Yeah for the Red, Orange and Teal!

I bet you thought this post would never come! I was starting to wonder myself ... well, here it is. I know the color is officially "teal" but some of the blues in this post are - well, not exactly teal - so use your imagination!

PRINTED MATERIALS

This was one thing there was a plethora of in this color combo. On the far left we have orange menu on orange napkin on top of blue glass plate (The Knot); next I'm not sure what these were used for but I think they could make some really great invites (Elizabeth Anne Designs); and at the end of this row I LOVE this orange flower combo with blue ink printed menu - very chic! (Tastefully Entertaining). Next row we have these blue and white whimsical flowers which I heart (J Creations) and this way bold/modern red/teal invite from Pink Lily Press.

The two patterns (in blue and fuchsia and olive and orange) are from Paper Laces. I know this box and napkin really could have been under favors or something like that and, while love the combo, also really loved the print (even if it's small and hard to see - you get the idea!) found at Project Wedding. I heart heart the last invite on this row - I love the blue design, large orange flower and the texture - super amazing! (Tastefully Entertaining). I think the word overlay on top of this orange invite is also a pretty swell idea (Tanger Greetings); teal monograms still very hip (Pink Design Events). Really pretty blue cards (The Knot); of course am always a big fan of swirls and dips and curlies (E Bride Connect); great large orange flower invite (Pink Lily Press) and last, but never least, I love when there are combos - when a design is taken and there are elements of that design but not the exact design and I think this invite set really captures that (Favor Ideas)!!

CENTERS and BOUQUETS

This was not an easy color combination to find good photos - which is always fun to me to actually create IRL, because you know you're doing something a wee bit out of the ordinary! I imagine this first photo (Grand Tradition Estate) with teal napkins and teal wine glasses! Can you see it?!! Favor boxes are next and, while not a big fan of fake flowers (actually no fan at all), I actually do see the beauty in this idea (Budget Dream Weddings). I really like this bouquet - I like the greenery combined with the orange roses and the red berries. Add a teal wrap and, wa-la, awesome! (Wedding Bouquets). At bottom we have blue glasses with orange flowers for centerpieces (add some red flowers for a bit more spice!) at E Bride Connect. Very interesting red roses/feather center - in a teal box with some orange accents would be quite striking (Project Wedding). And lastly this is a great shades of orange bouquet which could quite easily have some red accents and still get the same effect (The Knot).

CAKES

By now I'm sure you know how much I HEART cakes! I do realize this white cake isn't blue, orange OR teal, but I love the accent of white throw in there with all that color and I love this cake and it's my blog, so there! ;) (Tastefully Entertaining). Next we have this really unique blue and red cake (add a strip of orange ribbon and all your colors are there!) (Pink Cake Box). At bottom we have a very interesting blue with orange textured/patterned cake (E Bride Connect) and lastly, teal and chocolate brown (which could very easily be teal and red with an orange overlay on the cake table) from Favor Ideas.

KEWL STUFF

Okay, so I admit I've been stumbling over myself to get to this design board! I can't really define why but I heart heart these shoes with a wedding dress - it's just a fantastic touch (The Knot). I hesitate to put this because I don't like putting in things that we probably can't get here in Vallarta, but pic and idea is fab - I love boxes of all kinds and I think this retro blue box is awesome and I would love to get that as a favor at a wedding! (Once Wed) Ya'all know I love wraps and this one is no exception (Elizabeth Anne Designs). This invite is just "wow" - imagine teal where it's gray and red stones where there are white stones (haha! this is how I think all the time!) (Social Frog)... Of course blue fans rock - especially if they had a red design painted on them! (The Knot) Blue china is just awesome - can be done here, but expensive (Kim Vallee); up above we have this great blue/orange flower garter (Project Wedding) and underneath these stamps - heart heart heart! (Zazzle) Lastly, love sassy bridesmaids with great blue dresses, red bouquets and red shoes! (Project Wedding)

Next week might be tackling hair, believe it or not - not something I get asked about often, but love anyway .... OR I might share some sneak peeks of one of the wedding designs that has kept me from posting :).

