Spring is coming. Can you believe it? My favorite thing about spring time is the color palettes and beautiful weddings that come with this gorgeous time. Here is a perfect little inspiration board for all you pink-loving spring time brides. So tell us, what is your springtime wedding date? And where are you getting married?? I'd love to see all your spring time inspiration boards. They might even show up here on the blog! Comment below!
With the Oscars last night I got to thinking about the other dresses I will "need" for wedding celebrations. With showers, parties and our rehearsal dinner approaching there our lots of excuses to buy more than one white dress.
Source: Alice & Olivia
Source: BLHDN
Did you wear a white dress to your other wedding festivities? Where did you shop?
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
It dawned on me this week that because of the schedule of my dress fitting, I actually need my bridal shoes in May, which feels incredibly soon. Because of that little realization, I've spent this week looking at and thinking about different shoe options.
I'm sure that I'm not the only one that thinks of Cinderella's glass slippers as the shoes that set the bar for all bridal shoes until the end of time.
Source: 1
Of course, the problem with Cinderella's shoes is that a real bride can't exactly traipse around taking photos, gracefully walk down the aisle, greet her guests at cocktail hour, and dance the night away in glass.
Pinterest has no shortage of "real life" glass slippers, either:
While I'm all about sparkle, which I have made abundantly clear in past blog posts, I am also all about dancing and all about pretty while still being practical. Here are a few more down-to-earth, and less fairy tale shoes that I'm considering:
This week I'm trying to find a hair stylist in the small town where we'll be getting married. And while looking for someone, I've been searching for a lot of inspiration. I've known from the beginning that I want to wear my hair up - but that was about as much as I had decided.
Source: left, right
It looks like I'm drawn to styles that are soft, romantic, and a little messy. :-)
Which one is your favorite? Did you know from the beginning how you wanted your hair?
This years marks my third wedding season. Over the years I have had the chance to work with some wonderful vendors to make a wedding day come to life. I receive emails asking for vendor recommendations, so here is the list I send to every bride. So here goes....my favorites. The people that I'd love to work every wedding with. The people that I'd trust with my own wedding. The people that know how to create something beautiful and amazing every single time. These are the people that blow me away, and they will do the same for you.
Venues:
Holman Ranch: Pretty sure my obsession with Holman Ranch has been sufficiently documented on Engaged & Inspired by now. But seriously, how is this not the most amazing place that ever existed?
Catering:
Paradise Catering: You know how at weddings the food just tastes ok? Paradise changes that every. single. time. The first time I tasted their food I was in awe. Every single dish was better than the last. The appetizers were to die for, the vegan spring roll and peanut chicken skewers are my two absolute faves. I used them for my own wedding, and I would highly suggest everyone else does the same.
I have had the extreme pleasure of working with them since my own wedding. From the standpoint of a vendor working with another vendor, I know everything is going to be ok if Paradise is catering. They run one tight ship. The entire crew knows exactly what they are doing and every time the execution is flawless. They know what they are doing and they do it well. Very well.
Photography:
Delbarr Moradi: I could gush about this girl all. day. long. Every single image she takes is gorgeous. She puts so much thought into her photographs and always makes her couples shine. Aside from the fact that she takes some of the best photos you will probably ever see, she is one of the sweetest people as well.
Carlie Statsky: I love this girl. Her photographs are breathtaking and she is one of the easiest people to get along with. For those non-model-types like me, it really helps to be very comfortable with the person behind the camera, and she is so good at making your comfortable. Let's just say I've been stalking her for a very long time. I'm obsessed.
Pictilio: This is one fun-loving photo team that make your day so much fun and totally romantic. They are a treat to work with and have some amazing images to show for all their great work. They shot my sister's wedding (which was on Green Wedding Shoes + Huffington Post) and I was so impressed with the images. I loved every single one.
Florists:
Floral Theory: I mean, best florist in the world? Yes. No seriously. Yes. Some florists are just florists, but this girl takes it to the next level. She doesn't think only as a florist, but she thinks as a designer. How are the colors, elements and textures going to fit with tablescapes. How about your bouquet against your dress. She takes it to the next level and is worth every penny.
Huckleberry Karen:
Desserts:
Sweet Celebrations: Being obsessed with mini-anything like I am, I love that they offer mini cakes for your wedding day. She also has an incredible menu of desserts & cakes but if you ask me, mini cakes are the best. And the taste? So good.
Sweet Tooth Confections:
Hair & Makeup:
Melissa Hoffman
Rentals:
Milkglass Vintage Rentals: Milkglass Vintage is my favorite vintage rental company out there. She has the most amazing style and taste. I wanted just about every piece for my wedding, I loved it all. Since my wedding, she has grown a massive collection and even has a warehouse of goods now. Talk about vintage heaven. If you're looking for some good stuff to make your wedding a little more special, this is the place to go.
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?
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.
Much of our wedding look and feel is inspired by the artist Alphonse Mucha, known for his Art Nouveau botanical paintings of women, like the ones below:
While we don't exactly subscribe to the school of thought of having set "wedding colors," our general color palate will be greens, golds, coppers, pewters, and some pinks. We're in the early stages of talking to some florists, and I've been thinking about my bouquet more and more. I've become quite fond of the idea of a "statement" bouquet, in a brighter, yet still complementary, color to the rest of the wedding flowers. Here are a few that I've found inspiring this week:
Happy Valentine's Day! What better thing to blog about on Valentine's Day than cake. Yumm give me a slice of cake and a glass of champagne any day and I am one happy girl. Anyways, this past weekend we had a marathon of cake tasting. Our caterer strictly handles food so we needed to find another baker to make our cake. Of course, practicing my due diligence, I scheduled tastings with three different bakers in the same day. Blame being out-of-town bride for this kind of madness. (Way too much sweetness for one day).
After choosing the flavors and fillings, the next question bakers want answered is what the cake will look like. Luckily I brought my handy ipad mini to show them some of my favorite cakes out there:
