Chuppah, Palm Trees and Flowers!!

We have a few shout-outs to some brides which happened while we were busy decorating Adam y Perla and Allyson and Jason's respective October weddings (photos coming soon - I promise!)...

First, a big shout-out to Renee who tied the knot this past September 30th at the Dreams Riviera Maya resort! Renee chose the popular Palm Trees design in orange with white lettering and shake me tags :). I think they turned out quite tropical!

Second, a big shout-out to Judith's daughter, Elizabeth, who tied the knot with her groom in Massachusetts - a first for us! We don't have a picture of the papel picado in the actual chuppah, but I can't wait to see one :). I think it turned out beautifully with the dogwood branches and flowers...

Third, a shout-out to Adrienne who tied the knot with her groom at Dreams Puerto Vallarta - at the same time, no less, that Allyson & Jason tied the knot on the beach up north! Adrienne chose the second version of the Kate and I love the colors - very festive!

Coming-up ... photos of both Adam & Perla's wedding and Allyson & Jason's wedding these past two weekends!

Beautiful Fuschia & Orange - and WinWin Winner!

So, as I was saying earlier, big shout-out to our WINWIN winner, Shaye, who tied the knot this past Saturday in Las Caletas! Not only did Shaye win 20 of our hand-painted maracas, but we had a little surprise for her as well ... a hand-painted bridal fan! I absolutely ADORE these maracas and would heart heart them even if my husband Antonio hadn't painted them!

shaye's beautiful invite (sproullie designs!)

maracas

tags

hand-painted fan

We have three more brides tying the knot before our own Ashley & Dave say "I do" in the beautiful little village of San Pancho....this is a FUN month ya'all!

Beautiful blue and Teal....

The biggest shout out goes to Lindsay who was married yesterday at Cabo Surf Hotel. Back in October, Amy, her coordinator from Fiestas Los Cabos, contacted us about doing some maracas similar to her invites. LOVE the invites, from Prim & Prixie.






So, Omar worked some magic again! I absolutely love this maraca....

More maraca photos coming-up and a "design in a box" for a sweet Yelapa couple - it's pretty cool and different, so check back!

WINWIN WINNERS!

Try saying THAT title 10 times really fast! Well, I planned on doing this via video but lack of video camera forced me to do it the old fashioned way ;).

Thank you all for participating - it was a lot of fun and we definitely have more drawings and competitions planned for the future! You guys rock!

Shaye and Janine - please contact me about your winnings and congratulations!

Congratulations and Boohoo!!

Well, since my camera died and took our December/January photos with them, I have to give shout-outs to our brides without pictures!! boohoo!!!

So, a big shout goes out to Kristina who was married December 28th in Las Caletas! I loved her tags too but no photos - grrr!!!

And another big shout out to Sarah & Ted who were married January 8th in Cancun!! Their maracas were white palm trees on a vivid blue background and way cool ;).

And, of course, we are still waiting for the pictures of Nikki & Roland's wedding (waaaay back on December 5th!) .... hopefully (crossing fingers) in a few days!!

Zen and not so Zen....

A big shout out goes to Danielle who was married yesterday in Las Caletas! I was going to show off the maracas, of course, but somebody stole my camera with the photos in them (NOT so zen!)! So, you'll have to use your imagination. However, I didn't want to NOT blog and congratulate Danielle.

These were her cool invites (the Zen!) and the maracas were based on them!

On another note, Britt's wedding on saturday was fab and we should have pics this week and we'll be all ready for show 'n tell ... then it's back to design inspirations all summer long!!

Tropical Flowers and Palm Trees...

A big shout-out goes to Allie (married May 22nd at the Riu) and Yanell (married May 23rd in Careyes)!! Although these two brides didn't know each other, both had chocolate brown and a tropical theme in their weddings!


TROPICAL FLOWERS
Allie first came to us just wanting something super simple and asked to choose a design we had already created. But, once we saw her invites, we knew we could do better than that!

Allie's Invite

Utilizing the colors in the invite and inspired by the flower, this is what Omar came-up with!

PALM TREES

Yanell had a palm tree motif in mind which I knew we could do easily. What came as a surprise was the color - she wanted the main color sage. I thought that would be super simple, especially since she sent me (via computer) a color sample. But, when I printed the sample, what printed out and was on the screen did not match AT ALL! Because the order was so soon to the date, I didn't have a lot of time to go back and forth. So, we had to make our best guess as to "sage" .... I was nail biting up until we received a wonderful email from our bride informing us that they loved the maracas and everything was hunky dory! :)

Yanell's Sample

And the winning color and palm trees!

