I’m sure by now you have heard a few bits and pieces about my sister Kellee and her amazing new company  Lover.ly (click the link to check it out)! Beta codes are coming out to users daily and we are so excited to share with everyone this labor of love and amazing resource for the wedding industry. About a month ago we had a meet up here in Manhattan Beach at the amazing Shade Hotel where we showed a preview of the site and revealed all of our blogging partners.  We were also HONORED to have Elizabeth Messina there to capture it all! All the super cute pink desserts were designed by our client and recent Cupcakes Wars winners Cupcakes Couture. Adrienne from Cherish Paperie made the cutest little drink tokens, our invitation, signs, and all our fun paper goods. We were blown away by the gorgeous florals that Christina and Zaid from Dolce Designs created. They are floral art geniuses. I love them! Thanks so much to Cathy from Wedding Bee, Kathyrn from Snippet and Ink, Jocey from Wedding Chicks, and Emarie from La Tavola Linen for flying in for our party.  We appreciate you girls!!

Take a look below at our get together and sit tight because your beta code is on its way!

Be Prepared to Be Inspired!…

 See some more of our fun photo booth pictures here!

Photography: Elizabeth Messina
Event Production: Be Inspired PR
Florals: Dolce Designs
Desserts: Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach
Stationery: Cherish Paperie
Linens: La Tavola
Venue: Shade Hotel
Gift Bags: Wedding Chicks
Dessert Background: Jesi Haack Design
Photo Booth: Mobile Photo Booth
Champagne: Nicolas Feuillatte

A big congrats to Ruffled blog who just launched her vintage dress shop! Elizabeth Messina captured these beautiful images to kick off the campaign. We are thrilled to share these with you in conjunction with some of our favorite friends in the wedding blog world, Snippet and Ink, Green Wedding Shoes and Kiss the Groom! See more of these beautiful images on their blogs today as well!

Gorgeous as usual Elizabeth again and we are so happy for you Amanda!

Here is a little more about the shop:

We’re partnering with designers who share a vintage-inspired aesthetic to create exclusive collections for Ruffled. Brides will not only be able to find all things vintage-inspired fashion, but they will also be able to customize their wedding dress to make it into something completely unique. Most gowns are well under $800, so they are super affordable too!
Each dress comes in a variety of fabric, color and length options for you to choose from. You will also have the ability to mix and match bodices and skirts. My favorite option is that you can also add pockets to your dress! We will also accommodate custom orders. Wedding gowns are designed by Fancy. We will be offering two different petticoats in a wide range of colors and a customizable length.

Dresses, veils and accessories: Ruffled Shop
Photography: Elizabeth Messina
Stylist: Catherine Sheppard of The Life Styled
Venue: Santa Barbara Historical Museum
Hair and Makeup: Christina Burns 617-285-8772

]]> http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2011/08/inspired-by-vintage-wedding-dresses-from-ruffled-blog/feed/ 16 http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2011/08/inspired-by-all-things-lover-ly/ http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2011/08/inspired-by-all-things-lover-ly/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:30:49 +0000 Leila http://www.inspiredbythis.com/?p=31857 Have you heard about Loverly yet?? Its a brand new online platform for brides, bloggers, and wedding professionals etc.. that is here to help you search and save curated gorgeous wedding images. As you plan weddings you can use Loverly to help you find what you love and use it for your wedding planning inspiration. [...]]]>

This week we just had huge meetup in LA showcasing a sneak peek of how Loverly works and getting everyone excited about our upcoming launch! If you want in on what what the wedding industry is buzzing about you need to sign up for your beta access as the first beta users will get their private access next week! You can FOLLOW  and LIKE Loverly to keep up with whats happening…

Thanks so much to the amazing vendors who helped put on the meetup Elizabeth Messina who captured everything (I can’t wait to see the pictures!!), Shade Hotel who hosted the event, Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach who supplied all of the sweets, Jesi Haack who helped with the design of the party and our fab heart backdrop, La Tavola Linen, Cherish Paperie who did our invites and all our amazing stationery and paper goods and Dolce Designs, one of our most favorite floral designers in LA, prettied up our party with their gorgeous blooms. The Wedding Chicks Shop provided all the favors: custom Loverly Totes and Nicolas Feuillatte gave us mini bottles of their famous Rose Champagne for our guests as well.

Dolce Designs, Shade Hotel, and Sterling Social

The Special Day, Plush Tan, Monique Lhuillier, Bride and Bloom

Jesi Haack, Amelia Lyon, Nicole Deanne, and Angie Sloan

Wedding Bee, Snippet and Ink, La Tavola, The Collection ES and Grey Likes Weddings

Pitbulls and Posies, Be Inspired Team with JL Designs  Constance Curtis and Loverly

We are so honored to be featured in Issue 5 of Rue Magazine! This summer soiree party, planned with Mindy Weiss is perfect summer inspiration! Featuring amazing florals and decor by Dolce Designs, delicious desserts by Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach, hair and makeup by 10.11 Makeup, Stationery by Lehr and Black,  Ice cream by Sweet Lucies, a sunless tanning booth by Plush Tan, and linens by La Tavola Linens, all captured beautifully by Elizabeth Messina. I’m so obsessed with how all the images turned out! Thanks again Elizabeth!

