BRINGING THE BEACH TO THE BURBS...

To kick off the summer, my sister and I threw a "Summer STAY-cation" dinner party for our friends.  We wanted to bring the beach to the suburbs and make them feel like they were out to dinner at a fabulous resort.  We had an absolute blast designing the event!

SUMMER TIME = WEDDING TIME!

It has been a while since I have posted to our blog - but I have not stopped collecting my favorite images and inspirations for unique event ideas.  Please enjoy 30 days of all things inspiring to help you create great summer parties, special wedding day memories, and fabulous personal style! 

This is such a sweet simple cake...sometimes simplicity makes the strongest impact.

A POP OF COLOR

I just love COLOR!  Colored glassware, brightly colored paper, and of course flowers and candles.  All traditional aspects of event decor - but with a twist of bright modern color, it totally reinvents the expected.

B-E-S-T W-I-S-H-E-S-!

http://100layercake.com/blog/archives/2327

Love this retro idea for a guestbook!  I am recreating this for the Labor Day wedding I am designing for - - I will report on how it works out.

RED, WHITE & BABY BOY!

A baby shower by PrettyPlease Event Design.

STUNNING!

I love the simplicity of this all white cake and then the textured design of the icing - - and what a great idea to add an interesting cake stand!!

...say my name!

Name cards are a great way to reinforce the theme or design of your event.  Since they are usually placed in the entryway of your venue they need to be decorative as well as functional - - here are some of my favorites.  I am redesigning the namecard tree for a wedding that I am doing in September. 

SMILE Booths

A new trend to include in your special event is a SMILE Booth. This is a fun staged background to pose in front of - it sometimes includes fun props and always delivers unforgettable photos.  A lot of photography studios are offering this service and most of them include a camera that is operated by the guests, this ensures truely unique, raw photo's.  So much fun for your guests to enjoy and could also be used to include in thank you notes!  LOVE this new trend!!!

Fabric Pom Poms!

Pom poms are a huge decorating craze right now - from tissue paper to cupcake wrappers, people are trying to reinvent these simple stylish decor staples and I think the the fabric versions are super special!  I am helping a friend with her wedding in September and I think these are a MUST.

Wallpaper rebirth...

I stumbled across this European website that has some of the most interesting wallpaper and wall decals.  I found myself getting lost in all of the designs and colors and now i want to redecorate!  When I lived in L.A. I ordered big pink polka dot decals from blik - - I was seriously one of their first orders back in '03 - - to decorate my studio apartment, I love how far the wall decals have come, they are such an easy way to decorate.

                      http://www.tapetenagentur.de/lang-de/Katalog/home.html

my favorite dress right now...

Stunning!  Take a look at the wedding on 100 Layer:

http://100layercake.com/blog/archives/4078

BOOtiful Centerpieces

This is one of the many centerpieces that my sister Beth and I created for a wedding on Halloween night.  We had 30 tables to dress - we used a mixture of painted and glittered pumpkins, handmade candleabra's, and vases of orange lillies.  Our theme was Black, White, and Bling.  We filled the room with candlelight, glamourous decor and a festive atmosphere!  Please visit the Madison blog to see more of our work.  We had so much fun and are working hard to build our event design business.  Our duties for this wedding included centerpieces, cake table decor, bar and bathroom decor, the guest enterance and seating chart, programs and music list.  We were handed the reigns of this wedding after all vendors were booked - and charged to bring it all together to create a memorable event.  What an honor to be trusted with this task - being part of someone's wedding in this capacity is something that my sister Beth and I treasure and respect - it is so rewarding!!

http://thecovingtonmadison.blogspot.com/2009/11/bootiful-centerpieces-ha.html

OLIVE these business cards...

What do you think?  I needed a trendy business card in a jiffy and found this website - they had hundreds of designs to look through and were very affordable. 

http://www.zazzle.com/thespottedolive

'tis the pre-season

Wedding season is here again!  Right now all of the B2B's (bride-to-be's) are hunting for that perfect dress, trying to find the perfect location, and searching for that something special that is going to make her event stand apart from the rest. Here are special things I have found, from hairstyles to invitations - - hope I can inspire!!

H-E-A-R-T this updo.

        

Gorge' birdcage hair accessory - - super trendy right now.

Love the shape, love the style, love the embossed printing!