Black Accents....

Well, September has come and gone and we're into October and you know what that means? It's the new season! Before I start inundating you with our own special orders and wedding designs, I thought I would share real quick a little research I did on black accents .... everywhere I went I was reading that "black is the new brown" ;).

INSPIRATION

I drew my inspiration from several different black/color combinations. I think there is something very powerful about black - so powerful, in fact, that, if not used wisely, I think the design starts to look too heavy and, thus, takes away the "romance factor." There were two color combinations that I just couldn't find good examples of - that was purple and black and orange and black. I just couldn't get away from images of Halloween .... although I do think an eggplant with black and white or the peach inspiration board I found with black and white would work.

Top Row: Loved the black plate and the bling bling on the pink napkin - just really love black/white/pink combinations, really. Something very retro about it :). {Wedding Wire} Speaking of retro, I love these dresses as bridesmaid dresses - would love to see an edgy/50's combined with Spanish flair wedding - Puerto Vallarta West Side Story, so to speak ;). {You and Your Wedding}

Middle Row: Of course, when thinking black accent, damask is everywhere. I love the combination with this olive green ribbon. {Monterey Wedding} Also love the ocean blue with black/white combination and these invites are divine. {Wed Printing} I also like a silver/black/white combination and I think these invites are perfect for the bride who loves handmade, stylish invites. {ScrappyKy at Etsy}

Bottom Row: Bottom we have two fab cakes - the first black/white/red cake I love for the leaf design. {Sedona Wedding Cakes} The second cake is a great floral design with wonderful pink floral accents - yum! {Bridal Inquirer} At bottom we have some great white/black accent wedding shoes. {Meg Belanger} I adore this simple, yet elegant centerpiece (and I think Gerbers are a little tricky to make elegant, but they really pulled this off!) {Stellina Events} Up top, we have an Asian inspired invite - really great ribbon touch. {Formal Invitations} And lastly, this is just a heart heart place setting with the black design plates and the dark pink flowers. {Pacific Weddings}

Touches of Red

I'll start with one of the trickiest combinations - because black and red are such dark colors, it takes a sleight of hand to ensure that neither one of these colors overpowers the whole setting. I was just thinking about this when I realized we have a black/white/red combination coming in November, so stay tuned ;).

I started with this picture because it was just too fabulous and deserved it's very own mention. Heart heart the dresses, love the bouquet - just fab {Brides}

This next design board is luscious and a perfect example of being just over-the-top awesome without going that just a bit more into the not-so-awesome. My heart goes pitty-pat with those bridesmaid dresses/wedding dress/bouquet combo. *sigh* {Vow Weddings}

I absolutely adore when someone can take something that could come-off cheesy and turns it into something that's worth kisses and hugs and that would go to this next design board. For those of you who think hearts and love are "oh so whatever", I dare you not to like this one! {Green Wedding Shoes}

Touches of Pink

One shade over and we have the pink/black/white wedding - I think silhouettes, given a touch of Mexican flair, could be a great touch. {Totally Tabletops}

A Touch of Peach

Tricky but doable is what I say about this color combo. I'm not completely sold, but this design board did make me stop and say "maybe....it could be done...." {Banquet Event}

A Shout of Yellow
I mean, could yellow be anything else?! Wowzers, there it is! I mean, a color that takes after the sun is a color to get your attention. I personally think there is a bit too much damask in this table setting but, over-all, this is a great presentation. {Bride CA}

This is just a great design board. I absolutely heart heart both the cake and the centerpieces! {Prima Dona Bride}

Touch of Green

I love using green accents - I don't know why exactly, other than it's just a great color and there are so many options that go along with it. This is a triple heart design board - I'm not sure which is better - the bouquets and bouts with black and white feathers or that amazing invite, the birdcage, the cake.... {Prima Donna Bride}

Just a touch of damask really makes this design board stand-out. I was surprised to find that the invite in this design board is the same invite design as my black/white/red wedding in November - I checked - it's not their name on the invite ;). {Life Love Lipstick}

A Touch of Blue

A very simple, yet remarkably powerful design board. Creative, artistic, whimsical... {Style Me Pretty - Of course!}

We have a month chock-full of maracas, shake me tags, and, of course, Mindi & Morgan's Candlelit Wedding design/decor which we have been working on for about a year! I also have some surprises in store for you this wedding season that we've been working on during the summer - so, hop on and let's ride this wedding season wave together!

