Hi there! You can also find me on Pinterest!
Above is a photo from our recent vacation in Sedona, Arizona. There is a place called Buddha Beach where you can witness in awe thousands of stacked rock sculptures near a Vortex site at the Red Rock Crossing in Sedona. It was amazing! I love Sedona!
Thai Spiced Tea. Ginger Lemongrass. Kaffir Lime Rosemary. Lavendar Lotus Blossom. Cilantro Mint. Papaya Ginger. Mangosteen White Tea Bergamot. So many glorious scents, how does one choose? I recently had the honor of trying several of these luxurious Asian inspired organic soaps by Unearth Malee. Made with all Organic Olive Oil, Coconut Oil and Shea Butter, let's just say that I didn't want to get out of the bath tub - the scents and suds were divine!
Marie Pechkam is the founder of Unearth Malee and her Thai American background sets the tone for an amazing variety of organic soaps, lotion bars, soy candles, bath teas, and essential oil diffusers. The packaging is also eco-friendly, made with flower seeded paper that you can plant later. "Malee” in Thai refers to a jasmine flower. It is also a name passed down three generations in Marie’s family. We are very fortunate that Marie has created Unearth Malee! Now we can also experience the savory essence of Thai herbs and spices that she grew up with on a daily basis!
Also, if you are having an Asian inspired wedding or event and being organic and eco-friendly is important to you, why not honor your guests with these wonderful soaps that can be customized as favors! Love it!
I took an iphone pic of Hotel Maya while reading Sunset magazine at the doc's office! I just love the window grill and colored panes! See more images here and here and on Facebook.
OH EM GEE! I am head over heels for this spiral ceremony setup on the beach in Cabo by none other than Colin Cowie! More images here.
Are you ready for some global fusion inspiration? Here it is! Go to Wedding Nouveau's new Image Gallery and click and drool to your heart's content!
A must for the global bride and her bridesmaids! These Tatcha Japanese Blotting papers are made with abaca leaf fiber and contain no powder or fragrance. So beautifully packaged, these would make great bridal party gifts too!
What a great wedding gift idea! Check out this black laquer Chinese inspired flatware storage box!
How about these amazing floral designs for a grand entrance to your ceremony! See more lovely photos at Yvonne Design!
I'm smitten with another fantastic Asian inspired wedding blog called Smitten by Weddings created by Carmen Weddings, a wedding planner in the UK that specializes in Chinese Weddings! This find was brought to my attention by Wedding Nouveau, thanks Fri!
As you know, I love event design and wedding style that is culturally inspired! Today I discovered Kim Liu and her gorgeous new blog about Asian Inspired Weddings! Check it out for some modern and chic ideas for weddings with Asian flair. Also, for more cultural flavor, be sure to visit my other favorite Wedding Nouveau.
I enjoy the crispness and freshness of these Fall floral treatments by Tweeny of The Flower Lab in Santa Monica, CA! Mixing dried botanicals like lotus pods, curly willow and money tree stems with fresh local flowers and bright orchids creates a varied texture and a bounty for the eyes! See the full details at The Flower Lab blog for Wedding Aces and see more floral bounty at The Flower Lab Blog.
Making sweet mochi is super easy and tasty! Via the awesome bento blog JustBento and a guest post by The Tiny Urban Kitchen, I discovered a way to make "sushi" using mochi and fruit! So delicious! Wouldn't this be great for a baby shower or bridal shower! Pair this with some "floral sushi" styling for a sweet sushi inspired party!
I adore the bold style and color explosion of this modern Veteran's Day wedding with Indian details! I saw this at Style Me Pretty and just had to share! See all the details of this wonderful wedding here, here, and here.
Via Style Me Pretty:
The Vendors: Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios
I'm so excited for Issue #005 of Utterly Engaged, the hippest new Wedding E-Zine! The theme for this issue was "Back to Basics." So for my second column of "Worldwide Wedding Style", I have highlighted some ideas for a wabi sabi inspired wedding. Have a look and let me know what you think!
Check out this cool Ikebana cake by Annie's Art Book which was part of a Cake Challenge! See more photos of ikebana cakes here.
If you are fusing
cultural sensibility, style and finesse into your interracial
and/or multi-ethnic wedding, you simply must head over to the fabulous site Wedding Nouveau! This site is a cross cultural style guide for today’s bride... filled with inspirational ideas, real life examples of fusion style weddings, cultural traditions, mood boards, color palettes and more! The creative gal behind this site is Fri (prononced "Free"), and she is a creative designer and actor originally from Cameroon, with New York sensibilities and a home base in Los Angeles. Here is one of Fri's awesome mood boards, entitled "Vintage Kabuki Wedding":
I've been to quite a few weddings where the cake toppers were customized wooden dolls of the bride & groom... However, today I found these Kokeshi wedding dolls at Etsy to be the cutest I have seen so far! What a precious wedding topper and keepsake!
