Jeanette is absolutely stunning and the bouquet that Carissa of JL Designs made her was simply gorgeous. Carissa wrapped Jeanette’s grandmother’s rosary around the bouquet- such a sentimental touch.

Instead of a bouquet, we ordered fans for each of Jeanette’s bridesmaids and Carissa attached a gorgeous bloom to each.

Staring with the invitation, papel picado became a recurring element of the decor scheme. For the ceremony, we draped banners of it from chair to chair to designate the aisle and it turned out super fun and festive.

This ring bearer was THE funniest ring bearer I have ever seen! At the rehearsal he came up and introduced himself to me as the ring bearer and told me his job was to greet everyone. And that he did. As he was walking down the aisle he was waving at the guests the entire way down, shouting “hello! hello!”. It was hilarious!

Jeanette is a book editor, so she wanted to tie old books she had collected into the wedding as well. Instead of a pillow, our little character of a ring bearer carried a book that Carissa jazzed up with ribbon.

Jeanette had her heart set on incorporating bougainvillea into the decor, specifically on the arch framing where they would say their vows. After many told us it was not possible, Carissa of JL Designs took on the challenge. The result was gorgeous! The bougainvillea looked like it was made to be on that arch.

As a surprise to the guests, a mariachi band was hidden during the ceremony and began to play just as the couple was pronounced husband and wife. They lead the guests in a procession up to the cocktail hour. It was such a joyous moment!

Jeanette made the escort cards by attaching lace seam binding to simple escort cards. A cheap and easy way to dress up DIY cards.

We set up a photo booth backdrop incorporating colorful papel picado banners and the couple provided fun props for their guests to get silly.

I made Jeanette & JJ a thank you banner, which they used in photos that became their thank you notes for their guests.

From the minute Jeanette, Carissa and I started dreaming up their reception tables, I was in love. When guests returned to the site of the ceremony, it had been completely changed into a gorgeous, alfresco dining area. Long wooden tables alternated with round tables dressed in beautiful champagne colored shantung silk linens. To incorporate papel picado in a unique way, we took the banners and created runners on the wood tables.

Centerpieces included books, cut crystal succulents and fruit. Carissa used a variety of purple, orange, fuschia and dark burgundy florals – dahlias, peonies, tulips, sweet peas, scabiosa, chocolate cosmos, amaranthus – with purple basil and fresh mint to add a fresh, garden feel. It made the tables smell incredible too!

We brought in purple wine glasses to give the tables a pop of color in a unique way.

In lieu of favors, the bride and groom chose to donation to a few different donations. Guests were given a card at their place settings and they were able to chose which organization they wanted their donation to go to by placing their card in a designated box.

The bride created the cute Salud! drink stirrers and we couldn’t have a Sangria inspired wedding without serving Sangria! 24 Carrots served a delicious sangria in carafes at each table, adorned with tags that Jeanette made.

I suggested incorporating in Spanish style tiles to replicate tiles used throughout the venue and Jeanette created these cute tile table numbers.

For the cake, Jeanette envisioned numerous cakes set up bake sale style. Sweet and Saucy Shop created six rustic style cakes in different flavors and one larger cake with papel picado details and the most gorgeous sugar peony. I made mini banners to serve as labels for the different styles of cake.

The mini banners were quite time consuming (I made them with my cricut), but so worth it- I adored how they looked on the cake stands. I also made cute stained wood plaques with these mini banners hanging on top for the bride and groom’s chairs. I do not have any professional photos of them, but one of Jeanette’s friends captured these images:

A little dia de los muertos touch:

This moment below warms my heart. I love sneaking the bride and groom into the reception area before guests are invited in so that they can soak it all it. It is so sweet to see them beam as they realize their vision has come to life.

Jeanette and JJ were adorable as they performed their first dance- a salsa number they had been practicing throughout their engagement. As the sun set, the reception was aglow with candles and market lights and guests danced the night away to music provided by the incredible DJ Smiles from the Flashdance, while be served late night snacks of pulled pork sliders, curly fries and mini milk shakes.