Next week we'll have photos of the wedding we have been working sooo hard on for months and months! We've come-up with some fab ideas and I can't wait to put them all together for our bride!

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 :).

Chocolate and Ivy Lacy romance....

Don't chastise me, dear brides and coordinators - we've been super busy working on an upcoming wedding which is turning out AMAZING - but as a result, I'm horribly delinquent writing to you! A BIG shout out goes to Scott and Carrie who were married April 11th in Las Caletas!

INVITES

As a twist, both the bride and groom got into the maraca deciding action, as they chose which design they liked best. They did send us their invites which we loved and were excited to copy, but really wanted the Lacy Romance design which we have done before as an example.

CHOCOLATE AND IVORY LACY ROMANCE

We also did little name/date/location tags which Omar freehanded into the computer and I played around with to look just so! I'm pretty pleased with it, if I do say so myself!

As we have a slight lull in the action, I will be posting ideas again - I miss them too and I've been collecting things I've seen online just to share with you - just haven't had the time! So, I will do my best to make a big blog full of ideas to say "thank you" for checking-in even when I've been a bad blogger! Ya'all rock!!

2 Pesos - Starfish unlike any other...

A big shout out goes to Joy & Derrick who were married this past January 17th! I am sure they are honeymooning it away in style in the Riviera Maya!!!

Joy came to me last September and wanted some maracas which somehow could combine her super kewl, slightly beachy STDS with her more romantic, whimsical invites (I was told both were done by Sarah Sprouille of Sprouille Designs!).

Joy's Super Kewl STDS

Joy's Whimsical Invites

Her colors were chocolate brown, celadon (even I had to look that one up!!) and yellow gold. Omar and I put our heads together and this is what we came-up with...

Joy's Super Kewl, Whimsical Maracas!

My favorite part of this maraca is the handle - I thought it would be great to have the design repeated on the handle and I love how Omar managed to pull it off :):)!!

Since I believe we need to wait until after her wedding before revealing a bride's design, next Tuesday we have K8's blue, red and white wedding project which was also super fun!

2 Pesos - Place setting Clutter- HELP!

Fun fun! First bride question of 2 Pesos and here it is:

"I like 2 Pesos Tuesday because one of my signature lines is "Only on Tuesdays!" So it works! So here is my question. I was wondering how to make a place setting with all of the pieces not look cluttered. I keep thinking in my head.... plate, flatware, napkin, place card, menu... and then to try to add maracas? I am still wanting to have you guys make custom maracas for me... I just don't know how to make them look good. And I am on a budget. What do you think?????" - bride kate

I can see why you would be confused! So many things, it seems like ... but, when you actually see all the pieces in action, I promise it starts to make sense. I have a variety of different advice so here goes!

When you say "you are on a budget" the first thing I think is "consolidate." In your case, I think there are several ways to do that. Here are some of my suggestions:

1. One of my first thoughts would be to either a) combine your menu and place card together and there would be many ways to do that - by placing the name at the top, for example, or on the side. My other thought would be to b) really personalize your maracas with the names of your guests right on the maraca and have it set at each place setting.

2. If you combine your menu and place card setting you could place the combination inside the napkin on a plate (Quizilla), or on the plate and have the napkin placed in the water or wine glasses OR you could have menus that stand-up and have them set at the head of each plate (2941). Oodles of options!

Napkins in Water Glasses

Inside the Napkin on a Plate

Menu at Top

3. Depending on where you decide to place the menus and/or menu/place card combinations, the maracas could go where the plate would be, at the top of the plate, or hanging on a chair tied with pretty ribbon! I think the maracas are also fun at the ceremony on each chair or passed out during a fun dance number (if you have a group that dances!).

On Ceremony Chairs

Back of Dinner Chairs

4. Keep in mind that usually the plates aren't on the table before dinner, as they are brought out with the food. So, you should have a space on the table for the plates which would be a great place for either the menu or maraca!

Plates not set

Plates Set

Knowing what I do re: your full table set-up, if it were me, in lieu of having your names, date and location painted on the maraca, I would aim for a simple design with the first name of your guest (in case of double names, as in two Sams, with the first initial of their last name). I would set the menu at the head of the plate, the maraca where the plate will go with the guest's name facing-up and the napkin under the fork.

