Thanks again must go to Dave and Sandy Richards for the wonderfully vibrant, happy photos. And, seriously, doesn’t everyone want ‘happy’ photos?? I know I do for you!

Visit the rest of the images [and you can click through the gallery, too!!] here!

Radiant bride…. check!

Handsome groom…. check!

Killer cohesive bridal party…. check!

Ridiculously pretty church… check! And then, there’s love.

Lots and lots of love.

And a great reception locale like The Ebell Club, Long Beach doesn’t hurt either!

The decadent arrangements from Flower Allie add the perfect POP to this fun color scheme of navy and orange. And here’s a designer’s inside tip: when working in a candle-lit, romantic environment, go a shade lighter with your linen. In the light of day, you may not understand- but in the deep, dark colors of your reception, that extra “lift” of color will make all the difference. Keeping with Spanish feel, we used La Tavola’s dupionique in royal [a cobalt blue tone, much like the Spanish tiles we used as escort cards] to ensure the colors didn’t get lost in the evening light. It was the perfect impact!

Isn’t it always the “little” things that get you?? Elena chose for us to do a “detail wrap up and decor budget” for her. It’s one of our most popular additions these days and can be added to any of our services. For Elena and Nathan, we took the liberty of implementing several tiny decor elements to really impact her day. We upgraded linens and napkins, added a lace knot napkin wrap, detailed the bride and groom chairs [with lace tails and signage], created menu cards for their buffet, concepted and created their escort card tiles with alternating blue/orange colors, wrapped candles in custom lace, created wedding programs, and designed/assembled 20 welcome baskets [complete with custom timeline, logo/artwork, and packaging for her guests]. WHEW. All in 2 weeks time. If THAT’s not bang-for-your-buck, I don’t know what is!

Just a suggestion, but if you skip on over to Dave’s site, there’s more where this came from. He’s a great blogger [in example: timely, generous with images that are generously sized, and credits all of his vendors]. I love this in a photographer. I love this in ANY vendor. I’m on his side.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this wedding come together! I got to work with Elena and Nathan from the get-go, so here’s a shout out to our all-star cast of characters:

Ceremony: Wayfarer’s Chapel
Reception: Ebell Club Long Beach
Photographer: Dave Richards
Event Design and Planning: In The Now
Florist: Flower Allie
DJ: John Suarez, After Dark Entertainment
Napkin Rentals: Signature Party
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen
Catering: Jay’s Catering
Custom Graphics: Kristen [Graphical Intern], In The Now
Vinyl Escort Card Logos: Creative Media Print
Hair/Makeup: Artistry By Briana

Holla! Look at that list. It’s what I love to see. :) So sad it’s over… so happy they’re married. It’s the bittersweet small moments in life that keep me pushing forward. Hoping you find some JOY in today, tomorrow, and your ‘forever’.

xoxo,

POP color of green….love love LOVE!!!

My fav….times a million!!!

Michelle hand wrote all the guests names on sand dollars in place of escort cards.

The peeps that made it happen:

Coordination/Planning from In The Now Weddings
Venue is The Redondo Beach Historic Library
Flowers by Deanne @ Bella Fiore
Cake by Kings Hawaiian
Photography by Candice @ Mark Brooke Photography
Videography by Megan @ Water Tree Events

With Love.

B

Life imitates art. Which imitates life. Doesn’t this just feel like a surprise party in the making? Or a birthday debacle? Whatever it is, I love it quite a bit! Thanks ffffound for the lovely Friday you’ve just given me!

Treat yourself to a balloon today, and let it fly in the sky after a few hours of fun! Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference.

xoxo,

A.

I could NOT be more thrilled with the way the ideas were captured by fave photog Chenin Boutwell. She turns everything she snaps right into gold- so I’ve been giddy since moment one about this!

The stylish workshop was broken up into a couple of posts- so be sure to visit ALL of them and leave love for your fave event stylists over there!!

Wedding Chicks Part 1

Wedding Chicks Part 2

Definitely there are MORE images, descriptions and fun to come regarding this workshop so stay tuned for more! Thanks so much Amy, Jocey, and Chenin for allowing me to turn a portion of a San Clemente Golf Course into a dreamy, Nantucket wonderland!!

xoxo,

A.

