A few weeks ago, I was hired by my client to design and create invitations for not one, not two, but three(!) showers that she’s throwing this summer.  Two bridal showers and one baby shower.  Talk about a hostess with the mostess!  First up, a summer casual backyard BBQ shower for a lovely bride-to-bee named Lauren.

Incidentally, I also designed Lauren’s wedding invitations, so I did know a little bit about what she likes and doesn’t like.  A little whimsy was definitely in, as were interesting fonts and bold colors.  My client, Liz, told me that she was planning on decorating the  backyard with an abundance of sunflowers and topping the tables with black and white gingham tablecloths.  Hello – instant color palette!  The final design brought in all of these elements and we finished it off with a brightly colored envelope (aptly named “bumble bee” of all things) and a wraparound address label in the same motif.  Looks like everyone will have a buzzing good time!

One down, two to go!  Stay tuned…

Happy to share some of the details of a surprise 50th birthday celebration at The Hills Hotel with you today.  I learned from the birthday girl’s daughter that Chrissy loves shoes, sparkle and bling – sounds like my kinda woman!  Armed with this information, we went with a palette of plum, silver and gold with touches of rhinestone detail sprinkled throughout.  The beautiful flowers were designed by the talented Beth from The Pink Daffodil and with the addition of some festive garlands, balloons and confetti, we were ready to go!  Makes me think that getting older just might not be so bad!

Thank you to Linda at Silver Moon Photography for capturing it all!

While there is certainly no shortage of wedding planning applications, both online and off, I’ve personally found that some of the best tools are those not geared towards event planning at all.  By utilizing these programs, you can virtually replace that bulky binder and have all of your wedding plans in the palm of your hands (or chic handbag)!  All are web-based so you can access them from any computer and have mobile apps for your iDevice of choice.  And bonus: all free!

Here’s my list of the top 3 non-wedding wedding planning tools to help you organize, store and plan all of your big day details.  They’ve all become indispensable in my daily life.

#3. Dropbox – Think of this as your virtual filing cabinet.  A great place to store all of your contracts, proposals and timelines – you’ll never have to worry about being without the document you need while you’re on the go.  All files that you save to Dropbox will automatically save to the Dropbox website, your phone, and any other computer that you have the program installed on.  The free account provides 2GB of storage, plenty for all of your wedding planning needs.

Get it here!

#2. Evernote – This is your virtual notepad, tickler file and bookmarking system.  Use it to keep running notes on ideas for anything and everything or to house your list of to do items.  Out browsing and find the perfect vase for your guest book table?  Snap a picture of it, add a note and store it in Evernote to come back to later.  Found a useful wedding planning article online?  Use Evernote to clip the entire webpage: text, images, links and all.  I clip collections of  the websites of all of my favorite vendors, and you can tags to each note (i.e. photographers, florists, videographers) so that they are organized and easily searchable.

Get it here!

#1. Pinterest – This social networking site/virtual pinboard has certainly received a lot of attention in the recent months as its popularity has skyrocketed.  Users can clip, or “pin” images they find online that inspire them while browsing the bridal blogs and wedding websites.  I haven’t found a better way to organize and create inspiration boards for all of those little details.  You can make individual mood boards for wedding gowns, flowers, cakes, favors, etc.  You can also browse the boards of other users (just do a search for “wedding” and the results are endless!) and “like” or “re-pin” ideas and images from their boards.  Beware though . . . it’s totally addicting!  Best of all, it’s a sharing site, so if you’re working with a planner or designer, you can easily share images that illustrate your vision, or even pin pictures of potential bridesmaids dresses to a board and let your bridal party comment and vote on their favorites.  Boards are not private though, so if there are things that you don’t want to share with others, clip using Evernote instead.  Pinterest is currently only available by invite.  Click below to request one and be put on a (short) waiting list, or comment below, leave your email and I’ll send you an invite.

Request an invite here!

So, who’s ready to give that big binder the ol’ heave-ho?!

That’s right, the bulk of the year’s engagements happen between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, making this time of year a veritable love fest.  I’m sure some of you are already noticing the wave of facebook status updates and relationship changes.  If you are one of the newly engaged yourself, congratulations!  Take a deep breath and try to enjoy every moment.  This is supposed to be fun!

To kick things off for the new year, we participated in the bridal fair and open house at The Hills Hotel in Laguna Hills, one of my favorite ballrooms in Orange County.  Along with about 30 other top-notch vendors, 221 was excited and proud to be there to answer questions and provide inspiration and ideas for the lovely brides who attended.  I decided to collaborate with the talented Beth from The Pink Daffodil on three varied inspiration tables – so much fun!

