Garden Glam Ponte Winery Wedding

Garden Glam Rustic Ponte Winery Wedding, part 1: the ceremony and cocktail hour

Grace and Andrew, or Grandrew as they’ve come to be known by us, are one of the sweetest and most in love couples we have had the pleasure to work with. Our dear Grace had hired my services several times for invitations before she decided she had to hire me, almost a year before the engagement, to secure my services. I adore her… We had so much fun designing their Ponte Winery Wedding inspired by an overgrown herb garden with a garden glam twist. She literally gave us carte blanche and said ‘I trust you!’ and actually wanted to have some elements of surprise herself! Talk about a laid back bride! That level of creative freedom, in turn, made us work even harder to giver her and Andrew their dream wedding.

Enjoy these beautiful photos taken by Jen Lauren Grant of Birds of Feather!

Organic Ceremony Design

For a natural ceremony design that would just enhance and not distract from the already beautiful view, we used eucalyptus garland laced with crystals to line the aisle and tied purple wildflowers onto the chairs.

Letterpress Wedding Invitation Suite

Fresh garden glam with a touch of a modern edge was our inspiration for the 2-ply cotton letter-pressed invitation suite. We created a soft design with a light sage green, cool grey and light lilac. 

The Overgrown Wild Garden Bridal Bouquet

We wanted a stunner bouquet to really go overboard with the overgrown wild garden feel and Isari Flower Studio definitely delivered with this beautiful purple bridal bouquet!!

The bridesmaid bouquets were a softer pastel version of the wildflower feel with dinner-plate dahlias, lisianthus, lambs ear leaves and lavender sprigs which looks so soft against the bridesmaids blush pink bridesmaid gowns.

I am so in love with Grandrew’s little dog Buttercup who made quite the wedding appearance as well! Thankfully Ponte Winery allowed small pets as we know how they can be part of your family and want them to be there on your special day.

Boring boutonnieres these were not! Mixed with berries, herbs and wild looking greenery, Isari Flower Studio delivered for the gents as well!

After seeing what a bubbly and outgoing bride grace was it was so emotional to see her burst into tears of joy and excitement. It was such a touchingly sweet moment to see how prepared her father was to blot away the tears off of his daughters cheek en route down the aisle. Good job dad!

And these darling little kids… So stinking cute!! The flower girl head wreath by Isari was a perfect fit for this little angel.

Photo Escort Card Display Idea!

At the cocktail hour we featured vintage doors with our custom designed seating cards with photos of Grace and Andrew with each of their guests and wrote how they all knew each other. It was such a great way for everyone at the wedding to get to know each other as well! Things like ‘Grace’s Aunt’, ‘Andrew’s friend from college’ or ‘Andrew’s craziest co-worker’ made for fun titles and a lot more mingling!

Cocktail Hour Lemonade Stand

Andrew’s one big request was to have a lemonade stand.. so we delivered! We built a custom stand and featured fresh lemonade in mason jars to cool guests off after sitting in the sun for the ceremony. ‘Sweet like Andrew and sassy like Grace’ was the perfect way to tie the sweet and tart together! Even after the lemonade was through everyone was able to use is for a wonderful photo opp.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our Garden Glam Ponte Winery Wedding with the reception and dessert bar!

Event Design, Planning & Stationery Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations

Venue Ponte Estate Family Winery

Photography Jen Lauren Grant

Flowers Isari Flower Studio

Lounge Furniture by Pow Wow Rentals

Ocean in the Desert Scottsdale Wedding

Deserted Ocean Private Estate Scottsdale Wedding

We are so so excited to finally show off one of our favorite weddings we designed and planned for a lovely couple in Scottsdale, Arizona on Martha Stewart Weddings today!!  When Kari the bride first called me we were discussing  a cool Sedona elopement after her hectic previous attempt at wedding planning which she scratched for an easier, less stressful route. With so many people to coordinate and schedules to consider she was wanting to just ‘do it!’ with out the worry. When her family friend offered her gorgeous Scottsdale esate after hearing of her woes, we jumped at the chance to move it there to accommodate her guests easier. The only catch? The season was getting hot soon and we had 4 weeks to plan the whole thing!! We jumped into action and made this spectacular back-yard wedding a hit!

Kari and Charlie both loved the ocean but also the desert. I came up with the creative vision of a ‘deserted ocean’, a dried up ocean bed in a magical desert. After bringing on the fantastic Luna of Arrangements Floral Design we whipped up this fantastical evening which turned out to be pure magic. Gina Meola did a fabulous job of capturing the day’s beautiful details and was such a pleasure to work with!

