Have I told you just how much I LOVE Grace Ormonde? Well, I LOVE anything and everything Grace Ormonde. Now you know I follow her blog, a fan on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. No, it’s NOT an obsession, just love! On her daily tweets, I received this amazing picture photographed by Punam Bean Photography, and I just fell in love with the photo.
In black and white this photo just highlights the sweet, enormous moments between fiancé and fiancé before they become husband and wife. I simply adore the crinkled wrapping paper which makes you imagine the bride opening her gift with an amazing glow on her face. I love how the groom put his thoughts on a ripped piece paper and even though the note is somewhat blurry, you can still see the part where he reminds her that he loves her. And this amazingly beautiful clutch just makes you think about the time and effort he put into this simple gesture. As Grace put it, this photograph exudes romance, nostalgia and alludes to a bygone era. And I simply could not agree more!
Yes, I would love to hear your thoughts on this photo. When was the last time you saw a picture that truly moved you?
Always inspired by Grace Ormonde,
Violaine Diogene
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When I tell you I LOVE my job, please believe and understand that I do love my job! One of my favorite brides called me today to ask my opinion on her brilliant idea on purchasing three different gowns. I’m thinking, three different gowns to wear that evening? YES, she said and we begun discussing her point of change. While putting our ideas together, we came up with the change for the wedding cake cutting gown and you guessed it, I wanted to share it with you.
I’m loving this idea and what a way to make you’re a statement and to keep your guest guessing about what you’ll do next? So, her idea is to get married in a formal wedding gown, she’ll be introduced in that gown and just after the first course is served she will go into the bridal room and change her entire look! After the cake is cut and a mere hour later she’ll once again change her entire look and will emerge in her last dance gown. Yes, I know it’s brilliant!
Below are the gowns she and I are looking into. Now, you know I LOVE Oscar de la Renta and when one of my brides decides to wear his gowns, believe me when I tell you I’m over the moon.
Well, what do you think of this idea? Do you see yourself changing three times or twice? You know just how much I love to hear from you.
With three gowns in mind,
Violaine Diogene
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On the last weekend of February, I have the very best privilege and honor to work with one of my very favorite florist/designers in Atlanta! This florist/designer is one tremendous talent, knowledge and full of grace and every time we get to work together I feel as though I’m home.
Christine of Perfect Petals is one of those people who you’ll automatically feel drawn to with her warm and sincere smile. Regardless of how many weddings we do together (and believe me, we’ve done quite a few) I get very excited when a bride calls to notify me that they’ve chosen Perfect Petals to do their decor and flowers. And it is because of this reason I’m so thrilled to be working with her on this amazing event that I’m so honored to invite you to.
I’m also very excited because I’m going to have a chance to speak on a panel with other amazing wedding vendors about translating your Wedding Style! Did I tell you I’m excited? Well, I’m hoping to see you there and I certainly hope that you’ll find inspiration while attending this event. Below is the Itinerary for the weekend.
Hoping to see you this weekend,
Violaine Diogene
Phipps Plaza Bridal Weekend
Saturday, February 27th
12:00 p.m. – Couples Workshop, presented by LoveKnots
1:00 p.m. – Tasting Menu presentation from Rosebud
2:15 p.m. – Photography Workshop with LaCour & The Decisive Moment
3:30 p.m. – Wedding Vendor Q&A Panel, led by The Atlantan Brides Editor-in-Chief, Phebe Wahl, featuring top event professionals in the city
5:00 p.m. – Beauty Demo by Raney O’Keefe
Sunday, February 28th
12:00 – Translating your Wedding Style
1:00 p.m. – Bridal Fashion presentation
2:00 p.m. – Meet the author and pick up your signed copy of Weddings by Tara Guerard
3:00 p.m. – Mens Fashion presentation
4:00 p.m. – Live Giveaway Announcement
4:30 p.m. – Wedding and Event Fashion presentation
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Ok, this is almost kind of embarrassing to admit only because I’m a wedding planner and all, but I’m not exactly, no scratch that, I’m not a flower expert at the very least! There, I said it and yes, I’m breathing in sight. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I LOVE flowers and I absolutely love picking out a few flowers to make an arrangement but I couldn’t tell you about their names, meaning and all that, and that’s fine because I leave figuring out what’s in season and what’s what to my favorite floral vendors.
