Chargers? My waffle-fry eating friends didn’t understand what I was referring to. The San Diego Chargers? Phone chargers? A Dodge charger?

My dearest friends of ITN, please explore with me the tabletop-transforming, aesthetically pleasing, pop of fantastic that is a plate charger.

Traditionally, plate chargers are considered placeholders, so that a setting does not seem empty all by its lonesome before food is served. Though the men in your life might consider it just a larger plate for a more generous portion, food actually is never served on the plate, but rather, functions as a base for other plates (i.e. salad, soup, main, etc).

Not only does it serve a practical use, but it truly brings to your tabletop a design element that will make you think, “there we go – that’s exactly what we needed.”

A wonderful example of this was our bridal inspiration shoot with Jasmine Star’s lovely sister Bianca Juarez.

A charger allows you to add texture. Glam. Glitz. It really aids in setting the mood of the table.

Of course you’re so enamored by the endless possibilities of a charger that you’re not even thinking of the cost. But allow me to deliver the wonderful news that this great addition to your table usually costs anywhere from $2 – $10 a setting.

Bianca’s charger above falls in the middle of that price range, even though it looks like a million. Settling into the same price range is this celebratory gold charger from a St. Patrick’s day shoot done last year.

Those classic clean lines and the Oscar gold make me stare at it for an unreasonable amount of time. Do you see what I mean when I say it adds just the right touch?

I think the part that makes me, you, everyone really fall in love with chargers, is seeing the whole thing come together. Not just one measly (but still awesome!) charger, but the total reveal of a complete setting. So behold. Our creative DIY bride Emily rocked the charger.

Simple red chargers turned this Smog Shoppe wedding into something that we gush over regularly at the studio.

Chargers can be made up of anything from china, to plastic, to even non-traditional materials, like the onyx ones we used at the Serra Plaza event where I met Amanda and the ITN team!

But! Before you totally discard the idea of classic white plates and go out to buy all things bright and shiny, please appreciate this latest design element that we’ve been encouraging many of our beloved clients to do.

What’s this? A white plate as a base charger? Don’t mind if I do. It’s just a proper complement. A simple, low budget, setting enhancer. It’s just proof that you can take charge now.

A charger can be flashy. It can be dazzling. It can be basic. But it will always add depth, heartfelt thought, and effortless wonder to your table.

And when the day is done, you don’t even need to wash it.

With love,

[Image above from our New Year's Eve Party table design, circa 2009/2010 NYE]

Cheers to a new year, and all that comes with it!

xoxo,

Once we had models, it seemed we never turned back. After the Coco Chanel Inspired shoot we moved onto quite an adventure, building an outdoor cafe in the middle of nowhere at 3 a.m. The lovely Amanda over at the Ruffled blog asked us to produce this for her site [which you can see HERE and HERE] and I don’t think we dissappointed, if I do say so myself. The rich and bright color of Yanessa’s sweater sealed the deal for me…and that delicious lemon cake. Yum.

Moving right along, the awesome readers of The Wedding Chicks blog voted us the stylists for their next StyleLab [an honor to say the least]. We envisioned the bride being the modern bohemian daughter of well-to-do parents in Nantucket. Bringing a balance of traditional [a FULL place setting. Like, FULL full.] and modern [a snazzy cardigan for the bride] was our aim. We were lucky enough to get this on The Wedding Chicks blog as a two-parter HERE and HERE.

We rounded out the year with a Spanish Soiree inspired shoot, which landed us yet ANOTHER feature on Style Me Pretty. This shoot was especially fun since fellow Nowie Sharon and her hubby Steve served as our hotter-than-hot models.

Seriously, isn’t she just the cutest?

It’s been a great year and I can’t even imagine what 2011 has in store for us. But whatever it is, we’re more than ready to tackle it!

See you in the New Year!

R

We started the year off right, capturing this tabletop in January that was featured on Junebug Weddings:

Our modern plexi-glass fireplace turned heads [the challenge was an industrial-focused centerpiece in lieu of floral] and our hot cocoa with marshmallows warmed hearts!

