Okay how much fun is it to take a super cute real-life newlywed couple, a hilariously fun (and tremendously talented) husband-and-wife photography team, and create a themed photo shoot (styled by yours truly), IN VEGAS? Since most of my images are Bay Area and Napa Valley related, I thought it was time to broaden my portfolio to show my “Vegas-y” side. Thank goodness for photographers Josh and Jen who were willing to collaborate and create something fun for all. 

Our real life Bride and Groom, Tara and Tim were a hoot, and up for anything. They let us drag them all around Vegas, from the iconic “Welcome” sign, to the Bellagio on The Strip, to fun and funky downtown at sunset. All in gale-force winds, I might add. (Kuddos to Makeup in the 702 who made sure Tara’s hair stayed gorgeous through it all). 

During the shoot, the gorgeous Bride, Tara, told me how much she loved the style I had created for the shoot, from the clothing to the flowers, the groom’s hat, and the simple dress and birdcage veil. Had they not felt “obligated” to have the big, traditional family wedding, she confided, this style was exactly what she would have chosen. 

Well, hoping the newlyweds enjoy their ‘extra’ wedding photos, in a way the did get to have it just how they wanted… the only thing missing was Elvis. 

As you might remember from my last post, the Boys from Image Three and I had our “Big Reaveal” at the Ruby Hill event, throwing our hat in the ring, so to speak, as Lush Weddings. We made a great splash with our ceremony display, at the entrance to the event. Downstairs, in the vendor area, we had our own booth, where we were able to sing a different note with our very glam tablescape design. 

Without further ado:

Glam, glam, glam. I loved the deep pewter, black and white base of the gunmetal linens, silver beaded placemat and pewter charger, silver edged plates and glassware, and the silver herringbone flatware. Layers of texture… the flowers provided a rich pop of color with the magenta spray of phaleonopsis orchids, the deep, rich purples of the anemones and lisianthus, and the pewter theme was followed through in the florals as well with dusty miller leaves and silvery pussy willow. Even the vases became part of the design with little glam touches such as pewter ribbon and rhinestones. It was a team effort that worked out well: we really made an impact at the show, with people stopping and crowding around the table to ooh and ahh and take photos. (Score!) 

Luckily, I roped my friend Tiffany of Adeline and Grace Weddings to join us at the Bridal Show to promote her new photo booth company, which meant, 1. I got to see her and her assistant Marita—a big treat now that I live so far away, and 2. Tiffany spoiled me with lots of beautiful images. Thank you Tiffany!

Okay, so there you have it. It only took me a month to get the photos up. Can you believe it’s April already? Whatsupwiththat? Next up: helping to plan my niece’s June wedding. And the clock is ticking…

I’ve known Bob Gonas and Ken Greer from Image Three Events for years. Thier company has been around for, well, decades. They are a full scale event planning and design company. Most of thier work has been in the Coporate world, with clients such as Mercedes, McAfee, Bell Systems, to name a few. I was lucky enough to go along with them in 2008 to produce a huge event in the US Virgin Islands. Needless to say, I love these guys.

In 2010, after my daughter was born, I had taken some time off to be a Mom. Eventually, I approached Bob and Ken about using thier workspace in Concord from time to time, so that I could get back into doing some events, without the huge overhead and burden of running my own studio (which I had let go before Sofia was born). The answer was a resounding Yes! And, a conversation started… 

Eventually, we decided to collaborate. With their invanualbe expertise, and years in the business of planning events, and my design skills and 15 years in what I call “Wedding World” we decided we could pool our resources and knowledge and launch a wedding planning and design business. Of course, over the 30 years they’ve been doing this, they’ve done weddings before. But it has never been thier main focus. Now, together, we have created a seperate faction of thier company, and mine,  which with our joined knowlege, expertise, and aesthetic abilities, becomes a unique, and dedicated wedding design company: Lush Weddings. 

Of course, my sudden move to Las Vegas sort of threw a new twist into our plans. But, we decided to forge ahead. The flight to SFO is just over an hour, and, with any luck, I’ll be racking up those frequent flyer miles even more in the near future. 