Because I don’t know much about flowers, I’m thinking it’s a great idea to for us to educate ourselves about these wonderful, simple pleasures of life. On Brides.com there’s this amazing Flower Finder and it’s a great place to get all the flower facts your little heart can handle. I’m thinking in the next few weeks, I’ll feature 10 flowers per week for us to get to know.
You know the deal, let me know your thoughts on this post and if you find it useful.
Happy flower learning,
Violaine Diogene
Muscari
These delicate, tightly clustered flowers, also called grape hyacinth, burst from bulbs in spring; small-headed, with supple stems, they’re easily wired into head wreaths for flower girls.
Color
purple, blue
Style
beach casual, classic, romantic
Cost
$$ = medium price
Season
spring
Size of Bloom
small
Hyacinths
This winter-to-late-spring bloom has a strong scent and a fresh-from-the-garden appeal; use the stems in small centerpieces or planters, or pluck a couple of individual flowers for a boutonniere.
Meaning: constancy
Style
beach casual, classic, romantic, modern
Color
red, blue, yellow, pink, orange, white
Size of Bloom
large
Cost
$$ = medium price
Season
winter through spring
Alliums
Like fluffy lollipops perched on tall sticks, these perfect globes of tiny petals create eye-popping displays, but don’t put them directly on your buffet-they smell a bit like onions.
Meaning: unity, humility, patience
Color
purple, blue, white, lavender, violet
Size of Bloom
large
Season
summer
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Hydrangea
Gardens burst into life with these poufs in late summer and fall; in shades from pink to lavender to green, they look modern when massed in bouquets and large arrangements.
Meaning: devotion
Style
beach casual, glamorous, classic, romantic, modern
Season
year round
Size of Bloom
large, medium
Color
blue, pink, green, white
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Sweet Peas
Skinny stems mean you can gather these frilly favorites in a bouquet, and it will still be featherlight. More good news: While it looks delicate, this early spring bloomer is deceptively hardy.
Meaning: delicate pleasures
Color
purple, red, lavender, pink, white
Style
glamorous, classic, romantic
Season
fall through late summer
Size of Bloom
small
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Peonies
This voluptuous, ultrafragrant flower has a fleeting season—late spring to early summer. Bunches of these chubby, old-fashioned favorites are beautiful placed in pretty pitchers.
Meaning: bashful
Style
beach casual, glamorous, classic, romantic
Color
red, burgundy, pink, white
Size of Bloom
large, medium
Season
late spring
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Roses
These are the classic long-stemmed roses that you see in the florist’s shop every Valentine’s Day. A perennial wedding choice, their petals can be plucked to carpet the ceremony aisle.
Meaning: love and passion
Color
red, yellow, pink
Style
glamorous, classic, romantic
Season
year round
Size of Bloom
medium
Cost
$$ = medium price
Lenten Roses
When is a rose not a rose? When it’s this five-petaled flower—more accurately called helleborus—that blooms in the Lenten season; it adds a springy bounce to bouquets.
Color
purple, pink, green, white
Season
early winter through spring
Style
beach casual, glamorous, bohemian, romantic
Size of Bloom
small
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Gardenias
With a scent to swoon for, this stem less flower can be floated in water or wired into a bouquet; though edges turn brown when handled roughly, it’s a stunningly retro-glam hair ornament.
Meaning: joy
Style
glamorous, classic, romantic
Size of Bloom
large, medium
Season
spring, summer
Cost
$$$ = expensive
Color
white, ivory
Eremurus Foxtail Lillies
Each stalk of this long-stemmed spring flower can have hundreds of star like florets; it can last for up to three weeks in a vase, so it’s great for make-ahead arrangements.
Style
beach casual, glamorous, bohemian, modern
Size of Bloom
medium
Cost
$$ = medium price
Season
spring, summer
color
yellow, pink
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Out of all the amazing and brilliant designers that we’re fortunate to be a witness to their work, does any of them whisper your name? When a designer whispers your name, he’s calling you to wear his designs; Regardless if you can actually afford that particular designer at the very moment, eventually you will give in to that whisper and you’ll start wearing their designs.
