Disney Fairy Tale Princess Wedding Gowns

Even before all the excitement surrounding the Royal Wedding this week, bride's have

always wanted to feel like a princess on their wedding day.

With Disney Fairy Tale Weddings by Alfred Angelo Disney Princess~Inspired Collection, dreams come true in gowns designed with royalty in mind.

Here's a peak at Alfred Angelo's collection.

First up an Ariel mermaid silhouette wedding gown in re-embroidered lace

and taffeta, featuring sea~inspired details such as pearl beading, subtle metallic accents,

crystal beading and sequins.

Sweet, yet elegant, Snow White gown is inspired by nature. The net~over~satin

ball gown features a lace bodice of organza apple blossoms with shimmering rhinestone

and crystal centers, and a skirt with scattered blossom details, accented by a lovely

satin sash and bow back.

This Tiana~inpsired gown employs both structure and softness. Drawing on the shape of a

New Orleans water lilly this dress features an assymetrical draped bodice embellished with beaded flowers, metallic embroidery, and pearl accents.

Cinderella ball gown of tulle and glitter net over taffeta, is inspired by Cinderella's

glass slipper. The draped criss~cross bodice features a romantic sweetheart neckline

accented with sparkling crystal beading and rhinestones.

Princess Jasmine wedding dress features flowing, soft shimmer satin and a

micro~ruched bodice, bejeweled neckline and halter strap with encrusted pearls,

rhinestones and crystal beading.

Belle ball gown features draped satin and crystal beaded corset with subtle hints of

gold metallic embroidery. A detachable shrug and draped net pick~up skirt create added grandeur every bride needs for her first dance.

Sleeping Beauty romantic taffeta gown features multiple layers of dreamy gossamer

tulle, reminiscent of cascading briar rose petals, and bodice in re~embroidered lace

with crystal beading.

sources: Wedding Inpirasi and Disney Family

Ultimate Desert Summer Fiesta

This is the ultimate dessert summer fiesta originally spotted on Design Sponge and compliments the free DIY printables I posted yesterday.

A lot of tissue paper was used for the decor in this styled shoot, including banners, drink stirrers and tissue paper fringe was sewn on at the top and the bottom of the invitations. Not only did carry the theme throughout the event, but it's an inexpensive way to decorate!

To make the overhead decor out of tissue paper, simply fold the tissue paper in half a couple of times and then use scissors to fringe the bottom. Then, using fishing line and thick wooden dowels or poles that have been placed in the ground, hang the tissue paper gently onto the fishing line. Tip: if the ground is hard, you can also get buckets or posts and then fill with dirt/sand and rocks. Hanging the banners from tree to tree also works well.

The signature drink was Mint Mojitos and a simple dessert of Mexican Wedding Cookies

serve as the perfect compliments to this dessert oasis party!

The place card holders doubled as cactus planter favors for the guests to take home. To recreate the place card, simply print out the names of your guests, cut them down to the size you like, sew or stitch on some fringe, then attach to a thick stick with a nail.

Photos and blog post found on and adapted from Our Blog of Love

Head over to their blog to see a list of all the talented designers and stylists

Event Design & Styling by Ashley Meaders of The Flashdance

{Real Weddings}: Destination - Ireland

When my husband proposed to me in Big Bear, CA, I instantly started to plan when and

how we would get married. Doing something completely different than I have ever

done for any of my clients was really important to me. I wanted a unique location, and I wanted and intimate and sacred ceremony.

I knew it had to be a destination wedding. I have been planning and coordinating weddings in Southern CA for over a decade and wanted to celebrate in a way that didn't seem like "work".

We discussed lots of options and the idea of getting married in a castle in Ireland came up. When I began my research I started getting the standard industry lingo responses such as

"we only do 1 event per day in our ballroom", "you can't use our grounds for a ceremony",

"our minimum food & beverage minimums are" etc., etc. and I quickly realized that many

of the "castles" in Ireland are really just hotels with a castle facade and hotel policies.

I didn't want that - at all.

So I dug deeper, and researched more, and came across exactly what I wanted when I found The Markree Castle. It is a 350 year old owner occupied castle rich with history. The contact at the Markree told me in our first conversation that they even had a chapel inside the castle and we could use that for our ceremony at no additional charge. Sold!

What we experienced when we arrived at The Markree surpassed any and all of my expectations. It was gorgeous. Absolutely GORGEOUS! We travelled to Ireland in November (off season) so there was only 1 other guest staying in the guest rooms at the time we were there. There were areas that were closed off to the public, since the Cooper family still lives there, but we had the dining room, the chapel, the lobby, and the bar all to ourselves. Their hospitality, service and food was more incredible than I would ever have hoped for. If you ever get a chance to travel to Ireland I would recommend staying at The Markree Castle and definitely visit their website to read more about it's amazing history.

It was a dream come true. Everything was perfect.

We flew photographer Frank Salas to Ireland to capture our wedding ceremony and he did an outstanding job! Thanks to Frank's amazing work, our wedding was featured in several magazines both here in the US and in Ireland.

Here is a sneak peek into the thousands of amazing photos that Frank took!

This is a view of the side of the castle...

My husband and I in the lobby of the castle and around the grounds outside

This was the beautiful chapel inside of the castle where we had our ceremony, wrote our own vows and my brother (an ordained minister) performed our ceremony

The gorgeous dining room

A view of the castle at night, the end of a perfect day

Natalie & Troy - A Destination Wedding to CA

I love this couple! Natalie booked her wedding at The Ritz-Carlton and they gave her my name as a potential wedding planner. She called me right away to see if I would be willing to help her plan her destination wedding out here in Southern California. We hit it off immediately over the phone and I felt like we would be friends forever. When Natalie and Troy came out from Texas for their wedding we became fast friends, and I still consider her one of my best friends today. We have shared so much of our lives together over the years by phone calls and emails and have enjoyed watching each other's daughter's grow up.

I love you Natalie, thank you for your incredible friendship!

Congratulations Natalie & Troy!

Photography by Michael of Memories by Michael