In Reel Life: Russ & Lauren

Benny just sent a couple of the video clips from Russ & Lauren's wedding. Be sure and take a look at the right. I am loving them! He even managed to capture the real butterfly that was hanging out at the reception in the gardens of flowers that were created, while making friends with all the other butterflies we hung! Thank you once again Benny! It was a gorgeous day and the video clips are always a fun reminder!

Intimate wedding in Mijas, Private Villa

Here is a lovely, intimate wedding we did in Mijas, again with the popular fresh lime green colours, supplying Sue Danker at Spanish Dream Weddings with lime green sashes, Swarovski green table crystals, green rose petals, aisle runner and white personalised fans with lime green ribbons. The client had already had their main wedding in Ireland and was having this lovely family wedding ceremony and dinner at a private villa in Mijas.

The catering was provided by Cornel Caterers who were charming and very friendly.

Saudi Royal Family Party Al Riyad Palace Marbella August 2008

Our most prestigious event of this year was to design and decorate a family party for the Saudi Royal family at the Al Riyad Palace here in Marbella. We were commissioned by Puente Romano to provide the decorations for this event as they were supplying the catering which was amazing

I had a few sleepless nights and have never rushed around so much to get this party ready in time.

The theme for this party was a peppermint green colour and we used lots of crystal candles, crystals, swarovski table crystals couried in by USP on an overnight delivery!

Cream Moroccan lamps, lanterns, organza table cloths in peppermint and whites and it was certainly the night of candles and lanterns I have never seen so many

The princess was charming when she came down to see us and check over the progress, she changed a few things and instantly the party was a much more pared down low key family event and her taste was perfect and the result was beautiful.

It was an amazing day and such a fabulous venue to work at, the palace is exquisitely decorated, unfortunately it has made my little townhouse here in Marbella look rather drab!

I am hoping I might get some better images, if I do I will post some more as these photos do not really do justice to the setting and the grand scale of the event.

Spanish Andalucian Patio Party Puente Romano

The brief for this party at the Patio Sur in Puente Romano was green, red and white.

To stop it looking Christmassy we again created the lime green with a tropical feel which looked lovely in such a beautiful Andalucian setting. This is such a popular colour this year for weddings and for parties, it is a fresh, vibrant colour that works so well with the bright colours of the Mediterranean

Tropical theme Suite Del Mar Puente Romano

This Tropical theme was designed for this fabulous dinner party held at

the Suite del Mar at Puente Romano.

Here we used the lime greens and oranges again, a popular colour scheme and incorporated baby pineapples, oranges and limes, decorations on the napkins, lime chair sashes, candles and chocolate table linens to pull the whole look together.

Happy birthday to you....

Happy birthday to our sweet little boy who is much too quickly growing up! Finn you are everything to your daddy and me. You are our greatest joy and our favorite entertainment. We love every part of you...the head nodding, toe tapping, guitar playing, song singing, story telling part and even the part that occasionally has to be put in time out and the part of you that occasionally puts us in timeout. You make your mommy a better person and remind me to put on my seatbelt and that "crap" is not a nice word. You teach us everyday more about what it means to really love someone and what it means to be grateful. You thank us for the simplest of things like giving you a bath and feeding your fish. You always hug people when they're sad and are still convinced a kiss can make anything better. You have a way of making everything better in our lives. We love you and are so proud of the sweet big boy you are becoming.

I scream for ice cream...

I just saw this fabulous idea over at the bridal bar. Any of you who know me well, know I have a major weakness for ice cream. I wouldn't so much call it a weakness as much as I would call it therapy. Forget the spa....my sanctuary is in the freezer. I heard someone once say "Bad days only need ice cream" . I tend to live by this and strongly believe good days need ice cream too.

So...ecreamery has in all their genius created a way to customize your weddings with not only an ice cream bar...but pints of ice cream chosen by you. You let them know the grade of ice cream and mix ins and they will develop a flavor with a customized label for you and your guests. They then fed ex it to you. It's a little pricey but amazing none the less. And the packaging....isn't it darling? It makes the contents look that much more delicious!

