i had such a blast planning katie & john's wedding. we started a year before the big day, and we had a lot to accomplish!! the ceremony and reception both took place at the hotel del, and kelly smorzewski, our catering manager was the best!! :) (just a little shout out- kelly is always so energetic, fun and organized- she is always a pleasure to work with, and does the del proud :) back to the wedding! while working with lavonne from adorations, we decided that we should really take advantage of katie's love of color, and we decided to do a "citrus" feel for the wedding decor. lime greens, kumquat orange, bright white and shocking pink were the colors that were chosen, and they were incorporated with everything- from the awesome candy bar to the pillows katie made herself. guests were treated to flip flops on the beach, as well as what else? lemonade, of course :) the ballroom was so much fun to decorate, since we were bringing in the photobooth, square tables, an awesome cake, and the best cake topper i have ever seen- a cake topper made by katie. if any bride is looking for an awesome and unique cake topper- contact me, and i will put you in touch with katie!! she made this by hand using pipe cleaners and a whole bunch of other tid-bits, and the effort really paid off!! it was so cool :) joshua aull (my man :) was the photographer, and they captured the wedding to a "t". all in all, it was a really cool event with fun people, awesome food, and really fun decor. thanks to everyone for your help in making the day a huge success, and thanks to katie & john for including me :)
rachel & luca august 10
rachel and luca got married at the thursday club in point loma, and they chose to have their ceremony there as well. rachel was so laid back and she really was a pleasure to work with!! adrianne smith was the florist, and she did a great job capturing rachel's laid back vibe. we decided to incorporate rectangular tables as well as round tables, and it really added some dimension to the room. adrianne provided a ton of potted herbs, mosses, and other really cool little flowers that added the the relaxed "tuscan" vibe we were going for. with the emphasis on family, friends, great food, and fun music, we were in great shape. lori and her team from crown point catering once again did a fantastic job (by the way, i am addicted to the pear and brie quesidillas, so anyone looking for a fantastic passed app., look no further!!) miles from mobile dance party kept the guests dancing all night long. thanks again to everyone- and best of luck rachel & luca!
jaclyn & adrian august 4
well, here it was. the wedding that i was waiting for all year! 450 guests at the hotel del required some serious planning, and the details were so much fun to get together. this was one of my all time favorite weddings, and i will update the blog when we get it published :) jaclyn and adrian are seriously some of the most photogenic people ever, and they are also some of the nicest!! the ceremony was on the windsor lawn at the hotel del, and the reception was in the ballroom. we had a great group of vendors with lavonne on decor, cam with the invitations/stationary, rockola with the music, and luna with the photography. there are so many details and fun decor, i will let the magazine tell the story :) my favorite detail of the night came during the best man's toast, when we passed out shot glasses of milk (the two families are huge dairy farmers). it was such a fun twist on the traditional champagne, and it was definitely a hit!! thanks again to everyone who joined in to make this wedding a huge success!!
josh is 30- july 28
ah- the pressure!! josh turned 30,and the pressure is on!! anyone who knows josh and i know that there is some serious competition between us to outdo the other for birthdays, holidays, etc. however, it seems that i always am the big winner, since josh is the most amazing present buyer, ever. so, i knew the pressure was seriously on for his birthday celebration. i had all sorts of plans. the carribean. vegas. san francisco. a mexican cruise. then, reality set in, and the days started getting busier and busier. so, again he wins :) i ended up flying his best friends in from san francisco as a surprise, and we spent the weekend without the kids!! it is odd to think that i have been dating josh since he was 20!! so, happy birthday again babe- but watch out!! i have next year planned already!! :)
lisa & adam july 21
planning with lisa and adam was so fun. the group all traveled to san diego from around the country, so we wanted to create a true san diego vibe for the guests. the events took place at the catamaran, and it was fun working in a new location. lavonne (once again :) did an awesome job creating a tropical lush feel. red was the color that we used to "punch" things up a bit, and vivid greens, oranges and picks added to the scheme. luna was there to document the day, and i am not kidding you when i tell you that the band seriously rocked all night long. i like music the same as anyone else i think, and i definitely see my fair share of bands :) i have to tell you that the tijuana dogs were the most entertaining band i have ever seen in my life. thanks to everyone, and i personally loved when we brought in the popsicles late night to cool everyone off!! it's all about the details! :)
naomi's shower july 14
ahh. no weddings. a saturday off? what's a girl to do??? i know- how about throw a baby shower for her best friend and 60 other friends?? good idea. :) i have been so excited to throw a party in the new house, and this was the best possible scenario. i cannot wait to welcome the new little guy!! (and, it did inspire us to finally lay down some grass in the yard :) ha ha.
