Bedford Village Inn Winter Destination Wedding

 

Today I got to do two of my favorite things, shopping and.....shopping. For wedding dresses no less. Most of my brides don't get dresses. They get gowns. Over the top affairs call for them. The bride is the center of attention and should be dressed accordingly. My bride is throwing a lavish destination wedding in the middle of January. I can hear the soft jingle of the horses as they make their way through the snow with my bride in sparkling white and my groom in a tuxedo and mittens. We have chosen the Bedford Village Inn as our choice to entertain her guests and to celebrate the wedding.

It is quintessential New England, charming in it's architecture, lovely in its appointments. We have had many discussions regarding the wedding although it is still a year away. But we do have to remember that this is a destination. Meaning everyone including the west coast bride and groom are flying in for this event. So needless to say there are a lot of details that need to be taken care of.

Today it was about dresses and the look and color way of the wedding. All went well as we chattered away over lunch. So many details to take care of and now we have decided that we will move forward with a rehearsal dinner on site as well. I was lucky that the vast majority of my appointments today were on Newbury Street. I even had time to pop in on my favorite Back Bay Blonde, Lauren Killian, from Person + Killian Photography. She has been hired for this event and I can hardly wait to work with her on this frozen inspired engagement shoot and of course the wedding.

It is no wonder why we start working on weddings sometimes two years before the event, man there is a lot to do. Hey there is still time to dream a little bit. I think that I will take a moment to do just that. To picture what my bride might look like as she triesvon on the most amazing collection of gowns. I know that within,  her gown is there. Just which one? Will she wear the long elbow gloves that I suggested. Of course you won't know until I publish pictures from the event in some time from now.

You can tell that I am thinking that a winter bride needs to steal the show. I want her to have a gorgeous silhouette to her gown along with enough embellishment to wow, but not so much that she ends up looking like a Russian Princess. (Think Dr. Zivago)

We will find a way to work in all of the winter classics that one would expect from this sort of wedding. West Coast is going to represent of course. We have planned to have a regional selection of wines and cheeses from the west coast so guests can experience a bit if where the bride and groom are coming from.

There will be more of course, for now the look and my nervous anticipation as to my bride and her gown.

I just want to hum, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

 

Pencil Fashion Drawings and Wedding Designs

While I was in Jamaica last year I spent a lot of time sitting inside either waiting for the rain to stop or for the sunburn to calm down a bit before I headed back to the beach.

We only had four TV stations most of which were broadcast in Spanish from Miami. I took the time to think and to espcape to my sketchpad.

As most of my sketches evolve and had additional layers. I like the simplicity of the lines done in pencil that you see here.

 

 

 

 

Jolie and Giovanni | Four Season's Weddings | Old Hollywood Inspiration

As the New Year starts out, I have begun to get a sense of peace and excitement about the creative projects that I will be lucky enough to work on as the year progresses. Of course, my team and I  will be swirling around the best hotels in New England making pretty happen as we plan and design weddings. One of my favorite hotels, The Four Season's Boston will be the backdrop to a magnificent affair and wedding of my bride Jolie. She comes from a family that knows good things and understands quality and the process of couture. When Jolie first called me and hired me to plan and design her wedding, thoughts of Ginger Rogers swirled around in my head. I love Old Hollywood as an inspiration to a wedding. Black and white is always a crisp and stunning backdrop to the pops of red and embellishments of gold that will make up the design elements. As a special and unexpected touch, we will lay a wonderful black and white dance floor that nods to the old school looks that you might have found in the Stork Club in NYC during the 20's and 30's.

There are so many details to this wedding that there will be a second sketch showing the ceremony and the wonderful chuppah that we will create. Until then, enjoy this wonderful display of Old Hollywood Style with pops of red and gold.

Congratulations Jolie and Giovanni on your engagement. I am excited and grateful to be working with you both.

Kirby and Mike | Chatham Bars Inn Weddings | Pale and Sophisticated Spring Pallette

Sometimes it takes longer than I want it to to get "the sketch" done. They are done by hand and take me many hours, literally at the drawing board. I am happy to show off the design for my dear Kirby's wedding that will be held in May of 2011 at The Chatham Bars Inn. I was just there Saturday night for a wedding. Knowing that Kirby's is up on the docket has me very excited.  I love her checking her lipstick in the mirror of her groom's Harley Davidson. So cool.

Erika & Mark | State Street Weddings | Floral and Decor Designs

I draw my sketches, not so I can see what something is going to look like. I already see it in my mind's eye. To have this talent and to use it as a tool, I have realized really helps a bride see how all of the details, their scale and color will come together for the over all look of her wedding. I had done the demo of flowers and details for the bride this past Satuday and was happy to make some adjustments to the design so it would be perfect in her eyes.

I had done her demo all in whites, and she had requested a touch of eggplant and deep pink within the flowers. The sketch helps show how this nuance of color will work at Erika and Mark's State Room wedding to be held in a couple of weeks. I love that she had me do this. The bride has asked me to come up with some ideas for the cake design which will be made by the talented hands of Jenny Williamson from Jenny's cakes. She and I had a chance to chat over the cake design late yestarday and she and I both agree that the modern circular motif to the cake design is cool, but it would look so much more sophisticated done in a tone on tone pale ivory fondant cake with a pale ivory motif and just the fresh flowers to be displayed in bright and bold color. I sent a a link of this sketch to the bride last night, she agreed to, loved the addition of a bit of color to our all white motif and basically we are locked and loaded ready to go. 

