#TBT A New Year's Eve Backyard Wedding

I have designed weddings and events at chic hotels, luxury ranches, elegant estates, raw and industrial warehouses, large studios and Old Hollywood locales.  Sometimes I am asked to plan a party in someone's home in their backyard and this was quite the backyard transformation.  
We added a clear tent, plexiglass pool covering which became the dance floor, brought in sofas, additional furniture and draping by Revelry Event Designers, lighting by the fabulous The Lighter Side and of course, candles and roses everywhere.  
New Year's Eve at this house has never been so festive and full of love!

A Twilight Wedding in Weho

On April 12, 2014, Richard Merrill and Nerherly Rivas married on the rooftop of The London Hotel- West Hollywood under an incredible canopy of twisted willow, white roses, hydrageneas, orchids dripping from the ceiling,  and a touch of glamour with a Crystal Chandelier down the center.  This "Twlight" themed wedding was an event not to be missed.  Crystals dripped from an entrance canopy for the grand reveal of both Bride and Groom in their White and Black Shoulder embellishments.  Neherley wore Fox Fur with Black spikes and Richard had crystal spikes with white knee length fringing and a 9 ft chiffon train encrusted with crystals.
The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles started the ceremony by singing Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors."  Then they sang a medley of "Just the Way Your Are" by Bruno Mars Going into "Stand By Me" as Neherley walked down the aisle.  They began singing "A Thousand Years" as The Bride made his way down the aisle.

After the ceremony, guests adjourned to the lobby of the Ballroom for fabulous Chef Gordon Ramsey's hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.  Everyone awaited their entrance to the gorgeous ballroom.

Nancy and her team at Mark's Garden outdid themselves with, not only, the incredible ceremony archways and canopies, but the ballrom was filled with tall and short centerpieces filled with glorious white roses, white lilacs, white hydrangeas, white lilies and small glass dishes with floating gardenias amongst the romantic candle light.  The large centerpieces were accented with crystals drizzling down.

 The tables were set with rose textured black linens from La Tavola, silver netted candle holders, and a regal black charger and black frame holding the name of each guest at their place along with a printed schedule created beautifully by Occasion to Celebrate.  Silver  satin napkins were folded into bow ties held by a bling square pin that each guest immediately chose to wear with their ensembles.  The lighting in the ballroom was, of course, done by the wonderful team at The Lighter Side.

The bride and groom dined at their sweetheart table underneath the crystal dripping canopy.  They sipped from crystal encrusted Champagne Flutes that matched their cake cutting set.

The cake was impeccable from the always fabulous and brilliant Kimberly  Bailey from The Butterend Cakery.  The cake was Chocolate Almond Cherry Cake with Cherry Cream Cheese Buttercream and Vanilla Bean Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream.  The cake was adorned with a stunning Vera Wang Rhinestone Applique


















I wish this wonderful couple all the happiness in the world, so glad I was a part of their Twilight Dream Wedding.

Setting a table starts with the Linen

I love linens.  I have books upon books upon books of linens samples from some of my favorite linen companies: La Tavola Linens, Resource One Linens, Wildflower Linens, and Designer Specialty Linens.  When sitting down with my brides and grooms to talk about the look and atmosphere they want to create for their wedding, I include linens as a large contributor to the design and texture of the room.  

Plain whites and creams can be lovely when showcasing an intricate and detailed centerpiece but why not pop a bit of color with your napkin if the budget is tight and a specialty linen is not an option.  Adding the right texture and accent with linens can change the entire look of a room.  Linens range in all kinds of colors, fabrics, shapes, sparkles, sheens, sequins, ruffles, roses, patterns, florals, meshes, and polkadots.

When looking into your linen choices, think boldly and be open and you can stretch how far your reception space can reach in elegance, class and fabulousness.
Happy Linen Looking!

#TBT Throwback to a James Bond Birthday Party

I love to work with couples on planning the most important day of their lives, but I also love to design other events and soirees as well.  People come to me with ideas of themes for their big birthdays, baby and bridal showers, kids birthdays, rehearsal dinners, corporate events and more.  Getting to stretch my creativity into other venues and types of parties is incredibly exciting.

My #TBT is from a 50th birthday party I planned at a private estate in Orange County that had a James Bond theme.  I knew it had to have sexy lighting (by The Lighter Side) red, black and gold accents, exotic glamour and an element of time travel fun.  This client had a empty 10 car garage that I turned into a Moroccan Bedouin Tent created by Bam and Rrivre Works.  And of course I couldn't forget the casino pieces!  Now, for the next James Bond themed party, I think Daniel Craig should be the surprise guest, don't you?

