Orcas Island photo love: Laurel McConnell

We just love Laurel McConnell and love poring over her blog for amazing shots we can share! If you don't know Laurel, be sure to check out her amazing site and fabulous blog - she's also on Twitter! Laurel is based in Seattle but loves to travel for weddings!

Here are some images from a beautiful wedding on Orcas Island, Washington; such a charming little island in the San Juan Island chain.

Don't you just love this image of the bride's Claddagh bracelet?

The above image reminds me of summers in coastal Washington


If you are ever in Seattle you must visit the Confectional in Pike Place - they have some mouth-watering cheesecake desserts.

Love this. Yep. Real things happen at weddings!

Cheers! Aleah + Nick

Easy + charming napkin treatments

For our client Carl's 60th birthday celebration we kept the napkin treatments local and so simple; right from Carl and Pam's yard! Nick and I snipped French lavender and rosemary sprigs and placed one on each guest's napkin for dinner service. Not only did they smell good, but they just added a little touch of something unexpected, yet so simple.

Photo by La Luz Photography

More images from our Exquisite Weddings Magazine shoot - by Rippee Photography

The lovely and talented Teri Rippee from Rippee Photography sent us over some additional shots from our Exquisite Weddings Magazine spread and we wanted to share. Please read our last post for our complete list of talented wedding artists we brought on board and a bit more about our inspiration!
By using rustic captain's chairs and benches, we created a California winery-meets-California coastal table that is fitting for brides and grooms.
Our goal was to create a design that was gorgeous but comfortable for every guest. Classic summer sangria, petite desserts, and a post-dinner European cheese board really enable guests to eat, drink, and visit well into the night.
Copper candle holders from Annette Gomez put off such a warm and welcoming glow - it was a magical setting.
By using a rather frilly table runner atop burlap linen, we softened the look while still keeping it comfortable and not too over-the-top.
The models were both amazing and we loved this cover shot!

Thank you again to all of the amazing artists who helped bring our vision to life!

Aleah + Nick

Monday Coffee: the skinny on save the dates

A lot of our clients are a little unsure as to the etiquette surrounding save the date cards and what their true purpose is. Do you still send out your invitation 6-8 weeks prior? What do you include? Here is the skinny on save the dates:

1. save the dates can come in the form of a postcard or an invitation-sized announcement or something similar (we have recently heard of some cute online save the dates). It simply lets guests know that you have set a wedding date well in advance so that they can....well, save the date. For destination events, we recommend mailing these out about 10-12 months in advance if possible. For in-town events, 6-8 months should suffice. Though they aren't a necessity, they can certainly be appreciated by busy guests who might really need to set aside your date!
2. many clients make their save the dates super fun and different from their more formal invitation. Have fun with it! Use a silly engagement shot and ham it up!

3. it is acceptable to put your wedding website link on the save the date if you have one. This should be how your guests are privvy to lodging information and other wedding details and updates that you will not include on your invitation or insert (like registry information).


4. common questions: do we need to address these formally and send one to each and every invited guest? The answer is no. Again, keep these simple - no need to formally address and mail one to each invited guest. Rather, mail one to each household or family as opposed to each member of the Smith family who might be invited but not live at home.

5. if a guest indicates they can't attend after received their save the date, should we still send them an invitation? By all means, yes. As the save the date isn't a formal invitation, be sure to send a formal invitation to each and every guest whom you'd like to attend, even if they might have casually mentioned they might not be able to make it.

Happy Planning! Aleah + Nick
First Image from media.onsugar
Second image from trendsetttingwedding.com

Easter fun with Peeps!

We just had to share these adorable images from the Washington Post - they hold a Peeps diorama contest each year. This year's winner was a Peeps diorama from the movie Up and it's just so much fun! Happy Easter!

Friday Fun for the Ladies, Part V

For the last look of the day I wanted to share a whimsical style I put together for a fun and carefree bride. With a simple, yet gorgeous wedding dress she is able to punch up her look with color or some fabulous jewelry.
Curly willow peacock linen from Wildflower Linen, Whitney gown from J. Crew $395, and crystal supernova necklace from J. Crew, on sale for $98

Friday Fun for the Ladies, Parts III and IV

The texture of this stunning Vera Wang Dovima dress would look stunning with Isabella blush linens from Wildflower Linen and a combination of textured blush and lavender roses. This was created for our bride who wanted a classic, sweet look. *rose photo from theknot.com

For our funky bride who wants a unique, out-of-the-box look, I pulled together this vibrant Chloe eggplant organza linen from Wildflower Linen with this chic $58 single pearl strand necklace from Ann Taylor and an adorable $180 Juliet dress from J. Crew.

Stay tuned for the last look this afternoon!

