I told you last week that I had a special blog coming up today, and it’s here!!! We have a very exciting announcement to make: Michelle and Utah Events by Design have been honored with the award of Utah’s Best Event Planner by the National Best of State Advisory Board!


There is a touch of romance in the air when it comes to spring. The flowers are blooming, it is the perfect temperature, and, summer plans are starting to take shape. Now is the perfect time to bust out those pretty pastels you’ve been saving all winter. Whether it is your pastel pink pants (I’ve got mine on right now) or a pretty pastel macaroon that you happen to pick up while strolling the streets in the gorgeous spring weather, pastels lead to all sorts of inspirations.

 

Bridal Fashion Week is here! Starting two Saturday’s ago the crème da la crème of wedding dress designers hit the runway to showcase their Spring 2014 looks.  Going through the majority of the designer’s collections I started seeing trends for the upcoming season. While each of the designer’s had their own take on the trend there was never the less a pattern amongst each collection. For this Fashion Friday blog I will highlight the top 10 trends from 10 designers I spotted at Bridal Fashion week.


Welcome back to the week! This weekend was a great one for our staff – Graduation! Congratulations to Liz and Makaylee on graduating from the University of Utah!

Today, I’ve got some inspiration for you using light bulbs. Some of my favorite events are the ones that use bistro lights or light bulbs in the décor. Strings of lights are very versatile and can be used as part of the ceremony, reception, or both. Light bulbs are great favors or escort cards – be inspired by light today!


Today, I’m bringing you a feature and some inspiration from one of our recent shoots at Salt Lake City’s McCune Mansion.

We’ve talked about Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year, Emerald, in previous posts, and I’ve brought you some Black-and-White Art Deco inspiration. Today’s shoot combines Emerald and Art Deco to create a classy affair that is gorgeous down to the last detail.

This fabulous shoot was featured on the blog Peter Loves Jane and in a recent issue of Be Loved magazine.


Many brides think they can get away with having a friend or family member do their hair and make up. Some brides even think they can do it themselves. However, this is a HUGE mistake. A hair and makeup look that is going to last throughout the day and evening requires professional styling. When you hire a professional you will get a beautiful look that is long lasting and your pictures will turn out stunning.  


Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I had a fun weekend celebrating birthdays with friends – so today’s inspiration is brought to you by birthdays. What is a birthday party without sprinkles and balloons? This was a fun board to put together, so I hope it starts your week off right!

To connect with our Salt Lake City followers for Fashion Friday I am featuring the local jewelry designer, Katie Waltman. I thought it would not only be fun to talk about someone from this area, but to also highlight some unique pieces of jewelry that would be stunning on a bride or bridesmaid. Waltman has a huge array of beautiful jewelry to choose from so for this blog I am just going to feature the pieces I thought would be beautiful and fashionable for a bride. The hints of blue, and gold along with the feather accents in the jewelry throughout the collection were the pieces that really caught my eye (a touch of blue on the bridal jewelry would also be the perfect “something blue” piece). I chose jewelry from Waltman’s collection that was more on the simple side. Instead of being all glitz and bling I picked pieces that would be a fabulous accent and make a statement in a tasteful fashionable way. If you love Katie Waltman’s jewelry but you’re not from the Salt Lake area you can visit her website at http://www.katiewaltman.com. Her prices are also super affordable, so you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank to be a fashionable bride!


We’ve all heard the beauty commandment, “blue eyes can’t wear blue eye shadow,” but blue eyes aren’t the only eye color with eye shadow restrictions. Each eye color has those shades that are tacky, and those that are flattering. When planning your eye shadow color for your big day it’s important to follow the rules.


Spring is budding all over, and I continue to fall in love with trees over and over again.

Today’s inspiration is brought to you by the forest. Wood accents, lots of green, mosses, wildflowers, and simplicity in the celebration.  I’ve included some purple hues for a pop of color in the subtle palette of woodland tones.

Fall in love with the forest with me!

Here in Utah you might think that your wedding does not need insurance.  We can be pretty sure that there will be no floods, hurricanes or cyclones; even tornadoes are very unlikely.  Wedding insurance can cover more than only natural disasters though.  Fire, burglary, or any mishap at the venue of your wedding can be covered with insurance.  Some companies even offer insurance for injury to the bride, groom, or wedding party if it occurs within a certain number of days before the event.  After all of your hard work and decision making the last thing you would want to have is a cancelled wedding.  View this touching clip about a couple that had disaster strike on their wedding day and see how they handled the last minute changes.

