Wednesday, December 28, 2011

the highlight of 2011...

by far the best thing to happen to us this year (and really in our lifetimes!) was the birth of our first baby, decker august jowett...he was born on november 8 at 11:28pm and we could not be more in love with this precious guy!

when we weren't installing weddings, we spent most of the summer months preparing for his arrival - building a deck outside his nursery, painting the room, putting together furniture, choosing artwork for the walls, washing all his new clothes, installing the car seat, assembling the stroller, etc. everything we did and every wedding we completed brought us that much closer to the debut of our little man!

here is a little video i put together of the months leading up to his arrival plus his actual birth day :) it was the most intense, surreal and AMAZING experience i could ever imagine...brian and i were both a ball of emotions and tears when we finally saw his face for the first time...i hope this video gives you a glimpse into the anticipation and joy we felt for our baby boy!


thank you for all the love and support you have shown us this past year...2012 is going to bring a lot of "firsts" to our family and we cannot wait...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

a modern, coastal christmas in california

sooooo, i am a little behind in blogging this party..."california christmas" actually happened LAST YEAR but i got so busy i didn't have time to post it before the holidays were over...well, the photos are so insanely gorgeous i HAD to blog it this time around...so better late than never right? :)

i co-created the dinner party with one of my favorite wedding designers - cortnie purdy from canvas and canopy and it was hosted by my favorite publicist - leila khalil from be inspired pr...it started out as a lovely "christmas in california" inspired photo shoot but we figured, as long as we're setting it up, why not enjoy it and invite some friends? so that's just what we did...we held the party at my house in costa mesa, which fit the coastal, modern vibe perfectly...it was such an amazing evening to just relax and enjoy the beauty that we created as well as the company of sweet friends...

style file: coastal, modern, natural, breezy, calm with pops of red, festive touches
color scheme: mint green, tan, white, cherry red
flowers: succulents, air plants, peonies, balsa wood flowers
elements: white coral, capiz shells, smokebush branches, quartz, mercury glass, sea urchins, braids, seersucker fabric, cork




guests were treated to a "california holiday glow" by danielle from plush tan...we all left the party feeling ready to banish those winter blahs!


i created a sand blasted manzanita and capiz shell chandelier that hung directly above our dining table...


the table was set with white birdsnest coral, mint green air plants, smokebush branches, chunks of quartz and white ceramic sea urchins topped with succulents...it was all very tranquil and zen looking...so to make it more festive we worked in mercury glass votives and white ceramic vases wrapped in metallic beaded trim and filled with stunning red peonies!






the desserts were amazing!! cupcakes in flavors like winter mint, hot cocoa and gingerbread, as well as macarons, peppermint cake pops and beautifully decorated ornament sugar cookies that we actually strung and hung from branches!



the cake was a simple white fondant wrapped in red berry branches...





cortnie and i found some red and white striped seersucker fabric and we thought it was perfect for a coastal look as well as festive for the holidays! so she hand sewed every seersucker napkin and then she created those killer mint green and white braided napkin treatments!


the party took place a couple weeks after we got bossy...it's so crazy to look back at how small she was! i am so grateful for these adorable photos of her as a puppy :)


the beverage station was set with cork vessels that we topped with white boards and our specialty cocktails - icicle mint mojitos and jingle berry (on the) rocks...get it? ;) we accented the table with succulent christmas trees and quartz pieces topped with more succulents...



at the end of the night, we needed something warm to drink so we had apple cider with a gingerbread cookie "gift tag" customized with each girls name (from "cali claus")...we also had hot chocolate with snowflake marshmallows...


besides the spray tans, each guest also got to leave with a signature scent! courtney from kamilyin was there to guide us in mixing the right blend and then she created a hand soap, lotion and sugar scrub set for us to take home!


i accented the scent station with my grapewood stumps, topped with moss and balsa wood flowers...


once we lit the candles and started a fire in the hearth, the mood was warm, soft and magical - SO...MUCH...FUN!







although christmas is only for one month out of the year, i feel like there are definitely elements to this design that could be re-worked into a wedding day...so hopefully it will inspire you not only for this year's yuletide celebrations, but it will spark some design ideas for your 2012 nuptials!

