the knot party

what an honor to get chosen to do the knot party for san diego vendors!! we had so much fun putting together a super fun party for tons of san diego peeps. we got a chance to pull in some of our very favorites, and also got the opportunity to work with some new vendors as well! anyone who knows me knows that i love the east coast, and the easy, summer style that they have out there. so, when they told me that the venue was going to be at the highly sought after scripps forum, i immediately began thinking about a hampton's inspired party......and off we went! the details were so much fun~ nautical knots, clam chowder station, white breezy cabanas, sun bleached star fish, local san diego beers, seafood, liquid nitrogen ice cream station and the crisp teal blue that picked up the color of the ocean. here are a few details shots of the day, and thank you SO much to all of my new and old vendor friends who helped along the way! Florals~ Adorations......Photos~ Joshua Aull Photo.......Emceeing and Lighting Galore~ Mike Hogan.......Music~ Tijuana Dogs.........Catering~ Continental Catering........Rentals~ Classic Party Rentals.......Cabanas and other cool things~ Kool party rentals........Bar~ Barworks.......Coffee~ Joe's on the Nose.......Ice Cream~ Sensational Treats......Video~ Jason Taylor........Photobooth~ Shutterbooth.....Live Event Artist......Cotton Candy~ Tasty Clouds......and of course, Scripps Seaside Forum.......I would also like to thank my family for helping with some of the details, and without a doubt, my staff who are always down to put on a great party!! :)

rachel & mike

rachel & mike were SO much fun to work with. i know that i say that about most of my clients, and it is true! but there was something so special and fun with them, it was a blast! the details on this wedding were so super detailed that it took hours for my girls to set it all up :) not one thing was overlooked~ we went with hot pink, black and white for the colors, and we repeated it everywhere! mike owns bars, so we wanted the focus of the party to be on the fun, cool aspect that a great bar can bring. from the custom converse shoes for the guys to the 16 feet of the candy bar, the pink, black and white was everywhere. rachel and mike chose the andaz for their day, and we took it over. the rooftop provided the perfect setting for the ceremony and cocktail hour. after that, the guests were invited downstairs where the passed food and food stations were abundant, and the specialty drinks were flowing! after dinner was complete, the 200 guests moved downstairs to the "envy" nightclub to dance the night away. the tijuana dogs kept everyone entertained, and mike even surprised rachel with a performance by scot russo from the band "unwritten law". luna photo took all the photos, and steve luxenberg provided the super cool video shown here....the girls at cake hooked us up with a super cool custom chocolate cake with rachel & mike's photos on it, and lavonne zamora went over the top with the decor again! rachel and mike are the coolest, and their wedding was no exception!! thanks everyone!

Video thumbnail. Click to play Click To Play

exquisite weddings feature

one of the best things about my job is getting to be creative in a variety of ways. so, when i'm asked to do a magazine shoot, i usually jump at the chance! lucky for me, lavonne zamora of adorations invited me to participate in a photo shoot with her for exquisite magazine, and we had so much fun collaborating on the shoot! lavonne's eye for unique styling and awesome color combinations is so much fun to be around~ it is sometimes hard to narrow it all down! this is the latest~ hope you enjoy! thank you also to the following vendors who lent their talent to our shoot:

Exquisite Weddings Magazine: www.exquisiteweddingsmagazine.com

Table Designers: LaVonne Zamora, Adorations Botanical Artistry www.adorations.com

