Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Table

This gorgeous rehearsal dinner, designed by Hillary Yeager of Nashville’s Brocade Designs, makes me excited for fall which (considering how much I adore summer) really takes a lot!  Inspired by the rolling hills of Tuscany, the rich gold, currant, and rust hues work so beautifully with the wooden and crochet details.  I’m a sucker for fruit in centerpieces, and absolutely adore the grapes and apples incorporated into the arrangements, and the gorgeous greenery accents.  Thanks Hillary for sharing this beautiful event!

I hope you are loving sherbet week as much as we are!  Sherbet is such a cheerful and fun color, and I just adore how this styled brunch shoot from Ashley of CA Event Planning and Korie Lynn Photography brings it to life!  This Berry Tea Time Brunch uses just the right combination of dark and light pinks, dainty lace linen, fresh berries, and scrumptious desserts to create a tabletop and drink station full of beautiful inspiration for morning weddings.   Set in the quaint courtyard of the James Monroe Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Ashley incorporated her grandmother’s floral china, a gorgeous ruffled cake from Fat Girl Cakes, and vibrant floral from Jane Guerin, and I just love the playful and sweet end result.  Thanks ladies for sharing!

There is just so much pretty in this shoot, I’m over the moon! Kelly Maron Horvath of Paper Stories, Lauren LePine of Ryan Alexander Events, Lynn Fossbender of Pollen, Stevi Savage of AveryHouse, and Shannon Spellman of Plate have dazzled me with their interpretation of glitz and glam for the Inspired Creations Contest, it’s an absolute wonderland of handmade charm.  Mercury glass accents, mother-of-pearl buttons, satin ribbons and gilded china from Plate are just a few of the ways that the team incorporated glitter and glam into their tabletop and dessert display.  And since the Inspired Creations Contest is all about being fabulous on an approachable budget, everything from the sewn paper bunting to the ribbon table runner, escort card holder, cake topper, and even the cake itself was created by Kelly, and all of the decorative accents used in the shoot were brought in from the team’s homes and studios. 

With the world abuzz over the upcoming Royal Wedding, glamour and old world elegance are all the rage.  With this in mind, the amazing designers at Nashville’s Cedarwood and photographer Krystal Mann created an inspirational wedding scene that combines luxurious, vintage elements with today’s modern woodland style.  The Baroque inspired shoot features vintage china and gilded mirrors, and eclectic objects d’art collected from family heirlooms and flea markets.  Altered art favors, a mirror guest book, and an opulent gilded cake are a stunning contrast to the rustic, wintry landscape.  And the flowers – oh the flowers!  They are positively gorgeous, combining grapes, kiwi and papaya with assorted blooms in rich purple and green tones.  I’m completely inspired by this elegant shoot and its beautiful mix of trends old and new, and I hope you are too!

Vendors, have you formed your team for the Inspired Creations: Glitter + Glam contest yet? Cyd and I are so incredibly excited to see what you come up with!

What better time to do a little love shoot than Valentine’s Day!  Leanne and Gordon are an absolutely precious couple, and this whimsical and quirky Valentine’s engagement session in snowy Chicago suits them to a T.  Their little table for two featured raspberry tarts, blooms in the palette of kisses, romantic ribbon and adorable cross stitch messages of love.  Thanks to my lovely friends Jessie from Simply Jessie Photography and Kelly from Fleur for sharing!

I am completely head over heels for this retro modern tablescape created by the talented Latrice Cushenberry of Opulent Couturier!  Latrice, a Nashville event planner and true Southern lady, styled this beautiful yet approachable tablescape with a Coca-Cola theme, using glass Coca-Cola bottles for the centerpieces, vivid red linens, and pops of blue as an accent.

Photographer Caroline Tran calls this Saddlerock Ranch inspiration shoot—complete with a dreamy tabletop covered in driftwood, protea and colored glass—”easily one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever shot.” It’s no wonder this Malibu, California shoot is one of our favorites of the year! Caroline teamed up with Utterly Engaged magazine and So Happi Together to craft this uber-creative shoot, which was also part of one of the photographer’s recent workshops. We’ve fallen for the eclectic, mismatched vintage seating surrounding the long farmhouse table, provided by Found Vintage Rentals, and the ruffled ombre cake by A Wish and A Whisk. Oh, and the zebras! Who could resist wedding inspiration that comes with zebras?!

I couldn’t be happier about all the prettiness we’ve got today, and wait ’til you see what we’ve got now! This gorgeous styled shoot was created by Imoni Events who incorporated personal and creative details with stunning florals by Petal Pusher. I was swoooning over the colorful palette of pinks and peaches with bright pops of tangerine and I absolutely adore the Southwestern goodness in the backdrop of Royal Palms Resort and Spa. Climbing vines, gorgeous fountains, and old trees? Yes please! Oh how I love this whole shoot and all the photos by Melissa Jill Photography. Hope you enjoy it too!

If 2011 was the year of rustic chic, 2012 is going to be the year of elegance and glam. This stunning shoot from Katelyn James Photography is the epitome of classic, baroque beauty and I am completely head over heels in love with the gorgeous details… the gilded pear place cards, the fabulous centerpieces from Janie Medley Flora Design that incorporate pomegranates and cabbage, the ornate framed table number and delicate, colorful china – it’s all perfection!

