Event Planning and Design
Do you remember this shoot we did a while back for Franklin + Gower? We had such a huge response when it was featured on Style Me Pretty and still get questions about it. I love the color palette of the shoot. It was so fun and the pop of coral was perfect for the chic-beach look we achieved.
Photo by Maria Carmel
I’m loving the color palette of this bouquet and how, even though it has NO gray in it whatsoever, it totally compliments the bridesmaids dresses. Stay tuned for more from this amazing wedding, I’ll be posting it this week.
Photo Ashley Rose
Floral Design Heavenly Blooms
When I met Katie and Ben, I knew I had to work with them! Their personalities were exactly what they saw for their wedding – colorful. Katie wanted a wild but refined look throughout the day, and the dream team we pulled together did exactly that. The amazing Lauryl Lane took Katie’s ideas, ran with them and designed florals that blew me away. Katie has been involved with The Girl Scouts almost her whole life and now works with their corporate offices full time, so she wanted to incorporate their famous cookies into her menu. Melody at My Sweet and Saucy made an amazing cake display featuring each cookie dusted with edible gold. Thank you so much to Braedon Photography for these gorgeous images.
This picture totally captured Katie and Ben. Thank you so much guys, for letting me be a part of your special day!
And thank you again to this amazing team of vendors:
Photography: Braedon Photography
Floral Design: Lauryl Lane
Cake: My Sweet and Saucy
Hair and Makeup: Nicole Deanne
Custom Invitations: Wiley Valentine
All other paper goods: Bride and Groom
Venue and Catering: Aliso Creek Inn
Rental Items: Classic Party Rentals
Katie and Ben’s colorful wedding was featured on Grey Likes Weddings today! You can check it out here and I will be posting more pictures this week.
So many fun ways to celebrate. Have you ever seen a beer look so dreamy? Count on Elizabeth Messina…
Working in this industry, I have been blessed to meet so many amazing people. People who have taught, inspired, encouraged and empowered me. One of these people is Dana, from The Broke Ass Bride. I had followed her blog for a while, but as I got to know Dana she was even more awesome than I expected. Her down to earth demeanor makes her so easy to talk to, and hear from. Dana recently called on the wedding community to help her out and hopefully her story will inspire you to help out. Ummm, food and a good cause – I’m in.
Dana’s Story…
♥ When she was 19 she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Uveitis. Her immune system attacks her eyes causing inflammation, visual disturbances and blurriness. It is incurable and will cause blindness if left untreated.
♥ She also has a very rare deep-tissue form of a disease called Granuloma Annulare, causing a different type of inflammation in her foot, for which she had surgery last year. It is so rare, she is unable to find a doctor who knows how to treat it moving forward.
♥ I’ve had 11 surgeries (8 of them in just the past 5 years), to control her diseases and their side effects. Last month her left eye came out of remission and she needs a 12th surgery.
♥ These surgeries and ongoing care (even with health insurance) have left piles of bills in their wake, and she has come to a point where, without help, she cannot pay for medical care.
Dana’s Solution…
♥ We’re compiling beloved comfort food recipes and the stories behind them from the most bad-ass bloggers and beyond… available in varying forms, in exchange for donations to her medical care.
♥ There are incentives for varying levels of donation, which you can learn about here.
♥ The recipes, photos and stories will be teased here on the Dishing for Dana blog, and once a donation is processed, a password to access the full recipes will be released to each donor.
Dana’s Goal…
♥ $13,000 to cover current medical bills
♥ $6,032 to cover our health insurance premiums for the remainder of 2011
♥ $2,000 to donate to the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association toward helping others with autoimmune disease
…for a total minimum of $22,000.
Note that this does not include the costs that will be related to her upcoming surger(ies) and ongoing care, nor for prescriptions or post-surgical supplies such as gauze and tape for her eye patch, or prescribed drugs to aid the healing process and protect from further inflammation and prevent infection, etc.
The Details
♥ You can donate any amount you choose, no minimum, no rules. Because every quarter is a quarter more than we had yesterday. It all adds up.
♥ We will donate 10% of all proceeds up to our goal, to the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association, so every dollar contributed not only goes toward her medical care, but also toward researching a cure to benefit everyone with autoimmune disease.
♥ Anything raised in excess of the goal will be split 50/50 with the AARDA – Dana’s portion of which will be saved in a dedicated, interest-bearing account toward any future surgeries and ongoing medical care.
I had such a blast at Gavin Wade’s Talkshop last year, so when Gavin and Erin asked me to style it again this year I jumped at the chance. The last workshop was in the spring, with this one in Autumn I found the perfect inspiration. Naturally, Jaclyne at Heavenly Blooms did a great job with the flowers. The wood planterbox was filled with coffee roses, hydrangea and balsa wood flowers. With the bouquet she added skeleton leaves, which added such a whimsical touch. The shoot was featured on one of my favorite wedding blogs, Snippet and Ink! Head over there to check out the feature.
