Featured Wedding: Myesha and Craig at Cafe Pinot

Myesha and Craig met four years ago while working on the Obama campaign. They are a smart and sophisticated power couple but they also know how to have a good time! Myesha envisioned a clean, simple and modern wedding with pops of fall colors. She decided on an orange and gray color pallet which was the perfect choice for their September 29th wedding at Cafe Pinot!  Located in the heart of Downtown LA, across from the famous Los Angeles Public Library, Cafe Pinot was the perfect backdrop for this modern couple's nuptials to take place.  Adrienne Gunde did a stellar job documenting all of the wedding day details!

Myesha's gorgeous Watters gown was oh so chic and had ruffles in all the right places.  Her shoes were simply stunning and PERFECT!  We've featured them a few days ago via a Shoe Shot Sundays post!

Myesha and Craig's love for one another is quickly apparent to anyone who sees them together. They had such a heartfelt and even tearful first look - It is clear they were meant to spend their lives together. 

 

The Bride and Groom prepared for their big day at the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles which happens to be a few short blocks from their venue and one of our favorite getting ready locations. After their First Look, Myesha and Craig, along with their Bridal Party, headed to Cafe Pinot for their ceremony.  

I just loved Craig's light gray suit which was highlighted by his Groomsmen's charcoal gray suits!

Myesha's Bridesmaid's Jim Hjelm dresses were a stunning shade of charcoal - her "Bridesman" also looked quite handsome in a matching charcoal suit!

The Happy Couple moments before their ceremony.

We love the design of the rose petals on the isle, Inna with Butterfly Floral Design went above and beyond for the happy couple and we were so grateful. 

As we mentioned, this couple knows how to have fun! Myesha is Jamacian so they decided to tie their escort cards to mini bottles of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum which allowed them to use them as favors. 

Together, Butterfly Floral Design and Designer Specialty Linens did a beautiful job of making the Bride and Groom's color palette of orange and slate come alive! The shantung linens in various shades of gray achieved Myesha's request for modern elegance while the bright florals added the perfect pop of color.  The design elements were so sleek and modern and so... them!  The paper lanterns strung over the dance floor were a great touch and looked amazing at night!  We can't thank Brad with Stagelabs enough for the amazing lighting contribution he added to this special day.  It sparkled to perfection!

Guests danced the night away to a variety of romantic tunes, popular dance music, sprinkled with a bit of Jamaican reggae.

Alex fell in love with these stairs and begged Adrienne to grab a quick shoe shot here... How fun are the different languages!

All in all it was a beyond successful day and we were so grateful to be a part of it.  Congratulations Myesha and Craig!!

Wedding Production Team Love 
Accommodations: Millennium Biltmore, Los Angeles
Bridesmaid Gowns: Jim Hjelm
Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Ceremony Music: Pacific Coast Strings  
DJ: Rich Sanders aka DJ Richy Rich
Event Design and Production: Sterling Engagements
Favors: Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum 
Floral Design: Butterfly Floral Design
Hair: Andrea Pezzillo
Lighting: Stage Labs
Linens: Designer Specialty Linens
Makeup Team: Fiore Beauty
Officiant:  A Ceremony of the Heart
Photography: Adrienne Gunde Photography 
Photo Booth: Snap Shotz Photobooth Rentals 
Rentals: Chivari Chair Rentals
Venue and Catering: Cafe Pinot
Videographer: New Classic Wedding Films
Wedding Gown: Watters
Wedding Invitations: Paperee

Inspired by Lavender!

Aloha from Hawaii!  After an incredibly successful Spring and Summer season, the bulk of our busy season has calmed this week allowing me to take a quick breather in Maui.  So grateful for a little much needed rest and relaxation and of course beautiful inspiration too!

Earlier this week, very early in the morning we traveled to the Haleakala National Park to watch the sunrise and then headed to an amazing breakfast at Kula Lodge.  If you plan to travel to Maui anytime soon, I highly suggest this experience... it was incredible!  You can also bike down the park which I've heard from others is pretty epic as well.

Anyway, following our delicious breakfast I begged for a detour to the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm and it was just stunning.  I felt ever so inspired by this magical place so today's post is dedicated to all things Lavender!

I had to start with this beautiful photo of the actual farm we visited.  I was thrilled to learn that they can accommodate intimate weddings onsite under the gazebo seen in this photo. Wouldn't this be the perfect destination for your Maui wedding followed by a fun reception at the beach...

Photo courtesy of Hawaii FYI

Love this shot.  How sweet is the draped tulle with the mini pots of lavender?  I'm also swooning over this bicycle!  What a perfect backdrop for a bride and groom or even a couple flower girls with ring bearers. 