Purple Haze...

Inspire

A wee late but here we are! I have to admit that I found researching some great purple ideas was a lot harder than doing the yellow - or even the polka dots! I hadn't expected that ... but, when done well, I think purple can really bring a pop of color into a wedding. Take a look at the design inspiration board.....

Top: Beautiful chandelier - great for a dance floor accent (Amazon); Great purple pattern with green chair (Anh Minh);

Bottom: Love this outdoor set-up (Sugar Plum Invitations); Really heart this purple see-through pattern (Harmony and Home); and I found this amazing dress designed by a young design student at Auroras Light.

Invitations

You know how much I love graphics and these invitations, I think, are truly some of the best eclectic group of invites I've collected in a while! I do think invites and/or STDs are one of the most important design pieces for your wedding - they make a statement right from the start about what guests can anticipate and look forward to!

Top: Very pretty, elegant monogram type invite (Pink Design Events); whimsical and creative (Invitations by Nature).

Middle: I think this color combination is just really nice (Be Our Guest); And I would have never thought to put green and purple together before but I am becoming a fan! (Mirabel Press); I like the layers and texture in this invite (Be Spoke).

Bottom: I have to heart heart this whole invite collection - it's really just awesome (Joyful Heart Design); and I really love the use of the black with the purple dendrobium orchids - just gorgeous! (Invitation Box); UP TOP we have this great traditional, yet modern monogram and pattern (Lela New York); Next I super heart heart this amazing invite collection (Style Me Pretty); DOWN BELOW we have this pretty two-tone purple invite (Imagine Wedding).

Bouquets

Fortunately for the purple bride, there are a variety of flowers in PV to make the perfect purple bouquet. Some of my personal favorites would be dendrobium orchids, sterling silver roses and purple lisianthius. And a disclaimer - some of these bouquets do have flowers that are not available here in Vallarta but as it seems I have a following of people who aren't getting married in Vallarta, I've included them anyway! :)

Top: Not my favorite but has lots of promise (Kugab); really pretty with a hint of purple (Romantic Wedding Flowers).

Middle: I heart heart this bouquet - it's just full of surprise and beauty! (Holly Chapple Flowers); again, another beautiful bouquet of orchids not available in pv ;) (Wedding Tactics); This is such a pretty, soft, romantic bouquet (In Emotion).

Bottom: Absolutely heart heart heart this organic looking, amazing bouquet (The Knot); A great combination of flowers and colors (ColleenBlooms on Flickr!); UP TOP we have a bouquet I wish I could have gotten a little bigger to really see what the blooms are, but pretty nonetheless (Tastefully Entertaining); DOWN below a yummy looking bouquet (May Wedding Flowers); and last very pretty purple/white bouquet (Istock Photo).

CENTERPIECE & CEREMONY IDEAS

To stay away from high school prom scary, I really found that you needed to be creative with the whole purple dominant theme .... as a result some of these centerpieces are just amazingly imaginative and definitely something that will make a statement.

Left: Just heart heart these floral boxes - not real sure I would put them into a centerpiece but would definitely love to tuck them around a reception area (Stylish Events); absolutely awesome beaded vases with purple flowers tucked-in - those vases will look great with some candles next to them in the evening (Country Living); great branches with dark purple orchids (The Knot).

Middle: This is such a great, amazing centerpiece that it had to have its own category - even if we can't get those purple blooms here in Vallarta (Simply Blooms).

Right: I heart heart heart these creative flower vases - what a simple idea but it just looks fabulous (My Coin Purse); two ceremony ideas - love the purple with green on the ceremony chairs (Wedding Belles); and I thought this ceremony aisle was different, the way they draped the fabric and put the purple floral balls at the top (Invitation Box); and last so pretty little floral vases and big pillar candles (Elizabeth Anne Designs).