As much as I love to focus on bridal fashion for Fashion Fridays, it’s time we shed some light on being a fabulous bridesmaid. Most people say you shouldn’t “outshine the bride”, but I say if you are a bride who loves fashion why wouldn’t you want the entire bridal party looking just as stunning as you. That is why I found a collection from the Spring 2013 Couture runway that incorporates an assortment of fabulous dresses that could instantaneously be taken from the runway and put onto a bridesmaid or maid of honor. Christian Dior must have had romance in mind when he designed this collection because almost every dress looks like it’s made for a bridesmaid and even some of the dress (not shown below) look like they could even be wedding gowns. The variety of styles, colors and fabrics truly make this a collection that almost every bride could relate to, and one a bride would want to see their bridesmaid or maid of honor wearing. 


Stress induced breakouts are common, and let’s face it, weddings can include a lot of stress. Fortunately for all you brides out there, there are ways you can take care of your and avoid these acne flare ups on your big day.

Personalize your wedding day your way with these fun DIY clutches! Cute bridesmaid clutches are simple additions to the overall appearance and look you want to create for your perfect day. They are inexpensive, can be personalized and can also double as a bridesmaid gift! 


Welcome back to Monday! It’s been a great weekend and I’m so excited to share some new inspiration with you today.

In just over a month, a new adaptation of The Great Gatsby will be released in theaters. Art Deco, and the style of the 1920s and 30s are making appearances in weddings all over the country. This classic style featuring geometric shapes, sparkle, beads, and feathers creates an exciting party atmosphere that’s sure to impress your guests. 


Having a rainstorm on your big day could be a bride’s worst nightmare!  Did you know that it has been said that rain on your wedding day actually means good luck, though?  If this is true then maybe it’s not such bad news after all.  Here are a few tips from experienced photographers about how to be prepared for a rainy wedding day.


Happy Fashion Friday! As we are making our way into Spring I thought I’d showcase one last collection that I adored from last year’s Spring 2013 runway; before we get into the bridal trends for Summer. For this blog I’m targeting the women who are risk takers when it comes to what they wear, and who want to portray their love for high fashion even on their wedding day. Vera Wang’s Spring 2013 collection channels the type of bride/ woman who likes to rock the latest trends without hesitation and one who will wear anything fabulous in the name of fashion. With Wang’s use of bright red to dark purple fabrics in her wedding gowns, you’d have to be a woman who lives and breathes high fashion to step out on your wedding day in one of these pieces. Before some of you start thinking, “I would never wear a red wedding dress”, these beautiful designs are also available in traditional white or ivory! We all know Vera Wang is a genius when it comes to wedding dresses, and I think this collection only proves that point more. I cannot wait to see what Wang has in store for us for her next Enjoy!


Listen up brides! Bold lips are a trend you don’t want to miss out on. If you are planning to wear a neutral lip stain on your big day, I beg you to reconsider. It doesn’t matter what your hair or skin color is, there is a lipstick shade for you. Follow this guide to finding your perfect color!


Think of this list as a simple reminder for the fine details. Details that are often missed, forgotten yet play a pivitol role in creating a stress and worry-free day. Take care of these details before saying "I do" and you'll be prepared for the best day of your life! 


We think our clients are the best, and we make sure that their day is as special as they are! Today, we’re bringing you one of our weddings from early 2013. This event took place on a beautiful day in February at a private venue in Mapleton. Drew was such a sweet bride, and she and Devin are completely in love. Golden yellows and deep reds warmed up this rustic styled barn wedding. Mis-matched chairs, eclectic china, and mercury glasses gave a sense of whimsy and fun to the seating arrangements; gorgeous bouquets of roses and sunflowers filled the guest tables, and a dessert buffet featured delicious delicacies – many of which were specially flown in from the East Coast! The bride loves bulldogs, and the cake featured two adorable ones as toppers!

 

It’s that time of year!  The snow is melting and the Spring weddings are just around the corner.  Your engagement photo session may already be scheduled, but what do you wear?  We have all seen our fair share of the good and the bad wedding announcements.  Today I want to share with you a few tips that seem to be helpful in creating an awesome engagement photo for your wedding announcement.


I think most women can agree with me when I say that footwear is one of the most important things when completing an outfit, especially when it’s your wedding day apparel! Making sure you have the perfect foot fashions to go with your wedding day attire is a key aspect to accentuating your personality, as well as keeping you looking fabulous and fashionable. I’ve been gathering my personal favorite pairs of footwear I’ve spotted so far this season, and doing so with many different personalities in mind. I chose these shoe fashions with the intent of pleasing a multitude of styles, but wanted to find pieces that were a little different and out of the ordinary. After all being fashionable isn’t about looking like everyone else; it’s about expressing yourself through the things you wear, and truly owning your individual personality and style. 


“There are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Great Gatsby is released in theaters May 10th, and to honor it I am featuring Daisy Buchanan inspired wedding looks. If you’re seeking a romantic and vintage wedding look try adding glamorous hairpieces, red lips, and finger waves reminiscing the 1920s Gatsby era. 

