Michelle, Pablo and I took a few moments break from gearing up for our 2008-2009 wedding season to share some of our “Favorites of 2007-2008” with our readers!
(NOTE: We are NOT doing a “Best of 2007-2008” review as there simply are no “Bests!” This is just a little peek into each of our heads and some of our favorite projects and wedding elements of the past season!) Enjoy!
FAVORITE CEREMONY SET UP
As we’ve mentioned before, coming up with creative ceremony backdrops is always a fun challenge – while the traditional four-post canopy is perfect for some couples, we’ve had the opportunity over the years to create some really unique ceremony set ups! Here are OUR favorites from the 2007-2008 wedding season!
Kristin: “Jenny and Rob’s ceremony was so celestial and soft – standing with toes in the sand beneath the gazebo with chiffon flowing and orchids hovering above felt a little like a quick stop in Heaven!”
Michelle and Pablo actually chose the same ceremony set up as their favorite!
Michelle: “Julie and Grant’s ceremony was a perfect blend of nature, simplicity and beauty.”
FAVORITE BOUQUET
The bride’s walk down the aisle is one of the most amazing moments of a wedding, and the flowers she carries must be as radiant as the bride herself! They must compliment, not distract; they must subtly beautify, not take away from her perfect wedding-day beauty!
Kristin: “I loved Jamie's bouquet! I always seem to forget how beautiful a color palette in blues and purple hues can be, but they create such an alive and vibrant feeling!”
Michelle: “I just loved the combination of colors and flowers in Stacy's bouquet!”
Pablo: “Cameo's deep red rose bouquet is so elegant and passionate!”
FAVORITE COCKTAIL LOUNGE
“The Lounge” made its appearance as part of the event scene years ago and has had an incredible staying power. And really, what’s not to love? When couples are asked about a favorite room in their home, many respond with “living room” or “bedroom” – mostly due to the comfort factor and ability to - you guessed it . . . lounge around! By incorporating “the lounge” into an event, we have the unique opportunity to blend a bit of the comfort of home with upscale elegance, and the results are stunning – whether on the beach OR on a villa terrace!
Michelle: “Stephany and Frank’s lounge was relaxing and inviting. I loved the mixture of texture in all the different elements...shells, irish bells, orchids and yute. ”
And Pablo and I both fell in love with the same November cocktail reception we created!
Kristin: “Cameo and Ryan’s cocktail reception wedding was spectacular! The rose petal floor created one of the most amazing-smelling weddings we have ever done! And the stunning chandeliers mixed with Day of the Dead touches created a quirky elegance that truly reflected the couple!”
FAVORITE TABLESCAPE
The dinner table is an important and unique opportunity to blend together the elements of a wedding and truly speak to the character of a couple. During dinner, guests are in one place longer than they will be throughout the rest of the event, so what goes on the table will be looked at a little bit more than anything else! Beauty, creativity and personalization are essential to a great tablescape!
Again, Michelle and Pablo chose the same table as their favorite!
Pablo: “This villa has a tendency to feel a little galleryish and a bit cold at times, but with this wedding we really created a feel of modern romance and warmed up the space!"
Kristin: “The sunset-inspired color palette at Valerie and Nathaniel’s wedding was beautiful and allowed for a gorgeous blending of colors. I love the glow of candles behind chiffon-wrapped votives, the clarity of the vases with orchids emerging from the top, the whimsical embroidered napkins . . . I love everything about this table!”
FAVORITE CAKE
This one was tough for all of us – not because there weren’t any that we liked, but because there were too many we liked! The wedding cake can be, well, the “frosting on the cake” as far as a well-designed wedding goes! And these were just a few of our favorite cakes this season!
Michelle: “This cake perfectly brought all the details of the wedding together, and I was so happy with how wonderfully the fabric design was replicated on the cake!”
Pablo: “We’re all so accustomed to seeing wedding cakes with flowers, dots and other décor, and the sand castle cake was unique and different!”
