Aren’t those one of the most amazing things you’ve seen? I mean, really. Really?! How fun are these! I unearthed them a while back while trying to search around for clear silverware and couldn’t WAIT for a chance to use them. Luckily, we got to team up with the super fab Jasmine Star to design a French Inspired Bridal Shower [that you can see here on Style Me Pretty].

They TOTALLY add a modern edge to a traditional concept. And can you believe they’re plastic? They’re plastic!

Whelp, that concludes the first installment of Design Dollop. Hope these plastic silverware inspired you as much as they did me. See ya’ next week!

Annnd remember, if you need some totally rad chicks to rock the design socks off any event, this is the place to be!

It may be officially unholy, how much I love these images. Jose is well respected in this industry for his clean, artistic style and it’s no surprise that so many artists just gravitate to his work as inspiration. I’m so thankful for inspiring people like this who continually push me to be at my best.

Soak it in, my lovely readers- this one is easy on the eyes!

Happy Friday, y’all!

xoxo,

A.

Things I love about this invitation:

1. 45 degree angle.

2. Text as the WHOLE invite.

3. Marriage as the center, larger focal point.

4. Hello, it screams to be letterpressed!!

I just adore everything about it. I’m so thrilled that I got to design it so perfectly. What are y’alls thoughts on the design??

Hope it makes your heart dance like it makes mine to the mambo!

xoxo,

A.

Boy are you all in for a treat today! I have been DYING to share these images with you guys. They are drop dead, hold on to your nickers Ga-orgeous! I knew when I saw the work of Amy & Maurice, aka The Theorie, on their website that they did amazing work, but it’s still always a “hold your breath” kind of moment until you finally see the finished product of all the pictures that they shot on your day. And wow, were these so much better than I was ever expecting! Simply amazing! A perfect capture of Shelley & Tony and all of their special little details on their wedding day.

The wedding was held at a private estate in Trabuco Canyon, compliments of the bride’s Uncle.
He built this bridge just for them, since the prvious one had been washed away by a storm.

The flowers were all provided by the amazing Carissa of JL Designs.

I mean come on, anyone who can make a box of boutonnieres look THAT good, has got to be a great florist, right??

A few pics of the bride & groom, and their wedding party.

The ceremony featured hanging vases filled with pink roses & peonies, and pink petals covering the aisle floor.

We added yellow ties around each chair, for a nice big POP of color!

The grounds of this home had an endless supply of amazing photo opportunities. It was such a perfect setting.

Shelley’s Uncle has a collection of classic cars that he has donated to Auto Museums over the years. Lucky for us, they are all so grateful for the donations, that they let him take them out whenever he wants for his person use. Score for us!! These bad boys make for great pictures!

The cocktail hour featured small square vases wrapped in a funky mod fabric that we found in the L.A. Fabric District, and single pink peonies in each one.

We made use of the beautiful oak tree in the middle of our cocktail hour space, by hanging varying sizes of white paper lanterns throughout the entire tree.

A couple more shots of Carissa’s beautiful creations…

I absolutely adored these vases that Carissa provided for the place card table.

Big puffy peonies just make me swoon…

And on to the reception details!

I loved how Carissa made it seem like these tulips were growing out of the cake stand. So amazing.

The guest tables featured small groups of pink tulips, arranged in lot of different funky white vases provided by Carissa.

I couldn’t decide which ring shot I liked the most, so I just included them both. ;)

Shelley hand crafted these super cute cootie-catchers that served as their menus. They were absolutely adorable.

And last, but not least, the scrumptious cookie buffet that replaced the cake later that night.

Thank you once again to the fabulous vendor line-up that made this event such a success. I couldn’t have done it without you:

Photography: The Theorie
Videography: Studio West Video
Florist: JL Designs
DJ/Lighting: Brady of Props FX
Catering: 24 Carrots
Cake: Sweet Gems
Rentals: Signature Party Rentals
Linens & Chairs: Dress My Chair
Hair & Makeup: i-style Salon, Los Angeles
String Quartet: Andromeda String Quartet

~ Alicia

Okay so everyone… I have been anxiously, ANXIOUSLY awaiting to share these pictures with you guys. Not only because Cyn and Ron are totally beyond words fabulous to the tenth power [math style, y'all!], but because I had the honor and privilege of being not only their coordinator, but acting as their florist. Yep. You heard it. I did it. All 6 bouquets. All 10 boutonnieres. All 27 centerpieces. That just happened.

When Cynthia approached me about having problems finding a florist who got her “vision”, she literally included this picture on her email:

Yep. You guessed it. It was one of mine. Something I whipped up after having a hair-brained idea that it would be “oh-so-cute” to create a hedge from leaves, and have flowers poking out of it. Cynthia loved this simple idea and from there, it stemmed on to become a vision that complimented her long banquet tables in such a way that neither of us could turn back. How was it, doing flowers AND running the show, you ask? Terrifying. Stressful. Exhilarating. Confidence Boosting- no doubt. I think I’m more comfortable now than ever in my own skin- and I cannot thank the Ronthia enough for that! To trust me the way they did… Cynthia’s kind and loving emails to me never got old, and I hope they never will [as I KNOW we'll be pen pals for yearsandyearsandyearsandyears]. But back to their day. Their day was beyond words. And to say that I’m personally counting down the MINUTES until I see everything that Sarah K. Chen has to offer.. uggh, understatement! Okay, I’ll shut up now! PICTURES!

