Fall is a fitting season for beauty experimentation. There’s no need to worry about the humidity threatening your hairstyle or having to worry about your foundation lasting through the ceremony. This is the time to focus on having fun with beauty trends and going for darker colors.

For the boldest of lips, a seriously deep plum that is almost black is gorgeous. It has a mystical look with an edge that is great for weddings around Halloween too. Keep the rest of your makeup minimal and dewy, avoid a matte finish if you’re not after the gothic look.

A sixties beehive with a smoky eye and false eyelashes is a glamorous choice for a fall wedding. As is a dark pink matte lipstick with strong brows.

Brides who are inspired by all things vintage will look amazing with a simple cat-eye and bold lips. To modernize a victory roll hairstyle, opt for smaller rolls at the top of the head and wear the rest of you hair in loose waves.

Navy blue eyeshadow is a colorful alternative to a brown or black smoky eye. It has a striking effect without being too over the top for those who are a little color shy. A simple fishtail braid can be elevated with a neutral lid, statement lips and a jeweled headband. Blending different shades of lip color will create a perfect color for your complexion with an almost ombre finish.

Floral crowns aren’t only for summer weddings. You can make your crown more seasonal by going for a palette of burnt orange, mustard and red with hints of green. A metallic grey eyeshadow is a stylish way to experiment with a darker lid, it looks even better when paired with a high ballerina bun.

A crown of twigs and autumnal blooms is another way to get in on the trend for floral crowns. A soft pink metallic shadow blended into a slate grey at the corners of the eye is a stunning fall look.

Photo one: chantelmarie.com; Photo two: nikkimoorephotography.com; Photo three: aisleperfect.com; Photo four: elisabethkate.com; Photo five: erichmcveyblog.com; Photo six: amynicolephoto.com; Photo seven: christinemeintjes.com; Photo eight: studiohomeonline.com; Photo nine: theweddingco.com; Photo ten: pinterest.com; Photo eleven: weddingchicks.com

Today we’re stripping things down and bringing you five nude color palettes that would be perfect for any wedding day. Despite being a neutral tone, we’re here to prove that nude is anything but boring. So what do you say, are you brave enough to go naked on your big day?

With a hint of peachy pink to its hue, nude pairs beautifully with dark blue shades like this Prussian blue.

Not for the faint of heart, nude helps tone down the bolder shades in this colorful palette, creating a balanced and sophisticated look for couples looking to make a statement on their wedding day.

Pretty and muted, this neutral color scheme is given a touch of glam with the help of a little silver sparkle.

Black, white, and gold is an incredibly elegant color palette on its own, but can be a little on the cold side. Adding nude to the mix helps warm things up and make it just a little more romantic, we think.

Our favorite of the bunch, this palette mixes warm and cool, and dark and light shades for a gorgeous fall color scheme.

Photo one: ruffledblog.com; Photo two: toryburch.com; Photo three: anthropologie.com; Photo four: stylemepretty.com; Photo five: stylemepretty.com

If you are looking for unique and inexpensive DIY favors, then you are in for a treat! Literally! These DIY Car Jars are the PERFECT favors for your wedding guests. They also make fabulous bridal shower or baby shower favors!

You will need:

• Wide Mouth Mason Jars – 250 mL
• KrylonSpray Paint (We used ColorMaster Blue Ocean Breeze)
• Dinky Cars (We purchased a bag of Dinky Cars for $2 at our local Goodwill)
• E6000® Craft Adhesive, Clear, 2 oz
• Salt Water Taffy (or Treat of Your Choice)

Place Dinky cars on a piece of cardboard, newspaper or other type of paper.

Use spray paint to coat each car.

Let dry.

Spray cars again. (Two coats works best.)

Spray paint mason jar lids. Let dry. Use E6000 to adhere cars to lids. Fill jars with your favorite treat!

Pretty awesome, huh?

From the bride’s unique accessories to the chic restaurant venue, Laura and Eric brought a killer sense of style to their completely gorgeous modern and minimalist Brooklyn wedding. Even more importantly, however, the couple’s big day was filled with the things that mean the most to them –  close family, good  friends, and great food!

Thanks to  Cassidy Parker Smith Photography for the gorgeous photos!

Lauren, 28 & Eric, 32

Brooklyn, NY

May 10, 2014

Number of Guests: 32

Wedding Cost: $8,500 including photographer, reception/dinner, cake, flowers, drinks for after party

Wedding Ceremony Location: Fitzcarraldo, restaurant located in the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn

Wedding Reception Location: Fitzcarraldo, followed by a brownstone in Park Slope that was being gut renovated – it was about 80% complete at the time.

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We were actually on a plane ride back from a small-ish wedding in Austin, and we both realized that we wanted something extremely small and intimate. I think that’s actually when we decided to get married as well! We also wanted to avoid getting wrapped up in the details of a traditional wedding that are ultimately unimportant.  So many unimportant details can easily overwhelm any couple and distract from the beauty of a wedding. Our focus remained on our relationship and the people that brought us to that day, rather than the “event” of being wed. We also wanted to share the time with the people who were important to our relationship, and who had been part of the journey that had taken us to that night.

