Posts in Inspired Ideas
Inspired Idea | Mexican Inspired Paper Flowers

(image via 100 layer cake)

One wedding trend I have been loving the past two years are Mexican-inspired fetes! From the vibrant colors, to a dia de los Muertos skeleton motif, to loteria cards, and paper decor, I just LOVE the Mexican inspired weddings that have been popping up lately. I also am a huge fan of cute paper flowers in liu of real flowers. It's such a unique look, and I was totally sold on it after shooting Lauren + Drew's wedding this past year. So it is no wonder that I LOVE this DIY project via 100 Layer Cake. These paper flowers are inexpensive and easy to make and they are just darling! Love it!!! If you are on a budget but looking to infuse a lot of color and style into your wedding this may just be the DIY project to tackle... so go check it out!

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Handmade Wedding Details on Etsy by (my bride) Lauren

So at this point I am sure y'all know who Lauren + Drew are! Their beautiful Santa Monica "art deco meets literary geek chic" wedding has been one of my most popular blog posts and was also featured on Style Me Pretty!Remember? Yep! I thought so!Well now that the wedding is over, Lauren realized her crafty side was still itching to, well, CRAFT. So she has opened an Etsy store selling customized versions of the amazing handmade paper decor items featured in her own wedding. She is customizing the colors to fit whatever your heart desires, and can also use paper from your favorite novel, play, sheet music, poetry, comic book or any other specific paper request! And even better, the prices for these gorgeous pieces are so reasonable. This is the perfect answer for the bride who is either not super crafty, or is way too busy to craft, yet still wants a handmade, personalized feel to their wedding decor. LOVE!!! I am so excited to see what lovely pieces Lauren will create for future brides!So go check out Lauren's shop, Bookish Bride, on Etsy:

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Inspired Ideas | DIY Ribbon Chandeliers

(image via 100 Layer Cake)

I love love love this super easy and very cute DIY project from 100 Layer Cake: DIY Ribbon Chandeliers! These would be adorable hanging over tables at a reception, or perhaps you could even turn this into a backdrop for behind your ceremony or cake!! Simply fabulous! And very rustic, homemade, chic! I would love to photograph something like this at a wedding! Go over to 100 Layer Cake for the DIY intructions!

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Inspired Ideas | Painted Vases

(image via style me pretty)

A modern, hip trend in wedding decor is to have a cluster of small vases and flower arrangements on each table, instead of one big centerpiece. I LOVE this trend and think it is so fun and cute. But the key to pulling it off with style is to make sure the vases you put the flowers in are striking as well. I love seeing all white vases, all crystal, all mercury glass, or all antique metals. Lots of rad florists will collect these vases and rent them out to you for use on your big day.But maybe you want something a little different that your florist doesn't have? Then what? I LOVE the look of these black painted vases above-- so striking, dramatic and different. And the good news? It's just an easy and fun DIY project from Style Me Pretty! So you can totally pull this look off yourself!Click here for instructions for this DIY Project!!

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I was one of the very lucky ladies to snag these killer Tory Burch Riding Boots at The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year! Apparently they sold out pretty quickly! But luckily the amazing Jenni who works at the Salon Shoe Dept in Nordstrom at the Westside Pavillion was able to track me down a pair in my size (which is SIZE 4!!) before the sale ended. These boots have been sitting in my closet for over a month now just screamin' at me to be worn. Unfortunately it's been way to hot for anything other than sandals so far. However, I have big plans for these beauties come late Sept... I am excited to pair them with skinny jeans, some new corduroy jeggigs, a mini skirt, maybe even a few dresses. Ohhhh yes. Mama will wear you boots, don't you worry!!So interwebs did you score anything FANTASTIC at the Nordstrom Anni sale this year?? If so, do tell!

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Inspired Ideas | Farm Fresh Fruit Escort Cards or Table Numbers

(image via style me pretty)

Sooo many of my brides have outdoor weddings, often with a farm/rustic feel. So when I stumbled upon this EASY CHIC decor idea from Style Me Pretty, I knew I had to share! This inspired idea is so easy, and depending on the type of fruit you pick and the season, it can be quite affordable.The idea is to take plain brown bags (preferably made from recycled material) and fill them with seasonal fruits. Above is strawberries but this could be LOVELY with apples, pears, lemons, or oranges too. You can label these bags with each guests name and their table number as an adorable type of escort card. And better yet, guests can take home the fruit to enjoy. You could also just place one bag on each table and label it only with a table number, as a chic and unique table number marker.SOOOO CUTE! Click here for more info on this cute idea and how-to instructions!

