Whimsical Wedding at Casa Ylang Ylang

Welcome to the Whimsical World of Casa Ylang Ylang:

2018 has been a landmark year for stepping out of my comfort zone, and the styled shoot at Casa Ylang Ylang was no exception! When Erica, of Erica Melissa Photography, and I met for coffee to get acquainted she told me she had a brand new venue that she wanted me to see. She showed me a few iPhone photos of this beautifully unique estate but even then, I never could have imagined what was to come from my first visit to Casa Ylang Ylang.

This gorgeous venue was built in the 1920’s and later abandoned. Over the years it deteriorated to the point of needing a complete renovation and restoration. Thankfully the family that took this historic gem to task drew there inspiration from their travels throughout Europe to create a whimsical estate with old world charm!

As many of you know from my Bohemian Styled Wedding, my goal this year was to create the inspiration for the type of creative wedding work I want to do. Casa Ylang Ylang was no exception, the moment I got the okay to take creative control over the very first “wedding” to take place on this brand new venue, joy ensued!

Collaborating with lovely local shops like, Cielito Artisan Pops for the Welcome Bar (the cart is featured at the property) and yummy champagne gummy favors by Sugarfina from their new outpost at Aventura Mall were the icing on top of my Casa Ylang Ylang-Land cake! I really wanted to create an adult candy land feel with lots of romance and tropical style.

Monique Garcia of Only One Mark, Inc. lent us her talented hand for all of the calligraphy throughout our styled wedding. From the escort cards to the welcome sign, her custom designs were perfectly appointed. Along with her tropical inspired invitation suite, she included vows to the bride from her groom which I thought was a lovely keepsake for couples to frame or place in a shadow box after the big day!

Another Friendor I was excited to work with is Christina Chaidez Fox of 24th Avenue Designs who provided a gorgeous watercolor stationery suite inspired by the Romona Keveza gown worn by our bride. The gold foil added that touch of glam that really elevated the playful design!

The wardrobe… (happy sigh) that dress, that perfectly coordinated suit… my heart skipped 20 beats while doing the wardrobe fittings with my friends at Chic Parisien and My Groom’s Room! They always know how to make me fall to my knees with high style and unexpected details and design. Their selections are bar none! Top it off with the gorgeous pink and rose gold sandals from Ted Baker and this look officially transcended tradition.

Bridal hair and makeup was a no brainer. Between Safai Kelly (MUA) with that signature highlight and hair styled by Janea Soliven of JA Makeup Artistry!!

One of the most important aspects of wedding style is the furnishings and Mi Vintage just happened to have the perfect selection for our colorful fete! I really wanted to showcase a fun and relaxing option for the ceremony. Mi Vintage’s collection of sofas allowed for all the laidback fun I was looking for. From the pink dresser for the escort cards at the entry to the lovely sweetheart table and pink setae, the furnishings were an important part of tying this love story together. The pink bike was the perfect photo op!

The cake!! THE CAKE!! I’m obsessed with the intricate hand-painted details of this gorgeous cake designed by Lily Morales of the Starfish Cottage! It was everything I could have hoped for and then some. When clients always want a specific replica based on designs from other bakers, styled shoots are an opportunity for creative expression and a break from fulfilling the same request over and over. I have never seen this cake design before so I’m excited to see who else is inspired by it!

Now can we talk about the florals? My favorite floral designer, Maria Alejandra Peralta of Flower Fanatic, exceeded my expectations as per usual! She always brings the freshest, lushest, most creative collection of blooms to outfit all of my eclectic decor. There’s nothing I love more than showing her my mood board, telling her my budget, followed by her listening to me ramble on for a few days and then seeing how she’s translated all of that into her own interpretation that literally brings tears to my eyes every time!

This leads me to my pride and joy… The tablescapes! When Erica and Bess Perry Garcia of Aurora Photography, sat down for a brainstorming session while I was on my honeymoon trip to Japan & Thailand, they were channelling the Asian inspiration and decided that origami had to be part of the design. So without fail, I got crafty and created a flying origami crane display for the tablescape. In addition to the imperial blue china (a personal favorite), colorful glass details and custom favor jars. I thought it would be nice to mix the pastel plate set with gold chargers and modern gold and white flatware from Different Look. Then set them on the beautiful Sedona table linens and napkins and the Bahama Breeze table runner from Over the Top Rental Linens. Thankfully Le Fragole Catering was kind enough to come to my rescue in the last min with one of their farm tables and acrylic chairs for the reception table set up. I really wanted a white table to fit the design and tie the look together with the venue and if I couldn’t get a white table, then I was definitely using white table cloths! The bistro lights were the perfect finishing touch as the sun was setting.

The icing on this wedding cake was setting off the smoke bombs with Maria Alejandra and our hairstylist, Janea (JA Makeup Artistry). We had so much fun doing that for the first time and diving across the property to get out of the shot. That moment reminded me of how much fun it is to be silly and goofy with your friends, even while you work.

The images captured below are from my dear friend and lifestyle photographer, Bess Perry Garcia of Aurora Photography. She also had the idea for me to relaunch my jewelry collection since I was desperate for a specific look and had no one to collaborate with. So I collaborated with myself and I couldn’t be more thrilled! ? For more on the jewelry, click here. But first, feast your eyes on these gorgeous images from Ariana and Khaleel’s special day: