scout. launch party!

It’s always the best feeling in the world when a design you’ve spent many months tossing and turning about in your mind finally comes to life! Last month, I had the immense pleasure of collaborating with Trophy Cupcakes and showcased my scout. vintage rental co. collection in their adorable party room. The whole evening was SUCH a blast and I was so excited that so many of you came out to see my loot!

When dreaming up a way to share my collection my 1st thought was: “oh my gosh, how will I ever make it all fit?!” and 2nd…”I want people to be inspired.” The whole intention behind my vintage rental biz is to encourage others to find beauty in things that might otherwise be considered past their expiration date. I absolutely adore repurposing old items into new designs, and threaded that passion into a lot of the party details for the launch.

I wanted the overall design to emphasize the immense amount of color that I have within my collection. Blue chairs, green tables, orange enamel colanders. I’m obsessed with color and the party was nothing short of a color explosion!

My dear sweet friend McKenzie who also happens to be one of the most AH-MAZ-ING floral designers in Seattle, was kind enough to offer her own dose of color to the party with some stunningly gorgeous florals. The second McKenzie arrived the morning of setup I was flabbergasted by her floral choices for the party. Are those gigantic neon pink peonies not the most amazing things you’ve ever seen?! So so good. Thank McKenzie!!!

The entire design for the room started with the ceiling. I’ve been collecting vintage fabric for sometime and I really wanted to create a vibrant fabric canopy over the party. After many tireless hours of knot tying the canopy came to life. I also incorporated an installation in the center of the room using the wire skeletons of old lampshades. Thank you Adam, Heather & Kate for your additional hands with setup & prep! Couldn’t have done it without ya!

My green hutch is definitely one of my favorite pieces and I was so excited to use it as one of the focal points of the room. The cocktail & cupcake party wouldn’t have been complete without some champagne and little mason jars & thanks to Hads, Emma & Christa everyone had drinks in hand through the night! Thanks gals!

One of the things that I was really adamant about with regards to my scout. marketing is that I didn’t lose the vintage aspect of the brand in the details. I cringed at the idea of using a modern looking business card to promote my business. So after a bit of deep thinking I came up with the idea of using vintage used postcards (some of the one’s I’ve found have dated back to the early 1900’s!) and placing a sticker on top of them with all my info.

I have this really crazy rad mint colored mattress frame that worked perfect for displaying my biz postcards during the event. I filled the mattress with a bunch of pillows I’ve found while scouting and a few I made on my own from leftover fabric.

I also really wanted the party to be a direct reflection of the personality of the pieces. I’d been dying to name each piece for sometime and figured the party was the perfect way to kind of say “hello my name is” for each unique piece. My buddy Amy (a stellar graphic designer who is currently revamping the scout. brand) suggested I use library cards in bright colors from the adorable paper co. Knot & Bow to display the names and details of my items. GENIUS! I was swooning over the library cards when they arrived in the mail, and after multiple attempts to get that “vintage typewriter” look (I actually begged my printer to cooperate during a 4am debacle) I was incredibly pleased with how they turned out!

Overall, I’m ecstatic with how the party turned out, and I was so grateful for the generosity of all of the people that stopped by. The party left me with visions of my own storefront one day, and I can’t thank Jennifer and her team at Trophy enough for all of their help in making the party a total success!!!

P.S. Thank’s to Mo for all the great shots and for being there to capture the night!

photo cred: {Mo Hines Photography}

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prop styling.

I’ve always been incredibly drawn to intentionally styled photographs. Whether it be fashion, food, events or interiors there is just something I find absolutely intriguing about prop styling. If I could spend the rest of my life “styling” for a living I’d be one happy gal!

So when I stumbled across some crazy amazing styling talent here, I couldn’t resist sharing some inspiration. Beautiful right?

photo cred: {hans blomquist, lo bjurulf and stella nicolaisen via agent bauer}

featured on SMP!

Today is a good day. A REALLY good day.

When I first started my event design & styling biz I only had dreams of one day making it to a feature on Style Me Pretty. Style Me Pretty is major. REALLY major. It’s the most popular wedding blog out there, dripping with only the most gorgeously detailed weddings imaginable. It’s the place where every wedding creative I’ve ever met dreams of having their work featured. And it was a BIG dream for me when I started this new business.

Vanessa & Tony’s wedding was quite simply amazing. Not only did I get to create a design and coordinate the day from start to finish, but I got to witness two of the most important people in my life commit their lives to one another. The entire wedding was one of those “out of the body” experiences and today feels much of the same. Today Vanessa & Tony’s wedding is being featured on Style Me Pretty and I could NOT be prouder.

I also am SO SO SO stinkin’ grateful for the photography brilliance of my dear friend Mo. Monica captured Vanessa & Tony’s wedding in the most genuine way…she really captured the beauty that is Vanessa & Tony and I’m so grateful for it!

Head over to SMP today and check out the feature here! Don’t forget to view the entire gallery here to get all the little details!

photo cred: {screen shot from style me pretty}

Event Design, Styling, Floral Concept + Coordination: {bow tie & bustle event design + styling} Wedding Photography: {Mo Hines Photography} Flowers: {Mazarte Florals} Calligraphy: Letters By Ellen / Venue, Catering + Make-up: Cabo Surf Hotel / Paper Goods + Invitations: bow tie & bustle event design + styling / Bride’s Hair: Mandi Rhodes / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Cabo Surf Hotel

inspired board # 7 : around the world.

photo cred: {map bunting via etsy} {wall mural via urban outfitters} {jo metson globe interiors via design sponge} {invitation suite by nothing but bonfires} {map pinwheels via etsy} {map wrapped favors via martha stewart weddings} {escort card display by enjoy events co.} {love globe via forget me knot weddings} {teak globe via hilda grahmat}

real wedding: vanessa + tony in cabo san lucas.

