Playful Love Shoot in Positano, Italy

This playful love shoot on the Amalfi Coast is guaranteed to have you flirting with Expedia in another tab. ;) Katie and James threw a destination wedding in Positano and started the bash off by exploring the coastal town together with this sweet shoot. / Photos by Archetype Studio.

Want more Italy?
Visit my personal travel guides to Rome, Florence + Pisa, Venice, Burano, Tropea and Cinque Terre, Capri, Pompeii + Sorrento. :)
And catch up on the other entries of CB's European Travel Guides here.

Preppy Lobster Boil Rehearsal Dinner by Commerce Street Events

Trying to come up with a fun yet classic theme for your rehearsal dinner? Take a cue from the talented event planners of Commerce Street Events in Nashville and host a preppy lobster boil this summer for your guests! The classic nautical details and preppy styling are enough to transport anyone to an East Coast state of mind ... even if you're nowhere near the sea. ;)

Says Morgan, of Nashville's CSE, "Whether the bride is from New England or just loves the nautical look, a lobster boil rehearsal dinner is a unique way to kick off a wedding weekend. The nautical rope linen mixed with industrial chairs made this a fete not to miss! Each place setting included all the seafood tools needed to conquer the lobster dinner, all tied together with nautical rope. Maybe it is because we are southerners in a landlocked state, but our team had the best time designing this event."

TIPS FOR A UNIQUE REHEARSAL DINNER:

Pick a Theme
Rehearsal dinners are normally overlooked and not very special. To create an exceptional rehearsal, decide on a theme and incorporate it even in the smallest of details. When choosing a theme, aim for one that is timeless. Our theory is nautical stripes never go out of style. We love couples who start the wedding weekend with a distinctive rehearsal dinner that reflects their personalities.

Menu
For the rehearsal dinner, we normally suggest choosing a menu that is different than the wedding menu. If it is a destination wedding, integrate local flavors combined with the couple’s taste for a unique experience. Couples should have options that are vegetarian and vegan friendly for any guests with restrictive diets. No soirée is complete without a bar, our team added in a bar area that had a 'Captain Jackson' (the host) cocktail.

Unique Details
All of the paper details included the same watercolor lobster to keep with the theme. Instead of florals, we opted for marine décor. A favor for guests to leave with is a small touch that will not go unnoticed. Our guests departed with seafood seasoning to host their own lobster boil.

Credits: Event Styling, Photography, Paper Products: Commerce Street Events / Linen: La Tavola Fine Linen / Tableware: Corzines / Venue: Private Nashville Resident

Happy Fourth of July + Nautical Nuptials Inspiration

Happy 4th, loves! I hope your day will be filled with magical fireworks, flags, fun and lots of fabulousness. For a perfect start, I thought I'd share this red, white and blue coastal inspiration by Nautical Nuptials which was featured as an editorial shoot in The Connecticut Bride.

See the full nautical nuptials shoot here. xx.

Credits: FASHION & STYLING: Beth Chapman | The White Dress by the Shore / GOWNS: Amsale, Ivy and Aster / BRIDESMAID DRESSES: Ivy and Aster / JEWELRY: aquinnah, Kate Spade / HAT: Bijou Van Ness / HANDBAG: Moyna / ART DIRECTION: Candice Coppola  Jubilee Events / PHOTOGRAPHY: Carla Ten Eyck / FLORAL DESIGN: Tony Palmieri | Datura: a modern garden / BEAUTY: Dana Bartone / PAPER DESIGN: Coral Pheasant / CAKE: A Little Imagination Cakes

Mermaid Cocktail Hour Bridal Shower on the Connecticut Coast

Editor's Note: I'm pulling an all-time favorite post from the archives today because sharing it once just wasn't enough. I mean, who can say no to mermaids, cocktails and Connecticut?! xx.

