A little preview to whet your appetites [of course, I just kinda sorta gave you that yesterday, right below, with the description of Shannon's flowers!!]:

The farm-inspired portraits, the historic site location [which was in her family!!], the large bridal party, the funky, fun, unique wedding was full of vintage glamour and homespun wedding details. Really, it’s worth the moment it’ll take to soak it in!!

Visit the Green Wedding Shoes post directly and brag about how you “knew us when”, ’cause these So Cal Event Gals are going places!!

Hoping you’re making your Friday full of lovely “features” in life of your own! Enjoy the rain- we hardly get it here and I find no reason to complain when it IS here! I’m one of those stand-outside-without-an-umbrella-and-just-enjoy-it types of gals. And I love it!

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

Venue: Oceanside Museum of Art
Photography: Amanda @ Hearts and Horseshoes, and Ryan Russell
Catering: Homespun Desserts
Band: Steal Dawn
Flowers, Cake and Decor: Family of the bride!

Moving on…. Mandy and Jordan are the BEST! I wish I got more images for you of them together, but those will be coming to the blog in the near future. So, until then, here are some details, portraits, actions shots… all mixed together for you.

Mandy’s sense of style is KILLER.

Her knee-high white boots were just the tip of the iceberg.

The ceremony took place outside of the museum, on the front patio, while the cocktail-style dessert reception was downstairs in the main foyer/lobby area. Upstairs we had a large open theater space that we packed with people, chairs, and a live band for dancing!

These tiny tea light holders from Target were used as floral accent pieces. Since ALL candles are prohibited in the museum, they got creative. SO cute!

They chose ONE exhibit to keep open during their “cocktail hour”, and it happened to be theeee coolest [and most fitting] exhibit in the place!

Alicia modeling one of the lovely bridesmaid bouquets. The little “cuffs” were hand-crocheted by one of the bridesmaids. Amazing!

THE CAKE!! My goodness. When Mandy told me her aunt was making the cake- I was worried. Really worried. Especially after she showed me the inspiration picture. But, hot dang, this is WAY better than I could have ever anticipated. From a real baker or an at-home baker!

These images were exposed terribly and I had to lighten them up a LOT- sorry!

Some of the mini desserts:

These carrot-cake cupcakes were her grandmother’s special recipe, and the same flavor as her mom and dad’s wedding cake!

Some reception photos:

Some pictures of the father/daughter and mother/son dance:

I love how happy Mandy and Jordan were the ENTIRE day! So filled with smiles and love!

The father/daughter and mother/son dance was actually played live by members of the bridal party and some of their best friends, Sean and Sara Watkins, along with Sara’s husband, Todd Cooper. A fun little bluegrass, down-home feel for the special dance!

A late-night shot of their wedding ceremony program:

And one last shot, at the end of the night, Mandy and Jordan actually just walked the two blocks home to their house from the museum. It was SO cute. I wish I got a better picture, but I’ll never forgot how cute they were, hand in hand, walking home full of love and life!

M&J: planning your wedding was the most fun EVER! I’m so glad I got the chance to spend time with you and know you more. Your kindness and fun, spunky personalities are so fun to hang out with. I can’t wait for the years of barbecues, holidays, and random get-togethers that we’ll all get to enjoy as our families grow and change. I truly love planning weddings of friends more than ever and now, you two are friends of ours for life! Hope that this little jaunt through Europe is enough of a vacation from the norm to act as a total life-refresher [even if it IS work for you, Jordan!!].

xoxo,

A.

I am so so excited to share these scrum-didly-umptious images by Henry Chen with you guys!! He did an AMAZING job capturing Grace & Brian truly in love, in the moment, in the now.

And to top it off, he started doing TWO posts for his brides! One portrait, and one details! Ummm, hello! A blog full of details?!? Can you say, a coordinators Dream!?! Henry, you are a genius!!!

Ok, so on to the shots. Rancho Las Lomas has so many interesting little nooks and crannies. You could probably spend a half a day exploring all of the grounds there. Visiting the animals, and just taking in it’s pure beauty. Henry captured it all!

Grace’s hot pink shoes were so sas-a-fras! I wanted to build a runway coming out of the bridal suite just so she could stop down it in those kittens!

How gorgeous is she?!? Straight out of a magazine, right?

I love this one. It’s like Henry caught Grace & Brian in a secret moment from behind the bushes. I like to think that he really did. :)

The super cute appetizer Korean Rice cakes.

Grace made these great signs for her food stations from 24 Carrots. There was a Sushi station, Carving station, Salad station, & Risotto station. And they were D-Lish!!!

The gorgeous croquembouche made by Susanne Michel of Sweet Art.

And the stunning trio of cakes that Grace did. To signify the French, Korean, and joining of the two. :)

Ok, so I posted most of the detail shots, because…well because I just couldn’t resist. BUT I still command you to go view all of Grace & Brian’s stunning portraits over at Henry’s blog here because they’re fab! Now go, hurry, go!!!

~ Alicia

This was THE perfect wedding day! Mother nature tried to mess with our heads for a couple of days before hand, with the weather forecast calling for rain for most of the day. Heather (from 24 Carrots) and I came up with a plan A, B, and C, that would move everything indoors. But come Saturday morning, the sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and the sun was shinin! Looked like that “sunshine dance” I promised to do for Grace & Brian had worked after all! :D

Which leads me to this…a beautiful sunny day at one of the most beautiful venues in Orange County, Rancho Las Lomas. What a shame it would have been if we didn’t get to use this stunning outdoor courtyard.