Moving right into the heart of the matter, we shot this quaint little table in our studio, which was featured with the table cuff as a simple Do It Yourself on Style Me Pretty [a must read for all nearly-weds out there!!]. The vivid colors against the grey walls make it one of my favorite shoots to-date. I love lush, saturated colors!!

We then moved right into full styling mode- meaning we stepped it up, started including real life couples as our muse/model figures, and made most of our shoots into actual, produced events that could have easily ran flawlessly on their own as weddings, showers, celebrations of many kinds! We started with a huge undertaking: an upscale bridal shower soiree with a delicious Coco Chanel vibe updated for the modern gal:

With about 7 stationed areas and 8 models to shoot, we definitely gave Jasmine a run for her money on this shoot [but it began a beautiful and real lifelong friendship that I couldn't be more thankful for- and plus, she loves our aesthetic, so... it's a win/win]

*Not only did this killer chic shoot get us featured again on the fabulous Style Me Pretty Blog, it also inspired a real life bridal shower that we had the honor of designing in August as well as another photo shoot feature that will debut here shortly!

This is just the tip of the iceberg, so I truly hope you’re loving it as much as I am- taking the time to reflect back on the year. Where we’ve started and where we are now are two totally different places am I’m so thrilled that I love my job today even more than I imagined I could this time last year!

Stay tuned…

xoxo,

A.

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

xoxo,

A.

The Party Dress recently used images from our adorable Orange and Yellow Summer Tabletop in an inspiration board:

The Wed Bug featured Alicia’s gorgeous Valentine’s Day Wedding shot by Adrienne Gunde:

The Wedding Yentas also featured a wedding of Alicia’s from last season… Emilie and Ross!

And lastly, the blog Marry You Me gave us a sweet little hollar on the Stylelab Workshop Wedding Chicks featured last week!

Yayers!!

xoxo,

A.

I know that after I show you this, you will not be able to STAND it another second- but you’ll have to! I need just a few more days to really whip up something special, so hang in there! I promise to try my hardest not to disappoint. Think fun, fresh, funky, modern… April!

Hopefully this April is blessing you from the inside out!

xoxo,

A.

So when we saw that Elizabeth Anne Designs featured the images from our shoot, I about jumped out of my skin! YAY for it all! YAY! If you missed all the images that we posted, here’s a chance to click around, visit the EAD site, and leave pretty pretty comments about our out-of-the-box industrial work!

xoxo,

A.

The inspiration, you ask? Think classic greens with an upscale twist. I wanted the vibe to be traditional and elegant with a punch of modern [of course] and a taste of funk!

I used these killer ladderback chairs [my new favorite chiavari alternative] in gold to really give that “old world” vibe to the table! The hanging potato wreath was a labor of love, in all gold!

I know it sounds strange to say, but I absolutely adore how the mini taper candles exude the vibe of Roman Catholicism. It wasn’t the original plan for it to do so, but once the centerpiece was in place… it just felt so perfectly Irish Catholic! What a way to celebrate heritage and history!!

And so you can see the fun, from above:

Now, some of you who are newer to my blog may not know this as well, but let it be heard: I am ALL ABOUT centerpieces composed of a filler-flower-only! These centerpieces packed with different types of leafy greens really get my heart racing! We also created these darling boutonnieres for the “guests” to pin on- because as everyone knows, if you forget to wear green, you’re gonna get pinched!

This plating style may be my favorite composure in quite some time! I love that the two base plates [gold charger and green dinner] are larger and centered while the salad plate is small and set at the bottom, near the guest, with the boutonniere on it! It just screams LOVELY to me!

And what’s a St. Patrick’s Day feast without a large glass of beer?? NOTHING, I say! We loved using these [almost uncomfortably] tall beer glasses to set the tone for the glassware at the party!

And who could forget drink flags?? NOT me! The water just screamed for an extra pop! This ribbon was pretty wide, and looked quite adorable when knotted onto the top of our stick to create the flag.

