We thought we would take some inspiration from this classic pattern to show what an elegant and fun addition it can add to wedding, event & decor details...
Hope everyone had a great weekend! We wanted to start Monday off with a few bits of information regarding upcoming events in some of our reader's areas.
Tuesday, April 29 W Hotel at Union Square and BFF Bridal are hosting a an evening of bridal beauty and style bliss! To top off the evening, every guest will receive a fabulous gift bag filled with full sized products by best-selling brands. For more details & to register visit BFF Bridal
April 21 - New York Wedding Salon event click here for more details & to register
September 22 - Los Angeles Wedding Salon event click here for more details & to register
November 10 - Miami Wedding Salon event click here for more details & to register
Virginia/Maryland/Washington DC area - several events taking place April - September 2008. For more details: Bridal Showcases
We love getting free stuff here at {ritzy bee}...and wanted to spread the love as a thanks for stopping by!
We really appreciate all of the support you have shown {ritzy bee} over the past few months! We are curious to know what you are luvin' or ideas on what you would like to see featured in the future.
{the rules}
Leave us a comment below {and your email where asked} letting us know your thoughts. Only one entry per email address, please. We will draw one winner at random next Wednesday morning for:
One of our favorite event planning books Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South by the ultra talented Tara Guérard. A gorgeous book that features behind-the-scenes tools and tricks on planning elegant affairs. It also features beautifully shot photos by acclaimed photographer Liz Banfield
{AND}
So you have something to sip on as you read your new book...a $15 gift card from Starbucks!!
We are so happy to share with you a real wedding with a gorgeous color palette that was carefully weaved into the details of the event while looking so chic and effortless!!! Amber & Brian were married at the beautiful Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs and we are so excited that Amber shared their wedding day and some planning details with us...enjoy!
{click on images to enlarge}
{rb}: Why did you choose the location at the Viceroy Hotel?
A: We love Palm Springs for it's never-ending sunshine and architectural history. It's about an hour and a half outside of Los Angeles (where we live) and it always seems like the perfect hideaway. The first time we set foot into the Viceroy, we knew it was right for us. The hotel's design and grounds evoke a feeling of old Hollywood casual luxury, which became our inspiration for the wedding.
{rb}: What was your color palette inspiration?
A: I can't really take a lot of credit for this one - Kelly Wearstler, the interior designer of the Viceroy created a beautiful space using a palette of white, black, and yellow. I just followed her lead.
{rb}: How did you incorporate your color palette into the details of the event?
A: Absolutely everything. Nothing was an accident. Everything that was selected or designed, I thought of how it related back to the location site. I didn't want it to be over-designed, but I wanted everything to have a purpose. We even went so far that the envelope liners on our invitations were the exact same design as the wallpaper. How's that for crazy?
{rb}: What was your favorite moment of the day?
A: There are many, but one that I hold very dear happened after the reception. My feet were killing me and my husband drew a bath for me to soak them in. He sat down next to the tub, carefully pulled the Gardenia out of my hair, sniffed it, then held it out for me to smell. He said, "This smell will always remind me of this moment." Whenever I smell the scent of Gardenias, I think of that and smile.
So beautiful Amber...you did an amazing job planning...thank you so much for taking time to share with us!!
If you have a {real wedding} you would like to submit to us, please email us
{Be sure to check back in later today for our first blog giveaway...it's a good one!}
We love unique ways to capture your wedding guest's presence on your big day! There are so many fun and original ideas out there...here are a few ideas we love!
{Sign here}
Capture a wish or thought from your guests! Add to your wedding decor and create an elegant and fun table or station to display your guest "book" on.
We love the use of one of our favorite products {and companies}, a handmade address file with vintage papers from Lovely Design, as a unique guest "file". Set cards on a table with a sign asking friends and family to jot down messages and they can file their card alphabetically...warm wishes that range from A to Z.