Art Deco with a Touch of Glam...

Thank you for being so patient! It's been a very busy time for us here and I'm not blogging the way I would love to do!

A CHANGE
So, here's our February 15th creation. Before I walk you through the design, there was a change we wanted to note - a few days before the wedding the bride decided that she wanted to utilize the Hacienda's antique candleabras to really recreate a Hollywood Glam look and, as nothing we can make in Vallarta can replace $60,000 antique candleabras, the wedding table was changed! The Hacienda is a very beautiful venue and, as you can see on the left, the candleabras have a very distinct look. The photo in the middle was the actual look of the table on the wedding day and the photo on the far right was the Art Deco centerpiece that we created.

Art Deco

This was, by far, the most difficult wedding I have ever designed, mostly because the materials that we needed were not readily available here in Vallarta! Ostrich feathers were shipped in from Mexico City, Art Deco broaches were flown-in from the United States, crystals were sent via courier from Guadalajara! There wasn't a detail of this event that was easy - even the roses were carefully selected for their color and ordered months ahead of time (over 1800 roses!!). Sometimes working in Vallarta can be a very difficult process as often times I find something I love only to be told that they only have 7 and I need 30 and nothing can EVER be ordered (if you are a coordinator you are laughing because you know what I say is true - if you are a bride, ask your coordinator and give them something to laugh about ;).

Anyway, the task was Art Deco with a touch of Glam, colors of champagne with shades of pink and accents in gold and black. I spent months researching Art Deco to make sure that I would capture the look just right. This was our inspiration page:

And here's what we came-up with!

CEREMONY

The Hacienda is really beautiful and has many frescos, so we wanted to do something that would add to the ambiance and not clash. So, the bride wisely chose gold chiavari chairs and we accented the aisle with over 1,000 roses in shades of pink and cream. I realized that we had enough flowers to add a ceremony aisle that the bride had wanted but decided not to do due to costs, which made us happy we could do that for her. (all photos by Socorro Sandoval)

BRIDAL BOUQUET and GROOM BOUT

Not quite what I had in mind, but still beautiful, was a bouquet of cream roses and ostrich feathers, accented with a broach from the groom's grandmother and champagne ribbon.

THROW BOUQUET

We mimicked the bridesmaid's bouquet, only the broach was different - this was the original intended broach for the bride's bouquet. One of the prettiest throw bouquets we've ever made!

WREATH

The bride requested an orchid wreath for her departed father so we made one with over 30 stems of dendrobium orchids and placed on a seat reserved in memory of him.

COCKTAIL

The cocktail was to be super simple, so we strung and hung over 6 dozen roses from the water fountain. Escort cards were accented with swarvoski crystals which were later handed to host and hostesses to seat guests for dinner!

CENTERPIECES

I knew I wanted fabric for the centerpieces to bring-in a texture and give it a shine that paint could not do and to replicate some of the old Hollywood 1940/1950's film sets. The difficulty was finding just the right color, which I managed to do and was lucky enough to find just the right amount (we bought all they had!). To give it a bold statement and the leaning towards art deco, and also to empahsize the broaches, we added a stripe of black ribbon. Ostrich feathers accented the beautiful bouquet of roses at the top and pink crystals hung from the feathers. I based the centerpiece off the idea of a dress and the bride's bouquet! To light-up the crystals at night, we added candles which had accents wired with gold and crystals in black and pink.

ACCENTS

I fell in love with this fabric the instant I saw it for the color and texture, as it's not every day Vallarta gets fabric like this. Menus accented with ribbon, a feather and swarvoski crystal accents were to be placed inside. We found, quite by accident, gold accents which were very similar to the bride and groom's invitation. It seems an older couple who use to own a craft store decided to retire and sold some of their unique things to one of our vendors! Sweet! We utilized the accents with different color ribbon to indicate who was eating fish, lamb or vegetarian.

