Loving this new series Erin Gates and Kelley Moore are collaborating on:
Both design mavens, they are showcasing how you can find inspiration in something you love and take elements out of it to create rooms, tablescapes, and creative projects.
Here they translated the above runway style into a table design and an entire room.
I think starting with an element that is either important to you or represents you is the best way to begin designing your wedding or event; This is how you get truly unique and personalized fetes.
Both Erin and Kelley are running the series on each of their blogs, so be sure to check in on them everyday to see what they come up with next!
Where are you finding your inspiration? Feel free to share with us in the comments.
~Happy Thursday
From Runway....To Design Inspiration
Wedding Planning With Google
I do have some strong opinions on which sites/apps/sources are good to turn to during the planning process; some are complicated, others a little outdated. Enter Google to the rescue:
We are Google lovers over here. We're fairly certain life would not go on without all of Google's miraculous ways of helping one out: Google Maps, Google Docs, Google search...they make it hard to stray.
Now that they've entered the world of weddings aside of hundreds and thousands of photos found each day by planning brides, you can set up your wedding website, share photos with your guests, and keep track of your to-do list, budget, and more. My favorite aspect? You don't get a url that is near impossible for your guests to remember, type, or write. Head over to Google's Planning Site to take a peek at all the features!
Rockstar Wedding Planner Live 2011 | Grace And Luxury Recap
The past week has been a whirlwind for me; in a matter of days I found out I'd won a scholarship to the annual Rockstar Wedding Planner conference, I made my flight plans, and on Sunday I arrived in Las Vegas to be amongst wedding planners and designers from all over the country.
On Sunday I hadn't been at the Green Valley Ranch Resort for even an hour before we all hopped on buses to tour three of Vegas' high end wedding chapels. Each was so different than the last; from quirky and fantasy-like to super modern and traditional.
Yes you can come down the aisle in a pink Caddy or get married in a retro 50's diner...
This was my personal favorite- white marble floors, hanging crystals, and contemporary designs.
And a few of my favorite detail shots and moments of the week:
Each day featured different table designs at lunch.
Some views from the welcome cocktail reception on day 1.
The Wedding Innovator Award winners- Simon & Ciara Daykin with Stacie Francombe, Chris Easter of the Man Registry, Sylvia Weinstock, and Ian Prosser. Each winner was commended on their forward-thinking and innovating ideas for the wedding industry.
I could go on and on with pictures and words about the conference- I will say that in three days I learned more about my business, my brides I work with, and myself than I could ever imagine, and I met some amazing planner friends. If you have some time let's meet for coffee and chat! Be sure to take a peek at the Rockstar Wedding Planner Facebook page and also our Facebook page for even more detail shots from the event.
~Happy Monday!
Tidbits | Love Your Pooch + Seeing Green
When we saw this adorable doggie post the other day on the Elements of Style blog, we flipped. Then we kept scrolling and saw this cute-yet-stunning-at-the-same-time collaborative effort between Fat Orange Cat Studio and letterpress designer Parrot Design Studio:
Called the Orange Parrot Collection, these letterpress Save the Dates are the product of a pet and wedding photographer-meets-letterpress. Although exclusively for their photography clients, I thought they were too good of an idea not to share. After all, if your pet is going to be a part of your life and wedding, why not include him from the very beginning? And isn't that a great idea for a photographer, to specialize in weddings and pets? You really need to head over to the website to take a peek at how your cute pooch can look quite grand in a portrait of his own.
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In other news, I'm so excited for next week- I'll be heading to Las Vegas (twice in one month) for the Grace and Luxury wedding planning conference. I actually found out on Friday that I had been chosen for a scholarship to the high end event, and I'm basically beside myself about it. Here's my digs I'll be staying in:
Not too bad for an impromptu jaunt to Las Vegas, if I do say so myself. I'll be there from Sunday until Thursday, with three intensive days with Ciara Daykin and many others from the Rockstar Wedding Planner group. We'll also be meeting some persons of note, including Sylvia Weinstock, Stacie Francombe, and more. I'll have so much to share with you next week, as many photos will be taken and many cocktails much fun will be had.
Has anyone stayed at the Green Valley Ranch Resort?
~Happy Thursday!
Celebrity Wedding Style
I decided to make this a double post feature for Wedding Wednesday since it's so perfect, and well, every bride should be checking it out.
