I’m absolutely smitten with this old world elegance editorial photographed by KT Merry and styled by Style Serendipity and shot on location in Ireland. How awesome are these Irish wolfhounds with their garland collars?

Castle Leslie is a fully functioning hotel and wedding location. I would seriously die and go to heaven if I got to a design a wedding here.

In keeping with the old world vibe, invitations were printed on pretty handkerchiefs, crown book marks served as favors, and lace up shoes from BHLDN captured the timeless feel.

A delicately beaded Jenny Packman gown added to the elegant feel…

Soft blooms such as peonies, roses, veronica, and astilbe made up the bride’s bouquet.

An elegant scroll nailed to an ivy covered tree serves as seating chart.

The ivy covered walls of the castle makes a beautiful background for the dinner table draped with a garland over lace and accented with velvet details.

Thanks KT for sharing this beautiful editorial!

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Last week me and my partners in crime, Samantha from could I have that and Kim, from Love Mikana, had a little girls night at one of Santa Barbara’s newest (and tastiest) restaurants, Arlington Tavern. Of course we had to get all glammed up (why not) and put on our best sparkly attire (you can see more about Sam’s outfit right here).

To add a bit more fun to our night out, I brought simply clipped flowers from my garden and Kim brought some adorable favors (more about that over on Love Mikana). Since Arlington Tavern’s logo is the crossed fork and knife, I styled the place settings accordingly.

We of course had to sample as many appetizers as possible… One of my favorites? The kobe beef hot dog… Best hot dog in Santa Barbara? I think so!

And the of course, what party wouldn’t be complete without mac n’ cheese. This dish is seriously perfect, I could have eaten the whole bowl by myself. And for some vegetarian friendly options, we ordered the heirloom tomato salad and the aspargus with deep fried poached egg. And yes, its as decadent and delicious as it sounds.

Of course, what would a birthday party be without some serious desserts? We shared with the lemon cake (super zesty and delicious) and my personal favorite, the warm espresso brownie with caramel sauce.

Special thanks to Arlington Tavern for hosting us! You can stop in and sample the mac n’ cheese (do it!) Monday through Saturday from 5pm to 10pm (closed Sunday). The Tavern has a regular sit down dinner menu and also a bar menu if you’re feeling just like some small bites. And, if you’d like to see more of our party, be sure to hop on over to Could I have that and Love Mikana. Party on!

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I’m a big fan of a hosting a large rehearsal dinner. And this one, is well, awesome. Held at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum the understated fiesta vibe, is elegant, and oh so fun.

A muted palatte of taupes and creams is given a distinctive fiesta flair with shots of turquoise and bolsa wood flowers that are a twist on the colorful paper flowers usually used for this kind of look.

Of course, if you’re going to throw a proper fiesta, you need a really good mariachi band to set the mood. Add in a menu of delicious tacos and churros and you’ve got the makings of one successful party.

Did I mention, the churro situation? I’ll take one!

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Today I’m super excited to share this never before seen rehearsal dinner I designed and Jose Villa photographed. The client wanted a fun rehearsal dinner atmosphere and asked for a state fair theme. I ran with it and had Bella Vista make custom red and white cabanas for our food and drink booths. Custom chalkboard signs with custom decals were made, and I worked with Duo Events to create some upscale carnival food.

My favorite food that night was the duck confit corndogs. They were way, way too good! We also served french fries in newspaper cones and tray passed sweet tea. I even bought red and white striped ties for the caterer waiters to tie the whole look together.

For invitations, I worked closely with a paper designer here in Santa Barbara. We used hand set metal type for these letterpress invitations and Betsy Dunlap did the amazing calligraphy. The reply and transportation card were made of one piece that was perforated so guests could tear off their “admit one” ticket for their RSVP reply card.

For escort cards, I filled wood boxes with peanuts and tucked in the cards. Kerstin from Blue Magnolia accented the display with beautiful flowers in shades of red and white.

For the bar, I used Zephyr Tents farmhouse style bar. Behind it, I used Town & Country‘s candle wall to create a backdrop.

For dinner, I  used the farmhouse tables from Zephyr and overlayed them with custom red and white striped seersucker runners. A collection of vintage medicine, milk and soda bottles (that I collected over many months) were mixed with milk glass and held flowers such as red ranunculuses, dahlias, and straw flowers. Petite crab apples were also scattered about to add additional fall texture.

I scattered loose hay throughout the party to create that authentic state fair feel.  For the table numbers I made little flags and Betsy calligraphed the numbers on. They were then placed them in old soda bottles. Michael from The Flashdance spun country and rockabilly classics and totally completed the party vibe. Thank you to all the vendors that made this event a success!

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About a month ago, Elizabeth called me and asked me if I wanted to do flowers for the Wedding Chicks product/fashion shoot. It took me about zero seconds to say yes!

I did a small table setup with Found Vintage Rentals pieces (Jeni was our fabulous stylist for the shoot) and used a color palette of peaches, pinks, and burgundies for the flowers.

Tricia Fountaine was kind enough to lend me her vintage china and silverware. The glassware I picked up the weekend before at an antique store. At each setting I placed a vintage ink well with a ranunculus. I have about 12 ink wells from around 1870 that were bought here and in England (they are dirt cheap over seas!).

Here are some of the adorable products by the wedding chicks that were photographed. I love the vintage style hankies and the adorable totes perfect for  a welcome bag. You can see more on Elizabeth’s blog here and on Wedding Chicks right here. And you can shop these adorable products right here.

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This wedding editorial was designed by Ariel Yve and inspired by Ralph Lauren. Naturally a polo field made for the perfect backdrop (this is the same location that the royals played not to long ago).

For the tabletop design, rustic burlap was made feminine with an overlay of alencon lace from La Tavola Linen. To further play with texture, leather cord was used on the elegant paper invitations by Zenedia Designs.

For the wedding fashion, an elegant Ines de Santo dress was styled with a low chignon and Stella & Dot Jewelry.

For a bit of whimsy one cake display was set on a swing, while the other was placed on an elegant buffet with blue horse ribbons. Blue was also brought into the tabletop design with classic blue and white china. Thank you Ariel for sharing this inspiration and Michael & Anna Costa for the beautiful photos!

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…Is just as gorgeous as everyone says. Happy Monday!

Photo by Michael Costa.

Location: Gainey Winery

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