Grace had all of these Gorgeous handmade details. Seat cards, programs, escort cards, favors, menus, you name it, she made it!

God, this place is beautiful!

There’s the fabulous Henry Chen hard at work.

After the ceremony, we moved everyone upstairs for cocktails, and gave ourselves an hour to turn the same space into the reception area. And I have to give the biggest Thank You here to the entire staff at 24 Carrots for doing such an AMAZING job once again! I have never worked with a catering company who is as hard working, efficient, helpful, AND fun as 24 Carrots. You guys are amazing, you make my job so much easier, and I wish you could be at EVERY wedding that I am a part of!

Ok, I’ll stop gushing now, but seriously, any brides out there who are still in the market for a catering company…your search is not complete until you’ve at least tried 24 Carrots. They will blow you away!

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of what was inside these boxes because they were THE CUTEST magnets in the entire world! They each held a different traditional version of a Korean Bride and Groom, and they were so so so cute!!! Ok, I just couldn’t handle NOT showing these magnets to you guys, so I found a seller on Etsy that has them. Check out the shop Here to see a pic. Aren’t they Fab?!?!?!

This has got to be one of my favorite details about Grace & Brian’s wedding. When Grace told me & Amanda at her initial meeting that she would be doing not only one, but THREE cakes at her wedding, we were squealing in excitement! And to top it off, one of those “cakes” was going to be a croquembouche???? Somebody please pick me up off the floor.

Grace wanted to represent both of her and Brian’s cultures, by displaying a Croquembouche for Brian’s French heritage, rice cakes for Grace’s Korean heritage, and then a traditional American wedding cake, to represent their cultures blending together into one. Swoon….

The Croquembouche was made by Susanne Michel of Sweet Art who came through for us during the final week before the wedding, when the original baker was no longer available. I didn’t get to taste a piece myself, but I heard everyone around me oohing and ahhing at how delicious the chocolate mousse inside it was. Maybe one of my other brides will order one of these again and save me a piece? ;) Any French brides out there??

The happy couple waiting for their Grand Entrance.

Grace put together the cutest slide show to surprise Brian with. It had everyone in tears and in giggles. The perfect combo if you ask me.

And I just love the way the lighting began to look as the sun went down. Amber & her team, of Amber Event Design did a Fabulous job lighting the space!

I love how Brian didn’t even attempt to open his mouth for the cake. He knew what was coming and he took it like a man! Now that’s a sign of a good husband if I ever saw one!

To Grace & Brian, thank you again for letting me be a part of your day. I am so happy to have been there to watch you two join your lives, families, and friends together. You are truly one of those couples who just “fits”. The perfect compliment to each other, balancing each other out in the most perfect ways imaginable. I know you must be having the most unbelievable time in Paris right now [can you feel my jealousy seeping through the page?]. I wish you two the love, happiness, and laughter that you had on your wedding day, for all the days of your life.

Hugs and hugs and hugs and kisses!!!

~ Alicia

If you can’t tell, Jenny went total Martha Stewart and made all of her ceremony decor out of tissue poms. I LOVED it. So cute!

They married at Almansor Court in Alhambra on a sunny Sundy [see what I did there? I took out the "a" in Sunday, to make it rhyme-y] morning. The weather was perfection!

Eddie @ Commerce Flowers rocked their personal flowers so hard. She loved them!!

They opted to do potted plant centerpieces to act as a take-home for their near and dear. Some details of the event:

Their cake. THEIR CAKE! It was my favorite thing EVER. It’s kinda old school/tradition in that the tiers are separated with poles and it’s intricate… but that little tulle skirt it’s wearing and the TOPPER alone make it amazing to a whole new level!!

The 80’s are back with a vengeance in ALL the best of ways!

Their good friend Matt Gainer came out to shoot candid photos while one of my faves, Wayne Toshikazu caught the formals and detail shots. I love the abundance of photographers. It’s my favorite. What can I say? I like pictures. Don’t blame me. No, don’t be mad. It’s cool. Get over it. :)

All that to say, knowing that their pictures will be FAB makes my job that much more fun!

They are so incredibly and undeniably best friends, and so apparently in LOVE. Weddings like this are a pleasure to work!!

It was a great GREAT day! It’s funny, when you get used to working late nights [until Midnight or so] to be off by 3pm and have the rest of the day to lounge and hang… but you’re exhausted ’cause you’ve been up since 6:00am!! It was a very nice break in the schedule. And really, who better to do it with?? The meetings that Jenny and I shared together were always so relaxed and fun. She didn’t ever overly-concern herself with things going wrong or “what if”s. She really could make a gal pass two hours chatting with ease! And that is why we at ITN TOTALLY HEART her. So big time. I’m so glad that you two are one big happy family now. To many more fun family events, to more paper cranes, to more wheat grass… to more memories!

We wish you nothing but the best and tons of little red-headed, freckle faced babies!!!

xoxo,

A.

The Saturday of April 25th, Yvonne and Mike became one as they said their vows in the beautiful courtyard of Rancho Las Lomas.   The day could not have been more prefect for there was not one cloud in the sky. Yvonne herself could not have looked more gorgeous with her stunning white dress, black curly hair, and giddy smile. Unfortunately there were no shots of the ceremony taken, but don’t worry because her floral arrangements of peonies, orchid, and rose were so YUMMY!

