Hope you’re loving this Friday like I am! I cannot believe half of the year has flown by already. 2010 has set itself up for so many amazing things- I almost am more excited to just look back at the end and see what unfolds. Until then, I’m hanging on with high hopes! Do the same, my lovelies!!

xoxo,

A.

P.S.- random fact- on this day, June 11, 2002- my husband and I started [re]dating! It was merely a year later when I had a ring on my finger and was planning in full swing. I remember 6/11 vividly because he asked me if we could “count it from the 10th” so it’d be easier to remember. How romantic!! ;) Here’s to never forgetting the little things!! And by the way- he’s never forgotten, 11th or not!

So when our fabulous shoot photographer Jasmine Star told me she’d sent the photos from our cute-tastic Vintage Parisian Chanel Inspired Photo Shoot their way, I was in full-swoon for it! We got accepted, placed, and raved about so quickly it felt like a true whirlwind experience. I adored being a part of the shoot [and the head designer after the initial concept was presented to me] and these photos just remind me of such a fun, lovely experience. More on the shoot later, but for now… go leave love HERE and enjoy some great photos!

Big props to Jaclyne our amazing florist and of course my design partner-in-crime, Rachelkins!! Everyone deserves a sanity-keeper… am I right? Glad that I have mine!

xoxo,

A.

I absolutely ADORE these romantically textured blossoms that grace little feathery poufs with a grey ribbon collar. If I got married again… this would be a serious contender! Thanks to Green Wedding Shoes for the inspiration [and the rest of that shoot is pretty fantastic so you should probably spend a solid 20 taking a look...], and to Aly at The Vine’s Leaf for the florals. She may be my brand new fave and I cannot, CANNOT, wait to work with her in the coming months!!

Lovely Friday to you all, my lovelies! What’s your favorite style of wedding posies? Loose, organic and wild? Tight, sleek, and slender? A bit in between? Focus on finding the you in this crazy wedding world, and when you find it- don’t let it go!

xoxo,

A.

This dessert display is sooo channeling Amy Atlas! I’m in LOVE with the simple color combo and the Valentine feel to it. By the way, did you know that Krispy Kreme sells these little delicious heart-shaped donuts on Valentine’s Day only?? Brittany picked them up from the store on the way down to the wedding and they were definitely worth the extra trip [as the closest KK to Pala Mesa Resort is actually in Mission Viejo!!].

And one more precious detail:

Alicia came up with the idea to glue these little colored envelopes into the guest book, perfectly sized for each guest to sign their own Valentine to the bride and groom! So Martha of her!

You know, that’s how we roll here at In The Now! Details are a big deal. Details are the real deal. And we love them to pieces!

Thanks to Adrienne Gunde for making this look like a million bucks! We looove the pictures!! Can’t wait to share more with y’all!

xoxo,

A.

I’ve kinda gotten into the bad habit of forgetting to blog things that have been published online elsewhere. I will stop this- I promise. It’s important to me that you guys can come HERE to see my work and not have to track us down all over the old dubbeya dubbeya dubbeya for fantastic images of wedding inspiration.

Since my commitment to designing a new fresh tabletop each month is in total full effect, you’ll be bombarded almost constantly with images and features and inspiration boards and the like here on the blog. Which, I kinda have a crush on the thought of. Love it. The tabletop sessions for this year will actually focus more on party-style get togethers than actual weddings, but I like to think of my wedding style as more of an elegant, laid back design aesthetic whether or not it’s a party, wedding, or family get-together. So, it works. Here’s where the “+ Events” comes into play from the In The Now Weddings + Events. Ya see??

That being said, if you didn’t click over to the feature on Style Me Pretty, and if you didn’t see the ridiculously delicious teaser image that I posted last week, here are some of my faves! These images are all compliments of Two Auer Photo:

You had me at “cat-shaped-wine-bottle”!

My favorite, of course!

Love. Is. Forever.

Lace table cuff?? SO easy to do and such a big impact!

Ariel shots are totally my fave…

Texture of bengaline linens make me smile! Above, that’s my favorite detail shot. SO fun!

To see more description, pictures, goodness… click here and revel in the glory of Valentine’s Day all over again!!

xoxo,

A.