I'm so excited for Issue #003 of Utterly Engaged, the hippest new Wedding E-Zine! Why? Because the super savvy style crew has asked me to be a contributor! Yay! My column is called "Worldwide Wedding Style" and will highlight style elements and cultural nuances that couples can incorporate into their wedding or wedding related events (bridal shower, wedding rehearsal, etc). For the first feature, you know I had to set it off with a lotus inspired theme! I just love how it turned out! I hope you do too =) Stay tuned for more!
Via Eat Drink Chic, I discovered these beautiful DIY Persian Cotton Candy Favors! Persian Cotton Candy (or Fairy Floss) also known as "Pashmak" makes an exotic gourmet favor for guests at a wedding or party. Read the full post and download the templates for the envelope and label for your own use! And be sure to check out Pariya Food, a Persian produce company that sells Pashmak, and the website Persian Mirror for more info on Persian wedding traditions and food.
Via the Bellissima Vita Weddings Blog, I was blown away by this elegant cake captured by photographer Jennifer Skog and created by I Dream of Cake in San Francisco. I Dream of Cake was established by artist Shinmin Li who creates innovative cake concepts and is continuously inspired by current fashion trends. The cake studio is a one of a kind, beautifully designed boutique that looks like a high end retail store! So gorgeous!
Below are some of my favorite Asian inspired cake designs that I found at the I Dream of Cake gallery...
Quick download these beautifully designed favor boxes by Twig & Thistle for your next event! I love the yellow waves and pink flowers (very Japonesque)! I also love how the pattern surrounds the top like a lid and not all over - saving you ink and money! Perfecto!
Featured Event Designer: Love and Splendor
Featured Floral Designer: Irvine Village Flowers
Featured Photographer: Travis Hoehne
Featured Venue: Seven Degrees
Here's a vibrant and creative wedding by Love and Splendor! I just love the colors and the modern touches! I especially love the lighting and handmade details. See more photos here and here!
Thanks to Ready to Spark, sparks are flying with dreams of churros and éclairs instead of cupcakes for special events! I'm loving the unique churro flavors by Xooro (pronounced Sure-ohs) and the many possibilites for dressing up the éclair like those found at Patisseries like Fauchon. If you have a Mexican or Spanish theme to your event, Churros are a fantastic dessert option. If you're after that "An American in Paris" vibe, go with the Eclair! Either way, you and your guests will enjoy a dessert that is out of this world! *Update 11-10-09 - for Filipino flair try the classic treat of Mini Coconut Macaroons in Bella Cupcake Couture wrappers (you can now get them in a custom design of your own)... I forgot about these tasty treats until just recently when I had a craving for my grandmother's version!
Related Post:
Bem Cassados - Brazilian Wedding Cake Favors
I'm amazed by the modern look of this ceremony decor with it's red lacquered bamboo urns and red roses! Simply stunning work by Dodie Sy of the incredible Brassavolas Floral Couture in Chino, California. See more beautiful floral examples at his blog.
Featured Event Designer: Kendal Brown of Eclatante Design
Featured Floral Designer: Donna O'Brien of Beautiful Blooms
Featured Photographer: Marie Labbancz of Art of Love
Via The Bride's Cafe, an awesome wedding blog, I discovered these fabulous internationally inspired centerpieces that were created for a Bat Mitzvah party. The theme was "Cities of the World" and each table represented a different city. Guests were given boarding passes to their tables. What a great idea for a global party or wedding!
For lifestyle stationary that is modern, fun and eco-friendly look no further! Jayda is a fantastic source for invitations for weddings, baby showers and parties! The founders, Johanna Reyes and Yadira
Chevere are the sisters and designing women behind this beautiful event planner's resource (The company name is a sweet combination of their first names). Check out their impressive environmental commitment here. Jayda also has awesome blogs! For wedding inspiration check out Down the Aisle and for some baby love check out Blue, Pink and Green. In addition, to being eco-savvy and hip, the MOST IMPRESSIVE thing about Jayda's offerings is that when you purchase invitations for a wedding or baby shower, you get your own coordinating blog site!
I'm so inspired by this lovely color combination of grey and bright pop colors for a fall wedding... aren't you?! I saw this via Love and Splendor.
Via 100 Layer Cake, I discovered The Crane Chandelier Project by The Wedding Co. To celebrate their 10th Anniversary in 2011, the Wedding Co. has created a global DIY craft project that involves creating a chandelier made from 10,000 origami cranes submitted by engaged couples from all around the world.
