Archive for Weddings

Lisa + Tom @ The Bel Air Country Club

January 31, 2010 · Filed under Weddings · Tagged

Lisa was referred to me by my clients Elvi and Carlos (a June wedding I’m SO ridiculously excited about!!) and came to me with a gorgeous smile and a tight deadline.  Her and her fiance, Tom,  had set the date for their wedding for 2 months out, and on top of having to rally a team of amazing vendors to pull it off….their venue had cancelled on them.  I was ready to take on the challenge though, since we instantly clicked….and by the end of the meeting we were hugging and we were off to plan a most gorgeous and intimate wedding at the Bel Air Country Club!

Below are a few moments of their amazing day, captured by their photographer, Vernon T. Williams:

The gorgeous Lisa getting her dress on, assisted by her equally lovely sister/maid-of-honor:

 

Does it get any better than gold Choos?

 

The florals, provided by the ever fabulous Flowers on Mars, were simply stunning.  We decided to have the bridesmaids carry a simple but elegant cloud of baby’s breath, while Lisa got to carry the real showstopper…..a breathtaking cascade of bright magenta phalaenopsis orchids and dark feathers.  The groom’s bout matched the bride’s bouquet….a bright orchid with some unique metal wire accents.

 

 

Lisa had her heart set on getting married on the club’s beautiful white bridge, but once we set foot on it, and realized that even with a few people on it the thing swayed like a jumprope, we quickly had to put the kabbash on that idea.  I knew she wanted something unique, something that her 40 guests had never seen before, so I suggested that we do a spiral ceremony setup.  This way, she would get to walk past each and every one of her special guests as she made her way down the spiral to her groom! 

 

The gorgeous newleyweds!  Both Irish transplants, they met and fell in love instantly across an ocean….they were clearly meant to find one another!

 

I puffy heart small weddings because the setup usually entails something that would never work with a bigger party (have you ever seen a 200 person spiral ceremony, for instance?).  Lisa wanted the reception to feel intimate and cozy, so we decided to seat all of the guests at one huge long table covered in a luxe champagne linen (custom made by Flowers on Mars) ,  and decorated in lush florals in classic neutral tones with  hints of purple and lavender.

 

There was one thing that was a definite must for Lisa….a decadent and beautiful dessert display with sweets from Vanilla Bake Shop! 

 

Lisa treated her guests with mini bottles of Moet Champagne as their favors!

 

And I’ll end the post with a couple of my favorite shots of the bride and groom!

 

Lisa and Tom – Thank you so much for giving me the chance to be a part of your beautiful day!!   It was so sweet being a part of such an intimate wedding, the entire guest count being all of your immediate family and closest friends.   Best of luck to you both!

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**Jenn and Thanh**

January 24, 2010 · Filed under Weddings · Tagged

When Jenn and Thanh approached me about their October wedding at the Los Angeles Arboretum, I flipped.  I am in awe (and also terrified) of the peacocks that swarm the Arboretum and had been wanting to work that venue space for some time.   The natural beauty of the gardens are breathtaking, and that, combined with Jenn and Thanh’s warm and kind spirits, were going to make for a memorable day!  Below are just a few of the FAB shots of the day, taken by the most stealth photographers (these guys were everywhere, they never missed a shot!!) I’ve seen in some time…..Furious Photographers:   

Prior to their Western ceremony, Jenn and Thanh participated in the traditional Chinese tea ceremony.  Jenn looked like royalty in her qipao:

 

Soon after the two tea ceremonies were performed, we had Jenn change into the most beautiful lace dress for her Western ceremony:

 

 

And while the girls got ready, the guys helped Thanh sort out the red envelopes!

 

A few shots of their beatiful ceremony, complete with the crystal strand backdrop.  All decor and florals provided by Commerce Flowers:

 

 

 

 

After the ceremony, the bridal party and the newleyweds drove around the arboretum and shot some super fun portraits!  I was in love with the bridesmaids’ merlot colored dresses and their blingy sash:

 

 

 

 

Jenn and Thanh – Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day…..your wedding was beautiful, but most importantly your guests had a blast!  I really enjoyed working with you guys, most especially our final meeting at the Chinese restaurant.  I feel so worldly now, having eating the traditional fish stomach soup!  I hope to keep in touch with you both!!

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**Stefani and Jason**

December 6, 2009 · Filed under Weddings · Tagged

When I met Stefani last year over coffee, I immediately was over the moon about her beachside wedding.  She was the type of bride who knew what she wanted, and had already booked the most amazing venue, the Adamson House, and vendors!

Below are some of the the most fab shots of the day, shot by their super talented photographer, Ryan Jones.  I’ve also included an additional link at the bottom of the blog entry of a teaser of their wedding day video, by my favorite videographer, Joe Rosenberger from Today’s The Day Weddings.

 

Stefani’s dress, perfect for her tiny frame, hung beautifully in the pool house of the Adamson House as she finished getting ready:

 

 

 

Stefani’s bridesmaids, dressed in the most vibrant teal dresses, helped get Stefani into her final touches and then posed for some great girly shots!

 

 

 

Stefani looked impeccable in her mantilla veil, accompanied perfectly by her white cattleya orchid bouquet made by Kate Baker Florals!