I’m indebted to Abby for posting our images on her blog! I adore this Valentine’s table 100% and cannot think of a better place than Style Me Pretty to have it posted! There are tons more photos coming from this shoot but honestly- Abby posted them all over there!

So head on over to check it out and be SURE to leave a comment telling the world how much you love me! :D

Happy hearts and stuff!

xoxo,

A.

I am totally and completely in love with it, y’all. I think it’s sheer perfection. Hope you feel the same [and by that, I mean I hope you tell me you feel the same by pouring out your love for it- in comment form- below]!

As I work away like a busy little worker bee for my exceptionally large photo shoot this coming Thursday [you remember Romeo and Juliet, don't you?], I’ve found myself out of time to connect with you my dear readers. But I promise, in the coming days, I will continue to give you little snippety sneaky peeks of what we’re up to. The designs, the decadence, the details. We are have soo much fun these days!

For now, I just have a quick brain teaser picture to help set that romantic mood. If you’re unsure of what to do on this weekend filled with cheap romance… my suggestion is to take that cheesy and make it REAL! Not cliche. Not overwrought. Not anything but true, heart-felt, and pure. I know you can do it. You’re in love, after all- whoever it’s with and where ever you find it, cling to it! I know I am!

xoxo,

A.

Blush, ivory, a plum/eggplant, based with navy and accented with a dirty, murky gold! Lush and loving it!! Definitely one of many ways that I want to bring the modern element into the romantic setting and vibe that Romeo and Juliet bring to mind!

Since this is the time of year for styling and shoots and FUN for us designers, I’m soaking it in! Remember that if you want YOUR wedding professionally styled by us, don’t hesitate to visit the site, or just email me directly!

Make today a colorful one!

xoxo,

A.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A couple more shots of Carissa’s beautiful creations…

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

Big puffy peonies just make me swoon…

And on to the reception details!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Alicia

Venue: Lake Oak Meadows

Photography: Teresa and Company @TeresaK Photography

Florist: Karen @ From The Garden

DJ: Aaron @ Authentic Sound

The thing I love about this venue: it’s just simply gorgeous. It doesn’t need much. With the rows of wine vines and the natural landscape… wow, it’s just perfect.

Some of Lacey’s fun details. These are over at the ceremony site!

The ceremony site is a peninsula area that backs [well, is surrounded by] the lake. It’s so serene and peaceful. As big as the property sounds, it’s actually the PERFECT size for an intimate wedding!

These fans worked PERFECTLY for the guests… though we had great weather. The day of the rehearsal there was actually a rain scare, but the cool breeze felt amazing with the 80-something-degree weather!

I died over this. Alicia, when we got there, walked up to snag a few shots of Lacey while she was getting portraits. This is Lacey’s little excited-that-we-were-there-half-wave. SO cute!

Oh P.S. forgot to mention she totally looks like Kelly Clarkson but cuter. Am I RIGHT?! Onto reception details!

Their courtyard/lawn area is just divine. Strung lights included over the area. A built in bar. Stones with the grass humbly growing between. SO charming.

THE CAKE. This cake is like none I’d ever seen. I remember Lacey was debating between two cakes. One was this one. We decided, if her baker could pull it off… go for it. And pull it off they did!!

Cute table details, and a HUGE toss bouquet, because that’s how Lacey rolls:

Candles as escort cards… yes please! And this picture below makes me giggle each time I see it! This is Lacey, being escorted via golf cart up to the top of the steps so that her walk will be an entrance to remember. I adore the “privacy parasols” to ensure her and Andrew don’t see one another!

A close up of it:

Onto the GOOD stuff:

I just feel like Lacey’s entire “look” wreaks of movie-star quality. Elegant hair. Elegant walk. The VEIL. Everything gorgeous!

Personal tidbits: Andrew DID get a bit excited half way through the ceremony [after his vows] and tried to lift Lacey’s veil and kiss her! She let out the cutest little “not yet!” and the whole crowd loved it. So perfect!

The theme for the day:

Good thing- it makes the cutest pictures!

Right after the ceremony they stopped to soak it all in… funny enough, RIGHT behind the chairs. It’s like they couldn’t wait just to be together and talk! I loved it. After a few seconds, we had to usher them around the corner so that the bridal party could join ‘em for pictures!

