I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving! I’ll be back to blogging on Monday.

Image: Ngoc Minh Ngo

It’s raining here in Santa Barbara and days like this just make me want to curl up with a good cup of tea.

A tea party can be the perfect theme for a bridal shower or even a morning wedding affair.

Here a white tea service is filled with lilies of the valley, so pretty and feminine.

One pink peony would be beautiful as well.

Images: 1. & 4. Sandra Lane 2. Polly Wreford 3. The Velvet Garden

Oh I am moving slow today… I just got back from Hawaii and I’m ready to go back to reading magazines on the beach. But anyway, I love this photo by the lovely ladies of Belathée Photography. The red shoes, the flowly dress, its all so dreamy…

Also, Elizabeth Anne Designs posted one of the DIY projects I did for a wedding back in August. You can check it out here.

A brand new Santa Barbara wedding estate has just become available for 2009. Located near the Santa Barbara Mission, “Las Tapias” is a lovely garden location.

It can accommodate up to 125 guests and a two nights stay in the location’s apartment is included in the site fee.

Ceremonies take place in front of the lovely fountain. Once the ceremony is over, the lawn is flipped for the reception.

Cocktails can be held on the patio and there is an outdoor fire place.

Some notes:

For catering a kitchen can be built in the garage. One bathroom is included in the rental, with additional units needing to be brought in. There is ample street parking. Candles are allowed in glass and additional lighting will need to be brought in. A dance floor cannot be put on the grass (there is a lower patio that would work well as a dance floor). As with all of Santa Barbara, music must be off by 10pm. The estate would like to hold only a handful of weddings per year. For more than a hundred guests, the site fee is $6000. Please contact Marilynn for more information at marilynnhelene@cox.net.

Since there was no Shoesday this week, I thought I’d come combine my two regular posts into one. I call this photo bling-o-rama (photo by Elizabeth Messina).

Stilettos plus diamonds, yes please! Photo by Allyson Magda.

Thank you to all my guest bloggers! Be sure to check out their blogs for even more inspiration.

Image: Pistachio Press

Our next guest is the lovely Cassandra from coco + kelley:

Whenever I get asked about where I find inspiration for my interiors and events, I only have one answer: everywhere. So, whether I’m planning a wedding or styling a dining room, I always tell my clients to send me anything that moves them. I’ve created rooms inspired by fashion spreads and weddings inspired by vintage posters. It’s really all about figuring out what it is about that piece that inspires you, and designing everything around it. Here’s how it works for me…

I recently moved back to Seattle from Los Angeles and have been completely infatuated by the amazing colors of the leaves changing all over the city. Patches of vivid reds, oranges and yellows are everywhere I look! I wanted to find a room that really captured the colors of the season while still remaining elegant…

This dining room by Stephen Shubel has always been a favorite of mine, and happens to be the perfect inspiration! I love how he designed the chairs in different colors to add a bit of playfulness to a more formal space. The dark rustic table and floors help warm things up a bit and keep the space grounded. So, now it’s time to translate this feeling into a wedding!

To me, there were a few key elements to keep in mind for this design - elegance, playfulness, and a dash of rustic. Keeping the color palette mostly brown and golden yellow with subtle touches of orange and red creates a sophisticated palette. Tying in the chandelier motif to the invitation also creates this sense of luxury. The feather accents, colorful lanterns, and lots of loose ribbons lighten the mood, while the setting itself creates all the rustic touches needed. And voila! That’s how I translate an inspirational room to a wedding!

Sources:
1) Ring pillow photographed by Studio Nouveau
2) Lanterns via {frolic!}
3) Ceremony site: by Karen Bussen
4) Chandelier invitations photographed by Belathee Photography:
5) Bridesmaid dress via Style Me Pretty
6. Cake via Martha Stewart Weddings
7. Boutonniere: Twigs & Honey
8. Shoes: J.Crew
9. Dress: Vera Wang
10. Chandelier photographed by Belathee Photography
11. Flower girls via Martha Stewart Weddings
12. Vintage car photo via Brides
13. Bouquet via Snippet & Ink

Our next guest is Chelsea from {frolic}, an inspiring blog that you must check out. And if you’re in the Portland area Chelsea would love to help design your next event!

Kelly asked me to write a little about my creative process. I tend not to follow rules. But, I do follow a few tips. Whether I am working on an event or a photo shoot, I try to remind myself of a few things. Maybe these will be helpful to some of you trying to plan a wedding or party.

* Follow your instinct.

*Inspiration can be found anywhere.

*Consider the location and/or the purpose. Let ideas grow from that.

*Take a break if you are feeling stifled.

*Start over if necessary.

*Seek out an opinion (but not too many!)

*Don’t forget to have fun; it will help you stay inspired.

Here are a few of my current inspirations:

Donna Hay always inspires me [above & below].

Jane Packer’s website is filled with floral goodies.

.

Roland Bello’s photography website is my first stop when I am looking for a little eye candy.

Lately I love pink. This image is from stylist Jane Roarty.

Thanks for letting me visit, everyone! Come say hello over at my blog, Frolic!