What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

We took about two weeks to plan the majority of our wedding. Eric did a very good job not letting me get wrapped up in the typical details of a wedding. I had to remind myself that certain things were not important to me, despite others’ recommendations. One of the biggest challenges we faced was that our original venue closed about six weeks prior to the wedding date, after we had already sent out invitations. We had actually discovered Fitzcarraldo after we had sent out the invitations. During our first dinner there, we were almost hesitant to admit that we had maybe made a mistake in our venue – so it was a total blessing in disguise. I think the other challenge was that the two of us ended up running a lot of the details – we made the flower arrangements ourselves the night before, we coordinated transportation and logistics, we called Uber, we picked up the cake, etc. Having more people around may have taken away from some of those challenges, but definitely would have added to the stress level.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

I think this was more challenging for our parents, who wanted to show us off to all their friends! As for us, we narrowed the list by only inviting people that were important in our life together as a couple. Of course there were people we wish we could have invited, but it ended up being our closest friends at the wedding which only added to the intimacy of our wedding. At the end of the day, we had a perfect guest list – one where we didn’t have to worry about co-mingling issues, embarrassing relatives, etc. We knew going into the night that every single person there would get along fabulously with every other guest.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Yes! We both have fairly large families, primarily in Texas and Louisiana. Instead of inviting everyone, we sent marriage announcements to make sure our family knew they were important to us and part of our big day. Our friends were all super supportive of the idea – we both got a lot of comments from married couples saying “oh man, you’re doing it the right way… I wish I had done that!”

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Reading our own vows turned out to be so touching and amazing. It was very nerve-wracking to have to do that in front of others, but sharing our love for one another amongst a small group of family and friends was so amazing. A larger wedding would have distracted us from the intimacy of those moments. It was also really amazing to look out and see every single person in our lives that are important to us and to see the reactions they had. We would have missed so many small moments and reactions from friends and family if they had been seated in rows dozens of feet away.

What were the highlights of the reception?

The food! Another great part about a small wedding, is that you can spend more on food and wine. Fitzcarraldo offered a unique six course meal that was so delicious. It was important for us to share our love of food (especially in NYC!) with our family and friends. Another thing I loved about our reception was that we drew numbers for seating – it’s a bit of a Boudreaux family tradition that ended up making total sense for the wedding. Everyone at our wedding was important, so it became difficult to decide who sits where, especially without hurting feelings or keeping us from sitting next to our closest friends. This alleviated a lot of stress – and everyone really got into the idea! We didn’t have any cheaters and got so many comments about how it really made the night unique. It was also great to be able to talk to every person there in depth – we didn’t have to do the typical “rounds” and end up not spending the night with the people we actually wanted to be spending it with.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Not getting wrapped up in unimportant details. Being a fourth year medical student getting ready for graduation, Eric with a full time job, and both of us preparing to move across the country for my residency shortly after the wedding was certainly enough stress for us. Our wedding planning was so easy and it let us focus on each other and to prepare for “real life” rather than getting wrapped up in the details of a wedding that aren’t important. The best thing was that we could focus on the things that matter – friends, family (and food).

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Remember that the wedding is about you and no one else. Don’t let family members dictate what you should have at your wedding – whether it’s the guest list, the venue, or even any minor detail. Stay strong to what you have envisioned! You know who the most important people are in your lives, and it will become apparent who will make the cut for a small wedding. We drew the line at if we had not seen or spoken to that person in six months or if they were not involved in BOTH of our lives then we could not invite them. It seemed to narrow down the list a lot!

Vendors:

Photographer:  Cassidy Parker Smith Photography

Design and Decor: D.S.MeeBee Custom Event Design and Planning

Restaurant:Fitzcarraldo

Dress Store: J. Crew

Jewelry:Kate Spade

Shoes:Kate Spade for Keds

Specialty Foods:Pelzer’s Pretzels

Cake Designer:Two Little Red Hens

Some couples dread the thought of rain on their wedding day, but not Kristen and Todd. The beautiful bride and her handsome groom both agree that the rain was one of the highlights of their wedding reception. We couldn’t agree more! Not only did the wet weather add a romantic touch to their day, it also made for some pretty incredible photos in the process.

Special thanks to Jessi Nichols for sharing those amazing photos with us today!

Kristen, 25 & Todd, 23

Columbia, South Carolina

Wedding Date: August 2, 2014

Number of Guests: 55

Wedding Cost: $4,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Woodhill Estates Clubhouse

Wedding Reception Location: Woodhill Estates Clubhouse

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We knew from the very beginning that we wanted to keep the day to ourselves and our love to remain the focus of our special day. The thought of a large guest list was overwhelming and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy ourselves if we had to worry about 100 other people.

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

Of course, the main challenge was limiting our guest list. We also had difficulty finding a beautiful venue that did not overpower our small wedding, but also provided enough room for everyone.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Definitely! We appreciated that so many of our family and friends desired to be part of our special day. However, we did have to determine a guest limit to ensure that our day was what we truly wanted. To help us pare down the guest list we set boundaries, such as only invite family that are first cousins or closer and we each limited ourselves to five friend invites.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Surprisingly, we did not have any issues with the small guest list from friends and family. We were very upfront with everyone and explained our reasoning for wanting an intimate wedding.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Standing at the altar, hand in hand, finally being able to seal our love for a lifetime.

What were the highlights of the reception?

We both agree that one of our favorite parts about the reception was taking photos in the rain. Sounds surprising huh? Something about the rain was so romantic and we got some really fun pictures. It was also our first alone time since the ceremony.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Very low stress!

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

It is your special day and don’t let others make you feel guilty about what you want. Go for it!

Vendors:

Photographer: Jessi Nichols Photography

Catering: Southern Gourmet  

Cupcakes:  Pastry Place & Catering Co.

Dress: David’s Bridal 

Shoes: GB Shoe  

Groom’s Suit: The Black Tie

Flowers: Sandy Run Florist