So much love, warmth and tasty eats and drinks! Definitely one of my favorite weddings I have been blessed to be a part of.

The amazing vendor team:

*Venue: Rancho Las Lomas

*Planning & Design: Us

*Floral & Event Design: JL Designs

*Photography: Tara Leigh

*Caterer: 24 Carrots

*DJ: The Flashdance, DJ Smiles

*Video: LuvBug

*Cakes:  Sweet and Saucy Shop

*Hair & Makeup: Nicole DeAnne

*Mariachis: Mariachi Espuelas de Mexico

*Invitations & Stationery: Kavamore Press & Tigerette

*Thank You Banner:  Joyful Joyful on Etsy

*Rentals:  Signature Party Rentals

*Purple Goblets:  Classic Party Rentals

*Linens:  Fusion Linen

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/06/24/jeannette-jjs-sangria-inspired-rancho-las-lomas-wedding/feed/ 7 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/05/26/thank-you-just-married-banners-back-in-the-shop/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/05/26/thank-you-just-married-banners-back-in-the-shop/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 22:29:46 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=2917 After a a brief hiatus while I was on maternity leave, our Thank You and Just Married banners are back in our etsy shop, as well as our mr & mrs letters. They are making their comeback with a new title: The Simple Collection. Clean, cute and clear- these banners are great photo props for wedding photos.

photo by Matthew Morgan

photo by Meg Perotti

We have a new version of the thank you banner available for sale as well:

photo by Tara Leigh

We also listing our super Just Married banner, featured in Matt & Ashley’s wedding. This extra large banner makes a statement and fills in space in the cutest of ways.

Photo by EP Love

Also new to the shop: the Ashley flag. A sweet vintage inspired version of our ring bearer and flower girl flags, incorporating doilies and loveliness.

photos by EP Love

We have a lot more up our sleeve. Hints: burlap, fabric, silk ribbon. New lines are coming soon in our shop! We will be sure to announce it once they arrive.

Since I am still waiting for my hard drive to be saved, I thought I would share some of my favorite findings from around the blog world in the past 6 weeks.

First of all, have you seen Styled Magazine, put together by my friend Victoria of A Subtle Revelry? It is so fun- chalk full of gorgeous photos and creative ideas. You have to check it out!

*

I just can’t get enough of the amazingly fun ideas in this wedding, found on Oh Happy Day! & Martha Stewart Weddings. Surprising guests with rented bikes so that everyone could ride around from site to site for a progressive wedding- seriously one of the most creative ideas I have ever heard of. (and the fact that they stopped at UCLA spot Diddy Reese won me over even more!) Photos by Rachel Thurston

*

My sister-in-law, the talented Lindsey of The Pleated Poppy, started making and selling the cutest iPad cases you’ve ever seen. I would buy one in a heartbeat. If I had an iPad. Which would be helpful with all of this middle of the night reading (iPhone just isn’t cutting it for my eyes). Dear Internet: anyone want to send one my way?

*

Have you seen the Beatles Mania birthday party on Hostess with the Mostess? So creative and cute! Being a big Beatles fan, I am in love- especially with the clever uses of their song titles. Design by ShePaperie and photos by Jeanna Hayes.

*

This wedding on Snippet & Ink caught my eye. The couple met in elementary school and I love how they integrated school themed details while still keeping the wedding elegant and gorgeous. Photos by Meg Smith.

*

I also adore this red and white polka dot birthday party, found on Hostess with the Mostess (Designed by Pen and Paper Flowers)

*

These DIY Save the Date confetti poppers by Jordan Ferney are so cute & creative! Full instructions on Oh Happy Day!

*

Lisa Leonard recently launched a line of wedding items. I *love* the bouquet token and custom cake forks:

Happy browsing (hopefully not at all hours of the night, like I am!)

