Hello Lucky! 10% Off Discount Code

If you want a little break for the wallet on some seriously pretty paper goods - invites, save-the-dates, menus, escorts, thank you cards...etc. - take advantage of a sweet little 10% off deal from one of my favorite stores Hello Lucky!.

Use discount code SWOON2011 to receive 10% off your purchase (expires 12/31/2011).

Here are some of my favorite Fall invitations suites:

Heirloom Harvest

Visit San Francisco

Orchid

Happy shopping!!

Signature Cocktail Inspired by the Fall Season - Apple Pie

I can't believe it's almost November (it feels like we were just having our April showers yesterday!) which means we're in full swing of everything Fall. Gorgeous harvest produce, tree leaves turning beautiful colors, the evening chill and talk of the holidays.

Some of my most favorite weddings happen in the Fall with color schemes of neutral tones and browns with pops of orange, red and yellow. Warm soups made from harvest squash, salads with delicious apples and warm nuts, and dinners of roasted game and root vegetables. Meals that warm us inside made from generational recipes. That's my kind of Fall. 

If you know me, you know by now that I love a good Signature Cocktail. When it comes to selecting a cocktail for your wedding day, always select what is in season. Seasonal ingredients are going to be the most delicious and cost-effective, and whatever you do, don't be afraid of being creative with the presentation. After all, weddings are all about the details. 

Here is a fabulous Fall inspired cocktail to serve at a wedding or any Fall celebration or party:

Apple Pie Cocktail

Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 apple slices
• 1/2 oz. agave nectar
• 1 pinch Apple Pie Spice (store-bought in the spice section)
• 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 oz. Core vodka (Hudson Valley Apples)
• Thinly sliced red apple, for garnish

Directions:

• Muddle apple slices in agave, spice, and lemon juice.
• Add ice and vodka and shake well.
• Strain over ice in an old-fashioned glass.
• Garnish with thinly sliced red apple.

Enjoy!!

Bridal Fashion 2012 - Fav Designer Gowns & Major Trends

In September, top designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Armani, Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, Badgley Mischka and Carolina Herrera, worked overtime by debuting not only their seasonal fashion collections, but bridal collections as well. Bridal is fashion and a bride's wedding gown sets the tone and style of her wedding and these designers really set the trends for each season.

It was evident through the unveiling of their Spring 2012 collections that top designers were more inspired than usual by their robust lines of beautifully handmade couture gowns. Each season we expect around twelve to fifteen gowns per collection, but designers such as Monique Lhuillier and Oscar de la Renta exceeded the norm by putting out collections around twenty to twenty-five gowns. All amazing, completely cohesive and incredibly unique.

Here are the top bridal trends heading into 2012:

Color.
Heading into 2012, the big trend in bridal is color. Gowns of lilac, blush, peach, honey and sage are huge this coming year. I know this sounds super scary to traditional brides, but once you see these amazing pieces, there will be no doubt in any body's mind who the bride is on her big, regardless of color.

Illusion Neck Line.
Kate Middleton's dress at her Royal Wedding no doubt executed this trend exceptionally well by Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton. It's all about sophistication and regality in this detail but still adds a touch of sheer sexiness. The illusion style, in which a sheer, delicate, and often embellished layer of fabric veils skin that would otherwise be exposed.

Two Tiered Skirt.
This season, designers focused on hemlines, creating skirts with two distinct tiers. Call it an exaggerated form of the peplum detail from previous seasons, and this time, it's superflattering—the top tier is a genius way to camouflage wider hips.

Extra Voluminous Ballgown Skirts.
Brides who love the traditional ballgown are in for a big treat this coming season, and when we say big, we mean it. Ballgowns are exceptionally full in 2012 so if you are looking to make a princess statement, this is your year to do so.

Here are my favorite dresses by style from top designers' Spring 2012 collections recently debuted! I can't wait to see some of my brides in them next season... yay!

Favorite Ballgowns:

Ines de Santo

Marchesa

Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuillier

Oscar de la Renta

Vera Wang

Favorite Trumpets:

Ines de Santos

Amsale

Oscar de la Renta

Vera Wang

Favorite A-Line:

Marchesa

Monique Lhuillier

Monique Lhuiller

Amsale

Favorite Sheaths:

Lazaro

Monique Lhuillier

Temperley London

{Engagement Shoot} Yaxi & Kai

Photo by Delbarr Moradi

Now that this year's wedding season is winding down, we are starting to gear up on our 2012 couples' big days. Finally a chance to relax and take some time off, right? Ummmm....not even close.  I am neck deep in planning documents, attending tons of design meetings, taking commuter calls between venue tours and performing client reviews seven days a week. Exhausting, right? Maybe sometimes, but this is why we do what we do - each client inspires us by their own unique charm and personalities and we can't wait to create an amazing wedding day that defines them as a couple. On average, we spend over 200 hours working with each set of clients and we get to know them very well. By the time their wedding day comes, they are like family.

Yaxi and Kai are clients of ours who are getting married at the beautiful Holman Ranch next May. These two are probably two of the sweetest people on the planet. When I say sweet, they are just that - they love to laugh, they love being with each other and are so easy to be with. They also love sweets with a passion. I think I witnessed Kai eat an entire 6" Red Velvet cake by himself during our cake tasting! Needless to say, I didn't need to make a note on that flavor.

