To Tablecloth or NOT To Tablecloth...is it a question???

My thoughts on table design is that a cloth seems, frankly, unnecessary. Beautiful tables are made today to enhance the natural aesthetics that so many brides are shooting for. Why cover a table up with a cloth that can cause the room to look busy, overdecorated and distract from the china, food art, and centerpiece? Going cloth-less is the perfect way to bring your event to modern standards and create a relaxed but cutting edge design with a smooth, linear look to the room.

Get the visual with me :)
A long chocolate brown wood table: shows candlelight beautifully as it reflects of a glossy varnish as well as acting as a great contrast to white or patterned china.
White Formica or lacquer: excellent with silver accents and a pop of color such as purple or fuchsia in a centerpiece...VERY CHIC!

My last thought for you is this....if you can find a way to send out the tablecloths for cleaning and pressing between each meal, TELL ME... otherwise, a cleaner, more organic effect is to let a beautiful wood, or other texture, table do the job!

CANDY TABLES!

Let my partner and I come create a candy table for your guests to enjoy at your next event. There is no favor like it! Your guests will bag a mixture of the greatest candy, color coordinated for your event, to take home with them as a "thank you". I will print the candy tags, the thank you tags, the table sign....."LOVE IS SWEET" ..It will be the most "tasteful" display at the wedding, full of elegance and charm. CONTACT ME!

I'M ENGAGED!!!!

YES! was all i could think of when the long awaited, most precious question ever, was asked of me.....yes, yes, yes! I found myself so absolutely certain of my answer as he lifted the ring from the box and my heart pounded. I will never forget that moment. It only happened last week so I am still on a pink cloud as each girlfriend screams for joy with me. I now know what it is that everyone has been raving about. I am THRILLED and he is WONDERFUL. I am in love with the perfect man for me...aaaahhhh. At some point I will let him know that I knew he was the one on our very first date :)

A dear friend gave me a card that said...."Yes!" and inside it says, "Lovely, isn't it, how one word can change your life?"

I will sit with this for a while before I begin the splendid plans for the big day...

Did you know?:
Fiancé refers to a male engaged to be married, while fiancée refers to a female engaged to be married.

PEONIES!

ok, so when i said I love flowers I meant it so now I can't stop blogging about them :)

One word...PEONIES! Perfect for an early spring wedding. This amazingly soft and beautiful flower looks wonderful in pictures, enhances the essence of a bride perfectly, and it's soft tones don't overwhelm the statement of the wedding party.

I adore Peonies. They are a graceful yet voluptuous, feel good flower. Just a few stems tossed into a cylindrical vase make for a beautiful and clean looking arrangement for your tables. I like a flower that actulally makes you WANT to hold on to your bouquet!

Tell me what YOU think!....

"Green" table arrangements...

GO GREEN! For a creative, artistic and GREEN floral arrangement....
Group Lily of the Valley plants in dainty bushels, with ribbon around them, showing the roots on the bottom. They can then be donated back to planters.
Then...
Display Tulips on top of the Tulips bulbs sprinkled along the table in low hill formations. Guests can take the Tulip bulbs on the table home with them to plant as a memory of your big day.

Flowers

FLOWERS! My absolute favorite part of the wedding. I have such a thing for FLOWERS!

I love all white arrangements. I suggest using these flowers to create a full, dramatic, yet soft looking centerpiece.
White Calla Lilies offer a touch of green from the stems to create a fresh look.
White Hydrangea is a full headed flower that creates volume.
White Roses for traditional romance.
White Philanopsis Orchids. These are a must! Draping these on the table as they spill out of an arrangement is BEAUTIFUL.

The best part of all white pieces is that you can now stack any color cylinder candle around it you please - the more candles, the more dramatic the table. Total romantic elegance!

A Northern California Wedding

I wonder what it's like to be a person who knows exactly what he/she wants, has visions of what showcases their style and taste and goes after it, to be so sure of oneself that the answers are simply, well, obvious. One girl comes to mind.....CHRISTA!

My wonderful and much cherished friend, Christa, had her wedding in northern California and I must say, IT WAS SPECTACULAR! Her ideas for what she wanted seemed to come with such confidence and personal flare that done any other way would have been just wrong.

To any of you planning a wedding and looking for ideas, please take note of this wedding celebrations charm - each detail was duly noted by the guests and set Christa and Daniel's wedding apart from all the others that donned the guests calendar over the last decade.....and that's the goal, right?

Making use of the ceremony pieces at the reception is a wonderful idea so keep that in mind when creating the tone. Some glitz in the arrangements, that you may not notice in daylight, will sparkle when the lights go down later in the evening....especially with all the candles lit!

The fans on each chair for the ceremony carried the same style that was found in the formal wedding invitation. Continuity is a great way to show harmony in the planning and keeps your guests noticing all the special details since they become accustomed to the color palette you so carefully selected.

Traditional cake tops are just boring, just my opinion, of course. Christa chose to go with a sparkly "R" to grace the top of her amazing cake. What a great way to celebrate the newly shared name!

Christa and Daniels celebration was charming and graceful, just as the location called for. It possessed the personality everyone expected from such a creative girl. So remember...let your inner style shine!!

