I actually found this last week, considered it for last week… and went back to it. Because I cannot get it out of my mind. Sorry, guys- maybe I’m hungry when I blog! What of it?! Either way, that cake’s clumpy, chunky, rustic gold frosting is calling my name and owning me all at once.

And for that, I thank 100 Layer Cake and all that they are.

Happy weekend! YAY that it’s another Friday already.

xoxo,

The inspiration, you ask? Think classic greens with an upscale twist. I wanted the vibe to be traditional and elegant with a punch of modern [of course] and a taste of funk!

I used these killer ladderback chairs [my new favorite chiavari alternative] in gold to really give that “old world” vibe to the table! The hanging potato wreath was a labor of love, in all gold!

I know it sounds strange to say, but I absolutely adore how the mini taper candles exude the vibe of Roman Catholicism. It wasn’t the original plan for it to do so, but once the centerpiece was in place… it just felt so perfectly Irish Catholic! What a way to celebrate heritage and history!!

And so you can see the fun, from above:

Now, some of you who are newer to my blog may not know this as well, but let it be heard: I am ALL ABOUT centerpieces composed of a filler-flower-only! These centerpieces packed with different types of leafy greens really get my heart racing! We also created these darling boutonnieres for the “guests” to pin on- because as everyone knows, if you forget to wear green, you’re gonna get pinched!

This plating style may be my favorite composure in quite some time! I love that the two base plates [gold charger and green dinner] are larger and centered while the salad plate is small and set at the bottom, near the guest, with the boutonniere on it! It just screams LOVELY to me!

And what’s a St. Patrick’s Day feast without a large glass of beer?? NOTHING, I say! We loved using these [almost uncomfortably] tall beer glasses to set the tone for the glassware at the party!

And who could forget drink flags?? NOT me! The water just screamed for an extra pop! This ribbon was pretty wide, and looked quite adorable when knotted onto the top of our stick to create the flag.

Stellar calligraphy was provided by Victoria at Inkwell Calligraphy. I just knew when I was plotting this table that calligraphed items were a must! These name cards have been made into mini banners that sit behind each person’s plate!

And some gorgeous, hand-written menus [with classic Irish dishes, of course!]:

Our cuter-kins little pots of gold as favors:

I stuck a leaf in for good measure!

And lastly, a few shots of our darling boutonnieres that you didn’t yet see:

And of course, my favorite:

If you’re asking if they were just as cute in person… the answer is YES! And cuter!

The lineup includes:

Table Linens from BBJ and La Tavola
Ladderback Chairs from Party Rental King
Plateware + Basics from Signature Party Rentals
Photography by Two Auer Photo
Calligraphy by Victoria’s Inkwell
Event Styling + Floral work by In The Now!

It completely, 100% FIGURES that I’d plan yet another trip to my favorite area [the downtown LA garment and flower district] on a day when torrential downpour is very likely to ensue. Yet, my motivation is strong, and my excitement is rumbling inside my brain louder than the thunder could roll!! Here’s a little sneak of the colors I’m putting together for our lovely March tabletop. Of course it’s got an Irish feel to it- it’s March! I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s going to be outrageously, utterly, ridiculously fabulous. And that’s not just because it’s me putting it together. Okay maybe it is. Jury’s still out… I’ll let you all decide!

What do you think of when you see this? When you think of March?? When you dream of Ireland??? Curious to hear the answers that you come up with! It may or may not make it’s way onto the March table!

xoxo,

A.

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.

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.

The Pro Lineup:

Photographer: April Smith Photography
Venue: Sheraton Anaheim Hotel
Videographer: Mike Mills @ Videotape My Wedding
Stationary: Anne @ The Paper Stylist
Cake & Sweets: Tomgirl Baking Co.
All floral and decor: The [now] infamous Uncle Lou!

Their favors were mini windchimes and magnets straight from the Philippines. Ironically enough, Jereco and Ruby BOTH grew up on the same island in the Philippines but had to make it all the way to America to meet and marry. Did I mention that this year is their 10 year anniversary together?? When I say it’s ABOUT time, I mean it!

SO many fun details just in the centerpieces. lights, crystals, action!

A gorgeous photo-filled guest book!

These little guys were my LABOR of love:

The red up-lighting went on and BAM the cake turned a whole new shade of gorgeous!

And of course, Tomgirl provided even more delicious desserts [which lasted umm about 10 minutes!!] for the guests, in conjunction with some traditional candies:

Pastor and the GUYS at the Sheraton, they came up with this display. How much do you love that? I walked back into the room [left them alone for maybe 10 minutes!!] and 4 dudes were huddled around the table, placing stands, mirrors, and lining up pastries into perfect rows. WOW. That’s all I can say!