If you haven’t seen it already you must must must check out the latest issue of Rue!

Champagne by Nicolas Feuillatte, and Beer by Tailgate Beer

Check out the super cute film by Floataway Studios!

When I received this wedding from Elizabeth Messina and Angel Swanson of Love and Splendor I died a little inside. It’s absolutely gorgeous! I love all the classic and well thought out details and of course the whimsical images! These two ladies did a fabulous job designing and capturing James and Angela’s day. Here’s what Angel had to say about the special day:

“Angela and James envisioned a very classically elegant wedding, which would be all at once timeless and intensely romantic.  Although they live in New York, they wanted to host the wedding in their native Southern California.  Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, one of my very favorite venues, was the perfect backdrop for their affair. A blush-tinged palette of neutrals set the stage for the day, in shades of pink, peach, soft gold and a dusty sage. White lilac did the most incredible job with the florals, which were lush and textural, overflowing from a collection of mercury glass containers mixed with large tabletop lanterns.  To set the mood at the reception, abundant candlelight was utilized on the tabletops and grand chandeliers were suspended in the trees overhead.  I loved the juxtaposition of the natural, organic feel of Saddlerock and the luxe feel of the décor, which included over-the-top linens from La Tavola and carefully selected vintage pieces from {found}.  Elizabeth’s photography was the perfect complement to the feel of the day; her ethereal images immediately transport me to all the loveliness of this very special celebration.  It was an absolute delight working on this wedding and I am so thrilled to share it with all of you!”

Venue: Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu

Photography: Elizabeth Messina

Wedding Planning & Coordination: Angel Swanson, Events of Love and Splendor

Floral Design & Décor: White Lilac

Catering: Huntington Catering

Band: The Buzzcatz

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Lighting: Lighten Up, Inc.

Linens: La Tavola

Vintage Rentals: {found} vintage rentals

Calligraphy: Xandra Zamora of XYZ Ink

Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier “Camelot”

The internet is a plethora of never ending information, and virtually gives us access to almost anyone we want – which can have it’s upsides and it’s downsides as well. While it allows us to further our reach, it also can minimize relationships with vendors. Sometimes we forget there’s a real person behind the blog, behind the twitter, behind the facebook. When you’re constantly @ replying someone or sending email after email you’re running the risk of being too impersonal. Yes, the virtual world allows instant and constant access to people, but that doesn’t mean we should take advantage of it! Respect should always come first.

If you know me you know that I’m all for using social media to grow your brand, I love tweeting, blogging and updating our facebook! I think it’s a tool that, when used correctly, can help start and leverage relationships and build your wedding businesses. However, when not used correctly these tools can be harmful. Even through email and social media we all still deserve to be treated kindly and with respect – no one wants to wake up to  15 emails from a single person asking the status of their submission. No one wants to be hounded on twitter over and over by the same person asking for a RT. Try and remember that behind the screen is a human being, and just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean you can take advantage of that disconnect. Your emails and tweets are a reflection of your brand, and if you’re not putting the best you into that then you’re doing yourself a disservice.

I think the virtual world has drawn our attention to the product – the beautiful images, a gorgeous tablescape, a blog with amazing content, a stunning bouquet – and we forget about the person working hard to create it all – the photographer, designer, blogger and florist. When you forget this or treat the relationship as a relationship with a product and not a person it can be very harmful. Treat your online interactions the same as you would treat an in person interactions. Would you call them 15 times a day? No? Then you probably shouldn’t be emailing or tweeting them that often. Would you call them after 11pm and expect them to answer? No? Then it’s probably safe to say they won’t be replying to your email at that time. Be careful and discerning about what you send into cyberspace, know the boundaries and always exercise caution. People are people, whether in person or behind a computer screen. Yes, they may be a world famous photographer, planner or blogger but at the end of the day they’re still people and should be treated as such.

photo by Elizabeth Messina

Beautiful, artistic, timeless, magical, ethereal, a moment in time…. these are all words that jump to my mind when I think of Elizabeth Messina’s work, it’s truly one of a kind! Not to mention she is one of the kindest and most honest people I’ve ever met in the industry. If  you aren’t a daily reader of her blog Kiss the Groom, you need to be! It’s a daily source of inspiration for me and our office. When Kathryn from Snippet and Ink was on her honeymoon I wrote a guest post all about the color green and Elizabeth’s work was a big part of that inspiration! Around this time last year she so generously offered to do a love shoot with my then fiance Tony and I. I must say, I am SO in love with my pictures, I know they’ll be something that my husband and I cherish for years to come! I adore Elizabeth and her work… be on the lookout because there are amazing things sure to come her way!