A shot that Teresa set up at the tail end of the cocktail hour, just before the Grand Entrance:

The new Mr. and Mrs!

I just love how happy they are. It warms my heart!

Straight into their loving first dance:

Cuteness overload.

Dancing with dad:

I LOVED these few pics of Lacey tossing her bouquet!

In mid-air, if you can spy it:

Finally cutting that delicious cake!

THIS is what I’m talking about- spontaneously in love. They are so perfect together. Even in the way they hold one another, it’s so obvious. Smitten!!

And of course, my personal fave:

WOW WOW WOW, Lacey. You are a married woman. I’ll bet it’s been the best thing ever. The past few weeks have flown by at jet speeds, but your love story has stayed with me. During the ceremony, I cried. During the speeches, I cried. Witnessing your love has been nothing short of an honor for me. Truly! I’m so thrilled that I got to be there with you. Knowing that you two are out there, representing marriage so well, makes me proud to be even the slightest bit a part of your story. I know there are so so so many more years and stories, tears and laughs and MEMORIES in your future! Hopefully as the pictures from your friends, family, and disposable cameras roll in, these are a little more love comin’ your way. It’s all about the moments we capture in life! Love you two like it’s going out of style!

xoxo,

A.

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.

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

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

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

So….let the fabulouness begin!!!

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

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

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

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

You may now kiss the bride!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grand entrance time!

Which went straight into the first dance.

A speech by Shelley’s Dad.

Who wants some cake?!?

A beautiful father daughter dance as the sun officially set.

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

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

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

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

MUCH, MUCH LOVE!!!

~ Alicia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do you guys think? So amazing right??

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

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

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

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

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

~~ Alicia

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!!!

This classic color scheme seemed to pop out in my mind as one that could be developed dynamically through textures and continue the richness throughout the table. I adore the way it turned out!

The idea with this tabletop was to be detail heavy but keep layering on pinks into the table and accenting with gold [like the funky vase, chairs, and smaller details]. I found vintage-inspired glasses in a blush color at Anthropologie and set them in place of the traditional water goblet, adding a special touch to each setting. A pink capiz shell frame held our vibrant table number. Favors were mini pink-on-pink tonal journals with a cute fuchsia pen attached and ribbon with a gold ribbon. For this setting, I actually mocked up some escort cards, which were simple assorted pink cards hung with ribbons and attached to a fabric/paper covered foam board [with pink headed pins of couse!]. Simple and gorgeous! The bottles of Francis Coppola’s Pinot Noir Sophia blush wine one either side of our centerpiece was a great way to tie in color and style! Additional chocolate truffle favors [white chocolate, brushed with raspberry to be exact, to bring in that rich warm pink tone again] were packaged two by two in gold truffle boxes wrapped with a velvet baby pink bow. These boxes were placed on top of our oh so cute salad plates from Z Gallerie, with a wide hot pink rim and gold trim! Kristin at The Treasured Petal [whose blog is equally if not MORE stalk-worthy than most] killed it with the florals- whispy and flowingly pink!! Time to indulge in some close ups…

As always, you can browse through the eye candy on my Tabletop Gallery on my site!! Plenty of detail pictures to quench that undying thirst! More to come once a month, every month!! 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!

Maddy and Steve are a funky, unique, stylish couple from LA who wanted a wedding that reflected their taste and attitudes. The event that came about was an absolutely gorgeous affair!!

We’ll start at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach:

Maddy and Steve’s color scheme [kelly green and eggplant purple] was set in stone with their paper products- all letterpressed and hand calligraphed- and this custom crest that appeared everywhere!!

If only pictures could be heard!!

The music at the ceremony was insane. A harp, piano, flute… opera singers. It was seriously THE most amazing thing I’ve heard!!

Here’s a little pre-ceremony Maddy action:

And our gorgeous vintage-style church:

Our florals were amazingly designed by Floral Creations by Enzo. Enzo is TOP notch! He and his team not only made gorgeous floral centerpieces that everyone was talking about, but they took care of almost all of the design elements for our modern-style reception!!

