Planning a Wine Country Wedding, Part 3: Where did you get that?

As an event designer, one of the questions I’m asked most by both clients and wedding guests is where I find all the unique elements — from the perfect dinner chairs to the adorable ring bearer’s pillow — that make a couple’s wedding uniquely them. For wine country weddings, you typically want thoughtful details that beautifully bridge both rustic and elegant looks. Here I share some of Esla Events' favorite sources.

Paper Goods

Source

The Aerialist Press. They offer beautiful designs – both house and couture collections, and are two of the nicest people you will ever meet, who are inspiringly passionate about what they do.

Little Miss Press. She offers beautiful stationery design AND stunning calligraphy. Getting your invitations designed, printed, and addressed all in one spot? Can’t get any easier than that.

Materials & Special Touches

Source

Save on Crafts. For all you DIYers out there, this is a gold mine for materials. From candles to moss to baskets, this national site’s warehouse is located just down south in Watsonville, so getting your items is very quick and easy.

Pressed Cotton. One of my new favorite sites for special little details. The products are tastefully done and well curated.

BHLDN. While some items are overpriced, sometimes you just can’t find that perfect coral cake stand anywhere else. Great for items you think you’ll want to keep long after the wedding.

Etsy. And no list can be complete without this “DIYer outsourcing” site. Sometimes it takes some patience to dig through all the postings, but usually you can find the perfect item at a great price.

Pretty Sweets

Source

Miette. A San Francisco classic, this store just makes you happy. If you can incorporate some of their jaw-droppingly beautiful cupcakes and macarons into your dessert table, do.

Batter. One of my favorite sources for baked goods. Delicious, unique, and beautiful.

Candy Warehouse. There isn’t anything that glamorous about this site or source, but it’s a lifesaver if you’re trying to find a range of candies in one particular shade.

Rentals

Hartmann Studio Rentals. Tip: They have one of the best shrubbery collections in the region. So if you need some olive trees or boxwoods to help define large outdoor spaces, and make ceremony spaces more intimate, this is the place to go.

Wine Country Party & Events. Not surprisingly, their inventory is geared beautifully towards the rustic yet romantic and elegant look of Napa and Sonoma weddings.

Classic Party Rentals. Looking for a great dark-wood farm table? They rent them for $85. Also, their benches and Descanso lounge furniture are quite popular with my clients.

For fans of mid century modern, industrial, and custom design rentals, keep an eye out for YEAH! Rentals and rEvolve (site coming soon!), who will both be expanding their presence in the Bay Area this coming year.

Vintage Touches

Source

One True Love Vintage Rentals. Incredibly tasteful collection, with exceptionally beautiful pieces for lounge vignettes.

Heritage & Craft. With a beautiful selection of vintage goods, they also are able to craft custom pieces for you.

MilkGlass Vintage Rentals. Her selection of tables and glassware are fantastic, and she also can help you create a customized piece to perfectly suit your needs.

Wine Country Party’s Circa. Need to try and get all your rentals from the same place to avoid multiple delivery charges? Wine Country Party has a Circa line of vintage goods, so you can get 150 standard white plates and 5 wooden crates for styling your dessert table all in one place.

Linens

Napa Valley Linens. Amazing customer service and a constantly updated and beautiful selection of linens.

La Tavola. My clients go crazy for their Tuscano line (which are linen linens). Beautiful understated elegance. They have showrooms in both Napa and San Francisco, making sample viewing a snap.

Happy hunting for your perfect items!

Table Talk

This week we began to look into our options for tables, chairs, and everything else that goes along with wedding rentals. What I thought would be a quick in-and-out chat turned into a two plus hour meeting. At the rental place we were helped by a super sweet lady who has coordinated many weddings at our venue. She was extremely helpful and learning about how other couples used the space provided a rough road-map of what works and what does not at the venue.

Up until now I had been envisioning our wedding with rustic wood tables for seating.

Source

Source

In reality these dream tables would be a pain in the but and a lot more expensive, so I think we are now leaning towards traditional rectangle or circle table with tablecloths.