Aleah

Friday Fun for the Ladies, Part II

This palette was created for one of our darling summer brides who wants to keep her wedding look understated and soft. I love these silver rings from Ringoblog and this sea foam ethereal dress from J. Crew - Taryn, $395 and this Chloe organza light ivory linen from Wildflower Linen

Stay tuned for look III this afternoon!
Aleah

Friday Fun for the Ladies!

I thought it would be fun to dedicate today to all of you ladies looking for some lovely, chic, and fun confections for spring! I've whipped up 5 different color combinations featuring some stunning Spring 2010 dresses from Vera Wang and J. Crew so stay tuned throughout the day for some gorgeous combinations! All of these combinations are inspired by some of our lovely current brides so we hope you enjoy!

This curly willow blush linen is from Wildflower Linen and is such a pretty compliment to this drop-dead-gorgeous Vera Wang Dinah wedding gown. Pair it all with this sweet statement necklace from Stella and Dot Colette necklace ($138) and you'll be sure to look gorgeous + timeless on your wedding day! Aleah

Easy + delicious Easter recipes

For many, Easter Sunday means gathering with family and friends for an Easter brunch or dinner. We wanted to share some incredibly simple recipes with you to create on Easter Sunday that will impress your brunch guests!

Apple-Cheese Danish from Country Living - so easy and delicious!
1 package(s) (7.5-ounce) farmers cheese
1/3 cup(s) sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
2 medium Gala apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon(s) lemon juice
2 teaspoon(s) sugar, for apple mixture
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed, cut into 3 strips, then cut in half widthwise
Sugar, for sprinkling

Directions
1.Combine farmers cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium bowl.
2.Toss apples with lemon juice and 2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside.
3.Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll each pastry strip to a 6-inch square. Divide cheese mixture among squares. Top with apples, layering slices.
4.Fold in 2 opposite corners of dough to meet in middle of pastry. Sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to parchment-lined baking pan. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Raspberry Bellini from Giada de Laurentiis
1 bag frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 bottle (750-ml) chilled brut Champagne

Directions
Blend the raspberries and sugar in a food processor or blender until pureed. Strain the raspberry puree through a sieve; discard the seeds, if you wish. Set up 6 Champagne flutes and put about 1 tablespoon of raspberry puree in each glass. Add Champagne to each glass; stir gently and serve.
Image from Food Network

Fun with wedding signage

There is something just so rustic and charming about an outdoor wedding on a warm summer night. Even cuter; wedding signage inspired by European street signs (at least in my mind) to direct guests to important wedding events. Last year at Emily + Ryen's wedding, Emily's father hand crafted an amazing sign post that pointed in all directions; to the chapel in the woods, the restrooms, and dancing. *Photo from Project Wedding

*Photo by Stephanie Williams

Not only are these signs a whimsical touch to your celebration; they are so easy to make. Use old fence pickets found at a resale store simply paint your lettering on in outdoor paint!

*Photo by Amore Studios

*Photo from the EverydayBride.com

*Photo from A Charming Event

Photo love: Llanes Weddings

I love these two images from our worldly shoot with Llanes Weddings. We'd love to hear: what was your favorite element or photo from this shoot?

Cheers! Aleah + Nick

We are thrilled! The Good Life featured on Junebug Weddings!

We are so proud that our world traveler-inspired shoot was featured on the incredibly popular Junebug Weddings yesterday! Styling this shoot was so much fun! Read about our inspiration and stay tuned later this week for more photos!

"Our vision for this world traveler-inspired wedding celebration was to take our bride and groom back to an era when traveling was truly seen as an incredibly romantic adventure. We wanted to showcase unique ideas for a wedding reception luncheon and also non-traditional wedding reception attire. Using Sail Bay in Mission Beach, San Diego as our backdrop, we utilized some magical old pieces from our grandfathers to create a true worldly feeling. Old binoculars, a great vintage camera, luggage, and a decades-old barometer really helped to emit a classic feeling of flying, cruising, and boating in true old-school fashion.
We kept the floral simple and streamlined and drew from tropical destinations. Using pincushions and breezy palms, we made them look like specimens in simple glass vessels, showcasing their true beauty. Gold rimmed low ball glasses were adorned with eclectic vintage spoons collected from travels; Hawaii, Norway, England, and Alaska. A gauzy overlay was draped atop khaki linens and lovely turquoise Tandoori-style napkins were cinched with wooden napkin rings. Momental Designs created our delicious looking menus and tied in our traveling motif with an old world map. The place cards were personalized from vintage Air Mail envelopes discovered at an antique shop. We tailored them with our bride and groom’s favorite locales like Paris, London, Dubai, and Hong Kong.

Our bride’s vintage-inspired gold brocade dress was from Priscilla of Boston and the groom donned Tommy Bahama pants, shirt, hat, and a luxe leather weekender bag. After their sophisticated luncheon celebration they sailed off into the sunset on a sweet little sailboat to begin their next adventure together!"