CAKE

Omar, the ever talented, spent days creating this cake topper which mimicked the insert the bride and groom had created for them from an artist in New York city. The final touch was, again, swarvoski crystals to accentuate the bride's dress and the groom's shirt. And Memo, from Charme, of course did an excellent job of recreating the art deco image from the invites and utilizing our special find of gold accents with black ribbon!

ON THE WAY OUT

We utilized over 220 candles, all accented with gold wire twisted by hand and black and pink crystals and placed in various nooks and crannies - one of which lit the way for guests as they ended their evening of frolic and fun!

Next week I PROMISE the inspiration board for orange, red and teal....and then we have some unique maraca and fan orders to share so tune in!

Oranges, Reds, Golds, Fuschias...Where was I??

I'm sorry I'm late dear brides and coordinators! Time just flew away from me this last week as I was delving into research for various events and favors. And, then, somehow I forgot whether I was looking up oranges, fuchsias, reds, golds... so, I just put them all together - I love bold colors - so fiery and passionate and perfect for a sunset reception in our bay!

INSPIRATION BOARD

Again, just a few of the photos I really loved from this color combination. The invite and those pillows are absolutely Divine!

BOUQUETS AND DRESSES

I've decided I'm going to do a whole series just on dresses ... I love them so and, while most brides have already purchased their dresses before I ever get their design, that doesn't mean that I don't absolutely love what I see when I finally do get to see what they've chosen! Anyway.... to start we have this absolutely luscious bouquet with lilies and roses and berries - love it (McClintock Photography)! Next to it this fiery sexy orange bridesmaid dress (Elegant Mart). Underneath another beautiful bouquet from The Knot and beautiful orange bouquet (that wrap is sweet!) from Project Wedding. In the upper right we have a wispy fuchsia/pink toned bridesmaid dress and orange ties (Blog Dig) and I see this red wedding dress all the time and absolutely love it for its dramatic, ornate look - at the right wedding - HERE comes THE Bride!! (Bridal Wave Tv)

PRINTED MATERIAL AND CAKES

Well, not sure how I ended-up with the beginning and the end of the wedding put together, but here you go! I have always loved this orange cake and have every intention of doing something similar for the right bride and next to it another super fun Gerber-like cake (the knot). Underneath I love both of these - on the right we have this amazing peacock affair program (the knot), and on the left orange tiger lilies (my personal artist). Underneath - great tags from Project Wedding, colorful invite from Alannah Rose, and I like this last invite for the use of texture (Created by Fate).

CENTERPIECES

Well, I guess this should be centerpieces and tablescapes, but anywho... On the top we have this wildly colorful and oh so fun tablescape from Celebration Cayman Blogspot. Upper right we have a bright beachy centerpiece (Project Wedding), I LOVE the centerpiece underneath from The Knot, underneath we have a more subdued approach with orchids from Wedding Tactics. Next to it a very elegant and chic tablescape from Wendy's Bridal Affairs. On the bottom row, we have these escort cards which are so clean and unique (and could also make a very good centerpiece)(BlogDig), vase covered with fabric and surrounded by gerbers (Prima Donna Bride), and colorful airy tablescape (BlogDig).

SPECIAL TOUCHES

Or, in other words, other things I loved but didn't know where to put!! Row 1 - Hand-made paper flowers (well, those are ours - but so cool!), fabulous pillows (Bees N Tulips). Row 2 - love this draping fabric with alternative lighting (The Knot) and draping fabric and hanging flowers (The Knot). Row 3 - adore these Chinese lanterns (Snippet and Ink) - by now you might think I'm a Chinese lantern fanatic, but I promise this is not the case - I just love romantic and alternative lighting - anything to make an event more festive and to really help and set a "mood"! Again, this drapey (is so a word if I say so!) affect - it looks similar to what I found on The Knot, but this photo was found at Snippet and Ink. And last I couldn't tell if this was printed paper or napkins, but I loved it either way (Snippet and Ink)!

I think I'm going to tackle Love Birds next blog as it caught my eye during the red/blue blog. Or maybe not ... maybe I'll just surprise you so you'll have to peek to see what's here!

