We had an unforgettable evening at The Guild Hotel celebrating the launch of The Aisle—an elevated and modern wedding magazine created by the team at The Aisle Guide. This unique and exclusive experience brought together engaged couples, aspiring marriers, vendors, and brands to celebrate love and the wedding and event industry! The talented planning team: To Be Designed San Diego, Forever Refined Events, Serendipity Events, Simply Gorgeous Events, Type A Soirée, and Lindsay Dean Events designed every detail to create an immersive experience for all who attended. We’re giving you an inside look at all of the designs featuring each planner!
Upon entry, The Aisle banners hung between The Guild’s picturesque pillars, black velvet carpet lined with candles lead guests inside where they were welcomed with custom totes, a complimentary copy of The Aisle, and a luxurious champagne tower.
Guests were able to get a custom portrait from Jessup Illustrations in the Courtyard before indulging in the shoppable experience with favors from the planning and décor team, including custom The Aisle cookies, notebooks, pens, bags, koozies, and more!
Jillian Ziska - To Be Designed
“Overall, each space was very collaborative with the vendors + planners, but we wanted to make sure we captured the AP style. Each area had its own flair to show off how the AP brides are fun, flirty and eclectic in their style. The gifting suite was an opportunity for us to showcase some of our brands and allow more engagement with the client by giving them a VIP shopping experience to treat them to some bridal goodies! It was a huge hit!”
We also brought The Aisle magazine to life by creating a stunning photo opportunity that made guests feel like they were on the cover of the magazine.
“With this being the launch of The Aisle, I thought it would be fun to have the magazine cover as a photo-op backdrop, in a way that would allow the guests to become the magazine cover! By setting a stage, (literally) where guests would sit and be the cover models. Together, we brought it to life!” - Veronica Carr, Type A Soirée
Suher Haidar - Forever Refined Events
“When the team at Aisle Planner asked me to be a part of this event, it was such an honor and then to work with such talented people such as Jillian of To Be Designed was just icing on the cake. As a team, we decided to choose our favorite color and of course, I went with my purple/lavender obsession. Putting this tablescape together was about showcasing the love I have for my best friends. I selected items that represented my relationships with each of my friends. The origami was a metaphor for my best friend who recently lost her son to cancer. The modern flatware was for another friend who has a very modern vibe and so on. But the overall scape was to create a romantic, whimsical vibe that can be translated into any couple's wedding table setting. Layering items on the table is important to me and I love a table that looks unique from every angle.
My favorite part of this setup was that To Be Designed allowed me to great creative and really implement the perfect amount of lavender and purple shades. Some call it crazy, I call it a higher standard of elegance.”
Kayla Teague - Simply Gorgeous Events
“My table inspiration stemmed from all things spring! I adore pink and flowers, so naturally going heavy on both was a no-brainer. I also love to add unique touches and texture to my designs, so I chose a textured napkin paired with a beautiful linen menu Sunkissed Native dreamed up. Complimented by gold stars, bursting pink clouds, and soft cream and pink candles, this tablescape was my girly pink spring dream brought to life.”
Veronica Carr - Type A Soirée
“When we began planning The Aisle launch, the team of planners came up with the idea to do monochrome tablescapes. I picked green because it speaks to all things natural and earthy. Me, being me, I needed to elevate it from there. I was thinking about how much sustainability is becoming a topic in the wedding industry and how to create beauty and elegance from sustainable products. I wanted a romantic, almost English garden vibe, but with a darker, more sultry side. As I processed my design thoughts, I knew I wanted my space to be inclusive and speak to all types of couples. Nothing overly feminine, or masculine, but something that everyone can truly fall in love with. Greens growing on either side of the table, and enclosing the table into an intimate space were designed to make it a full experience. White rose petals created a runner down the middle with brass candles growing out of the softness of the petals, contrasting the black plates. The natural wood table added to the contrast, with green velvet napkins and seating tied in texture and another layer of richness. The diamond-shaped menus were made by my husband (and woodworker) using locally sourced walnut. I wanted lots of texture so we softened the wood menus with green, faux leather that was gold-pressed. The "escort cards" were created by Sunkissed Native, using locally sourced lemon tree leaves. I wanted the name cards to be waxed pressed on leaves, to the glasses, and she did just that! The delicate trio of gold accented glassware tied in with the menus, candle holders and other gold accents dusted through the tablescape. The candles in different tones of greens, whites, and ivories were made of beeswax and coconut wax, which are some of the most sustainable waxes you can use. In addition to the soft lighting of the candles, we hung crystal-style chandeliers in an asymmetrical way to add to the ambiance. Our invitations were made with an organic paper that had greens and florals pressed into it, carrying the romantic greenery through the whole concept. Can you spot the greenery in the menus? Jillian with To Be Designed and her team helped bring my drawings, verbal illustrations, and wild fantasies to life. My team worked so hard to help all the planners set up their tables, and other aspects of the launch party. It takes a village to create any event, and this was no exception!”
Laura Schwandt - Serendipity Events
“When we all decided to choose a color to base our design on, I quickly knew I wanted to do blue. Blue is such a timeless wedding color and holds a powerful meaning of love. Once I had the color I began to think of the feeling I wanted to portray throughout the design. Timeless is always an important piece of the puzzle in my designs, as well as making sure there are personal elements to truly showcase the couple. I also find inspiration in home decor and architecture and through this design, I was very inspired by the French countryside, beautiful gardens, and the textures of stone and wood elements. I wanted to create something comfortable and inviting while also making sure plenty of details were considered and elevated. I love the textures that came out in this design. Taking each element one step at a time allowed me to build on the look. The color came first, then the linen and salad plate were a very quick second. From there, the rest of the elements fell into place and my French garden dream came to life.
One of my favorite parts of this design was the scroll quotes. I wanted to focus on the "something blue" representing love and chose 8 beautiful quotes to showcase just that. This is something I would incorporate at a real wedding to share something special with guests - whether in the form of quotes or personalized thank you messages from the couple."
When welcomed into The Aisle Lounge guests grabbed a glass at Gloria Ferrer’s mimosa bar, browsed through BHLDN’s dreamy dresses, and tried on engagement rings from Kasia Jewelry. On the other side of the lounge were Tuxes & Whiskey Tastings with Generation Tux and Corner Creek Bourbon designed by Lindsay Dean Events.
Lindsay Dean - Lindsay Dean Events
“I had the honor of working alongside some incredible vendors within our men's lounge at the TALP event, including Generation Tux, Corner Creek Whiskey, Sensational Treats & Austin Parent Barber. When starting the design process for these vendors, I really wanted to capture the essence of their brands yet also complement the design aesthetic for the overall event. I worked closely with To Be Designed to create a masculine, yet inviting space for our guests.
Generation Tux has so many amazing products to display that we showcased as many as we could fit! TBD assisted us in creating a custom tie and swatch wall which allowed our guests to be interactive by seeing, touching, and experiencing the garments first-hand. Generation Tux is all about comfort, convenience, and allowing their clients to be hands-on with their own fashion and style, and we hit the nail on the head with this set-up.
Speaking of fashion and style, we were very excited to have Austin Parent Barber with us to clean and style both our ladies & gentlemen. Austin brought a concierge touch to the space that really wowed our guests.
Corner Creek Whiskey was a true treat and our custom-made leather bar showcased their elegant whiskey bottles and provided tasters to our visitors. The whiskey was complemented by an amazing dessert display of Rolo Cigars & Waffle Sticks from the very popular, Sensational Treats.”
This special event would not have been possible without the collaboration and talent of all planners and vendors involved!
Hero photo courtesy of Camila Margotta Photography
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