It’s always an honor to be amongst the industry’s most notable stars. Colin Cowie, a world-renowned celebrity event designer, featured Rula and Steven’s stunning Lodge at Torrey Pines affair on their famed site – ColinCowieWeddings.com. While I love being recognized by the extraordinarily talented Cowie, it is the company I kept on this wedding who are the real shining stars. Working alongside the creative and stylish Susanne Duffy is always a pleasure. So much so that I’ve come to expect the glamour and luxury that is synonymous with her business, Crown Weddings.

And this wedding was by no means an exception.

The bride is a surgeon from New York City, so her mother did most of the planning for this destination celebration. Susanne conveyed their overall vision for the design and color scheme consisting of aubergine, lavender and ivory, with touches of gold. Working with a coordinator like Susanne is a blessing. While the design is an ongoing collaboration between creative vendors, it’s so important to have a strong coordinator to direct the production. Susanne Duffy does so flawlessly and our final creation was simply divine.

Guests were greeted with six lush arrangements framing the aisle entrance full of roses in various stages of bloom, hydrangea, dahlias, and tulips with diminutive touches of botanical foliage, like dusty miller for movement and variation in texture. A pathway of white rose petals aligned the chairs leading up to the grand wooden arbor elaborated decorated in a lavish display of the floral palette, making a breathtaking backdrop for this lovely couple’s ceremony.

The bride’s bouquet (featured last week in our first of many ongoing Bouquet Recipe posts) comprised of Carmel Antik and Patience garden roses, Amnesia roses, ranunculus, gardenias, tulips, lisianthus, jasmine vine and dusty miller. Smaller bouquets were created for the bridesmaids and accessorized their deep plum gowns beautifully.

Candlelight amongst the dark farm tables created an ambient glow to the Lodge for the reception décor, which showcased various table arrangements and centerpieces complementing the royal purple color palette.

It’s no wonder that Colin Cowie chose this elaborate California Lodge wedding to feature on his site. The event was a vibrant and dramatic display of true elegance, and a dream come true for this east coast couple.

Vendors

Photographed by Braja Mandala. Venue: The Lodge at Torrey Pines. Wedding Planner: Crown Weddings. Floral Design: Adorations Botanical Artistry. Linens: La Tavola.

Adorations.com is now LIVE ONLINE! I couldn’t be more thrilled to share with you this stunning new website that I have poured my heart and soul into. I have spent countless hours consumed with bringing you a colorful, rich, and visually driven site to showcase the designs I am so unbelievably proud of. However, any great wedding or special event floral décor takes an entire team of vendors working together to make the one true vision come to life. This site would not be what it is without the amazing photographers, coordinators, and creative vendors who made each and of every one of my weddings, shoots, and special events happen. Thank you ALL so much!

In an effort to fully recognize the amazing talent featured here, I will be spotlighting my site’s showcased vendors periodically throughout the year in dedicated profile pieces honoring their incredible work!

As we launch, I would love to take this opportunity to personally acknowledge a few vendors, who are not only fellow industry professionals, but very dear friends I have had the pleasure to work alongside. Many of our collaborations are featured here on Adorations.com and I couldn’t possibly say enough about each and every one of them. But here it goes…

Kelly Aull of Mint Weddings

You are like a sister to me. We have been in this business together since the beginning and I truly believe we have contributed to each other’s success. Your loyalty and faith in me has certainly made an impact on my growth as a business woman and I want to always deliver for you and reflect back your generosity and commitment. This is why you are someone I would drop anything for.

Kelly and I created the FOUND BEACH WEDDING together. Kelly is always up to trying new things and creating different presentations for her brides. Not only is she an amazing coordinator, but also an incredible chef, responsible for creating and styling the dessert table display at Nathalie & Conrad’s wedding. While Mint Weddings is known for her wedding and special event coordination, Kelly has a true passion for making the sweetest most decadent treats. It’s a talent that truly has my mouth watering just thinking about it.

I named this the FOUND BEACH WEDDING as we created an eclectic presentation from found objects that would be seen in the flea-market circuit. Our lovely bride Nathalie had the style of Anthropologie and wanted a rustic, shabby-chic affair. We incorporated window treatments as the entrance to the ceremony aisle, initially, I was not sure it could work. But Kelly was all about it. “Let’s do it. Fire it up!” This is one of the many reasons I love Kelly. She helps me stretch myself to go beyond what I have done before. You truly are a beautiful friend Kelly, inside and out.

Krista Morrison of A Joy Forever

Krista has contributed to Adorations in a way that has continually had a ripple effect on my business. She worked with me at the beginning of her career and I must say, everything she touched has produced long-term, effective results for me. She has this amazing way to organize and put systems in place to aid in functionality and consistency. I believe she has helped take Adorations to an even-higher playing field with the structures she implemented. Krista is also an extremely talented writer who loves to get things done the right way. She is so thoughtful about the service that she gives as a wedding coordinator and believes in the essence of family - the very reason why marriage exists. She feels that we need to treat our family, and couples, as though they are Kings and Queens. This is the core of the marriage celebration – the joining of two people into a committed and lifelong partnership of love. Her values in marriage are perfectly aligned with my core beliefs.

