click here to see the full, gorgeous wedding gallery!

After a magical ceremony performed by the fabulous JP Reynolds — Carey and Brian were summoned to their candlelight dinner reception. We had a tiered ruffled linen sewn for the dinner table with oversized ruffled napkins to match. Barker Decor draped the main dining room for us in the coordinating blue fabric which helped soften the room. Mindy did extraordinary floral arrangements which included peonies, ranunculus, anemones, and dusty miller. She incorporated cast metal branches into the arrangements for an unpredictable twist. So gorgeous! Daniel Rautman created an incredible four course menu for Carey and Brian that was to die for.

Lisa Holtzman calligraphed individual “Mr” and “Mrs” menus and we mounted them on velvet backers created by Papel Paper and Press. We partnered with Melody at Sweet and Saucy for the dessert extravaganza. We sent Melody photos of Carey’s china, and she created little works of dessert art to complement our over all design. Delicious and visually stunning!

All was captured perfectly by Aaron & Jen Delesie, and by Curtis of Living Cinema! Carey and Brian were a delight to work with and the whole day was exactly what we had hoped for them… private, romantic, memorable!

Event Design: Lisa Vorce, Oh How Charming / Photography: Aaron Delesie / Venue: Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse / Floral: Mindy Rice / Officiant: JP Reynolds / Draping: Barker Decor / Calligraphy: Lisa Holtzman / Velvet Menu Backers: Papel Paper and Press / Desserts & Cake: Sweet and Saucy / Cinematography: Curtis Heyne, Living Cinema

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Post tags: Barker Decor, Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse, JP Reynolds, Lisa Holtzman, Living Cinema, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Papel Paper and Press, private wedding, Sweet and Saucy, wedding for two 0
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Santa Barbara Weddings, Traditional Elegance

When Aaron called me to tell me about Brian and Carey’s “wedding for two”, I was delighted! Planning and designing private weddings has become a bit of an obsession for us. Nothing more romantic than a private celebration for two! A little bit different than elopements in that these private celebrations have all the core components of a wedding (i.e. cake cutting, etc) — only difference is there are no guests! So intimate, so special, so incredible.

Aaron put Carey and I in touch and I fell in love with her during our first phone call. She is a no nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is woman! We honed in on some of her favorite “likes” (ruffles and feathers!) and her first assignment from me was to find china that spoke to her. She found the most fabulous Marchesa china and everything was designed from there.

Our color story included soft blues, muted pinks, sage greens, and a peppering of gold. Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse provided the perfectly private and romantic backdrop for Carey and Brian’s celebration (and….also happens to offer some of THE most magical natural lighting I’ve ever seen). For the ceremony, Mindy draped the ceremony structure in a soft blue velvet fabric (which draped beautifully!) and we had guinea feather trim sewn along the edges for a stunning accent (an ode to Carey’s love of feathers!). For the aisle runner, we used hundreds of guinea feathers to create one of the most interesting runners we’ve done to date! It was so wonderfully Bohemian — and so unexpected.

Event Design: Lisa Vorce, Oh How Charming / Photography: Aaron Delesie / Venue: Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse / Floral: Mindy Rice / Officiant: JP Reynolds / Draping: Barker Decor / Calligraphy: Lisa Holtzman / Velvet Menu Backers: Papel Paper and Press / Desserts & Cake: Sweet and Saucy / Cinematography: Curtis Heyne, Living Cinema

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Post tags: Barker Decor, Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse, JP Reynolds, Lisa Holtzman, Living Cinema, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Papel Paper and Press, private wedding, Sweet and Saucy, wedding for two
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Santa Barbara Weddings, Traditional Elegance

To see the full gallery of images, click right here!

From Lisa Vorce, of Oh How Charming!…

This was a 30th anniversary party for the parents of one of the bridesmaids of a former client. We had such a blast with her at the wedding, and were delighted to be called to produce the anniversary party for her parents. Tracy and her brother Teddy wanted to throw a “travel themed” soiree for their parents. We set the tone with an airline ticket inspired invitation by Tiny Pine Press where we asked the guests to “escape” for an evening of great food and great friends.

I ordered vintage luggage tags from eBay and used them to create the escort cards, table numbers, and details for our wraps for the evening. The menu was a global 9 course extravaganza created by Tracy, Teddy, and Jerry from The Food Matters. It was one of the most extraordinary menus I’ve seen!