Any questions about wedding design, decor, etiquette or anything re: PV, ask away and Two Pesos Tuesdayish it is (I'm on Mexican time, eh!) - either PM me if you see this at Best Destination Wedding or email me at amishkadesigns@yahoo.com and put "two pesos" in the subject line!

Accents that Go a Long Way...

Here we are my dear brides and coordinators ... I was going to talk about birds and love birds and all things birds, but I got distracted by .... napkin accents!! Who would have thunk?

I think napkins are something that often get over-looked but can make a lot of difference in the look of your tables - just adding a small touch can go a long way. Oodles of options out there, but I tried to find the best eye candy and here they are!!

BEADS AND TASSELS

There were some really beautiful options out there. Starting on the upper left-hand corner we have this unique jeweled design which can also double as a favor (I LOVE things that can double as something else!) found at Jenn Creations. Underneath that we have this sweet black and white beaded napkin ring complete with little sayings (Crafty Chica). I adore this silver beaded napkin accent in the middle found at A Cottage Industry. Lastly, but never leastly!, there are tasseled delights (top: Always Elegant; middle: BBJ Linen) and on bottom beaded accent with blossom at Moments by Morgan.

SILVER AND BLING

Still working with the more elegant side of things, we have these wedding ring accent rings in the upper left (My Dream Wedding) and pretty picture heart frame ring at Glass Slipper Productions. In the middle row, we have this vintage brooch as an accent (Angelic Accents) and silver ring with rhinestone (My Dream Wedding). On the bottom row these interesting silver basil accents (yes! BASIL!) at Prints and Potter, silver coral accent which looks pretty but dangerous ;) at Wrapables and silver rings with can double as place cards (SWEET!) rightly found at Gifts.

FEATHERS AND SHELLS

Well, after all that bling, I think we need a break and turn to nature! In the upper left hand corner we have this bright blue starfish - I love the unique way they have placed this napkin (LeMiga). Next to it we have a white starfish with place card attached and menu tucked into the napkin (The Knot) - detail detail detail!! In the middle we have this unique touch of feather accent (Social Couture) and down below something that looks simple but really makes the look elegant, this peacock feather which would look great tucked into a napkin at Picasaweb.

RIBBONS AND BLOSSOMS

Something done a little more frequently, but still doesn't make it any less effective, are ribbons and blossoms like this elegant affair upper left (Moments by Morgan) or elegant yet simple arrangement down below (The Knot). Beautiful fuchsia napkin accented by a bright green orchid (Rosa Gonzalez) and sprigs of green and blossom tied with coffee colored ribbon (The Wedding Channel). Upper right hand corner we have bright orange ribbons tied with various ribbon (Hostess Blog), orange napkin tied with simple golden tone ribbon and rose tied with organza ribbon (The Wedding Channel). Nice!

BUTTONS AND THINGS

Just when you thought that you couldn't possible adorn a napkin with anything else arrives buttons and things! There are monogrammed buttons (Dream Visions), buttons/letter/paper cut-outs on burlap (Vintage Indie), these lovely shell buttons (Toast and Tables), satin silk frogs (Martha Stewart - who else?!!) AND (oh yes I'm not finished yet!) ... on the bottom row we have these fobbies - I didn't know what a fobbie was - I had to look it up! But a great idea (Fobbie)! Wonderful silver dragonfly - Love the combination of the blue against the wood grain with the silver - super pretty (Tall Grass) and not to be left behind are these wire accents with cool words in scroll (Brides).

ODDS 'N ENDS

Bet you thought we were finished! But, no, we're not! In the upper left hand corner we have these ceramic picture frame napkin accents (kid you not!)(Wedding Favors Now) and down below an edible napkin accent (yum!yum!) - this bread stick heart (Martha Stewart). In the middle we have a monogrammed napkin (Flickr - Initial Impressions) and down below origami (yes I wrote that correctly) accent ring (Craft Side) and FINALLY (yes I did say it!) this grapevine accent found at Plant A Memory.

With Christmas approaching and many projects on my plate, I have no idea what I will be writing about next dear bloggers, so you'll just have to tune-in and find out! And don't forget to write me with your questions for Two Pesos Tuesdays or all you'll get are my ramblings on life in Puerto Vallarta!