It just launched yesterday and I am so excited that one of my baby showers was featured on the first day! Last week, I showed you the bow-tie baby shower we threw for my friend Jesi Haack. Well, a few weeks ago, I got to be on the other side of that and my sweet wedding industry friends threw me the most creative shower ever!  Jesi, Melody of Sweet & Saucy Shop and Carissa of JL Designs made the day so special and detailed- I could not get over how cute everything was! Along with super cute invites by my friends at Posh Paperie and gorgeous photos by Carlie of Gabriel Ryan Photographers, the shower was darling and made me feel so special and excited for little Hudson. Thanks friends!

To see all of the details, hop on over to On To Baby.

Guests were greeted with a little ribbon bow-tie clip I made, which everyone wore throughout the shower. Instead of a guestbook, Carissa of JL Designs wrote a mad lib to fill in about the baby, which was a lot of fun.

For the decor we incorporated in pops of mustard yellow, kelly green and baby blue. Carissa used a variety of white ceramic vases to keep it light and modern and filled them with an array of monobotanical arrangements using our theme colors – white pom pom dahlias (jesi’s favorite), white hydrangea and yellow ranunculas. Wrapped around each vase was a striped or polka dot “bow tie”, which I created using striped and polka dot ribbons in coordinating colors. To deviate from the standard diaper cake, I crated a bow-tie garland using diapers and ribbon.

For lunch, Carissa, Melody and I made light options including bow-tie pasta salad, chicken salad sandwiches with coordinating ribbon picks and tiny sized tomato basil soups. Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop created an adorable spread of desserts, including Bowtie Sugar Cookies, a Pumpkin Cake w/cinnamon cream cheese frosting & salted caramel w/ruffle buttercream & fondant bowtie, Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes w/cinnamon cream cheese frosting & salted caramel, Red Velvet Cake Lollipops and Lemon French Macaroons.  Drinks were served in mason jars with ribbon bow-ties and striped paper straws.

The shower was recently featured on Hostess With the Mostess- thanks Jenn! And a big thanks to Jesi for having sweet Maverick early so that we could hang out with him at the shower!

Vendors:

*Photos: Gabriel Ryan Photographers
*Floral and Event Design: JL Designs
*Event Design and Planning: Joyful Weddings & Events
*Dessert and Hostess: Sweet & Saucy Shop (adorable cake stands from Sweet & Saucy Supply)
*Invitations: Posh Paperie
*Cute “Baby Haack” bag & Logo Onesie: Wedding Chicks
*Sandwich picks: Joyful Joyful

Photos by Melissa Kelsey

I get emails all the time asking for instructions on how to make it. It actually is super involved and time consuming- it consists of weaving (basically sewing) together 56 11″ circles and hanging it on a stand made out of painted wood. We do take custom orders for the backdrops (can be shipped anywhere in the US) and rent the stand locally in Southern CA.

However, there is an easy way to recreate this look with much less time and expense. For Miranda and Dave’s wedding, which we featured earlier this week, we simply taped the circles to an existing wall at the event venue.

Photo by Joy Moody

If you have got a blank space to work with, you can easily get a similar feel to the backdrop above by taping circles in a pattern. I use either double sided Scotch tape or loops of duct tape, depending on the material of the wall. **Important note: if you are having your event at a venue, please be sure to check on their rules for attaching things to the wall. Some will not let you tape anything to the ceiling or walls**

You can use these for a variety of things: dessert backdrop, photobooth backdrop, guestbook wall or- as we also did for Miranda & Dave’s wedding- make a photo wall. We attached smaller circles to a different wall and then mounted photos of the couple in each circle. It was a fun alternative to a slideshow or photo album guestbook.

Also, if you have been thinking about purchasing our flags, cupcake flags or monogram gift tags, be sure to grab them soon. The deadline to ensure delivery by Christmas is next Wednesday, the 15th. Right now, you can get 10% of all purchases from my shop with the coupon code CHEER.

