Jess Flood Event Design

Trousseau Photo Shoot with Kate Webber – The Goods!

Jess Flood Event Design — Thu, 05 May 2011 23:03:54 +0000

Pretty Pictures by Kate Webber first, then scroll down to learn more about the lovely things in this photo shoot! A million thanks to all of our participating vendors, to Julie and Kate of Kate Webber Photography, and to Kathryn of Snippet and Ink for posting our shoot! And to Ticiana, who is part of the Jess Flood Event Design team, and our model for this project!

We sourced items from Bay Area designers, and every item, aside from the drinking glasses and silverware was made within 100 miles of our studio! Ambitalia Textiles provided the items that are in the hope chest. They have a beautiful and exciting line of kitchen textiles, and we think it’s the epitome of the modern trousseau. Their linen produce bags, market bags, bread bags. kitchen towels and furoshiki wraps can reduce your impact on the environment and make your kitchen more beautiful! They are available on their website, and at the Larkspur Farmer’s Market.

Heath Ceramics, made in Sausalito are just the sort of thing a modern bride should consider registering for. Their dishes are the best kind of classic, the Coupe pattern of dishes is just as stylish now as when it was designed by Edith Heath in 1948.

Rough Linen is based out of San Rafael, and they made the most luscious linen household goods. Table linens, napkins, sheets and duvet covers. Simple, perfect household goods to last a life time. The dessert bar table cloth and napkins that we used in the shoot are available here.

We used Wine Country Party & Events’ new Mendocino line of furniture that is fabricated in their Sonoma workshop, and it was the perfect combination of soft colors and modern lines. It fit right in with our dreamy modern palette of foggy grays and warm blush pinks. Even the walls are from them!

The perfect little vases are hand blown glass in a gorgeous shade of pink. They are made by Sonoma County Glass Blower, Heath Harmon, who doesn’t have a website, but you can reach him by email for special orders.

Another item that we are super excited about, are the hair ornaments from Dorothea Couture. They fit perfectly with the modern trousseau aesthetic. They are made of hand dyed silk organza, with each petal hand cut and sewn. The craftsmanship is exquisite and they are beautiful for the bride or her maids. They work as hair ornaments, or on a sash or belt to emphasize the waist. We all wanted to wear them all day long!

Photography: Kate Webber

Design and Florals : Jess Flood Event Design

Furniture, glassware, flatware and dessert stands: Wine Country Party Rentals

Dishes: Heath Ceramics

Hair Ornaments: Dorothea Couture

Calligraphy: Barbara Callow

Table Linens: Rough Linen

Hope Chest Goodies: Ambitalia Textiles

Pink Blown Glass Vases : Heath Harmon

Hair and Makeup: It’s a Date at the Powder Room

Wedding Cuvee: Iron Horse Vineyards

Models: Our very own Ticiana, and Julie, associate photographer at Kate Webber Photography!

Trousseau Photo Shoot With Kate Webber- Behind the Scenes

Jess Flood Event Design — Thu, 05 May 2011 22:31:09 +0000

Styling photo shoots is such a great creative outlet, and we found a wonderful collaborator in Kate Webber of Kate Webber Photography. The tradition of the bridal trousseau or hope chest is fascinating, and is a sweet way to bring a traditional element to a modern wedding celebration.

We collaborated by email for a few months on this project, we did research on the history and sociology of the hope chest, and it’s variants in different cultures. We compiled inspiration boards and lists of household linens. We probably have enough material for many more photo projects! We decided that we needed to make this project about a party, and what is a better choice than a bridal shower?

Then we got busy, sourcing items, asking talented vendors like calligrapher Barbara Callow, to participate, planning for the flowers, and finding the right clothes, shoes and accessories for our beautiful model, Ticiana. We got some Wedding Cuvee (yum!), baked some goodies, gathered and arranged spring time flowers, and did a hundred other things to set the scene.

Watching Kate and Julie work was really wonderful. Wedding photographers always amaze me with their ability to compose shots on the fly and capture all of those important moments of a day. It seems like they are everywhere at once. During our shoot, they were able to take more time, play with light and composition, move things around, climb ladders, and try even more angles than usual.

When we finished the indoor shots, we decided to move the chest outdoors and shoot it in the scenic rolling hills around the Jess Flood Event Design studio. These scenic hills are home to a happy and curious herd of cows, but they were nowhere in sight as we trudged the chest up the hill in a wheel barrow and eased it through the barbed wire fence. We got it set up and the contents perfectly staged at the peak of a green hill, when the cows noticed something unusual and literally came running from the lower pasture to investigate! They circled around the chest mooing and stomping. They nudged it with their big noses and licked it all over with their slobbery tongues! Then, our lovely model Ticiana, who is a farm girl and isn’t intimidated by any livestock, came running up in her pink silk dress and an oversized vintage coat and tried to chase them off. It was super hysterical! They would scatter for a moment and come right back.