I know that after I show you this, you will not be able to STAND it another second- but you’ll have to! I need just a few more days to really whip up something special, so hang in there! I promise to try my hardest not to disappoint. Think fun, fresh, funky, modern… April!

Hopefully this April is blessing you from the inside out!

xoxo,

A.

Ok, please don’t stone me…if any of you have been reading the blog long enough, you’ll remember Jamie & Jeff from wayyy back in September. Their wedding was at The Historic Cottage in San Clemente, and it was one of the first I had the pleasure of doing sans-Mandy Kins. But I swear I haven’t been holding these beauties hostage from you guys. We just got the disk of images from Tony Florez a few weeks ago, so I sorted through them the first chance I got. And boy were they worth the wait!

Here are just a few of the beautiful portraits Tony took of Jamie and Jeff before they walked down the aisle.

The ceremony was held at Calafia Park down the street. What an amazing view!

Isn’t Jamie unbelievably stunning?

The two of them make such a beautiful couple!

And beautiful couples make even MORE beautiful babies!!! Jeff and Jamie also incorporated a baptism for their son Riley into the ceremony. Such a touching idea.

They had a fabulous seaside, beachy theme that turned out so so cute.

Their first dance was amazing. It started out sweet and slow, and then turned into something straight out of Dance Dance Revolution! It had me rolling on the floor laughing!

And who doesn’t like to end the night with a good Thriller homage? Face masks and all…

~ Alicia

Another dream client- a dream wedding, and such a day full of JOY and laughter. Alicia [aka "The Leashy-keeners 4000"- not really, I just made that up right now] was with me all day yesterday and we actually talked- MORE than once- about how everyone at their wedding, all 230 guests, were so happy to be there. It seemed like a day, a union, that was so much anticipated and so longed for by the whole crowd. That is a wedding rarity. But it was in the air, filling the room with it’s joyous presence- and Leash and I were no exception! It was truly an honor to be a part of this wedding day with Erica, my happy bride and Aaron, my easy-going groom. They didn’t let anything get in the way of this day. And I’m SO proud of E for that- worth the effort to consciously “let it go”- right, Erica?? Yay! Onto my pictures that clearly do not do the event justice by any means…

St. Joseph’s set the background for our ceremony. We had minimal decor at the church, mainly because of lent, but the natural light flooding the sanctuary was stunning!

Happy brides are my BUSINESS!

Onto the Westin Long Beach. The ballroom was simple and gorgeous. The staff was incredible. The food was UNSPEAKABLE good. DANG. We lucked out! Erica’s been planning this event for a year and a half and the details were definitely in place!

Their fab photog, Renee Broughton used their engagement session to also snap their table number shots. This one was my FAVE:

I loved Erica’s 3-fold favors. Papa box, mama box, baby box! All held different sweets and treats and then were packaged together with a monogram and tulle. I can’t say this wasn’t a HUGE labor of love for Erica’s family! She had a vision for it and I think they turned out just darling!!

We, of course, tucked menus into each napkin. Did I mention about the food yet [I know I did]?? Us vendors ate the chicken and it was “bomb”. Wait, I don’t think people say that anymore… it was [insert some killer phrase from at least 2008]! For reals!

The easy head table decor. Those marbles in the vases were this amazing color of blue. I just wanted to keep hanging out with them [yes, the marbles] because I wanted to figure out their color and paint my life to match!!

A first for me: monogram IN the bouquet! Erica’s bouquet was extra special and personal and Jenny B did a great job making it what she wanted. Those deep red roses were so huge and lush, and her rhinestone initial was TOO cute. She also pinned the entire bouquet wrap with charm initials for the loved ones not able to be at the ceremony, those who had passed away. SUCH a neat touch!

Always a Bride…..’s best friend!! :)

Don’t hate on that pic. I’m trying to look crazy. Thank God I’m already married!!

The fabulous and fun and “Ohhh, I don’t TAKE pictures of me” Renee Broughton, y’all!!

Straight into the first dance. DANG Erica was emotional- appropriately, though. She was never a sobbing mess, but her voice quivered with the reality of it all sinking in. Because she “got it”, we sure “got it”, too. It was an enormous day for everyone in attendance!

And after some toasts, we had her father take her back for one last moment as his baby girl and nothing more…

Of course Aaron took his mom out for a twirl or two, too!

