daily night cap.

"I am like a falling star, who has finally found her place next to another, in a lovely constellation where we will sparkle in the heavens forever."

~Amy Tan

Photography by Justin&MaryPhotography

sneak peek #2 for next week's Unveiled recap

Only 4 days left until my recap of Unveiled: Bridal Style Revealed explodes on Santa Barbara Chic. It's loads of wedding goodness! Until then, here's my all time favorite dress from the Monique Lhuillier's Fall 2010 line, as displayed in their gorgeous Melrose Place salon.

disaster strikes before the morning coffee

For those of you who know me...I'm addicted to my morning coffee. Even more crazy, though, is that I'm addicted to my morning coffee mug. I'm sure, then, you can imagine my disgust when I accidentally dropped my mug (along with my hot morning coffee) on the way to my computer.

AHHHhhhh!

So this morning, I went online mug shopping, and came across the most amazing website from Great Britain (thanks google search) called Not on the High Street, which has the most adorable mugs you've ever seen.

Wouldn't this be the most amazing wedding favor? Just fill the bottom with your favorite homemade cookie, and wrap in a cute little bag. Adorable!

How fun would it be to give these as a wedding gift? The typeface is so festive and flirty.

Who needs a cupboard, when you can his this adorable mug tree? And think...you can paint it any color under the sun!

Or, for the man without a plan...how about a little breakfast in bed, with the morning coffee? Talk about a great way to start the day! These are only just a few of the amazing mugs and gifts they offer, so please make sure to check out their website ASAP!

daily night cap.

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."

~Antoine De Saint Exupery 

Photography by Stephanie Ann Photography

Engagement Shoot-out with Jen O'Sullivan

If you're engaged with a wedding date, live in the LA area, and haven't picked a photographer yet, this is the premier event for you!

Here's the skinny:

When: Thursday, April 22nd from 2:30 to 5pm or 5pm to 7:30pm
Where: The Sunset Restaurant http://www.TheSunsetRestaurant.com/  in Malibu
What: Get photographed at no cost with some extraordinary photographers (up to 6 shooters will work with you for 15 minutes each.)
You Get: All your files from each photographer at no cost! A donation of any size to LETMESAIL will be encouraged: http://www.letmesail.org

The Catch: There is none! You get to test drive some really great shooters BEFORE you hire one with no strings attached.

Rules:
Please RSVP to Jen no later than April 14th via email.
You must be engaged to be married with an actual date set
You cannot have a photographer already booked for your wedding.
There is limited space so please get your RSVP in soon to jen@jenosullivan.com

For more info, visit here!

spring flower chart on THE FULL BOUQUET!

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time remembering the name of all the amazing flowers out there. Thankfully, we have websites like The Full Bouquet, that remind us in nice and organized little charts, like this! :)

daily night cap.

"No, there is nothing half so sweet in life as love's young dream."
~ Thomas Moore


photography by Steve DePino

ottoman love

I saw this gorgeous ottoman in an inspiration board the other day, and I couldn't help but melt! I can imagine drinking coffee and reading my favorite magazines here (and of course, in this vision, "here" is located in my imaginary Italian villa). I loved this ottoman soo much, that I went on a quest to find the most adorable ottomans out there (like this one below made out of studded pink leather):

If you don't have one of these in your home, you've no doubt seen something similar grace the pages of your favorite wedding or design magazine. The ones below are exquisite patchworked cowhide!

The glorious ottoman is not just a comfortable accessory for the common chair...it can become your stylish new coffee table or, even a chair itself. 

Plus...it's one of the main ingredients to a successful reception lounge space!  

Gorgeous!

Unveiled-Bridal Style Revealed teaser...

Next week I'll be highlighting my day at Unveiled-Bridal Style Revealed wedding event this past Sunday on Santa Barbara Chic. Until then, here's a teaser for those who love a little wedding design torture :) Happy Monday!

Unveiled-Bridal Style Revealed

If you're in the LA area, don't miss this amazing show today! I'll be there, scoping it out & taking pictures for Santa Barbara Chic, so stop me and say hello if you're there. Have a fabulous Sunday, everyone.

daily night cap.

“I invented my life... by taking for granted that everything I did not like, would have an opposite, which I would like.”
~Coco Chanel
photography by mi belle

another strong & powerful woman!

I've been inspired lately by strong & powerful women who work hard, and follow their gut. Kelly Cutrone is one of them, and her new book is all about following your passion and keeping strong. I'm waiting to buy it for next month's Mexico trip, but I encourage you all to get to your local bookstore and buy it! Amazing & fabulous!

do you bask yourself?

imagine being the editor-in-chief of one of the top lifestyle magazines one day (Home and Garden to be exact), and jobless the next. how does one recover from that? especially in a market where publishing isn't necessarily opening any new doors.

Dominique Browning lived through the experience, and shares her continual journey post-HG in her amazing blog: SlowLoveLife. Her recent post? Questioning our ability to allow ourselves to be happy (even in the face of amazingly great life happenings!). I can definitely relate, and it surely made me take a step back this morning and "bask" in my own small successes over the last few months. Hopefully it will for you too.
photograph #1 by Sandra Lane

daily night cap.

"I welcome the fear, knowing that if I wasn't feeling it, I would be in the wrong place!" 

