This wedding has a special place in my heart… The bride, Elizabeth was an absolute pleasure to work with and this wedding was among the last weddings I planned… Tricia Fountaine created the amazing designs in collobration with Elizabeth who created many special touches herself. The groom, Jaime was a total sweetheart– the two had a pretty amazing choreographed first dance which was so very romantic…

Elizabeth wore a beautiful Claire Pettibone dress and Tricia created a beautiful bouquet of peonies, roses, blue thistle, millet, and jasmine.

The ceremoy was held under Rancho Dos Pueblos’ three hundred year old sycamore tree. Old barn doors were staked to create an entrance (found on the ranch) and decorated with flowers. Old church pews were used for guest seating and chandeliers were hung assymetrically at the front of the ceremony area.

The bridesmaids were dressed in different dresses in shades of blue and the groomsmen wore classy gray suits. Photos were taken all over the ranch, including under the huge alley of morton bay fig trees at the Casa and at the greenhouse.

Another found piece from the ranch, served at the table for seating cards. And old bread tin filled with acorns (a nod to the couple’s southern roots) was filled with scrolls featuring quotes from the couple’s favorite poems and songs.

For the tabletop design we used Tricia’s extensive collection of fine china. The bride made lace runners for some of the long tables and napkins were Tricia’s vintage hankies.

Vintage piano shawls graced some of the tables, and a large cotton wreath grounded the back wall of the reception.

Instead of a traditional coffee table, a large tea time table was designed. Linens from La Tavola were hitched up and tulle layered beneath.

Food was very important for this couple, cheese plates were set on each table for guests to snack on. Honey from the ranch served as favors and featured tea stained tags made by Elizabeth. Shots of Jameson were passed out right after toasts to get the dance party started. Congratulations again to Elizabeth & Jaime!

I’m so excited to share this bohemian wedding photographed by the oh so talented Nancy Neil. I adore the bride’s custom dress with lace and ombre details. And those gold lace up victorian boots? Love!

The wedding was held at the bride’s parent’s ranch in Carpenteria. A huppa was suspended in mid air to mark the spot for ceremony, gorgeous candle stands set a romantic tone, and a trio of musicians played.

For the table design, the bride’s mother arranged flowers in a palatte of rich burgundies, pinks, greens and blues. A mix of eclectic containers added interest and variety to the design. Each place setting was set with a napkin made from a colorful sari and old house numbers served as table numbers.

The wedding design was inspired by a watercolor made by the bride. She worked with Aardvark Press to create invitations with a water color look. Seating cards were water colored by the bride and finished with simple hand writing.

The simple tiered white cake was decorated with succulents, garden roses, and blueperum. And to finish, the groom spins the bride in her gorgeous custom wedding gown.

This wedding was held at the gorgeous Rancho Dos Pueblos, my all time favorite location. Here is the beautiful bride and perhaps the most “wedding planner” moment I’ve ever had; I was the one driving the golf cart to the ceremony site!

For ceremony, I had a platform built and carpeted to add an elegant touch.

Overhead, Kim at Collage created a simple huppa with gorgeous hydrangea, calla lilies, and yellow roses.

My favorite photo of the couple, taken right after ceremony.

For the escort cards I hung them on an old burnt out tree at Rancho Dos Pueblos’ Casa Grande. Laura Hooper did the elegant calligraphy.

For invitations, Megan used her own handmade paper (yes, handmade!) and created a deckle (torn edge) on the bottom of each part of the invitation. The design was very simple, with a hand drawn Morton Bay Fig Tree flanking the bottom of the invitation. For the hotel insert, she used translucent handmade paper that was gorgeous.

My favorite part of the event design, was uplighting Rancho Dos Pueblos’ huge Morton Bay Fig Trees. Each one is at least 60′ in diameter.

Some of the guests tables with the trees lit behind. For linens, I had runners made of a soft yellow silk set atop dark wood Amalfi tables. It was the perfect blend of “Rustic Elegance.”

For the head table centerpieces of hydrangea, calla lilies, and cymbidium orchids, decorated the table. I also used mercury glass candle holders in two heights to add a touch of silver.

For the bride and groom’s chair, a bunch of roses tied with yellow silk added a romantic touch.

On each place setting, a hemstitch napkin held a letterpress menu that was mounted on a thin piece of wood. One cymbidium was tucked into the napkin as well.

Since the lawn is so large, I used hedging to baffle the lawn and hide the catering kitchen. In front of the hedging, I created a huge bar using Montecito furniture from Town & Country.

