{personal image (c) jacin fitzgerald}

remember the cranberries i picked up a few weeks back while i was in cape cod for e+a’s wedding? well i ended up with about 6 pounds of them, not sure what to do with them all. i sent half to my cousin in an overdue care package, and kept the other half for baking and possibly some decor. i’ve never used fresh cranberries before, only the craisins that come in the little ocean spray bags for salads, etc, so using the real deal was actually pretty exciting (doesn’t take much, folks).

pat and i have a shared love for anything with coconut involved, so i tried my hand at coconut cranberry muffins - the end result was absolutely delicious, so i wanted to share the recipe with you here today. let me know if you try it out and what you think!

cranberry coconut muffins

{yields 18-24 muffins}
recipe derived from a version i found on taste of home

ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups shredded, non-sweetened coconut
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries

directions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and orange peel. Cut in shortening until crumbly. In a small bowl, the orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.
• Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack. Serve warm. 

earlier this week i posted about all the lovely little details that went in to taylor + joey’s big day, and today i’m back to share the scoop on the floral design. this was one doozy of a glitter + gold-filled wedding, as LLD was in charge of planning, styling + floral design, so not only was i spending my days spray painting little plastic animals and baskets, but i also spent the few days before t’s wedding assembling all of their floral arrangements. i was surrounded by the prettiest blooms in shades of peach, pink, blush and white, and i wasn’t complaining one single bit. here’s the skinny on the florals:

taylor’s peony + david austin rose bouquet - t got married in august which even in california makes peonies a very rare thing to come by, but she had peonies in every single inspiration picture she showed me, and i searched high and low to make it happen. i ended up ordering peonies in from alaska and they were just the perfect shade of pink, and paired with a golden sequin ribbon handle, it all came together just right (and when taylor and her mom started to cry when i presented the florals, i knew i made the right choice)! that’s always the best moment for me - revealing the bouquets or the venue to the bride + groom and seeing their reaction. it’s such an amazing way to validate what i do and all the hard work that’s gone in to bringing my clients’ inspiration to life.

groom and groomsmen boutonnieres - going with the pink + gold theme, i created the groomsmen and parent boutonnieres using ranunculus (my fave), lambs ear and gold ribbon. as an unexpected gilded touch, i spray painted poppy pods and silver brunia with gold flower spray paint. they were fun and whimsical but not too girly :)

flower girl crowns - taylor and joey had the sweetest flower girls! i created little flower girl crowns for them using ranunculus, babys breath and peach carnations (not shown in image above). i tied strands of peach/gold/pink ribbon to the end of each crown to create a cascading ribbon effect in the back to match all the ribbon we had elsewhere in the decor. the girls were a fan, too :)

centerpieces - i spray painted (surprise!) urns as containers and went to town with hydrangeas, eucalyptus, dahlias, garden roses, ranunculus, peonies and a few other blooms here and there for all the centerpieces. paired with the pretty pink linens from la tavola, it all came together really nicely for the garden feel we were going for.

floral chandelier - taylor’s mom has a pretty chandelier that she and her father hung from the arbor, which i added peonies, eucalyptus and a few other blooms to accent and bring it all together with the overall design.

and that’s a wrap! make sure to check out the full post over on 100 layer cake, and taylor’s recap on her blog and glitter guide for more of the fun :)

