We were so thrilled to have The Sweetest Occasion and Elizabeth Anne Designs team up with Chicago’s most fabulous bridal show, Indie Wed, to hold the first-ever in person Inspired Creations Contest! Teams of Chicago wedding vendors submitted inspiration boards for the event, and 6 talented teams were chosen to exhibit their Inspired Creations Contest concept at Indie Wed in January. In addition to the brides’ and grooms’ on site voting, votes from the EAD and TSO blog readers will be counted, so weigh in on your favorites!
The first gorgeous concept we’re going to highlight is a French tea party dessert table from Julia Franzosa Photography, Naturally Yours Events, Mignonette Bridal, and Luscious Layers Bakery! When shoots like this highlight the yummy treats and natural beauty of the French countryside it’s really hard not to drop everything and start packing! This sweet shoot is filled with feminine touches and rustic textures like lace details on the cake and the gorgeous handmade backdrop.
The following Chicago vendors contributed to this inspirational wedding concept:
Photographer – Julia Franzosa Photography \ Wedding Planner – Naturally Yours Events \ Bridal Gown – Mignonette Bridal \ Cakes – Luscious Layers Bakery \ Pastries – Floriole \ Floral – Larkspur \ Stationery and Paper Products – Julie Hanan Design \ Table – Architectural Artifacts \ Wall Artwork – Emmy Star Brown \ Makeup Artist – Makeup Your Beauty \ Hair Stylist – Erica with Lather Salon \ Veil and Accessories – Violet Bells \ Model- Jill Nyquist
View the Gallery 
Absolutly beautiful! Makes me want to plan my wedding all over again.
LOVE this design concept! Beautiful to say the least :)
Gorgeous, elegant…WOW. :)
Refreshing and light with a vintage feel. Love the look and the feel. Luscious Layers makes awesome gluten-free/vegan cakes and can attest to the bakery.
The fabric backdrop on this is phenomenal! Gorgeous job!
This is a beautiful arrangement, everything is just so elegant and I have always loved Tea Parties. The sweets & treats look so yummy and the decorations are so chic. I would have loved to have had something like this for my wedding.
absolutely gorgeous! completely captures the romance of the French countryside.
One thing viewers should also realize is that these photographs are from a live display they created at a big wedding show. There was so much going on around them that was out of their control and I think attests to each team’s skill and talent (especially with the photography) What you don’t see are the other booths next to, in front of, behind etc and all the people wandering about. Also, teams had a space limit and didn’t necessarily get to choose their location. And yet all the displays feel so calm and serene. Just wanted to give everyone a behind the scenes look at what all the teams had to work with. ;)
It looks absolutely beautiful, I love the way the dress manages to balance out a graceful softness with structured symmetry. The whole scene captures the French romance so perfectly- especially the irresistible macaroons. Gets my vote!
This is gorgeous! The details are spectacular. The photographer really captures the special details and gives it all an elegant flair. Well done!
Everything about this shoot is gorgeous. I absolutely love the dress and the flowers.
I actually had the chance to see this beautiful creation live at IndieWed. It had such a sweet, vintage feel that incorporated unique details such as the branch for the draping backdrop, with hung cotton. LOVE THAT! I also love the tagline… “Sweet Love” :)
Wow cheers to the French Tea Party team!! Everything looks absolutely gorgeous and enchanting… We are so thrilled to have been a part of such a beautiful shoot and show, and are excited to keep baking and planning and making this inspired creation a reality here. Can’t wait to see what’s next!
This is so beautiful! I love the soft romantic look. I want to live in this!
It’s so elegant. Just perfect! I could have one once a month !
Love love love! Great work!
Good lookin stuff! Very pretty and stylish.
Magnificent! Classic elegance yet fun and edgy. Great balance, the food looks really yummy too.
Beautiful! Fantastic photography, too.
So pretty!
The lighting from Art of Imagination is so pretty too! It makes the sweets look even more delicious.
Wow. What an inspiration. This french tea party could even work for bridal showers. Simply gorgeous.
Gorgeous palette of colors, and great textures. The deserts on the table have a perfect balance between delicate and delicious.
