What makes Leda fabulous?  What makes Leda fabulous is her heart for others. She is one of the most selfless and kindhearted brides I have had. She knows how to put her friends and family before herself and I really admire that in her. On another note she is extremely stylish and beats to the tune of her own drum!

What is it about her that makes her interesting?  Well Leda is naturally breathtaking. She has a very unique look to her that instantly draws you in. Beyond that, she has an extremely dynamic personality and charismatic style.

What was your favorite part about photographing her? What makes her stand out from other brides?  My favorite part about shooting her was she was completely natural in front of the camera. She let her guard down with me and we got fantastic photos because of that. What makes Leda stand out is her heart for others and her flawless sense of style ;)

Without further ado, let us introduce Leda!

Your wedding is stunningly modern. What is it about this aesthetic that you love so much? What advice do you have for other brides out there who want something clean, yet totally chic?  Like many brides, the style of our wedding evolved over the course of planning it.  I always wanted an outdoor wedding and 'tent' reception, but the logistics became difficult taking into account our budget and geography (Seattle...rain!).  We ended up choosing a hotel near the Museum of Glass and were really inspired by the beautiful glass art throughout the hotel.  The black-on-black look seen in our wedding just seemed really classic and modern.  I really liked the idea of using a lot of black but in different textures.  Usually the more simple and clean, the more impact.  We had black chairs, table cloths, runners, tall black vases and bright flowers really popped against all the black. 

How did you know that Jonathan was ‘the one?’ He was the one who could always make me laugh.  I think that's the key to a happy marriage.  Find the one that makes you laugh and you're set for life.

Your photographer told us that you are super stylish! When we saw these photographs, we could not agree more! Who is your fashion icon + why? Oh do I have to choose just one?  I'd have to say Sarah Jessica Parker, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Blake Lively and Diane Von Furstenberg not only because I love their style, but they're not afraid to be themselves.  I admire people who aren't afraid to step out of their comfort zone. 

If you could label one song as the theme to your wedding, what would it be? Definitely "First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.  We had it as the background to the slide show we played at our reception and it was one of my favorite moments of our wedding.

How did your wedding invitations tie into your overall wedding concept? Jonathan's sisters made our wedding invitations so they were really personal to us.  We had shiny black invitations with black ribbon and a clear envelope so you could see through it.  Again playing on that black-on-black theme.  Because we'd never used clear envelopes before I was terrified the post office would send all 150 back!! 

If you could invite any celebrity “it” couple to your wedding, who would it be? Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

In a dream world, where budget is no issue, what are must-haves that you would like (or had) to see on your gift registry?  We have everything we need :) 

Who designed your wedding your wedding gown? How did you know it was THE one? Was it a style that you knew you wanted or did you surprise yourself with a new silhouette? Also, describe your veil choice – it’s absolutely adorable. The dress is Pronovias.  I removed the high neck because it overwhelmed my frame and was slightly uncomfortable.  Honestly, up to the final fitting, I was never positive it was 'the one.'  I spent nights thinking about dresses that I should have tried on 'just to make sure'.  It seems common for many brides to second-guess their dress.  It's important to stop looking once you order it!  I knew it was the right one at our reveal when Jonathan turned around and said how beautiful it was. The veil I had custom-made.  I loved the look of bubble veils also, but this short one seemed to go best with the neckline of the dress. 

Something borrowed, something blue, something old, and something new! Did you wear anything on your big day to follow this age-old tradition?  Almost. My poor niece really wanted to find me something blue, and kept searching all over trying to find something special to use.  She ended up giving me a ribbon from one of her first stuffed animals and I was going to sew it to the lining of my dress but with all the craziness, I totally forgot!!

Describe a Fab*Bride (you!) in three words. Authentic, Creative and Thoughtful
 
Leda had a few words to share for brides out there:  Overall, my advice is to be yourself, be creative and when it comes to the big day, don't sweat the small (or big) stuff!  Everyone has opinions of what they think would be best for your wedding, but you have to be true to your aesthetic.  Your wedding should be a reflection of you.  There were many things we would've liked to have in our wedding, for instance, chiavary chairs, chargers under all the plates, but it's important to try to stay within budget and not get too crazy.  If you're creative, you can find ways to accomplish a similar look.  For instance, we made 'place mat' programs at each table setting in place of chargers.  Most importantly, HAVE FUN!  With so many moving parts, something usually goes wrong.  If it does, it's okay.  My flowers (bouquets, etc.) were supposed to be my favorite flower, peonies.  When I saw them, I was devastated that the florist substituted roses instead.  I wouldn't let that ruin my day though.  The roses were pretty and the most important thing was being around our family and friends.  A huge thank you to our photographers, Sarah Rhoads Photography for capturing our day in the most beautiful way.

Big thanks to Leda for participating and Sarah Rhoads for nominating this awesome Fab*Bride!

If you would like to make a nomination, please contact me at antoinette@invitationconsultants.com, or DM me on Twitter @atelierantoinet. Feel free to leave a comment, as well. The rest of the crew would love to hear from you too!