For the decor — we paired La Tavola’s natural linens with some custom skirted linens I had sewn. I love the femininity of the skirted linens. They hang so beautifully. On the tables, we used vintage silver spoon napkin rings, hand painted stand-up menus from Yellow Owl Workshop, and mother of pearl flatware. R. Jack Balthazar did an amazing job of pairing fluffly white peonies with maiden hair fern, mercury glass, and grapewood. Was such a stunning combination. I asked them to do a “statement” piece on the center table of the dinner party, and they did the most amazing display of clear glass, mercury glass, and candlelight. It was so gorgeous! R. Jack also did stunning lounge set-ups for me complete with transfer ware vessels that had a magical glow. Barker Decor finished off the details by providing ambient lighting that mimicked a gorgeous candlelight glow. As guests dined under the stars, Supernova rocked contemporary tunes on their strings. It was a perfect evening!

Event Design: Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! / Photography: Aaron Delesie / Rentals: Barker Decor / Invitations: Tiny Pine Press / Florals and Design: R. Jack Balthazar /Menus: Yellow Owl Workshop / Linens: La Tavola’s / Catering: The Food Matters

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Anniversary, Backyard, Barker Decor, Elegant, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Oh How Charming, The Food Matters, Tiny Pine Press, travel, Travel Theme, Yellow Owl Workshop
Post categories: Real Parties

Which is exactly what we are going to do with this PERFECT Lisa Vorce wedding.

photos by Megan Sorel

The easiest way to translate this wedding is through your color palette. Using layered shades of pink and orange, then letting natural greenery in your flowers bring in a bright green hue, your palette will have depth, dimension and total style. Bring in elements of rich wood to round out the palette and give it a gorgeous foundation and sophistication.

Next, really look at the details tucked inside this wedding. There are elements of whimsy, elements of charm, elements of total sophistication. Pick 2 or 3 and run with them…

1. Give candy take-aways instead of favors. Oversided lolipops (like these from Hammonds) and other whimsical goodies will leave your guests smiling. Use old wooden boxes (found at flea markets) to hold the candy which will give them even more charm.

2. Instead of giving pashminas or wraps to your female guests, just stack a few blankets near an outdoor seating area. Wrapped in pretty ribbon, this is SUCH a charming touch.

3. Bring a bit of organic style to your look with natural linen napkins, using a simple fold. Tie them with a pretty, rich pink ribbon and tuck a stem inside. Super easy, super beautiful.

4. Parasols can be found at pretty great prices through companies like Luna Bazaar. In a variety of colors, you’ll add even more texture to your wedding decor. Open a few of them up for even more of a pop!

5. Wrap mason jars with satin pink and orange ribbon then fill with one type of stem in a monochromatic hue. Carnations packed in tightly would even look pretty adorable and would save you a pretty penny.

6. Throw pillows. Toss some brightly colorful pillows on seating areas that you either made, or bought inexpensively through places like Target and IKEA. This will add instant warmth and style.

7. Ribbon, ribbon everywhere. You can buy ribbon in bulk from places like JKM Ribbon and Trim and it will go a long way in giving your look some serious pretty.

8. Cut your flower budget by alternating with wire baskets filled with tangerines or oranges. SO striking and guests won’t think that you were skimping.

9. Wire chandeliers are a genius touch and will add so much personality to your look. The great part is that they use candles so there isn’t really a lighting charge. Most of the wire chandeliers on the market are pricey but you could also get the same effect by using wire baskets that you hang from a chain and fill with candles like this one that I spotted over on Sunset. Birdcages spray-painted black would also be gorgeous.

10. Have your maids pick out their own little black dress to compliment your chic but effortless style. They’ll love your for it and will save THEM a lot of mula.

I know that we sometimes feature weddings that are outside of many of your budgets. BUT, it’s really the ideas that are tucked inside of these weddings that makes them special. Ideas and inspirations that can be translated into any affair, on any budget. With just a little bit of editing and creativity (and getting your hands a little dirty) a budget wedding can be JUST as beautiful as a luxury affair.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barker Decor, California Weddings, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Megan Sorel, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Santa Barbara
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Look for Less

More from Lisa…

For the dinner reception – the guests dined under the most extraordinary canopy of oak trees. Perfect rigging points for our bevy of chandeliers! In addition to the chandeliers – Mindy Rice provided stunning rustic wood shelves full of pillar candles for Barker Decor to hang in the distant trees. This created the most fantastic glow as the sun went down. We brought in comfy white couches, ottomans, and chairs and created a fabulous lounge in an abandoned barn structure close to the dinner reception. Additional lounge vignettes were positioned under oak trees along the perimeter of the dinner reception to provide cozy escapes.

For the table top, Mindy created fantastic displays using florals such as hot pink and orange garden roses, hydrangea, pincushion flowers, tulips, and cumquats. They were so stunning against Barker Decor’s wood tables. La Tavola provided the beautiful linen runners and chiavari chair cushions. So simple – but so perfect! We had an absolute blast with these clients. We miss y’all!!!

