Cupcake Topping Bar via {Green Wedding Shoes}

One of my favorite blogs, {Green Wedding Shoes}, posted an awesome idea! A cupcake topping bar! I have seen ice cream/frozen yogurt bars and cupcakes have become such a hit lately that I think this is a great twist on that to make it unique. Nicely done {Enjoy Cupcakes}! Check out all of their impressive 129 flavors!

Shabby Chic Flag Banners!

These whole fabric and paper flag banner things have become such a trend lately - I figured it was time to finally do a post on them. Here are some of my faves. I love this shabby chic style that can be customized for any event :) I am just wondering...is it overdone? Is it a trend that will die out?

Los Olivos Wedding

Those who know me well, know that I LOVE the color grey :) Black, white and grey make up much of my wardrobe and as far as home decorating goes, I tend to stick to neutrals for the most part. When I read that this bride's favorite color was grey, it explained why I fell in love with the decor of {this wedding} and the choice of colors used. It was a perfect mix of elegant contemporary and rustic vintage. From the the incredibly unique chandelier, lace table runners and fabric/ribbon covered candle holders to the place setting numbers and menus. My favorite part of all was the fact that the bridesmaid dresses were not only each different, but they were actually all white! It is usually considered a huge fashion faux pas to wear white as a guest to a wedding let alone those standing up with the bride and groom! I thought it was an absolutely beautiful decision and turned out looking amazing with all the different styles and textures of each dress. Thank you {Style Me Pretty} for always featuring such amazing events that are truly masterpieces.

Calligraphy Stamps!

Today while I was at the gym, reading through this month's Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (because I'm obsessed with weddings), I came across an article about the wonderful world that is Etsy.com. This month is dedicated to DIY weddings and one of the Etsy items they talked about in the article was {Emilie Friday}. I LOVE, LOVE , LOVE these! Such a beautiful alternative to traditional calligraphy. Here are some stamps from Emilie Friday as well as {Primele}. In addition to the calligraphy stamps, check out some of the other {Etsy.com Shops} featured in the magazine.

Kate & Breigha's Save the Dates

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with a friend of mine from grade school/high school. who is getting married! I designed, printed, and assembled their Save the Dates. They were so easy to work with and I truly appreciate the opportunity to have been able to do this for them. Here is a bit of the process we went through until selecting the final design they wanted to go with. Aside from the Save the Date cards, I designed and printed custom wrap-around mailing labels. The backings and the envelopes were made made with hydro-electricity with a chlorine free process and 30% post-consumer waste. I look forward to working more with them in the coming months! Congrats you two :)

EAT DRINK PRETTY Dessert Table

Ok, so clearly I absolutely LOVE dessert tables as you can tell. Here is yet another beautiful spread by {Eat Drink Pretty} found at {Style Me Pretty}. From the plates, cake stands and vases to the the desserts and the use of flowers...it is so elegant. I love the vintage touch :) This table was done in celebration of Eat Drink Pretty's blogiversary!

Bridal Shower Dessert Table!

I had the pleasure of designing Bridal Shower invitations, design elements throughout the shower, and of course my favorite part...baking for and putting together the Dessert Table :) This was a great experience, a first for me, doing much more than just cupcakes. It was a lot of work...I think I am still recovering and trying to catch up on rest...but it was well worth it. Congrats Kristina! Can't wait for the wedding!

The New Mr. & Mrs. McElveny

A few weeks ago I wrote about the {dessert table} I did for my good friends Natalie & Garret's wedding on the beautiful Central Coast. These GORGEOUS amazing photos were taken by {Jake}, Necia and Steven of {Mike Larson Photography}. Jake and Necia also shot their {engagement pictures} a while back. Natalie and Garret's eye for beautiful design and talent was evident throughout. From the arch at the ceremony that was designed and built by Garret himself, to all the awesome DIY aspects of the reception. Their style and their love came through crystal clear that day :) It was one AWESOME party as usual guys!