A snap of their centerpieces, and here’s the sweetheart arrangements, below:

Cyn’s color scheme was classic and simple: black, white, and an emerald green SO detailed and perfect that the bridesmaid dresses were hand made [and inspired by the exact color seen on Kiera Knightly in Atonement]! Because of that, we kept nearly all of the decor black and white, and let this deep, warm red in for just a few pops of color and spice!

Their event took place at the gorgeously historical Craven’s Estate in Pasadena. Could it get ANY better?? Seriously? The ceremony was out front, with the elegant, stately front door setting the backdrop, white the reception was hosted on the back patio and backyard area. With the lower level hosting our cocktail hour and dance floor… this event was dripping with history and originality!

Props to me. I’m a perfectionist and I took about 5 solid minutes tying that bow and cutting the tails at the top of the aisle. I’m intense. And it’ SO worth it. Also, here you can see that we re-used 10 of her centerpieces down the side of the aisle. It was SO perf. We trickled petals in between and voila! Amazingness squared [math joke AGAIN- were you not prepared this time either??]!!

A preface: I get really into bouquet wraps. This one was my favorite so far. Heart shaped buttons are no laughing matter!!

OH how I love bridal bouquets. I made little minis for the moms! Here are their nosegays:

I told C&R that they just HAD to jump into their photobooth PRE vows. Such cute pictures and even better memories!!

Thanks to Cheesy Photobooths for being consistently fun! Now, some post-vow photos:

My favorite moment of nearly every wedding is right after the ceremony. When the bride and groom are delirious and in disbelief and have that split second to themselves to share in the enormity of the entire occasion. That is where the love happens, people. That is this moment. And C&R shared it beautifully. Perfectly!

“Did we just….?” “Yep. We did!”

Some reception shots, before the chairs were moved back around:

And some details by nightfall:

[These are the lanterns that inspired it all!!]

So, C&R are not the traditionalists. There was no cake. There was no bouquet toss, no garter. And they tried- OH how they tried- to get out of their first dance. But the crowds would not have it, and revolted. So, for the few moments that Cynthia and Ron agreed to step out onto the dance floor and share their moments with the world… I had the honor of snapping as best I could.

And of course, my favorite pictures of the whole event. The post-party:

Me and my girl!!

We SO get each other. Meant to be. :)

Newlyweds!!! Cannot cannot CANNOT believe it! To be quite frank: I’m thrilled. Honored. Sad. Changed.

Guys- I am CHANGED by your love. Your kindness. Your genuity. Your patience and humbleness. Words can’t describe how it was for me to be able to be a part of your lives. You are so apparently in love. So apparently going to be able to ‘go the distance’. It’s with marriages like yours that, one by one, the world is changed. Thanks for being you- and SO SO SO much for letting me be me. I love the way you love one another in a way that allows me to love my babe more. I hope that through your video and pictures, you remember and cherish each and every moment of this day for the rest of your lives. I know, beyond a doubt, that I will.

xoxo,

A.

I feel like such a proud mama bird right now. And if birds could lay eggs that hatched into the most breath taking wedding you ever saw…that would be my egg. You should remember Shelley & Tony from the In The Mix posting I did a few weeks back Here. They are a couple from Chicago, who enlisted my help a few months back, to plan a wedding at Shelley’s Uncle’s private residence in Trabuco Canyon. You should also remember from the post that I told you there was still plenty more fabulouness to be revealed about their wedding.

So….let the fabulouness begin!!!

The ceremony featured Shepherd’s hooks with hanging bud vases filled with pink roses & peonies. And we hung one of these hand made, uber-cute programs from the back of every chair.

Speaking of florals…check out this bridesmaid’s bouquet, featuring peonies, garden roses, tulips, & ranunculas. All of the flowers were provided by my new favorite florist, Carissa, of JL Designs. She is BEYOND fabulous and had so many great ideas that contributed to this day. It wouldn’t have been the same without her.

The place card table was another one of my favorite areas. So simple, yet such an impact at the same time.

The ceremony was officiated by Tony’s Uncle, who flew in all the way from Korea.
It had a beautifully intimate feel to it, and had yours truly sniffling away in the background again.

You may now kiss the bride!!

The family dog decided to sneak out and make an appearance during Shelley and Tony’s walk back down the aisle. Which was totally predictable if you knew this dog at all. I swear he was an escape artist. While we were on the property the day before for the rehearsal, every time someone said he was put away in the back, he would somehow manage to magically reappear within the next 10 minutes or so. So it made me laugh out loud when he just happened to appeared again, right at the moment that they were pronounced husband and wife. I guess you can’t fault a dog for wanting to see them get married right?

Now this picture makes me laugh out loud, but for a totally different reason. It is SO Tony. He knows exactly when to ham it up. So this couldn’t be a more perfect picture of the two of them.

The cocktail tables featured simple, small vases, wrapped in our mod fabric, with a single pale pink peonie.

We held the cocktail hour under this beautiful oak tree, filled it with pretty white lanterns of varying sizes, and tied the swing with some pretty ribbon.

The reception was held on what normally serves as Shelley’s Uncle’s driveway, but we transformed the space into a beautiful oasis. I apologize in advance for how many table shots there are to come, but it was just so beautiful that I seriously couldn’t stop taking pictures of the space.

For table numbers, Shelley & Tony decided to do a photo shoot around the city of Chicago, taking pictures at some of their favorite places that featured numbers.

This one was my favorite. The caption underneath says “it cost us $2.25 each to take this picture. thanks, mayor daley.”