~Anon

gorgeous gems and their gorgeous meanings

I love a little hidden symbolism, and love the idea that something inanimate can bring to life and represent feelings and emotions.

Sapphire, for instance, is connected to the eye, and known to represent joy and the vision of the future, whereas...

... the tigereye is said to attract clarity and love! To find out what your wedding jewelry gems might be saying, click here! 

swag from the oscars=swag for your bridal party

I love love love these adorable keys, and love love love them even more since they were part of the 2010 Oscar guest swag bags! Nothing like adding a little piece of celebrity to your day. I think the heart above would make a great bridesmaid gift!

Is your husband a professional poker player? Have weekly poker games with the guys?

What about the groom or groomsmen with an obsession for his Harley? These would be the perfect gifts! Check out all their crazy designs (+ find out about their custom orders), & grab your own here.

daily night cap.

"The most beautiful things in the world are not seen nor touched. They are felt with the heart."
~Helen Keller

Photography by Carrie Patterson

my first glitzpic on Santa Barbara Chic

Visit Santa Barbara Chic to see the entire post. So excited about this new project ( you all know how much I love jewelry!). Make sure to bookmark your browsers every Thursday....

daily night cap.

"You don't marry someone you can live with. You marry someone you cannot live without!"

~anon

photgraphy: Lara Porzak

the ultimate love letter experiment

why limit our letters of love to those we know...as we're reminded in my all-time favorite romantic comedy, Love Actually, "If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion-love actually IS all around." Asia Wong agrees. And she's set out to share this sentiment around the world, in letters of her own love, sent to absolute strangers.

In her own words: "There are always connections between people, things to admire in people, trust that goes unnoticed, small kindnesses, shared silences. There is always so much to see, and there is always so much to feel. There is so much we don't talk about, so much we have trouble believing in....In the same way that art school training is training your eye to take in and process the world around you, to stop and notice things, to learn how to really see, I wanted to train my heart how to really feel." 


Magical. Check out her journey here.

love notes

I had the most amazing dream last night...you know, that dream where you're blissfully happy and totally in love? although i have yet to receive one, I love the idea of a love note. it takes us back to the days without computers and text message, when the only way to communicate across distance was through the written word. I'm going to spend today looking at love notes...how do we save I love you today?

#1. on a t-shirt, like these found on Dalloways?

#2. how about in chocolate?

#3. what about that all important question? or that all important celebration? Emersonmade has the answer in these adorable fabric floral messages.

#4. what about for the couple that's been through everything? after 25 years of marriage, what does the love letter look like? Like this...

On the night before your wedding, have a couple write a love letter to each other. Following the big day, deposit the letter into a safe deposit box, and have them re-visit the letters on their 25th wedding anniversary.

daily night cap.

~bettershelter
Me: "enough said".

is it akward to ask: can we be friends?

have you ever had the experience of meeting someone for the first time, and thinking..."man, I really wish I was friends with this person?" You know, where your trying to figure out how to ask if they'd be up to meet you for margaritas next Tuesday (and not for the purpose of discussing any sort of wedding)? Well, that's how I felt today with two fantasticly adorable potential clients! They were such a fun couple, who were totally real and got the bigger picture of the wedding process (plus, it doesn't hurt that they love love love a family-style, barn wedding + the joy of a great signature drink!)

As you get older, it becomes harder and harder to meet new friends...and for someone who just moved back to the area (an area where most of my friends have long since left), I sometimes wish I had more groups of friends around. But...what do you do if you meet people who you totally want to be your new BFF's? Is it possible to ask for someone's number without sounding creeping? I wonder what Martha Stewart would say?
photo by: Ross Whitaker

great coasters on twig and thistle

happy Monday everyone! I about melted when I saw these amazing felt coasters highlighted on one of my favorite blogs, Twig & Thistle, this morning. Aren't they amazing?

Check them out here: Twig & Thistle

happy weekend!

actually taking a weekend away from blogging. But, I didn't want to leave without sharing some inspiration that's really been keeping me going the last few days. Hope you all are enjoying a nice few days...see you on Monday!

"We loved with a love that was more than love. "

~Edgar Allan Poe

Photography by Belathee as seen on Brooklynbride

so i thought i was over cupcakes, until...

..I met Frosted Cupcakery in Hollywood! Umm, can we say amazing? I really do think these are the best cupcakes I've ever had. This is the second store for Stacia Samartan (the first of which is located in belmont shores), and I must say I'm so glad they came north.

The store itself is absolutely delightful! Cute candy jars, bright modern colors, and a display case that is to-die-for. Plus, store manager Simone Dole and her employees are absolutely the most kind people you will ever meet.

To me, though, what's so great about the cupcakery is their support and collaboration with the local LA food truck scene. Every Thursday you can find LA's greatest food trucks parked right out front (including the infamous grilled cheese truck, which makes its rounds to the cupcakery parking lot on the last Thursday of every month).

If you're in LA, make sure to head over right away (I know I will!) For more information, check them out their blog {and} follow them on twitter. Thank you Sara for these amazing photographs! More to come later today as to how we even found this amazing place...

daily night cap.

"All you need is love"

~John Lennon

photography by Sara Wolfram of one-love photography

a sneak peek

Here's a little taste of the amazing wedding related project that I have in the works with Sara from one love photography! More to come on this tomorrow. Stay tuned!