It seriously doesn’t get any better than this. Coming up next…a few more details and some ideas as to how you can translate this affair into your own perfect wedding!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barker Decor, California Weddings, La Tavola, Lisa Vorce, Megan Sorel, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Santa Barbara
Post categories: Casual Elegance

But, it’s back to business (ha) here on SMP. And by business, I mean the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever seen shot by the brilliant Aaron Delesie. I honestly don’t have enough kind words to say for this husband and wife team so I’ll just say this…f you are lucky enough to hire them for your affair, you will be happier than you ever thought possible.

It’s no surprise that the genius behind this affair is the amazingly talented Lisa Vorce of Oh How Charming! I have a major girl crush on Lisa and would honestly kill to be as chic and stylish as she is. Plus she just might be the sweetest girl you’ve ever met.

From Lisa…

Alexandra and Chris were such a treat to work with! When I first met with Alexandra, I asked her to send me some tear sheets of things she loved. She is a brilliant artist, and is extremely visual, so the collection of images she sent back told a perfect story. It was clear she gravitated towards things that were crisp, clean and simple (think Nantucket!) — yet she also loved things with an old world European vibe (think South of France!). So — we decided we were going to do both! We threw caution to the wind on this one and designed a Nantucket inspired ceremony, and a French inspired dinner reception. Two very different looks, but both wonderful expressions of Alexandra and Chris.

The incredible flowers were done by another of our favorite Little Black Book members, Mindy Rice. And let me say this about Mindy. Any time Lisa sends me a wedding and my heart does a pitter patter for the flowers, Mindy is usually the talent behind them. Her work is absolutely, positively flawless and her eye for all things chic is completely unmatched.

More from Lisa at Oh How Charming!

After the ceremony and cocktail reception, guests made their way to the Montage grand ballroom, which we transformed into an amazing European garden dining experience. We carpeted the ballroom in sisal and brought in hedging to mask three sides of the ballroom to create a lush garden setting. We used our gorgeous dark wood French farm tables and laid them out in a horseshoe formation with our dark wood dance floor in the center. Barker Decor built a beautiful dark rustic wood structure over the horseshoe formation of the tables which allowed us to hang a very simple drape above the guests. Tabella provided wonderfully simple buttercup yellow runners for the tables, and Mindy Rice did the most beautiful floral arrangements (they reminded me of Dutch still life paintings!). We accented the ballroom with a series of spiral topiaries and single ball topiaries to add to the garden look. The lighting was soft and romantic. It was such an amazing site to step back and look at the reception. It was stunning!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Barker Decor, California Weddings, Laguna Beach, Lisa Vorce, Mindy Rice, Montage, Oh How Charming, Tabella
Post categories: Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography

photographs by Lisa Franchot

From Lisa at Oh How Charming!

The draping that we chose for the dinner reception tent was such a beautiful shade of blue. It created the most serene atmosphere. We combined the soft beachy blue hues of the wedding with “beach chic” elements from Classic Party Rentals such as bamboo folding chairs, wicker chargers, bamboo flatware, and wood tables. I had Barker Decor add their amazing bamboo dance floor and stage, and my absolute favorite…7500 square feet of their sisal flooring in the tent. It was extraordinary!! The sisal mixed with the blue draping was such a gorgeous combo.

For the florals – we struggled a bit to really figure out what Courtney loved. Everything we came up with was pretty — but just didn’t have that “wow” factor. So — at the very last second — we collectively decided to change the florals (it was very exciting!) to ALL daisies. The amazingly talented Mindy Rice and I were SO excited that Courtney was daring enough to let us rock out the daisies. There were daisies everywhere! Mindy did beautifully aged galvanized buckets of daisies, and peppered in some super sweet hand tied bouquets of chamomile and feverfew. Mindy also painted all the weathered signs that we had throughout the wedding.

Carlos and Anna at Tabella did a fabulous combination of washed linen and delicate embroidered silk runners on the wood tables. They were stunning. Amy and Jeremy at Vanilla Bake Shop did yet another extraordinary dessert display and a spectacular cake!!! Everything was captured beautifully by the super talented Lisa Franchot. Aside from all the beautiful decor, the wedding was truly stunning because of Courtney and Andrew and their awesome families and friends. It was an event filled with a ton of love and laughter. We were delighted to be a part of it!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Barker Decor, Classic Party Rentals, Daisies, Lisa Franchot, Mindy Rice, Oh How Charming, Tabella Design, Table Settings, Vanilla Bake Shop
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Real Weddings