Shelley also made these adorable Cootie Catcher menus that we placed at each persons place setting.

The beautiful cake provided by Sweet Gems. Carissa did a FABULOUS job creating a garden of tulips that appeared to be “growing” out of the cake stand.

Grand entrance time!

Which went straight into the first dance.

A speech by Shelley’s Dad.

Who wants some cake?!?

A beautiful father daughter dance as the sun officially set.

Which quickly turned from the Beatles “Michelle, My Belle” to Rick James’ “Super Freak”. As you can tell from the picture, I was not expecting this. So as Shelley’s dad started bustin his moves, my lens could barely keep up!

Shelley is a BIG baker, and is known in her family and circle of friends for making the most amazing cookies. So it was a no-brainer that she wanted to do cookies for favors. As good as hers are, she certainly didn’t want to have to deal with the stress of making all these cookies in the last few days before the wedding, so they went with these delectable choices from Bristol Farms.

I wish I knew how to take better pictures in the dark….take a photography class (must add this to my list).

To Shelley & Tony, I wish you both so much love and joy in your future. I know you are both going to make the most wonderful parents someday (and by someday, I mean you better start makin babies asap!). ;)
Shelley, I am going to miss our daily emails. Which almost makes me sad that your wedding is over.
Tony, please continue to make Shelley smile from ear to ear, every day, as I know you can.
Take the time to love and appreciate each other every chance that you get, and you’ll lead a long and happy life together.

MUCH, MUCH LOVE!!!

~ Alicia

The Fabulous Vendor Lineup:
Photography: Theorie
Videography: Studio West Video
Florist: JL Designs
Catering: 24 Carrots
DJ: Brady of Props FX
Cake:Sweet Gems
String Quartet: Andromeda String Quartet
Hair & Makeup: i-style Salon, Los Angeles
Rentals: Signature Rentals
Linens & Chairs: Dress My Chair

Shelley & Tony came into my life just a little over a month ago. We got an inquiry from Shelley who said she was planning her wedding from all the way out in Chicago and she needed help. And what better place to turn to for a wedding planner extraordinaire then here right?!?

I have to be honest, when I first heard that the wedding was only two months away and Shelley and Tony had ZERO vendors booked, it made my heart race. The wedding was to be held at her Uncle’s private residence in Trabuco Canyon, but other than the venue and me, there was zero set in stone.

Happily though, I am amazed at all we have accomplished in just this short month. Every vendor is booked and so many decisions have been made, it makes me giddy with butterflies in my stomach to think of how amazing this wedding is going to be!

So let me share with you guys, just a few tid bits of what’s to come…

Their color scheme is a base of Black & White with accents of Pink, Yellow, & Orange. Shelley and Tony have such an awesome sense of style, so it was no surprise when they picked these adorably funky invites from the Etsy seller ellothere.

We also got to do one of my favorite things during the one weekend that Shelley and Tony came out to California. We took a trip down to the wonderful Dress My Chair showroom in Costa Mesa and tried out soooo many combinations of table setups. We literally pulled practically every linen from the hangers until we finally came up with something Shelley and Tony loved!

It was originally one of the color combinations that Shelley was opposed to when we started, but when she finally gave in and took a look at it on the table, it was perfection! Which is one of the reasons I love taking brides down there so much. Things can look so different in your head than when you actually see them in person, so Dress My Chair’s showroom allows you to find out just what that vision in your head really looks like. :)

And while Shelley and Tony loved this color combination, they definitely wanted to do something different than a damask for their base runner. Some of you might remember the trip to the L.A. Fabric district that Amanda posted about here earlier this month? Well that was for these two!

And after searching through hundreds of options, we had a winner!! This super funky, mod fabric, that incorporates the black, white, and yellow all in at once!

What do you guys think? So amazing right??

We also decided that we’ll use the fabric to wrap the vases of the cocktail table arrangements in, like this. [I make a killer stick figure cocktail table right?] ;)

And last, but not least….the caterers! Shelley & Tony tried a few different caterers while they were out here, but weren’t as impressed as they would have liked to be. So they put their trust into my hands and sent me and her parents (who live in California) off to 24 Carrots for a tasting.

Ahhh the sacrifices a wedding coordinator has to make! ;)

Needless to say, the food was all AMAZING! And the staff at 24 Carrots is JUST as AMAZING!

So stay tuned for more to come. Their wedding is just 3 and a half weeks away! And I promise that there is more fabulouness that has yet to be revealed!!!

~~ Alicia

Erin and Adam have got to be one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever met, and their wedding was probably also one of the smoothest events I’ve ever worked! This may be due to the fact that Erin is probably THE most organized bride I’ve ever met. I arrived at the event to find that Erin had provided Miriam and I both with folders (in her wedding color of red of course) filled with contract copies, layout instructions, timelines, and a contact list you wouldn’t believe! Every item was tucked neatly into a large plastic storage container, and of course contained a list of every item in it, and where each item should go. Now that’s my kinda bride!!! Talk about making a coordinator’s job easy!

Unfortunately this was one of the days that our team had to be seperated, since Amanda was busy working a different wedding this day, but Miriam was there to head up this event, with me by her side. The ceremony was held at the United University Church on the USC campus. They had these gorgeous drapes going down both sides of the church, and were able to change them out to red to match Erin’s colors!

All of the amazing florals for this event were provided by the talented Shirvan Design. Check out those Manzanita trees!!

All of Erin’s paper products were so stinking cute! Here’s her programs for the ceremony.