Anyone who just got engaged, getting married, or want pictures taken for any other reason...I would highly recommend them...however my recommendation is not really as important as what the photos themselves say about their skill and talent! Yet another beautiful wedding captured guys :)

Natalie & Garret's Wedding Dessert Table :)

So this was my first time doing a dessert table set-up for a wedding :) What better than doing it for the wedding of a close friend!

With beautiful table runners made by the bride's mother, awesome DIY cake stands and framed chalkboards made by the bride herself, San Luis Obispo's Cowboy Cookies, a delicious chocolate cake from Claim Jumper that I decorated with flowers, and 188 cupcakes I made and decorated myself...it all came together nicely in the end :) I had so much fun baking and decorating all of them then finding a way to arrange the whole table to make it all work together. Made me really want to do this for a living...ah...someday :)

The beautiful photographs were taken by {Jake and Necia Odening} from {Mike Larson Photography}. They do incredible work - check back in a few days for some gorgeous photos taken from the whole wedding!

Frosting Practice for Wedding Cupcakes!

A close friend of mine is getting married at the end of the month and I am so excited! Obviously I am excited for them to be embarking on their lifelong journey together, but I am also excited to be making the cupcakes for the reception! The cupcake recipe was set and we were discussing the frosting, both of us agreeing that regular buttercream frosting is pretty sub-par. After some research, she came across a recipe for {Swiss Buttercream} on one of my favorite blogs {Smitten Kitchen}. Though we are going to experiment with adding some flavor, I made my first attempt at making Swiss Buttercream and it was a success! Mmmmm buttery goodness :)

LoBoheme ~ Vintage Inspired Hair Accessories

These elegant vintage inspired hair accessories are becoming more and more popular and I love them more each time I see them! Here is a collection from {LoBoheme}, a small design team in San Diego (wife, husband, and dog), Lauren (Lo), Josh, and Tank Christensen. Lo is the designer and takes care of the creative end of Lo Boheme, with the inspiration and technological savvy coming from her sweets, Josh and Tank. I guess it runs in the family, because her mom is also creative! She makes custom ties for weddings, as well as custom made vintage handkerchief ring bearer pillows sold at her Etsy.com shop {Tux & Tulle}.

Stop Motion Wedding Invite

Be sure to watch this video all the way through.

23-year-olds, Corey McKenna and Rachel Stark, wanted their wedding invitations to be more than just card stock and letterpress - they decided to produce a {stop-motion animation} instead. Four months and 5,500 photos later, this video that there guests would never forget, the 4-minute video was completed. It stars a suit and a party dress as they prepare for a wedding, with Vampire Weekend's song M79 as the soundtrack. The information (date, location, time, etc.)is spelled out using refrigerator magnets. McKenna filmed the route to the wedding from the dash of his car - a clever approach to a "GPS street view." The film was made by patiently photographing each frame in the movie, then uploading the photos as a slideshow in iMovie. He then shortened the length of the picture down to a tenth of a second.

Kohar & Raffi's Wedding!!

I think that I may actually have been equally if not more excited and impatient about seeing these pictures than the bride and groom themselves! When my friend Kohar started planning her wedding and was in search of a photographer, the first person that came to mind was my friend Jake who shoots for {Mike Larson}. We were classmates in college and I have been following his {blog} and always love seeing his beautiful photos so I knew he would be perfect for shooting Kohar and Raffi's wedding. Their {engagement photos} were just a glimpse of what was to come...these pictures from the wedding day are absolutely stunning! Not only were the bride and groom seriously one of the most gorgeous couples I have seen, but they made great models and the creative and technical skill level of Jake, Steven, and Necia is very impressive. As Jake called it in his blog, this was definitly a Big Fat Armenian Wedding - with its 400 guests and 3 day long celebration filled with lots of love, fun and tradition. I'm sure this was quite a challenge - it's not everyday they shoot weddings this big with a bunch of crazy people like us loud Armenians, but I think they did a fantastic job. I wish Kohar and Raffi a lifetime of health and happiness. Congrats to you both! <3

All White is Overrated :)

I have really been loving the idea of a bride not having to be in white head to toe. Shoes are one of the parts I think a woman can really go all out with and still remain traditional with the dress. It adds a splash of fun and color - it can also be the way to tie in the color of the bridesmaids dresses. Here is a collection of ones I have liked as I have come across them over time. Whether they are Louboutins or J.Crew - these are all super cute!

