Thursday, May 20, 2010

aimee and troy - strawberry farms, irvine

sigh...i miss this wedding...even though it was way back in november, the energy of the day is still fresh in my mind...it was actually the smallest install i have done in years (just me and darci!), but because it wasn't as labor intensive as normal, it allowed me to stop and just FEEL the love...

and i really adored this couple...the groom is a wedding photographer and the bride runs a really cute design blog...they had a definitive vision for their day and i loved being able to pick up the ideas they had and run with them!

rustic, cozy, eclectic, warm, playful, crafty, comfortable...DONE AND DONE :)

the bridal bouquet was made up of red, yellow + navy flowers - ranunculas, billy balls, cone flowers, privet berries, millet, blackberry branches and wrapped in crochet laces...


aimee wore the most amazing vintage hair piece...not sure where she got it but it was ridiculously stunning on her!



i LOVED working at strawberry farms! not only is it practically in my own backyard, but it is so quaint and sweet! you feel like you're miles and miles away from orange county...it's a hidden gem for sure...




boutonnieres were made up of yellow billy balls and either blackberry branches or rosehips, then finished in tan suede cording...


i love this photo...it's very rare for me to get images of me in my element...so it's really special when a photog captures a moment like this :)





the groomsmen wore charcoal toned pants, light gray shirts, black ties and whatever black vests they liked...casual but pulled together at the same time!



aimee hand made these adorable twiggy initials that we hung on the red barn doors...





a quiet, loving moment with the bride and groom before the ceremony started...



for the ceremony, we lined each side of the aisle with branches of fall foliage and orange berried branches...we hung eclectic lanterns (collected by the bride) and crocheted laces off of shepherd's hooks and scattered loose fall leaves down the aisle...





each bridesmaid wore a black and yellow dress from anthropologie and a unique vintage hat, sourced by the bride from an antiques store...


rather than bouquets, each girl carried a terra cotta pot filled with yellow marigolds, accented with yellow rick rack and mustard toned pom pom trim...




all of the graphic design and stationary was created by the uber talented promise tangeman, who is not only the sister of the bride but who also owns a killer design blog full of fashion, art, photography and music ideas...


promise actually helped the groom design this piece of collage artwork as his gift to the bride...


centerpieces were eclectic lanterns and jam jars (sourced by the bride) filled with burgundy dahlias, yellow billy balls, navy privet berries, brown cone flowers and blackberry branches...we accented each vase with red pom pom trim or red rick rack to give it a crafty feel...










for the sweetheart table we added in some "treasures" from the bride - special vintage books, buttons and an alarm clock...i also filled a couple jam jars with loose blackberries...



the cake was made by a friend of the couple...






tons of fun to work with the following vendors who helped make this day so special!

photography: robert evans
videography: elysium productions
graphic design/stationary: promise tangeman
band: upstart

aimee and troy, you were amazing to work with and design for! just SUCH an absolute pleasure! i wish you were getting married every weekend so we could do it all over again! :) i am so happy for you both and hope that your newlywed phase lasts a lifetime! xoxo

lastly, a big thanks to jen at green wedding shoes for running this feature today! to see the spread, click here...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

brian and victoria - an nba wedding at trump national golf club

although i did a blog post on this wedding being the first celebrity feature in bride and bloom magazine, i haven't had a chance to blog all the DETAILS! well, here they are!

when kathy and susan of bella weddings asked me to meet with an nba client of theirs, i was excited but of course super nervous...i went to meet brian and victoria at their oceanfront home and was blown away by how sweet and down to earth they were! it was an instant chemistry between designer and client...i live for those moments :)

victoria told me the color turquoise held special meaning for her and that she wanted to combine it with purple for a day that was bright and vibrant (which to me, is SO indicative of her personality)...with the ballroom at trump national golf club being formal and elegant, we wanted to keep with that vibe somewhat but we also wanted to make the day FUN! so i think what we came up with held true to their traditional venue but was also modern, colorful and glamorous at the same time...

bridesmaids bouquets were composed of "picasso" mini cala lilies wrapped in a purple and teal cuff and adorned with a turquoise brooch...




flower girl "purses" of turquoise dupioni silk, a double band of purple and teal satin ribbon and a rhinestone finish...



victoria's bouquet was made entirely of white phalenopsis orchids (my fave) and the stems were wrapped in ivory satin, rhinestone trim and crystal appliques...




here brian is pictured with some of his groomsmen, which included fellow nba players luke walton, kareem rush and richard jefferson...




ring bearer "pillows" were made of all eggplant carnations, tied up with turquoise ribbon...




the ceremony had amazing views of the pacific ocean...




b and v just look so happy here...they're physically glowing!


of course they had a purple specialty cocktail!



placecards were lined up in a 6' tray wrapped in turquoise dupioni silk and a band of eggplant satin ribbon...the tray was then filled with white crushed glass and fuschia phalenopsis orchid blooms...


when i first met with the couple, brian had only 1 rule about the flowers - he didn't want the centerpieces to look like a "brain"...i laughed so hard when he said this and i totally stole that word to describe the "poofball" arrangements normally seen in ballroom weddings...

so i did something i call "flower-blocking"...which is when i group 1 type of flower together in 1 particular area of the arrangement...so i had a group of fuschia roses next to a group of plum tulips...and then eggplant mini cala lilies next to purple mokara orchids, etc...i finished the whole piece with a cascade of fuschia hanging amaranthus and phalenopsis orchids spilling over the side of the vase...

overall there was tons of texture and tons of color but it was asymmetrical and irregular to keep it from looking too tight, perfect and "brain-like" :)



the head table was with glass vases, varying in shape, and filled with 1 type of purple, eggplant or fuschia theme flower...plus turquoise crushed glass and tons of floating candles and votives...




every napkin was wrapped in a band of eggplant satin ribbon and finished with a fuschia orchid bloom...






for the cake we used my tall acrylic base and filled it with hanging turquoise crystals and fuschia + purple "floating" mokara orchid blooms...then we stacked a smaller acrylic base on top and filled it with white crushed glass and fuschia phalenopsis orchids...


all white phalenopsis orchid arrangements lined the mantle...


the couple invested in "intelligent lighting" - which basically changes colors as the evening goes on...so the room started off fuschia, moved into purple and finished the night in turquoise! pretty nifty huh?








victoria surprised brian with a killer groom's cake, shaped like a basketball and covered in the logos of all the nba teams brian has played for, along with his numbers...


all of brian's nba buddies, including luke walton, kareem rush, richard jefferson and jordan farmar...


brian cutting his cake...


and of course the guys promptly smashing it in his face :)


it was an amazing night!


thank you vicki and brian for trusting my design eye and vision for your day...and i am so excited for the new addition to your family! congrats!

also, many thanks to the talented and super fun group of vendors...the pleasure was all mine :)

wedding planning + coordination: kathy and susan, bella weddings and events
photography: jasmine star
lighting: nathan with lighten up inc.