Thursday, October 27, 2011

our european babymoon - may 2011

well since i am 3 days away from my due date (halloween!!) i figured this was a good time to finally blog the photos we took on our european babymoon back at the beginning of may...i was 4 months along in my pregnancy at the time so it was a perfect time to travel! the morning sickness had mostly subsided and i had enough energy again to do a lot of walking...

as brian and i near the end of our days as a twosome it's so special to look back at these pictures and appreciate all the blessings we have...it's gonna be a while before we have the chance to travel internationally again...and some people never get the chance to travel for leisure at all...so we are extremely grateful for the 2 weeks we got to spend exploring spain and italy, eating great food, seeing historic sites and just soaking up each other's company and love...

we definitely have to thank katie from ever after honeymoons for helping to make this trip a reality...i left so many things until the last minute and she came in and did her fairy godmother magic to get decisions made...i can't say enough good things about her services!!

we took an old 80's film camera with us and trust me, we are no professionals but i think we did a decent job considering we know nothing about photography! we just love the way film looks so we thought we would give it a try...

we started our trip in barcelona, spain...being an architect, it was important to brian to see all of gaudi's work...so here we are at parc guell, casa batllo and of course, sagrada familia...






as if the outside of the sagrada familia is not crazy looking enough - the inside was INSANE!!! most european churches look pretty similar on the inside...but the interiors that gaudi dreamed up have no comparison...



next we traveled south to granada, probably my favorite city in spain...the moorish influence in that region is just so fascinating and romantic! the highlight was visiting the alhambra, which in my opinion, is the most gorgeous site in the country...








here we are just roaming the streets of granada...



our last stop in spain was sevilla...we toured the royal palace and ate delicious olives - but it was pretty hot there and by the time we left i was giddy with excitement for the italian food to come :)







although we stayed at an amazing villa in the tuscan countryside, we did a day trip into florence to climb to the top of the duomo, sample some gelato and walk across the ponte vecchio bridge...







we loved florence but the rest of tuscany was TO.DIE.FOR...we rented a car and drove the back roads to some of the most beautiful medieval towns like siena and san gimignano...



probably my favorite picture of bri from the whole trip...



we even had some time to get to pisa to see the leaning tower...i honestly could not believe how much that thing is leaning!! so crazy to see it in person...it kinda blew me away!



we finished our vacation in the stunning region of the amalfi coast...it was a long trip to get down there but worth every second! it was completely amazing in every way...



we stayed in the adorable town of positano and took a day trip over to the town of amalfi as well...









this was the view from our hotel suite - simply magical and like no where we have ever been!!


we will never forget the memories we made on this trip...and it was pretty surreal that our baby was there with us :)

and as for you, baby jowett - we can't wait for your official arrival and to someday take you on family vacations, watch you travel during your post college years and then take your own honeymoon and family vacations someday! we love you and are so excited to meet you!!

Monday, October 17, 2011

a mod california citrus wedding - bel air bay club

lindsey and aaron's design style started with the idea of paying tribute to the city they love - los angeles...they chose a venue right on the ocean to really highlight one of LA's best features...

when we met to talk about the look of the wedding, jesi haack had come up with the idea of incorporating the colors of the sunset - orange, peach, coral...so we let that be our color guide...i threw out the idea of using some citrus elements, like baby orange trees, mini clementines and a citrus chandelier for them to say their vows under...and when lindsey mentioned that she would love to work in some jonathan adler type elements, we knew we were on the right track!

style file: mod, vibrant, california cool, retro J. Adler, sunset over the water
color scheme: orange, peach and coral with tons of white and hints of yellow and green
elements: citrus fruit, moroccan lanterns, , orange trees, white ceramic props (blanc de chine vases, artichokes, finials, etc), wood and sheer white fabric cabana, chevron pattern
flowers: dahlias, garden roses, ranunculas, succulents, lemon leaf, gardenia foliage, tulips, craspedia




amber from pitbulls and posies came up with the genius idea of using the couple's first initials to create the "i love LA" theme in all the stationery items...loved this!


bridesmaids bouquets were made up of orange dahlias, peach parrot tulips, yellow craspedia, orange ranunculas and green fuzzy succulents...


little boutonniere composed of a succulent and some white pieris...


how gorgeous and amazing did lindsey look in her gown?!?!?


one of my favorite bouquets to create all year...white japhette orchids, pieris and lisianthus accented with fuzzy green succulents - kinda beachy, kinda natural - soooooo LA!



the ceremony was set against the backdrop of the pacific ocean and palm trees...we brought in a wood cabana with sheer white fabric for an airy, coastal feel...we then lined the aisle with some baby orange trees, set in pots with green moss...

it does not get more LA than this!!


we then created a "citrus chandelier" composed of lemon leaf and baby oranges!! it was one of my favorite elements of the day and made such an awesome statement...plus it's much more cost-effective than using all flowers...







for the tablescapes, we used a couple textured white ceramic vases or urns filled with our theme colored florals, along with various white props for a Jonathan Adler feel...we then popped in some little clusters of baby oranges and gardenia leaf to pay homage to LA's roots...


jesi found an amazing retro, graphic linen from la tavola and this really helped set the tone of the reception area...doesn't it make all the difference?!


the menu cards with the palm trees and sunset colors were the perfect touch of california...






adorable peach jam favors made by the couple's family served as favors AND placecards for the day! i LOVED the little sign that said "jam over to your seat" - so cute!


a killer dessert backdrop made by jesi! yellow and white chevron panels with hand sewn and stuffed white fabric letters...


amazing desserts by sweet and saucy, all done in shades of yellow, orange and white!


the cake had different layers of really cool textured fondant and an orange gloriosa lily (made of sugar!) accenting the top...


lindsey and aaron were so kind, so fun and let's be honest, had great taste - we LOVED working with them on their special day!


here's the list of fantabulous people who i got to work alongside:

event design and planning: jesi haack design
florals: JL DESIGNS
cake and desserts: sweet and saucy shop
videography: shark pig
entertainment: dj smiles davis of the flashdance (reception) and supernova quartet (ceremony)
linens: la tavola

and thank you to 100 layer cake who featured this wedding last week! to see their post, click here...