This has to be one of our favorite engagement pictures ever! It leaves us saying “How did they do that?” These unique engagement photos were captured by Renaissance Studios Photography. It has to be one of the most unique engagement pictures I have seen. The details in the photo are amazing. “Carly & Mike…Domestic Chaos. They came to me with a concept: capture the craziness of our lives, raising our son, becoming engaged, feeding the dog…in one photo. It became “Domestic Chaos” – with a more traditional urban engagement in their neighborhood to fill in the blanks.” explains Shawn Van Daele of Renaissance Studios Photography. It really is the perfect title for the shoot.
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Today’s Trend Setting Tuesday is all about acoustic songs for weddings. While listening to Justin Timberlake Pandora this week a really cool acoustic version of Suit & Tie came on. It blew me away. You really can take any up beat song and slow it down by playing acoustically The chorus is perfect for the guys to walk down the aisle to “all dressed up in black and white, and you dressed in that dress I like, love is swinging in the air tonight”. We watch singers do it all the time on the Voice and American Idol. These are also great songs to download for the wedding. So it got me thinking what other versions of some of our favorite pops songs are out there and how can they be incorporated into your wedding.
After lots of research we found this You-tube sensation who sings just about every song acoustically. He makes great videos and has a lot of song selection for wedding music.
Suit & Tie – Tyler Ward cover of Justin Timberlake
Tyler Ward is so very talented and pretty nice on they eyes too. He had several versions of songs we just love.
You can buy the song here: Suit & Tie
You Da One – Tyler Ward Cover of Rhianna
You can by the song here: YOU DA ONE
If your a Britney fan then you’ll love this. I think this would be a unique song for a first dance.
You can buy the song Here: TILL THE WORLD ENDS
There are also a lot of great local musician who are open to learning new songs and playing just about everything you can think of. Here are a few of our favorite locals that are available from Lake Tahoe to Napa Valley.
Remi & Chloe – Two 16 year old girls who do awesome covers and are very affordable.
Jeff Jones Band – He is located in Tahoe but travels all over. They are a great band or Jeff also performs acoustically.
Bobby Jo Valentine – He based out of Petaluma and Napa area but also willing to travel.
Adam Donald – He lives in Sacramento but play all over as well.
Check out their website and you will see they can play just about anything. Don’t be afraid to ask.
If you’re looking for the hottest new wedding trends then we have an amazing blog for you today! Every other year Hartmann Studios holds one of the most amazing industry events of the year. Getting invited to this event is like getting an invitation to an Oscar Party. The top professionals in the area are invited to see their newest collection, visualize the 2013 wedding trends and learn that truly anything is possible for an event. I was very excited to be invited this year.
The event took place at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. This is typically an empty warehouse space that Hartmann Studios does an amazing job at transforming. They are truly spectacular at what they do and are considered the high end event rental company of Northern California. If you can’t find what you’re looking for with them then they can build it or custom create something for you. The opportunities are endless. This is the type of event that showcases that anything is possible and allows your creativity to run wild. This year they designed the ten vignettes all after some pretty amazing ladies. We are so excited to share inside the event with you so you can see these hot trends and hopefully see what Hartmann can do for your next event. Thank you to Orange Photography for taking amazing pictures at the event. (FYI I included some of my images taken from my IPHONE, so the images that don’t look high quality are mine). If you like this post and the ideas, make sure to share the link on your Facebook or Twitter and spread the word. Thanks.
Fort Mason Center before decor
This is the very dramatic entrance where we registered for our name tags. We love the false ceiling above.
VIANNA ROCHER
This candy inspired vignette was designed with Vianne Rocher in mind. Vianne is the main character from the movie Chocolat with Johnny Depp. The centerpiece had rock candy hanging from the branches and lots of pops of colors. Tout Sweet Patisserie in SF served gourmet chocolates and desserts from the stylish counter.
SCARLETT O’HARA
We all love Gone with the Wind and this table was designed for the southern bell Scarlett O’Hara. Hartmann Studios has a huge green house and offers large hedges, plants and trees for your events. We love the hedge backdrop for this table. The gorgeous lanterns over head were also pretty spectacular.
ALICE from Alice in Wonderland
What a fun table this was. Alice in Wonderland was such a hot theme a couple of years ago when the movie came out but we are seeing this theme pop up more and more now. The green grass and tea party like setting could be incorporated into a shower or day time wedding. Who doesn’t want to sit at this table with a group of friends and have a great time. We love the Eat Me cupcakes at each place setting too.
JULIA CHILD
You have to read this in your best Julia Child impersonation. This bright yellow setting is country clutter at its best. The adorable farmers market setting behind the table is filled with lanterns, produce and desserts. I can see Julia standing behind it now saying Bon Appétit!