Until the next post, stay Fab*ulous!

All images courtesy of Sarah Rhoads Photography. They also have a blog, so be sure to check it out!

One day last week I received the Pottery Barn holiday catalog, The Ballard Design holiday catalog, and a new Serena and Lilly catalog. It was home inspiration overload but I didn't mind! My favorite item after examining all three holiday collections is the ceramic Alphabet Ornaments from Ballard Designs. Coming in at a second favorite was the Spruce Alphabet Wreath. They are so adorable and they appeal directly to my bookworm sense of style.

These cuties popped up on blogs quicker than I could catch and were featured on the adorable Ohdeedoh by Apartment Therapy blog, among others. Now it seems letters and monograms are likely to appear throughout holiday decor this season. I think it's a sweet trend and has a hint of tradition, which I love! The trend extends easily to invitations and is featured on the monogrammed wreath invitation and ornament invitation above. 

In the spirit of holiday decor, let me know in a comment below- what is your favorite holiday decoration of all time, and will you be putting it up this year? I'll go first! My favorite holiday decoration is a Lenox plate my grandmother had engraved for my first Christmas with my husband. It will definitely be placed on our dining table this year!

Be creative

Create a martini menu with everything but the kitchen sink. But here's the trick, find items you have in your home to use, in order to keep down the cost. Hopefully you have cranberry juice, other juices, fruits, olives and maybe pumpkin at this time of year. Research seasonal martinis for that fall and holiday feel.

Be thoughtful

If you have non-drinkers and pregnant friends coming, be prepared. Consider dessert martinis, like milk in a martini glass with a chocolate cookie as a garnish. And get creative with juices by simply placing pineapple juice in a martini glass with several small fruits as garnish on a toothpick.

Feed them too

Serving only alcohol may not be the healthiest thing, so use more martini glasses and serve small hors d'oeuvres and mini desserts in these chic glasses. For example, mini chocolates and marshmallows fit in perfectly. A spoonful of hors d'oeuvres fit in these glasses well, like salmon mousse on a small toast point, tomato salsa, and mini arugula salad with walnuts also fit in well and are light bites.

Pretty simple! Now all you have to do is practice saying, "Would you like that shaken or stirred?"

Martini Season, Martini Pop Art, Pumpkin Martini, Vesper Martini made famous by James Bond, dessert in martini, Virgin martinis, Cheap and Dirty Martini.

I can hardly contain my excitement anymore, Halloween is TOMORROW! Woo hoo! My friend Carly and I were born a week apart (me on October 24th, and Carly on Halloween itself, lucky girl!), so we often celebrate our birthdays together with a night on the town or a joint shin dig. This year, we are going all out for the party, celebrating a year of big accomplishments and good times. Just to gush for my friend for a moment- this year, Carly got admitted into a masters program in Molecular Medicine. If that's not something to celebrate on your b-day, I don't know what is!

So, on to the party details! I am a huge fan of True Blood. In case you're not familiar, True Blood is a vampire show on HBO. Some may say it's Twilight for grown-ups. I was determined to have a True Blood party and I have incorporated some vampire related elements into the party decor in addition to creepy skull and crown motifs.  I gathered a lot of inspiration from Hostess Blog's Twilight themed party posts, and I even plan on making these vampire martini's and vampire bottle labels.

Last night, I set out a lot of the party materials so I can be ready set to celebrate, and not have any last minute stress. Some of my favorite details are featured above from left to right:

The invitation! My friends have high expectations of my party invitations because of my job here at IC. I try to never disappoint, so this year I sought out the perfect Halloween party invitation. I chose the one above because it had 2 girls and 2 guys on it. Perfect because one could represent me, one Carly, then my husband and her boyfriend. The lollipop on top just represents the color scheme of the party: red, black, and white. I plan on making a dessert table and using these whirly pops as decorations.

Vampire wine and skull stopper: If you look closely, there is a wine bottle with a skull stopper in it on the invitation! This wine is the perfect for a True Blood themed party because of its appropriate name and red and black label. The skull stopper is creepy as well as useful, and his red rhinestone eyes are great embellishments!

Bar: We will have a small bar area set up with the Vampire wine, actual True Blood brand blood orange soda, and adorable mini dracula Jones Sodas. 

Schmoopy: This next picture is just a bonus of my dog, Schmoopy, in her Halloween scarf. She's not part of the theme, but I figured she deserves a shout out.

Other decor will include: glittery skull candle holders and mini rhinestone decorated tombstones in the entry way (Michaels), crowned skull plates and napkins (Target), red and black roses on a silver glittered charger (Michaels), and a bowl of Martha Stewart spooky skulls (Michaels).

Skeleton bone serving set (Target): At the bottom, there is a set of skeleton bones that I will use to serve salad. They may be my favorite detail. They are heavy, shiny, and very eery.

I hope I got you in a haunting Halloween mood! Have fun and be safe this weekend!