Sigh. I’m in love. I know E was excited to eat this cake that she hand-picked the flavor of. But I am 100% happy as a clam just looking at it. Forever.

I think you all know by now that I am a HUGE fan of Martha Stewart’s style, taste, vibe, etc. These thin ribbons on the cake are soooo Martha. I can’t imagine how hard they are to place, perfectly spaced and perfectly straight, but HOT DANG. This was perfection. A smoooth white buttercream cake with navy ribbon. UGH.

Thanks, Rossmoor!!!

I caught this quick shot of one of our amazing flower girls snapping a photo of the pair dancing. SO stinking cute!

The pic above is totally over-blown-out because another flash went off when I was capturing it. But there’s something so unique about it, I just had to post. By the way, Erica LOVED the amaretto cake she chose so greatly, she had Aaron feed her twice before taking the fork and offering him any! Haha!! LOVE that girl!

Calling people out, specifically, for her bouquet toss!

“The Prep”… and….

The result! Gotta love it that they were both dead set on getting married next!! As Ray at Fly By Night, our DJ said: it’s gonna be a LONG time before THAT wedding happens!

All in all- the evening was beyond fabulous. Nearly perfection, actually. I don’t have a complaint in my book. Great vendors. Great location. Fantastic couple. Amazing crowd. A room full of love… that meets every one of MY needs and MY desires- and this day wasn’t even [supposed to be] about me! For that, I’m thankful, grateful, and in awe! E&A: you two are full of it! LOVE that is. It’s oozing out of everything you do. Your kindness, genuity, candid nature, and loyalty [as your friends kept saying, over and over again]- it permeates the core of who you are. I knew it from the moment I met you. Insta-friends, Erica. I’m so thankful to have been a part of making this day everything you truly knew it could be. I hope it was more, in reality, than your dreams could have told you it’d be!!

xoxo,

A.

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.

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.

As sad as I was to not be there personally, I am so so SO proud of my assistants, and so proud to call them a team that backs me up! It’s overwhelmingly comforting, actually, to know that I can depend fully on my girls! That being said, I think you’ll be seeing and hearing a LOT more from them in the years to come!! Alicia and Miriam- you two are incredible! Now onto the fun stuff… pictures!!!

The ceremony at the park was simple and elegant! I absolutely adore their flower details! Beachy but not over the top. They are truly GORGEOUS [and the deep warm tones are killin' me!!!]:

LOVE that it looks so much like seaweed!!

We did have to shuttle our guests down, because the parking situation is impossible here, but the view cannot be beat! SO worth it!!

After they got down the aisle, it was OFF to The Cottage to finish the set up! Some details at The Cottage, in all it’s glory!

I loved their table numbers! Each one was different and beachy!

This set up flanked each side of the fireplace:

Their favors were custom shot glasses filled with m&ms. Nothing like knowing your crowd of friends!!

I LOVED their simple cocktail set up. Wine glasses, candles, and gorgeous!

I think one of the biggest selling points of The Cottage [at least to me, because I absolutely ADORE it!] is the banquette located in the corner! This built-in “lounge style” seating is great! Providing pillows makes it perfect. :)

The ocean view! I know, if you haven’t seen or been to The Cottage… GO!!!

Jamie and Jeff provided a little play area with activities for the kids just outside the courtyard, on the lawn. I heard this was the biggest hit of the night! Even the teenagers were out there at some point!!

And I loved the way these benches were set up!

I think by now, you know one of my favorite details of a wedding, right???? THE CAKE!

When I saw pictures of this cake, I was blown AWAY! It’s gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS. SO entirely beach-riffic and perfect. The detailing is awesome! And here’s proof:

A few snaps of Jamie’s toss:

Their place card trays, which were too cute, got snatched up prior to pictures!! But, you can still feel the cuteness oooozing, right??

Just before the Grand Entrance, the bridal party requested [required, wasn't it??] a round of shots! We happily provided them with it!

See how the favors are entirely appropriate??

These snaps were taken during the Grand Entrance. I LOVE how in love J&J are. Truly… they get it. You know what I mean?

Yes. She is utterly gorgeous. And he is dashingly handsome. You should see their son… not even 1 yet and a HEARTBREAKER for sure! And yes… THAT is the body of a mom!!

