A Sleek Magenta Wedding

I first met Jenny over coffee at Nordstrom E-Bar.  I have to admit, I was immediately struck by her all-American beauty and bright blue eyes.  She’s a total  stunner, inside and out!  And definitely one of the most kind, mello, go-with-the-flow brides I’ve ever worked with.

As the rain poured relentlessly on her  wedding day, Jenny didn’t seem to mind one bit.  She and Bryon were ready for joy and merriment.  Check out the love in these photos, captured by the talented Amanda Doublin!

The dreamy ensemble:

Jenny wanted a classic white bouquet with a touch of fluttery feathers, wrapped up in magenta satin.

Mariner’s church in Newport Beach fit the sleek, modern aesthetic of Jenny and Bryon’s wedding perfectly.

34 raspberry colored pomanders provided a vivid streak of color down the aisle.  It took thousands of mums and orchid buds to complete the task.

A note to pomander lovers:  if you’re using hearty flowers like mums, buttons, orchids, or carnations, skip the wet floral foam and use regular styrofoam balls instead.  Simply pinning the flower heads into the styrofoam is loads faster than attempting to stick millions of stems into fragile wet foam.  Plus, you don’t have to worry about breaking stems as you insert them, or worse, the entire ball falling apart under the weight of too many stems.  I had to learn this the hard way…

Guests pinned well wishes and prayers to a wooden cross.

Second chances!  The stormy weather made it impossible to take outdoor  portraits on the day of their wedding.   However, several months later, I recreated Jenny’s bouquet,  she put on her creamy gown,  and Amanda took some beautiful couple portraits on the beach, this time with the sun shining softly above them.

Then it was onto the candlelit reception at Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point.

Dozens of hurricane candles lit the way to the dining area.

Lush, tightly packed arrangements in shades of fuchsia, magenta and raspberry lined the long banquet tables. 

Gotta love the smooth black ceramic vases. 

The tent was actually quite pretty, and provided a cozy refuge from the downpour.

Sometimes, monochromatic floral arrangements are hard to pull off, simply because there aren’t enough flowers in the palette (blue and red can be difficult, especially in certain seasons!)   Luckily, there are so many delicious flower varieties that come in the magenta spectrum, I almost had trouble picking!

From top to bottom, dahlia, peony tulips, and phalaenopsis orchid nestled amongst sweet william.

My *second* favorite flower, the Cattleya, atop the cake.  Can anyone guess my FIRST favorite flower?  Hint, I carried it on my wedding day.

These are seriously tempting me right now.  Don’t you love how each cupcake is unique? 

Such wonderful toss form!  Look at that arch!

A Sweet Southern Wedding!

Last week I happened to see  Meg’s beautiful blue eyes staring back at me from the e-pages of  Southern Weddings Magazine! What a surprise!  Although SWM usually features real Southern weddings, they have happily featured quite a few of my California weddings that have a certain Southern something :)

{BTW,  I’m actually typing this from my hotel room in Oxford, Mississippi right now. It is GORGEOUS here and the magnolias are starting to bloom. Tomorrow I’ll be a guest at my nephew Aaron’s  wedding.  I will not be doing their florals, in case you were wondering!}

I posted some teasers of Meg and Shawn’s wedding captured by Joe a while ago here, but I recently received a slew of detail shots from Meg and Shawn’s sweet photographer, Brittany Keene.  Here are some of my favorite details!

A single gardenia graced her hair.  I always suggest purchasing two wired gardenias, one for the ceremony and one for the reception.  They are so fragile and can brown easily, but their creamy gorgeousness cannot be denied.  And the fragrance!

A classic white bouquet, filled with dahlias, callas, gardenias, roses, and then some.

The bridesmaids carried equally lush and textured blooms in shades of white, beige and yellow.

The Newland Barn and Museum is a cool little spot in Huntington Beach. It definitely has a country feel to it.

Brittany caught some great shots of the couple wandering around the barn.

One of my favorite planners- scratch that- one of my favorite PEOPLE Courtney Toney of Joyful Weddings and Events created all the sweet little touches that made this wedding so special:

The reception florals were so sweet!  Paisley wrapped vases and jars overflowing with fresh blooms.