Easter is just around the corner and this year it’s all about DIY! Let’s go beyond dying eggs and think outside the box with these EGGCELLENT ideas on transforming the traditional egg to something spectacular! Visit the website for how-to step-by-step instructions.


I just had to share these beautiful décor ideas with you lovely readers today to get everyone ready for summer! Not only does the décor involve the beautiful color palette of citrus fruits but it actually involves them in the mixture of floral and elegant settings to add extra pops of color. I thought it was a simple way to add a little touch of uniqueness and summer fun to elegant wedding décor! Hopefully it brightens everyone’s day as much as it does mine!


With the first week of spring behind us and Easter around the corner, I’ve put together this little bit of Swiss Dot Inspiration for you today! I’ve been inspired by the simplicity of white and the spontaneity of polka dots and decided it was a fitting combination for this week. Enjoy! 


TGIF!! We thought we would kick off your weekend by featuring a photoshoot that we created this past fall that was featured yesturday on Wedding Chicks! Although spring is just around the corner, we know many Utah brides out there that are busy planning their gorgeous fall weddings so we couldn't resist sharing this classically rustic shoot with our Utah clients and viewers!

 

Photos by Amy Lashelle Photography and venue accomodations made by Silver Moose Ranch in Park City. 

Long luscious curls with bohemian braids are all the rage, but before you rush off and buy pricy extensions consider rocking the length you already have. There are so many options for short hairstyles. My personal favorites are vintage and retro dos; you can wear them alone, or with an accessory.


Have we become infatuated and overcome with envy when it comes to Rose Gold? Yes... Yes we have. Rose Gold is popping up everywhere lately; from fashion to home decor, it's a trending metallic that we are obsessed silly with! If you happen to be viewing this post because you're interested in various fashions of rose gold, or are looking for wedding inspiration, we've provided some great accessories that highlight this delicate and feminine color! 

Hi Everyone! This week, I’ve been noticing rainy days and the colors of spring starting to emerge. I’ve been inspired by watercolors this week, and the gorgeous way colors work together in art.

Watercolor art can be found in every hue, but some of my favorites are deep purples and blues. I used these colors and some peach hues for this Spring & Watercolor inspired board. (P.S. – that cake in the top right? We did that one with One Sweet Slice!!!)


To wrap up our tribute to St. Patrick's Day, we've gone crazy with emerald inspiration for today's post. Among the leprechans and pots of gold, emerald is not only a festive color, it's Pantone's Color of 2013 and we APPROVE!!! Below is just a handful of this year's color and images we just had to share!! Happy Patty's Day- cheers! 

In addition to the professional photographer that will be at your wedding, another fun idea is a photo booth!  There are businesses nearly everywhere that rent out photo booths for any event! 

This week Fashion Friday has taken an eco-friendly twist. Sticking with our “green” theme I decided to find wedding dress designers who use eco-friendly or recycled fabrics and methods to make their dresses. “Going green” for your wedding doesn’t mean you have to be a tree hugging hippie; it can still be classic, beautiful, and fashionable, while at the same time being environmentally cautious. Being a nature lover myself, doing anything eco-friendly will always be fashionable.  When shopping for your wedding dress, make sure to check the tag; getting a dress with an organic fabric is much better for your body as well as the environment! I chose five designers that were my favorite among the eco-friendly designers out there (which is surprisingly more than I expected), along with my favorite dress from their collections and what they are made of.

 

To go along with this week’s “green” theme, why not do a feature on the greenest portion of the wedding industry??Floral!! This week I am proud to feature the amazingly talented Erin Keller of Urban Chateau Floral. Erin has shared her own words with us of what Urban Chateaus vision is and some lovely sneak peeks into her most recent projects!

Welcome to Inspiration Monday here at UEBD! This week, with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, we’ve decided to dedicate our blogs to the color of Ireland, green! I hope you’ll enjoy Green Week as much as we do!

Two years ago, I had the privilege to travel to Ireland, and I instantly fell in love. The green rolling hills and pastures create a gorgeous setting for the simple to the romantic. Today, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and Pantone’s 2013 color of the year, I have some Emerald and Gold inspiration for you.

Similar to your wedding day photos, bridals are kept in albums and held onto for the rest of your life. They commemorate a milestone in your life and symbolize an end of and era and the beginning of a next. Below are a few tips to consider when preparing for your bridals! 

There are many different shaped and sized women in the world, as well as many different shaped and styled wedding dresses. Picking a dress that fits your body type can be a lot harder than it looks or sounds. There is nothing more unfashionable then being in a dress that doesn’t flatter your body; you want to know how to accentuate your assets not hide them or make them appear unflattering. By knowing some little tricks and secrets to keep in mind about what looks best with your body type, can make picking out a dress go a lot smoother. I am here to let you in on some of those tricks and secrets, which will hopefully come in handy when you are looking for your wedding dress or if you’re helping out a friend. I chose to cover five different body types (busty, pear-shaped, boxy, petite, and tall), and incorporate them with dresses that look best with each of those body types from Carolina Herrera’s Spring 2013 bridal collection.


