Now offering e-Design services

So many people and so much preparation goes into putting together an editorial for a magazine like Seattle Met Bride & Groom.  From a design and styling standpoint, there are usually weeks of preparations – sourcing props, planning the design, ordering flowers, putting together the arrangements and lots of running around picking everything up. Then the shoot itself is a hive of activity with editors, art directors, photographers, fashion stylists, and hair and makeup stylists. As promised, here are a few behind-the-scenes images from the latest issue of SMBG…

hair and makeup stylists, photographers and fashion editors at Seattle Met Bride & Groom shoot

Jewelry Closeups…This shoot was my first time styling jewelry and accessories and it was so fun but very twiddly work. It took about an hour to style each scene. Ever wondered how they get the closeup shots of jewelry and details that SMBG is known for?

bridal jewelry and details Prop Styling…I bought or borrowed all the props from vintage stores, friends, Ebay and Etsy. The larger items (tables) and vases were from my personal collections.  I am obsessed with antique dress trimmings and a family friend has a huge collection. I also loved the Charles and Diana souvenir wedding biscuit tin that a friend of my mum’s dug out of storage!

books, teacups and biscuit tinsFlowers...It was the perfect time of year (March) for Spring blooms in royal hues – jasmine, anemones, ranunculus, hellebore, mock orange and Amnesia roses. I got to use all my favorite flowers in this shoot!ranunculus, jasmine and anemone bouquet from cover of Seattle Met Bride & Groom

flower details from Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom Royal ShootAnd perhaps my most favorite part…the jewelry and accessories!

jewelry from Seattle Met Royal Shoot Be sure and check out all the hats and details in the Summer/Fall issue of Seattle Met Bride & Groom!

A couple of months ago I designed and styled a Royal Wedding inspired shoot for Seattle Met Bride & Groom. You might remember the sneak peek I posted here. My copy just arrived in the mail and it is so fun to see the final product.

Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom Royal Wedding

I designed the flowers with a modern princess in mind. Two different bouquets – one more formal in faded pastels and one more loose, organic and playful made up of Amnesia and Quicksand roses, hellebore, anemones, pink jasmine and ranunculus in royal shades of burgundy, purple and faded pink. I wrapped the bridal bouquet with antique seed pearl beading and incorporated vintage silk velvet leaves in the boutonniere.

Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom Royal Wedding

I have shared some additional pictures with Notes on a Wedding (the newest Northwest focused wedding blog) so hop on over there to check them out. Also, check back tomorrow for some exclusive behind the scenes shots of how a big fashion shoot comes together…

All pictures courtesy of the brilliant Ryan McVay for Studio Lucile

I got pretty caught up in all the Royal Wedding coverage last week, in part due to the fact that I was working on the design of a Royal Wedding Viewing Brunch for Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom magazine. Working with Seattle Met B&G editor Laura Cassidy and publisher Nicole Vogel, we devised a plan to turn Nicole’s gorgeous new South Lake Union condo into an English tea party for the day.

Lisa Dupar catered with inventive tea sandwiches (mint and cucumber!), blood orange mimosas, pots and pots of tea, and at my request, Wills and Kate cookies and Union Jack shortbread. I used vintage tea tins, teapots and apothecary jars to display the candy buffet and decorated the space with stacks of teacups, postcards from Charles and Diana’s wedding and antique fairy tale books.  Guests arrived in elaborate hats and fascinators and had their picture taken with Wills and Kate in the photo booth. King Arthur even made an appearance!

Seattle Met Bride and Groom Royal Wedding Brunch Dessert TableSeattle Met Bride and Groom Royal Wedding Brunch details

Behind the Scenes: Westminster Abbey

It’s hard to even imagine the amount of work that goes into a wedding of this size but Clarence House kindly posted behind the scenes pictures of the flowers and foliage used to decorate Westminster Abbey on Friday. You can check them out here and all the other behind the scenes details by following @clarencehouse on twitter.

Royal Wedding Flowers Westminster AbbeyIn the meantime, I am off to set up and get ready for a Royal Wedding viewing party with Seattle Met Bride & Groom. Time to dust off that fascinator…

 

Royal Garden Party

As I mentioned last week, the UK will enjoy a four day weekend in order to properly celebrate William and Kate’s nuptials on Friday and many will be throwing street parties to celebrate. My favorite English floral designer, Miss Pickering, was asked to give Daily Telegraph readers some inspiration for decorating their own parties. Her idea was to take all the glitz and glamor outside – an idea I recently put into practice for one of my own inspiration shoots.

Miss PIckering Sunday Telegraph Royal WeddingI love all the red and pink roses with pops of chartreuse amongst the formal china and silver plate. I also love the plethora of Union Jacks, the old fashioned living room setup outside with old sconces hung in the trees and patriotic bunting framing the table. And don’t even get me started on the “made in England” tag on the boutonniere…genius!

Royal Wedding Garden Party Miss PickeringMiss Pickering Royal Wedding Garden Party

Miss Pickering Royal Garden Party boutonniere

All images courtesy of Miss P and to view more behind the scenes details from the Telegraph shoot, check out her blog post here.

Royal Wedding Countdown

For my birthday last week, my grandmother sent me a thick packet of clippings about the fast approaching Royal Wedding. The British press has (per usual) whipped itself up into a frenzy over the day and I think my grandmother assumes we are starved for information about William and Kate on this side of the pond when in truth, the entire world seems to be equally fascinated. So now I have the Daily Mail’s recipe for Will and Kate’s Chocolate Biscuit Cake (sounds delish actually), a string of reports on the Princess-to-be’s proclivity for high street brands and pages of speculation from various Royal watchers about the details of the big day.

While I’m sure the biggest attraction of the wedding to the majority of the British public is the extra four day Bank holiday weekend (closely following their four days holiday for Easter this weekend – tough hmmm?), there is a mounting excitement to see what kind of show the Royal family will put on and I am quite keen to see the details myself. I’ve noticed an increasing number of Royal Wedding inspiration shoots around the blogosphere and in honor of the big day and as a nod to my British passport, I’m going to post my favorites over the next week.

Let Them Eat Cake!

The Caketress (as Lori Hutchinson is known in Toronto) has to be one of the most talented bakers EVER. Seriously. Check out this cake she designed for Wed Luxe magazine before William and Kate announced their engagement.

Royal Wedding Cake Gold and Sapphire BlueAnd then here are a few more examples of her work that would most definitely be fit for a princess…

Royal Wedding Cake blue navy gold white

William and Kate Royal Wedding CakeRoyal Wedding Cake purple sash beads jewelsRoyal Wedding Cake purple sash beads jewels

Previous posts

Friends

For all inquiries please contact us at