Real Weddings: Kristin + Trevor

I've been so remiss in posting these beautiful images that La Vie Photography took of Kristin and Trevor's wedding last October.  It was an elegant, cozy, and STYLISH soiree.  Kristin (both on her wedding day and at every meeting we had) is absolutely gorgeous with impeccable style...very tailored but feminine.  (Kristin--I'll trade you anniversary flowers every year for some free personal styling help, any day!).  Their chosen venue was the Rainier Club in Seattle.  It's a fantastic old club.  It manages to be beautiful and luxurious, but also very comfortable without the least bit of stuffy going on.  And La Vie!  I seriously can't ever get enough of Kim and Adam's pictures.  They are always magical.  Enjoy!

Pretty lighting at Pravda

Yummy centerpieces!

Soft, romantic white bouquets full of texture, blowsy ruffly blossoms, tight green buds, and  fragrance are one of my very favorite looks for brides.  While being somewhat traditional, I'm happy to report that they also seem to be the chicest trend this year.

 

I love how the bride that carried the bouquet shown above used it as an inspiration point for the table centerpieces (that's pretty common), but in a delightful and unexpected way.  She ordered a cake for each table, decorated with blooms that complimented her gorgeous bouquet.  Each cake was slightly different, and each was cut later to serve the guests that had enjoyed it as a centerpiece during the dinner hour.

The beautiful cakes and sugar flowers are from Perfect Endings in California.  You could also order cakes through your baker, and organic pesticide-free flowers from your florist.  I hope someday my centerpiece construction for an event means decorating 15 beautiful cakes! 

It seems people are really trying to bring unique elements into their ceremonies and receptions.  I think I speak for everyone in the industry when I say that we see some incredibly creative, successful, meaningful, and beautiful twists on tradition...and we also see some complete flops!  I think this would be such a memorable and yummy twist on the expected! 

Flowers by Kathleen Deery Design, Cakes by Perfect Endings, via Martha Stewart Weddings.

If I wasn't facing a mountain of paperwork...

I'd be...sitting on one of these fantastic toadstools (from Sugar & Fluff),

drinking this seriously pretty Ramos gin fizz (made by Bryn Lumsden of Rob Roy via Seattle Met),

ordering these fantastic stickers for all of the soon-to-arrive-babies around here (no! not at my house!).  They stick to a onesie and look just like they've been ironed on, but peel right off.  How perfect for photos throughout the first year!  Created by a Seattle mom, and also available with tummy stickers for those pregnancy photos, and years through 12. 

Weekend recap

The short version...work, , coffee, work, eat, music, work, music, sleep from 2 am - 6 am, work, work, coffee, coffee, music, snap a photo of the rainbow that all the work had produced, go to wedding.  Work, work, cry as bride and groom walked down to "Forever" by Ben Harper, work, work, eat awesome meal, work, work, get some blessed sleep!  More pictures of Carina and Matt's awesome event soon. 

Tidbits

A few tidbits, with very little writing.  My brain is tired from collecting an entire rainbow of blooms today, in preparation for Carina and Matt's celebration on Saturday.  (Think blank-slate art gallery with reclaimed wood floors and 40' high ceilings...black and white damask...flowers in every shade of the rainbow, gathered into dramatic monochromatic bouquets).

Oh, what do we have here?  A sweet girl with some...bird wings?

Well, how lovely! Why haven't we all made ourselves a pair of these yet? 

A very interesting article from the NYT Home & Garden section this week.  I'm fascinated by the role of the economy on visual aesthetics within our homes; particularly the meaning of the interiors that an economic slump produces.  And maybe this explains my shelves of dead things in my living room (coral, alliums, shelf fungus, Araucana eggs, feathers, birds' nests, even a crocodile head--it comes together, really!).  And interesting to consider how the current decor will be perceived in years to come.  Just read it already.

