It has been literally for. ev. er. Since I posted one of my tabletops. Shame on Manda. Bad, bad Manda. Sorry about that guys! It’s not for lack of photos or lack of trying… it’s just the time! But, you can only love me now because here come two [well, one kinda two] tables right atcha!

I became obsessed with the cool, modern pallet of poppy pink, yummy warm orange against a stale, slate grey backdrop. The 3 together became absolutely drool-worthy! I knew I wanted to use poppies “sprouting” from grass for the centerpieces and the idea of a dual centerpiece became equally appealing to me. Two trays, the same size, shape and color. Filled with grass, then poppies bursting out towards each place setting. Fabulous. Of course, what’s better than having a bud and budlet tucked into each napkin! I chose to do a modern style long plate [which I love], with a modern take on the classic “menu fold” napkin that we all see these days- wrapping the plate. I did a salad plate above each place setting and to the right, leave the glasses lined on the left. So modern, simple and chic. That’s what I’m all about. LOOK at those classy flutes! Ugh, it’s love!

I chose a different colored flower for each napkin. That may be THEEE best part about buying poppies: it’s a mixed bag of color. SO organic, natural, and wild!

As a favor [on that salad plate we mentioned] we opted for a fresh, ready-to-gobble option: a trio of mini cupcakes. Not only are they modern and gorgeous, but they’re deliciously one-bite satisfying!

The whole table. What a DREAM, right? It turned out so well!! By the way- this was one of my first times taking care of a centerpiece by myself… I wasn’t thrilled with my droopy poppies at first but the more I look at them, the more I love them. It’s like they were meant to be that way!

Love this angle:

And LOVE the sun hitting the blooms:

And now… [are you ready??] for table #2!! For this specific look, I opted to add in the idea of a “kid’s table”. Kid’s-only tables are great because you can vary your decor to suit them, and really have fun with the look. It exploded into it’s own little world of table and I love it ever-so-much!!

Same linen. Same colors. Pizza for dinner!! I came up with the idea of using mini pizza boxes and turning dinner into a craft time full of fun. Provided that your catering company will be flexible with it, I basically filled this mini box with cut outs like the toppings they could put onto their own pizza: veggies, pepperoni, extra cheese, sausage, pineapple. I know that kids love a good activity! We also switched their plates to white square plastic ones to be more kid-friendly.

I loved the idea of giving each kid a balloon, tied to the chair. The more you can do to make them feel special, wonderful, and loved.. the less they’ll care if they’re in the corner or even in another room! The pink trays that you see on each seat are lap trays- coloring books and crafts provided for them are easy to use since they have a place for everything!

Switch out those mini cupcakes for a box-o-goodies, kid style! From bubbles to candy to slimey sludge, it’s a good time all in one place! And don’t forget the centerpiece…

Creating a smaller centerpiece will give the kids more room on the table to make a mess [and isn't that what all kids love doing??]. I swapped the poppies for large round suckers in cotton candy flavor- a crowd pleaser [... especially for my husband!].

I gave each place setting a sparkling fruit juice so that when the toast arrives, they’ll feel just as special with their bubbly… and of course, the straw attached is the easiest way to dress up ANY cute bottle/can! Behind the plate is the plastic craft box that we filled with goodies- easy to move and then take home at the end of the night!

My favorite thought/aspect of the kids table has got to be the bedtime basket. Since most weddings these days have just a handfull of kids, and most of those kids end up by 9pm sprawled across 3 chairs out like a light… why not make it a bit more comfy for them? Ribboned together is a small pillow and blanket for them to grab when they get that sugar coma we all know they love. Plopped in the corner near the kids table, it’s the perfect ending to a great evening for the kiddos!

All in all, the table came out beautifully and was captured even MORE beautifully!! Here’s the list of people who I now owe at least a kidney to, for their time, energy, efforts, and love!

Rentals provided by Signature Party Rentals
100% CUSTOM linens by Dress My Chair [yep, she made 'em to match my vision!]
Venue setting was at Rancho Capistrano
Adorable mini cuppies provided by Once Upon A Cupcake
Suckers for the kids from Ju-C Suckers
And last but CERTAINLY not least… for the visual stimulation: Hazelnut Photography and KimLe Photography

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful… right? Now- leave me comments on this seriously. Because if I don’t get any, I’ll assume you hate it. And if you hate IT, then you may as well just say you don’t like me. SO yucky. And I know [well, I think we all know] that you love me. :)

Have an ab fab Thursday!

xoxo!!

A.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do you guys think? So amazing right??

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

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

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

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

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

~~ Alicia

Since Alex and Brad [who you may remember from my initial post about them HERE and then my post on their invites- still in the works- HERE!!!] have a family friend who is their florist, they made the trek to downtown LA and braved the early morning market hours to have a little floral trial run. It came out wonderful and she LOVES it- which makes me more happy than anything. The staff at Dress My Chair were kind enough to allow me to borrow the linens for a bit to allow us to really complete the look! Here are some pics below.

The bridesmaid bouquets:

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

And now, for the centerpieces!!

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

xoxo,

A.

What is there to say about Chris and Rob? Seriously?? I think Christine booked me, like, a year and a half in advance and I am SO grateful she did! I had a ton of inquiries for this date, and I’m always certain that the clients I end up working with are the best fit for me. I loved, LOVED being a part of this wedding. Not only was it a fabulous time with amazing vendors, but it was soo pretty to look at! I cannot WAIT until C&R’s “entourage” blog their pictures. I’m not kidding… here’s our list of photographers from Saturday:

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!!

Anita and Jason got married the night before I left for my cruise. I realize I’m a slacker. I’m sooo sorry! I took the time to edit these images whilst on the open sea, and because of the amazing lighting she splurged on, they’re amazing!!

