Real Wedding: Tessa & Steven

My dear friend Tessa got married to her soulmate Steven on October 11, 2008. I had the privilege of being her wedding coordinator and helping in the planning from start to finish. I am so excited for Tessa & Steven and can't wait to one day help plan the baby shower. Please enjoy these photos of the big day from photographer Patrick Holland. For a slideshow please click here.

Yes, those are blue burkenstock's the bride wore on her wedding day.

With a color palette of blue and orange, the bride had Gary Leonard (tofr@pacbell.net) use dahlias, calla lilies, roses, and gerber daisies in the orange hue. All the ribbon for was bought by the bride and I at Moskatels at 738 Wall St Los Angeles, CA .

And for an added touch, she had her bouquet adorned with photos of family member's who have passed on so they would be with her in spirit.

The bride's mother, who is an amazing seamstress, made 8 dresses for this event (the bride, 4 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls, and her own dress). I'm sure this dress will be passed down for years to come.

The bride and her girls got ready at the beutiful Langham Hotel & Spa in San Marino, formerly the Ritz Carlton Huntington.

It was very important to Tessa to be able to spend time with her guests. To allow that to happen I suggested they do a "First Look". It's not the traditional meeting when the groom sees his bride for the first time walking down the aisle, but he gets to experience that twice. We placed the groom and brought the bride from the opposite side and when they got closer we had the groom turn around to have a "First Look" at his beautiful bride. This allows that there is plenty of time for photos as well as plenty of time to spend with guests. Instead of spending the cocktail hour in front of the camera they were able to do all the romantics, bridal party, and family portraits before the ceremony. It's also a great thing for any bride or grooms who get anxious and nervous, they seem to calm each other down before the ceremony begins.

So happy together!
The too cute flower girls are the neice of the bride and groom and the daughter of bridesmaid and longtime friend of the bride.

The neice and nephew of the bride and groom. I'm sure this ones going in a frame on the mantle.

Ceremony begins...more ribbon from Moskatels adorning the candles down the aisle.

Your's truly in action straightening out the train and veil before the bride walks down the aisle.

The ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all took place at the church that the bride grew up at, All Saints of Pasadena. And it's also the church my husband works at as the youth minister for jr. high & high school. That's how I met the bride.

Another suggestion was to get a group photo of EVERYONE at the wedding. The guest count was close to 60 which makes it duable. We walked across the street to the steps of City Hall in Pasadena for this photo.

Instead of paying extra money for decorations for the bride and groom's table, we just used the bouquets of the bridesmaids and the bride to adorn the top of the sweetheart table. I also added a gold charger at each of their place settings.

The bride has a love for dragonflies and infused it throughout her event, from these Kate Spade toasting flutes to the matching cake knife and server...

to the dragonflies which adorned the top of the cake which I created specially for the bride and groom through my jewelry design company It's All Twisted.

and even the favors...plantable paper dragonflies...planted in the soil and wildflowers will bloom. Who wants another organza bag of chocolate.

The centerpieces were simple and chic. Three glass cylinders of different heights. One with rocks, one with a submerged flower, and one with just water. Then a candle floats in each one to add a glow to the room. All rentals and linens were provided by Dolphin Rentals in Pasadena.

To give the hall at the church a more outdoorsy and elegant look ficus trees and ferns were rented from Armstrong Garden Center in Pasadena. This isn't something all Armstrong's do, but talk to the manager at the one in Pasadena. They initially charge you full price but you get back 80% once the items are returned and you are not charged sales tax.

Sunset Photos...

And they're off through a sea of bubbles for a relaxing night at the Langham. Tessa & Steven, thank you for letting me be a part of your special day. It's an honor to call you friends.