We hung wired mason jars from the magnolia trees.   How Southern is that ?

I firmly believe the bride and groom’s chairs should be a little bit special.  

Here is one of my assistants hard at work on the cake.  She is my cake decorating expert!

The reception was chock full of southern bbq, dancing, and merriment under the stars.

I can’t wait to share pics from our Mississippi adventure!  I’m in love with their accents, catfish, wild growing hydrangea, and Southern hospitality.  I’m NOT in love with the humidity, fried foods, and mosquitos though, but it’s a small price to pay.

Alice in Whimsyland

My good friend Christina from Simply Modern Weddings asked me to take part in a fun Alice in Wonderland inspired photoshoot a few weeks ago.

Here’s the thing- my role in  the shoot didn’t involve a single real live flower.  Instead, she asked me to provide some accessories to adorn our gorgeous model Lauren.  Seriously though, isn’t she stunning?  She could rock a burlap sack and still look luminous.

Imagine my joy at waking up this morning, running down my google reader as usual, and seeing these images by Kim Le Photography on Style Me Pretty! I guess today is “Alice” day, because they are featuring THREE different and totally unique “Alice in Wonderland”  shoots.

To check out the SMP post, click here.

Here are some of the accessories I created for the shoot:

We tucked 4 of my white cymbidium clips into Lauren’s tresses.  Each petal is hand-cut, singed with a flame to add texture, and beaded with glass pearls.

Double White Cymbidiums

I formed each of these dahlias from different sari fabrics, added a cluster of pearls, and long frayed strands of fabric dangling down.

The sash is quite special, with hand beaded silver leaves and a vintage brooch.

Braided Dahlia Crown and Glitz and Glam Sash

Below, a funky take on Alice’s standard black bow, with a huge rosette center and “veil” of feathers.  The belt features two sparkly snakes joined by a jewel encrusted heart.  A little quirky, but sure to look rad on an offbeat bride out there!

Black Bow Comb and  Shimmer Snakes in Love Belt (both coming soon to etsy)

And here are some of the adorable details from the shoot, all of which I had nothing to do with!  It was honestly kind of fun coming in with just my tiny part of the puzzle, and watching on the sidelines as other professionals put something amazing together.  And you can imagine how much I loved the color scheme based on my website colors, right?

Thank you to all the stellar vendors who let me tag along that day!

Event Coordination and Design: Simply Modern Weddings / Photography: Kim Le Photography / Floral Design: Flowers by Helen / Invitations and Paper Goods: Darla Marie Designs / Floral Belts and Hair Accessories: The Treasured Petal Boutique / Hair and Makeup: All Made Up / French Macrons: Layer Cake Bakery / Cupcakes: Sugar | Tart Desserterie / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Linens: Wildflower Linens and Fusion Linens / Fashion: Jinny’s Bridal and Forever 21/ Model: Lauren

Pastel and Pearls in Pasadena

It’s mild and Springy here in the OC , and I think it’s appropriate to kick off Easter week with  Helen and Eddie’s scrumptious pastel wedding, captured by the incredible Aaron Delesie.   To all you girly-girls out there, feel free to ooo and ahhh over the frills, ruffles, petals, and pearls.

Helen’s pure white bouquet is one of my favorites.  Simple,and full of delightful scents (garden roses, gardenias, and freesia!)

Don’t you just love this pleated and layered bridesmaid dress? We carried that rich dusty rose color through in their bouquets.

Helen, you are STUNNING and your dress rocks my world!

How incredible is this picture?

The ceremony took place at First Methodist Church in Pasadena.  Too bad we don’t have many historic, grand churches like this in the O.C.

A nice way to get around, thanks to Bluewater Pedicabs!

The reception took place at The Westin Hotel in Pasadena. Khaki linens, ivory lace, muted florals, and cardboard details made for sweet, laid back tables.

