Shoe Shot Sunday: Rachel + John

Lane Dittoe Fine Art Wedding Photography did an amazing job of documenting this gorgeous Sonoma Wedding.  Married at B.R. Cohn Winery, Rachel and John had a black and white color palette and her shoes were stunning!  What I loved equally as much was the punch of red groom John added with his super stylish socks!

Check them out...

How gorgeous is the backdrop for this photograph?  Don't you just love a beautiful wine country wedding setting, it's truly breathtaking... but I do equally adore that splash of red too!

DIY with Star: Glittered Globes

I’m delighted to share with you my first DIY project – Glittered Globes.  I’m very excited about these because they are extremely versatile.  They can be used as decorations for the upcoming winter holidays as well as for weddings and parties.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

I first saw this project last year on a Martha Stewart Holiday Special but didn’t get the chance to try it until this year.  Martha’s Snowy Balloon Ornaments looked simple when Martha made them, but Martha makes everything look easy!  Surprisingly, this project was actually as easy as it appeared and the finished product looks just like Martha’s.  I deviated slightly from Martha’s instructions.  Here’s how I made my Glittered Globes:

 

What you’ll need
Small to regular sized balloons (not water balloons)

White string, yarn, or kitchen twine (I used crochet thread)

School Glue

Waxed or parchment paper

Glitter (I used clear glitter)

Small paint brush or foam brush

How to make them

1. Mix two parts glue with one part water to dilute the glue

2. Blow a balloon up to approximately the size of your palm and paint a layer of the glue mixture all over the balloon.  Holding both the end of the string and the tip of the balloon, begin wrapping the string around the balloon going horizontally and vertically until the balloon is evenly wrapped.  You may wrap the balloon as little or as much as you’d like.   

3. Once the balloon is wrapped, gently paint a layer of the glue mixture over the entire balloon, making sure to cover every bit of string.

4. Sprinkle the glue painted balloon all over and set it on the waxed/parchment paper to dry.  Depending on how thick the glue layer, it can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours to dry completely.  Once the glue is completely dry, pop the balloon and viola!

      

I plan to tie a ribbon and maybe a jingle bell to these little globes and use these as Christmas ornaments as Martha suggests; however, as you can see, these little gems can be used all sorts of ways...

Using a combination of larger and smaller balloons you can make hanging chandeliers, which would be beautiful for a natural, outdoor wedding, bridal shower or outdoor event.

 Photo courtesy of Wedding Wire

 Photo courtesy of Ruffled

These little globes look beautiful as centerpieces, and the flowers add a nice pop of color.  Combined with candles, it makes for a cost effective centerpiece for weddings or dinner parties.

Photo courtesy of Wedding Wire

 Photo courtesy of Xenia Nova

You can consider skipping the glitter, as well as experiment with different textures and colors of string, using natural color twine for an earthier look. 

Photo courtesy of Shop Ruche

If you are feeling extra ambitious, you can even make one into a lamp.

Photo courtesy of Tip Junkie 

These globes are a fun, cost effective DIY project that can be used in all sorts of ways.  I can guarantee your friends will be impressed!  Try it out and let me know how you use them.

Star

Sterling Buzz: Hello from Star, Sterling's Newest Team Member!

Hello All!  My name is Star Hansen and I am very excited to join Sterling Engagements as the newest member of the team.  I’ll be assisting both in the office and onsite for events.  I look forward to working with you and sharing my inspiration the blog.  As the newest contributor to the Sterling blog, I thought I'd share a little bit about myself with each of you.  I look forward to many more posts to come, but for now, here's a little about me!  

I’m a born and raised southern California girl and currently live in Thousand Oaks with my husband, Trevor.  We are expecting our first child in May and couldn't be more excited!  I have a background in wedding coordinating and design, project management and have led various corporate events.  I love baking, cooking, and crafting.  I am addicted to cooking shows and subscribe to more food magazines than I care to admit to.  Experimenting with new recipes is one of my favorite things to do!