Ruby was such a happy bride. I snapped this just after portraits, before the ceremony:

Some ceremony site pictures:

Ruby was walked down the aisle by both parents.

As we wrapped up cocktail hour, I tried my best to wait patiently while April got some KILLER [I just know it] shots of Rubes and Jer in one of my favorite places at the Sheraton- their lobby [sooo modern and fun!]. But, I couldn’t resist! A few scrappy seconds:

SO. IN. LOVE.

A quick shot of her bouquet:

And now, onto the festivities! Their first dance:

As Ruby leaned into her husband and sang their song with tears in her eyes, I leaned on the wall of the room and cried alongside of her. There is something so honest- soo genuine- about their love. It’s why I’m in business.

A few words from our bride and groom:

The little girls [nieces of the bride] performed a special dane to a Hannah Montana song. One that Ruby knew ALL the words to. Watching her and Jereco clap along the whole time: priceless!!

And, the last 3 of the night, in sequence:

Such a good sport!! All in all, the night was nothing but perfection! We danced. We laughed. We cried. We shared memories to last a lifetime and fill a ballroom. And it all ended with a literal bang- fireworks!!!

Ruby- you and I always had so much fun together. I used to look forward to our phone calls, our late night meetings, our jokes, and our eager anticipation for your big day. Now… I just plain miss you! I KNOW that your wedding was everything you’d hoped for. I know it, cause I was there. And I saw you. And I saw the way that boy looked at you… right with his heart. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this crazy, chaotic, amazing time in your life! I’ll cherish it forever!

xoxo,

A.

The Lineup:

Photos: Max Ader
Reception Venue: Holiday Inn, Laguna Hills
DJ: Authentic Sound
Flowers: Petals By Marsha

Tamara knit all of these by herself. She is a crazy person. This is why we love Tamara.

The wine, the ketubah, the challa, the breaking glass…. pretty good lookin’ table!

I LOVE that their chuppa was draped with garments from Matt’s grandfathers. SO personal!

A good friend of mine wore a dress with many pickups in the skirt YEARS ago, and I called her a “whipped cream dream”- now every time I see one I want to say it! Tammykins, you were a WHIPPED CREAM DREAM on your big day!

During the ceremony, the bride circles the groom three times…

Then his turn, around her, thrice:

Then both circle together:

He lifts the veil “to ensure he’s got the right one” [alluding to the biblical story where the groom marries the sister of the one he loves instead of his actual love! Imagine!!]:

Breaking the glass, to remember that life is fragile and that this commitment is permanent [can't be put back together]:

FINALLY! Time to kiss!!

Over to the reception- T&M kept their daytime affair very simple and stylish. The hotel gave them SO much decor- upgraded linens, chargers, candles for their centerpieces…. it turned out simply amazing!

Their favors were little organza bags of dark chocolates that matched their colors [burgundy and gold] perfectly!

Their formal first dance!

I loved the movement in her skirt on this one:

LOVED these moments:

Tamara was deathly afraid of this part and hid it well… for a whole 30 seconds [can I blame her? I'd FREAK!]!! Matt, on the other hand…

Blessing and breaking of bread.

THIS is my job. Did you not know? Have you not heard?

Post-cut-cake-kiss

One quick shot of that snazz-tastic bouquet she had goin’ on:

And to wrap, a shot of me, with the challa [or what was left!]… which of course is pronounced “hall-uh”, not too far off from “HOLLA!!!”, and so…. me+challa=

HOLLA!

T&M: I’m so sorry I took FOR.EV.ER to blog your photos! I loved being a part of your day. Your ceremony was so emotional. So passionate. So personal. I loved the look into who you two are, as a couple, and learning more about your heritage and families. It was an honor to witness your love. It’s an honor to be a part of your lives. I know that your honeymoon was the much needed [and much deserved] vacation which came at the perfect time. Hopefully you’re holding your heads high with heavier ring fingers and that newly-wed glow!

xoxo,

A.

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.

But, here’s the problem. And this, to me, is a biggie. I dropped the ball!! My LAST wedding of the year [well, at this point] and I forgot my camera. I haven’t done that yet this year I don’t think. This was one event that I knew I was going to be obsessed with taking photos of. Luckily, my assistants came through with their point-and-shoot cameras and I got to walk away with some pictures. But, truly, I’m am on my tippy tippy toes waiting for Gina Rangel to show me what the day looked like through her lens!! My pictures are mostly of details. They’re mostly fuzzy.

