Well, where do I start with this style shoot?  I am just so excited about this one that so many wonderful descriptive words that come to mind, that it's hard to pick a few!  When Sarah from Sarah Sofia Productions asked me to be a part of her style shoot I was just so excited!  I really am inspired by Sarah, from her tablescapes to her party and wedding design, to play a role in this style shoot was a great honor.  Her vision for this shoot is something that I had been wanting to take part in for a long time, boho chic, full of gorgeous florals, elegant and inspiring, needles to say this shoot had it all!  Enjoy these beautiful photos and the write up from Sarah herself!

Lauren Petervary 
Elle M Weddings and Events

Heather Marie Pottier
​The Whimsical Rose

When Tiffany from Hart & Co Events contacted me to be a part of her style shoot there was simply no hesitiation with my answer, of course it was a yes!  I am a huge fan of Tiffany's not only is she a sweet and lovely person but she also has a wonderful eye for detail, her past style shoots and weddings have been simply stunning so needless to say I was very excited!  The style shoot was at the beautiful Childress Vineyards, unfortunately I couldn't be there that day and would of loved to of been surrounded by such beautiful scenery.  The day was split into two parts, first the Picnic Proposal then the Al Fresco Anniversary Dinner. Sarah Pascutti captured all the stunning moments that Tiffany put together, I must say her photography is simply breathtaking, what a delightful day! 

Featured Vendors
Style and Design - Hart & Co Events
Photography - Sarah Pascutti
Floral Design - Willow Floral Boutique
​Vintage China - The Whimsical Rose
Vintage Rentals - Old South Vintage Rentals
Hair and Makeup - Lovely By Lindsay
Calligraphy & Paper Goods - Casey Elise Designs
Location - Childress Vineyards
​Jumpsuit - Anthropologie 
Suit - Banana Republic
​

On to the romantic Al Fresco Dinner, how lovely it would be to have a dinner here right between the beautiful vines.  

Featured Vendors
Style and Design - Hart & Co Events
Photography - Sarah Pascutti
Floral Design - Willow Floral Boutique
​Vintage China - The Whimsical Rose
Vintage Rentals - Old South Vintage Rentals
Hair and Makeup - Lovely By Lindsay
Calligraphy & Paper Goods - Casey Elise Designs
Location - Childress Vineyards
​Jumpsuit - Anthropologie 
Suit - Banana Republic

One of the wonderful things about having a vintage china rental business is all the lovely style shoots that you get to be a part of.  This one in particular is one of my favorites, inspired by the novel the Secret Garden this style shoot was brought together beautifully by Fairytale Pursuits.  Plenty of pinks, florals and a gorgeous wedding venue this day was truly magical, including a surprise proposal at the end.  Southernly Studios captured this day perfectly and the models Eric and Julia I'm sure will treasure this day forever! 

Gorgeous stationary and calligraphy by Ocean & Coral Calligraphy and cake by Cheesecake Etc, the two look so lovely together! 

Filled with laughter, summer dresses and cute little finger foods, this birthday tea party was a joy to work on.  For a start this little girl is very special to me, so it was a pleasure to create something that she had wanted for a very long time.   The main request I had was for real teacups and certain colors to make sure all of her friends would be happy.  I assured her that it would be very colorful so she needn't worry and that there will be lots of pretty teacups!

For this party I used the Truly Scrumptious party supplies line by Talking Tables.  For those parents who would love to hold a tea party for their daughters, this line is perfect as they have a lovely selection of colorful paper plates, napkins, cups and cake stands galore.  It looks just as pretty as the vintage china I rent, a win win for everyone, also a little less anxiety when mixing kids with delicate china!  The one exception we had was of course the teacups and teapots in which we served plenty of pink lemonade.

We thought the girls would whiz through the tea party in no time, wanting to get on with the activities we had planned, but no.  I think they could of sat at that table for quite some time taking it all in, eating their finger sandwiches and sipping out of their teacups.  One little girl mentioned that maybe they could go around the table and talk about what they had done the day before, so cute, a true conversation starter! I'm sure there are more tea parties to come for these little girls! ​

I was so excited to be a part of The Big Fake Wedding again this year that I started planning for it a few months before.  I started to think about how I could make something really pretty, give away a favor for guests to remember me by and also of course incorporate vintage china.  For quite some time now I have been wanting to create a Tea Bar so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  Now, I am not going to lie, there were several times that I thought oh gosh my vision is not going to come together, but happily after lots of planning, tweaking and a couple of freak out sessions it all came together beautifully! 

TEA BAR florals by Jimmy Blooms Floral, marquee TEA BAR sign by The Marquee Market

This event is a really special one to me, the reason being is that it was my first wedding show that I've invested in, the first one being last years show.  I love their focus on creativity and promoting small businesses. I find their concept of hosting a fake wedding, where guests can join in for the ceremony, dinner and dancing is such a fabulous idea.  The Big Fake Wedding gives an opportunity to couples to see vendors in action, see what they can do and of course meet them in a fun and inviting atmosphere!  ​

I had lots of fun creating the tags for the apocathary jars as well the little tea sachet favors. The tea i got from Teavana, flavors including Passion Tango, Dragonfruit devotion, Strawberry Lemonade and Tranquil Dream.  If you haven't used Canva before, I would definitely recommend giving it a try.  For those of us that don't have photoshop, this is a simple and easy tool to use, lots of font selections, graphics and templates. 