If you are trying to decide what style to go with for your wedding day celebration, look no further than what you covet in your very own home. Let's face it, you chose the design of your room because you love the way it makes you feel and it fits you. It does not need to be fancy digs either. Simply noting the colors you are attracted to, the combination of textures, the lighting, the simplicity or the dramatic tone....it's all right there if you look at it with a fresh pair of eyes! It's fun to realize you actually have a style about your crib that is, well...YOU! Why not let that be what guides you into the direction of what you want for your special day? I snapped some shots of my bedroom and waited to see what sprung up as I drifted through wedding land.....

It's amazing the ideas you can be inspired by once you focus on this!

My dear friend Molly owns and operates a wonderful boutique in Hermosa Beach and I have been waiting for the opportunity to scream from the mountain tops about her services.

We all know that organic, green, eco-friendly, is all the rage. As it should have been all along, right? However, this should not be at the cost of our beauty...do we all agree? :) And I don't mean just on our wedding day, however, Molly can come to you for a fun group appointment for your whole bridal party!

I think I can speak for the majority of us who feel and look so much better with just a hint of a sun kissed tan. Well, Molly has mastered an ORGANIC technique that will make you shine without the nasty odor and streaks! I have tried it and I can attest to it's wonderful results. Did I mention its ORGANIC?? No guilt, no worry, tanning! Oh Molly, nobody is better than you at discovering what we ladies (and men, of course) need to be pretty. I know the Clipper Girls agree...Check out the link above!

OK, so I just left a wedding event here in Los Angeles and could not wait to write and tell you about the most amazing part of the party......Gotta Have S'More dessert company!

The classic Smore has evolved....to S'Muffins! The nicest woman patiently explained to me how she created them in her own kitchen, with little baking experience, and sent her husband off to work to serve them at his board meeting the next day. Well, the rest is history. She has moved on and up gracing all of us with the tastiest treats ever.

They can be boxed individually or in sets of 4 or 12, etc. Of course, all I can think about is how "sweet" to send each of your guests home with such a unique and flavorful favor!

They are sooooooo gooooooood.....

S'muffins can now be purchased at Platine Cookies in Culver City, call 1-888-95-SMORE for availability.
http://www.gottahavesmore.com/index.htm

aaaaahhh, the wedding dress. The one dress that we have all thought of our entire life. Of course it's design has changed just as our styles have but regardless, that beautiful gown that we will adorn on that infamous day will outweigh all the prom dresses in the world!

I found myself at Panache Bridal Gowns in Beverly Hills.

9740 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills 90212
(310) 860-9221

panachebeverlyhills@gmail.com

Buddy was so gracious as I browsed through the collection of what I found to be an excellent assortment of the prettiest gowns ever. I am a big fan of European styles and designers and they seem to specialize in just that.

There gowns start at $1,500 and go aaaaaaalll the way up to $15,000. I was happy to find each one with a price tag, so not having to play the guessing game or require a "price check on isle 9!", over and over.

The fabrics, the shades, the details! Each one was more stunning than the next, aaaand the perfect amount of dresses to choose from. Not over, or under-whelming. I would imagine all brides would benefit from a visit to Panache. Oh how I wanted to try each one on and walk their runway....I had already outed myself as just a mere wedding planner so that wasn't going to happen, not that day anyway :)

I love the idea of sending bridesmaids (or groomsmen) a gift in the mail asking if they would do you the honor of being in the wedding party. It is such a thoughtful gesture.

These boxes can be rubber stamped with your sentiments on the outside, such as,
"would you stand my my side?" or
"can't do this without you!"

Inside the box is a jar of wonderful cookie mix, cookie cutters, and apron! The jar is tied with a tag that shows the bride or groom's sentiments. Let me know if you want one...or 6! :)

Weddings By Laura

Weddings By Laura: "http://www.fireflyvodka.com/"

One of my favorites for a pre-ceremony cocktail is a southern style drink served in a mason jar. Southside's or lemonade with mint leafs are gorgeous on a warm summer day as guests arrive and mingle before the ceremony!

I wanted to share with you a very unique vodka distributor: Firefly Distillery
http://www.fireflyvodka.com/

They offer Sweet Tea Vodka! Vodka is infused with tea grown from a plantation five miles from the South Carolina distillery and blended with real Louisiana sugar cane. It tastes like sweet tea but with a sweeter kick! Now that's what I call staying true to southern roots :)

Today I visited my friend, Annette Tatum, at her "House" store on Montana. I knew the wonderful ideas she has for decorating would prove beneficial to the inspiration I am always looking for when it come to the weddings I plan. What a lovely woman she is and I can't wait to be inspired by her recently published book!

One of my favorite spots for a wedding is Stone Manor in Malibu. It's remote, unique, memorable and aaaah, so breathtaking. The Estate has walkways and paths that lead you to the next segment of your event and it is beautifully lit at night. So special!

Hello there to all that find my blog useful and inspirational. My passion for finding the right stuff for that special day is at an all time high right now. I don't want to lose sight of it so I will be sharing what I find and what inspires me as I journey into blog land. Wedding bliss and creative wishes to you all!

Laura