Going, going...

I had to take this quick photo of the catamaran top, my newest. The best deep blue striped cotton (studio assistant Sarah calls the color "mallard"--perfect) with sour yellow tab (and secret yellow hem lining). I put them out last weekend and there's only one left! Makes me want to hop a sailboat and rip 'round the Cap d'Antibes. Preferably that sailboat would be piloted by Gregory Peck. Ah, summer.

Taft High School Field Trip!

I was happy to host Vince Dye's fashion marketing class at the shop last Wednesday (I had to say yes--we have the same last name!). They drove all the way from Lincoln City to get the grand tour (which took about 7 minutes). No matter, look how nice they look. Future designers of America!

Inspiration: more than two wrungs make a right!

I loved this picture the moment I opened my j.crew catalog and saw it! I've been holding on to it for some time for inspiration...searching for just the right things to accent a similar theme. The colored ladders and vibrant hues, the marching band that hints to a New Orleans type flair and lush trees. It is such a perfect combination! I can just picture beautiful invitations with colored ladders on it...and save the dates that speak something of taking the next step. I envision long tables set outside with light and deep pink peonies, crisp white linens and ladder back chairs. The photography alone could be so much fun with a quite literal family tree. Ooooh, I want to execute and design this wedding. Now I just need a bride that is bold and fun enough to pull it off! I know you know someone...send them my way!

Lime Green Wedding in Marbella

Top Row Lemon & Lime Decoration Reviva Weddings, Flowers, Napkin Reviva Weddings, Bridesmaids Brides.com

2nd Row, Green confetti Reviva Weddings, bouquet The Knot, Martini and crystals Reviva Weddings

Guest Book & Pens Reviva Weddings, Bouquet Reviva Weddings, Lime Centrepiece The Knot, Napkins Reviva Weddings

Fresh Lime Green created for a small intimate wedding in a private villa in Marbella

Black and white beach glamour

Top Row Aisle Cup of Jo Blog, bridemaids brides.com, orchid centrepiece Cup of Joe

2nd Row Cake The Knot, floral arrangement Cup of Joe, Cookies Kukis

3rd Row Aisle photo Cup of Joe, bouquet The Knot, Canopy Cup of Joe

Here is a lovely design created for a black and white wedding on the beach.

I have two weddings this year with this colour scheme,

one at Tikitano Beach Club and one at Puente Romano in Marbella.

Both weddings want a Black and White theme, one with silver and zebra prints

and the other with golds.

To keep away from a Christmassy look I have suggested the golds and silver be kept to a minimum with perhaps gold or silver shells as a feature,

using them to fill vases and decorate napkins.

Orchids always work well with these schemes but are expensive here in Spain therefore unless budgets allow it is a luxury but used sparingly and to maximum effect can create dramatic displays.

Lions, tigers and bears, oh my

Finn's first fear: big brown bears!

For the last month Finn has been afraid of bears being in his room. Thanks to Nanny and Grandpa and that documentary of bears wildly tearing into fish...nightmares have awoken us at all hours of the night. No number of reminders that bears live in the forest has seemed to help.

Yesterday morning Troy and Finn were playing pretend bears. Finn loves to ROAR at everyone lately including his very sensitive baby sister. We figured it was time for a trip to the zoo..time to face that fear head on while having a little fun, in hopes of helping us to get a good nights sleep!

Finn was loving all of the animals, the elephants, baby panda and monkeys. There was a serious death grip going on with his daddy though when we saw the bears. We sat and watched them for awhile sleepy and lazy. Finn seemed satisfied when we told him they were like giant teddy bears. Let 's hope he doesn't meet up with one someday in the forest, you know the only place they live other than zoo...wink. Last night, I'm happy to report...there were no nightmares!

I Do...still

Last weekend I had two events...one of which was a 50th anniversary party. The children all pulled together and enlisted my help to throw their parents a special party they would always remember.

Celebrated at the Island Club on Coronado, the anniversary party was motivated with the purpose to recreate their parents wedding. Subtle similarities such as their wedding colors and their wedding cake were reminiscent of years earlier. The bride's wedding gown, still in beautiful condition, along with other priceless items filled the display table.

It was quite an evening, complete with a program put on by all the children and grand children honoring each decade of their parents marriage. As a finale, the still youthful and beautiful couple of 50 years performed a few choreographed dances for their family. I was told that many of the children had never seen their parents dance like that before together. What a night to forever be remembered. Congratulations Phyllis & Paul! Your family tree has continued to stretch its branches and you are so clearly treasured by all those who know and love you!