Flower Allie provided Yve’s wonderful floral arrangements and let me just say… I couldn’t get enough of the “frowns” going around! She double-used 4 tall centerpieces at the ceremony site, placing them onto brown box columns at the top of the aisle and bottom of the aisle. Understated elegance that was to DIE for. Luckily we were joined by Sarah K. Chen and we cannot WAIT to see what delicious images she’ll be dishing out to us!

Did I mention how much we LOVE LOVE LOVE

We were honored to be fed from the owner himself of 24 Carrots, Norm.  [Funny enough, both US and Alicia worked with 24 Carrots on this night! Alicia was just down the street from RLL at the Private Estate wedding in honor of Shelley and Tony... well, Leashy, WE got the head-hauncho at our event!! Hardy Har!!] Their food was impeccable and de-lish.  I just adore their mini desserts that were all hand made, as well as the appetizers (hand-passed) that had so much thought and character put into them.  24 Carrots is also the preferred caterer on Saturdays at Rancho which is fantastic because….well….we heart them!!! Heather, the contact @ 24 for RLL brides is to DIE for… so full of spunk, fun and goodness. You will love her, just like we do!

If you thought mini decadent desserts were enough, think again. Yvonne’s cake looked like a soft white cloud of goodness with peonies and ranunculus sprinkled around.  French’s Pastry were the masterminds behind this piece of beauty.

In the moment of cutting that cake:

Yvonne later slipped into a sexy white cocktail dress and showed off her moves on the dance floor.  How she pulled off a mini (but very cute) cocktail dress in 45 degree weather I don’t know.  Amanda and I were numb by the time we got to our cars…..but it was all worth it!  Congrats to Yvonne and Mike on being newly-weds!!!

With love,

Bee

Now, I don’t play favorites with my couples, honestly I don’t. And I’m sooo excited for next year because I have some amazing weddings coming up. BUT, if I DID want to chose a fave couple award for 2007… well, K&B would be in the running. I looooove them. They’re like the kind of infectious you want to keep. :)

The wedding ceremony took place at St. Pius V Church, which was literally around the corner from Kris and Bry’s house! Their on-site coordinator, Kathy, was AWESOME! Since we had a huge wedding party, I was a bit worried [10 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, 5 flower girls, 3 ring bearers, and.... well, a TON of sponsors!] about getting everyone’s attention in regards to walking down the aisle. Kathy worked it, and helped me out so much!

Since Kristine and Bryan were expecting nearly 300 guests, Kristine was a trooper to go all out the way she did in the details. You’ll see more later, but I think she must have made at least 150 to 200 of these super cute programs alone!!

Presenting the bouquet to Mary…

Married! I LOVE this picture!

And equally, this one too!!

After the ceremony we did some quick re-enactments for Harvard Photography to get “the big stuff” at a better angle. A few snaps for you:

And, onto the reception I went!! The main festivities were held at the Sheraton Hotel Cerritos. I love, love, LOVE the on-site coordinator there, Amanda [how funny, right!!]. Since K&B booked me for month-of coordinating, I got to talk with her lots, which was so fun! This was my first time working there and I’m already dying to go back!! You’ll see her later. :)

We made this ballroom [already gorgeous and fairly newly renovated] SHINE with glamour!! Satin linens from Dress My Chair, chair covers and sashes by Chair Covers by Angie, Eddie at Commerce Flowers was incredible and their arrangements were huge and full and gorgeous!! To top it off we had Ryan of Fly By Night killing it with music, microphone, and much more [he even helped us figure out our little glitch in the slideshow, which took almost 20 minutes but was SOOOOOO worth it!!!]. The whole thing caught on film by 29 Frames [who also, might I add, were responsible for the amazingness of the slideshow, which they put together!]. We had a dream team.

Some details:

Favors were carmel apples, CDs, and mini wine bottles. It was a busy table, full of love! I adore the way it all turned out!!

Let me just say that I LOVE these place cards and with 30 tables of guests Kristine is a freaking miracle worker for these. Even the vendors had them!!!

Some shots of the cocktail hour.

See that puffy hydrangea arrangement [hydrangement??] in the background? Yep, I threw that together. :) I did the flower girl baskets too [as the church was a "no toss" church], but I didn’t get any pictures. Lame.

Since K&B wanted to do something fun with their bar budget, we decided to host a “signature drink” only for them. We chose apple martinis to go with their color scheme, green and brown. The hotel [Amanda the amazing I should say] went full force and rimmed the glasses with brown sugar. So. cute. And this display?? To die for! The guests loved it!

Back into the room for a minute…

Rossmoor Pastries is responsible for this. I am thankful!

A little bling hasn’t killed anyone, right??

I loooooove candles and how they transform a room!

The room:

These are Kristine’s “reception shoes”. I am in love with them.

This one is “for the blog”, just before the grand entrance:

The group walked in to the Rocky theme!!

And straight into their first dance [which, the bridal party crouches around the dance floor and blew bubbles during]:

Sooooo in love! [Even if Bryan didn't cry during the ceremony, I know he really wanted to, and that's how I know they're really in love...]. Haha!!

A quick hello and thank you from our groom before dinner!

The groom’s cake was a tuxedo. So cute!! We dressed up the table a bit with an engagement picture, candles and petals.

Our cake, all lit up from the back!!

And more on why THIS is on the cake table later:

Sigh, perfection!!

The slideshow I mentioned before. Well, it was actually more like a video/picture montage. It was SO candid, SO personal, SO cute. They told their love story… and I was hooked!!

Their speeches were warm and heartfelt!

