An Aloha Engagement Party: Part 1

I had the great privilege to plan an amazing engagement party for a wonderful couple. I went to Jr. High with the bride and it was wonderful to reconnect with her twin sister, Amanda, as we planned the party together. A beautiful venue, freedom to come up with lots of fun details and a super sweet family made for an incredible event!

The party was held at the amazing home of the bride's Aunt and Uncle on the peninsula in Long Beach. It is one of the coolest homes I have been in: You feel as though you are in an incredible resort in Hawaii.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the party was being able to play florist. I had so much fun working with orchids and other tropicals.

Here are some floral details, captured by my hubby:

I loved this table! The green vases & wooden fish plate were found at Homegoods. Placemats from Crate and Barrel.


Simple cocktail table arrangements:

I wrapped glass vases in tea leaves and wrapped votives in a natural linen ribbon from Michaels. The beautiful natural linens are from Wildflower linens. 

The main dining room table was my favorite piece. The table alone was gorgeous- huge and made of beautiful Hawaiian Koa wood, but when I added some tropical leaves and all white orchid arrangements,  I fell in love.

The house is right on the beach, so we got to use the beach for the part as well.

The lounge benches and tables are from Classic Party Rentals. I adore them. Our bar also matched the wood. So cool! We also placed some fun towels out on the sand for guests who wanted to lay out a bit.

A few more arrangements:

How cool is that table? It is a booth in the family's amazing kitchen. I loved the little wood bowls pictured above- I found them at Crate and Barrel for $1/piece.


I will be back tomorrow with more fun details- super cute invites and paper goods and desserts that will make your mouth water! 

UCLA Love

I saw this engagement shoot this morning on Drew B's blog , and I just had to share a few pics. Go Bruins!!!

The bride played softball for UCLA and the groom was a pitcher for the Bruin baseball team. Love it!

I took many a class in this building:

Do I hear any 8-claps out there?

Shower Invitations

One of my closest friends from college is getting married next month in Hawaii. Aloha!!! I am so excited for her wedding/vacation and am equally as excited for the shower we are throwing her this weekend.

I made these sweet, simple invitations to reflect our shower theme: an Asian-influenced sweet and simple luncheon. Brittany and Josh met and got engaged in Japan, so I wanted to incorporate their story into the shower.

I found the perfect paper from Paper Source- pool blue with red and pink cherry blossoms on elegant Japanese paper. 

The envelopes & labels are also from Paper Source. Ahh, how I love that store. 

Megan and Jason at Vibiana: A sneak peak

Megan is one of my favorite peers in the event industry. She is my go to girl with Classic Party Rentals and so I was thrilled when she contacted us to coordinate her wedding! I was heartbroken that I was already booked on her wedding date, but Darcie got the priveledge of coordinating Megan and Jason's big day.

This is definitely one of our favorite weddings to date: a super creative, sweet bride, an all star team of vendors and a breathtaking venue. I cannot wait to show you all of the details in due time. For now, here is a glimpse into their gorgeous day, taken by the wonderful Ryan Phillips:

The gorgeous bride:

Next Christmas, I would like:

The beautiful bouquet, by my girl Carissa at JL Designs:

Megan had the bridesmaid dresses made to match the fabric of the napkins she chose from Classic's inventory. They were super cute!

And, hello:

Oh, I just love it.

Vibiana is just stunning:

Some details:

These were made for JLo & Ben. Thanks guys!

They are such an adorable couple! Jason actually works for Classic as well.

I love this one of Megan & her sweet mom. I adore these two ladies:

You may remember the first of our Amazing Wedding Cakes weddings. This one was the second. Megan decided to surprise Jason with a grooms cake honoring his other love: The LA Lakers. It was so fun! The episode will air on the WE Network in early summer. We will be sure to keep you posted.

You might have noticed that Megan added a bright sash to her dress for the reception. I love it!

I cannot even begin to describe all of the wonderful details of the reception- I love every inch of it. For now, I'll give you a couple of overview shots to make you want more:

Okay, so that is all for now. I'll show you all of the good details in time- I promise! You can see a few more on Ryan's blog.

Here are the rest of the wonderful vendors we were honored to collaborate with on this wedding:

*Rentals: Classic Party Rentals  (all of the best for these two, of course!)
*Cupcakes: Vanilla Bake Shop
*Groom's Cake: Merci Beaucoup for "Amazing Wedding Cakes" on the WE Network
*Catering: Good Gracious
*Video: Today's the Day
*Makeup: Tina with Flawless Faces
*DJ: Music on the Move
*Strings: Angelica Strings
*Photobooth: PhotoWorks Interactive
*The pleated poppy made a couple of guest appearances as well :)


Megan & Jason, thank you again for allowing us to be a part of your planning process. I had such a great time laughing over trees, clinching my fist over construction and getting giddy over details. You two have such a genuine love between you and we are so excited to see what your future together holds. We know this is not the end of our collaborations together and, to that, we say hooray!!

happy easter!

from us to you. 

Shopping Inspiration

I have been searching the web for some fun accessories for a few upcoming weddings and events and came across some great clearance finds!

I am in love with these mobile strands, found at CB2 for $7.95 a strand. My mind is dancing thinking about how I can use them!

Also at CB2, I am diggin this Moroccan Dinnerware:

You might be seeing these soon. $9.95/piece at Pottery Barn.

These mossy spheres, also at Pottery Barn, would look so great as accent pieces at an outdoor, rustic or organic wedding.

These kill me. With the right theme, they would be so amazing with simple blooms.

I also am buying a Menorah from Crate and Barrel. Yep. A menorah. In April. For a pastor's wife. What can I say, it's  a good deal! (and I have been wanting one since the holidays- next year, we will honor my hubby's Jewish heritage and teach our son about God's deliverance of his people)

What have you been eyeing lately?