Inspired by JL DESIGNS Couture Event Stylist

I am so excited to be able to feature my friend, and client, Carissa from JL DESIGNS. We have grown up in this industry together and if you know her you can you imagine how well she can compliment any social scene just by being apart of it. We are like a modern day Laverne and Shirley or some reality TV show pair of friends (she is way more into those reality shows then I am so I’d have to ask her which duo we are most alike).There is SO much to know about her, but I’ll make an effort to not go on and on too much and try to stick to just the highlights.

In 2000, Carissa launched her involvement with weddings and special events, and her clean, fresh, chic, style instantaneously caught the attention of brides, vendors and media alike. It was during her initial exposure to the industry that she was led to an introduction with the in-house floral designer at Fred Segal in Santa Monica. The meeting was a fusion of brilliance as she soon became an important part of their wedding and event design team. She later founded JL DESIGNS, a full-service floral and event design firm specializing in high-end, one of a kind florals for weddings, private social functions, photo shoots and corporate accounts. She resides in Irvine, California but services her clients’ weddings all the way from Santa Barbara to Palm Springs and in between.

Recently JL DESIGNS has been featured on InStyle Weddings.com, and on several popular blogs: Snippet and Ink, The Bride’s Café, Jo My Goodness, D’Lish Design, Green Wedding Shoes,Southern Weddings, Wedding Bee, Flights of Fancy,  Elizabeth Anne Designs, Vintage Glam Weddings and Wedding Chicks. Carissa’s work has also been featured in People Magazine, Inside Weddings, Celeb life, Ceremony Magazine, and a spotlight on her company will be included in the upcoming edition of Bride and Bloom Magazine. Look for this issue in bookstores next week!  In addition you will also be able to catch her this summer on  season 2 of WE network’s “Amazing Cakes” as a featured event stylist. With several A-list clients such as Brian Cook from the Houston Rockets, Jack Coleman from NBC’s popular TV show Heroes, movie actress Nia Long and recording artist Christina Milan, extreme exposure in major publications is something Carissa is about to become accustomed to!

On a personal note she recently got married Labor Day weekend of 2008 to one of the greatest guys I have ever met. For all of you clamoring to see what this couture floral stylist designed for her own wedding the wait won’t be much longer (coming to a wedding publication soon).

Carissa is inspired by: “Food, Fashion and my husband! My husband is an architect for a firm that designs 4 and 5 star hotels and resorts all over the world…so I get a lot of inspiration from him and the designs his firm creates. Their motto is ‘designing destinations that lift the spirit’. I LOVE this and really feel this is what wedding styling is all about!  I am essentially designing a destination for these guests, a place where they can really FEEL something when they enter the location.”

She is inspiring and so talented I can’t stand it. There are times (okay almost every time) when I see her work and think- she is so innovative, chic, and stylish. Thank goodness that when it comes to planning my own wedding she is my go to gal for all things beautiful! If you are on Twitter you can find Carissa there too.

Here are some of my favorite images of her stunning work!

“SoCal Chic”, Asgeir Fotographica, private estate, Malibu

“Garden Moderne”, Amy and Stuart Photography, Hotel Bel-Air, Beverly Hills

“Downtown Glamour”, Ryan Phillips Photography, Cicada, downtown Los Angeles

“Urban Vintage”, Ryan Phillips Photography, Vibiana, downtown Los Angeles

“The Sultry Feminista”, Christine Marie Photography, Casa Del Mar, Santa Monica