Keri & Chris – Married! (Part 1)

I get so excited when my photographers present me with a disk of  wedding images.  It was so difficult to select a “reasonable” amount of images to post for this blog – Allison of Allison Stahl Photography captured some awesome shots!   Beautiful Keri and hunky Chris had a truly lovely downtown Sacramento wedding, held the end of September 2010; it was a wonderful event for me to coordinate and I loved-loved Keri and her mom as we worked for over 8 months in detailed planning.  I especially loved the fact that Keri and Chris have been together since they were in their early teens… YEARS later, they finally tied the knot.  I asked “what took so long?” and their answer was “life just kept getting in the way,”  then one day life slowed down a bit and the planning started! 

 Working with the ever-so-talented Katie Edwards of Ambience Floral Design, makes my life very happy!  The bridal bouquet of all white calla lilies and the fun bridesmaids’ bouquets in shades of purple and green made the bride very happy!!

I love this shot… I asked Allison to capture Keri in front of this light feature… we were just outside the elevator bank in the Hyatt Regency.  Very cool.

Keri & Chris selected the stunningly beautiful Sacramento traditional St. John’s Lutheran Church on L Street for their ceremony location.  This church doesn’t require a lot of decor and by adding the aislelabras, two simplistic orchid and calla lily floral arrangements with petals down the aisle, it was perfect.  The exterior of this church is fabulous, too. 

After the ceremony, the bride and groom, along with the entire bridal party stopped at Capitol Park for more photography.   The black and white checkered floor on the North side of the Capitol is fun for photos.

This couple is so stinkin’ in love!  Can you just feel it?   

 After the ceremony and photos in the park, the partying started at the reception held in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.  Come back for the detail shots of the reception in Part 2! 

Ashley & Sean’s 1st Anniversary

I can’t believe it’s been one year since Ashley & Sean said their “I dos” at Granite Bay Golf Club!  August 22, 2009 was a wonderful day with a  fabulous theme of “Hot August Nights”  –  no detail was left unturned.  The vibrant and “hot” colors of red, oranges, fuchsia and yellows were played well.  Katie with Ambience Floral Design created the fun, bright flowers and the ribbon spheres, and also installed the stunning red backdrop for the ceremonial alter.  We  repeated the backdrop behind the fabulous dessert table featuring yummy confections by Carissa of Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts.

 Sean is a firefighter (more “hot”), and so I had him cut the wedding cake with his fireman’s axe (quite a surprise for Ashley), plus he arranged for a vintage fire truck to whisk them away at the end of their reception. Mother Nature even provided a brilliant sunset for the evening.  Thanks to Jordan of Jordan’s Photographic Designs for capturing all the fun and beautiful moments!

  It was a great wedding!  I hope the First Anniversary is celebrated in Hot August Nights style.  Happy Anniversary Ashley & Sean! 

Tabletop Photo Shoot for Our Wedding

When I started working with Jennifer Dunham-Starr with The Memory Journalist on the Tabletop Photoshoot for Our Wedding magazine (Fall/Winter 2010), I knew immediately what my design theme would be… something I am drawn to and connect with – “Farmhouse Chic”.  Call it whatever you want, but my story-line vision is the bride wanting to marry at her grandparent’s old farm house, with the reception being held in the very cool old barn.  Grandma would open up her linen closet and china cupboard and pull together all the elements to make for a beautiful table.  All with love and sentimentality.  The barn that we used for this photo shoot was the perfect locale… Wilson Vineyards in Clarksburg, CA.

For vintage charm, I used a milk glass pitcher, blue Mason jars, Quaker Lace tablecloth, and antique dessert plates.  Thanks to  Classic Party Rentals for providing the gorgeous blue china, glass chargers and the napkins.

And don’t you think that Grandma would be happy being busy making home-made preserves  for take-home gifts, as well creating gorgeous wedding pies?  Many thanks to Jen’s Petite Pies for creating  three full sized pies (we enjoyed eating them after the photo shoot!!)

I love all the old fashioned and charming details such as the rustic jute wrapped handle on the bridal bouquet, the meaningful expressive tags hanging from the jelly jars, the salt cellars with tiny spoons, a simple chalkboard sign listing the yummy pie flavors, and an embroidered wedding sampler (yes, hand-stitched by yours truly!!)

Thank you to Katie Edwards of Ambience Floral Design for the beautiful, yet relaxed floral concept.  I also thank you so much for volunteering to paint your four chairs to blend so perfectly with the china and color hues!  What a champ.  Thank you to Classy Calligraphy for the jelly tags and to Calligraphy Girl for the chalkboard sign.