Dinnerware and Linen Rentals: Classic Party Rentals www.classicpartyrentals.com

Paper Goods: Love at First Invite www.loveatfirstinvite.com

Photography: Terri Rippee, Rippee Photography www.rippeephotoweddings.com

Location: Rancho Valencia Resort www.ranchovalencia.com

carolyn + ben

what fun we had with carolyn and ben planning their wedding! since this was truly a destination event, there was a lot of work to be done! carolyn and ben came from boston, while most of their guests came from the east coast and florida. it was super fun, since they rented out the entire ocean view villas complex for the whole weekend. we pressed our luck with the weather in january, but san diego did not disappoint! the weather was amazing, and the sunset the night of the wedding was spectacular. guests were treated to a mexican fiesta on friday night with a mariachi band, a frozen margarita machine, and great food catered by giuseppe's catering. the next day, the wedding was in full swing with more delicious food by giuseppe, beautiful florals from adorations and music by tim altbaum. we had the cigar roller as a surprise to ben, a chinese tea ceremony for carolyn's family, the horah, and fun pashminas to keep the girls warm. it was a great crowd with such a fun warm energy. the next day, we celebrated again with brunch for all of the guests. it was really fun for us to transform the space three times in 3 days~ what an honor to help you all out! thank you for including us! also, thank you to joel flory who took these awesome pictures!! love them!

exciting news!!

hi there! we have been hard at work over here at mint weddings. 2010 is going to be an awesome year, and we are accepting just a few more brides to round out our 2010 schedule. this years' weddings are all so fun and unique, and we are lucky!! speaking of lucky, what an honor to get to be chosen to do this year's "knot magazine" party!! yes, mint weddings will be putting together the party for 250 of san diego's premier wedding vendors~ it is truly an honor!! and we are having so much fun collaborating on amazing new trends and ideas with some of our favorite vendors! i will post a few photos soon to show you all some of our ideas and inspirations for the party~ it will be so much fun!! thank you to the "knot" for enlisting us to help~ we are beyond thrilled!! and for any wedding vendors who would like to come to the party~ call me, dm me, facebook me, twitter me (@kellyaull) or e-mail me :)

happy holidays!

hi there everyone! i know that i am a few days late on writing this, but it has been a super busy few weeks for us :) i love the holidays~ they are so much fun! i also love reflecting on the year that has passed. each one teaches me so much, and each one is a blessing and a gift. i am so thankful for my husband, my kids, my family and my friends. i am thankful for my awesome business and the chance to get to do what i love. as the years go by, i am more and more aware of how blessed i am.

this holiday season was an awesome one for sure. it is one that i will probably always remember for a variety of reasons, but one that i will always hold dear. i wish you all the very best in the new year~ especially those who are starting out their lives together this year as married couples, and those that i am planning with~it's going to be great!! happy 2010 everyone!!

of course, no holiday blog post would be complete without a photo of my crazy kids on christmas morning, so here is a photo that i took with my iphone.....(just wanted to make sure that you knew josh didn't take it!! :) they begged santa for a quad so that they could hang with all their friends. if you could see ryan ride this thing, you would understand that i am terrified of him becoming an extreme sports guy when he grows up~ he is fearless!! at only 3 1/2, he rips around and even has his own "moves". his words, not mine :) payton is the more cautious of drivers, but she holds her own. they are entertaining, and amazing, and wild (and loud!!) and still to this day, the best gift i have ever received :)

new website!!

ahhh! i am so happy that the new website is up. for anyone who has never put a website together, it is a tough process! i had so many awesome images to choose from, and so many cool weddings to narrow it down to. these are a few of my very favorites, and i hope that you all enjoy it :) thank you to all that helped me with it, and let me know what you think of it~ i'd love to hear from you!

julia & wayne

in february, i had the pleasure of working with julia and wayne on their wedding at the the grand del mar . It was such a great wedding, and the grand del mar is such an awesome venue! we did the first wedding there when they first opened, and they are still as dedicated and focused on great service and personal attention as they were on that very first wedding! this time, we did the ceremony on the aria lawn, and then moved over to the manchester salon for the cocktails, and onto the capella room for the reception. it was so great to be able to show the guests so many beautiful aspects to the hotel. lavonne from adorations created simple but stunning wrought iron centerpieces that picked up the rustic vibe in the capella room, and provided just the right touch of an amber candle lit glow. danielle biel from sky blu photography was able to capture so many amazing moments from the wedding day, and the cowling band seriously blew everyone away! they were great!! thanks to paula mayer , make-up and hair guru! she makes everyone look amazing :) thanks also to julia and wayne for including me on your perfect day~ it was great!!

