stephanie & matt

stephanie and matt were a great couple. stephanie was so much fun to work with- she was easygoing and had a great sense of style :) we had a great cast of vendors to help us out along the way as well :) we started the festivities off at the diamond view tower for the rehearsal dinner, and moved onto the hotel del the next day for the wedding. lavonne from adorations provided all of the decor- she even custom created a screen to make the windsor lawn feel a bit more private. the color scheme was ambers and blues, and it was reflected in the great linens at the cocktail hour, as well as through the linens in the ballroom. paul barnett was the photographer for the day, and he captured some really great moments and photographs. the tijuana dogs were there to entertain, and they did an awesome job keeping everyone dancing. they are the best!! russ from bon vivant captured the wedding on video, and did a great job as usual. all in all, it was a perfect day, and was so much fun! 

 

halloween

ah yes. halloween. i love any holiday with the kids- they are so funny, and what could be better than making your kids get chocolate for you ?? :) this year, payton thought that she would shake it up a bit. for the last two years, she has been a care bear. (cheer bear to be exact). so this year, she wanted to be a care bear, but she wanted to be "cheer bear dressed up like love-a-lot bear.) out came the old costume, and i busted out some 8th grade sewing skills. 20 minutes later, we had a new "belly badge" and a care bear for the 3rd year in a row. ( i swear that offer to buy her/make her a new costume every year, but she is loyal!! ryan on the other hand was open to being anything, and he finally settled on "mater" from the cars movie. add in some friends, lots of other kids, wine and some soup, and the night was great!!

professor aull

yes, that's right. :) sort of....i was asked by a friend of mine to come and guest speak at a class that she teaches at sdsu. rachel peniche runs a thriving business as a wedding coordinator, gala fundraiser extraordinaire and the list goes on and on. she is one busy lady and does an awesome job with her many events around san diego and beyond. when she called to see if i would come and guest speak at her class on event planning, i leapt at the chance. after all, this was a goal that i had set many years ago for myself. (for those of you who don't know  me, i am a huge advocate for setting goals.) while i was still in college (many years go :) i made a goal of one day teaching a class- somewhere- about something- sometime. well, mission accomplished. it was fun (for me at least :) thanks rachel- my 1 day faculty parking pass is hanging on the board in my studio :)

southern weddings magazine

so i stumbled into the office this morning, and had a great surprise waiting for me :) it seems that jaclyn and adriane's wedding has made the papers again- this time in southern weddings magazine. check out the link: www.swsmag.net. it's a really cool magazine devoted to southern weddings, (think the south, not southern california :) being from texas, i LOVE the vibe of a southern wedding, so it is really fun to be in there....anyone want us to travel? paula, lavonne and i are ready!

ali & dave- august 23

i was SO super excited when i got the call that alison was engaged- she is jaclyn's sister (see below) and we were so happy to be chosen again to help the family out! i adore them- they are so cool, nice genuine and really like to have a great time! i literally could go on and on about this family, and the wedding itself- there are a million fun details!!! here are a few of my favorites wrapped up for you all :) amazing dress by ulla maija (bought from the best- michele from m bride salon.), (just a word on the bride- fearless alison- she is so edgy and cool- not afraid of anything, and ready for everything. she is so much fun and was open to so many suggestions and ideas. it was such fun working with such cool people. plus, her mom rocks and we always have a great time together!!) on with the details!

the wedding and ceremony took place at the hyatt grand manchester and krista murphey our catering manager was so attentive and was on it!!  florals once again provided by lavonne zamora from adorations (she truly ROCKED this event- from concept to creation, she is truly spectacular and never fails to impress me. this wedding was no exception, in fact- i consider it some of her best ever :) , my favorite rock star band the tijuana dogs, (i could go on and still not be able to express how great they are!) luna photo was there to once again get these images, and if  you read any of my posts, you know how much i adore them and their style. they are so cool, and their photos are always edgy, gorgeous and seem to jump off the page :) i truly had a dream team of people to make the day perfect and fun! the cake was unbelieveable, and yes, those are photos of ali and dave on the cake! thank you beryl! we had tons of lighting, custom colored giant light balloons, a retro tv form the 60's playing a video all night, lounge furniture from plush impressions, pre-cocktails, post-cocktails, the after lounge, mini sliders and milkshakes, an awesome ceremony set up, lit up bars, ice sculptures, a dove release, 1 wayword dove :), a red carpet at the ceremony, a black and white brocade fabric to "anchor" it, 2 arbors, 4 chalkboards with guests' names hand written for place cards, the innovation companies made the coolest invites printed on lucite (SO cool) need i say more? with 400 guests, it was a true party!!! these photos speak volumes as to how cool it was- thanks again everyone! this one is one for  the books and will go down in history as one of my very favorites!!

