As we’re almost ready to talk about new year’s [and I repeat... almost- I'm just not ready yet], I had to share with you a beautiful piece of delicate art brought to you by the talented couple of Luna Photo. I’ve loved Paula and Mike since working with them two years back and have always admired their seemingly effortless photographic genius that they constantly are putting out. This picture is just no exception.

I adore the hidden hearts more than anything. And I adore a lot of things, so that’s saying a lot. If you aren’t familiar with Luna Photo, I’d suggest acquainting yourself and quickly. They’re exceptional!!

xoxo,

Since we’re still waiting for images from the darling duo at Figlewicz Photography [and their right hand gal, Whitney Turner], I’m just going to give you a few quick preview shots of what’s to come from our perfect Palm Springs November wedding [literally, just flawless and fierce], compliments of yours truly [and let's face it- yours truly's husband, him truly]:

We opted for mini bottles of champagne in lieu of the traditional glass for toasts. Not only did it give a whimsically rustic nod, but the champagne is delish and a cute tag pulled the decor together! Like 95% of the detailed cuteness factor is owed to Kristen, my adorable intern-turned-graphics-guru. She took their invites and whipped out a full suite of materials for their big day. Font matching… no problem! Color scheming… a breeze! I’m so thankful for her technically trained little heart, her passion for design, and her total can-do attitude even with last minute projects!!

A close-up of the homemade peach jam favors [yep, made by the mother of the bride, such a trooper!!]. We had a last-minute change of heart with the ribbon choice but I’m glad it ended up how it did. Natural cotton herringbone, meet your perfect match:

We actually had a few different images of the monogram dance floor decal, but I completely adore the one above. Love that the decal is in focus, love the little bud running across it. Love it! These finishing touches go a long way to leave an impression in your guests’ minds. They don’t break the bank, either [we promise]. Have I mentioned lately that we’re whiz kids on a budget? Just try us!! And one last grainy snap for y’all of our beverage containers with vinyl drink names

So moody. So vibey.

This is actually a trick that we’ve utilized a lot lately [the recently published Mexican Inspired Wedding Shoot and the to-be-blogged Serra Plaza event to name a couple!]. It’s the best, most effective and stylish way to alert your guests of their beverage options. I’m a fan. A big one.

More details to come [as we did the flowers in-house for this wedding] and lots and lots and LOTS more face time with Az and Jonathan in the future weeks!!

xoxo,

I have come to the conclusion that you’ve been kept waiting long enough. I mean, I teased you already about this couple. Now, it’s time to show you the new hotness [or, cuteness even] that is Brooke and Toon. Their up-and-coming photographer at Tikko Studios [someone I'd yet to have heard of and is now officially on my radar for making me smile ear to ear] did such a great job capturing the essence of these two. I love so many of the photos!

Brooke is one of those girls that you always keep thinking “she’s one step from pissing me off”. No, no- not like that. Because Brooke is sweet. She’s genuine, soft, caring and feminine. And, well, she’s totes gorgeous [as exemplified] and apparently ridiculously photogenic. You want to hate her, right? But you can’t. Trust me. And when you meet her, you’ll stop wanting to hate her. You’ll just want to be around her.

Toon- her counterpart. Just gets her. They connect through quick glances, through laughter, and through their completely authentic friendship. Working with couples like them makes my job so full of raw joy. I adore it.

She gives us the “smeyes”…

And he sees her “smeyes” and raises it with a smolder!

These next two are my absolute favorite in the way they make me FEEL. About love. About Brooke. About Toon. About my job.

And one last cutie for the road:

B+T, you know I can’t wait for your Smoggy May wedding. It’s going to be quirk city and I’m thrilled to be along for the ride.

You can view the blog post that their photogs put up right here [and cruise around for a while, too- the site is enchanting!!]. And now, my dears, I implore you- spend some time in love’s midst today!

xoxo,

YAY! My totally and completely adorably-in-love DIY Queen of a client Jamie and her lovely beau turned husband Steve were featured on Brenda’s Wedding Blog! If you’re looking for a little inspiration and motivation for your situation send that can-do attitude over to the post and you’ll be whipping out your own details in no time!

Thanks to Kristin Rogers for setting this feature up [with a little encouragement from yours truly]. This wedding was a total wonder to work [um, hello mini sliders as a plated dinner and a chorographed first dance to that epic song from Stranger Than Fiction?? SIGN ME UP!]. I love reliving the moments of it through each and every photo.

Hop, skip and jump on over there already!

xoxo,

These cut glass votive holders are simply the bee’s knees in my eyes. Not only are they extra tall [at 3.5", such a cute and elegant height] but their modern shape is accented with all of the old world classic charm expected at weddings or family gatherings of any importance. Plus, since their height is substantial, it should be a breeze to past most city’s fire codes! Pretty and functional? Double bonus!!

Thanks, as always, to Jamali Garden for being my everyday source of inspiration for design and decor! Hope these inspired you to stay on the cutting edge of things this holiday season!! :)

xoxo,

So about two months back our dear friend and wedding industry pro Mary Lallande asked us to design an event that would act as the grand opening party to her new venue, Serra Plaza [side note: a gorgeous, high-capacity, all-outdoor courtyard style area complete with outdoor fireplace. Totes cute!!], and being who we are, of course we said YES! I gave Rachel the position of lead designer/coordinator for the event and she pulled it off smashingly and gracefully and… well, in a matter of weeks [being the crucial element]. When it came to the invites, we knew it had to be special. So, we sat for a sesh and realized that our design debut into the world of wedding pros [after all, the guest list was about 120 other planners/designers] needed to reflect everything that we are about: modern simplicity, clean lines, bold thoughts- and a warm honest touch.