Source: 1, 2 & 3

Source: 1, 2 & 3

Now onto a search for some unique table linens. How did you choose your wedding reception tables? Did you purchase or rent your table linens?

Take a Seat {Finding the Perfect Table Numbers}

Table numbers are one of those little things you don't start seriously thinking about until a lot of other things fall into place: place settings, china, glassware, dinner menu, flatware, centerpieces, rentals, color palettes, etc. As those little things are beginning to come together (5 month countdown like WHOA), I am finding my spare Pinterest time being spent increasingly on table numbers. And, man! There are some really cute and really crazy table numbers on Pinterest. I love simple, elegant, vintage, and nothing overly fussy. That being said, if you are looking for table numbers for your tropical-Winter-circus-themed wedding, surely they exist! Here are a few I'm loving right now:

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Going Back in Time {Vintage Rentals}

It's crazy to think just how much goes into wedding planning. From choosing a venue and a photographer, to the food, layout, guest list, music and more, you'd think it was crazy that brides would do even more than just the bare minimum. But let's be honest, those extras are where the details come in and a couple really has the opportunity to show their personality. So I am now at a crossroads, what extras do I want to include? What will add the perfect amount of personality and uniqueness to our wedding? What I'm finding is that it's a bit of a tricky balance. I love wedding details and some of my favorites extra include vintage rentals so for the past few days, I've been choosing what I'll include in my tablescapes.

Source

Source

Source

Pink & Gold Tidbits

I'm a nut about the organizing my Pinterest boards, and I most definitely pride myself on how good my boards look. I decided to organize my pins by category in a wedding planning process. For example, thinking about escort cards? There is a board for that. How about place settings? Oh ya, definitely a board for that. And even photography must-haves.

What do you guys think? Is that the best way to organize them or do you have a different system?

As I was organizing my pins, I noticed I'm definitely gravitating toward some subtle pinks and metallic gold. No surprise there. What a wonderful color palette. Here are some of my recent and most favorite pins of the moment.

Credits: Marshmallow Cakes, Ruffle Cake, Florals, Earrings, Dresses

Wedding STD's

This week I am happy to report that we can cross our Save the Dates (or STD's as we like to call them) off our list!  What I thought would be a simple project somehow turned into a 2 + month project.  When we mailed these out on Valentine's day, I finally started to feel like we are making some progress.

We wanted to do something original so we asked a family friend to draw an illustration for us. We couldn't be happier with the way they turned out!

Now onto the other half of my dress!

Did you design your own Save the Date? How did they turn out?

Planning a Wine Country Wedding, Part 2: The Design

Laurel here from Esla Events for the next installment of our Wine Country wedding series. This week’s topic: designing and styling your big day. There is no shortage of inspiration out there these days, from blogs to magazines to books (my current favorites are this one and that one). So instead of getting into the style of your design, below I provide some tips to consider when styling your designs. None are rocket science but, as any bride can tell you, it's really easy to get so deep into the specifics of your idea that you overlook some styling basics. Think of this as a 7-point cheat sheet for taking your designs from concept to execution successfully, and for getting yourself unstuck when needed. 1. Ask yourself, “What’s behind it?” Sure, you’ve considered the backdrop for your ceremony, but what about your dessert table? Your head table? Your bar? You’ll want these to be in convenient locations that makes sense for access and flow, but don’t forget about the overall visual experience. If there isn’t a gorgeously textured barn wall or natural feature to help frame the component, create one by hanging something (see point #7).

Photo by MEF Photography | Rentals by OTL Vintage | Design and Styling by Esla Events and Amanda O'Shannessy Creative

2. Incorporate a few specialty pieces. One of the easiest and most surefire ways to enhance the look of your day is to rent a few signature items. Even if you don’t have a huge budget, focusing your limited dollars on one or two additions or upgrades can really help elevate your aesthetic. Some favorite strategies include: creating a lounge area with beautiful vintage pieces from One True Love, Heritage & Craft, or Milk Glass, upgrading your napkins and dinner table linens to La Tavola’s Tuscano line, or switching out basic folding chairs for crossback chairs, available at Wine Country Party, Hartmann Studios, and Classic Party Rentals.