cyra & israel july 7
well, the day was finally here. i had july 7th booked for 2 years, so when the day finally got here, it was crazy to see how far we had come! it is hard to believe how many things can change and happen in 2 years!! cyra and israel were so great to work with. they chose the prado, and their ceremony was at st. mary magdalene. i was so excited about this wedding (for 2 years :) because of the coolest dress cyra was wearing (thanks, michelle from m bride for the inez de santo beauty!!) cyra chose lavonne from adorations to bring the dream to life :) we started off with cyra's favorite color of emerald green, and parlayed that into a "theme" of peacock colored hues and textures. the linens were awesome, the music rocked, and the decor was stunning. all in all, it was the best possible way for mint weddings to celebrate the busiest wedding day ever! (7/7/07) plus, it was fun to spend another saturday night with my hubby, josh. :) thanks for the pictures!
courtney & aaron july 6
i adored courtney since our first meeting. she is so darn cute and was always so happy. her family was always so kind and we really had fun planning. the ceremony and reception were at the el cortez downtown, and annette gomez was there to make it beautiful! her and her staff did such a great job, and they were so easy to work with....i was so happy, since we got to work with nate and jaclyn from the image is found. i cannot say enough great things about them- their work is awesome! thanks to everyone for another great and beautiful day. i truly enjoyed this wedding, and they are a great couple. best of luck in texas!!
karla & ryan june 22
this wedding was great for me, personally :) a girlfriend of mine from my sorority days at sdsu got married, and i was the lucky gal to plan the day! about 20 of the girls from college were back together again (picture to be inserted (eventually) here :)) karla and ryan have a great story, as ryan is a navy seal and has been deployed twice. he came back just weeks before the wedding, so it was a double celebration. lavonne did such a cool job of capturing the vibe that karla wanted, and it was fun to do black, white, silver and pink for a change. josh was the photographer, and i think he had fun being back with the pi phi's from college again!!
oops!!
i have been a terrible blogger. i swear, i looked up from my laptop, and the summer is almost over. i will attempt to recap an amazing summer filled with so many fun events and weddings....wish me luck :) the summer is still not over (i guess technically, it is today :) and there are many more aweome events for mint weddings still to come! busy, busy, busy!!
jessica & ben june 16
jessica & ben were so much fun, and so easy going! the ceremony took place on the windsor lawn at the hotel del, and the reception was in the coronet room....josh was here to take pictures, and i think he captured the fun of their crazy dancing perfectly!! thanks to everyone who joined in to create a fun night for everyone!
femme & andrew june 2
femme and andrew were so great to work with! their ceremony took place at the methodist church in mission valley, and then we were off to the prado for a beautiful reception!! lavonne once again came through with amazing detail and florals. her and her team created a 10 foot by 10 foot canapy as guests walked into the ballroom, and it was complete with hanging orchids, crystals and candlelight. each table was alight with blue tinted candles and chocolate brown accents. femme looked so great in her dress, and everyone had such a great time! thank you to luna photo- i just love the pictures :)
vinutha & scott- may 25, 26, 27
this is a wedding i have been anticipating and researching all year. i was so excited to be a part of the day for vinutha and scott's wedding. this was a three day event, starting with the henna ceremony, then the hindu ceremony, and moving along to the christian ceremony on sunday. on friday, the girls gathered for a traditional henna ceremony, and it amazing to see! about 20 women got their henna designs, and the intricacy of some of the designs was amazing!! after the henna ceremony on friday, we celebrated the hindu ceremony at the la jolla women's club on saturday. this was one of the best ceremonies i have ever witnessed, and some of the shots my husband josh took are amazing!! (he was the photographer for the whole weekend) it was so colorful and festive- la vonne from adorations did such a great job on the decor! i was excited because we had jesse from the india princess cater the lunch, and the food was sooo good. (i am a sucker for indian food :) i also had a good time, since we were able to set up the drink station for vinutha, and i love the pictures from that!! all of the sari's the women wore were just beautiful, and the club was in full bloom. it was awesome! the next day, we headed off to the darlington house for another party!! this time, we celebrated a christian wedding, and then had a full reception. we set the tables up in long rows which looked so great. it really felt like we were eating outside in the summer in italy. the weather was perfect, and everyone had such a great time. the food was awesome- we had a 5 course meal provided by crown point catering. if you are looking for a caterer- ask for lori at crown point-the best service, and so helpful!! the big daddy orchestra played all night, and we had so much fun listening to them. this was definitely one of the most fun weddings i have been a part of- so much culture, color, and a ton of fun details. besides all that, scott and vinutha are such great people, and it was great planning with them!
vegas baby! may 18,19,20
this weekend was a rare occurance- a trip with all my sorority girls alone- no babies, no husband, no laptop.....well, i did bring the laptop, :) but i did limit the work!! we all gathered this weekend for my friend's bachelorette party. she is getting married in june, and what better way to kiss away the single days than to party in vegas? :) it was so much fun getting together with all of the girls, and i am so excited for karla's wedding. we went out to the clubs, stayed at the mandalay bay and hung out at the pool on saturday, and (my favorite part :) ate at bobby flay's restaurant. it is rare that i know the bride this well, or that i am able to go away on the becahelorette party, so i really enjoyed myself. besides that, free wine on the casino floor is hard to beat!! ha ha. check out karla's wedding- june 22!!