I grabbed a quick shot of Kris’s bouquet. It was incredible! I’ve come to find out that I don’t LOVE single-flower bouquets right now in life. But, this was serious perfection!!!

And the bridesmaid bouquets weren’t so bad either. I looooove the deep green hydrangea that Eddie used. Swoon!!

After the toasts, Bryan had a special surprise for the group: he sang to Kristine in front of everyone! The song was Adam Sandler’s “Grow Old With You” and he did SO well! I was blown away! It was too, too cute!!

So in love!!

Oh yah, THIS is Amanda @ The Sheraton. Who rocks my face off. Amanda, now that you’ve seen my blog I expect weekly comments!! :)

A close up of their low centerpieces:

And into the Father/Daughter dance!

Of course, Bryan and his mom weren’t forgotten either!

And NOW, it’s cake time!! Thanks to my amazing and tall cousin Miriam for most of these shots! She held my camera over the crowd and over her head and just snapped away!!

It got a LITTLE crazy, but thankfully the dress had napkin-protection.

Awe, love IS sweet!

Let’s ask Kristine how she REALLY feels about the taste of champagne… this one killed me!!

Time for the toss.

And the garter. I love that Bryan threw Kris’ shoes like halfway across the dance floor!!

Got it!!

And now, for the football. Bryan HIKED the garter to one of the single guys!!

A little money dance that the guests got sooo into!!

Though I will say this- Bryan took a pin to the head and there WAS some blood loss. All well worth it!

Since this was a big guest count, I brought along the hubs for extra hands. This is me struggling to get a cute background pic for MiPhone.

Back out to the cocktail hour. Their guest book had this sweet little poem sign in front:

And as we packed up items into Kris and Bry’s room, we stumbled upon these:

Since K kicked those shoes OFF for dancing, I snagged a pic of ‘em:

Cuteness central. I am LOVING this colorful, funky shoe trend!! These are classy!

And of course, my absolute favorite image of the night because it’s the one that I carry with me in my heart long after the party ends…

K&B: you know it! I am SO excited that you’re married! You will love it. Marriage is the ultimate joy-bringer. You two are built for it! I see it in the way you touch, in the way you laugh, in how your hearts are so connected. Truly, you two are BEST friends, and have grown up together. If you can make it through that, you can make it through anything!! Have SO much fun this week but come back well-rested and refreshingly in love!!

The end!

The Very-Pregnant-and-Talented Sarah K. Chen was with us
Always-a-Fave for attitude and images, Jonilyn Photography, accompanied by husband Alex!
Spontaneous-and-Spunky Jacob Atmodjojo was on board as well
And last but CERTAINLY not least in my eyes
I-Hope-We-Work-Together-Oodles-Next-Year and voted Best Newcomer just now from ME: Jordana Hazel!!

Phew, right?? Images for DAYS! WEEKS! YEARS! Needless to say, staying out of their way was challenging and more than that, I did a lot of “leaving it up to them”. So, hopefully these pictures are pleasing enough to give you a real feel for Chris and Rob’s day. It truly was a great thing to be a part of!!

The pictures start at the church, St. Vincent de Paul in Huntington Beach. Just before the ceremony!

There’s a push and pull, love/hate relationship with church ceremonies when you’re a coordinator. I LOVE them. The tradition of it, the gorgeous churches around here, the fact that I am freed up to take photos. But the hate of it… most of the time the church coordinator gives us “indie” coordinators very little jurisdiction at their site. I never have a problem with that- I don’t want to step on people’s toes or anything and as I said… I love the extra picture freedom. I just always want to be the one taking care of my clients! Fluffing the dress, straightening the veil, giving that last minute pep-talk… it’s my heart!!

That’s Christine, being gorgeous.

Just a few of the “entourage” doing their thing. :)

MARRIED!

I love the fake re-do of the candle lighting [for photo's sake]. More than that, I LOVE Robby’s face. What a character!!

Some post ceremony portraits…. boys+parasols=ridiculous!

And the girls, apparently they’re GREAT at the fake laugh!!

Until it turned into real laughs!

THIS is my favorite! When your colors are green and orange, and your wedding is ’round the corner from Halloween, the socks are just ONE of the perks!!

A few last quick snaps before heading off to the reception!

Off to the reception! The details were outrageous! I loved them!! Linens and rentals all provided by Baker Party Rentals!! Our venue was the clubhouse at Park Newport and was perfect for our intimate, laid-back party setting!! It also gave Chris’ family the access that they needed to create all of the floral details- YES, ALL OF THEM- themselves, the day prior!

These cute orange favor boxes held “a few of their favorite things”. Almond Roca, Reese’s, Candy Corn…

CUTE printed materials and signs!!

Their candy buffet was a hit, provided graciously by one of Christine’s aunts!!

A sweet memorial to Robby’s grandmother.

LOVED the bouts! The dahlias… or, zenias, or whatever they were…. LOVE them!

Straight from the Grand Entrance into their First Dance!!

Christine didn’t want a cake. Like, really, didn’t care for a cake. But, in the end, tradition reared it’s head and she compromised with a small cutting cake and some sheet cakes for the guests. These unique, funky cake topper froggies are really salt and pepper shakers!

I wish I’d gotten MORE pictures of the centerpieces. This is just one of the many arrangements! The clusters of vases on each of the tables were gorgeous!

One of the two frames showcasing their fab engagement pictures:

This drink is the green machine. Seriously!

These simple cocktail arrangements were perfect!