I busted out my collection of recycled Spanish glass containers in all shapes and sizes, and filled them with luscious florals in pinks and mauves. Dahlias, faith, sahara, esperance, and peppermint roses, lisianthus, brunia and dusty miller, to name a few.

There’s something so soothing about these seafoam green tinted vases.This hobnail one is my favorite.

One thing I LOVED about this wedding was that each and every table had a unique collection of arrangements.

Here are some details that I can’t take any credit for, since it was the creativity and handiwork of Helen and Eddie’s magnificent planner, Catherine Cindy Leo.

Carnation pomanders with pearl handles hung from the bride and groom chairs:

I hope that was a good helping of “pretty” for you all!

Helen and Eddie, I hope married life has been splendid!  Thank you for letting me florify your big day!

Ugly-Pretty Flowers?

While racing around the mart choosing flowers for the Style Lab, I started to think about “ugly-pretty” flowers.  I am generally drawn to things that are ugly-pretty (or “ugly-cute” as in the case of my boston terrier My favorite models and actresses straddle the line between ugly and beautiful.  Their buck teeth/ bug eyes/huge foreheads make them even more intriguing.  The scraggly desert landscape on the way to Vegas is ugly-pretty. I’m also obsessed with vultures (ask my husband!)  which are mostly ugly and creepy, but beautiful in flight.

(photo by Joe- Basil was extra ugly-cute as a puppy)

In a time where pretty, feminine, and vintage-inspired weddings abound, most of my clients are asking for soft, fluffy, petally flowers such as roses, ranuncula, and peonies.  There is NOTHING ugly about those flowers, and I adore them for their beauty!

(photo by Jerry Yoon)

But I also adore the spiky. The waxy.  The scary but beautiful looking flowers.  It’s refreshing to be able to use them from time to time, and I do believe tropicals and other unusual specimens will be returning to wedding decor soon enough.   I also like the idea of mixing in some ugly-pretty flowers with pretty-pretty flowers to bring more texture and surprise to the arrangements.

Without further ado:

MY TOP TEN “UGLY-PRETTY” FLOWERS:

(This list is totally subjective, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder)

1.  Leucodendrons-  my favorite variety has light yellow petals and an ombre-like ball in the center.

2. King Protea- Looks like a fuzzy pink monster.  Literally the size of a honeydew melon.  Frightening!

(photo from wikimedia)

3.  Bromeliads- typically used as a house plant, but I also see cut bromeliads at the mart in bright fuchsia, red, yellow and orange.

(photo by The Image Is Found)

4.  Sunflowers- admit it, these are kind of ugly… the huge brown center looks like a giant bumble bee’s eyeball.  But I will never forget the beauty of the sunflower fields in Tuscany.  I’m still dying to do a 100% sunflower wedding.  Any takers?

(photo by docuvitae)

5.  Arabicum Ornithogalum- One of my favorite flowers because of the tiny star-like blossoms with  black centers.  When in full bloom, these are definitely more pretty than ugly.  But when the blossoms are still tight, the green center of this flower sticks out and is pretty funky looking.

(photo by Trista Lerit)

(photo from flickr)

6.  Nigella- The most mesmerizing shade of blue, but the pods look like hairy tumors of some sort.

(photo by Joe)

7.  Gloriosa Lilies- I carried these on my wedding day.  They are a climbing vine with the most graceful stems and gorgeous fuchsia petals.  They look like daddy long leg spiders!

(photo by Trista Lerit)

8.  Pincushions- such a perfect name!  See picture at the bottom of the collage.

(photo by Boutwell Studio)

9. Sexy Pink Heliconia- That’s really what this is called! Heliconias scare me a little, but this pink variety is amazing to look at.

(photo from here)

10.  Lady Slippers- God is such an artist.

(photo from here)

Do you have any favorite ugly-pretty flowers that didn’t make my list?

Smokin’ Hot Off The Press!

Alicia and Steven’s wedding can be seen in all it’s glossy glory in the newest issue of The Knot Magazine!

Photos taken from The Modern Type Blog.

Thanks to Jasmine Star and our bride Alicia from The Modern Type for all their hard work getting this wedding published.  I know it takes time, patience and elbow grease!

