Tuesday, September 27, 2011

a robot-space invader baby shower for our little guy...

this post is super special to me because it's a baby shower thrown for me by, and attended by, some of my favorite wedding industry friends!

when coming up with a concept, i mentioned to leila that i was going with a subtle robot/space invader feel to the nursery...so we took that and ran with it!

style file: bright, techy, fun, modern, masculine, galactic
elements: ceramic robots, space invaders, graphic linens, pixelated font, acrylic, foil, tin cans
color scheme: yellow, orange, gray, white with pops of turquoise, green
flowers: succulents, dahlias, ranunculas, craspedia, double tulips, dianthus

for the flowers, i used a mix of textured white ceramic vases filled with colorful dahlias, ranunculas and tulips, finished by "antennae" made of yellow billy balls...


all the adorable printed items were created using a pixelated font for a "techy" feel, accented with either robot or space invader graphics...adrienne from cherish paperie did such an awesome job!

the invite said
"greetings earthlings...our circuits are overloaded with excitement for the arrival of a new species!"

it then went on to list the objective, launch date and coordinates of the party...



in addition to the main florals, i also bought some white ceramic robot coin banks online and filled the slot on top with succulents or billy balls, etc.

and dontcha just LOVE the graphic yellow and white patterned linens from la tavola?!


we set up a beverage station outside and served:

"rocket fuel" (lemonade)
"liquid hydrogen" (mango juice and sprite)
"anti freeze" (mini bottles of nicolas feuillate champagne)

we also had some theme colored crazy straws in case guests wanted to spruce up their drinks...





when we asked jesi haack to create a backdrop for the food display, we KNEW she would come up with something killer! she hand sewed all those individual turquoise "pillows" and then attached them to a backdrop in the shape of a space invader! so rad huh?

we displayed the food in front on all white platters and called it "mega bytes"...


when thinking about food, leila and i wanted to stick with stuff that didnt require a lot of utensils...we also wanted small bites because we didn't have room for a sit-down meal...so we served:

"tri-colored laserbeams" (carrot, bell pepper and green bean crudite with edamame dip served in shot glasses)
"micro chips" (variety of potato chips served in small tin cans)
"comet particles" (wild rice salad served in bowls we made out of foil)
"UFO's - unidentified flavorable objects" (chicken salad sandwiches on round buns)




for the dessert display, i found a local vendor who custom created some gray space invader wall decals...they actually were super affordable and easy to apply/remove! melody from sweet and saucy then used all her awesome acrylic dessert stands to keep the look modern and fresh!

here are some of the desserts we served:
"asteroids" (white chocolate dipped donut holes)
"flying saucers" (custom sugar cookies)
cupcakes with the most adorable robot toppers
robot cake pops (let me tell you...mel made THE BEST robot cake pops i have ever seen - and trust me, i googled a lot of others!)


i told melody i wanted a space invaders cake and to just do whatever she dreamed up! so she created a round white fondant cake accented with the RADDEST pixelated topper i have ever seen! in fact, i kept it for about 2 weeks after the shower because i couldn't bear to throw it away! ;)

leila bought a space invaders mold for mel so she could make those cute little gray, yellow and orange candy accents for the cake and the rest of the display...









courtney toney made the SWEETEST party hats using that insane silver glitter paper, orange robot cutouts and turquoise looped ribbon on top! you can buy some from her etsy shop, joyful, joyful...she will even make you new designs to fit your party theme!


we had two party favors for guests...the first one was a canvas bag with an ombre effect of space invaders, custom made by the lovely ladies of wedding chicks...i swear i am OBSESSED with these! i use my bag almost every day and get so many compliments, i hope the girls start selling these particular bags in their shop :)

there were 4 different colors (yellow, gray, turquoise, orange) and they each said one of the following phrases:

"beware the invasion"
"take me to your leader"
"resistance is futile"
"we come in peace"




the second favor were some gray robot and white space invader soaps i had custom made from a couple etsy sellers...we packaged them up in white boxes that said "baby shower objective - destroy all germs!"



