real wedding // palm springs wedding // ruffled blog feature // nicole + ian

hi there!  see a full post on our wonderful local couple on ruffled blog today!

nicole and ian, what a dream team.  this stylish duo lives in one of the hippest neighborhoods in oakland, and if you dont know about the hip neighborhoods in oakland, you should get yourself on over there to check them out.  style for miles to say the least (ian did all the stellar paper goods, by golly!) and that's exactly what nicole and ian wanted for their intimate wedding.  so, they hired their local gal pals - US - to help them execute a wonderful celebration in palm springs - coordinating, designing and handling the florals.  they wanted pattern and color and coordinating simplistic elements to pull it all together.  we worked with some of our faves - yeah rentals, casa de perrin and abi q photography, just to name a few.  the result was sheer and utter happiness on the faces of some of our favorite people.  wish we could do it all over again...

people who helped make this wedding happen //


photography // abi q photography
planning + design // enjoy events co.
flowers // shotgun floral studio
catering // fork in the road
lounge + chairs // yeah! rentals
rentals // classic party rentals
linens // la tavola
table top + tray rentals // casa de perrin
invitations and paper design // groom
bar service // pharmacie la
brides makeup + hair // ulu natural beauty

a festive feeling

with fall transitioning into winter here in the bay area, we are feeling festive.  pour your favorite cocktail, put a few twinkle lights up, add a few blooms and your set.  these rich colors of burnt orange, grey and cream create that perfect festive feeling.

images via // bridge, whiskey sour, flower, boutonnieres, lights, cocktails,

they got engaged // jenny + caleb

so, we are extremely excited for this couple's wedding next june at dawn ranch - the most dirty-dancing-esque venue you can get.  this wedding is going to be chock full of girly-mexican-meets-romantic-redwoods-amoungst-cabins-and-really-amazing-details.  in other words, totally awesome.  aren't they just adorable.

images // d.lillian photography

holiday spirit // homebrew

with the holidays around the corner, i've been thinking about different gifts to bestow upon my friends and family. rather than hitting the mall, i've decided to make beer. hopefully it will be tasty!

if you want to brew your own beer in time for gift giving, you'll need to get started now before the ugly sweater parties come and go. never brewed before? that's okay. as a fairly new brewer myself i've depended on the expertise of griz over at brewcraft sf. this place is a beer-maker's dream. they've got everything from kits to ingredients to recipes. i'm brewing a holiday ale, made with cinnamon, mace and ginger.

the most exciting part -- the labels. i'm going with chalkboard labels so that i can personalize each one. using the help of blogger nook & sea, i successfully painted chalkboard paint on each one. instead of applying spray paint as she suggests, i painted on three coats using a brush which worked just fine. you can find chalkboard paint at your local hardware store and most places that carry art supplies will have chalkboard pens which will stay on the bottle better than regular chalk.

 for the final touch, i found a variety of ribbons, washi tape and additional tags at paper source.

cheers! // roxy

images via // roxy taghavian

shotgun floral studio // a year in bouquets

here are some of our favorite shotgun shots of the year - in bouquets.  those wonderful little bunches of joy. we absolutely love matching the style of our bride's dress to her bouquet.  it makes it personal and lovely. each one is distinctly shotgun and distinctly the brides style!  just the way it should be!

images  via // top left / delbarr moradi photography, top right / kate harrison photography, center / abi q photography, bottom left / joielala photographie, bottom center / cooper carras photography, bottom right / cooper carras photography, center / delbarr moradi photography, last two / kate harrison photography

french inspired // 1920s with a twist

next year has big things in store for us and this inspiration board is just one of the many concepts we are playing around with.  we love it when a couple tells us they want to rock a top hat to their wedding and go all out with a fun concept.  we will be taking an eclectic spin on the roaring 20's and we can't wait to get started.

images via // girl, rock, earrings, bird, flowers, pattern, gold flatware, cake, light sign, drink

dripping in love

let's face it when the ombre trend of gradient color fading from light to dark came around in 2009 (yes three years ago) we were all smitten.  the soothing color details hooked us all and it has even taken new life transforming into more stubble beauty with watercolor effects popping up all over, like this diy votive project or this pretty inspiration.  yet this past summer we mixed it up a bit and got our hands dirty with the modern approach on the dip-dye trend.

you all must know by now we love to craft up custom handmade details for our couples.  and for one of our coastal weddings we sourced driftwood to tie to each guests escort card and got to dipping.

keeping with trend for our summer time peach farm wedding we hand painted simple wood frames to create a dip-dye effect for tables numbers and paper goods throughout the celebration.

 

even though fall is here this trend is here to stay for a while.  to be part of the colorful trend you must check out Sweet Paul's Fall issue with all the dip-dye crafts one can imagine.  we also love Camille Styles diy post or Martha Stewart's dip-dye project to spruce up your baskets.  go ahead and bring a fresh spin on the ordinary from your home to fashion.

images via // driftwood escort sticks via Delbarr Moradi, frames + Yeah! rentals chair and Susie Cakes ombre cake images via Joielala, watercolor save the date by Happy Menocal image via Delbarr Moradi

rustic // fresh foliage

with those crisp cool days and early nights now approaching we were inspired by these rustic images.  from fresh foliage of herbs mixed with wood + brass, this calls for a fall time inspired dinner amongst friends.

images via // chair decor, boutonniere, light bulbs, table top, brass candle sticks