Event Styling Tips and Tricks (Part 1)

I get asked quite often where I rent and purchase my decor props & rental pieces from fellow vendors out there, so today, I wanted to cover some basic event styling tips with you. Hope this post will also push brides to think outside the box and think about creatively using their venue space.

One of the main jobs I take seriously is styling different stations such as the escort card display table, dessert bar, sign-in table, drinks station and etc. Uniquely setting these displays can definitely set the mood and excite the guests as they anticipate the wedding they're about to experience.  If done right, it cohesively pulls the look together to match the overall ambiance and details you're trying to achieve.
I honestly think rentals including tables, chairs, lounge furniture, decor furnishings and dance floor can play a huge role and can contribute even more than flowers and lighting.  But I would only suggest rental pieces that would be worth renting after carefully evaluating your overall budget.

Before you add any rental items to the invoice...
Scout out the venue carefully and see if you can find any unique decor pieces/furniture you can incorporate.  I know some venues are pretty strict with moving their furnishings but if you kindly ask the staff, you never know the kind of feedback you'll receive. hey, it doesn't hurt to at least ask!
Here are some examples to show you what I've done in the past that worked.. Of course, for free but with our labor of love! 
We turned La Venta Inn's custom made coffee hut into a dessert bar station. I knew this coffee hut had more potential than to display coffee cups!  I believe this was the first time they had seen their coffee hut turned into a dessert bar and the staff loved the way we set up everything. 

Photo Credit: Perpixel Photography

Polaroid Photobooth station at La Venta Inn
Since the bride wanted a relaxed, cozy atmosphere, I kindly asked if we can move one of the sofas and coffee table in the bridal room to the courtyard.  The guests loved the idea of taking pictures behind the beautiful water fountain as their backdrop.
 
Ceremony set up at the Viceroy
The venue itself had a modern, sophisticated decor so I really wanted to let the venue shine.  The flowers were kept to a minimum and we used three of their white high boys to put flowers on top.  We also took their outside lounge sofas inside the ballroom for guests to feel right at home.

Photo Credit: Hazelnut Photography

Candy Station at the Craven's Estate
Going along with this couple's book theme wedding (they met while studying together) the groom had purchased an old library catalog from his school. It catalog fit in perfectly in the Craven Estate's built in bookshelf and we filled the drawers with different colored jelly beans & candy.  Guests were also encouraged to write well wishes on "library cards" and place them in the drawers. Adding some flowers was a perfect touch, no? :)

Photo Credit: Heather Kincaid

Cake Table at the Heritage Museum
You would not believe where I found this white dresser from! Inside the women's restroom! Ha! I honestly didn't think they would allow our staff to move it but they said 'yes'! 

Cake Display at the DryBar
Again, we kindly asked if we can use their yellow side tables together

Escort Card display at the London, West Hollywood
As soon as I saw the gold trim mirror at the lobby, I knew this would be a perfect spot for the escort card table. Sparkles, floating candles and feather centerpiece? Yes, please!

OK. What if the venue isn't flexible or doesn't provide anything except the space? This is when you want to start looking into adding rental pieces that would make a statement...

Part 2 is coming up! Stay tuned! I'll be covering draping, lighting, linens and other rentals.

How to make a custom backdrop, the easy & simple way

How do you create a simple backdrop that's easy, light (not to mention, cheap) to transport in your car without too much of a hassle?
If the space or venue you're using won't allow any kind of hanging or taping, what's the best way to solve this matter? Today, I want to show you the easy & simple way to make a backdrop. You can easily create this look without having to do too much work. Plus, you can also reuse this backdrop and just change the color of the fabric for any events/parties you may have in the future. :)

Before I share some tips with you, I wanted to show you a before & after picture of our veggie/fruit bar. Having a backdrop makes quite a difference, don't you think?
BEFORE

AFTER Including a backdrop definitely pulls the look all together and makes such a difference in photos!!

Just wanted to share a few pictures I took w/ my iPhone while getting ready for the shoot

Here's how it looked before we began our table..

laid out some few props to evenly position the dessert stands...

finishing up on all the tags..

I also purchased a green damask pattern fabric to give a bit of contrast to our table

Here's what you'll need
Any type of iron, Fabric ($20), Spray glue ($7.99), foam board ($20)= Total: less than $50 bucks
This simple project can be done in less than 20 min!

1) Buy a foam board that's big enough to cover a 6ft table. The biggest one I found was a 5 ft wide at Michael's so as you can see, I had to connect one more ft with a duck tape (tip: you can always make the backdrop bigger than the table)

2) Purchase a fabric of your choice (best to buy a thicker fabric to reduce any wrinkles) and iron the fabric before you spray glue it to the foam board.

3) Carefully spray glue the fabric and press it real hard as you go down so you don't get any air bubbles. (tip: If you do get air bubbles, just simply peel off the fabric and work on it again. Make sure to spread newspaper before you spray glue the fabric!)

4) After you're done gluing the entire fabric, you want to iron it out AGAIN to make the backdrop smoother. Any kind of wrinkles may show up on the pictures so make sure you don't have any air bubbles!

Hope you enjoyed our little DIY post and have a healthy Thanksgiving with your loved ones! Be sure to check back as we have a few more weddings to post before the year ends!

Sweet Sources- What you need to know before you order

Image from Amy Atlas
Candy buffets are becoming more and more popular, but there’s only one down side: planning and paying for one can be costly. Apothecary jars usually run between $10- $30 dollars depending on where you purchase them. You can try Target, Michael's, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Save on Crafts (I usually don't recommend buying vases on line because they break easily) and even Marshalls or TJ. Maxx if you get lucky. You need get at least 10 containers to fill up 6 foot table and purchase at least $150-200 dollars worth of bulk candy to fill them up. Remember some of them may look pretty and might match your theme color but that doesn't necessary mean they taste good so make sure you don't try anything too risky.

Making it one step easier for you, here’s a list of our favorite bulk candy vendors to shop and price compare to help you save the most money you can while still getting great quality sweets in the quantity you need.

ACandyStore.com
Best Buy Candy
Bulk Candy Store
Candy Direct
Candy Warehouse
Groovy Candies
Gumballs.com
Hammond’s Candies
Metro Candy

For other options other than candy buffet, click here!

*Valentines*

Valentine's is coming up and who doesn't like getting a card and sweets!?~

Here are some DIYs that you can use for this Valentine's~

Just click on any image that interests you = )

{All images from Martha Stewart} 

Dessert Bar Inspirations

There has been a lot of buzz around the wedding blog world in the past couple of days about dessert bars.
Check these out:

All of these are by Amy Atlas out of New York. If you aren't drooling enough already, be sure to go to her website to check out more details. Thanks to Style Me Pretty for these images. For our clients, if you would like our assistance with setting up a dessert buffet, let us know.

Photo Credit: Cheri Pearl Photography

These amazing cupcake displays are from Vanilla Cake Shop located in Santa Monica, CA. Their cupcakes are amazingly delicious! If you're a cupcake lover, you also need to try Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills (The red velvet flavor is my favorite!)

Another great blog found for table setting inspirations & accessories, please visit http://www.toastandtables.blogspot.com/ for great tips and images!