Tori & Rich Smith – Married!

What a fantastic wedding!  I am totally in love with this vivacious bride and fun-loving, calm groom, and was thrilled with the outcome of their wedding day – held May 8, 2010.  So many great details –  so much fun – tons of eye candy!  Tori is a sign language interpreter and had a unique underlying theme to her wedding –  ”hands.” 

I’m only showing a few photos; just a sneak peek.  Tori & Rich’s wedding will be featured in the Winter/Spring 2011 Sacramento Bride & Groom magazine, so you’ll have to stay tuned for future reading and visual delight, and learn more about how “hands” played a part of this wedding celebration! 

I do want to thank some very important and talented vendors… Katie w/Ambience Floral Design (drop-dead gorgeous designs), Joe  w/ Extreme Productions (perfect music blends and super accent lighting), Jenny w/Sun City Roseville-Timber Creek Ballroom (great organization and superb food), Icing on the Cupcake (fun and yum), John with Pro Finish Design Photo Booths (always a hit), the team at Celebrations (for perfect linen selections) and all of this beauty was captured by Sam w/Sharpe Photographers (great eye!)

Granite Bay Golf Club Bridal Open House

Join me this Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the beautiful Granite Bay Golf Club for a Bridal Open House. Meet some very cool vendors (other than myself!) and sip some wine and munch on yummy appetizers. Be sure to check out the lovely tables that will be set with gorgeous linens and floral displays by Ambience Floral Design.

Michelle & Kyle's Champagne Luncheon – Part 2

Michelle and Kyle’s November 21st wedding had some fun elements incorporated… guests lined up to have their Polaroid photo taken and then they wrote a sentiment in the guest book (I tucked the book into the newlywed’s luggage so they would enjoy reading while on their honeymoon!)

Mike Anderson of Creative Memories Entertainment had the crowd, and especially the bridal party, up on their feet, singing and dancing. Everybody was happy and enjoying the afternoon.

When DJ Mike interviewed Kyle, he learned about the groom’s love of football… so cleverly, Mike arranged for the just-removed garter to be slipped over a football , which was previously autographed by Michelle & Kyle. The mad scramble to catch the garter was very amusing!! (or maybe the scramble was to catch a football??) Side note… the fella with his arm in the sling did not make the catch.

The newlyweds changed out of their wedding finery and got (very) comfortable for their departure. With windows painted and balloons fastened, the get-away car awaited the newlyweds who drove to beautiful Lake Tahoe for their honeymoon. Another side note…because the reception ended at 4:00 p.m. there was plenty of time to make a drive to Tahoe and start a well deserved time of R&R… good idea!

These high school sweethearts are a wonderful couple, and I was very happy to be a part of their wedding planning and get them started in a new phase of their life.

Again, my thanks and appreciation to a wonderful team involved in this fun wedding. Hats off to Granite Bay Golf Clubfor a fantastic venue and scrumptious buffet luncheon, to Katie of Ambience Floral Design for beautiful flowers, Mike of Creative Memories Entertainment for perfect MC duties and keeping the guests dancing, to Karen’s Bakery for a stunning wedding cake, and especially to Gino of Gino Greglia Photography for all the wonderful images of this lovely wedding!

Michelle & Kyle's Champagne Luncheon – Part 1

On November 21, 2009, Michelle & Kyle exchanged wedding vows before 110 guests in the handsomely appointed Colt Room of Granite Bay Golf Club. This was a daytime wedding, but the rich dark wood panelling, and the ability to close the window shades made for an intimate, romantic, candlelit ceremony. Judge Tom Cecil always does a nice job with the ceremony.

I love the colors Michelle chose for the bridesmaids dresses… her MOH wore sage green with brown ribbon sash, and her two bridesmaids a chocolate dress with sage green sash. The ever-so-talented Katie Edwards of Ambience Floral Designcreated fantastic bouquets to compliment the dresses – perfectly!

The Champagne Luncheon reception held in the Conservatory was beautiful! I enjoy creating a “Great Table” for the bridal party’s head table, and this one was set for 10.

With a gentle nod to the fall season, the table linens fromCelebrations Party Rentals were ivory with a tone-on-tone leaf pattern, walnut Chivari chairs added richness to the room, and the sage green and brown color scheme was prevalent in the florals. A unique collection of glassware, including a large apothecary jar, candy bowl, and candlesticks completed the tablescape.