Together, Krista and I produced the RUSTIC ROUGE tabletop shoot to be featured in Exquisite Weddings this year. Look for it in the Spring edition. This luxurious farm table set-up reminds me of an enchanting dinner party a la rustic Moulin Rouge with touches of blue in the glassware with deep red roses and dahlias and luscious pink peonies. The delicate simplicity of the lace table runner balanced the crystal glassware and chandelier for an extravagant display.

Thomas Bui of Thomas Bui Lifestyle

I am extremely blessed and honored by my continually developing relationship with Thomas. He is committed to working with me on so many projects, with the most personal being his annual HOLIDAY PARTY. Thomas understands that florals are a worthy investment and he encourages his clients to value the quality of their flowers and décor. Thomas and I share a commitment to authentic craftsmanship ABOUT US that is evident in our past and current published weddings such as SOPHISTICATED GARDEN WEDDING now featured in San Diego Ceremony’s new 2014 edition.

Thomas understands that relationships and personal rapport are highly important. When listening to his vision for his 2013 holiday party, I felt struck by his easy and honest way of acknowledging those that matter most to him. This was the second holiday party that I had the pleasure to outfit for Thomas. He wanted an intimate dining experience with indulgent, elegant, but “vampy” décor. I wanted to bring sophisticated yet sexy holiday decoration to his private home for this intimate 40-guest affair held in his backyard. What transpired was an ornate yet edgy celebration, inspired by the red crystal chandeliers that floated above the king table. We incorporated black fur and leather boxes filled with snow-white peonies, amaryllis, calla lilies, anemones, and tulips along with crystal candelabras for a glamorous candlelight ambiance. It was even more special that Thomas not only asked me to design the flowers for the event, but also included me as a guest for this lavish dinner party. The way he indulged us that evening gave me an expanded sense of a guests’ experience at the weddings and celebrations he produces; always thoughtful, decadent, and original! Thank you for always being such a giving gentleman.

Susanne Duffy of Crown Weddings

You have truly been a mentor to me over the years. And that’s just the kind of woman you are. You constantly bring this positive energy that is both exciting and invigorating. Not only do you take on novices and help them rise to the top, you pour your heart into guiding them into their own personal and professional growth. I am in awe of your admirable reputation in this industry as you continue to produce gorgeous results time and time again. I met you very early in my career, when I was designing honeymoon suites, and it is because of you I met Kelly Aull and many other great vendor friends. Every time we collaborate, we create magic. It was one of my most cherished events to create the floral for your very own wedding. I will forever hold that event very special to my heart.

It is with Susanne at Crown Weddings that we created the ROMANTIC ESTATE WEDDING that was actually featured in Ceremony Magazine with a cover shot of the luxurious table setting. We also recently collaborated on the VIVID COASTAL WEDDING that features an out-of-the-box floral chandelier installation that garnered an article feature in Ceremony’s new 2014 edition. Susanne always instills glamour, style, and personality into her events, one of the many reason, I love working with her.

Wendy Ware Designer

Wendy Ware is one of the most artistic, talented and self-expressed people I know. She really lives her life fully expressed whether it’s in her home, her fashion, and even her eyewear. Wendy has a great capacity to understand her client’s style and encourages them to take risks in their design. I admire how she can walk her client to the edge and hold their hand taking them to the next level. The result is always a flawless execution of artful expression as her attention to detail is unsurpassed. She has been a collaborator on some of my very best work, whether she’s contributed her calligraphy service or a full suite of wedding stationery. I love that we have this mutual relationship, where sometimes I lead and she follows or vice-versa. Wendy is truly one of my best friends and has been a real example of faith in oneself, others, and most importantly, God.

Paula Luna of Luna Photo

I recently texted Paula to “may you continue to see the light in yourself that you so beautifully capture in your photographs.” She is one of those very few gifted photographers who captures exactly what she sees in her heart with a photograph. The authenticity within her art is obvious and is a straightforward look into her soul. Paula’s photography is featured over and over again throughout the site from the ENCHANTED TENT WEDDING to the SAN DIEGO SPANISH WEDDING.

Joshua Aull Photography

Josh and I both dream big and then take action to see it through from start to finish. I have watched him develop as a photographer in this business and he’s done the same for me. From capturing a tabletop shoot in the middle of the East Village in downtown San Diego, as seen in the URBAN VINTAGE shoot, to photographing the POP-UP SHOP that I hosted in my studio space, we have grown up together in this industry and have seen each other’s professional relationships evolve. I have tremendous respect for his career and look forward to seeing it blossom even further.