Archive for November, 2008

My newest obsession….guestbooks!

One of the few things I was able to make a quick decision on during my own wedding planning was our guestbook.  All it took was one look at the Rag & Bone paper page albums, and I fell in love immediately.  They fit the functionality  of a normal scrapbook (they are filled with thick black or ivory heavy cardstock sheets), but the covers and the binding gave them a handcrafted, luxurious feel.    They also come in three sizes, ranging from small to large, making it easy to pick the perfect one for your own wedding.

 

Here are some of their newest designs, they really make it hard to choose just one:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently also came across these Molly West albums and gasped….the textures and fabrics they use on their covers are just exquisite!!  They also come in an array of beautiful colors and patterns, so choosing just one is close to impossible!

 

 

 

 

All of these books and designs can be purchased at Jenni Bick Bookbinding!

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Dress up your votives

It’s common knowledge that adding votives, especially tons of votives, adds a gorgeous element to any event space.  But you can take it one step further and embellish your votives to fit into your specific event design!   Anything from a simple ribbon trim, to a dazzling hand-painted job can take your tablescapes to the next level, and best of all of these ideas below can easily be DIY’d!

 

For a rustic or fall-themed wedding, these cornhusk votives from Martha Stewart would be a perfect addition to the decor:

 

 

Another great idea for a fall/rustic wedding is the cinnamon-stick embellished votive, from the DIY network:

 

 

 

The Fussy Designer even has a template for her gorgeous printed vellum wrapped votives:

 

 

Cursive Design should inspire some amazing handpainted votives:

 

 

Crotchet votives from Protovert, which can just as easily be done with lace or eyelet fabric for a different look and feel:

 

 

These votives from Your Wedding Company are fancied up with a bit of pearl trim:

 

 

And lastly, one of my favorite glam looks, a rhinestone-trimmed votive by one of new favorite finds, Flowers by Mars:

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Monique Lhuillier sample sale!!

For all of you who thought that your Monique Lhuillier dream dress was out of your budget’s reach…..there is still hope!!  This Sunday, November 9 from 10am-5pm they are holding a One Day Only Sample Sale event at:

1201 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 90015

Wedding gown samples will be on sale from 40% to 90% off. No appointments will be taken—this is a first come, first serve sales event.

For more information, call 323.655.1088

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I heart you, Wordle.

One of my newest clients, Jessi, turned me on to the world of Wordle, and I am certifiably addicted.  It is a brilliant new application, that can turn any series of words into a “word cloud,” giving more size/weight to the words you use more often in the inputted series.  You can generate hundreds of random combinations of fonts, colors and layouts…..so click the “Randomize” button to your heart’s content until you see something you are happy with!!

 

 I used it to create what could have been a Save-the-Date for our own wedding and I am SO sad I didn’t know about this back then!

 

 

You could even input your vows, to create the perfect program cover (this one taken from Wordle’s fabulous gallery):

 

 

Wordle can even use a blog (or any URL) to capture words and create a random world cloud….this one was created from my own blog!

 

But the best part of Wordle??  It’s absolutely free and you can save your creation for your own personal use.  So head on over there and see what you come up with!!

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**Kat and Noel**

I want to apologize for my huge hiatus in posting my weddings….but this one will more than make up for it, I promise!!

 

I met Kat and Noel back at the beginning of the year and immediately clicked with the both of them.  They are the perfect combination of kindness, sincerity and fun, I couldn’t have asked for better clients!!  Kat had already booked their venue, Bowers Museum, at that point, and wanted the rest of the wedding to fit into the modern, swanky style of the venue. 

And now, some of my favorite shots of the day, from the amazing Kim Fox:

 

Sherry McAnelly from On Location Beauty did an AMAZING job on Kat’s makeup and hair, she looked absolutely flawless!

 

 

Kat’s Maggie Sottero dress couldn’t have been laid out better on that beautiful bed…

 

 

I can never get enough of colorful shoes underneath a white dress!  This is definitely one of my favorite shoe shots of all time!

 

 

Kat’s amazingly talented aunt, Marvene, handled all of the day’s florals…..her sweet orchid bouquet was uniquely tied with a wine and gold cord:

 

 

My favorite moment during a church ceremony is when the massive doors open to let in a flood of light and the bride is just standing there, beaming, with her parents on either side.  This one definitely left me teary-eyed!!

 

The ceremony was held at St. Denis in Diamond Bar…..the architecture in this church is just breathtaking, and the church coordinator, Andrea, is an absolute sweetheart!

 

The end of the ceremony….sealed with a kiss!

 

This was one of most incredible feats of the day…..we somehow managed to coordinate ALL of the 300+ guests into taking a group shot in the church’s courtyard, with Kim’s direction from a second-floor terrace. 

 

 

After the cermony, the bride and groom, and bridal party, met up with the photographer at the Lab in Costa Mesa, for some fun urban shots!  This is one of my favorites….it looks like it belongs on the cover of Vanity Fair!

 

The girls, in their uber-chic Vera Wang gowns:

 

And the guys, not to be outdone, showed off their swanky footwear, the classic Cons!

 

 

During cocktail hour, guests were greeted by these perfectly coordinated escort cards (provided by Serendipity Design), planted into a lovely bed of moss.

 

 

The beautiful monogram gobo (provided by PropsFX)  was the perfect backdrop to Kat and Noel’s first dance, which they had choreographed and practiced, practiced, practiced! 

 

 

 

A shot of the amazing tablescape!!  Wine-colored pintuck linens and satin aubergine napkins were the perfect base to the spectacular tall bamboo and floral centerpieces! 

 

 

An even better shot of the beautiful ribbon-adorned menu cards, also provided by Serendipity Design.  The delicious gourmet food, by Patina, did an incredible job of keeping up with the amazing decor:

 

 

Another one of the adorable details…..chair signs for the sweetheart table!

 

 

This mango-filled cake, provided by Final Touch Bakery, was even more tasty then it looks, if you can believe that! 

 

 

And finally, I’ll end with one of my favorite moments of the reception.  Noel doing a HILARIOUS floor dance during the garter toss.  This is why I adored this couple so much….Noel is incredibly goofy and fun, and Kat is the kind of person everyone should have as a friend.  She is SUCH a nurturing person, that she kept asking me how I was doing during the course of her own wedding day!!

 

Please feel free to visit Kim Fox’s blog for more amazing shots of this unforgettable day!

Kat and Noel:  You two are the most perfect complement to each other, and it is easy to see why people can’t help but be drawn in by the both of you!!   I have had the MOST fun year getting to know the both of you, and I feel blessed to now call you both friends.  I am so so happy for the both of you and I hope that your wedding was everything you worked so hard for it to be!!

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