Okay, so not really, truly, technically “blogged”. BUT, Lea and Ryan’s 2nd photographer, Jered Scott [who happens to be a personal friend of mine!], sent these detail pictures over to me and I am filled with glee!

[Beautiful!!!!!]

Love it!!! And, my very fave:

Whew! SUCH a fun night!!! With all of the events I’ve been blessed enough to work lately, I’m so anxious each time I check my favorite blogs! I just cannot WAIT to see images from the weddings I’ve been a part of so far in June and July. I’ll post as I receive, and then you can share in my joy!!

If you’re a blog reader of mine, you may be confused already. I know, I know. Pru and Con are already married! So, technically, these are “newly-wed” shots. But, being even more technical- these ARE their engagement pics, and I didn’t get to pull them from Evoke Photography’s blog until the day after their wedding, which is the first time I saw them outside of a slideshow format. Too good not to post, here’s a few of my faves:

She is rocking that blue dress that nobody else could!

I’m swooning over them! I seriously cannot WAIT to see their wedding blogged by Evoke! Thanks Mike and Emi for amazingness continually!

Such is life.

So, I couldn’t even narrow it down to ONE pet peeve this time. You’re getting a doozie overload of Amanda anality in this one!

1. Pet Peeve #1: wrong apostrophes. I know, I make spelling errors and word errors all the time [like they're not their, or are not our- for no good reason except for the fact that I'm typing too fast without thinking]. But, apostrophe errors kill me. Apostrophes are to be used after a person’s name if it pertains to OWNERSHIP or POSSESSION. It particularly bothers me when it’s posted in businesses or on signs. Or on invitations of any kind. Or emails. Okay! It just bothers me!! :) Here’s a few examples below from THIS blog that totally get me!

Ewww!!!

2. Every time I see an ad for the up-and-coming Kath and Kim show, I get super excited. This is right up my alley and I can’t wait!!

3. iPhone!!!!! Nope. Not yet. Sad face. I just cannot stomach the lines to get one. Maybe next week…

4. More exciting positive stuff: My Tabletop Gallery is up on my site and totally accessible now! That means you can see all 9, including ones that have yet-to-be blogged. Fun city!!

5. Wedding trend I’m looooving: upgraded linens! I swear it’s like taffeta is the new satin. Satin seems like an almost standard option these days in the tabletop world, and I am A-OK with that! I know to many new faces to the scene it may seem like a huge jump in price but it doesn’t HAVE to be. That’s why I’m here! Pintuck taffeta, solid taffeta, striped taffeta, cushion, the list goes on… I’m in love with these decadent choices! And what’s a better way to make your sweetheart table POP than with a luscious upgraded linen? Check out places like Fusion Linens,
BBJ Linen, Dress My Chair and Wildflower Linen for an amazing inspiration overload!!

6. Josh-ism that makes me love him: wait… let me preface this with the “my husband is NOT stupid and I don’t think him to be stupid for ONE second… I do think him to be a bit un-attentive in his youth, however” comment. Now, onto the -ism: once when we were driving through a huge crop of veggies, I started naming them off, and then Josh and I started passing them back and forth…”tomato”, “potato”, “lettuce”, “cabbage”… but when I got to “cucumber”, he quickly replied back with “pickles!”- literally thinking that pickles grew in crops. In a field. I had to delicately explain to him that pickles were nothing different than cucumbers. This was two years ago. At the ripe age of 24. Scary, right??

7. Blog Stalking. I’m SUPER into it. I stalk quite a few photographers and leave comments when I’m moved to do so [okay, pretty often]. But what I DON’T get enough of is Florist blogs. Seriously- how much would we all, clients and vendors alike, benefit from florists blogging their beautiful arrangements on a weekly basis at least. I know that Flower Allie keeps a blog, but I want to see more! And, that being said, Kristin of The Treasured Petal is teasing me with ideas that a blog of hers is in the works! Gasp at the thought! I’m soo excited I can hardly stand it!!!

8. Date night on Sunday with Josh was great. Since we both work from home, sometimes it can get a bit stir-crazy in this place. We went to Dana Point and walked around, watched the sunset, and just spent time falling in love. It was the BEST. Pics to prove:

Sigh. I’m in love.

9. A quick FAQ that I want my clients to know how I feel about as a whole…

As a general rule, I’m not “bothered” by clients who are seeking advice, decor input, or help. I love getting involved with my clients. I get really, REALLY emotionally involved with all of my couples and I love being invited into the plans, regardless of what package I’m booked for. That being said, please please please be understanding of my schedule and gracious with my time! Because I’m a big ball of mush for all of you and for weddings as a business, I’ll always make time to give in. I’m just asking for patience and grace in case I get super busy in any given week!! Just know that I love you, I love your event, and I want to be a part of it as much as I can emotionally and physically and possibly be! So, feel free to invite me in!!!