Photography: Edyta Szyszlo / Design, Planning, Flowers: lovely little details / Videography: Ashley Batz / Bride’s Dress: WTOO by Waters “Jemma” gown (straps removed and sash altered) via Bridal Galleria / Sash: Custom by Haute Bride / Veil: Bridal Galleria / Bride’s Earrings: c/o BHLDN / Bride’s Shoes: Valentino / Bride’s Clutch: vintage / Reception Dress: Parker Knot Front Beaded Dress / Reception Clutch: Oatmeal Lace Design / Reception Shoes: Zara / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Bari Jay 227 in “Petal Pink” / Groom’s Suit: Ermenegildo Zegno from Saks Fifth Avenue / Groom’s tie: Geoffrey Beene from Macy’s / Groomsman’s suits: rented from Eli Thomas/ Groomsman’s ties: Macy’s / Flower Girl dresses: JC Penny and Girlsdressline.com / Flowergirl shoes: J. Crew / Venue: Ainsley House garden in Campbell, CA / Paper: Southern Fried Paper / Bride’s makeup: Priscilla Francine / Bride’s hair: Natalia of Atlier Aveda Salon / Caterer: Chez Leslie / Cake: Made by my sister Jodi of TreaturSweet / Gelato Cart: Dolce Spazio / Photo booth + custom background: Tomfoolery SF / Linens: La Tavola / Rentals &  Lighting: Williams Rentals / Balloons: My Big Balloon / DJ: Ken Brown / Officiant: Weddings by Whitney

{all images by edyta szyszlo / planning, design + florals by lovely little details}

i was so excited to see taylor + joey’s backyard glam wedding up on 100 layer cake yesterday, and am just as excited to share all the details here with you today! there are so many lovely little details, though, that i am actually going to split my recaps in to a few posts - the details and the florals. first up - the details. 

if you follow me on instagram, you would have seen a few sneak peeks of all the behind-the-scenes work that went in to pulling taylor’s wedding together. never have i ever used so much gold spray paint and glitter in my life - but it was SO much fun! as the fashion/lifestyle blogger behind Sterling Style + founder of Glitter Guide, taylor represents everything sparkly and fashionable, and wanted her wedding day to reflect her personality…. mixed with her fiance, who simply requested that bar-b-que be served :) what we created was a mix of the two - a relaxed, intimate feel of a backyard BBQ combined with the glitz and glamour that is everything Glitter Guide. so obviously, gold spray paint and glitter were mandatory ingredients in the details for their big day. here are the details we worked so hard to create:

{wedding paper + stationery by southern fried paper}

golden mini animals - this favor evolved so many times i can’t even tell you. we scoured the earth for mini plastic chihuahuas but could not find them anywhere. taylor + joey have a little pup named lukka and this was going to be their nod to their beloved “daughter”. but alas - there were no mini plastic chihuahuas to be found. we settled for the next best thing, mini plastic animals to represent their shared love of animals, which i spray painted gold one afternoon. yes, if you’re wondering, it took a while :). the gals from southern fried paper created mini tags that said “hope you have a wild time” and i (with the help of my 6 assistants that day!) hand-tied the tags to each each animal using pretty golden ribbon.

golden bar-b-que baskets - how do you make BBQ “glam”? well, if everyone is wearing their sparkly best, you don’t want them to get BBQ sauce on their pretty outfits, for starters. i took mini restaurant “baskets” and (you’ll never guess) sprayed them gold! we then folded over a hundred and fifty BBQ bibs in to perfect little squares and tied them to wet naps using that pretty gold ribbon. they were a huge hit!

sequin ribbon wands - oh i know, we’ve all seen the ribbon wands before and i’ve used them in plenty of weddings. they’re a great alternative for petals/confetti if the venue doesn’t allow such celebratory items! but for taylor’s wedding, we took it to the next level and used several strands of sequin ribbon, in different shades of gold, to kick off the celebration once taylor + joey were announced as husband and wife. this was such a fun surprise that taylor didn’t even know about - her mother and i plotted away on this detail to add an element of surprise to the ceremony!

gilded seating chart - this was the only paper item i designed out of the wedding (taylor’s invites/escort cards/table numbers were designed by southern fried paper) but i was really happy with how it came out! i designed the seating chart in illustrator, had it printed at a local printer and put it in a huge gilded frame i have in my details closet :)

gold stripe straws - whaaaat? yes you heard me right. i said gold stripe straws. i had these babies shipped in from new zealand as a special surprise for taylor. sure, we could have used peach + pink stripe straws but nothing says party time like metallic gold straws, right? i was OBSESSED with them. stripe straws can stick around forever as far as i’m concerned. i love ‘em.

