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Real Wedding

May 7, 2013

Keira Knightley Got Married! Get Her Look

One of our favorite British babes tied the knot over the weekend, and we’re loving her laid-back wedding style. Keira Knightley and James Righton were married in a small ceremony in France, and Keira rocked a sweet (and supposedly not new) little white dress, flats, sweater and sunglasses.

Here’s our take on her casual, comfortable look for the big day. Just add a handsome groom, a smile and a little skip in your step!

Jill Stuart Ruffled Chiffon Fit & Flare Dress | Tildon Beaded Bomber Sweater | Menbur Bridal Flat | Ray-Ban Classic Wayfarer Sunglasses

Don’t miss our little white dress lookbook with more short dress options!

Image courtesy of Daily Mail

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April 19, 2013

Brideology: Flower Power

Call me crazy, but I decided I’m going to do all my wedding flowers on my own. Stressful? Maybe. Fun? Yes, I think so!

At one point, I considered using a professional florist or getting premade bouquets from a farmer’s market, but I’ve also been trying to find ways to cut costs. After a little research, it was clear that buying fresh-cut flowers in bulk is much cheaper, and arranging bouquets can be pretty simple.

A local flower guide snapped from a Seattle magazine inspired me to make my own arrangements.

I don’t have specific color preferences; I want all kinds of bright, summery flowers, like dahlias, anemones, gladiolas and zinnias. I found out that there’s a farm right next to our wedding venue that sells bulk blooms all summer, so I’m working with them on what will be available at the time of our wedding.

Pretty dahlias in bulk from a local farm, via Pacific Horticulture.

Then I thought, if I’m going DIY, I might as well REALLY go for it and grow some flowers myself! So I bought a few bags of bulbs at Costco and planted them last weekend in containers on our deck. Hopefully, they’ll add some color to our house, and then we can harvest in time for the wedding. (P.S. If you go to Costco, I dare you to not spend an hour looking at all the pretty color combos and flower choices! I had to be dragged away.)

Nothing says SPRING like planting flowers in the sun!

There are great resources online for how to create bouquets and other decorative arrangements. My favorite is the Cali-based duo Wedding Chicks. The whole wedding site is gorgeous and addictive! In one section, they share “Bouquet Recipes,” with beautiful images, names of every flower used (so helpful!), and easy-to-follow instructions.

Amy, one of the chicks, said, “We decided to create Bouquet Recipes as a segment to help brides identify the flowers that they love. It’s also meant to inspire brides for their own bouquets, whether they hire a professional or choose DIY.” She also made a great point to me about DIY: “We would suggest testing your skills a few times before the big day to make sure you can achieve the desired result and look!”

Peach bouquet via Wedding Chicks with amaryllises, peonies and much more.

Fortunately, I won’t truly be doing it on my own. I’ll be recruiting my mom, mother-in-law, sister and bridesmaids to help. I actually can’t think of anything more fun than sitting in the sun with my girls, sipping sangria and arranging bouquets!

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April 3, 2013

Real Wedding: Olivia & Jared

Olivia shares the details of her sunny, sandy Mexican beach wedding. Trust us, you’ll swoon!

The Proposal: Jared proposed to me in June of 2012. We were on a scavenger hunt in West Seattle, and Jared had the organizer add special clues just for me. He proposed in front of all our competitors!

I knew I would marry this man, so I had already purchased shoes that I’d been looking at for some time. They are beautiful electric-blue Badgley Mischka pumps, from Nordstrom, of course! Then the rest of the wedding planning began…



My Wedding Stylist: Heather Rose, Downtown Seattle Wedding Suite

The following Monday I went to the Wedding Suite to look at a dress I had seen online. The dress was beautiful, but I had to try on a few others while I was there. Heather found me a Theia couture gown to try just for fun, but I didn’t think it would be ‘the one’ as it was completely different from what I had in mind. My exact blue shoes were there in the Wedding Suite, so we got to see the entire look as I envisioned, with a long cathedral veil. To my surprise, I fell in love with the dress right away! I could see it in my mom’s and sister’s eyes too: it just fit. I bought the dress then and there.


Working with Heather was always an enjoyable experience when I went back for my fittings. She also helped find dresses for my bridesmaids and my mother. My mother wore an Adrianna Papell dress, while my bridesmaids wore Donna Morgan ‘Donna’ belted chiffon dresses.