Tess & Erik | Destination Wedding Planning | The Fairmont South Hampton, Bermuda

Settling in to my sketch pad for me is a great escape. I can put all my worries in this world at bay for hours as I sit, visualize and start the design process of a gorgeous wedding. The past couple of days I have been working and working on the design for Tess and Erik's springtime Bermuda wedding. God, I got so close the day before yesterday until I started to draw the grooms face and head. Oh boy, that sketch was ruined. I could have done some Photoshop magic, but the process I like to keep a bit more pure than that. So with that practice under my belt, I was able to hit the pad again and to work on the "finished" sketch for this project. My bride is in love the color of the water in Bermuda. How could you not be ? It is a rare turquoise that I have not seen in my many travels to warmer weather. It is a perfect inspiration to this fun and elegant destination wedding. I chose to fill in the back of my sketch digitally and of course I just had to get the perfect shade of Bermuda pink to compliment the details. It seems that everything at The Fairmont Bermuda is Pink, for a gay guy it does not get much better than sippin' swizzles under a pink and white stripped umbrella. That is mostly a fantasy, like the sketch I guess. I know that I will be running all around, and of course taking the trolley, to make sure that everything that we have planned and designed is perfect!! With a design map in place, we can get to work on the Save the Dates and finding a perfect bow and pearl necklace for the ducks.

Boston Weddings | Fashion Editorial | Setting the scene

Today, when the Fall / Winter edition of Boston Weddings Magazine was delivered to my office I knew that my work on this project would be over with the publishing of this story. As they say, "all good things must come to an end". Creative projects begin for me with inspiration and evolve through the design and planning process. This project for the premier wedding magazine of the northeast was no different. I worked, prior to the shoot with the creative director and editors of the magazine to tell the story of a Boston bride from the beginning of her day, through the scenes of a wedding. Each scene, the same stunning model was styled into the inspired look and setting that I designed and created. From a Victorian Romantic, to Chic Retro, each setting and photo shoot of it was magic in the making. That magic is real today and in print. Prior to that, I had only my vision and the sketches that I draw as a means of trying to show what I was thinking in my head. While the finished looks differ as a result of tweaking and finessing, you get a really good idea as to what is coming by looking at the sketches that I have published above.

 You will have to buy the magazine, on newstands now, to see the real thing.

Thank you Boston Weddings Magazine, thank you.

Fancy and Frilly Dress Design

Wedding planners and designers spend a lot of time on the phone. It seems to me that I start at seven or so in the morning and I can still be chatting away at ten or eleven with clients from across the country. So much of my time on the phone is spent multi tasking and drawing away the thoughts that are in my head for projects that I am working on, or just sometimes, fantasy sketches for dresses and flowers that I am conceptualizing.

I thought that you might like to see one of the dresses that I drew this morning. I love the flouncing, linear detail to the styling of the dress. Of course every great bride's dress has to have a stunner of a bridesmaid dress, so I took the some of the detailing of the bride's dress as inspiration, cut the hem a little shorter and added a flounce floral detail as straps to this cute empire cut.

Tickle my fancy

I am excited to be working with another fabulous bride and Groom for this fall's already very busy season. Lindsay and her soon to be husband, Rob asked if I could help create a fantasy wedding with my creative and lush flowers as the focal points. I loved pouring through the inspiration photos that I had asked to see at our meeting. While there were many ideas and themes that showed up in the photos, I could see a common thread and I love, love the idea of using feathers for this chic 20's modern wedding. I just had to use, "Tickle my fancy" as the title of this post.

I adore the use of linens as a palette to present the table top. Here you see a collection of shimmer dupionis in several different patterns. I look forward to using them through the reception room along with the three different floral designs that I have presented in my sketch. I hate when things in a room are too matchy matchy. It makes for boring.... boring. I try to give the eye a common denominator and then vary the palette for visual interest. For some nice contrast I will use a dark grey double faced satin ribbon trim with a tiny black gemp detail on the candles and display vases. This will set an over the top, romantic mood.

Along with ostrich feathers used as focal points for the wedding, I love the thought of using Guinea Hen feathers. I will have to call on my sister since she actually raises these fancy chickens. The feathers are a gorgeous strie of grey with white polka dots and will be perfect as accents to the hand done calligraphy on the place cards and on the grooms button hole flowers. I love mapping out all of this gorgeous attention to detail and can hardly wait to see it all come together.

The one detail that I am dying to do is the place card table. The bride presented a very dog eared photo that she had been carrying around as her first inspiration to her wedding. I know that she loved the unique and sumptuous look too judging by the wear on the photo.  In it jewel tone baubles, beads and crystals presented a stunning backdrop to the escort cards. I am going to twist this one up a bit and use smoky, and quartz colored crystals along with a little crystal bling to make this table the realization of her wedding dreams.

 

Fall floral style

I am excited to have all the details together for an amazing fall wedding to be held at The Acoaxet Club in lovely Westport. My bride Kristen is a European beauty and her family is from Portugal, so it is no surprise that she has chosen to wear a dress by glamorous Spanish visionary San Patrick on her wedding day. She introduced me to the designer, and I can hardly wait to see her walk down the aisle in her amazing gown and beaded jacket, holding the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

I would so love to show off her gown, but of course it is bad luck to see the bride's dress before the big day. I have had a chance to flip through the website of this oh so chic designer, and I am totally in love with each and every gown. They are all so unique, I cannot imagine having to choose just one. Is it bad for me to imagine my self whirling around in these dresses? What an amazing site!


Of course, I can hardly wait to surround this beautiful bride with flowers on her special day. She will look stunning in her gown against a backdrop of sumptuous, rich flowers in pale ivories with hints of deep burnt orange and Nantucket red. I think that this little touch of fall color will be just right.