Here are a few images from the Bridal Event at Ruby Hill, where we got to flex some design muscle. Check out the custom arch that was built in-house by the incredibly talented Bob LeDoux (who has worked with Image Three for 20+ years). The arch has a custom back drop that can be switched out to any color, or left out altogether, for a more open feel. We are excited about this arch because it can be used in so many different ways: filled with tea light candles inside the circles, interwoven with fabric, or of course decoated in inumerable ways with flowers! And, I haven’t really seen anything quite like it elsewhere. 

Custom built ‘circles’ arch. Custom sewn runner, and mock Bride all created in-house.

Aisle entry arrangements, (created by yours truly) atop custom ‘circles’ pedestals.

I marvel at how much time Bob LeDoux must have spent with that jigsaw to create an entire structure of circles. I like the blue back panel, but am also looking forward to using it outdoors with no back panel and getting to fill some more of those circles with flowers, of course! I really like the two larger cut outs on either side (used here for arrangements).

Thank you, Tiffany and Marita of Adeline and Grace Weddings, for all the images! 

Coming up next: Images of our vendor area, where we got to throw down some tablescape design!

I recently read this article from The Huffington Post, and I just couldn’t agree more. Don’t get me wrong. I love “vintage” as much as the next person. But, can we agree that the theme in general is becoming, well, vintage, itself? As in, it’s in the past… 

I think the thing that bothers me the most about what has become of the Vintage aesthetic is that it has gone so far past just having a “vintage feel” to a wedding, to making the wedding all about being “vintage”.  In other words, it’s vintage-for-vintage sake, and no longer about the Bride and the Groom, and their unique personalities and tastes. What do I mean? Well, if the Bride is, say, a writer, and she wants to display an antique typewriter, or say, use some unique vintage typewriter keys she has collected over the years to use as place cards, well, that’s great. That actually has meaning in the greater scheme of the wedding. It is a little touch that speaks to who the Bride is, and those little touches are what really make a wedding. Or, if the Bride has a collection of special antique tablecloths she has collected from a favorite grandmother or great aunt, and she wants to use them on her tables at her reception, I think that is a very special touch. But if, say, my Bride works in P.R., lives in an urban setting, loves clean lines and an architectural aesthetic, then why, WHY does she want to have a wedding inspired by the Great Gatsby or an Edwardian novel? (See the bottom of the Huff Post Article which features “Overdone Vintage” for a humorous example of what I’m talking about). Why? Because she is giving in to the overwhelming tide of VINTAGE inspired wedding imagery out there. 

So, here’s what I’m proposing (no pun intended). Make the wedding about you. What, in real life, are your favorite color schemes, types of design, art, architecture? What are your interests and your hobbies? Do you love to play croquet? Okay, fine, then set up a croquet set out on the lawn at your wedding venue. But if you’ve never touched a hammer in your life, and you and your beau are more the urban, modern, lets-find-the-next-hot-restaurant type of couple, then feature something along those lines for your guests. Welcome them to your reception with a signature cocktail reminiscent of your first date or something from your favorite city hot spot. Or pull from the vast array of furniture rentals available and create a chic, modern lounge feel and have your floral arrangements be bold, monochromatic, architectural, eco-friendly, or whatever fits with your real style. Don’t give into the pull of vintage-for-vintage sake and surround yourself in soft ivories and peachy-creams, just becuase that’s all you’re seeing on your favorite wedding blogs. 

However, if your heart and soul live in another era, and that is YOU, then go vintage-crazy. Just keep it real. Keep it about you.

Believe, me…it’s okay to be yourself. And I think expressing yourself and your originality in whatever form that takes will be the next wedding trend. 

Gene Higa

 I have had a lot of Brides recently want to have their male friends or close family members stand up for them during their ceremony, but not as traditional “groomsmen” rather, as “bridesmen”. After all, if your best friend in the world is a guy, why shouldn’t he be part of your bridal party, standing right next to you and supporting you on your wedding day? Gone are the days of the strict “wedding rules” we have come to know over time: Bride’s side vs. Groom’s side seating for guests, specific ‘timeline’ rules (you have to have 2 toasts, then serve the salad. The cake must be cut after dinner, etc.) Why? Why not cut the cake during the cocktail hour and shake things up a bit? But wait, who says you have to have a traditional wedding cake? What about a ‘gourmet’ ice cream truck to pull up during your reception? You get the picture. The rules are changing. Actually, the ‘rules’ are getting thrown out the window, and it’s a very exciting thing to see. Your wedding should be about the two of you, and your family and friends—a celebration of what is unique and special about you and your relationship, and joining those together. So why on earth should we have to follow some arcane rule that a bride can only have fellow women stand up for her on her wedding day? Well, she doesn’t. 