All but one of us in my wedding party has at one time or another worked in Nordstrom cosmetics, so we did our own hair and makeup! I wore NARS bronzer in Laguna and highlighter in Albatross, Double Wear foundation from Estée Lauder, YSL mascara and YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch (a take-anywhere pen-brush for adding a touch of light). Laura Mercier was used for the rest of the look: blush, eyeshadow, concealer and brow filler. Nordstrom made it all very easy for us to prepare for our special day!


The Scene: October 29, 2012, at Casa Salinas II in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at sunset

We wanted a beautiful beach wedding with us barefoot in the sand with our family and closest friends. Not seeing the venue beforehand meant no specific expectations and limited décor. All we needed was the ocean in the background, the sand at our feet and blue sky. Our theme was all white/light attire, guests included. My sister, Lacey Silbaugh, is a very talented florist. She knew we wanted bright, colorful flowers and she took care of them. They turned out beautifully.



That day ended up being the hottest of all the days we were there, and it was gorgeous! Most of our friends and family were staying at the villa, so we started out with a wonderful traditional Mexican breakfast, after which I ran off to get ready with my girls. This getting-ready time with my bridesmaids was one of my favorite moments. After the wedding I would be off to Vancouver, BC, to live with my handsome Canadian husband, so the girl time was essential!

Our photographer, Cozbi Hultz, was with us the entire day, giving helpful tips and making us laugh. The villa was the most beautiful place I have ever stayed, so we had many naturally pretty settings for our photos.


The guests started to arrive around 6pm to find cocktails waiting for them, then headed down the steps to the setting on the beach. The ceremony started with my twin three-year-old nieces handing out flowers and dropping petals in the sand, followed by my two nephew ring bearers. The music began to play as the bridesmaids followed the candlelit stairway to the beach, where their groomsmen waited to greet them.


I followed shortly after, meeting my father at the bottom of the steps. The aisle was distinguished by pebbles from the ocean, the setting was lined with tiki torches and the sun was beginning to set. My father walked me down the aisle, handed me over to Jared and walked up to the front to give a very memorable wedding talk. Jared’s father finished with a beautiful prayer.

The reception followed immediately after the ceremony. We had a delicious dinner with a salsa band playing in the background.


Our Special Moments: Our first dance was memorable of course, but the second was my favorite. Spontaneously we decided to dance in the shallow area of our pool to a song titled “Something Like Olivia.” It was so romantic!

There was plenty of dancing and, yes, many ended up in the pool by the end of the night. This was not on the agenda, but Jared and I were happy to have a fun event for us and our guests to enjoy and remember forever. We wouldn’t change a thing about our special day and we hope to revisit the wonderful Casa Salinas.


Photography by Cozbi Jean Photography. See more of Olivia and Jared’s wedding photos here!

Did you find your wedding gown at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding story! E-mail Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details about getting your wedding featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a wedding stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.

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January 22, 2013

Real Wedding: Kim and Rob Iula

Aloha! Anyone who’s thinking about a destination wedding will definitely be inspired by the dream getaway of Kim and Rob Iula. The happy couple recently tied the knot in Hawaii amidst spectacular views and sandy white beaches; they spoke to us about the details of their fantasy wedding.

The Big Day: October 11, 2012
The Scene: Fairmont Orchid, Kohala Coast, HI

Our Story: Rob and I liked the idea of a small and intimate wedding, and the Big Island of Hawaii has always been a special place for me. While visiting Kona in 2011, before we were even engaged, we decided to look at a few venues to get ideas for wedding locations. We walked into the Fairmont and immediately fell in love with it. We knew right away we needed to make this happen.

The setting was absolutely perfect, and it inspired me with a direction to go in. The venue provided the most beautiful and peaceful beach setting, with the ceremony and the reception both taking place in the sand.

I chose a destination wedding so everyone could relax, enjoy a vacation and discover the beauty of the island. One of my favorite parts of the week was spending time with friends and family from all over the country.

Another highlight was getting Rob to take dance lessons and dance at our wedding. Even Rob’s sister commented that she has never seen Rob dance before, ever!

