The Lab :: Romatically Pink by Esla Events

May 21, 2012

Back in January 3 gals (Erin of Bustle Events, Yasmin of Floral Theory and yours truly of Engaged & Inspired) banded together to bring the most amazing bridal event to Northern California, The Lab. I wanted to feature some of the incredible images from Esla Events of an inspiration board she brought to life at the event. She was a new-comer last year, but her talent was so evident and we knew she should be a perfect fit for what we were doing. Check out these AMAZING images from The Lab. Special thanks to Weddingbee for the inspiration board!

We are so excited to host The Lab Event once again next January! Watch out for the date, which we will be announcing soon.

Photographer: Meg Perotti

Photographer: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Photographer: Meg Perotti

Photographer: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Photographer: Jennifer Skog Photography

Photographer: Tinywater Photography

Weddingbee’s “Young Love” inspiration board Designer: Esla Events Floral: Studio Choo Desserts: Fox & Fawn Rentals: Hartmann Studios Vintage Rentals: Milkglass Vintage Rentals/ Heritage & Craft Lighting: Impact Lighting Stationery: Aerialist Press

Hello, sweets!

April 26, 2012

Hello E & I readers! Before I dive into planning and inspiration, let me tell you a bit more about me. My fiance's name is Frank and we're both from the Central Valley in California. We met in 2007 and have been best friends and loves ever since. We were engaged on a last-minute trip to Half-Moon Bay on a beautiful beach at sunset, and have picture proof! By day I'm in insurance and in my free time I'm a blogger and wedding blog fiend. My wedding vision is not easily described but I'm hoping to achieve romance, vintage feeling details and a bit of craftiness. Now that you're a bit more familiar, let me tell you what I'm all about....sweets! Yes the venue and the dress are important and I can't tell you how excited I am over the decor options being discussed right now but sweets is all my mind can think of. With all of the amazing options out there, how can you not just want to jump right to the desert!?

Cake is what first comes to mind when you think of wedding desserts, but I think these cakes not only look great but offer a whimsical twist to the classic tiers. Donut cake? Sign me up!

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Of course a huge trend right now is cupcakes! Cupcakes not only have the ability to cut costs for the bride and groom but can add a little fun to your desert line and allow people to indulge a bit more than they would with a slice of cake. My favorites are the create your own cupcake bars like these.

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There's also frozen treat options for the ice creams gals out there, like me!. From DIY ice cream parlors to ice creams sandwiches and popsicle, any guest would be delighted to have one of these cool options. The packaging on the ice cream sandwich could also serve as a thank you note or a way to add your monogram.

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Are you like me, and can't wait to try some deserts? Are you offering a variety of deserts or sticking to a classic cake? Let me know ladies!

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Pink & Gold :: Enough Said

March 2, 2012

Pink and Gold, what is left to say about this fabulous combination? No matter how many times I see it, I just can't seem to get sick of this perfect combo. And glittery additions only make things better. These pieces have become such classic details in my life and I couldn't live without a little fabulous pink every now and again.

Source: Gold, Cake, Cotton Candy, Invites, Dessert, Flowers

{Crafty Details} Glassine Bag Inspiration

February 20, 2012

I'm a little obsessed with glassine bags. These are my new muslin bags (although, I will always have a soft spot for muslin bags). Invitations, business cards and favors are just a small number of ways glassine bags can be used to make you look like you tried real hard to create something epic. Truth is, they are so easy-peasy and your options of decorating them are just endless. I tried all the different ways these little guys could be used, but boy, there were just so many. Here are some of my favies. Sweet Treats: Love the stitched bag with mini donuts. This is probably my favorite of them all.

Source: Eat, Fabrics

Again with the stitched. I seriously love the idea of stitching these little guys, no matter what you plan on putting inside.

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Custom calligraphy, oh boy, this photo below is from Etsy and is offered at an awesome price. Only $6 for 20 of these. So cute right?

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A very popular use seems to be a little foodie bag to give guests little treats from your wedding. I can't say I disagree with this use, in fact, I love it.

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Mixing muslin and glassine? Well there we go, that is all I need. Such adorable packaging inspiration.

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The ways are endless, just look at each of these, such a fabulous way to personalize each bag and mix things up just a little bit!

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Anyone adding these little bags anywhere in your wedding?

The Wedding Cake

February 17, 2012

In the spirit of Valentine’s week, how could I not write about our wedding cake today? In some ways, we are lucky that our wedding venue includes the cake in our package cost. On the other hand, that gives me less control over what our cake looks and tastes like. Luckily, we have already attended a cake tasting and while they are all delicious, they are somewhat generic looking. I have a few ideas to personalize our cake to match our wedding vibe- flowers and/or cake toppers. Here are a few cakes and details I love.

{Floral Additions}

one, two, three, four

{Cake Toppers}

one, two, three, four

I love the floral cakes, I just don't know if our caterer will allow it or how to execute it. Are the flowers real or sugar? I have a second meeting with our florist this week and hope to gain some insight then.

*Which do you prefer? Think there is anyway to do both?

