WEDDING BLOG

Hey Junebug readers, thanks for all your fantastic questions for Mindy Weiss. They are each such interesting and thoughtful queries, we really can’t wait to hear her take on how best to answer them. We’re sending them all off to Mindy as we speak and will post the chosen questions and answers (and winners!) in the next few weeks. Until then, if you’re looking for some wedding planning guidance you can trust, we really can’t recommend Mindy’s incredible book highly enough; The Wedding Book- The Big Book For Your Big Day. Check it out!

This year’s A Soolip Wedding show featured the designs of Kirstie Kelly, an ultra talented LA based designer who creates the Kirstie Kelly Couture collections as well as Kirstie Kelly for Walt Disney’s Fairytale Weddings. We recently met with Kirstie Kelly’s Fashion Director Erin Dallesandro (the amazingly stylish and chic dark haired woman in the photos below) and connected with her like long lost friends. She is wonderful and oh so smart, and we couldn’t wait to watch her in action on the day of the show!

Sure enough, Erin whipped up an informal fashion show that was a serious hit. The models were lovely, and with the hair and makeup team of Sally Hershberger and Fiore Beauty (pictured above, third row) the whole look was complete. Each dress had a unique shape with great attention to detail. The embellishments on many of the bodices, necklines and skirts were simply perfect and obviously, a joy to photograph. Even the children’s clothing and the bridesmaid’s dresses were exquisite. At the end of the day we had such a difficult time tearing ourselves away from shooting the fashion. The models were professional, creative and laid-back all at once and those dresses were divine!

I apologize for the very late afternoon post, but we had such a blast photographing A Soolip Wedding here in LA yesterday that we were absolutely determined to get the images edited and up online today! Between the three of us we took about a gazillion pictures, lusted after endless amounts of delectable foods and beautiful product designs, and met all sorts of fabulous people- brides and professionals alike. What a day! Get ready for a marathon post!

Everyone there seemed to be having a fantastic time. The location, the stunning Vibiana in downtown LA, was so uniquely bright and beautiful, and the energy in the room was through the roof. There were adorable girls everywhere you looked, and quite a few adorable guys as well (including our buddies Jeff and Loop, and cinematographer Russell Fowler above. Love those boys!) And being an LA event, there was of course a fun celebrity sighting. The gorgeous and very gracious Rachel Hunter (above with Soolip founder Wanda Wen) was there to find inspiration for her own upcoming wedding!

Scrumptious treats abounded and created seriously happy attendees. We adored the cakes, cupcakes and macaroons from Vanilla Bake Shop (top two rows above), the signature cocktails from Aroma Events and the pretty pomegranate lime cocktails from sponsors POM Wonderful and Belvedere Vodka, the pristinely decorated wedding cakes from the legendary NancyKay’s Confections (the pink and green cakes in the fourth row above), and the incredibly artistic and organic food and desert from Patina Wedding (bottom two rows above).  Yum!

Paper goods, decor design and treats of all kinds were well represented too. The invitation displays and calligraphy demonstration from Soolip Paperie & Press (the paper designer and the show’s namesake, top two rows above) were to-die-for, and another invitation designer called Flite Design (shown fourth and fifth rows above) really got us excited with her ultra customized invitations and decorative lanterns that hung in her booth as well as from the tall, tall ceiling above us all.

Another aspect of the show that was really cool was how truly interactive it was. Models in Kirstie Kelly Couture gowns walked through the crowds so everyone could see the designs up close, and there were facials to receive, treats to taste, presentations to attend, prizes to win, and jewelry to try on. Dreamy! The conversations with experts that took place outside under the amazing tenting from Raj Tents were really informative and full of creative ideas, and I really appreciated how open to questions and discussion the experts were. Both Wanda Wen of Soolip and Mark Held of Mark’s Garden were a delight to listen to and were incredibly warm and encouraging (pictured third row above).

Kim, Blair and I had a fantastic time and can’t thank Tarin and Wanda enough for the opportunity to get involved. We have so many more photos to share, but can’t possibly fit them all into just one post, so stay tuned tomorrow for a look at all the fabulous fashion from Kirstie Kelly. We are total suckers for pretty dresses and fashion models so you know we followed them around and took ridiculous amounts of photos! Should be a good one!