stephanie & chuck

i recently had the pleasure of doing stephanie & chuck's wedding up in dana point. i was so excited for this wedding, since stephanie and i have been friends since college, and her and chuck have been together as long as josh and i have!! it is so great to see friends get married, and even better when you can help them out! josh shot the wedding, and lavonne from adorations provided some really awesome florals for the day. we had amazing weather, and after the ceremony headed over to the salt creek grill to party and celebrate. thank you stephanie and chuck for allowing me to help, and congratulations! it was definitely worth the wait!!

mari & ricardo

i recently had the pleasure of working with mari & ricardo for their march wedding at founder's chapel and the u.s. grant. i thought mari was one of the most poised and calm brides ever~ during our planning, the ceremony itself, and the reception as well. she had a clear vision of what she wanted, and it showed on the wedding day. my staff and i had so much fun on the day of the wedding~ the band seriously rocked!! thank you to ele music for their awesome performance, crazy balloons (yes balloons~ it was awesome!!) and fun songs that kept 200 people dancing into the wee hours of the morning!! the decor was beautiful, and was provided by floralworks inc. shades of chocolate brown, pink and champagne were the colors of the day, and blended beautifully with the ballroom. kyle from elysium productions was on hand for the videography, and i look forward to seeing the footage. and of course, thank you to tim otto for capturing the day so perfectly in the shots. you rock!

kim & andy

i am finally blogging about kim & andy' wedding! what a great way to start off the year~ i seriously had the BEST bride, an amazing array of vendors, a beautiful location and epic weather for a january. what a great day! kim and andy were so relaxed and mellow throughout the entire planning process, and kim's laid back style added so much fun to the day! lavonne was there throughout the process to help create, mold and design the day, and josh was there to document it all. my boys, the tijuana dogs rocked the party (without a doubt~ ever!!) we drew inspiration from pinks, whites, black, and a bit of gold. all of these colors and elements were used throughout the ceremony in the crown room at the hotel del, and into the reception in the grand ballroom. we had cigars later in the evening, and lounge furniture for the guests as well. cake did an awesome job on the cake (so good!!) it was a perfect day, and one that i know i will remember for a very long time. thanks kim and andy and all of your great families for including me on the day~ what an honor!!

the special event

ahhhhh. this is the sound of me relaxing (on a friday, no less!) after a very long few months. i was so excited when i was chosen to be a part of the wedding luncheon for the annual special event conference. for those of you who do not know what that is, simply put- it is like disneyland for coordinators and event designers. about 9,000 industry professionals flew in from around the world to participate in a 4 day conference filled with parties, lunches, dinners, educational seminars and the like. i was asked to help with the huge luncheon that would serve about 600 guests. my job specifically, you ask??? well, it seems that i was to be a part of the gift bag committee. i actually found myself beginning to enjoy the process of asking people to donate things to the bag. and yes, after 10 hours of stuffing the bags with the crew, i was really ready for the lunch to be here so that i could let it all go. and now, after 4 days of parties and lunches, and dinners, and more parties (easily one of the best parts of my job!!) i am resting. (and thankful that i do not have a wedding this weekend). the highlight of my week, you ask? hands down it was when i found myself sitting next to ines di santo talking about our daughters. she is such an amazing dress designer- if you have not seen her work, check her out now :) she is so great- and she is drawing me some sketches for my studio! yeah! thanks to michele from mbride for connecting us :)

emily & jordan

this is a bit out of order, but better late than never!! i was brought on to help out emily and jordan who were getting married in an intimate ceremony at the hotel del. there were only about 20 guests at the wedding, but it was such a great, intimate family affair. emily and jordan were the sweetest couple and the entire group came from texas (which is always fun for me!). although it was a small group, emily loved flowers, and that was definitely the focus of the day!! lavonne from adorations came through with some gorgeous flowers and josh was on hand to take the photos. (i really loved some of the photos from this wedding- the couple was so cute!) thanks to everyone, and congratulations to emily & jordan! 

merry christmas!