Photo by Allora Handmade

Now, onto the prettiness. I was so thrilled today to see that a holiday photo shoot I designed was featured on Hostess with the Mostess. You can see the full post here with all of the details. All of the gorgeous photos are by the wonderful Drew B.

The adorable tables and chairs are from Found Rentals and the gorgeous centerpiece is by Modern Bouquet. Thanks so much ladies!

Simple white dishes were placed on red scalloped mini-placemats (now available in my etsy shop!) and each place setting was giving a large, delicious red velvet cupcake from Sweet and Saucy Shop. The ribbon flag toppers are also available in my etsy shop.

I found the red and white knitted ornaments at JC Penny for a few bucks and the ornament adorning the water jug is one of my favorites from Paloma’s Nest. Glasses are from Anthropologie and lacey votive holders are from Ikea.

Looking at these pictures really makes me want a cupcake right now.

Remember: The last day to place an order to ensure delivery before Christmas is Wednesday, the 15th. Don’t forget to enter CHEER at checkout for 10% off.

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/12/11/a-holiday-tablescape-and-a-coupon/feed/ 1 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/11/02/our-seasonal-season-parties-fall-party-2010/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/11/02/our-seasonal-season-parties-fall-party-2010/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:27:08 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=2227 Last month, we had our annual Fall Party. For those of you who are new to my blog, here is a bit of background. Two years ago, my husband and I started the tradition of having a party at the beginning of each season to celebrate our favorite things about that time of year. Fall was our first party, so this party is always extra special for us. You can see photos of past seasonal parties here and here.

This year, I got much of my inspiration while shopping during our trip to New York. I fell in love with a super soft tan and white striped yarn at Purl Soho and knew that it had to be incorporated into the party. I also found a great fabric there with a neutral leaf print and brought some home with me. I went with a more neutral feel, bringing in burlap fabric and ribbon along with my New York finds and accenting with color from fall produce. My goal was to use things that I already had for decor- no buying flowers this year. Only items already in my supply as well as produce from the market that I could reuse. Here is the result:

Guests were welcomed with white pumpkins from Trader Joes, stacked on vintage crates. I also made a garland out of the yarn and paper circles and hung it on our front porch.

I lined our window sill with large mason jar candles accented with yarn:

I created centerpieces out of pieces of tree trunks borrowed from a friend, as well as some flowers I already had, squash, pomegranates, pods and candles.

I am in love with the little felted acorns I bought from etsy seller greenbaboondesigns. They are just so cute!

On the third table, I put a fairy tale style pumpkin (also from Trader Joes) on a vintage pepsi crate and set jars filled with fall items on the sides.

I used burlap strips, yarn and fabric as trim on the vases:

White and brown base linens were provided by Fusion linens and I made the runners out of burlap.

For drinks, I used mason jars and cut strips of brown paper shopping bags to wrap around them. I added a little yarn and then had guests write their names on the paper to claim their glasses. Essentially free and way cuter than sharpee on a red plastic cup!

I also wrapped glass water jugs from Ikea to match. The green striped paper straws were left over from an event earlier in the week. I purchased them from etsy seller HeyYoYo.

I scored this oversized mason jar at Target on clearance and love it:

Our seasonal parties are always potlucks, so it is fun to see what seasonal inspired creations our friends bring. I only got a couple of photos of the food, but here is a peak:

Since we have little ones at the party, I always try to think of decor that is safe for them on the coffee table. This year, I put on some burlap with cut paper circles they could play with and not break.

At the last minute, I decided to throw together a quick wreath. I wrapped a cardboard wreath form with strips of burlap and then added a yarn bow and hung it with the same yarn. Super quick.

At each party, we give out a mix of songs that fit with that season. In addition, we gave out little sachets of mulling spices as well. This is such an easy and cheap favor! I bought mulling spices from Trader Joes, wrapped a small amount in cheesecloth and then wrapped that in a piece of burlap and tied with yarn.

