a bowtie baby shower

speaking of baby boys....

this is a baby shower we co-designed with courtney from joyful weddings and melody from sweet and saucy shop! it was held in honor of our dear friend jesi haack and we actually celebrated AFTER the arrival of her son, maverick - which was so special because then everyone got to meet him for the first time :)

courtney came up with the idea of bowties - which i LOOOOOVED!! so manly and whimsical at the same time...kelly green, bright yellow and powder blue was our color palette, as well as some accents of white, gray and brown...

posh paperie designed all the adorable printed goodies...

courtney hand made these cute little ribbon bowties, which i wrapped around some of the flower vases...i stuck to yellow and white ranunculas, dahlias and hydrangea...

as the guests arrived, they could sport a bowtie of their own either in their hair or attached to their clothing...

and how rad is that custom "baby haack" tote that the wedding chicks designed?!? check out their online store for more fun stuff!

we didn't want to play any traditional games at the shower but to keep us all busy, we came up with a mad-libs sheet about jesi and maverick (how she found out she was pregnant, her trip to the hospital, naming her baby etc)...it was pretty fun to read some of them out loud!!

the sweet little guy we all came to love on...

courtney accented every mason jar drinking glass with more of her adorable ribbon bowties...

and she even created a bowtie garland using diapers and ribbon - so genius!!

little ribbon flags accented our sandwiches at lunchtime...and the jesi haack onesie is another super-cute wedding chicks creation...

for lunch we made everything ourselves - courtney did chicken salad sandwiches on mini croissants, melody did a yummy pasta salad and i did those tomato soup shooters with a crouton, shaved parmesan and fresh basil on top!

and ahhhhhh, the desserts!!! melody did a killer display of mini cupcakes, macarons, cake pops and bowtie sugar cookies...and of course accented the top of the cake with a fondant bowtie!

i gave maverick this little onesie that had sketched bottles and said "my skyline"...i also gave him that little hand-crafted owl from a local seller - gotta keep the small businesses alive guys! ;)

overall it was such a sweet, intimate day and we were so honored to shower jesi and maverick with love and blessings...and i cannot wait for our own little one to get here so he and mav can be buddies!!

planning and design: joyful weddings

floral design: jl designs

cake and dessert display: sweet and saucy shop

stationary: posh paperie

baby jowett - we can't wait to meet you!!!

last tuesday i went in for my 20 week ultrasound - ummmm, how did i hit 5 months already?!!?

everything tested normal and healthy and during that time they were also able to determine the gender of the baby...instead of finding out then and there, brian and i asked the ultrasound technician to write it down and place it in a sealed envelope, which i then gave to one of my dear friends, melody from sweet and saucy shop...she baked us the most adorable cake that was going to be either pink or blue inside...i honestly don't know how she was able to keep the secret but she did!

since no one is going to be in the delivery room with me and brian when our baby is born, we thought this is the best way for our friends and family to see our genuine and true reactions to finding out what we are having...a way for them to experience our emotions as we get one step closer to knowing this little person we have created...

as soon as we cut the cake, i was trying to contain myself but hormones and emotions got the best of me and of course i starting crying...thats why you see me waving my hands around non-stop, trying to hold back the tears...yeaaahhhh, didn't work ;)

here's a peek at how our lives are about to change forever!

baby jowett! from carissa jones on Vimeo.

ps. and that's NON-alcoholic champagne i am drinking ;)

a cape cod inspired wedding - allison and chris

this was a wedding we designed back in april of 2010 but we haven't been able to blog it because the knot magazine was going to be featuring it!! the issue has just hit newstands so now we can finally share this "hamptons-inspired" fete...

allison and chris decided to get married at the bride's family vacation home on balboa island in newport beach, which they have owned for over a century - talk about history!! she knew she wanted something ocean inspired but nothing too "themey"...no starfish, no sand dollars, no messages in a bottle...

based on the style of the family home, her planner, courtney toney, and i came up with more of a cape cod/martha's vineyard style affair...we wanted to highlight the more natural elements of the seaside while keeping it romantic and pretty...