the time has come again :) i cannot believe how quickly the years fly by! here we are at christmas again. i wish everyone the very best for the holiday season, and a very blessed new year. thank you to all of the people who have helped me throughout the year- my vendors that i love working with, and who always make me look good, the most amazing group of brides ever- i am so lucky to have been able to work with you all! , all of my amazing assistants who make the days run so smoothly, and of course to my family and my husband, josh. you always help me when i need you and you always make me see the good in every situation. thank you to my kids who make me feel young and blessed - even after a 14 hour day!! i very much look forward to 2009- it is going to be great, and i have lots planned for mint weddings!! all my best, and i will be back working in january!

carolyn & chuck

this was a fun wedding for me- it was actually my aunt's wedding, and it was so much fun! we never drink while working at a wedding, so it was great to be able to have fun and relax! the wedding ceremony took place at the little chapel of the roses, and the reception took place at the prado. (ironically, this is where josh and i got married, too!) josh was the photographer, my cousin did all of the flowers, i coordinated the wedding and i even went back to my roots and made the wedding cake. all in all, it was a family group effort, and it all paid off! the wedding was beautiful, and everyone had a great time. also included in this blog post is a picture of son ryan dancing with my cousin's boyfriend. kids are crazy :) since i am stealing these from my husband's blog, there is also a very embarrassing picture of me dancing with my daughter. ummmm, i guess this is why i don't drink at weddings!! :)

 

 

 

 

laura & tom

laura and tom were married at the hotel del on the vista walk, and held their reception in the coronet room. i loved laura right from the start. she has such a warm and vibrant personality. she had a necklace that she loved, and it was her idea to take inspiration for the wedding colors through this necklace. what a great concept! joyce from j design did the flowers, and she did a great job incorporating the colors from the necklace. we used colors of orange, tangerine, coral and even a few reds to add color to the beautiful setting of the del. the fabulous ultratones provided the music, and they had the crowd dancing all night. kim seidl was the photographer, and she did a great job with the photos! thank you to everyone who helped on the day, and best of luck to laura and tom!!

courtney & bret

i had the pleasure of working with courtney & bret for an entire year to plan their wedding. it was so much fun, since courtney and bret have such great personalities and were open to all kinds of ideas :) courtney & bret decided to get married at paradise point- so pretty! since bret is a big outdoorsman, courtney wanted to surprise him with a cocktail hour that was devoted to him and his friends. baby bass swam in tall vases, bear grass accentuated the patio, and a giant sculpture of a moose was the ice luge and cooled off everyone's drinks.  (50/50's of course :)) courtney and bret were lucky enough to have been chosen for the bride and bloom magazine shoot earlier in the year, and they chose lavonne from adorations to decorate the day. she did not disappoint as the floral were beautiful, and the ceremony site was gorgeous. we used two vintage cars that belonged to courtney's family to bring up the bridal party, and they made quite an impression on the guests. the tijuana dogs played during the reception, and jen dery was on hand to  document the day. thanks to everyone who helped make this a beautiful day- what a great couple!

morgan & chris

morgan and chris got my "most relaxed couple of the year award" :) they were so into having a great time at the reception, and that was their focus!! we got very lucky in the fact that we were able to work with crown point catering (who just happen to have the most unbelievable brie and pear quesadillas EVER!) if anyone is looking for a caterer, you cannot go wrong with crown point. lori is the best- she will definitely take care of you. anyway, the flowers and decor were provided by joyce at j design, and she did such a great job to create a vintage vibe that we were going for. fresh artichokes and green sprigs of eucalyptus accentuated the look. morgan looked so beautiful, and kristen peele took the most amazing shots of the day. thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations morgan & chris!

Kate & Joe

in july, i had the pleasure of working  with kate & joe on their wedding at the manchester hyatt. it was so much fun- they are a great couple! kate wanted something that would feel like san diego, but without an over the top "beachy" feel. so, we opted for colors of white, teal, and sand. it was beautiful and joyce from j design provided the most beautiful calla lillies i had ever seen! they were enormous!! tim otto was the photographer for the day, and did such a great job. his work is beautiful, and he is so much fun. bon vivant were there again to capture the day on film, and the tijuana dogs rocked! cam turner provided all of the paper products- she is so talented :) it was such a fun day filled with really cool details and a great couple. thanks joe & kate for having me!