CANDLELIGHT AND FLOWERS

PERFECT RECIPE FOR ROMANCE

THE BRIDE WORE COWBOY BOOTS

RUSTIC, WOODSY WEDDING IN UTAH

How gorgeous is this bride?

It was a little bit of a challenge doing a wedding in another state,

but fortunately, I have family in Utah.  I took over my sister's patio and dining room - 

okay and her kitchen too...

WEST COAST WEDDING

SURFER BOY TIES THE KNOT

I met the bride a few months before the wedding,

but I've known the groom since he was in grade school

he grew up on a surfboard in Huntington Beach

he's always had a little piece of my heart...

and to us, he's family...

BEAUTIFUL BACKYARD RECEPTION

STARVING STUDENTS

I never believe brides when they tell me that they aren't particular about flowers or decorations.
Its the stress of the moment.
Its having too much on your plate.
Its trying to finish one life and start the next
and the details are just too much at that point in time.

So when Nikki said that to me, and said she just wanted to get married and get on with her new life with her sweetheart, I let her talk.... and then started plans to make it beautiful.

WAY BACK WHEN....

I must be getting old when I can boast I created both mother's

and daughter's weddings....

see daughter's wedding here

AND BABY MAKES 3

BRIDE UPDATE

We transported ourselves and all of the reception flowers to Las Vegas for this elegant wedding...

TAKES THE CAKE

Steele and Ciera

There's something about that moment at the wedding cake....

SUNSHINE AND FUN

I must catch up on posting!

This one was a while ago, but so fun and casual - like a big happy party!

Beth and Scott were actually married aboard a cruise ship in the Panama Canal

then came home to celebrate in California sunshine...

in historic San Juan Capistrano

with friends and family

MY TALENTED BRIDE

AN UPDATE....

I confess I like to keep tabs on my brides - I get very attached and love an update now and then as they grow through life and have adorable children... some marriages have fallen to statistics but most are still happy stories.

IN LOVE WITH LAVENDER

 WHEN FLOWERS TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE....

The smell was heavenly

armfuls of fresh lavender took over my patio

ILLUMINATING CENTERPIECE

LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT

If you are receiving guests outdoors, in the evening, lighting is a huge consideration.  Not only for safety, but also to light your food, your table companions, and create proper ambiance.  

PHOTO CHARMS

A TUTORIAL OF SORTS....

Sometimes I get it sooo right.  I think everything we did for this wedding turned out that way. 

But some projects surpassed sooo right and went straight to perfection.... 

And from the requests for a 'how-to' on the photo charms, I guess you agree.

So I'm sharing.  Because that's what this blog is all about.  And because if I do I won't have to repeat it any more .... just point at this post and say - there it is!  Oh, and also because its pretty simple...

I created these photo charms as a family tree.  They are photos of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. on their respective wedding days.  They are the perfect keepsake.  And they can be adapted to gifts, or ornaments, depending on the image you place inside.

THE PROCESS.....PLANNING

I wrote this post for my design blog (www.yournestdesign.blogspot.com) before I had created the Classic DIY Bride blog.  It is a good example of how I plan a wedding - and how I convey that vision to my bride.  I start with her colors and the style she likes - and budget - and start putting ideas on paper.  Even little scribbly drawings seem to help get my ideas across....

*****************************

I just heard back from the bride. She emailed me to say that she LOVED every little thing and that I had made her dreams come true. How adorable! I was amazed she could tell from my scribbles what I was hoping to create for her.

 

This bride is a true princess. She is a beauty queen, a ballerina, homecoming queen and student body president of her high school to name a few of her accomplishments. So I created ideas fit for a princess and with her colors of ice pink, chocolate and ivory. Here are some of my scribbles and photos of the venue. I will keep you updated as we progress!

HANDCRAFTED PROGRAMS

We definitely didn't want them to be boring.

And we had this beautiful photograph by Bleudog Foto.

And this inspiration.

LACE ON THE TABLE

DIY TABLE RUNNERS

My bride would tell you that her theme for the wedding is Lavender and Lace. 

I knew we could do lavender on her budget, but wasn't sure about the lace. 

Lace runners and tablecloths - even rentals - were too much to fit into the budget. 

Good thing we like to do things ourselves, right?

I started looking at lace yardage - even went to the wholesale fabric district in Los Angeles -

but everything was too costly. 

Where, I asked myself, could I find the kind of lace that is made into sheer lace curtains? 

That would be perfect....

washable, ivory toned, just right for the touch of lace I needed

 to make my bride happy....

SUPER CUTE TABLE NUMBERS

My June bride and her groom-to-be had an amazing natural light photo shoot for their engagement by Shawna Henrie at Bleudog Floral & Foto.

We decided to use them as 8x10's in black and white, framed in Ikea Ribba frames, at the reception.  The Ribba frames are substantial and have a nice mat around the image.   The mat is ph neutral to preserve your precious images, and the frame comes in both table top and wall sizes.  [We chose black, but they also come in white.]

DIY GUESTBOOK -

UPDATED:  New photos of finished project!

Its a June wedding -

I'm particularly fond of this one.  My beautiful niece is getting married, and I am designing and creating the wedding and reception.

LAVENDER BRIDE

LAVENDER REPRESENTS

PURITY & FIDELITY

A good enough reason to create a wedding around it

But take into consideration the range of color from purple to nearly blue

the heavenly fragrance

PEACOCK FEATHER INSPIRATION

INSPIRED BY

PEACOCK FEATHERS

I first talked about Jessica's peacock inspired wedding here:     We were just in the planning stages then, and I've been excited to show you the results - 

so, here is a link to the photos -

http://yournestdesign.blogspot.com/2012/01/las-vegas-wedding-good-photos.html

DIY WEDDING PHOTO WALL BACKDROP

I always think of the outdoors as the perfect setting for a wedding

you can be as casual or as elegant as you like

We created a lovely outdoor wedding in yellow, black and white -
 although the weather did have us worried for a few days. 

See the photos here:

http://yournestdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/yellow-and-black-wedding-open-house.html