Yes, this is a flashback to a year and a half ago when I was taking pictures eerily similar to this at every event! I’ve been blessed [or, spoiled rotten] with a great camera and some lucky shots. But, that didn’t stop me from snapping away with an out-of-focus point and shoot camera in low lighting!! Onto the pictures…

When I got there, my amazing friend Christine Saunders of the Spiraled Stem was dropping off the personals. Her bouquet was to DIE for. Christine was SO amazing this day- halfway through the day she found out her house in Anaheim Hills was being evacuated, so she had to drop everything and run to pack up [seeing as her husband Darrel is her brute force for setting up on the day-of, she left him there at the nightclub with her other designer]. We are so thankful that she is okay and that her home is still in tact!! Pictures of the gorgeous bridal bouquet:

One thing I absolutely adore about Christine’s bouquets is that they are always REALLY “spiraled stemmed”, which means they’ll stand up on their own. I love nothing more than a huge fluffy bouquet that I can put on a table and take a picture of!

Those large, wide-open peonies [in November] are the death of me. I love them TOO much.
Ceremony time! The church:

Um, Kelly’s dress was flown in straight to her from Italy with a matching veil. It was to DIE for. It’s mermaid style but instead of sleekly flowing out at the bottom, it POOFED at the bottom with a gorgeous, high-end, detailed tulle that was seriously ‘tarded gorgeous. And, she wore it and WORKED it. Did I mention she is amazingly girly??

YAY!

Just after the ceremony. This is the BEST [and one of the last] shots of the couple I got. They are SO. IN. LOVE. But more than that… courteous, compassionate, and totally sane in one of life’s most stressful situations! Oh yah, told you the dress was HOTTT!

Into the club…

Kelly’s menus, escort cards, and table numbers [which followed suit with her invites] were all courtesy of White Aisle. Swoon!!

Um, this cake. This cake is unspeakable. Serious! Initially, Kelly explained to me that they wanted cupcakes because they hated that at weddings, although the cake is pretty, you don’t get to see it when it’s served to you. The concept is that everyone is getting a little piece of “art” with their cupcake. Not only were they gorgeous, they were de-lish! Rossmoor Pastries did a wonderful job collaborating with Kelly on this vision!!

White chocolate sticks with gold flecks on them. Then, the whole thing has a light drizzle of white chocolate.

[More like the key to his heart...]

Christine’s team did a fabulous job in her emergent absence finishing up the decor!

The sweetheart table was kept simple, heavy candles and floating orchids with petals around.

The guest tables were all banquets and were piled with huge cylinder vases with submerged flowers, floating candles, candle hurricanes, tea lights, shiny bead runners, TWO favors per person… all on top of white crushed satin linens. Not bad, eh??

The chiavari chairs didn’t hurt either! This place was 100% classy!! And the screen you see pictured above actually had their monogram on it for the entire evening. They had 3 screens total… Kelly and Jasson were all over the place!! I loved it!

I loved these skinny cocktail tables that we lined with stemmed votive holders. MY goodness. They are amazing!

Since it’s a club, we had the pleasure of working with their all-star lighting forces. We pin spotted the tables in pink!! And the cake was lit up in white [as you saw above]!

You can catch their two favors in the corner, there. Boxed See’s Candy truffles in one, and a mini personalized champagne split in the other!!

Menus in champagne corks. And more of the faves:

Sine I HEART Kel’s bouquet big time, I tried to take a few cool shots with the camera I had handy. They didn’t come across totally, but, hey, I still love them [and flowers].

This tube in the picture below is headed from the Bamboo Lounge to where the reception was. This is where they had their Grand Entrance! If you squint, you can see them back in there! It’s also the private room we had later into the evening, after the club opened. It was nice that our guests had a place to go and still be a part of the wedding!!

After their delightful Grand Entrance, we opened the dinner area and invited guests in for the toasts! Heartfelt and sweet [and totally blurry]. After dinner, it was time for dancing! Their sweet FIRST:

Which was followed by parent dances and then some FUN open dancing for the remainder of the evening! It was low-key, laid-back, and soo stylish. I truly loved this day!! Since their cake was such a work of art, I grabbed their rings for a few cute pictures, again, trying to pull it off with the camera I had. Still cute!! Oh yah, and Kelly is BLINGIN’ big time! Her ring finger must be a serious like size 4! Soo tiny!

Her ring is so perfectly her! Just like the wedding!

For dancing late into the evening, Kelly changed from the fluffy wonder that IS her wedding dress into this short, pink and gold dancing dress. I love that the club guests would never even know she was the bride!!