Inspiration Table #1: Organic Elegance

The color palette of oranges, greens and whites gave this table a crisp, natural feel.  Unrefined materials were used throughout – a khaki linen runner, menu cards printed on white linen paper and attached to kraft paper backing with a mini clothespin and favors housed in small kraft boxes.  I could see this fitting in perfectly at an outdoor reception surrounded by nature, or in a barn or vineyard setting.

Inspiration Table #2: Modern Sophistication

If 2011 was the year of rustically vintage weddings with muted color palettes, 2012 will be a year when brides turn towards more sophisticated, clean design.  We wanted our second inspiration table to reflect this – classic, yet modern, and with a twist.  The range of purples in the mini calla lilies, hydrangea and carnations played beautifully off each other and I just love clustering bunches of small vases together.  The unexpected silver sequined overlay and the bold graphic print on the paper accessories kept the look from getting too serious.

Inspiration Table #3: Romantic Whimsy

Our last table did have more of a vintage feel, but in a more refined, delicate manner.  And hyper-girly!  We wanted it to look like the sweetest afternoon tea in an english rose garden and the insane organza rosette overlay was the perfect base to pile on china in coordinating floral patterns and lush flowers in baby pinks, peaches and greens.  A HUGE thank you to Fusion Linens for providing all of the beautiful linens for our tables!

And there you have it!  Which one of these designs is singing your name?

All you need are some glass cylinder vases or hurricanes, a few bags of cranberries (I used  three here), and a bunch of your favorite flowers.  Put some cranberries in the bottom of each container, fill with water, and float a flower head right on top.  By the way, I had no idea that cranberries float!  Go figure. Turned out to be the perfect “base” for the gerber daisies to rest on though.  Fa la la la la!

Another option is to use a floating candle on top instead of the flower.  Just as easy, and it adds a nice warm glow to your evening!

First things first – the invitations.  In meeting with the birthday girl, I found out that her favorite colors are blue and purple and that she wanted the party to have a very cool night club vibe.    Her parents also wanted to incorporate a poker chip that would provide entrance into the party.  And that was it; the rest was up to me.  

Designing for a teenager is nerve-wracking!  Not because they’re difficult to please, but because it really is their world and we all just live in it.  Things are either cool… or they’re not.  And if it’s not, then it’s out.  Period.  And I really haven’t had any exposure to teenagers since, well, I was one.  So even though I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on what’s hip and stylish for my generation, I realized that I had no idea what was cool to today’s high schoolers.  But, I had a blast trying to get back into those shoes (Doc Martens, at least when I was 16) and coming up with these fun invitations that pay homage to “fabulous” Las Vegas.  Most importantly, the birthday girl loved them – whew!

I even heard that the unlucky classmates who didn’t receive an invite were bribing  each other for those special poker chips!  Don’t worry though, security was tight and no party crashers got through.  Stay tuned to see pics from this fabulous Sweet Sixteen next week.  You’ll wish you were a teen again!

Here is my list of the top 10 ways to get more out of your wedding budget:

1. Cut the guest list – Food and beverage will always be the bulk of your expenses. Cutting down on the guest list means less people to wine and dine.
2. Use your surroundings as decor – Getting married in front of a gorgeous landscape or beach backdrop could mean less money spent on flowers and decor to spruce up the space.
3. On-site instead of Off-site reception – That industrial art loft may be calling your name, but once you factor in the chairs, tables, linens, dinnerware, etc, you could end up spending much more than at a hotel ballroom or special event venue that includes these items in your package.
4. Go off-peak – Consider getting married earlier in the day, during the week, or in the fall or winter.  Most venues have lower minimums and rental fees for events that take place other than on a Friday or Saturday evening.
5. Serve beer, wine and a Signature Cocktail only – Skipping the full hosted bar can save you thousands. This way, you still have something for everyone, while being kind to your wallet.  Plus, who doesn’t love a signature cocktail?
6. Skip the champagne toast – Most guests won’t drink it anyway and can toast with the beverage they already have in hand. Many venues include this as part of the package; ask to remove it or substitute for something else, like more hors d’oeuvres. 
7. Hire a DJ instead of a full band – Or, if hosting a smaller, more intimate affair, maybe just pop in an iPod.
8. Use offset printing or thermography - instead of engraving or letterpress.
9. Skip the favors – Unless it’s edible, most favors won’t even make it home with your guests.
10. Ask yourself: “Will anyone notice if we don’t have it?” –  If the answer is “no”, give it the boot!