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Inspired Ideas | DIY Pinwheel Decor

I absolutely love hip, modern, crafty weddings. And one of my new favorite hipster decor trends is... Pinwheels!!! Pinwheels are SOOOO easy to make (and fun to make!!) and so cost effective! They make a big impact on decor and make for a really fun, playful vibe for a wedding. There are two kinds of pinwheels I tend to see used as decor, the hanging kind and the traditional wooden stick kind.The hanging kind look great on walls or hanging behind an escort or dessert table. The kind on wooden sticks look great stuck in the ground, places in jars/vases or used solo as props in portrait sessions.Below are the two different types of DIY pinwheel instructions!Hanging Pinwheels via Style Me Pretty!Pinwheels on Sticks via Style Me Pretty!What are you waiting for?! Pinwheel-ify your wedding! Click here and here for project instructions!

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Inspired Ideas | DIY Favors: Retro Looking "Vinyl Records"

(image via Style Me Pretty)More and more I do not see couples giving out favors at weddings. Which, I totally understand. Most favors are left behind or tossed by guests, and by not doing them you can save hundreds in your budget. Totally makes sense!But I do love when couples are able to think of a cool favor that adds to the uniqueness of their day, is DIY and can be done on a budget, and might actually be something guests LIKE! All these things are true of this awesome DIY Favor project on Style Me Pretty!Style Me Pretty instructs how to make mixed CDs with your favorite songs on them and have them look all Retro like Vinyl Records. It's SUPER cute for any vintage/retro wedding! And something guests could enjoy after the wedding. And it's not too hard on the wallet! Loves it!Go here for instructions!

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Inspired Ideas | DIY Lighted Hearts Photo Prop

I was perusing through one of my favorite inspiration blogs, Hostess With The Mostess, when I came across this awesome  DIY project!(photo via HWTM)These hearts would not only be SOOOO cute as a photobooth prop, which is how HWTM suggests you use it, but they would also make an adorable prop for an engagement session or for the wedding day during the Bride & Groom Romantic Portraits session!The project is pretty easy to do and the adorable-ness would pay off ten-fold! LOVE! Ooooh you could also makes some "X's" and "O's" to match... that'd be SUPER CUTE TOO!So click here for the instructions on how to create this cuteness and, ahem, bring it to our next shoot please!!! xoxo

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Inspired Ideas | DIY Custom Flagged Drink Stirrers

Pretty & thoughtful weddings are all in the little details. The things that make a wedding personal! I am always super excited when my brides come up with cute fun ways to infuse their color palettes and hip modern style into their weddings in a unique way. And if you're a bride on a budget, doing this through DIY is certainly the way to go!One new fun wedding trend is decorative drink stirrers. These little flagged stirrers can be personalized with your guests' names or a custom message like "YAY" or "Eat. Drink. Be Married." or your wedding date or new last name. You get the idea. They can also be made in any color you want-- so you can match it to your wedding colors. You can even make them in fun patterns!I've seen a couple different DIY instructions on the interwebs but here are two of the cutest and easiest.First, on Indie Pretty:Second, on Gator Bride:EASY BREEZY PEASY! And super cute! So what are you waiting for! Get on this! ;)You can display these cute drink stirrers in glasses at the bar or if drinks are being passed (always a classy touch) in the drinks themselves!

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Inspired Ideas | Bad-Ass Bridal Shoes

One of my FAVORITE wedding trends of the last few years has been colorful shoes! When I was little it seemed like brides always had to have white (and kinda boring) shoes to match her dress. But now? Anything goes! The bride's shoes are some of the first things I photograph on a wedding day and they tell me oh so much about the bride & her personal style!I loveee colorful shoes. Blue makes for the PERFECT something blue. Or when a bride matches her wedding color palette? That's yummy too! I also loveeee when shoes have cute details like bows, feathers or BLING! What can I say, I am a shoe lover!My new favorite idea though when it comes to bridal shoes, is BAD-ASS BRIDAL SHOES! Yes, it's not for every bride. But for a bride who's a little sassy, funky and uber sexy, it's FAB!What qualifies as a bad-ass shoe? Something with studs  or spikes. Something edgy and not your typical soft girlie bridal feeling. Something that might make your grandma's head spin! Yep I love it!Think you have what it takes to be a bad-ass bride and rock an xcore shoe? Here are my favorites that I'd just love to see one of my brides in:Sam Edelman's LorissaI die for this shoe! And it comes in soooo many color combos!! Gah! LOVE!Cinderella Gone Bad (Custom Made) by Everlasting Life FashionThis shoe is custom made for you in the UK! It's pretty frickin' FABULOUS! I love the textures and the disco ball effect. It's very GAGA!Alexander McQueen Punk Skull Peep Toe PumpThese Alexander McQueen's ROCK! Love how it's "something blue" but with a total edge!! I love the studs & the skulls. It could be PERFECTO for brides who embrace the whole Mexican/Day Of The Dead theme for their wedding. Or just brides with a wicked sense of humor/irony. Weddings are all about "til death do us part," right? ;)So what do you think? Would you rock a bad ass bridal shoe for your big day?? Feel free to let me know with a comment below!