We managed to get the chest, we cleaned it off and took it to safer pastures where Kate got some amazing shots with Ticiana and a chicken.

Elaine and Rudy’s Wedding Film by Cinematt

Jess Flood Event Design — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:17:45 +0000

We have lots to say about Elaine and Rudy’s gorgeous California Academy of Sciences wedding, but if you’re eager to see more, you couldn’t do better than watching the lovely film by Matthieu Meynier of Cinematt. This film really captures the essence of the day.

Earth Day at Iron Horse Vineyards

Jess Flood Event Design — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:50:04 +0000

We love doing work for non-profits, and Earth Day at Iron Horse Vineyards is one of our favorite annual events. Every year, the Green Valley Foundation puts on an afternoon of delicious foods, amazing wines, music, and world-class speakers to raise money for an environmental cause.

This year the theme of the event was “Future”, and Joy Sterling, the CEO of Iron Horse Vineyards, invited us to partner with Chef Christopher Greenwald of Bay Laurel Culinary to do a future foods station, that took the commitment to sustainability that we all share, and present it with look like the Jetsons, meets the 1964 World’s Fair, meets Wine Country rustic style. We styled the station with a display rack for guests to choose their own egg from, a backdrop of chalkboards with information about eggs and mad scientist graphs and drawings, just for fun.

Chef Greenwald did a sous vide egg station, with infused oils and locally farmed eggs from Full Belly Farms. It was served with a salad of perennial grains and local greens. It was a delicious dish, and if you have never experienced a non-factory farmed egg, you should seek out your nearest local farmer’s market right now!

Boyd Matson of National Geographic interviewed CNN Founder, Ted Turner who spoke about his ideas for the future of our planet. Mr. Turner provided bison from his herd for one of the tastiest dishes I’ve eaten in a long while ; grilled bison steak with an herb compound butter and chimichurri sauce, cooked by Iron Horse chef, Ruben Gomez.

Sous Vide Egg Instructions

Pretty Eggs

Chef Greenwald in Action

Which Came First?

More Pretty Eggs

Chalkboard Infographics!

Wrist Corsages for Moms

Jess Flood Event Design — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:18:09 +0000

Wrist corsages are an elegant and pretty addition to the wedding day outfit of the mothers of the bride and groom. We are big fans of them, and think that it’s a sweet way to honor your parents that can complement their look and add a special touch. Here are a few pictures from one our weddings last summer:

photo by Damion Hamilton

The Knot Magazine’s Bay Area Networking Party

Jess Flood Event Design — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:30:48 +0000

We had the pleasure of designing and planning the Knot Magazine’s 2010 Northern California Networking Bash at the California Academy of Sciences. Many of our region’s best vendors teamed up with us to produce a beautiful and lively evening under the living roof at the Academy.

I could go on an on about how fantastic it is to have a party at the Academy of Sciences, how it’s architecturally important, world-class, and the largest Platinum LEED certified public space on earth, as well as the only place that houses an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum in one building, but I’ll let the pictures tell most of the story.

Photos by Kim James Photography

Guests enjoyed fun food stations by Melons Catering, and signature cocktails provided by Best Beverage Catering. Decor and rentals were from Hartmann, and the lighting was by Impact Lighting and Production. Gorgeous florals were provided by Dragonfly Healdsburg. Additional staffing was provided by the helpful folks at The Party Staff.

Photos by Kim James Photography

We began the evening with drinks, passed hors d’oeuvres, interactive food stations and lively music by Jazz Mirage. The Knot welcomed everyone with a presentation in the planetarium , and then guests kept the party going in the Aquarium, with desserts from Melons and champagne from Best Beverage Company, and music by Denon and Doyle.

The whole event was beautifully documented by Kim James Photography.

Photos by Kim James Photography

While everyone was in the Aquarium, we transformed the registration center into a sustainable favor bar, where people could choose to take the items that interested them, instead of taking a bag full of things they might not want or use. We sourced favors from companies with strong sustainability policies, and great design! Most of them are local Bay Area companies, and all of these would make a fantastic favor for any party.

Dependable Letterpress made gorgeous letterpress notecards with illustrations by Jenny Pennywood. O’bon provided wildlife themed pencils made from recycled newspaper. Living Ethos makes beautiful, reusable gift wrap and bags in a variety of lovely designs. And Partners Tea Company’s Love Tea is delicious, organic and fair trade! And guests had a blast taking photos in the Magnolia Photo Booth! Their booth is portable, so we were able to make it available to guests in different areas of the museum during the evening.