Photography by Stefanie Haviv Photography, florals by Springvine Design.

For the full list of vendors please click here - 
 http://thebigfakewedding.com/events/charlotte-bridal-show-alternative-3/

Back in March I had the opportunity to style the main tables at Rural Hill for their annual Sip & Seek Bridal Show.  If you haven't been to Rural Hill before, you really are missing out on something.  Not only is it a beautiful wedding venue, complete with a rustic barn for events, but it is also steeped in Scottish History.  It has 265 acres of rolling green hills and is a main attraction for many festivals in the area such as the Loch Norman Highland Games, North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival & Bark in the Park.  Every March they have a Sip & Seek Bridal Show, I participated last year and this year I was asked to style the main tables in the event venue.  I was of course very excited about this opportunity as Rural Hill is a venue I really enjoy working with, a venue that suits my style and  it's just plain beautiful there!  I decided to style my tables around the theme of English Country Garden. Two tables geared towards more elegant and the other two more vibrant and whimsical.  

 I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Julie from Jimmy Blooms florals for this event.  She is such a pleasure to work with and is always able to create what I am looking for. I wanted more of a natural look to my flowers and not so manicured and what she designed was perfect!

Of course I love layered vintage china, it's amazing how different colors and patterns go so well together, gold trim  really adds that elegant touch.  

This years event was such a success, a beautiful day and it was really lovely meeting new brides to be!  I hope to be a part of it again next year!   

I just love wedding favors, there's something about a cute little package all wrapped up just puts a smile on my face.  Some people love favors at a weddings, some couldn't care less and wouldn't give it much thought. I for one, love a little token gift, especially if it's handmade, I think its a cute and personal gift from the couple and it just makes me smile. Now given, I am a lover of all things tea, have you noticed? I tend to like favors that revolve around tea, or have done most of my favors related to that.  For my wedding back in 2013 I actually had a tea towel designed and made to give to my guests, something that they would remember their trip to England whilst drying up their dishes, crazy but it was a hit! 

In early March I have had the opportunity to style the main tables for the Rural Hill Bridal Show, I was adamant that I wanted favors on the tables, another step in the styling process but I didn't care.  My tables were English Country Garden inspired, complete with floral vintage china, floral straws and yep you guessed it, cute little favors.  I purchased tea from Teavana, as just alone their tea is beautiful and I decided to pair them up with clear jars so you can see the tea, pop on a cute little label and hey presto all done! After the show I gave a few a way and what did I get? Yep a nice smile and a 'oh how cute' call me crazy but that's just what I like.

Just purchase some cute little clear jars, pair with your favorite tea, pop some twine on and add your own cute little saying! 

Last year for the The Big Fake Wedding, I made these little boxes filled with tea and some chocolate treats.  Floral washi tape can really dress up a plain craft box and needless to say a touch of ribbon doesn't hurt.  Yet again a nice little tag, stamped with a East of India WITH LOVE stamp and there you have it! 

Now here, I decided to do a little confetti bag, so this could be used as a favor or you could actually change it up and put some flower seeds in there as a little gift.  I decided to go with some confetti for these, plus they had such a lovely smell when you pinch the bag. I got some floral fabric squares from Joanne Fabrics added a little twine, a tag and all done.  This is a nice way to get your guests involved in a confetti toss! 

Word would have it that wedding favors started back in 16th Century England, guests would receive from the couple love knots made of lace and ribbon and give to their guests as a sign of their love! 

So...I never got around to posting this...shame on me, where does the time go? This was a pretty fab photoshoot inspired and styled by the talented Stefanie from Stefanie Haviv Photography.  Months before this photoshoot we had been following each other on Instagram, myself admiring her talented food photography and herself admiring my china loot.  It only made sense that we do a photoshoot together sometime, so the wheels got turning.  We met for this first time at Amelies French Bakery, where she also works, inspiring customers with all her fab photos of their delicious foods and pastries. Her vision was something that I had been hoping for a long time, something a little edgy, inspiring and plain funky, I totally got excited about this and as you can see it turned out to be nothing short of disappointing! 

Floral kimonos and bowties provided by Beautiful Idiot Clothing 

Gorgeous make up was done by Patrice from Lovely by Patrice and the absolutely fabulous florals were by Julie from Jimmy Blooms.

Beautiful calligraphy by Olde York Station.

Tulips are such a lovely Easter time flower, full of vibrance and color, bringing hope and joy to what spring and summer will bring.  Did you know there are over 3000 varieties of tulips and the petals can actually be eaten? Neither did I! The Netherlands is the highest producer of tulips in the world, exporting as many as 3 billion around the world! Happy Easter my friends x