Phoenix Bride & Groom Magazine Event:: Time Lapse Video by Serendipity Videography

Caution:: Executing an event is MUCH harder than this time laspe from Serendipity Videography makes it look.

If you look carefully you might be able to see me. I swear I was there. Enjoy!

Caroline & Bill:: Sedona Engagement for a Sanctuary Wedding

After sitting with her and her mom for a very fun two hours during our initial consultation it was time to say goodbye. Caroline, the beautiful bride-to-be, stood up and said "We need to hug. I feel like we bonded!" That is the moment I knew I HAD to work with her!

That's Caroline. Happy. Smiling, Full of life. I always tell her that her wedding is going to be so bright and happy just like her outlook on life!

Caroline and her husband-to-be Bill spent a beautiful summer day in Sedona with the talented Katrina and Andrew of Sedona Bride. When I saw the pictures I knew I just had to share! Katrina and Andrew are beyond talented at what they do and make couples feel so comfortable behind the lens. I mean LOOK how beautiful these pictures are!

Straight from an Ashley Gain Bride please enjoy some wedding planning insight!

Ashley:: Engagement pictures are such a HUGE part of planning your day! How did you decide what props to bring and what to wear?!

Caroline:: We knew we wanted to do our engagement session in beautiful Sedona where our photographer, Sedona Bride, is based. For the first part of our shoot at Tlaquepaque, we just wore clothes that we felt comfortable in that were in similar color tones. For the second part of the shoot out by the red rocks, we thought it would be fun to do a road trip theme and convinced my Dad to let us borrow his fantastic red Corvette which ended up looking really great against the rocks. Bill wore a black motorcycle jacket to go with the theme and I wore a white dress and a pair of adorable red heels and belt to match the car. We also really love wine, so we also did a few shots of us sitting on a picnic blanket enjoying a glass of wine. It was just us having fun and doing what we like to do!

{See how happy she is?! UGH. I LOVE her!}

Ashley:: It's easy to tell you and Bill were genuinely having fun during this shoot. Getting in front of a camera can be awkward for some was there something you did to relax?

Caroline:: It was definitely a little awkward at first as neither of us had ever done a photo shoot like this before, but Bill is a complete jokester so he quickly started making me laugh and made us just relax and have fun with it. It's important to just act natural and be yourself and not worry too much about trying pose. Our photographer, Katrina Wallace from Sedona Bride, also really helped put us at ease. She is so good at what she does and has the kind of personality that makes you feel like you've known her your whole life.

Ashley:: We might be biased but we love your photographer, Sedona Bride, did they help give you any advice before or during your shoot?

Caroline:: Sedona Bride is simply amazing. Katrina told us to just be ourselves, keep moving, and focus on each other instead of trying to pose and look directly at the camera. She also told us to "snuzzle" which means "snuggle" and "nuzzle" and really helped us just enjoy each other's company and have fun.

Ashley:: Now on to wedding stuff.....What do you LOVE about planning your wedding?

Caroline:: The thing I love the most about planning my wedding is seeing all the creative fun details come together into my overall vision for the day - a modern, simple, elegant look with a touch of romance that is uniquely Bill and I. We have spent a lot of time thinking of creative ways to make the day special and memorable for both us and our guests and it has been a lot of fun expressing myself and coming up with some really unique details. Ashley has been absolutely fantastic and such a huge help and has really helped us come up with some amazing ideas! I can't wait to see it all.

Ashley:: So far what part of your wedding are you most excited to see come to life?

Caroline:: There are so many things I am excited about, it’s impossible to pick just one! I am so excited about our beautiful venue, the Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain with its gorgeous views of Paradise Valley and Camelback Mountain and its modern architecture. I am excited about my gorgeous dress and adorable bridesmaid dresses. I am excited about the fantastic food and our beautiful cake. I am excited about our beautiful white modern flowers. I am excited about our super fun band, the Instant Classics. I am excited to have all our closest family and friends together in one place for a really great party. Most of all, I am so excited to marry the love of my life and begin the rest of our lives together!

Ashley:: What is the one moment you can't wait for on your wedding day?

Caroline:: The one moment I can’t wait for on my wedding day is holding Bill’s hands in mine, looking into his eyes, saying “I Do”, and being pronounced husband and wife!

Caroline and Bill I can't wait for your beautiful Sanctuary Resort wedding this fall! It is going to be one amazing day to remember forever! I feel so blessed to be a part of it. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!

Featured:: Arizona Foothills Magazine's Wedding Planner

Just in case my love of sweets couldn't get any worse, I went ahead and decided to become a wedding planner.

Cakes, chocolate favors, cupcakes, dessert bars, after party ice cream bars.....you name it I have tasted it for clients! I have to make sure it tastes good before it gets served to the guests {or that's my excuse anyway}.