Our little flower girls and ring bearers:

And our bridesmaids, wearing the gorgeous deep eggplant:

Our bride, getting anxious to see Steve for the first time. Yes, she’s wearing pink. Yes, she’s amazing. Marie Antoinette’s got nothing on her!!

This is Miriam, my assistant, taking a picture of all 3 of us in the bridal suite moments before the big WALK!

Mad’s luscious PINK bouquet:

Maddy couldn’t wait any longer, so down the side aisle doors, she took a sneak peek at her groom!!

Having an emotional moment just before the ceremony:

I love the old-time feel of this photo. Even though it’s totally a “new school” photo, it has a classic presence in this large church!

The glamazon that is Amy Squires was there with Lane. I love this team. I cannot WAIT to see her take on the day!!

Onto the reception!!! Some quick portraits, set up by Amy, just outside of Segerstrom Hall at Orange County Performing Arts Center. This ultra-modern, clean venue was the perfect back drop for our evening!!!

At work:

A great shot of Mad’s KILLER dress as they walk back to the reception area:

In doors for some details:

I just LOVED how the cake was dripping with flowers and then they were cascading down. There were SO many flowers on top of this cake!!

I know. More cake… but this cake was SO funky and unique and detailed, I just had to capture it for all of you!!

More details:

M & S chose a simple, classic favor: jordan almonds wrapped in tulle in ribbon. Really, they gave a substantial donation in their guests’ honor to a local charity for blind children.

A great additive to the table was these vintage pictures of their family. I absolutely love them all!

As Maddy mingled with the guests, I caught a quick shot of her gorgeousness again…

And onto the first dance:

This may look like she’s yawning or talking, but Maddy is singing the lyrics to their first dance into Steve’s ear. Who says that marriage isn’t sexy?? Marriage = super sexy!!

I loved the kids watching on as they danced:

Father/Daughter dance:

Another shot of Maddy’s insane boquet:

Unfortunately, I missed all of the cocktail hour gorgeousness. BUT, I did catch this picture of one of her escort cards [calligraphy already smudged- sad face] hanging out on the bar:

Mini crest plus letterpress plus calligraphy all in kelly green: this was my dream. You should have FELT them with your hands. Oh my goodness.

I loved this cute detail. These napkins were EVERYWHERE that night. Upstairs during the cocktail hour [did I mention that this venue has an amazing spiraled staircase? That's where all of my over-head dancing shots came from], the bar, and the cookie table and cake. Over 600 napkins used. I love it!

The huge floral splashes were brought over from the church and flanked the cake table!

Cake cutting!!

This look makes me melt. I seriously LOVE love!!!

A dark [but not to be discounted] picture of Madeleine’s ruffles!!

And some of Enzo’s decor:

A few words from our couple, again Maddy giving those loving looks to Steve… the ones that make me realize why I have the job I do:

And onto the staircase to toss the bouquet:

The catch!!

The cookie display that Patina provided had to, of course, include Madeleine cookies!! Yum!

One of Maddy’s cousin’s, Gina, offered to sing a song along with their awesome 12-piece live band [the name is escaping me at the moment, but they seriously ROCKED it!!]. In their honor, half way through the reception, they shared another private dance moment:

The lighting was seriously sooo yummy during this, that I snapped away! I love the way Steve is holding Maddy’s head here. It’s so intimate. It’s those little, private touches that make all couples unique and special!!

Some of the boys took it upon themselves to hoist our bride above their heads for a few:

Don’t worry, Steve got a chance, too. I just missed the chance to snap!!

Just a quick snap of there INSANELY gorgeous up-lights. They chose a light blush pink gel and it came across perfectly. it was soo pretty. It closed off the large space to provide an intimate feeling and the ambiance was perfectly set!

And to finish it off, a shot of our bride’s gorgeous shoes:

Not even a shot that does them justice!!

All in all, the night was amazing! The venue just kept looking more and more gorgeous later into the night. The dance floor was packed, Maddy was stunning and Steve was dashing. The whole Galardo family were the perfect hosts for the evening! My team and I loved being a part of this event! M & S: you two are the real deal. I know it. You know it. Everyone that was there [and is looking at these pictures, regardless of their attendance] knows it. May your love continue to grow and give to one another throughout the rest of your days!!! Hearts and hugs!!