We’re starting off with one of our Every Last Vendor members, Laura Ann Miller Photography, who is the sweetest person and an absolutely FABULOUS photographer! :)

In case you haven’t noticed yet, one of my FAVORITE details is the table number. I don’t know why, but it just is! For this table number, I created it around the fringe & layers theme that I had for the whole shoot. I simply used different sized strips of tissue paper (as I will explain for the “place-runners), adhered it to a piece of cardstock, which I also attached to a plexiglass plate (you can just do the cardboard- I just had to weigh it down a little), and put a cut-out cardstock number on top of it!

Vitalic Photography sent over some gorgeous images…

Did you notice the slight “ombre” effect of the centerpiece containers? Catherine of Layers of Lovely did an amazing job with flowers, painting containers and vases in all different shades of blue, teal, and aqua. I loved that she gave me extra little vases too- I was able to “prettify” a few of the more plain areas throughout the shoot! Oh, and here you get a good glimpse of what I like to call “place-runners”… kind of like placemats, kind of like a runner… keep reading for more of a description on them!

Along with the fringe and layers inspiration that I had for my design, I also wanted to include a few tassels in the mix too. Of course I had to have some sort of seating detail at the table, so I attached placecards to tassels and tied them to the arms of the ghost chairs! [A little hint for the tassels... I used crepe paper for them- you know, the rolls that you can buy at the party store. It gave me the perfect width and was a little more sturdy than tissue paper.]

Ah, escort cards… another one of my favorite details ever! :) Alicia of A&P Designs added fringe to the edges of the escort cards that she created, and I created this ladder-and-fringe-garland backdrop for them. I attached the cards to the garland using painted clothespins, which I had also written the table number on. Essentially, the *realistic* concept would be that you would have several rows of a garland like this, guests would walk up, find their name (easily, because your cards would be in ALPHABETICAL order, and the clothespin would tell them what table they’re sitting at!

I was so lucky that the lovely model already had a pair of aqua heels… how perfect is that?! I always love a good pop of color under a dress, and especially this one by Claire La Faye! The detachable ruffle train made this dress the perfect choice for the shoot… especially when paired with the fabulous look of bright makeup and a fun, eclectic crimped hairstyle! And with Stella & Dot jewelry and a hairpiece custom-created by Carlee Sizemore, our bride’s look was complete! Oh, and how AMAZING is the vintage furniture by The Wooden Trunk?!  

 A few beauties from PT Photographie…

The ladder-and-fringe-garland backdrop that I used for the escort card display also served a dual purpose as a backdrop for the amazing cake by Gimme Some Sugar! I’m all about killing two birds with one stone when it comes to wedding details, and this worked out absolutely perfect! [Note: The fringe garland is actually made of felt and was made by the Etsy shop Ally & Aidan.]

Fabulous detail shots by Larissa Nicole Photography…

Oh and I HAVE to point out my favorite flowers ever… ranunculus. Seriously, the best flowers EVER! ;) And see those fringe tulips too? Even the flowers went along with my fringe theme! Awesomeness!

 And last but certainly not least, some beauties by Christi Falls Photography…

So now I get to finally explain my “place-runner” to you all! These babies were literally my babies. (Not to mention that I was traveling with them for nearly a week before even getting to Vegas… I’m still quite proud of the system that I devised to keep them from getting crinkled!) I wanted to do something a little bit different than what you normally see on tables. I love placemats, but I’ve done those before. And I love runners, but with what we were planning on for the centerpieces, I knew that a runner wouldn’t be seen too well. I wanted something that would sort of “define” the placesettings and also be a part of the tablescape… and so, I created “place-runners”! 

Using measurements from the table, I added a bit to each end so it would hang over the edge of the table. I used wrapping paper as the base of the place-runners, and cut them to the size that I wanted. Then, using various sized strips of tissue paper in my colors, I folded, taped, glued and fringed… adhering the pieces to the wrapping paper base. And yes, it took me FOREVER… I definitely wouldn’t recommending doing exactly this for a wedding, but I’m sure a version of it with larger sections would be easier. About 12-14 hours of folding, taping, gluing and fringing, I had my “place-runners” that incorporated the layers and fringe design elements of the shoot!

I have to give a big huge thank you to the photographers who sent me their detail photos, Laura Ann Miller Photography, Vitalic Photography, PT Photographie, Larissa Nicole Photography, and Christi Falls Photography! Aren’t they all amazing?! And isn’t it so cool to see how they all have different styles and got different takes on the details?

