Elegant Blush Wedding by Britta Marie Photography

Things are getting elegant today, in the best way possible. This wedding oozes with grace from top to bottom. I can't seem to get enough of the bridal party color palette, the bride's veil or this stunning property. Britta Marie Photography captured this wedding beautifully!

PS we shared our favorite shot from this wedding on Instagram. Do you follow us? We share pretty awesome sneak peeks!

Photographer:  Britta Marie Photography//Reception Venue: Armour House at the Lake Forest Academy//Dress Designer: BHLDN//Event Venue: Fountain Blue Banquets & Conference Center//Dress Store: House of Brides//Cake Designer:Karina's Bakery//Cinema and Video:Vanilla Video//

Glamping Style by Melissa Jaen Photography

Editorial glamping girls night. What more could you want? This group of vendors brought the outdoors in for a fabulous "girls night in" style experience. Check out all the little details, the stunning hair & makeup, and that awesome sheepskin rug!

"Just because we're living in the Polar Vortex doesn't mean we can't have any outdoor fun. Stylish girls are also resourceful, as proven by two creative Chicago wedding pros Maritza Buelvas and Alice Nielsen who decided to take the idea of Glamping indoors and create a trusty toolkit for style seekers, to boot.

Glamping as defined by Oxford Dictionaries is "...likely [to] satisfy any city slicker seeking a little refuge in nature—without foregoing any of life’s luxuries." But what if nature isn't quite cooperating in your neck of the woods? Seeking sanctuary from the harsh outdoor elements seems to be a common thread in early 2014. And for all those busy planning weddings, hosting soirees or just needing a "me" moment, the constant downpour of snow and freezing temps can certainly put a damper on one's style mojo. 

Bringing the outdoors "indoors" in unexpected ways, can breathe fresh air into your next intimate gathering or group celebration. Pitch a tent by your living room fireplace this Valentines Day to celebrate your upcoming nuptials with your sweetie; roast marshmallows indoors and sip on champagne with your girlfriends while watching the 10 year celebration of Mean Girls, or pack a slew of picnic baskets and host a DIY couples engagement brunch.

All it takes is a little creative ingenuity and some crafty common sense. Try mixing in rustic elements like branches and wood, with comfy home furnishings and desserts that seem to float off your plate. Here are some visual cues and styling ideas for transforming your indoor space into a glamorous safari retreat."

credits:
Concept by: Alice Nielsen and Maritza Buelvas. Event styling by Alice Nielsen of styled-it.com; Hair by Maritza Buelvas of beautyforbloggers.com; Makeup by Brenda Arelano @brendaarelano; Modeling by Rachel Rose Perez and Erica Nielsen; Photography by Melissa Jaen of melissajaen.com

Beltane Ranch Wedding by Retrospect Images

How gorgeous is Beltane Ranch?! This wedding is filled with a little bit of sass, a lot of gorgeous details and some wonderful light! Today's wedding is such a little stunner filled with so many little details!

Photographer:  Retrospect Images//Event Planner: be hitched, event planning & design//Event Design by Phoebe Erler//Reception Venue: Beltane Ranch//Floral Designer:Chestnut and Vine//Makeup Artist: Kat Tinney A-List Makeup//Caterer: the girl and the fig//

Vibrant Inspiration Shoot by Heather Cherie Photography

I love pops of color, beautiful florals and some gorgeous brides! And this shoot has all of the above. From the rose gold flatware to fabulous floral crowns, this shoot has it all and much more. Get those pin buttons ready, you are going to need them for this one!

Photographer:  Heather Cherie Photography//Ceremony Location:Acker Farm Weddings//Event Designer: Crystal Spriggs Brockwell Designs//Cake Designer: Dough a Dear Bakery//Floral Designer:  He Loves Me Flowers By Charity//Makeup Artist:Marty Wynn//

Copper Details To Love

2013 saw a surge in tons of pretty gold details. And we all love gold! In 2014, as weddings are starting to be filled with more organic and natural details, shapes and colors, copper is my new favorite thing to design with. The tone of copper is a sophisticated take on the beloved gold. 

Want something a little more modern? These copper tidbits are must-haves at your next party!

Williams-Sonoma Wedding Registry | Must-Haves Under $100

Registering was one of my favorite things to do when I was getting married. It gave me a chance to take some time to think about what I had, what I wanted to replace and what I needed to complete this newlywed home of ours. I had an assortment of goodies on my list including the best baking gear, some items for a chic bar, and a few things to high kick me into cooking gear. 

I wanted to ensure I had products on my list that guests of all price points could afford (because the last thing I wanted was for my guests to feel obligated or burdened by getting us a gift).

So, in putting together my roundup of must-have registry items, I out together a roundup of the best items Williams-Sonoma has to offer under $100 (most of which I own myself!).

I own practically every one of these products., but a few of my utter favorites - Those dish towels (the last forever!), the Bride & Groom cookbook (I've made a bunch of recipes from mine), and the red utensils (by far my favorite spatulas out there.) 

Seeing some good stuff and want to create a wedding registry of your own? Visit the Williams-Sonoma Registry Page and click "Create a Registry". And that's it! You'll receive a discount on cooking classes, and 10% off the products you didn't get so you can complete your registry!

When you create a registry, you could win your dream registry. To do so, click on the "Dream Registry Sweepstakes" after you have created your registry. You'll win a $5,000 Williams-Sonoma gift card!

** All content is my own but thanks to William-Sonoma for sponsoring today's post!

Ceremony Garlands

Working on some designs for a few 2014 weddings and I'm just loving some of the fun things that can be done with ceremony chairs. Garlands, area favorite of mine right now and I'm so very excited to use these and see how it call comes together. 

Naturals + Neutrals

A month ago I put together a series of shoots at the brand new Gardener Ranch in Carmel Valley. I'm excited to share the photos here soon enough, but in the meantime I wanted to share the inspiration board I created for it. 

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Foiled Invitations from Dauphine Press

I'm a huge fan of gold foiling. HUGE fan. So imagine my excitement when one of my favorite paper companies, Dauphine Press, announced their new line of foiled invitations! Now not only can you have amazing design and stunning letterpress, but you can also get a little some extra special on your invitation suite from Dauphine Press!

Below are three of the new designs from Dauphine Press as well as a few details about each design. 

New Cloverdale Customization

This new design is printed on our Luxe Board Duplexing, our thickest paper option, using pink Peony colored paper. The card is printed in Cantaloupe and Tobacco letterpress inks and Tobacco painted edges. The design features the same border elements as the inspiration card - a cross-hatch pattern that is a perfect way to add blocks of color with letterpress printing. The fonts used and oversized card create an overall traditional look.

Paige - New Marinwood Customization

This is a great example of how our custom design process can guide clients to making any type of card. Using our Marinwood photo trifold as inspiration, but changing the motifs, patterns and color palette, even a baby announcement can be easily designed. This baby announcement features three letterpress inks - Nutmeg, Peach and Apricot.

New Kensington Customization

This new design is printed on our Traditional Duplexing in London Fog. The card is printed in Taupe letterpress ink and Blush foil. Using a colored paper stock, colored foil mixed with the letterpress and swapping out the cirlcular frame for a motif with a little more detail than the original creates a completely different look.