Project Wedding Blog

I hope you enjoyed checking out our creative collaboration yesterday… as we were pulling the pieces together, I thought it would be fun to document a little DIY project for making your very own rustic and organic tabletop… for wedding, party, or home!Step One. Decide on a foundation for the table:  the linens.  We used a woven, multi-colored runner that set the tone for the palette.  Warm, desert colors were our inspiration. Step Two. Gather florals, greenery, and in-season, accent fruits.  We used things like myrtle, seeded eucalyptus, two-toned roses, pears, richly-hued tangerines, and kumquats!  We also collected vases, simple white measuring cups, and a small porcelain cake stand to add to the mix. Step Three.  Arrange the flowers and greenery in vases.  Find ways to combine the organic elements with dishes and stands.Step Four.  Arrange vases and décor elements in a cluster at the center of the table, or down the center of a long table.  Try a few different set ups to determine which one you like best.

Step Five.  Embellish with extra greenery.

Photos by Katelin Gallagher

Tags: citrus, DIY, greenery, organic tabletop, pears.

When I heard that Paper Antler was coming thru my hometown of Tucson, Arizona this winter (on tour for the Fifty Nifty) I snagged ‘em up for a photoshoot!  Since they’re from the midwest, they really wanted to capture the essence of the desert…. they said… how about some cool fort?   I was immediately inspired to make use of the amazing yurt in my backyard (of which- I always joke- I’m going to turn into a glamper).  We teamed up with the hip and fabulous Misha West to bring the vision to life.  During our creative process, our priorities were to design an organic tabletop with lots of gorgeous desert colors…. we also wanted to use the yurt for a ceremony location and reception lounge space. We rounded up the best florist in the state, Camelback Flowershop, to create fresh and modern florals.  Our models, Brigette and Alexis, who we featured here, were a dream to work with.  They’re newly engaged, totally in love, and currently planning their own wedding!  (They enjoyed the practice run).
We put Brigette in a light and flowing gown by Katie Jean and earrings by Ayofemi.  Phoenix-based beauty pros, Mariana Marie and Paige Ashcroft finished off her natural, tousled look flawlessly.  Meanwhile, we brought on the extremely talented Kristy Rice from Momental Designs to design a paper suite to fit our mod-Southwest vision.  Needless to say, when I got these in the mail, I was over the moon!

For the yurt setting, we kept the attire cool and casual.  Our handsome groom, Alexis, was dressed by Tres Boutique.  We moved inside to bring to life our quaint reception concept, really pulling thru the warm tones of the desert and featuring seasonal fruits.  Of course, one of the highlights was the kumquat-embellished mini cakes by Sweet Creations!
As the evening winded down, we thought some cozy time in the glamper… (ahem, yurt) was due.  We transformed the ceremony setting into a romantic lounge, complete with woven and vintage blankets, an antique trunk, pillows, cushions, florals and candlelight!

Whew!  It was a full day of designing and shooting… As the sun sunk into the horizon, it was a wrap!

You can see more from the photoshoot here.

Thanks soooo much to all of the extraordinary wedding pros who helped to pull this off:

Photos by Paper Antler - Minneapolis & Nationwide

Styling & Design by Misha West (Phoenix & Seattle) and Katelin Gallagher

Florals by Camelback Flowershop -Phoenix

Invitations & Paper Suite by Momental Designs/Rice Ink – Nationwide

Bridal Gown by Katie Jean- Nationwide

Bride’s Jewelry by Ayofemi - Nationwide

Groom’s Wardrobe by Tres Boutique - Tucson & Online

Makeup by Mariana Marie - Phoenix

Hair by Paige Ashcroft -Phoenix

Cakes by Sweet Creations - Tucson

Woven Blanket and Mini Moravian Star Lanterns  by Borderlands Trading Co.

Tags: Camelback flower shop, desert, fresh, orange, organic, Paper Antler, pink, proteas, Southwest.

When you work in the wedding industry, you stockpile tons of ideas… so when one of us gets married… watch out… it’s bound to be fabulous!   Ann is a beauty pro out of Northern California and she’s seen lots of weddings.  After dating Larry for four months, they knew it was meant to last and decided to tie the knot!  Ann paired her industry wisdom with her creative side (and the help of family) to dream up this dazzling apricot and pink wedding!  Here’s the album by Visia Productions: 
Ann is a total bombshell and a beauty expert, so it’s no wonder she looked positively divine!  The flowers are a a romantic creation by Nicole Ha.The couple met via a mysterious photo online.  Ann casually reached out Larry to network, thinking he was a photographer.  Emails turned into texts, texts turned into phone calls.  The phone calls turned into dates and the rest is history!  They celebrated their vows at  Ming’s Restaurant in Palo Alto, California.  Ann and her family were a paper-flower making factory before the big day.  With the help of her florist, the dazzling table décor came together. 

So, so stunning…

All our best to Ann & Larry!

Photos by Visia Productions

Hair & Makeup by Ann Ho: Styles by Ann and Kathy Ly for A List Makeup

Bridal Gown by Casablanca

Bride’s Shoes by Jimmy Choo

Florals by Nicole Ha

Venue: Ming’s Restaurant

Tags: apricot, dazzling, glamorous, paper flowers, pink, silver.