The color palette was simple: design to match the space. We quickly came up with the idea to infuse kraft paper into everything. Combining our love of ivory and white playing off one another and adding in a deep wine to bring more depth, we had it! A boxed invite was a must- we knew it had to be a show stopper. But the real piece de resistance was the mini binder clip attaching the pages together. Of course we just happened to have about 100 laying around [of course... of course] and when we saw it clipped together we just ‘knew’- love at first site!

We are total paper snobs as well [self-admitted, too] and we almost exclusively use the same texture of paper for our projects. It’s my favorite and feels like velvet!

Seriously- just wait until you see the rest of the event Rachel pulled together! It is filled to the brim with custom projects and wit and class all rolled into one!

Until then- find something understated in your life today and recognize it for the simple beauty it adds and creates!

xoxo,

Confession: I worked on Thanksgiving. There, I said it. It feels so much better to admit it. But here’s the kicker: I got to work with family. Lots of family. 25 of us, to be exact.

Because my dear, sweet brother-in-law got married in an intimate ceremony in the backyard of the house he grew up calling home. Followed by Thanksgiving dinner. And then, birthday cake. Lorie Anne joined the Auer family on Thanksgiving day [which just happened to fall on her birthday this year] and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house for this emotional, totally M.F.E.O [watch Sleepless In Seattle much?? Made for each other!!] couple. The deepest of deep deep thanks go out to Rich for his generous time on a nationally-renowned holiday. Thanks Rich. I know everyone in the family is so touched by your generosity. Now, onto the pictures!!

Bouquet of course done in-house by yours truly and I was so pleased with it! And a few quick snaps of the decor details:

All joking aside- I referred to this [to my friends and peers] as my Ed Hardy wedding. Mainly because Bryan and Lorie Anne know how to bling with the best of them. And they love it. So the decor was kept simple [as per Bryan's request] and pulled together with stuff from my studio, embellished especially for them to add some personality and pizzazz in a way that I knew they would totally love. And I’ll toot my own horn when I let you know that when Lorie Anne arrived, she cried at the decor she loved it so much. Major sister points, am I right??

Their colors were simple: white, silver, and deep grey with hints of purple to compliment [and, well to match Lorie Anne's stunning dress]. Since I have such awesome taste in random objects, the white ceramic books, silver love birds, mercury glass votive holders and some of the floral containers were already on hand. But since the holiday season is in full effect, I reaped the benefit of the mercury containers with pearl and rhinestone accents as well as the candlesticks- totally a perfect fit for the feel of this event!

Assigned seating worked well [and was a must!] for this intimate setting and was really the perfect accent on the plate [especially over the Topaz 'Fog' napkin from La Tavola Linen]- and yes I remembered the color off the top of my head!! Complete with ribbon wrap and sparkly backing stock to boot. I love me some glitter this time of year!

We chose a cabana courtesy of Signature Party Rentals for the couple to wed in, mainly because we wanted an intimate feel with a 360 degree ceremony view in our quaint space. And remember how I mentioned the dress? Well, wait ’til you see the couple!

Bryan and Lorie Anne wanted a few portraits before they tied the knot, so we opted to give them a super quick little private first look moment. This tender moment is just one small example of the true joy and connection that L.A. and Bryan show one another each day. It’s awesome in the true meaning of the word- striking people who encounter them with real awe.

The picture above is from our ‘ring warming’ portion of the ceremony. Essentially the idea is to pass each ring around for the guests to bless them, pray over them, and ‘warm’ them before they are exchanged by the bride and groom. Bryan and Lorie Anne truly wanted a personal, unique ceremony drenched in love and rooted in family. Shortly after we passed and warmed the rings, we laid hands on the couple and prayed for them [as seen below] and- of course- my lovely husband provided the ceremony music [covering Train's "Marry Me" as the only tune of the ceremony].

This “stolen moment” is my favorite:

With this as a close second. Meet Skyla:

And now, for some post-ceremony “WE ARE MARRIED!!” portraits:

LOVE IT. She’s a total babe. Scratch that… bombshell. Babombshell.

Matching bling-in-the-ring. Do you love it?? See why I coined this wedding how I did? They are definitely perfect together! And one last one of the entire brood:

Keep in mind that’s just Josh’s immediate family [parents, two sisters and families, one brother and family... and us]. Yep, all of us. We’re quite the load [just ask P.F. Chang's, where we went the following day for dinner- they know allllll about it]!

And right now, Lorie Anne and Bryan are off sunning and skorkeling [what? it's a thing, I swear!] in Hawaii before their big reception in their hometown of Temecula next weekend. I know that day will be filled with just as much love and emotion as Thanksgiving Day was- and as each day surely is with the way these two look at one another. I’m so blessed to be a part of this family!

Here’s to being thankful for love!!

xoxo,

Okay so, this is a 50/50 thing right here. 50% me being “in trouble” with myself for not updating that crucial sidebar you see to your right to let you know that Candice [the lovely, lovely assistant that was with us for just over 1 year] has branched off to start her own video company with her husband. The other 50% is me literally glowing with pride over how she’s capturing love stories these days.

Favorite moment caught: during the ceremony, the way the bride is looking at her groom so emphatically. Like she’s letting every single moment of reality sink in. It’s really magical to watch.

Hello, how can you not want a wedding video?? [Had to say it- you know I did]

Be sure to check out their new company, LunchPail Pictures and get in with them before they explode into something you’ll only wish you could have experienced. I have all the faith in the world in this pair- and the way they caught the moments in this wedding above, the real authentic love expressed, I know that I’m right to believe!

xoxo,