The trend is catching on. But this always raises the question, “How do I distinguish my ‘Bridesmen’ from the other Groomsmen, or other men in the wedding party?” 

There are lots of ways to acheive any goal, but one tradition-bending bride had her two brothers stand up for her, and insisted that they, too, hold bouquets. She wanted them to play the role of a bridesmaid, but to still be set apart from her female attendants. She didn’t want to have them hold bouquets that matched her female attendants, and she didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable in any way, but yes, she did want them to hold flowers.

Why not!? I love a challenge, and I was very excited to create some ‘masculine’ Bridesmen bouquets, which were uniquely different, but still worked with the entire design scheme of the wedding. When we delivered their ‘manly’ bouquets, they were impressed. One said to the other, ‘Wow, when (the Bride) told us we were going to carry flowers, I was worried—but these are actually pretty cool!”

Gene Higa

I smiled to myself: Mission accomplished! And, tradition overturned. A very good day. 

To see more from this inspired purple wedding, please follow the link to a very special video blow:

http://www.projectwedding.com/real_wedding/show_media/nicole-mark-winters-ca/1

Thank you: Table4Weddings, Michelle Walker Photography, Richard Wood Photography, Adeline and Grace Weddings, Anna Kupperberg, Red Loft Studios

The weather for the wedding day was perfect: sunny, warm, but not too hot…. a gorgeous California fall day. The bride, Noelle, had told me in our first meeting, “I’m not sure exactly what I want….but I want to basically hold Autumn in my hands.” Well, that was all I needed. I absolutely love fall floral design. The textures, the colors. Pods, berries, leaves. I am talking right up my ally. (For this reason, I too, was a fall bride). So, here’s a sneak peek from Noelle and Mike’s wedding, courtesy of Table4Weddings.

The wedding was a success. It felt great to be finished, knowing we’d made another bride happy on her Big Day. And then I got to celebrate with a fun dinner out with friends in Yountville. (When in Rome, right?) 

Of course, no matter how homesick I might be, there is nothing better than coming home, to my new home, to be with my family, and getting hugs and kisses from my kids. It’s cliche, but true: home is where the heart is. 

And, as much I miss being in California full-time, I am finding that there are things to love about my new home. I do love the sun. And, we get a lot of it here. The mountains that surround the Las Vegas area are stunning. And, the sunsets here can be breathtaking. We are making friends, a new community. My husband absolutely loves his new job, and there is something to be said for the husband having a 15-minute commute to work, vs. a two-hour commute. We actually get to see him at dinner time. He’s happier. We’re all more relaxed. We have more space in our new home to spread out. My son, Alex is enjoying his preschool. So, things are good. 

And, what makes living here even better? When friends come into town!! 

Mid-month, the boys from Image Three came to town! And, not only did I get to see them, I got to work with them, too! So, I enjoyed doing my very first official Las Vegas event: A floral installation at the Hard Rock Hotel for the McAfee event, which included a concert by Third Eye Blind. All I have are some iPhone photos of our work in progress; I am hoping to see professional photos soon. The florals were fun: 50” tall towers of flowers for the buffet tables. There were only 6 in all, but they were so structural and involved that it really took two days to produce.

And last, but certainly not least, on October 25th, my husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. 8 years? Really? Where does the time go. Unfortunately, the whole family was struck down by the Mutha-of-all-Colds, so we haven’t had a chance to go out on the town and properly celebrate. But, when we do I’ll be sure to write and update and let you know where we went. (Every time we go out on the town it is a new adventure for me—the restaurants here are amazing, and I do so love FOOD!)

…a photo from my wedding day in 2003

Thanks for reading about my little adventures…Happy Fall, Y’all!

We just loved this super-Autumnal Bridesmaid bouqet. The colors popped so beautiully against her dark blue dress.

A very textural and fun boutonniere for the Groom.

Check out the snapdragon and amaranth cascading Bridal bouquet!!!

In lieu of a very formal Bridal party, a parade of children carried these ‘maypoles’ with flowing ribbons and flowers.

The happy couple….Congratulations Eleanor and Bob!!