The reception was held at the City Club on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. The Club is on the top (54th) floor of the building, so the views were to die for! We’re talking so high, it literally made your ears pop taking the elevator ride up there! You can see the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, & even Dodger Stadium out it’s floor to ceiling windows!

Erin and Adam provided several photos for a heritage table that were all placed in stunningly vibrant red frames .

Their place card setup.

Erin had us hang the cutest little red mini lanterns from the Manzanita branches.

The couple’s initials and the cutest little suitcase (which served as their card holder), were setup on the gift table.

The cocktail hour was held inside the room, and featured these simple table arrangements that were so perfect.

Here’s more of Erin’s cute paper products, and stunning floral arrangements.

So cute!!

Those gu-gu-gourgeous Manzanita trees were re-used next to Erin & Adam’s sweetheart table at the reception. I couldn’t believe that Art from Shirvan Design was able to transport these Giant things in one piece, and all on his Own! He literally carried these things in on his back like he was He-Man! Art, I am in awe of you. Anyone in the market for a florist with super human strength?

I didn’t get the best picture of Erin’s bouquet, but if you can’t tell, it had these beautiful red crystals in the center of each red rose. It was beyond perfection!

Grand entrance Time!!

Adam was being a good new husband and helped his wife look her best.

What the guests didn’t know was that Adam & Erin had hired the USC marching band to spice up the night! Adam is a graduate of USC and many of his family and friends shared his love for the school.

It was such a great surprise! You could literally hear the guests gasp in excitement as the band made it’s way around the corner.

Look at how happy Adam is. I believe this is what they call “Pleased as punch!”.

Now Erin & Adam did their order of events a little differently. The cake cutting came directly after dinner.

Cake provided by Hansen’s Cakes, decorated by Shervan Design.

They played nice.

And Then they had their first dance. I know, I know, cake cutting before the first dance?? What were we thinking? But surprisingly, I enjoyed the cake cutting being done so early. Since most people use this as a signal to their guests that it’s ok to go home, doing it as early as we did, actually took the focus off of that, and allowed people to just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Erin’s simple, but beautiful toss bouquet.

It’s that time ladies, are you ready?!?

And straight into the garter toss. I love her face here.

And last but not least,a picture of Miriam with Erin at the end of the night.

So to Erin and Adam, thank you, thank you, thank you for letting us be a part of your day. It was evident from the moment that I stepped through the doors at the City Club, that you two had managed to affect every single person that you met. Every person I talked to was so completely enamored with you two that they just gushed about how great you were. They all went above and beyond to do the best job that they could for you that day. It was an honor to be a part of your world if only for a moment. May your new life together be so full of love and happiness that you don’t know what to do with yourselves!

~~ Alicia

Their wedding yesterday was a dream. In the weeks prior to the wedding, life kind of exploded for Alex’s family and I was honored to be able to help them pull this wedding together at the last minute to truly make this day as joyful, beatiful, and amazing as possible. It went off without a hitch. And Jan’s “same day slideshow”, which is always an epic part of his services, was TO. DIE. FOR. Seriously! I can’t wait to see the rest!

Now, the ceremony was held at Lake Hills Wedding Chapel and was truly and simply gorgeous. I totally spaced and forgot to bring my camera along for the fun at the church, so I snapped this mid-ceremony with MiPhone:

A couple swags of white chiffon and we were done. This chapel is such an amazing sight in person- the natural stone, the wood, the modern, sleek design. It’s amazing! Since we knew that going in, we opted for a simple ceremony focusing on the couple, and dolled up the reception site to the nines!

The reception was held at the Art Gallery in Soka University. A two-story space of uniqueness that provided us with a blank slate to play in! The white walls and hardwood floors are perfection. To top it off, the gallery was displaying a black and white photography exhibit for Alex’s black, white and aqua wedding!! An amazing and thankful coincidence! Onto the pictures.

The cocktail hour took place upstairs [and the upstairs of the gallery actually has a large cutout area that looks right down to the lower story. We placed our dance floor right in the middle with their custom designed gobo on top!!]. Our sleek all-black dance floor was SUCH a hit. I seriously cannot wait to get pro pics back because mine just don’t do justice! Okay, I’ll stop… more pictures!!

Since the linens downstairs were black with aqua runners, we reversed them for the cocktail tables. Mini arrangements were the perfect accent.

These escort card boards were my labor of love! The family gave me this task a bit last minute [Thursday afternoon!!] and I knew I couldn’t just take the easy route. Alicia and I [love you Leashy] put our heart and souls into these little cards and boards! Since the black and white damask was a huge part of our theme, I carried it into their cards!

Alex and her mom, Debby, set up a beautiful “heritage table” for their loved ones.

They decided on a “signature drink” in honor of their honeymoon and it was a HIT! People had margarita glasses all over the place! It was too cute!

[Of course I made all of the custom and ever-so-darling signs!!]
Then we headed down for some downstairs details….

The gallery was LITERALLY the perfect setting for their event!

The lighting in the gallery played a perfect roll in our dramatic impact of the event, but the rest was taken care of by the FABULOUS team at Carcano DJ [Stefani is the best!!], who also provided our gorgeous brand spanking new white chiavaris through their sister company, Chiavari Chairs 4 Rent! Their team swept into our space and transformed it in a matter of hours!

The flowers were provided by a friend of the family and they combined the traditional with the modern by using warm flowers with funky blue painted manzanita branches dawning large crystals!

