Giving Back

Last year at this time we were lucky enough to participate in an event that benefited a very important cause, the Children in Darfur. If you don't know about the crisis the women and children of Darfur, Sudan are experiencing, click here to watch a short video clip of George Clooney's March interview on the International Rescue Committee Website; George Clooney has been a long time supporter of this very important cause. The benefit event took place at Grant Heslov's home (Heslov and Clooney collaborated on "Good Night and Good Luck"), and drew in celebrities such as Heather Graham, Cindy Crawford and Forest Whittaker, to name a few. The event was planned by celebrity event planner by Jo Gartin of Love Luck and Angels, and she skillfully managed everything from the decor, catering, to the celebrity shopping and silent auction. Participating sponsors, such as Michelle Jonas (who we adore) and Rock and Republic were on hand to offer their wares at wholesale pricing, with the proceeds going to the Benefit. (And if you have never worn Michelle's clothes - you MUST try them, she has a devout following from the likes of Heather Graham and Angelina Jolie, and her clothes are the most comfortable, figure flattering clothes on the planet! I own at least 10 pieces from her last three collections, and they are my favorite pieces of clothing....)

We flew down to L.A. just in time to pickup our blooms from Mayesh, one our our favorite (non-local) wholesalers, and put together several large arrangements (see picture with Cindy Crawford above) and some small accent pieces. We had a blast watching the celebs shop for a cause, and felt good about putting our talent to use for an excellent cause.

Cindy Crawford, Forest Whitaker and his wife Keisha and Lisa Rinna (wireimage.com)

Heather Graham, Grant Heslov and Michelle Jonas (wireimage.com)

As this year winds itself to a close, with all its financial hardships, we've donated our services to some local services such as Teen Talking Circles, and several smaller children's programs in the area. We urge everyone, even in these more difficult times, to find a cause that speaks to them, and give their time, their talent or whatever they can, no matter how little - it all adds up!

One of the Teen Talking Circles centerpieces...

Daniela

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Real Weddings: Madhuri and Karthik

Maybe it's because of our passion for color, or our experience with a ton of cultural weddings over the last ten years; but whatever the reason is, this was the year we got to create a plethora of culturally infused weddings! One of our favorite weddings this year was Madhuri and Karthik's fabulous marriage and celebration. We first designed the ceremony decor, as we knew Madhuri would wear the traditional red and gold for the beginning of the ceremony. We used fabulous gold chaircovers from Wildflower Linens and created a custom duppioni silk aisle runner in "spun gold." Down the aisle, we created a pattern of out lush, fresh crimson rose petals as a surprise for the bride. After draping the stage in red duppioni silk, we built a ten foot Mandap (similar to a Jewish Chuppah), which is the structure that holds the ceremony. Since Madhuri and Karthik wanted the gold silk draping tied way back to allow better viewing of the ceremony, we added a lush pave rose topper of about dozen roses in various hues of red.



all images courtesy of Jane Lee Photography)

After Madhuri's trip to India to purchase her reception gown, which was custom made in beautiful hues of blue, we sat down to collaborate on the design of the reception. The use of shades of blue with touches of gold, both to match her gown and to have some continuity from the ceremony, proved to be the perfect backdrop for this fabulous evening. We utilized the white linens from the Westin, and topped them with exquisite beaded overlays from Wildflower Linens in a subtle Champagne color. Madhuri wanted more traditional flower arrangements, so for hr we created mounds of roses in simple glass cylinders, line in leaves and lit from underneath, for Karthik, who loves contemporary design, we created super tall cylinders again lit from beneath, and topped with various orchids, roses and calla lillies in persimmon and raspberry hues. Floating orchids were lit up inside the vase for a visual treat, practically glowing at night. Ten foot wide voile was draped across the ceiling to add some texture. The finishing touch was the lighting, which changed throughout the night. We started with blue and amber lighting to illuminate and color was the lights, and as the reception turned from dinner to dancing, the lighting moved with the beat of the music to create a nightclub atmosphere. Aj from Kumba Entertainment flew up from LA, and kept the music spinning, and kept everyone on the dancefloor with both Indian bollywood and American music.

Look below the credits to see a short video montage from Cabfare Productions, who was the fabulous videographer

at this event. You can see some of the decor, inlcuding the slow change lighting behind the headtable, and the floral elephant sculpture created by us, as well as an elephant Ice Carving created by Steve Cox of Creative Ice Carvings.

