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I returned from Vegas to a bit of warmth in Chicago and it’s put some pep in my step.  Here’s some spring-time inspiration to kick off your weekend!

{funky purple and orange living room and yellow and green vases; photos by Christina Schmidhofer via Desire to Inspire}

{spring-like garden bouquet tied with yarn, photo by Joshua Aull, floral by Adorations, via Weddingbee; single flowers in colored vases from Wohn Idee mag via She Walks in Beauty}

{orange and yellow bedroom with an office in a closet from Apartment Therapy; sunny yellow bedroom photo by Trevor Dixon via A Room Somewhere}

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Purple is my favorite color, and when paired with bright pops of orange and red, it becomes a little bit funky, a little bit whimsical.

When using strong colors together, pick one base color and use the others in moderation, then anchor everything with a wash of white. The red vases, white linens, and purple flower arrangements are a great example of interspersing color effectively (and the ghost chairs just make that table perfect, don’t you think?).

Top row: tablescape with purple flowers, red, vases, and paper lanterns styled by Randi Brookman Harris, bride in gold gown against purple wall via Junebug Weddings

Middle row: purple invitation with white texta nd feather motif from Izzy Girl via Junebug Weddings, ring pillow by Llubav via Design*Sponge

Bottom row: ric-rac rosebuds from CraftyPod, Christian Louboutin Dillian pumps via Flickr, clustered purple carnations in white vases from In Style Weddings via Favorite Things

Elizabeth Messina’s photography is so romantic … so artistic … so natural.  She has a way of making each and every bride and groom look hopelessly head-over-heels in love.

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Lindsay and Ryan were married at the gorgeous The Marvimon House in Los Angeles. Jordana from Hazelnut Photography so clearly captured not only Lindsay and Ryan’s obvious love but also the unique beauty of the space!

All of the floral was created by Holly Flora, and I love the orange and yellow tones that she mixed in – perfect for the Marvimon.

Rosemary was scattered in the aisle for the ceremony…

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Nicci and Dennis’s wedding had the perfect fall color scheme – cranberry, orange, and apple. I love the crispness and vibrancy of the colors and the beautiful images from Tana Photography.

Bridesmaids received custom bracelets by The Beaded Bangle to wear with their cranberry gowns…

… while groomsmen wore train cufflinks, echoing the couple’s reception venue, the Boise Train Depot. Such a cute touch!

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While Nick and I were taking photos, our guests headed to the reception tent for the cocktail hour. They were supposed to gather around the rectangular pool — amidst round high top tables and mason jars of candles tied with red and orange ribbon — but the wet weather prevented that from happening. However, I heard they still had a pretty excellent time.

The space was decorated with red and orange Chinese lanterns, strings of white lights, baskets of greens, and fichus trees (all expertly arranged by our day of coordinator, Betsy, I must add).

Susan Savia provided the entertainment, and drinks were served alongside a European cheese spread with fresh bread, fruits, dips, and mustards (provided by The Festive Board of York).

We offered two signature drinks: Arnold Palmers from the groom and Peach Sangria from the bride. The Arnold Palmer is a blend of iced tea, lemonade, and vodka. And we mixed the Sangria the morning before the wedding. (Get the recipe.)

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You may remember Amanda and Matt from their San Francisco engagement session blog post a few months ago.  Steve Koo captured those amazing images and also photographed their beautiful wedding at the Kenilworth Club in Chicago.

Amanda’s Amy Kuschel gown is just to-die-for (it’s officially my new favorite wedding gown ever) and a vibrant orange and purple bouquet completes her look.

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Out of everything that went into the preparation for our vow renewal, I probably had the most fun and least stress planning the day after brunch.  It was held at South City Kitchen in Midtown, just steps from our hotel blocks and our venue from the vow renewal the night before.

Orange as a wedding color has always inspired me, so I knew that I wanted to use it for the brunch.  It’s so fresh and clean!  I kept things super-simple, bringing in only one accent color (yellow) and using lots of fresh fruit as decor.

Each place setting was decorated with an orange wrapped in parchment paper and tied with raffia.  The leaves were goccoed with “Bonne Annee!”, French for Happy New Year, written in calligraphy by Laura Hooper (continuing the slightly-French theme that was carried through from our RSVP packets, do not disturb signs, menus, and other printed items).

{Jessica Claire}

The bar was lined with oranges and lemons, purchased from Whole Foods and donated to a local food bank after the event.

{Jessica Claire}

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Mr.’s mom and I met with our first florist. It went pretty well I guess, although she didn’t really talk pricing a whole lot and that’s what I was hoping to get out of it. She had us sit down and look through all these books that looked like they were from the late 90’s to bookmark what we liked (for reals, totally not inspiring at all). I bookmarked a boutonniere and that’s it. So, instead, I took out some pictures of what I am looking for. We discussed the types of flowers that I’d like to have…dahlias, ranunculus, roses, stock, hydrangea, (peonies if available), poppies, anemones, lisianthus, to name a few. Still trying to go with that rustic Mediterranean feel…

We have these urns, vases, and candle holders at Pottery Barn that I love and think would look great with flowers { images via Pottery Barn }:

The one in the middle is the one I’d like…otherwise, there are these pillar holders that I think would look beautiful with flowers dripping off the sides instead of candles:

I would love to do a centerpiece that isn’t just one piece but a couple different pieces together like these tables:

This one is a little too girly…just note the setup

{ photo by Erin Hearts Court, via Once Wed }

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I have been so busy with wedding season that I have fallen behind a bit on sharing lovely weddings with all the fabulous EAD readers. But I am so happy to be able to share a truly stunning and inspirational wedding from Labor Day weekend with all of you.

Crista and Bill were married at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) here in Chicago. I was so excited about this wedding, as it was one of the last before a wonderful exhibit by Olaffur Eliasson was taken down (if he ever exhibits in your city, please go!). This was my favourite exhibit I’ve seen in a long while, and I couldn’t wait to shoot in such a colourful and inspiring environment.

Bill and Crista are both creatives, and Crista did a beautiful job pulling together a gorgeous event that felt relaxed and artistic.  It was also an incredibly emotional day, with Crista and her sister crying throughout the day–it was really lovely and sweet, and I was so happy to be able to share in the day along with my second photographer, Frank. Also, a big thanks to the amazing team at Kehoe Designs for designing the stunning florals that perfectly played off the rainbow of colours in the exhibit, while not being overkill. Really wonderful job; highly recommend them for very creative and unique displays and bouquets (we were all swooning over the succulents)!

Opening a present from Bill…

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I am in love with every detail of today’s wedding, photographed by the fabulous Aaron Shintaku (assisted by Ashley Rose) in San Clemente, CA.  Nichole and Joel pulled together the entire event themselves - with the help of Nichole’s mother – and it’s one of the most beautiful DIY weddings I’ve ever seen! 

Nichole is positively stunning, isn’t she?

{Aaron Shintaku}

{Aaron Shintaku}

{Aaron Shintaku}

{Aaron Shintaku}

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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