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!

Finally!! I know! I have been soo excited to blog my last few weddings and with the on-the-sea internet connection being so rocky, I’ve just had to hold it all in until now!

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!

Finally! [And this is where you say "I know, right??"]. Man, what is wrong with me? The bad news: this wedding was MONDAY and it’s taken me until now to blog. The good: I got a chance to edit almost ALL of the photos in this post! Yay! I’m so thriled with the way they came out.

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

Now, onto the day:

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

Cocktail table cuteness!

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

Becky Sykes provided our florals!

And that arch is NO easy task!!

Onto the ceremony!!

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

Here’s Laura!

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

Their own personal vows:

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

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

Things about the above picture that Amanda thinks is sexy:

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

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

3. That THIS came next…

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

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

and THAT makes me happy!!

Okay, MORE details!!

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

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

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

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

Their engagement photos kicked some serious tail!!

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

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

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

One more dinner time shot of the cake…

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

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

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

Loved this mother/daughter moment!

But all was forgiven come dancing time…

Laura and her dad are like… BFF

And Craig is definitely Momma’s little boy!

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

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

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

Wow, guys. WOW!

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

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

Garter:

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

NOT stoked!

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

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

What can I say about this couple? I LOVE this couple! From the first time I met up with Fio an V, we clicked. They are so gracious, so considerate, so giving to one another and so loving. To watch them interact with each other, their friends, and their families, is to see love played out. It’s truly amazing. Being a part of their well-thought-out and meticulously planned big day was nothing short of an honor. I am so blessed to be working with each couple that brings me on board! Saturday was nothing different!

The best thing about Fifi is that I think we share the same brain! :) Her details were insane! Hand crafted down to the embossing on many of her paper goods, the ribbon wraps on the napkins and the color scheme flowing throughout the ceremony and into the room! Martha Stewart would be SO proud!!

We’ll start out with the front of the building. Falkner Winery provided the gorgeous backdrop to our day. These faux windows worked perfectly for Fifi’s hand crafted oversized initials!!

Here’s a peek from the balcony of our long aisle down to the ceremony lawn:

Fio’s color scheme, a limey green and popping orange, worked great to make her decor stand out! Sorry in advance for how washed out these pictures look… my camera settings were a bit off!

Dawn at Lavender Hill seriously outdid herself with the florals. They were immaculate! I wish I had better pictures of the arch, but the dripping orchids and curly willow that covered the metal structure created such an amazing sanctuary for the couple!

On the front two rows were “reserved” signs for the immediate family [with the names on the front of each chair]. On every seat, Fiona made these great multi-page program tags that hung from the chairs, along with a paper cone of petals to toss at the couple as they recessed as Mr. and Mrs. She did a TON of work- and it paid off!!

A terrible shot of the cones. They were lime green with an ivory tag and their monogram in orange. Filled with the orange petals, they were to die for!!

Into the room for some details…

The seating cards were corks- from the winery, [which I loved!] laid in trays of white rice…

Loved the backs, where she used animal stamps to indicate meal choice!

Fifi put this glass of “conversation cards” on the bar. The questions ranged from personal to political to romantical and all over the place!

Each napkin was adorned with menu, ribbon, and orchid bud!

The cake was INSANE!!

Not sure what you call the detailing on the middle tier, besides “stitching” but I ADORE it!!

The kids table, in the back corner, was so perfect! Fifi made personalized bags for each of them chocked full of goodies!

Their engagement pics, blown up:

Onto the nuptials!!

And some post-ceremony portaits [I know, I know.. I hate it when I can't stick around for the kiss, too, but lately I've just had to miss it! ]

Luna Photography ROCKED and I’m seriously holding my breath until they blog some teasers!!

I loved this shot! As they were in the vineyard wrapping up, I realized that they were underneath the wrap-around balcony. I popped out there for a shot, and they noticed me and waved. Loved it!!

Just before the grand entrance, they practiced their first dance, downstairs in the wine cellar, alone. Swoon…

Into the reception we go!!

And their fab first dance!!

Josh caught this gem:

On their head table, we re-used the ceremony decor, covering it with orchids and pomanders hanging from these manzanita trees!

Speeches [I know, these are dark!]

Onto Father/Daughter [by the way, the maid of honor gave a toast that made me cry just prior to this. Because of the crying, I forgot to snap a picture... whoops, but seriously!!!]

Luna at work:

Cutting!!

Fifi’s hand-made pockets for her favors [which were photobooth pictures, with the booth provided by Party Booths!

A few shots of Fio’s gorgeous dress details:

Some tossing:

I LOVED this shot, below:

Here’s one I took to get a good detail shot of her programs. I wish I’d done this of an extra petal cone, too, but I didn’t! My main reasoning was to show off their “while you’re here” page, which was the last one. I’m a HUGE fan of these, when weddings have multiple things going on [did I mention that they rented a Dippin’ Dots machine and 4 flavors for their guests?? Yes. It was amazing and delicious and incredible and Josh got seconds!!

Some yummy decor shots from later in the evening:

A heritage table, which included a few more engagement shots and pictures from both of their parents’ weddings, was along the back wall in the room. They also included a digital frame that played a slideshow of pics throughout the evening!

But my favorite image of the night, by far….

<3!!!

And, of course, a close 2nd:

Great, now he’s one of those weirdos that goes into a photo booth alone… just great! :)

F & V: Seriously… it was SO fun to be a part of the planning process with you! Your love for each other is evident and just watching you interact, anyone can tell you fit like a glove! Promise me that you’ll take that honeymoon once October hits!!