CAKES

Well, ya'all know how I love cakes - they are just a great way to add a signature accent to the evening and, when done just right, can be a great moment :).

Top: I would prefer a different shade of purple, but this design is just heavenly (Real Simple); I just thought this cake had enough elements in it to make it really interesting (Pretty Frosting).

Middle: Great use of different shades of purple with a touch of hint (Stylish Events); again, just really am grooving this green and purple combination (Invitation Box); I'm not normally a fan of sugar flowers but I think this cake just looks awesome (Kue Wedding).

Bottom: I have to be honest - I'm not real sure how I feel about this cake - but it was so creative and original I just had to include it (Budget Wedding Planning); I know this isn't a cake, but I can imagine how a cake would look if you utilized those swirls and flowers - awesome! (The Artful Quiller); I liked this very different size, striped cake (A Piece of Cake); and last silver white and purple - with dots no less! (Tastefully Entertaining).

So, I will try my very best to do another inspiration board before we launch into this next season - it's going to be a busy one, so forgive me if I get a wee behind!

Yellow is the "it" girl!

Wait until you get a look at this blog, my dear brides, and you may just forgive me for being absent so long! I get so involved when I start researching and then the blog becomes this huge thing! I might try taking this in smaller chunks so you don't continue to send me email with "wazzup" in the subject heading ;).

Yellow, my dear brides, is the new "it" this season - or at least it should be! Don't be afraid of yellow! Embrace your inner yellow! And, without further ado, here's the inspiration board....

Can you see my point?! Don't worry - these images pop-up later down below....

Invites

So, let's start with the invites .... in the upper left hand corner we have a whole series of paperworks (invites, STD's, programs) found at Green Wedding Shoes; a very dramatic, elegant yellow and black creation from Dolce Press; upper right one of my heart hearts that I discovered somewhere on Flickr!; underneath we have a really artsy inspiration from Black Eiffel; a golden filigree (Uu Designs); and a stamped, very natural light yellow rustic invite (She Knows).

Starting in the middle, we have face cut-outs in bright yellow (Sway Space); very modern yet elegant grey and yellow invite (In the Clouds Events); and an even more modern grey/yellow combo (One Wed); love these thank you cards in the box at Stylist Events.

Bottom row yellow/navy blue bird theme motif (UU Designs); bright yellow-orange/fuchsia invites (Style Me Pretty); my heart heart heart invite discovered at Quilling by Sandra White; and last this yellow/black combination at Formal Invitations.

Bridesmaids
And, as you know how much I love dresses (and shoes and and and!) I couldn't help but include these great bridesmaid finds ....

Upper right, very beautiful white lace with yellow satin bow (Sexy Red Frame); this retro, yet elegant bridesmaid ensemble (Kenzie Kate); in-between there's a yellow/white bridesmaid ensemble (Bridal Boutique Mr. Penguin).

Smack in the middle we have this awesome blue shoes/yellow dress photo (Green Wedding Shoes); and a very beachy, elegant dress (Tinkled Pink); bottom row we have this sassy golden yellow with purple bust (June Bug Weddings); up top bridesmaids in yellow with flower girl in white with yellow sash (DC Nearly Weds); this great satiny golden yellow dress (Forever 21); and last, but not least, these mellow yellow dresses (Stylist Events).

Bouquets
In case you are still not convinced, here are some flowers - nice bright yellow ones!

Upper left, absolutely lovely calla lilies and what looks like a freesia/rose combination (Lindeman Weddings); I heart heart this dramatic bridesmaids in black with yellow floral ball bouquets (Wedding Bee Pro); in-between we have this nice, soft yellow bouquet (hmm - someplace on Flickr!).

Middle row we start with this yellow/purple bouquet (Fashion Bride); and this great calla Lilly/grass combination (Home and Family Network); in-between white and yellow bouquet (Alieli Florals).