A tight squeeze of hands [gushing with love!!!] and they’re announced into their party!!

Straight into their first dance:

And everything looks good, until about…. HERE!

Yep, they pulled the old switch-er-oo!! They had a fabulously choreographed routine that kept the crowd in tears and stitches simeltaneously!! Just the pictures are to die for! I cannot WAIT to see what Tony Florez captured from this sequence!!

Look how high that girl is getting!! She reminds me of the princess on Mario brothers!

These pictures are so sassy, I just can’t get enough!

Killer!

I love how whispy and in love Jamie looks in this picture! Now, onto speeches!!

When Jamie’s dad spoke, he promised to keep it short [because, well, at her twin sister's wedding earlier in the summer, he spoke for quite a while, rumor has it!]!!

As dinner went on, darkness fell upon the cottage and the dependance on candles to light the night grew on! Great for ambiance! Terrible for pictures for us. :) But we did catch ONE picture of the bridesmaids calling up the bride to dance to “Thriller” together [umm, masks and all??]:

All in all, Jamie and Jeff were surrounded by love, beauty, and family! Even in pictures, they are so evidently in love. When you get to be a part of a night like this, it stands out. It makes it magical- even for the vendors. I’m so blessed to have met you guys! We couldn’t be more thrilled not only to be a part of your day, but to be in your lives! I, as always, am standing in awe of the fact that I’m allowed to do this for a living! And apparently, I’m turning into an OK teacher as well, because my little birdies are flying!!

J&J: you’re gorgeous! Riley is one lucky kid! I’m so glad you enjoyed your big day! I know we all did!! Can’t wait to see more pictures!! xoxo!

Let’s get to the goodies!!! Ceremony…

The florals were provided by M’s Flowers in Whittier. Incredible!!

During the wedding A&J presented a bouquet to each of their mothers, and pulled a single rose from each for their fathers!

The couple got married at Anita’s family’s church, Concordia Lutheran. I loved the history there, and the church was PACKED!

Before the actual ceremony, after all the guests were seated, A&J played a 15 minute slideshow cataloging their relationship and then setting the stage for their nuptials!

The fabulous Crissy Farah not only worked it out at their engagement session [clearly shown here by their killer enlargement] but accompanied me on the Day-Of [and BONUS! Jonilyn was there backing her up, too!!].

At work!

They had soo many great, funny, quirky ceremony moments! The crowd was laughing, the party was laughing, Anita and Jay were laughing… it was such a fun personal time!

Married!!!

Over to the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel for the reception. I LOVE that Anita let the hotel dictate her color scheme. She took the bright colors and RAN with it!

Aren’t these to die for??

And inside the room for a few more details…

Ugh, these centerpieces are amazing!! If flowers didn’t die, I would be a happier lady!

Outside of the room, displayed on an easel, was the whiteboard that Jason wrote Anita the night he proposed. This is, essentially, their proposal story!!

Their table numbers were too cute!

Cute little ribbon wrap and menu at each place setting!

I have a gagillion pictures of this cake. When it’s accompanied by the up-lighting, it gets stupid-beautiful!

During cocktail hour, some portraits took place with the amazing hotel lighting…

I cannot WAIT to see what Crissy is going to deliver!!

And now, onto the reception! Straight after the grand entrance, we danced! Their first dance was magically beautiful with the ambient lighting [2 follow-spots for the room... 2!!! I was in love!]:

Oh, some more cake pics. Half with blue up-lighting, half with amber [that is how the room was split- every other light! Soo neat!]

An impromptu kiss from the couple [apparently they took that glass clinking pretty seriously!]:

And onto speeches:

Okay, okay, so he’s making fun of Jason for balding… [this is Anita's dad, by the way, speaking]

Onto the cutting!!

I loooove Anita’s attitude here:

The shadow that the spotlight created on the wall behind them was unreal! Sooo gorgeous!!

And now, after a few words from our bride and groom, a presentation to one of the groom’s best friends, Mark. It was after all, his birthday!

So they gave him a surfboard shaped brownie cake, made by Jason’s sister. Too much!!!

And of course he had to cut it [and I'll admit, after this he tried to feed Jason as well...]

