{ The Harborside Pavillion - Newport Beach }

The Hadley's Newport Beach reception was absolutely beautiful! After setting all of the arrangements I snapped this photo of one of the tables to show off just how amazing everything turned out. Don't you love the look of her classic black and white decor with the pop of red floral? So romantic! Thanks again Bryan & Maryann for giving me the opportunity to share in your special day. Many congratulations!

{ Bryan & Maryann :: A Classic Wedding }

"I don't care if Monday's blue. Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too. Thursday I don't care about you. It's Friday, I'm in love!" - The Cure

Love that song! It's been running through my mind all morning as I worked on these gorgeous arrangements for my friend Bryan Hadley & his lovely wife Maryann's wedding. It was such a pleasure creating their 20 amazing centerpieces, and of course my favorite part...the bridal bouquet! Aren't those red roses exquisite? So romantic!

Be sure to visit my floral blog { Design By Aubrey } to see more incredible arrangements from previous events. And please, share the link with a friend!

{ Meet My Friend Melissa... }

Have you had enough of these wedding pics yet? I sure hope not, because I can guarantee this one won't be the last. Anyway, this is the only picture I took while at Megan & Peter's wedding reception last weekend. So not like me! But I sure do love this pic.

The cute girl you see beside me is my friend Melissa Lundquist, aka- updo extraordinaire for brides all over Orange County. I believe this was the 3rd wedding she and I worked on together as vendors and it certainly will not be the last! In fact, she did the bride's hair for the wedding flowers I've been working on all weekend. Can't wait to show off some pitures of my creations. Get ready for some RED!!!

{ Megan & Peter - Sneak Preview }

Look what I found on Facebook! Thanks Kris for posting your images so quickly so all of us can enjoy! Here's a sneak peak at my favorite shot...so far! Isn't the bride absolutely stunning! And aren't the flowers so pretty. (I'm allowed to say that, right?)

Be sure to check back soon for more beautiful images of Megan & Peter's wedding day! And in the meantime, take a look at some of Kris Sundberg's incredible photographs over at Burnt Exposure. Love his work!

{ Megan & Peter :: Tandem Forever }

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." ~Audra Foveo

Spring has sprung! Well, at least it did this weekend for my friends Megan & Peter. I had the pleasure of designing all of the flowers for their March wedding this last Saturday. Their theme, in case you hadn't guessed already, was "A Bicycle Built For Two," which was adorable because Peter proposed to Megan while on a bike ride down the Southern California coast. Love it!

While driving on my way to the reception site in Coto De Caza, I got this amazing text from the bride "Aubrey!!!!! I love my bouquet!!!! I haven't seen other flowers yet, but I absolutely love my bouquet (as does everyone else)." Totally made all the long hours of designing and creating worth it!

{ Megan's Bachelorette Party!!! }

Today my dear friends Megan and Peter tied the knot! And in a few hours I'll be delivering all of her flowers to the reception site in preparation for one crazy amazing celebration. So exciting! But before I get a little too ahead of myself, I thought I better post some pics from Megan's last "Hoorah!" Last weekend the bride and 15 of her closest friends met up for some dinner and dancing in Corona Del Mar. There was slinky lingerie, ring pops, and some amazing pictures to show it all off! Such a fun way to say goodbye to Megan and the single life. Forever! We love you Megan!!!

{ Happy "Belated" Chinese New Year }

Remember those delicious Spring Rolls I was telling you about? Well here they are, in all their delicious glory! We made 60 and they didn't last more than 60 minutes. They were THAT good. Way to go Kiele! Happy Belated Chinese New Year everyone!

{ Ethnic Foods Night :: Parts I & II }

In our house we like to cook. Alot! And by we, I mean my roommates. Cooking's not so much my thing, but I'm learning. In fact, recently my roommates and I have been inviting friends over to teach us new recipes from other nations of the world. Several weeks ago our roommate Erin threw her Annual Chinese New Year Party (for which I still have yet to post pictures!) and gave out assignments for the night.