{Spring is in the Air} Backyard Wedding Inspiration

February 10, 2012

In just a few months (weeks rather) my sister will be tying the knot herself. That's right, her and I will celebrate anniversaries a week away from each other :)

Source: Glitter Pops, Flowers

They are having a pretty short engagement, and we are going down a bit of a different route for her wedding than we did for mine. But, I am pretty darn excited about the whole thing. So today I wanted to share just a tinge of the inspiration we have gathered for this lovely backyard affair. There will be about 40 guests in attendance and I have some super fun ideas up my sleeve that I can't wait to start working on. Since I will be DIYing the bejesus out of my parent's backyard, we have to make sure to fill the whole space and cross our fingers hard for no rain! (But I will confess, if it does rain, I'm so excited to do the ceremony in front of the fireplace. So romantic)

Source: Peach, Throw

Source: Cake, Balloons

Source: Flowers, Pool, Dessert Bar

I'm excited for the next few months and what that will bring. And I am excited once again to craft it up so very much. It doesn't get much better than crafting nights, now does it?

Cut the Cake...

February 7, 2012

I have to be honest, the wedding cake has never been high on my priority list. I think fondant looks cool, but tastes pretty terrible. And I really don't want ribbons or giant flowers on my cake. It's just not really my style (or my fiancé's!). Our venue will bake the cake, which is much easier then having to find our own baker. We decided on a 6-inch chocolate chip pound cake with vanilla buttercream icing. So we'll have the mini-cake to cut, and then cupcakes for all of our guests! I mean, who doesn't love a cupcake? Our little cake will be tiny and adorable, but I still think it needs a little something extra. Enter the personalized cake stand or cake topper! Maybe even both? So far I'm having a hard time finding a topper. I like the one below, it's just a pink heart on a stick - but I think it's pretty cute. And, I'm pretty sure I could DIY it - which is always a plus.

This heart topper is cute too. I could try to sew this, it looks pretty easy.

As for cake stands, this simple white cake stand is pretty and wouldn't take away from the cake.

We could also go with a personalized cake stand - it really would be a pretty keepsake.

Or just this pretty ruffled stand, I'm loving the yellow!

As for toppers, I like these wooden name toppers a lot.

There's also this sweet je t'aime topper with mint green hearts.

This quirky wooden topper could be fun - we could get it customized to look like us.

I also like these mini bunting flag toppers.

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Is getting a cake stand silly? I don't think we need one, but they sure are pretty! The baker has a print-out of the first picture as our inspiration - so I hope our cake looks just like that. We are just under two months away from the wedding now, time is flying! We are finalizing all the minor details - and I'd love to check this one off the list. Which topper do you like best? Did you have a cake stand and topper? Oh, and what song did you play during the cake cutting? I'd love to hear your opinions/advice!

Delectable Desserts

February 5, 2012

Any sweets bar is alright in my book. These sweet shoppe's are some of my favorite parts of some delectable dessert bars. My favorite? The brownie bites on a stick. Because, of course you know by now that we are major fans of anything that comes in a mini size and on a stick. Just amazing.

Credit: Ice Cream Bar, Cupcake Topping Bar, Ice Cream, Toppings,

Apple Orchard Inspiration

February 1, 2012

The best part of my day is getting the chance to chat it up with brides who are full of inspiration and excitement over their big day. After a fabulous chat with a bride, Ashlynn, she sent over her Pinterest board of inspiration and boy did it inspire me! Her inspiration is an apple orcahard-esque theme filled with fab DIYing and a bit of homemade glory. I thought this would be a fabulous opportunity to inspire those of you who are planning a late-summer wedding filled with homemade love.

I love these dish towel save the dates! In fact, I want to get a few for myself to remember our wedding day. :) Apple butter on vintage pieces are so awesome. Similar to jam, these are great favors that guests will love and will love to eat.

Source: Apple butter, dish towels, barn

Don't you just wish there were more red barns around? I sure do. I don't think I have found one in all of my searches, so if you are in a place that has one, I highly envy you! And, yarn letters are definitely becoming a favorite of mine at the moment.

Source: Table Number, Centerpiece, Invite

Source: Love, Lemonade, Cans, Orchard, Cake, Flatware

Source: Flowers, Tablescape, Ceremony

Sugar High

January 21, 2012

I am halfway through a 30 day sugar detox. Yes, this was self-imposed and yes I am crazy. After a splurging on way too many holiday treats, I decided to take a break from the sweet stuff for a month in the hopes of get my cravings back in check. Consequently, all I can think about is sugar as of late! So I thought I would channel this into something productive and start salivating searching for some awesome cake décor ideas! My fiancé is still unsure about having a full-blown cake. He would like a dessert bar with lots of options for people to choose from. Given that this is one of the only things he has expressed an opinion about (the other thing was hors d'oeuvre – are you sensing a theme?), I think I have to give it to him. But I still would like a cake – likely a small one – in order to capture the obligatory cake-cutting moment. And I also love the tradition of freezing the top layer and enjoying it together on your first anniversary (“enjoy” might not be the right word – does it still taste good after a year?).

So far I am leaning toward all white! I absolutely love these eyelet ones I have come across.

Credits clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4

And these flower cakes are breathtaking!

Credit clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4

Credits: 1, 2

Since one of our colors is gold, I would also be open to incorporating that into the cakes, especially if they look like these!

Credit: 1, 2, 3

Finally, I might enhance the Art Deco theme a bit more by highlighting it in our cake.

Credits: 1, 2, 3

Which one do you like the best? Please let me know in your comments below!

P.S. I know I didn't say a single word about flavor and that is because I don’t discriminate when it comes to cake - I like it all! And this is exactly the reason why I need a sugar detox!