This was one of our favorite parts of the party. We loved sourcing the items, and setting them up was lots of fun. We also had big love for the huge bar that Hartmann custom painted according to our design and installed in a short time frame. It looked great surrounding our friend the T. Rex!

Photos by Kim James Photography

More photos and coverage of the party on The Knot’s website.

The Big Party – Candace and Josh’s Beltane Ranch Wedding

Jess Flood Event Design — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:38:19 +0000

September, 2009 Glen Ellen, California

Candace and Josh called their wedding “The Big Party”. Their nearest and dearest gathered at Beltane Ranch to celebrate their marriage with a heartfelt ceremony that included Josh’s two children, a cocktail hour that featured home brewed beer, a family style dinner under the oaks and dancing into the night.

Candace had a sweet, romantic vision for the decor, and Josh has different tastes. He loves clean lines, symmetry, and dark greys with pops of color.Working with Candace and Josh to blend their contrasting visions and design their wedding was as much fun as the wedding itself! They chose a palette of charcoal grey, papaya and buttery yellow, which worked wonderfullly for the summer day, and with the colors of the venue. Candace chose Shasta Daisies as her main flower, as a way to honor her mother, who had used daisies in her own wedding.

The ceremony decor was kept simple, with jars of daisies hung from shepherd’s hooks down the aisle, and a table with jars of sand for the sand ceremony they used to symbolize the creation of their new family.

For the reception we chose to use alternating tables designs that worked together really well, so that both of their visions could come together in a unified way. We had square tables with grey linens and low centerpieces planted with succulents and protea, and also round tables with a cheery yellow linen, and square metal vases with a large daisy pomander as a centerpiece. The centerpieces were kept small so that there would be plenty of room for the family style service.

Candace was a gorgeous bride, and looked amazing in her Melissa Sweet dress, despite record breaking heat. (At one point during the day, we had to usher the entire bridal party into the walk in cooler, just so they could make it down the aisle!) The dress was absolutely perfect for Candace. I love all the tiny little bows. Such a fun dress!

Vendors:Event Design and Planning-Jess Flood Event Design, Venue-Beltane Ranch, Photography-BLR Life Photography, Catering- A La Heart, Florals-Jess Flood Event Design, Linens- La Tavola Linen, Rentals- Classic Party Rentals

Succulents for Sunset

Jess Flood Event Design — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:16:05 +0000

Here are a few more photos of the succulent arrangements that we did for the VIP Lounge at Sunset Magazine’s Celebration Weekend. We chose to use succulents because they are very “Sunset” and we knew that they would look great with the rustic wood slab table and the reclaimed wooden bars. Also, succulents or other living arrangements are great for two day events because they will look just as fresh on day two.

photos by Jessamyn Harris

Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend

Jess Flood Event Design — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:26:17 +0000

We’ve been fans of Sunset Magazine since we could turn pages, so it was exciting to design a space for the Sunset Magazine Wine Club’s VIP Lounge at Sunset’s famed Menlo Park campus during their recent Celebration Weekend festivities.

We aimed to create a little oasis from the excitement of Celebration Weekend that felt as though you were stepping into the pages of an issue of Sunset, and we asked Jessamyn Harris to come and photograph it.

Photos by Jessamyn Harris

This never before open to the public room was a relaxing place for Sunset Wine Club Members to sample wines, and meet and talk with wine makers. We set the scene with custom bars made of reclaimed barn wood and wine barrel oak, built by artist Nick Tucker (his website is in progress, but if you want to know more about the bars, contacts us and we’ll put you in touch). We created long tables from the redwood plank bars offered by Wine Country Party and Events. For floral decor, we created plantings of mixed succulents in modern containers. We used some of the existing furniture and dressed it up with colorful pillows from La Tavola Linen.

Photos by Jessamyn Harris

See more on Jessamyn’s blog, and in the gallery on our website.

First Blush- Inspiration Board Number One

Jess Flood Event Design — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:10:40 +0000

This board was inspired by cherry blossoms peeking through the morning fog. It’s sweet and girly nature is balanced by the modern cool grey tones. Doesn’t that room look like a fun place to have a party?

Sources clockwise from top left: Dylan Fareed, “We Are So Good Together”, BirthdayGirl Blog, We Make Words, Design is Lovely, Design Sponge, Beth Retro Photography, AIGA Dinner Party Invitation,flickr, My Umbrella,Benign Object DIY Matchbook, Durham Township Photoblog,