Black Forest Bakery made this lil’ beauty. I looooved their blingin’ cake topper with actually was the SAME font they used for their monogram [you guys know by now how deeply in love with a monogram I am!!].

A couple more detail shots for you:

Their favors were shot glasses filled with m&ms and tied with black tulle. Perfectly simple and matched our decor, to boot!

Check out those Waterford toasting flutes!!

During dinner, our sugary sweet sweetness of a groom played and sang a song he wrote for his bride. Before starting this he told the guests all about the night they got engaged how that prompted him to write the tune. This was all a surprise to Alex and she was waving tears away with her napkin before the song even started. SO cute!!!

Straight into their first dance [this was taken from the 2nd story, looking down, and I looooove that I could get this angle. Gives it such an intimate feel]:

Great shots of their gobo, too. And now, father/daughter [and let me just say that Alex is Daddy's girl! Her father had a hard time letting her go, and their dance was SUCH a unique expression of that relationship. It was fun, upbeat, and totally "connected". I love the heart that I saw out on that dance floor!]:

Time to cut the cake!!

And just in case you hadn’t noticed- Alex is a KNOCKOUT! Just wait til you see more pictures from Jan and Tey. I’m not kidding. You’ll cry!

Fave picture of the whole night:

[... and she MEANT it!]

Tossing, tossing, tossing….

Also a great shot of Alex’s dress, which fit her like a GLOVE [despite her stress level rising and her losing 2 INCHES two weeks before the wedding... thank goodness for last-minute alterations!]!!!

Alex basically threw it purposefully RIGHT at her best friend and Maid of Honor, Megan, who has been with her boyfriend for 9 years. This is her rejoicing at getting the correct angle, right to Megan:

And this is Alex being embarrassed by her husband [already and it'd only been a few hours!]:

Alex: there’s nothing wrong with modesty! :)

She was a great sport, though, and Brad definitely had fun with it! The last shot of the evening I snapped while walking around during open dancing. When the lights in the gallery were turned down, we relied on the candles and up-lighting to set the tone. The result was truly magical. It was such a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. I totally loved it!!!

A&B: I miss you two already! I know I said this already but I’m truly happy/sad about all of this. So, so, SO happy that you two are married. So happy that it went perfectly, that the stress is over, and that this new chapter in your life is beginning. I remember how excited you two were when we first met and to see it all fallen into place and to have lived it with you two… wow- truly remarkable. I’ll have to learn how to live without our monthly laugh-fests [err, meetings] and without our daily emails! You two have a love that will last a lifetime, I just know it. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of your story. It’s something I treasure very much. I hope this week is full of so much love and happiness, and memories to last a lifetime [but hopefully none similar to your parents' honeymoon stories, A!!!]!

xoxo,

A.

This picture of the dress, below, UGH, makes me get butterflies about weddings!!!

Since I forgot to mention before, Cindy Babuscio did all of the incredible arrangements for Brook’s big day. The vision was garden-y, romantic, rustic, organic… man, did it all come straight across!! And at 3 arrangements per table, this was no small task! I lalalalaLOVED them! She’s got a little blog in the works, too, so keep an eye on her!

Look at those lovey-dovey super googlie eyes! I adore those!

If you can’t tell, B&D opted for a “first look” and it totally provided that intimate moment and atmosphere for their pictures, it was the perfect choice for them!!

Oh Brook, you’re such a looker!!

This moment just as the doors opened, is magical. I love that it’s caught forever for their kids and their kids’ kids to see.

There is no- NO- substitution for professional pictures of your reception space prior to the guests arriving. I totally heart this picture!!

‘Member what I said about the florist, above?? Yeah, seriously!

And a couple of the reception:

SO sweet! I love. Do you?

Hope you’re having a fab week! I’m off to brainstorm some creative [on time constraints] DIY escort cards for this weekend!

xoxo,

A.

We all have been looking forward to this wedding for a LONG TIME, but I have been looking forward to it for several reasons. Here’s a few, in an appropriate list form [as is my style]:

1. Brooklin is drop dead gorgeous. I cannot WAIT for the photos because they’re gonna be killer. And I knew she’d make a gorgeous bride.

2. Dan and Brook have such a special relationship- so real and beautiful to watch. The ceremony was so touching and personal- it radiated everything that they are, as I knew it would.

3. This was my FIRST wedding of 2009 and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my day then with this fantastic couple!

That being said- the wedding was exactly what Brook and I had envisioned: organic, inviting, stylish, and an all-around great time! Here’s some pictures to prove it!

We’ll start at the church. Their custom monogrammed black aisle runner was oh-so-chic!

A close up [and a bit over-exposed picture] of the small floral splash for the guest book- really giving you a feel for the style of florals at the reception…

In the bathroom [Brook and Dan got married at the church on the site of where Brook went to high school! A bit of nostalgia on her big day!!] here’s B’s mom attaching her gorgeous veil!

I love this picture because it feels SO real.

The ceremony!! He cried. Then she cried. Then I cried. :)

Married!!!

Over to the reception, which was held at the OC Sailing and Events Center in Dana Point- about 5 minutes from the church. The room is known for being a blank site- white ceiling, grey carpet and with the right “vision”, it can turn magically delicious. That’s what me and my team did last night. Can you believe it… there were 6 of us working this wedding [Me, Josh, Alicia, Brittany, Miriam, and Rebekah]!!!

The cake is always my favorite part the wedding decor it seems. This cake, however… was beyond words it was so stunning.

