spring is here and i want some psychedelic color, a little ridiculousness and bare legs! enter the lennon inspiration. short dresses, big glasses and love for all!

first, love this vintage romper from closet case vintage (be sure to check out their inspiring lookbook as well!)

with high socks in a bold color, maybe teal?

modcloth has a great selection of ridiculous tights in every size!

add some oversize sunglasses

and we’ve got a party.

what do you think? what looks are you craving or loving right now?

love to all,

lindsey

say hello! lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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recently one of these beauts (specifically, the one in the middle) fell into my lap.  it’s neon green, shiny, about two feet tall and weighs about 3 pounds. the ends are flat so it can stand on one end.

couldn’t stand to see it thrown away- it has so much potential!

a few of my ideas:

- securely attach a proportional dish to one end, stand on the opposite end- adds height, color and a unique item to a dessert table. it’s heavy enough to hold candy + a scoop!

- the round shape reminds me of the tube at the center of an aisle runner. maybe for a geek wedding, with formulas rolling out?

- long table centerpiece- again with the geek theme, it could be used as a platform or base for other items placed around and on top.

- the color is wild- could be used as a prop in a paintball engagement shoot or a digital-meets-analog shoot.

i’m not sure how sturdy it is- we could do even more if we could drill holes in it, hang it, put lighting or flowers in it…

what do you think? how would you transform this copier drum? will you use recycled items in your event?

love to all,

lindsey

say hello! lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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i love to party. right now i’m considering hosting a dress up party for some friends just because i want to. halloween is too far away.

if you want to have a rockin fete or dance-all-night reception, focus on these three things:

- music- whether it’s an ipod, dj or 10-piece swing band, put someone in charge of what’s being played. you don’t always love what comes up on your ipod on random- you really won’t love it when people are energized and dancing and then…. norah jones comes on. there should be some structure, ebb and flow to the evening. there are tons of suggested playlists out there for things like dinner, dancing and winding down the evening.

- lighting- this is just as important as the music because it has the same impact. think about it, when was the last time you felt like partying in your office under those hideous florescent lights? right. now think about the way you want people to feel- sexy? hyped? chill? use lighting to reflect that. draw ideas from your favorite clubs or restaurants. plus, everyone looks better when the lights are low and soft. if you make subtle shifts to the glare as the night wears on you can watch people relax more because they’re comfortable in their skin.

summer party time! (c) meredith norwood

- space- i don’t mean appropriate size but that’s a part of it. what is the bathroom situation like? are there elevators for non-ambulatory guests? is there parking available? pay attention to how it looks too, not just the price tag. for the wrong room, you could be paying much more to decorate and hide flaws instead of accenting the right room, which could save you money- and will definitely save you a headache!- in the end.

my last suggestion: if partying is a priority, make sure that’s reflected in your budget.

if you build it- your friends will enjoy it!

love to all,

lindsey

give us a roar: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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got a project? make it a party! at least that’s what we did on the evening of june 6th to complete this mobile for a december wedding. this is the full post from last week’s sneak peek. we worked really hard on this so i’m excited to share! it really pleased the bride-to-be, which is the most important part of the whole project. it fit her idea of how the whole event should look + feel. hooray!

we started with a frame…

then our spray paint gurus got to work…

then we began to hang items, chandelier style…

here’s the final product! the lanterns will be lit during the evening.

this project was several weeks in the making: we took time to create a stable design, researched cost and availability of materials, purchased the materials, built the frame and spent a few hours hanging 100+ objects from the various circles in a specific pattern. phew! it looks great though! many thanks to all who helped or watched. it was a party!

what feel are you envisioning for your event?

love to all,

lindsey

give us a roar: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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what’s all this crap we’ve been hearing recently, saying that neutrals are in? we don’t care what the “trends” are- we want your wedding to express who you are. that includes light + lightheartedness! not this dark, neutral, somber mess. going along with that, we love color! don’t be afraid of it- embrace it. here are some lively pieces from emmaline bride to get you inspired!

this fresh + funky board has vivid colors and unusual pastels. i like to mix and match, otherwise it can be too prissy and boring. unusual color combinations- like the clutch and fascinator- are wild and fun!

(clockwise from top left)

navy + lime clutch- from emmagordonlondon

awesome multi-colored fascinator- from rachel larraine

Mr T cufflinks- from mosochic

colorful crinoline for under your or your partner’s gown! can be created in a variety of hues- from loca loves pirate

okay, so this one got a little carried away in the springy feel but the vivid colors are far from childish. it could be for a carnival wedding (cotton candy, anyone?) or a video game inspired event (like animal crossing or katamari).

