a garden party bridal shower with blueberries, herbs + books

this bridal shower was held in honor of the gorgeous bride-to-be, ashley!! although her wedding was in may, we still wanted to blog the photos from her garden party inspired affair...it took place in the backyard of a private home and was hosted by leila and lauren...they wanted to take some of ashley's favorite things (herbs, vintage books, desserts) and incorporate them in a way that was sweet and special...

style file: garden party, organic, subtle rustic feel

colors: green, beige, chocolate, hints of blue

elements: herbs, blueberries, wood, burlap, wrought iron, distressed terracotta, wicker, vintage books, twine, rustic copper

here is the stunning bride, ashley...

one of the desserts served was a chocolate pudding with crushed cookies and a mint sprig, made to look like little potted plants!

a cute little flower stand that leila and i crafted for her own "love shoot" last year!

guests sipped on lemonade as well as herb infused cucumber water...

i loved the wooden flatware leila chose! it added that laid-back, slightly rustic vibe...

we potted rosemary, sage and lavender in distressed terracotta and ceramic pots and footed urns...leila and jesi brought in a bunch of vintage books and stacked the herbs on top...

another dessert offered - blueberry pies!

ashley posing with some of her girlfriends, holding an adorable "love in bloom" burlap banner made by courtney from joyful, joyful...

one interactive thing leila and lauren had planned was a "plant your own love garden" station...we provided a variety of flowering plants and herbs and the guests got to pot their own to take home using soil, mini terracotta vessels and trowels...

the potted plants were accented with the cutest wooden stakes that read "love in bloom" or "5.7.11" (which was ashley's wedding date)...

it was so fun to work alongside such awesome people!

photography: dave richards photography

event production and design: be inspired pr (leila and lauren)

co-designer: jesi haack design

floral design: JL DESIGNS

props: oc prop girl

hair and makeup: kacee geoffrey

papergoods: mintwich design

"love in bloom" banner: joyful, joyful

linens: la tavola

thank you to inspired by this for featuring ashley's shower! to see the full write up and some behind the scenes planning ideas, click here...

also, the shower can be seen in the latest issue of inside weddings magazine, on stands now - thanks leila and marilyn for the feature!!

a homespun chic tablescape for bride and bloom magazine

i have been waiting 6 months to blog this tablescape! i couldn't blog it sooner because it hadn't gone to print for bride and bloom yet. but the magazine has officially hit newstands so be sure to pick up a copy - it is packed with lots of gorgeous images and inspirations!

this shoot took place the same day as my "mod baroque" tablescape - so as you can see, two totally different styles! but i still had my trusty friends and photogs, gabriel ryan photographers there to capture it all - and capture it they did!!! :)

for this setup, i used brown wood furniture and added a custom made damask runner and custom made green dupioni silk pillows to soften the look.

adorable little cut crystal glasses from anthropologie held white ranunculas...

flowers were varying shades of white and cream - peonies, hydrangea, roses, lisianthus, ranunculas, sweet peas, tulips, anemones and ranunculas - we accented everything with earthy moss and fresh mint (which smelled divine)...

allison from the innovation companies created a super cute menu card and wildflower linen provided us with the chocolate hemstitch napkins...

most of the containers were various silver urns, julep cups and mason jars for a look of "i just rummaged through grandma's attic and this is what i came up with"...

a little lace and a cameo to accent the bouquet...

the lovely cake was provided by melody from sweet and saucy - this was the first time we had worked together and she nailed it! in awe of that peony sugar flower!!!

special thanks to bride and bloom magazine for the feature and to classic party rentals (orange county) for providing us with the tables, chairs, plates, flatware and never-ending service! lastly, i have to thank my amazing publicist, leila khalil of be inspired pr, for getting us involved with bride and bloom - you mah gurl!