Shontay and Brian

Shontay and Brian were married last October during that not-so-fun few weeks of dreary weather. So, her bright and cheery palette at the Mission Valley Marriott was such a treat! Decor was kept very simple and impactful, and was highlighted by a gorgeous back drop by Concepts Event Design. I love getting to give my brides a reveal before guests come in, but Shontay was the first bride to ever bounce up in down in pure happiness all while saying how excited she was for her vision to come together!

This absolutely gives you lots of insight to Shontay and Brian as a couple. What a loving and fun group! Between the newlyweds, they have 7 (yes, you read that right! seven) children that were all involved in the ceremony. You can even see their adorable faces on the photo cake. I have seen many little kiddos at a wedding, and I have to say, Shontay and Brian's little ones were amazingly well-behaved and just so much fun. When I think back to their wedding, I have a smile on my face. Shontay and Brian, may you and your family be blessed with the best life has to offer! It was a pleasure!

Some of the great vendors that made up the day:

Photographer-Jackie Van Hatten

Dessert Display-A Sweet Addition

Make-up-Fashion Valley MAC

Reception-Mission Valley Marriott

Decor-Concepts Event Design

Colleen Loves Eric!

Colleen married Eric on Saturday, November 27th, 2010 at the Darlington House. Colleen has been a close friend for several years. We worked together as event planners and she helped me with all the details of my wedding 3 years ago, so I was more than happy to return the favor! From the very beginning, Colleen wanted a vintage inspired wedding, we would wander Anthropologie for inspiration, and I knew their wedding would be full of personal touches! Over the 2 years of planning, Colleen focused on the details and captured so many different elements of both her and Eric's personalities -- and it all worked beautifully. Every detail was done by hand including the family tree guest book Colleen's sister painted, the tree stump her dad cut for their gorgeous cake, and the handmade crocheted flower favors Colleen's mom made during their engagement!

The Darlington House was the perfect background for Colleen and Eric. As soon as you walked in, you could feel such a warmth, there was so much love there! Market lights hung above the dance floor, and each table had brightly colored flowers in eclectic vases Colleen had collected from thrift stores and vintage shops. Wine bottles were used for the table numbers. It was truly beautiful to see all the details come together. I don't know how the fantastic photographer got all the detailed shots, but they did! Such an awesome couple, I was honored to be part of their special day!

Thank you to all the vendors who made this day amazing!:

Coordination: "I Do...Weddings!: Kasey

Venue: Darlington House: LJWClub@aol.com

Event Design: White Lotus Productions: holly@whitelotuspro.com

Photographer: Betwixt: http://www.betwixtstudio.com

DJ: Daniel Peterson: mail@discofriend.com

Flowers: Sharon Mintz: sharon@organicelements.com

Catering: Chile Co. Catering: swagner@chilecocatering.com

Make-up: Jennifer Bueno: beautytobe@mac.com

Yvonne Loves Andreas!

Yvonne and Andreas got married on November 20th, 2010 at The Grande Del Mar. It was my first time getting the opportunity to do a wedding at The Grande, and this wedding definitely lived up to my expectations of what a wedding should be like at The Grand Del Mar resort. Yvonne and Andreas took great care to make sure that their wedding was a memorable event for not only themselves, but also all of their wedding guests. Yvonne was a very DIY bride. She made the invitations, the save the dates, the programs, and even her beautiful veil! Come on... she made her own veil!

The Grande Del Mar was an immaculate setting for their special day. The Capplla on site was where they held their ceremony. It was beautifully ornate, and carefully decorated with candles and florals. It was the perfect romantic background for their intimate vow exchange. After the ceremony guests were treated to cocktails on the terrace and then invited into the Manchester Salon for dinner. The room was immaculate! Soft candle light gave off a romantic low glow to the whole room. The entire experience of Yvonne and Andreas wedding was one of great intimacy. You really felt like you were part of their family when you were at their wedding. Yvonne even pulled me out onto the dance floor for the bouquet toss! I had such a blast being part of this wedding, and I am thankful for the opportunity.

Thank you to the amazing vendors who made this day possible!

Venue: The Grande Del Mar(Paige Levy)

Photographer: Troy Mayer

DJ: APC Entertainment(Allan)

Florals: Kathy Wright an Co.

Rentals: Fusion Linens

Classic Party Rentals

Officiant: Rev. Powers

Hair and Makeup: The Haim Salon

Grace Loves Eric

Grace and Eric were married on a cold weekend back last December at the Riverwalk Golf Course. I remember that during the wedding rehearsal, we were all huddled under big jackets and heaters, while I cheerily ran through the rehearsal and hopes for beautiful weather. While the wedding morning was a bit brisk, the skies opened up for some incredible cloud cover (see above) and the sun even peeked through during photos, the ceremony and cocktail hour.

Tess accented the bride's DIY projects with simple, yet elegant arrangements and I especially loved Grace and Eric's bathroom signage--pictures of them as little ones.

Grace and Eric are both warm and genuine people, but they also know how to have a great time--and their wedding reception certainly reflected that. The dance floor was packed to the hilt the entire time, and Eric's groomsmen were a blast to interact with all day. Grace and Eric, I wish you both many more beautiful days. It was a pleasure! Ben and Kirin, thank you for sharing the beautiful photos.

Some vendors that made up their day:

BKM Photography, http://www.bkmphotog.com/

Sweet Cheeks Baking Company, http://www.sweetcheeksbaking.com/

Tessilk Florals, http://www.tessilk.com/

Injoyent Entertainment, http://www.injoyent.com/

Elite Image, http://www.eliteimagelimousine.com/

Melissa and Tom-Bride and Groom on Halloween

I often get the question "What made you choose wedding planning?" and "Why did you choose to specialize in weddings, not all different types of events?" My response is that I've always had a spot in my heart for weddings, and now I have proof!

My mom just unearthed this photo of my brother Tom and I. Tom was 6 months old, and I was 5, sitting on our couch for Halloween. My son Bennett looks an awful lot like Tom, don't you agree? The photo of Ben was taken by Aaron and Samantha Thompson of http://www.iheartas.com/.