Tres Chic Sweets & A Sweet New Venue

I've found my new favorite cupcakes! Look how adorable these little sweets are... and wait... what's that I see? It's my Tres Chic logo! The very thoughtful people at an amazing new venue, Montelucia (pronounced MON-te-loo-SEE-ya), made these adorable cupcakes for me this morning and had them displayed in their Crave Cafe. What a fun surprise - thank you Jodee!


Montelucia just opened in November and is utterly divine. It's Moroccan-themed grounds are exquisitely manicured and they have the most incredible views of Camelback Mountain I've ever seen. I love the private suite you can stay in & also use for a wedding - it's gorgeous and perfect for the most luxurious, intimate of occasions, complete with outdoor fireplaces, hardwood floors, and incredible antiquities like handmade Spanish doors that weigh more than my entire family combined.


And I got to tour their amazing Joya spa where they do the authentic Turkish ritual, Hammam, which is a bathing experience that involves lounging in a warming room iridescent seats and rose water mist, then a brisk scrub using herbal blackc soap, followed by an herbal steam, whirlpool, sauna, and cold deluge to complete the transformative experience. Sounds exotic, doesn't it?

This venue is mystical - a perfect setting for a bride & groom and their entire family to feel secluded, pampered and utterly famous for their big day.

Real Wedding: Emma & David, Part III

I'll wrap up Emma & David's wedding today by featuring two more photo boards - one of just the cakes, since they were so fun. And the second of the more formal shots with the couple and their spunky personalities. Go here first, then here for the original posts about this great wedding and all of its stylish decor and ideas that made it uniquely David and Emma.

Some other fun details we featured were various lawn games and entertainment like Boccee ball sets and decks of cards on the cocktail rounds to let the guests have fun interacting with each other during the cocktail hour. We also hung brightly-colored Chinese lanterns over the buffet area and strings of cafe lights over the guest tables, which provided the most wonderful glow to the festivities.

Thank you, David and Emma, for letting me share in your fabulous, fun day. Best wishes in your sweet marriage!

Click on boards to enlarge.



Photography by de L'oeil Photography

Real Wedding: Emma & David, Part II

I'm so excited to share photos of Emma & David's wedding! You can read more about their style and decor theme in yesterday's post, but today I'm going to share a little of the overall look and some of my favorite details. Thank you to Andy DeLisle of de L'oeil Photography for all the beautiful photos.

The flowers by Amy's Floral Design were just stunning. The bouquets were different for each bridesmaid & used lots of tone-on-tone color, texture and 'earthy' elements like twigs & berries.

The cake table took center stage for sure - it was a large square table full of five different flavored and colored petite cakes perched at varying heights on different cake stands, and surrounded by eclectic decorative napkins from Anthropologie.

There was nothing 'matchey-matchey' or over the top about this wedding. It was so natural and comfortable and seemingly home-made in an elegant way.

Click on the collage to enlarge. Enjoy and come back tomorrow for some really fun photos capturing the essence of this sweet couple.

Real Wedding: Emma & David, Part I

Recently, I had the pleasure of planning an uber-detailed Green Garden Wedding for David & Emma, who are such a dynamic couple! The event was deemed an 'Upscale Garden Potluck' and this adorable couple had very specific ideas of exactly the style and ambiance they wanted to create, which was so fun to work with.

The wedding palate consisted of many colors found in nature: poppy red, tangerine orange, daffodil yellow, lime green, and chocolate brown. We used tons of fresh fruit everywhere from the aisle decor to the centerpieces to featuring gorgeous cranberries as the champagne glass garnish. All of the leftover fruit was promptly donated to a food shelter. We used organic catering featuring fresh green & vegetable salads, fresh herbs as decor, & many different serving bowls & platters rather than a long line of chafing dishes, to bring in the less formal garden pot luck theme.

Birds' nests of all sizes and shapes, along with bird cages were used for the centerpieces and gift card holders, and finally - one of the most fun details, in my humble opinion, was naming the tables after different garden vegetables (Sassafrass, Pole Beans, Artichoke, etc.). But we'll feature more of those delicious details in the next few days' posts.

First, I want to share the most adorable engagement photos. Emma & David were a 'long distance' bride & groom, as they live in Colorado, but got married here in Phoenix. So, these photos are from Artisan Foto in Boulder, and I must say, I'm in love with them! They capture David & Emma's personalities and style perfectly. Enjoy and come back tomorrow for wedding photos!

The Sweetest Gift of All

The wedding industry is estimated at somewhere between $86 and $120 Billion per year, with the average American wedding costing $30,000. Understandably, sometimes it can seem like all your wedding is about is writing check after check.

I'd like to give you another statistic - and bear with me - this post has a happy ending! Traffickers of sex slaves (women and children) generate $7 Billion a year! Starkly different industries, but both boast staggering returns. Why am I blogging about this on a happy wedding blog? Consider this... what could be more rewarding than knowing that a portion of the money you already plan on spending on your wedding could actually help people... other women and children desperately in need? Would that make a difference where you spent your money?

Here's the happy part - there is an online store called Hope Jewelry where you can purchase very reasonably-priced jewelry, accessories and gifts like hand-made stationery, purses, etc. for your wedding. What's special about this e-store is that they exist solely to contribute financially to women and children who are victims of sexual slavery in 3rd world countries. Funds from shopping on their site go to help those women starting new lives, those currently being exploited, and those who are in danger of becoming victims of trafficking and slavery. What's amazing is that the site tells you specifically who each purchase is benefitting, for example - 'made by survivors of sex trafficking in the Ukraine'.

So when you're pondering what to purchase your beloved bridesmaids, or what thank-you notes to get yourself, think about some of these ideas, and what a special gift you'd be giving them, and the women and children who made them.

Handmade Paper Leaf Cards (I adore them!)

Petite Pink Freshwater Pearl Necklace & Earrings

Double Strand Crystal Necklace

Floating Pearl Necklace

String Tie Journal

Handmade Paper Note Cards inlaid with Silver Leaves

My New Favourite Colors

First of all, I am adopting the Canadian way of spelling favourite. Favorite is so blah. Favourite is so fancy. I like it! So, continuing on - to say that I'm sweet on my new obsession of peacock colors and peacock feathers is an understatement. I'm officially smitten and off the market for any other color combinations. This week. I don't care if it's trendy. It's also so classic - I mean you can't make up an animal like that. So now the beautiful, graceful peacock is officially my favourite animal too.

Anyhow, one of my sweet brides knew she wanted a merlot-colored red for her wedding in October, but she couldn't decide on the secondary colors for her palate. Well, my friends, I pounced on this chance for my new favourite colours (I'm adopting that one too) to show up at an event. And believe me - they're going to show. up.

Merlot red. Peacock teal. Sapphire Blue. I. Love. You. Here's my inspriation for your event, Leigh. I hope you love it!

Main Color Palate Board:

Source (left to right, row by row): OH, HOW CHARMING!, Melissa Sweet, OH, HOW CHARMING!, Sasha Souza, OH, HOW CHARMING!, Flickr, Unknown, Bride Design, Sasha Souza, Unknown, BBJ Linens, Sasha Souza, GOD, Crystalier, Flickr, Flickr

Pre-Ceremony Board:Source (left to right, row by row): GOD, Mac Cosmetics on Flickr, Bride Design, Sasha Souza, Sasha Souza, Studio Stems, Melissa Sweet


Reception Board:


Source (left to right, row by row): OH, HOW CHARMING!, Unknown, Unknown, Tiny Water, Flickr, OH, HOW CHARMING!, BBJ Linens