The other weekend, I escaped LA and picked up my mom on the way to a family-friend wedding in Palm Springs. Not sure why it took so long to get me there. I've been missing out! I've heard all about it and it's vacation-y qualities and it's amazing architecture. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "you have to go!" and "omg, you've haven't been?!"

Yes, this was my first time in Palm Springs and it was a memorable first time.

It was for a very good reason- a beautiful and memorable desert wedding set in Le Haut Desert Aerie in Pioneertown. It's about 35 minutes away from the heart of Palm Springs and away from it all. There wasn't even cell reception here. All that stands there is a Moroccan styled retreat in the vast desert.

We drove about a mile of dirt road off the pave street and my mom kept beckoning, "Is this the right way? Are you sure?" This place is really off the grid.

Our heels had a little bit of desert of dirt but who cares. No one was complaining. Everyone was a little sweaty but smiling in awe of the occasion and the scenery.

The ceremony was sweet and picturesque. Just look at that wedding canopy and the backdrop. The words were so sweet. No one tells you this, but at each wedding after getting married, it reminds you of your own vows and takes you to that exact moment somehow paralleling your wedding day with this one. It's new to me. I cried a little. 

The bride wore her aunt's wedding dress. A very personal touch to the family. The aunt is so close and nearly another mom. I would've never guessed it was from another decade! 

The bride and family had been planning this day for a year and pre-planned the floral arrangements, anticipating desert heat of course, and planted succulents in silver ware they had been thrifting at flea markets. So clever and so beautiful!

My sister writing a sweet message. Yes, she has one Mondrian nail. 

Isn't the Father of the Bride so stylish?
Check out this schnazzy couple who so politely let me snap their photo. Naturals! 

And at last, the desert nighttime view that when you look beyond it reminds you of how small you are in this world, but when you turn around and see friends and loved ones  celebrating it's easy to feel comfortable and to ease back into the moment.
 
Congratulations K + B!

xo // ~k

Jenny first approached me a few months ago with a clear vision in mind- they wanted to create a wedding invitation for their beachside wedding ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, a port city rich in history dating back to mid 1600s. They wanted to play up the East Coast charm of the city keeping in mind it's colonial buildings, romantic seascape and their annual tradition of the Tall Ships.

They showed me a photo that was the main source of the invitation which was incorporated onto the backside of the wedding announcement. We wanted the 1920s to shine through the suite but still keep it modern, clean and elegant.

For a final touch, we added a handwritten touch with calligraphy touch the envelopes. 

The look and feel of this invitation has so much of their personal charm and it all started with one picture.

The specs: 

• Custom design by Presshaus LA
• Announcement: 220# Lettra Pearl white, 2/0 color with mounted digital print on Neenah's Classic Crest 100#.
  
• RSVP + Info card - 2/0 color letterpress printed on 100# Lettra in Pearl White
• Return address printed on kraft envelopes (RSVP envelope not shown)
  
• Calligraphy by Presshaus LA

Robin and Johanna let me run with it. Basically, they trusted me to create their wedding invitations.

Some background- my husband has been long time friends with Robin, and since we've been together, I've had the pleasure of knowing them before the process of creating wedding invitations. We knew them before they were even engaged!

With a ring on her finger now, Johanna asked me if I could help with her invitations. She had a few things on the prerequisites- colorful and bright with watercolors, not formal and one more thing- could you incorporate spam musubis? 
**Record scratch**  
Come again? A wedding invitation with Spam Musubi, the Hawaiian snack food with meat from a can
Yep.

Luckily, Richard and I had planned a trip to Hawaii to do some real R&D. We were on a mission to taste the hype around these musubis. You see, this couple are foodies. Whenever they like something, you know it's going to be good and they go beyond the restaurant and even learn how make it at home. They're those folks. 

Maybe it was the vacation effect, the beach only feet away, and the shining sun but man, those musubis from Iyasume were amazing! I was sold. We ate them almost everyday after that.

We came back inspired. We knew the magic of the spam musubi and knew the exact vibe they wanted for their invitation. Since this snack is so simple, we wanted to make a recipe as a bonus keepsake.

We played with watercolors on the side too. The Lettra paper holds up pretty well. Doesn't buckle too much but it really absorbs fast. We thought it would be cute too to keep the food illustrations for the RSVP card. A California roll seemed appropriate for their California reception party.

Only Robin and Johanna would have a one of a kind, colorful wedding invitation with spam musubis. I'm so pleased they're happy with how these turned out!

---

Everything was created by Presshaus LA with lots of love
- design
- print
- watercolor
- illustrations
- calligraphy

This is a pleasant start to this week! A wedding invitation for Jaymee of Jay Adores Design Co. is featured on Oh So Beautiful Paper! It's a first to see one of our prints there. I only got to see the main Announcement and RSVP together as a duo, but here, it all came together with Jaymee's other paper designs, details and the gorgeous calligraphy by Molly Jacques. 

Thank you so much, Jaymee!​

photo by Phyllis Sun

I can't believe it's here already.

Today, my husband and I celebrate our one year anniversary of marriage!

We made it!
Looking at this wedding photo of us in front of our house already says so much. The house looks so different from what it is now that it's a constant reminder of far we've come in only a year. 

Putting together our wedding was a crazy time. We planned as much as we could from Germany and had only 6 weeks between arrival back in LA to our wedding date to make the loose ends meet. Throw in the holidays and the down time, it felt like we put a wedding together within a month! Luckily, we have so many friends and family to help that we pulled it off. We're so grateful for our in-house talent! The music, coordination, flowers, decor, wouldn't have been possible.

branches from a felled tree turned into our floral centerpiece

flowers girls + ring bearers

Somehow I thought some things wouldn't change. Ok...Richard and I haven't been together that long to know everything about each other but I thought that I had known him enough to not have any surprises. It's funny how that changes once you pass the threshold of marriage. All the this time I thought "it'll feel the same." A lot of it does- the places we go, the meals we share, the hobbies we like- but there's something inside and in the relationship that changes once you hold hands and make the commitment to be a partner for life.  It does feel different and you see differently too. I  can't explain it. 

We are home to each other. It's a blessing not taken for granted.