B-Limey, Reds and Chocolate Brown!

I had a bride request this color palette and I must admit I wasn't too sure when I started but now I love it too! This is a very unique color palette - it was hard to find anyone who had already done it before - which I thought put that in the "plus" section as it will really help to make this bride's wedding unique and signature. After reviewing so many photos, I do think that this color palette has to be approached with a very delicate hand - the lime green and the red need to be just the right shade to pull this off successfully - I think either a bright, bright approach OR a more subdued look works well - but just be careful not to mix the two or, instead of eye candy, you will have an eye disaster! :)

INSPIRATION BOARD

These were the photos I loved best - they all show-up later so I won't mark them all now! Delightful!!

PRINTED MATERIAL

As you all know, I LOVE graphics and really enjoy incorporating invites, save the dates and other things my brides have already chosen into their wedding decor. In the upper left-hand corner we have a modern brown/green approach found at BG Design Studio. Next to that is the invite I fell in love with which I found at Project Wedding - this is a great example of a more subdued approach to the whole lime green/red/chocolate brown palette. While I admit that the color is not lime green but more an olive, I think it's lovely.

Underneath I'm sure you're wondering what the blue invite is doing on this color palette! Well, when it's hard to find a color palette someone has already done, you have to use your imagination and I just love the idea of changing the blue accents to lime green, and the ribbon in red - Chocolate brown dots in the center of the flowers and still the chocolate brown behind the invites - I think this would be smashing, and the idea was found over at My Seattle Wedding. Next to that we have a fun polka-dotted invite/place card/escort card set found at Faye and Greer.

Two versatile ceremony programs - both found on Flickr - the first a fun, layered look and the second an interesting textured approach - I LOVE that texture. Underneath I really like this brown and red invite I found at Project Wedding and think it would be perfect with a lime green typeset. The middle favor box I would use as a design for a fan or a maraca. Perhaps also utilizing details of it in escort cards/place cards - this idea was at The Knot. The top shades of green and chocolate brown invite was a Flickr find and this elegant menu was found at Project Wedding.

BOUQUETS

I found bouquets in this color combination a trifle challenging because you need to be careful in your use of red in this color palette as it would be very easy to utilize too much and have it completely overwhelm the design. The first bouquet is as close as I could get to my idea of what accents of red would look good - something different and subtle. I found this bouquet at A Perfect Wedding Day. Next to that bouquet we have an orchid, lily pad The Knot arrangement which I think would also look good with a few accents of red mums.

Underneath I love this interesting bouquet I found at Perfectly Pearl - the use of greenery and ribbon I think changes what might be a perfectly ordinary bouquet into something truly original. I also really like this round bouquet combination which would look great with just the right red and chocolate brown ribbon over at Simply Abundant Blooms.

In the bottom row, I know the bouquet on the far left has accents of mango, but I think it could be a lovely bouquet with red accents as well - found at Lotus Haus. Pretty green wrap with a crystal accent at The Wedding Decorator. And last is this rose/orchid combination at Wedding Blogdig.

CENTERPIECES

I found a number of brown/green centerpieces I loved and, with the added accent of red, I think it would really hit the nail on the head.

In the upper far left we have a lime-filled vase center with a brown runner taken by Anne Marlow over at Flickr. Next The Knot's more rustic approach with chocolate tablecloth, green runner and willow inspired center circled by open red roses. I love this hanging fabric with hanging flowers, a great Project Wedding find. These lime green cone centerpieces would be perfect with touches of chocolate brown and red at Glamorous Gowns. For this great red/chocolate brown center over at The Knot, exchange the blue button for a lime green one and, wa-la, beauty! Brown branches with glass candles at Flickr.

I normally try to not utilize photos that we can't replicate here in Vallarta but I really loved this table setting with brown and green dishes - well, we COULD replicate this somewhat but it would be pricey - anyway, table setting found at Project Wedding. Absolutely love love love this fabulous set-up with the brown and green Chinese lanterns found at Project Wedding - add a few accents of red and there you have it! I thought this red centerpiece was interesting - another Lotus Haus find.

