What a fun wedding this was! I must admit, on Friday at the rehearsal we were all a bit afraid of the chilly weather and the outdoor ceremony [with no heaters on the premesis!] . But, it was SO much warmer and tolerable on Saturday that it was a perfectly pleasant and GORGEOUS day at Sherman Gardens! 

When I arrived, the room was a blank slate and the ceremony site was just begining to get the decor treatment from Suzanne Smith. So, it looked something like this:

And this:

Jenny, my beautiful bride, was so calm and collected and so able to roll with the punches, even with being late showing up to the site! Here’s a good sneak at some of her portraits, her initial meeting ["special moment"] with Bryan, and some wedding party photos!

And onto the ceremony!!!

Mr. and Mrs. [!!!!!]

Immediately after their ceremony, Jenny and Bryan decided to do a picture that included all of their wedding guests, as it was a small gathering of friends and family [68 total]. This is what we ended up with:

As I’m a HUGE fan of personal details and such, here’s some great details from throughout the evening:

[Jenny and Bryan named their tables after computer and internet phrases!]

Aisle decor moved to the head table’s chairs:

The amazing chairs at Sherman Gardens!!

[beats renting Chivaris!!!]

The bartender actually threw this together half way through the evening. He was a crack up! [And had great style, too!!]:

Before:

And, after Suzanne was done:

Toss bouquet with bead wrap:

Some of Jenny’s fab details:

And onto the reception and it’s events!!

First Dance of the bride and groom:

Toasts of our best man and maid of honor:

I didn’t catch and image of it, but Bryan gave the most beautiful toast to his new wife!

Onto the cutting of the cake:

They had a terrific slideshow:

The Toss!

And, of course, the biggest highlight of the evening… the Krispy Kreme delivery!

Jenny and Bryan got enough to give each guest a 2 pack! It was such a lovely gesture and the guests ate the up- literally!

It was SO fun and SUCH a gorgeous wedding to work on. There was dancing and drinks and fun had by all! And after I sent my assistants to drop off the gifts in the bride and groom’s suite that night, I found this and had to snap a few shots:

So cute!!! Only one wedding left now before 2008 is here! Christi and Daniel, get through Christmas and then it’s YOUR turn!

Okay, so my email has been acting SUPER funky lately. I can’t tell if my mail is being sent or not. In some cases I’m getting it kicked back to me as un-deliver-able but people are still getting my messages [ I think...?]. I can’t tell! And even when I DON’T get a message saying it’s been kicked back, it’s not showing up in some people’s email [like my sister's, or my mother's...]

Anyway- PLEASE know that I have replied to every single email and inquiry form that I have gotten. IF you have not received an email back from me, please let me know! I’m figuring right now that the ball is in everyone else’s court so if you haven’t heard from me or need me to re-send my response, just drop me a line and let me know. I definately don’t want any misunderstandings or confusion because of this! And please know that I do have a hotmail email address as a backup- getinthenow@hotmail.com

Stay tuned for my blog from tomorrow’s wedding at Sherman Gardens!

You know when there’s that one little thing that happens and it turns the course of your WHOLE day? 

I am having an off day. I am not bouncing back so well because, well, certain things I take very personally. Typically, I can compartmentalize and be fine. But, you know, there are just some things that bring me down! So, although today has started out like…

I’ve managed to get myself [through retail therapy...] to here:

And hopefully, by the end of the night, back to my normal:

It’s off to spend a much needed night with my two biggest fans and favorite friends: my sister and my husband. Nothing is better than two people who love you and are on your side!

I am a big fan of wedding programs. I know a lot of couples plan on doing this and then in the last hectic weeks of planning, programs are the first things to be cut, but they are really worth the effort for what they bring to the ceremony.

Some of the functions of programs:

*Explain the traditions incorporated into the ceremony [especially if there is a family tradition, a tradition based on ethnicity or culture or religion, or a "wedding" tradition that deserves an explanation of what it means to you] to the guests.
*Can be a double-use, most commonly made into a fan [especially popular for summer nuptials!].
*It’s a GREAT way to introduce your wedding party [not only naming them, but introducing their relationship to the bride and groom- how you met, why they were chosen, etc].
*It’s a GREAT way to honor the important people in your lives [ take the time to write a small message to important people- as in your parents, siblings, other important family members, your pastor, or the people involved in the wedding party].
*Take the time to thank your guests for attending.
*Show some insight into your relationship by exposing a love letter or poem written from one of you to the other. This is a great way to get PERSONAL with your guests and help them feel involved!

Plus, they’re BEAUTIFUL!

Here’s some inspiration from some of my ‘07 brides for you: 

 

Alyssa’s one-page program was a great way to keep it short and simple!

 


Amber’s booklet-style programs followed suit with her invitations! 

Ashley’s programs also matched her invites- this is great for people in a time pinch, just order them through the same company that you order your invitations from! 

Jordyn’s programs doubled as fans! 

 

Rachel’s program basket gave the guests an introduction to the ceremony site. Also, her detailed design on them really brought together the feel and color of her day! 

Jenny kept her programs sweet and simple, but made them large and easy to read!

