Last year I started a design challenge concept with wedding pros across the nation. Our focus in 2013 was planning wedding ideas using a single piece of paper as inspiration. The outcome was insanely gorgeous!! You can click here to see all of those features! This year I decided to focus on 2 concepts that are 'opposite' each other and find out if OPPOSITES REALLY DO ATTRACT.

Megan Ondercin and the team she chose worked with the elements of Glass and Diamonds. I was so excited to see what they would do with this opposite pairing, because while glass and diamonds may look similar, they can also be considered to be opposite. The venue that Megan chose, the Taglyan Complex couldn't have been more perfect, it's filled with gorgeous glass windows and glass detail. I love the ways that Jill from Copper Willow incorporated the diamond facets in the stationery she created ... so creative!! Joel of did such a beautiful job with the images and making sure the glass pieces really stood out ... shiny glass can be almost impossible to photograph well, so brides if you want a talented and seasoned photographer who knows how to capture your details perfectly ... just saying!! :)

All in all, the details and inspiration they created for the Style Unveiled readership is insane. I love that they used the Pantone color of the year for 2014: Radiant Orchid. I am obsessed with the wedding cake and the diamond topper that says "You Are My Rock" ... it's all perfection. Read more from Megan Ondercin at the bottom of this post ... she explains it all so well and it's clear to see why she is one of the best Orange County wedding coordinators around!!

XO~ Heather

When Heather told me my opposites pairing was glass and diamonds my mind quickly went to work of how I could translate those materials into a unique tablescape. Glass and diamonds are used quite frequently in weddings so I tried to interpret them in a new and unexpected way. When thinking about these materials I realized that they, in fact, are considered by people to be more alike than they are opposite. So, in order to fulfill the assignment of "opposites" I thought about what is the opposite of glass and what is the opposite of diamonds? Where do they come from? How do they get to be in this finished state when we purchase them? Well, glass is made from sand and diamonds are born out of rocks, so I took that idea and came up with the theme of "Diamond in the Rough" by using diamonds and glass in both their raw and finished form. I like this phrasing because it can also translate into how the bride and groom make each other feel and how their love has shaped one another. They are each other's "diamond in the rough". Throughout the shoot I used phrasing that went with this theme, such as on the cake topper it says, "You are my Rock". The rock candy favors say, "Thanks for celebrating with us, You Rock!". Doing this shows the full capabilities of where a theme can go with a wedding. You can carry it over from the décor pieces, to the wording on paper goods, to the colors. I even made the groom's last name "Rockford". A perfect example of how you can build a theme even just around something as simple as a last name. Perhaps, if this couple were real, that's where the idea could be originated, and then it blossoms from there!

For the color scheme, I wanted to keep it pretty neutral with the general decor. The only place any color was introduced was in the flowers and the lighting (we used a 'to be' popular 2014 color, Radiant Orchid in the color theme). Again, this helped communicate something beautiful coming out of something raw and rough by keeping the vessels, furniture, and plates neutral toned. I used two chargers to get a multi-dimensional layered look to each place setting. The bottom is a faux stone charger and the top one is clear glass. The top most plate is a square black salad plate that I laid at an angle to have a more geometric diamond shape. The flatware from Classic Party Rentals was so perfect for this theme. The black wrought iron handles matched so wonderfully to the rest of the tablescape. One of my favorite elements on the table was the paper placemats that also served as the menu for each guest. With both the menu placemats and the invitation, Jill of Copper Willow Paper Studio, designed paper that looked like facets of a diamond. The angled lines everywhere helped make the tone modern, which is exactly what I was going for!

One object I wanted to incorporate into this shoot were prisms. Prisms are made from glass and disperse and deflect light so beautifully. I really wanted lighting to play a big role in this shoot so I used them as place "cards" on each place setting with calligraphy by Jill. In several of Joel's shots you can see a reflection of the lighting in them as well as light passing through each prism. The table number I created is an opposite in and of itself; I took a glass block frame and, using shimmering black sand, created the number "2" on top.

Overall, I only used finished diamonds as a small accent throughout. For example, the napkins at each place setting were tied with a band of black diamonds. The cake topper also had a black diamond accent on the calligraphed glass. The place I wanted diamonds and jewels to shine the most was in the bridal gown and the jewelry. The gorgeous gown pulled from Lovella Bridal's amazing inventory had tiny cross-hatches creating diamond shapes all over the dress. The headpiece and earrings were a little edgy and modern.

For the food, Meg Hall added some unique food to also help carry the theme. For example, she brought (on tasting spoons) tender duck yellow curry over black coconut rice. I loved the look of the black rice, an interesting twist that matched the black diamonds and sand I used on the table! She also included vanilla bean french macarons with a gold leaf brush stroke, yum!

Lastly, Eddie Zaratsian of Tic Tock Couture Florals brought an array of eclectic yet elegant flowers to this shoot. I wanted to use geodes, so in one shot you'll see that he placed one inside the main vessel as part of the arrangement. Another nod to "Diamond in the Rough". The coffee table centerpiece also used an actual rock as the vessel with then a gorgeous and soft floral arrangement blossoming from it. It all came out wonderfully!

This was such a fun shoot and I thank my entire team for all of their contributions and helping to make this all come together so beautifully!

~ Megan Ondercin of Megan Ondercin Event Design