Trend Watch: Stripes

Today I want to spend some time talking about a hot trend in modern weddings, black & white stripes! As a fan of Kate Spade, I of course love stripes! (She uses them quite often in her handbag and accessory designs) Stripes are uber chic and their bold simplicity won’t go unnoticed. They are the perfect accent for colorful florals, dainty details, and my personal favorite, glitter! I don’t know if there is anything more gorgeous in wedding decor than black and white stripes paired with gold glitter anything. I also love that stripes can be utilized in both modern and vintage weddings. For example, is your big day “Great Gatsby” themed? Stripes are the perfect way to bring in that 1920’s feel! Is your reception space modern with clean lines? You should use stripes in your decor to tie in the contemporary feel of your venue.Striped tablescapes are equally as breathtaking and awe ensuing as smaller details. Many wedding linen sites have started offering black and white striped runners for purchase. (I prefer to own my linens for future parties/showers but you can also rent if you’d like) You can buy a basic six foot table runner for $13.00 here: http://www.wedding-linens.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=165 (They do have other lengths available as well) Or you can always rent them from a place like this: http://www.fabulousevents.info/item.php?iid=406&pid=1&caid=127 HOT TIP: Ikea sells fabric that you can also use to make your very own if you are extra crafty http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90160027/

If you don’t want to fully commit to a stripe-filled ceremony/reception consider adding touches elsewhere: cupcake liners, striped straws, drink flags, napkins, place cards, etc. I love the idea of effortlessly tying a striped ribbon onto a mason jar, instant happiness! You can purchase the ribbon in different widths here: http://www.ribbonfactory.com/store/display_item/561.html. Having a few spools of this ribbon lying around is a great idea because you never know what you’ll want to add a touch of glam to at your venue (you can also totally use what’s left over afterwards for wrapping presents, etc)

I’ll leave you with this, stripes are not some newfangled novelty, they have been around for over a hundred years and have become a fashion staple. Don’t be afraid to weave them into your decor because even the smallest taste of stripes will add an elegant, stylish flair to your big day.

xo The Sparkly Bride

My Favorite Things: Temporary Tattoos

(Photo via greenweddingshoes.com)

I am guessing that the subject of this post probably threw you off. Yes, I am talking about having temporary tattoos at your wedding! Sure, this idea might sound childish and tacky…but trust me, when it’s done right, this is a great way to help make your day unique. Who wouldn’t love to see their great aunt rocking an awesome robot tattoo on her wrist? Or, that bridesmaid who is just a little too uptight with an anchor shoulder tattoo? To a very traditional bride I am sure the idea of a temporary tattoo bar at a wedding is outlandish, but to the sparkly bride who likes to push the envelope, I can’t think of an easier way to create a fun reception environment. You could have your own custom tattoos made (which can be pricey if you want multiple designs) or you can do what I prefer which is to gather your favorite ultra cool, modern designs to give your guests a variety of choices. My favorite sites for non-custom designs are: Tattly.com and Tattify.com. Here are some examples of their selections.

(www.tattify.com)

(www.tattly.com)

For a custom designed tattoo (i.e your wedding logo, your initials, etc) you may want to check out some of the etsy vendors that offer custom designs. PepperInk is one of the best ones in my opinion because their designs are clean and they have great taste in fonts.

The next thing you might be wondering is how to display and set up your wedding “tattoo bar”. Pinterest (as always) has some simple yet stylish ideas you can utilize. A simple table with a sign in a funky frame, baskets of tattoos, and a sponge and water would suffice, or you can go all out and make a booth (much like a photo booth). Either way, your guests will love inking themselves up at your wedding! Here are some of my favorite set-ups.

Happy Inking!

xo The Sparkly Bride

Sparkly Spotlight: Halo Settings

Before I was engaged, I looked at many different styles of rings including gem stones and asscher cut solitaires, but when it came down to it I kept coming back to the halo setting. I absolutely adore it! It is becoming more and more popular with modern brides and I don’t see it going out of style anytime soon, if ever. (It’s been around since the 1920’s!) One of the best things about it (listen up, grooms!) is that it will actually make your center stone appear larger than it actually is! For example, my center stone is a 1.25 carat round cut, but with the cushion cut halo it appears to be half a carat larger! Not that stone size is most important, because obviously what the ring represents is really what counts, but us sparkly brides do like our rings to be extra sparkly. If your man doesn’t have the money to buy a 1 carat stone maybe buying something just under a carat and putting it in a halo setting with satisfy your sparkly longing 🙂 Just a thought!

