Sometimes the facility where your wedding is being held cannot schedule your rehearsal at the exact or best time that you would like… in order to work with your dinner reservations or plans. Rather than get frustrated with that situation, I recommend holding your rehearsal two days before the wedding (for instance, on Thursday). More than likely, you’ll not run into any conflict with the facil
ity schedule, and the big bonus is that you’ll then have all day Friday toget organized, to have an enjoyable non-hurried day of manis and pedis, a great time to have lunch with your bridesmaids… with no timing constraints, time to visit with out of town guests, and the bigger bonus could be a chance (dare I say it) to get to bed at a decent hour, therefor making for a well rested bride on wedding day!

A few weeks ago the lovely Heidi, fabulous Catering Manager at Granite Bay Golf Club, asked if I would like to give a fresh look to the club’s entry foyer cabinet. “Sure.” I said. “Sounds like fun.” Unfortunately, I could not have all four shelves to the cabinet as the members of the golf club want their trophies displayed (what’s up with that notion?). I invited my pal, Sarah Acrich of Cuttings Floral Design, to assist me. We brain-stormed one night (over a few glasses of wine!) and came up with the theme of “Four Fabulous Seasons of Weddings at Granite Bay Golf Club.” Sarah created beautiful wreaths to display in each of the window panels for the seasonal vignettes. She’s very good! Below is the entire cabinet.

Winter is in the icey-silver tones with blue/green and silvery peacock feathers. The wreath has bare branches with a touch of glitter sparkle and snowflakes. Champagne flutes and a bucket for the bottle of of bubbly were added. The two photos in frames were taken by The Memory Journalists. Look closely at the left picture and you’ll see the bride wore white “wedding uggs.” Perfect!

Doesn’t this photo look yummy? Jordan Zink of Jordan’s Photographic Design took this image at a wedding we worked on together. Signature cocktails are all the rage (and I do love them), but sometimes it is difficult to create and serve in batches the perfect cocktail to match the theme of your wedding. So, why not greet your guests with trays of champagne flutes, filled with the delicious bubbly, and by dropping in a simple raspberry, the traditional and celebratory beverage has just been elevated to a “signature drink.”Cheers!

On May 30th, 2009, Kathleen & Adam Storm were married. WHAT A DAY! We started with a full Catholic Nuptial Mass held at St. John’s the Evangelist Church in Carmichael, CA, and then recepted at Kathleen’s parent’s home just a few miles away. As you can see above, the newlyweds traveled in style to their reception.. and don’t they look happy?

Kathleen’s brother raises donkeys, mules, horses (even zebras!) on the ranch property, and so we had two mule “official greeters” with saddlebags containing iced waters and beer. As guests were dropped off with the valet attendants, they could immediately enjoy a beverage! This photo was taken before the floral garland adorned the mule’s neck – so fun!

Introducing Ashley and Sean who will marry at Granite Bay Golf Club in August. Jordan Zink of Jordan’s Photographic Designssent me this one picture which captures their serene, relaxed and happy togetherness. I have so enjoyed working with Ashley over the months… and Sean is a fun “hands-on” groom. They are always on the same page when it comes to vision, style and mood to their wedding and reception. The theme will be “Hot August Nights” – not poodleskirts and hot rod cars, but instead imagine the fun and sizzle of a warm summer night in the month of August. Hot pinks, oranges, reds and yellow will be used, with elements of gold. Paper lanterns, beautiful linens, and vibrant flowers. Ashley and Sean love to garden and cook, and so they will be harvesting zucchini and yellow squash from their very own garden for the Chef to prepare and serve at the dinner. How great is that? Sean is a firefighter (a hot job!) and shhhhh…there will be a few surprises for the guests! After the wedding, I’ll be sure to post some of their wedding pictures… can’t wait! Thanks Ashley and Sean for being a wonderful couple and inviting me to be a part of your wedding planning!

Every Thursday I will post a wedding tradition or two. There are many rites of passage we observe today that echo the past. Everything from the veil, rice, flowers and cake, hold significant meanings. Old world marriage customs continue to thrive today – many are diluted, disguised and often upgraded.

Bridal Party Attire
Dating as far back as 1066 during the Anglo Saxon days a bride and a groom had a “bride’s woman” and a “groom’s man.” Later, old Roman law stipulated that five men and five women would witness the wedding, and in order to outwit the evil spirits that lurked, all would wear the same clothing so the spirits could not recognize the betrothed couple. These disguises tricked the evil spirits into letting the real bride and groom live happily ever after. Fast forward to the 1920′s through the 1960′s, the bridesmaids would often wear a pastel color, such as a light blue, yellow or pink – these colors were considered as close to white as possible, thus complimenting the bride more fully. Today all colors for bridesmaids dresses are worn, from rich chocolate brown, to a vibrant coral, cool purple, or a sexy red. There are no rules! But an interesting note is that the groomsmen are still “matching” the groom. Dark suits or tuxedo is generally the norm, so I wonder if that means evil spirts are still lurking around the groom? Hummmmm…
Photo by Allison Stahl Photography

Photo by Jordan’s Photographic Design

Photo by Ryan Donohue Photography

Notice in the photo above, this bride enjoyed the company of two “bride’s men” as part of her attendant entourage. The spirits would be very confused!

I just received a few photos from Jordan’s Photographic Designs… and am excited to show off this very fun, whimsical, and innovative wedding that I coordinated earlier this month – held at Wilson Vineyards. The weekend before Easter was perfect to showcase this lighthearted, playful theme incorporating Katie & John’s Disney World honeymoon destination, along with Easter, and joyous spring. The blue and yellow color palette was a lovely contrast against the lush green lawns, new growth of the vineyard, and rough hewn wood of the vintage barn. Sarah of Cuttings created beautiful daisy, rose and delphinium floral spheres used in the aisle and inside the barn.Check out the display of the place cards… is that not absolutely darling? I am so proud of that design!! And, yes, those are colored eggs nestled in wheatgrass (eggs were tucked here and there through the venue). Carissa with Sugar and Spice created a jaw dropping dessert table, with the focal piece being the so sweet wedding cake edged in yellow gingham.A present from Katie’s sister were the unique interlocking heart toasting goblets. Disney characters identified each table, with Donald & Daisy representing the newlyweds. What a lovely wedding day…thank you Katie & John!