Wedding Inspiration: Purple + Pink

I've been in love with this design since the moment this sweet bride approached me with these gorgeous colors - hello Pantone color of the year, radiant orchid! The design that we've created for Rachel + Mike's October wedding at the Mint Museum Uptown is without a doubt full of romance and chic style. I love every single detail we have planned, from the vibrant color palette of pinks and purples to the mixing of metallics to the floor plan! This couple is so great and we're having a blast planning for their big day, which will be here so soon and I cannot wait! Here is a little peek at our inspiration!

XO,
​A.

Wedding Inspiration: The Colors of Sunset

I'm so excited to share a little inspiration for Lindsay & Ben's October wedding at Vesuvius Vineyards with y'all today! This adorable couple fell in love with the natural Southern charm of Vesuvius Vineyards and knew immediately that this was the place where they'd exchange I Do's. We are putting the final touches on some really amazing plans for this sweet couple's wedding - I can't wait to see everything come together! When we first sat down to talk about design, Lindsay mentioned being inspired by the colors of sunset. What could be better inspiration?! Drawing from the colors of a gorgeous cotton candy sky, we've created a vibrant organic inspired wedding incorporating elements like birch wood, natural wood, full color textured floral arrangements, pumpkins, and kale. Take a peek!

It's going to be a gorgeous fall wedding, that is for sure! I can't wait to celebrate this sweet couple!

XO,
A.

Featured: Fiesta Wedding Inspiration

I absolutely LOVED this shoot, and I was so honored to see it featured on Inspired by This on Cinco de Mayo!! Last summer, Charlotte Wedding magazine asked me to design a fiesta-inspired wedding for the summer issue. (And, brides even voted the design to win a 2013 BOW Award!) To now have one of my all-time favorite blogs feature it, is so exciting! Be sure to check out the full feature here, and scroll through some of my favorite photos - all captured  perfectly by one of my favorite photographers in Charlotte, Smitten and Hooked. These two are amazing!

This whole shoot makes me want to throw a BIG party! Absolutely love how everything turned out… I couldn't have asked for more.  All the amazing vendors and talented wedding pros that participated in this shoot are nothing short of incredible! I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing vendors to produce this shoot for Charlotte Wedding magazine. They helped me bring this vision to life!

Photography by Smitten and Hooked | Wedding design and styling by Ashley Culicchia Cash, The Graceful Host | Fashion styling by Laurel Bendum of Charlotte Wedding magazine | Produced by Aleigh Acerni and Kellie Duff of Charlotte Wedding magazine | Shot on location at Brakefield at Riverwalk | Floral design by Lily Greenthumb’s | Catering and cocktails by Something Classic Catering & Cafés | Cakes by Wow Factor Cakes | Mexican cookies by Suarez Bakery | Rentals and linens from Party Reflections of Charlotte | Paper goods by Three Little Birds | Makeup by Casey Lombardi, Dollface Skin & Makeup Lounge | Hair by Lindsay Pizzuti, Mirror Bomb Studios | Gowns worn by the bride: Marisa - style 898 from Hayden Olivia Bridal, Intuzuri Augustine from Poffie Girls, Watters Blanca gown from J Major’s Bridal Boutique, Modern Trousseau Marena gown from Hayden Olivia Bridal, & Tadashi Shoji dress from Neiman Marcus.

XO, A.

Featured: Southern Simplicity Wedding Ideas

Oh my goodness! I am SO excited and honored to see my "beauty in simplicity" wedding inspired design was featured on the amazing Ruffled Blog! Y'all, I had way too much fun designing this wedding inspiration. And, the incredible photographer capturing all the details was the oh so talented Crystal Stokes of Crystal Stokes Photography  - what an eye this gal has!  For a long time now, I wanted to plan a shoot that celebrated simplicity because I am a firm believer that less is more.  It's easy to get caught up in the tiny details when planning for a wedding, and often times brides get lost along the way, loosing the bigger picture and feeling like they need to keep adding and piling on detail. But, there is so much beauty in simplicity, and I think this is an idea that is often forgotten and overlooked. So, we wanted to take a chance to really celebrate simplicity and show brides how beautiful, sophisticated and elegant simplicity can be.

I am so excited to share with you some of my favorite detail shots. But, hop on over to Ruffled Blog to see more of the feature!

Absolutely LOVE colored glassware! And how perfect are these ruffled plates?! I want to steal them so badly!

Have you ever seen a more perfect cake?! I am in love with naked cakes, y'all. This is so stunning! And, how adorable are the little tarts? Sweets tables are my favorite.

The bridal bouquet was out of this world gorgeous! I love the "wild flower" look and the gorgeous jewel tone colors that popped perfectly against the natural decor and landscape.  Such a beauty - I absolutely LOVE this look!

You guys - this is an actual a real couple!  Our models were such troopers… and, talk about good lookin'!! Ow! Ow! Gorgeous hair and makeup by Erin Ashley Makeup and Mirror Bomb Studios - perfectly captures the look and feel of the design.

The paper goods were out of this world beautiful! I love the addition of lavender - such a treat for the senses and it works perfectly for our natural and simplistic design. Even the response card envelope was made of seeds and could potentially be replanted! How cool is that?!

This ceremony arch made of garland and driftwood is one of my favorite details! SpringVine Design did an incredible job crafting this on-site for the photo shoot. I wish I could have one of these at every wedding! It's really stunning!

