Natalie and Mehdi + Paradise Valley Wedding

Natalie and Mehdi were married in a beautiful sunset ceremony in Paradise Valley in April and shared their wedding day video with me.  It was truly a pleasure to be part of their special day.  The design and planning was so fun with this unique couple.  And the private estate venue was such an incredible backdrop for this event.  Wishing them both love and happiness!  Thanks for sharing.

Natalie & Mehdi - Wedding - March 30th 2013 from Mehdi Farsi on Vimeo.

Sweet Dreams + Dessert & Candy Table

Dessert Tables are sweet, but combine a dessert table with a sweets table and you'll have exactly "what dreams are made of".  This is the second half of the styled photo shoot that I recently styled at Creekside Estates, a private venue right here in the heart of the Northwest Valley of Phoenix.  Photographed by Diana Elizabeth, the sweetest little shooter ever, and such a blessing to have as a friend. Thank you, once again for making everything I create look like a dream.

Julie, of the famed Juju's Tutus, desired a styled shoot to show of her "Brights" collection of party wear.  So, I let my imagination run wild, or rather, I let my dreams run wild.  The design involved a space that felt like a kid's dream.  Floating on the clouds with feathers all around, with nothing in sight but bright, sweet, swirls of sugar.  I have to thank my newest intern, Christine Young for all her help with this shoot, there was lots of prep work, climbing on ladders and fighting a wild breeze that day. I couldn't have done it without her!

 The gorgeous invitation and feathery labels were perfectly created by the sweetness of Amy of Page and Mason, and they complimented my design perfectly.

The chuppa, which makes an appearance at many of our weddings, was topped off  here with ruffles to match the table skirt.  Flowing white chiffon gave the illusion of floating on a cloud, the gorgeous backdrop of the castle-like house certainly helped with this fanciful illusion.

 The spectacular center piece on this table is my favorite part of the design.  A whimsical creation using over sized super psychedelic jaw breakers! All of the candies were purchased at a local candy company with a 50 year history here in Phoenix.  The candelabra is surrounded by little swirly lollipops and mallow suckers dipped in white chocolate.

Blueberries floating on clouds of meringue topped cupcakes, and little candy boxes in all the colors of the rainbow.  Sweet Dreams cookies designed by The Baked Equation were a perfect addition to the super sweet collection.

 Raspberry french macarons filled with creamy vanilla butter cream dance sweetly with Marshmallow
 filled sugar cones.

 Milkshake shots in glasses rimmed with chocolate and sprinkles are surround by rock crystal pink ropes and topped with striped grey straws and even more sprinkles.

 This design could easily transform any event into something guests would never forget.  For a wedding, this would be a showstopper.  So, I had my super talented friend Ivy, of Garage by Ivy, create a bright, sweet bridal bouquet.  It looks almost good enough to eat! 

 Instead of vases full of flowers, I used vases full of candy, layered in bright colors and topped off with bouquets of mallow cones and sugar-filled straws in neon colors.

 Little Angels of cake drizzled with icing and perched on polka dot cups.

Feather details surround the rim of the table with a border of white lace, and floating overhead in the breeze, white roses tied up like candies in tulle. Brilliant design, again by Garage by Ivy.

This was such a fun design, and such a fresh project for me.  Sweets tables are still so popular for all kinds of events, sweetness will never go out of style.
 Lets don't forget the cute little reasons that I did this shoot...Julies little angels (models) which includes my gorgeous, and sweet little grand daughter, Promise.  She had so much fun, me too!






 
 

 THE END!  so cute...

Venue: Private Residence at Creek Side Estates / Event designer, custom linens, chuppa structure and props: Angela Saban Design / Paper goods: Page and Mason / Cup Cakes,candy and dessert shots: Angel Cakes Bakery / Cookies: The Baked Equation / Florals: The Garage by Ivy /  Hair styling: Mariana Marie / Tutus: Juju’s Tutus / Jewelry: My Sassy Sister / Hair accessories: Princess Pie Boutique / Shirts, leggings and bloomers: Mak May Designs

Storybook Tea Party + Styled Shoot

When the ever-talented Julie from Juju's Tutus called me to create a styled shoot for her newest lines of darling tutus. I couldn't wait to get started.  I had been waiting for the chance to have a Tea Party, and this was the perfect setting.

I discovered Creekside Estates through the contracting business that my husband has owned and operated for 30 years here in the valley.  We have created some unique natural stone items and counter tops in this beautiful residence over the last few years. The owners graciously allowed a whole "gaggle" of giggly little girls to take over their home for a gorgeous day full of tulle, bouncy curls, doilies and cups full of pretend princess tea.

