Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Blooming Bridesmaids

Lately I've been seeing some deviations from the traditional solid color bridesmaids dresses. I especially like the idea of mismatched or bold floral dresses! Such a refreshing change from a more formal look, and if done right, your crew won't end up looking like the cast of Little House on the Prairie.







Some of my favorite floral dresses at the moment:
What about other seasons? How about plaid for winter? Stripes for a summer beach wedding?.....What are some other good ideas you've seen?

Friday, March 16, 2012

Tea Time: Orange and Cinnamon

We are starting a new series, it's called Tea Time - this will be a monthly post on the A. Hana Design Blog. We are mixing up some hobbies we love the most (flower arranging and eating of course!) to share our style in a more personal way. We hope you enjoy!
Today's post is all about embracing Spring - it features a traditional Moroccan tea and a simple and elegant orange dessert to introduce some of the season's freshest flowers.
Ingredients are for two...
Moroccan Tea:
1 fresh orange juice (squeezed)
1 tsp green tea
2 cups of boiling water
4/1 cup fresh mints
2 to 3 Tbs sugar

To make the tea, begin by boiling 2 cups of water. In a separate tea pot, pour in the green tea, juice from one orange, mint and sugar in the tea pot. Add boiled hot water in the tea pot and let steep.


Slice Orange Dessert (adapted from here):
1 or 2 navel oranges
1 teaspoon orange flower water
Granulated sugar (or powdered sugar)
Ground cinnamon

Peel the oranges and removed the pith. Slice the oranges into rings, about 1/4 inch thick.
Arrange the orange slices on a plate – make a pattern if you like – and drizzle with the orange flower water. Generously sprinkle the slices with sugar and cinnamon, and serve immediately.


Flowers:
White sweet pea
White freesia
Orange ranunculus

This loose arrangement features white and a delicious orange sherbert color. I placed in a vintage inspired mint pitcher for a more relaxed look.







 
Enjoy!



Monday, March 5, 2012

Put Down That 10lb Binder....3 Wedding Planning Apps to Save Your Sanity

Your wedding day is likely going to be both the happiest, and most hectic, day of your life. Colors, inspiration boards, budgets, seating charts, vendors, travel, dress fittings, finding a band that doesn’t look like Flock of Seagulls…..I’m exhausted just writing about it.
There a number of weapons brides have used in the past to keep things running smoothly – color coded notebooks, excel spreadsheets, calling and leaving themselves voicemails (you've done it....) – but for the tech savvy bride of 2012, keeping it all in one spot app, will be a life saver.
Since you're already a busy bride-to-be, we’ve done the leg work for you and tested a dozen wedding apps. Here are our top choices to help your day go off without a hitch:
Mindy Weiss
Why we like it: This app features the basic to-do list functionality, but throws in easy access to trends and inspiration from one of wedding planning's biggest names. Our favorite feature? Being able to link photos of your gifts to guests.  Genius.

Why it might not be for you: Style differences may be a problem, the designers discussed may be a bit limiting for brides looking beyond Tinsletown for inspiration.

Rating: 3/5




Bride Guide:
Why we like it: We love the cute user interface of this app. But, it’s not just nice to look at, it’s easy to use! The app includes a countdown to your wedding date (with suggested milestones), pre-populated to-do list items, vendor information (with suggested questions to ask), links to photos, guest lists and your budget.
Also, it’s free.
Why it might not be for you: The app isn't rich in terms of multimedia content. She's pretty basic.

Rating: 4/5

iWedding Deluxe:

Why we like it: This app has it all - budget, venue information, contact information and to-dos...all included alongside tons of extras like tools for finding nearby vendors, links to wedding favors, photo storage for items that inspire you, guest list details, and even a function that lets you record entrĂ©e selections. There’s also a countdown timeline that provides advice on things you should get accomplished as you lead up to the big day.

Why it might not be for you: We don't know, this is the mother of all planning apps.

Rating: 5/5


Have one you love that's not on the list? Let us know and we'll check it out!

Now, step away from the Sharpies...