We used these great ivory and black damask runners from Dress My Chair to set the vibe for the evening along with the color theme of the avocado bridesmaid dresses. The florals were whimsical and garden-inspired and were the perfect compliment!

Long banquet tables filled the room with that family-style vibe that Brook had been hoping for!

Since the space is SO blank and white, we used pipe and drape to create a background on the stage area, where the sweetheart table was placed. Adding their ceremony decor, a few up-lights, and a hanging monogram and voila! You’ve got magic!

This picture below actually isn’t the BEST picture of how the room looked, but I love the centerpieces and tables all in a line like this, so here it is:

The team, halfsies style:

Britt, what’s with the peace signs, huh?? I’m beginning to think this may need to be your pose for the new site!!

Back to the cake. L.O.V.E. The florist SO outdid herself with this. When the cake arrived it was a simple cake- just plain black ribbon wrapping the round tiers. They did a floral cascading swirl down both sides of the cake that trailed all the way down to the table. It was a shame we couldn’t cuddle it and keep it forever. And yes I said I want to cuddle a cake. Deal with it!

First dance. B’s dress is soooo flamenco flowy pretty delicious!

“Bustles that kill me for 100, Alex”

Father/Daughter:

A little backdrop close-up:

Bouquet toss!!

Her gorgeous bridal bouquet:

And a quick final snap of the cake cutting:

All in all- the day was perfection! We had ZERO snags. My staff was pumped to work and we works our little tails off! The weather was gorgeous [after a year and a half of anxiety about the possibility of rain and what we'd do with the outdoor cocktail hour!], the site was transformed, and the party was so fun!

B&D: you two have a love that is infectious. If I didn’t know it before your wedding day, I am so 100% sure of it now. It’s not about the words you say- it’s about HOW you say them. About your eyes behind them. About your hearts showing through. Love like yours moves me. It’s why I’m in business. It’s why I work to ensure that your vodka tonics and vodka-and-diet-cokes get to you in a timely fashion. It’s why, when I hug you goodbye at the end of “the perfect day”, I hug you with my whole heart, and release you knowing that you’re the ones who’ll make it work.

You are the ones who will give what I do a good name.

xoxo,

A.

The bridesmaid bouquets:

Cocktail centerpieces [but our linens will be aqua crushed satin]:

And now, for the centerpieces!!

Rumor has it the manzanita branches will be painted aqua to match the runner. Yippee… and moreover, we’ve got crystals to hang from the branches. I know in their venue, this is going to be so fabulous. YAY! I can’t wait for wedding season to start!

xoxo,

A.

We just met up this week and laid the invite comp out on the table and are pleased as punch with the results! One of their groomsmen whipped them up a personalized monogram graphic that will run as a theme throughout the reception. Since the font in it was easily identifiable to me as “Scriptina”, I went for it with the invites and matched it up!

Alex’s main priority and request for the invitations was this: simple, cheap, and easy. She doesn’t “get” spending money on something people throw away! So, we kept it simple with two inclusions- the rsvp, and the map/directions card. We’re using all black ink to print, to save $$, and going with an aqua envelope and ribbon around the invite. I’ve already picked up the ribbon from the infamous Fabric Barn in Long Beach- for a steal, mind you- and we’re off and running! Thought I’d share what we’ve got, for all you D-I-Y gals out there:

The main invitation will be white cardstock with a black backing cardstock:

Page 2 will be double-sided print that we will get perforated to separate the RSVP postcard from the map/directions card:

They’ll be tied together with the aqua ribbon, as pictured in the first picture, and then we’ll be using a matching aqua “open end” #10 envelope [yep, the same size envelopes you buy at the store for your mail... the invites are about the size of 1/3 sheet of paper!].

Does this get anyone inspired for the weekend or WHAT? Have a good one, I’m off to work on more paper products, meet with more clients, walk around more sites, and have a TON of FUN! xoxo!

Basically, we knew a pocket fold was the direction we wanted to take since day one. Lisa [whose real full name is Elizabeth, yes, your eyes do NOT deceive] was sold on that. But coming up with the perfect color scheme took some time. Since we’re also trying to remain budget conscious and do this relatively cheap, we’re only printing in black ink! In fact, what you’re looking at is an ivory stock with a thick black [bleed-off-the-page] border to give it that extra POP. Lisa’s other request: postcard RSVPs. Not a problem for this gal! I do those all the time so plugging in that info to create a postcard was easy peasy!! I added in a handy directions card complete with a hand-Amanda-made map with directions from church to reception, and presto! We’re done-zo!

Another unique element… it’s all in Spanish!! Seeing as I seriously don’t speak a lick of Spanish, it’s been so fun to see the translation of what I know from the standard wedding invite! I had Lisa write up the text and send it over so that I could plug it in and style it to the best of my abilities. It truly came out great! I can’t wait for their big day next June. So far, it’s turning out smashingly!! Stay inspired, and happy Friday!! xoxo!

The black and white, thick striped extra-durable-and-washable satin was found and made into a table topper by moi! It’s truly incredible to the touch. The brown “new damask” runner was also found and made by me, including the matching napkins, which I loooove the look of! I bought the white vase collection at Ikea and they didn’t need a thing to dress them up to fit this look. Kristin stuffed them full of creamy white flowers including these funky heart-shaped brown pods that I provided her with. I really wanted something textural for the florals in these. We included a mini little bud vase with a single stem and incorporated the table number right onto it! We wrapped the napkin between the two square plates and resting on top was a folded black and white napkin with their licorice skewer as a mini favor! For the real favors [pictured below] modern shaped Chinese To-Go boxes were filled with carmel waffle cookies and spreadable chocolate for dipping, all packaged with a monogram and a plastic knife! Here’s some detail shots for you all:

To see more, and there are definitely more details to see, visit the Tabletop Gallery on my site! Hope you love it as much as I do!!

