lauren and brian - the four seasons, santa barbara

this wedding took place at the gorgeous four seasons resort in one of my favorite southern california cities - santa barbara...the bride and i clicked from the moment we started chatting about her wedding decor and i knew right away she was going to be the kind of bride who really valued my opinions and my experience as a designer...bottom line - i loved her!!! :)

client style: pretty, feminine, soft, classic

color scheme: white, cream, gray, pale buttery yellows

elements: apothecary jars, lace, mirrored surfaces, hemstitch napkins, russian linen tablecloths, glass candlesticks, cut crystal drinking goblets

isn't the bride a dead ringer for isla fisher?!

lauren's bouquet was composed of white and cream peonies, ranunculas, spray roses, double tulips and lisianthus...all wrapped in a raw edged vanilla colored lace...

seriously this is probably one of the most gorgeous couples i have ever worked with!!

for the ceremony, instead of a traditional arch or canopy, we chose to go with a pair of mirrored console tables, each lined with a lace runner and accented with glass apothecary jars, floral arrangements and various height glass and white candlesticks...we then lined each side of the aisle with a lush border of white and cream rose petals...

how great are those hanging programs with lace?

every other row held a tray wrapped in gray fabric, lace and filled with rose petals to toss upon conclusion of the ceremony...

the stunning grounds of the four seasons...quintessential santa barbara style...

the placecards were set on top of strips of gray lace and fluffy white hydrangea lined the backside of the table...

for the dessert display, we brought in two mirrored console tables along with a lace runner and white candlesticks...for the backdrop we hung various width strands of gray, ivory and pale yellow satin ribbon, as well as white and ivory laces...

centerpieces were a composite of glass footed vases filled with monobotanical arrangements of hydrangea, lisianthus, sweet peas, garden roses, peonies and ranunculas...we also added in a couple cut crystal drinking goblets filled with a mixture of those theme flowers, as well as 2 cylinder vases wrapped in a cuff of cream lace and filled with a pillar candle...so elegant and clean but still romantic and soft...

a classic cake encircled by white hydrangea and votives...

i loved how those beautiful russian linens in the butter yellow tone offset the white chiavari chairs and white hemstitch napkins!

lauren actually created the entire photo booth design...she searched for special pieces and touches that would make it killer like the fabric backdrop, the chairs, the coat racks, clocks, cameras etc...total vintage vibe without feeling overdone or cluttered...i loved it!

for the favors, lauren had a custom canvas totes made for all her guests with a killer map of santa barbara on it...i still have mine and use it all the time actually! such a great idea!

this wedding has such a soft spot in my heart and i love that the bride will be able to look back on it for years to come and still think its timeless and beautiful without being overly trendy - i know i will!

thanks to all the awesome vendors who participated in this lovely day!

photography: aaron delesie

florals and event design: JL DESIGNS

event coordination: go get it events

linens and napkins: wildflower linens (reception) and elegant designs (cocktail hour)

furniture rental: luxe event rentals

mini desserts: sweet and saucy shop

dance floor, chiavari chairs, lighting: chiavari chair rentals

venue: the four seasons - biltmore resort, santa barbara

and special thanks to style me pretty for featuring this wedding! to see the spread, click here

joanna and brian - marvimon, downtown LA

"great gatsby...white wedding...elegant and romantic...timeless"

these were all key words used when joanna and i met together for the first time...we came up with this idea of an upscale 1930's cocktail party held in someone's private home...we wanted to utilize the venue's existing wood furniture and tables but add in tons of crisp white linens, chairs, lace and florals...

i also wanted to incorporate some vintage elements without it looking too crafty or handmade...we wanted statement pieces that just had a lot of character on their own, because of their age, not necessarily because we made them that way...

for the bouquets and boutonnieres, we wanted to go with something soft but DRAMATIC! so i created the bouquets entirely out of cream toned balsa wood flowers, collared by ivory feathers for the bridesmaids and black feathers for the bride (a la "vera wang"). we wrapped them in gorgeous raw edged laces and the kicker is that they are entirely sustainable and will never die! so the bride was able to keep her bouquet forever :)

for the guys, we did balsa wood boutonnieres with accents of cream or black feathers...elegant, chic but sustainable too! best of both worlds...

the reception was held at marvimon, which of course has a ton of charm and funk, all on its own...

jesi really wanted to do something different for the aisle treatment so she and her husband designed this "runner" made entirely out of reclaimed wood! it was amazing!!!

for the ceremony, we nixed the idea of traditional "altar pieces" and instead i brought in these antique bedside tables which we jazzed up with florals and candles...they flanked the couple during their vows and added a little something while keeping it understated...

how stinking POSH is this bridal party!?!?!? nothing is classier than a black suit or LBD...

i spent months scouring thrift stores, good wills and flea markets and found tons of tarnished silver vessels and cut crystal drinking goblets, which we filled with tailored white florals and green passion vine for added texture...we added in mercury glass candlesticks plus antique filigree mirrors, gravy boats, luggage and serving trays to give it the overall feel that this was someone's home and we just pulled things off shelves to use as decor...

half of the tables were set with a vintage wood drawer that jesi found and we added the floral pieces and candles both inside and outside of the drawer...

OKAY...listen up here people...this was my FAVORITE CAKE DISPLAY EVER...the cake was designed by melody at sweet and saucy shop (duh, who else??!)...it was just so ruffly and feminine but architectural at the same time...and the stark white makes it so classic!

and with that backdrop of the lace and pearls, installed by the FAB jesi haack, it just did not get any prettier!

for the existing wood tables, i added a scallop edge lace runner to bring in some softness...

i LOVE this picture...just pure, unadulterated BLISS..

vendor love...

photography: annie mcelwain - who has quickly become one of my new faves :)

coordination and design: jesi haack weddings

cake: sweet and saucy shop

venue: marvimon

and THANK YOU to 100 layer cake for featuring this wedding on their blog! check out the feature here...