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}

Good Light makes Good Photography

Good use of light makes good photography. These images featured obviously highlight wedding moments, but this rule applies to all areas of photography – from fashion to journalism to everyday snapshots. Also, good light combined with great composition makes a killer photo.

I just love the feel of these natural backlit shots of individuals near a window or doorway. They feel ethereal with the use of select focus with the camera lens.

{Top image - Unknown. Bottom image - Jessica Johnston.}

The image below, along with the last one, was shot by my photographer, Marcin Harla, on our wedding day. He knew how to use and manipulate the light source to create beautiful photography. Jessica Johnston is another photographer favorite that utilizes light well.

{Top image - Marcin Harla. Bottom image - Unknown.}

Natural light is ideal for photography, but when the sun sets, or if you are indoors with lack of outside light, what makes a good photographer is his understanding of artificial light. That is a huge factor when you are searching for any photographer for your special event or personal use.

{Top image - Jessica Johnston. Bottom image - Marcin Harla.}

Carol Hannah from Project Runway

If any of you watched the latest season of Project Runway now on Lifetime Network, you all would know Carol Hannah. She wasn't the season winner, but she was one of the top 3 designers. Anyway, I loved her work on the show, and I love her work now still. Well, she has opened her own Wedding Collection line on Etsy.com that features bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

One thing about her designs is that she knows how to design for the woman's curves that is very flattering and her draping skills are phenomenal. I especially love the bridal gown featured here.

She does have a main site, carol-hannah.com, featuring all her collections, and she has a shop for everyday wear here.

Featured Wedding: Ronak & Prexa (Part III)

And this is the last of the Ronak & Prexa posts. It's their lovely reception in fabulous, deep hues of pink and purple. I apologize for the lack of photos of the bride and groom. I forgot my camera, and I had to borrow these pics from Hemal's cousin, Biraju.

Look, it's one of our very first photos as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Hemal Patel.

(The cousins group shot. Left to right: Hemal, Biraju, Nirmal and Serju)

And let's not forget the special dance performed by Megha, Sandip and friends. It was certainly a festive and fun night.

(The wives. Left picture: Nisha, Pooja and I. Father daughter dance. Right picture: Prexa, and her dad, Jayendra)

Last, but not least, the newlyweds enjoying their first dance to Brian McKnight's "Back at one". Congratulations to you both. Your wedding was gorgeous and so are you guys! Enjoy the married life. I think it's bliss. :)

Featured Wedding: Ronak & Prexa (Part II)

The actual wedding ceremony took place on Saturday, July 11th at the Meadows Club banquet in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. This is a newer venue that can house a thousand guests. Ronak & Prexa have chosen this location due to their some 650 guests, and the fact it has a really nice decor set-up.

Here you guys get to see me in a traditional Indian sari, and my nephew, Aryan, in his adorable Indian garb. He's starting to take on the looks of his daddy, Nirmal.

The main color palette for their wedding ceremony radiates in rich shades of red, gold and creams. Down the main walkway, red rose petals adorn the runner to the grand altar. And I can't forget the stunning, lighted pillars with Ganesh statues (symbol of good luck) flanking the walkway.

I wish I could tell you exactly more of the actual details during the ceremony. However, most of the rituals were communicated in a Sanskrit language; but you can see some cool snapshots from the event. :)

(left to right: Prexa's youngest brother, Sandip, aka "Lalu", and her sister, Megha)

After much rice tossing, walking around the fire, and chasing each other to be the first one to be seated to claim themselves as "king of the household", it only took a whole hour and a half for the couple to be married. However, I am proud to announce the newlyweds, Mr. & Mrs. Ronak Patel.

Featured Wedding: Ronak & Prexa (Part I)

I thought the best way to start out my first blog post is with a wedding. And it's just not any wedding, it's a close family member. This would be my husband's, Hemal's first cousin, Prexa.

For her wedding, it's a very traditional, Indian wedding that takes place on American soil. If this wedding were set in India, it probably would be a week long affair that would include a whole town filled with thousands of people. However for this event, it was only 3 days of festivities, and it began on July 9th, a Thursday evening with her Mehndi party.

Mehndi (also known as Henna) is a traditional art form that adorns the bride's hands and feet. It is also practiced and enjoyed by close family and friends on the bride's side to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

The Mehndi party took place in the bride's parents home in their basement. As you can see, it doesn't look like the normal basement. The family decorated the walls with teal and lime green Indian fabrics to create a warm atmosphere almost reminiscent of a Moroccan boudoir.

The Mehndi that was applied to Prexa's hands and feet took several hours due to the intricacy of the pattern. Most of Mehndi designs are composed of floral and geometric shapes along with symbols of India – the peacock (the national bird), the lotus flower (the national flower), and an elephant/Ganesh with its trunk raised (a symbol of good luck).

Typically, the Mehndi party is a woman only event, but the boys just couldn't leave the women alone. Featured below is Sandip, Prexa's younger brother, my husband, Hemal, and Nirmal, Hemal's brother.

In this picture, is Prexa's younger sister, Megha, in the light teal blue, and her mom, Hemlata, in the yellow and pink attire.

And here we get to see a full body picture of Prexa with all her Mehndi on. The designs are just sooo beautiful and very detailed. Doesn't she look beautiful?