style file: cape cod, hamptons, martha's vineyard style with a slight nautical feel

color scheme: tan, beige, white, cream, celery, royal blue

elements: grapewood branches, natural khaki linens, wood lounge furniture, dingy boat, sailing trophies, white lanterns

florals: hydrangea, vibernum, ranunculas, garden roses, tulips, peonies, cala lilies, scabiosa, lilac, sweet peas

each bridesmaid carried a different green theme flower in a celery or lime tone...the maid of honor had a combination of the different florals...

ring bearers held a grapewood log accented with white peonies in lieu of a standard pillow...

the groom's boutonniere was a white mini cala, some natural sea grass and a rustic twine wrap...

a gorgeous floral wreath we created for the entryway...

i LOVED these rope spheres courtney brought in! just the right nautical touch...

the ceremony was set on the sand right outside the family home...what a gorgeous view of the waterfront!

flower girls carried rusted pails of green vibernum...

the ceremony structure was a simple canopy of natural bamboo poles, sheer white fabric and green vibernum tie-backs...

courtney was dead set on finding a dingy boat to use somewhere in this wedding - she needed to look no further than the bride's family garage! they had this PERFECT blue dingy boat covered in barnacles...it was a dream! so authentic and special since it belonged to the bride's family...

i gave courtney some beige grosgrain ribbon and her staff strung the placecards across the width of the boat...we added a couple arrangements of green vibernum to give it a touch of floral...all in all, AMAZING!

the cocktail hour was made up of wood lounge furniture and all white florals in glass footed vases...double tulips, ranunculas, sweet peas...

the couple also had a steel drummer playing as a nod to the time the couple spent living in the caribbean (chris is a pilot)...

courtney created that adorable "just married" sign for the back of the bride's family boat...

some pretty mixed floral pieces in shades of white and green accented a wood hutch holding family photos...

we brought in knotted grapewood branches and white lanterns to add a natural, hamptons-esque vibe...

dinner tables were set in the sand and covered in natural khaki colored raw linens with matching napkins and white chiavari chairs...it was such a crisp, fresh base to work off of! we lined up the florals, vase after vase, for a feel that was full but still simple since each of the vases held only one kind of flower...

i love this shot with the dock in the background and cafe lights overhead...

tables were named after places the bride and groom have traveled to together...

a cute little boat that courtney found held bottled waters at the bar area...

allison had just finished school to be a licensed sommelier so of course their favors were custom bottles of wine!

we created a simple little backdrop of some rustic khaki linen to go behind the rustic buttercream cakes from sweet and saucy...i gave her some white peonies and she placed them in strategic spots...just goes to show that cakes don't need a ton of flowers to be pretty!

courtney and i oo'ed and aww'ed over the bride's family sailing trophies from the 1920's and 30's...we used some as part of an entry display inside the home but courtney snagged two low ones to use as the toasting flutes on the cake table - genius!

a cigar roller was brought in to hand-roll cigars all night...

stunning night shot looking back on the house and waterfront with the dock that we lined in white paper luminarias - LOVE!!!

this is actually one of my favorite weddings to date...so simple, clean and sophisticated with just the right blend of natural elements with feminine elements...plus i loved how courtney and i were able to draw from the bride's family home and their stories...it really spoke to us and was such a reflection of their heritage! plus allison and chris were the SWEETEST!! so easy breezy to work with...they kinda let me and courtney get creative and run with it!

i also have to point out the incredibly talented people who helped make this day what it was!

photography: meg perotti (these photos are a designers dream - she captured all the details AND the bride and groom so beautifully!)

coordination and design: courtney toney with joyful weddings and events (i adore you court)

florals and design: me :)

rentals: classic party rentals

catering: 24 carrots

stationary and printed items: posh paperie

cakes: sweet and saucy shop

band: cuesta ridge mountain boys (that dance floor was packed all night - loved them!)

cigar roller: cuban cigar factory

steel dummer: nesta

lastly, a HUGE thank you to leila of be inspired pr who submitted everything to the knot magazine for us! we are so thrilled to be featured on the pages of the latest southern california edition - please check it out!!