The lovely Jamie and her wonderful beau Steve sat for a session with their wedding photographer,Kristin Rogers, for a cute little scene celebrating their engagement! I think y’all know by now that I, of course, *adore* when real life couples style their shoots and infuse character with personality into their pictures. So, it’s no surprise that I’m drooling for these images.

J+S are tying the knot in October and their reception is at one of my favorite LA hotspots- Union Station! More specifically the Fred Harvey Room there. Which, I adore. I worked there a few months back and the event was so completely stunning that I’m unable to post images of it. And it’s killing me!

This image, above, makes me remember why I love love so much. Just ooey and gooey in all the right ways.

Um, yes, even their stuff is cute. Because it’s theirs. And set up cutely in a field. And stuff.

Seeing these images is fully getting me PUMPED UP for their wedding! Jamie is kinda my D-I-Y doll [super human crafting powers, respect y'all!!], and I know their wedding is gonna be one big personalized bash!

I could honestly post here for hours…. but since I won’t [and I mean that in the nicest of ways seeing as Kristin's blog is totally worth the click to visit], here’s just a couple more:

And there you have it! The Idiot’s Guide to Being Cute Whilst Posing with Vintage Props in a Field. I’m serious. It works, just look at the results!

J+S: can’t wait to see you both again. I’ll need to resist the urge to pinch your cute little cheeks after falling in love with these images! Only ONE MONTH to go!

xoxo,

A.

Um. There’s a few things you should know about me. Don’t worry, I’ll keep this particular list short [though I could go on and on]. Here’s two:

1. I love anything ridiculously huge or inconveniently small.
2. I pretty much ADORE anything monogrammed. I plan all my weddings around my couples. Their style. Their names. Their initials. Their hearts. Their monograms!

So when I saw this in my google reader [aka "the googs" as I call it], I nearly called it quits in my day. Sometimes you just gotta throw up your hands and surrender. Realize that someone else has WON the battle. Because they did it first. And I respect it endlessly. Are you dying yet?? Well, here you go:

Oooooooohmygoodness with the oversized deliciousness that ARE these letters. I cannot stand them. I literally had to sit for them. Literally! Hoping to re-invent the wheel with my monograms in the way this couple did, just in the same way Simply Bloom Photography captured it.

Thanks to Leila and the gals over at Be Inspired PR for this lovely gem. I’m a more creative person today because of it!

Lovely Friday, y’all! Another weekend is on the cusp, another month is well on it’s way to us… and another day to love one another fully is in our midst! If that doesn’t deserve a YAY I don’t know what does!

xoxo,

I’ll admit it- when the idea of a “Sleeping Beauty” styled shoot was tossed around by Kristin, I quaked in my boots a bit. I couldn’t think of anything [instantly, because that's how I work... I'm very instant] that wasn’t Disney, flitty, fluttery, cheese-ball. And then it hit me: classic. Sewing. 1940’s. With a bed. Because, well, that’s how I roll. I’m grateful to Bethany Belle for capturing it all so beautifully. And thanks to K+D for, you know, being in love and stuff.

Yep. That’s a skort. A skort y’all.

Bed: check! Fun jumping-off-of-bed-picture: check! Classic Sleeping Beauty picture with bed: check!!!

Cute and fun.

Outfit change!!

Yep. Breakfast picnic. SO deeply into it. Cannot even handle it. And the hat?!?

Sleeping Beauty. Get it- breakfast buffet?? This also ties into the fact that Dustin proposed to Kristin by waking her up [at, like, 5am]- awaking his “sleeping beauty”. And then, breakfast. Because it’s soo 2010 to eat the most important meal of the day. In a grassy knoll. With a custom blue and pink quilt [hello, had to tie in that classic movie somehow- color scheme much??]!

And then there’s music. Because they sing- about their dreaming, about their prince. And stuff. And Dustin plays guitar so it happens.

Don’t forget sewing. She pricks her finger on a spindle. And sleeps [like a lot]. But the horses- they’re by FAR my fave. Cause that’s how he finds her!

Thanks SO much Bethany for the abundant beauty you’ve provided. Love the feel of this shoot- so glad I got to come on board and help flesh it out!! There’s plenty more, dear lovelies, over on her blog so don’t miss your chance to see it! And K+D- you know, I think you’re too fabu for words. Get married already!!

xoxo,

Now, this is a controversial one. Why, you may ask? Well, because although I pulled this extremely, over-the-top, gorgeously detailed ceremony shot from Green Wedding Shoes…

…it’s actually more [for me] about the designer: Jesi Haack. And don’t you know the first rule of fight club- I mean… event design? It’s that you don’t talk about your competition. Especially not on your blog. And you for sure don’t befriend them.

But I haven’t ever been much for rules. So, I did. And I am. And I did. Jesi is extremely talented, creative, whimsical, and hard-working. All of the attributes shown here, embodied in this image. And I’m thankful to rub elbows with people of that caliber. So, yeah. We’re friends. It’s just the way we roll.

Maybe this weekend should be about making new, controversial friends for you! Smile at someone unsuspecting and unprompted this Friday. Maybe you can make theirs as lovely as Jesi made mine!

xoxo,

A.

You may be familiar with this because a while back I blogged about it under a different name. Well, now we’re Designer Swap meet. Different name… yes. Same concept… YES! Lots of style… YES!! Please join us!

RSVP over at our eventbrite and let me know you love me… I mean… that you’re gonna be there!

xoxo,

A.

