Oncewed.com featured a wedding in my absolute favorite city in the United States......being a wannabe wedding planner of course this city is, Charleston, SC.  The wedding took place at Magnolia Plantation; a very popular and historical venue.  The bride wore a Claire Pettibone dress which was absolutely antique fabulous.  The dress is called Queen Anne's Lace and rightfully so it is couture at its finest.  Ivory cotton into a tulle Empire silhouette with an English lace bodice and hem.  The beaded applique is my favorite part of this dress forming the neckline, sleeves, and train of the dress.  The champagne colored silk ribbon ties everything together showing how truly delicate and finely put together this dress is.  Her Bridesmaids were absolutely beautiful; made by trendy knitting and star knitting on Etsy.com. I love how individually unique each of the girls dresses are but they almost look exactly the same.  The Bride actually designed her own invites which looked as rugged and lowlandish as the actual backdrop to her ceremony.  Her invitations were beautifully rustic and her calligraphy was outstanding.  The Flower arrangements, Bouquets, and Boutonnieres were designed by fiftyflowers.com; which won the Bride's Choice Award from weddingwire.com.  All of the Bride's family and friends pitched in to help get the flower arrangements put together and decorate the ceremony and reception area.  This is truly one of the most beautifully simple, elegant, vintage wedding's I've seen.  I love Charleston and the romance that it brings to any occasion.  You can have the most simple ceremony or reception and it will be so beautiful and romantic because of the sheer beauty of the city and countryside.  It is rich and alive with historical places and people everywhere you go.  There are cobblestone streets, outside open air markets, and beautiful gardens anywhere you turn.  However there is also a lively night life, incredible shopping, and the city definitely isn't lacking beautiful people.  Don't ever pass it up if you get a chance to go there. :)

Photography by: Jose Villa

Creative Direction by: Joy Thigpen - Oncewed.com

URL: http://www.oncewed.com/57960/wedding-blog/real-weddings/lowcountry-charleston-winter-wedding/

Succulent Succulents!!

I am absolutely loving the use of Succulents in Bridal bouquets.  There are so many different types of succulents. Succulent plants are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions.  The most common and popularly know succulent plant is the cacti.  Aloe is another more commonly known succulent as well.  However, most brides are not putting cacti in their bouquets.  The Sempervivum Succulent is a flower shaped succulent that ranges from a light pale blue color into shades of violets.  Some of these even have a pink or orange tint on the edges of their leaves.  Another great thing about succulents is that they mesh well with pretty much any color and give a refreshing look to bouquets.  Mint green is a color that I've always really loved and seems to be a growing trend this year.  Its soft, whimsical, relaxing, and looks amazing paired with not only pastels, but jewel tones; and black as well.  The best thing about succulents is that there are so many shapes, sizes, colors, and textures to choose from.  If you are trying to think outside of the box for your bouquet but don't want to get too crazy Succulents are a great way to add uniqueness. Below are some examples of just how many different types of succulents there are and how many different shapes and sizes there are to choose from.  :)