Stellar calligraphy was provided by Victoria at Inkwell Calligraphy. I just knew when I was plotting this table that calligraphed items were a must! These name cards have been made into mini banners that sit behind each person’s plate!

And some gorgeous, hand-written menus [with classic Irish dishes, of course!]:

Our cuter-kins little pots of gold as favors:

I stuck a leaf in for good measure!

And lastly, a few shots of our darling boutonnieres that you didn’t yet see:

And of course, my favorite:

If you’re asking if they were just as cute in person… the answer is YES! And cuter!

The lineup includes:

Table Linens from BBJ and La Tavola
Ladderback Chairs from Party Rental King
Plateware + Basics from Signature Party Rentals
Photography by Two Auer Photo
Calligraphy by Victoria’s Inkwell
Event Styling + Floral work by In The Now!

The contest winner will be styling a huge workshop with Chenin Boutwell + The Wedding Chicks and frankly, the idea that we came up with is so FAB, it pains me to think of NOT styling it. The details- in my head- are just amazingly ooey gooey goodness! Here’s the board that the WC gals put together for us. I supplied them with 60+ pictures for it, because that’s how I roll. THAT- y’all- is how I roll!

PLEASE GO HERE AND VOTE FOR US!!. We’re styleboard #2!! You can vote as many times as you’d like. The voting ends Saturday, March 20th! Would truly adore the support- especially if what we’re showing you so far looks unique and piques your interest as much as it did ours, putting it together!

**All new posts will go under this one until Saturday, March 20**

Oodles and oodles of things like poodles!! Vote, vote, vote!!

xoxo,

A.

Hmmm…maybe that isn’t the best mental picture. Well, I’m new at this blogging thing so you can excuse it, right?…..(Please come back, because if you don’t Amanda might revoke my blogging privileges and then the world wouldn’t be the better place it is now because I talked about drool bowls). Anyhoo, I L.O.V.E. this table. I really do. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile. Maybe it’s because it’s the first design I really worked on (all the way down to the knitting of the silverware cozies)….

Maybe it’s this tasty pop of teal….

Maybe it’s the slammin’ brick placemats….

or maybe the square marshmallows (which we ALMOST ordered from Oregon. Because we are THAT committed to our design….or maybe just because we’re crazy…)

Any which way you slice it, this design was a zany caper from start to finish. Once we were given the rules for the Utterly Engaged Design Challenge (the centerpiece had to be mainly constructed of industrial materials) Amanda told me her idea of having a plexiglass fireplace. I thought, “It’s okay. Once her crazy pills wear off we’ll talk real design.” I just couldn’t envision the flames she was talking about. But once I saw the graphic from Cathy Olson at Love At First Invite, I knew we were on the right track. I don’t know how we got paired up with such perfect vendors, but we did! They just “got” the design without needing to be told exactly what to do. Plexiglass menu’s and placecards?? Yes please!!

And Lauryl Lane’s florals from Lauryl Lane Floral Artistry were spot on. The variety of berries and leafy goodness added just the right amount of warmth while still keeping it modern. And last but not least, all the additional details that completed our whole look.

Mmmmm. A whole bowl-full of delicious num nums, with our hot-teal-tastic accent color pumpin’ it up. ::sidenote:: Isn’t that chunk of brick missing on the right under the menu just fantastic? Love the semi-grunge feeling it gives.

I’m not much of a milk fan, but I want to guzzle it down JUST because it’s in those killer-cute mini carafes. I have a major weakness for anything mini or oversized.
And for the guests to take the modern warmth home, Amanda made up little boxes wrapped in faux bois wrapping paper that held tea bags (Yup. Sewed by the Mands herself with teal thread) and rock candy swizzle sticks to plunge them deeper into the depths of the sugar induced coma they’re already in due to the all dessert menu. Sounds like my kind-o party!

And finally, my crafty contribution, the silverware cozies.