There are a variety of stone shapes you can have in a halo setting. Some common combinations I have seen are: round cut with round halo, cushion cut with cushion halo, and round cut with cushion halo. (examples below)

Round Cut with Round Halo

Cushion Cut with Cushion Halo

Round Cut with Cushion Halo

Some less common combinations I have seen are: emerald cut with emerald halo, princess cut with princess halo, and asscher cut with cushion halo. If you like the halo setting, but don’t want a ring similar to others you should definitely check these out!

Emerald Cut with Emerald Halo

Asscher Cut with Cushion Halo

Princess Cut with Princess Halo

Halo settings are also quite common among celebrity brides! Here are a few examples. Other celebrity halo setting fans include: Jessica Alba, Molly Sims, Penelope Cruz, and Carrie Underwood.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

xo The Sparkly Bride

My Favorite Things: Signature Drinks

Let’s face it, we all love the idea of having an open bar at our big day, but who can afford it!? These days more and more brides are ditching the open bar for one or two drinks (typically the bride and groom’s favorites) and a beer and wine selection. This is especially helpful and cost effective if you are bringing your own alcohol to your venue because it limits the amount you have to purchase! For our big day, we’ll be having a few different beer and wine selections coupled with two rum infused cocktails. Although you don’t have to use the same type of alcohol for your drinks, it can help make your bar more streamlined. Another fun thing about doing signature drinks is that you can name them whatever you’d like, they are after all, YOUR signature drinks for the night! Go ahead, take a swig of that “Blushing Bride” or “Blue Eyed Groom”! Naming your drinks something personal is just another way to add a sense of fun to your wedding. There are endless ways to display your bar offerings, I’m personally a fan of the chalkboard art style (the kind that doesn’t look like a two year old wrote it, though that works in some cases too :))

 

xo The Sparkly Bride

Venue Review: Carondelet House – Los Angeles, CA

I have a new favorite venue to add to my list: Carondelet House (pronounced: cuh-ron-duh-lay) in Los Angeles. I just went here last night for a tour and was blown away. This place is GORGEOUS. It is a brick building built in 1928 with warm wooden floors and an urban flair. There is so much architectural beauty here that cannot be overlooked!

This is the exterior of Carondelet House. I love the aged brick and beautiful windows! It is a gem within its’ surrounding buildings.

I LOVE these chandeliers. Chandeliers + brick + aged wood = perfection. This space is so classy, elegant, and unique all at the same time!

This is a side corridor where you can put food stations, a photo booth, or more seating for your guests!

How amazing is this “man cave”!? This is the perfect spot for you groom to hang out and have a drink while he awaits your arrival. So awesome!

This is your bridal suite! I love how spacious this room is, it’s great for getting ready or for a private moment between you and your new husband. I also love that this room is camera ready just like the rest of this venue, it is posh and put together!

Located at the front of the house, this parlor room transforms into the perfect dance floor! I love all of the vintage furniture this place has to offer!

One of two outdoor courtyards Carondelet House has to offer. This chandelier is so different and I love these giant sliding glass doors!

I love this area of the house! This spot doubles as ceremony space and reception seating space. What a gorgeous aisle! I love the chandeliers lighting the bride’s path on her way to marry the man of her dreams, so dreamy!

Here is the other courtyard! I love those hanging lights, so much texture! This is a great spot for guests to grab a drink and catch up with old friends.

Pros

• BEAUTIFUL. It is hard to find a place that is so charming and unique but also one that is simply beautiful. (I love Marvimon and Smog Shoppe to death but, this place has a more classic beauty that no one would be able to deny)
• Bridal Suite – I love how big their bridal suite is! I have 9 nieces and nephews that will be involved in my wedding so it would be awesome to have a space upstairs away from the chaos of the wedding for the kids to go and watch a movie or play a game if it gets to be too much for them.
• Courtyards – The courtyards are a great addition to Carondelet. While the inside is amazing, it’s nice to have the option to go outside for some fresh air if you feel the urge.
• PARKING – One of my main issues with Marvimon and Smog Shoppe is the fact that you must use a valet service and that there is really no place for guests to park themselves. Carondelet has a parking lot right next door! You can reserve spaces for your guests to park at $5 a space. (I don’t know about you, but that is a GREAT deal in my opinion!) I love how easy it would be for my guests to park themselves and walk over to the venue, they can leave when they please, run to get a sweater out of the car, etc. With valet there is so much room for error. You will have people standing around waiting for their cars, the awkward feeling that they need to tip, and major congestion as people are arriving and trying to get inside. Parking here gets a thumbs up from me!
• Kids – Like I said before, I have 9 nieces and nephews who will be at my wedding. The places I have looked are NOT fans of children (this is obviously a problem for me) When I asked Carondelet what their policy on having children at weddings was I was told that they don’t have any specific rules but that it would be a good idea to have one person be designated to look after them. (I totally understand why and would definitely plan on that anyway, it was just nice not to have someone look down upon the fact that I have a lot of children who will need to be in attendance)
• Furniture – they have tons of vintage couches and furniture (which I love!) that can be utilized throughout the house. It would be nice not to have to rent furniture from an outside vendor.