10. Alright. It’s time for my 2nd pet peeve. And this one is seriously a really annoying, I really, really hate it pet peeve. It took me about 30 minutes of googling to even find the name of these things and now that they’re committed to memory, I’ll never forget: sky dancers. Ugh. You know, those things that EVERY car dealership or mattress store has out front, taunting you as you drive by on the freeway or busy street. They do NOT attract attention for me. They do NOT make me want to shop with you. They are NOT fun to look at! I especially detest the ones with arms. Shudder. Below, a video [sans any fun music, making it even more disturbing] for example:

You see?? You see what I mean? It’s sooo gross!!! Okay. That’s it for this week! I hope your weeks are full of love, joy, hope and productiveness. Give me a “holla” if I can help out in any way! Hugs and smiles!!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of driving to Lea’s parent’s home up near Ventura, Ca. This private estate was the backdrop for our event and it worked out perfect for this intimate “destination” affair. Lea and Ryan both live in Seattle, along with about half of the guests who flew in to be with them on their day. Since Lea was planning from afar, we got to pass lots of ideas back and forth via email and phone. Our relationship quickly blossomed into a friendship and being there on her day was SO special to me, to see her tucked into Ryan’s arms. But, enough said already!!

I swung by the salon where Lea was prepping before we headed to the house. Who knew picking eye makeup could be so difficult?

This gazebo in her parent’s yard worked perfectly for us!

[These program fans were whipped up by yours truly. wink!] Speaking of…

These simple submerged silk orchid vases lined the entire patio handrail. They were the perfect decor!

The toss bouquet was the same as her bridesmaids.

Ryan walking his mom and step-mom down…

Ryan’s daughter, Ashlyn, acted as a jr. bridesmaid and walked the flower girls down the aisle.

The officiant actually went into the crowd and asked people to say a few words.

Which got emotional…

Ryan’s mom sang a special song to the couple during the ceremony:

YAY!

Josh Cohen at work, in the zone, using the light to the very last moment!

Some decor shots:

The kid’s favors:

More decor:

I looooved the lanterns which were strung like an “x” over the dance floor!

If you can’t tell, the later it got, the more gorgeous…

The grand entrance led to the entire bridal party shakin’ it on the dance floor…

The cake!

Toasts!

Loooove it!

Father Daughter and Mother Son:

Ryan took his daughter Ashlyn for a spin on the floor, too!

Lea and Ryan got custom Jones Soda bottles as favors. We set up a table of them [Root Beer, Cream Soda, and Strawberry Lime to stick with the color scheme] and they were a HUGE hit! And delicious!!

***NOTE about the below picture: Josh took this. The bottles are ALL facing the same way, as is my anal personality. This picture actually bugs me because it appears they are not, but this is taken from the side of the table so he turned ONE only towards him. There. I feel better.

There’s me, blowing out the tealight that was like kinda thrown into that vase by somebody. I just move some candles over to light up the bottles instead!

Hey look, FAVORS!

The big cut:

NOT super happy about the frosting on the face…

Ryan doesn’t mind at all [of course!!]

LOVED this one:

I know, I know, I know. MISSED the bouquet, MISSED the garter [it was really dark out, alright!!], but I did get one semi-sweet shot of Lea and Ryan leaving by sparkler-light:

Special thanks to Jered Scott for coming out to second shoot and staying the whole night! And to Cat in the Kitchen [their catering company] and Sweet Peas Floral Design- neither of which I can find websites for!!! Regardless- we had a GREAT night that was full of fun, family and love. Lea- it was a true delight to be a part of this important time in you and Ryan’s lives! I can’t wait to see pictures of the house, the honeymoon, and of course the WEDDING!!!

Okay, I’ll say it flat out: I’m a bit sad to see them go. Jess and I have been working together for MONTHS to get every detail of this day just right. With hard work and correct budgeting, we really pulled off a KILLER event to perfectly suit her and Brian and their personalities!

Right before portraits, Jess stopped by the reception sight to pick up her flowers…

I know, already looking gorgeous!

Up to the ceremony site, Heritage Park in Dana Point, for some simple ocean-view nuptials…

Her D-I-Y ring pillow:

…and boutonnieres!

The rings!

Communion:

Hey…. Brian!!

I LOVED what Laurel and Theresa of Floral Event Outlet did with their personal flowers. These bouts, with the shells in them, were AMAZING! Plus, the ladies at FEO always go well above and beyond the call of duty… [more on that later!]

The park is encompassed in trees that hover above the entry steps. I love this about it. It creates such an intimate atmosphere!

