tablescapes: fresh designs at the double t

In quite a drawn out little blog series, I am so happy to finally be able to share the tablescapes and flowers of Angela Klotz, my most beautiful friend and super mom to 10 puppies right now . . . :)

Angela and I will finally be able to work together this year, which I'm terribly excited for because her flowers are magical, take-your-breath-away, and they photograph so beautifully . . . and while she calls herself Fresh Designs, don't be too fooled. Her designs are amazingly fresh, but they are equally as timeless.

Our shoot at the Double T River Ranch , as I've blogged before here and here, was a collaboration of one amazing chef, two photographers, three event planners, and two floral designers. Angela showed two completely different themes, two tablescapes that either would be a dream to sit down to.



See? Another beautiful table I would happily sit at and sip a mojito with my girlfriends :)



Location, location, location!



I absolutely love that Angela can take the most simple, popular flower and turn it into a completely unexpected, beautiful design . . .





I don't think there is a bad square foot of land at the Double T, but this girl knows exactly where to place her masterpieces so that the people who come to them enjoy the background and the light that Mr. Sun is giving off . . . this was Angela's second tablescape, and it blew everyone away. She brought in box after box of antique plates, stemware, silverware and vases and coordinated perfect little vintage flower arrangements.





I loooove these old, antique keys Angela incorporated into this setting . . . at her own wedding last summer, she had guests write their well-wishes on little notecards that were tied to old keys, and then all put into an old glass jar. And now she has all the keys to a perfect marriage :)





So many girls want a wedding designer and dream of tables set this way inside their reception . . . and I say, if you think about attempting it yourself, think just as hard about reaching out. There is a reason they are so good at what they do . . . I am not even going to point out how many things on those tables that were purchased at Michael's or an Etsy store. It's that they take what you want, within your budget, not theirs, and make something this beautiful. And if you have no idea where to even begin, they will blow your mind away with their creativity.

A huge thank you to the Double T for having us once again!

tablescapes, the double t and the leslie lukas

A while back I blogged photos from our fabulous Assets Weekend at the Double T River Ranch in Clyde Park, Montana . . . and have had yet to blog the fabulous tablescapes of my two dear friends, floral designers and event planners. Each girl deserves their own blog post, and tonight is Leslie's turn because she's one year older than Angela :)

The most lovely Leslie Lukas . . . she created two beautiful tablescapes, one with bright, citrusy colors, and the other a more earthy, organic decor. I loved both for entirely different reasons . . .



I looooove the blue this year! Leslie created a darling centerpiece in this beautiful bowl. Here's what's nice about choosing a centerpiece such as this - you can gift it to a parent or grandparent or someone special attending your wedding . . .



We were all about the idea of eating dinner in the middle of the road :)



But we'd be just as happy to eat dinner in a field of tall grass :) You see, we just love a good meal . . .





Leslie has these lovely little wood flower holder/candle holder/doo hickey things made for her in Ennis, Montana, where she lives in a perfect little house on a hill. Here is why she is a wedding planner and I am not: I recently suggested to a client of ours that she should display them with taper candles at her outdoor reception tables. In Montana. Where it is quite windy. Leslie gracefully pointed out the struggle with keeping tapers lit in the wind . . . woops!



Something blue . . .



And my favorite of this setting . . .



We started a little late in the day and kinda sorta started running out of light, but I l.o.v.e.d Leslie's riverside table. I am a sucker for terra cotta pots and turqoise!





Bucket List: Fold a napkin this way!



One last piece of eye candy for you :)



Cheers!

meet angela

Check out this beauty . . .



Angela Trudeau-Klotz is not only gorgeous, but she’s one of my very best friends, and she is the owner and designer behind Fresh Designs. How she plans wedding and designs some of the most beautiful flower arrangements while still looking this fabulous is beyond me, but she does it effortlessly. I met Angela, a fellow Asset, at Plonk almost two years ago in an attempt to network with fellow industry peeps, and it began one of the greatest friendships I’ve ever known. She has the kindest, most generous heart, and such a genuine concern for others. And after she’s worked her tush off for her clients, she always brings me a bouquet. ;)



Oh, and she rides a Harley :)

elsa: i believe

Yesterday I was having kind of a bummer of an afternoon. I was muddling around the house, surrounded by the dreary weather. It was one of those days, almost like all of my days, that I didn't slow down either internally or externally. I had been up in the middle of the night with a sick man, up early to shuttle the girls off to a sitter's so I could drive to an out-of-town meeting, and when I finally settled in back at home, good news turned to bad news in regards to a silly financial matter. And then the phone rang. Elsa left a voicemail. I just kind of had a feeling you were having a not-so-great day, hon, so if you want to talk, call me. So I picked my jaw up off the counter, and did so.

I'm not a big cliche girl, but words really can't describe this woman, because she is such a spirit. She is magical and intuitive. I wasn't going to do this specific blog post today, but this morning I was going to pick Stella up from preschool and the song I Believe by Brooks & Dunn came on the radio, and I immediately thought of Elsa. I thought of how whatever she believes in, whatever she decides she is going to create in her life, is created. It comes from this deep, genuine core that is so brilliantly in tune with the people in her life that she loves. And that is how she knows what you need, before you even know what you need. She is a higher power, and she stays with you long after she's hung up the phone, or left your house.