Thank you, Madhuri and Karthik, for letting me be a part of your special day!

Floral and overall Design: Bella Signature Design
Lighting: Bella Signature Design/Av-pro
Photography: Jane Lee Photography
Videography: Cabfare Productions
Venue: Westin Hotel, Bellevue
Music: Kumba Productions, Los Angeles

Daniela

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Fabulous new blog, Pink Galoshes

Vodka anyone?













Amy from Pink Galoshes just contacted me today about their blog, and I had to share! "PinkG" is a fabulous photographer in New York City, and their blog is full of eye candy and hip tips for weddings - as their blog reads "irreverant hip tips for the slightly naughty bride" - Indeed!

I love their spin on wedding tips, such as some delightful cocktail recipes and discussions on details. And the photography, especially for the
tips on fun and new libations to try, are fantastic eye candy!

Since we do not accept advertisements on our blog, we are also quite careful about our blog roll - we feel no need to list every wedding vendor out there, and instead will try to find some fun, helpful and enticing wedding blogs for your viewing pleasure that may be a bit off the beaten path. Check out Pink Galoshes when your out for a blog stroll!


A gem encrusted shell from
the infamous John Hardy was
featured on Pink Galoshes blog
recently.... how fun for a
beach wedding...

Daniela

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Permanent Couture blooms

For a while now we have been making art pieces for our brides - sometime it is a posie of organza blooms for the back of a gown, sometimes tiny blooms for a ringbearer pillow, and most often, a birdcage veil with flowers or a floral headpiece. Our permanent blooms are made out of organza, silk, velvet, you name it - and adorned with anything from feathers, crystals, beading and so on. After a lot of requests, we've finally opened up an etsy shop to develop more of these creations, which are especially fun to create specifically for each client. Here is a sneak peek at a few of our creations, with new additions to the etsy page over the following week, once we take some nicer photographs! We'll even have a fabulous give-away starting next week - stay tuned!

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Soy Candles

Thanks to one of my current, eco-conscious brides, (thanks, Darcy!) we recently brought in soy candles for a wedding. Although more expensive than regular candles, this couple was willing to pay a bit extra for them and the organic food they served their guests. The decor we created was eco-friendly as well, from sustainable silk fabric panels to organic flowers, and of course, the afore mentioned soy candles! (More on this couples' wedding in a future post)! Why soy?

Paraffin wax (the wax contained in most regular candles)is a heavy hydrocarbon that comes from crude oil. Paraffin waxes are produced by refining or separating the waxes out of crude mineral oils. Obtained from the ground, crude oil is a compositionally varied product, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons. Another name for crude oil is fossil fuel. Crude oil is transported to refineries where it is refined into finished products by complex processes. (read more about this here )

Soy wax, on the other hand is made from vegetable matter. Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated. The hydrogenation process converts some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated to saturated. This process dramatically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed. The U.S. grows the vast majority of the world's soybeans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.

A lot of information does mention that Soy candles emit no soot - while this is impossible, they do tend to emit a lot less, and the soot (often called white soot) that can not be seen, and certainly does not leave a mark on your candle holders or anything else.

Additionally, unlike wax, which is nearly impossible to remove out of containers (which means you or your florist/designer/ planner will likely throw away many of the votive holders they 'rented' to you.) The soy does not cling to the walls of the container, and literally just pops out of the container, allowing anyone to recycle and reuse those containers.

Since we are committed to be as green as possible at Bella, we are now going to carry these in our inventory, so that they are available to anyone. Every small step counts!

Daniela

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Back to planning those weddings!!

History has been made - what an exciting time for all of us! As the week and all it's excitement with the election settles down, it's time to get back to the planning of your wedding, or your client's wedding for all you vendors out there. I hope you had a small break to partake in the election (those breaks are hard to find!) and are ready to tackle everything anew with fresh hope and excitement. I know I, for one, feel hopeful and energized!

With that in mind, I hope to cater this blog to it's readers - you. What do you find most helpful/fun to read? Design Ideas? Planning help? Pictures for inspiration?

Daniela

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Please Vote - find out where here!

Tomorrow is a great chance to drop the wedding planning for a day, grab your significant other and head to the polls. Don't know where you are supposed to go to vote? Simply go to this google application, put in your address and it will show you a map and directions of where to go!
I can't wait to make my vote count!
Daniela

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