Bottom row very elegant yellow bouquet with champagne wrap and bright, big yellow floral ball (Stylist Events); and ending with this fabulous yellow/white bouquet (Silk Wedding Flower Ideas).

Centerpieces
This is where the yellow truly shines! Such bright, happy looking tables - who wouldn't have a good time? ;)

I'm not sure whether to eat or adore this centerpiece with lemon slices and tulips (Porter House Designs); amazing dramatic black and yellow centerpieces (which, for some reason, remind me of Alice in Wonderland!) (In the Clouds Events); in-between, lemons in a tall glass vase (Yellow Brick Blog).

Middle we have this beautiful, elegant black and yellow tablescape (Think Like a Bride); lemons and green orchids (Lindeman Weddings); in-between white vase with yellow stripes and yellow flowers (Entertain Exchange).

Bottom row heart these white mum floral balls with yellow sashes (Wedding Belles Online); great table marker (love the design and the golden color!) (Stylist Events Blog); and these great yellow/black/white centerpieces (Think Like a Bride).

Napkins
Before we get into the cakes and etc., I thought I would give a nod to two napkin accents I found. Top golden yellow with white design (Stylist Events); and navy blue napkins with yellow ribbon accent (With this Ring).

Cakes

Yum yum! Can't forget the cake!

Top row I love this yellow present cake (Minette Rushing); middle, light yellow cake (Real Simple); I love the color and simplicity of the last cake in this row (With This Ring).

Middle row I also adore this yellow cake with white flowers (Martha Stewart Weddings); more golden yellow with white flowers with cool cartoon looking black car topper (Italian Lakes Wedding); heart heart this individual cakes with initials (somewhere on Flickr!).

Bottom row - starts with two golden yellow/purple cakes ... first one (The Sugar Syndicate); second one (somewhere on Flickr!); underneath a yellow-orange cake with white (Anna Whitford); I love this next cake but am not overly fond of the cake topper (Yellow Brick Blog); top a light yellow cake with white ribbon (very elegant, me thinks!) (Pink Cake Box); and bottom a white cake with yellow paper lace (Whipped Bake Shoppe on Flickr!).

Design

In case you are still unsure, I went out to find design inspirations for yellow and found these!

Top left, this dress is just so dramatic and Spanish flair looking! (M-A-Belle); this was wallpaper, but I loved the texture and the design - could really do something great with this as a focal idea (Black White Yellow); loved this lounge area and could see this on the beach next to the dance floor! (Stylist Events).

Middle Row, loved this sunshine artwork (Michelle Geller); great yellow/black votives (Pepper Mags); heart heart this black lantern/yellow lamp motif (Lili Vieira de Carvalho).

Bottom row, fab shoes underneath a white dress! (Christian Lou Boutin); Underneath the shoes we have this great yellow/black lantern and yellow lamp (More Ways to Waste Time); heart heart this lighting affect (think dance floor dear brides!) (Project Wedding); and great inspirational wrapping paper ... top yellow cherry blossoms (Ph Designshop); bottom elegance found at The Cinderella Project.

As if trying to convince you that yellow is a GREAT color for a wedding wasn't hard enough, I've set my sights on another inspiration for next week ... perhaps July is mission impossible month ;).

Bridesmaid Dresses that REALLY can be worn again!

Still planning big design board surprise but have wedding first so here are more dresses! :)


I've been to a lot of weddings down here and probably can count on my hand the number of bridesmaid dresses I really do think will be worn again (and that work well in the heat and humidity!). When I look for dresses like these I ask the question "could I wear flip-flops with this?" .... if the answer is "yes", it's a keeper! (Keep in mind I didn't say WHAT KIND of flip flops ;)).


So, here are some dresses (and some places) I think would work well down here and most of these won't break most banks!

More Formal

I thought I would start with this category, since I found less I liked here - NOT that I think you shouldn't go formal, if you want - just that I think finding a good formal dress that is also a good beach dress is not as easy as it sounds!

First up, love these bridesmaid combos I found over at PerfectBound. Light, airy, formal, distinct - just really great.

