Pretty Wedding Details- A Modern, Sexy Cake!

I loved the look of this wedding cake that we had at a wedding at The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes ---

The couple was very contemporary and sleek with great fashion sense, and I believe this cakes suited their style perfectly.

The brown on one half and the white on the other is very mod, and I dressed the table with this, dare I say, sexy linen from Wildflower Linen. I gave the table some "umph" by putting a couple of layers of crinoline underneath to offer it some volume ...

That's one, sexy cake!

*Image courtesy of NuVisions in Photography*

The Grand Bohemian: Romance, Glamour and Whimsy...

Many locals and worldly travelers alike are aware of Orlando's landmark luxury hotel, The Grand Bohemian. Well known for its sleek and contemporary design, guests can also expect to experience a "dazzling blend of art, music and memorable hospitality."
Downtown Orlando and the Grand Bohemian made for the perfect scene and back-drop for Megan Machaby and Hunter Donnelly...
This handsome couple met in college {Florida State University} several years ago under what I consider to be the most fun and delightful of circumstances; the circus! FSU yields a prestigious circus "school" and Megan and Hunter learned and performed as trapeze artists together.
Inspiration was easy and literally handed to me given their extraordinary history together, and I had an incredible time with creativity and ideas while recruiting a phenomenal team to pull it all of for this beautiful couple. We designed my favorite after-glow of all time with a menu of cotton candy, pretzels, hit dogs, peanuts...get it?? Circus food!
Images and the slide show will tell the story far better than I, and I shall leave you to just that.
I would be remiss, however, if I did not acknowledge the incredible group of wedding professionals whose contributions offered layers of beauty and overall success.

Venue: The Grand Bohemian Hotel {Simon: You dominate!}
Officiate: Reverend Randal Miller {The most personal ceremony you can ask for}
Floral& Room Design: Tommy Murphy/Greenery Productions {Brilliant!}
Photography: Abby Liga, {AKA: Rock Star!}
Video: Seth Cohen, Visual Effects by Seth
DJ: Brian Scott
Cake: Anna Cakes
Linen: Wildflower Linen
Event/Lounge Furniture: Unique Option

Inspired Wedding Tabletop Decor: "Big Sur"

A question I often ask my clients, vendor partners and even myself is "What inspires you?" I find that if thought our carefully, it can open the door to many creative opportunities and experiences.

Several months ago, I had the distinct pleasure of having been asked to participate in an evening to assist The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes to "Impress, Indulge and Inspire." Guests that already had their special date on the books grew increasingly excited over the designs created by our area's top wedding and event planners, floral designers, furniture rental ingenues and the like. Prospective clients invited could not get their dates on the books quickly enough after the stellar evening.

Enlisting a team that I was extremely compatible with was my first priority. With that in mind, I immediately called Tommy Murphy with Greenery Productions and Awny Kashoggi, owner of Unique Option. As I have come to delightfully expect, an initial pow-wow between us sparked such enthusiastic creativity and inspiration. Getting in a room with these gentlemen is exhilarating and I left the table dizzy with the anticipation of seeing our collective ideas brought to life.

Indeed, the reality far exceeded my expectations!

Our first table we labeled ,"Big Sur" as this same team was inspired by a recent couple, {and recent blog post} Christie and Harvey Heller.

Organic, earthy, natural and hearty with a splash of "over the top," the table was presented with the use of camphor vines with cymbidium orchids wired woven amongst the branches, a natural stone overlay over moss green velvet and shantung linen provided by Wildflower Linen. Awny's water walls surrounded by candles in varying heights carried our imaginations to what we had dreamed the ideal rustic yet glamorous environment would be out west.

To tell our story from beginning to end, we had invitations, escort cards, and menus designed with organic paper, real leaves and stones by the innovative Amy Morelli of the 2u Collection.

I was fortunate enough to have the gracious offer from Damon Tucci to capture my table images and the rest are from Tommy's trusty camera.

What inspires you...?

Real Weddings: Christie and Harvey Heller

How do you not only marry a couple that lives in 2 separate states, but truly come from 2 very different styles??

Clearly these lovebirds have enough in common to be madly in love nut, the challenge?? One of them {Christie} hails from Boulder, Colorado and the other {Harvey Heller} hails from Orlando.

As I brainstormed my approach to designing this wedding, I was perpetually challenged by respecting both and "marrying" not only these 2 people, but their lifestyles as well.

Christie and Harvey were such a delight, mainly in part because of their implicit trust and in me. Christie was still living in Boulder and her visits were few and quick.

They were already established with their venue, Maison and Jardin prior to enlisting my help and were set with space, food and beverage. They even got married in Big Sur the weekend before which made my main objective planning a superb party!

While elegant and stately, Maison was hardly rustic {Boulder} or the intrinsic "Orlando vibe."

hmmmmm...

Recruiting Tommy Murphy with Greenery Productions put our best foot forward and were overjoyed with putting ideas and proposals together to get our couple inspired and eager to see their results. We felt particularly challenged by an "addition" to the venue that revealed the mechanics to a tent frame. The creative ceiling treatment prepared by Tommy's designers was spectacular! Natural wood lattice accompanied by camphor vine and hanging amaranthus and greenery transported us to and enchanted forest.

Striking linen from Wildflower Linen offered such a sophisticated flair-

The design was further complimented with design ideas and furniture groupings from Awny Kashoggi with Unique Option. The entire outdoor space was dedicated to a social hour where guests sipped on 2 signature champagne cocktails and enjoyed music and the ever popular photo booth by Plumb Fun.

As guests were invited inside, they experienced a"woodlands" scent easily created by using a sensory teaser by Scent Events.

Christie and Harvey were so thrilled they invited the entire vendor team to share in the culinary delights prepared by Maison for all of their guests. Fabulous!

...and because "pictures say a 1,000 words," I was fortunate enough to have photographer and fellow girlfriend, Abby Liga on hand for these wonderful shots-