utterly engaged "alternative bridesmaid" - post 3

here it is...the last post in the "alternative bridesmaid" series we did for the utterly engaged e-zine...another huge thanks to stephanie williams for making my work look the best it can...to ruche for the adorable dresses...to theresa huang for the stunning hair and makeup...and lastly, to urbanic paper boutique in venice for allowing us to use their new studio!

long linen yellow jumper dress $59.99

for this bouquet, i used a variety of ranunculas in blush and peach tones and for texture i incorporated some ethereal blushing bride protea...it still looked a bit soft for me so i added the scabiosa pods to roughen it up a bit and make it "pretty-ugly" :)

how stinking adorable is this necklace by meeks sandy girl?!

strawberry lemonade striped tube dress $36.99

here is a SUPER easy DIY project for you...why not jazz up a simple tube dress with a FLOWER BELT?!?! all you need is about a yard of 2" thick ribbon, a glue gun and one large floral bloom (i used a blush "cafe au lait" dahlia)...just clip off the stem of the flower and hot glue the head in place on the ribbon - done deal!

ruffly, yummy blush garden roses wrapped in khaki linen and accented with a bit of crocheted lace for a vintage garden feel...

ruffle tulip dress $36.99

a bouquet of all white veronica...i love the way this flower kinda droops and hangs in different directions...it kinda does its own thing...

loving the headband by be something new and the earrings by la vieja tun tun...

plaid tuxedo tube dress $38.99

since the dress itself has a bold pattern and texture up top, i kept this bouquet simple and created it out of all bright orange tulips...if a dress is kinda busy, keep the bouquet monobotanical (one type of flower) or at least monochromatic (one color), if not both...

to give the bouquet an extra punch of color, i added a single band of thick orange ribbon to the navy ribbon cuff and held it in place with 3 navy pins...

now just remember - your bridesmaids each have their own personality...why not let it show through their dresses and wedding day style?

utterly engaged "alternative bridesmaid" - post 2

this next post is a continuation of the utterly engaged "alternative bridesmaid" photo shoot, shot by stephanie williams, with dresses provided by ruche...enjoy!

manzanilla olive floral dress $36.99

bouquet made up of purple allium and accented with avocado and olive colored pom pom trims for a retro throwback!

unfortunately this next dress sold out but here is another cute one that i think is a great substitute!

peachy pink powder tube dress $44.99

bouquet of all fuschia dahlias with buds left on and wrapped in a magenta ribbon cuff...

floral bouquet ruffle dress $32.99

hot pink mums with yellow centers, wrapped in turquoise ribbon with a fuschia corset wrap layered on top...

all about bridesmaids! - a photo shoot with utterly engaged

when the girls of the super popular online magazine, utterly engaged, told me this next collaboration would be all about bridesmaids i was SO excited!

because after all...poor bridesmaids...why is it that they always get overlooked in the style department? or, if the dress is actually a killer design, it costs $300 or more? we set out to show that bridesmaids CAN have style and it CAN be inexpensive!

photographer extraordinaire, stephanie williams, worked closely with her dear friends over at ruche to come up with some hip, and affordable, dress options for bridesmaids...steph also got some awesome jewelry and accessories donated for the shoot to show that a simple dress can be jazzed up by a unique hair piece or necklace...or in my case, some floral couture that doesn't fall into the "bouquet" category!

i have decided to break this photo shoot into multiple posts, so check back frequently! in the meantime, i will start off by showcasing this adorable blue and white number (which i am tempted to buy myself!)...

sail me to the moon dress - $42.99

and now for the florals...

white and yellow pom pom daisies finished in a cuff of yellow and white gingham ribbon.

a pomander ball of yellow button mums, finished with a navy ribbon handle...

white china mums tied up with varying lengths of white and yellow grosgrain ribbons...

the last of summer's yellow ranunculas...sigh...

a floral "frame" made up of daisies, accented with a yellow grosgrain ribbon...

a little nosegay of billy balls...

we do this a lot for bridal parties wearing the same dress...give them unique bouquets! it allows for each girl to feel that she has her own personality and flair! just be sure to tie them all together with a color scheme or a texture, so that the look is consistent and not messy...

carissa and brian - our wedding video

i cannot believe it's already been a year since our wedding!

even though i am dying to do an entire blog post on our day, i recently found out it is going to be featured in a national magazine...so i will have to wait until it hits newstands in january before i can release all the images...

in the meantime, here is a little 5 minute clip...all footage by the AMAZING paper tape films, who i cannot thank enough for capturing everything - film/super 8 is some of the best money you will spend people! i swear!

lastly, i don't usually get too personal/emotional on my blog but...

brian, you are everything...thank you for being my husband and for believing in me...i would NOT be who i am without you...happy anniversary!!!

blog interviews with JL DESIGNS

some fun little interviews about JL DESIGNS in case you missed them...

huge thanks to michelle (of mb wedding designs) and nancy (of nancy liu chin designs) from the pink blossom list!!!  to see whose celebrity wedding i wish i could have attended, click here...

another big thanks goes out to jo over at the jomygoodness blog!!!  to find out what designers/magazines/stores inspire me in my design process, click here... 

thanks again ladies!!!  xoxoxo

if it ain't baroque...

i had so much feedback on my mod-baroque tablescape produced for the last issue of bride and bloom magazine i just had to do a post on where it can be seen throughout the blog-o-sphere!

as seen on coco + kelley!!!  it was SUCH an honor to be featured on a design blog, and one of my favorites no less!  it means the WORLD when other creative people, not just those in the wedding industry, can be inspired by my work!  to read the feature click here...

it was also featured on a really cool blog i now officially love...lots of fun finds at high street market!  to read the feature click here...

another design-inspired blog called my modern met picked up the tablescape...to read the feature click here...

the adorable jen from green wedding shoes blogged it as well...jen has been such a great support to me this past year and i cannot thank her enough for always believing in my work!  to read the feature click here...

and this last one was a first for me!  i had never been on 100 layer cake before so it was a treat to have them blog about it...to read the feature click here...

thanks again everyone for the support!!!  i can't wait to show the next couple of tablescapes i designed for bride and bloom's soon to be released issue!!!