Earlier this year Mayra had the pleasure of being a Maid of Honor at her friend Michelle’s wedding out in Napa Valley.  Being an MOH has a lot of responsibilities for the average bear, but for Mayra, being in the business, the pressure was on to assist Michelle in making her wedding to Davide something really special.  We were so excited to see it featured on Style Me Pretty today!   They knew they wanted to have the it in California, and turned to The Careneros Inn in Napa as the perfect backdrop for her modern and gorgeous orange and white wedding.

With the venue secured, Michelle and Mayra worked on her invitations.  Since we retail Smock, and Michelle knew she loved their gorgeous, customizable letterpress invites, it seemed a natural fit.  The orange in the invite and the elegant, muted textured border played themselves out in her textured white on white table runners and orange bows binding the napkins.  Her bridal party was decked out in White (a plan before laid out before Pippa went down the aisle before her sister) and the stunning bride and groom were classic as well as stylish.  A special thanks to Angy Silva for these gorgeous photos.  To see more of this inspiring wedding, click here!

When we first met Marni, because she and her fiance Josh were living in Sydney at the time, we had actually already booked the fabulous Locusts on Hudson venue. So, months later when she was in town we finally had a chance to really sit down and talk about HOW we were going to make this amazing venue reflect their personal style. Once we got a glimpse into Marni and Josh’s cool, easy-going and slightly quirky style, we knew exactly what direction to take the design of the event. Something with some fun, surprise elements, while at the same time being beautiful and unpretentious.
The design started out as this mood board:
And with months of detailed collaboration with our seamstress, an intense relationship with Ebay and the collaborative  team of vendors including Sperry Tents, Luminous Lighting, Party Rental LTD and most ESPECIALLY Meredith of Regas New York  we were able to create what you see below.  I really can’t thank Regas enough because they took the time to hand screen EACH and every single table’s 8′ runner with the SPECTACULAR menu that we created with Great Performances.

It was critical to Josh and Marni that we have as much Farm to Table food as possible and Great Performances created a series of food flights with as many ingredients from their nearby Katchkie Farm as possible.  Marni’s brother, an industrial designer, made the amazing table numbers and we used the fabrics from the napkins and the chuppah to create boards to display the escort cards calligraphed by Laura Hooper Calligraphy. This is probably one of my favorite tents… because it actually FELT magical inside. Another thanks to Melanie and Justin at Stillmotion.
Later, I’ll show you some of the CRAZY fun we had during the reception and the after party at the spectacular Barn on the property.  This was a weekend I know we’ll never forget!

So I keep getting everyone near and dear to me to re-read One Hundred Years of Solitude. You need to give it a chance as an adult to understand the crazy and cyclical life of the Buendia family in Macondo. It makes me think of bold colors, drama, and family. This is how I think it would translate to wedding!

From Left to Right, an Anne Bowen sexy short gown, oranges under a bouganvillea tree, a Colombian village, Simon Bolivar, hairstyle at Carolina Herrera runway show, Ines Di Santo gown, Latina Bride stock photo, US Angels flower girl dress,  Talvera tiles from Laura Hooper Calligraphy, Preston Bailey design/Marcy Blum Event, Paloma Blanca Mantilla veil.

I had a real Angel Orensanz day yesterday. I heard from a client who married there in 2009 and just had an adorable baby boy, a bride who was married there in December and who is now just my friend, AND from a caterer who wanted my opinion about a floorplan in the space. Now, I love the space, so I was so happy to have spent the day thinking about it! Now let me tell you about a couple who were married there last January.

I first met Margaret in the lobby of the Bowery Hotel and loved her from the start. She was sweet and easy going, knew what she liked, and wanted to make sure that their families felt a part of the celebration. The couple already had a date and venue and although both were from the South, they had dated and  fallen in love  in the city, and wanted this to be the backdrop for their wedding day.

So how do you make sure that your mom knows she is a part of the process even if the wedding is far from home? First, Margaret made sure to use her mothers trip wisely. Her visits were carefully planned and activities were arranged to make the best use of her time. Sample, tastings, and visits to the venue were all done during these trips. Her mom was able to meet all of the vendors and develop relationships with everyone. By the end of the planning process, we were speaking to her as much as we were speaking to the bride!

One thing that the couple did totally on their own was plan their ceremony. Not only did they want it to reflect the two of them, but they also wanted to keep their guests entertained. It was one of the most personalized and memorable wedding ceremonies I have ever witnessed. First, to acknowledge their families, they had all of their family members walk down the aisle in the processional. A gospel choir serenaded their guests with the couple favorite songs.

Readings? No, this couple opted to have their “toasts” during the ceremony! Now, I know, that is a big ask of your best man and maid of honor…but they came through in the clutch. No major teasing or roasting here,  just two people(who happened to be their siblings) sharing the best things about the bride and groom and sharing how blessed they felt to be sharing in the day. Xochitl is usually the crier here, but I must admit that my eyes did get a bit teary.

Now when it comes to personalizing a day I always think of food. Is that because I am always hungry? Leslie from Marcey Brownstein Catering helped us put together a menu that incorporated some of the foods that satisfied the couples more adventurous palate, while incorporating Southern comfort food. Yum, I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

When it came to decor, Margaret knew that she wanted to incorporate Magnolias. Her parents had Magnolia trees outside their Georgia home and the were a taste of home. When we began the process, the bride’s mom (Mrs. B) put together a floral arrangement of her own using the leaves from her tree. We used that as the main inspiration for the centerpieces.

Our wedding version blew the couple (and her mom) away!

I told you we took Mom seriously! Despite being a rather larger wedding (over 200) the space felt intimate while still allowing us a very large dance floor. The bride and her mother personally wrote out each and every place card. Lots of work? Yes, but a great personal touch…if you have nice handwriting!

Now, to complete the day, the couple wanted to surprise their guests with a special performance. What better than a little break dancing action to get the party started?

Thanks to Maggie Marguerite for the wonderful photos. Happy Anniversary to Margaret & Ted!

Ladies, if this past weekend was any indicator of what lies ahead in the world of wedding, then you are all going to start to see green! We were bombarded with this often forgotten wedding color all weekend long, from the worlds of entertainment & sport.

First, the Jets (yeay Mark Sanchez) and the Green Bay Packers advanced in the NFL playoffs. Xochitl has long predicted that this would be an “all green Super Bowl”*, and it seems that she is right on track.

Later at the Golden Globes, emerald gowns lit the red carpet.

Now, how does one use green at a wedding? Carefully! Green is a tricky color for bridesmaids, but I think that if you opt to go that route, this emerald shade is flattering for brunettes and redheads. My Tia Concha had emerald green bridesmaid dresses when she was married (and I wore an awesome flower girl outfit that I rocked!) and all of her ‘maids, including my mom, looked fabulous in the color. So if you are ethnic and have an olive skin tone, this jewel tone works ladies.

Below are some other ways that we have used green in the past. The one thing to remember is NEVER to use it in your lighting package. Green is not a color that flatters when it comes to lighting.

Serah rocked a green bouquet with her dress. So stylish was she, that she was featured in The Knot’s Style file column!

We used green at Raquel and Josh’s ceremony. The punch of color photographed beautifully.

Here are some Emerald detail shots taken from Bride’s online.

Your thoughts on green?

*As a side note, if you ever meet Xochitl or if you know her, you should get her to start talking about sports. My boyfriend and I make her pick football teams every week and she does so by choosing what teams wears color she feels makes them feel better about themselves. I could honestly spend all day listening to her rationale. PRICELESS.