framed love quotes - we had these cuties scattered throughout the wedding - taylor chose her favorite love quotes from movies and the amazing girls at southern fried paper printed them in various sizes. i snagged frames from the dollar store and sprayed them gold to add the finishing touch.

gold glitter gelato spoons - no joke. these things took me for-ev-er (said like squints from sandlot). like, forever. not kidding. first, i applied painters tape to the spoon part of over a hundred and fifty wooden gelato spoons and spray painted the handles gold. then, after looking at them from every angle, i decided i wasn’t a fan of just gold - it wasn’t “wow” enough. i decided to see what gold glitter would look like, so i carefully set up an assembly line of mod podge, glitter with a coffee filter “catcher” and spoons and got to work. i sent the first sample to taylor via text (we probably had over 500 “what do you think of this” texts through the entire planning process haha) and she agreed - glitter won! it may have taken forever but it was so worth the extra time. i asked the girls from southern fried paper to make the escort cards with a little line at the bottom that said “save your spoon for a special sweet treat”, as taylor and joey had a gelato cart show up later in the night!

ribbon ceremony curtain and chairs - lots and lots and lots of ribbon went in to this! we wanted the chandelier to be able to show behind the ceremony “altar” space, so we created a curtain with the ribbon instead of a full out backdrop. the cascading effect was really pretty and lasted through the night.

glitter clutch by oatmeal lace design - i always have custom clutches made for my brides by the amazing mckay of oatmeal lace design and for this one, i reached out to see if glitter would be possible. mckay spent hours affixing glitter to fabric (sending me text pictures along the way) and i could not wait to give it to taylor, who absolutely loved it. it worked perfect with her sparkly reception dress, too! :)

pink ombre cake and cupcakes by treat ur sweet - taylor’s entire family is so creative and crafty, it was such a fun bunch to work with. her sister, jodi, has a baking business and made the amazing cake and sweets for taylor’s big day. not only was the cake impeccably decorated, but it was probably one of the best cakes i’ve ever had!

custom photobooth from tomfoolery sf - it seems like edyta is always doing something fun and new, and she and her main man just launched a photobooth company which provides custom backdrops depending on the occasion and theme. she and jared created this amazing pink and gold backdrop and hilarious pictures ensued.

obviously there was a lot going on, right? and so many other little details i’m not even mentioning. but want to know the best part? the ceremony space was the same as the reception space, so the second the ceremony ended, my 6 assistants (including my husband!) and i started to completely flip the space. we had 45 minutes to transform the entire space from this:

to this:

it was no small feat but my team and i hustled to get it done, just in time so edyta could come in and snap some detail shots before the guests came in!

come on back on friday, when i’ll be sharing all the background info on the florals! congrats again t+j!

{image by edyta szyszlo, planning, styling + floral design by lovely little details}

a few weeks back i mentioned a collaboration i was working on with west elm and glitter guide and i am so excited to be able to share some of the pictures from Delbarr Moradi Photography and video from VIDDYON to give a look behind the scenes. i designed all of the florals and so excited to go to town with all of the gorgeous west elm vases and vessels - i also designed all of the paper products (menus, place cards, etc) and it was so fun pulling everything together from conception to reality working hand in hand with taylor. here are some of my favorite shots from the dinner party, thrown in celebration of the new west elm store that just opened in palo alto!

as an event/wedding planner & designer, you have to be ready for when things don’t go quite as planned. i had ordered some pretty white sand to go in the large hurricane vases, but the sand didn’t make it when i left the flower mart. in a pinch, i asked the kitchen at the restaurant if they had any sugar i could “borrow” - no one knew the difference! :)

oh and PS i have developed a major design crush on air plants. i just love the texture they bring to a table, in a natural way!