 

 

I just adore first look moments….how cute is this!

 

 

I love how Ryan snuck this shot in of Stefani coming down the long aisle with her dad:

 

 

Stefani’s wedding stationary, including the programs,  fit into the teal and aqua beach-chic theme of the wedding just perfectly!

 

 

Stefani and Jason chose the most intimate spot at the Adamson House to get married…..under the oldest and largest tree I’d ever seen.  The ceremony was so touching, officiated by Jason’s aunt….there was not a dry eye in the house!

 

 

And after the vows were done, Ryan had a chance to run the grounds with the couple and get some very fun and inventive shots!

 

 

One of my favorite escort card setups to date……the printed cards sat in a gorgeous box filled with sand, shells and and sea glass!

 

 

Their first dance moment…..I love how they are staring at each other like there is no one else on earth at that moment.

 

 

There could be no better backdrop than the Pacific Ocean for their crisp and beachy tablescapes!

 

 

I am a firm believer that there is no better favor than something edible!

 

 

The actual house on the Adamson House property posed as the perfect backdrop to the sweetheart table:

 

 

The beautiful cake sat atop a DIY cake stand and was adorned by the most adorable dachsaund cake toppers:

 

 

 

And I’ll end with a shot of the party in motion…..I adore it when guests get involved like this!

 

 

And now…..the reason why I think everyone should get a videographer.  Watching their wedding day video teaser gave me goosebumps!  Please visit Today’s the Day Weddings blog to see the video!

 

 

Please visit Ryan Jones’ blog for more shots of that perfectly gorgeous day!!  And please visit Today’s The Day Weddings blog for the full blog entry of the day as well!

Stefani and Jason –  Your wedding was the most perfect day…..the weather, the decor, the people, the food, the views!!   It was such a pleasure to be a part of it, and I wish you both the most amazing life together!

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**Melissa and Rick**

December 6, 2009 · Filed under Weddings

I had the pleasure of getting to know Melissa and Rick (and his lovable mother Ada) over the past year during their wedding planning and instantly fell in love with all of them.  Melissa is just a very sincere and real person, and she is a fan of telling it like it is just like I am…..while Rick is the jokester/charmer of the duo.     We all clicked right away and got on with the planning of their fabulous pink and green wedding at the Luminarias in Monterey Park.

Below are some of their best shots, taken by Sarah Austin from Sarah Austin Photography:

I love this shot because Melissa  won’t stop “smeyes-ing” (and for those of you who don’t know what that is, please refer to one of my guilty pleasures, America’s Next Top Model):

 

The dapper groom and his boys, followed by a shot of the bridal party:

 

One of the amazing trees that flanked the sweetheart table…..it was dripping in crystals and hanging amaranthus:

 

Melissa’s rockstar blinged-out cake topper…..so gorgeous!

 

And I’ll end with one of the reasons why I love this couple so much…..they decided to “bust a move” during their grand entrance/first dance!

 

Melissa and Rick –  I feel so lucky to have gotten to be a part of your day, and to get to call you both friends!   The love between you is so evident and I have no doubt that you will have an amazing life together!

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**Nora and Amir**

November 30, 2009 · Filed under Weddings · Tagged

My dad taught me at an early age that one should never ever stop learning….and I am so lucky to have a job where this is possible quite often.  In the years that I have been blessed with being able to plan and coordinate weddings, I have gotten to see and learn about SO many amazing customs and traditions of dozens and dozens of different cultures.   This is why I jumped up and down when I met Nora back in January and she told me about the plans for her Persian/Egyptian wedding.  Not only one culture I hadn’t gotten to work with, but a medley of tradition that I would get to immerse myself in!!   Nora had decided on the very elegant Westin South Coast as the venue for her burgandy and gold wedding, and had already hired a great photography/videography combo team to document the day.

Here are a few of my favorite shots of their day, by the very talented videographer/photographer, Daniel Boswell, from Imagique:

 

Nora putting on the finishing touches of her entire bridal look.  She opted not to have official bridesmaids, but her besties coordinated with different colored jewel-toned dresses, and acted as her faux bridal party.  They all looked magnificent together!

 

 

A great shot of the intricate detailing on her dress and veil:

 

 

And while the girls prettied up, Amir was hard at work getting ready as well:

 

 

I couldn’t get enough of Nora’s striking bouquet, one of the many AMAZING florals of the day by Jen K Floral Design:

 

 

Nora and Amir opted to have a first look before the ceremony, followed by a slew of fantastical shots, including this one!

 

 

The unbelievably gorgeous ceremony setup, all decor by Jen K Floral Design, was only made more magnificent by the traditional Sofreh:

 

 

 

 

 

Their zaffa (grand entrance) was led by belly dancers with candelabras on their heads!

 

During the reception, the guests were treated to a multitude of special stations, one of which was this lush fruit and ice display:

 

The decor was breathtaking!

 

 

I’ll end the post with a shot of their beautiful cakes……this one, from Rossmoor Bakery, literally takes the cake!!

 

Please visit Imagique’s blog for more amazing pictures of the day!

Nora and Amir – Your wedding was such a beautiful mix of tradition, customs and love…..I was so happy and blessed to be a part of it!   Nora, I will forever covet your amazing hair!!  Have a magical life together, you two!

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