jennah & mike- may 12
i was lucky to be a part of jennah & mike's wedding at the hotel del. all of the guests came from arizona, and thy definitely enjoyed the break from the scorching heat :) again, the weather was perfect, and the set up was beautiful on the beach where they exchanged vows. joyce from j design created a beautiful alter area on the beach, and pastor mike was there to do the officiating. he is so kind, and i love his style of officiating :) in the coronet room, guests were treated to more beautiful flowers in tropical hues, and cam turner also provided fun "beachy" stationary for the day. jennah and mike were so laid back and relaxed, and it was fun to work with such an organized bride! it was also a very fun wedding for my team, since josh was the photographer. we always have fun when he is shooting the weddings with us- and we love the instant gratification of seeing pictures right away on the screen! have a look at some of my favorite pictures. thanks to everyone for their help, and congratulations to jennah & mike!
dana & russell may 2
well, wedding season is officially in high gear! i started out this month with a rare event- a wedding on a wednesday!! (i love anything out of the ordinary!!) dana was such a pleasure to work with- she was open to anything and we had a lot of fun creating unique centerpieces, and a cool vibe for the wedding. adrianne smith was brought on board to see our crazy plans come to life. :) tons of moss covered each table, and large lanterns were placed in the center. small organic details- mushrooms, lichens, etc. were artistically placed around each centerpiece with tons of candlelight. the result was a romantic, natural, and unique feel to the wedding. richard thacker was the photographer, and i think he did a great job capturing dana's & russell's personalities. dana and russell have such a unique style, and it was fun to be a part of the day. my favorite moment was a toast by russell's son to dana- it was so sweet! thanks to everyone for their help-it was a great way to start off the season!!
stephanie & jeff april 20
stephanie was so laid back and easy to work with- i really enjoyed the planning. stephanie and jeff were married at the prado, and unfortunately, the crazy weather did not hold. however, that did not stop them at all from having a great time! luckily, we were able to easily move our ceremony into the ballroom and avoid the downpour! green did a great job relocating the florals inside and being creative!! it was a great ceremony- stephanie & jeff wrote their own vows, and it was very touching. the guests moved upstairs to the loggia room after cocktails, and were treated to a great dinner by the prado. the wedding was an intimate gathering of friends and family, and it was a really relaxed feel. jay reilly was there to document the wedding, and i can't wait to see the pictures!! thanks to stephanie and jeff for the fun!
sarah & jason march 16
this was such a fun wedding- it had all of the elements i just love- a great couple, a loving family, fireworks, a martini luge, and of course, the del. :) sarah was such a pleasure to work with- she knew exactly what she wanted, and was very detailed- a girl after my own heart!! kathy wright provided the most beautiful floral displays- complete with hanging crystals and a ton of orchids. small chocolate starfish were brought in as favors, and the placesettings were complete with very detailed and artistic menus. the surprise of the night came when we brought all of the guests out to the windsor lawn for the surprise fireworks show- complete with a specially made drink called (what else??) the "firecracker". miles pelky kept the crowd dancing all night long, and josh aull was there to capture each moment. some of my favorite pictures ever are from this wedding :) it was a beautiful day with a great crowd- i will miss our planning!
joanne & jeremy february 10
i took the month of january off to give myself ample time to meet with my brides for 2007, and some for 2008! i went back to working weddings in february and started the wedding season off with joanne and jeremy's wedding at the prado. this was such a great wedding, since we had 200 people and a large bridal party. cam turner once again wowed us with her amazing invitations and paper products for the wedding. lavonne was on hand to create beautiful floral arrangements in shades of chocolate brown and light blue. each arangement had small little vases hanging off the center, and it really felt like spring in the ballroom. garrett provided these beautiful photos, and it was a pleasure working with him. thanks to everyone who helped put the wedding together- it was great!
elizabeth & christian december 30
elizabth & christian had their wedding at the hotel del. their ceremony was in the garden courtyard, , and then we moved over to the garden room for the reception. the weather was beautiful, and the del was still beautifully decorated from christmas. this was such a fun wedding for us to do, and the group was all from new orleans. it was a real wake up call to hear that over half of the guests had lost their homes to hurricane katrina. what impressed me most was that even though the couple had lost their home as well, the entire group partied and celebrated as if they did not have a care in the world. it was one of the happiest weddings i have ever done- people really lived it up! the night ended with a "second line" traditional new orleans dance that lasted well into the night. thanks christian & elizabeth for letting me in on such a fun day!!