Welcome!

Welcome to Classic Creations' Blog!
My name is Julie Gambrell and I'm the owner of this fabulous wedding and event planning company. We are based out of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, but travel the world planning spectacular events.

We love planning and designing weddings....it's the best job in the world! Be sure to subscribe to our blog to get the latest tips and inspirations in wedding planning as we update it often! Oh, and give us a call if you need some wedding planning assistance!

Cheers! -Julie

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

New to the Biz - White House Black Market!

You read it right! As if you didn't already love this store, am I right?

White House Black Market is introducing a limited edition bridal collection, featuring some truely stunning wedding garb for brides and bridesmaids alike. Not only are the dresses stylish, classy, and classic, but they're relatively well-priced! You can treat yourself to a gorgeous gown and deck it out with some sassy accessories for less than $500. Pretty good, eh?

Check out some photos from this new bridal line!


Monday, August 30, 2010

Photo of the Week - Roxanne & John's Film Highlights

Alright, it's got to be clear at this point that we are absolutely in love with Roxanne & John. Last week, their killer videographers, Rising Moon Video Photography, posted video highlights from their fabulous Keystone wedding.

It's a fantastic reel that really shows how much fun the entire day was - from the gondola rides up to the tip top of the mountain, to dancing the night away at the gorgeous Timber Ridge venue. Not to mention, you can clearly see how in love the couple is. Seriously, the look on John's face when Roxanne is walking down the aisle will keep you grinning for the next few hours.

Roxanne + John Highlights from Rising Moon on Vimeo.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Real Wedding Wednesday - Sarah & Justin

When Brides Against Breast Cancer rolled through town earlier this year, we were given the privilege to meet a wonderful couple. As part of the event, Sarah & Justin won wedding consulting services, and when their original wedding planner was unable to help, Classic Creations came to the rescue!

Sarah & Justin tied the knot on July 10, 2010 at the Augustine Grill in Castle Rock, Colorado. A romantic outdoor ceremony in the venue's flower garden was followed by an incredibly fun ceremony catered by the venue and DJ'd by the bride's brothers! Personal and quaint, Sarah & Justin's wedding was a perfect compliment to the couple's personality and an absolute pleasure to work on.

Here's what Sarah had to say about her big day.


I wanted a relaxed, classy and outdoor feel to my wedding. I love being from Colorado and love the mountains. We picked a mountain venue first, but it started to get logistically complicated and expensive, so we changed it to Augustine Grill in Castle Rock, since we're both small town people and it's home. It gave us the outdoors, aspen trees and pine trees, and it was simple. The gardens and fountains made it beautiful and peaceful.


What was your favorite part of the day? Wow... the WHOLE day! But the highlights were getting pampered with manicures/pedicures with my girlfriends in the morning, seeing Justin for pictures before the wedding because he got tears in his eyes and he was the nervous one, not me! We had such a special private moment and had glasses of champagne and drove over to the ceremony yelling, we're getting married!! The second best thing was walking down the aisle and seeing everyone I love the most.


What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding now? Keep things as simple as you can, because it really is about you and your husband... not all the wedding magazines, websites, to do lists. Make it personal. Make it you. Justin and I set a simple goal of writing just three lines for wedding vows. We finished them a DAY before the wedding, and it made it so personal and special and let people know more about our relationship and what we've been through.


Classic Creations helped make my day special in so many ways. Julie asked me questions about what was important to me. Little design details like pinecones on the tables, the unity candle lighting with our mothers involved and helping with microphones and sound... it made it so everyone could really enjoy the whole event and it all went so smoothly. I just got to enjoy it!

We're so happy for Sarah & Justin and thrilled we were able to help them enjoy their wedding day. We wish them the best in their marriage and their life together! Congrats guys!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Sweet New Gal in Town - Lemon Sprinkle Events

As Willy Wonka himself would probably tell you, variety is the spice of life. There's an endless world of candies, chocolates, and sweets just waiting in dainty little packages to be devoured by even the smallest sweet tooth.

When Jaclyn Webb began Lemon Sprinkle Events she set out to create a world of treats that transform wedding desserts from ordinary to extraordinary. Heavily inspired by Amy Atlas, Webb designs beautiful and unique dessert tables that draw from local trends and can fit a variety of budgets, party sizes, and dietary requirements. 

Webb recently weighed in with Classic Creations to talk about her tantalizing new trade.


I have been a sugar lover for as long as I can remember.  I used to sneak candy before dinner and always wished I could order dessert first at a restaurant. I fell in love with dessert tables after seeing the amazing work of Amy Atlas. I also have some experience with graphic design and interiors, and I love all things beautiful. Planning my own wedding and dessert bar inspired me to make a business out of what I love.



At Lemon Sprinkle Events, we have a passion for sweets, a love of design and an eye for detail.  We image, design and create custom dessert tables for events.  We love to work one-on-one with our clients to develop a sweets table that will awe their guests.  We have many great ideas for incorporating all types of candies, cookies, cakes and brownies.  We can even do ice cream bars, pie or cheesecake tables... anything you can imagine!