ceremony magazine

alrighty. so, i got super lucky again, and was chosen to be featured in the "ceremony magazine" for jaclyn & adrian's wedding. (see below for their entry). here is the spread- what an honor, and what an awesome wedding! still, one of my favorites :)

kari & nick - august 30

kari and nick were so much fun! they were so laid back through the whole planning process, and it was great because you could tell that they were actually  just really excited to be getting married!! (sometimes i think it is easy to lose perspective :)i was so lucky to get to work with heather moreau from vallentyne photography. i had heard great things about her, and it was great to work together. we even had the same shoes on :) the ceremony, cocktails. and reception were all out on the beach at the del, so although i had raging shin splints the next day, it was well worth it!! the lighting was awesome, the dancing was so great (thanks to eddie valenzuela from boogie nights- he knows how to dj for true dancing!!) and for the big surprise- fireworks, s'mores and a bonfire! what a great event! so much fun :) 

ooops (part 2)

so, if you can tell how busy a girl is based upon her blog, then i hope that you all can see that mint weddings had a very successful year :) yes, it's true- it has been over a year since my last blog entry- but i have been up to a lot!! here is a run down:

1. bought a brand new house and have been decorating, landscaping, furnishing and relandscaping after i neglected the plants the first time around.

2. sent both of the kids off to pre-school. for payton, it was great- she loved every minute (after the adjustment). i felt bad about ryan (since he is only two). however, i got over that REAL quick when i actually had a few hours of silence. :) he now loves it, and has a crush on his teacher......

3. went on a few vacations to san francisco, rhode island, vegas, a ranch, to name a few....decided that i could go on a permanent vacation. (sort of.) i think i may lose it after a bit- i like to be busy :)

4. i did a ton of amazing weddings that literally redefined my company and my views on weddings. things are good at mint weddings!

  

the bride and bloom magazine

i am happy to say that mint weddings has been chosen to participate in a really cool feature story. the editors of bride and bloom asked if i had a cool bride for 2008 who had yet to choose her florist. i thought of courtney & bret, who will be getting married next yer at paradise point. such a cool fun couple!! the premise of the story was that courtney, bret and i would fill out a questionnaire and then 3 florists would create their "take" on the colors, theme, etc. kathy wright, adorations, and la belle fleur all participated, and they all did such great work! i know how busy we all are. but it was so impressive to see all of their hard work (and during the busy season, no less :) thanks to you all, and thanks to bride and bloom for the opportunity. the new edition is out now, so go buy a copy!! :) next august, after the wedding, a full spread will be published on the wedding details that were chosen for the day. thanks again everyone!

viva costa rica!!

yes, it's true- mint weddings is going international. i can't wait, and every assistant i have is vying for the chance to assist south of the border :) we will be heading down in april for the destination wedding of stephanie and chuck, so keep your eyes peeled for shots of me in the rain forest!!

laura & david- september 2

i was so lucky to have 2 great brides on this very hot holiday weekend! laura and her guests came all the way from chicago and kansas city to celebrate in san diego, and what a celebration it was!! the ceremony and reception both took place at the darlingon house in la jolla, and lavonne from adorations provided such cool decor. it was about a million degrees outside that day, and at one point, i started questioning our color choices- white, lime green, and a ton of black!! it was so hot during our set up, but once the guests came, i was glad that 1. it cooled down, and 2. that we chose that color scheme!! it was SO cool. we wanted to make it a bit more contemporary, so we brought in white lounge furniture, black and white toile pillows, lanterns, square tables, black charger plates, black chivari chairs, black linens, white napkins, and beautiful florals. cam turner once again wowed us with her cool paper products, and lavonne outdid herself with the florals. joshua aull got all the shots, and barry from big daddy played all the right music. it was such an awesome night, and i was privileged to be a part of it. thanks laura & david!!

michele & tony september 1

it was really hard to believe that i was already into september, but here i was anyway :) the summer flew by with so many fun and crazy events, and now it was time for michele's. michele and her mom are the sweetest people, and michele hired me to take any pressure off of her mom. i thought that spoke volumes about their loving relationship and how kind and thoughtful michele is. i was lucky enough to be at the del for the second weekend in a row, and in the ballroom, no less :) the ceremony took place at st. brigid's, and then we all made our way to coronado for cocktails and the rception. kathy wright once again brought it home with a nod to the del's historical romance. gatsby style lamps and tall centerpieces were just beautiful, and the rose petals and candles finished the look. i think michele also wins the "coolest bouquet ever" award (if there is such a thing :) her and kathy decided to further enhance the old style of the del, and kathy did a fan decked out with gardenias, white ostrich feathers and crystals. it was so cool and unique, and michele rocked it!! the cake was also decked out and added to the look. we had bagpipers, bands, dj's , organists, and a ton of other music playing throughout the night. i think the show stealer was the cigar bar, and everyone loved the lounge, too. it was a great night, and i discovered something else really cool- a key lime pie martini from the martini luge. i never drink at weddings, but i was forced by the bride to sample a sip, and i'm glad i did!! i'm normally not a martini fan, but anyone looking for a twist on the traditional should consider this one!! thanks to tony, michele, and your great families for including me on the day. what a treat it was!

katie & john- august 25

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!!