This week our article on Arizona Foothills Magazine's Wedding BUZZ Blog is all about cake stands. From bling to Anthropolgie we covered it all.

{Photo Courtesy of Raise The Cake}

We LOVE being a part of Arizona Foothills Magazine's luxury wedding blog!

Thank you for letting us share our wedding trend advice!

Featured:: Arizona's Finest Weddings COVER

The perfect wedding colors.

The perfect wedding dress.

The perfect wedding date.

The perfect wedding theme.

Sounds perfect, right? But what does "perfect" really mean?? The only time that something is going to be TRULY perfect on your day is when you make it TRULY yours.....so let's rephrase those sentences for you.

YOUR perfect wedding colors.

YOUR perfect wedding dress.

YOUR perfect wedding date.

YOUR perfect wedding theme.

When I was asked to stylize a shoot for Arizona's Finest Wedding Sites Magazine at the beautiful Paradise Valley Montelucia Resort & Spa I was beyond excited.

So, it was time to brain storm and come up with the perfect stylization. I decided on the Moroccan flair of the resort mixed with a girl-next-door bride as my inspiration.

So many times in weddings we see the same things over and over again. As a bride you have the ability to take what you love and design an entire wedding around it.

In this shoot, even though our bride is not of Indian dissent she "loves" the colors and vibrancy of true Hindu weddings. We took something she "loved" and made it her wedding day.

Bottom Line:: There is no perfect inspiration for wedding, there is only what is perfect for YOUR inspiration.

Magazine:: Arizona's Finest Wedding Sites and Services

Venue:: Montelucia Resort & Spa

Stylist:: Ashley Gain Weddings & Events/Ashley Gain

Photography:: Marriott Photography/Marnee Marriott

Flowers:: Your Event Florist/Kevin & Shawna Reed

Stationary:: The Event Essentials/Kim McDowell

Linens:: Wildflower Linens

Cake:: La Dolce Pesca Bakery

Hair:: Joya Spa

Makeup:: Corinna Cooke

Wedding Dress:: Mariee

Grooms Attire:: Mr. Formal

Rentals:: Classic Party Rentals

Pillows:: Encore Creative

Jewelry:: RGK D'Zines

Ashley Gain:: Cover Shoot

Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Ashley Gain graces Arizona's Magazine Cover.

{Photos Courtesy of Laura Segall}

I was absolutely inspired by sapphire {yes, it's quite possible it's because of darling Princess Kate} when I started designing this cover shoot for Arizona's Finest Wedding Sites.

Jewel tones are some of my absolute favorite colors to work with. They are true colors from precious stones, colors that our little mother earth creates for us to enjoy.

Blue and white automatically come across very modern so I wanted to make sure that we still gave it a traditional feel. By incorporating the white detailed inner dress Finnia by Enzoni and giving her a very elegant Audrey Hepburn bun I wanted to see the design turn a bit more traditional.

The water surrounding Millenium Resort made the blue details sparkle and Annie our beautiful model's eyes pop.

Flowers arrangements and designs were clean and structured to match the clean lines and decor that I have been stylizing off of. Paper detailing was inspired by a pattern called quatrefoil where geometric shapes meet glamorous patterns.

Custom fabrics covered four pillars at the front of the asile {all different sizes} to allow brides to see how the color doesn't have to be in the flowers.

The vendors that helped make my vision possible are listed below. They are amazing!!

Stylist:: Ashley Gain of Ashley Gain Weddings

Photographer:: Laura Segall Photography

Venue:: Millennium Resort Scottsdale

Flowers:: Amy’s Floral Design

Invitations and Paper Details:: The Event Essentials

Cake:: Classic Cakes and Confections

Linens:: Wildflower Linen

Hair: Melissa Spidel for Rolf’s Salon

Make-Up:: Heather Wilson

Dress:: Uptown Bridal & Boutique

Tux:: Mr. Formal

Jewelry:: Unique. Vintage. Chic.

Parasol:: Pamela's Parasols

Rentals:: Classic Party Rentals

Friendly Inspiration

in·spire (n-spr)

v. in·spired, in·spir·ing, in·spires

1. To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence.

What inspires you? It's a common question that I get asked all the time about my wedding designs!

The majority of my inspiration comes from home decor. The colors of paint, the textures of wall paper, a painting, a couch, a set of dishes or even a bed spread.

Behind each inspirational piece someone has been paid lots of money to perfect the aesthetics of what you see. Before it lands on a shelf in a store or on the cover of a home decor magazine it has been designed and redesigned and redesigned to perfection!

I am often inspired by people that surround me in my own life. Every once in a while I meet someone that not only inspires me because of the person they are but by their craft.

Meet Britany. Beautiful, talented, strong Britany.

Britany is an interior designer AND a photographer! Her design in decor for her own home landed her in a competition. Below are some amazing pictures from her design, which should absolutely win because it is too cute and beautiful.