Jess got some fresh orchids for her hair:

Smiling off her pre-ceremony jitters…

I had the PLEASURE and HONOR of working with an A-list team [especially photographically], Kim Le and Jonilyn BOTH pulled out all the stops with me throughout the day. I can’t WAIT for images, ladies!! Kim in action…

[Hi Jonliyn!!!]

Oh, guess who played??? Just this guy!

Mr. and Mrs.

Ahh, the moment after… my fave!

Radiantly glowing, don’t you think?

Time for the reception details…

Our “cocktail hour” [which was about 35 minutes], we wanted to keep light and fun, since we had so many families present, we decided the best thing to do is snacks and waters to keep them hydrated on this hot summer day. The guests loved it!

Our simple escort card set up fit in perfectly with the beach theme and the icons, borrowed from Jennifer and Billy, who created them, fit in perfectly with the theme!

Yep, she’s awesome!

Into the room we go!!!

Linens were provided by the ever-fab Dress My Chair!

We had alternate centerpieces with candles and flowers. They turned out perfectly!

The cake table, entirely set up by Sarah Pearce, was incredible to say the least. It sooo exceeded my expectations [and my expectations are NEVER low] for it, that I squealed when I turned around as Sarah told me she was done!

We got just a few blue uplights! We wanted it to be ambient, but still rely on the warm candlelight for the true vibe of the reception.

Since our wedding was alcohol-free, we skipped the bartender and set up this cool drink station in the corner with sodas and water.

Signature Rentals, as always, provided top notch service along with their quality products!

Jessica provided kids with coloring books and crayons. They were the perfect activity, and the kids loooved them! She also gave each kid an apple juice!

As you can see, we didn’t even bother with a name/number on the tables. Just the simple graphic.

Aaron Whitfield of OC Sailing & Events Center, provided a great place for some cute detailing.

Straight into the first dance!

Their ring bearer was running in circles around them on the dance floor the entire time, trying to catch the bubbles!

A word from the groom, and a blessing for the meal:

Speeches… [quick pic of the head table]

Father/Daughter

The cut!

Brian NOT finding the frosting on his face made Jessica laugh even more…

Bouquet and Garter…

I WISH I would have gotten better pictures of this, but Brian used “The Pink Panther” theme to take off Jess’ garter. What the guests didn’t know was that he had her hide a toy squirt gun along with it, and he pulled it out half way through. It was an uproar of laughter!

All in all, the night was fab and perfect in every way! I loved every moment of it and my team put in some HARD work to transform the venue and ensure that the night ran perfectly smooth. Jessekins, I know we’re both already having some separation anxiety! But seriously, the event was worth it! I’m glad we got to spend all of the hours, emails, phone calls, and trips to decor stores to put together what was a perfect night for you and Brian! I treasure your friendship, my dear. Now… go to Hawaii!!!

SO busy! And, off again I go for my 2nd event of the weekend, but before I leave, a few from yesterday’s:

Can’t wait to blog the rest, but it will probably be Sunday night or Monday. A day of rest will be required!!

Wow! I can’t believe I almost missed July! This table top was really, for me, inspired by this gorgeous vintage-y style fabric that I found and used as a custom made runner. The damask was a soft blue and champagne silk fabric and made a perfect pallet to jump off from for this “traditional” style formal table top. Words are clearly not enough…

As with all of my table tops so far, Kristin of The Treasured Petal and Jonilyn Brown worked with me to create these lovely tables and pictures. We started with a classic, tall vase filled with creamy white and ivory flowers. I took some regular pillar candle holders in clear glass and displayed some large ivory candles around the centerpiece. Our linens were provided by both Dress My Chair and Elegant Design Specialty Linens, and our rentals were through the ever-fabulous Signature Party Rentals. Onto the detail shots!

I decided on the gold/champagne/ice blue theme, as I stated before, from the runner, but the pop of chocolate brown didn’t come in until I decided that the favors would be these elegant, over-sized truffles. I took that color and ran with it, using the base plate in the same hue and topping it off with an ornate clear glass plate [to coordinate with the rest of the clear glass we had on the table] and then finishing by adding a gold charger underneath. The napkins brought the ice blue back onto the plates in a simple square fold. We left the truffles open and edible by just throwing a gold paper doily underneath. Tying it off with simple gold chiavari chairs with a lush satin ivory sash, we were able to keep the simple, elegant, and fancy vibe that I was going for! Since I’m in looove with the runner fabric, I’m adding this extra shot to give you a close up of the place setting:

Just FYI- ALL of these tabletops are going up onto my website hopefully within the next few days, as I’m finally getting around to organizing them! Hope you enjoy!

Home is a sweet thing. 

1. Lately Josh and I have taken an interest in the show “House”- about the cantankerous, mean doctor with an addition to pain killers and a limp. We watch about one episode a night on Josh’s HUGE laptop computer [he has the 18" apple] before bed. It’s the best!