One of my most favorite pre-wedding day milestones is receiving my couples' engagement photos from our photographer team. We have contracted the AMAZING (I wish I could bold that, like, a million times) Delbarr Moradi as their photographer. If you haven't heard of Delbarr's work yet, don't worry, you will very soon. She's a great friend, artist and a seriously rising star in this very competitive wedding industry. I am excited that we're working with each other so much in the coming year! She was able to capture the sweetness between our couple so well in their engagement shoot sample below. To view the entire collection, you may see them on the Studio Moradi's BLOG here.

Enjoy!

Photo credit: Delbarr Moradi

Amazing Deals on Amazing Paper Goods

If you are engaged and starting to look for your perfect invitations and save-the-dates, then right now you're in for a treat.

One of my favorite stationary stores in San Francisco, Union Street Papery, and one of my favorite online shopping channels, Gilt City, are offering deals on some great stuff.

If you are unfamiliar with Union Street Papery, I'm excited to introduce you. This gorgeous boutique is known as one of the best resources to find the perfect wedding invitation suite (they not only offer great quality but also unsurpassed customer service) in San Francisco. Located in the trendy Marina district, they have a gorgeous little store with an even more precious wedding boutique so couples can browse through some seriously stunning lines of invites in private. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Ask for our favorite consultant, Nichele, she's amazing and will no doubt help find you the most perfect suite that fits your style and budget while providing expert advice on colors, patterns and textures.

For a limited time, they are offering a generous discount on some of their best lines of stationary. See their offering below.

By now if you're not familiar with Gilt, then you are missing out on one of the best opportunities to score on some outrageous designer stuff at a fraction of the original price. With the expansion of Gilt City, people are know able to purchase high-end services and attend industry events that reflect that same lifestyle without paying the high-end price.

For a limited time, Gilt City is offering a 50% discount on all Minted.com products through their website if you are a member. The deal is good until October 27, 2011.

Real Wedding {Ashley & Dave}: Vintage Estates, Yountville, CA

As a wedding planner, I get to work with some of the most amazing people, creative vendors and at some of the most beautiful places, and when all three elements align for one wedding, that's when wedding magic really happens. That magic I'm referring to is exactly the magic that this enchanting wedding at Vintage Estates in Napa's wine country was made of.

It's apparent that this couple is just absolutely gorgeous. It's also apparent how in love this couple is, but it's very rare to find a couple who's inner beauty rivals their external beauty which shines so brightly in Ashley and Dave. Dave is grounded, genuine and adores Ashley. He truly cared about all the details that went into planning the wedding and provided great value and support during the entire process. Most of all, you could tell how important it was for him that Ashley was happy. Ashley, by far, one of my favorite brides of all time, really is the girl that everyone wants to be best friends with. She's self-deprecating, calm, happy, has great sense of style and really truly makes you feel like you are part of her family. As a couple, they were an absolute dream to work with. After meeting them, you know that their upbringing obviously is a big part of who they are and how they became the incredible people they are. Upon meeting Ashley's parents, I knew instantly where she got her loving, caring and grounded personality, values and physical beauty from.

With that said, this wedding was not themed by an era, a style or a trend, it was much more than that, it was themed by Ashley's Italian heritage and family values that she was brought up with. It was about who she was, who her parents are and what she and Dave were building together - family, style, sophistication, class and overall, a beautiful life.

My favorite quote of the evening came from Ashley's father's welcome speech just before the start of dinner when he said, "When Dave came to ask my permission to marry Ashley, I told him, "I might as well knight you now" since he wanted to take my princess away." It was truly a special moment for any wedding.

The color palette for this affair was white, kiwi green and cobalt blue, but most importantly, the symbolic icon of the wedding was the olive branch. To put the theme in motion, an impressive cocktail hour display was created using imported olive oil in custom bottles with custom labels and tags that acted as escort cards and guest favors nestled in rustic wooden crates. Also, the over sized white dinner chargers on the tablescapes had an olive tree branch impressed on the top which added a beautiful touch.

The event design was all about simplicity, clean lines, perfectly manicured floral treatments and personal touches. Classic Party Rentals did an amazing job with providing beautiful white modern furniture in the form of chaise lounges, couches and ottomans that really made all the floral treatments designed in a spectrum of green and ivory stand out. We also loved the pop of cobalt blue that was provided in the wedding party's attire.

One of my favorite elements in the wedding was the Historic Barrel Room for the dancing reception. Over 400 votive candles were used to create an amazingly romantic glow throughout the brick room and the outdoor lawn that we transformed into a cigar lounge equipped with an espresso bar, cigar bar, cordials bar, photo booth and picture screening slideshow of the couple.

In the end, the bride's mother said it best, "All this is just fluff, it's beautiful fluff, but nothing compares to the beautiful smile on my daughter's face when she walked down the aisle."

As I said before, it was pure wedding magic.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Kurpinsky!

Vendor Credits:
Wedding Planning: Simone Lennon, Soiree by Simone
Photography: Enluce Photography
Videography: Alex Keyes, Thomas Hughes Films
Floral Design: Karen Baba, Plan Decor
Ceremony Venue: Mt. La Salle Church, Napa
Reception Venue: Vintage Estates at Villagio Inn & Spa, Yountville
Catering: Villagio Inn & Spa
Reception Music: Denon & Doyle
Cocktail Reception Music: Garden String Quartet
Rentals & Linens: Classic Party Rentals
Cake: Forget Me Nots Bakery
Chocolate Fountain: The Chocolate Curtain