don’t think taylor just showed up for the dinner party, she worked hard too!

if you’re wondering about the amount of space between the “centerpiece” and the plates, it’s because the meal was served family style. i wanted to leave enough room for the platters of food while still incorporating as many details as i could!

washi tape is my favorite friend in design. i use it for everything - to mark sizes on my paper cutter, to add embellishment to an otherwise plain piece of paper, and to hang paper signage if in a pinch. i even use it for ribbon wands vs. hot glue gun. i used gold washi to add a little bit of a glam effect to kraft paper for the menus and place cards. i tried to find the perfect font to match the glitter guide branding.

oh, and i spray painted tiny clothespins gold to add one more little detail to each place setting.

all in all it was a great night with great people - an intimate group of 14, from bloggers to the creative director of west elm. thank you again glitter guide and west elm for having me!

shopping list:
-West Elm Recycled-Glass Jugs
-West Elm Flared Glass Gift Vases
-West Elm Iridescent Glass Hurricanes – Rose Gold
-West Elm Gold Mercury Candleholders
-Confetti System Ornaments

credits:
Creative Concept: the glitter guide
Design + Florals: lovely little details
Photography: Delbarr Moradi Photography
Videography: VIDDYON
Table Decor: West Elm

{image by stacey hedman, florals + wedding design by lovely little details}

this past weekend i was in heaven. not gonna lie. it was perfect fall weather - the rain stopped just in time for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (though i packed my wellies just in case) and i had one of those “i’m so happy i might burst” feelings about every 5 minutes.

there’s just something about being back east that feels like home. don’t get me wrong, i absolutely love living in california and wouldn’t trade it for the world (at least not now!) but you know the feeling where you land somewhere that is really home and you just get that feeling? everything was so familiar - the smiling friendly faces at the farmers market where i purchased fresh cranberries straight from the bog, the dunkin donuts on every. single. corner., the new england accents, and just the overall feeling of nostalgia. it all came over me like a blissful wave and my heart was so happy. add the most amazing bride and groom to the mix and their families and friends and you’ve got yourself one hell of a weekend. it was just nothing short of awesome, and running around on wedding day i couldn’t help but smile the entire time. so much so that my face hurt :). oh, and sitting with stacey and jaq in the “vendor corner” eating lobstah and laughing over diet cokes and hot chocolate was the icing on the cake. :)

here are a few of my favorite instagram shots from the weekend as i wait patiently for stacey’s film pictures to come back from the lab. oh boy i can’t wait to see what kind of magic she captured!

and here’s a tiny sneak of e’s bouquet - it was one of my favorites ever! erika started to cry when she saw it and said “i feel like all of our inspiration has come to life!” - it was such a special moment! i shipped 99% of the flowers with me from san francisco, so my first few days back east were spent unpacking box after box of blooms!

and the nautical boutonnieres with cranberries and nautical rope for the groom

so yeah - this weekend was just amazing - but it’s good to be back, too, because i’m getting ready for e+t’s wedding this weekend! hope you all have a great week!!

to those who have asked, i do about 3-4 east coast weddings per year and i am always willing and ready to hop on a flight wherever the wind will take me!

{images by one of my absolute faves, stacey hedman - see the full shoot on grey likes!}

i cannot believe this week is finally here! as i type this, i am sitting about 35,000 feet in the air on a plane headed to boston for e+a’s wedding weekend, something that feels like we have been planning forever (right e?) i have about 10 boxes of blooms with me, and a HUGE box of decor - what can i say? mini vans are my favorite mode of transportation these days! haha! 

i’m so excited to be back east again (was just here 2 weeks ago for r+c’s CT wedding!) and enjoy the crisp fall air, bright foliage colors, dunkin donuts, and get this wedding under way! hope you all have a great weekend!