We set up a photobooth for our guests to take photos, which was a fun addition to the night. I hung burlap and then made fabric letters to hang.

Our seasonal parties are so much fun and we love sharing this special tradition with our friends. I already cannot wait for Winter!

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/11/02/our-seasonal-season-parties-fall-party-2010/feed/ 5 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/08/27/sweet-lavender-and-green-baby-shower/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/08/27/sweet-lavender-and-green-baby-shower/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:39:33 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=2027 Last month, I had the joy of creating decor for a baby shower for one of my good friends. It was extra special because the mama-to-be and I went through cancer treatment together and both spent years fearing that we would not be able to have babies. Sweet little Riley was born a couple of weeks ago and I could not be more excited for them!

When I am brainstorming a theme or decor scheme for a baby shower, I often look at what bedding the parents have selected for the baby. In this case, it was a perfect fit for the shower decor. The mommy to be has always loved purple (we wore purple dresses in her wedding), so I knew that needed to be prominent. She selected this cute bedding for her sweet little girl from Pottery Barn Kids:

I pulled in the look of patchwork and ribbons by wrapping vases in alternating strands of ribbon. Super easy, cheap and cute!

I do not claim to be a florist, but I always love putting together small arrangements for showers and parties. For this event, I did not have time to go to the flower mart, so I grabbed whatever flowers I could find at Trader Joe’s.

I cut scrapbook paper into scalloped squares using my Cricut and placed each centerpiece on top. I also cut out some small R’s and placed them around the party.

I used green glasses from Anthropologie as candles (they are usually in my bedroom) and incorporated fresh mint from my garden into the arrangements.

The clubhouse we held the shower at had all sorts of fun side tables and accent pieces. I used bud vases holding flowers and fresh lavender on these, along with paper hearts and R’s.

I grabbed this potted plant from Trader Joe’s which matched the decor perfectly! I didn’t have to do anything to it except add a little accent.

Of course, I had to make a couple of banners. I made a large one to go on the fireplace mantle with the baby’s name. It now is hanging in her room.

The second one I made was for the buffet area:

I had nothing to do with the food, but wanted to show the cute cupcakes that Riley’s grandma made:

A couple of friends who were also hosting the shower made cute cookies in the shape of an R as favors for the guests:

Yay for babies! Yay for showers! Yay for affordable, cheap and personalized decor!

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/08/27/sweet-lavender-and-green-baby-shower/feed/ 2 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/07/31/a-few-examples-of-my-custom-ring-bearer-flags/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/07/31/a-few-examples-of-my-custom-ring-bearer-flags/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:10:47 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=1916 I have shared before that, in my etsy shop, I sell these cute ringbearer/flower girl flags:

Photo by Jessica Claire **Keep your eyes peeled for our workshop design on Style Me Pretty next week. Abby posted a sneak peak with my little cutie yesterday, which you can see here. **

These flags also make great photo props for wedding portraits or engagement photos. Here is a shot of the bride and groom holding the sign as well, taken by one of Jessica Claire’s workshop attendees, E Leigh Photography:

I also take custom orders for these flags so that they match any couple’s wedding design. I wanted to share a few fun ones that I have made recently. Each customer has wanted something different, which has been really fun. All of the pictures were taken with my iphone, so please excuse the poor quality.

For the pink one above, the bride wanted to tie the rings onto the flag, so we added on a ribbon tie at the top. Super cute!

As is shown above, we can also do custom wording. For one couple we  made four, featuring the words “yipee!” “woohoo!” “hooray!” and “yay!”. I also made one for a recent client that had “yay!” on the front and “m + a” (their initials) on the other side. I cannot wait to get the professional photos so that I can share that one- I think it is my favorite to date!

If you are interested in placing an order for a custom flag, please contact me through my etsy shop. As a side note, I will be out of the office for the next week, so all orders will be processed starting August 10th.

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2010/07/31/a-few-examples-of-my-custom-ring-bearer-flags/feed/ 2