Thursday, May 28, 2009

Real Wedding: Rachael & David

I met the bride Rachael at a wedding rehearsal when she was a bridesmaid in her friend Nicole's wedding that I planned last August (to see photos click here). Now it's Rachael's turn to be the blushing bride and of course Nicole was one of her supporting ladies. The photos began at the Emerald Iguana for the ladies and the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa for the guys. The ceremony was held at the beautiful San Buenaventura Mission. Then it was back to a private residence in Ojai for the reception. These amazing images were taken by photography team Heather & Grayson of Jagger Photography. And if you're looking for beautiful images for a reasonable and fair price these are the 2 to talk to.




The bouquets and other personal flowers were created by Floral Designs by Roni. To save money the bride bought all her own flowers directly from the flower mart and was able to find a florist who was willing to open her shop for Rachael to not only create the centerpieces but store them as well. Then on the day of the wedding they were delivered along with the personal flowers and 2 beautiful wreaths to the house.

Now, this private residence is the home of Rachael's late grandfather and is owned by her mother and aunts. They revamped the entire outdoors of the property just for this wedding. The transformation was amazing. The bride is an interior decorator and every detail was well thought out and beautifully executed. She bought almost everything including her linens, wine glasses, bambu plates, "silverware", napkins, candles, VOSS water, and the bride and her ladies created all of the centerpieces (stock, mums, and hydrangea).
The bride wanted to make sure her guests were comfortable and felt loved and you could tell. There were sandals in 3 different sizes to wear in the grass filled backyard, pashminas in case you got chilly, a candy bar for your sweet tooth, and even 2 kegs to make it feel like you're truly at someone's home and that this was a party.
For their guestbook they were a bit untraditional. I mean, who really takes out their guest book off the shelf to look at the signatures??? They gave blank postcards to each guest asking that they write a special note and the maid of honor had the duty to mail them to the bride and groom throughout their first year of marriage. I love this idea!!! And the postcards and other stationary were custom designed by another bride of mine Michelle.
The food was amazing and provided by Wood Ranch BBQ (their garlic rolls alone are worth it). The bartenders were fantastic from Beverlee's Bartending (805) 492-0385. Rentals from Ventura Rents. Gavin from Santa Barbara DJ's spun tunes. The party even went late and the cops were called to shut it down. Good times were definitely had by all.

The bride even bought her own lighting...so beautiful!

Monday, May 18, 2009

DIY: Outdoor Inspired Cake Stand


I was going from blog to blog and ran across this beautiful DIY cake stand and just had to share my discovery. It was found on the Once Wed Blog and it is truly beautiful. If you have having a "green" or outdoor inspired wedding then this cake stand may be just what you are looking for to add a little something extra!!! Enjoy. Click on this link to see the original post with step-by-step instructions...

Monday, May 11, 2009

Inspiration: Twilight

So, I will admit openly that I did not read the Twilight series, but I did see the first movie. When I'm not planning weddings and other events I volunteer my time with jr. High and High School youth at a church where my husband is a youth pastor and for a while it seemed like Twilight is all they were talking about including many other friends and adults I knew. I thought it only fitting that I create an "inspiration" board just for Twilight, but I didn't do just 1 I did 2. I created a "Day" inspired look as well as a "Night" inspired look.

Twilight- Day

For the "Twilight-Day" inspiration board I was inspired by all of the beautiful scenery in the movie, particularly of the forests. I thought it would be fitting to place a ceremony or celebrating outdoors in a forest setting and make the decor very earthy and organic in feel yet still breathtaking and elegant.

Twilight- Night

For the "Twilight-Night" Inspiration Board I went a little darker and infused the crimson and blood red hues (like the apple or blood). And who can forget the amazing twinkling gazebo at the end of the movie? I was able to find an event that had a tent covered in white twinkle lights which is just breathtaking.