There are so many beautiful wedding and party venues in Colorado... but no one just like us to add a unique sweet touch to a special day. Denver needs Lemon Sprinkle Events to bring these beautiful dessert tables to Colorado!



How fun are these dessert tables?! Love, love, love. Such a creative way to spice up a traditional wedding cake dessert, or just add a fun treat to your wedding reception. 

We did ask the Mistress of Sugar what her perfect dessert table would include, but beware...reading on may cause some extreme salvation! Right now, my perfect table would start with a vintage refinished desk... topped with beautiful glass vessels overflowing with french macrons, gourmet chocolate truffles, handmade square-cut marshmallows, and nostalgic hard candy. The table would also feature mini chocolate shakes, petite cupcakes and fruit tarts.  The candy and sweets would be framed by oversize vases filled with peonies and ranunculus, and hanging above the table would be mini paper lanterns.

Wow! We can't wait to see what the future holds for Lemon Sprinkle Events, but there's no doubt it's going to be delicious!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Real Wedding - Katie & John's Mexico Wedding

At Classic Creations we're gearing up for a September jam-packed with some fantastic destination weddings. We're so excited to share some of these upcoming, inspiring weddings with you, but you'll have to wait!

While we're hard at work hammering out the final details for these brides-and-grooms-to-be, we bestow upon you some stunning photos from a wedding Classic Creations worked on all the way back in May! You may remember the photos from Katie & John's pre-wedding rehearsal, cocktail hour and pool party. If you thought those photos were impressive, we have some seriously good stuff for you today (you can click on the images for larger views). 

Katie & John held their ceremony in a beautiful church in a tiny town in Mexico, where outside, chickens ran around on the streets. After the knot was tied, guests returned to the elegant Playa Rosa where the couple held an outdoor reception. Signature cocktails greeted each guest, as did a heart shaped bottle of local tequila - which helped this celebration lasted until the wee hours...


Cheers!




Incredible, no? Katie & John make an absolutely gorgeous couple, and had a gorgeous wedding to match. A huge thanks to the talents of Fer Juaristi, Mexico Wedding Photographer, for capturing these incredibly special moments.

If you are looking to create a special destination wedding event like Katie & John's, Classic Creations can help! Give us a shout - don't hesitate to e-mail us for a free consultation. Let's get married in Mexico!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Getting Toasty in Fall Sweaters

Okay, so it's not quite fall yet, but we're definitely on our way. The nights are getting more comfortable, and the craziness of the summer wedding season is coming to a close. Make way for fall!

One current trend we love for the fall stylish bride is the addition of a cozy sweater or cardigan to accent the wedding dress. Sweaters can warm up a wedding ensemble and help bring a comfortable feel to a wedding party. Not only are they a practical idea (no goosebumps here!), but they can add a vibrant pop of color.


Here are some fall 2010 sweaters we've had our eye on for our autumn-esque bridal parties.
@ModCloth.com
@Anthropologie
@H&M
MARC by Marc Jacobs
Free People
@Anthropologie

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Gooey Butter for the Dessert Table

A good friend of mine is getting married this weekend, and en lieu of a traditional wedding cake, she and her groom have decided to make their dessert options a bit more personal and creative. They've asked a handful of friends and relatives (including myself) to joint their "Dessert Team."

As a Dessert Team member I am required to choose a mouth-watering, family recipe dessert - bonus points for prettiness. All of the family recipes will come together on their special day to join in a union of sugary deliciousness, probably looking as fantastic as this:


I have chosen to bring The Graham's Gooey Butter Cookies to the table. If you haven't heard of gooey butter cookies, or gooey butter cake, before, then let me be the first to tell you... your taste buds haven't yet lived. Seriously.

As far as modern historians can tell, gooey butter cake/cookies originated in St. Louis, Missouri. Probably around the same time as toasted ravioli and provel cheese (an entirely different post). So, I figured, these cookies are not only the most delicious things in the world (I'm pretty sure the combination of ingredients magically turns the dough into sugar crack), but they are a great way to represent St. Louis.

So! For everyone on dessert teams, and for all of you pondering a creative alternative to the traditional wedding cake (go dessert tables!), here is the Graham recipe for gooey butter cookies:

8 ounces cream cheese (1 package)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 18.5-ounce package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter - this is the key, melted butter will not yield the most delicious result.

Then, stir in the beaten egg and vanilla. Little by little add the cake mix, and stir until blended. Roll into 1" balls and then roll the balls in the powdered sugar. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Remove cookies and sprinkle a little extra powdered sugar on top while cooling.


Devour.

-Laura

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A word to J Crew...

Look here, J Crew… if we have to co-exist in the same world, you have to stop being so adorable.

Have you seen the pictures of their Fall 2010 Bridal line-up? Billowy, vintage-inspired dresses dot the collection, and I couldn’t be giddier. Check out the dainty lace and tiered ruffles dress… And the model's hair?! I love the unruly curls and natural color palette of her makeup. In the words of Rachel Zoe; it’s all bananas.

So excited to see the full collection. Here are some of our favorites. Thoughts?