2011 press features

we are SO HONORED and grateful to have been included in the following magazines this past year...in a day and age where print publications are struggling we feel super blessed that we had so many features in 2011...

what i love about this past year is that the press has been so varied...real weddings, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners...bouquets and tablescapes for styled shoots...florals for home and office features...being hand picked as "best of the best" and "trendsetter"...it's so important to show versatility and i feel that JL DESIGNS has really done that in 2011!

the "euro-cirque" wedding of erin and brent...

the florals for a romantic, pink bridal shower (which i will be blogging soon!) plus an air plant cake collaboration with sweet and saucy...

white + metallic florals, gold succulents and our signature balsa wood bouquet, seen here collared in black feathers...

chosen by brides magazine as one of the best of the best in southern california...only 3 floral designers were chosen so this is a BIG honor!

bouquets for the quarterly fashion spread in the national issue...

bouquets for the quarterly fashion spread in all of the regional mags, as well as the nautical wedding of alison and chris in the southern california edition...

oh and don't worry, YES THAT IS BOSSY GRACING THE COVER OF ALL 16 REGIONAL ISSUES!!! bossy was about 3 months old and when i showed up to the shoot with the bouquets, the knot girls immediately asked if i was okay with her appearing in some of the photos...i had no idea they would choose one for the cover shot! this is probably one of my proudest moments to date ;)

a "desert mod" tablescape for 944's wedding issue...

soft, classic florals for a private home feature...

a rehearsal dinner in los olivos...

a "vintage garden" bridal shower and an indian inspired wedding in malibu (which i will be blogging soon!)...

a fuschia and periwinkle wedding in palos verdes...

2 avant garde bridal bouquets...the first is a white metal orb accented with green succulents and the second is hot pink protea and black ti leaves...

another appearance of our white + metallic florals...

and we can't forget the features in some of our favorite online mags, like utterly engaged and rue!

soft, feminine florals for a "sew in love" fashion shoot...

chosen as a 2011 trendsetter...

a "darko-weirdo" dinner party...

florals and decor an office makeover...

we know that all this press has partly to do with our designs but ALSO partly to do with our amazing publicist, leila khalil from be inspired pr...she goes above and beyond for every one of her clients and i cannot thank her enough for her loyalty and support this past year - we love you leila, ashley, lauren and the rest of the be inspired team!!

the highlight of 2011...

by far the best thing to happen to us this year (and really in our lifetimes!) was the birth of our first baby, decker august jowett...he was born on november 8 at 11:28pm and we could not be more in love with this precious guy!

when we weren't installing weddings, we spent most of the summer months preparing for his arrival - building a deck outside his nursery, painting the room, putting together furniture, choosing artwork for the walls, washing all his new clothes, installing the car seat, assembling the stroller, etc. everything we did and every wedding we completed brought us that much closer to the debut of our little man!

here is a little video i put together of the months leading up to his arrival plus his actual birth day :) it was the most intense, surreal and AMAZING experience i could ever imagine...brian and i were both a ball of emotions and tears when we finally saw his face for the first time...i hope this video gives you a glimpse into the anticipation and joy we felt for our baby boy!

thank you for all the love and support you have shown us this past year...2012 is going to bring a lot of "firsts" to our family and we cannot wait...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

a modern, coastal christmas in california

sooooo, i am a little behind in blogging this party..."california christmas" actually happened LAST YEAR but i got so busy i didn't have time to post it before the holidays were over...well, the photos are so insanely gorgeous i HAD to blog it this time around...so better late than never right? :)

i co-created the dinner party with one of my favorite wedding designers - cortnie purdy from canvas and canopy and it was hosted by my favorite publicist - leila khalil from be inspired pr...it started out as a lovely "christmas in california" inspired photo shoot but we figured, as long as we're setting it up, why not enjoy it and invite some friends? so that's just what we did...we held the party at my house in costa mesa, which fit the coastal, modern vibe perfectly...it was such an amazing evening to just relax and enjoy the beauty that we created as well as the company of sweet friends...

style file: coastal, modern, natural, breezy, calm with pops of red, festive touches

color scheme: mint green, tan, white, cherry red

flowers: succulents, air plants, peonies, balsa wood flowers

elements: white coral, capiz shells, smokebush branches, quartz, mercury glass, sea urchins, braids, seersucker fabric, cork

guests were treated to a "california holiday glow" by danielle from plush tan...we all left the party feeling ready to banish those winter blahs!

i created a sand blasted manzanita and capiz shell chandelier that hung directly above our dining table...

the table was set with white birdsnest coral, mint green air plants, smokebush branches, chunks of quartz and white ceramic sea urchins topped with succulents...it was all very tranquil and zen looking...so to make it more festive we worked in mercury glass votives and white ceramic vases wrapped in metallic beaded trim and filled with stunning red peonies!

the desserts were amazing!! cupcakes in flavors like winter mint, hot cocoa and gingerbread, as well as macarons, peppermint cake pops and beautifully decorated ornament sugar cookies that we actually strung and hung from branches!

the cake was a simple white fondant wrapped in red berry branches...

cortnie and i found some red and white striped seersucker fabric and we thought it was perfect for a coastal look as well as festive for the holidays! so she hand sewed every seersucker napkin and then she created those killer mint green and white braided napkin treatments!

the party took place a couple weeks after we got bossy...it's so crazy to look back at how small she was! i am so grateful for these adorable photos of her as a puppy :)

the beverage station was set with cork vessels that we topped with white boards and our specialty cocktails - icicle mint mojitos and jingle berry (on the) rocks...get it? ;) we accented the table with succulent christmas trees and quartz pieces topped with more succulents...

at the end of the night, we needed something warm to drink so we had apple cider with a gingerbread cookie "gift tag" customized with each girls name (from "cali claus")...we also had hot chocolate with snowflake marshmallows...

besides the spray tans, each guest also got to leave with a signature scent! courtney from kamilyin was there to guide us in mixing the right blend and then she created a hand soap, lotion and sugar scrub set for us to take home!

i accented the scent station with my grapewood stumps, topped with moss and balsa wood flowers...

once we lit the candles and started a fire in the hearth, the mood was warm, soft and magical - SO...MUCH...FUN!

although christmas is only for one month out of the year, i feel like there are definitely elements to this design that could be re-worked into a wedding day...so hopefully it will inspire you not only for this year's yuletide celebrations, but it will spark some design ideas for your 2012 nuptials!

here is the AMAZING team of vendors for the party...so much talent!!

photography: leo patrone

event production and hosting: be inspired pr

event design and styling: canvas and canopy

event design and floral styling: JL DESIGNS

catering and beverages: contemporary catering

desserts, cake, marshmallows, icicle stir sticks: cupcakes couture

printed goods: wiley valentine

dining table, benches and scent station dresser: found vintage rentals

scent station: kamilyin

"let it glow" spray tans: plush tan

dessert banner: joyful, joyful

and a huge thank you to all our friends who attended the party and blogged about it:

green wedding shoes

hostess with the mostess

100 layer cake

grey likes weddings