Win a FREE Bridal Gown!

Josie, from Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses just let me in on a really incredible opportunity for one lucky bride!

Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses is giving away a bridal gown, valued at $2,000. The contest, which began on 1/1, continues through the 31st of January.

Brides can enter by clicking here, and also on Facebook for bonus entries.

The site, which currently has over 6,000 new, gently loved and sample dresses is a fun resource! You can view dresses by designer, style or even location! Check it out--what a great way to begin 2011. Cheers!

New Years Inspired Elopement on the Style Me Pretty Blog!

When Scott and I did a wedding up in Mammoth in August we had discussed putting together an inspiration shoot together. Little did we know that it would take us 4 months to try and get the right concept and then implement it to the degree of excellence we wanted it to be. Then we decided on a New Years inspired elopement shoot. It was perfect! The color scheme we chose was mainly all white on white with touches of Fuchsia, and sparkly silver. This made our New Years Inspired shoot so fun to create. We were extra excited to learn that the elopement would be featured on the incredible Style Me Pretty Blog! To see the blog post on SMP please click on this link!

Concepts Event Design allowed us to use their showroom for the venue space, and all the fun goodies that came along with it! The sleek clear tables, and bright white chairs and linens made it a perfect New Years Eve elopement. We added touches of sparkly silver bowls, disco balls, and strands of mirrors hanging from manzanita branches. We even gave our couple sparklers to ring in their New Years together. The yummy sugary white cake pops, cupcakes, and mini wedding cake were provided by the lovely ladies Sydney and Sarah of Tailored Sweets. We definitely wanted to make sure there was a little pop of color so we went bold with Fuchsia Peonies for the flowers, and fuchsia and purple socks for our groom. A couple that gets married on New Years definitely want to party and celebrate!

Our Bride and Groom get the best out of their wedding experience by getting married on New Years! Great champagne, a hang over kit (just in case), sparklers, noisemakers in the bouquet, and also as a corsage! This couple had it all. And to top it all off they glammed it up in a convertible Jaguar as their get away car! What better way to bring in the New Year then saying "I DO"!

Thank you to all the vendors who made this shoot amazing! We couldn't have done it with out you! Vendors who made this amazingly fun shoot happen!:

Photography: Scott Lawrence Photography

Coordinator: "I Do...Weddings!"- Melissa Barrad and Rachel Leber

Floral Design: Melissa Barrad

Deserts: Tailored Sweets- Sydney and Sarah

Venue/Rentals: Concepts Event Design

Jewelry: Crown Jewelers

...and Carol Barrad for the use of her car:)

Kate Loves Ross

Kate married Ross in May at Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla. This couple were very hands on when it came to the decor of the event. The artichoke and lemon theme, a nod to their honeymoon location, was seen everywhere. The details that were put into this wedding definitely stood out. Wine corks held the place cards for guests, and table frames were made out of the corks as well. Even the lemon trees that flanked the aisle were the brides idea, and a surprise for the mother of the bride to take home.

The day might have started out as May gray, but Kate and Ross made the most of it. They took huge group pictures and even got up on the Lifeguard tower there by the pier to take some amazing shots. The food was plentiful, the music never stopped, and their guests danced all night long. It was a day of elegance, wine, and fun. The couple couldn't have been happier and it showed. Thank you to Kate and Ross for letting us be part of their wedding experience.

Special Thanks to the following vendors who made this wedding amazing:

Venue: Scripps Seaside Forum

Catering: Culinary Concepts

Rentals: Abbey Rentals

Photographer: John Schnack of Schnack Studios

Ceremony and Reception Music: The Heroes

Cake: European Cake Gallery

Hair: Alex Souza from Model Call

Makeup: Ellen Lazner 612-961-6837

Officiant: Holly Skinner

Debbie loves Luca

The fabulous Debbie and Luca were married this fall at the Scripps Forum, and the day was incredible. I liked these two instantly. It was completely evident from our first meeting during those torrential storms earlier this year, that they are passionate about food, wine and most importantly each other! I love how Luca's creative side and Debbie's analytical side meshed together incredibly well for a beautiful day. Throughout the process, we were able to stay true to the vision they shared with me from our rainy first meeting.

As the day grew closer, we learned that the groom's father would be unable to travel the distance to the wedding. Luckily, technology was on our side! The entire wedding was Skyped. Yes, Skyped. The Father of the Groom was able to view the entire ceremony, and congratulate the newlyweds. I carried the laptop around to show him details of the day, and dad was "sat" down on the DJ table for guests to come up, chat and offer well wishes. One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing Luca's father pop a bottle of champagne. Also, when the DJ Jay Brannan acknowledged the parents and asked them to rise at the reception, dad did as well. Finally, a friend of the bride's family sang during the ceremony and the couple recessed to a Star Wars song.

Many of the guests flew from overseas, so I was thrilled that we got an incredible sunset. Uplighting the palm trees was a perfect choice, as many guests lingered outside--they don't have a beach where Luca's family is from:)

Debbie and Luca, it was an honor and a pleasure! I loved your approach to the planning process, and I am so pleased looking back at Melissa's incredible photos documenting the day!

Catering: Tapenade Restaurant

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Photography: Melissa Koehler Photography

Florals: Jennifer Cole

DJ: Jay Brannan

Hair and Make-up: Susie Beyer