And we had 7 of these little cuties!

C&R love cocktail snacks! So, they provided dishes for the lounge area and cocktail hour! It was totally “them”!

Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances…

We had a Starbucks Coffee station set up for the guests!

And around that time, Jonilyn set up a killer photo
booth, too!!

More detail.

One of our cute hanging vases out on the patio, at sunset!

The “entourage” snuck the couple out during sunset for a prime photo op!

A cookie bar accompanied the cake cutting and the cookies were delicious! All 8 kinds, a mix of home-made and store-bought!

The uplights were amazing! Provided by Lifetime Weddings!

After the speeches, a few words from our groom:

And Christine had a little surprise planned of her own. All for the joke, Alicia [the 'sistant] and I brought out these HUGE champagne glasses for C&R!!

A few VERY blurry shots of bouquet and garter and things and things!

And I love this!

The photo booth was a huge hit!!!

You know, with the vendors, too! Jonilyn, you know I’m on my tippy tippy toes waiting to see your images!!!

And, to end off the blog, a few of my schmappy images, edited up all pretty like [as pretty as they'll get for me]:

And my fave, just after the cake cutting, cute little crinkle-nose faces!!

C&R: I loooove you two! Your friendship, love, and laughter is so apparent. At your wedding, it was obvious that you had already been a family for so long now. It wasn’t a beginning, it was a continuing, and a deepening of your love! To be a part of that day, was an honor for all of the In The Now family! Have SO much fun on your vacay. Come back rested, and ready to party some more! 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!!

Ann and Chris tied the knot at the beautiful Lakeside Chapel at Kindred Community Church in Anaheim Hills! The ladies there were awesomely efficient and the site was a gorgeously simple outdoor site. These parasols were complimentary for our guests:

And Ann provided water on a warm day:

The simple set up was truly beautiful:

Sooo artsy. :)

I loved the simple bouquets of roses with the cuff of lemon leaves that the girls carried, compliments of David Brian Designs!

Talk about curb-side service!!!

A quick snap of Ann’s gorgeous detailing:

The famed Kim Le and co. in action!!

Ann and Chris are soo full of love! At this point I had to jet off to their reception site, Ports O Call Restaurant in San Pedro! The view of the Port was gorgeous and we had one of the best ballrooms there!! Some details…

Ann’s candy buffets was one of my faves! Plus, I haven’t had one of these in a few months… they’re still SO fun!!

These “risers” that we put the jars on are ours! It truly adds a unique touch!

The whole shebang:

You know my thing for cakes? Well now it’s caught on to my assistant, Miriam. She’s obsessed too! Which is great… because that means even though I’m too busy to snap, she finds the time and snaps away for me!!!

Sigh… love this!

The coral color of those roses is drool-worthy!

I snapped a quick shot of Ann’s TOO CUTE to-go containers:

LOVE the sign-in picture that Kim Le brought with her. Their engagement pics are classically beautiful!

And now… for the evening’s events! Straight after their grand entrance, the romantic first dance!!

Ann was smiling and laughing in Chris’ arms the whole night!!

Loved this:

After dinner and a KILLER slideshow put together by the best man, we had our father/daughter and mother/son dances:

She was beaming the whole night, regardless of the little hiccups that seemed to keep me busy!!

Their daughter, Kiana, grabbed one of the other flower girls and joined in… melt!!!

Onto the cutting, which was a family affair!!

A dark one…

And into the toss. See that beautiful girl in the black dress?? Yep, that’s Amber of Amber and Trevor!! Thanks for the referral guys! I loved seeing you two again!!

I looove it when groom’s have a long dance/walk to their bride for the garter removal. Chris was no exception! He took a nose dive and slid on his belly to her!!! Exceptional!

And the last image of the night are a close-up of our extra ceremony fans, which we left out for the guests at the end of the evening to take home with them… they were a huge hit!!

All in all, the night was a busy one! I got to enjoy some great time with the other vendors [nothing like clicking as if you're part of a team]! I got to see team-work in action from the bridal party and the others, behind the scenes. I got to see love take shape and form! I am so blessed by it!

A&C: you know the best thing about you two? You’re in love! You two get one another. You’re comfortable. You can be half way across the room [and I'm sure, across the world] and with one glance someone can see that you two are connected by something so special. I loved witnessing that. I loved being the one who got to take care of you on your big day! Allow the memories that you made to soak in and anxiously await the pro pictures as I am!! Let them carry you back to this big moment in your life, all the enormity, joy, and simplicity that was a part of it!! xoxo!!

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!

The entire event took place at the super cool boutique Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach [seriously... 33 rooms to the entire place!]. The ambiance of the courtyard was PERECT. The day was gorgeous. All in all, amazing. And Nicola hand made SO many delectable details for all of her guests. I couldn’t get enough!!

Their guest book was Manhattan Beach postcards:

My assistant Miriam and I set up the place card tray prior to the ceremony, but kept it hidden until cocktail time:

On each chair, a program and a little bag of lavender to toss as the couple came back up the aisle!

Loooooved it:

The colors of the wedding were green and brown, but the theme was beach-y for sure. This worked GREAT at the Shade, because that was the ENTIRE hotel. Wood, green, and sea life. Their decor was insane!

Some simple decor for the stage and stairs, where the ceremony took place [which later turned into our dinner focal point]:

[and YES, keeping these candles lit was a losing battle!!]

Ceremony!