2. Pet Peeve- this one KILLS me, because it’s about me, by me, and because of me. I really HATE it when people mistake words that sounds/are spelled alike for one another. This came about by reading back on my blog [especially when I'm tying fast and just trying to get it all out... I don't check myself]. Things like their, there, and they’re are most typcical but have some BAD ones in some of my recent blogs… the worst part? I can’t edit after I post! If I go back and edit, it messes up all of my spacing and looks terrible. It’s almost like starting from square one. So, I have to leave it… out there, in the public world. Cringe!!!

3. Jasmine Star wrote this blog and I just read it for the first time today. I LOVED how she described not only detail shots from a photographer standpoint, but how important they are to people like ME [other vendors], the clients [who have slaved over the details for months] and clients soon to come [looking for inspiration]. Well put, J!

4. Wedding trend I’m crazy for: loooooove eclectic bridesmaid dresses! When you see pictures in all the mags of real weddings, it seems like this is all the rage. I have one event this summer that will feature “grey dresses” on the girls and I’m already soo excited to see what each of the ‘maids are going to come up with to express themselves!

5. Josh and I had a bitter-sweet stay at the BRAND new Hotel Palomar in West LA. Since the hotel has only been open a month so far, apparently they are still working out the kinks in this 5-star resort. The modern, “moody” feel to the hotel I loved [Josh wasn't crazy for how "ambient" the hallway lighting way- he thought it was too dark], but the service was, unfortunately, not my favorite. Our tub drain didn’t work, the phone in our room was broken, when we ordered room service, they were out of EVERYTHING, and most of the employees seemed uninformed as to what was going on. That being said, if they gave me a free night, I’d go back! Hint hint!! Haha. I promise, I’m NOT that uptight, high-strung, or picky. It just seemed to be an off night for the place. Here are some pics of our evening:

I feel like a witchy woman with my hair crazy wavy like this…

Special thanks to Josh for modeling the hotel’s funky robes…

6. I know everyone has OCD in certain ways, right? I got into a discussion with my sister a few weeks back about one of my crazy obsessions, which pertains to eating food and candy. Basically, whenever I’m eating something bite-sized, I have to eat the same amount on each side of my mouth. Meaning, chew two m&ms on the right, two more on the left. It really, REALLY bothers me when packages come with uneven amounts. And if they do, I’ll bite the last one in half and chew half on each side. I know… is that a bit much or what??

7. I have a Facebook account! I don’t really “get” facebook yet, since I’ve been on myspace for years, but I’m excited to have one and I really want everyone to be my friend!! Add me, already! And then teach me how to do it.

8. I love that Martha Stewart uses Ju-C Suckers almost every issue of her wedding mag for something. Ju-C’s suckers look AMAZING every time I see them photographed and I cannot wait to get my hands on some. More than that, they have a price that can’t be beat! I think they’re a hot ticket idea right now, if you ask me. The website may look kinda ghetto, but the suckers are to DIE for- especially knowing you can customize them to a T!

9. Okay, so, Josh really likes to go to the movies. I mean, I like it… but he REALLY likes it. We go probably once a week. Sometimes more! I know, it seems like a waste of money but for one reason or another we almost always have movie passes, too, so it works. Plus, our Regal Crown Club Card is seriously giving us free stuff like drinks and popcorn, which is sweeeet! That being said, of the movies currently out right now, here’s a list of the ones we’ve SEEN:

Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E
Hancock
Get Smart
The Incredible Hulk
Sex and The City
Don’t Mess with the Zohan

Yep. I think that leaves like, what… two movies we have YET to see? Either way, after a long week[end], we love to grab lunch and enjoy a matinee on a Tuesday!

10. Lastly- dun dah dah DAH! Josh’s name and tunes are officially up online being associated with ABC. Josh has been working for ABC for a little over a year now but we’ve still yet to hear any of his songs on our television [mainly because they buy the music and then store it into a catalogue that the shows choose from when they need tunes- since most of these shows are "daytime dramas" and run 5 days a week, they need the most stuff]. We don’t watch General Hospital and when his music IS placed, we don’t find out until 9 months later when we get a circulation statement. BUT, we do know he’s been played somewhere. Well, today he got an email from one of the ladies he works with regarding their new show The Secret Life of the American Teen, which I haven’t really heard of yet, but anyway… they put up music of his online that you can make into an online “mix tape” for your friends. So, since there are only TWO of his songs up there, here they are for you to enjoy: 

YAY for Josh! I’m off to a rehearsal for this Friday’s wedding! It’ll be a busy weekend for me and I can’t wait to come back with a full report! For those of you that missed Pru and Con’s wedding pics having their moment [or, few hours] of glory at the top of my blog, be sure to scroll down- their wedding was gorgeous and can hopefully provide inspiration for some of you nearly-weds out there!!!