In front of the bar, I used Montecito couches mixed with Rococo furniture to create a large lounge area.

Christine Dahl made a simple square tiered cake accented with cymbidiums, was perfectly elegant and understated.

A special thanks to all the vendors who made it possible:

Location: Rancho Dos Pueblos

Photography: Halberg Photographers

Catering: SBB Catering

Rentals: Town & Country Event Rentals

Flowers: Collage Event Design

Lighting: Bella Vista Designs

Invitations & Menus: Megan van den Bergh for Kelly Oshiro Design

Cake: Christine Dahl

Calligraphy: Laura Hooper

Favors: Paulette’s Macaroons

Hair & Makeup: Blushing Bridal

DJ: Goodbeat Productions

Videography: Lola Video

Wedding Planner & Event Design: Kelly Oshiro Design

All photos by Halberg Photographers

Check it out, a recent wedding I did at Rancho Dos Pueblos is up on Style Me Pretty. You can check it out right here!

I love a wedding where wheat would be used for some of the decor for a late summer, early fall wedding. White, loose arrangements of flowers would be paired with wheat in the centerpieces, and only the finest artisan bread would be served.

Mood: Rustic, elegant, white, wheat, early fall

Images from left to right, top to bottom: {Row 1} 1. Anna Williams 2. Karen Mordechai via Sunday Suppers 3. Anna Williams{Row 2} 1. Meg Smith 2. Colin Cooke 3. via Martha Stewart Weddings {Row 3} 1. James Carriere 2. Anna Kern 3. Allyson Magda

Last week I had the opportunity to tour a brand new estate in the Santa Ynez Valley called Zaca Creek Ranch. The estate features a large lawn with stunning views of the valley and is surrounded by large oak trees. There is a small platform built on one side of the lawn that’s perfect for hosting ceremonies. The max guest count… is well a lot. The lawn itself could easily hold 500 people.

This location would be the perfect base for a destination wedding. The family could stay at the house and easily arrange tours of wine country. The feel is very similar to Crossroads, but much more private since the property is a whopping 1600 acres. And, cowboy rides, camping, or hay rides can take place on the property.

The property also features a large house that sleeps 10.

On one side of the house is a large barn that can be used for cocktails or as an area for dinner.

There is also a large fire pit which would be perfect for toasting some marshmallows for smores.

Some notes:

• Pricing is based on guest count & the season.
• Additional lighting & power would need to be brought in.
• Guests must be shuttled to the property
• Vendor parking is available on site.
• There is a large BBQ on site that can be used.
• All chairs/tables/linens/china would need to be brought in.
• There are hale bales avaliable for renter’s use (could be fun for the ceremony).
• There is no restriciton on amplified music.
• Candles are allowed in glass ,but can not be placed on the ground.

For more information please visit Santa Ynez Vacation Rentals.

Images via Santa Ynez Vacation Rentals.

I love summer berries and I think the deep reds and blues are the perfect inspiration for a late summer wedding. I picture this wedding taking place at a family farm, the bride would wear a bold red dress, and guests would be treated to refreshing berry drinks.

Description: Berries, Barn, Fashion-forward, red & blue

Images from left to right, top to bottom: {Row 1} 1. via Tartelette 2. La Vie Photography 3. Helen Norman 4. Gemma Comas {Row 2 } 1. Anna Kern 2. via small stump + studio choo 3. Lisa Lefkowitz {Row 3} 1. Daniel Farmer 2. Anna Kern 3. Lisa Lefkowitz

The inspiration for this board came from Karen Mordechai‘s photo from her Sunday Suppers blog (second row, far right). I picture this wedding as a very casual picnic style wedding. Rustic peach cobbler would be served instead of wedding cake, and family heirlooms, such as the cameo below, would give this wedding a personal touch. For more picnic ideas check out this board from Snippet &  Ink.

Description: Picnic, summertime, home cooking, burlap textures, a touch of pale pink

Images from left to right, top to bottom: {Row 1} 1. Jeff Newsom 2. Tim Evan-Cook 3. Frances Janisch {Row 2} 1. La Vie Photography 2. Michele Waite 3. Karen Moredchai {Row 3} 1. Anders Gramer 2. Karen Moredchai 3. Lessa O’Rielly

I love Karen Mordechai’s photography and now she’s started a food blog called Sunday Suppers.

Pretty food…

Lovely flowers…

Simple and stunning tabletop design, yes please!