(clockwise from left)

handmade fabric bouquets- customizable in any color! -from jilliann’s

50 strand button bouquet- looks good enough to eat! – also from jilliann’s

yellow orchid fascinator- sexy!- from loca loves pirate

monogrammed paper mobile- from my lady dye

what do you think, lions? what sort of colors are you excited to try, or shying away from?

love to all,

lindsey

give us a roar: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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for our local feature today, please meet agnes barton- sabo — rockstar cake baker and illustrator. if you want an awesome looking cake, she is the one to call! check out a few of her designs:

love cakes that don’t look like cake. or that look like other foods!

check out the ruler- that is some monster sushi!

love these dia de los muertos cakes too.

agnes tells us that she was brought up in a very artistic home and started making cakes for friends and bands. she is talented in a variety of mediums, “I find that being elbow-deep in buttercream icing or chocolate ganache all day helps me think up lots of new ideas for art pieces.  Likewise, drawing cakes gives me new inspiration for decorating that I get to play out when I’m making real cakes.” how wonderful! food is another way for her to express her artistic nature. she even has copious amounts of food art in her home. you can contact agnes at agnesbartonsabo@gmail.com to request your own original cake!

what sort of designs do you want for your wedding cake?

love to all,

lindsey

give us a roar: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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It’s local feature Friday yet again, and I’m so excited to feature a business near and dear to my heart here in beautiful Asheville. Casey and Grace of Dang Salon are incredibly creative, cognizant, and cutting edge when it comes to your look.

Dang Salon is located in Asheville’s River Arts District (which, at its core, is one of the coolest places to hang out in the entire city) in the Phil the Mechanic building, which houses a multitude of artists from a wide range of disciplines.

I know…not where you think you could find the best place to get your hair transformed into something amazing, is it? Well, you step inside…

…and awaiting you is an oasis of hair care and style!

The girls at Dang only use Paul Mitchell products, especially since a wide range of their products are vegan and environmentally friendly. Not only does that benefit the environment, but for those of us who, ahem, encourage our hair to stay a certain shade, it doesn’t completely wreck and ravage your hair.

The decor in the shop is delightfully funky and fun. Instead of sitting in squeaky vinyl chairs under the dryer, they have a set of mustard yellow wing chairs straight out of the past that are extremely comfortable.

Beyond the furnishings, you have two talented stylists who really listen to what their clients want and need. Grace, the tamer of my tresses, is the only stylist I know of that makes my hair BEHAVE. See, I have very thick, very wavy, coarse hair that I keep auburn (which yes, is pretty close to my natural hair color…even though I haven’t seen it in 10 years) and love to have it voluminous. Most stylists thin it out, chop it off, flat iron it into submission, and try to give me blond highlights.

Grace listens to what I want, gives her own feedback, and I turn her loose on my head of hair. For example, it’s springtime here in the mountains, so I wanted to add some oomph to my dark auburn mane. We broke out the color book, found a couple shades we both loved (that would work with my redhead skin), and Grace went to town!

She glazed it (a semi-permanent color that washes out over 6-8 weeks that allows natural tones and shades to come through) with an intense cherry-bomb red that keeps it its “natural” auburn under the fluorescent lights of my office building, but becomes this gorgeous mass of nearly-fire-engine-red when I’m outside. She also trimmed up my top-most layer and neatened up my bangs, along with very loosely pin-curling my hair while it dried. The result?

Vavoom! Pure 70’s movie star magic! I love how it moves, feels, and the fact I can recreate this look at home! And yes, my darling lions, these two fierce ladies do some AMAZING bridal hair. They take your hair and, while staying true to your sense of style, transform it into the best it can be!

AND, as Asheville is an emerging city, Dang does NOT charge out the nose for their services. They are affordable but, honestly, I would recommend them solely on the basis of the quality of care.

So please, darling lions, consider giving Grace or Casey a call next time you’re having a hair emergency, a crisis of color, or want something truly dandy and unique for your wedding or special occasion. They rock!

(Grace, the guru of my hair!)

Contact Grace Tasedan or Casey McCuller @ 828.225.3225 and let them completely rejuvenate your hair!

