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!!
november 29
i am happy to announce that the day has come to announce that i am now offically in my 30's. yes, it's true......i actually have heard from quite a few people that 30 is the new 20, so i'm going to stick with that notion for a while. :) i was completely and totally spoiled by everyone (most of all josh). i had 2 parties, 1 surprise party, a surprise trip to vegas (i adore vegas) and the best gifts i have ever received. (shameless plug for burberry bags and diamond rings goes here) josh really is the best gift giver ever, and now the pressure is on for me to plan something spectacular for his 30th. i guess i should start planning now......all in all, i have had the most amazing 30 years, and i am blessed with my husband, family, frineds, business, and of course the cutest sidekicks i could have ever dreamed of (thanks payton & ryan). here's to the next 30 years, and thanks to my pals who helped me ring it in!!
lana & michael november 24
i am a little late on this posting, but it is not because i had a lack of things to write about lana & michael. their wedding was so different and fun- i really had a great time planning, as well as the doing the wedding itself. lana & michael were married on the beach at the del, and their reception was in the windsor complex. kathy wright did the most amazing transformation i have ever seen- turning the windsor complex into a tropical oasis. it was complete with a teal and blue cabana that held the white dance floor and white ottomans. since there were 20 people at the wedding, we were free to really play around with the space, and kathy did an amazing job!! lana had 2 dresses for the evening- one long formal dress for the ceremony, and a micro mini as a surprise for michael in the reception. since the night before was thanksgiving, lana & michael decided to take their guests to the kansas city bbq. i just love the pictures from that!! josh aull (my hubby :) was the photographer- and i am so excited to add the rest to my website- they are amazing! it really was fun working with this couple, and i will miss lana's text messages- she is so fun!!
nancy & sean november 11
i know i say this a lot in my blogs- but i really really loved working with nancy & sean. they are such a great couple, and nancy was so much fun to work with during the year. nancy & sean held their ceremony at seagrove park, and then we headed off to l'auberge for the reception. music was very important to this couple, and it showed everywhere. We had a string quartet playing at the ceremony, as well as a bagpiper who led the groomsmen down the aisle (a nod to sean's irish roots) and sean's brother ( a member if the l.a. opera) who performed a duo. for cocktails, we had flamenco guitarists, and inside, we had blake miller dj, and the liquid blue band rocking!! (by the way, if you are looking for a band, you must check them out!!) there were so many great parts of the night, but one of my favorites actually occurred at the ceremony. when i arrived at seagrove park, the wind was howling, and it was freezing (any out of towners- that translates to around 50* :). we get nancy down the aisle, and as soon as the duet began, i am not kidding when i tell you that the clouds literally parted, and the brightest sun broke it's way through. pair that with an amazing sunset, and you have some pretty great luck. to top it all off, minutes later, we were greeted with a full rainbow!! what were the chances??it was one of my most favorite wedding memories ever. later on, sean surprised nancy by singing the most amazing song to nancy, and there were not too many dry eyes in the house. the are an amazing couple, and it was an amazing wedding. la vonne once again "wowed"us with her creative floral talents, and tony was on hand to capture the day. thanks to everyone involved- it was magical. and thanks again to mother nature, who waited until the end of the night to rain. that is the luck of the irish!!
anne & mike october 27
i was lucky enough to be involved in anne and mike's wedding this past friday. anne has got to be one of the most relaxed brides ever, and it was so nice working with them. anne & mike exchanged vows on the vista walk at the hotel del, and held their reception in the beautiful coronet room. almost all of their guests cam from atlanta and virginia, and they also had quite a few guests travel all the way from england. we were lucky enough to be surrounded by the beautiful flowers of kathy wright again (lucky us!!) and we also were in the company of robert marcos again. people danced all night long, thanks to miles and everyone had so much fun dancing to "devil went down to georgia" (very appropriate for this atlanta crowd :) it was a beautiful night and anne's mom surprised her with a rose petal send off from all of her guests. thanks again anne & mike- congratultions!!
jody & scott october 22
i just did the wedding of jody & scott at the hilton mission bay. it was another beautiful day on san diego- the weather was perfect. jody was such a pleasure to work with while planning the wedding. she was always so laid back, and i knew that they would have so much fun on the wedding day because of this. jody & scott exchanged their vows with a jewish ceremony, and plenty of fun at the reception. joyce from j design was on hand to provide fun centerpieces- she filled tall glass containers with apples and nuts then placed flowers on top. the result was a creative and unique way to incorporate the popular choice of brown and green. it was very different and fun. jody's brother gave one of the funniest toasts i've ever heard (and i have heard a lot of toasts!!) we really had a great time working the wedding- it was a great night!! thanks to tara luz stevens for the lovely pictures, and we were fortunate again to work with eric nelte from blue pearl video. (he also was on hand at sonia's wedding) keeping everyone dancing all night long was miles from mobile dance party. thanks to everyone for another great wedding!!
sonia & jeff october 15
sonia & jeff were such a pleasure to work with. there were so many fun aspects to their wedding, and it was really fun putting all of the pieces together. sonia really wanted to honor her mom's scottish heritage, and we incorporated touches of her scottish roots throughout. a bagpiper was brought in for the ceremony music, and even learned the michigan fight song for the groom & groomsmen who are huge fans. in the reception, scottish shortbread was given to each guest as thanks, and we even brought in a surprise for everyone- scottish dancers. jeff's mom stole the show with her dancing :) and the sparkler exit topped off the night. it was such a pleasure working with people as nice as sonia & jeff. josh was there once again, and i have posted just a few of my favorites (it sure is hard to pick when you have hundreds of photos right in your own house :) a wedding like sonia's is why i love my job!!
jaclyn & brad october 14
i just did jaclyn & brad's wedding at tower 23- and it was a beautiful location to have a wedding in. the day stared out a bit shaky, when one of my assistants called me and told me that "the sky is black". yes, rain was definitely in the forecast, and it was pouring all morning. things did turn out, and the sky was absolutely beautiful. the ceremony was on the upstairs patio, and the reception was in the wine room. kristin from kreeations created beautiful centerpieces and a fun, contemporary vibe at the ceremony site. during dinner and the toasts, we were all treated to a 10 minute firework display. (i am a huge fireworks fan :) after dinner, the guests made their way back up to the rooftop patio for dancing and the lit fire pits. look for this wedding soon to be featured in the san diego union tribune wedding magazine. thanks also to melissa from true photography- it was a pleasure working with you!!
megan & jeremy october 1
megan & jeremy's wedding was so much fun. the two exchanged their vows and had the reception at la valencia, and it was an absolutely beautiul fall day. jeremy is from australia, and megan lives out there with him as well, so it was really fun to bring another culture into the wedding mix. the couple met in spain, so there were many guests from spain, europe, australia, and california there to enjoy the festivities. (let me tell you- it is absolutely fascinating listening to an autralian girl speak spanish- they were all bilingual, and it made me wish i payed more attention in school! :) megan loves color, so we enlisted the help of lavonne from adorations once again to be really creative and colorful for the bouquets, as well as the centerpieces and ceremony site. the result was an abundant fall feeling. smal pomegranites held each placecard, and the favors were cute little stuffed koalas, kangaroos, and platypus animals. the night was beautiful and fun, and jeremy gave the most moving speech during his toast to megan. miles kept the crowd dancing all night long, and we were fortunate again to be working with angie gaylor from true photography. thanks everyone for a great evening!!