P!NK
Having just gone to her concert in San Jose last month I’m kind of obsessed with everything P!NK right now so this was probably my favorite room. This one is for the true Rock Star. Behind the table was a huge screen that had a rear projector playing all of P!NK’s music videos. The black dresser had some amazing vases with corset style wraps on them. The chairs in the lounge even spelled out P-I-N-K on the back of them. The chain ball curtains hanging over the table were so cool. We think this would be a great bachlorette party theme or even a really cool idea for a cocktail party at a wedding. Do you have a favorite artist that you can design a room around for your wedding?
ARIEL
Under the sea was the theme for this vignette but also there was a lot of focus on the food since Wolfgand Puck Catering was serving in this vignette. Yummy! The nautical look is always a fun look especially for a beach wedding. We loved the coral projected pattern on the white curtain. Hartmann definitely has some of the nicest draping in the state. It always looks perfect and they take great care of it.
KATNISS
Who is super excited for the second Hunger Games movie to come out? This room is based off of Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss and has a really cool bulls eye backdrop with 150 arrows sticking out of it. We also love the round shaped chairs in this room as well. This was very modern and lots of fun.
MARY CRAWLEY
This is for all you Downtown Abbey fans out there. This show has taken off and also with the new Great Gatsby movie coming out we are seeing a big trend in the 20’s decor. The gold and black together with elegant soft flowers is definitely hot right now.
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
Diane Von Fürstenberg re-launched her fashion company in 1997, with the reintroduction of her famous wrap dress.The company is now a global luxury lifestyle brand offering four complete collections a year. This vignette was modern, fresh and so HOT. From the chevron pattern lighting on the floor to the pops of orange color to the false fire mantel and textured background. It’s hard to see in the picture but their was actually a TV in the fireplace with a burning log playing on the screen with fire popping noises. So cool.
ELPHABA
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. With the movie OZ the Great and Powerful out right now and the color of the year being Emerald Green this combines both trends to make a pretty cool table. This was our second favorite vignette. I love the emerald tufted walls and the tufted sofa.
RUSTIC LOUNGE
Lounges are so HOT right now! Every event no matter how big or small needs to have a lounge. Furniture rentals have gotten more and more affordable now and are a must for a 2013 wedding. We love the elegant look of this lounge. The rustic antler chandelier and the round metal spears add a classic touch to the vignette. We also loved the use of the round pipe and drape for the bar area. It really created it’s own space in a huge room and create really cool lines.
When we left this event we were in a food coma. The food was amazing and all the caterers did an excellent job. My personal favorite was the mini sliders being cooking on the spot and served with shots of beer. This food station smelled amazing and the presentation was so cute. I have to say duck was also very popular. Almost every caterer had some kind of duck dish being served. I’m not a huge fan of duck but there was some very tasty displays and presentation of it there that I actually tried it. Best Beverage Catering is truly just that. They are the best and served from 10 bars through out the event with all different kinds of drinks. They had custom made ginger beer drinks served in milk shake glasses to cotton candy martinis. The choices were endless and they were all very professional in explaining what was being served. They even served gourmet Jello shots on silver spoons to help guests cleanse their pallet prior to entering the event. It was a great way to walk into an event.
What is a party with out some entertainment. The last stop was the night club area where they had a DJ, lounge furniture, dramatic lighting and a huge screen playing music videos on it. The bathroom entrance had a walkway of LED curtains and candle light making a dramatic entrance and gorgeous setting.
The night eventually had to come to an end. As we were leaving there was a beverage cart rolling around that was offering guests a night cap. Such a great idea. As we stepped outside we were amazed at the gorgeous light show that was going on. As we waited for our valet parked car the lights were changing colors and moving all around bouncing off of the SF fog. Such a cool lasting impression as we were leaving. This event was breathtaking, amazing and inspiring. We hope you were inspired too. Here is a list of all the amazing vendors that made this night happen. You’re all Fabulous!!
Venue: Fort Mason Center
Event Design: Hartmann Studios
Rentals: Hartmann Studios Rentals
Lighting: Impact Lighting
Photography: Orange Photography
Cocktails & Beverages: Best Beverage Catering | BBC Elite
Caterers:
Back to Earth Organic Catering
Barbara Llewellyn Catering and Event Planning
Betty Zlatchin Catering
Componere Fine Catering
Elaine Bell Catering
Fork & Spoon Productions
Global Gourmet Catering
McCall’s Catering and Events
Melons Catering & Event Planning
Patina Catering
Small Potatoes Catering & Events
Taste Catering & Event Planning
Thomas John Events
Tout Sweet Patisserie
Union Street Catering
Wine Valley Catering
Wolfgang Puck Catering
Floral Designers:
Alicia K Designs
Amy Burke Designs
Asiel Design
Fleurs de France
Hunt Littlefield
Mandy Scott Flowers
Michael Daigian Design
Montbretia Floral Design
Nancy Liu Chin Designs
Nicole Ha Designs
Passiflora Designs
Spiral Hand Design
Waterlily Pond Floral Design
Staffing: The Party Staff
Entertainment: Innovative Entertainment
Other Partners:
Admac Digital Imaging