Inspiration: Wizard of Oz

I had to share this amazing inspiration from the lovely Snippet and Ink blog. Click here to see the original post and all the photo credits. Enjoy!!!

Inspiration: Phantom of the Opera

One of my absolute favorite productions and movies and soundtracks is The Phantom of the Opera. So, in honor of one of my favorite movies I have designed an inspiration filled with deep crimson red roses, black crystals, damask patterns, and plenty of romance.

This engagement ring fairly similar to the one that Christine receives from Raul.

I found these diamond earrings while exploring Polyvore.com. They are almost like the one's Christine wears when she's on stage singing "Think of Me".

Here is a stunning and even DIY invitation you could use for this special event.

I love that Christine's gowns are off the shoulder, which is just enough to be sexy but still glamourous and romantic. This gown is by Anne Barge. Wow!!!

Here's a photo of Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and her now husband Pete Wentz at their wedding. One way to have a better chance of a bridesmaid wearing her dress again is to have her wear black. You can't go wrong with a classic black dress.

Or if you're really daring and love red, why not wear it. Who says you have to be in a white dress. Colored dresses are coming en vougue. This photo was taken by Sergio Photographer.

How cute is this flower girls dress? To add even more pop I would put a crimson red silk sash around the waste to add that punch of color.

As I mentioned before, you can't go wrong with a simple black dress and here's an example from Jim Hjelm.

I found a new love for Project Wedding where I stumbled across this stunning bouquet with calla lillies and roses wrapped in black satin ribbon, photographed by Erwin Photography.

You could find a location with a stunning chandalier either as a focal point on the ceiling above the ceremony, cocktail hour, or reception. This chandalier is at Paris Opera.

I would suggest making your grand entrance down the staircase of an old historic opera house like this one in the Paris Opera.

Here below is the ever so stunning Vibiana, located in downtown L.A., now a special events only location with a beautiful outdoor garden. This photo was taken by the ever so talented photographer Victor Sizemore.

Carnations aren't the insignificant inexpensive flower they used to be. The keep your budget down but keep the chicness high, you can create pomanders and cover them in red carnations or any color and they look just fabulous.
And what type of Phantom of the Opera wedding would it be if you didn't have a masquerade element to it. This photo was taken by the very talented Victor Sizemore, one of my favorite photographers.

And I just love this decor from my favorite floral designers Rene & Niki at R Jack Balthazar. They did this modern romantic goth decor for the wedding of the guitarist of Good Charlotte and his fiance.

Here's another closeup of the table decor at the same Good Charlotte wedding.

Here's a lovely and romantic centerpiece from Fleurs de France.

Now, I haven't had a chance to work this company yet, but their decor is fierce. This wedding decor below is what I would call "Pirate Chic" and it was created by An Elegant Touch.

I heart DAMASK. I really do. I love how classic and romantic it looks and it's just stunning next to a punch of color like the gorgeous red roses below. This photo was taken by Erwin Wijanto.

I love the idea of having a room with different table configurations and different centerpieces. This is from the same wedding as above where you saw a long banquet table and to add some dimension the room also has the traditional round tables.

And, to amp up the drama, lighting can do wonders...truly...it can make a blank space look absolutely fabulous.

I like this cake because it's simple and chic and incorporates the star crystals mimicing Christine's costume and accessories when she sings "Think of Me".

Now, if you have a bigger budget, and are looking for a cake that will be talked about for a while you could go with this dramatic number below from a local bakery, the Cake Divas.

Or, you could infuse that damask pattern beyond the stationary and linens and have your cake showcase the beautiful pattern as well. And you can't go wrong with a little added bling. Photo by the wonderful Victor Sizemore from the same wedding with the hand painted masks you saw above. And just in case you haven't seen enough cakes, here is one last gorgeous option from a cake artist who has commissioned me for cake jewelry before, and even created a cook that made Snoop Dogg Happy, the one, the only Nancy Kay.

Celebrity Birthday: Barbie Turns 50

So I was looking at one of my favorite blogs, Hostess with the Mostess, and came across a post about a fabulous 50th birthday party. Now this isn't just any party, this is for the one and only, BARBIE. 50 years is a big accomplishment, so they had to go big or go home. They went big. The got Colin Cowie, event planner to the stars, and famed interior designer Jonathan Adler to team up to create a real life size version of Barbie's Malibu Beach House for a true Malibu Barbie. How Fun.

So of course there has to be PINK EVERYWHERE. Even the car was Barbiefied.

The bedroom, WOW...Pink, Pink, Pink...

...all the way down to the 50 pairs of PINK peep-toe heals in Barbie's closet...

And here's the living room, with a focal point of a fantastic round sofa framing a custom Barbie Rug.

Here's a little fun fact...the black damask antique style frames are from...IKEA.

Now that's what I call a mirror...

And here is the sitting room, with Barbie's own custom fabric of course.

And, you may be wondering what that chandelier in the center of the room is covered with...that would be Barbie wigs...now that's what I call original art work.

Quintessential Malibu Mansion

And Barbie spending her time poolside of course.

Photos provided by Business Wire, found in an online slideshow by Yahoo. For the original blog post from HWTM, click here. For the original Yahoo article, click here.

Vendor Pick: An Elegant Touch

Two words...PIRATE CHIC.
I was stumblimg through photos on Project Wedding when I ran across this gorgeous table display with deep scarlet red roses and cala lillies a top a black candelabra with a chandalier above dripping in black crystals. I had to sit back and say WOW!!! Then I looked at more of the details such as the black candles with a silver skull standing out in silver glitter, a sparkly silver skull sat next to a small arrangement of red roses, even the china had a pirate print pattern. An you really can't go wrong with Chameleon Chairs, slick black with a little crystal detail.

I can't help but love those who are inventive and unique and chic in their designs. You can see more of their work on their site as well as at project wedding. An Elegant Touch is amazing with decor. Again, WOW!!!