Each guest received a beautifully wrapped favor box containing a juicy, fat, chocolate covered strawberry!

Karen’s Bakery created the truly lovely wedding cake – such beautiful chocolate brown scroll work, and look at those stunning sugar flowers (girls… don’t they look real?)

Michelle and Kyle were so happy and even though the morning was a chilly one, they soaked up the warmth of their love while spending time on one of the lovely bridges on the grounds of Granite Bay Golf Club.

Congrats you two… a beautiful wedding, for a beautiful couple!

My sincere appreciation to Gino of Gino Greglia Photography for capturing all the details (and with such clarity!) I’ll have Part 2 up in a few more days… showing more details and some of the fun good time.

More Hot August Nights – Part 1(a)

This is the very happy bride, Ashley, with her sweetheart sister, the MOH. Look at those bouquets. Huge and so-so colorful!

Inside the reception room, Katie hung multi-colored floral and ribbon spheres, amongst paper lanterns. The colors of the linens and the flowers, and the added elegance of the gold chargers and the Chivari chairs, made you “dizzy” with vibrant beauty. Ashley made the 20′ long custom table runner for the Kings Table where the parents and bridal party members were seated. All rentals were from Celebrations (they have great selections!)

Another DIY project for Ashley was the manzanita tree set within the Irish moss tray, which we used as the place card display. The family place cards hung from the “family tree.” Cute!

And finally, everyone’s favorite part… dessert – made by Carissa of Sugar and Spice. The backdrop was created by all hands-on-deck with Katie being on the ladder, Carissa’s height for easy adjustments (she’s very tall), and me giving guidance with “more to the left/more to the right… ahhhh, perfect”! We wanted a stunning focal area for the cake and the small bites dessert display (I dislike just a plain wall behind a beautiful gorgeous cake!) and I wanted to mimic the ceremony backdrop with a little variation.

Yummm-o! Check out the cool thematic papers used on the trays of desserts. The guests went crazy making their selections!

There is more to showcase of this hot, hot, hot wedding. Part 2 will be upcoming. To be continued…

Ashley & Sean's Hot August Night Wedding

These are just a few snapshot photos from my little digital camera of Ashley & Sean’s “Hot August Night” wedding held atGranite Bay Golf Club. The theme did not include poodle skirts or hot rod cars, but rather the colors and temperature of a Sacramento region evening in August – HOT!

The cake and dessert station created by Sugar and Spice and… was a visual (and delicious) delight. I can’t wait to show you the professional photos of this display!

Ambience Floral Design used every “hot” color under the rainbow to create the outstanding, vibrant color scheme. Once I receive the professional pictures from Jordan’s Photographic Designs, you’ll be wowed by the beauty, excitement and creativity of this bride and the team effort to make it all tie together!

Ashley & Sean are off to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Thanks, you two. It was a blast!

More photos to follow…

A Sweet Pink Wedding

Stephanie & Todd Kemen

I recently received a ton of photos from a lovely wedding I coordinated, and it took quite a while to sift through allllll the photos that Asa Mathat Photography took, but I finally selected a few to post for your enjoyment! Stephanie & Todd were married at the Croation-Americal Cultural Center, – she loved the pillars at this venue – and her theme colors were shades of pink with champagne/taupe and brown. The bridesmaids dresses were darling and the gentlemen were quite hunky in chocolate brown!

Ettore’s Bakery created perfection in their wedding cake… which not only tasted fabulously, it was a vision to behold!

And because Stephanie & Todd are just so darn sweet, they asked me to create a beautiful candy station (in their wedding colors, of course), so that their guests could enjoy a late night (additional!) dessert treat, as well as bag a Favor to take home. The line of guests was huge at this table!

This couple loves coffee, so Katie Edwards of Ambience Floral Design incorporated lots of coffee beans throughout the design element to give off that familiar scent. It’s difficult to see, but the bases of the unique floral centerpieces either sat in a container of coffee beans, or the vase was filled with beans. I love how Katie created the “collar” of pink roses on the top of the tall centerpieces, and the taupe ribbon used was a dead-on match to the bridesmaids dresses.

Sonny of Exquite Events & Entertainment kept the crowd on their feet dancin’ (and on one occasion Stephanie’s feet were waaayyy off the ground!). The monogram of SKT was woven throughout, from the lighting gobo to all printed material/stationery.

Thank you Stephanie & Todd for asking me to be a part of your life… and a very special day. It was a great time planning. Enjoy marriage!