Arrangements Floral & Party Design crafted a stunning bouquet of coral charm peonies, king proteas, ranunculus, astilbe, and tulips. Wrapped in gold sequined trim, the finishing touch was a skeleton leaf.  Kari worked with stylist Alex Evjen of Ave Styles to create her stunning ensemble. After trying on the blush pink Monique Lhuillier “Candy” dress at Destiny’s Bride in Scottsdale, Arizona, Kari knew it was her gown. A custom sash, veil, and earrings by Paris were added to the ensemble, which was rounded out with nude Jimmy Choo pumps.

For the invitation I hand illustrated a jellyfish and had it foiled onto a croco embossed glossy paper for a fun contrast of styles. More to come on this invitation as well!

Boutonnieres were made with ivory roses, brunia, and dusty miller—a heart-shaped charm once belonging to Charlie’s late mother was attached to his as a special way of honoring her memory.

The matron of honor and best man carried seashells housing the wedding bands. Kari’s sister Lori carried a clutch of coral charm peonies, king protea, yellow roses, brunia, and dusty miller. Kari’s other sister Susan’s bouquet was comprised of a king protea surrounded by white roses, brunia, dusty miller, and coral charm peonies.

Guests were treated to cool lemonade as they arrived. Since we knew the day was going to be so hot we dip-dyed fans to match the decor and tied on feathers and beads with leather cord.

To work with a backyard and actually have the ceremony on their driveway I knew we had to transform the space. I designed a geometrical wall to be built on which we applied mirror to reflect the gorgeous desert landscape. 

In lieu of a traditional guest book I created a ‘Message in a Bottle’ table were guests could write their sweet notes to the couple and float them in the infinity pool. They’ll be read at their one year anniversary which is coming up soon! We also created a wall of photos with fun facts about the couple that guests would be quizzed on later.

To bring in the ocean vibe we had to serve fresh delicious seafood!

To create the feasting style dining table I built a structure which we mirrored and then hung shelves of floating candles and flowers for a seemingly floating tablescape.

I wanted to create a beautiful tablescape that seemingly floated in our modern mirrored structure so that you saw nothing but the desert around you and make you forget you’re dining on a driveway.  The open structure built around the long feasting-style table allowed for showcasing the landscape, while adding drama and romance with candles hanging overhead on white-washed wood shelves also filled with floral arrangements and gnarled grapewood. Constructed with help from a framing contractor, mirror acrylic panels were added to created the illusion of a disappearing structure. Trailing down the middle of each table was a collection of oceanic elements, including ceramic sea urchin votives, air plants, and aqua sea glass. Ombré napkins tied with leather cord and sea urchins topped geometric plates and silvery placemats. The petite cake, by Classic Cakes and Confections, was inspired by the bride’s gown. To bring in more of the ‘ghost-like’ creatures that used to live in this ‘deserted ocean’ I found these incredible jellyfish lanterns from designer Roxy Russel which I hung in front of sheer panels of fabric and twinkle lights for our Jellyfish Lounge.

Photography: Gina Meola
Event Design and Planning, Stationery, and Napkins: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations
Catering: RendezVous Catering
Flowers, Lighting, & Draping: Arrangements Floral & Party Design
Cake: Classic Cakes & Confections
Music: [string trio] Simply Three; [Flamenco guitarist] Miguel Rodriguez from Jim May Productions
Rentals: [furniture] Pacific Event Productions; [linens] La Tavola; [china and glassware] Classic Party Rentals
Hair and makeup: TEAM Hair & Makeup

Radiant Orchid Wedding at Viceroy Santa Monica

A Cocktail Style Radiant Orchid Wedding Reception

For some unknown reason we haven’t gotten around to blogging this fabulous cocktail style wedding reception we designed for one of our favorites at the Viceroy Santa Monica and now we know why, we were ahead of the trend! With Radiant Orchid being announced as the wedding color of the year by Pantone we knew it was just the right time!

Jen and Brian were married in Mexico in a smaller intimate ceremony and wanted to save the larger celebration until they got back home. We worked with Jen to create a fabulous evening where guests could let loose, celebrate in style and dance the night away.  In true LA style, we decked out the pool’s cabanas and created styled out VIP areas for guests to lounge in. We designed custom throw pillows, bold signage, creative food displays, and with a modern display of vibrant flowers, a radiant orchid wedding was created.