After the cake was cut, we proceeded into the father-daughter and mother-son dance…

Anita provided baskets of sandals for her guests to dance with! These puppies were snatched up before the baskets were even down! See that hand??

And, my FAVORITE part of the evening… at 11pm, the hotel brought out little mini slider burgers for all the guests to enjoy as a late-night dancing snack! The slider station was a hit and soo delicious! :)

And, as we packed up, another close up shot of their menus…

As the sliders went out, A&J requested all the guests left to get onto the dance floor for a group picture. I snagged a shot, as the dancing lights went on all around them!

Of course, the photobooth pictures HAD to appear on the blog [that's me and my assistant, Miriam]!

Thanks to Cheesy Photobooths for being awesome as always!! And to wrap up, a few moody broody shots of Anita’s personal details for the day:

I hope you all enjoyed the pictures! Honestly, I’m not sure my images captured the love, beauty, and joy surrounding this day! Anita put together this entire event and truly, it was a pleasure to work and be a part of! When all of the vendors feel like a team, there is NOTHING better! We all pulled together a truly gorgeous event for A&J, and they were nothing but gracious about it. To be honest, they were soo into one another that I’m not positive they noticed any of the details! So, guys, these pics are for you to remember by!! :)

A&J: you two are the best! I love how naturally comfortable you are in your love. It’s apparent. Being best friends is the best part of marriage, and seeing you together, I know you have that down! Keep on soaking in the love you two share- it’ll keep rubbing off on the people you meet! I know it did on me!! xoxo!

First thing’s first: Craig and Laura. Your ceremony was filled with SO much love and emotion that I found myself crying right along side of Craig as he told Laura “I tell you ‘I love you’ every day because you deserve to hear it” [through big, tear-filled eyes]. Holy moly. Your love, rooted so deeply in friendship and a true understanding of one another, is what they make movies from! It’s what real LIFE is about!!!

Now, onto the day:

Posh Productions catered our event and took care of all our rentals, which was FAB. A shout out to Kim… you are amazing!!! Oh, did I mention that this whole event took place at the top-notch Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado [shout out to Julie... haaay!]. Anyhow, Posh took care of so much and was able to free up me and my team to do what we do best- serve the bride and groom! Here are some fab details from our day:

Cocktail table cuteness!

Prim and Pixie supplied all of Laura’s printed paper goods and I LOVED them! I’m a sucker for all-matching printed paper materials! You’ll see much, much more later…

Becky Sykes provided our florals!

And that arch is NO easy task!!

Onto the ceremony!!

This is Brooklyn. Brooklyn is the daughter of my darling bride and groom. She’s amazing. She was definitely not in the mood for her dress [or really, walking for that matter]. So, here she is, being walked in with her flower girl basket by our MAN of honor. Yep, that’s right. Man of honor!

Here’s Laura!

Eli, our Man of Honor, is SUCH a sport- holding her bouquet and fixing her train- and doing it all with pride! I love that he embraced it so whole-heartedly!!

Their own personal vows:

Renee Broughton is so super duper fab. I heart her big time!

You know when like you work with people all the time and then you don’t work with them and then you suddenly work with them again….?? Yeah, that’s what it’s like for Renee and I. The BEST easy-going photographer!!

Things about the above picture that Amanda thinks is sexy:

1. Craig is totally ALL the way over to Laura [like in Hitch "you go 90, I come 10!"]… Craig’s at 120% for sure!

2. The way he’s holding the back of her head

3. That THIS came next…

Kiss on the lips, kiss on the forehead. Nothing says I love, honor, and cherish you more than that!!!

This picture, below, reminds me so much of Josh and I…

and THAT makes me happy!!

Okay, MORE details!!

Since Craig and Laura have had quite a few people of importance pass away, they set up this honorary table for them to be remembered. I thought the quote was so touching and poignant! They had a candle and place card for each person, which you’ll see later…

When your colors are cornflower blue and orange, you just HAVE to rock a blue cake. I mean, really!

L & C had an intimate wedding of less than 100 guests, and in order to fill a room of that size, we focused on spacing the tables well. It helped that our SUPER cool square tables seated 8!

Oh how I love the hustle and bustle of the pre-event hour!!

Their engagement photos kicked some serious tail!!

