Inspiration Board #9: A Warm Winter Wedding

We are well into our cold winter season here in Chicago, and weddings are still brewing. Today, I have a charming & cozy wedding inspiration board the embraces the holiday glitz of gold ornaments to the wintry landscape of white snow and rustic pine cones. Colors of gold, champagne, ivory, white and browns glisten in the table settings, the dessert table and accessories. And the wedding favor that is sure to warm your guests' heart are soft, delectable chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk. Also don't forget to find a couture-like shrug with your wedding gown; it's the perfect wedding accessory to cover your bare shoulders from the cool, brisk air.

Design w/Chon: Prexa & Ronak Wedding Book

Success! I have been waiting for this day for a long while and to be able to finally share it with you all is exciting. The longest wedding book yet that I have designed — 216 pages, plus the custom cover design. This was a tedious design, because I divided the high-end, coffee table style book into several chapters to showcase the traditions of an Indian wedding. From the Mehndi gathering, where the bride gets adorned with intricate details on her hands and feet, to the Vidhi, and the actual wedding day ceremony followed by a festive reception. There were sooo many photos to go through, process, stylize with my keen eye, and then layout visually telling a story of this lovely couple, Prexa & Ronak, and their journey together. What a great book it is, and I hope my clients are as happy with it as much as I am. :)

This is only a sample of the all the 216 pages. To view more pages beyond what is seen here, visit this link. The book is 12 x 12 inches, hard cover with an image wrapped cover. The perfect over-sized coffee table book to feature a spectacular wedding. Congrats Prexa & Ronak!

Credits: Cover, book layout, retouching and written copy was produced by Chon. Select Mehndi Photography copyright ©2010 Design With Chon. Wedding ceremony/reception photography copyright ©2010 Modern Image Studios.

Featured Photography: Lucida Photography

It's Friday and brrrrrr... it's cold! I have some great photos to share today that will certainly warm you up on the inside. When I look at Lucida Photography's work, it brings a smile to my face. Melia Lucida, the photographer based in Vancouver, has a way of capturing the true personality of her clients. Whether it's the intimate, fun or a serious moment. I decided to give a highlight reel of her portfolio vs. one specific subject. I was practically looking at her work for over an hour which is pretty long for me. Her photography skills and range is sooo good that I had to show a bit of everything! Enjoy folks. :)

This particular image below with the spotlighting on their faces reminds me of the old black and white movies of old, Hollywood glamour. Too cool.

{Images via Lucida-Photography.com}

Happy Holidays with Anthropologie

Those who have followed me for awhile all know that I love Anthropologie. This is my one greedy sin since I can splurge on their stuff way too easily. Oops. :) Right now, I am feeling and loving the rich golden hues, soft greys and the deep indigo/purple shades, and you can see that all here in my seasonal picks for the holidays. Vintage, modern elegance that I cringe for.

Clockwise: Antiqued Epoch Necklace, Crisp Gleam Beanie & Into Midnight Ring

Clockwise: Zibo Midnight Sheath, Monumental Necklace, Crackling Flames Heels & Winter Wedding Earrings

Featured Wedding: Maria & Gustavo

Congrats to Maria and Gustavo! This lovely couple got married last month in Guadalajara, Mexico. I am a little slow to share their special day. I met Maria and Gustavo practically a year ago when they first came to me for their save the date card design, and they loved the work so much that they returned to Design With Chon for a customized wedding invite and other fun design accessories.

To see the full breath of work by Design With Chon for Maria and Gustavo, click on any of these links:
Save the Date
Wedding Invitation, Bee Escort Card, and Tequila Favor Tags
Custom Monogram

Have a sneak peak at some highlights from their beautiful wedding in Mexico! You can see some of Design With Chon's work in some of the wedding photos by Raul Galaviz. They went all out with fine details and traditional entertainment from bull fighting, a Mariachi band, fully choreographed performances, fireworks, and they partied hard into the late night. Congrats to the newlyweds and a lifetime of happiness!

{Images via RaulGalaviz.com}

Featured Photography: Trash the Dress

For all you future brides-to-be and recently married brides, this is something you should all think about — "Trash the Dress" photo shoot. If you love photography and want some fun, editorial photographs that isn't the conventional portraiture, then this is for you! This is something I definitely would've done myself being a bride, but I couldn't since I knew I was going to sell my wedding dress.

I am sharing this with you today since a client of mine has asked me for photographer recommendations in the local Chicago area, and these are my selections that I shared with her and now with you all today. And for you brides who are having destination weddings near the ocean water, think about trashing the dress the day after your wedding in the water. I have seen some spectacular photos especially when the photographer knows what he is doing. ;)

Geraldine Rodriquez – Her work is edgy, fun, editorial style shoots, well-composed and art directed down to all the details.

{Images via BeautifullyTrashed.net)

Marc Edwards – His work is serene, romantic, his subjects are enjoying the picturesque setting and taking that moment of peace in life.

{Images via Marc-Edwards.com}

Melissa Diep – This shot reminds me of the damsel in distress. I love the rugged, dirty environment contrasted by the pristine white, delicate wedding dress.

 

{Images via MelissaDiep.com}

Nicole Wolf (SOTA) – Nicole is part of the Chicago area of Studio This Is. These images weren't intentionally a "Trash the Dress" shoot although it seems to fit the mold. It's a visually beautiful concept – snowy feathers.

"Trash the Dress" embraces not the typical, perfect wedding day photos. It allows the bride to get down and dirty a bit, get loose, to be stress free, and not worry about keeping the wedding dress all pristine!

{Image via StudioThisIs.com}

Samuel Barr – His work is very editorial, hard-edged and dramatic. I don't think you would want to mess with these brides; they are taking on the world and letting loose. It's all about trashing their dress!

{Images via SamuelBarr.com}