lobstah, chowdah and i-do - here i come! :)

you guys. i slept for 12 hours last night and it was pretty much the most amazing thing ever! my swollen wedding feet and sore legs were in heaven haha. this past weekend’s wedding was amazing - the crowd was so much fun, the weather was perfect (thank you weather gods!), and the couple was in absolute bliss. can you ask for anything more? i don’t think so!! i’m still on a post-wedding high from all the happiness.

i wanted to give you a little glimpse in to the design planning that goes on behind the scenes in the planning for LLD weddings. besides all the logistical details which are continually evolving during the planning fun, the design portion is just as important, and of course, a little more fun than timelines! for c+b’s wedding this past weekend, we wanted to create an effortless, relaxed, and fun atmosphere for guests to enjoy the sprawling landscape of the venue via wine barrel cocktail tables, corn hole games, amazing food created by culinary eye (my faves!), and tons and tons of details. i like to break down the “design board” in to sections to pay equal attention to each part of the wedding - from the very moment when guests arrive, to the ceremony, to the cocktail hour, to the dinner, dancing, and finally, the sparklers exit. every piece is so important, because it’s all about giving your guests an overall experience by touching on all of the senses - sight (and delight!), smell (oh how i love the smell of wine country in the fall!), sound (acoustic guitar playing in the background), touch (textured wooden tables, mini apples and pears, wheat grass bunches in masons, pretty paper stock for programs, embossed menus, tea towel napkins), and taste (a custom menu created by culinary eye with a homemade ice cream bar in lieu of cake). every single detail is just as important as the next, and my goal is to have them all mesh together seamlessly while being noticed by guests, whether subtly or with wow! factor. it’s all in the details, of course!

{design board by lovely little details, please contact me for image credits}

i’m still waiting on the professional pics from montana dennis, but in the meantime can share a few sneaks from instagram this weekend.

{planning, styling and floral design by lovely little details. placecards and chalkboard lettering by LLD event coordinator ryanne steele.}

ok…i’m off to prep-mode for a west elm/glitter guide dinner party going on tomorrow night, and in final preparation for this radiant bride’s wedding coming up this weekend! just 3 days til i hop on a flight to boston for her big day, flowers in tow - woo hoo!! dunkin donuts - how lucky am i to have you twice in a month?? yes! have a great week, everyone!

{all images by lovely little details}

happy wednesday! i can’t believe how fast this week is flying by. in a few days i will be headed up to st. helena for c+b’s wedding, rental SUV (why didn’t we get an SUV to begin with?) filled with florals, decor, and paper goods i’ve been designing away. i realized i haven’t shown any recent arrangements or events in a while, so wanted to pop in this morning with a few new ones.

here are some of my faves from the past few weeks (the pic on top is one of 10 arrangements from n+c’s wine country wedding last weekend filled with cafe au lait dahlias, cabbage roses in the prettiest shade of salmon pink, ranunculus in shades of mauve and ivory, peach david austin roses and lots of other little blooms here and there).

you might have seen me prepping these cans on instagram - i found a pretty shade of rose gold to use instead of the everywhere-you-look gold and they looked oh so pretty with the navy and white striped ribbons for k’s nautical-inspired reception arrangements.

i used hydrangeas, ranunculus, lambs ear, spray roses,wax flower, and anenomes to create k’s bouquet. it’s kind of sad how sometimes my instagram pics come out better than the ones i take with my nice camera!

playing around with colors in preparation for j+m’s romantic grey & pink wedding. 

j wanted to incorporate some shimmer in to her wedding florals so i used metallic silver ribbon for the groomsmen boutonnieres. these were some of my faves yet.

lovely little flower girl flower crowns for j+m’s healdsburg wedding! the girls looked so adorable, i can’t wait to see the professional pics!

i was seriously in love with the blooms from n+c’s wedding this past weekend. n had complete trust in me to do my thing, and it was so amazing to have the freedom of creativity! plus, her cafe au lait dahlias were out of this world.