Looking for a creative color scheme for your radiant orchid wedding? We loved teal and aqua as a wonderful complement!!

These colorful radiant orchid wedding invitations we designed featured fun illustrations and teal, aqua and a limey yellow for a fun color scheme. 

Event Design  & Invitations by Alchemy Fine Events

Photography by Zoom Theory

Venue The Viceroy Santa Monica

Flowers by Pastel Florist by Diane

Cakes by Vanilla Bakeshop

Lighting by Lighten Up Inc.

Enchanted Garden Malibu Wedding by Alchemy Fine Events at Stone Manor

Stone Manor Malibu Wedding with Jill Thomas

Our darling bride Andrea came to us inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Enchanted” perfume ad and our very own Fairytale “Once Upon a Bride”  photo shoot we designed for Utterly Engaged. With the stunning Stone Manor as the backdrop for their December  Malibu wedding, we were extremely excited to take these inspirations and create a magical evening for her!  This property had picturesque cobblestone paths, overgrown ivy walls, an umbrella of trees and a stunning Malibu view overlooking the pacific ocean.  We played with these marvelous features and added a few finishing touches to enhance the natural beauty of this location to create an enchanting evening for our lovely couple Andrea & Jeff’s Malibu Wedding.

 FASHION

Andrea donned a simple yet stunning gown by Alina Valenta of ivory silk that fit her body like a glove and carried a wild bouquet of sterling roses, lambs ear, black calas and orchids while the bridesmaids surrounding our stunning bride were dressed in a gowns in a gorgeous array of purples, lavender and steel grey and carried dusty sage toned bouquets of all greenery.  The slightly gothic  and romantic feeling bouquet was worthy of a dark queen we joked. Her lovely maids wore silk gowns of shades of  plum, mauve and steel blue and carried bouquets of silvery greenery, lush and full of texture.

THE INVITATION

We create a blind embossed letterpress invitation showcasing a lace-like texture as well as Andrea’s favorite plum purple ink. This romantic wedding invitation printed on 100% cotton paper was nestled inside of a plum hued textured envelope with white calligraphy featured on the back flap.

THE CEREMONY

The intimate Malibu wedding ceremony took place in Stone Manor’s outdoor courtyard surrounded by beautiful foliage and a striking view of Malibu’s rolling hills and Pacific Ocean backdrop. We worked with Krista Jon to create a white birch arbor that we accented with a crystal chandelier and sheer draped cheesecloth for a juxtaposition of glam and with an understated organic, garden vibe.

THE RECEPTION

Guests were welcomed into a stunning stone lined room with open beamed rafters from which we hung glass votive candles that glowed over feasting style tablescapes lined w glowing eggplant taper candles in brass candlesticks. Damask silver and sage linens were lined with mossy birch bark boasting sage toned greenery, white lilies and sterling roses along with heart shaped ivy for a romantic, overgrown garden feel.

For a stunning sweetheart table Krista Jon created a stunning floral installation inside of a ironed framed table flowing with a gorgeous array of greenery, vines, black baby calas and more of the brides favorite sterling roses.

Guets dined on a delectable menu by Whoa Nelly catering including arugula salad with persimmon and crushed hazelnuts,  braised shirt rib and roasted winter squashes and sweet potato mash while they sipped on rich red wines to warm their hearts and bellies.

THE DESSERT BAR

For this chilly December wedding we wanted to create a cozy and fairytale worthy dessert bar nestled into the tree lined garden. We hung various mirrors and frames behind a grey velvet covered table covered with delectable sweets & treats by Whoa Nelly and Sweet & Saucy shop. Treats such as pomegranate panna cotta, salted caramel puddings with crème fraiche whip, brownie bites & chocolate peppermint cupcakes were offered above risers boating mossy arrangements, wild greenery and loose blooms. To keep guest cozy as they nibbled on these sweet bites in our heated outdoor lounge, we also offered a hot cocoa bar with homemade flavored marshmallows, caramel nibs, candy cane stir sticks and various liquors to spike them with.

With a revived sugar buzz guests continued to dance into the night and join the bride as she shook her newly wed booty to her favorite Taylor Swift songs with her hubby and friends and family in tow.

photography: Jill Thomas
venue: Stone Manor
event design, planning & invitation: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations
floral design: Krista Jon
rentals: Archive Vintage Rentals
wedding dress: Alvina Valenta from The White Flower
bridesmaid dresses: Swoon
hair + makeup: Bekah and Nina with Brides by Brittany
catering: Whoa Nelly
cake: Sweet and Saucy Shop