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 french farmhouse tablescape

here we go again!  tablescape #2 from my photo shoot with jasmine star and sweet and saucy!!  this tablescape was featured last week on the amazing blog, snippet + ink...THANK YOU kathryn for the feature!  we are so honored over here!  :)

for this one i went with a french farmhouse theme...i would like to say i was traveling in provence and bought some eclectic finds and was inspired to create this shoot...but to be honest i just went to homegoods and found so many cute things i decided to design an entire table around them!  glamorous yes?  :)

throwing a couple strategically placed pillows into the mix always adds a splash of character to the scene...

the cream colored russian linen and stunning lace overlay were provided by wildflower linens...

baby green artichokes were combined with white peonies, creamy garden roses, olive branches, green wheat and fresh herbs like rosemary and lavender...

the cake....ooooohhhh the cake...one of my favorite cakes ever!  that lace detail is just so beautiful and i love how there is just one white sugar flower to accent...it just goes to show, cakes don't need to be dripping in fresh floral to make an impact...melody really hit it out of the park when she designed this one!

the light jasmine captured in these photos is insane...so fresh, airy and carefree...just as i imagine the french countryside...

here is the scoop on where i purchased everything:

white urns, pitchers and creamers: local thrift stores

rustic stone chickens: homegoods

green and white wrought iron chairs: homegoods

straight edge white metal chairs: ikea

throw pillows: homegoods

scallop edged charger plates: homegoods

glassware: ikea

flatware: crate and barrel

ENJOY!!!