I feel SO lucky because the month of April was filled with weddings of people I have the privilege of knowing and loving. Cullen, the groom, and I met one another about 13 years ago, when we moved into a new housing tract next door to one another. I was in 8th grade. We pretty much became fast friends and spent the better half of our highschool years hanging out, playing basketball and talking from window to window [yep, our rooms were that close]. This sounds like a creepy thing- but it wasn’t! Now, after ALL of this time, I had the pleasure of working with him and his beautiful WIFE, Chrissy, on their wedding day! When I met Chrissy, I knew instantly that her beautiful essence must have been what drew these two together initially. She is full of life and love, and I was so happy that my friend had found someone to compliment him so perfectly! That being said… the day was a WARM one, but turned out quite gorgeous!

I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures. The couple got married at the Westin South Coast Plaza, and the hotel is huge and I was running around the entire day. My camera was heavy and holding me back, so it got ditched quite a bit. But, still, here’s the day:

The ceremony site on the Terrace outside:

Um, yep. GORGEOUS flowers provided by Commerce Flowers. That’s one huge arch and the splashes were soo amazing. More detail pictures on that later.

The ceremony:

A quick snap of the programs:

Centerpieces in the cocktail area, as I took a quick walk to ensure our set up was ready:

Guestbook:

I pulled the tablecloth longer in front because the table legs were showing and I’m anal. I know. This picture is taken from the side. That being said… sand ceremony table:

Seconds before THE KISS:

MR. and MRS.

Too cute!!!

Some floral details from the ceremony area:

Into the room, as we were still setting it:

The cake. Wow. This cake was beyond gorgeous. The cascading flowers killed me.

Wow. Um, I have a lot of photos of this cake. These are just the ones I pulled to blog. But, hey, ranunculus ARE my favorite flower. See those lush beauties with the dark centers?? Who couldn’t love them and keep snapping photos??

C & C had a “wine” theme for their wedding, as they have been wine tasting together dozens of times over their years and both are total wine lovers. Their favors [not pictured- sad face!] were wine stoppers, and their tables were named after wineries. Here they are, laying out before being put up:

The grand entrance [and into the first dance!]:

Toasts:

The beginning of what would appear to be a beautiful slideshow. Unfortunately, the groom’s computer crashed on us! Gotta love those technical complications!! We had a good time, none the less:

[Actually, the picture right after this has the groom, his best man, and another two groomsmen crowding around the computer and the groom flipping off his laptop. It's pretty funny]. So, we skipped it and went straight into the father daughter and mother son:

A snap of the bride’s fab bouquet:

And their sweetheart’s splash:

Mother/Son:

A snap of the Westin’s chandelier. To. Die. For.

Cake cutting:

Love that you can see their engraving on the knife…

Cullen, being himself:

A snap of their menu, which was in put into each guest’s napkin pocket:

Bathroom basket detail:

Bathroom shot:

I must say that my hair is looking particularly MER-licious, and despite the fact that it had been 100 degrees outside, I still had it down!!!

A present for the groom…

Boxers with lace on the bottom… it’s a family thing, apparently! Haha!!

Cullen was a good sport- he even modeled them for the crowd.

The toss:

Garter-style:

The garter-catcher and the bouquet-catcher being very good sports and playing along: [I love C & C in the back on this one!!]

Some details of the centerpieces, before we cleaned up for the night:

And, thanks to Steph, a picture of me right after the reception closed for the night. Whew! It was a LONG day:

All in all, the day went great! The bride was beautiful and calm, the groom was relaxed and they all had a GREAT time! The room was full of love and laughter- what more could a coordinator ask for??

I know- sometimes I think I post about personal stuff TOO much. But, hey, my life is personal! Besides, after this week, I have a loong string of weddings coming your way!

That being said, my husband was in a music video last week for a friend of ours that he took the time to produce a few songs for. The band, which currently only has a lead singer as an actual member, is called StereoTypical, and Taylor is only 16. He rocks. Literally. Almost as much as Josh [who, just so you know, doesn't primarily play drums- he plays bass- but for video's sake, was on drums that day]!

