Chris and Heather’s Ojai mountain wedding has it all.  Stunning scenery, perfect weather, fabulous decor, and to top all of that off, unbelievable photography by Mark Brooke.

The couple chose the tranquil tuscan villa and gardens of Belle Loreve for their venue.

The wedding ceremony took place in the upper garden with the backdrop of the Ojai mountains. 

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Chelsea and Gabe were married at a private residence in beautiful Deer Creek Canyon, CO. I adore the photography by a.h.p and their photographic style is perfect for the unbelievable scenery!

The couple chose to do a first look - that is always one of my favorite moments.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Travis and Jennifer’s wedding was full of fabulous details and was made even more wonderful by the amazing photos from Katie Stoops of Open Air Photography.

Cowboy boots for the bride + a fluffy sunflower bouquet = perfection.

The Marriott Ranch was the perfect venue for the couple’s casual farm wedding.  It’s nestled in tiny Hume, VA (about an hours drive from Washington DC) at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Le sigh - look how beautiful it is!

{Read the rest of this entry…}

We’re welcoming fall this week, and with it, gorgeous orange, brown, and yellow wedding inspiration.

Clockwise from top left: woman in fall leaves from oneChristina on DeviantArt, white calligraphy on burnt orange stationery by Jenna Hein, Costanoa Lodge and Retreat photographed by Jesse Leake via Snippet and Ink, bride and groom with bouquet photographed by Brooke Schwab, escort cards on plaid fabric with fruit via Brides, orange flowers on gravel photographed by Elizabeth Messina via The Bride’s Cafe, lounge area by Custom Event Group photographed by Sara Remington via Style Me Pretty, hanging mason jar lanterns photographed by Gertrude and Mabel Photography via The Bride’s Cafe

The photo of old-fashioned clocks inspired this board - full of clutter, trinkets, and vintage treasures.

Clockwise from top left: vintage-inspired clocks from Sköna Hem via Pillow Talk and Sarah’s Fab Day, end table with trinkets from House Beautiful via Absolutely Beautiful Things, vintage glass bottles in rack from Tongue in Cheek via The Paris Apartment, birdcage necklace from Sea Unicorn’s etsy via A Room Somewhere, passport-inspired wedding invitations designed by Chris Rooney via Oh So Beautiful Paper, birdcage and tablescape display by Kråkvik & D’Orazio via Desire to Inspire, photo of bust in window by Katie Lockhart via Oh So Beautiful Paper, green and white bouquet photographed by Eleise Theuer from Stewart and Darryl’s wedding, woman in vintage green gown via the (sadly, now defunct) Nibs blog, room with bookcase and mirror from Displaying Pictures via Style Court

Can’t you just see lots of lace and calligraphy with wire bits and bobs, fluffy cream flowers, mismatched plates, and heavy crystal glassware?  Le sigh.

E.

When Cyd, who works for Bella Figura in addition to being one of our fabulous EAD contributors, told me about this wedding, I just had to share it with EAD readers.  Stewart and Darryl’s wedding, photographed by the always-amazing Eleise Theuer, is just full of beautiful and personal handcrafted details!  The couple chose a wedding location close to Stewart’s heart, Melville Farm in Reedville, VA.  The farm has been in Stewart’s family for several generations and was the perfect backdrop for the green, brown, and cream color palette. 

Stewart accessorized her Monique Lhuillier gown with a beautiful brown, green, and cream handmade collar by Etsy seller Bonzie, a chocolate brown wrap by J. Crew, and shoes by Cydwoq. 

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Our wedding month has arrived! And, overall, I’m feeling cool, calm, and collected.

The last weekend in July was a whirlwind of wedding activities: hair and makeup trials, dress fitting, and meetings with our coordinator, our caterer, and our photographer.

I was definitely reminded why we hired professionals. Each vendor asked questions we hadn’t considered: Who will walk the mothers down the aisle? Who will take the centerpieces at the end of the night?

And offered useful tidbits of advice: Ask someone other than a groomsman to drive the golf cart. Ask a family member to be a liaison to the photographer. Use bottled beer for the cocktail hour and kegs for the reception.

And eased our minds: My hair and makeup will not be overdone. Our photographer will scout the site the day before the wedding. Our coordinator will decorate and display all of our DIY projects.

Whew! I’m glad such details and logistics are now in the hands of our vendors — our very competent vendors.

