Showing posts with label european. Show all posts
Showing posts with label european. Show all posts

Thursday, October 27, 2011

our european babymoon - may 2011

well since i am 3 days away from my due date (halloween!!) i figured this was a good time to finally blog the photos we took on our european babymoon back at the beginning of may...i was 4 months along in my pregnancy at the time so it was a perfect time to travel! the morning sickness had mostly subsided and i had enough energy again to do a lot of walking...

as brian and i near the end of our days as a twosome it's so special to look back at these pictures and appreciate all the blessings we have...it's gonna be a while before we have the chance to travel internationally again...and some people never get the chance to travel for leisure at all...so we are extremely grateful for the 2 weeks we got to spend exploring spain and italy, eating great food, seeing historic sites and just soaking up each other's company and love...

we definitely have to thank katie from ever after honeymoons for helping to make this trip a reality...i left so many things until the last minute and she came in and did her fairy godmother magic to get decisions made...i can't say enough good things about her services!!

we took an old 80's film camera with us and trust me, we are no professionals but i think we did a decent job considering we know nothing about photography! we just love the way film looks so we thought we would give it a try...

we started our trip in barcelona, spain...being an architect, it was important to brian to see all of gaudi's work...so here we are at parc guell, casa batllo and of course, sagrada familia...






as if the outside of the sagrada familia is not crazy looking enough - the inside was INSANE!!! most european churches look pretty similar on the inside...but the interiors that gaudi dreamed up have no comparison...



next we traveled south to granada, probably my favorite city in spain...the moorish influence in that region is just so fascinating and romantic! the highlight was visiting the alhambra, which in my opinion, is the most gorgeous site in the country...








here we are just roaming the streets of granada...



our last stop in spain was sevilla...we toured the royal palace and ate delicious olives - but it was pretty hot there and by the time we left i was giddy with excitement for the italian food to come :)







although we stayed at an amazing villa in the tuscan countryside, we did a day trip into florence to climb to the top of the duomo, sample some gelato and walk across the ponte vecchio bridge...







we loved florence but the rest of tuscany was TO.DIE.FOR...we rented a car and drove the back roads to some of the most beautiful medieval towns like siena and san gimignano...



probably my favorite picture of bri from the whole trip...



we even had some time to get to pisa to see the leaning tower...i honestly could not believe how much that thing is leaning!! so crazy to see it in person...it kinda blew me away!



we finished our vacation in the stunning region of the amalfi coast...it was a long trip to get down there but worth every second! it was completely amazing in every way...



we stayed in the adorable town of positano and took a day trip over to the town of amalfi as well...









this was the view from our hotel suite - simply magical and like no where we have ever been!!


we will never forget the memories we made on this trip...and it was pretty surreal that our baby was there with us :)

and as for you, baby jowett - we can't wait for your official arrival and to someday take you on family vacations, watch you travel during your post college years and then take your own honeymoon and family vacations someday! we love you and are so excited to meet you!!

Monday, February 14, 2011

JL DESIGNS featured in real simple weddings magazine!!!

well it's finally time to share my sister-in-law's amazing "old world cirque" wedding with you all!! it's going to have a double feature tomorrow on two of my favorite wedding blogs - green wedding shoes and 100 layer cake...can't wait!

in the meantime, here is a sneak peak, as seen in real simple weddings magazine!! now THIS is a definite "pinch me" moment...it has been a long time goal of mine to be featured in this mag and i owe my first born child to my amazing publicist, leila khalil, for making this happen! i am kinda sorta still in shock :)

stay tuned tomorrow for a full blown post about the day and all the details that made it one of my favorites ever!


Monday, April 5, 2010

helen and mike - the ritz-carlton, laguna niguel

this wedding actually took place last 4th of july at the ritz-carlton in laguna niguel...but the colors (creams and buttery yellows) and florals (peonies, garden roses, sweet peas, tulips, hydrangea) just ooze with springtime so hopefully you all won't mind :)

helen and mike were going for a look that was classic and elegant, with a touch of "european-rustic"...we wanted to bring in some elements of the french countryside, while still tying in with the romantic, old-world vibe of the hotel...with the vision of beth helmstetter and the gorgeous photos by mary jane, i think we did pretty darn good if i say so myself!

enjoy!






flower girls carried pale yellow watering cans full of ivory rose petals...


bridesmaids bouquets were made up of garden roses, double tulips and sweet peas...


bridal bouquet consisted of peonies, garden roses, ranunculas and tulips...


i LOVE this first look photo...so much joy!



helen's dress (by lela rose) was quite possibly my favorite dress i have ever seen one of my brides wear...if i was getting married all over again, i would wear THIS dress...hands down...just wait until you see the ruffle on the back! it's clean, modern, classic, feminine...i love it :)







for the ceremony, we flanked the altar area and aisle head with 4 large, chocolate brown urns filled with curly willow branches, white delphinium, ivory hydrangea, gardenia leaves and pale yellow roses...clusters of theme florals were tied to every other chair using an oatmeal colored linen ribbon...


set on the ground, every other row, were dark brown wood boxes filled with petals for guests to toss upon conclusion of the ceremony...





could this wood sign by laura hooper be ANY cuter?!?! and the wheel barrow of lemons brought in by beth helmstetter was one of my favorite touches that day...


the lemonade station beth designed was made out of 2 wine barrels and an old wood door! wood wine crates were used for height and mason jars served as glassware...we accented the station with fresh mint, lavender, rosemary and lemons...







there it is...that gorgeous ruffle on the back of helen's dress...amazing right?


the reception took place inside the ballroom so we didn't want to go too rustic for the florals and decor...beth found a perfect linen for the tables which had an organic looking raised twine on top...she also brought in the amazing scalloped edge plates for a french countryside feel...








a lemon served as a placecard holder at each seat...



we used glass mason jars as votive holders and laura hooper created the gorgeous table names...





this cake was done by the in-house pastry chef at the ritz and it was stunning!!




another highlight of the decor was the dark brown wood dance floor...it literally looked like hardwood floors!



of course, what 4th of july wedding isn't complete without fireworks and sparklers?!



SUCH a beautiful day and i was so happy to work with all these amazingly talented vendors!

beth helmstetter - coordination and design
mary jane - photography
russel fowler - videography
laura hooper - calligraphy and stationery
la tavola - linens