Grace + Aaron's Wedding ~ Mrs. Design*Sponge :)

Those of you who are avid readers of {Design*Sponge} like me, we have been patiently awaiting the photos from Grace Bonney's wedding! Being that her wedding was being featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, she had to wait until the issue was officially on the stands. The wait is finally over! Here are just a few from the ones she {posted}, as well as some from {Martha Stewart Weddings} site. The photographer for her wedding was {Bethalée}.

Absolutely beautiful and just the style I like! Maybe that's why I love her blog :)

Miss Ruby Sue

Lori, a 35 year old mother of 4, is the designer for {Miss Ruby Sue}. Her company first launched in 2008 and has immediately become a recognized national label - Small Magazine, Good Morning America, The View, and the Today Show have already featured her work, as well as celebrity clients like Tory Johnson, author of "Women For Hire", Courtney Love (no description needed), Joy Baher, co-host of 'The View', Letitia, CEO of Dujior Magazine, Kevin Laur from Etsy Administration, Elizabeth Kartchner, Sarah Miller, editor from the well know "The Knot" Magazine.

You can now find her "Angles Song' and 'Anthropology' necklaces (the first two designs above) in select Anthropologie stores in the United States.

Miss Ruby Sue creates beautifully charming designs in bold colors and artistic patterns, giving any woman who wears it a free spirit and making them stand out among a crowd. For those getting married, she creates high impact jewelry - which is currently making its way into the "wedding world". These pieces are specially made without striking colors if that is not your desire. She will work with you to create something that will help make your special day unforgettable.

Canditto ~ Capture Every Moment :)

I came across {Canditto} and thought this was a great idea! Yes, professional photographers should still be hired to capture moments from your special day (if that is in your budget, of course), but there are also so many great candid photos that are taken by your friends and family with their digital cameras that you probably will end up seeing very few of. Here is a solution. Have the Canditto set up somewhere your guests will pass by as they leave and this great invention allows your guests to insert their memory cards and it will upload any picture taken in the past 8 hours (so don't worry about photos still on your memory cards from before...) This is not only a way to collect all the great shots from the night and save the hastle of emailing pictures, putting together a CD of them, or passing around the memory cards, but it also allows the couple to see fun photos from their wedding right away!

Beautiful Engagement Photos :)

Natalie and Garret are getting married! I seriously can't wait :) These are some of the photos from their engagement session with {Jake}, one of {Mike Larson's} photographers. Check out Natalie's blog, {In the Kitchen with Kristie} for some great recipes!

S'mores & Brownies :)

These are two great finds from the {Papery & Cakery} {blog}. I loved the idea of having {S'mores} at a wedding, or any party for that matter. This can work for both outdoor events that actually have a fire pit to use or individual table-top s'mores kits, like the ones made by {Cosi}! There are a few ways to do this, either by having a table set up with all the fixings for the s'mores or packing up individual baggies for your guests to use. The second great idea is giving your guest favors that they can make use of, not some little tchotchke that people usually don't know what to do with when they get home. I think this is a great idea, giving your {cupcake mix favors} to go home and bake a sweet treat. It is a favor that is filled with love and extra attention.

Amy Atlas Events!

I am completely inspired by the work of {Amy Atlas Events}. As more and more people are moving away from traditionally 3-tier wedding cakes and individual favors, candy/dessert tables are becoming very popular. Amy Atlas Events definitely takes the *cake* on this - she does it all from weddings to themed parties. They believe that a party should be an expression of you - so they get to know their clients before planning a party perfect for them. Though they are known for their dessert tables, they are able to create the overall aesthetic for a party and will plan your special event from beginning to end! They believe that the one hosting the party should get to enjoy it as well, which is why they strive to make the process effortless for the client. They have a wonderful sense of style and attention to detail that I always look for. It is all of this that has given them the reputation as being the most sought after event planning company in New York City.