What do you think of when you hear New Orleans? A city that survived? A party that never ends? A place rich in history and architecture? Well, all three of those present themselves as a trifecta in this amazing wedding photographed by Crystal George of Crystal George Studios.

Like New Orleans, Emily and Courtney are a couple who had been through a lot as individuals before their life paths crossed, and this wedding has a Mardi Gras theme, creole style food and a building that has beautiful lines. It is also a great example of a DIY feast for the eyes!

Emily had each of her bridesmaids give her a pair of their own comfortable shoes to make over for the wedding, so she presented each of her attendants with an upcycled version of their shoes along with fun masks to wear. Their bouquets were also functional for the wedding, yet they were comprised of several pieces that could be worn as brooches and accessories long after the wedding was over. Being a hair and makeup artist, Emily also did the hair and makeup for herself and her bridesmaids… quite a task on her own wedding day!

Emily also wrote an article for the pages of clutch, the bride’s guide to have and to hold, and you can pick up a copy locally or click HERE to see more of her wedding photos and read her wedding story starting on page 64. Ok, enough reading. It’s time to enjoy this beautiful wedding.

Photography: Crystal George Studios

Hair and Makeup: Bodyworks Day Spa & Salon

Ceremony Venue: Grace Memorial Episcopal

Reception Venue: The Aviary

Bride’s Dress: Vera Wang at David’s Bridal (customized)

Maid’s Shoes & Masks: Customized by Bride

Cake: Family & Friends

Catering: Avenue Foods

Bouquets: Custom by Skull Fly

Decor: Kasey of Boudoir and Tabitha of Skull Fly

Band: Almost Brothers

Lighting: Castle Event Lighting

Videography: Lynchburg Live

Tux: Men’s Wearhouse

When I hear that Crystal of Crystal George Studios and Emily of Bodyworks Day Spa & Salon are up to something, I know it will be wonderful, but then seeing the results always blows me away! This session they crafted recently just oozes of beauty and a lot of makeup, hair and veiling ideas. Here are Crystal‘s own words about the shoot, and I hope you enjoy it!

Creative collaboration is one of my favorite things in the world. Artists from different genres can often inspire each other and bounce ideas back and forth in a way that creates something special. Emily and I both share an interest in fashion and we were excited to explore veiling in a way that wasn’t your traditional bridal look. 

Hair & Makeup: Emily Garbee, Bodyworks
Styling: Crystal George Studios & Emily Garbee
Models: Irina Fuller, Kellie Hunt, Ruby Young, Abbey Gail Johnston, Ivy Taylor

Love what Crystal and Emily do? Well, they will be presenting a session at Bliss, a fine wedding fair on April 1st. Be sure to come and hear what they have to say!

Lynchburg is so full of history … from the estates on the rolling hills to the stately business buildings downtown, our Hill City has a footprint that has decades invested in it. Lynchburg also has several historic districts, which boast beautifully established homes, and that is where Jeremiah Guelzo of Stone Blue Productions decided to take Courtney for her bridal session. Enjoy these stunning images of Courtney while appreciating the backdrop of old Virginia.

Kudos to Jeremiah for utilizing the history of Lynchburg … what a pretty backdrop to highlight a gorgeous bride. Courtney, I wish you all of the best!

Aaahhh, summer is here, and in an attempt to sit back and enjoy summer, I am introducing Throwback Thursday, which is a collection of oldies but goodies that need to be revisited since Hill City Bride’s humble beginnings.

Small veils and headpieces are all the rage nowadays, and brides can have a little fun creating their own birdcage veil … it is not as hard as you may think! The following photos show a basic veil, and I will bet with a little personalization, you can create a birdcage style veil that will reflect your own personality and flair.

Just a few simple supplies are needed. Here, the bride chose a patterned tulle, satin fabric (you could also use ribbon of your choosing), a silk flower pulled off of the stem and a needle and thread to match the color of the tulle. In order to secure the veil to your head, you may want to add some hair pins or a small comb to your list of supplies. You will also need plain tulle, which is not pictured above.

By cutting a leaflike shape out of the tulle and adding a piece of the satin (again, I would probably use ribbon), the bride sewed the pieces together to give the accent piece the look she wanted.

The flower was then sewn on to the accent piece, which covers up the original sewing needed to attach the ribbon to the accent piece. She also cut the tulle and shaped it to give the veil the sense of structure that she desired, and then the end was sewn together to hold the shape of the cage.

By lastly sewing the flower accent piece onto the veil (and doing a good job of covering up the sewn end of the tulle), you will have your completed veil! In order to ensure that the headpiece stays in place, you may want to add a hairpin or small comb onto the inside of the veil so that you can feel confident that it will stay put.

Simple, but elegant! Here is the completed piece on the bride for her special day. I hope that this simple project helps to get some DIY headpiece ideas of your own for your wedding. Also, if you are looking for some custom pieces for your wedding, head on over to e&a WED … our newest advertiser for the beautiful items that she can make for your wedding day.

Many thanks goes out to Emily Kim Bart for the use of her idea and photographs. You can catch more of Emily’s photos on Flickr.

I am so doing this!! So, so, so!! I love the flowers, bows, feathers and all sorts of other goodies that are showing up in hair nowadays, and they were big in the UK before they were barely noticed here in the US (shame on us!). Of course, Royal-to-be, Kate Middleton, is well known for sporting a lovely hat or a fascinator … especially if she is attending a wedding.

I hope that you enjoy this video I found on how to make your own fascinators, and it even includes a photo of Kate and you get to hear a British accent. How wonderful! Enjoy, and I hope that you will be well on your way to making a few hairpieces of your own.

If you have trouble locating a fascinator base at your local craft store (I have not tried to search for one yet locally, but I will!), you can try Etsy … just click here to look at what I found. Happy DIYing!! Also if you would like to see a mini fashion show of some of Kate’s hats and fascinators, just click here … it’s worth the visit.