Mmm, mmmm, mmmm! We sure are pleased with the results of our “Beach Chic” table photo shoot. This design, which was inspired by my trip to Mexico last December, centered around a very contemporary, clean look with a color palette of steel gray and white. Check out the photos, the story of how it came to life and the credits to the most amazing contributors below, including Kristy Huston, who captured the essence of the table perfectly!!

I started out by purchasing the centerpiece vase at a local outlet ~ It was a perfect fit with its rippled water-like finish to it. And then it was onto the flowers! Audrey from Botanica Floral Designs and I were on the same page when it came to the centerpiece construction. We wanted to do something that gave the look of coral, for which we chose white manzanita. We then added some elegance to it with white orchids and other very fresh feeling flowers, which reminded me of the crisp ocean air. 

Mimi & Co provided us with the custom linens and chair sashes, and I must say, they were delicious! Although I’m typically not a huge fan of pintuck linens, I loved the idea of incorporating that look in a cap on this table due to its’ strong resemblance to fishing net. Classic Party Rentals contributed the glassware, flatware and chivari chairs. And, Simply Elegant Rentals & Decor was sweet enough to loan me my favorite china, which we topped off with custom designed menus from Bella Vita Invitations.  Extra special thanks go to Kristy Huston for the amazing photography and Shannon Hall for letting us crash {one of my personal faves} Scott’s Seafood/LeRivage on the River, the perfect location to shoot this table!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Today, my inspiration comes from one of my favorite movies ~ Walk the Line. I’m a sucker for a turbulent love story ~ so of course I loved the movie! And, well…in real life, I cried when Johnny died. I loved him like I knew him. His music has been integrated into so many parts of my life, especially as a youngster growing up in the country. Yes, I was country when country wasn’t cool. What can I say?

My husband and I share some serious country roots and a deep-seated love for Johnny and June. We’ve even dressed as them for Halloween. But, surprisingly it was my husbands idea to incorporate this love into our {someday} vow renewals or the celebration of our 10th anniversary, where we will undoubtedly be going back to our roots. Will this work on the beach in Mexico? We shall see and I can’t wait!

The inspiration board below is based on one of my favorite icons, one of my favorite movies and my husband’s sweet thoughts of our pending celebrations. I would have loved to have seen June wearing yellow {although she looked good in just about anything}. I was also drawn to wildflowers, woodsy accents that remind me of Tennessee, vintage guitars, home made jams and pie ~ and one smokin’ hot cowboy! Enjoy y’all!

Sources: Once Wed, Not Martha, Night Owl Paper Goods

It must be springtime! It’s that time of year where we start to see all of the cute shoes, accessories and other fun trends for the year out in full force! {Or maybe I just have a shopping itch that needs to be scratched. I’m not quite sure!} This week, I have fallen in love with an accessory line for brides that is affordable, glamorous and fun with hints of vintage fabulousness. If you’re on the hunt for accessories for your wedding day, you must check out Amanda Pearls’ Bridal Collection. Below are a few of my favorites but be sure to check out the web site for even more glamorous vintage inspired bridal accessories!

Amanda Pearl ~ Vintage Inspired Bridal Jewelry

Oh, I just love Sunday Mornings ~ Lionel Richie cranked up, a big ol’ cup of Starbucks and my office window wide open. I love the fresh morning air {even though it’s still a bit chilly for my taste}!

This morning I was inspired by a conversation with a good friend about her wedding ~ which led to my searching the web for inspiration as I so often do. I ran across an amazing web site, Vintageous where I found a gold mine of Vintage Wedding Dresses {at an affordable cost!}. I love, love, love the idea of a bride wearing a truly unique vintage dress. This site gives you measurements of the dresses as well as detailed information on the condition, which is great when buying something off the web. These dresses are selling like hot cakes, ladies! If you’re looking for a vintage dress for your wedding, I definitely suggest stalking this site regularly.

I could certainly design an entire wedding around one of these fabulous finds. {Keep your eyes peeled, I just might throw some inspiration boards together!} Check ‘em out! A few of my faves below:

Vintage Dresses from Vintageous

As my 9 days wind down I have found it harder and harder to choose between all of the great weddings that we had the pleasure of working on last year! I would love to post them all! This was another tough category with so many to choose from! There were three in this category that I had the hardest time choosing between. In the end, I picked Jessica and Mike’s “Vintage Chic” Wedding.