That’s probably my favorite engagement pic turned guestbook cover I’ve seen yet!!
Sneaking back down to steal some portraits…

And now, for the MAIN EVENT! Grand Entrance!!

I caught this quick moment as the pastor gave his blessing of the meal. I loved that Laura picked up Brooklyn and Craig embraced them for this moment…

One more dinner time shot of the cake…

And here are the honoring candles that I spoke of earlier:

The toasts by the Best Man and… Man of Honor!

Then, her Dad gave an embarrassing speech… LOVE dads!

Loved this mother/daughter moment!

But all was forgiven come dancing time…

Laura and her dad are like… BFF

And Craig is definitely Momma’s little boy!

Our precious, sweet little Brooklyn kept sticking her fingers into the cake! Frosting on the sides of her mouth confirms it!

But, it’s ok… it was time for the cut anyway!!

And then, THIS happened, in the blink of an eye…

Wow, guys. WOW!

And I snuck this as they went to clean off… too cute!!

The bouquet toss [soo super vibe-y indie]!

Garter:

And of course, Laura’s brother caught the garter!!

NOT stoked!

All in all- the night was off the HOOK! Fly By Night gave us a karaoke set up and provided some killer background tunes for the guests! It was a total party and everyone had a GREAT time!

L & C: Josh and I loved being a part of your big day! Your love for one another is so apparent. I’m truly honored that you two came into my life [well, ok, Brooklyn makes 3]!! I wish you the best forever and ever and ever! xoxo!

Wrapped with a thick, satin sash to match, and we’re good to go! I love the way the deep cranberry flowers stand out in all of our pictures! The napkins and table runner were made by me. I fell in LOVE with the runner material and immediately knew what my vision was for this puppy! I actually used serving platters as plates, which gave this unique oblong shape and fit perfectly to showcase the popping blue napkin and the mini-bouquet for each guest. The plates had a gorgeous beaded border [not sure if the pictures show this] as well as the cake stand. Subtle-y gorgeous, as I tend to love! All of our rentals were provided by Signature, and our base linens were provided by EDSL. A big shout out to my girl Jonilyn for the “fab phots” as always. [Hmm... I like that term. Maybe it'll be a new one for me... fab phots!!]. Here’s some up close and personal detail shots to get you in the VIBE of this luscious table setting:  

YAY! I love it. And remember, you can always go and see ALL of the table sets on my website under the Tabletop Gallery! Here at ITN, we have a BUSY week ahead, so stay tuned!!

Meeting with Shawn and Janet for the first time, we all instantly connected. It’s one of those feelings you get from people you just know that you should know in life I was SO sad to not be at their reception and I’m completely living vicariously through the pictures that Alicia [my assistant who ran the event] provided me with. SO, to you two- YAY. Your wedding in Mexico was FAB. Your American-style reception was GORGE. Just what can your actual marriage do to top all of this?? I’m confident yours will be the gift that keeps on giving!! Now, onto the pics!

Since J & S got married in June, they had the opportunity to display and use so many of their drool-worthy wedding photos at their party. Here’s one, in a frame and matte to sign on!

Oh did I mention that Janet is detail-oriented. All of her printed materials have me swooning! I loove them! Signature drink: Sangria. Love it!!

A few more pics around The Rococo Room, which provided a great warm, relaxed atmosphere for this intimate party of friends!

Alicia captioned this picture so perfectly, noting that these little branches with the mirrors on them only kept looking better the later it got, as the mirrors reflected the candle light below!

Kim Chi provided these darling little arrangements for all of our cocktail tables, as well as the two larger arrangements and a few for the bar as well! They kept with the aqua and red theme alright!!

I LOVE Janet and all of her quirky-ness! She provided us with these great random and funky pillows to put all over the lounge furniture [as we kept the event primarily lounge-y and thus set the tone for the evening with such...] You’ll continue to see pops of her personality throughout the blog!

A first time vendor for us, Modern Chair Rental hooked us up BIG time in providing two extra funky and fun chairs for us in the downstairs area. We were more than pleased with their products and service!!

Of course, the ever-popular Red Cheese gave the guests a TON of fun!

In the corner, you can see the craft station that Janet put together for us to set up. She used this interactive guest book for her guests to leave their comments! I love that she tied in the pictures, and the detailing on this “station” was perfect!!