Just a reminder for those of you who have already forgotten what the whole thing looked like together because of glorious image overload…

And there you have it! Until we meet again sweet readers.

List of Fantasticity
Photos: Two Auer Photo
Florals: Lauryl Lane Floral Artistry
“Paper” Products: Love at First Invite
Linen: La Tavola
**and a special thanks to my amazing husband who didn’t murder me while I took over his shop to put the plexiglass stuff together**

I just stopped by in the midst of my afternoon to share with you a lovely image that I find particularly drool-worthy. You may have seen our color board for the March Tabletop a few posts back, and here, my lovelies.. is a snippit of the fruition of said color board:

More to come on that later! Hope you’re having a splendid week. I’ll try my best to keep our blog fresh, inspirational, and regularly scheduled as wedding season sets into motion.

Here’s to keeping your head on in the midst of chaos!

xoxo,

A.

It completely, 100% FIGURES that I’d plan yet another trip to my favorite area [the downtown LA garment and flower district] on a day when torrential downpour is very likely to ensue. Yet, my motivation is strong, and my excitement is rumbling inside my brain louder than the thunder could roll!! Here’s a little sneak of the colors I’m putting together for our lovely March tabletop. Of course it’s got an Irish feel to it- it’s March! I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s going to be outrageously, utterly, ridiculously fabulous. And that’s not just because it’s me putting it together. Okay maybe it is. Jury’s still out… I’ll let you all decide!

What do you think of when you see this? When you think of March?? When you dream of Ireland??? Curious to hear the answers that you come up with! It may or may not make it’s way onto the March table!

xoxo,

A.

1. For Valentine’s Day my husband got my a stuffed lion [with a sunflower petal collar] that sings the song “Sunflower” by Neil Diamond in 3-part children’s choir unison. It’s disturbing at best. If you have absolutely NO idea why he’d do this, go here. The trouble is, I make the bed every morning and put it right in between our pillows as a joke… but now it’s kinda become a habit. Yikers.

2. I’m almost ready to reveal the new site. Like, in the next 48 hours, keep your eyes peeled. It’s gonna be epic sauce. And with the new site, I’ll likely be taking on a new intern for the office. I just feel they coincide. I’m super extremely overly ridiculously excited about that!

3. I’ve been doing a lot of designing lately. In fact, you’ll notice once the new site is up that design services are included in every In The Now package. For this, I am thrilled. But it also means that I have trouble sleeping at night with my head exploding and ideas pouring out onto [in the morning] illegibly-scribbled notepads. I’m kinda obsessed with it. I’m eclectic and random and scattered and all the signs of a great designer. But, I have the skill to reign myself back in. I literally separate my week into design days and organizing days. It’s become very efficient! A few of my iPhone pics that are inspiring me lately:

This specific orange-yellow tone of wood:

Mini champagne splits [dying]- BOTH being used in upcoming projects:

Lorina Lemonade with it’s feminine bottle shape:

Wallpaper at the Barnes & Noble. Hello, they’re mini ampersands!

VIBE! Dinnerware [plates, chargers, bowls] a la Town + Country Rentals:

And one last picture that always keeps me going:

Husband’s special note to me whilst cooking dinner. Love him, too!

4. Two Auer Photo. Okay I said we’d talk about it so here’s the talk. NO I’m not “becoming a photographer”. NO I don’t shoot weddings. TAP was essentially created because we have great light in our studio space, a nice camera, and I’m a control freak that wants to ensure I get the images I need from each table setting. Really, it’s much more simple for me to commit to designing one table a month when I know I don’t have to orchestrate a photographer to come lend their time shooting it for me. It’s worked out fabulous thus far. and The TAP blog is just to post images of our shoots on a place that isn’t associated as much with In The Now. I don’t want people coming here, seeing that Josh and I have taken the photos, and being confused. Simple as that! We don’t shoot people. We shoot things. Things that can’t move. Where the variables are considerably less and where [and when] we can control our settings, lighting, etc. That’s the way I like it! SO- now you know! A quick peek into “getting the shot”:

And here is the shot itself:

Kinda totally worth all the MacGuyver moves we had to make [at one point, Josh had his iPhone under the spoon- which was sideways still- holding up the camera! Ridiculous]!