Shades of Blue and Cherry Reds!

Well, I got it all backwards! I thought orange and blue would be hard and red and blues would be easy - I couldn't have been further from the truth! But the goodies I did find are quite the catch!! Without further ado....

INSPIRATION BOARD

Most of these photos will show-up again - I just wanted to put a little something together to show you the beauty of this color combination from some of my favorite shots. The one picture that won't show-up later is the beautiful floral inspiration in the upper left corner which I found at Wedding Poop Blogspot (no, I DID NOT make that up - go there and see!).

INVITES, ESCORT/PLACE CARD/TABLE MARKER INSPIRED

In the upper left hand corner we have the pretty embossed invite version I found at the ever famous Project Wedding. Next to that I love the bold, modern yet fanciful twist of this handmade invite over at Etsy. These interesting word cut-out handmade invites were also found at Etsy by AmyZo. Next to that is the more reserved, yet elegant invite at Budget Dream Weddings. Underneath I love the way this invite is wrapped with the pretty red floral graphic done at Project Wedding. This more flamboyant invite was actually an invite to a museum auction but I thought it would look great as a wedding invite for the right bride and groom and found at Paper Style. And, over at Perfect Memories Events Blogspot, I found this whimsical red and blue circle invite.

CENTERPIECES

I didn't find a lot, but what I did find I love! First up is this delightful centerpiece collage in the upper left-hand corner, found at Brides. I love the cut-out metal floral vase paired with blue candles and red accents - now, I'll admit, not an easy look to achieve here in Vallarta - but not impossible! What I adore in the next photo is all upwards - I love what appears to me strung red flowers and the pretty light blue Chinese lanterns - so whimsical yet dramatic! The reason I don't love the table scape as much is I would love to see some sort of touch on the white covered chairs - I'm not a fan of the white-covered chair but do think they can be incorporated fairly well if there is some sort of accent-action going on. Anywho, I found that photo at Life, Love and Lipstick.

In the middle row is the larger version of the centerpiece I love mentioned up above. Next to it is a more breezy, beachy idea which was found at I-Weddings. Of course, this photo is missing the blue accent - what I would have loved to see is the white vases replaced with blue vases - then I think this photo has the possibility of fabulousness!

In the bottom row, these pretty, light and airy vases filled with red buds was found at Flickr. Next to it we have an aqua and blue affair found at Wedding Bee. And lastly, but not leastly, beautiful blue wrapped vases filled with luscious red flowers at Project Wedding.

BOUQUETS, ACCENTS, ETC.

Well, I didn't find enough of each of these to make them their own collage, but I did find pieces of all to create this one! Upper left-hand corner is a full-blossomed bouquet at Brides. Next to it are these wonderful blue-inked ceremony programs done by Hy Studio. I found a few bird inspired pieces - enough that I might just do a whole blog on them! These bird favors and the bird coasters underneath were found on Flickr. I've used bird cages before, but I really love the ornateness of this birdcage in particular which I also found at Flickr.

Underneath the red bouquet are my favorite favors - little metal photo frames which doubled as escort cards at I-Weddings. Underneath we have cute Mr. and Mrs. chairs at Hy Studio, little favor food boxes (yum yum!) also at I-Weddings, and I adore this monogrammed dance floor at Wedding By Color.

Again, blue lanterns which I've mentioned before but love them, so here they are again, at Flickr/OnceWed. Little collection of favor items (like matchbooks, retro pins, etc.) over at Brilliant Event Planning. Beautiful, elegant blue laced pillow at Once Wed. I know I almost never get consulted re: bridesmaid dresses, but I love the color of this blue and the look of these found at Bon Mariage. Snazzy blue boxes with bright red flowers found at Flickr. This memory space with antique candle holders, red candles, red flowers and blue foto frame at I-Weddings. And this ceremony program idea was also found over at Flickr.

MISHKA DESIGNS' TWISTS

We didn't have time to do an example of a blue/red favor as Omar is working on some upcoming projects, but I clumsily tried to do a photoshop example from our maraca/fan examples earlier to hopefully just give you an idea of what you could do (with our help, of course!)!!

Mid-month will find us focusing-in on a requested color palette of lime, red and chocolate brown - should be interesting!! If you're a bride or a coordinator and would like a blog on something for your upcoming wedding, drop me a note!!