All the while, they had a few photographers following them around for the day. The scene was supposed to be set in a “mental institution”, so half the time the guys were playing, and the other half… they were “trying” to play while in straight jackets. They spent about 2 and a half hours straight in their straight jackets, under lights that kept them somewhere around 100 degrees warm. I’m sure Josh loved it! Here’s some pictures to prove it:

That’s Taylor, and our friend Tom in the background.

The best part? The video shoot was scheduled around Taylor getting his braces off! Love it!!

What we DON’T have pictures of is the marks all over Josh’s arms after they finished shooting the straight jacket scenes. Since they were supposed to “struggle” and try to play, his arms were covered in scratches and scrapes from the canvas of the jackets. So sad!! My husband is totally the best! Red beard and all!!

A quick blog to talk about the big questions regarding Save The Date announcements!

What: Save The Date cards are most typically a pre-invitation to a wedding. Basically, what you’re telling your guests is that you have a date and location picked, and the rest of the information will be on the way to them in the future. Since formal invitations are typically sent about two months to six weeks in advance, a STD is a great way to give your guests ample time to prepare for your wedding. Also, it’s a great way to get your friends and family excited for your big day!

The DO: Take the time to include a link to your planning website, if you have one. The more you can keep yourselves on their mind, the better chance you have of your loved ones making it a priority to be with you that day!

The DON’T: Don’t feel like STDs are mandatory! In some groups and families, word of mouth is just as good, if not more effective, than a mailed card! If you know that applies to you, you can save a bit of money and skip them all together without any qualms.

Who: People receiving save the dates can play a huge roll regarding attendance to your wedding- both good, and bad. Save the dates are a great idea for guests who are coming in from out of town, weddings that are scheduled for a weekday rather than a weekend, or destination weddings.

The DON’T: When sending out STDs to friends and family, ensure that your guest list is 100% solid- you do NOT want to be sending them out to people who will get cut from the list later and will end up waiting for an invite in the mail! This is a huge etiquette no-no and will likely end in hurt feelings and confusion.

The DO: Feel free to send out STDs to your whole guest list. Sometimes this will feel a bit overboard because if they don’t need to travel or are a close friend, they may not technically need an STD to remember your wedding date. But, it’s never a bad idea to spend a little money for the convenience of your guests. Something to remind them that the invite is coming and to mark their calendar is a great way to ensure that those closest to you will be there.

Where: Getting STDs these days is very, very easy! Anything from Magnets, to Postcards are available not only through the internet, but basically anywhere that sells wedding invitations! There are some great places these days to find something that totally fits your personality and vibe for your wedding. If you’re having trouble, remember to email ME and I’ll pull you through!

The DO: Get an STD that fits you and your fiancé. Don’t feel like you need to spend a bunch of time picking out something formal, or even something that “fits” your wedding theme. If it reflects you and your personalities, it’s perfect! Oh, and don’t forget- including pictures is a HUGE crowd-pleaser!

The DON’T: Don’t stress over being able to afford an STD. Many places these days can make postcards for a steal of a deal. You may be able to spend as little as $50 to get STDs for 100 families. In the end, that’s one of the cheapest things you can get in this industry! It may seem like a frivolous expense, but doing it right can be informative for your guests AND keep the cost down!

When: When you’re sending out STDs, the best time to do it is…well, now! As soon as your ducks are in a row, per say. When you have your date pinned down and your venue booked, now is as good of time as any! Keep in mind, with your invites going out two months prior, you want your STDs to be affective. Depending on the length of your engagement, being practical is key. I would say anywhere from 8 to 12 months out is appropriate for a STD to guests. Anything longer than that may result in total memory lapse by your guests anyhow!

The DO: Be efficient about ordering and addressing your STDs. The last thing you want is to become stressed early on in the engagement! The more you can avoid that for yourself, the better. Set personal deadlines that make sense to you two, as a couple. If you have goals set that are clear cut, you’ll tend not to break them.

The DON’T: Don’t let this turn into a big deal! It’s a great gesture to friends and family alike, but as I said above- only you know your family and crowd! If it turns into an argument over the cost, the timeline, the style… it’s not worth it! Focus on things that will bring you two together. Compromise, as marriage will tell, is key! If one of you wants something funky and new, and the other wants something more traditional, take the time to understand one another and start your engagement off on the right foot! Or, at least keep it on that foot!!

