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This morning, Kathy sent over her favorite images from her modern yet rustic wedding. This is the bride who sent me a dozen delectable cupcakes a few weeks ago which I devoured, causing me by necessity to start a “sit-up challenge” with Joe (200 situps and 50 back exercises every night, or else!!!) Anyway, I digress.
Gabriel Ryan explored all the nooks and crannies at the charming French Estate, and used them as quirky backdrops for their images. I just love their vibrant, playful shots! Kerrie from Platinum Weddings by Kerrie was on point, as always.
My sister is a breath of fresh spring air -she’s adorable, outgoing, feminine, stylish, and my hero in many ways. As the matron of honor for her upcoming wedding, I was delighted to collaborate with the bridesmaids and throw a simple but lovely spring shower for my big sis. I’m no stranger to weddings, but we all were clueless about throwing a bridal shower. Planning a shower is not so intimidating once you break it down and delegate jobs according to each bridesmaid’s talents and gifts.
Annaliza and my husband Joe reunited via Facebook (I’m still holding out). They were in high school band together, during those strange teenage years, when Joe rocked a ponytail way longer than mine. As they caught up online, Joe told her that his wife (moi) owns a floral studio and that she should check out T-Petal for her upcoming wedding. Turns out, she had already stumbled upon my website online and was already planning on contacting me! Another coincidence- she had already booked my fabulous wedding photographer and good friend, Trista Lerit, to shoot her wedding at one of my favorite venues, Falkner Winery in Temecula. Needless to say, I’ve been anticipating this wedding for many months.
Their color scheme was ultra dramatic -rich shades of burgundy, wine and deep purple, contrasting with shots of chartreuse and fuchsia. The look was abundant, overgrown, wild and moody. We wanted guests to feel like they were at a lavish destination wedding far away in Italy.
Here is a sneak peek of the photos, courtesy of Trista Lerit. Not only is Trista an absolute delight to work with, but she takes the most striking, unique and colorful images. I knew she would capture all the love, joy and energy perfectly.
The sheer fabric on the arch was billowing oh-so beautifully in the wind. The ceremony spot at Falkner is just breathtaking. You stare out onto rolling hills of grapevines and other wineries in the distance.
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Mondays are generally my catch-up days. I try to do as little business stuff as possible and focus on cleaning my house, grocery shopping, paying bills, taking my dogs hiking, etc. Since I’m in a catching-up mood, there are a few things I promised to blog about and never did, so here it is in a condensed version!
1. I picked a bridesmaid dress for my sis’s wedding! Actually, I picked 2. Then I returned 1.
The delightful Amy of Amy Squires Photography sent over some more stellar images from Nichole and Mike’s red, turquoise and black wedding. I can’t get over how striking the color combo was- the fiery, moody reds against cool teal was so sassy. The black made it edgy (and not too patriotic.) After the wedding, Nichole’s mom told me she was a bit wary of the funky color scheme, but was beyond thrilled when she saw it all come together on the wedding day. Thanks to Amy Squires for sharing these gorgeous images!
One day I wrote a comment on Jasmine Star’s blog in response to a beautiful “Anytime” session she shot. I told her that I was so gaga over those cheerful, sassy shots, that maybe sometime I would be brave enough to do an Anytime shoot of my own! Well, seriously 3 seconds later, I received an excited email from Jasmine saying something like “Just got your blog comment. Let’s do it! It’ll be ultra fab!” Despite the fact that I usually feel awkward and stiff in front of the camera, I trusted Jasmine to make me look ultra fab.
I ran into JD and Polo (Jasmine’s hubby and puppy) at the dog park one night, and I asked him where I should do the shoot. JD said I should choose somewhere that is meaningful to me. Right away I remembered my favorite place to hang out as a kid- my childhood friend Julie’s backyard in Modjeska Canyon. Modjeska Canyon is a charming oasis in the middle of O.C. It is a small town and everyone knows each other. There are foothills, horses, creeks, trees and tire swings. There are hiking trails and old silver mines. This was my only taste of the great outdoors as a kid growing up in a manicured, gated community in Orange. We used to play in the treehouse and send messages in a bottle down the creek -all that idyllic kid stuff.