Our next guest blogger is the lovely Darci:

Hello!  I am so happy to be contributing to the blog here at Santa Barbara Wedding Chic.  My regular blog is With This Ring, where I post ideas for making your wedding unique and other daily inspiration.  Thanks for allowing me to be here Kelly, and I hope all of you enjoy the post!

Considering the state of the economy these days, having an eco friendly wedding can be beneficial for both the environment and your budget.  This wedding from Brides is a perfect example of ways to both cut costs while recycling things you might already own or can get for a deep discount:

The multicolored vases on the table are all recycled glass.  To accomplish something similar, you could either collect vases from friends and family (or from your own collection) or search ebay and local flea markets for used vases within your budget.  The favors are individual pots full of moss, which you can buy in sheets for a very low price at your local nursery.  Plus, they are something that your guests can keep to be reminded of your wedding day!

I’m super excited to introduce our first inspirational guest blogger for the week, Kathryn from Snippet & Ink:

I’m so flattered that Kelly has invited me to share a little about my process for creating inspiration boards. The truth is, some days I feel very inspired, and I can see exactly what I want my inspiration board to look like, and all of the elements just fall into place. But other days - most days - finding that starting point can be tricky. The starting point can be anything: a season, a venue, a bouquet. It can even be something less obvious, like a children’s book or wallpaper pattern. I even have a file labeled “Inspiration” where I save images that really stand out to me, like this:

or this

Generally, the images that I save to my Inspiration file are images that make me think of a color palette or a venue - those things that weren’t coming so easily before. Sometimes, even when I get going on an inspiration board, it won’t come together exactly the way I want it to, and I’ll put it aside for a day or two, or scrap it altogether. But usually, once I have that initial image, I can create something I’m happy with.

I get questions from readers about how they can go about creating their own inspiration boards, so here is what I usually tell them:

Unless you’re already comfortable with Photoshop, or feel like taking the time to learn it, there are other, easier ways to pull images together. Polyvore is one method, or Mosaic Maker is another. An actual bulletin board is a great way to include not only tearsheets, but also fabric and paper samples, ticket stubs, and other ephemera. Once you’ve decided on your medium, here are some things to consider, that should help you pull your inspiration board together:

- What season is it? What colors, flowers, foods make sense in that season?
- What is the mood of the event? Is it formal, casual, or something in between? Is it grand or intimate? Sophisticated? Playful?
- What is the venue? Inside or outdoors? How can I play up regional or local elements? Does the architecture or scenery inspire me?
- What single element can tie everything together? Is it a theme? A certain flower or fruit? Color or pattern?
- How can I stretch this idea? What is unexpected but fits perfectly with all the other elements?

Don’t let specific colors or themes limit you - an inspiration board should help you figure out what kinds of things you like, what kind of look you’re going for, but you should not feel limited by colors you’ve chosen or a theme you’re working on. Let your inspiration board reflect your personality, reflect things you truly love and not those things you think other people want to see, and it will be a wonderful tool in the planning process. And if you’re not feeling especially inspired, stop by Snippet & Ink to see if anything strikes your fancy!

Images: 1. Inspiration Board 271 2. House & Garden via {this is glamorous} 3. Ngoc Minh Ngo 4. Inspiration Board 257 5. Inspiration Board 298

Hi everyone, since I’m going on vacation for my birthday I thought I’d pull together a week of some my favorite bloggers to come by and share what inspires them. All of these ladies have certainly inspired me, and I hope they will inspire you as well.

Our guest bloggers are:

Monday: Kathryn from Snippet & Ink will share how she creates her lovely inspiration boards. A behind the scenes look with the best in the business, I hope she will inspire you to make your own inspiration board (above “Southern Magnolia” board from here).

Tuesday: Darci from With–This–Ring. A recent bride who shared her process of wedding planning and event design with her readers. She got loads of style and a love for green that made her blog one of my first blog-obsessions.

Wednesday: Chelsea from {frolic!} will share how inspiration can be found anywhere, from the pages of high fashion to interior design to paper goods.

Thursday: Cassandra from coco+kelley will share how she translates interior design into a wedding inspiration board. It’s a unique approach to inspiration boards and a fun way to incorporate design from outside the wedding world.

Enjoy the eye candy and be sure to check out each of their blogs for tons more inspiration.

I love this ring shot, it makes me want a Jones Soda. Photo by Rani Lu.

Guess what? Its this little wedding blog’s birthday. Lets throw a party!  We’ll need some balloons…

A party dress…

and some candles…

I’ll set the table for guests…

And let them eat cake!

Images: 1. Kate Mathis 2. Vallentyne Photography 3. Meg Smith Photography 4. via Michelle Rago blog 5. Artfool 6. Ben Dearnley

While Santa Barbara doesn’t exactly have “winters,” I still love how romantic a white winter wedding can be.

You could set the table with the warm glow of candles and use some subtle holiday decor.

Or use all white flowers on the tables.

And decorate the wedding cake with snowflakes.

Or serve snowflake cookies for favors, yum!

With a warm cup of hot chocolate, and friends and family a winter wedding could be really special.

Images: 1. Jenna Walker Photography via the Knot 2. Wendell T. Weber 3. Leigh Miller Photography 4. The Velvet Garden 5. Liz Banfield 6. Kate Mathis

I love the pleated details and the bling bow on these shoes. Photos by Corbin Gurkin.