Thursday, April 21, 2011

a spanish hacienda style wedding

even though this wedding took place last june, i thought it was great timing to blog it just before cinco de mayo...the hacienda venue, jewel toned color palette, papel picado table runners, sangria, bouganvillea ceremony arch and spanish fans for the bridesmaids bouquets all tied together for a festive, hispanic affair!

papel picado was a running theme throughout the day...here it is accenting the invitation...


the bridal bouquet was made up of purple lilac, fuschia peonies, raspberry toned scabiosa, purple sweet peas and gray succulents...we finished it with an heirloom rosary from the bride's family...



the wedding took place at the gorgeous rancho las lomas in orange county...it had so much natural character, it was easy to tie in the hacienda decor...


our wood boxes and wrought iron crosses added to the spanish feel...




a mariachi band to set the mood...


instead of bouquets, the bride wanted each of her bridesmaids to carry a black fan, accented with either a raspberry toned dahlia or a fuschia peony...



this was the cutest ring bearer i had ever seen! he walked down the aisle and waved his little hand saying "HIIIIII" to everyone he made eye contact with...so funny and sweet!



we decided we wanted the ceremony florals to just tie in with the surrounding environment so we created a simple and stunning arch made of curly willow branches and fresh cut bougonvillea...it really made an impact and added just that touch of color we wanted without looking too "flowery" and overdone...



half of our tables were a dark brown wood, accented with a white papel picado table runner brought in by the coordinator, courtney toney...the purple glassware added such a beautiful touch as well!


we used a variety of purple, orange, fuschia and dark burgundy florals - dahlias, peonies, tulips, sweet peas, scabiosa, chocolate cosmos, amaranthus - with purple basil and fresh mint to add a fresh, garden feel...not to mention they made everything smell amazing!!


half the arrangements were designed in wood boxes and the other half were composed in either clear or amber cut crystal drinking goblets...


since the bride is a book editor, stacks of books (collected by the bride herself) served as little pedastals for the flower arrangements and we finished the look with groupings of red grapes, peaches, apricots and succulents...

and how perfect are those tile table numbers that courtney and the bride found?!


besides the wood tables, we also had round tables draped in a champagne shantung silk linen...


to add more color, we went with a magenta shantung silk napkin and the menu of course had the papel picado motif!




pitchers of sangria were set on every table for a family style feel...


courtney made these cute little drink tags for the sangria glasses...again, the orange added a splash of additional color...



after the ceremony, we set up a table underneath the bougonvillea arch and that served as the cake display...melody from sweet and saucy shop created a variety of rustic buttercream cakes which she accented with some fuschia peonies we provided...


that stunning cake on the left was the focal point of the table - a gorgeous fondant cake with pearlescent papel picado sugar banners swagged on the layers, topped with a fuschia sugar peony!


courtney hand made these adorable dessert stand banners describing the flavors of the cakes...they were so cute i wanted to eat the banners themselves!


cool little "dia de los muertos" figurines served as non-traditional cake toppers....



i love this shot of the bride and groom taking it all in...




set on the head table was this awesome wrought iron piece i found and covered in fruit, herbs, theme flowers and succulents...







it was a stellar evening made fabulous by the following other vendors:

coordination and design: joyful weddings and events
photography: tara leigh
dj: smiles davis of the flashdance
catering: 24 carrots
hair and makeup: nicole deeanne
stationary: kavamore press and tigerette

congrats to jeannette and jj!!

Friday, April 1, 2011

a green and white tablescape inspired by SPRING!

last spring we joined forces with the ladies of bella weddings to design a shoot at one of my all time favorite venues - vibiana in downtown los angeles...

we imagined a couple who appreciated the historic feel of vibiana, but who also wanted a contemporary element to their wedding...so i came up with an architectural tablescape with masculine shaped flowers, balanced by vessels and candlesticks with feminine lines...

it's crisp and fresh and so perfect for the start of this spring season!


a bouquet we whipped up using queen anne's lace collared by white lilac and finished in french lace...



we accented each napkin with a band of olive hued linen ribbon and a cream velvet flower...


i wanted to create something i hadn't seen done before...so i made these floral "frames" using bells of ireland that i cut down super short...i loved it because it reminded me more of a plant or a well groomed garden, rather than a flower "arrangement"...each frame rested on top of a white ceramic vase from z gallerie...


all of the beautiful gowns that day were provided by alisa benay...


another bouquet - this one of white ranunculas collared by green arabicum and finished in an eyelet inspired lace...



melody's cake was one of my favorites yet! i adored the ruffly, quilling pattern on it...i then placed it on top of a "box" of green bells of ireland blooms...



granny smith apples sat atop white candlesticks - crisp and fresh for spring!


melody hand dipped some caramel apples in white chocolate to serve as favors...




close up of the stunning cake...



the footed urn in the center of the table held fluffy white hydrangea...


a bouquet of all baby's breath finished in white pleated ribbon...



one last bouquet of white ranunculas surrounded by baby's breath...





how pretty are these celery toned linens?? i loved all the leaf and floral texture to them...it added a girliness to the tablescape...


gorgeous printed items from laura hooper...



we accented a couple of the white leather chairs with celadon and cream textured pillows, also from z gallerie...


this was a cute little shot the photographer snapped of me at the end of the shoot...it's rare to get decent shots of me in my element so i thought i would blog it...flowers make me happy :)


thanks to all who helped make this shoot amazing!

Venue: Vibiana // Coordination & Design: Bella Weddings & Events // Florals and Styling: JL Designs
Photography: Barnaby Draper Studios // Wedding Gowns: Alisa Benay // Linens: La Tavola
Stationery: Laura Hooper // Rentals: Classic Party Rentals, Culver City
Cake & Desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop

check out this shoot feature on green wedding shoes - and thanks to leila of be inspired pr for producing everything!