The ceremony:

And only the ceremony [notice Cynthia's father gave his nod to their home state of Montana by dawning his cowboy hat!]

I love that she was walked in by both of her parents!

For their sand ceremony, they had a unique twist! As the guests came in, they scooped sand from a bowl into a vase and then the vase was brought up for the ceremony. The sand of their friends and family represented the foundation of their love and lives!

Altadena Town & Country Club provided the GORGEOUS backdrop for our day! Too bad they don’t have cell service there!! :)

C & D’s guest book was epic!! Since Cynthia’s maid of honor was none other than the fantabulous Susan Yee [En Pointe Photography], and her photographer was the lovely and super talented Stephanie Williams, she had a plethora of photos to choose from for her photo guest book! The images were stunning… I cannot WAIT to see the moments Stephanie and her husband Isaac captured from the wedding!

Onto the reception details! Holy cow, all of these escort cards were hand-crafted by Cynth and I love her for it!!

Cynthia had a bit of a stressful morning that ALMOST turned into a stressful afternoon- but we stopped that. Here we are, laughing at cheese. Isn’t cheese SO funny?

My beautiful bride!!!

I’m so blessed by my business!

I wish I could have gotten more shots of the assorted fans that Cynth bought, like above. We placed one on each chair for every guest and they were SNAPPED up after the ceremony! Apparently they were a hit- and all unique. I loved the eclectic feel, but still keeping it cultural!

Another snap of the fab guest book:

My super simple programs:

[Thanks to husband Josh for the pictures- lately I'd be lost without him at my events!!]

Looooved the cake!

This draping comes with the room:

Swoooon! Onto the nightly activities!

I know that some of my pictures are blurry, but I cannot HELP but love them. They express raw emotion that is captured at the click of a button. Sometimes I WISH I had the initiative to really learn photography… but it’s not for me. I’m doing just what I’m supposed to be- being touched by the moments!

Loved the way she was holding his arm, holding her…

And a few words from our wedding party:

Note Cynthia is dawning dress #2!!

Pre-cutting of the gorgeous cake:

And a quick shot of their favors, which were mini candles with “double happiness” on them:

Cake time!

Yes, it was hard for them to get a piece of cake out. The slice they DID manage to haul out was MONDO!!!

[And so this face was appropriate!]

A few words from the couple:

Father Daughter and Mother Son:

Cynthia got emotional during this dance, which was so sweet!

I LOVED this moment, below. During the money dance, all of table 16 circled Derek, pining money to him everywhere and dancing:

Missed the bouquet. :( Garter time!

And of course my FAVORITE shot of the night:

xoxo! I’m so biased. All in all, the day was truly surrounded with love and support from friends and family. I felt such a connection with this couple and this wedding, it was an honor to be there on this important day!

C & D: you know you rule. You know I know you rule. You know I know you know…. you get it. I told you both on the day of but I’ll state it here again: you are the perfect example of savoring the meaning and the moment. When things were beyond stressful and personal, you took deep breaths and remembered why you were there to begin with! I loved that about you, Cyn! I’ll never forget the smile that came on your face when you rounded that corner to head down the aisle to your husband. It was the stuff of movies!! Thanks for inspiring me to love recklessly and with intent!

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!!!

We worked with some GREAT vendors, including Chair Covers 4 Less for our linens and Just Chair Covers for our, well, chair covers! The room turned out perfectly!

The room was aglow with candles!

Personalized matchbooks!

Our cost-economic centerpieces turned out to be a perfect amount of chic on their day!

These cupcakes were made by Brenna along with friends and family. The main “scheme” of the day was black and white, but really, it was all colors. Just WAIT until you see her home-made bouquets. They’re so bright and cheery!!

See that cake cutting set in the corner? This was Brenna’s something borrowed. It is from her parent’s wedding, who just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary earlier this year!

The head table:

Our ceremony set up was simple: black chairs and some petals.

[Workin' it]

My gorgeous, teary bride!

Love that dad is so WITH her in this moment!

“…and, cue music!”

Seeing her guests…

Seeing Ryan!

Married!!! [Sorry, no shots of the ceremony!!]

For “cocktail hour” at this dry event, we made the guests shirley temples as our signature drink! They were a HIT and we couldn’t even keep them on the table!! I wish I had a picture of them, but I don’t!! For dinner, we pulled out tubs of rootbeer, the groom’s favorite, and it looked tooo cute!

Their pastor with the bride and groom for some post-ceremony portraits:

My fave! Brenna, WORKING IT for me while Ryan tends to their daughter, Dakota! I wish that I’d gotten a thousand more photos of this little family… but until their photographer comes back with photos, this will have to do!

Grand Entrance:

Into their fun, silly, laid back first dance:

Even though there’s an arm in the way, I really LOVE that shot. Is that weird?

Speeches came next:

A tear-filled speech from Ryan’s brother, Anthony, had the whole room choked up and laughing simultaneously!

Not a dry eye, at this point…

Now, a few words from Dad!

Straight into dancin’ with Dad

Ryan and Mom

The girls, watching [loved this!]