I love that she gave this warning in advance:

[Talk about knowing your friends and family!!] Their cake, from pictures, was TO. DIE. FOR.

Complete with fondant bows, seriously… in aqua and red, what more could a girl ask for!!

This was a 2-story event! The Rococo has an amazing mezzanine room that overlooks the downstairs main event area. We used this as a sort of “quiet lounge” and kept a slideshow of pics [wedding pics and personal pics] from this gorgeous couple running all night long!

More funky pillows!

Full view of downstairs:

LOVED this shot of this amazing red wall- way to fit the theme!!

A view back upstairs:

Their signature “white sangria”

And of course, what we’ve all been waiting for…the stars of our event!!!

I’ll be honest… when I initially saw these pics, I felt a bit defeated. Mainly because at the meeting, Janet, Shawn, Alicia and myself had a friendly discussion about Janet’s right to wear her wedding dress again [a la Gwen Stefani and her American/London receptions!!]. The issue was still up in the air when we left, but her dress fit her like a GLOVE and I was dying to see her in it. But the more I saw these pics, the more I fell in love with the dress she DID wear! The dress, the hair piece, the shoes… ugh! She pops right off the page in these pics!!

Just before their big Grand Re-Entrance [well, remember, they did this once before in Mexico!!]

They got introduced to the Rocky theme… can you tell??

And some words from Shawn, our dashing HUSBAND:

By the time they made their perfectly late arrival, this thing was full up!

Since heavy appetizers and dancing was the plan for the evening, we didn’t waste too much time before cutting the cake and getting our dessert-fest on!

[See these pictures? This proves that Alicia is MUCH more polite than I and will allow your guests to walk in front of her. Whereas I will throw elbows. Don't test me- I'll get my good angle for pictures!!]

Hey, these pictures are TOTALLY good enough for me! Especially to tide me over until the REAL thing, courtesy of Thao Vu pops up online!!

This picture above gives a good sum of Janet, Shawn, and their marriage!

…and, not to toot my own horn or anything but I must train ‘em well because having Alicia talk them through that cake cutting led to this BEAUTIFULLY perfect slice of cake! Man alive, that was one good cut!!

Shawn’s mom, upstairs watching the slideshow:

I LOVE that this crowd didn’t hesitate to participate in the guest book and photo booth!

Seriously, could a person rock those red shoes more than she did??

After the cake was being sliced for guests, Alicia and Maria [the assistant to the assistant... sounding a bit like The Office, aren't I??] put together this amazing candy buffet for the guests to grab at! It was hardly up for five minutes before the guests caught on and devoured it! EVERYONE loves a good candy buffet!!

Side note: I think Shawn was most excited about the skittles more than anything else. Maybe even more than the 2nd reception itself! In our meeting, I think we ended up talking about skittles at least 3 times!! A man knows his favorite candy, right??

The girls, having fun:

And lastly, the cute little graphic that made it’s way into the hearts of ALL of their guests- the to go containers for the candy buffet:

SO great! Seriously.. this event had a little bit of everything rolled into one! From formal to laid back, innovative to traditional, beautiful and silly… it was great! I know I speak for Alicia as well when I say we were SO honored to work with you two and be a part of this amazing celebration! It’s a great time in your lives, and we’re lucky to spend it with you!

That being said, a few of my favorites that I edited up real quick to make even pretty-er-er:

J & S: hearts and hugs from me and ALL the In The Now team!!!

I met Caroline over at the San Clemente Inn to do a quick bouquet drop off!

I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about him, but Wayne Toshikazu was there shooting, along with Kim Le taking the lead!

You’ll see Kim Le in action a bit later…

Our ceremony and reception took place both at the Historic Cottage in San Clemente. It was amaaaazing! Onto the ceremony…

Caroline put together some incredibly intricate, fun details!

Caroline’s uncle playing guitar for the ceremony. I loved that when he was walking out, I saw this on his guitar:

Just before they were off to take portraits, I caught this moment:

More details:

Yep. These are huge mounds of tissue paper flowers. I loe them.

If you can’t tell yet, the theme was a Mexican fiesta!

Their cake was… incredible. It was so, so, so intricate, amazing, and PERFECT for this type of affair!!