Cons

• Area – I sure know how to pick them! All of my possible venues are not in the best areas! I guess that’s what I get for liking industrial/urban spaces 🙂 Carondelet’s surrounding area is definitely not the worst I have seen, but it is definitely urban!
• Catering – I have heard wonderful things about the in-house caterer here TresLA (and would probably end up using them) but if you do want to use an outside caterer there is a huge buy out fee! Then, on top of that you still have to pay for whichever caterer you end up using (at that point I think its good to consider just using TresLA since they already know the space backwards and forwards and they have great reviews)
• Cost – The cost of this space has gone up for weddings in 2014! But if you read this and want to have your wedding in 2013 I suggest doing it! It’s a bummer that the price is going up, but I totally understand, you pay for what you get, and at Carondelet you get so much more than you pay for! It’s one-of-a-kind!

I definitely have quite a choice to make. My top three venues are Carondelet House, Marvimon, and Smog Shoppe. They are three amazing spaces, so I know that no matter which place I end up choosing, my day will be perfect (but of course it will be, because I’m marrying my best friend – cue ‘awws’ now) I predict that this place will become more and more popular as a venue. I just hope we can decide and book it before our favorite dates are taken! Happy planning sparkly friends!

xo The Sparkly Bride

My Favorite Things: Giant Balloons

What could be more whimsical than giant round pastel balloons on your wedding day!? I am absolutely gaga over these cuties! They add such a wonderful air (no pun intended!) of innocent sophistication to wedding day decor. You may be asking: why GIANT balloons? Why not just regular balloons? There is a big difference (again no pun intended) between plain old party balloons and giant round balloons. They are statement pieces, more special than average balloons, and your day should be anything but average. Imagine walking into a reception space (indoor or outdoor) and seeing normal balloons, what comes to my mind (please don’t be offended) is that I just stepped out of a wedding and into a prom or sweet sixteen party. Now, imagine walking in and catching a glimpse of a few adorable over-sized balloons sprinkled here or there, wonder and curiosity are sure to ensue.

Tassel garlands and giant balloons go hand in hand. They are impeccably stylish and are perfect for your sparkly, fun-filled day! Here are some images for reference.

Tassel garlands are great for stringing balloons or perfect for hanging over your dessert table, or both! You decide 🙂 It’s not hard to make them yourself (find a great D-I-Y step by step guide here http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/howtomaketasselgarland/), or if you are not the crafty type you can purchase them on Etsy from these adorable shops.

Glam Fete By Bri (http://www.etsy.com/shop/GlamFeteByBri?ref=seller_info)

Studio Mucci (http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioMucci?ref=seller_info)

The Flair Exchange (http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFlairExchange?ref=seller_info_

These jumbo balloons don’t have to be all dolled up to be splendid, they also look great with a simple string tied around them. This more understated look suits them well because of their bold appearance. Be careful when/if you are going to purchase these balloons for yourself, read descriptions carefully as you may end up purchasing a regular balloon with a more oblong shape or a mylar balloon. You might try searching for giant balloons, round balloons, or over-sized balloons. Here are a few places that sell them:

Koyal Wholesale sells these them in pairs for $10.98, check out their color choices here: http://www.koyalwholesale.com/c1422/big-balloons new.html&zenid=f3b53036ee4e181c1e73c5a963bcaa10

Balloons Fast sells them for $3.85 each (their site needs a little work but the prices are great!) http://www.balloonsfast.com/36inchlatexballoons.html

Whether you are putting them around your cake table or you are using them for a prop in your photos these balloons make everything they touch sparkle a little brighter!

xo The Sparkly Bride