i am normally not a huge fan of shower games but i told leila i love the game taboo...so she found a baby shower version online! and she worked with jesi haack to create some outer space/robot key words too...they even had the cards printed to fit the theme of the shower!


both teams actually did REALLY well! plus it was a lot of fun :)


i have to thank a couple ladies who made this event so special!

leila khalil from be inspired pr - who spent hours with me planning and scheming and is the best friend and hostess a girl can have!

carlie from gabriel ryan photographers - who took all the beautiful pictures and documented such a special day...


my mom - who had thrown me an amazing shower for family and friends just a couple days prior...it was so nice that she could just show up and enjoy after all the hard work she had done for my other party...

my sister-in-law and mother-in-law - who traveled all the way from the midwest to be at both showers! it was so awesome to have them back in town one last time before the baby gets here and to share in the festivities...


jesi haack - who dreamed up that insane space invaders background for the food display...

melody from sweet and saucy - who blew.me.away with her gorgeous, whimsical (and of course delicious) desserts!

oh and no personal post is complete without a picture of bossy, my favorite french bulldog!


here is a full list of the talented people who made this party so fab!

hostess and planning: leila of be inspired pr
floral and event design: JL DESIGNS
photography: carlie from gabriel ryan photographers
cake and desserts: sweet and saucy shop
space invader backdrop: jesi haack design
stationery: cherish paperie
linens: la tavola
custom canvas bags: wedding chicks shop
party hats: joyful joyful

and thank you to onto baby for featuring the shower today!! to see the post click here...
it's also being featured on inspired by this...to see the post click here...

Friday, September 23, 2011

a modern green and white wedding - shade hotel, manhattan beach

erin and morgan were, without a doubt, one of the sweetest, warmest, most easy going couples i have ever worked with...and just soooooo obviously in love...even though their wedding was last summer, i love how crisp,fresh and modern it looks compared to what's going on in a lot of wedding design right now...a good change of pace!

style file: modern, clean, sleek, soft, fresh
color scheme: white, gray, green
elements: glass vessels, soft sheer fabric draping, white lounge furniture, green throw pillows, monobotanical floral arrangements
flowers: succulents, hydrangea, orchids, mini calas, tulips, brazilia berries, protea




each bridesmaid carried a bouquet composed entirely of one type of green theme flower so all were different from one to the next...

and that flower girl? SERIOUSLY?!?! cutest thing ever...


bouquets of rustic green hydrangea and fuzzy succulents...






another succulent bouquet...the flower girl even got to carry her own bouquet of white mini calas...




erin's bouquet was made up of all white japhette orchids and green succulents for a modern beach feel...


we created a simple gray and white canopy structure for the couple to stand under as they exchanged vows...the bases were filled with fluffy white hydrangea and green orchids...



orchids were strung on fishing line and hung from the back of the canopy to add visual interest...




simple glass vases filled with green and white florals were used to accent the aisle and the hotel lobby...



we swagged sheer white fabric panels across the courtyard to soften the space and give it a romantic feel without looking closed off...



sheer happiness...



how gorgeous is this couple?!



while guests cocktailed in the hotel lobby and terrace, we flipped the ceremony space and gave it a lounge feel...no formal sit-down tables for 10...just a cool, hip party where guests could flow freely...



we brought in white lounge furniture, gray linens and green throw pillows...



the tables had a variety of glass vases filled with monobotanical white and green florals...just crisp, fresh and calming to the eye!





we set the cake on my acrylic base and filled the base with white crushed glass and orchids...




as the night wore on, the amber lighting kicked in and really set the mood for a sexy party!


a big thanks to the following people who helped make this day amazing!

venue: shade hotel, manhattan beach (jolise is the BEST EVER!)
floral and event design: JL DESIGNS
photography: erin hearts court (they did such an amazing job!)
lounge furniture/lighting: level 4 international
hair and makeup: nicole deanne
entertainment: vox djs
videography: living cinema
favors: gotta have s'more (which i ate at least 3 of...so delish!!)

and thanks to style me pretty for featuring this wedding back in november of last year! to see the feature, click here...