Inspired by a peacock feather, these jewel-toned tabletops designed by Beth of SQN Events are the perfect combination of elegant and modern.  Whether you’re planning a wedding or a party, jewel tones set the stage for a fabulous urban holiday soiree, and the gorgeous purple, red, and green palette is brought to life by the modern blooms from Dilly Lily.  Ribbon-wrapped menus and favor boxes with touches of swirling calligraphy add an elegant touch to the wedding tabletop while “naughty” and “nice” gift boxes add cheeky punch to the holiday tablescape.  The scrumptious sweets table and 4-tier truffle cake from Truffle Truffle is a fun and unique alternative to a traditional cake.  I’m in love with all of the colorful images from Maypole Studios!

I love the delicate, romantic feel of ombre elements, and this gorgeous inspiration shoot from Eventity Inc highlights ombre in the most beautiful way!  The Darlington House in La Jolla was the backdrop for a beautiful bridal look and tablescape in a classic pink, white, and sage color palette. The fresh, clean tabletop features flowers from Sweet Pea Flower Company and soft ombre menus and place cards from Cali Cards, and to top it off there is the most amazing cake from Hey There Cupcakes! Sit back and enjoy the fabulous images from Bryan N. Miller Photography!

I love fall weddings, especially when there are unique and fun autumn elements that are outside of the traditional norm.  This fabulous inspiration shoot from Lisa Martin Bloomsberry Floral and Sara Gray Photography brings a modern spin to the fall wedding, showcasing a color palette of vivid orange and yellow paired with kraft paper brown, and fun and unique details including a beer and nut bar, apple place cards, and a recycled beer bottle centerpiece!  The beautiful models show off two bridal looks – one classic and one soft and playful, and what better accessory for bridesmaids than bright yellow Hunter boots?

Remember when we wrote that we were gaga for chevron?   Well if that didn’t convince you that chevron is the hottest pattern going, this lovely inspiration shoot from Jamie Sears of Simply Chic Events will!  Jamie set out to create a beautiful styled shoot that featured both an engagement picnic and a tabletop, showing how you can take a simple motif and tie together your entire series of wedding events.  Blue chevron makes a repeat appearance here, from the napkins, to the stationery and signage, to the gorgeous table’s runner.  Sit back and enjoy the beautiful images from Holland Photo Arts and the sweet southern setting of Charlottesville’s Clifton Inn!

Today is such a fun day for me because I get to show off my very first designed shoot! I was so thrilled when Sara Gray asked me to create a shoot for her latest MarryThis! wedding guide, and immediately enlisted the amazing Kelly Marie Uss of Fleur to join in to help me style a romantic summer wedding shoot, full of vibrant colors and elegant and fluffy blooms. I love trends, but wanted to take a few of the design trends that are popular today, such as vintage china and lace, and use them in a way that was classic and timeless, a wedding that would stay fresh and inspiring for years to come. We chose the absolutely fabulous Aeree Loft at Room 1520 as our venue, its clean white walls and amazing light were the perfect backdrop!

I hope you are loving the Inspired Creations Contest concepts so far and that they are giving you many creative and budget-friendly ideas for your wedding!  Today’s concept from the Portland, OR team of Rachael Hershmann from Lace and Likes, Debbie Dennis from Bridalhood, Marigold Vintage Rentals and Benjamin Edwards features a vintage and feminine gold and pink tablescape and beverage station incorporating champagne, ostrich plumes and lots of sparkly details!

From the metal-topped table to the wire baskets and architectural florals and containers, this Inspired Creations Contest concept is more downtown city glitter than feminine and girly, and I am utterly in love.  Studio28 Photo, The Stylish Soiree, Krista Jon, Archive Vintage Rentals and Ashley Zwar have created a modern, industrial take on glitz and glam with this peach, ivory, and black tabletop.  A black sequin table runner (black sequin is the new it fabric, ya’ll!) creates a dark and dramatic backdrop for the striking centerpiece of airplants, bromeliads, peachy tulips, garden roses, hydrangea, anemones, and reindeer moss.

I just adore seeing the different ways that the Inspired Creations Contest teams interpret glitz and glam!  Today’s Portland, Oregon team of Fleur:ology, Diana Marie Photography, Paper Bloom and Le Cookie Monkey chose a color palette of deep pinks, purples, and warm metallics and created a positively amazing dessert display and tablescape spending only $90 on materials.  Yes, you read that right!  There are a lot of DIY elements in the design, which makes this wedding concept easy for anyone to obtain with a little bit of creativity, personalization and lots of spray paint!

A 19th century private residence in Maine is the elegant backdrop for this lovely wedding shoot. Sarah Goodwin of Daisies & Pearls brought the natural beauty of the setting inside with rustic wood, natural fibers, wintry white, icy blue and glistening silver. A cozy tabletop with handmade linens held mercury glass vases and antique blue bottles wrapped with silver thread, filled with white stock, tulips, orchids, carnations, dusty miller, and dried berries. The accompanying stationery created by Fourth & Folded is nestled in a muslin pocket and packaged with gorgeous calligraphy, and keeping with the wintry theme, the guest book is fabric squares to be made into a quilt. Oh and there are fabulous and yummy desserts, and puppies! View even more of & unlimited‘s images from this lovely winter shoot in the gallery!

Nothing makes me happier than beautiful flowers, so naturally, I adore this rich, colorful tabletop from Seattle-based florist McKenzie Powell Designs.  McKenzie found the fabric for the tablecloth at an estate sale and built the table around it, with fresh white china and taper candles set against cheery pops of yellow, pink and coral.  The lush centerpiece of garden roses, acacia, ranunculus, hellebores, and maidenhair fern is a perfect match for the fabric, and yummy shortbread cookie favors finish off each place setting.  I love the end result, which is romantic and so eye-catching!