Stay tuned as this adorable couple from Palo Alto come to Laguna Beach for a sunset wedding in August. They said they had a great time hiking thought the hillside of Crystal Cove, and Sandra wore high wedges!

Photo Source: Photographer Ira Lippke of Ira Lippke Studios

Back at the Hyatt Huntington Beach, not in catering but as an event planner…Congratulations Gail & Nemo!! Pictures coming soon….

You saw some of the photos a couple weeks ago….here’s a sneak peak at their wedding video.

Thanks Elysium Productions!

I was so fortunate to go to Africa with many talented Wedding Professionals.  I blogged about my experience a couple of months ago, but I am excited to announce that the trip will be featured on the Lifetime show Get Married at 7:30AM on Wednesday, July 30th and 7:30AM on Wednesday, August 4th.   Thanks for watching!

OMG, this lady is talented and she also shares her secrets.  Featured on the Martha Stewart Show recently…but she does not need Martha to tell us how cool her ideas are. I unfortunately am not that great in the kitchen…I am better at eating red velvet cupcakes than making them.  To think she only took a cake decorating class in 2007, look at her now….for recipes, ideas and detailed “how to”, you have to vistit http://bakerella.blogspot.com

I couldn’t wait to share this new find with you…well not so new to the industry but I just came across her work and it’s so innovative and personal. You probably know me by now that I love personal touches! So here’s the scoop on Holly Hatam. She is the Owner and Creative Director of TearDrop is known for her unique designs, her addiction to paper and her love of each and everyone of her bride and grooms.

In 2005, Holly was asked to create invitations for her friend’s wedding. The result was wonderful, and her one-of-a-kind invitation drew attention to all who came across them. Holly was so thrilled with all the enthusiasm that she poured her heart and soul into designing full-time…and TearDrop was born!

Direct from Holly:
“The best part of my job is meeting the couple I’m going to work with for the next couple of months. I always feel honoured that they have chosen me to make their wedding a special event. I think of my couple’s as friends and sometimes I get more excited about their wedding day then they do! Your invitation is the first glimpse your guests have of your wedding, you want to impress and leave them craving for more.”

I asked her what makes her different?  What makes TearDrop different then all the rest is that her designs and illustrations can’t be found anywhere else in the industry. She makes her designs unique to each couple. She wants to add humour and personality into her designs, breaking away from that traditional mold that all brides feel they have to follow. She has a specific style and she has used that to make her mark in the wedding world. Not only is Holly a trained Graphic Designer, graduating with a BA, but she is also a graduate of the fine arts program. Holly is not only a designer, but an illustrator and fine artist as well.

Tell tell, what is your favorite project?  My favorite project that I worked on was an invitation for Lourdes and Craig. They were having a monopoly themed wedding and wanted their invitations to reflect that. The challenging part was to not go over board with the invitations. We designed the illustration of Lourdes and Craig like the monolopy man you see on the game board coming out of the “o” in monopoly. We tried to mimic that with the illustrations, but instead they are coming out of very detailed scroll work. We used the same colors as monopoly board and mimicked the characters, but aside from that, we kept the rest of the design more formal with a lot of ornate scroll work. Pairing the whimsical characters and the more traditional scroll work made for a great design. The two elements compliment each other well producing an invite that was surely to WOW their guests!

View additional portfolio:  www.teardropweddings.com

First of all, I have to say that Alona’s dress was gorgeous….I just loved the large ruffles at the top and how it went all the way around…simple, but very stylish.  Perfect for a wedding at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano where Jeff’s family had the connections. Not easy getting in there. Following the ceremony, Jeff and Alona left in Jeff’s family antique get away car…a tradition that will be followed for generations to come…they arrived back where they got ready, at the St. Regis Monarch Beach.  Their colors of sage and buttter yellow with a pop of coral were seen in the florals by using jade roses, celery cymbidium orchids,light green hydrangeas and butter phaleos. And tiny pop of green was added to the napkin alongside a delicious treat.  If you have not tried Vosges Chocolates, you must buy your loved ones a box, better yet, treat yourself to one.

Chenin of Boutwell Studio’s photos are always vibrant and full of life as you can see on her site and blog. BUT I specifically selected these to show her wide range of talent: as these photos were breathtaking and so timeless, just as hard to do as her vibrant colored shots.  Chenin, you are a talented woman.

Just released in bookstores, the Fall Winter Issue 2008…Brides Southern California Magazine. Inside you can find a little picture of Michelle and Christine and me, (JLe was there too) as we helped plan and execute their annual networking event held at Museum of Latin American Art…which we blogged about in April.

Somewhat celebrities at the St.Regis…I say this because it seemed like every employee and manager knew who Gil and Meredith were. St. Regis is like their second home, well maybe just for food and drinks. Everyone knows them because they are genuinely the kindest sweetest couple, and you would be honored to be in their company. Their intimate wedding was filled with lots of personal details- served their favorite drinks: chocolate martini, espresso martini and the flirtini. We even had a martini luge in shape of a guitar which is an instrument Gil plays…..his sister plays too and sang Meredith and Gil’s first dance song.  Notice the shoe on the top of the cake, yes….they met when Gil sold Meredith shoes and boy did she buy alot with Gil as the sales guy.  The pattern on the cake was from the graphic designer Creative Blu, who also made these amazing lace and baby stone table numbers.  I just loved the way the LED lighting turned out…Mike (MI Media) thanks for making the room all the right shades of pink. And for the first time, I had the pleasure of working with Nicole Caldwell and her team of photographers, professional and artistic and sexy photos.

Remember the Sexy Seattle couple, we featured their engagement shoot awhile back, the one where she was vacuuming in 5 inch heels….well they tied the knot this past June.  Nothing less of spectacular…Spanish Moroccan Theme but done in a modern hip way.  Chelsea and Sean were fun, stylish and their wedding guests were exactly that way too.  The party got started even before their Grand Entrance, just the way they wanted it…it was such an uproar when they entered and no one was going to leave that dance floor, not even to make way for their first dance. Although they went to rival schools, you would have never thought that as everyone mingled so well…the Pi Phi girls did get a special moment when Abba’s “Take a Chance” was played.  And can’t forget the authentic Hookas, in apple and mango flavors. Great food, great friends, great music…speaking of food, other than the always over the top food at Montage Resort and Spa, other 2 great foods: Diana Phillips Artisan Chocolates who supplied the gorgeous chocolate works of art, dusted in orange and fuschia to match the flower boxes, amazing.  And the other talented artist, Grace from Sweet- Gems for the thematic cake.  All around Greatness.  Last but not least, Great photographer…Drew B Photography