Runner-up is this taupe dress I found at Anthropologie. Similar, of course, to the dresses up above ;).

Worth a mention - Still short, but completely different style is this flapper-inspired dress at New York and Company. Again, I'm thinking "light, airy"...

A Bit More Casual

So, going a bit more casual, love this brown dress from Anthropologie. It has sortof an ethnic vibe to it and I can see bridesmaids all standing in line with bouquets of white flowers breathlessly waiting to hear you say "We do!" ;).

Second Runner-up in this category is this sleeveless patterned dress, also from Anthropologie. I definitely think you have to be careful with patterns, but I think this one isn't a bad pattern - would be nice to have 1 or 2 bridesmaid's in this dress with the other bridesmaid's in complimenting colors/styles.

Beachy Yet Elegant

Of course, you know I saved my heart hearts for last!

Second runner up - Comes in more than one color, just a very simple, flowy strapless from Victoria's Secret.

First Runner-Up - Again, patterned dresses - I found these two in completely two different places and realized later their patterns were similar! Guess I know what I like! ;) I love the long, flowy nature of these dresses - can see them as great dresses for walking the beach at sunset. First dress from New York and Company, second dress from Forever21.

Second Place - I know it sortof has a 70's thing going on, but I just like the look of this fabric - if it feels the way it looks, I bet this is one fun dress to party in! (Victoria's Secret)

Before showing you my number one pick for bridesmaid dresses, I thought I would show you a bride dress/bridesmaid dress combo that I think would be awesome for a bride who wants to go more natural, carefree. I found these dresses at JCrew and would LOVE to see one of you decide to go for some yellow. Yellow rocks!

And now, drum roll please, the number one bridesmaid dress comes from....Victoria's Secret! Not only does this dress come in multiple colors, but you can wear the SAME dress in multiple styles - so, same color for your bridesmaids (if you want) but they can do it in a style that most flatters them! winwin!!

I have NO IDEA what I'm blabbing about next week so I won't even pretend to try - but I'm sure it will wedding related ;).

Amazing Vintage Wedding Dress (2 Pesos)!

I know I promised another design board but when I started putting it together I realized that I wanted us to really do something to inspire - so it's going to take a little bit longer :). In the meantime, I stumbled upon this AMAZING dress and just had to share!

Here are a few more photos of Jana Starr's amazing vintage wedding gowns. I wanted to also provide pictures of a bride in these gowns, but my searches were in vain :(.

So, next week, colors of watermelon, spring green and sky blue will be unveiled!

It's Getting a Little Hairy In Here!

Well, I know I don't typically ever get to help anyone with their style, but I do love hair styles - some of these I've actually had done myself for parties (meaning I had someone do it TO my hair, not ME actually doing it with my own two hands!).

There's something to be said for a simple, sophisticated do. I really love the soft braid/waves in this first picture and this retro look I think would be super chic with a feather and a little jeweled clip. Underneath we have these great semi-bee hives, although of the three, I think I like Sarah Jessica Parkers the best.

Still going with the "less is more" theme, we have this really amazing braided do up top. I really love this middle do with braid underneath the bun - I think the combination is really striking. And, lastly, a combination of braid and wavy curls, worn by Heidi Klum.

Alright, now we're getting to the good stuff! After scouring the web, I realized I'm an adornment kind of girl, so you'll have to excuse me if so many of these photos have THINGS in the hair! We'll start by Going Greek! I had this done for a party (by Elle Salon here in Vallarta) and it turned out fabulous with gold ribbon I brought from the States - I can easily see this done for a bride, with the right ribbon/jewels. Top left, we have silver string with pretty jewels, in the middle we have my favorite Grecian hair example - when you look close you can see a combination of pretty ribbons, and I love the Grecian look with curls at the end of this row. Underneath, pretty silver ribbons, and double black headband with teased look.