One of my best friends in life, Angela, just took a trip down memory lane and posted some of her wedding photos from 2004 up for me to grab and re-post here!Angela and I were roommates and best friends before we got married. There was a period of time where myself, Angela, and a co-worker of mine Katie [seen here in the pictures as well] were inseparable. They were my strong fortress when my husband [while we were dating] was gone on tour for months at a time.Angela lives in Murietta and Katie lives in San Diego, but we’ve all really kept it a point to keep in touch and remain close. Do you know those friends you have that are just a part of your soul no matter what you do? That’s these girls. I have a handful in life of them, and this is 2. So, without further delay… some pictures from the wedding of Angela and Jason!Angela’s colors were Orange and Navy and for 2004 she was pretty avant-garde. We actually had to get these dresses made. They were quite a statement.:)Katie is the one closest to the camera!Matron of honor speech:Angela and Kate.The lovely couple. Jason, Angela’s husband, is so fun! He actually used to be a pro-skater but now he’s a nurse at CHOC. He does still skateboard from the bus stop to the hospital though- in his scrubs! Hey, it beats driving in that California traffic!  :)

So, I just made up a monogram for my bride with a 5-month engagement. I know, for most of my reader’s this is a panic attack waiting to happen, but we’re working through it!We’re almost 100% set on vendors and only have to get through the holidays, a tasting, and one or two more meetings before we’re set for the day. We jammed through their planning so far and I really love working with them so closely and so often [seeing as everything has to be done pretty immediately, we see each other often]! They just approved their invites and are all on board for their modern-garden style monogram: 

And, in other news, I JUST got posted for the first time on Project Wedding. Project wedding is a vendor review site based in California and it has everyone who is anyone in the industry posted on it. If you’re a former bride of mine reading this I would LOVE more reviews. Go HERE to leave a review for me. Please, please, please! The more reviews you have, the more seriously you’re taken. I’d love to end 2007 with a bang!

Wow. Courtney and Nick wedding was SUCH a great night for everyone. First off, it didn’t rain… even with an 80% chance of raining and a forecast of 3-4 inches- it didn’t. The night was cool and crisp, but DRY! My camera broke on me, so I didn’t get any pictures. BUT, my new assistant Jen saved the day for me and took some snap shots. I’m really hoping their photographer pulls through for me with some great shots. Until then, this will have to tide you over! Oh, the whole event took place at El Adobe De Capistrano!.The aisle had such a warm glow!  We had hydrangea clusters the chairs and candles lining the aisle. It was so simple and elegant. Candles were the main focus in the ceremony, with two candelabras [holding 7 candles each!] at the front, and two single candelabras at the back of the aisle!  [These columns and swag behind the head table were a last-minute addition because of how high our chances of rain were. Had it rained up out, we'd hold the ceremony inside, right where the head table is, and then assemble the head table after the ceremony. That means the guests would have been sitting at their reception tables for the ceremony. Not an ideal plan B, but it's all we had. I'm so thrilled we didn't have to compromise anything!]   Courtney’s colors were ivory, black, and sage. Her dress was a GORGEOUSLY details ivory dream and she wore that thing like it was nobody’s business. She was so positive the whole day- praying it didn’t rain and seeing the up-side of things! I loved her for it.  She really and truly just wanted to get and BE married. And that’s what it’s ALL about! That’s Courtney and Nick with Court’s family. Aren’t they too much??   The bridal bouquet smelled AMAZING because of the gardenia in it! But what this shot is really about is that “something blue” that Courtney is sporting. Nick’s parents gave Courtney this blue topaz [which is the December birthstone- and Courtney's birthstone!] ring as her “something blue” for her wedding. What is even more special, is that they intend to make her the first to receive what is to be a family heirloom. They want her to pass it on to her daughter on her wedding day, and so on. So really, she’s first in the line of what’s to come. It was such a touching gesture!

 

The cutting of the cake was great. This is the only action shot of theirs I have from the evening… but Court and Nick cut QUITE the piece of cake. It was a pretty perfect slice [I must be getting pretty good at directions on how to do this! Ha ha]. My favorite was that the cake was chocolate, so Courtney kept holding the knife because it was messy and she didn’t want to put it down on their ivory linens. Let’s hope their after-feed kiss had that knife cropped out of the picture!:)Really, though, their night was amazing! It was full of fun and family. The dance floor was packed, the guests were a riot, and Courtney and Nick got to dance the night away and leave in their fully-decorated Honda Civic. What more could I ask for? I’ll post some pro pics the moment I see them!!   

Wedding stamps are important to me. I’m not exactly sure why, maybe because it truly is the FIRST impression [your whole envelope is, for that matter]. At the moment, these are my top pick for my favorite stamps [for any occasion, frankly]!  Love the simple, serene beauty of it. And, in other news… after 6 weekends “off” [I say "off" and not off, because I think there was only one weekend without a meeting or two thrown in there], I HAVE A WEDDING TOMORROW. Courtney and Nick are the best and I am so looking forward to their wedding. We’re praying for dry skies for only a few hours… the weather forecast is giving up TONS of hope, but I’m still holding my breath! More to come over the weekend on this, so check back in soon!