Yellow has never been one of my favorite colors – until now.  My son ADORES yellow in every incarnation of it’s sunny shades, and he’s finally won me over.  Lemon yellow with licorice black and pops of white is my favorite combination, but yellow and tangerine is spectacular, and we are working on a fabulous yellow and fuchsia wedding for July for Sheryl and Ryan.  Fun!  Here are some small centerpieces we created for an event last week – the talented Philip Meadows was there to shoot everything, so we got some fabulous photos!

I was inspired by my friend Jenn of Modern Day Floral to create this centerpiece – here’s to you and your design sense, Jenn!!

I was just looking at Seattle Bride Magazine’s blog (which is a great read by the way – some fun features!) and there was one of our bouquets right there!  It’s always nice to see your work pop up unexpectedly – the model for this shoot was so stunning, what a fun shoot that was!  Edit 1 Media was there that day taking some behind the scenes footage, I love how their video of the shoot came out! (Click on the link to see the video). To see our blog post about the Seattle Bride “Elegant Decay” Photoshoot, click on the link.

At Bella Signature Design we always love the opportunity to design something for one of the bridal magazines, so when editor Laura Cassidy from Seattle Metropolitan called a few months ago with a need for boutonnieres, we enjoyed preparing a few for her lavender and cherry wedding idea.  I love how her featured came out, and which of our bouts she chose!  It’s always interesting to see out of all the items you prepared, which ones will be published.  Often it can be whatever went best with the story, whatever looked best with the model, or how cool the photography turned out on a particular item.  As a designer, it’s hard to give up control over things you crafted, but the pay-off (of getting published) s nice, even when it’s somehtign small like these boutonierres.  Any chance to tell our story, to show that we do something different, is fabulous!

We had Philip Meadows shoot these just before they were dropped off, so here’s a few behind the scenes look at what was in the magazine!

I like to think outside of the box, even on something little like a flower boutonniere!  I loved how these little red hypericum berries nestled in next to the calla…

Sustainable & Organic food with flair!

More and more caterers are increasing their “green” awareness and are able to provide food and services that reflect a concern for the well-being of our environment. Most ingredients are now available as organic, and many caterers will be happy to provide organic food for your reception, (usually for an additional charge). Feel free to ask you caterer about their food sources, and what their policy is regarding leftover food and their recycling practices. The good news is that organic dishes are no longer limited to spinach salads! Organic catering is on the rise and so is the design aspect of how it is presented.

Tips:
Use seasonable & local fruits & vegetable
Select free range chicken, wild salmon & grass fed beef

Ravishing Radish Catering is a Seattle icon offering  organic and locally sourced menus for weddings and other events. Not only is their food delightful to the palette, but it’s gorgeous to look at! The chef has a flair for design – her creations offer a creative edge to any wedding décor. Even if you despise beets, the organic beet salad is perfect for a spring wedding, adds just the right hint of color and contrast with the goat cheese, and it tastes fresh & light!

The radish wonton ahi is a perfect addition to every wedding and it’s presentation is perfect!

Kudos to Ravishing Radish for their commitment to locally grown produce and organic recipes, and amazing design – truly a Seattle favorite. I’m always impressed when working with this company that even at the end of a long, hard event, everything compostable gets scraped into a separate bin (and they offer recycled plastic cups (made out of a rice product!)

Sigh, I still remember when Ravishing Radish first started, out of a house – gosh, that was a LONG time ago!  Congrats to Lisbet (the owner ) and her team, on all the accomplishments over the years, and for being so dedicated to all things GREEN.  If you are in Seattle, you HAVE to see their new restaurant on eastlake.

If you haven’t had the chance to stop by Herban Feast, also in Seattle, then do take the opportunity! Full organic menu, wide selection and they can cater large events. Their menus are stunning – their food is absolutely amazing – and the design and attention to detail on every single truffle, cupcake, veggie platter, you name it – shows enormous attention to the overall design talent that goes into every bite!   Like everyone else in Seattle, I am addicted to their crab cakes.