Kristin: “This cake perfectly complemented Nicol and Nathan’s black and white affair!”
FAVORITE FAVOR
There is nothing I dislike more than favors that end up in the back of a closet in the homes of wedding guests! I think wedding favors should speak to the couple’s personality as well as fit perfectly into the overall wedding design. Here are a few that we loved from this past year!
Kristin: “I’ve always thought cd’s are a great way to provide guests with a memory of an event, but I think our version was even more unique! I loved the cover of the cd with the couple’s photo (that was incorporated into the centerpieces as well), and I loved that the cd was a compilation of the songs by the artists who actually played them at the wedding –from the ceremony processional recorded by the harpist to Latin classics performed and recorded by the wandering guitarist to the song sung by the bride as a surprise dedication to the groom!”
Pablo: “Come on! We built a miniature wine cellar, and the wine-loving couple’s guests took home small bottles of wine with labels created specifically for the couple! What could be better?”
Michelle: “The lime juicers at Christine and Ron's event were great – they brought a traditional touch of Mexico to a citrus-themed tabletop!”
FAVORITE LIGHTING
In real estate, they say “location, location, location;” in weddings, it’s “lighting, lighting, lighting!” Here goes . . .
Pablo: “Twinkle lights may not be the most original lighting element ever, but sometimes they are the perfect one! The placement of the lights on the wooden trellises around the terrace balanced by the candle bags around the pool created the perfect ambiance at Julie and Grant's wedding!”
Michelle: “The lamps and lanterns at Denise and Matt's wedding added a quirky touch to the design! Plus it shows that something really ordinary like chicken wire can be used to create something really amazing!"
Kristin: “The candlelight from the hand-beaded chandeliers at Cameo and Ryan’s wedding cast such a perfect glow across the entire terrace. Their beauty really leaves me speechless – it was just so romantic!”
FAVORITE DETAIL
We take great pride in the details – they are, after all, dazzling!
Michelle: “The embroidered pillows really brought Lori and Richard's event full circle! The special wedding logo the couple created appeared on everything from the invitations to the wedding website, the dinner menus to a final appeareance on reception lounge pillows as a special surprise for the couple! And I LOVED the expression on the bride’s face when she saw them!”
Pablo: “The hanging candles at Ira and Will’s wedding accomplished a true transformation of the space! Working with the low ceilings was a challenge, but the candles suspended above the dinner tables looked amazing and created a romantic ambiance!”
Kristin: “In leiu of more traditional place cards, we created this super cute golf course map for David and Stacy’s seating assignments! It was the absolute perfect reflection of the couple’s love for golf!”
FAVORITE “OTHER”
Ok, so the “other” is our way of giving ourselves the chance to include something – anything – we loved so much that it just couldn’t be left off the list! So here are our favorite “others!”
Michelle: "Shoe areas are popular these days, and the rustic bench flanked by orchids and the 'Shoe Check' sign just added a chic twist to the idea!"
Pablo: “Weddings used to be about dressing up, attending a ceremony and eating dinner, but the concept of weddings is changing! It’s now about interaction, personalization, and I love it! The miniature golf course created for Justin and Ashley's event was a great example of this. I loved that the guys had their clubs out and spent the cocktail hour putting away!”
Kristin: “This was such a unique interactive experience that was so right for this couple and their group! As a former costume designer for films, this bride’s passion for dressing up translated perfectly into the Mexican Folkloric Costume Station! The way that the group responded to this activity was incredible, and I’m sure the photo book created as a result will leave the bride and groom with memories for a lifetime!”
So that is it - our 2007-2008 Wedding Season Favorites!
We're getting geared up for our upcoming October weddings - four completely different designs at four fun venues . . . we'll be kicking things off with a celebration at Villa Verde followed by a beachy wedding at Dreams Resort, then its on to a family wedding at Quinta Maria Cortez, and we finish up the month at stunning Villa Quinta del Mar! We can't wait!
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