Stacie Francombe, formerly Editor in Chief of Get Married magazine, has started a new venture in the way of a blog named Celebrity Reporter. As she points out, every bride should be a star on her wedding day, so with the blog she follows real celebrity style for your own wedding day inspiration.
So if you're a bride still in need of a stylish updo, or new ideas for gown silhouettes, be sure to add the blog to your daily reading list!
~Happy Styling!
Wedding Wednesday | St Pattys Day Inspiration
A few of our favorite spring green finds just in time for St. Patty's Day...
~Happy Wednesday!
{Photos}: Row 1: St Patrick's Day decor via Bhg.com / Spring bouquet / Fiddlehead Fern centerpiece / Spring green bridesmaids dresses
Row 2: Modern green wedding invitation / Green and brown chiavari chair
FAQ: All About Timelines
Wedding season is so close now- our wrap up appointments are starting to be scheduled and we're starting the finalization of all of our timelines. Since your wedding day timeline will always be one of the most important pieces to ensure the day runs smoothly, I thought I'd re-run this post from last year on making the timeline process as simple as possible:
Over the course of the past wedding seasons, I've learned a few tips for creating a timeline that is virtually flawless and will ensure a smooth day:
* Mapquest the distances from location to location. Then, take factors such as how busy of a street you'll be travelling on into consideration and plan accordingly for drive time. You may take pictures in a location that is only 5 minutes walking distance from your ceremony location, but when you add in traffic, time it takes to get you (and your dress) in the car, etc, you can easily rack up 20 minutes.
* End your pre-ceremony pictures at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start; an hour is even better. This will give you the necessary time for touch ups and just for some breathing room before the big moment arrives.
* Plan for early guests. In today's society, it's normal to expect someone to arrive about 10 minutes early to an appointment. In Wedding-World, please expect at least one person to show up 30 minutes early. So make sure all set up is ready by this time- I like to see everything done and ready to go 1 hour prior to the ceremony start.
* Pad, Pad, Pad. This is one instance where a little extra padding does good. You may be appalled at the idea of it taking an hour to get into your dress...but is it everyday that you put on a 30 pound, tiered, ball of fabric?
The moral of the story is this: Only in a perfect world would everything go, well, perfectly. So the more padding of time you incorporate into your timeline the better your chances of getting right back on track without even missing a beat when something does end up taking longer than expected on the wedding day.
For more timeline tips leading up to the day and during planning, check out this post too:
Making the timeline work for you
~Happy Planning!
Happy Weekend
Happy Friday, lovelies. My little man is sick so that makes for a slightly different day than planned. Hope you all have a great end to your week and a fabulous weekend filled with food, {wine}, and fun!
photo via Decor8
~Happy planning!
Wedding Wednesday | Phlox, Deep Teal, Cedar
This is the last of our mini series on Pantone's Fall 2011 Color Report, and probably one of our favorites. We love these colors together- so rich yet bright at the same time. Jewel tones are becoming some of my most liked color combos- makes for a warm and inviting fete.
~Happy Planning!
Inspiring Photo No. 15
Because every bride should look and feel like this on her wedding day.....
Here's to feeling ultra glamorous on your big day too.
~Happy Monday!
{Source}
Wedding Wednesday | Emberglow, Honeysuckle, Bamboo
I mentioned last week that I was going to be putting together a series of color palettes inspired by Pantone's Fall 2011 color report. A lot of times to get a color theme going, I'll just start pairing up colors to see how they look together. I have to say, I actually really like this palette, especially once I added the Nougat to the mix. It gives a subdued, yet retro vibe I think. What do you think of these colors paired together?
Row 1: Pink, yellow and orange bouquet via Tradewind Tiaras / Mini peach pie favors via The Modern Bride Guide
Row 2: Pink peony bouquet and bamboo bridesmaid dress via Brides.com / Invitation set via Snippet and Ink / Pink and Peach signature drinks via Martha Stewart
Pretty Pretty Bridal Session
We came across this stunning bridal shoot over at the Bride's Cafe last week, and had to share. We're in the modern day now, so it was nice to see a tradition like the Bridal Portrait made into a more personable, stylish Bridal Shoot:
This gorgeous photo shoot was taken by the talented Kelly Hornberger of Kelly Hornberger Photography. Be sure to take a peek at the rest of the shots of the bride, her bouquet, and even cupcakes here.
~Happy Planning!
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