erin and brent - laguna beach engagement session

this post is very near and dear to my heart because the couple is actually my sister-in-law and her fiance!!! they came all the way out to california for their engagement session so of course i offered to style everything for them...erin was really inspired by jen's love shoot on green wedding shoes, so i told her i would take that vibe and run with it...

i brought in all of my own vintage furniture, crates and props to create a little "living room" vignette along the side of the road in the laguna canyon...erin wanted it quirky, playful and eclectic...so i used an amber glass lamp with no shade, a strange constellation globe that i found at a good will, an hourglass, old tea tins, brass pots, vintage green vases, and a tufted velvet wingback chair to name a few things...

it was raining all week and it sprinkled that day, so we crossed our fingers it would clear up for the shoot - and it did, just in time :)

erin wore her wellies and brought her own antique umbrella in case of more rain...i thought they ended up looking so cute!

the skies were dark and gloomy but the rain held off...

and then...the sun peaked out!!!!

this photo is SOOOO brent and erin - i love it...

i have been DYING to use a tumbleweed in one of my events or shoots for so long now...when i spied this big boy i just knew we HAD to use him :)

i hung a floral sheet in some low-lying trees to create a little "fort"...blankets on the ground, petite floral arrangements of yellow acacia, a hobnail milkglass lamp (again with no shade) and some turquoise and celadon green pillows completed the breezy but cozy feel...

hands down my FAVORITE photo of the day...

i think that gabriel and carlie, the husband and wife team who make up gabriel ryan photographers, did an amazing job on this shoot!! i can't wait to see how they capture the wedding in september :) hugs to you both!

also, a HUGE thank you to jen at green wedding shoes for posting this session today on her blog! you have inspired erin so much during her planning process - keep the fab posts coming!!

brent and erin, i am SO excited for your wedding and for your new life together as husband and wife! brian and i can't wait to be able to officially call brent a part of our family :) and it was so fun to have you back in cali - come visit again soon! love you....

oh and check out my sister-in-law's blog, erin pot pie! it's pretty darn funny...

a vintage european-inspired wedding in pink and gold

this wedding took place at one of my favorite socal venues - villa del sol d'oro...it's a 1920's italian inspired estate, set at the base of the san gabriel mountains...when you're there it feels like you are right on the grounds of a european villa!

the bride for this wedding actually found me on green wedding shoes (thanks jen!) and she knew she wanted an old-world, vintage feel in shades of blush and gold...nothing too kitschy or cutesy...definitely something timeless...

although i have not gotten the professional photos back, lucky for me melody from sweet and saucy shop takes a mean set of pictures! ;) all desserts, treats and photos are compliments of her...all design, florals and decor elements are compliments of me - enjoy!

i created a couple little vignettes of antique items on the placecard table - here you see some luggage, candelabras, brass goblets, old medicine bottles, brushed gold votive holders, glass vases accented with lace and filled with pink florals (peonies, sweet peas, lisianthus)...

large strips of cream and pale pink lace served as runners underneath each row of placecards...

medicine bottles and brushed gold votive holders...

on this end of the table i created a different vignette using a metallic filagree mirror, a brass hourglass and an antique radio from the bride!

the bride created these table names using vintage european postcards, mainly from italy...they were all named after different landmarks and famous cities...

some ruffly blush and cream lisianthus...

almost all of the vases were accented with some sort of cream or beige crochet lace or ruffled ribbon...

the bride also hand made all of the favors! they were cute packets of hot chocolate tucked neatly inside a lace envelope she created and adorned with a gold and pearl button...crafty huh?

these were some of my favorite pieces from that day...i found these glass hurricanes that looked kinda old-school, even though they were brand new...i got them super cheap in a box of 12...all i did was add a couple ranunculas to a small glass votive holder and then "covered" the arrangement with the hurricane...

oh, the sweets table...always a highlight :) i used leftover lace from the bride to create a runner on the dark brown wood table...then i accented with a bunch of fun antique gold props and pink florals...once melody showed up with her goodies, the look was complete!

some awesome gold candlesticks i found at homegoods!

i used another filagree mirror i own and a pink milkglass candy dish...

how gorgeous is this cake?!? that sugar peony is unreal...

hopefully i will get the pro shots back soon so i can share the bouquets, bouts and ceremony setup - it was beautiful!