Hopefully all my detail descriptions will help some of you use these details as inspiration for your own weddings! If you have any questions about anything you see here, please leave a comment! And please do let me know what you think of everything! :)

To see the full vendor list from this shoot, please go to the full feature here! :)

It was an absolute honor to design and style this shoot for attendees of the Simply Bloom Workshop. I must say… this is my favorite shoot that I’ve done so far! So in case you haven’t noticed yet, I design all of my inspiration shoots around a main “theme”. The theme that I decided on for this modern shoot was layered and fringed. I created all of the details and elements with the aim of providing you all with realistic, modern wedding inspiration. From the paper products and the flowers, to the “bride’s” hair and dress, I made sure that elements of layers and fringe were all throughout this shoot- and Simply Bloom Photography was there to capture it all beautifully! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it- minus the dust, that is!

And I definitely HAVE to share what I put together for the workshop attendees’ goodie boxes too, because I think they would make excellent favors or welcome boxes! :)

So there you have it! My modern, eclectic cobalt blue and plum inspiration shoot! But that’s not all! I’ll be posting a few more detail shots from attendees later on today, complete with explanations of the details and some tips to help you create them yourself!

And when I say that this shoot was a labor of love, I definitely mean LABOR! I am so very thankful that my husband was able to come to Vegas with me- despite being sick- to help out! I would not have been able to do this shoot without him- so Schuyler, even though you don’t read my posts… thank you! :) And I also have to give a big HUGE thanks to everyone who contributed to this shoot- especially the Las Vegas vintage rental company who was SO incredibly helpful, The Wooden Trunk! Thank you all!

So what do you think so far? Do love the bold colors as much as I do?! Keep an eye out for the details post later today!

Vendors who made it all happen…

Our initial bit of inspiration came from the awesome tablecloth we found by Under Stella’s Umbrella- rustic, yet elegant. Then we came across a rosemary wreath by FiftyFlowers.com, and thus came about the incorporation of rosemary elements into details. I wanted the table to have more of a “family style” feel to it, and so we made custom wine labels, put buckets of silverware at the end of each table, and had a tray of rosemary seasalt rolls with olive oil… all becoming part of the tablescape. Add in some yellow, green and white flowers, antique wooden chairs and piece from my favorite antique shop Paper Street Market, and we had our rustic, elegant inspiration shoot!

What do you all think? Remember now… it was put together in less than 24 hours! And disclaimer… I am most definitely NOT a florist- I know the little flower arrangements are a little off-looking. ;) But it was all about the inspiration for us… please tell me you’re inspired! :)

Oh, and FYI… Caroline & Evan Photography have decided to celebrate today’s feature with a little something special… keep an eye out for a post coming later today all about it! ;)

Vendors who made it all happen…

A little bit from Ashley and the planner, Shannon of Shannon Reeves Events:

The vendors involved in this styled shoot are from Florida, Texas and Alabama. We like to think we have this Southern thing mastered. Created under giant oaks on the lawn of The Southwood House – an elegant Tallahassee manor dating back to 1865 – this styled shoot captures the wedding of a good old boy and a pretty Southern girl and their innocent, sweet-as-pie love. A “strawberry wine, one-bottle-of-wine-and-two-dixie-cups” kind of love. From the ’53 Chevy truck and the camelias to the sweet tea and real-life newlyweds with the sweetest Georgia accents we’ve ever heard (seriously, we wish we would have videotaped them), everything we love about the South are in these photos!

SO adorable, right y’all? (I just had to say it again.) I love the bunting around the tree at the beginning of the shoot… and the cake bunting too! All of the paper products by A&P Designs are pretty amazing as well! And that bouquet is gorgeous, don’t you think? I KNOW some of you are Southern brides… does any of this inspiration shoot strike your fancy? Have you been inspired for your own wedding this fabulous southern picnic shoot?

Vendors who made it all happen…

What do you think of the nautical, modern style? Pretty awesome, right? It’s so chic, yet still wonderfully timeless. And how about that AWESOME table setup! Those florals… I’ve never seen anything quite like it, have you? FH Weddings & Events certainly did ROCK it out!

So now I’m curious… are any of you having a nautical theme for your wedding? Has this shoot inspired you? :)

Vendors who made it all happen…

My favorite part of this shoot is that we designed it to be a reflection of the Simply and Forever brand- a little something that I like to call a “branding shoot”. We paired red, pink and gold with a modern and elegant style to bring the Simply and Forever style and brand to life. From gilded bud vases and trefoil-shaped elements to olive oil favors, Simply and Forever was clearly evident in every aspect- just like a bride and groom’s personalities should be incorporated for a wedding!

Oh and did you catch the trefoil-shaped table number and Mr & Mrs signs? And the escort cards on the glasses? Of course details like that are always my absolute favorite things!! :)

I was SO excited to be able to meet AND work with other ELV pros on this shoot- I wish I could do it all the time!! Be sure to check out the ELV listings for Laura Ann Miller Photography,  Simply and Forever and Ten Four Paper!! And a big thank you to everyone for coming out in the freezing cold rain to create this gorgeous shoot!