Valentino has been whispering my name for a while now and I’m about to answer his call with the very first pair of shoes below. Yes, I know, I LOVE that amazing pair of shoes and it screams Violaine all over! But besides the amazing shoes, Valentino is a designer whom provides ample inspiration for the lady seeking a one-of-a-kind gown, and this particular Valentino collection simply took my breath away! This collection delivers exquisite and timeless couture gowns.
Which of these designs whispers your name? Which designer whispers your name? I know some of the suits below are white and I would love to hear your thoughs on where you would wear the white suit to! I would love to hear your thoughts…..
Inspired by Valentino,
Violaine Diogene
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| 1 Comment Dear wedding guests attendees, whether you’re attending your girlfriend from high school’s wedding, whether you’ve ever met the bride, whether you’re a friend of a friend who’s standing in at the last minute. Whether you’re accompanying your significant other to his or her best friend’s wedding, whether you’re a friend of the mother, brother, sister, father, a mere distance cousin, it’s NEVER and I repeat, it’s NEVER ok to attend one’s wedding in a pair of jeans (expensive or not) with a nice shirt tucked in! And please understand that I’m saying this with love.
I can appreciate that it’s intimidating to wear a full gown to a wedding but I promise you, the bride and her family will appreciate the time you took to dress accordingly to their wedding.
Below are just a few samples of my favorite gowns but the very first gown by the one, the only, Oscar De La Renta! Yes, I know it’s a full ballroom gown but at times when you know you’re attending a formal seated dinner, trust me you can pull this look together and make your own statement without taking anything away from the bride. For more information on each of the gowns, simply move your mouse to each gown and the name of the designer will be revealed. What do you think of the gowns below? Have you ever had a guest attend your wedding and you did not appreciate what they wore? I would love to hear your thoughts on this post.
Always with you in mind,
Violaine Diogene
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Grace Ormonde, the wedding bible featured this story and I just had to share……
“There was never enough time in the day for me to spend with her: 24 hours wasn’t enough.”
When Earl Watson led Jennifer Freeman to a candlelit lily pond and asked her to close her eyes, he expected his proposal to elicit “a hug and kiss—not a punch.” Startled to see the NBA point guard on bended knee, the television and film actress jabbed him playfully and demanded: “This had better be for real.” After all, she’d arrived at Virginia Robinson Gardens to represent Earl at a Christmas Eve charity event—or so she thought. Earl’s scheme nearly fell through though when his flight was canceled. As they danced to her favorite song, “At Last” by Etta James, “It was surreal,” admits Jennifer, who didn’t expect her beau to make it, much less a ring.
After meeting a few months earlier at a summer barbecue, their paths crossed repeatedly, and they often found themselves lost in conversation. “Destiny had a way of putting us in front of each other,” Earl believes. “There was never enough time in the day for me to spend with her: Twenty-four hours wasn’t enough.”
Earl’s godfather, television producer Ed. Weinberger, insisted they wed at his Bel Air estate. “We couldn’t have picked a better place,” says Jennifer. As she prepared for the ceremony, flowers arrived with a two-word note: At Last. “I didn’t want to start crying, but I couldn’t help it,” Jennifer recalls. Earl’s second note, with a diamond heart necklace, made her laugh: “It’s too late to run.”
Walking down the aisle with her mother, “I was so excited that I wanted to burst,” Jennifer remembers. Earl “looked at me like there was no one else there, and I was the most beautiful woman in the world. I wanted to cherish that moment forever.”
Although Earl was determined, “there’s no way I’m going to cry,” he was soon caught off guard. “The agreement was: We would say traditional vows, then we wanted to say something to each other from the heart.” Instead, “Jennifer pulled out vows that had been written down and looked like they’d been proofread and rewritten three times. “She said the most amazing words. It came from the deepest spot in her heart. I couldn’t compete,” laments Earl, who sparked laughter when he blurted: “You made me cry.”
“He’s always been able to express himself,” says Jennifer. “I wanted to write something and tell him exactly how I felt. I wanted it on tape, so he could replay it.”
More than two-hundred guests joined the newlyweds at the Montage Beverly Hills for dinner and dancing. “Everyone was genuinely happy for us, which created so much positive energy,” Earl says. “We were the last ones there,” says Jennifer, and as they swayed to “At Last” and “Unforgettable,” she thought, “I couldn’t have dreamed of a better wedding.”