Moving onto flowers in the hair - something quite popular down here by the ocean! I like the simplicity of these miniature roses in the first picture, I think this sculptural hair do is interesting (although not sure how practical it would be for a wedding), I heart heart this floral creation but am a little concerned as to how it would hold-up down here in the humidity! On the bottom row, I think this very simple, wavy hair style is a very classic by the ocean do and love the feel of it. I think the middle floral french braid is very different and could be very striking (those are not real flowers). And I think this last photo is very smooth and classic.

I had to do a section on tiaras. I had a tiara, although it certainly wasn't what I had planned on or thought I would do but, then, ended-up falling-in love with one and just had to have it! I think this first photo is very romantic and whimsical and the next photo has a real nice, soft look to it as well. On bottom, I think this is a great look for a short-hair bride. And last, I know this isn't probably a tiara, but a clip, but it COULD be a tiara and, anyway, I think this is also a great look for a short hair bride.

Of course, I saved my favorite section for last. These are actually what inspired me to do a blog on this in the first place - clips! Oh how I adore thee! I heart heart this first hair style - I'm not sure what it is I love about it the most - I like the combination of curls and braid and pretty clips - I think this would look great with a veil down below. I think this middle hair style with clips is also great, but I don't think a veil would look good for it - those clips would definitely replace a veil. And the last picture in this row is also great - brings back a 1940's, 1950's vibe - super fun! I would have loved to see how this hair style (silver bun) looked like from the front, but couldn't find a picture. This next picture is also a really great bun with a few little pearl pins. Great side ponytail with clips, although I don't think it would be for me - I would be too worried about getting hot; also LOVE these clips on the red hair do and love the hair do - although, again, I'm not sure how well that would hold-up as the night goes on; and lastly, I love this hairdo and big floral sparkly clip - something I think would look well with a veil or not.

Next week I'm going to do a design board on a really odd color combination (olive, pink and blue!), but I think it's going to look amazing!

Beachy with Class!

A big shout out goes to Brit who was married last Saturday in Las Caletas! We did a whole set of things for her, as you will see - all super fun!

INSPIRATION

Brit did send us her invites but told me she didn't really want something based off the invites (other than the colors) - after discussing it a bit as to what she would like to see, I remembered an invite that I loved which was very colorful but super kewl - Brittloved it too and, thus, started our inspiration for her wedding sets!

Maracas

The first thing Brit ordered were the maracas. She wanted the colors of yellow, orange and an orchid/fuschia color. We decided to put the white tiger lily on it for the biggest effect and this is how they turned out!

MARACA TAGS & NAMES/DATE/LOCATION

The bride really wanted to have the names/date/location on the maracas but it was a little over her budget - so, instead, we offered to do tags on some and she decided to do the print on others. The inspiration for these tags (and, as you will see, the place cards as well) came as I was struggling to find something that would be beachy but not too "beachy" - I wanted something artistic, yet also classical when I ran across this graphic image and realized it was perfect! On the other side of the tags I put a tiger lilly water color and I really like the effect. Also taking oodles of time was the font - I must have looked at over 100 different fonts before deciding this was IT! And you thought picking a dress was hard! :)

PLACE CARDS

When I asked Brit how she would like her place cards she was really laid back and basically told me to just do something kewl!! So, I thought place cards on the forks would look nice (and as I knew the wedding was outside at Las Caletas, I thought that would ensure that they wouldn't blow away). I really liked how they came out - as I was playing with font colors I accidentally did the two-tone and decided there was some kewl factor there!

HAND PAINTED FANS

We were just going to do sandalwood fans with ribbon and accents but, when we went to order the fans, it turns out that they are stuck in Mexican customs right now and nobody in Vallarta had any! So, we had to do some quick thunking and we suggested to Brit that we could do some fans based on the same theme as the maracas with a slight twist and she agreed! I'm actually glad it turned out this way because I think they turned out awesome - actually a product of my husband, rather than Omar!

Next week we have Megan's maracas to share ... we've been so busy and I promise I've been scouting the web for ideas - but they have mostly been for my bride's weddings and, of course, must keep those under wraps until we unveil! If you are eager for me to get back to cool decor ideas I will be back to that at the end of April when we have a little break before we go into May and are oodles busy!