Let's Get This Party Started!

So why not go all out and have a bash?! My husband took {good}care of making arrangements for providing food while I got a little decor DIY happy. I mentioned a project for a big 3-0 inspired by Oh Happy Day awhile ago and promised photos of the finished project. I draped a garland from the amazing Everly Lane above the numbers as a backdrop for our food and bar. We finished off the evening by making s'more and Diddy Riese ice cream sandwiches making for a pretty sweet night!

A little washi tape dressed up notes about cocktails and we took some store bought margarita mix to the next level by muddling cucumber and jalapenos as well as lemons and limes in glass containers.

The jalapeno and cucumber addition to the margarita was a crowd pleaser.
I will definitely do this again!

One of my favorite DIY projects was creating a photobooth for our guests to play in all night. We hung mylar fringe and draped various textured garlands over it and used a wireless remote along with my DSLR on a tripod to get the pictures. We put a basket full of props out and let the magic happen! This was really a pretty easy and affordable project and I'm so happy to have these photos- I think the guests had a good time as well!

Mr. & Mrs. Bundt!

K, L, Alison of The Wedding Yentas, and her hubby B

Liz of Elizabeth Zuluaga Photography

My gaggle of girlies

 Do you have any fun party projects that have been a big hit for you? Sharing is caring!

Little Fashion Secrets

Because I vow to always keep you lovelies in the loop on secrets worth sharing, I need to fill you in on this amazing site! Have you heard of Rent the Runway? It's kind of amazing and if this is news to you, I'm happy to let you in on the secret! What is it? Well, it's a designer closet of dresses, bags, and jewelry at your disposal to wear fabulous frocks for any occasion you like. With designers like Herve Leger, Badgely Mischka, Tibi, Thread Social, Shoshana...and basically any designer you can think of. I've been wanting to try this service for over a year and never really took the leap because I was afraid dresses wouldn't fit me. I finally decided to give this a try for my birthday party and it worked out so well! You choose 2 sizes and get them for 4 or 8 days. I went with this Nanette Lepore dress and I absolutely loved what came my way!  My dress fit great and I'm sad to be tossing it in the mail back to R2R. I can't say enough good things about my experience and I definitely plan on using this again for upcoming weddings and events.

Dresses arrive in a garment bag with a
USPS envelope with postage for the return

Both dresses from Rent the Runway

There are so many times you have probably bought a dress only to wear it once- I know I'm guilt of this one on several occasions. This is a really fun alternative. Have you used Rent the Runway? I'd love to hear about your experience!

Living the Dream at The Cream

I don't gush about personal experiences here too often, but today is a "Dear Diary" kind of day. I hope you don't mind a break from the food nerd chatter, the beauty product recommendations, or favorite tv show ramblings. I want to walk about 2 subjects near and dear to my heart: weddings and friendship.

If you know me, you know that I loooove weddings! I love the flowers, getting dressed up, watching the groom when the bride walks in (especially if he tears up!), watching the bride when she lays eyes on her groom, the gown...oh the gown! Being engaged is a time like no other. I grew up planning my wedding in my mind (and maybe in a binder hidden deep in the recesses of my closet), but when I got engaged planning my wedding for real was pretty, well, surreal. I knew pretty early on what kind of wedding I wanted and what I wanted it to look like. When we booked our venue, it really solidified my wedding vision (check out how it turned out on Style Me Pretty)

During our engagement I definitely felt an outpouring of love from family and friends at all the wedding related events and that was something so special and I'm grateful to have experienced. However, planning a wedding is not all cake tastings and ring shoppings, this comes with an incredible amount of stress- at a level I have never before experienced and sustained for such a prolonged period of time. SO.MANY.DECISIONS and people you'd like to make happy through this process. Even with all the stress, I loved planning our wedding. I really knew the feel and look I wanted the day to have and really enjoyed picking out every detail and component to create that experience. On that wedding day, when all of that stress melts away, you're left with this unbelievably gorgeous event filled with the people you love, a showstopping dress, hair and make up like you've never had before, but most importantly, this incredible spouse who is better than anyone you could have ever dreamed up!

My wedding day, image by Heidi Ryder

Watching my friends get engaged is such a great feeling and beyond exciting! Recently, one of my best friends and my maid of honor got engaged. This is an incredible couple who surprised us and their other friends at their New Years Eve party by announcing their engagement (from the week prior!) and I think I jumped out of my skin with excitement! I cannot wait to see her on her wedding day as I know she will be a BEAUTIFUL bride who is marrying a man completely deserving of her.

As a lifelong wedding lover, I am always happy to help my friends in anyway possible plan for their weddings. Last night S and I went to The Cream at the Book Bindery in Culver City which is hands down the wedding event of the year (really, no other wedding event tops this one). It was so much fun to drool over decor, meet new friends (Hi Amanda!), snack on nibbles and sweets, sip on cocktails, gawk at some seriously swoon worthy floral arrangements and tablescapes (if you follow me on Pinterest you know how much I love a good tablescape-- LOVE!), ooh and ahh over gowns, and spend the girliest of times with S. S is not the girl who had a wedding binder or who stayed up late talking with girlfriends about the kind of wedding she would want someday. While she has been with her fiance for years, she never really caught the wedding bug. But, now that a ring found it's way onto her finger, I can see the wedding sparkle come alive. I am excited about the creativity S is bringing when envisioning her wedding and I know this will be a wedding like no other with a bride like no other! 

Let's not end this on such a sappy note- you know I wouldn't leave you out in the cold and hold out on pictures from The Cream, enjoy and get ready to loose your mind!!!

Swoon worthy Florals and covet-able decor

 

I loved these mini arrangements of rannuculas by Twig and Twine

 
 

Hanging votives and chains

TINSEL CHANDELIER!!! Come to mama!

Enormous balloons from Geronimo Balloons

I flipped out for this wrapping scheme

Impressive Treats

Snow Cone of the tastiest variert from Sno-Con Amor

Mini pies and whoopies
from Simplethings

Gorgeous AND delicious cocktails from Pharmacie LA

I had no clue there were so many different kinds of bitters

Lasagna cupcakes from Heirloom LA

Yes, that's a cereal bar!

Cheese selections from Whoa Nelly

 

Only Coolhaus can make something like that actually taste good!

 First Class Vendors

Fabulous accessories from Ban.do

Registry suggestions from the Rue girls

Cakes to Die For

Have your cake and eat it too!
Cakes from Superfine Bakery

 

Typographical Treasures

Glorious calligraphy

Holy mother of invitation amazingness!
From Urbanic Paper

 

BHLDN Beauty

 Stunning EVERYTHING from BHLDN

 Dance off contest
by The Flashdance

Incredible Spaces

 

 

And...

A Killer Goodie Bag!

Have a wonderful weekend and a special cheers to the brides and the girls who just can't get enough of weddings!