Miriam caught this shot JUST IN TIME:

Oh and yes, her dress is blush pink. I’m SO lucky. TWO brides with pink dresses in August. I love it!

This is meant to be vibe-y and nothing else [the couple, waiting for their bridal party to trek to the beach after the ceremony]:

And now, the ceremony area turned reception style [totally forgot to take a picture of the super cool lounge/lobby area where the cocktail hour was held... VERY modern, funky, sleek, love-able!]:

A close up of the centerpieces, conceptualized by Nicola [put together through inspirational pictures]:

I loved that they were lush but didn’t need to be totally floral! And from the 2nd story:

Okay, so I couldn’t get enough…

THIS picture was smashingly captured by Miriam, can’t you see that the top of my head is my “good side”? This is what happens when you say “Hey Amanda!!” while I’m working. :)

More table decor:

For the kids:

Another vibe shot pre-dinner: [Nicole changed out her veil for a gardenia for her hair... I loved it!]

Oh, and she also changed her shoes so that she could rock THESE puppies:

The losing battle:

After dinner we headed up to the roof top for dancing and cake. I LOVED this about the Shade. Seriously pictures don’t do the space justice. It was SUCH a fun venue!!

Nicola thought of everything, and beyond that, she vibed it OUT!

As night fell and the guests headed upstairs, they were graced by a gorgeous modern cake from the likes of Vanilla Bake Shop, a husband and wife that I’d been dying to meet. Amy and Jeremy are just as infectious as their confections. And the cake was fabulous to boot!!

N & N had their “official” grand entrance upstairs after dinner, going straight into a personal, intimate first dance which I loved but got super sucky pictures of:

Though the above is a GEM to my heart!

I think they like each other!!

And lastly, a pictures of Nicola’s cool green kicks:

All in all, the night was SO fun and SO personal. Nicola was such a beautiful, beaming, and gracious host to her wedding. I loved watching her laugh and be sincere with her guests. I loved watching her schmooz up her husband and fall hopelessly for him. They’d been together 10 years I think word on the street was. So, it was ABOUT TIME! :) Either way, they are full of love and life, and were SUCH a pleasure to be with!

My favorite memory from the night: just before the cake cutting I got distracted for a moment and when I came back, they were standing at the cake, holding the knife upside down [meaning sharp side up, away from the cake] aiming for the top tier. After correcting them and giving them the rundown at the last moment, we had a good laugh about it! I truly love my couples!!

N & N- fabulousness oozes from you! I LOVED being a part of your day. I’m so glad you finally got to see your vision come to life. It was everything you could have asked for and more [well, from my eyes it was]. I loved that you two remained relaxed, in love, and focused on what weddings are supposed to be- a celebration of you two!!! xoxo!

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!

Pru and Conrad snatched up my 4th of July Friday slot early on and from the beginning we clicked. At their first meeting, I got to witness their honest love and carefree attitudes. Pru’s beauty runs soo deeply inside that it’s literally oozing- gorgeously- out of her at all times! Enough said…

Some of their GORGEOUS floral details from the church. All florals done by The Enchanted Florist. Loving them right now!!

Bouquet for Mary:

Michael ofEvoke Photography in action!

Hi, Popo!! [This is what all of her relatives called her all night long- I think it's tooo cute!]

A detail of Pru’s. In her family’s tradition [she's Assyrian], the bride gets ready and then meets up with family to be “escorted” to the church. In Pru’s case, the “family” was about 70 or so people! I loved that with the bride came almost our whole guest list! For her home, prior to the ceremony, Pru made these little fans in her colors for the guests [it WAS 105 degrees that day!!]:

Okay, so, one of our 5 flower girls didn’t make it down the aisle…

Since St. Bernadine’s had a coordinator on sight that did a great job running a tight ship, I got to snatch up a few pics of Pru’s walk to Conrad before heading off to the reception site…

Dad stepped a bit on that veil, but hey, he straightened the train! Love him for it!!

Over to Marriott Marina Del Rey for a wonderful reception and fireworks to boot!

A terrible picture of the amazing engagement pics that Evoke provided us with. I’ll be blogging those [I know, I know, POST-wedding] later this month for sure!

Pru’s card box:

One of my FAVE details was Prudens’ home-made manzanita branch escort card trees. She had Enchanted Florist add some green orchids to the branches but WHEW these were a labor of love! They ended up soo gorgeous!!

More of Pru’s FAB details in the cocktail area:

Hi!!!

HOT!!!

And now, into the room…

Yep. She had it all! Chiavari chairs, Taffeta linens, lush centerpieces… this chocolate and green reception was to DIE for!

I LOVED that they had a pin spot on the sweetheart table:

Just something she whipped up…

We had a “sweets” table with all cultural foods. I LOVED bringing in this special addition to the night. And the guests devoured it!!

Soo… the florist had to leave before the cake was delivered and left me with orchids and a picture to finish the rest. Eeek!! Can you tell by my face?

Turned out pretty good!!

And, you know my obsession with cakes…

More of the room:

Pru and Conrad didn’t do a champagne toast, so they opted for special martini glasses as opposed to the traditional flutes!

Their cute cute cute napkins and some appetizers for the hungry Bride and Groom:

Working it:

Apparently, it takes LOTS of work to make pretty pictures. And, lots of heavy stuff:

You know it’s my favorite when the vendor payments match the wedding…

Quick pic:

This is the view from our room: We had the shades down all day and during cocktails to have the “big reveal” moment. But, all night, we had basically 3 walls of windows to the Marina and beyond. PERFECT for the 4th of July fireworks!!