All in all, the evening was beyond wonderful! Of course, with the fires ranging so near to us, it was a bit of a tense morning. But, you would never know! As the sky was a-glow with orange and ash, Kelly was radiant, calm and collected. Jason was kind and courteous. And they were SO READY! Truly, an honor and a blessing. As I woke up this morning, I received this:

Hi Amanda,

Kelly and I wanted to thank you immensely for the amazing work you did on our wedding. I truly was impressed with your diligence, attention to detail, multitasking and all-around solid performance. I cannot imagine how we would have made it without you. Running an event like this is a huge endeavor and having you there made it a piece of cake. Thank you for the outstanding job you did. I would recommend you to anyone and everyone who asked. Of all the costs we incurred doing this, yours was EASILY the most worthwhile.

Very Best,

Jasson & Kelly Gilmore

Remember how I’m always saying that my clients are picked FOR me? Yeah. Seriously. I couldn’t have done a better job than if I was picking them myself! I love you two! Thank you for inspiring ME, just by being who you are!!!

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!!

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!

Court and James are one of the most fun couples I’ve had. They met over in England where Courtney was in school for Interior Design and where James lived! Once they met, they were inseparable! I love their infectious style of love, and their style for their big day rooted in their creative careers [James is a graphic designer] was a chic soiree! I was honored to be on board for the ride!!

They opted for a late, 8pm ceremony time spot at the historic and gorgeous Mission Inn in Riverside. Their chapel is seriously breath-taking. My apologies in advance that my pictures feel sub-par. But I had to give you a taste of their day as best I could!!

With the late evening sky, the outside of the chapel was incredible!!

I heart the pin spot light! And now, my blushing bride…

Ready for the ceremony!!

Yes, her dress has an over-the-top-awesome side bow. I loooove the asymmetry!!

The glowy reflected from the church’s gold altar area made the most scrumptious vibe lighting ever!!

And onto some reception details [sorry, I took these with my flash off and had to lighten them quite a bit... the quality is... meh]:

C&J had an intimate affair for about 75 of their closests friends and family, so they opted for 3 long banquet-style tables to fill the courtyard. It was amazing and totally a perfect way to compliment their stylish wedding!

Our courtyard [near the Ho-O-Kan room in the Mission] had two levels. The top level was our lounge area, and this was taken from up there, down to the dining area:

John Suarez and his wife at After Dark Entertainment not only rocked this vibe-y couples very specific music selections but they provided up-lighting in the upper lounge area that was to DIE for!!

Alternating purple and golden tones…

The cake was incredible! White and orange marbled chocolate wrapped around buttercream. It was simple, it was artsy. It was delicious. All that you can ask from a cake. And these urns full of oranges were everywhere! Accented with stephanotis and gardena, they smelled delicious, too!!

Serving Set:

More of the vibe-y lounge area details [did I mention the entire event was DRIPPING in candles and candle light??]:

A large gold clam held oranges on the punch table:

One more cake pic before heading back down stairs…

C&J opted for place cards at each guest’s seat. This worked out great! Because we provided the guests with a pen, and on the back, we created an instant guest book! The cards were collected by my team prior to the meal being served, and placed into their guest book which contained pages of glued mini envelopes that we slipped the cards right in to! I loved it!!

A quick snap of the very quick portrait session that the bridal party had:

Their photographer, Chip Shaffer, was great! I can’t wait to see images! And onto the GRAND ENTRANCE!

Real men carry trains! :)

We enjoyed our dinner and it was onto speeches…

And James himself:

A close up shot of some of the table’s decor:

I looooved that they used palm trees everywhere! And I mean, EVERYWHERE. In the church, outside of the church, all around the courtyard, ON the table tops [3 per table, actually], in the entry, in the lounge area… palms. Palms! Here’s a cute shot I grabbed of their guest book:

And another… love TRUMPS all!!

Being that we are the hip socialites that we are… no real formal “traditional” elements, and no dancing. It was really a nice that fostered relationships and love- kept the focus on the people who came out to be with them, and on James and Courtney’s love for everyone there [especially each other] as well! So, onto cake cutting we go!!

Sooo in love. Soooo cute!

A last picture to leave you with… during pack up, I grabbed a shot of some of the centerpiece vases that Courtney [yes, her and her mother] put together:

Basically, just orchid heads jammed into clean, slim vases. I love it!!

Honestly, the night was SO full of love and wonder. It was like being a part of something magical. Is that totally overboard sounding?? Court and James “international love” will surely continue for years and years to come!!

C&J: I truly love and admire your love for one another! It’s tender, it’s strong, it’s willing to go the distance. Seeing two people so connected and so real is remarkable! I really treasure your wedding as a fond memory of mine, and I treasure our friendship in the future as well! My absolute BEST to you two, beaming newlyweds!! 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!