Kiele was asked to come up with an appetizer so she invited her Chinese friend over the night before to teach us how to make homemade Spring Rolls. Oh man, were those things delicious! And fun to make! Pictures don't lie. And yes, Kiele is wearing goggles to cut the onions, Amy is wearing a do-rag, Erin is wearing shorts and Uggs, and I just look homeless...





Last night we got together again, but this time with one of Amy's friends and old roommates, Kayla. She was kind enough to teach us how to make homemade Pupusas from El Salvador. Now, I don't know if you're familiar with the pupusa, but they are one incredible food my friends!

I had an El Salvadorian companion on my mission in Canada and she made the most uh-mazing pupusas that I have been craving for the last 5 years. And thanks to Kayla, we no longer have to suffer. I would post the recipe, but we kinda don't really have one. Kayla's more of a "make it up as you go" type cook. But come over sometime and we'll show you how. We're pros! Stay tuned to see what exciting creation we learn to make next time!

{ Anthropologie :: Wedding Debut }

Monday night while watching The Bachelor Wedding, my friend Amanda informed me of some fantastic news for Brides planning on getting married next year. Just the motivation I needed to find a husband for next Spring...

"Wedding bells are ringing for Anthropologie! The brand’s parent company, Urban Outfitters Inc., announced that it will launch a bridal collection featuring heirloom wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, accessories and gifts designed with Anthropologie’s distinctively ethereal, feminine feel (left). The still-unnamed bridal concept launches in Spring 2011 as a Web site, through which brides-to-be can schedule local fittings, before branching into stores. 'We have found that many brides-to-be are inspired by our aesthetic,' Anthropologie co-president Wendy B. McDevitt said in a statement. 'We will unveil a brand that addresses this very special moment in her life with a goal of exceeding her expectations.' Wedding gowns will retail from $750 to $5000, with occasion and bridesmaid dresses starting at $200."

{ THE BACHELOR WEDDING: Jason & Molly }

What was ABC thinking? A wedding outdoors in the rain? In the pouring rain? I'll tell you what they were thinking: RATINGS!!! I'm hoping all of you readers caught last night's nuptials of the infamous Jason Mesnick and his afterthought sweetheart, Miss Molly. (That was rude, but whatever.) If you did, I'm sure you'll agree that the producers of that show are just plain evil! If I were their wedding planner and was told that I could not have a Plan B, I would be so furious!!! And if they truly could not move it indoors, why, when they knew the impending rain was coming, did they not rent a canopy, if not for the nearly 300 guests, at least for over the altar? Because they're evil I tell you!

If I were Molly I would not have been laughing. Did you see that hair? And oh, that 45,000 coveted Monique Lhullier dress (wish it were mine!) got drenched. Oh my gosh, I can feel the fury in my fingers as I type! You producers are horrible people!!! I was actually proud of Molly for not crying in hysterics over the whole thing. And Jason too for that matter.

On a much lighter note, there really were some WONDERFUL things to make mention of about last night's infamous Bachelor wedding. First off, the location is one of the most beautiful spots on the California Coast. I know because I had the pleasure of providing THESE arrangements for an event there last year. It's simply stunning...on a good day!

Let's talk flowers shall we? Wasn't that creation surrounding the altar amazing! I wish I could've seen it up close, but from what I saw there were magnificent clusters lilies, dendrobiums, hanging amaranthus, and more! Stunning! Molly's bouquet on the other hand? NOT my favorite! And who the heck pinned on Jason's boutonniere? Maybe we should just blame it on the monsoonal winds for tipping it over? Either way, it was quite the distraction.

And while we're on the subject of flowers, how about that reception hall? That was all kinds of amazing! Mad props to my friend Shauna who helped with the set-up of the entire event. Some of you might recall she and I working together on THIS wedding. You can check out her exciting Bachelor Wedding cameos HERE!