We call each other The Assets because we truly do need each other, and each of us need the other for a completely different reason. I need Elsa because she pushes me to see my world without any black and white areas. She reminds me of the depth of every situation. She stays present with me, and leads me back to today when I am worrying about tomorrow. And she sees the positive in every single thing, naturally and effortlessly. You aren't a messy eater, Mo. You're just passionate about food and that is a wonderful thing! Yep. She tells me that even when there are meatballs at my feet.

Besides being the spiritual force behind the Assets, Elsa is the wonder woman behind The Woodlands at Cottonwood Canyon. She and her husband Chuck worked so incredibly hard to bring this vision to fruition, and in doing so have provided this valley one of the most intimate and beautiful wedding and event venues. I am going to choose to blog separately about The Woodlands because I have photographed there numerous times and I really want to talk about it in more depth . . . I want to tell its story from the very beginning, when it was just a thought in Elsa and Chuck's young, newlywed minds, and take you to today, and I'm not prepared to do so right now. Just know that if you choose The Woodlands as your wedding venue, there is magic there that no other venue has, and once you hear why, you will better understand.

I hope you all have an Elsa in your lives, and if you don't, then you should strive to be a little bit more like her. ;)

You should also strive to look like her. Rawr! (Just kidding, because Elsa would tell you that you're beautiful just the way you are, which you are :)





Elsa, we are all so very blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you for being everything I need. Muah!

the most lovely leslie

She's beautiful, confident and amazing. She is my go-to woman . . . it doesn't matter if it's a business question, or a parenting rant, or an I'm having a terrible day and I'm coming to see you day, she is there. She is Leslie Lukas, who is mom to Henry and Jackie, and wife of Joe. Every morning after she wakes up and brews her beloved Keurig, she strolls into Main Street Floral in Ennis, Montana, tying bouquets and arranging arrangements, effortlessly, with grace and humor.

Let me tell you about Leslie on a personal level. She is one of my very best friends. She provides me a perspective on things that is so refreshing and admirable, and she puts me in my place when I need to be put. She carries herself with an elegance that is truly admirable, and yet if I could burp, she would compete me. She is the first person who successfully got me to consistently wear green eye shadow, one evening in Jamaica while we were getting ready for dinner. Oh, and she flew all the way to Jamaica with me in March for a wedding I was photographing . . . I know for sure because she deserved a vacation, but also because I know she didn't want me traveling there alone. I can't think of a time I walked away from one of our gatherings without thinking, I freaking adore that woman.

Besides being full-time fabulous, Ms. Lukas represents Leslie Lukas Weddings & Events. She is also an Asset. That, to you, my friends means that she not only is an exceptional planner and floral designer, but she is part of a major network of women who are slowly and accurately trying to take over this small town and get on an Oprah show with our wisdom, humor and alliance among one another. Most importantly, we have all happily embraced the mentality that we have to shift our sails . . . that weddings have become much of a do-it-yourself project in the realm of a recession, and because of the desire to maintain control over such an important, monetary event. Leslie is not only offering Do-It-Yourself Floral Design classes, but she's super excited to show these beautiful brides of the Madison and Gallatin Valleys (and beyond!) that what you will eventually spend at Michael's while feeling pretty confident you're saving money, is most likely way more than you would spend when you ask the hands of an experienced woman to work within your budget. Oh, and by the way, Leslie has been featured in Bride's, Elegant Bride, Sunset Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, and Town and Country Magazines, among others.

Beautiful. Confident. Amazing.

The Assets: Me

In my life, there are three groups of people who surround me every single day. Some of them challenge me, some of them inspire me, some of them love me unconditionally. The first group is, of course, the shorties. Ava and Stella, my two little dimpled children, who visually are seriously two of the cutest children I have ever laid eyes on, let alone given birth to. The second is Joe, my love, my very best friend. He is the reason I believe in that old cliche to marry your best friend, because when the friendship is there, I believe the respect is there, too. The desire to protect, not hurt, and to take accountability, so that when you do let each other down, you bring them back up. The last group is my Assets. My very best girlfriends, with whom I would be lonely without. Everytime we get together they ask, when are you going to start an Assets blog? And I say, tonight, tonight, tonight! Because I have so many stories to tell, and we experience amazing things together. But I've discovered everything I experience in life is one book, not several, and here I blog not just the weddings and the portrait sessions with strangers I only meet once, but the experiences I have personally as well. I cannot seem to separate it all, and so I won't. Last night, some of us got together at the beautiful home of Leslie Lukas to eat, drink, be merry, and talk shop, and I got the idea to bring my camera to take individual photos of each girl for their own personal and business use. I turned the camera over to the girls as well to snap a few of myself, but this particular photo of me . . .



was taken by him . . .



Henry Lukas is six years old and fierce with that camera! As Elsa said, he captured my signature hair flip perfectly. :)

I do not need much of an introduction at this point, as my life on this blog and my old blog have been an open book. But if you didn't already know, I am the Asset who is the most sarcastic. I talk non-stop and am quite bossy. I am in love with cooking and entertaining, so I host the most. I love my wine red and my ribeye rare. I am the newest business owner of the group, but not the youngest. My two favorite appetizers that I almost always make are caprese salad, and bruschetta with goat cheese and honey. The very first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning is what to make for dinner. I think texts and emails that don't have smiley faces in them seem rude, and I cannot understand how people can type the word "thanks" without an explanation point at the end. And if I am having a horrible day, I drive to Ennis and sit on Leslie's deck, whether she's home or not.

I'm very excited to incorporate this part of my life into my blog . . . these girls define friendship exactly as it should be. We are better for having one another. We are the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, but way cooler. Enjoy this chapter, because it's going to be a really, really good one. :)