All in all, STDs can be a huge asset to any wedding. Not only do they provide insight into the actual event, but more of the time, they’re actually introducing your guests to you- the couple! Sometimes family will not have met both the bride and the groom- what a treat to be given a great engagement picture! Remember, keep it fun and keep having fun! Take the time to stop and be thankful for your engagement period, as stressful as it may be… it will be one of the best memories you take with you!

Okay, so I haven’t posted lately. That’s because the past two weeks of class I had to skip. Blerg. BUT, this Friday we made the trek up to the Los Angeles Flower Market [you know, my fave] with the class so that our teacher could give us a formal tour of the market [old hat for this experienced Flower Market Pro, right??] and then we got to shop and create our own arrangements! Steph and I chose a lovely array of ranunculus [my favorite favorite favorite flower, if I haven't said so 10 times arleady!], lilac [in white], tulips, gerbera daises, and some chrysanthemums. So fun! THEN, I waited until late at night to photograph, and used the lamp on my entry table to work with “natural light” [watch me as I switch from florist mode to photographer mode...] and the images came out stunning!! Hope you enjoy!

Not sure if these next two are my arrangement, Steph’s, or one of each…

This is Steph’s overflow arrangement. Two stems of lilac and one daisy. It’s actually in a votive holder!

At this point, aren’t you asking yourself why my lamp and end table ROCK soooo hard???

Steph’s arrangement:

[Again, not sure if these next few are mine or hers... it'd make sense that the earlier were mine and these were hers, but sometimes my photo-taking is random and not in any order what so ever....]

My overflow:

Note to my readers: this arrangement was, by far, my hardest and most frustrating yet! This is my 2nd attempt at it. I’ve always known that I am NOT good with flowers that grow and bloom upward, like Larkspur, Stock, Hyacinth, Lilac… you can see most of these here if you don’t know what I’m talking about. They are very frustrating for me to design with. I think I’m just not “there” yet. I think it came out really well after attempt #2, but I know that my arrangement, unlike Stephanie’s, is more loose and garden-y, where as hers turned out very round and cute and quasi-perfect. Sad face.

Moral of the story: respect your florist for what they do! It’s such a skill and it takes such natural ability on top of that. I have new respect for florists each time I attempt to arrange! Hopefully some day, I’ll get the swing of things and become a true jack of all trades!

The vision for all of these tabletops is not as much to think OUTSIDE the box, but more to have my clients be able to browse through my gallery for inspiration that they can attain and make happen. It may focus on brides that are more willing to “do it themselves” with creative projects, but it also adds in some great color combinations and some funky pops and ideas! 

For my first displayed table top, I choose to present the Garden theme. I thought it went perfectly with spring and it may inspire some of you to get a jump start on your ‘09 nuptials after seeing all this great spread!! Sometimes, we just need a moment of inspiration. I love the idea of a backyard, simple wedding that really creates an elegant and laid back vibe at the same time. I chose to do a collection of clear glass bud vases featuring all white flowers and heavy greens [compliments of the lovely Treasured Petal], to accent the dark, mossy “chanel” linen [from EDSL]. I added elongated place mats in this cool in spin on gingham to brighten up the table and keep that warm, home-spun feel going. Clear glass plates brought the theme together and kept the look chic and clean, and adding a printed round menu [with a delicate scalloped edge] underneath the glass plate gave into the playful laid back spirit that we wanted to keep running through our theme. The favors were jasmine scented soaps and bottles of Izze pear fruit juice, tied with a ribbon [straw attached!]. We added in some funky tealight holders to keep the interest going and voila! Some of the fabulous details, provided by Jonilyn, who spent one long day photographing all 9 of these table sets [but you'll have to wait to see the rest!!]:

Remember that a garden wedding is perfect for this spring season that’s upon us! Relish our beautiful California weather, and live it up with an outdoor reception that still creates a warm and inviting atmosphere for your guests! 