One of my favorite photos from the day. Oh … be still my heart! So gorgeous!

Oh man, I could go on and on and on! I'm a total sucker for these details, y'all. And, our entire vendor team was absolutely incredible - I'm so honored to have had the opportunity to work with each of these talented wedding pros: Crystal Stokes Photography, SpringVine Design, Elisabeth Rose, Sky's The Limit Custom Cakes and More, Erin Ashley Makeup, Mirror Bomb Studio, Party Reflections, J Majors Bridal Boutique, & The Laboratory Mill. A big, big thank you for donating your time and talent to this shoot! And a huge thanks to RuffledBlog for featuring my design!

XO, A.

Inspiration: A Touch of Modern + Vintage Glamour

With so many gorgeous weddings to look forward to in 2014, we've been busy, busy, busy creating a lot of beauty.  And, this wedding design is definitely one of my favorites! I met Whitley over the summer, and although she lives in St. Louis with her fiancé, we managed to nail down all her wedding details  and vendors within 4 months! This bride was determined to be done with wedding planning by the holidays. Well, mission accomplished!  I've had so much fun working with Whitley - I can't believe the big day will be here in 3 short months!

For her March wedding at Brakefield at Riverwalk, we're mixing elements of modern and vintage glamour.  Crystal adorned centerpieces, lush ivory floral, bold silver and charcoal textures will give our bride and groom the luxe and romantic wedding they've been dreaming of.  Oh, and her wedding dress - holy moly!!  I cannot wait to see this gorgeous wedding unfold!  Until then, I want to share some of our inspiration photos. Enjoy all the pretty!

Glamorous Silver, Grey and Ivory Wedding Inspiration

XO, A.

2014 Wedding Trend Predictions By The Graceful Host

It's hard to believe, but the 2014 wedding season is just around the corner. Each year trends emerge in fashion, which usually spills over into other areas such as home decor and weddings. After Bridal Market in NYC in October, we saw tons and tons of trends emerging through so many talented ateliers! In addition, Pantone has published their fashion color report for 2014. This report usually dictates color palette trends in the wedding industry, as well. I cannot tell you how much I love good design. Each fall I pay attention to each of these event and read up on industry predictions for 2014. Oh what a dream it would be to actually attend bridal market! I wish. But, for now, this wedding planner and designer is going to layout my favorite trends and predictions for 2014.

Laser Cut Detail

Probably one of my favorite trends for 2014 is the laser cut detailing. I think it's a very sexy and feminine detail. It's been all over fashion lately, and we've seen this amazing detail make its way over to weddings through paper goods, bridesmaids dresses, wedding dresses, and linens.

Pure Romance

I'm sure you could assume that weddings are a romantic affair by nature ... and it's true, they are. But, the colors trending for 2014 just scream romance! We can expect pastels to take the forefront in spring weddings for 2014. Although pink is a very common pastel (and wedding color), I think we'll see more dusty blue, lavender and pale green emerge over the traditional pink romance. The more vibrant colors brought to us by Pantone, such as dazzling blue, cayenne, and freesia, are gorgeous color staples that will complement their pastel counterparts perfectly. At the 2014 Fall Bridal Market we also saw shades of pastel all over from designers like Vera Wang, Romona Keveza and Watters.

The Wedding Dress - details, details, details

Speaking of wedding dresses - the wedding fashion from 2014 Bridal Market was nothing short of stunning! This is my absolute favorite topic to talk about - I love, love, love bridal fashion! This fall, we saw a huge increase in the use of beading and ornate details, along with gorgeous back detailing. I couldn't get over all of the incredible detailing from these designers! I love the use of illusion necklines and back openings with incredibly ornate details. Brides are also going for statement head pieces to create a truly romantic bridal look. Designers also showcased more halter silhouettes than years before. And, of course, we also saw some laser cut/lace detailing from many designers.

Personalization

Weddings should be an expression of the bride and groom. There are tons of themes brides can choose from when beginning their wedding design plans - vintage, couture, classic, clean ... the list can go on forever! We'll see a continuation and emphasis on personal details like custom monograms, creative uses and displays of photos, personalized decor, and one of a kind invitations. I love finding out what makes a couple tick and what experiences we can use to infuse into design elements.

Lush Floral Design

I believe that flowers are essential to wedding design. It is the main source of visual interest, provides color and texture for a space. Due to economic conditions, we've seen many brides scale back their floral design, opting to keep designs more simple, and/or go in the direction of DIY. In 2014, I think that we'll see an increase in more elaborate floral designs. Lush and full centerpieces, both high and low, along with uplighting and draping are making a huge comeback with brides who are looking for a "WOW" look. I think we'll see bouquets and centerpieces with a variety of textures, shapes and dimensions trending. Think of lush greens, full flowers and textured, unique blooms.

Styled Grooms

Think this post is just about the brides and decor trends? No worries, grooms - TGH has you covered! Based on all that is trending with fashion, I think we'll see a big surge in styled grooms. Don't get me wrong. The bride will always be the main focus of a wedding and will always steal the spotlight. But, we're seeing more and more grooms wanting their time to shine on their big day. We'll see more of an emphasis on the groom's attire than in years past.

If this is any indication of next year, then it is going to be beyond beautiful! I just can't wait! But, tell us what you think. What are some of your trend predictions and/or favorite trends for 2014?

XO,
A.