5. I’ve been cooking at home a lot. It makes me feel like a lady. But it also gives me dishpan hands. Big sigh.

6. I don’t consider myself a DIY craft oriented type of person. But right now I’ve become increasingly distracted with paper products like this:

And this:

SHOOT me dead, I just love it so much! It makes me motivated to create and recreate!

7. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that we hear a lot of familiar songs while watching Cougar Town. That’s because this is one of the FIRST shows that Josh has been placed on [with his music] that we can actually stomach watching. It’s quippy, smart, and fast-paced. Stuff that I love. The only problem is that when we do know he’s getting placed, I’ve already been distracted by the plot and I’m not paying attention! If you watch it, just know that if they’re in the bar, there’s a great chance my husband’s song is playing in the background as ambiance music. He’s been placed 7 times so far [and they've only had 15 episodes]! It’s pretty fun.

8. Something that made me smile today when opening a random folder:

Sometimes I miss my clients after their weddings. But it makes me bubble with pride, hope, and joy that they’re off creating families and lives and sharing last names! Thanks to Jonilyn for this one. And Christine + Tim of course!!

9. Do you notice that I release my blogs each day at 10:30am? I typically try to write in the evening, in advance, and then release at 10:30am for consistency. It’s currently 10:31am and I’m so anxious I’m biting my nails over it!

10. Since we’re changing the site and blog, we’ll have a lot more flexibility with writers and content and etc. So, I’d love feedback on what you’d like to see more of, what keeps you coming back, what you look for in a blog you love, and what will enhance our impact in your wedding world! Please, don’t hesitate to leave comments. We’d love it! I want to introduce you to our world in an intimate way, but I don’t want our features to be sloppy or incomplete. Tell me what you’ve liked, tell me what you haven’t so much cared for! I’ll give you all a dollar. Just kidding. I probably won’t.

And now for a soapbox moment: The deliciously adorable Shannon and her husband Scott entered the Green Wedding Shoes contest for a photo shoot and styling! They’re finalists!! Give your vote for them here!! SO proud of her styleboard! :)

Hope your day is filled with random JOY and bursts of laughter- the best kind!!

xoxo,

A.

I’ve kinda gotten into the bad habit of forgetting to blog things that have been published online elsewhere. I will stop this- I promise. It’s important to me that you guys can come HERE to see my work and not have to track us down all over the old dubbeya dubbeya dubbeya for fantastic images of wedding inspiration.

Since my commitment to designing a new fresh tabletop each month is in total full effect, you’ll be bombarded almost constantly with images and features and inspiration boards and the like here on the blog. Which, I kinda have a crush on the thought of. Love it. The tabletop sessions for this year will actually focus more on party-style get togethers than actual weddings, but I like to think of my wedding style as more of an elegant, laid back design aesthetic whether or not it’s a party, wedding, or family get-together. So, it works. Here’s where the “+ Events” comes into play from the In The Now Weddings + Events. Ya see??

That being said, if you didn’t click over to the feature on Style Me Pretty, and if you didn’t see the ridiculously delicious teaser image that I posted last week, here are some of my faves! These images are all compliments of Two Auer Photo:

You had me at “cat-shaped-wine-bottle”!

My favorite, of course!

Love. Is. Forever.

Lace table cuff?? SO easy to do and such a big impact!

Ariel shots are totally my fave…

Texture of bengaline linens make me smile! Above, that’s my favorite detail shot. SO fun!

To see more description, pictures, goodness… click here and revel in the glory of Valentine’s Day all over again!!

xoxo,

A.

I’m indebted to Abby for posting our images on her blog! I adore this Valentine’s table 100% and cannot think of a better place than Style Me Pretty to have it posted! There are tons more photos coming from this shoot but honestly- Abby posted them all over there!