Moving on...I'm so happy to see my favorite Bachelorette Jillian looking so happy and cuter than ever. I hope ABC plans to throw them a big fat wedding when the time is right. I will definitely be tuning in for that. Oh, and let's hope we get to see more of DeAnna and Stephen Stagliano (brother of Michael who fought for the heart of Jillian on the last season of The Bachelorette). Wouldn't we all like to know the story behind that one.

There's so much more to gab about, but I'm sure half of you have already stopped reading this ridiculous rhetoric, so I'll just leave you with my favorite line of the night by some unidentified guy at Jason's Bachelor party, "Of all the women Jason's proposed to, I think Molly's the best." Way to go loser! Until we meet again for next season's The Bachelorette, I bid you adieu. Stay classy blog world.

{ Best & Worst of Oscars 2010 }

I hope everyone enjoyed watching The Academy Awards last night. I know I sure did. Congrats to Sandra Bullock and her Oscar for her incredible performance in The Blindside, one of my favorite films of the year. Love her. Loved the movie. Well deserved! Aside from the funny Ben Stiller as Avatar moment, and a shriek out from yours truly when Zach Efron graced the stage, my favorite moments were on the red carpet. In case you were wondering, these are my best and worst picks of the night. Enjoy!

BEST DRESSED WOMEN

Rachel McAdams looked uh-mazing in that dress. Loved everything about her! Cameron Diaz sparkled like the star she is on stage. Sandra Bullock was a total knock-out! She commands attention!

WORST DRESSED WOMEN

Melanie Griffith, what the heck happened to you? Leave the tight, black, pleather dresses to Angelina. Charlize Theron, come on honey, you're classier than that. Mariah Carey, can't say I didn't see that one coming. Way to trash it up with that heinous number.

BEST DRESSED MEN

Ryan Reynolds, I'm impressed. Lookin' good my friend! Zach Efron, holy hotness! Somebody call 911 cuz I'm about to rob the cradle. Bradley Cooper, oh my gorgeous!

WORST DRESSED MEN

Robert Downey Jr., was that a joke? You looked like an idiot! James Cameron, a little too matchy-matchy for my taste. But "E" for effort. And Nick Cannon, you made the list simply for showing up with that mess on your arm.

{ Showered With Flowers }

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of proving some beautiful flowers for the baby shower of a dear friend of mine, Lauren Chamberlin. In case the color palette didn't already give it away, she's expecting her first beautiful baby girl, in March!

To celebrate her pending arrival I created a simple arrangement using a base of fragrant geranium leaves, white hydrangea, tulips, roses, hyacinths, and of course my signature succulents. I hope she loved it as much as I did!

{ Farewell My Ladies }

I can't believe they're gone! (Pause to wipe a tear.) Sunday morning before my girls hit the road back to Arizona, we decided to take a stroll on the sand and finish off the roll of film. (Haha...do you remember those days? So glad the world has gone digital.) After checking out the big waves in Huntington (double overhead!) we drove to Newport to check out the big houses on Lido Isle. I love that precious little island. Almost as much as I love these girls! Miss them already!

{ A Magical Day At Disneyland }

Over the course of the last 8 months, I've had the pleasure of getting to know these AMAZING girls! Meet Alisha, Andria, and Candace. I met these lovely ladies on the 4th of July, and it's been a love affair ever since! Whenever we get together it's nothing but FUN! Last Friday they came into town for a quick weekend trip and to visit the happiest place on earth! Here are just a few of my favorite moments from our day at Dland. Miss them already!

{ Ben & Roselyn's Fabulous Wedding }

What a FABULOUS wedding! A couple weekends ago my friend Roselyn and her sweetheart Ben tied the knot at the beautiful Strawberry Farms in Irvine, CA. What a fun location for a wedding. The reception was done in true Anthro style (you know I so appreciated that) with vibrant colored flowers, novelty fabrics, homemade rootbeer floats adorned with red & white barber straws, and even an In-n-Out truck. I had a Double Double. I was hungry, ok!!! It really was such a fabulous night full of fabulous decor, fabulous food, and fabulous friends. Congrats Ben & Rosie on a wedding well done!