And now July turns to August. The first weekend of our wedding month will be spent crafting. We still have a lot of projects we’d like to do, but nothing is really essential. The show will go on with or without cocktail napkins and sparklers.

Here’s the list of possible projects (in no particular order):

• Buy mason jars, candles, and ribbon
• Make chalkboard signs for buffet display
• Write welcome note for OOT bags
• Personalize matchboxes and sparklers
• Print escort cards and table numbers
• Attach escort cards and baby photos to clothes line with clothespins
• Make ceremony program fans
• Make barn wood signs for “wedding,” “cocktails,” and, “party”
• Make “Just Married” sign for carriage
• Gocco cocktail napkins
• Print labels for water bottles
• Make favors (this is a BIG one that I’ll tell you all about later)

And here’s my very first inspiration board that incorporates some of these details:

{left to right, top to bottom: wedding sign via Homegrown Wedding; carriage via Martha Stewart Weddings; flowers from Chelsea Elizabeth Photography; boutonniere from The Knot; escort cards from unknown source; glass drink dispensers via For the Love of Brides; red pail from unknown source; invitation suite from author’s personal collection; sparklers via EAD}

How are you other August brides feeling? Did you get any surprise questions at your final meetings? Can you believe the big day is almost here?!

While I am in the middle of planning our wedding for October, I am also a full time wedding planner.  To be honest, I get much more excitement and joy out of planning for other brides than I do planning my own wedding!  I think it’s because I don’t get stressed when it’s someone else’s wedding.  I am much more confident in my abilities as a planner than I am when it comes to making decisions for our wedding.

We were recently involved in the planning of a backyard reception after the couple were married in Vegas. The reception had a very simple budget and one goal: to celebrate their love with their closest friends and family. I believe this goal was definitely achieved!

Months leading up to the reception, clear wine bottles were collected, washed and labels removed in order to serve sweet tea…

Hundreds of hours were spent creating these lovely paper roses for the centerpieces…

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Taking a break this week from my sessions on being a wedding planner to bring you some of the most gorgeous eye candy this side of the Grand Canyon!

A few weeks ago in April I had the pleasure of working with Sarah K. Chen at one of my area’s most sought-after venues, Ranchos Las Lomas!

The key to exceptional portraits: smile with your eyes. Study America’s Next Top Model ladies, what they say is true! Don’t forget it! Practice in front of the mirror. Take LOTS of pictures while you’re engaged, and be ready to commit. Yvonne committed to this rule and gave Sarah an easy time- look how naturally gorgeous each of her photos feel!!

{Read the rest of this entry…}

J&J were one of the FUNNEST couples that my team and I have worked with! They’ve got spunk, they’ve got sass, and more than that… they’re pretty down right gorgeous. I love a couple that doesn’t take anything too seriously! They were actually already technically married before they had “the wedding”, which made the event that much more memorable for their friends and family… and added that extra ounce of fun!

These wedding pictures are a HUGE treat-skie for me because I just got them today. Jamie and Jeff’s wedding was last September and I knew that Tony Florez was going to KILL it with their photos. Right I was! I was so so SO excited, image by image, going through all of these today! With no further delay…

An effortlessly gorgeous Jamie.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

We have some gorgeous Texas wedding inspiration for you today courtesy of the uber-fab Lauren Clark Photography!

Kristopher and Ashley were married at the Baylor Chapel in Waco, with the reception at Vera Estates.

I am in love with Ashley’s amazing champagne gown.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

I’m not a professional designer, but I am among the growing population of brides who plans to create her own wedding invitation suite. It’s more affordable, more personal, and with help from tools like Gocco, it’s actually doable. (If you’re still on the fence about Gocco, just check out these amazing ideas from Cyd. I bought mine from the lovely Amy I. just a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to start crafting!)

But before I get into invitations, let me tell you about the design decisions that will influence a lot of our DIY projects.

Color Scheme: Obviously color is important. It creates visual unity from the Save the Date you send months before your Wedding Day to the flowers and linens your guests see when they walk into your reception. We chose shades of reds and oranges based on the colors of early fall. Even though we’re getting married on August 28, I think this scheme will perfectly compliment the dark greens and browns of our outdoor venue.

Fonts: Font styles can really help to set the mood for your wedding – be it formal or casual. Script font is, of course, the most traditional choice. Examples include Edwardian Script, Sackers English Script, and Vivaldi. But we wanted to diverge from the conventional. We wanted a font that said celebration, merriment, and casual comfort.

{Read the rest of this entry…}