I love the elements of grey, black and hints of fuchsia! SEE! Doesn't this inspire you?? Just think of a wedding when you see this and how it can come to life!

If you love the design and find Miss. Britany as inspiring as much as I do you should vote for her!
"Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman

Bling & Bollywood:: Ashley Gain Featured

From the moment Slumdog Millionaire was welcomed to the American Movie screen I have been a tiny bit obsessed with Indian culture.

The colors, textures, fabrics, metals each detail that passed on from generation to generation in India has meaning.

From culture to culture the most decorated bride on her wedding HAS to be a Indian bride. Covered literally from head to toe each and every detail of jewelry and accessories takes months to shop for, design and purchase.

To an Indian bride her jewelry is not just about adding to her dress or sari, it’s about representing the custom of marriage in her culture and paying respect to her immediate and future families.

Ruchi of RGK D'Zines has the most beautiful collection of these bollywood jewels you have ever seen.

The lovey Yasmin of Shalimar Studios was kind enough to take amazing photos to use on our story for Arizona Foothill's Magazine's Wedding Buzz blog!!

a few of my favorite green things

I may not be Irish but that doesn't mean I don't love the color green any less!! I love green because it is found in nature, it's a color that doesn't have to be forced, it just looks beautiful as is.

Today, on the day of luck, I want to share my personal inspirations for those who are Lucky in Love.....

{My dog Cupcake wearing a shirt I only let her wear once a year! Because Green is SO not the new pink, but on St. Patty's day it is excused.}

Now on to weddings.......

{An Ashley Gain Bride's wedding bouquet sitting full of green succulents sitting perfectly on a green vintage couch}

{OH Wildflower Linens, you know how to inspire! This Dupioni Silk Emerald Green Chair is one of my favorites. }

{A stunning two tone green invitation from Wedding Paper Divas}

{Red soles just look good on any shoe, even green}

{Green & gray one of my favorite color combinations!}

{From a Hotel Del wedding photographed by the infamous Jasmine Star.}

{LOVE when bridesmaids wear different style dresses in the same color. They look pretty, even with mustaches}

{A cake right from Scottsdale's very own Julia Baker. One of my favorites EVER!}

{Going Green is such a HUGE trend, so giving you guest a favor that they can take home and replant is perfect! It's the gift that keeps giving!}

{Sometimes the simplest ideas make the greatest statements. How beautiful, just some plain writing on a leaf. Simple. Perfect.}

{An apple place card! I have seen this a hundred times and it still looks cute.}

{An amazing setup by Fresh Wata taken by the talented Melissa Jill}

{An adorable dessert buffet that even incorporates a tree!}

Ashley Gain Featured~ Runway Ready Linens

If you haven't already made a visit to Arizona Foothills Magazine's *new* Wedding Blog it is a must.

As Arizona Foothill's preffered wedding planner Ashley Gain has had the pleasure of contributing to their Wedding Buzz Section!

Recently we wrote an article about a fabulous fashion show that would make any bride-to-be swoon. At an private event held in Scottsdale the scene was set for the most fabulous wedding vendors and planners in the valley. Wildflower Linen turned their stunning collection into high fashion dresses that made their way up and down the catwalk. The models worked this season's most fabulous wedding table ware.

{Photo's compliments of Sedona Bride}

To see more pictures of this amazing event, visit our article!

Most Wonderful Time of Year

It's truly my favorite time of year.

In the month of December you get to see your loved ones. You get an excuse to eat bad, not go to the gym, watch ELF 50 times, buy gifts for the people you love and most importantly your calendar is full of parties to throw and attend!

Part of me and my husband's Christmas traditions is to invite all of our friends to our home for a holiday celebration.

This year was probably one of my favorites. I don't know if was because there were so many new faces or that we literally put the party together in 4 hours {we got off a plane from Oklahoma only 3 hours before the party started!} and any "planning" I did went out the window.

Our holiday party is what makes our house a home. I am always the happiest when I have guests. I love making people feel special, loved and a part of my life.

The people that surround me, make me.....well me. Some make me laugh, others make me feel confident, some make me feel so loved. I am SO blessed....I have the best peeps in the world.

A new fun addition to the party was my Snack Bar. Each guest got to fill a little container with their choice of snacks. AND the best part....I could make them to-go boxes too!!! A great way to get rid of the yummy bad food in our house.

{A for Ashley & B for Brad ornaments on our tree}

{Fill em up! Guests carried them around the party & took snacks to-go}

{My favorite part of the snack bar: No Cooking Required!}

{Chocolate dipped pretzels....my go-to snack}

{Santa would be jealous of how yummy these cookies were}

{I swear you can become addicted to peppermint. Because I can't stop eating this stuff!}

{Before anyone started to eat....looked so pretty}

Thank you to our friends and family that came!!! We LOVE you all so much! You make our seasons BRIGHT.