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Featured on The Sweetest Occasion | Insipred Creations Contest

I remember when Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion teamed up to announce last years Inspired Creations contest... a contest where teams of wedding professionals would create concepts for a fab DIY aspect of a wedding, execute this concept and of course show it off to inspire brides. The ideas last year were so creative and I wanted so badly to have the courage to ask someone to collaborate me... but I was shy and scared.SOOOOO very much has changed for me since that time last year. I've come out of shy shell and really developed so many friendships in this industry. I have worked on many wonderful inspiration shoots and have developed good relationships with many of the industry's talented and uber creative wedding professionals. To me these florists, coordinators, stylists, stationers, bakers, and beauty stylists aren't wedding vendors... they are WEDDING ARTISTES. And I feel so super blessed each time I get to collaborate with them!I was so thrilled when event designer Tami of Fabulously Wed asked me to photograph her concept for this year's Inspired Creations contest. Tami had an idea for a Japan-inspired wedding and wanted to create the perfect sweets table for it. She used an unexpected color palette of pink, purple and gold. My favorite detail though was the hanging gold paper cranes as a backdrop! This small sweets table was very budget friendly but uber cute and I'm glad I got to photograph it's loveliness!Go check out all the details featured today on The Sweetest Occasion:

And here are a few of my fave details.... The paper cranes and the beautiful fabric Tami found to cover the table with.

Beautiful purple Iris and sweet take out containers to pack your treats in!

And an overall shot of how it came together....

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Featured on Green Wedding Shoes!

Today is an especially RAD Tuesday because on of my recent love shoots is being featured on one of my all time favorite wedding blogs, Green Wedding Shoes! Green Wedding Shoes always showcases the most stylish and unique weddings & inspiration and I'm just SO honored to be on their blog! Thank you Jen!This week I will be sharing more gorgeous photos from this Lady and the Tramp inspired anniversary shoot but for now go take a peak at it on GWS:

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[love game] LADY GAGA wedding inspiration

It is no secret to anyone that I love myself some Lady GaGa. Like whoa. I really am a fan!So it seemed like fate when I was contacted by the fabulous Mai Hoang of Bunch Studio and Olivia Wu of Zoie Events asking if I'd like to be a part of a GAGA Wedding inspiration shoot they were creating! I said yes! And voila! Here we are today! I am sooooooo thrilled to be sharing this amazing shoot with you! So many amazing vendors put their hard work into this shoot and the details of it all still blow me away! I absolutely LOVE what we created, and  I can only hope we'd have the approval of GaGa too!!Thank you to Wedding Chicks for featuring this shoot as well!!And now let's play a love game...Our Lady GaGa model, Jessica Gabriella, served up a plate of fierceness! Rawr!The amazingly talented Amber Moon of Pitbulls & Posies created the most gagalicious stationary for the shoot!Laurie Mura of I Believe It's Cake created a jaw dropping wedding cake and cupcakes. I'm in awe!!! Look at the incredible detail! So avant-garde!Mai Hoang of Bunch Studio created the amazing florals!! I love how she incorporated these clear bubbles a la GaGa's bubble dress!In our world, GaGa has two grooms. That just seems sexier. LOL!I Believe It's Cake also created a fabulous dessert bar! LOVE it!And our GaGa had a costume change...of course!!! ;)Special thanks to all who made this shoot possible! Let the credits roll:

Event Coordination & Styling:
Olivia Wu of Zoie Events
Event Design & Florals:
Mai Hoang of Bunch Studio
Cake & Dessert Bar:
Laurie Mura of I Believe It's Cake
Hair & Make-up:
Susie Chhuor of Susie Chhuor Professional Hair & Makeup Studio
Paper Goods:
Amber Moon of Pitbulls & Posies Press
Bridal Headpieces:
Mai Hoang of Bunch Studio
Bride & Groom Jewelry:
Shop Ruche, Threadsence, various retail shops
Styling Assistant:
Mike Walrond
Models:
Jessica Gabriella
Khalif Boyd
Don Jeanes
Rentals:
Classic Party Rentals
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Serra Plaza Launch Party {Part 1}