For each crane they receive, 50¢ will be donated to cancer research. I love this concept! For more info go to: TheWeddingCo.com
Who doesn't love a cupcake dressed in a scalloped gown and covered in sprinkles? Carrie Middlemiss from Seattle started Bella Cupcake Couture after being laid off by Washington Mutual Bank. These fun and stylish cupcake wrappers are inspired by textile patterns and made from recycled paper and printed with soy inks! So as far as green weddings and parties go, you can have your cupcake and eat it too! For favors, you can use these wrappers with cupcake shaped bath bombs! (Instructions here). This post was inspired by The Soap Queen!
Ok seriously, do you want to be utterly inspired? Check out Utterly Engaged, a stylish new online wedding magazine from my friends D*LSH Design and their partners! It's a gorgeous read and quite a luxury for the price...ahem, it's free! The zine features real wedding couples and their real budgets, plenty of swoon worthy DIY tips and lots of fresh ideas and fresh wedding vendors! I especially love the diversity in their features!!! I think it totally fills a void in the wedding market right now! Thanks for the link mention on the floral resources page! You ladies rock!
I saw this wire momentum bowl in the Crate and Barrel catalog and just love the idea of an organic style wedding centerpiece using orchids, spongy moss and a see-through basket (that you could give away to guests). For a rustic look you could make your own basket out of chicken wire. For a modern look, scout your home improvement center for mesh you could spray paint and mold into your own shape. You can purchase the orchid potted plants in bulk at Aloha Orchid and the reindeer moss at Save-On-Crafts.
Featured Floral Designer: Flower Design, UK
I really love the freshness of these floral arrangements by Flower Design! I especially love the crisp modernity of the martini designs and tall centerpieces using orchids, anthuriums, curly bamboo and calla lilies! See more photos here.
Whoa, how do I contain my excitement? I finally found a career inspiration that closely matches my lifestyle, my experience and my aesthetic! Today I discovered the story of Kate Fujimoto... a fashion designer - turned wife - turned event designer! Kate Fujimoto worked as a fashion designer and product manager for labels such as Trina Turk and Betsey Johnson. She was getting frustrated with the corporate structure and
felt that her aesthetic didn’t necessarily match up to some of the
companies she worked with. After planning her own wedding, Kate began to consider a career in event design. She took on small
events at first, but with a growing client list, the budding designer launched Kate Fujimoto Event Design in November 2007. With an emphasis on color, texture and trim, she treats events as landscapes similar to fashion designs, and applies her expertise to every aspect of presentation. Kate often looks to the venue first— much like she used to look to the human form—to find ways to enhance its features...Kate, you are my she-ro!
I'm loving these arrangements and overall table top display found over at Head of the Table! The horsetail or equisetum look so fabulous with the black ribbon and rhinestone buckles atop charcoal polished river stones!
Look at these beautiful Brazilian wedding favors from Pezzi d'Amore available in Seattle! I discovered these from the wonderful Bella Signature Design blog. These wedding favors are called "Bem Casados" or "Well-Marrieds" and they are the most traditional sought-after dessert at weddings in Brazil. Each Bem Casado is artfully made and is light, soft, airy and filled with smooth, home-made caramel bathed in a special sweet sauce. Each treat represents two united parts sealed by sweet love, support and mutual respect. According to legend, everyone who tastes them will be blessed with the happiness of newlyweds, so make a wish before you take a bite. Amen to that!
Today I was inspired by Flora Nova Design and their recent blog post letting us know that Plum is a big color for 2009. Check out their recent Plum, Cream and Chartreuse wedding! I have long loved this color combo so here is my Asian inspired version of a plum and chartreuse wedding. As a disclaimer, I usually don't post any images without linking the source, so I sincerely apologize because I don't have sources for all of these photos (boo! I know!). Please email me if you know the source. Thanks and enjoy!
From left to right, top to bottom:
Photo from Organic Style Magazine; Actress Zhang Ziyi; "Origami Crane" invitation by Tiny Prints; "Brilliant Blooms" wedding invitation by WeddingPaperDivas; custom made blooming tea favor; lime bridesmaid dress; chartreuse arrangement in Chinese shallow basket; catalog photo from Smith & Hawken; pink purple arrangement in footed basket; colorful macaroons by Jin Patisserie; and decorative Black Cherry Plum soap bar by MOR Cosmetics.