Shoot design, styling, and floral: Nick and Aleah, The Good Life Special Events
Photography: Joseph and Jenny Llanes, Llanes Weddings
Stationery goods: Kristy Rice, Momental Designs
Bride’s attire: Priscilla of Boston from Bella Bridesmaid in La Jolla
Groom’s attire: Tommy Bahama in La Jolla
Hair and Makeup: Char Sanchez
Linens: Wildflower Linen
Location: The Catamaran Hotel & Resort

Fun and warm Easter tables

Easter is around the corner and we wanted to showcase some lovely table settings that are easy to put together but oh-so-sweet. Stay tuned for more posts this week, including an Easter DIY project and some Easter brunch recipes! Photo from Southern Living
Photo from Southern Living
Photo from Country Living

Monday Coffee: getting a jump-start on your guest list

We know that just the thought of starting your guest list for your wedding can make anyone shudder. Unfortunately this is one area where we really can't help our clients too much, but we would love to share our Top 5 Tips for getting started:

1. be sure to have some budget parameters laid out so that you have an idea of how many guests you can afford to invite and have attend.

2. don't over think. Simply start writing down names of your family (moms, dads, grandparents) and dearest friends and work your way out from there.

3. please take note; do not count on someone not attending and send them an invitation! If you feel obligated, send someone an announcement after the wedding. We have seen so many brides and grooms think that a dozen distant family members aren't going to trek cross-country and send out invitations. Surprise when they RSVP yes!

4. be mindful of whether your parents will be inviting guests and be sure to lay out a clear number of how many you will all be inviting so that your lists mesh.

5. possibly my favorite piece of advice that Nick gives to our clients: do not invite someone to your wedding whom you would not feel comfortable taking out to dinner. Simple as that. By the time the total budget is calculated, each invited guest can cost several hundred dollars to feed, entertain, and give cake and favors to. If you don't know this person well, consider skipping an invitation. Try to imagine your wedding with and without the guest in question. If you wouldn't necessarily miss them at the wedding, do not feel obligated to invite them.

Happy Planning! Aleah

We were so thrilled when the awesome Melissa from the Loveliest Day shared our Mediterranean-inspired shoot with her readers! Be sure to check out her sweet blog for gorgeous vintage inspiration and wedding goodies! Here are the details on this shoot:

Our inspiration: With summer quickly approaching, Nick and I wanted to inspire brides and grooms to think a little outside the wedding box. Our favorite region of the world, the Mediterranean coast from Saint Tropez, France to San Remo, Italy, gave us inspiration to design a cheery, vibrant, and lighthearted wedding celebration. For this bride and groom we kept the décor and ambiance light to mesh with their rooftop cocktail celebration.

Keep it simple: By playing up bright, sunshine inspired colors in the linens, we were able to downplay the centerpieces and keep them simple. Arranging lemons in striking turquoise containers was incredibly inexpensive and gave a unique look against the remarkable blue of the Pacific Ocean. We always try to inspire our clients with fun and different décor ideas – draw from your natural surroundings or your hobbies. If you love to travel, tie in the colors you remember from a recent trip. Bring in smells and dishes that represent the trip where your fiancé proposed. If it’s lemons from a trip to Nice, France, bright hibiscus tones from a Hawaiian weekend, delicious cuisine from an Aspen vacation, or a postcard from a Parisian getaway, tying in sweet memories here and there will ensure your wedding is a true reflection of you.

Consider alternatives: Again, we do so much thinking outside of the box and always love putting new twists on classic celebrations. With warmer weather on its way, why not celebrate your nuptials with your nearest and dearest at an elegant and fun beach celebration? If you’re not looking to have a traditional dinner reception with a large guest list, look to fabulous venues with unique spaces and décor, like Tower 23 Hotel in San Diego. Host a rooftop wedding bash and your wedding will be remembered for many years to come! Whatever you choose to do, remember to have fun during the process!

Our incredibly talented artists:
Photography: Joseph and Jenny Llanes from Llanes Weddings
Stationery goods: Kristy Rice from Momental Designs
Bride’s attire: Bella Bridesmaid in La Jolla; Lela Rose raspberry halter $310
Groom’s attire: Tommy Bahama in La Jolla
Hair and Makeup: Char Sanchez
Linens: Wildflower Linen
The location: Tower 23 Hotel

Shoot design, styling, and floral: Nick + Aleah – The Good Life Special Events

...and the winner is....Sharon Hummel!

Congratulations, Sharon Hummel- you will be receiving the gorgeous Kyndrid Regality necklace! Please email us at info {at} goodlifeevents.net with your address.

Thank you to everyone else for entering! Remember to enter GOODLIFE upon checkout to receive 25% off of any Kyndrid piece, good until March 30th - www.kyndrid.com
Stay tuned for more giveaway fun in the weeks to come!
Cheers, Aleah + Nick