I am always thrilled and honored when I get to photograph an event or session for someone within the wedding industry. It really makes me feel that I am a part of the SoCal wedding community-- and not just that I'm a part of the community, but that I'm respected! So when Amanda Auer of In The Now Weddings and Events asked if I could come take some pictures at the Serra Plaza Launch Party her team was throwing, I was so excited! I'm pretty sure I did a happy dance!Serra Plaza is a brand new and super GORGEOUS wedding venue in San Juan Capistrano! I love it because its so close to the mission and the old town (perfect for bride & groom pictures) and the venue itself has wonderful Mediterranean charm! It's also an outdoor venue, with areas for the ceremony and the reception, which I LOVE! If you are still looking for a venue, or have a friend who just got engaged, I suggest checking out Serra Plaza! It's fabulous!The event was a brunch, which I think is so cute! I think the idea of having a brunch wedding is fabulous! And for couples on budget who still want a fabulous wedding, having a daytime wedding can save you big bucks! ;) Brunch lends itself to some super cute ideas, and Rachel of In the Now ,who designed the whole event, really took advantage of the brunch theme! They had a gourmet coffee station set up, and also a "Mimosa Bar." Guests could help themselves to half-filled champagne glasses and then choose from various fruit juices to finish filling their glasses with! It was super cute and delicious looking!I also loved the tablescapes Rachel designed, accented with lovely florals by French Buckets! I also thought the gift boxes they made, and the floral pin-on name tags were super cute!!!Take a peek at the details I snapped!

I love that the tables were so stylish, modern and chic...but also so relaxed! Brunch should be relaxed and not too formal or stuffy. These tables are perfectly brunch chic!
Love the florals by French Buckets!!
Here are the favor boxes all the guests got to take home! Love them!!!
The event was catered by several different companies. But they all adhered to a brunch tapas theme! Love!!! Did I ever mention brunch is one of my FAVORITES?
Here's a photo of the In The Now team that I quickly snapped! Love them!!!!!
The event also had a fashion show which is what this sign refers to.....
......and I will have more photos of the models to show you on Wednesday! But for now I hope you enjoyed these lovely details!
Special thanks to all the vendors on this event:
Creative Media Print
Cynthia Bower at Classic Party Rentals
Joel at Studio EMP
Martin at Waveform Events
Sugar Tart
Vivian Tran and the All Made Up Team
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Inspired Ideas: DIY Escort Cards

One detail I absolutely LOVE to photograph at weddings is a fun escort card display table! Escort Cards are a great way to get crafty and show off your wedding style and theme! And if you ever dreamed of seeing your wedding on a big blog or {gasp} in a magazine, you should know editors LOVE cute escort card displays! So when planning your wedding don't forget to find time to make something extra special to point your guests in the direction of their seats!I have seen so many cute escort card set ups in my day, both at weddings I've shot and on the blogosphere. Here are a few of my fave DIY escort card instructions to help get your creative juices flowing!DIY MAGNET CARDS via Ruffled:DIY LIGHT BULB TERRARIUM ESCORT CARDS via Ruffled:DIY SILHOUETTE ESCORT CARDS via 100 Layer Cake:DIY ECO FRIENDLY SUCCULENT ESCORT CARDS via Wedding Chicks:These are just a few fun, stylish, cost effective DIY escort card projects for you to check out! As you can see there is an idea out there for every wedding theme & style! So get your craft on and have fun adding some uber chic details to your wedding!!

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Kentucky Derby Wedding Inspiration

Last week I posted about being featured on the front page of Wedding Chicks and how completely giddy I was over the feature! Now, finally, I'm sharing more images from the fabulous shoot with you here!! :)I was totally flattered when back in November florist extraordinaire Kate Baker asked if I could come photograph some details of an event she was working on. Though not a wedding, this event had AMAZING details and a unique Kentucky Derby theme! Honestly, there was so much inspiration to be had everywhere! I could totally see a bride getting married on a ranch, equestrian center, or country club taking some of these horse racing motifs and running with it! From the delicate florals, to the pennant escort cards, to the vintage horse racing props...every detail was thought out! I am so thankful to have been a part of this shoot and so thankful to Wedding Chicks for featuring it! I hope it will inspire many brides out there!! ;)The amazing vendors who worked on this event are:* Floral Design and Décor: Kate Baker Floral Design  www.KateBakerFlorals.com* Event Production: Kat Napolitano of Entertainment Plus Productions  www.eplusproductions.com* Stationary Design, Peilin Chen-Breller Style and Design  www.peilinbreller.comAnd without further ado...the pictures!!!

The horse-shoe shaped head table was a true show stopper, decorated with tall and low floral arrangements!