Limes are the word here with roses (Project Wedding), or white pillar candles OR mums (The Wedding Decorator)! I thought this pink/green mums was an interesting low center, of course replaced with red buds and red and chocolate brown accents (Project Wedding). Hanging green Chinese lanterns would look great but need to be paired with just the right tone of red (Tickled Pink). And, lastly, tall vases filled with willows (Project Wedding) and orchids (The Knot).

CAKES AND COCKTAILS

I didn't realize how full this blog was until I got to this part! Whew! Nearly finished!! For these great geometric designed cakes I would add a dark red base underneath the cake (Glamorous Gowns). I think this cake on the right (Pink Cake Box) is perfect just the way it is, for the more modern bride.

In the middle row, I LOVE this cake (The Knot) but would make these changes: brown middle design and brown ribbon on top and bottom topped with a small strip of red and lime green - or, perhaps, a patterned red/lime green ribbon on top. Now you might wonder what on earth this next photo has to do with this section - but I love the idea of a signature cocktail table - and in the colors of red, green and champagne - fun (this is an old photo - I don't know where I found it - so, if you recognize it, let me know!)!!

Still with the whole signature drink theme, lime green martini (The Wedding Decorator), a great chocolate cake - with, of course, lime green accents in lieu of the blue (Project Wedding), and this interesting tall cake affair also found at Project Wedding.

STUFF I LIKED

How's that for a design title? I didn't have enough of any of these to make each a separate collage, but loved them anyhow! I know this cut-out with escort cards (The Knot) should have technically been with the printed material, but I like it here, so there - isn't it awesome? The ideas for this are endless - dance lanterns, cocktail candles, centerpieces .... ooo-la-la!

Both of these photo booths I adore - I know we can't rent photo booths here but we CAN make fun photo areas inspired by these two photos - the top red (Event Accomplished) and super fun one down below (Elizabeth Anne Designs).

I liked this chopstick favor with red blossom box underneath (Snippet and Ink). Red flower balls with chocolate brown and white polka-dotted ribbon (imagine lime green!) at Event Accomplished. Green bridal dress - I know it's random - but I liked it in this collage (Blog Kadahan)! Natural green plants along the ceremony aisle with red ribbons at Snippet and Ink, beautiful green umbrella with a great pattern taken by Anne Marlow at Flickr. And, lastly, this would look great on the ceremony aisle chairs with green blossoms (The Knot).

WHEW! That felt like a roller coaster! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did putting it together - I'm not sure what I will tackle last month as I stumbled across a lot of great finds but I'm sure it will be as juicy so tune back in....

Something Blue! (and Orange!)

Happy Independence Day! I'm sure none of you are in today, but here's a little eye candy for when you get back!

For some reason I've been really drawn to the color combination of blues and oranges these past few months - I haven't had a bride request this combination but I'm itching to get one who does!

INSPIRATION BOARD
I just wanted to show you my inspiration board - these photos will come-up later as we go through the wedding, but I just wanted to show you how beautiful these colors look together!

BOUQUETS
I'm not a big fan of fake flowers (unless it's hand-made paper flowers - but, there again, only for certain occasions and certain brides!!). So, if I were to do a orange/blue combination I would opt for an orange bouquet with a blue bridal wrap - I can see the wrap in my head but, alas, could not find one on the Internet.


This first bouquet with the orange/yellow combination and banana leaves came from the Seattle Times (believe it or not!). Next to it we have the beautiful peacock blue dress/orange bouquet combination from JoNa Photography. Down below we have the rich shades of orange bouquet from Project Wedding and next to it the orange roses and mango calla lily affair found at Rick and Colleen's Wedding (no, I don't know them but I like their bouquet!). In the bottom row, I chose the bouquet on the left because it was the only bouquet I found with a blue wrap and it was found at Borrowed Blue Photography. Next to it this beautiful bouquet with shades of orange roses and beautiful mango calla lilies found at Stitchy Witch. And, last, but not least is a bouquet I did a few year's ago.