Thanks Urban Unveiled for featuring Fiore Blossoms this week.  Love you guys, everything you do for the Seattle (and beyond) wedding industry, and being part of your group.  The feature shows a few of my all-time favorite flower photos, and a little more info about my background and favorite wedding moments.

Do you ever think about this situation?  About the universe, scale and perspective?  I do. 

Weird Science

Been on another blog hiatus...had a lovely journey to Atlanta and Birmingham to visit the fam.  It was heavenly and fun.  The wild invasive purple wisteria was blooming; we hit a million consignment and thrift shops; and dined at the restaurants belonging to my all-time favorite one, two Top Chefs.  Oh, and stayed up late, ate coconut waffles, ogled houses, and talked, talked, talked!

Meanwhile, the inner (ok, often outer!) geek in me has fallen in love with these science pillows.  Available from Heather Lin Home.  

March 4, 2011. Today, I...

• Finally understood why crazy, wonderful, kind Taguchi-Sensei that I met in Japan several years ago, always wore silly sock with toes (with Birkenstocks no less--no your typical Japanese fashion).  He was a tiny man that ran a gazillion miles every day.  I have these weird toes that step on each other when I run, so when I saw Mr. Taguchi's socks at the running store, I couldn't resist.  Wearing them around the house, I already love them.  I'll give a running report as soon as I get off the couch, in case there are other toe-freaks out there.  I promise not to start wearing Birkenstocks though.

• I got some fantastic photos from La Vie from a few events last summer.  Real Weddings coming next week! 

• Saw The Adjustment Bureau.  Better than Jason Bourne!
• Saw Dravus with the hiccups.  And a great Dane with hiccups is pretty funny!
• Received an email from Gayle that we try Book Bindery, a restaurant on Queen Anne.  Doesn't it look perfect?  And the menu lists "Caramelized Sea Scallops with winter citrus, sunchokes, and Marcona almonds".  I'm going to dream about those scallops tonight.

• Found this lovely tumblr site (though I still have NO idea what tumblr is...anyone?  Do I need to know this?) that is ADDICTING.  Things Organized Neatly.  I can't stop thinking about all of the things I have around here that I could organize and photograph.  I think I'll actually dream about rows and columns of sea scallops with almonds.

Maybe the neatest view of a rose ever.  Love Thomas Edison's laboratory, and did any other Anthros besides downtown Seattle do the pennies-but-with-toast a few months ago?  It was pretty awesome.

Thursday thoughts

I was super-excited in January to hear from my favorite guys that a wedding we did together last spring was featured that day on VERA WANG's blog!!!  And then I promptly forget to brag about it here, until reminded by my Gayle. 

Check out Sylvia and Matt's pretty, pretty day at Vera's. 

 In other news, hyacinths are available!  Well, hello there spring!  It's nice to see you again.

And I love this home and couple featured this week in the NYT Home & Garden section.  He describes their relationship as "I make stuff.  And she tries to explain it."  Their home is witty, eclectic, and original.  I love his G(love) project, and how he got bored one day and took a jigsaw to the Saarinen tulip table to carve some Godzilla sized-bites--so that he could excitedly tell his little boys when they returned home from school that his lunch had just been sitting there and a monster came up ate it.  They live by the directive:

"Do something.  Then do something to that.  Then do something to that."  --Jasper Johns

Wishing for spring....

Gorgeous hairpieces from adaptation's.

bookcases from Belle Maison, because I always love doors surrounded by bookcases.

Lovely and unusual ceremony decor...straight from a Parisian sidewalk. (And Photosmashing)

I'd love to have these upcycled herb markers from Monkeys Always Look via Design*Sponge.



A plummy cake via {ritzy bee}.

This incredible bouquet that Sarah over at Saipua did for an April wedding last year. It's loaded with dogwood, anemones, tulips, peonies, and TEXTURE. Did you know flowers can talk?  Because this is screaming SPRING! Photo by Karen Wise.