Anytime I'm able to share any of Heidi's work, I know it's going to be good. She has the magic touch when it comes to photography and such a keen eye for beautiful details. And she lives in New England {hello. I-am-officially-obsessed}. And the bridal shower I'm sharing today is over-the-top bananas in all sorts of fabulous ways. What's even more fun is that the bride-to-be's cousin, Sarah, is an event stylist and got her hands dirty planning this amazing shindig. {Sarah's blog is addictive, btw}. 

Says Sarah Crawford, cousin to the bride-to-be + event stylist of lil hoot: "My cousin, Ashly, is my favorite person on the planet. When she got engaged to her awesome fiancee Scott, I was beyond happy and since I am a party planner, I had already started planning the wedding and shower in my head months prior {obvs}. I knew I wanted to enlist the help of industry faves, White Loft Studio, Chocolate Creative Design and Petal Floral Design {who are also Ashly's wedding vendors}. I wanted the shower to personify Ashly - laid back, beautiful, and above all, fun! My mom was happy to co-host with me and offer her coastal Connecticut home as the venue. She has a mermaid statue perched on her sea wall which was one of the inspirations for the event. Ashly has always loved the beach {so much so she resides on Nantucket!} so I wanted to incorporate seaside and beachy elements without being trite. She also isn't your typical bride and was not comfortable with the traditional shower concept so we set out to create a 'cocktail hour shower' announcing 'one less lovely fish in the sea.'

The invites, created by my lovely and talented friend Lucinda Wesson, of Chocolate Creative Design, set the tone for the celebratory occasion perfectly. Lucinda illustrated a darling mermaid holding a cocktail which was then printed with gold foil on the invites, complimenting the pink, coral and aqua color scheme. The RSVP was to go to the 'mermaid of honor.' Envelopes were lined with an aqua and gold glittered scallop pattern.

Gold, pink and aqua confetti was sprinkled throughout the party space as well as a 'one less fish in the sea' mermaid fabric banner, made by Lucinda. The scallop pattern, bubbles and mermaids were to be found everywhere from the pattern of my mom's stone patio to the cocktail napkins. Lucinda created a custom stamp for the napkins with the mermaid from the invite and the don ho lyrics 'tiny bubbles in the wine, make me happy, make me feel fine.' The sweets were originally to be set up on the sea wall but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead we set up the dessert table inside with subtle seaside elements. Vintage jadeite shell and cake stands were used to display pink champagne and mint macarons, seashell and starfish cookies, and a delicate scalloped cake with a peony fondant topper also graced the table. Cast iron mermaid bottle openers served as favors with a pablo picasso quote - 'love is the greatest refreshment of all.' These were hung from the chandelier above the bar.

Guests were served pink champagne in aqua and blush champagne flutes with gold and pink pom pom swizzle sticks.

There were multiple surprises in store for Ashly. Her best friend from DC flew in for the event - Heidi, of course, captured the reaction of the elated bride perfectly. Which brings me to my next surprise- Heidi, of White Loft Studio, herself! Ashly is thrilled to have her shoot her October wedding on Nantucket so her presence at the shower made her so happy, and even happier when we saw the pictures! Heidi also delivered the gorgeous florals from Ashly's wedding florist, Petal Floral Design.

A gold 'holla' sign was the focal point of the bar. This was a perfect "prop" for our fun bride-to-be!

Guests were sent home with small bundles of glitter and other goodies to throw in the sea at a full moon {shower was 2 days before full moon} as part of a 'mermaid love spell.'

I don't know about you but I've got mermaid fever. Excuse me while I pop Splash in the BluRay.

ps. Check out another of my favorite shoots from Heidi - this New England Equestrian Bridal Shoot. Trust me, you'll love it!

Credits: event styling - Lil hoot / photography - white loft studio / invitation/paper goods/styling - chocolate creative design / flowers- petal floral design / macarons - c. crowell confections / cookies - sugar on top / holla sign - oh dier / linens- La Tavola / fondant peony - sugar and stripes co.