Sharing a little inspiration and a few words to live by.  Have a wonderful Wednesday.

An engagement photo shoot is the first occasion in which you are able to capture your style and personality before the formal attire and veil.  It is truly the initial opportunity that we have to share your story as it starts to unfold.  The experience not only gives you the chance to build a comfortable relationship with your photographer before the big day, it also has the potential of creating storybook images that will be as timeless as the wedding photos themselves.

We suggest turning the shoot into an adventure.  Start by selecting a location that is significant to you.  It may be the stoop to your apartment, your favorite hat shop, or maybe it is where he proposed.  Think of a place that is comfortable and enjoyable so that you can actually relax and have fun.  After all, isn’t that the point?

We put together a list of some of our favorite spaces and places around town to get the juices flowing.  If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, check out Genevieve and Jonathan’s underwater shoot.

SAY CHEESE.

photo credits: True Photography, Boucher Photography, Kim J. Martin Photography, NCM

THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM- We are all kids at heart so why not get your kindred spirit on in front of the camera?

BRIDGES- The fact is, bridges are romantic. If you don’t believe me, just ask Miranda and Steve or Francesca and Robert.

TROLLEY TOUR- A trolley tour offers multiple settings as well as a seemingly spontaneous adventure.  One ticket allows for you to pop on and off different stops at your leisure.

THE THEATER- Okay film buffs, time to roll out the red carpet and dress to the nines for the golden age of cinema.  Check out the recently renovated Balboa Theater.

ON THE WATER- Grab your surfboard,  kayak, paddle board, sailboat, floaties or the keys to the yacht before hitting the water.

FARMER’S MARKET- Grab your canvas tote and off you go!

Now go have fun and don’t forget to speak with your photographer well in advance before planning the details.

Your day. Your story. Your style.

We stepped behind the scenes this week at LBE for a few interviews with some of our favorite couples from over the years. It gave us a chance to catch up on all the joys of married life that come after the big “I do’s” and also to reminisce about some of our favorite stories of events past.

Telling their stories of how they met and fell in love, our couples reminded us why we do what we do at LBE.  We help each couple tell their unique story through their wedding day.  Like every good story, it’s all about setting the mood and translating the couple’s personal style.

And like the best of stories, the most wonderful moments are in the details.

Lillian “Lilly” Pulitzer Rousseau passed away this morning, surrounded by family in her Palm Beach, Florida home.

“It all started with a juice stand.”  According to her company website, Pulitzer opened an orange juice stand adjacent to her husband’s Florida citrus groves, selling colorful cotton shirts alongside the fruit. The bright citrus hues would become a part of her signature patterns.  From there, spawned the first line of her infamous colorful shifts. Not long after, Pulitzer’s career took off when then first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, an old school chum, was photographed wearing a Lilly original.

Her happy and bright style became synonymous with resort wear and will be a bright bloom of the fashion world sorely missed.

Image from LillyPulitzer.com

Anthropologie’s BHLDN has featured Natalie and Curtis within their Real Wedding section.  The newlyweds were married at L’auberge Del Mar this past October and Natalie wore a charming tea length gown from BHLDN.  It was the perfect choice for their dual coast nuptials.

Keep your eyes peeled for their full length post on the Bustle Blog!

We look forward to this time each year when one of our favorite linen companies releases their new colors, textures and patterns for all of us to play with.  Jeri of JVB Creative and I cruised up to La Tavola’s showroom in Newport Beach yesterday to experience the decadence first hand.  I can’t help but feel like a kid in a candy store when surrounded by yummy fabrics and visiting La Tavola’s boutique would equate to a scene from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory!

The 2013 line welcomes rich textures in shades of blush, quartz, shadow, ecru, tangerine and mist.  Luxury patterns did not miss a note offering mod, exotic, playful, elegant, and extravagant fabrics.  Sheer Bliss!

Let the designing begin…

As we celebrate Easter, Passover and the beginning of Spring,  I am inspired by the invigorating color palette that identifies this abundant season.  Shades of butter, goldenrod, tangerine, coral, raspberry, blush, lavender, slate, navy, emerald, mint and cement set the tone for the weddings and events springing up in the next few months.

We are thrilled that spring has sprung, but we loved celebrating the close of winter Dr. Zhivago-style with our urban rustic winter-themed space at the US Grant Wedding Showcase. As a New Englander living in San Diego, I miss the warmth of the fireplace while watching the snow fall. I long for the snuggle of nubby wool and sumptuous cashmere during a storm.  Set off by birch accents and the glow of mercury glass candlelight, the designed setting was an inspired New England winter or maybe a sweeping Russian wonderland. Either way, pure romance.

We teamed up with the talented LaVonne Crawford and her crew at Adorations Botanical Artistry.

Thank you to Joshua Aull for photographing all of the details.

The details: Touches of birch wood and gold skeleton leaves with teardrop crystals added warmth.

Large wood farm tables set with wood grain mercury glass vessels and votives.

More golds and grays in the textured charger plates, accents and owls.

A very special THANK YOU to all of the talented professionals that supported us!

Florist Extraordinare - Adorations Botanical Artistry

Fabulous Photos – Joshua Aull Photography

Decadent Jewels – Double Happiness

Gorgeous Gown – M Bride

Custom Furniture – Concepts Event Design

We are so excited to have been invited into one of the most coveted books in the industry, SMP’s Little Black Book!  Style Me Pretty is the premiere  style savvy wedding resource devoted to the modern bride and their Little Black Book includes their most respected wedding vendors.  You can find LBE in the Event Planning section of San Diego AND Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket!

We are honored and excited to be part of the Style Me Pretty family.  Hopefully, you will be seeing some of our latest and greatest weddings being featured soon!

We are so excited to be a part of The US Grant’s fifth annual wedding and event showcase this coming Sunday, March 3. 2013.  If there was one event created to showcase design inspiration to the discriminating bride, this event is the one not to miss!  We have been honored to have been invited to showcase for the fifth consecutive year and each year keeps getting better.  If you are looking to get pampered and indulge in the benefits of being engaged, don’t miss The US Grant Wedding Showcase!

This year, the theme is seasons.  As if someone read my mind, we have been able to design a Winter theme for our showcase.  For this New England girl living in San Diego, Winter could not be more appropriate!

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!  Click here for tickets

Downtown San Diego’s iconic THE US GRANT, a Luxury Collection Hotel, will host its fifth annual wedding and event showcase on March 3, 2013. THE US GRANT’s Swoon 4 bridal affair will curate an exploration through Winter, Spring Summer and Fall, highlighting within each season, those special touches to make any bride swoon.

Guests will be swept off their feet with an all-encompassing, experiential afternoon in which each of THE US GRANT’s four main ballrooms will be fully transformed into one of the four seasons through fashions, florals, colors, cuisine and more.

Spanning three floors, guests will discover not only THE US GRANT’s most stunning wedding venue options, but also engage with more than 100 of Southern California’smost sought-after wedding vendors, hand-selected by THE US GRANT.   Connect with event planners, photographers, florists, dj’s and entertainers, decor rental companies, bridal registries, cake designers, healthy and beauty experts, and the many more industry experts who can create a bespoke reality from what each individual bride desires… leaving not only the bride swooning, but all guests in attendance.