So head on over to check it out and be SURE to leave a comment telling the world how much you love me! :D

Happy hearts and stuff!

xoxo,

A.

I am totally and completely in love with it, y’all. I think it’s sheer perfection. Hope you feel the same [and by that, I mean I hope you tell me you feel the same by pouring out your love for it- in comment form- below]!

As I work away like a busy little worker bee for my exceptionally large photo shoot this coming Thursday [you remember Romeo and Juliet, don't you?], I’ve found myself out of time to connect with you my dear readers. But I promise, in the coming days, I will continue to give you little snippety sneaky peeks of what we’re up to. The designs, the decadence, the details. We are have soo much fun these days!

For now, I just have a quick brain teaser picture to help set that romantic mood. If you’re unsure of what to do on this weekend filled with cheap romance… my suggestion is to take that cheesy and make it REAL! Not cliche. Not overwrought. Not anything but true, heart-felt, and pure. I know you can do it. You’re in love, after all- whoever it’s with and where ever you find it, cling to it! I know I am!

xoxo,

A.

This tabletop was part of my previous collection that I styled last summer, shot by Wayne Toshikazu. It’s taken me forever to go through the images and select a few favorites but now, here we are! The glorious day!

I love the play on traditional elements. At heart, I’m a gal who truly loves a good wedding. By saying that, I mean I love the classic feel of elegance and style. When I think about my personal style, as a designer, I know that I’m constantly taking the warmth of the familiar and splicing it into my modern, clean aesthetic. This table is no exception! Take a popular subtle color like eggplant and add a pop of orange to the pallet! Take a large over-wrought centerpiece and break it up into smaller portions by separating the flowers by style and color! Take the familiar old and hoist it away to bring in the flashy new.

It’s what we’re all about!

Orange Bengaline linen was sourced via BBJ Linen. Flowers were provided by the amazingly incredibly wonderfully talented girls of In The Now [and trust me, I'm saying that to THEM, not about us!]. The backdrop was provided by Stacey and staff at Shorebreak Hotel Huntington Beach [cannot thank you all enough for allowing us to INVADE for the afternoon!].

Each place setting held a mini corsage/boutonniere for the guest. Sandwiched between the flowers was a small round name tag, to designate each guests’ place at the table. I love this idea, like a lot!

We used opaque white crushed glass in the bottom of each cylinder vase- which brought in a great modern feel. We hand-tied each mini-bouquet of flowers with lush dupioni eggplant ribbon and then finished it with copper wire to accent.

My favorite part about this table? The lady slipper orchids. I love, love lady slippers.

The idea that all of the flowers were cascading outward and pouring off the table. The vases actually sprawled across the length of the table, taking up 2 guest places. I truly adore the idea of “unconventional” positioning of centerpieces, as well as disproportional. I didn’t want something over-the-top or extravagant, but I did want something that made a statement!

Modern votive holders in varying heights make my heart melt! And one last detail shot for you of the darling plate:

And here is my commitment to you, dear readers. Here’s the skinny on what’s been up over here: we are committing to shoot one tabletop a month. Kinda amazing, right? Since we’ve already shot our January table [and dying with anticipation to show y'all], we’re off to style-to-death our February with a – you guessed it- VALENTINE theme! Can’t wait to bombard you with design in the coming months!!

Stylize your life today! Make it cohesive and beautiful in every step, with every moment… exude your style!

xoxo,

A.

Do you love? I love!! I can’t wait to see all of the smiling happy faces at the UE event tonight! Hopefully I’ll get to hug some of my dear readers whilst I’m there as well [nudge, nudge, wink, wink]!!

Enjoy the torrential downpour [...by looking at it from the warm indoors under a comfy blanket]!!

xoxo,

A.