]]> http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2011/04/love-this-elizabeth-messina-photography/feed/ 16 http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2010/12/inspired-by-our-snippet-ink-guest-post/ http://www.inspiredbythis.com/2010/12/inspired-by-our-snippet-ink-guest-post/#comments Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:42:55 +0000 Leila http://www.inspiredbythis.com/?p=22231 I was absolutely thrilled and honored when my dear friend Kathryn from Snippet and Ink asked me to guest post for her while she was away on her honeymoon! She asked me to create a post revolving around a color palette I love and what do you know, I picked GREEN. I loved my post [...]]]>

I was absolutely thrilled and honored when my dear friend Kathryn from Snippet and Ink asked me to guest post for her while she was away on her honeymoon! She asked me to create a post revolving around a color palette I love and what do you know, I picked GREEN. I loved my post so much I decided to share it here today, just in case you missed it!

If any of you have visited my website, stopped by my office or can guess what color my home is then you know that GREEN is my absolute favorite color. I don’t discriminate when it comes to Green: Lime, Chartreuse, Emerald, Mint, Olive… they all get me oh so excited!

Photos by Elizabeth Messina

However, green has more than surface beauty. It symbolizes living and thriving, it is growth, abundance and forward motion. We see it daily at traffic lights signaling people to move ahead, on a vine bearing new fruit, and in tiny stems pushing their way upward from the earth.

Found on Sunday Suppers

Every Winter, the weather strips the trees of their leaves and the fields of their grasses, but we always know Spring will evoke life once again.  Green is everywhere: Symbolizing life is fresh and new and full of beginnings!

Photo by Jose Villa

As you plan your wedding, look for what inspires you! Is it a texture? A picture? A season? or a Color? If you love Green like I do then this post is for you!

Photos by Leo Patrone

I recently had the opportunity to work with Amanda from Ruffled Blog. Even before we started working together I loved her blog. She features such beautiful weddings and other vintage goodies. I appreciate that she knows just who she wants to cater to and stays true to that. You may or may not know that she recently added a Classified section to her site. Unlike other classifieds, Ruffled’s is geared like her site, to the bride that wants to incorporate a vintage  feel or vintage items. Bride and Grooms whether they are newly engaged or newlyweds can log on to the section and buy and sell vintage inspired items. What a concept! Its a perfect venue for those newly married to unload all of the milk glass they had to have but will never use again and likewise the bride still planning can snatch it up and a lovely vintage cake stand. The classified section will totally help those who are seeking charming used items find them faster than combing through flea markets and antique stores. If you are a bride looking to create a wedding full of storied charm, one looking to sell of a palate of cobalt vases or just someone who loves beautiful images, you must visit ruffled blog! You can follow Amanda Here to stay up to date on what new loveliness is on the site.

Today on Ruffled,  Amanda is featuring a fab photo shoot done this week with former ABC’s The Bachellorette contender Kiptyn, styled by the ever creative Lollipop Events and Design and shot by John Schnack . The couple looks amazing, especially Kiptyn’s counterpart who is donning Alisa Benay’s Mirabelle gown. This gown is a part of a fabulous charitable initative called 100 brides for 100k. Alisa donates one thousand dollars from the sale of each Mirabelle to breast cancer research. Its perfect for the bride who wants to give back. The photos just scream romance! Speaking of the Bachelorette, if you happened to have missed yesterday’s post of Jillian Harris’ engagement shots, you can see them here!

In other very very exciting news one of my very favorite blogs, Kiss the Groom will turn one year old on Valentines Day! Happy Happy early Birthday Elizabeth! So fitting that it is the on Valentines Day since you are continually sharing images of pure, unadulterated love. Your blog is a continual source of inspiration to me and the wedding industry is a better, more beautiful and enriched place because you are a part of it! If you are not a regular reader or have never visited Kiss the Groom (I find this highly unlikely) run your little fingers over there immediately and feast your eyes on some of the most gorgeous images you may ever see. No I am not being dramatic…trust me!

Past Bachelorette contender, Kiptyn’s gorgeous valentines day themed photo shoot with Alisa Benay’s Mirabelle gown

Photos on the left from Ruffled Classifieds, photos on the right Designed by Momental Designs shot by @DanielLanton

Just a few of the beautiful images Elizabeth Messina is continually capturing and kind enough to share

I have loved too many weddings that we have posted this year and am so grateful for the talented photographers who sent them our way. Here are a few of my very favorites! It will be of no surprise who captured these stunning weddings.

Wedding at San Ysidro Ranch Photographed by Elizabeth Messina

New York wedding by Shira Weinberger

Planned by Duet Weddings and Photographed By Jose Villa