One of the first weddings I ever did about 11 years ago was at the beautiful Dana-Powers House in Nipomo. In the passing years, it has become a more and more endearing venue with extraordinary character. Judi, the delightful owner of the historic property and grounds, has taken great joy in every detail and along the way has highlighted her family’s early California heritage in the area. The garden, lawns and intricate patio around the beautiful Victorian house are rich with varieties of garden blooms and orange trees. Inside, a collection of treasures are delicately woven into the decor of the open airy farmhouse. The way the sunlight works it’s magic in this house constantly amazes me. Mike Larson over at Mike Larson Inc., took full advantage of the natural light in the bridal shots prior to the ceremony.
Our gorgeous bride, Darcy, consistently honed in on simple garden varieties of blooms in soft shades of cream, white, blush and green that were in keeping with the surroundings, maximizing the impact of each element that we designed for her. While most couples choose the gazebo for their ceremony focal point, we turned the ceremony around to face Judi’s natural blooming screen of white climbing ice burg roses. Our romantic silk arch looks like it is floating on the trellis among the blooms – I love how it turned out! Creamy French flower buckets full of white blooms were hung on all the aisle chairs with platinum satin ribbon, and then in a brilliant plan of the bride’s, we reset them as centerpieces for the reception in the rustic chic barn.
Catering by the Sea Shanty of Cayucos and wedding cake by The Cakery. To see more about this wedding check out Mike’s blog and click here to see more weddings that we’ve styled at the Dana-Powers House.
Could there by anything better than a delicate cupcake with generous swirls of rich icing on top? I’ve had a great pleasure of working with Amy, of Amy Bakes Cupcakes, in the last year and half on several mutual weddings. First introduced to her decadence at my favorite little hole in the wall haunt down town – Granada Bistro (think, tiny Parisienne salon, remarkable wine list, ridiculous cheese samplings and sensational panini sandwiches). Her inspired offerings immediately grab your senses – just hearing the list of flavors can begin the salivary yearning. These are no ordinary cupcakes! Chocolate Merlot, Salted Caramel, Bumble Bee (honey & lavender) & Blackberry Port Chocolate, to name just a few of her standard flavors.
And here’s the big thing… she has perfected recipes that are vegan & gluten-free! Have party guests with dietary preferences? Recently, I hosted a sweet 16 brunch at my home for my niece who happens to have celiac disease (gluten intollerence). It has always been rough for Skylar at family celebrations, as a good dose of wheat flour is included in most sweet treats. I ordered several flavors of Amy’s small cupcakes AND lemon bars – all gluten-free. They were fantastic and my nice Skylar was completely delighted. Everyone completely enjoyed the varieties and savored each little morsel.
Definitely check out what Amy can bring to the dessert table for your next party or celebration.
Our bride flew in for one weekend from Beijing, China to plan her entire wedding. Fortunately, she hired the Central Coasts’ Mark Padgett Event Design to bring some of the best local wedding vendors together for her and she chose the beautiful Meridian Vineyard Chai Barrel Room to host her beautiful, one of a kind reception.
From our one meeting with the bride, we worked closely with Mark on the design and came up with a sumptuous and romantic approach that transformed the room into an opulent California ballroom. Mark engineered stunning columns of soft light intermingled with his decadent crystal chandeliers over the dance floor washed with pattern. We used our classic silver and crystal candelabras, adorned with lush white arrangements of white orchids. A low version of the centerpieces were modern low arrangements of pavé large white mums in metal containers with votive candles in the middle of them – the result was pillows of glowing flowers. To provide a little “pretty” at the table level for the high centerpieces, we set incredible gardenias in silver votive holders. The subtle fragrance to the room, set the tone for a beautiful celebration. Cuisine provided by Two Cooks Catering and of course the entertainment delighted the guests for hours – the guys over at San Luis Jazz Band. Zach, our favorite lighting designer set the room alive with focused light – allowing the centerpieces to wow the guests on entry. Stunning night!
The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa held the ceremony part of the day. Julie Wilson Photography shot stunning photos of the family and bridal part in the parish garden. Deep espresso silk dresses provided the perfect background for lush bouquets of purple, lavender and green orchids – loved these! The little flower girls carried espresso silk boxes of white orchids with a Tiffany blue ribbon handle. Custom silk pillow of lush white mums and ribbon were carried by the ring bearers.