Unless you’re planning a princess themed wedding, tiaras are outdated. These days it’s all about delicate headbands that add the finishing touch to elegant bridal hair styles. My favorite styles are intricate designed floral headpieces, feminine crowns and headbands like these available at BHLDN.

We want to talk about the history behind something blue; a symbol of love, fidelity and purity of the bride. Although a famous wedding saying, we have a local vendor that offers a whole new meaning to the phrase. Something Vintage, Something Blue a local vendor in Utah, provides the service of transporting and displaying beautiful and elegant vintage automobiles on the most important day of your life. It truly is a Something Vintage or Somethin Blue piece!

Freshly Minted Invitations is a superb invitation design vendor that is owned and operated by the lovely Tania Finn. They are extremely unique in that no one customers design is the same. Best of all they are, in my opinion, the most convenient invitation design company there is! Tania can easily set up a consultation time with you and you won’t even have to leave your own home! All you need is an internet connection (who doesn’t have that these days) and you can do and interactive design consultation with her all at once! You can watch as she creates your invitations and give her feedback right then and there so they turn out as perfect as you have imagined!

Happy Monday! I hope you’re enjoying the spring-like weather that’s starting to emerge. This week, I’ve been intrigued by colored wedding gowns – particularly gowns in pale blue. Pale, icy blue is often more of a wintry color, but I don’t think it has to stay that way. So, I’ve warmed up pale blue with blush tones and hints of gold for spring! 

When thinking about wedding fashion, people typically think about the bride first and tend to overlook the groom and groomsmen.  When it comes to the groom’s fashion even I tend to forget about the importance of how they’re dressed, but really what is a fashionable bride without her fashionable groom? I also find myself asking how many ways can a suit differ without looking like every other suit, or without overdoing it? Well, one of my favorite fashion designers, Alexander McQueen, most certainly caught my attention when it came to his Spring 2013 Menswear collection.

Brides strive to look beautiful on their big day, and hairstyle is a big part of that. Wedding hair trends come and go, but I have a feeling this years trends will be sticking around for a while.

Long gone are the days of ringlets and intricate up-dos. The 2013 hair trends according to Glamour Magazine are simple, sophisticated and boho chic. These are some of my favorite looks:

A loose ponytail complete with voluminous curls gives brides a sophisticated romantic look. 

 A loose ponytail complete with voluminous curls gives brides a sophisticated romantic look.

It’s almost that time of year again where we have warm nights, beautiful sunny days, and green landscapes. I think every girl has had dreams of a magical spring or summer wedding, I know I certainly did! So today I have some ideas of how you can take a simple mountain landscape and make it into a beautifully elegant and classic wedding! A mountain wedding incorporates the perfect amount of nature’s rustic features and striking sophistication. My number one tip for achieving an elegantly rustic wedding is to use neutral and natural tones! These blend perfectly with the beauty of nature and are easy on the eyes, plus they make the entire theme light and classical. So whether you’re having an all outdoor, barn, cabin, or orchard wedding here’s some ideas on how to get rid of the clichés and make it a day to remember! 

Welcome to Inspiration Mondays! Each week, I'll be showing you some color or theme inspiration for your event. This week I'm being inspired by nautical stripes. We may be in Utah, but we have some lakes and reservoirs, so there's no need to be intimidated by nautical design in a landlocked state! Be inspired today by the sea - navy, white, and the browns of compasses & captain's wheels.

Although your wedding day lasts only hours, pictures last forever.  Choosing a photographer is one of the most important choices you make because they capture these moments that last forever! At UEBD, we love working with exceptional, talented and personable photographers! Check out our featured photographer of the week, Terra Cooper and 5 tips for choosing your photographer! 

From saying "YES" to "I do" planning a successful wedding can be a headache if you let it. We've provided a basic checklist to help organize the tasks that come with a wedding, as well as some adivce and tips to take into consideration when booking your vendors. 

Sometimes an excited soon-to-be bride who’s surrounded by all the wedding hustle and bustle can lose track of her fashion sense. Even the most fashionable bride’s make mistakes that they either didn’t realize was a no-no or had on what I like to call the “wedding blinders”. Having “wedding blinders” is when a bride is so focused on the wedding sometimes the small details are missed or spur of the moment decisions happen; this can make for a very non-fashionable wedding don’t. I have chosen my top five wedding “don’ts” to share, and hopefully you can either stop yourself or a friend from making these mistakes.

That's right! Utah Events by Design was featured in the United Kingdom's Wedding Flowers Magazine! Featured for our Lilac and Peach photo shoot done this past October, find us on page 28 and 29 if you come across a copy! 

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