this might have been the largest boutonniere order yet, but i thought it was sweet how the bride wanted all the family members to wear flowers, too.

the videographer from n+c’s wedding sent me this still shot from their video of me setting up the altar backdrop. i’d like to personally thank whoever brought the top knot back in to style because i’ve been rocking that thing since like 4th grade. i’d also like to remind myself to maybe not dress like a bag of easter skittles next time i leave the house for a floral order, because you never know when you’re going to end up on video! haha (i can promise you that for the full wedding planning and design installations i am dressed in wedding-appropriate gear - i figured since i was going to be in the background just setting up the florals, no one would see me) :)

one of the grooms from this past sunday’s wedding loves to cook. the other (yes, there were two grooms and yes i am totally down with that - love is love, and it was an honor to participate in this very meaningful wedding) has a love for wine country - the result? a sage, lavender and ranunculus boutonniere. this wedding was so amazing on so many levels, way past the lovely little details. but more on that soon.

ok, it’s back to embossing for c+b’s wedding this coming weekend. more to come soon (and for all the behind the scenes pics, you can check out instagram!)

“undocumented hours” by rebecca parker pine in issue 4 of kinfolk magazine

this past weekend was such a blur - it absolutely flew by. from a flower order on friday here in the bay area to a wedding on sunday in connecticut, i literally have been running non-stop from one side of the country to the other - and i’m not complaining one bit. i’ve said this before but i’ve found that, personally, when you work for yourself, you spend a lot of time thinking. i do have my assistants who work with me on wedding weekends and for occasional projects, but for the most part as this is my boutique business, i work alone (of course my trusty colleague is always by my side but i do tend to forget that my dog can’t talk back to me after i’ve been talking to him all day long hehe). and for this girl who happens to be pretty independent, and even a bit of a hermit at times (my perfect friday night if i’m not working a wedding rehearsal = our favorite loaf of french bread, 2-3 yummy cheeses, and a bottle of red wine shared with my husband), thinking can be good and bad. sometimes i over-think things. i wonder if i’m sharing too much in the online world (i’m an instagram-aholic) or if i share the most recent tablescape mockup people will like it. i think about the continual evolution of LLD and my 1, 3, and 5-year plans for the biz. i take note of what’s going on around me, but for the most part prefer to continue on with blinders to keep doing my thing my way and making my clients happy 1 event at a time. i think about my work/life balance and how much things have changed since i started LLD, and i think about how i need to continually remember life before LLD, too, and remember to shut down every day to spend time with my husband, to make phone calls home, to write letters, to send care packages, all the while ensuring my client needs are being met to the very best of my ability, and logistical details continue to go off without a hitch. needless to say, there’s a lot going on in my mind, all the time :)

in this wedding world i live in, there is always a question in the back of my mind as to whether i need to be documenting every second of my day, almost to prove that i exist in this online world. i wonder if i’m posting too much, or too little. it’s so ridiculous to those who don’t live in this world, but for me, it’s become a part of my daily routine. and so when my redeye flight was postponed on friday night, i had time where i was able to sit undisturbed and finally pore through volume 4 (i haven’t even gotten to 5 yet) of kinfolk magazine. this is something i’ve been waiting to do, as it is my little escape from the madness and something i treasure. while reading through the mag, i came across an article by rebecca parker pine called “undocumented hours”. it’s actually almost hypocritical that i’m posting about it, because her message is all about the fact that we don’t have to document everything in life to prove we exist, and she urges us to stop taking pictures of/posting to facebook/tweeting every moment and instead, live it. i seriously read it 3 times in a row; it just spoke to me.

and so, i’m urging you to get your hands on volume 4 of kinfolk and read it. she just might be on to something, and i love where she’s headed if we all took notice of her inspiring thoughts.

in the meantime, i’ll be prepping away for my last 3 weddings of the year with a lovely little west elm dinner party in between, but i will continue to pop in from time to time to say hello :) have a great week everyone!