Flowers by Marks Garden

Lighting is KEY!

There are so many details and choices that go into planning a wedding...the dress?  Do I change into a cocktail party dress?  Do I want posed shots or candid journalistic shots? Wild flowers or Classic roses?  DJ or Band?  What kind of cake? How big should the bridal party be?  To photo booth or to not photo booth?  One of the most important factors that people seem to never think of and always forget is... lighting.  Lighting is key!  All of my events and weddings have a lighting designer that I work with to create the perfect ambiance and setting for the evening.  Most venues have fluorescent lights that negate any possibility of elegance or sexy ambiance.  There is nothing sexy about fluorescent lights!
My team at The Lighter Side create incredible textures, layers and allure to all my weddings and events.  I love a "pinspot" on each table to highlight the centerpieces, details and brighten the space softly and intimately.  Why spend all the money on centerpieces and details if you aren't going to highlight them!?  So, as you are answering all the either/or questions, add lighting into the mix and I promise you will be thrilled with the results.

Spring has Sprung, Wedding Season has Begun!

We have been very busy at Bluebell Events and I have neglected from blogging, my apologies!
I am back to post pics and tips from past weddings of mine and ideas and trends that are blossoming about in the wedding community that I love to utilize.
The most recent thrill for Bluebell Events was a fabulous mention in Style Me Pretty for the wedding of Marion and Andrew Haberman.  The wedding took place at the Riviera Country Club, a gorgeous locale for a Pacific Palisades Dream Wedding.  The elegance and glamour of the hotel created a picturesque backdrop to a wonderful evening for love and family.

Check out this gorgeous wedding here:
http://www.stylemepretty.com/california-weddings/los-angeles/2014/03/03/glamorous-pacific-palisades-wedding/

Fun Facts Friday!

Here are some fun wedding facts for you all on this Fun Facts Friday! Featuring the world’s most expensive wedding dress, cake, bouquet and shoes! Enjoy!

The most expensive wedding dress was $12 million USD from jeweler Martin Katz and dress maker Renee Strauss. The dress has about 150 carats worth of diamonds and as of now it is still for sale.

The most expensive bouquet, 90 gemstones, 9 diamonds, a star shaped ruby and entry in the Vietminese in the Guinnes Book of World Records, valued at $125,000 USD.

The most expensive cake was unveiled in 2006 at a luxury bridal show in Beverly Hills. It was created by Nahid La Patisserie Artistique along with jeweler Mimi So.  It is decked out with jewels both exclusive and priceless. Estimated worth of about $20 million USD. I wonder what they did with the cake after the show...

Certaintly not the most expensive, but a very expensive pair of Stuart Weitzman shoes with Jewler La Vain cost about $2 million and feature 185 carats of museum-quality tanzanite gemstones and 200 carats of other precious stones. 

Not very practical for your wedding but I thought they were fun facts to share ! Happy Friday !

Love,

Charley

Beautiful Gowns For Under $5,000

Every girl dreams of looking like a princess on her wedding day, but sometimes you just have to be a little creative with your wedding dress budget. Here are some really beautiful dresses that I have found for under $5,000 that will most definitely make you feel like a princess with out breaking the bank. 

Here is a beautiful ballerina inspired dress from White by Vera Wang for David's Bridal, $1,000

Love this elegant fun figure hugging dress from Maggie Sottero via Best Bridal Prices, $1,129

Such a dreamy romantic dress from Jacquelin Wedding Dresses, $1,035


I love the black sash accent which you could add for the evening reception, by Modern Trousseau via PeriDress.com, $199

 Simply stunning dress and the back (below) is to die for from Priscilla of Boston $4,375

Get creative girls and look around, you might be surprised at what you find!

Love,

Charley

Escort Cards

Why not think of a fun and different way to help your guests find their way to their seats for dinner. The escort card may seem like a small detail but like the invitation, it's the entre to the next fabulous part of your wedding. Here are some lovely escort cards from various weddings I planned that I thought you might enjoy.

 (Photo by Ben Hoffman at Two Sparrows and flowers by Flower Dec)

 (Photo by Robert Evans Photography)

 (Photo by Paula Luna at Luna Photo and dogwood branches by Bobbe Vagel)

(Photo by Anthony Elgort)

(Photo and flowers by Lilla Bello)

I love how each individual bride's style and theme was followed through to the escort cards, it just ties it all together. Have fun thinking of ways that your personality can shine through your escort card table.

Love,

Charley