INVITATIONS, MENU CARDS, ETC.
I love the graphic design side of things! So much fun! In the top row, left, we have this beautiful, simple design found at The Knot and next to it (one of my personal favorites!) is this ocean inspired motif found at Bella Figura. Middle row we have this flower monogrammed menu from The Knot and this vintage inspired invite (where I would switch the black for a dark orange) found at Wedding Zilla. I love these different ideas on the bottom row, starting with this bright orange, blue ribboned affair from The Wedding Bee, this 3-D collage at Madly Creative and blue with orange seashell menu from The Knot.

TABLES AND CAKES
I love these glass pillar candles found at Project Wedding - I know they aren't easy to find here, but I have found them before and it can be done! Next we have these cunning, whimsical place cards from The Knot and I just love this colorful orange fan with little favor ideas I found at Banquet Event.


Now to the table scapes ... in the second row we have this blue lacy affair with a very natural centerpiece from Project Wedding and this blue tulle (which I normally hate but really like in this set-up) with orange flowers arrangement to hang-off of a chair I found at Flickr. Honestly, I don't know if that's what they intended for this tulle affair, but that's how I would utilize it! I love the simplicity and clean lines of this orange, blue table scape - just breathtaking - found at Rachael Grace Photography. Underneath we have a very lush orange rose centerpiece with silky tablecloth from The Wedding Bee and last, the reason I started on this whole orange/blue lovefest in the first place, this amazing table scape I stumbled upon at Project Wedding.


Onto cakes!! Yum yum!! This top cake (blue with white flowered lace) was found at Style Me Pretty and underneath is the love bird cake found at Best Wedding Sites. My two personal favorites - this pretty blue affair with bright orange roses and this amazing orange detailed cake - were found at Pink Cake Box and The Knot.

Next but not least is the lights!! I love alternative lighting - anything to give the whole atmosphere a more romantic glow. So, with that in mind, the orange Chinese lanterns were found at Banquet Event and the blue with orange lanterns at The Knot.

Last photo, this beautiful orange punch on a startling blue tablecloth, was found at Project Wedding.

MISHKA DESIGNS' INSPIRED
What this whole love fest with blue/orange inspired was for me to design a motif and for Omar to make a fan favor - more to give you an idea of what we could do if you have a blue/orange bride who wants a unique and creative favor for her guests. So, we took the idea and painted our very own fan favor...So fun!! Keep in mind that we can do all sorts of patterns and designs for unique and detailed fans - just let us know what your bride (or you, if you are a bride!) is/are looking for and we can send you a quote!

The month of October will bring a guest blogger (one of our own coordinators!!) as well as some yellow, orange, chocolate brown themed ideas!

It's a Wrap!

I was going to talk about bouquets and then I was pulled into the fascinating world of bouquet wraps! I've always had a fascination with bridal wraps - they are like the icing on the cake or the cherry on top of the ice-cream sundae! So, without further ado, let's dig in!!

JEWELED BRIDAL WRAPS

I'm still very much into investigation mode for all things vintage for an upcoming event - so, of course, in the search I came across some fun finds! Top left we have this fun laced, dazzling affair I found at Project Wedding as well as the bouquet with a similar technique to the right. Also at Project Wedding, right below we have the beautiful jeweled accent letter and these amazing crystal accents!! The bottom row is vintage at its finest, all found at The Wedding Bee, with the flowered crystal, old bracelets turned into a fancy glittering wrap and my personal favorite in this collage, the beautiful lockets with photos to remember loved ones present only in spirit.

RIBBON AND BEAD WRAPS

Great, creative ideas such as this alternating cotton candy pink and salmon pink ribboned affair topped off with pearl accents found at Project Wedding or this alternating fuschia/pink flare found at The Wedding Bee. Down below, I love this crystalized accented bouquet found at Project Wedding as well as this amazing ribboned flower wrap. Bottom row we have a ruffled ribbon affect at The Wedding Bee as well as the yellow country wrap (love that ribbon!!), and champagne and sage wrap with pearl accents at Project Wedding.