I became obsessed with the cool, modern pallet of poppy pink, yummy warm orange against a stale, slate grey backdrop. The 3 together became absolutely drool-worthy! I knew I wanted to use poppies “sprouting” from grass for the centerpieces and the idea of a dual centerpiece became equally appealing to me. Two trays, the same size, shape and color. Filled with grass, then poppies bursting out towards each place setting. Fabulous. Of course, what’s better than having a bud and budlet tucked into each napkin! I chose to do a modern style long plate [which I love], with a modern take on the classic “menu fold” napkin that we all see these days- wrapping the plate. I did a salad plate above each place setting and to the right, leave the glasses lined on the left. So modern, simple and chic. That’s what I’m all about. LOOK at those classy flutes! Ugh, it’s love!

I chose a different colored flower for each napkin. That may be THEEE best part about buying poppies: it’s a mixed bag of color. SO organic, natural, and wild!

As a favor [on that salad plate we mentioned] we opted for a fresh, ready-to-gobble option: a trio of mini cupcakes. Not only are they modern and gorgeous, but they’re deliciously one-bite satisfying!

The whole table. What a DREAM, right? It turned out so well!! By the way- this was one of my first times taking care of a centerpiece by myself… I wasn’t thrilled with my droopy poppies at first but the more I look at them, the more I love them. It’s like they were meant to be that way!

Love this angle:

And LOVE the sun hitting the blooms:

And now… [are you ready??] for table #2!! For this specific look, I opted to add in the idea of a “kid’s table”. Kid’s-only tables are great because you can vary your decor to suit them, and really have fun with the look. It exploded into it’s own little world of table and I love it ever-so-much!!

Same linen. Same colors. Pizza for dinner!! I came up with the idea of using mini pizza boxes and turning dinner into a craft time full of fun. Provided that your catering company will be flexible with it, I basically filled this mini box with cut outs like the toppings they could put onto their own pizza: veggies, pepperoni, extra cheese, sausage, pineapple. I know that kids love a good activity! We also switched their plates to white square plastic ones to be more kid-friendly.

I loved the idea of giving each kid a balloon, tied to the chair. The more you can do to make them feel special, wonderful, and loved.. the less they’ll care if they’re in the corner or even in another room! The pink trays that you see on each seat are lap trays- coloring books and crafts provided for them are easy to use since they have a place for everything!

Switch out those mini cupcakes for a box-o-goodies, kid style! From bubbles to candy to slimey sludge, it’s a good time all in one place! And don’t forget the centerpiece…

Creating a smaller centerpiece will give the kids more room on the table to make a mess [and isn't that what all kids love doing??]. I swapped the poppies for large round suckers in cotton candy flavor- a crowd pleaser [... especially for my husband!].

I gave each place setting a sparkling fruit juice so that when the toast arrives, they’ll feel just as special with their bubbly… and of course, the straw attached is the easiest way to dress up ANY cute bottle/can! Behind the plate is the plastic craft box that we filled with goodies- easy to move and then take home at the end of the night!

My favorite thought/aspect of the kids table has got to be the bedtime basket. Since most weddings these days have just a handfull of kids, and most of those kids end up by 9pm sprawled across 3 chairs out like a light… why not make it a bit more comfy for them? Ribboned together is a small pillow and blanket for them to grab when they get that sugar coma we all know they love. Plopped in the corner near the kids table, it’s the perfect ending to a great evening for the kiddos!

All in all, the table came out beautifully and was captured even MORE beautifully!! Here’s the list of people who I now owe at least a kidney to, for their time, energy, efforts, and love!

Rentals provided by Signature Party Rentals
100% CUSTOM linens by Dress My Chair [yep, she made 'em to match my vision!]
Venue setting was at Rancho Capistrano
Adorable mini cuppies provided by Once Upon A Cupcake
Suckers for the kids from Ju-C Suckers
And last but CERTAINLY not least… for the visual stimulation: Hazelnut Photography and KimLe Photography

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful… right? Now- leave me comments on this seriously. Because if I don’t get any, I’ll assume you hate it. And if you hate IT, then you may as well just say you don’t like me. SO yucky. And I know [well, I think we all know] that you love me. :)

Have an ab fab Thursday!

xoxo!!

A.