Unfortunately, the only reception pictures I have were taken by myself and have poor inexperienced photography quality to them. Uggh..sorry! I always usually leave that part to my amazing photographers! Speaking of amazing, many thanks to Gabby from Gabrielle Fox Photography for stepping in to take the very LARGE group shot of the Ashton Family! What a good looking group!

Anyone, who had an event last weekend knows just how hot it was too. The heat was sweltering...everyone wanted to jump in the ocean, the cliffs were a little too close for comfort with the kids....but can you tell? No, this is a picture perfect group! Great job Gabby!

Anyone who does not know Gabby yet..needs to. She is wonderful, kind, and talented and you will love her! Take a chance to check out some of her latest work.

The Before Picture

I'm making a dress that employs a technique I haven't used for a long time. Once upon a time, I used to take vintage wedding gowns, dye and dismantle them, and create new dresses. Many discarded bridal gowns were originally made for people much, much smaller than the average modern girl. They also tend to be high-necked, high-waisted, long sleeved, and otherwise straitjacket-esque. So making a new dress means simultaneously sculpting and stripping down. This "before" picture is for a maid of honor dress that will be resurrected from this lace and silk organza '60s wedding gown.

It was inspired by this dress, which my client saw in my portfolio:Next steps: removing the sleeves, dropping the neckline, and hacking off the train. Then I'll rebuild the skirt, create a new waistline, refashion the bodice from "size Tiny" to "size Normal," create room in the back for a new zipper, and...after that I'm not sure. The thrilling (terrifying) thing about designing this way is that there can't be a plan...the dress evolves. I'll post an "After" picture and then we shall see.

sweet feet

You know those pictures...the one with just the bride and groom's feet. I love them! They always seem to speak volumes of a couple's personality. That is why finding the perfect shoe is such a fun component of a wedding. We're still in the process of deciding on shoes for our Marie Antoinette wedding. Any thoughts? I love these shoes by anthropologie. The pink candy shoes look sweet enough to eat! The blue ones are a great alternative for a bride with height restrictions. They are simple but offer a little pop of color.
These shoes by Pin up girl clothing also seem to fit the Marie Antoinette flair perfectly.

Hot Halter

A hot little silk halter dress I whipped up for a 30th birthday party in Colorado. Straight up sexy but totally practical (and packable!). I love the fluorescent red drawstring.

Spring Fashion Show Photos

photos by Paul Rich Studio.

In Her shoes...

who doesn't need at least one more pair of shoes? In my quest to find the perfect Marie Antoinette bridal shoes such as the ones above featured in the movie..I came across these dainty, delicate, and amazingly beautiful pieces of art by Fete et Fleur that fell right from shoe heaven! ...Regal enough for the queen herself or a beautiful bride! If only they were made to dance the night away, they would be perfect under a gown of lace!

Wedding Design for Tuscany Bride

Blossom Garland LMLMK, Flowers & Table Setting MS, Lace Bunting LMLMK

Cake, Main image bride's own, Venue Poggioaimerli

Butterfly cage, Button Heart LMLMK

Tree The Knot, Table Setting MS, Flowers bride's own image, Italian Wedding Cake www.2000ad.org/oscar/wedding.htm

Table Setting Artfool, Night Scene brides own image, Placecards Tiffany Cannis, Bridesmaids the knot. Second Row Placecard Artfool, Main Image traveldk.com, Fans Reviva Weddings Third Row Lantern image from another bride, Table Setting Artfool Fourth Row Olive oil kaboodle, Bouquet and Tree The Knot, Venue Poggioaimerli

I was contacted recently by a bride who is getting married in Tuscany at the end of this month as she wanted some white fans for her wedding. She has some lovely ideas and sent me some of her images for her wedding designs and we created these lovely inspiration boards for her.

The real life photos will be ready in June, can't wait to see them.

Fans arrived in Ireland and she has decorated them with pale, shell pink organza ribbons and written the names and date on in silver, sounds lovely.

Glamour Beach from Snippet and Ink

Whilst searching the internet for ideas for one of my beach glamour weddings here in June,

I came across this fabulous glamour beach inspiration board from Snippet and Ink
I just love the crystal chandeliers and the subtle colours.

Online wedding shop for Spain

Since we launched our online wedding shop for couples getting married in Spain, it is interesting to see what is selling and one of the most popular items sold are from our range of lovely guest books and matching pen sets.