The programs were adorable! Thanks to AJ for hand modeling for me ;)

Bling, silver, delicate flowers...the event was luxe all the way!

LOVE these pennant escort cards!!

And if you haven't checked out the feature on Wedding Chicks yet, you can do so by clicking here!!
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Inspired Ideas: Color Combos with Gray!

This week's Inspired Ideas is all about COLOR!! I absolutely love bold, vibrant, colors! It's something people notice right away about my work! And nothing makes me happier than when my couples appreciates color too!These days I think in certain circles the idea of having "wedding colors" makes people groan. But as both a former bride and a wedding photographer, I can really say that picking some wedding colors is one of the best things you can do! First of all, strong color choices always look good in photos! Colorful details give photos extra pop! And as a bride, having a set of clearly defined wedding colors is awesome because it really helps to focus your decor ideas and plan thoughtful details for the day! For example, my wedding colors were tangerine, raspberry and lime green accents. I used these colors not only in my florals, linens, stationary and lighting scheme, but also was able to find small details to add to the wedding in my color scheme. My shoes were tangerine. The bridesmaids (though their dresses were black) wore raspberry colored shoes and lime green orchids in their hair! The guys wore some funky socks with pink & green in them. Little touches that helped tie everything together! So that is why I think its super smart to choose some colors for your wedding!I think the backlash against colors may be a backlash against "traditional" colors. Combos that is just a color + white/ivory or champagne or silver. I think wedding colors drum up a "un-hip" image in a lot of people's minds!And that is where this post comes in. To offer up some super modern, fresh, chic color palettes for your wedding! One of the hottest things in weddings right now is color schemes that feature gray as a neutral! I totally love this and think gray is such a classy color! So here goes, my ideas for hip wedding colors!Yellow + GrayYellow and gray is a super hip color scheme! This is a slightly different take as it brings in some orange too! I LOVE these colors together and think it could work in all seasons! Imagine having yellow tulips and daffodils or even yellow and cream roses and dahlias! Fab!!!!Navy + Mustard YellowI love these colors together because of the sharp contrast! It feels unexpected, especially for a wedding! I'm sure guests would love to see such unique colors for a wedding and would make your wedding extra memorable! Navy is pretty chic right now and I bet you could find some super cute navy bridesmaids dresses. Or the guys could wear navy suits and yellow ties which is oh-so preppy!! This color scheme could work for a beach or nautical theme wedding but equally well as a preppy wedding! I also LOVE the idea of the bride navy shoes! That would be FAB!!!Pink, yellow, gray, turquoise, purple!!This color theme is FESTIVE and FUN! It has a lightness and frivolity to it which I LOVE. I could see myself getting re-married with these colors! There are so many different themes these colors conjure in my mind-- like modern-vintage flea market chic, or a modern take on a fiesta, or even La Baroque/Marie Antoinette! Whichever way you choose to go with these colors keep it whimsical! I could see all the bridesmaids choosing their own vintage dresses, or hunting flea markets to find eclectic details for this wedding! It would be so very fun & chic!All of the palettes in these posts were made via colourlovers which is a great online resource for finding and creating color palettes!! Brides who don't have colors picked yet should def check it out!I hope this post has inspired my couples to think outside of the box when it comes to wedding colors and has brought a bit of coolness back to the idea of choosing colors for your wedding!! Happy Friday everyone! Hope y'all have fabulous weekend!!

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Inspired Ideas

This week I bring you another inspired DIY project from the ever fabulous Wedding Chicks! Its DIY ideas for how to use old-fashioned silhouette portraits as part of your wedding decor, as well as some downloadable templates!!! I am obsessed with this idea and this silhouettes are oh-so-cute and chic!There really is NO END to what you can do with the silhouette motif! You can put it on your save-the-dates, invitations, programs, menus and escort cards! You can print them and frame them in cute mix-n-match frames and hang them around your reception! You can have your cake designer incorporate them into your cake! You could even make little cookies with the motif frosted on for favors! I'm telling you the possibilities are ENDLESS. And since you can DIY most of the aforementioned ideas, it is very cost effective!The color combos that would work with this silhouette motif are also a-plenty! Anything that will look good with black and white would pretty much work. But let me suggest some chic color combos! For example gray and yellow would look fab with silhouettes! Or even black-white-yellow (see the Viceroy Palm Springs for black-white-yellow colors done CHIC). As pictured below, robin's egg blue and black look fab! But I will even go out on a limb and suggest that a deep purple with gold accents could look fab as well!Sound Inspiring? GO check out this post on the Wedding Chicks to download the templates and get even more ideas!!

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