Red Alert

Generally when I see red in a wedding palette it's in late Fall and Winter - mixed with deep green holly or rust colored Autumn leaves. But recently I've started to love red as a summer wedding color. It's the perfect accent for a nautical theme or elegant country scheme. For summer, I favor pink reds - watermelon and cherry hues.

See below to see how this pop of color can be the perfect primary or secondary hue to your summer nuptials.

(Pictures are, clockwise from left, adorable wedding photo, wedding party bowling!, iced tea canister, grapefruit and strawberry greyhound popsicles, fun drink display, red table textiles)

Floral Friday: Royal Roses and Cream Teas

Last week I went to London to find my parents an apartment, ride double decker busses and enjoy as many cream teas as possible. A snapshot of my wanders below:

I was stunned and oh-so-excited when I discovered one of my favorite textile and fashion designers, Cath Kidston, had an honest to goodness store. Where have I been?
I'm actually quite picky about floral textiles because they can cross the line from fun to "grandma's handbag" pretty quick. It's a bit of a shock to myself that I'm so attracted to her creations and designs. She famously described her work as giving people a "Marmite reaction", stating "People either love it and want a little bit of it very much, or want to stab us."
I wanted a little bit of it, very much indeed.
Below are some of my favorite pieces which can be ordered from the states online.

So what do you think? Love it? Or is it hurting your eyes?

(Pictures are, clockwise from left, London Scene Cotton Duck, Hampton Rose Pumps, Provence Rose Apron, Folk Ditsy Swimsuit, Royal Rose Overnight Bag)

Floral Find Friday

We're starting a new, weekly post here at A. Hana. Wherever we end up on the internet we always seem to stumble upon the sweetest floral finds. Instead of bookmarking them all for ourselves, we thought we'd gather them all up and share them at the end of each week.

Without further ado, this weeks Floral Finds are from BHLDN (which, by the way, is pronounced "beholden", finally figured this out this week...). A darling banner, lovely cards and a bold, elegant table cloth which would be perfect to add a bit of sophistication to any summer cookout.

We hope you have a fog-free, sun-filled, San Francisco weekend. Happy Friday!

(Pictures are tablecloth, cards, banner)

Here comes the bride...all dressed in...

Recently I've been seeing a number of brides foregoing the traditional white dress in favor of more colorful (and sometimes dramatic!) choices. Check out these brave modern brides:

I adore this dress. I think it's perfect for a black and white wedding and I love that the darker look is softened with the outdoor scenery.

This Aussie bride opted for an amazing beaded pink gown with the most stunning low back. I adore the tattoos against the feminine dress choice and also, that scenery isn't bad either.

I adore the color mint and am really enjoying that it's been so popular this season. Mint looks amazing on almost everyone (look at this cute bride!) and can be paired with light peaches to deep plums. Beautiful.

This lovely bride certainly found her "something blue." The flirty structured dress was the perfect choice for an adorable and oh-so-romantic London elopement.

What do you think? Would you ever not wear white on your wedding?

(Images via oncewed, oncewed, featherlove, stylemepretty, dominiquebader)

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:

• Vox Populi Dress from BHLDN
• Rose & Gold Slip Dress from Anthropologie
• Bellis Dress from Whitney Deal
• Tillie Tunisia Print Dress from Shoshanna

What about other seasons? How about plaid for winter? Stripes for a summer beach wedding?.....What are some other good ideas you've seen?

(Images from style me pretty, side by side, the natural wedding company, fhiky, capitol romance, glitter and pearls)

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!

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 entrée 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...