If you have never heard of Ginny Au, then you need to head on over to her web site, like now. (Well, finish reading this post first!). Ginny is a destination wedding planner and stylist, but even if you aren't in the wedding industry, you should check out her work. She is an artist at her core, and the designs she creates are absolutely breathtaking. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of her natural surroundings, Ginny's style is humble and authentic. The tables she styles are warm and inviting...you want to pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine and simply soak up the beauty. I have been following Ginny's work for some time now, and when I came across her workshop schedule I immediately jumped at the chance to learn from her. Last month, she hosted a workshop at The Nest, and it was the most perfect day. Not only did I get to learn from Ginny, but I made some new friends too! The day began with a slide presentation on Ginny's creative process, and then after lunch we got to "play" with her beautiful props...I was like a kid in a candy store!
Ginny broke us up into 3 small groups to work on honing our styling skills, which is how I got the chance to meet Buffy and Jennifer behind the blog The Style Gathering. If you haven't come across this blog, it's a must read. From fun cocktail recipes to fashion, beauty tips and what's happening around Birmingham, this blog has it all.
Buffy and I worked on styling the table, while Jennifer did her thing behind the lens capturing all the fun details! We decided to go with a darker, somewhat moody look and I LOVE how it turned out. We used natural elements as part of our decor...we turned our tablecloth into a runner so that the beautiful wood table would not be completely covered up. Berries tied to the linens served as casual "napkin rings." Stones were haphazardly scattered down the middle of the table for a rustic vibe, and lenten roses plus some greenery were placed in terra cotta pots and a galvanized floral bucket. We wanted a little pop to the table so we added brass candlesticks, sans the candles, for a unique look...
After our table was complete we then tried our hand at styling a paper suite. I loved styling with Ginny's frou frou chic ribbon, vintage stamps and gold bowl, not to mention the beautiful invitation! You must hop on over to The Style Gathering to see the paper packages Buffy styled. So much gorgeousness I can't handle it!
Finally, the last styling exercise involved working with a model. Buffy and I got some great tips from Ginny on how to style a veil. And, let me just say that veil was AHH-MAZING. Thank goodness Jennifer captured a great close up of it! And I can't forget to mention the lovely bouquet by the fabulous Holly Carlisle...
Thanks to Jennifer for all the fabulous images from the day. To see more from the workshop, head on over to The Style Gathering!
photo credit: Jennifer Hagler Photography