 Photo by MEF Photography | Rentals by OTL Vintage | Design and Styling by Esla Events and Amanda O'Shannessy Creative

3. Use varying display heights. Use stands, wood crates, or other props to create height on your various stations and display areas. Not sure how to do this? Just check out your favorite boutique or coffee shop for ideas on how to execute this well. The end result is a more friendly, engaging, and visually pleasing design.

Photo and Design by Esla Events

4. When in doubt, use the rule of three. Most items look better in clusters of three, especially when they’re varied in height. Not sure why, they just do.

Photo by MEF Photography | Florals by Leigh Okies Design | Design and Styling by Esla Events and Amanda O'Shannessy Creative

5. Consider the white space. In addition to figuring out what should go where, think about what shouldn’t be there. Giving core design elements breathing room can amplify their visual impact.

Florals by Studio Choo | Photo by Esla Events 

6. Hang something. Many venues in Napa and Sonoma have arbors, wine racks, and other easy-to-hang-from anchor points. Hanging candles, lights, ribbon, signs, and chalkboards are all easy ways to personalize a space, add that romantic touch, and get the most visual impact for your efforts.

Photo by Meg Perotti  |  Florals by Studio Choo  | Rentals by Heritage & Craft  |  Ribbon wall and design by Esla Events

7. If you're not sure whether it will work, prototype it. Sketch it. Count it out. Visit a rental showroom. Make a floor plan. Make a sample. Whatever your strategy, getting the idea out of your head and into a physical form will ensure there are no surprises on the big day, and might even give you additional ideas. And don't be shy! As you can tell from my sketch below, you don't need to be an artist to use this trick—just doodle to get clear on your idea!

Still feeling design-challenged? Consider hiring an event designer to help you flesh out your ideas, help you find all the needed materials and rentals, and handle all the styling on the big day. Or better yet, check out Amanda O’Shannessey’s recently launched workshop series, Styled.

Details in the Heart

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, this week I have been looking at ways to subtly add hearts into our wedding without being overly predictable or cutesy.  I love a sweet heart as much as any other girl, but want to incorporate this idea with an element of restraint so as to keep it from looking like a Valentine's explosion. Here are a few creative ideas I found to add some extra love to your special day.

Wedding attire: I would love to create our own heart patch with our initials and wedding date.

Sources: 1 & 2

Add some love to your sole! These awesome heart stopper pads on the right will help you stay upright down the aisle and while you are breaking it down on the dance floor.

Sources: 1 & 2

Sources: 1 ,2 & 3

Darling Details: (above) Ring pillow, heart touches on envelopes, photos props, (below) heart confetti, guest book, and garland.

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

Source

Are you adding any heart details to your special days? Happy early Valentines Day to you and your sweet!

Umba Box Dinner by Engaged & Inspired

A few weeks back during Alt Summit I had the chance to style a dinner with 20 Alt Summit attendees for Umba Box. We chose their branding colors, Navy Blue + Coral, and went with some fun handmade details to reflect their brand. Umba Box is a subscription service featuring a box of handmade goodies sent to your door each month. They do all the work scouring the internet for the best handmade goods for you. Amazing right? Check them out.

Florals were supplied by Sarah Winward an amazing Salt Lake City floral designer. I designed the menu and painted the edges to add some color.

I also handmade the place cards for each guest. I'll be sharing the DIY on these on the Umba Box blog in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for that.

Good food and good times were had by all! It was a great way to start out the Alt Summit experience and I am so happy I was able to be a part of making this space special for the guests. Thanks Umba Box for allowing me to be a part and thanks to Sarah Winward to producing the fabulous flowers for the event.

Aisle Blooms

This week I have been thinking about what I would like our wedding aisle to look like. A few months ago I bought a bunch of planters made from old cinnamon bread pans at a flea market. I'm not entirely sure how I will use these but I couldn't pass them up and though they would be great aisle decor.

I am also really loving all of these creative hanging flower arrangements.

Sources: 1 & 2

Source

And these rustic stumps.

Sources: 1 & 2

Source

 How are you making your aisle magical for your special day? What extra touches did you add?