Real Wedding: Liz & Kevin

As a wedding planner we often work with other planners and do leads for other companies. This wedding at Rancho Sol Del Pacifico in Malibu was a lead I did for Occasions. The bride & groom, both from USC, got ready at the Four Seasons in Westlake before heading to their ocean view location.
Ja Tecson took these amazing photos and the flowers were done by a friend.

The ceremony took place on the pool deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Gorgeous.

Celebrity Wedding: Billy Martin & Linzi Williamson

I was blown away when I came across this wedding in InStyle Weddings Magazine and even more excited to see that my favorite florist, R Jack Balthazar did their floral decor. It took my breath away. I call it Gothic-Chic, R Jack calls it Victorian Vamp, but it truly is breathtaking no matter what you call it. This is the wedding of Good Charlotte's guitarist, Billy, to his longtime girlfriend, Linzi.


The bride wore a Kirstie Kelly Couture gown. Traditional in essence but given that glamourous rock edge with the hints of black.
All of the photos were taken by the husband and wife team, Miki & Sonja, who I've had the pleasure of working with before and they are great.
This amazing wedding was coordinated by the talented Kristin Banta.


The wedding was held at Stone Manor in Malibu, all outdoors for this blessed affair.
The couple named the tables after their beloved pets, like their dog Dracula.

This amazing cake was created by Cake Divas and wow does it look amazing. I've never seen a cake quite like it.

Vendor Pick: Brides Against Breast Cancer

I like the nostalgia of thinking that one day my daughter might wear my wedding dress, but in reality...it will probably just sit in a box for years and years and just gather dust on a shelf. Instead, I have decided to donate my wedding dressand veil (see photos below) to a wonderful organization called Making Memories: Brides Against Breast Cancer. It's similar to Make a Wish Foundation in that "wishes" are granted, in this particular case, they are granted to women with Breast Cancer.

They accept donations as well as wedding dresses, veils, slips, tiara's, mother's gowns, flower girl dresses, bridesmaid dresses, diamonds, estate jewelry, and accessories. So, you could even tell your bridesmaid who most likely won't wear her dress again that she can get a tax exemption for your gown and who couldn't use a little extra help these days??

Check out their site as they have so many events all over the country and other organizations such as The Pink Envelope Project, Diamonds for Dreams, March for Memories, Quilters Against Breast Cancer, and Tea Parties.

Why let your gown gather dust in a box. Grant a wish for someone in need.

Inspiration: Phantom of the Opera

One of my absolute favorite productions and movies and soundtracks is The Phantom of the Opera. So, in honor of one of my favorite movies I have designed an inspiration filled with deep crimson red roses, black crystals, damask patterns, and plenty of romance.

This engagement ring fairly similar to the one that Christine receives from Raul.

I found these diamond earrings while exploring Polyvore.com. They are almost like the one's Christine wears when she's on stage singing "Think of Me".

Here is a stunning and even DIY invitation you could use for this special event.

I love that Christine's gowns are off the shoulder, which is just enough to be sexy but still glamourous and romantic. This gown is by Anne Barge. Wow!!!

Here's a photo of Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and her now husband Pete Wentz at their wedding. One way to have a better chance of a bridesmaid wearing her dress again is to have her wear black. You can't go wrong with a classic black dress.

Or if you're really daring and love red, why not wear it. Who says you have to be in a white dress. Colored dresses are coming en vougue. This photo was taken by Sergio Photographer.

How cute is this flower girls dress? To add even more pop I would put a crimson red silk sash around the waste to add that punch of color.

As I mentioned before, you can't go wrong with a simple black dress and here's an example from Jim Hjelm.

I found a new love for Project Wedding where I stumbled across this stunning bouquet with calla lillies and roses wrapped in black satin ribbon, photographed by Erwin Photography.

You could find a location with a stunning chandalier either as a focal point on the ceiling above the ceremony, cocktail hour, or reception. This chandalier is at Paris Opera.

I would suggest making your grand entrance down the staircase of an old historic opera house like this one in the Paris Opera.

Here below is the ever so stunning Vibiana, located in downtown L.A., now a special events only location with a beautiful outdoor garden. This photo was taken by the ever so talented photographer Victor Sizemore.

Carnations aren't the insignificant inexpensive flower they used to be. The keep your budget down but keep the chicness high, you can create pomanders and cover them in red carnations or any color and they look just fabulous.
And what type of Phantom of the Opera wedding would it be if you didn't have a masquerade element to it. This photo was taken by the very talented Victor Sizemore, one of my favorite photographers.

And I just love this decor from my favorite floral designers Rene & Niki at R Jack Balthazar. They did this modern romantic goth decor for the wedding of the guitarist of Good Charlotte and his fiance.

Here's another closeup of the table decor at the same Good Charlotte wedding.

Here's a lovely and romantic centerpiece from Fleurs de France.

Now, I haven't had a chance to work this company yet, but their decor is fierce. This wedding decor below is what I would call "Pirate Chic" and it was created by An Elegant Touch.

I heart DAMASK. I really do. I love how classic and romantic it looks and it's just stunning next to a punch of color like the gorgeous red roses below. This photo was taken by Erwin Wijanto.

I love the idea of having a room with different table configurations and different centerpieces. This is from the same wedding as above where you saw a long banquet table and to add some dimension the room also has the traditional round tables.

And, to amp up the drama, lighting can do wonders...truly...it can make a blank space look absolutely fabulous.

I like this cake because it's simple and chic and incorporates the star crystals mimicing Christine's costume and accessories when she sings "Think of Me".

Now, if you have a bigger budget, and are looking for a cake that will be talked about for a while you could go with this dramatic number below from a local bakery, the Cake Divas.

Or, you could infuse that damask pattern beyond the stationary and linens and have your cake showcase the beautiful pattern as well. And you can't go wrong with a little added bling. Photo by the wonderful Victor Sizemore from the same wedding with the hand painted masks you saw above. And just in case you haven't seen enough cakes, here is one last gorgeous option from a cake artist who has commissioned me for cake jewelry before, and even created a cook that made Snoop Dogg Happy, the one, the only Nancy Kay.