I actually haven’t been able to get my paws on a real copy yet, but I plan on swinging by Borders in between birthday lunch with Angel and Trista at Memphis Cafe, and birthday dinner with Joe’s family at The Golden Truffle.  Meatloaf and duck tacos, all in one day??? BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!

Shameless etsy product placement ahead (b/c it’s my birthday):

Since I’m the birthday girl, can I wear this Emerald Gypsy Mask to lunch and get away with it?

Haha, I’m such a birthday diva.  I like to milk it for all it’s worth!!!

Probably My Favorite Wedding…EVER

I was delighted to return from Vegas to a clean house (thanks Joe!), happy puppies, and Amelia Lyon’s beautiful post about Melissa and Bryan’s wedding!  Friends, I have been itching to share these photos with you.  This has to be in my top 3 weddings- heck, it might just take the cake!

First of all, Melissa was a dream bride!  Passionate about the details, open to ideas, super organized and punctual, and very very sweet.

Courtney Toney of Joyful Weddings and Events planned this wedding to perfection. Her flirty, whimsical touches have become her trademark.

Amelia and Justin Lyon captured the priceless moments and details in such a unique, stylish way. I just love their work!

Rancho Las Lomas is one of my favorite venues.  Just 7 minutes from my house,  it is tucked into the beautiful Silverado Canyons, a place where I used to frolic and play as a kid.

Plus, the wedding was filled with soft, fluffy PINK flowers.

Melissa is a girly girl after my own heart.  Not in a saccharine sweet Tinkerbell kind of way though! Her style is hard to put in a box- there’s a vintage element, which was incorporated with bird cages and mercury glass, and a modern edginess which we incorporated with black and eggplant flowers, privet berries, smokebush, and gunmetal gray details.

To give Bryan’s bout a little oomph, we added guinea feathers and black berries.

So in love!

This is the arch to trump all arches! A thick, flower drenched swag draped along the top, down the sides, and even on the ground.  It took 2 assistants 2 full days to assemble this in 12 sections, and 3 strong men to hang it.  Melissa took one glance at it on the way to her bridal cottage, and burst into tears. Happy ones.  I love when that happens

The tables were so elegantly dressed in eggplant satin, with clusters of mismatched candles and a luscious arrangement in a shiny black urn.

Bird cages filled with flowers hung from shepherd’s hooks behind the couple.  

Don’t even get me started on these confectionary masterpieces whipped up by Melody of Sweet and Saucy!  I’ve tasted many cupcakes, and her’s are by far my favorite!  Dream couple, dream vendors, dream wedding!  Yes, I do believe it’s my favorite ever!   To see the rest of the lovely images, go to Amelia’s blog!

P.S. I know I said I would share more about my crafty creations today, but our car broke down in Vegas and we had to stay an extra night.  I will definitely post tomorrow!

Fresh lime at the Shade Hotel

Good golly Mrs. Molly! I so enjoyed working with Molly and John to create the perfect simple, modern atmosphere for their October wedding.    It was my first time working with Amelia Lyon Photography, and I am just blown away by their style and talent. Some of the coolest portraits I’ve ever seen.

This picture captures Molly’s happy vibe just perfectly.

I love John’s glasses!  I splurged on some Prada librarian glasses last year.  I would wear them more if only my dog Basil hadn’t chewed them up.

Fresh greens, creams and chocolate brown were the perfect color combo for The Shade, a chic, modern boutique hotel with a gorgeous courtyard where the festivities took place.

Molly’s bouquet was lush and fragrant, with creamy gardenias, cymibidiums, arabicum, viburnum, and more.

Her dress- clean and simple, with perfect pleating.

Deep wooden columns and boxes were bursting with crisp green cymbidiums.

A few details:

Guess who did the calligraphy?  Molly! I knew she worked in some sort of chemistry lab, but I had no idea about this hidden talent.

I have such warm feelings about this wedding.  Every interaction with Molly was a joy and pleasure!  Even my staff raved about  her kindness and calm spirit on the wedding day.  Thank you to Molly and John for allowing us the honor!