Alice in Wonderland themes

At the moment I am putting together ideas using the Alice in Wonderland theme, not sure why really perhaps it is the heat here in Spain! I think there are so many vintage themes around now with the teapots and china that it would be rather fun to elaborate on this. I love the idea of the open me stationery, the eat me cakes and the drink me cocktails, this would be such a great theme to do and the list is endless. A pastel theme for a wedding above

and then a very different black red and white Alice in Wonderland theme below

Here is a board I found on Style me Pretty pulling in all the elements, the croquet on the lawn, the bridemaids perhaps in Alice dresses with alice hairbands, the roses and of course the playing cards.

It would also be a great theme for a kids party with bright colours, topsy turvey cakes, teapot cookies and lots of tissue paper flowers :)

I have to do this for twinkle when she is slightly bigger!

Here comes September 20th....

I love Jessica and Matt's engagement photos taken by A Beautiful Light. You can tell these photographers really do know their light and their images really are beautiful! I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites, as I know Jessica and Matt did too....which is always a good thing!


In looking through their images, it looks as if they spent all day with their photographers riding their bikes all over Solana Beach! What a fun day!.... and the perfect opportunity to really capture Jessica and Matt and the sweetness of their relationship.





This may be one of my very favorite images from their shoot. Just the whole composition of it makes me think of them sharing a moment and looking out to the future that lies before them and how wide open and beautiful it is. Does that sound cheezy? Maybe a little. I'm okay with it.

I'm excited for you both...wonderful things lie ahead for you....including a super fabulous wedding. Can't wait! Best wishes to such a great couple!

In Reel Life: Alison & Eric

I still can't get enough of my cute lovebirds! Just in case you can't either, take a look at them in REEL life. Benny just added some video footage for me today. ...all to the right of this here post! I still get so happy to see the look on Alison's face as she walked into the tent. Sheer delight!

and if you are really looking for something to make you smile...the much anticipated footage is also here of the group dance! You may just have to get up in front of your computer and join in. It is that much fun!! This group has got moves. Do it. Watch it. You know you want to. Just click "more" below the video clip.

aisle love you forever

A little love for the aisle! How fun are these customized runners? They can add just the right touch and can be as simple as a monogram or as elaborate as an intricate design. This one found on Etsy by giant wombat would be perfect for a black and white wedding with a splash of color.
I also am loving the designs of L Seabol on Etsy. ..and the price is really reasonable. For an extra $45 you can add a monogram to your runner and an additional $60 will give you a hand painted border. I love how these can be made in to a table runner later or a banner to hang in your home. It is one of those things that you can repurpose later and I am all for repurposing!! It's always easier to justify when you can reuse things again. hmmm...I'll have to do a post on that soon.
I know these aren't runners...but had to include these banners as well by L Seabol. Another great touch to tie in a motif or your runner
If you are looking for a basic runner...try original runners. They have over a dozen colors available to choose from with a non-slip backing. This is a good thing for all of you who have had nightmares of you walking down the aisle and tripping. Nope...no worries here! They also have some gorgeously designed runners as well...but a little more high end. Definitely worth the look though.

When the family gets together...

Here's how I spent my week off from Wedding planning. Some R & R at the Rockin R' Ranch in Antimony, Utah. Oh what, you've never heard of it? Not surprised....it's a little to the left of the middle of nowhere! There was no cell phone service for miles, the gas station was the mall and when our family showed up we doubled the population. But...we got some well needed time with Troy's side of the family and my little Finn had the time of his life with his cousins and riding a horse named Tom. To all you Bolyards and Lymans, it was so fun getting to see you and hugs to you until we see you again!

Ivory and Peach in Torremolinos

I personally do not understand why you would want to come to Spain and have your wedding reception inside! I would guess, from what I have heard, it is that it is cheaper here than in the UK or Ireland to hold a wedding reception.

However at this wedding we used our crushed ivory chair covers with peach organza sashes to transform a hotel room in Torremolinos,
it looked beautiful and we provided co-ordinating fans with peach ribbons.

Birthday Party Robertos, Puente Romano

I loved creating this party, it was for Russians who were having a birthday party at Roberto's at Puente Romano, it is based on a fruit theme so decided to use the limes and oranges, it looked amazing and someone said to me it looked like a table set for a King! It was great to have a long table for a change to decorate you can do so much more with centrepieces for more drama