The inspiration for a "Storybook" theme really took flight when I spoke to Desiree from Paper Candee.  When she told me about her dream of a mirror invitation delivered to the special little princess in it's own fairy tale story book!  I instantly saw the entire shoot in my head.  Sometimes it takes just the right element to fire off all of the vision for an event.

 

It was the perfect storybook tea party setting – romantic and sweet.  This lovely shoot was full of cute tea party tutus by Juju’s Tutus.  Perfectly shabby chic and so romantic, these tutus will be perfect for flower girls and birthday girls.  The adorable tops, leggings and bloomers were a perfect compliment made by Makmay Designs.  Featuring vintage China from Tea Crockery, (a great new find) cookies by The Baked Equation, romantic florals by The Garage by Ivy (love the toadstools and succulents), and a tea cart rental by Modern Revival. 

Polishing off the little models were hair accessories from Princess Pie Boutique and necklaces by My Sassy Sister, and adorable hair styling by Mariana Marie.  The cake was one of my favorite elements. 

 I had been waiting for an opportunity to do a "naked cake"  Stacked with pale pink frosting and topped off with Ivy's beautiful fairytale flowers, and surrounded by little pearls, I am loving it!  As always, Angel Cakes Bakery, my own creations, provided some yummy little mini treats like mini french macarons, meringues, and cake truffles.

Diana Elizabeth and her fairytale camera captured all the magic, as usual.  In a perfect, fairytale land, Diana would just follow me around and make my world all mystical and magical and stuff!  Until then, I'll just keep dreaming of my very own Tea Party, and by the way, my grand daughter is one of the gorgeous little models, which made the day truly MAGICAL!  OK, I know I just used the word magic 4 times in the same paragraph...and I am not sorry!

 

Please visit these vendors, most are located in Phoenix but most all do business nationwide and we had items flown from these talented vendors.  Whether it’s for a birthday party, shower or wedding, these vendors can supply everything you need for a unique and gorgeous party.

Venue: Private Residence at Creek Side Estates / Event designer, custom linens: Angela Saban Design / Paper goods: Paper Candee / Tea Party Table and vintage China: Tea Crockery / Gluten Free Cake: Angel Cakes Bakery / Cookies: The Baked Equation / Florals: The Garage by Ivy / Tea cart, candy tins: Modern Revival / Hair styling: Mariana Marie / Tutus: Juju’s Tutus / Jewelry: My Sassy Sister / Hair accessories: Princess Pie Boutique / Tops, leggings, bloomers: Makmay Designs

Bridal Veils + How to's!

Brides are constantly looking for great intel on how to dress, what to choose and how to choose it, especially when it comes to accessories.  I received an email this morning from BHLDN and couldn't wait to share it with you.  Absolutely fabulous article on Veils!

Click on the article to go to the link, and make sure to pin it for future reference....

East meets West Dessert Table + Offbeat Bride Feature

Sage and Allison have to be one of my all time favorite couples for a few reasons.  First of all, I have never met a couple who knew more about who they were, both as individuals and as a couple.  Second, they knew exactly what they wanted from me, and never doubted that i was the right person for the job, refreshing!  Third, they not only wanted to enjoy the dessert table, they wanted their guests to be "over the moon" for their choices.  They offered gluten free and vegan goodies for their guests, as a lot of them had made certain lifestyle choices. Allison is a recent college graduate of internal medicine, and they are both gluten free by choice.  Their fun, funky, and very meaningful wedding celebration was held at Tre Bella in Mesa, AZ and was such a joy to be a part of, and it was also recently featured on a very offbeat blog site...Offbeat Bride.  You can see the full post on the blog.  My thanks to Allison, Sage, and Offbeat Bride for the gorgeous pictures and kind words.

 

Photo by Photo by Joy McCambridge

This is Allison's description of the day from Offbeat Bride...

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: It was important to us that we incorporated traditional Taiwanese practices into our wedding, as well as Gothic Victorian and modern touches. We had a table set up for red envelopes that traditionally contain money for the bride and groom. We created a special drink (an absinthe grand marnier cocktail) we called a double happiness, and served Tsing Tao at the bar. Our invitations were done in a sleepy-hollow font and put inside traditional red envelopes. We commissioned cupcakes inspired by almond cookie and Taiwanese pineapple flavors. We used a lot of red and gold since those are traditional wedding colors. We sent our guests home with happy golden Buddha photo holders in order to increase their happiness and prosperity. 

Photo by Damon Wilson

The dessert table featured Apple Pie Pops shaped like hearts, Firecracker, cherry bomb cake pops, and a hand painted red and gold cake. More pictures of the table in this post.

Photo by Damon Wilson

My funniest moment: Sage and I couldn't figure out how to cut the cake. Angela (our dessert buffet creator) had to help us figure it out.

Photo by Damon Wilson

Photo by Joy McCambridge