Event Design: Persian Afghan Wedding | Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco

We are so excited to see Soraia and Ali's wedding featured on the Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Blog! Check out the feature to learn all about the bride and groom and the whole wedding process.

When I met Soraia the first few times I knew immediately we had a lot of things in common - our love to keep things classy, our love for family, and our love for Tory Burch! It was such a pleasure to work with this lovely couple. Soraia and Ali both cared about their families very much so it was important to honor both of their cultures - Persian and Afghan. The wedding took place at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The venue had a classic elegance to it that we knew we wanted to continue throughout the wedding decor. 

The Sofreh ceremony took place under a gorgeous chandelier. We lined the aisle with high and low pillar candles making a beautiful walk way for the bride and groom. All the beautiful and intricate Sofreh items were provided by Pretty Please Design and our team helped style the spread.

Since the ballroom for the reception was so elegant and ornate we went with a more simplistic approach to the decor. The tables were covered in a soft blush linen and we had hydrangeas and blush colored roses for the centerpieces. The sweetheart table was on a large stage to accommodate for the afghan traditions that would take place behind the bride and groom. We re-purposed the high and low candles from the ceremony and placed them in front of the sweetheart table which created a beautiful illumination. We also dressed up the table linen by draping it with curly willow ties adding a romantic element. The bride and groom sat on a white leather tufted love seat. Soraia and Ali, we wish you a lifetime of happiness together and we hope to be a part of more of your celebrations in the future!

Event Design: Simple Little Details / Photography: U Me Us Studios / Linens: Wildflower Linen / Flowers: Asiel Design / Sofreh Items: Pretty Please Design 

Event Design: 'Baby is Blooming' Baby Shower| Saratoga Country Club, Saratoga CA

We are very excited to announce that the baby shower we designed for the beautiful Tania has been featured on Kara's Party Idea. See the feature here

Tania loves things that are more natural and rustic, so immediately a theme came to mind - “Baby is Blooming”. I wanted the overall design to have a lot of floral and nature elements almost as if you were in a garden. Tania's family are very dear friends of ours so we were so honored to be a part of this celebration.

Event Design: Simple Little Details / Photography: Karen Santos of Heartbeats Photography / Linens: La Tavola / Flowers: PK Art & Floral and Simple Little Details / Dessert: Sweet Tooth Confections / Invitations: Tiny Prints / Cake: Three Little Cakes / Macaroons: Chantal Guillon

As guests arrived they were greeted by the welcome table which had a flower cart on top that was in a shape of a baby stroller. I attached a sign that said “A Baby is Blooming” to set the theme for the rest of the décor. The place cards were placed on natural birch wood branches surrounded by flowers.

The dining tables were covered in a beautiful green floral linen. There were 2 types of centerpieces. The first was a birch wood cylinder vase filled with a ton of greenery and garden roses. Moss was also added to the bottom for a more natural effect. The second centerpieces was a slab of birch wood with 3 rustic glass containers that were again filled with a mix of beautiful garden roses. The table numbers were held up by a small piece of birch wood that had a slit. Each place setting was wrapped in a vine type ribbon and had a “wishes for baby” card for guests to fill out. Each pencil had the theme of the baby shower “A Baby is Blooming” engraved for a special touch.

The mommy-to-be needs a special chair of course! So I created a sign using an ornate wooden frame. The sign said mommy-to-be and it was hung by a vine ribbon. I added a butterfly for a nice touch.

For a guestbook alternative I thought it would be fun for Tania to be able to take home a baby mobile that the guests contributed to. I made a baby mobile made out of different types of ribbon. The guests were instructed to write their advice for the parents-to-be on a paper leaf and attach it to the mobile using a clothes pin. This is such a cute idea and a perfect way for the mommy-to-be to have a memento from her shower.

For the favors, I created a display that you would see similarly at a flower shop. I used a variety of flower market buckets and a flower cart to display bunches of flowers. Each bunch was wrapped in brown paper and had a tag attached that said “Thanks a Bunch”.

The dessert table was a hit! The backdrop was filled with a variety of paper flowers. The natural cake was placed on a birch wood stand and embellished with fresh flowers and topped with a wire “Baby” sign. I displayed the macaroons in a way so that you can tell what the flavor was by just looking at the platter. For example, for the lavender macaroons I added fresh lavender to the platter. It was a huge hit!

Event Design: Great Gatsby Inspired Wedding | Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery, Pleasanton

We are very excited to announce that we have been featured in Ceremony Magazine! Our team had the pleasure of doing the event design and coordination for Tamara & Daniel's Great Gatsby inspired wedding that took place at Casa Real, Ruby Hill Winery. The wedding was a glamorous mix of gold, sequins, feathers, and pearls! I LOVE Tamara's family as I got to work with them the previous year when coordinating Tamara's cousins wedding. They are such sweethearts and hope to coordinate more celebrations for them in the future.

Told by the Bride:
My fondest wedding moment was when I entered the reception hall and every single one of our guests gathered around us to dance to an Armenian wedding song. I had never felt so happy, so special and so blessed in my life. My favorite vendor was Taleen of Simple Little Details, my coordinator and event designer - she kept me sane throughout the entire process and I trusted her to have good taste and think of things that I wouldn’t. I also love Sherrie Long (hair/makeup) and Asiel Designs (flowers) because everything they touch looks amazing, so that also put me at ease.

My advice to all the brides out there is to get a coordinator! Make sure you involve everyone in the process that wants to be involved (groom, mothers, sisters, etc.) but know that your decision is the final one. Try to pause and enjoy it all, especially on the wedding day.

Event Design & Day-of-coordination: Simple Little Details / Invitations & Paper Goods: Simple Little Details / Photography: Jake & Necia / Ceremony: St. Gregory Armenian Church /  Reception: Casa Real / Florals: Asiel Design / Linens: Napa Valley Linens / Rentals: Hartman Studios / Chivari Chairs: Lush Event Rentals / DJ: DJ Sevag / Cake: Jen's Cakes

Told by Taleen:
When guests arrived they were greeted by the place card table that really set the Great Gatsby mood for the rest of the decor. Each place card was attached to an ostrich feather and was inserted into a gold wooden stand to prop them upright.

To help set the mood of the main ballroom, we hung 5 amazing crystal chandeliers provided by Hartmann Studios to float right above the white dance floor. We chose to keep the lighting very subtle to give a candlelight effect. The linens that we got from Napa Valley Linen were absolutely gorgeous. For the guest tables we chose a circular gold linen which provided a beautiful shine under the light. We tied in the glassware with the theme going with more classic gold rimmed glasses and a gold rimmed charger. To incorporate the pearls that were so popular during the 1920’s we wrapped strands of pearls around the napkins to act as a napkin ring. Asiel Design did an amazing job with the florals incorporating art deco vases filled with hydrangeas, roses, and orchids. The subtle touches of the ostrich feathers helped bring it all together.

The head table had a few elements to make it feel extra special. We chose to switch up the linen and use a champagne colored sequins linen. Each of the chairs had an ostrich feather chair cap that was provided by Wild Flower Linen. The table was filled with florals and candlesticks going down the center. At each end we had these gorgeous 8 foot gold trees that were covered in orchids.

Overall the night went beautifully with lots of love in the air for the bride and groom. I always tell my brides to stop and try and take a few minutes on the wedding day and take a look around with your husband. It’s important to have this special moment and really take it all in. Often times the excitement takes over and it goes by in a flash.