Wow! A new venue in Deer Valley: St. Regis Deer Crest

With every new client, there a chance to create something unique. That's what makes me passionate about my job. There's never a dull day in my studio because we're constantly thinking of new ideas, new designs, new architecture, new color palettes, new vignettes, and so on. So when I get a chance to design within a new space, I'm bursting with excitement!

Enter the St. Regis at Deer Crest in Deer Valley. I visited the site about 6 weeks ago and received a hard hat (yes, hard hat and goggles) tour. With the amount of construction left to be done, I could not believe that they were planning on having their ribbon-cutting by the beginning of ski season. No way, I thought to myself.

And sure enough, it was. Today I visited to see the completed resort and wow, it is truly a one-of-a-kind resort in Utah. Not only was I envisioning myself skiing up to their "Beach" this winter for an apres-ski drink, but I was also imagining all the florals I could use for summer weddings. Check it out!

Thanks for a great party, Alta Moda!

Thanks to Hilary and her team from Alta Moda Bridal for putting together another fabulous Christmas Party. While I get to see other wedding industry pros throughout the event season, I never get a chance to say more than "Hi!" while we're all making rushed preparations on the event day. These soirees provide the much needed time to mingle and enjoy each others' company.

It was a pleasure catching up with Pepper Nix of Pepper Nix Photography, Mitch Burt of ZumaPhoto, Tessa Wolf of Utah Bride and Groom Magazine and Michael Lucarelli, celebrated classical guitarist.

Even more exciting was being introduced to wedding bloggers Meghan and Audrey from UtahBrideBlog.com and photographer, Jacque of Jacque Lynn Photography.

Oh, by the way, if you're in the market for a wedding dress, take your family and friends with you to Alta Moda to enjoy their newly renovated VIP dressing room.

Here's a shot of me with Hilary (left) and Tessa (right).

Rain, rain, go away

Check out this week's blog post from Soiree Productions. While StellaPosy and Soiree pride ourselves in creating unique weddings for our clients, this June wedding at Stein Eriksen Lodge had a similar theme to the other June weddings we had this year: dodging the rain. With just 1 hour before the ceremony, the call was finally made to have the ceremony outside on Stein Eriksen's deck. Rapidly our 7-man crew placed the ceremony flowers on the deck just in time for the guests to be seated. Miraculously, the rain cleared about 5 minutes before the 5pm start time. Whew!

Here's a quote from Soiree's blog:

Our planners designed the table top with white and green arrangements. We incorporated three different looks; some tables showcased a tall centerpiece with branches and blooming flowers, while the other had a similar look with smaller vases, and the third (my personal favorite) had a cute table lamp with an ivory drum shade surrounded by beautiful floral to finish off the modern feel. StellaPosy brought our look to life. Val is so talented at reading our minds and working with us on every detail.

Well, we try our best and we succeeded on this rainy June day. Thanks to Rebekah Westover for these stunning photos.

Congrats to Soiree Productions for 10 super stylin' years!!

Oh my, we had a blast last night at Soiree Production's 10th Anniversary party. After all the weddings StellaPosy has worked on with Soiree, it was delightful to be able to be on the receiving end of one of their parties. Sadly, we should have been throwing the party for them.

Lillie, Kristen and Christina treated us to champagne (k, I admit to having a little despite a bun in the oven), hors d'oeuvres (you better believe I just spelled-checked that) by Culinary Crafts, fajitas from Utah Food Services, favor cookies by Lanner's Cookies (which I'm devouring right now) and music by The Salamanders. I also got to play around with my other industry pals in the photo booths provided by FotoCabina and Shutterbooth. I know I may regret posting these photos in all my pregnant glory, but hey, a girl has to cut loose a little after a busy summer of weddings.

Thanks so much to Soiree and congrats!!

This is me and Tessa Wolf, the editor of Utah Bride and Groom Magazine.

Then, here's me with Tessa, Christina Hadlow of Soiree, and Robert Upwall from Every Blooming Thing. Robert confirmed the baby is doing just fine.

Nerd alert! New series on TLC: "Flowers Uncut"

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This is where I admit to being a total flower nerd. Ready? Ok.

I already have my DVR set for TLC's new docu-series, "Flowers Uncut", featuring Jeff Leatham. Leatham is the Artistic Director for the Four Seasons Hotel and based in George V in Paris. If you've ever visited a Four Seasons Hotel, you can view his bold, structural silhouettes of single flower arrangements on display in their lobbies. These displays literally make my heart skip a beat and my mouth water. Truly stunning!

I can hardly wait to go behind the scenes of Leatham's luxury weddings from around the world! "Flowers Uncut" starts in November on TLC.

(Note: the images above are Leatham designs, not StellaPosy's)

$100 off at White Couture

For the month of October, White Couture is offering a $100 certificate to be used at their shop in Jeremy Ranch, Park City on anything. To qualify, you must follow the White Couture blog and leave a comment.

Don't forget to leave a comment to win!!

Modern wedding in the Mountains: From NY to PC

Check out this slideshow by Laura Negri Photography.

This August wedding was one of the most spectacular weddings StellaPosy has been a part of, thanks to Lillie Garrido and her team at Soiree Productions. The ceremony was held at the Temple Har Shalom in Park City under a candlelit chuppah with a reception following at The Chateaux at Silver Lake in Deer Valley.

This slideshow provided by Laura Negri Photography will show the layers of detail put into the design of this wedding. While flowers were just a piece of it, Soiree was the conductor of this symphonic event well beyond the 2am close out.