MORE ORGANIC WRAPS

If your bride wants something a little more "au natural" there are always these options of a banana leaf wrap or this succuluent wrap, both found at The Wedding Bee.

For a more "sailor" touch, you might go with this wrap found at Project Wedding.

Or, perhaps, my personal favorite of this set, this cream/white affair with charm accent found at Style Me Pretty.

A LITTLE DIFFERENT WRAP

Cream and white ribbon with black and white beads found at Project Wedding.

Button wrap (love buttons!) found at The Wedding Bee.

And I love both the wrap and this feathery flowered idea found, of course, at Style Me Pretty.

MY FAVORITE WRAP

Of course, I saved my favorite wrap for last. I also love the bouquet in this ribbon, jeweled assembly and the additional jeweled dragonfly accents found amongst the flowers is just fabulous!! This bouquet was found at The Wedding Bee.

Mid-month we'll be exploring some different ideas for centerpieces, so stay tuned!! And, as always, if you have something you would like more research on, let me know and I'd be more than happy to oblige!

Dramatic Black and White with Splash of Red!

What a whirlwind couple of weeks! I found some really beautiful things and I can't wait to share it with you, so here it is!

I love the dramatic theme of a black and white wedding, but I do feel like there needs to be a splash of color somewhere to give it some "oomph" ... whether it's red, mango, lime green, yellow ... I chose to go with red for this blog because it feels so Spanish to me and ties in well with a lot of our villa settings.


The Invitations
I fell in love with these invitations when I was designing an event a few months back. These are designed by Kenzie Kate and I think they are absolutely wonderful!

The Bouquet
Black magic roses, crimson calla lilies and feathers ... what's not to love?!! I would add a beautiful beaded trim and wa-la, gorgeous! I found these bouquets at The Knot. Of course, you know I try to stick to things we can actually get here in Vallarta and as you all know, beautiful beaded trim is usually something not readily available, as these are at MJ Trim. However, beads are available, and that's what I would do for this particular bouquet - make some beaded ribbon to accomplish a similar look!

The Ceremony
So much depends on the location, of course. But I love the idea of incorporating some detailed lace with sparkling crystals (Black White Bliss)! And these fans are a wonderful idea that I have every intention of incorporating somehow (found at The Bride's Cafe and created by Oh How Charming).

The Cocktail
For whom, and how I would use this idea, I'm not sure. But in this particular blog of black and white, here's a GREAT idea to recreate an old-fashioned look in a way that we can actually "find" here in Vallarta! These are just fabric covers over boxes but painted to look like furniture, found at Black White Bliss. I love this idea and I'm sure you'll see it one day in one of our designs!

The Reception
I couldn't find anything that really represents in my head when I think about this particular black and white with splashes of red look, but the idea is to print off a piece, such as this tango artwork and wrap it around a hurricane vase to create centerpieces. Then I would add a black tablecloth with white lace runner, similar to the photo (Easy Street Antiques), and some sort of red, white and black printed napkin (Saffron Marigold). I love this burnt number look and would incorporate that into the table numbers as well as the place cards (Black and White Bliss). Then, as the final finishing touches. a couple of filigree red lanterns and clear candles (Illumination) and you're ready to go!

The Dance Floor
I think red hanging lanterns with an arabesque touch would be a great touch and I love the way they are represented in this photo, found once again at the Brides Cafe and created by Oh How Charming. I'm sure you're wondering, "How on earth would you get something that looked like those lanterns here" and all I'm going to say is there are ways! If I gave you all my secrets what would you need us for?? :)

The Cake/Cupcake
I love both this cake (Glass Slipper Gourmet) and this amazing cupcake decor (Black White Bliss) equally, so it would be really hard to make a decision and would have to be up to the bride and groom's preference! But great ideas, nevertheless!

Well, that's it for mid-month. Next month I'm going to tackle the next current and upcoming trend which is vintage, vintage and vintage!