Well, this started off as a post about my hair, and how MER-riffic it’s becoming. But, then, I just started looking through old pictures and decide to throw a few personal, quirky, and old ones in there for you. So, trying to stay in order from oldest to most recent… here we go:

Dating [first time around], June 2000:

Engagement, July 2003:

Wedding, September 2003:

First Christmas, 2003:

This is where they start to get fuzzy with the timeline, so just go with it…

And these are definitely in the past two years…

And most recently…

Now, how’s THAT for a post filled with vanity??? Some day, when I get around to scanning in all of the old photos laying around my home, we will all share in MANY more memories together. Fun, right! I’m glad I get to leave you all with something to look forward to!! Ha ha!!!

Hot off the blogs of their FAB entourage from Saturday!

Here’s my FAVORITE photo that Becker has up [just one of his many breath-taking images!]:

And my favorite from Brian Khang, who shot along side Becker and did a phenomenal job! These solo portraits kill me!

Be sure to check out BOTH of their blogs to see more amazing photos from Nick and Tina’s big day!!

I’m sitting here in the last moments of April 12, and I just HAD to blog about the fab wedding today! Seriously, the day went flawlessly and the couple was so amazing to work with! I truly LOVE my job!

When I arrived at Tina’s house, she gave me a smile:

And then it was off to Arroyo Trabuco for the rest of the evening! But on my way out, I snapped a shot of the boys [who were on their way to the venue as well- and Nick and Tina were definitely avoiding seeing one another!!]

I had the honor of working with the fabulous [b]ecker and I loved every moment of it! Some snaps of Tina’s portrait session:

[The girls]

I was blown away by the florals. Huge compliments to The Flower Girl!!!

Nick and Tina are huge comic fans. So, for their table names, they choose to honor those classic comic couples!

Back to portraits, details and pre-ceremony fun!

The groom and his family:

A snap of their guestbook. Of course, Becker is responsible for that amazing engagement photo!

Ready for “The Walk”:

The maid of honor, Ashley, and I trying to coach our flower girl down the aisle!

Christina opted to have her whole family walk her down the aisle. Then, when the pastor asked who was giving her away, her father said “her family and I”. It was a really personal, sweet touch!

Programs, made by yours truly!!

Now, heading inside for some more details…

This special, special touch you see here [suspended balloons above the dance floor], was Tina’s idea. She came to me about 3 weeks ago with the AMAZING idea to drop balloons during one of the last dances, 99 Red Balloons [in German, in honor of their honeymoon to Germany]. The DJ called everyone onto the dance floor for the drop and it was truly magical! Unfortunately, no pictures. So, you’ll just have to use your imagination!!

Back to ceremony…

And JUST in time!

Giving the ring bearer a high-five after a job well done!

More details:

And now, some bride and groom shots!

A small break for these two images. My FAVORITE part of the day: after the ceremony, before the photographers stole Nick and Tina away, another couple came to view the site. Tina, being who she is, went over, struck up a conversation, had a laugh, and gave a hug to the pair!!

The memorial table for those who couldn’t be with us:

Grand Entrance [pardon the blurry]…

Into the first dance…

Cake. Delicious. Yummy. Gorgeous. Cake.

A few of the speeches…

Their candy buffet, of all colors and STUFFED with their favorite candies, was a hit and ended up so pretty!!!

Nick, giving a hug and making the rounds with the guests:

Father/Daughter:

Mother/Son:

What’s my favorite part about the above picture? Nick and his mom, or my husband, peeking out over Nick’s shoulder at my camera??

Yummmmmmm!

A quick word from the couple before the cake cutting:

I love the grip of Nick’s hand on Tina’s. It just feels so intimate!

The first “trust test”:

The Toss!!

The Catch!!

My FAVE shot of the night. For their grand exit, we handed out party poppers to the guests. They were showered with sparkly confetti! I only caught one image, but I love the way Nick’s holding his wife, and that dazzling sparkle going on all above them!

Tina and Nick were truly such a joy to work with! Not only did I get to know them so much better on a personal level, but the way they treat one another and the love that surrounded them and their families today was so amazing! I was privileged to be a part of it!! I love you two!!!