Oh the details!! Jessica was my kind of girl! Between the two of us, we spent countless hours shopping to find all of the perfect little details! I called her from vintage stores, she texted me from other ones. We must have hit every store in the county that had items that would reflect her style. When I went to Jessica’s house the week of the wedding to pick everything up, my car was packed! For a moment, I thought we had gone too far but in the end every item had the perfect use, the perfect look, and the perfect place!

Adding to the charm and beauty of this wedding was Cathy from Visual Impact Design. She did an amazing job of creating all of the flowers and I especially fell in love with the bouquets!  I can honestly say that she truly captured Jessica’s style perfectly! I loved the brooches on the handles, the elegance of Jessica’s bouquet and the fun pops of color in the bridesmaids’ bouquets! Cathy used a mixture of textures, vessels and colors that worked perfectly with Jessica’s “Vintage Chic” theme. Capers Party Rentals made all of the custom linens for Jessica’s wedding, which I was totally impressed with! Take a peek! Photo’s by Stout Photography.

2009 was the year of the lounge {along with the candy table and unique place card display} We had a few lounges of our own and had fun with them all, but this one was truly special.

Cindy and Kevin flew in from Arizona one rainy afternoon to meet with me and see what in the world I had been raving about and trying to convey to them over the phone and via emailed photos: A “Southern Lounge” with dark wood wicker furniture, elegant pillows, chandeliers hanging from trees, large jugs of sweet tea and lemonade to be served in mason jars and blues music playing in the background {compliments of a few members of the Misa Malone Project out of San Francisco}. All of this, nestled into the “enchanted forest” area  at the beautiful Avio Vineyards surrounded by rolling hills and grapevines, was enough to make any southern girl melt! The decor was inspired by a front porch photo of a beautiful home in Hilton Head that Cindy had shown me when we first met. She fell in love with the details and the vision was brought to life. After the event, the divine satin pillows that Cindy was gushing over were my gift to her. Photos by Allison Stahl.

What a pleasure it was to work with Jestina and Matt on the planning of their October wedding at The Flower Farm Inn in Loomis, just outside of Sacramento! One of my favorite details was the way the bride incorporated her something blue in a very cute way! What better way to say I DO! than in blue, on the bottom of your wedding shoe! Photo by Christopher Kight Photographers.

Last month, we attended an exquisite evening at Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa, for the incredible Beyond Platinum showcase! Some of the top wedding service providers in the area gathered together to showcase their amazing products, services and skills! Talk about Glamorous! We were very lucky to attend this event and see the latest trends is dresses, floral design, table settings and overall decor. I must have taken a million pictures – below are a few that will give you an idea of just how amazing it was. Featured in these photos: Mimi & Co, Botanica Floral Designs, Ambience Floral Designs, Bella Bloom, Miosa Couture, Party Concierge and probably a few more that I failed to mention..

2009 was the year to do something different with your place card displays! Each and every client of mine who chose assigned seating was looking to do something unique to direct their guests to their tables. From peaches picked off of a tree to a crystal wall with place cards attached and an old re-purposed shutter, we created some really cool displays! My favorite? The old shutter, which was pretty much junk when I picked it up at an antique store. After some restoration, paint and sprucing up with a crystal doorknob and floral embellishments, it was definitely chic and unique! The best part? I am now using it for Christmas cards..super fun!

While passing through Los Angeles on our recent trip to Mexico, I (of course!) picked up a bridal magazine that I had yet to come across here locally ~ and I found it to contain some of the most stylish and impressive wedding designs and ideas I’ve seen in a long time! Below is a Vintage Brooch Bouquet that I fell in love with! I mean…seriously?! This is off the hook! Not only does it stand out as a unique bridal bouquet, but you can truly save it forever! Or, what I thought might be fun is to pass the brooches on as gifts to mothers, grandmothers, sisters ~ or even your bridesmaids after the wedding. What better way to share a piece of your wedding day and and have it remembered forever as you pass these brooches down through generations. Love, love, love this!!!! I can’t wait to encounter a bride bold enough to hold this while walking down the aisle. Check out more photos of these amazing bouquets on Fantasy Floral Designs’ web site! I’ll share more amazing inspirations from the magazine soon!

Ahhh~mazing Brooch Bouquet!

A bevy of vintage brooches compose a startlingly beautiful bouquet that is utterly unique to the bride who holds it.Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Designs will take the miniature metal components of your choice and fashion a one-of-a-kind design for your wedding day. You can provide the necessary elements, or commission Ms. Heer to select them for you; either way, your exquisite bouquet will be completely beyond compare. Pricing starts at $300 and varies upon design; fantasyfloraldesigns.com, 949.240.3571.