Julie’s parents’ eco-friendly garden was named best garden of 2008 by Roger’s Garden and featured in the LA Times. When the wildfires hit the canyons last year, Julie’s parents had to evacuate and weren’t sure if their house would still be standing when they returned. They were more crushed by the idea of losing their garden than losing their house.
Here are some favorites from Jasmine’s teaser:
Mercury glass, also known as “poor man’s silver”, is clear glass coated with a solution of silver nitrate and grape sugar to produce a mirror-like finish. Over time, the silver coating chips and flakes off, giving it that old, tarnished look that I adore for vintage-inspired weddings. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for authentic mercury glass (up to 1000 buckaroos for a single vase)! Even faux mercury glass can be pretty pricey to use for a one-day event. But boy is it gorgeous.
For Julia and James’ whimsical wedding, my mission was to track down over 50 various mercury glass bowls and vases in curvy, antique looking shapes. As I searched my favorite glass wholesalers, I was disappointed with the puny selection. Most of them were completely sold out or lame looking (for example, the shapes were modern cylinders, not at all reminiscent of the ornate mercury glass vessels from the 1800s, or the paint strokes were machine-made and too “perfect” looking.) Panic ensued.
I decided I would buy as many good reproductions as I could get my hands on. I found 15 gorgeous hurricanes at Pier 1.
In a post long ago I included this rough doodle of a fun idea to display escort cards:
Each guest would have a teeny tiny container filled with their own special arrangement. It would be an escort card and wedding favor in one. I just love all things tiny. Well, the incredible calligrapher Lisa of Pen and Ink saw the sketch and thought my idea should be brought to life. She offered her help and promptly sent me beautifully scripted escort cards to use for my mini-baby project. Thanks so much, Lisa!
At the flower mart, I scooped up some yellow daffodils, acacia, navy blue privet berries, spray roses, billy balls and delicate lily of the Nile. I purchased tiny flower pots (about 1.5 inches tall), lined them with cellophane (water tends to leak through the terra cotta pots leaving discoloration) and stuffed them with a bit of wet floral foam. I then created mini arrangements with the cutesy spring flowers. These would be adorable in mossy boxes, as shown, or at each place setting.
My favorite detail from Julia and James’ wedding was the cake table. When the cake delivery man arrived, an inspired Angel said, “What if you just put the cake on top of some books?” He thought it was a little strange, but he did, and it looked perfect!
Back in my UC Berkeley days, Angel and I would often escape to Mondo Gelato (now called Gelateria Naia) to indulge in rose flavored gelato. I clearly remember its delicate flavor, aroma, and perfect bubble gum pink color… if love had a flavor, it would be rose gelato. So when Angel, wedding planner extraordinaire, used such terms as “rose gelato”, “pink grapefruit juice”, and “lemonade” to describe Julia and James’ wedding colors, I knew this would be a sweet affair! Pair those bright colors with cool grey, and we had the perfect color palette.
Julia and James were so mellow and open to ideas. The decor would be charming, whimsical, and unique, aka Martha Stewart approved. 
Both Julia and James are writers, so they wanted to creatively incorporate books and writing into the decor wherever possible.
After meeting up with them, I sketched out a few ideas for their centerpieces:
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Kristin Brancaleone, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Vendor: Floral Designer
Website: The Treasured Petal
About Me: The Treasured Petal is a reflection of my love for scrumptious flowers, yummy textures, colors, ribbons, and all the other girly splurges that being a florist allows me to enjoy on a daily basis. Although I don't discriminate when it comes to flowers, my two favorites would have to be cattleya orchids and gloriosa lilies, which I carried in a ginormous bouquet on my wedding day. When I'm not crafting wedding florals and consulting with brides, I am usually at the dog park with my dogs Pesto and Basil, cooking healthy vegan dinners, watching Seinfeld with my husband Joe, at Bible study, or scouring craigslist for antique furniture to fill up my new house. I am also kind of a home-body and really love sipping tea in my pajamas while working my way down my google reader blog list!