I've always enjoyed social events, entertaining and weddings in particular.  Growing up, I collected bridal magazines and wedding inspirations in anticipation for my future wedding.  My husband and I married in July 2008 at Rancho Chiquita in Malibu.  I planned everything myself and loved every minute of it!  That is when my passion for weddings really blossomed.  Since then I have assisted in planning and coordinating weddings for family, friends and friends-of-friends.  

My favorite aspect of a wedding is the details.  I believe weddings where unique details are incorporated make for the most memorable events. An avid crafter, I enjoy seeking out and trying DIY décor projects, many of which I have shared with brides I’ve worked with.  I cannot wait to share with you my wedding inspirations, DIY projects, and recipes.

Today, I thought it would be fun to share with you a few photos from my wedding day :)

Photos courtesy of Mi Belle Photography

I love all things wedding and am super excited to be joining Alex and the Sterling Engagements team.  Feel free to email me (star@sterlingengagements.com) should you be interested in contacting me.  I'm very excited for my first official post, which will be coming soon.   Be sure to keep an eye out for it and comment to let me know what you think and what you’d like to see in the future!  

Star

Sterling Buzz: Featured on Junebug Weddings, Style Me Pretty and Rock N' Roll Bride

I'm so excited to share 3 of our weddings that were recently published on some of our favorite blogs.  There's nothing we enjoy more than sharing the special details from so many of our weddings.

Nicole and Matthew were married at her father's estate in Coto de Caza.  This beautiful Orange County wedding was modern, elegant and had just the right amount of sexy.  Read all the details on the Style Me Pretty blog.

 Brandie and Ede had an amazingly sweet and eclectic wedding at the ever so gorgeous Parker Hotel in Palm Springs.  This Palm Springs wedding was such a blast to be a part of and bride Brandie was so creative with all of her special touches.  Including hand sewing the bouquets.  Read all about her design and inspiration on Rock N' Roll Bride's blog.   

I was so fortunate to work with Cricket and Casey in planning their special day and having known Casey for over 10 years it was even more special to be a part of their planning process.  Cricket had this insanely amazing vision and bringing it to life with them was magical.  I'm thrilled that Junebug Weddings featured this lovely garden wedding and all of it's fun details.  

 
Stay tuned for more of our 2011 weddings to be featured soon as well.  Including a lovely Bacara Resort Wedding and uber sweet Temescal Gateway Park wedding.

Holiday Promotion for Wedding Videography from New Classic Films

Today we wanted to share with you a very special promotion that our friends over at New Classic Films are offering.  Whether you are a Sterling Engagement's client or friend, we urge you to take advantage of this awesome deal!

Wedding videography is so important and Camron along with his team are one of our favorite companies around to work with.

This promotion is only good until 11-11-11 so be sure to take advantage of this special offer ASAP!

Quote of the Day: Love is in the Air!

As the holidays approach, couples are getting engaged every moment and love is truly in the air.  Meeting and speaking with so many of you has put all of us in romance land and frankly I love it!

Today's quote is an oldie but a really good one!

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand"

-Author Unknown-

 

Photo courtesy of Charlotte Geary Photography

Don't you love this photograph.  I found it off the talented Charlotte Geary's website and knew it was perfect for today's post.  So sweet!

Festive Fridays: Bride Ashley + Father David Bust a Move for their Father-Daughter Dance

Today our newest team member Star shared with us this amazing story she'd seen on Good Morning America this morning and we knew we had to share it with you as today's Festive Friday!

Photo courtesy of Good Morning America

We absolutely adore the story of Bride Ashley Richmond and her Father David Sparks who practiced this choreographed dance for close to two months prior to her big day.  For their August wedding they blew guests away with their surprise performance which started off with one of our favorite song's "My Girl" by The Temptations.  Their dance continued and really took a magical turn including such songs as "Stanky Legg", "Boogie Shoes", "My Dougie" and another favorite "Jump on it".  Off course they couldn't end the performance without a little Beyonce, taking the last steps to "Single Ladies" and concluding with a ring shot!

Our summary really doesn't do this powerful duo justice though, check it out for yourself!   

Also, be sure to check out their live reenactment on Good Morning America from today.

Ashely nor her Father never thought their dance, which was uploaded on YouTube would ever become as popular as it has, however they're so excited by it!

