This Tuesday’s Table is very special. It was a featured in our LOFT during the “Meet the Swodecks” show we did last Saturday for Art Walk. People fell in love with the fresh flowers, simple elegant palette and vintage elements. Shown in the top right corner is my initial sketch of the table before beginning the design.
Every month I get a Nordstroms catalog in the mail. Most of the time it is laced with new Kate Spade bags, Hunter boots, Michael Kors watches and all the new celebrity perfumes. However, sometimes it is wedding focused…bridal gowns, bridesmaids dresses and even simple elegant suits for the men. Brides have a love-hate relationship with their dress shopping experience, so I played with the idea…what if they ordered it all from a catalog. Here are a few items I found on Nordstroms.com Wedding Suite.
| Tadashi Shoji Gown | Nina ‘Maize’ Veil | Roberto Coin Necklace | Badgley Mishka Pump | La Perla Lingerie | Burberry London Suit | Dolce&Gabbana Shoes | Burberry London Tie | twobirds Dress |
A bunch of you requested we postpone the Workshop to Saturday, September 22nd. So we did. Same location, same time. See you there.
909.784.0122
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Send me an Email to imagine@openboxdesigns.com to Reserve your seat.
There are a lot of Hot Trends for 2012 as couples are realizing that the rules have begun to change. What would have been considered faux pas in years past is now part of the fun of going to a wedding today. Couples are thinking outside the box when planning their event and that is making for a memorable time for their family and guests.
One of my favorite new trends is the use of Gourmet Food Trucks for the reception. Now, this won’t work for all venues or even all cities (some cities have very strict food trucks laws). We see these food trucks at festivals, universities, art walks, and even sitting in LA traffic next to us.
Some of my favorites are Kogi BBG, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Buttermilk (try the Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Pancakes), Da Burger Boss, Macho Nacho, and White Rabbit. Let us not forget the infamous In-n-Out truck.
Although the thought of hiring food trucks to cater your event may be just what you’re looking for, here are a few things to consider.
1. You may want to hire one food truck per every 65-75 guests. Food trucks can handle large amounts of people, however it may take as long as an hour for some guests to get their food. Having multiple trucks can help reduce the waiting time and provide more variety.
2. Double check any restrictions your location venue or city may have concerning food trucks. Some cities still treat gourmet food trucks like ice cream trucks and require them to move after 15 minutes. Some venues may not want food trucks setting up on their property.
3. If the thought of having your guests wait in line to order and pick up their food does not sound enchanting, consider hiring staff to order and serve items from a set menu predetermined by you.
Until next time, happy eating and maybe I’ll run into you doing a “tasting” at one of the hundreds of food trucks in Los Angeles or Orange County. Oooh wait, I just remembered…Temaki Truck and Lobsta Truck will be in my neck of the wood this weekend at Pomona Art Walk. Nom Nom. 
One of the funnest parts of my job is exercising my creativity to design and tell my couple’s story. I love hearing how they met, how they knew they were meant for each other, finding out the key moments that brought them to where they are now, their proposal…it just goes on and on and on and on. I so appreciate their story and even more how they have trusted me to design their event in a way that will visually, emotionally and subconsciously share this story with their family and friends.
When we first meet, we detail their overall vision for their celebration. My goal is to find out “what do they want their event to look like? sound like? feel like? smell like? taste like?”
The story above was my interpretation of how this couple met and their favorite moment of the day…sunrise. In sharing their story, this bride made sure to mention how much they loved the sun as it rises and shines through the trees. They didn’t know how to explain this look or how it could be translated in colors or design. I took that bit of information and found images that, to me, expressed how subtle, yet amazing, this vision of a new day is.
I enjoyed putting this inspiration together…and not just because I love yellow
Telling your story is more than adding two paragraphs to your wedding website or including it on the program insert, its requires a little creativity and know-how in properly ‘branding’ you as a couple. Don’t you want your guests to walk away from your event knowing it was your wedding they went to and not just another cookie-cutter wedding out of a book? Try these steps for finding your perfect overall theme (brand):
1. Think of those special moments in your relationship or favorite little anecdotes that will resonate with your family and friends, reminding them of your love story.
2. Remember that certain colors and aromas can provoke specific emotions. They can trigger very specific memories. Use them wisely.
3. Chose one (possibly two) specific tone that seems to sum up your overall persona best. Are you happy, serious, elegant, workaholics, adventurous, or even romantically goofy?
4. Tie all these aspects together and remember simplicity goes a long way.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ONCEWED (yellow pomander/yellow bouquet), MISSAUKEE GOLF CLUB (sun shining in trees), LIN AND JIRSA (sofreh), PERFECTLY BOUND BLOG (yellow dress), POPPYS PETAL WORKS (multi-color round centerpiece), and Chara Nicole’s LISA AND ED WEDDING (passed flame in lighting unity candle)