Holy YAY and WOW! I’m so thrilled about the sheer volume of images on this post! I’m flattered and honored that people are loving the designs we’re a part of so much. It’s so great to look back and remember the blood and tears ['cause you know, girls don't sweat] that went into each and every one of these details. I wouldn’t change a lick of it! Go here and holla at me and our designs!

And thanks to Jeffra @ WeddingWire for being so super awesome and believing in the styling that I do.

xoxo,

A.

Hello all and welcome to the new once weekly feature Design Dollop! Let’s break down the name for a quick sec. Why Design Dollop you ask? Lemme tell ya’ why! What I’m going to share with you are some of my favorite nuggets of design. Hence, a dollop. Just a dollop of design at a time. SO, heeere’s Numero Uno!

Aren’t those one of the most amazing things you’ve seen? I mean, really. Really?! How fun are these! I unearthed them a while back while trying to search around for clear silverware and couldn’t WAIT for a chance to use them. Luckily, we got to team up with the super fab Jasmine Star to design a French Inspired Bridal Shower [that you can see here on Style Me Pretty].

They TOTALLY add a modern edge to a traditional concept. And can you believe they’re plastic? They’re plastic!

Whelp, that concludes the first installment of Design Dollop. Hope these plastic silverware inspired you as much as they did me. See ya’ next week!

Annnd remember, if you need some totally rad chicks to rock the design socks off any event, this is the place to be!

This, my dears, is a MONSTER of a post… so I’m giving you 4 minutes to grab a cup of coffee or cocoa and cozy up. Ready? Go!

Ahh. That’s better, right? Now since you’re nuzzled in, let’s get it going! The idea was presented to us by Amanda @ Ruffled Blog, to style a shoot for her that was anything we wanted, with a vintage twist. Since my personal aesthetic is to push the box and add a modern twist to everything I design… I knew it had to be special. Enter Retro Vintage Outdoor Cafe. Serving souls all night long. The concept easily flowed from my mind to my fingers in a frenzy-typed email out to photographer Adrienne Gunde and from there, the details just fell perfectly into place. I’ll splice our ridiculous amount of pictures with the write-up that I sent over to Ruffled, just so you kinda know what’s going on. I hope your heart feels full and warmed [via pictures and coffee/cocoa] when browsing the images below. I know mine does. Truly, there is nothing better than love.

Okay so everyone lately has been focusing on bringing the indoors to the outdoors, and I love that about photography right now. I knew that if I wanted to do something like this for a shoot, I really wanted to challenge myself and take it a step further.

I immediately concepted the idea of building a cafe out in the wilderness. We found the perfect clearing with trees flanking the area and my ideas were set into motion.

As for the shoot itself, I imagined a couple deeply in love, newly-weded, who got distracted with the idea of a cup of coffee and some dessert on the walk home from their wedding. After the grand send off, after the dancing and drinks, after the party…. THIS is where the end up. At a quaint cafe, open late, laughing and loving the night away until dawn strikes and they mosey on towards home.

I love the idea of these two lovebirds reveling in the memories of their wedding day. Their feet ache, her head hurts from being pinned up, they’re exhausted… but they’re elated. Full of joy. Full of newness, hope, and love. Full of lemon crumble cake!

[sun slowly rising on them.... DYING!!]

The idea is that these two order a slice of cake, a tea, and a coffee, and chat the night away until the cafe closes and as they walk down a quiet side road in the breaking dawn… they give a whole new meaning to the term “walk of shame”. I adore the idea of a wedding “walk of shame”- like you spent the WHOLE night out and you’re walking down the road now barefoot, shoes in hand, veil off and hair let loose, ready to head to sleep finally.

I created a “wedding style” for our models- magenta, purple tones, gold and browns accented by the groom’s grey suit. Then I created our “cafe style” to be complimentary, simple and stand out on it’s own in buttery yellows, blue hues and warm ivory/wood tones. The light posts we brought in set the perfect stage and feel for our “open late” cafe scene.

The whole idea was this humble cafe that sets up their services in the middle of a clearing- just because they can. It’s their “thing”, and they’ve been doing it for years. Quite feasible that a young, in love couple would see it walking by and stop in for a couple of warm drinks on their way home and then splurge on a piece of cake. Of course, the sitting time creeps longer and longer once you realize how bad your feet ache and how tired you are- the night of the wedding is a perfect excuse to just take your time.

Phew! Don’t you just love that last photo? I think that’s how all newly-weds feel on their way home from their wedding! Glad to see you stuck it out through this whole post! But, hey- imagine having to pick which images to share?? It was a tough job that I took on, all for the love of you my readers!

One last run-down again of the vendors in an easy-to-find paragraph for you:

Adrienne Gunde Photography for the genius photos
Carlie B Hair and Makeup for our “danced-all-night” bride look
Found Vintage Rentals for everything cool you see pictured, essentially ;)
Classic Party Rentals for the rest [lamp posts, chairs and such]
In The Now Weddings + Event Styling behind concept, flowers, design…
Ruffled Blog for the opportunity, the feature, and the prompt!
The Vintage Bride for the gorgeous wedding gown
Posh Paperie for the ever-important paper and branding details
Nick and Yanessa Bowser for making everything look GOOD with the use of their physical persons [God-given, don't let it go to your heads! ;)]

Have a newly-wed moment today… whether you’re a nearly, a newly, or a seasoned pro at marriage… soak in the moments that make you flutter and flit all at once!

xoxo,

A.