Create a photo book of favorite photos of the two of you {think vacations, engagement pictures, etc} and leave white space in the margins and borders for guests to give their favorite love/marriage advice. {MyPublisher, Photoworks, Apple.com, Kodak Gallery all offer great photo book options}
If you are having a destination wedding, purchase a beautiful photographic coffee table book of your wedding location. Have guests sign in various places in the book...it will make flipping through the book that much more special after your big day!
Create a book with pages marked 1st Anniversary - 50th Anniversary and have guests slip messages into various places throughout the book. Each year on your anniversary you can read the messages together that correspond with that date
Wether it's a Polaroid camera or renting a photo booth, we love how fun these can be! {Planning tip: let guests snap two - one for them to take home & one for you}
Some photographers like, Love Life Images, will set up a "snapshot studio"...a camera for guests to take their own pictures against a white background...what a fun collection to add to an album...smile!
You might not have 27 bridesmaids dresses stuffed in the back of your closet...but what are you planning to do with the few you do have taking up all that closet space? We know, we know...you might have the best intentions to wear it again...but when was the last time dressing up you honestly even considered pulling out the tafetta for a night out?
Enter Hitched Salon, a full-service bridal boutique in Washington, DC. They are working with a local public school system for a wonderful cause - helping high school students get prom dresses they might not otherwise be able to afford for their special night.
The Princess for a Night benefit is asking you to donate your gently worn {and dry cleaned} bridesmaid dresses {they need all sizes, colors & styles!} and you can stop by Hitched to drop them off during the first three weeks of April. Hitched has a goal of collecting 100 dresses. What a GREAT opportunity to do something good for someone in need...while doing a little spring cleaning at the same time!
For those of you not in the Washington, DC area...we encourage you to find similar benefits taking place in your community or go to donatemydress.org...and be sure to {pass it on} to your other bridesmaid alumni too! You have our deepest thanks for helping make someone's night that much more special!
Welcome to Wednesday! We have such a treat for you today with a {spotlight} on one of the coolest wedding companies around, Bliss* Video Productions. Bliss* is a video production company that creates fun, beautiful and intimate cinematic wedding films using 35mm, 16mm, Super 8mm and Digital Video.
Kristen* is the amazing artist and owner who founded Bliss* to redesign the state of wedding videography...and has she ever!
Kristen* shared with us some details behind her company and some samples {get your tissues!} of her inspiring work...enjoy!
{rb}: Tell us a little bit about what inspired you to start Bliss*?
K*: It's hardly glamourous but I started Bliss* as a starving filmmaker working in independent feature film in Los Angeles. I had worked for wedding video companies in film school and when I moved to West Hollywood in 2002 I decided to shoot some weddings as a side business. I've always loved weddings and did my time in my early 20's as a 'maid' in more weddings than I can count. (Oh the horror of matching french twists!). I knew how boring wedding videos were and wanted to create something totally different that was distinctly feminine and incredibly sophisticated.
My inspiration for Bliss* has always been to make fun, beautiful and intimate films that really reflect the vibe of the couple. I have a great love for fashion and design and with Bliss* I really sought to merge that sensibility with the films I create by focusing on the details of the day like decor, food, fabrics and really bring the atmosphere of the wedding to the forefront. Because of this point of view, I am fortunate to work with a variety of different event designers throughout the country capturing their events. For me, it almost makes me giddy when I'm shooting because the events they are creating are so insanely amazing it's pure eye candy!
{rb}: How do you capture a couple's personality so well through your work?
K*: Music plays a huge role in the storytelling of a film. Aside from getting to know each of my couples, I ask them to create a cd of songs that are meaningful to them that I can then incorporate into the film. Also, I love observing people. For me there's nothing more fun than sitting on the train or in a coffee shop and just watching how people interact. The same is true for when I am capturing a wedding, but the challenge lies in framing that moment so that everyone looks beautiful. I think as a woman, my sensibility to timing, details and the overall emotions that people are feeling really come through in the work that I create.
