Happy Holidays

Seasons Greetings from The Stylish Soiree

When in doubt, use food as a favor

Favor ideas can stump even the most inspired brides and grooms. When in doubt, I always steer my clients toward edible favors. Who could resist these delicious cake jar favors? Easy on the eyes and even easier on the stomach after a night of partying.

Fall Wedding

I love Fall Weddings – the potential for charming rustic decor is endless! via Style Me Pretty

Fun Escort Card Idea for a Morning Wedding

Cutest escort card idea for a morning wedding reception – could also work for a bridal shower brunch or day after brunch too.

Nontraditional Wedding Dress

How amazing does this bride look in her FAB pink Elie Saab dress? I’m a huge advocate of looking outside the (wedding dress) box for their perfect wedding gown.

Ethereal Outdoor Party Inspiration

This gorgeous tent would be the perfect setting for a relaxed, laid back end of summer party…. love.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

iPhone sneak peek from a shoot I did this fall - a Ralph Lauren inspired tablescape

Happy 2011, all! So, I’ve been a very bad blogger for the past few months but I promise it’s with good reason. I’ve been insanely busy with some fabulous weddings, events, styled shoots, a big move, buying our first home AND renovating it – phew! The past few months have been an amazing journey, and I’m excited to announce that we are now officially settled in the Northern California Bay Area.

This move has been a long time coming; the hubby is from SF originally and we longed to move from the entertainment-industry centric city of Los Angeles to San Francisco for a few years now. To prepare, I started taking San Francisco and Napa wedding bookings two years ago and spent 30% of my time in NorCal and 70% in SoCal. Now that The Stylish Soiree is officially a San Francisco-based event planning and wedding design firm, I spend 70% of my time up here and 30% of my time catering to my fabulous Los Angeles and San Diego clientele. It’s been a whirlwind of a year and quite the transition, but I can honestly say I have never been happier.

With that said, I am still on the hunt for a perfect office space in Los Angeles, and in the meantime am meeting with clients wherever is most convenient for them. I do not charge travel fees for Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco or Napa events, and love planning long distance or destination weddings for clients. Plus, since I’m down in Southern California each and every month I still see my SoCal clients just as often as my NorCal clients – it’s a really great situation and I’m feeling super excited and blessed about how everything turned out.

Now that the holidays are over and we’re settling into our home, I promise to catch up on all the beautiful wedding design eye candy I haven’t posted on yet, as well as little glimpses into our own journey to home design and renovation. Thank you for all the readers who have stuck out the long dry spell – there are lots of pretty things in store coming your way for 2012.

Warm Wishes,

Yelena Johnson | Creative Director | The Stylish Soiree