Beautiful! Makes me want to renew my vows. I suddenly have a craving for sweets…
Simply tasteful and gorgeous!!! Where were you when I renewed my wedding vows twice:)
This is amazing. What a great collaboration from all involved.
This is absolutely fabulous! Very tasteful and chic!
This makes me miss France! Though I don’t recall attending any tea parties. Well done! It looks like something right out of a dream.
love everything about this!
Ethereal and gorgeous.
I particularly loved the strips of musliney-fabric hanging in the back!
Beautiful design!
Such a pretty display! Gorgeous flowers & dress! Love the backdrop!
this looks amazing!!
Elegant, inviting, soft touches and very exquisite taste is what I imagine and feel when looking at this display. It’s a sense of present and past beautiful memories. This is definitely an eye catching and attractive wedding display.
Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.
perfection!
so beautiful – great work – this one is my fave!!
Sososososo pretty! This is the best!
So beautiful! Love this one!
Love it!
The French Tea Party is so elegant. It is very feminine and just beautiful.
Love love love all the ivory and the buttery yellow together!
I love all the styling from this tea party dessert table and want to use this inspiration for the next bridal shower that I throw.
Very pretty and romantic display. The desserts look delicious!
Beautiful!!!
I love this! The colors are great! :)
Amazing!!!
This is so elegant and pretty.
Yum! So pretty and scrumptious!
Could you have assembled a better group of vendors for this event? Nope. Nice work all. Its a beauty.
That is beautiful!
It is a very elegant setup and I love it.
I want to have a French tea party!!
Awesome!!! Very beautiful and creative :) Love it!!!!!
The presentation is quite awesome. The treats look very tasty. Being a man it is hard for me to say more than that.
Thumbs up!
Absolutely LOVE!!!!!!
This turned out so amazingly! The feel and setup of the whole display is very french rustic and cozy and the pictures are stunning. Would look wonderful at a wedding for sure. And who could pass up those desserts?
Classically elegant!
Gorgeous, elegant, sweet! Larkspur did the flowers for my wedding–and they were so perfect and beautiful that one of their arrangements is the first page of my wedding album!
So sweet and romantic!
I want to eat those desserts
Love everything about this! Absolutely gorgeous!!!
Nice display!!
Très chic!
Wow, this is beautiful. Very nice work!
Beautiful!!! I LOVE IT!!!
Awesome stuff!
What an awesome alternative to the typical wedding cake! I love the display and the ‘Sweet Love!’ sign. Very classy and timeless.
What an awesome display!! Love it!!
LOVVVVVVVVVE This! Very romantic and whimsical good work Carlene!
Excellent concept, as well as a wonderful eye for detail!
This is an amazing wedding. The bride’s makeup is so natural and perfect for this type of wedding. The lightening is perfect
Just love your work. It’s simple but so so classy. The cake is amazing and the scorn idea works well for sweets. The bride is glowing, so beautiful.
Very beautiful. Simple, elegant, and light.
Dress, hair, and make-up all go together great!
I love this! I have a friend that is getting married this summer. I will definitely send her this site. The makeup is quite lovely too!
It was especially wonderful meeting this group of entrepreneurial woman. The entire team was intelligent, very professional, and clearly at the top of their perspective field’s. I loved the vision of the French Tea Party inspired wedding theme and think it turned out beautifully. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this a huge success and to everyone who has supported us by voting!
A very beautiful and classic look. It all works together… the dress, make-up, and decor! Love it!
Simply amazing! Love the makeup!!
This is very beautiful and elegant down to every last detail but still has an effortlessly comfortable feel. What a beautiful blushing Bride … her face looks flawless and the dress is very romantic. The décor and flowers are gorgeous.
Nice work!
Nice!
French Tea Party Design…. amazing!!!!
Gorgeous! AND scrumptious!
beautiful and very elegant…
Such a beautiful and classy display. Everything looks very inviting as well.
French Party Tea Design, simply captivating. What a gorgeous canvas all of the artists created. Love the masterful blend of colors and mixtures that captured softness and romance. Perfection on the bridal make up, so fitting! Makes me want to plan my wedding (again).
Beautiful! Brings back memories of some of the places I stayed in southern France.
I loooove it!