Pushing boundaries as always, with love,

Amanda
give me a roar: amanda@dandylionevents.com

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now for the winner:

paco

it was a close race, but paco + his owners brian and savannah have won! they’ll receive planning from us for their december wedding as well as photography from kate crafton.

the happy dandycouple

angela + troy, in second place, will receive a copy of the anti-bride guide to encourage them to walk their own path!

many thanks to all contestants who entered and to the friends, family members + total strangers who voted for our dandycouples.

love to all,

lindsey

say hello: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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angela + troy

angela + troy are planning a 1940s glamor wedding for July 24, 2010. their black, white, red and gold themed reception will take place at the hotel preston. they’re planning a cocktail party reception with a signature champagne cocktail- true to the era! angela’s attendants will wear cocktail dresses. angela is also planning a few diy projects including centerpieces of  picture frames, mirrors and candles for an intimate event.

natosha + stephen

natosha + stephen are getting married on october 10, 2010. they chose this date because it represents binary code, which then adds up to the ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything (according to the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy): 42. their agnostic ceremony and reception will take place at the rosemont mansion. natosha has chosen a palette of ivory, white, beige, cream and black. she plans to incorporate garden-style greenery and vintage buttons to her decor.

savannah + brian

savannah + brian are planning a 1940/1960 vintage + rock n roll theme wedding. they’re planning to wed on december 11, 2010 at one eleven in downtown nashville.  savannah loves design and printed her own save-the-dates. for her next project, she is planning to produce an entire invitational suite in ‘storybook’ form. this is going to be a major diy undertaking considering she will create about 100! their color palette will consist of silver, mustard, cream and black. savannah’s attendants will wear vintage silver and brian’s attendants will wear black or mustard skinny ties.

paco, their pet hamster, will join them on their wedding day as well!

who is your favorite? let us know in the comments below!

love to all,

lindsey

say hello: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

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Have you entered our contest yet? The deadline is looming, and we want to make your event undeniably, unbelievably you!

Springtime needs to hurry its sunny butt up and get here already, in my humble opinion. I miss seeing my flowers blooming and my mountains flourishing bright green!

I had some really great responses to the “pick-the-lionesses-brain” challenge about flowers in general!

Kal, who happens to be a fabulous friend, fellow musician, and all around awesome person, asked a very important question:

Hi!

Ok, so I think floral arrangements are beautiful (particularly yours!). However, I always have a guilty complex about cutting plants like flowers – I blame my Girl Scout years. So I would like to pick your brain about how one might go about using flowers and the like in some sort of recyclable way. Maybe get some ideas about how a good portion of the decor could be either re-purposed or perhaps even re-planted.

Thanks!

Kalistoga darling, that’s an awesome question. Being eco-conscious is something near and dear to my heart. Not only did I major in horticulture in college, but I’m a fellow Girl Scout alumnae (Camp Pisgah Forever, baby!) and lover of the outdoors. Sometimes it can seem like floral designs are beautiful for a time and then get tossed in the trash. Oh no, dear lions, I don’t let that happen on my watch!

Here are five easy tips for choosing your flowers wisely with the environment in mind!

1- Use potted plants for décor instead of cut arrangements.

This is one of the easiest ways to reduce your environmental impact, and one of the prettiest centerpiece ideas ever. Go to your local (and I do mean local…contact your local extension agent for ornamental plants!) nursery grower and select an array of beautiful, seasonal plants to use as your centerpieces and décor around the event.

These can range from pops of springy, retro color with gerbera daisies, to unusual Asian-inspired grasses like equisetum, to fun and funky bromeliads! Not only is this cost effective, but you can give the plants away as favors, replant them at your own home, or donate them to a local care facility for the patients!

2- Choose locally grown products.

Yet again, your local extension agent is going to come in handy for this one. There are countless nurseries out there that produce cut flowers as well as plants. If you choose locally grown products, you cut down on fuel costs for shipping and you also stimulate the local economy. Also, check local farmer’s markets and small-scale grocery stores. We have one (called Greenlife) that features locally grown flowers in their floral section.

3- Contact a local long-term care facility to ask about donating flowers.

Imagine the smile on someone’s face who doesn’t get to see family very often getting a beautiful little bouquet of flowers from your event. That, to me, is one of the best ways you can repurpose the flowers. There are organizations that can do this for you in some large cities, but all it involves is contacting the facility, asking if you can donate the flowers, and dropping them off to brighten someone’s day.

4- Flowers are compostable!

Yep, those little beauties can rejoin the life cycle as compost. Add the cut flowers (without ribbon and such) to your compost heap and turn as you normally do. After a few months, you’ll be able to use that compost to fertilize your own flower beds. That’s sustainable, ladies and gents.

5- Remember the 3 R’s?

As a child of the late 80’s/early 90’s, I remember reduce-reuse-recycle being beaten into my little permed-and-side-ponytailed head. (Captain Planet, anyone?) I challenge you to use the 3 R’s of eco-conscious flower choices:

Reduce the amount of shipped in product, un-biodegradable materials, and cut materials;

Reuse the flowers either as gifts or at another event;

Recycle the containers and compost the cut materials.

So, dear lions, here’s my challenge to you: think green in more than just your color scheme. You can make the world a better place even through your floral choices.

As always, pushing the envelope with you,

Amanda

floral + ambiance lioness

got more questions? e-mail me at amanda@dandylionevents.com

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