All photos courtesy of Gavin Wade Photo
A huge hug and thank you to the team …
Venue: Strawberry Farms Golf Course
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Floral Design: Heavenly Blooms
Styling, Coordination and Tabletop Decor: Chic Celebrations
I know, it’s been a while but I am so excited to share a holiday shoot I was a part of back in December. When Jaclyne with Heavenly Blooms asked me to be a part of it, I was thrilled. Not only because I love working with her, but also because of this amazing inspiration board we found on Snippet and Ink.
I am so happy with the way everything turned out. This was a creative team I could only have dreamed of working together with. Everything came together so seamlessly and it was truly a collaborative effort. The shoot was featured in two parts over at Hostess with the Mostess, you can check out the entire shoot there. But below are just some of my favorites.
Again, thank you so much to the wonderful team that helped pull all of this together!!
Concept and Floral Design Heavenly Blooms
Fabulous Photography Drew B
Styling Chic Celebrations
Stationery and Paper Goods TomKat Studio
Desserts Sweet and Saucy Shop
Linens and Glitter Stools Glow Concepts
I hope all of you are having a lovely day with family and friends. The holiday festivities with our family are always such a heartwarming time, and I hope they are for you too. This picture makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, so it’s only fitting…
photo found on pinterest from la belette rouge.
…for absolute gorgeousness. Even though we seem to be having a heat wave here in SoCal, I am still SO feeling the holiday spirit. The tree is decorated and most of the shopping is done. Now all I need to do is get everything wrapped up. I am loving these seasonably chic gift wrap ideas. I hope mine can turn out nearly this gorgeous.
Oh how I LOVE LOVE LOVE almost anything that involves kraft paper.
Look at what simple tape with a lace motif (Get some here and here) or some raffia and a sprig of pine can add to a package.
And who can forget these gorgeous gift wrap ideas from last year, by Summer over at Grey Likes Weddings. Her creativity amazes me.
Do you have anything special for your holiday gift wrapping? I’d love to hear, or better yet see, all about it.
Photo 1 found on Flickr
Photo 2 found on Cox and Cox via Pinterest
Photo 3 found on Design Sponge
Photo 4 found on Grey Likes Weddings via Pinterest
Happy “Turkey Day”! Today I am reminded to be thankful for my friends, family and colleagues. I am so grateful for my husband, my health and a career I love more than words can even start to express. I am so blessed to love what I do and who I do it for. My clients are the best in the world, and I am constantly honored that they trust me with their special day. I hope that today you are blessed with family, friends and good food.
Image via Martha Stewart
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s all about being with my family and eating tons of delicious food. Sprinkle Bakes is one of my favorite food blogs. She always makes the most amazing, and beautiful, desserts. Take a look at what I am going to attempt tomorrow….
Image via Sprinkle Bakes
I am not the confectionary master she is, so wish me luck.
Recently I was asked to style a “day after shoot” for an amazing couple. Jennifer and Laurence have been married for years, but wanted a romantic shoot with just the two of them. They wanted just a few pieces to add a little bit of flare to the shoot without taking away from the romance. Paul Von Rieter chose Black Star Canyon as the backdrop for the day. Even though they look serious, these two were serious goofballs and I had so much fun with them.
All pictures courtesy of Paul VonRieter
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this video I found via Snippet and Ink this morning. I just had to share it. It brought me to tears (no surprise, I’m a crier), but it reminded me that it is the little things that matter most. In the end, I think this is just the kind of love everyone should be looking for.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
A few months back my friend Maria Carmel, who is an AMAZING photographer introduced me to the guys over at Franklin+Gower. Their stuff is so great, they really bring customized grooms style to a whole new level. The three of us got to chatting and wanted to put a fun, chic shoot together that would really showcase the Franklin+Gower look to brides and grooms. Everything came together flawlessly and Style Me Pretty loved the images as much as we did. They featured the shoot yesterday, so Exciting!!
A private beach in Malibu was the perfect location for the look we wanted to go for – calm and neutral, with pops fuchsia. I tried my hand at florals on this one, and had a lot of fun doing it. I mixed ranunculus (one of my all-time favorites) and succulents with sola wood flowers for a fresh feel that would last in the summer heat on the beach. A burlap runner down the table was accented with large coral pieces, vintage books, old lanterns and small accent floral arrangements with gorgeous amaranthus dripping down. Succulents in small galvanized metal pails acted as place cards. Our ceremony alter was made of bamboo posts, draped in chiffon with tiebacks made up of more of that gorgeous amaranthus. Our groom and groomsman wore sea-foam green slim fit trousers with a green and white patterned side-stripe and a coordinating pocket square, with a navy blue blazer.Our brides dress was by Alix and Kelly and the bridesmaids dress was by Thread Bridesmaid. They each carried bouquets of ranunculus, succulents and solidago (green filler) tied with burlap.
Check out the gorgeous images that Maria captured…
