Bella Bride: Eve & Philip

Eve & Philip were married in April 2008 at Highland Park United Methodist, followed by the reception at The Ritz Carlton Dallas. They chose to have a traditional wedding, but the bright colors brought flavor and a fresh eye to the design.


Various shades of pink with touches of purple really stood out and made a beautiful contrast in the bouquets against the bridesmaids' smokey purple gowns. Sleek and elegant bouquets were designed with the season's best floral.


The beautiful bride really wanted a more textured and unique bouquet. With delicate white, ivory and champagne tones, we grouped lush hydrangea, garden roses, cabbage roses, spray roses, gardenias, peonies, ranunculus, and select stems of the seasons best floral. We also added lovely white dendrobium orchids to give the piece a delicate cascading appeal.


The table centerpieces were designed into a romantic and clean arrangement atop antiqued glass Venetian vases. For added appeal, a trio of lower lying antique julep vessels circles the towering displays.
Thanks to Lite Dallas who provided the pink and purple hues to give it a contemporary feel. It really added to the bright colors of the night!


We especially loved the floral dog displayed on the guestbook table! Buttery yellow carnations formed the body. As for the tail, feathered papyrus grasses sprouted out to give the piece texture.


Credits go to Anne Silverman for providing these photos - simply beautiful!

Once again, congratulations to Eve & Philip!

Play up your tresses!

Want to do something creative with your hairstyle? Try braids! Lauren “LC” Conrad popularized this trend on her reality show “The Hills.” It’s hit the streets of L.A. to the runways and now to weddings. The intricate detail is a lot more chic than a 5-year old’s pigtails. It adds texture, which has been sought-after through ruffles, draping, layering, and fringing. Braiding plays with shadows and light to add dimension to your hairstyle. For those of you that are a little “boho” and free-spirited, braids allow you to relax the typical sleek updo and still look chic and poised for your wedding.


[hairstyles6.com]

Show off your plush, luxurious locks with a side braid like this one. You can also do a crown braid that reaches from ear to ear like a headband.

Go big or go small – either way the braids will really bring out all your tones and add definition. And if you want to add even more dimension, consider adding highlights- or lowlights!


Jenna Bush loosely joined two side braids with white flowers and let the rest of her hair flow naturally. This soft, relaxed look was perfect for a low-key wedding on her parent’s ranch!

The great thing about braids is its versatility. Use it to update a traditional hairdo or to complete your boho-chic look!

Come back soon,
Team Bella

Lace is back!

Everyone used to go for simple elegance with clean lines, but the tradition and romance of lace is making its way back. We can see it on gowns, invitations, and even cakes! Whether you go for an all-lace gown or put lace simply on the bodice or as trimmings, the sophistication of it all will be sure to make you feel like royalty. It has a unique texture, which is another growing trend, and also hides bumps and lumps that silk satin normally wouldn't. But the best thing about lace is that it's adaptable to both a traditional and modern feel - so it doesn't look like your mother's wedding dress.

Here are a few laced dresses we found at Warren Barron Bridal, located in Highland Park Village (http://www.warrenbarron.com/). It is the only boutique that carries Oscar de la Renta, along with many other couture lines.


[Oscar de la Renta]

[Monique Lhuillier] Check out the back of this dress on her official website (http://www.moniquelhuillier.com/). Look for Agnes in the Bridal Fall 2009 Collection.

If you don't want your theme to look too busy or overly feminine, add just a trim of lace to your decor. It's all in the details! Here are some ideas to incorporate this elegant design into your wedding:

• Cake
• Veil
• Bouquet
• Table runners
• Invitations, save the dates, place cards
• Garter
• Doilies
• Decor: vases, candles
• Hanky

We love the extravagance and creativity of Fancy Cakes by Lauren, which is located in Dallas (http://www.fancycakesbylauren.com/). This cake has a white fondant rouching opening to expose just enough of the flirtatious lacey design.


Here's a shot by Scott Hagar at a wedding we designed (http://www.scotthagar.com/). Line your cake with lace, instead of the usual satin ribbon.


You can also wrap lace ribbon or trimming around your bouquet, like this one. This picture is courtesy of Stephen Karlisch, a phenomenal photographer in our region (http://www.karlischphotography.com/). He is one of the most sought-after photographers, but we were gracious to have him shoot one of our recent weddings earlier this year in March!


Invitations, place cards, and more by The White Aisle (http://www.whiteaisle.com/).

If you're just starting out planning your wedding or are looking to add an extra flair, consider a little modernized romance with lace!


Come back for more trends and wedding features!

Team Bella

Weddings, weddings, weddings

Hello all ~ 

It's been awhile since our last post; the wedding season seems to be year round :)  We've designed some fantastic weddings in the past months and have met some amazing brides and vendors in the process.  We're looking at an even busier year with tons of fun brides and ideas.

I wanted to share an image from a wedding show we participated in recently that had two of my favorite colors included of lilac and soft pink.  The design was very opulent and used some of our favorite flowers including peonies, hydrangeas, garden roses, phaelonopsis orchids and french tulips.

Hope you like and promise to post more often!

All the best!

Cesar 

Everyday is my wedding day!

With fall/winter weather steadfastly approaching, I thought it best to recap on some wonderful brides that we had the pleasure of working with over the past few hot summer months. Each have their own unique sense of style and color and we wish them the very best on their new journey into marriage.

First up is the lovely Nicole Rivers who married Blake Anderson in July at Perkins Chapel followed by a stellar reception at The Gorgeous Belo Mansion. Beautiful soft textures and personal touches made this one of my favorite weddings of the summer. Here are a few shots from the super talented Thisbe Grace.

Bridal Bouquet in soft creams and ivories



Cutest lil pair!



The grand entrance.




Amazing set up in The Belo Pavilion. Lite Dallas did a great job!



Just a hint of pale coral worked wonderfully with the room styling.






Details, details, details....



A truly memorable night for all...

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine Fall/Winter 2008

Early this winter we were invited to participate in Grace Ormonde's call to designers to interpret classic paintings by various artists and convert the imagery into an inspirational table tops. We were thrilled to be included with such great company and even paired up with Sarah and Kristin from AK Event Design on one design. The photo shoot was great fun and we all were keeping our fingers crossed in hopes of one of our submissions being published.

You can imagine how thrilled we were when we found out that both designs were published!
Here are the scans from the magazine on newsstands now!


The first design was based on Alfred Gockel's "Romance in Red".





The romantic shades of red and great movement within the piece provided a great palette for the floral design and linen selection. AK Events then brought in some fantastic black crystals that were interpreted as the silhouettes and dashes of suspended candlelight completed the marvelous table design.





The next submission was based on Claude Monet's "Irises in Monet's Garden"




With such a great color palette and textured groupings, we instantly knew that we would pay homage to the great artist by creating a unique and updated garden inspired centerpiece. Rich raspberries, violets, and pinks would blend into a marveling display. Our favorite flowers (peonies, orchids and of course irises) all showcased the neat textures and a custom linen in a fantastic silk would serve as a luxurious table base. Many thanks to Stephanie Anne for providing such exquisite dinner and glass ware.





So that's that :) We are still stoked about being selected (twice) and hope to participate in future editions. We just had to share :)


Thanks for reading and happy planning!

Team Bella

Think Pink!

The website for The Bella Boutique is up. :)





I had a blast mixing a little homage to famous painters,
blending funky lines and shapes and using dashes of hot
pink to create this rad space for our little "gem".

Check it out here .

Cheers and happy planning!

Cesar