I have something soooooo stunning for you today!  Without further ado… Marcy & Alex‘s old Hollywood-inspired wedding in Palm Beach, Florida.   From the exquisite bride, to the rich red roses to the glamorous style, there is so much gorgeousness to indulge in with this one.  Many thanks to Jessica Lorren Organic Photography for sending this wedding our way!  Marcy wore a breathtaking, backless Monique Lhuillier gown and Christian Louboutin heels.  The gentleman’s wardrobe was formal and classy- traditional black tuxedos with crimson roses on their lapels.
The couple said their vows at The Royal Poinciana Chapel and celebrated at an exclusive venue. Marcy’s favorite part of the night was becoming the wife of the man of her dreams.The wedding party = crazy beautiful. (Aren’t those colors so amazing)?! But just wait for these reception pics- utterly ravishing.  The space was adorned with sparkling silver linens and Black Magic roses in vintage style candelabras.  It was styled to old Hollywood perfection by Dream Concierge.

See the full photo spread in our Real Wedding Gallery!

Sweet wishes to this happy couple!

Photographs by Jessica Lorren Organic Photography

Event Design by Dream Concierge

Ceremony Site: Royal Poinciana Chapel

Bridal Gown by Monique Lhuillier

Shoes by Christian Louboutin

Bride’s Hair & Makeup by SoBeMakeupStudio

Florals by Dalsimer Florist

Catering by Chez Gourmet

Entertainment by Carlos Oliva Los Sobrinos del Juez

DJ-Len at Custom DJ Services

Tags: Florida, old hollywood glamour, ravishing, red, roses.

While these dresses aren’t for everyone… we’d certainly be remiss if the only thing we showed you was satin and lace.   So this Fashion Friday, we’re takin’ a walk on the wild side… bringing to you the vampy  gorgeousness that bridal pioneer, Yumi Katsura, showed on the catwalk this past fall. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Yumi Katsura 2012.

A few weeks ago I had the honor of working with an extremely talented team on a fresh Southwest-inspired style wedding photoshoot (coming soon)!  To get warmed up, we snagged our models (the newly engaged and totally lovely- Brigette and Alexis) for an engagement shoot in the mountains near Tucson, Arizona.  Paper Antler worked their (as usual) incredible photo magic… and captured these two lovebirds in the scenic desert landscape.  My sweet friends at Tres Boutique styled their ensembles with a mix of new and vintage pieces. Before sunrise, we headed up to a spot called Gate’s Pass to catch the morning light in the rugged desert mountains.  It happened to rain a little that morning (a welcome treat for Tucson), so there was a lot of cloud cover in the typically clear southern Arizona skies.  We wanted Brigette and Alexis’ charm and an amazing wardrobe to be the focus of the shoot, against the awe-inspiring backdrop.  Akiko, owner and head stylist of Tres Boutique, outfitted Brigette in a gorgeous, translucent pink and melon colored dress (which retails for just about $50 if you can believe it)!  Alexis wore a vintage plaid button down, a very cool bomber jacket and fitted jeans.
Brigette and Alexis are such an awesome duo… Brigette is a master yoga instructor and Alexis is a nationally-renowned rock climbing guide….And they’re incredibly sweet… and so gorgeous.  

For me, one of the highlights of this photoshoot was getting to meet Jonny and Michelle of  Paper Antler.  I had been following their work for the last year, corresponding with them tons… totally in awe of the way that they’ve paired their talents photographing couples with a way to do extraordinary global service work.   The rundown:  They’re photographing 50 weddings in 2012 around the country.  They’re donating $1,000 from each wedding to benefit She Dances, an organization that provides holistic restoration to victims of human trafficking.  Wow.  It’s seriously good work they’re doing.  Did I mention they are two of the coolest peeps I’ve ever met?  Yup.. hire them for wedding if they’ve got your date open.. (You’ll thank me : ) You can find out more about their efforts at www.thefiftynifty.com or in the video down below!

Photographs by Paper Antler

Wardrobe Styling by Tres Boutique

A special thanks to Jonny, Michelle, Brigette, Alexis and Akiko for making this gorgeous shoot happen… stay tuned for more from this talented group…

And last, but not least, Jonny + Michelle on The Fifty Nifty:

fifty nifty from paper antler on Vimeo.

Tags: Arizona, desert, e-pics, engagement, Fifty Nifty, Paper Antler, scenic, Tres Boutique.

By: Victoria Hudgins

Escort cards that look like bright spring pendants are perfect for showing everyone from your Aunt Kathy to your college pals, to their seats.

To make the pendants you will need to purchase colored bake clay and string from your local craft store. Step One. kneed the clay for 2 minutes to soften it; then use the palm of your hand to lay it out in a thin, even layer.

Step Two. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the shape that you’d like to have your seating cards in. I experimented with a couple shapes before deciding on the small circles. They seemed the perfect shape for spring!

Step Three. Use a toothpick to carefully write the table numbers on each circle. Also use it to poke a hole in the top of each circle (be sure this indention goes all the way through).

Step Four. Bake according to the package directions (15 min at 275 degrees) to set the clay into formation.

Step Five. Attach a thin thread and simple name cards to each clay circle. Lay them out on a table or hang for easy reception seating.

Project and Photos by Victoria Hudgins

Tags: colorful, Escort Cards, fresh, modern.