beach chic. destination wedding style.

destination weddings are more popular each year, especially in tropical places. hawaii. turks and caicos. tahiti.

my own wedding was a destination for most of my guests, and i have to say that was one of the best things about it. while my destination theme was a throwback to tuscany, italy, i confess that for a while, my husband and i thought about bringing everybody with us to costa rica.

if we had, we probably would have done something simple and gorgeous, like paper olive's new beachcomber destination wedding invitation. we love beach wedding invitations anyway, but this one has immediately become a favorite with us.

these latest beach wedding invitations are printed on gorgeous, heavy luxe cotton card stock, come tucked in an equally heavy cotton half-moon enclosure, and the entire package comes in a fabulous luxe cotton mailer box with its own custom mailing label.

they're modern, chic, beachy, fresh and elegant — and more than that, they were a lot of fun to create. we expect these to be very popular with modern brides who are planning luxurious beach weddings, as they can be customized with any personal details, and the genuine sand dollar accents can work with any beach wedding color scheme.

we hope you like them as much as we do!

welcome to the bridal bar

paper olive is thrilled to announce our new partnership with the bridal bar, a fashionable west hollywood boutique that supplies a complimentary peek at the pre-screened best of the best in the wedding industry.

what does a girl do at the bridal bar? why, sip bubbly, view videos, sample wedding cakes...and now, you can get an up-close-and-personal peek at paper olive's unique selection of wedding stationery and couture invitations, ask questions, talk details and even make appointments for your own custom designs. we couldn't be more delighted to be a part of such a fabulous, innovative, downright brilliant operation than if we'd thought of it ourselves!

with a huge list of celebrity clientele, the bridal bar has been featured on daily candy, e entertainment, access hollywood, and of course chic wedding mags like instyle weddings, town & country weddings, los angeles weddings, bridal guide, los angeles magazine and countless others.

for up-to-the minute news, trends, and style options, you absolutely can't miss the bridal bar blog, which is full of glorious photography, hints, tips, and real wedding details. love it.

we celebrate our new seat at the bridal bar with — what else — a toast of champage!

a four seasons wedding

ahhhh...

that's all i can say. i recently lunched at the four seasons hotel in westlake village, and found it so luxurious, so spectacular, so serene, and the staff so generously stellar that i have no other words. if you're a platinum bride — or you would just like your wedding day to be the one time you genuinely go all out — you must consider the four seasons hotel.


don't get me wrong, the four seasons on doheny in los angeles is also outrageously perfect. but there was something of a resort feel to westlake, and the easy drive from l.a. made it feel like a genuine escape — perfect for a destination wedding without all the travel hassle.

my own wedding took place not far from the four seasons, and if the hotel had been available for me on my day, there's no question i would have jumped at booking this place. grrr!

so, why the blog? 2009 wedding season is fast approaching, and i know i was already booking my venue for my summer wedding at this point — so take note, brides. the four seasons westlake will soon require all brides who book weddings with them to hire a professional wedding planner to manage the often unwieldy battalion of vendors that are scheduled to parade through the place.

get while the gettin's good, my friends.

"big sugar" is beyond sweet

my best friend is getting married in november, and today we stopped at our favorite california sweet spot, big sugar bakeshop, to get some cupcakes and to place an order for her wedding.

for anyone who hasn't jumped on the gourmet cupcake craze of the last three years, big sugar is probably the best cupcake i have ever tasted, and this includes the famed magnolia bakery in manhattan, at which i once ate six in one day.

the best thing about big sugar is that their cakes are not actually that sugary, unlike other cakes spots in los angeles that treat their cake as an excuse for their toothache-inducing icing.

big sugar cupcakes are light and creamy — like sweet little clouds. you can have half a dozen and not even feel it. red velvet is moist and heavenly, peanut butter and chocolate is addictive, and the simple vanilla cupcake makes me want to get married all over again just for the excuse to eat an entire plate of them.

if you're planning your own wedding and want to add a fresh, modern, casual twist to your dessert table, you might consider a a few tiers of these uncommonly delicate little gems.

mmm, i think i need another half dozen...

pink cake box

okay, brides and planners. take note:

if you live in the new york metropolitan area and are getting married — or you're having a fabulous event of any other kind — consider pink cake box for your sweet offerings.

anne heap of pink cake box is young, hip, fashionable, friendly, and makes absoutely stunning cakes that taste like a million bucks (that metaphor is all wrong, but you get the point).

my sister got married a little over two years ago in cape may, new jersey, and i hired anne to create a beach-themed, sugar-seashell-and-fondant-covered cake for the over-the-top bridal shower i was planning. i searched high and low, and without question, pink cake box stood out as the baker to beat.

how was the overall experience? gorgeous. easy. delicious.

to this day, those are the first three things that come to mind when i think back to that cake. i've come across anne's company again recently, as she has been gaining fame and success in the years since i first met her.

like paper olive, pink cake box was chosen as a 2008 pick in the knot weddings magazine 2008 best of weddings issue. it must be kismet.

elegant bride, modern bride, instyle weddings, new jersey bride... i was impressed by her two years ago and i'm glad to see that so many others have discovered her charm and genius.

congrats, anne. :o)