My Wedding Stylists: Julieta Perez and Nicholle Brang at the Nordstrom Wedding Suite at the Brea Mall in Brea, CA

Working with Nordstrom was the best decision I made. From the initial interview, Julieta got all of my size information as well as preferences. My mom flew in from Colorado for the week to help me find a dress. We showed up for our appointment, and our private dressing room was filled with dozens of gowns, shoes and other accessories. All in my size! It could not have been simpler.

All of the alterations were handled in the store, which was very convenient. If I needed anything, it was great to know that Julieta and Nicholle would be able to help me find it. Nordstrom provided spectacular customer service, and this meant I didn’t have to worry about anything not working out.

My Dress, His Suit: I wore a Tadashi Shoji gown and a Nina veil. I knew it was the perfect dress right away, and were able to buy it right off the rack! Rob wore a John Varvatos blazer with BOSS pants, shirt and shoes.

My Wedding Party: My bridesmaids all wore Amsale gowns. All of the color options were so beautiful, I couldn’t just pick just one color, and so I decided to go with varying shades for an ombre effect. The shades I chose were Sky, Pacific, Ocean, Grass and Kiwi.

Our Special Moments: It was really eye-opening to see and feel that love and support of people who had traveled so far. I loved watching some of my best friends meet some of Rob’s best friends for the first time and really get along well.

Photography by Toby Hoogs

You can see more photos of Rob and Kim’s wedding here!

Did you find your wedding dress at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding day story! E-mail Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details about getting your big day featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a Wedding Stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.

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January 18, 2013

Real Wedding: Julia and Kevin Draper

Julia describes how she pulled off blending the traditions of two people of different faiths while building new traditions of their own at their sophisticated Ohio wedding.

The Big Day: October 27, 2012

The Scene: Greystone Hall in Akron, Ohio

Our Story: Kevin is Catholic, and I am Jewish, so we decided not to have a religious officiant. Instead, our mutual friend who introduced us got ordained and performed the ceremony, which was so special. Our ceremony was really personal, and we loved getting to customize it to include traditions from both religions as well as readings that were important to us.

The venue was an old Masonic Lodge built in 1917 that was simply exquisite, including hand-painted ceilings, marble detailing and a two-story ballroom. We wanted a sophisticated feel, but more importantly, we wanted our guests to feel comfortable, relaxed and have a great time. Our goal was to get as many people as possible on the dance floor, and I think we accomplished that!

My Wedding Stylist: Katie Priscilla at Nordstrom Beachwood Place in Beachwood, Ohio

Katie was absolutely incredible. She understood the look I wanted to create and helped me find the perfect dress for my body. Katie also helped me find my bridal accessories, bridesmaid dresses and my rehearsal dinner dress. Every time I met with Katie, I felt confident she would help me find exactly what I was looking for. She knew the products inside and out, and she was so sweet and so much fun to work with.

My Look: My gown was the Nicole Miller Faille Trumpet Gown, with Givenchy jewelry and Vera Wang shoes.

When it was time to get my dress altered, Natasha, Nordstrom’s wedding alterations specialist, went above and beyond my highest expectations and perfectly tailored my dress to my shape. The bustle she created was stunning, and I received numerous compliments from wedding guests.

Not only were Katie and Natasha wonderful at their jobs, they were both an absolute pleasure to work with. They always had a genuine smile on their faces, and they were both so warm and welcoming.

My Wedding Party: My bridesmaids wore grey dresses by Suzi Chin for Maggy Boutique. They all LOVED their dresses (saying they were not typical “bridesmaid” dresses) and will happily wear them again.

Our Special Moments: We didn’t want to have a traditional guestbook, so Kevin and I tried to come up with a creative way for our guests to share their thoughts and marriage advice in a non-traditional way. We ended up having guests write their message on a block of wood from the game Jenga. We placed a block at each guest’s table setting and provided a separate table where people could add their block to the pile. At the end of the night, we had a tower of messages from our guests–it was so much fun!

We read all of the messages the following day. Some were really touching, others were hilarious and had us crying from laughing so hard–and all of them were very personal. We’ll have these forever, and every time we read them, it will remind us of the love we are surrounded with from our incredible friends and family.

Photography by Lisa Scalfaro.

Did you find something for a wedding at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding story! E-mail Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details about getting your wedding featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a Wedding Stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.

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