So, I know this is a picture of my husband’s butt, BUT… he tore this huge hole in his pants during the ceremony. Seriously, unreal, right?? Good thing he had a back up pair of pants.

If you haven’t been to the Historic Cottage- you’re missing out! Surrounding the area that we used as the dance floor, is a big, adobe bench that Caroline’s mom sewed all of these pillows for!

After the ceremony, we moved the sweetheart table under the arch for the rest of the evening.

For favors, Caroline made tins of runts candy packaged colorfully, and my FAVE, the personalized Jones sodas again. TONS of different custom pictures and LOTS of flavors!!

We put out the groom’s cake, which was a surprise for Stephen, during the cocktail hour, with this CUTE customized cake topper!!

She gave Country Garden Caterers a few of these cute terra cotta arrangements to decorate the buffet!

A quick shot of our two photogs, workin’ it!

And the lovely bride:

And our dashing groom:

Our lovely florals were provided by one of my faves [for brides on a budget, especially], Floral Event Outlet! The bouquets were lush, the centerpieces were just what she wanted, and the vases were so fun wrapped in alternating colors of bright ribbon!

Just before the grand entrance, I caught C & S looking through their polaroid guest book…

And now onto the festivities [they opted to have their entrance, first dance, father/daughter and mother son, and then their toasts all back to back to back to... you get it]. It was a GREAT way to get the formalities out of the way and free up some time to par-tay!

Dancing with dad…

And now, with mom…

A few more decor shots: [she made these to line the aisle, and I kept them on the chairs for the bride and groom!]

A few more details…

Onto speeches…

Cake cutting…

My favorite faces always come from the cake cutting…

Bouquet and Garter…

The crew at After Dark Entertainment were GREAT at keeping the party going with their music selection. They also provided these amazing up-lights, which went perfect with our decor and gave this outside space JUST the right amount of vibe and light!!

Caroline and Stephen put together a KILLER slideshow for their guests as well, and we played it just as night was falling…

A sweet VIBE shot of the cake, after being cut, as the night rolled on…

And, of course, my favorite of the evening:

To Caroline and Stephen- you two are fabulous!! I loved every moment of your event. I’m so honored that I was able to witness your marriage- the ceremony literally gave me chills [and it wasn't just the ocean breeze, I promise!!]. Have SO much fun on your honeymoon, and hopefully you’re checking this in the nick of time before you two take off! I know, C, I promised I’d get ‘em up by Monday!!

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!!!

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!

Since I already wrote a full blog for friends and family of the bride and groom, I’m going to limit myself to minimal commentary about the day. BUT, since I made the personal florals myself [all bouquets and boutonnieres], I wanted to make sure that they, along with a few other amazing details, made it up onto the blog! Plus, I took a few pretty good pics. I love it when I get lucky with the camera!!

I am a SUCKER for fresh-stem bouts. I whipped these up for the guys and saved a peony and two mini callas for the groom’s bout. Since it’s tradition to have the groom’s flower look like it was plucked from the bride’s bouquet and given to the bride, I wrapped them in the same color of fabric [light silver grey]. Love it!

The bride’s bouquet turned out gorgeous! BUT, it was a total labor of love. Ladies, PLEASE respect your florists!!!!!

I know, right? The peonies came out sooo delicious!

The couple had their reception in their loft area [in the courtyard mainly, with dancing and cake inside]. This is their amazingly funky chandelier:

Maid bouqs:

A close close close up of the mom’s nosegay bouquets [all in all, 3 mom bouquets, 6 bridesmaids, and a bride!]

The bridesmaids all came together two nights before the wedding and made 258 cupcakes for the guests [well more than enough for this intimate affair]- not only were they super cute, they were sooo yummy!!

[That's our champagne, chilling after we took out all of the cupcakes]

The bride, after the wedding, wore a fresh peony in her hair. Since I’m big on options, I ran these upstairs during the cermeony:

First Congregationalmade a gorgeous vintage style backdrop and set the tone for the day!

Back to the reception…

Their custom cake topper was made by two of their friends, and totally fit their mexican-fiesta style vibe!

A moment during the first dance- and the closest we’re going to get to the bride and groom!

And, my mom’s favorite image of the day [she said she'd frame it and hang it above the mantle!]:

The end! Hope you enjoyed!!!

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