Do you think you have the moves to pull something like this off?  Would you pair up with your groom, bridal party, father or even wedding crowd to put on a little extra special entertainment?  What about your groom and his mom?  We're curious to hear what your thoughts are and see if you've got the moves, what song would you pick?

Inspired by Patterns!

Now that I'm back and in full swing, I've been so inspired by patterns lately that I was just aching to write this post.  Patterns are so amazing and add such an impact, regardless of whether they are used in a large or small way.  My favorite are the neutral patterns like black and white, khaki's etc.. but green is also a hot one.

Check out some of the best ways I've seen a patten utilized!

Photo courtesy of Toast and Tables

Photo courtesy of Sweet Ambs

Photo courtesy of Brides Magazine 

 

Photo courtesy of UK Wedding Blog

Photo courtesy of The Caketress

 Photo courtesy of Hadley Designs

 Photo courtesy of Project Wedding

Photo courtesy of Dolce Press

 Do you like patterns?  Will you incorporate these pretty prints in your special day some way or are you into simpler designs or alternatively, a more ornate aesthetic.  I adore these playful patterns but would love to hear what you like too.  What are you inspired by? 

Wedded Bliss: Alexandra + Jonathan

Today is a very special post for me as it's personal and we all know I'm not one to share personal details up on our Sterling Blog very often.  But today is the exception, as it's a special one near and dear to my heart and I'm super excited to share it with each of you!

A month ago today I married my best friend.  It was the most amazing fairytale inspired day and believe it or not I'm confident after experiencing it all as a "Bride" myself, I'm a better planner now for it.  I see things not just as the educated professional now, but also as the one that has to go through cutting the guest list, registering for gifts, going over budget and even the nerves on the big day!  It was a remarkable experience, a perfect day and I feel so lucky to share what lies ahead with my husband.  You may remember him from the few posts he wrote about being a wedding planner's groom. 

Anyway, so many of you are asking about the wedding and so today I decided to share one of my favorite photos with you from the big day by our amazing photographers, Callaway Gable Photography.  In addition, here's a preview from our day, our epic same day edit!  Created by one of the best of the best, Daniel Boswell of Imagique.

 Hope you enjoy this sneak peek as I've enjoyed sharing it with you.  So many of you have asked how it was to plan the wedding while planning everyone else's big day simultaneously.  I'll be honest, it was hard, really challenging as my clients and company are always a priority, it was extremely interesting to try and hold that up while also allowing time to plan our day.  Regardless, our wedding is now an amazing set of memories.  I'm so excited to be back, working with my clients, meet new ones and look forward to giving you and yours an extraordinary planning experience too!      

Shoe Shot Sunday: Stepanie + Darren

Stephanie and Darren were married yesterday, yes, that's right, yesterday at Greystone Mansion and had their reception at the swanky SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills.  Stephanie's shoes were so incredible and from the moment I first laid eyes on them I knew I'd have to blog this ASAP as they may just be some of the BEST SHOES EVER.  This could be because Stephanie is such a fun and stylish bride and they just fit her to perfection too!

The fantastic Ryan Phillips captured the day and was so kind to rush these awesome photos over today!

 Meet Charmed by Kate Spade...

Congrats to Steph and Darren and look out soon for photos from their big day!

We'll Always Remember and Never Forget...

Photo Courtesy of the RJ Westmore Blog

Festive Fridays: Shawn + Colleen - As you wish...

I'm so excited to share today's post with you as it's a special one and a tear jerker if you're emotional like some of us (ahem, ahem).  I absolutely adore how sweet Shawn was in creating the most special day ever for Colleen.

Check it out!

Don't you just love a good surprise!

Sneak Peek: Brandie + Ede at The Parker Palm Springs

Brandie and Ede were married at the beautiful Parker Palm Springs. This lovely Palm Springs Wedding was such a delight to be a part of. A fabulous couple, unique and creative details plus a gorgeous backdrop really took this wedding to the next level. Here's a sneak peek from the amazing husband and wife duo,Lyndzee and Rog of EPLove Photography.



