride, and this wedding is the perfect example of how one’s nuptials can be beautiful, meaningful, and budget conscience – while remaining under $6,000. Wow.

This is one amazing bride, who organized and designed every last detail – and all while living in Korea, where the couple not only met, but continue to work and live. Each paper / fabric / and wood detail was handmade, yep you heard us right – hand made. (only a few items were loaned by the family).  The fun, fresh florals were all purchased for under $300, and arranged by the wedding party.

Calling all you lovely female wedding photographers!  We are so excited to be one of the sponsors and speakers at the upcoming Bliss & Bokeh, a retreat sure to be full of well… bliss and beautiful bokeh.

A little about B&B:  “Our desire is to create a community of women who are passionate about wedding photography and the art of capturing bliss. Through an amazing team of talented speakers, beautifully styled shoots, and incredible local partnerships, attendees will have an opportunity to grow as creative entrepreneurs, while indulging in the luxury and charm of a city named two years in a row by Conde Nast readers as the number one destination in the US. The icing on the cake? You’ll return home with a sisterhood of kindred spirits to cheer you on in the years ahead. Down to the smallest of details and the sweetest of surprises, we’ll spoil you with our southern hospitality and leave you positively smitten with our Holy City – ready to return for years to follow.”    Learn more here.

I had the honor to work with the founder of Bliss & Bokeh, Betsy Mullinax, on the branding and website, and will also be one of the speakers at the workshops. I am humbled to be speaking along side some of the wedding industries top talents, who include:

KT Merry Photography   /   Whitney English of whitneyenglish.com   /   Tara Guérard of Soirée  /  Joy Thigpen of Once Wed

Becky Hoppmann of Smitten / Leigh Webber Photography  /  Angela Marcaccio of Richard Photo / Emily Newman of Once Wed

Make sure to visit BlissandBokeh.com for all the lovely details, and to register.   Also follow B&B on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest new, updates, and inspirations.

One hot makeup trend is the advent of Beauty Balms.  These multi-tasking tubes-of-joy make for some lovely wedding-day or ANY-day faces.  Light, yet creamy in consistency, they contain a high level of SPF (sun protection factor), are generally moisturizing, provide a healthy glow, and a surprising amount of coverage.  Every major cosmetics line is jumping on the BB cream bandwagon. . . you’ll be able to find one in nearly every label, from department store cosmetics counters to the aisles of your favorite drug store.  They are available in nearly every price point.  My favorites are Dr. Jarts’, Bobbi Brown, and Garnier.  I would give special props to Garnier and their oil control formula BB cream: amazing/surprising coverage at a very reasonable $12.

Application Tip: Squeeze a dime-size amount onto your fingertips, dot over entire face and neck.  Rub in an upward/outward motion, and using your favorite blending brush, swirl/blend along your forehead, nose, cheeks, and jawline.

Radiant loveliness for Brides, Maids, and Moms!

We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have SO much talent featured in our current Spring 2013 Issue, and this cheerful, southern inspiration shoot, designed by Andrea Gray Harper, is Exibit A. We also recently discovered Jade + Mathew Take Pictures, who photographed this so beautifully – we could spend all day looking at the amazing work featured on their website.

Andrea Gray Harper   /   Jade + Mathew Take Pictures   /   Southern Cheer from Spring 2013 Issue

Most of the lovely details are handmade by Andrea of Gray Harper Event Maker – including this floral chic ring bearer pillow. You can find it here, along with other handmade goodies.

We are smitten with these hand illustrated place cards and stationery by Strawberry Moth. And you can find more of their hand crafted pieces here.

To view ALL of the goodness from this inspiration shoot – you can purchase the Spring issue for only $1.99 here. Thats 236 pages of down right gorgeousness. Thank you to all of the amazing vendors for allowing us to feature this gem in our magazine.

Happy Cinco de Mayo – in celebration we have this fun-loving, fiesta by Sea of Dreams and photographed by Joann Arruda Photography. This eclectic location in Sayulita, Mexico will have you packing your bags for a summer getaway here. So grab a margarita (I prefer on the rocks with salt) and enjoy.

Here’s a deee-lish recipe for the Perfect Margarita.