Brenna put together an AWESOME slideshow:

Time to cut the cake! I had a terrible angle for this one, but you get the idea:

And then, their grand exit! Dad helping Bren with her big dress into the car:

Right before she tossed her bouquet out the window to one of the girls. Soo cute! I loved it!!

All in all, the day was filled with SO much love, support and family that cared for Brenna, Ryan and baby D! I was honored to be a part of such a family affair and to feel like part of it for a few days was so special to me! B & R- I hope that your day was everything you wanted it to be, and I hope that your life is more than everything you’ve dreamed it to be!!! I’ll hold you in my heart always!

Here’s two for the road that I took a quick moment to edit, old-fashioned style [which is my new fave for make a blurry pic salvage-able!]:

Love it!!!

I had the pleasure of working with two AMAZING photogs on this day. Zenia and Jonilyn- what a force to be reckoned with! I cannot WAIT for the pro pics!!

Oh Laura- even her vendor payment envelopes matched the event!

Those photog ladies snagging their signature pics:

Ceremony!

A quick jaunt to check on the reception and some more detail shots:

Hi Jen!

Florals were provided by Yamaguchi Flowers [which I'm not sure of the website for]. They were incredible!

Their home-made margaritas were a HUGE hit!

Laura and Ryan set up their bars ideally for bringing in their own alcohol. As you can see by their bar menus, they set up one bar with mexican drinks, and one with what they affectionately coined “gringo drinks”!

A few shots of the whole shebang!

Back to the important stuff…

Yay!

Candles lined the path from the wedding to the reception. At night, their glow was magical!

Some bridal party close ups:

Cake by the delightful Bread Basket! Holy delicious!

The rope that you see in front of the cake is a VERY important symbol to Laura and Ryan. It’s actually Laura’s grandparent’s lazo, which is a catholic/mexican ceremony tradition. Since Laura’s grandfather passed away last month, the sentiment was very important to the couple!

Some photos of my fab photog buds getting the goods!

Grand Entrance and onto the party!

Speeches!

Cut that cake!

Thanks Jen for the photo of me at work!

LOVE that shot!

The reception just kept getting more beautiful and ambient as the night went on! It was amazing and I loved it!! Laura and Ryan had a grand farwell complete with sparklers all the way to Ryan’s classic Chevy Malibu [that's right, right Ryan? Don't kill me if it's wrong!]. It was seriously beautiful! L & R- you two are the most fun loving, easy going couple to be around! I wish the day could have lasted forever- but Laura I’m sure by the end you were ready to get out of that va-va-va-voooom dress of yours!! Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Krystin was such a lovely, loving, and radiant bride. Her ceremony took place at the Queen Mary. So, when I arrived today, she had just started her portraits with the amazing Thao Vu and Duey. I LOVED working with these two, and am holding my breath until their blog is up!! A few images that I snuck in during the set up:

The darling flower girl [actually, just before this, Chad and Krystin had their "special moment"- too cute, Chad got teary! Krystin loved it!!]

A few portraits sneaked in:

They opted to use a layering picture frame for their sand ceremony. Too cute! They taped off the layer with their photo in it in order to pour the sand behind!

Ceremony details:

These are hand made tissue paper pomanders. Krystin, you are a GEM for all of your Do-It-Yourself projects!!!!

It was a chilly day and the upper deck had a brisk wind. So, here’s our cute little one wrapped in her mom’s pashmina!

Ceremony!

Me in action:

I loved this:

The rest of the ceremony was MAGICAL but I accidentally packed my camera down in my car. Whoops! They walked back down the aisle to bubbles, and were SO joyful when they reached the end. They hugged and danced to “Friday, I’m in Love” and everyone gathered around blowing bubbles around them. Seriously, amazing!

Now, onto the reception, which took place at the stunningly beautiful Villa. Some details:

Flash on:

Flash off:

My lovely assistants for the evening passed out activity books and crayons to our young guests:

My girls:

And now, what we’ve all been waiting for!

I loved that, after their first dance, Chad was there to pull out his wife’s chair and tuck her into their table for dinner. It was this tender, formal moment for the newly-weds!

Moments captured…

Dress #2, for table visits and to bring some tradition to the evening:

They were being SUCH good sports, singing on stage and going with the flow, all impromptu!

Dress #3, she coined this her “cake cutting dress”. But really, it was her gown for the rest of the evening!

Krystin and I came up with the idea for her to sign her own picture’s signature matte. We had a great laugh over it!

So of course, we roped Chad into it:

Chad’s fortune:

A quick snap:

Their candy buffet table, before the candy came out:

K’s lovely red shoes! Va-va-vooom!

The VIP bridesmaid duties:

Toasts and cake cutting:

The way these two made eyes at each other all night was incredible! They are soo in love!!

Candy Buffet!!!

Krystin’s ABSOLUTE fave thing is Hello Kitty! The only way she slipped it into her day is through these to die for suckers:

Sooooo cute!

The toss:

Chad, on his way to that garter…

Just a few more candy pics:

And some to-go baggies for the bride and groom that we packed up:

These next few pictures, the bride and groom are playing a game that traditionally is said to have something to do with uhhh… fertility??

All in all, the evening turned out soo amazing! Krys and Chad were so full of joy, it was radiating from them with every smile and touch! Towards the end of the evening, Krystin and I talked about our separation anxiety that we’re already experiencing! But, we know that in the end this flawless event was one that came together perfectly and let their love shine through! I loved every moment of my day with them!!!