A little note: As you may have noticed above, this shoot was designed to be a reflection of the Simply and Forever brand- a little something that I like to call a “branding shoot”. For vendors, it’s a beautiful thing- photos that are 100% totally and completely their brand- plus, they’re great for ads! :) I absolutely LOVE doing them, so if you’re a wedding pro and you’re interested in a branding shoot, let me know!

So now tell me… what’s your favorite part of this shoot?! The colors? The details? The paper goods? There has to be something that YOU love as much as I love the details!! :)

Vendors who made it all happen…

I had some of my Every Last Vendor pros help me make all of this happen, and they truly rocked it out! My friends Caroline and Evan Photography came and shot everything in my BACKYARD, and Kevin of Good Food Catering whipped up the fabulous 3 course meal in my teeny tiny kitchen. Lauren of Palm Papers created a printable invite, different versions of printable menus, and even little DIY gift items too! I’ll have more about the printables and recipes at the end of the post… but right now, it’s time to get inspired! :) [Oh and PS- since we did this in my backyard, I bribed my husband (with the yummy food of course) to hangout so we could be the "couple" for the shoot. Of course my pup Penney didn't need any bribing- she's a model. ;) Plus we needed new photos of our little "family", and I'm all about killing two birds with one stone!]

Fun little extra: I broke out our champagne glasses from our wedding day! We hadn’t seen those in forever- I was quite proud of myself for remembering them! ;)

My husband and I are high school sweethearts, so I made one of the “gifts” a throw back to the days of writing notes to each other- before texting existed. Remember all of the fun ways to fold notes back then?!

Annnnd time for a little photo shoot with the prettiest dog ever, Penney… ;)

I’ll tell you what- I kind of really loved being able to do a shoot in my backyard. I think it’s safe to say that you can expect to see more of these backyard shoots in the future! The only thing I didn’t like about it was that I had to clean my house like a crazy woman- not quite my cup of tea. ;)

So now about the printables, gifts, and recipes … you can download the printable files and recipes here. There are 3 different color combinations (red/aqua, red/pink, and red/silver) for the printable items so you can pick whichever one you want! A few simple instructions…

“Reasons I Love You” Gift: Fold a piece of colored paper in one of the fun note folds from “back in the day”. Print out the Reasons cards, cut them, and fill them in with your reasons, then place the cards inside the “note”!

“Some Sugar For My Sweetheart” Bag: Place your sweetheart’s favorite sweets inside a bag, and seal it with the printable label! I printed mine on a full sheet label and then cut it down, but you could also just add a piece of double stick tape to paper to seal it!

Menus: There are 3 different types of menus that you can use. One has the complete menu according to the recipes provided. Another has the complete menu minus the steak, and another has blank portions that you can write in your own menu!

Recipes: The recipes and instructions are all included in the download. And FYI, it is all SUPER tasty and easy! :)

And that’s about it! Super easy, right?! A HUGE thank you to Caroline and Evan Photography, Good Food Catering, and Palm Papers, who were awesome in helping me provide you all with this Valentine’s Day Dinner Date inspiration! Oh and there’s also a “behind the scenes” post over on Caroline and Evan’s blog, complete with a video too! Go check it out! :)

So now I want to hear from you all… do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day yet? Has this inspired you to have a dinner date at home? I hope so! :) Oh and totally unrelated… don’t you think Penney is the prettiest dog in the world?! ;)

Vendors who made it all happen…

From Valerie: “I wanted to illustrate the various ways a bride can incorporate this trend into her day.  Everything from linens, florals, and attire, to the favors, guestbook, and signature cocktail, the possibilities are endless.”

What awesome inspiration for how to incorporate ombre into all elements of the wedding! I think my favorite detail is all of the votives- it’s a small element, but still has a big effect. A big thank you to Sapphire Events NOLA and all of the other fabulous vendors who put this inspiration shoot together!

So lovely ELDers, what do you all think of the ombre look? Are any of you planning on incorporating it for your own weddings?

Vendors who made it all happen…

Oh the s’mores table… have you ever had a s’mores cupcake? They. Are. Divine! Yum, SO GOOD… and great, now I’m going to be craving one! ;) And how about those gorgeous gowns… which one is your favorite? And which tablescape is your favorite- the garden one or the more modern blue? I honestly can’t decide- I love the hanging element of the garden tablescape, but you all know that I LOVE a modern table too! :) A big thank you to Pure Sugar Studios for sharing this wonderful inspiration with us!

Vendors who made it all happen…

I loved the way everything turned out! Seriously, candles are such a great alternative to floral centerpieces… and candlelight is just SO gorgeous! A HUGE thank you to all of the awesome vendors who helped out and participated! And don’t forget to go check out the feature in the latest issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings!

Vendors who made it all happen…