A beautiful collaboration, well done!
soo dreamy. beautiful work.
love the soft colors.
Gorgeous design all around. Now I want a scone…
oh dear… makes me want to get married all over again… so very dear. so very well done.
Everything about this is perfect. Everything has definitely been put together with love!
OH MY GOODNESS! I love love love Mignonette! This is so beautiful!
so soft and pretty! i love the idea of a quaint and scrumptious tea party! and, that dress is divine…
Nice Job Carlene!
Love all the little touches, very nice!
Pretty pretty! Love that dress.
Wonderful! So simple yet well-done. You get the feeling that this is something you could throw together yourself…but then you realize you never could because everything has to be just perfect to achieve this air of simplicity.
Oh, and I love the dress!
Love this! Nice work!
So pretty! Love the dress so much I want to eat it, and I love cakes so much I want to wear them. That’s not weird, right? ;)
Very nice! Can’t wait for my wedding some day!
The cakes are fantastic!
Gorgeous!
I love the back drop!!
Love the vintage look to this! Looks easy enough to recreate as well
so pretty! lovely cake!
Very elegant and simple!
Beautiful display!
Very nice!
I want that cake! Such a delicate and perfect design. I wish there were other closeups of the side cakes. Overall a lovely spread!
Very nice!
Good job Carlene!
Looks delicious!
Beautiful!
Quite beautiful!!!
i love the color palette and the teacup brimming with macaroons!
so beautiful, soft and elegant!
Stunning. Just stunning.
So beautiful and romantic! I love the colors and the ethereal quality everything has! Well done, everyone!
Katy Kristin
Gorgeous, I could live in those photos and dresses and eat those sweets, I want to wake up in those images!
That dress is absolutely amazing! I love it!!
Beautiful! I love everything I see here!
This all looks very beautiful and would make any couple a memorable wedding.
Amazing!!!
Good job! So beautiful.
Wow – stunning. Very chic & whimsical….
Great job! absolutely beautiful!
So delicate and lovely, all-around!
omg…. obsessed with how cute this is! I love love love. Totally stealing these ideas for my own wedding coming up in a year or so! :)
I love this design… (: It is beautiful(:
So beautiful and inspiring!
Absolutely love it!
What an exquisite display! I love everything…the colors, the mood, and that bouquet and backdrop are absolutely gorgeous! Well done :)
Très belle! And those macarons–delish!
Thumbs up for rock n’ roll!
love this!
Absolutely beautiful!
This is an excellent display of elegance! I would love to see this setup in person!
This is like a dream! :-) Love it!
What a great idea. Loved the backdrop, the dresses and that cake! Knew it had to be one of Ashley’s. I hope to see more of these.
Please cut me a piece of cake!
the palette & style is so seamless; I love the cotton hanging from the backdrop, and those cherry scones look to die for. Actually, full disclosure, I’ve eaten many a scone from Floriole, and they ARE to die for :)
Very beautiful!
So delicate & beautiful. I love this look….IF there’s a wedding in my future I would love a classic & gorgeous look like this :)
Absolutely stunning. Elegant and chic and very sophisticated!
Looks very romantic…I especially love the window panes with lace. Very Creative!
Simply gorgeous!!
Simply beautiful and very creative designs!! Makes me want to help plan a wedding again!!!
gorgeous, warm, toasty hues! Im so in love!
I love the palette, warm and luscious. Very romantic and sensual.
I very elegant set up, seems quite nostalgic!
So elegant and beautiful… I felt like I was there and wanted to sit and have tea with the bride. The photographs are so intimate and charming.
Thought the wedding dress on WGN Mid-day news looked great!
It’s true, I worked on this display. But all I contributed was the dress and the gorgeous model. What I didn’t help with is the amazing concept, and pulling it all together. All credit goes to Carlene for making it happen. I am so proud that I got to be part of this setup!
What a wonderful concept! Simple with a touch of vintage European elegance.
Wow…gorgeous! Absolutely stunning. Well done!
What a gorgeous color palette, every detail is lovely!
Love love LOVE the backdrop and all the lacy details!
Very beautiful!! Well done!
Great concept and execution.
The color design and the beauty of the simplicity go well together.
Bride’s face looks great!