here is the AMAZING team of vendors for the party...so much talent!!

photography: leo patrone
event production and hosting: be inspired pr
event design and styling: canvas and canopy
event design and floral styling: JL DESIGNS
catering and beverages: contemporary catering
desserts, cake, marshmallows, icicle stir sticks: cupcakes couture
printed goods: wiley valentine
dining table, benches and scent station dresser: found vintage rentals
scent station: kamilyin
"let it glow" spray tans: plush tan
dessert banner: joyful, joyful

and a huge thank you to all our friends who attended the party and blogged about it:

Monday, December 12, 2011

a texas meets california wedding - the villa, san juan capistrano

wimberley and brian are dear, sweet friends of mine and when they chose the villa in san juan capistrano as their wedding venue i was so excited! it is such a gorgeous location and it totally inspired the design of the day...guests could mingle inside the nostalgic home, complete with the original furniture from that turn of the 20th century era, or soak up the sun in the outer courtyard...a perfect mix of indoors and outdoors...

style file: soft, romantic, classic - early southern california history mixed with some masculine texan details
color scheme: gold, white, cream, mustard, beige and gray with hints of chocolate brown
flowers: white and cream garden roses, peonies, veronica, lilac, scabiosa, tulips, lisianthus, spray roses with buttery yellow garden roses and natural green fillers for a lush, slightly undone feel
elements: antlers, lace, rope, suede, dark brown wood, cut crystal vessels, brushed gold votives


wimberley created all the printed good herself and accented them with suede cording...the save the date even came with a super cute antler magnet that guests could keep as a reminder of the day!


this was a second marriage for the groom and his 2 daughters have grown especially close to wimberley...a great way that the couple chose to include his daughters was by giving them lockets that have pictures of wimberley and brian inside...



in wimberley's bouquet, we added those small accents of brown pheasant feathers for textural interest...all the bouquets were wrapped in either mustard or beige velvet...


and the boutonnieres were wrapped in mustard or gray cordouroy...












wimberley wanted to keep the ceremony simple so we left the green trees on the deck to frame the ceremony space and used the fabulous vintage brown wood pews for seating...it wasn't enough seating for everyone but it really defined the space well!




for the rentals, i chose a beige natural linen fabric and we added a border of raw, scalloped to the rim of each tabletop...the rest of the furniture was a mix between dark brown wood benches/tables and tufted, feminine sofas and chairs in either white, beige or yellow...


we also hung cut crystal and antique gold light fixtures from the trees...




wimberley grew up in texas so she wanted to incorporate some "cowboy flair" without going overboard and too themey...so we brought in some subtle hints of her upbringing...worn gray and cream antlers accented lounge tables for an interior design feel...

her dad even made a killer "bar" sign completely out of rope - our take on a lasso :)







to honor her texas roots, the bride's family created a custom spice rub and packaged them in metal tins with suede cording to give away as the favors...



the cake was a simple and stunning white fondant accented with gold braids and a huge white sugar flower - it looked almost like jewelry on the cake! so soft and feminine...



dinner was cocktail-style with menu items like duck confit on cranberry potato pancake, lobster mac'n'cheese and miniature crab cakes with citrus avocado relish...there was also a mashed potato bar and late night snacks of pulled pork sliders and apple cinnamon beignets...the specialty cocktail was wimberley's mom's special recipe for a "ginger-basil sidecar"...





the desserts were set up on a wood console table and melody from sweet and saucy used her amber and glass textured cake stands to give the display height...mini banana cream pies (brians favorite), mini lemon cupcakes (wimberley's favorite), peanut butter and jelly bars (what brian made for wimberley the day he proposed) all had special meaning to the couple...they fleshed it out with red velvet cake pops, mini creme brulee shots and smores bars...






here are the amazing vendors i had the pleasure of working with!
photography: ashley rose
floral and event design: JL DESIGNS
cake and desserts: sweet and saucy shop
linens: la tavola
videography: stereo waltz films
venue and catering: the villa, san juan capistrano

and a special thank you to leila at inspired by this for featuring wimberley and brian's stunning wedding! to see the feature, click here...