Last weekend, our DJ Company Bamboo Beats, had the pleasure of celebrating Kelsey & Kyle's stylish and hip wedding at Pravda, an uber cool NY-Loft like space in Capitol Hill. I want to share with you the beautiful decor details put together by the amazing Michelle from Married with Michelle (see her blog post here) and Julie from Bella Rugosa. *4/27/09 Update: Check out the amazing pro photos by the awesome Photo Elan team at this link!
I love the lotus capiz shell votive holders from Bella Rugosa and floral silhouette satin linens by BBJ Linen.
Check out the table placecards and simple unity candle.
Next to the ceremony area there was an awesome lounge area with cocktail tables and modern seating complete with bar area and our DJ setup.
I totally fell in love with the lounge area... these rentals are available from Bella Rugosa!
Capiz lotus pendant chandeliers graced the ceilings... so modern and elegant!
Modern and minimalistic high and low centerpieces with chartreuse table linens created a very dramatic effect in the all white venue.
This is the guest table shown on the left along with a creative way to show table numbers using sparkling water bottles.
And lastly, I was loving the lime green glass hurricane holders on top of acrylic pedestals that lined the ceremony aisles. On the right is a photo of these cool wrought iron candle holders that marked the ceremony alter. All in all, this wedding had all the perfect details and I can't wait for the pro photos from the fabulous Photo Elan team to show you how much fun the dancing was! They kicked it all night long!
Extreme beauty and lushness is all I can say about this lovely wedding concept by Yvonne Design and friends. This color combo is refreshing and bold with a hint of contemporary Thai flavor (orchids, lilies and lotus petals). You know I LOVE the lotus and window pane details of the silver, white and yellow cake by Cake Lava, and the pop up lotus on the menu card by Emi Ink!
If you are looking for a chic looking theme for your party or wedding, look no further than Wedding Paper Divas. In my quest for unique but easily executable themes that can be reproduced throughout an event's design, I began thinking in circles, quite literally! Check out these lovely circle theme invitation designs over at Wedding Paper Divas and get inspired! There is also a selection of eco-friendly Signature Ecru invitations that are made with 30% Post Consumer Waste Paper!
Sorry I've been light on the postings... I have a lot of things going on and some exciting news to share in the next month or so. In the meantime I will try to feature some of my favorite new inspirational blogs like this one! Jomygoodness is a scrumptious blog with lots of eye candy for you inspiration junkies! The author is Jomylene a fellow pinay blogger who lives in Southern California. Every Friday Jomylene does a "Week in Review" and posts a great selection of finds from other cool blogs. I'm happy to have been mentioned in a few of her reviews! Oh and I love Jomylene's color palettes! Check out this beautiful blog!
For this class we made wire wristlet corsages using faux orchids! The look is modern and the technique is soooo easy!
Materials:
Instructions:
1) Create the wristlet.
Cut wire long enough to wrap 3 1/2 times around your wrist, loosely. Coil both ends of the wire. Place your finger at the center of the wire and cross over the ends around your finger. This will make a loop that you will affix your orchid to.
2) Attached flower and grass stems.
Apply glue dots or hot glue to the loop you created at the center of the wire. Fold a grass blad in half and attach to loop. Next press on the orchid. Let glue dry.
3) Wear it!
Place the orchid with wire on your wrist. Wrap the straight ends around your wrist and enjoy your floral wristlet!
Check this super mod and romantic tabletop inspiration board by Courtney of Flush Designs for Once Wed...
Now bask in the glory of the flawless execution of this inspiration board...simply amazing! See more mod photos here...
Materials:
Instructions:
1) Arrange the flowers.
Cluster the flowers in the desired arrangement. Trim stems evenly. Secure stems with floral tape.
2) Accent with wire.
Wrap wire around the stem.
3) Pin boutonnière onto someone special!
Thanks to the Hostess Blog, I am now inspired for the day! Check out this fantastic red, white, and butterfly wedding from PacificWeddings.com!
This Indian Wedding style collage is only one of the many awesome inspiration boards from the talented Michelle of Lemiga Events in Atlanta! Click here to see more.
Kelly Hoppen: Kelly Hoppen Style: The Golden Rules of Design
Kelly Hoppen: East Meets West: Global Design for Contemporary Interiors
Colin Cowie: Colin Cowie Wedding Chic: 1,001 Ideas for Every Moment of Your Celebration
Cindy Ng: Girligami: A Fresh, Fun, Fashionable Spin on Origami
Robyn Griggs Lawrence: The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty
Thich Nhat Hanh: Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Maureen Whitehouse: Soul-Full Eating: A (Delicious!) Path to Higher Consciousness
David Kundtz: Quiet Mind: One-Minute Retreats from a Busy World
Michelle Cornell: Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging for Today's Interior
Sakul Intakul: Tropical Colors: Art of Living With Tropical Flowers