If you decide to keep the extra food for yourselves, ask if you need to provide containers to store the leftovers. A community-minded alternative is to donate leftover food to homeless shelters or food banks.

Need a little inspiration for the season? Foods that are connected with passion, love and marriage make a strong presence; in spring, select bright green shoots of asparagus and the yellow primrose flower, in summer, red roses, lush red strawberries and sweet ripe peaches, in the autumn the season brings figs, honey and the richness of saffron and in winter, warming spices of ginger, cardamom and nutmeg.

Not in the Seattle area? Here’s a great list of suggestions for green catering in other cities:
Seedling Catering in Los Angeles focuses on vegan and macrobiotic menus.
Pharm Catering in Chattanooga, TN specializes on organic, local foods.
Gail’s Vegetarian Catering in Washington, D.C. does a variety of events, but specializes in vegetarian weddings.
Chowgirls in Minneapolis, MN
Phresh Organic Catering in Portland, OR caters to a more omnivorous crowd, and features a “commitment to sustainability” on its website.

Cheers to a ‘green’ wedding and a healthy new beginning!

Thanks, Style Me Pretty, for featuring our work!

To read the rest of the Style Me Pretty feature, click here.  To see our post on this fabulous New Years Brunch, look down a few posts!  We had such a great creative team on this one…
We are so honored to be a new member  of Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book.

One of the fabulous opportunities that arise from attending such amazing symposiums such as Engage (besides getting to hang out with Preston Bailey) is that you meet, learn from, teach , and make great connections with other people who share your art.  Combine that with the power of twitter, and it’s hard NOT to collaborate with the amazing talent found all over!  This Photoshoot all started when I asked Kristy Rice of Momental Designs to create some of her AMAZING hand-painted paper goods for an idea I had…then Caroline from Paloma’s Nest jumped in, then Carla from Bainbridge Style with her delish food, and pow! we had a New Years Day Brunch Photoshoot. (And luckily, UK photographer Philip Meadows was available to shoot it for us!)

My idea was to create an intimate, lavish but not over the top New Years Day Brunch…a fun, beautiful get together to start the year off right.  Believe it or not, I don’t entertain often (I’m to busy designing everyone else’s parties!), so when I do, I like to do it right with beautiful invitations, great food,wonderful goodies. I prefer to keep things small (6-12 people) to make it really intimate and to be able to splurge!

I sent our creative team a color palette, of vanilla, champagne, gold and raspberry – doesn’t that just scream New Years to you?  (It did to me). I sent out an inspiration board, with hints like “wish bowl for New Years wishes” to Paloma’s Nest and “subtle elegance” to Kristy, “red sauce and chocolate and cream” to Carla, our food expert.

The result?  A stunning new Years Brunch Tablescape anyone would want to be at!  Our fabulous photographer had just returned from shooting art in England, so here we were out in the cold, creating a tab;escape (thank goodness for outdoor heaters!)

The table was create with some lush linens, gold rimmed plates and chargers and cups from local Pedersens Rentals, who always has wonderfully elegant selections.  I hand dipped some manzanita branches in gold paint, and perched raspberry hued cymbidium orchids on the more delicate branches in the middle of the table, flanking them with thwo ceramic vases covered in gold duppioni silk, and fillde to the brim with hand-peeled roses, gardenias, garden spray roses raspberries and more orchids.

Here is a great shot of Kristy’s handpainted name tags (seriously, she HAND paints every invite, every piece – she’s amazing!) and those LOVELY wish bowls that Caroline from Paloma’s Nest created just for us!

close-up of Kristy’s amazing work!

The flowers…

Beautiful Menu cards!

Carla created  the lovely champagne raspberry concoction – (yes, I have to admit I drank one afterwards – they are as good as they look!)

Yummy desserts, made by the lovely Carla of BainbridgeStyle, and styled by me (LOVE styling food!)  More food shots (the menu was fantastic) can be seen on BainbridgeStyle’s Food blog after New Years.