Check out our first Bliss* video below. Click on the image to start playing.
{rb} What is your advice to couples considering hiring a more typical video production company vs a more unique (and amazing) production company like Bliss*?
K*: The most important advice I can give is HAVE YOUR WEDDING FILMED!!!! Regardless of whether it's a $999 video factory special or a $50k masterpiece shot on Super 16mm. The event you are creating, the people you are inviting, this is a one time deal. Countless times I have brides, grooms, moms, friends call me up and ask for a copy of the video, or a toast or just a few shots of a person who has since sadly and unexpectedly passed away or is about to pass away. I don't mean to be a downer with this, but your wedding is one of the most joyous days of your life and with all the planning and $$ being spent, it is a mistake not to capture it with moving picture, photo's simply aren't enough. I always liken it to my parent's and how much I would have loved to have seen their wedding if it had been captured on Super 8mm.
Wedding videos aren't like flowers or food that die the next day, they become a piece of your family tree that future generations will love to watch even more than you!
Fortunately, wedding videos are evolving rapidly and the days of the exploding hearts and flying cupids are pretty much dead. You can find amazing videographers at a variety of prices and production levels through websites like ReFrame Collective and WedFact.tv. There is such a variety of style out there, so it really depends on what you are looking for. My own personal preference is to shoot weddings on film (Super 8mm & 16mm film) because it makes everyone look gorgeous and nostalgic at the same time. If you want to go the film route, then you should expect to invest at least $2-3k for a quality film.
{rb}: As a bride-to-be, what are you looking forward to most about your own wedding?
K*: Oh gosh! You know, without sounding too obsessed, I'm looking forward to all of it! We got engaged this past New Years Eve and are planning the wedding within just 7months. I've been absolutely blessed with having my good friends in the industry help me with our wedding.
I love art nouveau and so the vibe is an enchanted and organic nouveau-bohemian wedding in the forest. I love ebay & etsy and have been able to find some amazing trinkets and details for the event. I'm trying to stay as local and handmade as possible with the event, the catering is a local sustainable organic caterer which I'm super excited about. I'm going to be using my vintage camera's as decor for cocktails and loading them up with film so that should be fun. Overall I'm just trying to create a fun and magical evening that showcases the amazing talent of my friends and colleagues. It's the one wedding of the year where they can do what they love and drink a little too much while doing it!
We can't wait to see video & pictures from her wedding that's for sure! Here is another fun video from Bliss*. Be sure to visit their website for more videos. Click on the image to start playing.
Sometimes a company comes along and we have to ask ourselves "how ever did we live without them?"!! We were so delighted to find out about this extremely lovely gem, The Bella Bella Co. specializing in {couture correspondence} with so many wonderful things!
Created by the talented & stylish Tristan...and inspired by her adorable dog, Bella, The Bella Bella Co. offers unique options for monograms, stationary and so many other uniquely designed goodies.
We are a big, big fan of these envelope wrap labels...they wrap around envelopes and add a little dash of color and pattern to any boring old envelope! What a fun way to dress up everyday mail or for weddings & other special events!
Click to enlarge
We adore the unique, royal look of their monograms...they can create custom designed monograms using things like antique letters and motifs too!
How delightful are some of these cards...
We also love these vintage number giclee prints...how fun would these be as an alternative for table numbers at weddings...
Hurry over to The Bella Bella Co. to see other fabulous goodies and be sure to check out Tristan's adorable blah, blah blahg...a new daily read for us!
Ritzy Bee photo credit: Copyright Laura-Chase McGehee. Fall & Summer photo credit: Kate Headley Photography. Winter & Spring photo credit: Abby Jiu Photography. Featured blog images: If you see an image we have not linked or given credit to, please let us know so we can give proper credit. If we have used an image that belongs to your company, and you would prefer we not post it, please email us and we will gladly remove it.