The couple hosted a post-wedding barbecue before their week-long Turks and Caicos honeymoon. Although their careers sometimes require time apart, “We’re constantly in touch, talking on the phone, texting,” says Jennifer. “He knows everything about me, good and bad.” “There’s nothing that Jennifer could ever do or say that would stop me from being in love with her,” Earl assures. “It’s unconditional love—forever.”
Article by Kim Knox Beckius
Reception and Caterer: Montage Beverly Hills, CA; Cake: Nancy Kay’s Confections Los Angeles, CA; Event Planner: Kimberly Bradford Event Planning and Design Costa Mesa, CA; Florist: Nisie’s Enchanted Florist Los Alamitos, CA; Groom’s Attire: élevée Van Nuys, CA; Wedding Gown: Kenneth Pool; Photography: TripleCord Photography Ladera Ranch, CA
Inspired by Jennifer and Earl,
Violaine Diogene
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Ok, so by now you know about my shoe fetish right? Right! Imagine my pleasant and crazy surprise when I heard about this amazing person by the name of Ann Roth who designs shoes and event better, she custom design shoes! Seriously though, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.
According to her website, Ann Roth found her way into shoe design after a serendipitous broken dance shoe led to her first creation.
After her first encounter with shoe-making came an extensive period of research and a dream of a certain blue toile espadrille. Roth learned how to make a last and a pattern and fashioned the shoe she had envisioned. Her unique sense of style, love affair with footwear and steadfast dedication turned into a desire to bring her creations to other women, and Ann Roth Shoes was born in the spring of 2006.
Inspired by the romance of a bygone era, each pair of Ann Roth Shoes evokes nostalgic elegance and charm. Characterized by classic silhouettes with modern details, the collection is now lovingly made in Spain by expert craftsmen who come from a long line of zapateros.
Roth’s designs continue to evolve, and with each new season she delights the senses with her wearable works of art. Ann Roth Shoes have been featured in Lucky Magazine, Footwear News and Daily Candy, among others. Most recently, Roth’s designs were part of history in the making, when a pair of her grey suede Garbos graced the stage on election night 2008.
Now, I’ve yet to have the pleasure of having my shoes design (that will soon change) but from the looks of what I see online and the rave reviews I’ve read and heard, this shoe designer will soon be a name whom brides, moms, and shoes divas will praise.
What do you think? Have you ever had your shoes design for you? If so, I would LOVE to see a picture and you can be featured on the blog….
In shoe heaven,
Violaine Diogene
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Ok, so by the title of this post I imagine you know how much I LOVE Lela New York invitations. This is actually my second post about this amazing designer as her work is simply delicious.
Lela New York is an expert designer in couture wedding invitations, luxury invitations, save-the-dates, announcements, and custom stationery. All our designs come with our personal design service to create a unique design just for you! (From her site) What more can a bride and groom ask for?
I love these frequently asked questions on the site which I think most brides can certainly appreciate. Below are three most important questions and definitely most commonly asked. Off course you should visit her site for more information.
What is included in a custom wedding invitation set or event invitation set?
A: Lela New York’s invitation sets include four pieces: your custom invitation, printed mailer envelope, RSVP card and printed envelope.
Q: How long does the Design Process take?
A: Our Design process takes 1-3 months to complete. Printing takes an additional 2- 4 weeks.
Q: When should I order my invitations?
A: As soon as you know your wedding date, venue and certain details such as colors you are ready to contact us. We recommend ordering your invitations 4-5 months in advance, the earlier the better.
Q: How much are Lela New York’s invitations?
A: All the work we do is completely personalized and one-of-a-kind. Lela New York offers a wide range of unique invitations with different styles and possibilities. We will help you choose the option that best fits you, and work within your budget.
Our custom wedding invitations start at $12 a set, (based on an order of 100 invitation sets). Letterpress starts at $17 a set. Our Silk Invitations start at $2500 for 100.
Ok, so what do you think of these scrumptious invitations? Below are two of my absolutely favorites. I think next week, I might feature the other 3 that I could not squeeze in today. What are your thoughts? Can you see yourself working with such designer? You know I love to hear from you.
Loving everything Lela New York,
Violaine Diogene
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