Rich Flowers!

Feel free to look at everyone’s blog who contributed for more photos! We’ll be enjoying a recreation of this on New years Day…want to join us?

Green for New Year’s Eve….hello 2010 Resolution!

Another year is coming to an end…let the celebrations begin! Throwing a party is a great way to celebrate all the events of the year with friends and loved ones. It can also be an expense to the pocket book and the environment with all the favors and goodies and drinks in bulk. Throwing a ‘Green’ New Year’s Eve party is not just trendy…it’s hot! Make your party ‘green’ and be the envy of all your guests. The design of your social event can still be fresh, modern, swank and sexy – ‘green’ events are no longer captive to hemp linens and rolls of brown paper towels!

We all know the importance of the ultimate New Year’s Eve cocktail. Why not serve your martinis and champagne in real glass rather than paper or plastic cups? Glass is way classier and it’s environmentally friendly. Using glass ensures less trash the next day, and you’ll have collective pieces to accentuate many parties to come! Colored glass is a fresh, modern enhancement to your overall party décor, its eco-friendly, and you’ll get to use them again and again! Fantastic finds  for recycled glass champagne flutes are more abundant than ever and make a great addition to your collection. Atwestend.com offers a variety of beautiful, recycled pieces at affordable price points.

Instead of serving plastic bottles of water, purchase a few beautiful glass pitchers, also made from recycled glass.

Purchasing a set of recycled glassware to go along side the water pitchers makes a gorgeous addition to any party or everyday use (consider it your 2010 green investment!) Clearly, designing a more intimate New Year’s Eve bash is more affordable and offers more focus on ‘green’ party pieces, foods, drinks and dining accessories. Setting a table or cocktail party for 12-20 guests can include more personal mood-infusing touches, such as recycled green glass candles and recycled glass stemless wine glass, and other pieces that will easily become staples in your home and the hit at any soiree you’re hosting!

The stemless wine glasses are oversized and perfect for you collection of unique wine accessories.

Heavy, hand blown recycled windshield glass with occasional bubbles. These glasses are 4″ d x 4.5″ tall and hold about 18 oz! Wow – who wouldn’t want to be a part of your festivities!?  (all above photos via atwestend.com)

If you’re not in budget to buy eco-friendly party essentials…rent them! By using a local party supplier, you’re reusing product that is already made and available and you’re avoiding trash. Rental companies will offer a large selection of plates, platters; stem ware, candles and more. Rental companies can offer modern designs, high-end pieces and décor ideas to suit a small or large event. Being a Seattle Event Designer, I often use Pedersen’s Rental’s for weddings and private parties. I love the bubble bowl, which is perfect for any style of event – the simplicity in the design can work for a modern New Year’s Eve Party or an informal one. Perfect for chips or truffles.

Add some color with bamboo curvy servers courtesy of Bambu, one of Bella’s favorite home stores! Bambu provides design solutions made from renewable materials that excite and delight people about sustainable alternatives for modern living. Simply delicious!!

Skip the paper invites, and design an e-vite that is uniquely your design and matches your event. You’re saving time & the planet!

Look for organic wines and champagnes. Organic wines and champagnes are made from grapes that are sans pesticides or additionally preserved with sulfites. Many organic cultivators also respect biodiversity on their vineyards and grow vines in healthy soil with cover crops planted between rows of vines. Umm…did I mention the best part? Organic wines won’t give your guests a hangover. Skipping the sulfites provides for less headaches…your guests will thank you! Serve up a variety of organic cheeses and locally grown seasonal fruits and veggies on bamboo platters and cutting boards. Modern, simple & eco-friendly!

And, what will every guest need to ring in the strike of midnight and roll into 2010? White Eco-Friendly Biodegradable Confetti in recycled paper cones is a perfect addition to the party. White is a very modern trend in winter parties, so skip the colored silly string and infuse a modern twist that’s earth-friendly.

