I can’t believe Jessie & Steven’s horse ranch wedding is almost here!  The design of their wedding was inspired by a beautiful Japanese paper from Paper Source (the photos do not do it justice), incorporating chartreuse, red and shades of purple.  Here is the inspiration board I created for them.  Stay tuned for photos of their big day!

Images:  1. Style Me Pretty 2. Colorsong 3.  Elizabeth Anne Designs 4. Dan’s Dahlias 5. Polyvore 6. Doug Green 7. Paper Source Yuzen Beet Flower paper 8. The Knot 9. The Knot 10. Green By Design

I’ve been crazy about pillows for as long as I can remember. My mother (a fashion designer and talented seamstress) taught me how to sew as a child, and one of the first things I ever made was a pillow.  It was pretty ugly and had a big star applique on it, but it ignited a passion for pillow-sewing.  I even started a pillow business during college and spent hours making hand-beaded silk dupioni pretties for local boutiques. I burned out a bit on the pillow-making eventually, but after a little hiatus I’m happy to report that I’m back at it!!  I love using pillows as accents for weddings and parties, and am so excited to add custom pillows to the Katy Carrier Designs product lineup. Photos forthcoming, but in the meantime, here’s a roundup of some of my current faves made by other folks:

Ikat pillows by Madeline Weinrib

Shades of blue and green by Dermond Peterson

Birdcage – Thomas Paul, Paisley & Butterfly – Trina Turk

Pink Zigzag – Trina Turk, Needlepoint Belts – Jonathan Adler; Blue Zigzag – Trina Turk

Palm Springs Block pillows by Trina Turk

Umm, these shoes are seriously fantastic. I’m having to restrain myself from typing some Rachel Zoe-isms to describe my level of appreciation. Buy here.

Nina and Steve are getting married at the lovely Sunset Restaurant in Malibu, and I put together this inspiration board for them as we work on the design of their navy and coral modern beach wedding with a little nautical flair.  I cannot wait to see it all come together!

Images:  1. Maison 21 2. Style Me Pretty 3. Badgley Mischka shoes (cannot for the life of me remember where I found this photo…if it’s yours, please let me know!!  4. New York Times 5. Style Me Pretty 6. Style Me Pretty 7. Under a Paper Moon 8. Style Me Pretty 9. Style Me Pretty 10. Under a Paper Moon 11. Barbara Kua

I turned 30 a few months ago (ugh!), and was joined by many of my wonderful friends to mark the occasion. I wanted to share this AMAZING cake that Melinda of CAKEgoodness made for my party. It was a huge hit, not just for the spectacular design, but also because it tasted so great – two tiers were carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and one was coconut cake. Yum yum! Thanks again Melinda!!

I had so much fun working with Theresa and Giovanni to plan their April 2010 wedding.  Giovanni’s family from Italy and Theresa’s from Iowa all came together for a Southern California celebration with amazing food, great music and a beautiful outdoor setting.  Everyone had such a blast — those Italians really know how to party!  Theresa and Giovanni looked fabulous and so in love, and Ben Lowry did an amazing job of capturing the day!  One of my favorite wedding blogs, the Wedding Chicks, did a feature on their wedding, so be sure to check it out for more info and photos!

I worked with Giovanni and Theresa to construct this fun photobooth wall.  I had no idea that Giovanni would be so handy with power tools!  The smaller photos on the wall are all old photos from Thesesa and Giovanni’s families.

Vendor info:

Wedding Planner:  Katy Carrier Events
Florals:  Katy Carrier
Photographer:  Benjamin Lowry Photography
Venue:  Private home in Reseda
Caterer:  Savor Solar:  Susan Rigali
DJ:  Marco Lamberti
Officiant: Elysia Skye
Rentals: Anderson Party Rentals, Burbank, CA
Dress: Pronovias
Men’s Attire: H&M
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy
Hair:  Muse Make-up Artistry: Margaret Wang

At the Bellisima Bride show last weekend, tons of brides entered for a chance to win a garter from Katy Carrier Designs and Cruz’s Bridal.  I am happy to announce that Kelly Fort is the winner of the garter giveaway!

Kelly, I will be contacting you shortly!

As a contributor to the Recycled Bride blog, I recently did a post on making soy candles.  Soy wax is clean-burning, made from a renewable and biodegradable source, and burns much longer than a normal parrafin wax candle.  For the full tutorial and more photos, click here.

I was recently invited to participate in a fabulous Bridal Boutique event in Santa Clarita for engaged couples at a darling wine bar called Wine 661. I teamed up with the talented Melinda Piligian of CAKE Goodness to design a Valentine’s Day themed dessert table for the event. Melinda’s delicious treats were a huge hit! Holly Steen of Cakes and Kisses Photography (who hatched the concept for the event, along with Tanya, the owner of Wine 661 and marketing pro April Lainez de Brimer) shot these great photos of Melinda’s and my work.

I am so excited about starting Katydid and can’t wait to share my events, projects and inspirations! To get things going, here are a few of my favorite things…

My love for mercury glass has turned into a bit of an obsession! The sparkle of candlelight through the crackled silver glass creates such a romantic glow, and even simple blooms seem particularly special in a mercury glass vase. I love mixing in a few mercury glass birds among the florals and candles on a tabletop for a bit of added whimsy.

{Photos, first row: tablescape – Thayer Allyson Gowdy/Oh How Charming; hobnail vases by Mothology; bird by Wisteria; candleholders by The Cottage.  Second row: votives by Ballard Designs; candleholders – Martha Stewart; candy dishes by Pottery Barn}

I am a sucker for a fun and unique photo booth!  Above are just a few of my current faves…

{Photos, first row: Our Labor of Love/Dolci Odille; Charley Star/Bash Eco-Events; Rebecca Rosconi Photography.  Second row: Martha Stewart Weddings; Elizabeth Messina/Sasha Souza}

I adore seeing patterned fabric incorporated into weddings, whether in the linens or the bridesmaid dresses, or just as an accent in a few spots like the dessert buffet or escort card table.  Above are some fabrics I’m itching to use!

{First row: Lalaria Beach – Coral Reef by Robert Allen; Poolside Floral – Marine by Ralph Lauren; Imperial Trellis – Treillage/Ivory by Kelly Wearstler for F. Schumacher; Pretty Paisley – Spring by Waverly. Second row: Silk Route – Porcelain by Waverly; Reflex – Chocolate & Raspberry by F. Schumacher; Stonehill Collections Zest Paisley Floral; Maison Tinman by House Fabric. Third row: Super Paradise Print – Driftwood by Trina Turk for F. Schumacher; Peacock Print – Punch by F. Schumacher; Arches Print – Pool by F. Schumacher; Trellis Print – Citron by Trina Turk for F. Schumacher}