One serious dress.

Emily's design is a boned, corseted gown with halter strap and silk ribbon sash dyed a pale café au lait color. Alençon lace over ivory crepe backed satin, fitted through the hip with flared tulip hem. This dress was epic: we had to specially order the lace from China, and wait weeks for it to arrive. There were many fittings to achieve just the right combination of slinky and comfortable, gorgeous and serious. Would you guess that this bombshell is an OHSU medical student who will start her residency right after her wedding? I love the modern bride. Right down to her punk rock fingernail polish.

How cute you are.

Look at Morgan! She's a lovely lady and a very classy bride in this tea length lace and tulle confection. Her inspiration was the gauzy dancing dresses of the '50s, and I think we nailed it--right down to the jeweled belt buckle. I made the boned bodice of Alençon lace and then cut out some of the lace flower motifs and scattered them over the tulle skirt. The straps are also tulle, which creates a soft, transparent effect. A silk shantung underlayer adds to the volume. I love this one. And check out those shoes--yes, those straps do have rhinestones on them.

Three is a Magic Number

I showed my spring collection, Three is a Magic Number, last night and I feel happy, exhausted, and relieved. Lots of lovely friends, colleagues and clients managed to squeeze into my tiny space. My models were beautiful, poised, and extremely good natured (special props to Dove, who was sent on a last minute nail polish errand). Indispensible coordinator Clara made sure the event progressed smoothly. Jarkko mixed and dispensed sangria to the crowd. Gifted stylist Ambrosia from Magnum Opus worked '60s era wonders with the girls' hair (miraculously, their coiffures remained intact even after frantically pulling dresses over their heads backstage). Once the music came on (my slightly ridiculous, cockeyed medley of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia," "Silly Love Songs" by Wings and "Three is a Magic Number" from Schoolhouse Rock), I finally relaxed. More pictures as they become available (and after I get about 87 hours of sleep), but for now, here is a finale shot courtesy of Paul Rich Studio. Thank you to everyone who participated and spectated--I am pleased as punch.

What's in my file: Kirsten & Michael's wedding

I'm going to begin sharing photos of what is in my file for each upcoming wedding client! Here are a few elements that we will be incorporating for Kirsten and Michael's upcoming June 14th
wedding. I am getting so excited about it! The beautiful cinematography of Marie Antoinette was our initial inspiration point...from which all else has spun off of. The colors of deep and vibrant blues and purples will be woven throughout all the details. We of course will be using fans to adorn the tables along with mini cakes in pastel hues.

There must be cake.! Lots of cake. It's under debate whether Marie Antoinette actually said "let them eat cake"...but one thing is for sure...there was cake! She was surrounded by it. Dessert will be in abundance...as sweet as the bride herself! We've been toying with the idea of using cake charms that would be tied with ribbon and could be pulled out by the guests. I have found little gold shoes, hearts and fans(Marie Antoinette style). The charms would determine their fortune and could depict travel, a new love, etc. Any thoughts?

The centerpieces will be faux cakes shaped from flowers and placed on pedestals. I cannot wait to see this all put together! We have found some perfect cake stands that are gold and crystally
(not so much a word...I know)...and offer a touch of opulence. We also have purchased some of this gorgeous Graham & Brown damask wall-paper that we will be making a pseudo photo booth from for guests to have fun with. I'm off to L.A. tomorrow to search for fabric to drape above the courtyard and use as possible table runners. Stay tuned for photos of Michael and Kirsten's cake extravaganza

engaged: Kirsten & Michael

Here comes....June 14th! I love this engagement shoot by Natalie
Kirsten looks beautiful as always and you can feel how happy her and Michael are together! I couldn't be happier for them and to be a part of what is to come!

Fresh Citrus Green and Brown colour scheme in Mijas

I was contacted recently by a bride who is having a fresh green and brown colour scheme for her wedding here in Mijas. It reminded me I made up a inspiration board a few months ago for this colour scheme so thought I would go through my archives and post it!

Lovely colours with the fresh citrus green.

Wedding Fans

As we live in beautiful Andalucia in Spain, an obvious for any bride getting married here is to have fans (abanicos) for their weddings. Reviva Weddings are now able to supply beautifully decorated fans personalised with names and dates for 2,50 euros, here are just some of the samples we have made up recently for weddings.
Since we announced this product we are taking orders from Spain, UK, Ireland and Italy.

We are also supplying plain fans now to be shipped to other countries, available in many colours, sizes and designs and there is no minimum order.