Art & Design of Kelli Murray

Here is the latest! My friend TORI who has been a huge supporter of my work over the years asked me to create a custom painting for her best friend Myka to surprise her with on her wedding day.  How fun!  Tori sent me all sorts of inspiration…all of which I was in LOVE with (it seems we share a similar style!).  Myka’s outfit was too cute for words : A short feather tiered dress by Aidan Mattox, a giant flower headpiece and a simple cotton bouquet! (her parents are cotton farmers!)

Below are some photos from Myka and Georges destination wedding in Careml Valley, CA shot by Melissa Diep.

For more pictures and the FULL SCOOP, visit Style Me Pretty.

Let’s take just a minute and swoon over this old rustic barn……

Tori propped up the painting at the reception for Myka and G to discover during the night, and Tori later told me that the surprise was met with screams, squeals, and tears!! yay!

Thanks Tori and congrats Myka!!  You are one lovely bride!!

Check out Tori’s blogs : SITTING IN A TREE and TULLE AND FEATHERS !!!

Over the weekend I was super busy with commissioned illustrations! Three are still three in the works but ONE I was able to finish!  That being the Save the Date Postcard for adorable couple Brian and Tina.  Tina gave me some inspiration, drawing from the look of the STD I designed for my own wedding, along with a handful of photos to reference (I even included their precious pup Izzy!).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

They are getting married at the incredible Smog Shoppe in Culver City, LA.  I have only seen photos of this place but it seems like the perfect wedding spot.  I’ve heard it described as sort of a mix of Paris meets Anthropologie meets a thrift store meets Flora Grubb.  Fabulous!

images via Jac Photography

images via GreenWeddingShoes

I asked my good friend Russell Brownley if he we do me the honor of putting together a short video of Sam and I for our wedding day.  Instead of the traditional slideshow you often see at receptions, I wanted to create something a little different…. more of a video montage of past and present…. combining archival footage with Super 8 film.  I scrounged up some old home videos from Sam’s parents as well as my own, footage they had shot of us when we were kids, and converted them all onto DVD’s.  I spent far too many nights sitting on the couch with my family crying with laughter over these videos.  Ohhhh the memories!   I spent hours sifting through old photo boxes picking out my favorites from each “stage” of childhood.  And then i went through my own albums and pulled pictures from when Sam and I first started dating up until now.

I have always loved the old Super 8 style film, and lucky for me, Russell had just the right stuff to make it happen.  He took us out a few evenings after work and shot us at the beach and riding bikes around our neighborhood.  I handed off all the old DVD’s and pictures I had gathered to Russell, and he ran with it from there.  When I saw the video he had made for us for the first time, I nearly started crying.  It is exactly what I was hoping for.

Kelli and Sam. from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.

I wanted to share the incredible video Matthew Forrey put together for Sam and I on our wedding day.  He pieced together and edited the footage all in under two hours (during cocktail hour of the wedding) and we were able to share it with guests at the end of the night on a huge projector screen! It had the whole crowd in tears!  Every time I watch it, it brings me back to that very moment, and I re-live the joy of that day all over again.  Thank you Matt for creating such a timeless treasure.

Hold tight….it may take a minute to load.

Kelli + Sam – Same Day Edit/Wedding Trailer from Matthew Forrey on Vimeo.

So the photo booth at the wedding was a big hit! We splurged a little on all the film for the polaroid camera…but it was well worth it!  I had a few friends help me get together all the props (thanks Dana and Suzy!)  We had fur coats and gloves, hats, pearls, vintage glasses, bow ties, mustaches and hand painted masks! (Those things weren’t easy!) Along the lace backdrop we hung vintage frames that people could use as props as well. It was fun to see everyone get into it.  Here are some of my favorite shots!