Please send me your last pair of shoes, 
I've been drafting packing lists for our impending trip to Spain since we booked the tickets months ago. We'll be participating in near daily masterclasses, so I have to pack cocktail dresses and gowns and heels. It will be well over 100°, so I have to pack shorts and sundresses. And there will be a beautiful pool, so I have to pack suits and sunscreen and straw hats.
With a big hunk of ginger root waiting in our kitchen and strawberries in season across California, I thought Aran's recipe for Ginger and Strawberry Bubbles would be the perfect afternoon libation. Part of Cannelle et Vanille's ongoing collaboration with Design*Sponge, her lovely recipes and perfect photographs always brighten my day and delight my palate! 
It's supposed to get as high as 85° today in typically cool San Francisco, and just this morning, we had a small earthquake (Mr Wonderful's second since he moved)! It's been quite a day already, and Miss Dior seems to know exactly how I feel! I'm off to my closet to dig up something appropriate for such lovely weather, but will be back later with a little afternoon refreshment!
This adorable wedding felt like the perfect way to celebrate the end of June; charming flowers, sweet dresses and a whole lot of style! This Oklahoma celebration was truly a family affair; the bride's parents (and their parents, and their parents before them) own Mann's Flower Shop, so Katie and her parents designed the centerpieces, Mom did the bouquets and Katie's older brother took care of ceremony decorations. The bride wore a gorgeous Ramona Keveza dress (from the Fall 2008 Legends collection), while all ten of her maids wore frocks her mom sewed from vintage Vogue patterns circa 1950!
Short wedding dresses are usually also labeled "casual", but Dolly Couture's sweet, 1950's-inspired dresses are anything but. And with the entire collection easily coming in at under $1,000, wedding dress shopping suddenly seems a lot less painful on your pocketbook. Above are just a few of my favorites: the Beverlywood (pictured in the latest Martha Stewart Weddings), the Edmonton and the Beverly Hills, which looks a whole lot like an adorable Monique Lhuillier with a much smaller price tag!
Bird and Banner dreams up some of the most charming wedding stationery on Earth; they've taken the art of paper to a new level by printing on gorgeous vintage handkerchiefs. The one above was featured in Bride and Bloom magazine, and since I spotted it, I've been on the hunt for the perfect bouquet to pair it with. Kellie's bouquet, designed by La Partie Events and photographed by Erin Hearts Court fit the bill to a turn!
I love this photo, taken by mi belle for Your Wedding Day Magazine; who hasn't wished for amazing red hair at some point? And I love baby blue instead of more traditional taupe for a bride who wants to wear a little color.
Nonpareil's fourth issue went live yesterday, and if you haven't poured over it yet, carve 30 minutes out of your day to enjoy it! This issue was inspired by legendary Hollywood films-Breakfast at Tiffany's, To Catch a Thief and Amélie, to name a few. The image above, captured by Lisa Lefkowitz, is from my favorite shoot of the issue, "Happily Ever Austen", based on Jane Austen's Regency novels. With styling by the City Sage and flowers by Sharla Flock, what's not to love about this incredible table?
My dear friend Amanda sent me a 5 am text message letting me know her beautiful baby girl Rhiannon Marie is on her way into the world! In honor of her little miracle, I thought I'd share a few nursery ideas. Amanda loves pink, so Rhiannon's room will certainly be femme to the end, but I thought gray would be a sophisticated color compliment. And the last room? That's just my dream nursery-white and natural linen.
I see skies of blue, clouds of white,
I hate to use such a lovely image for such a crappy post, but so be it. Tonight, after a wonderful run (I accompanied John on my cruiser bicycle), we returned to the garage to realize that his very, very expensive racing cycle had been removed from the garage. Stolen just sounds so awful. He's downstairs now chatting with police, but I'm hoping the generous Craigslister who recovered a stolen Trek cycle might just have John's bike! Fingers crossed...
Over the weekend, European royals had quite an event to attend; Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden was married to Daniel Westling in Stockholm Cathedral on Saturday. The four day wedding finally culminated in the union of the future Queen of Sweden and her former trainer. He owns the chain of gyms, but Swedes weren't always so sweet on the marriage. Over 1,000 guests were present, and four officiants presided over the ceremony. The bride wore an ivory silk, short-sleeved, off-the-shoulder gown, designed by Par Engsheden, and the same cameo-covered diadem her mother wore at her own wedding, exactly 34 earlier.
Adena is a bride after my own heart-she dreamed of an all-white wedding, and wedding coordinator Brooke Keegan delivered! The couple was married at the Grand Del Mar, a Mediterranean-style hotel in San Diego, CA in the on-site Elizabeth Capella. A cocktail hour on the terrace was followed by dinner on the lawn, and included some of the most jaw-dropping floral arrangements I've ever seen, provided by Elegant by Design. The rose-topped wreaths that decorated the bride and groom's chairs are absolutely breathtaking, and recall a garden party at Versailles. A jazz band accompanied dinner and dancing, and hundreds of lanterns light up the lawn as the evening drew to a close. Aaron Delesie captured every moment magnificently, and the guests never wanted to leave!