In addition to our eye candy, we also had the talented Camron Carrier of New Classic Films documenting the entire day. Check out this awesome highlight video detailing all the special moments!



Happy Viewing!

Festive Fridays: Taking the Plunge Video

Documented proposals are more popular than ever and I love the creativity behind so many of them! Today my fiance Jonathan sent me over a very cute video someone in his office made about his journey to I do from a very interesting perspective. I loved this video and think most of my groom's will too, but any sports fan really will get a kick out of this! Super unique, funny and lighthearted.

Check it out!

All About the Ring - watch more funny videos

Happy Friday and stay clear of the roads this weekend if you can!

Shoe Shot Sunday: Rebecca + David

Rebecca and David wed at the beautiful Cass House Inn, in the lovely seaside village Cayucos located within the Central Coast. I just love their selection of shoes for their big day, as they display their personality and still Rebecca's are perfect for a wedding with a precious bow on top!


The always fabulous Brian and Allie Callaway of Callaway Gable Photography documented their gorgeous day and you must visit their blog to see additional photos and super awesome details from the big day. Also, our good friend Daniel Boswell of Imagique Weddings edited a perfect highlight of their big day, you can view it on his blog too!

David actually happens to be in our industry as well as he is behind the awesome blog Temple of the Groom. So men and ladies too, if you haven't checked out his site yet, you must go visit Temple of the Groom for a good wedding read!

Behind the Bowtie: Our Venue

So one of the first things you’re supposed to do (according to Alex) when planning a wedding is figure out where. Where will we get married? We didn’t want to make people go from one place to another. It’s a lot easier for everyone to be in one place for the entire evening. The last thing we want is our guest’s complaining about the traffic from the ceremony site to the reception. People in LA love to complain about traffic, and this would no doubt occupy the majority of conversation during cocktail hour, when they should be talking about how shiny my shoes are, or how beautiful the bride is. (Probably the ladder)

Photo Courtesy of Miss Taylor Cast

We only looked at 3 venues for the wedding. The first was Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Simi Valley. My first thought was “Wow, I can’t wait to put Simi Valley on the wedding invitations!”. But as we drove up a windy, tree-lined road to the estate, it began to grow on me. It’s hidden, it’s quiet, and it should have it’s own zip code. The house itself was not so big, but the entire estate was massive. There are all sorts of lodging at this venue too. Alex liked one of their lower areas with a bunch of trees for the ceremony site called Sitting Bull, and then she wanted the reception in another, which was a nice hike to get to. We would have had to hire a shuttle service to caravan our guests up the hill from one end of the property to the other. It would have been a “Survivor” challenge otherwise. Plus, it’s windy in the mountains, so she wanted to tent. We would have had to spend way too much money ON the venue after spending FOR the venue. In the back of the property is a grass area the size of 10 football fields. Seriously. 10. Maybe more.

Photo Courtesy of Bloomberg Business Week

They probably lost their bid for the 2016 Olympic games, but only because of the Simi Valley address. In the end, the place was beautiful, but too big, and not quite us.

Photo Courtesy of The Back Nine

Then it was off to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. Yes, we saw both in the same day. It’s a wonderful place, I go there every year for a golf tournament and love it. It’s very luxurious, high-end, etc. Again though, was not really us. It wasn’t as expensive as I would have imagined, but it was booking up fast and the weekend we wanted wasn’t even available. So we moved on.

Photo Courtesy of Carcano DJ

The following weekend we went to Downtown LA to see Vibiana. This was our winner. It was surprising because it was nothing amazing from the street, but the outdoor courtyard is perfect for a ceremony and the tall vaulted ceilings inside can let Alex go crazy with design and décor. I know she’s going to go absolutely crazy in there, I promise. Vibiana used to be Los Angeles’ oldest cathedral, but has been converted into a venue. The irony of a Jewish Wedding at a former cathedral is not the worse thing I’ve ever heard, just try to ignore the confessionals in the walls if that sort of thing bothers you. My High School actually just had their Senior Prom there. Not quite sure how that makes me feel. There are tall pillars inside, lots of space, and it’s perfect for what Alex wanted. Mission accomplished.