Espimusic provided our ambient cocktail hour music. It was great!!

Pru and Conrad had the BEST grand entrance ever! In this culture, it’s tradition that the ladies in the groom’s family will wave and twirl these scarves with beads on the end. Since Conrad isn’t Assyrian, ALL of the ladies gathered on the dance floor to welcome Pru to the family! This lead straight into a 3 song dancing extravaganza and it was soo amazing!!!

I LOVED seeing Michael and Emi in the crowd, shooting as if their life depended on it trying to get these shots!!!

The bride’s bouquet:

Speeches by the family and bridal party:

Post-toast hugs:

Firework time! Now, Josh took these photos for me and trying desperately not to get in the way of Mike and Emi, these are ALL blurry! But, you still get the idea [waiting on pins and needles for Evoke's pics!!!]:

Back to the cake, as the night goes on…

First dance:

It’s tradition to shower the couple with dollar bills… and shower they did!

Father/Daughter and Mother/Son:

Cake!!!!

Loooooove this!!!

Cheers!

During dancing, Pru grabbed Con’s jacket and headed out to their wrap-around patio area to enjoy the 4th. How cute is she??

That’s it! No bouquet, no garter! We kept it simple and fun. The dancing went on until 1am and EVERYONE was out there having a great time! I did a few edits of some photos for your enjoyment as well…

And of course, my schmappy version of the firework images:

To Pru and Con- I loved loved, LOVED being a part of your day! The way you two love one another is so apparent, and so beautiful to witness. I am thankful to be in your lives and I can’t WAIT to see your pictures!!!

The ceremony took place at their home church, Lifestream Church in Norwalk.

Leslie kept the aisle decor simple, tacking down an aisle runner and using bowls wrapped in cherry blossom paper, with large floating candles inside. Sprinkle down a few pink hued votive holders and petals, and we were good to go!

YAY!

Some of the details from the stage:

Onto The Radisson for dinner and dancing!

Leslie opted to do all candle-heavy centerpieces! We used TONS of pink petals and the rest, she pulled from various places for discount prices. The result was something gorgeous!!

These little pin cushions were 1 per table- and a family member hand-made them so that the families could pin money to the couple for their money dance!

Their favors were tealight holders in the shape of lotus flowers. They were this gorgeous deep pink color!

Only 3 floral centerpieces were provided, and an Aunt had made them. This one is from the sweetheart table:

Another of the centerpieces:

The third option, brought over from the ceremony:

The grand entrance!!

Straight into their first dance!!!

Loved this lighting, LOVED this couple, how could I not snap 10000 photos???

A touching speech from her father, who shed some tears and surprised Leslie very much! It got me foggy eyed, for sure!!

The gorgeous cake once again! The 2nd tier may look different than the previous picture… that’s because it was backwards before. I had to turn the cake!!! Their cute little initials on that cake were TOO cute to miss!

Father Daughter and Mother Son:

They hired my FAVE photographer, Jonilyn to set up a faux photo booth at the reception. She brought a second camera to capture the rest of the night’s events- this is why I love that lady!!!

Their main photographer, Micah Gilmore brought an entourage with him as well [using Jon Chan as a 2nd shooter, and bringing his wife with him as a 3rd shooter] was amazing as well! I always love meeting new friends!

Onto the cake cutting!!

Micah’s same-day slideshow. I love this from photographers!!

Leslie made these CUTE details for the guests:

Their videographers put together an 18 minute amazing slideshow for them. Alex De Guzman is the name of the videographer, but I can find a link for them. Truly, it was a high-tech show!!

Their money dance was sure a hit:

THANKFULLY, Leslie provided the vendors with our own table in the corner of the room, by the photo booth station. Most unfortunately, right when Jen and I got to the reception site, she dropped a glass vase on her foot and broke her big toe… the rest of the night she was down for the count, but around for the party!

Right now, she’s praying that she won’t loose her whole toenail!

Time for bouquet and garter!

Seriously- at the end of the night, after all the guests had gone and the dance floor was empty, Micah and Christie, Jon, Jen, Josh [who came up and saved the night for me, helping me pack up and load up at the end of the evening, since Jen was hurt!] and I all sat around and talked for a while. It was a great end to an amazing wedding!

To give you just a LITTLE idea of the fun that was had… this is just one of the MANY vendor shots that was taken in the photo booth area:

Oh, photographers! You’re so silly!!!

To L&K: you two are the sweetest and most tender couple! I love your compassion and sensitivity for one another! This has been a long time coming, and your wedding was truly an outpouring of your love for one another! Thank you for picking me to spend this important day with you! I loved every bit of it!!!

I arrived early and snapped a few pre-ceremony shots of getting ready:

Floral details provided by the AMAZINGLY talented [and up-and-coming NEW florist] Monica Jones! Remeber that name ladies!!

J&J shared love notes to one another during the ceremony. I snapped a pic of Jen’s as she handed it off to me…

Ceremony details:

These hydrangea were imported… I can see why. They are to. die. for.

P.S.- yes, these programs are stamped and hand-embossed by the bride [aka, the DIY queen!]. She told me earlier that day she doesn’t know what she was thinking when she thought that would be a good idea!

Although Sarah did not work their wedding, her lovely engagement session was still with us throughout the day!

Onto some reception details:

The. Cake. Was. Ridiculous.

[Just wait 'til you see it with the uplights on...]