Don’t forget to toast to your 2010 New Years Resolutions ~ Cheers to a greener New Year and happy party planning!

A white and gray arrangement for Christmas, made by Daniela

Today is Christmas Eve, which I , having been born and raised in Germany, celebrate as Christmas.  I still think of the 24th when someone says “Christmas”, even after all these years of living in America where Christmas is celebrated mostly on the 25th.  I have all my traditions still, from celebrating St. Nicholas day on December 6th (Children put out a boot and if they were good, they receive treats, and if they were naughty, they receive coal), have a full Advent’s Calender and our Advent Wreath, where we light a candle each Sunday before Christmas.  I love these traditions, and love sharing them with my children, who will no doubt adapt them to their own liking, changing them slightly, and then passing them on to their children.  So, here is to however you celebrate your holiday, full of traditions, warmth and joy!

Ah, lovely Christy and Blair over at the fabulous What Junebug loves asked me for one of weddings where we had sketches and photos, and to share the story behind the wedding – and I couldn’t resist sharing one of my favvorite weddings from this last summer!

Here is the sketch:

come see what they posted here!

and view some of the great photo compilations Christy did of Lifemosaic’s fabulous shots! (reception shots on Junebug’s blog)

Selecting the perfect cake design is one of the ultimate first and last impressions you’ll give your guests at the wedding. Yes, of course it must taste scrumptious – but, the cake design is a direct reflection of you & your fiancé. The cake should be decadent to the palate as well as visually appealing. As a designer, and a ‘green enthusiast,’ one aspect of wedding design I love to emphasize is the cake! I cannot stress enough that going ‘green’ in the cake department (using fair trade chocolate, organic ingredients, locally grown fruit, etc…) is such a rising trend – your guests will love your dedication to organic products and a fresh, modern design proves that ‘green’ can be elegant, trendy, modern & aesthetically pleasing! With so many organic options, your guests are sure to indulge on options such as gluten-free, sugar free (made with organic, natural sweeteners such as stevia), organic edible candied flowers, and locally grown produce like lemons & carrots to perfect the icing. So go ahead, offer up a cake that’s good for the earth & nearly guilt-free to enjoy as well!

As a Seattle native, I’ve had many a pleasure of seeing & viewing the artistically crafted, unimaginably delicious, organic cakes offered by Jen Nurse, owner and creative baker of Jen’s Desserts. Jen’s Desserts is a small artisan Seattle studio offering sophisticated sweets, with a flair for design and flavor. Using only high-end organic ingredients, Jen’s Desserts creates design-inspired wedding cakes and desserts, artistically crafted & uniquely designed for each event. We love the simplicity in the design, the modern sophistication of each cake and the crisp look Jen offers in her organic designed wedding cakes –definitely a favorite at any Bella Signature wedding.

A handmade organic sugar flower from Jen’s Desserts…

From sleek square tiered designs, to more traditional round cakes, there is an increasing trend to use organic ingredients in every aspect of cake design. A ‘green’ cake no longer has to only be a rustic carrot cake, it can be a stunning, four tiered square concoction with sleek icing and modern designs if that’s what your heart desires.

At Bella, we’re happy to incorporate a personal design for your wedding cake, ne of our services is to work directly with the cake designer to help them design the cake to fit in with the overall wedding design…a I love everything to do with weddings – and the cake is such an important aspect of the design; I’m always happy to work with the artisan to create the perfect cake, uniquely yours.

Photo by Life Mosaic, Cake by Jen’s Desserts

This fabulous cake was created by Jen’s Desserts, using a pattern we used throughout this fun and modern wedding at Januik Winery.  It rests on one of our custom cake stands!

Another local favorite is Blackbird Bakery, who designs anything from rustic to more polished design, many of which are available gluten free, organic, etc.  Many couples seek out this small, wonderful bakery on Bainbridge Island to do their wedding cakes, and they are always exceptionally delicious.

What organic or green bakeries do you like?