To complement the purple (fig bridesmaids dresses from Vera Wang) and chartreuse palette, StellaPosy provided an all-white bridal bouquet of phalenopsis orchids withwhite freesia and purple calla posies for the 11 bridesmaids. Pin-spotted at the reception were, tall and low centerpieces of dendrobian orchids, submerged cymbidium orchids, globe allium, 'blue' (even though they are actually purple) mokara orhchids, flex grass, and tropical leaves. This was definitely a departure from the rustic weddings we've done in the past. We LOVED the modernity of the designs we did for this wedding!

Approaching Autumn

Brides, when hiring your wedding vendors, the most important quality to look for is that special "click". Hire professionals that you carry a good rapport with and voila, you arrive on your wedding day knowing that you've entrusted the best team to carry out your vision.

I'm not quite sure how it happens, but I get some of the best brides. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to work with one of the sweetest brides, who wanted just a little hint of fall for her September wedding. For her burnt red/orange and chocolate palette, we used Estelle roses, Flame calla lilies, orange montbresia, Black Magic roses, and fern curls.

Divas & Fashionistas: Behind the scenes of a fashion photo shoot

Lights, camera, fan, and action!! Today I lived out a dream of mine to be a fashion stylist!

Tulle, chiffon, hair spray, ruffles, roses, long lashes, crystals, stillettos, pearls, and oh my heaven's....this production was a lot more work than I ever imagined going into getting just that one shot. And while I don't want to spoil the whole shot for Riehl Events' new ad campaign, you'll just get a sneak peak of some of the details of the day above.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention our buying trip last week to seek out the perfect accessories for our stunning model. Hello, I think I discovered a talent I didn't know I have...accessorizing! Again, see some of the detail shots I got above for the yummy goods.

Jacque Riehl, owner and creative force behind Riehl Events, asked some of the best in the industry to be a part of her new campaign. One of my favorite things about working with Jacque is that she challenges me as an artist to seek out the cutting-edge of wedding and event design. She's got the heart and soul of a city girl and she wants to bring to Utah what people in high fashion and design see in NY and LA. It's a blast to be a part of her team on this shoot.

Here's the team:

Planning and Production - Riehl Events (www.riehlevents.com)
Florals - StellaPosy (www.stellaposy.com)
Wardrobe - Alta Moda Bridal Boutique (www.altamodabridal.com)
Hair and Makeup - Enizio Artistry (www.enizio.com)
Location - Utah Museum of Fine Arts (www.umfa.utah.edu)
Model - Shariana Suliafu http://www.modelmayhem.com/shariana
Photography - Dezember Photography (www.dezemberphoto.com)

High altitude attitude - Part 2

Empire Canyon Lodge, Deer Valley, July - take 2. In reference to my last post, I will leave it to the professional photographer to make StellaPosy look REALLY good. These images were taken by Sparkle Photography a true talent and a sweetheart to boot. Check out her blog, too.

High altitude attitude

Really, Deer Valley weddings are hard to beat. From the service to the scenery, these weddings are spectacular. Here are some pics from a wedding in July (I know I'm a little behind) at Empire Canyon Lodge. I love the simplicity of the event, produced by Soiree Productions. Notice the succulents in the bouquets - love, love, love 'em!

The Summer of Purple

Hello, purple! Flower trends often follow fashion trends with regards to color. Think about it. What starts on the runways, heads to the retail shops, then onto the invitation studios, linen rentals shops, and finally landing on the prep tables of StellaPosy. Remember all the aubergine and eggplants you saw in shops like JCrew and BR last fall? Well, that hue was the "it" color of this wedding season, for sure. Up against the vibrant apple greens and the calm whites, the lavenders and plums really stood out. Here are a few examples:

Eco-Chic Table Decor

Here's some ideas of how to be green for your next party.

1. Use recycled paper for your invitations, programs and menu cards.

2. Use a topiary-shaped tree as a centerpiece to be given to a special guest to take home and plant to remember your special event.

3. Use bamboo "china".

4. Use items available in nature like lichen-covered branches and shiny river rocks.

5. Use any shade of green as a backdrop to your green-themed affair. Green is the new black!

6. Use textiles made of natural materials.

7. Use soy-based candles.

8. Bring a garden to your table and use lots of flower from StellaPosy!

Vegas Showpieces

On a recent trip to Vegas, I spotted these showpieces and had to show them off. Please let me emphasize that these are NOT StellaPosy creations, but we love that they inspire such a fun, whimsical theme. Thanks to the wonderful designer at the Bellagio.

It's springtime in the SLC

Ahhh....the spring wedding. It seems like spring is in and out of here in a flash. While spring is my favorite season, most brides are a little skittish to book weddings in March, April and May when they can guarantee better weather in June. HOWEVER, I love my spring brides because I get to work with all my favorite flowers like peonies, ranunculas, parrot tulips, and viburnum. One might expect to see vibrant colors this time of year, but I really love the romance of the white and green bouquet. So gorgeous, just like the blushing spring bride.

Art in Bloom - UMFA

It's been 3 years since the last Art in Bloom, but spring has sprung at the University of Utah Fine Arts Museum. This is the 2nd time StellaPosy has participated and while the permanent art collection at the museum is incredible, I was leaning toward a piece that was 'newer' and more modern.

Thus, I chose the oil painting Rooftops, Red Warehouse by American John Button (1929-1982). I loved the colors and the contrast of the industrial city scape up against the soft sky.

Hydrangeas seemed like the logical choice to represent the pillowy clouds (duh!), but I needed a container that was industrial, preferably made of steel, to complement the painting. All in all, I just love this juxtaposition between the hard lines of the building/container versus the soft, airy feel of the clouds/hydrangeas.