Jen opted for a wishing tree as a guest book, and the SMARTEST thing she did [to help her guests who may not be familiar with this un-traditional idea] was have her bridesmaids sign a few cards to hang from the branches and start things off!

Cute little Martha-esque escort card set up!

Almost ceremony time….

The bride’s gorgeous bouquet:

And the girls’ bouquets:

My beautiful blushing bride!!!

Before we get to the ceremony, a few shots of the finished room [the hotel let us set up early enough to where I could fully set the room and actually bring my camera down to Jen to see ALL of her details prior to her walk down the aisle! She, and her 'maids, loved it!!!]:

Glow-riffic!

Back to the ceremony!

The ring bearer had this AMAZING pillow, and his sister, the flower girl, had a similarly stellar pomander to carry!

Hanging orchids in the gazebo…

Typically at this point in the day, I throw my camera at one of my assistants so that I can be in charge of the ceremony. So, here it goes!

The maid of honor duties were split between Jen’s sister and her best friend! I love how they worked it: one had train duty, one held the bouquet and held the ring, then they switched the order of who sat next to the bride in the reception from who stood next to her in the ceremony. Too many amazing friends- always a good problem to have!

Back up to the room…

Did I mention they had a signature cocktail??? I LOVE a signature cocktail!

Hi!

What did I tell you??

Another FAB shot by Sarah K. Chen!

Just checking in on the portraits…

Bustle time! [That's Brittany, my assistant, in the back workin' it!!]

Since she did a quick shoe switch before the grand entrance, I snapped a shot of her GORGEOUS heels:

Straight into the first dance!

Sorry for the drastic difference in color quality- throughout the night I was switching between flash on/flash off!

The bride and groom pulled up some chairs to enjoy their slideshow. I tried to take time capturing more of their emotion towards the show than actually watching it myself…

Into the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances…

I LOVED how Jennifer was looking on at them…

Cutting that masterpiece of a cake…

A few words from our sentimental bride and groom:

And now, onto the emotional and touching speeches!

The toss, with a twist [the bride had to be spun around until she was dizzy!]:

Time for the garter!

You thought the bride had it bad? Not only was the groom spun until dizzy, he was blind folded…

And then, TRICKED! They switched out our sweet bride for a groomsman!!!

Not knowing, of course, the groom went full force while the crowd went WILD!

Poor, poor Jacob…

Ready to try again, for real this time!

All in all, Jacob was a great sport about the whole thing and the rest of the night was spent drinking and dancing the night away! I LOVED being a part of this colorful group’s wedding day! They all had a blast, and when YOU do, I do!! Special thanks to J&J- I loved sharing this moment in your lives!!!

But, let’s let the photos do the talking…

When I arrived at the hotel, the girls were just getting ready to leave for the ceremony [and I was, too!]

Their lovely programs:

Church decor:

The floral details were unique and gorgeous! Elaine really let Devynn’s Garden, her florist, have reign in their designs. She wanted something with a tropical flare, and something a bit more outside of the box. Devynn’s Garden took it from there and just WAIT until you see her centerpices!!! I always tell my clients to trust the professionals with what they do best- Elaine’s wedding is a perfect example!

Stained glass windows in the church were amazing!

Elaine arrived and left in this gorgeous Rolls Royce [though, when she left, she took a husband with her!!]:

Elaine, always a courteous one, greeting her guests BEFORE the ceremony!

Their wonderful harpist, Elizabeth Styffe:

You may not be able to tell, but Brian is doing a pre-ceremony dance right here. It consisted of at least a solid 30 seconds of “air boxing”, Rocky style:

Ceremony!

Sign of Peace:

Bouquet for Mary:

Close up of the program:

Me, in action, and back at the Hilton Waterfront:

Some details:

Could NOT get enough pictures of these amazingly different centerpieces!

The room:

Cake table, pre-cake:

Toss:

Cocktail hour:

Here comes the cake!

CAKE!

One of the family members made these GREAT stickers for the guests to wear during the reception! I loved the playful nature of this wedding, and this was such a beautiful touch:

Working…

The grand entrance was FULL of fun. Here’s just a few examples:

Straight into the first dance:

Speeches [I should note that these speeches took about 30 minutes and were TOTALLY worth it!!!]

The AMAZING Jan Garcia set up a slideshow during the reception of the ceremony and portraits. I love same-day slideshows!

Father/Daughter:

A close up of their picture matte:

The Mother/Son dance was to “Sweet Caroline” and it was energetic- to say the least!

And now, the dancefloor is OPEN!

Onto the cake:

The toss!

The garter!

All in all, it was a flawless evening and the guests had SO much fun! I could see it in the faces of family and friends, this was such a joyous, long-awaited celebration for Elaine and Brian! I feel honored that I got to be a part of it!!

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

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

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

[The girls]

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

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

Back to portraits, details and pre-ceremony fun!

The groom and his family:

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

Ready for “The Walk”:

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

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

Programs, made by yours truly!!

Now, heading inside for some more details…

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

Back to ceremony…

And JUST in time!

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

More details:

And now, some bride and groom shots!

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

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

Grand Entrance [pardon the blurry]…

Into the first dance…

Cake. Delicious. Yummy. Gorgeous. Cake.

A few of the speeches…

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

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

Father/Daughter:

Mother/Son:

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

Yummmmmmm!

A quick word from the couple before the cake cutting:

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

The first “trust test”:

The Toss!!

The Catch!!

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

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

Yay! So fun. Thanks to Eric Slay for these fab few!