Vanessa and Tony are truly some of my most favorite people in the world. They are genuine; loving; witty as hell; crazy intelligent (they are both doctors in Peoria, IL – Vanessa in obstetrics and Tony in emergency medicine); they are both admirably athletic; and when they tell me they love me and care about the success of my business I REALLY believe them.

Their wedding is one I will FOREVER hold near and dear to my heart. For starters it officially marked my very 1st international destination wedding. 2nd I was given full design liberties which felt increadibly refreshing and exciting, and 3rd I was able to support my best friend in walking down the aisle to the love of her life.

So it should come at no surprise that my responsibility to plan and design their destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico this past April came with just a wee bit of pressure as well…just a tad. I wanted their day to be perfect on all fronts…guests gettin’ down on the dance floor til the very last song; design elements that spoke to who they are as a couple and as individuals; a relaxing atmosphere full of fun in the sun; an overall crazy fun time and of course Vanessa and Tony grinning from ear to ear at the end of the night. Well I’m thrilled to say that all of my wishes came true!

Since Tony and Vanessa’s professions are a GIGANTIC part of their lives (we’re talking 100’s of hours a week at the hospital people!) and they met in medical school, I couldn’t resist incorporating multiple “medical” details into their day. I hung antique stethoscopes from their reception chairs, shredded an old medical book and placed the shreds in both their “message in a bottle” invitations, as well as in the base of the cake stand and on the reception table.

I incorporated an abundance of antique medicine bottles on their reception table adding florals to the vases the morning of the wedding. I accented the medicine bottles with flag bunting, buttons and twine. A 27 foot burlap runner ran across the entire length of the reception table providing an amazingly organic feel to the day. Each place setting was highlighted with a gorgeous calligraphied place card and wine cork (Vanessa loves wine), an individual menu tucked into a burlap colored napkin, and a teeny succulent on top.

Succulents were the one thing that were an absolute must for Vanessa and they were definitely the most beautiful floral detail of the day…just gorgeous!

Vanessa really liked the idea of getting married in a small intimate affair away from home and she and Tony couldn’t have done it in a better way! Cabo Surf Hotel was an absolutely amazing venue (staff, food, guest services…you name it – this resort has it going on!) and the destination wedding lends to a significantly relaxing experience for the bride and groom. There is WAYYYYY less pressure on the couple to entertain and mingle with 100’s of guests and I mean who doesn’t want to come home with a new husband AND a killer tan?!

I loved Tony and Vanessa’s guest book table which included square pieces of fabric for each guest to sign well wishes on. The pieces will be sewn together to create a lasting momento for the couple…love it!!!

Vanessa and Tony were super excited about the idea of having a dessert table and I’m so glad they did one! Whoopie pies, fruit tartlets, mini brownies, cheesecakes & key lime pies were the perfect addition to their tiny wedding cake. I accented the dessert table with hand marbled dessert card labels, more medicine bottles and antique platters & stands. Each mini dessert had a curly paper flag on top as a means of tying in the pretty color palette of the day. I added fabric flag bunting, a butterfly & a tiny mountain bike (Vanessa means “butterfly” and Tony is a crazy, mad talented mountain biker) to the cake itself. Butterfly accents were also included in the ribbon tied to the back of Vanessa’s chair.

Could she be any more beautiful?!??! Simple stunning.

The ceremony site was kept simple with an ivory satin covered canopy as the focal point, which was tied off on all 4 corners with burlap. The aisle was lined with various colored wine bottles and more curly paper details. The ocean was the most perfect backdrop! Stunning, stunning, stunning!

Tony and Vanessa, thank you so much for allowing me to play such a major role in crafting your wedding day. Thank you for trusting in me and for allowing me to create a day reminiscent of who you are. Thanks for a week full of laughter, love and friendship – I enjoyed every moment in Cabo with you! I wish you mountains of happiness and a lifetime of adventure together! Love you both!

event design, styling & coordination: {bow tie & bustle} venue: {cabo surf hotel} photographer: {mo hines photography} calligraphy: {letters by ellen} paper goods including invitations: {bow tie & bustle} floral design: {mazarte floral} bride’s hair: {mandi rhodes} floral concept & styling: {bow tie & bustle} bride’s dress: {jim hjelm}

revitalized centers.

My favorite brides and grooms are the ones that are not afraid to push the envelope and do something bold – unique – maybe even a little crazy…

As a wedding designer it’s incredibly exciting to get the opportunity to create a centerpiece concept that is quirky, personalized and distinct..gone are the days of the lone standing glass cylinder.

I’m all about using funky objects, containers, bottles, tins and bold pieces in an eclectic pairing or juxtaposed manner in the center of the table. There’s nothing better than giving your guests something enticing to gaze at and “ooh” and “ahh” over while they await your grand entrance.

Some killer centerpieces that are inspiring me at the moment…

photo cred: 1 {ribbons via our labor of love via 100 Layer Cake} 2 {cacti via feather love photography} 3 {turquoise & pink via sarah yates via sitting in a tree} 4 {ee photography via ruffled} 5 {gelato parlor via edyta photography via ruffled}