 Photo courtesy of Pinterest

I also love this place vintage place setting!  The lace placemat over the lilac colored linen with that country plate and the lavender sprigs just take it over the top for me.  Not to mention the super sweet paper flower with the personalized copper name!

Photo courtesy of Heart Love Weddings

Not to mention this blush peach signature cocktail with the lavender sprigs!  I adore the texture the sprigs add and the way these colors compliment each other.

 Photo courtesy of Indulgy

 These bouquets must have the most relaxing and delicious scent.  I bet you'd like to have the aisle seat as these maids walk down it! 

  Photo courtesy of All Things Lavender

The perfect quaint country wedding couldn't be complimented without something extra sweet too right?  How about this lovely lavender inspired Croquembouche?  Pretty sweet right!

Photo courtesy of Swoon

Love this look for a lounge grouping, long belly bar cocktail table or even kings tables as part of a cluster that sweeps down the middle of the table.  The lavender and wheat grass combo is so natural and graceful.   

Photo courtesy of She's Not The Marrying Kind

Very tiny but lovely escort cards with a little goodness tied in.  Love these little ones and I'm sure they smell amazing too!

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings

Such a perfect bouquet for that rustic wedding at a winery or just outdoors period.  I can see this in the garden, in a field, even at the right destination like Santa Barbara.  So beautiful and so soothing by scent if you can imagine...  

Photo courtesy of Bouquet Bridal

Isn't this just the sweetest of bouts?  I love how delicate it looks but at the same time somewhat complex in texture and neutral with color.  

Photo courtesy of Snippet and Ink

By far one of my favorite photos in the bunch.  Not just for my love for bows but also the texture, the color and again the beautiful aroma this would welcome your guests with!

 Photo courtesy of Etsy

Lavender is also one of the "it" flavors currently in the dessert world.  You'll find it paired with vanilla or a butter cake, with blueberries, honey and even some with chocolate! 

Photo courtesy of Wedding Decor 

I love this!  It can be just the perfect reminder of your inspired by lavender wedding day by giving them a sweet satchel to remember it by.  

Photo courtesy of GCDSpa

Hope these lovely images and ideas inspire you like the fields did for me in lovely Maui.  It's paradise out there but weaving a little lavender in your day is something you can do locally or for your destination wedding anywhere around the world. 

Star's Favorite Things: Photo Booth Fun!

Photo booths have become quite popular at weddings, and for good reason!  Whether portable, digital, or no walls studio style, photo booths add fun and excitement to your big day.  Guests welcome the opportunity to interact and be silly so consider providing props such as boas, hats, wigs and mustaches (most photo booth companies include these props in their packages).  Guests love being able to take their photos home which makes them double as a favor!  Request multiple copies of each photo then ask guests to place a copy of each picture in a scrap book with a note.  Or, ask them to hang their photos on a wall or along a clothesline for decoration during your reception.  Many photo booth companies will also provide you with a CD of all of the photos taken at your event which is a great way for you to have a picture of each of the guests present at your wedding.

Photo courtesy of Scott Langley Photographer 

If you decide on a studio style photo booth and your budget allows for it, consider having a custom backdrop created. This adds a personal touch to the photos and allows your wedding concept to shine.

Here at Sterling Engagements, we happen to be big fans of studio style photo booths because they allow for uniqueness and creativity; however, we also love the nostalgic aspect of portable photo booths.  We've worked with some amazing photo booth and custom backdrop design vendors! 

We love this custom backdrop which has been designed to look like a giant chalk board.

Photo courtesy of My Modern Met

We love how these couples utlized picture frames.  So fun!



Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Photo courtesy of Angel In The North

Photo Courtesy of Belle The Magazine

This custom background of red poppies is stunning and so elegant.



Photo courtesy of The Wedding Planners

If you are a DIY bride, you may want to create your own background.  We love the texture and romace of these DIY backgrounds.

Photo courtesy of Ruche

Photo courtesy of Ruche

This photo illustarates how the photos can be used as decor throughout the reception. Doesn't it look fantastic?!

Photo courtesy of The Wedding Galleria

Check out one of our Bride's photo booths in action.  We absolutely LOVED her custom background which was created by Shawna Yamamoto Event Design!

Photo courtesy of Callaway Gable

As I mentioned, props are a great way to add fun and humor to the photos.  You can go big with hats, glasses and boas, or you can go a bit simpler and go with the mustaches, lips and glasses shown below.

Photo courtesy of EPLove Photography

We came across these photos and had to share them with you because they are so unique and fun!  This Bride and Groom had life size cut outs of themselves in their wedding attire made and had them avaialble for guests to take photos with.  It gave every guest the opportunity to take a photo with the Bride and Groom.  Such a silly and creative idea and they look pretty life like in my opinion!  The photo on the left is of the Bride and Groom with their cut outs.

XOXO,

Star