Colin, Wendy & Flat Stanley
I am truly a Colin Cowie devotee. And I am a big fan of Wendy Sipple, editor and publisher of Real Weddings Magazine. But when I saw this photo Wendy posted on Facebook, I howled with laughter.
Yes, Wendy took Flat Stanley with her as she “hung out” with Colin. That’s moxie!!
Venue Sharing Sunday – Buena Vista Winery
Thought I’d share a venue that I have not yet work… but have a wedding scheduled for October, 2012. I just made a recent site inspection of the historic Buena Vista Winery. What an awesome property located just outside the town of Sonoma. There are not many winery properties that have a wine cave. Buena Vista has THREE! Perfect for a romantic candlelit dinner, or the cocktail party… and can you imagine the photo ops!?
Before Napa and Sonoma were household names, before there was even a California wine industry at all, there was Buena Vista. It was founded in 1857 and is California’s oldest premium winery. The original stone winery building is now a California Historic Landmark.
A beautiful location for a wedding, and I can’t wait to share photos, in fall 2012, of the wedding that I am planning. I know it’s going be stinkin’ awesome!!
Bejeweled Bridal Bouquets
I don’t want the fine talents of Miss Shannon Cosgrove-Rivas of Flourish Designs to go unnoticed… especially when it comes to her extremely unique Brooch Bouquets. On a regular basis, her floral bridal bouquets are drop-dead gorgeous, but when Shannon started creating these masterpieces… well, she knocked it out of the park! Feast your eyes…
Makes you want to roam antique stores or raid your grandmother’s jewelry box!! Thanks Shannon for letting me grab these images off your website! You do beautiful work.
Irish Wedding Memories
A few years ago I planned and designed a fantastic “authentic” wedding held on St. Patrick’s Day for the very fun-loving Courtney & Quinn. I remember it fondly and wanted to share a few of those photos with you.
Yes, that would be me tucked amongst my tartan-plaided, kilt wearin’ groom and groomsmen. And… I know what is worn under those “skirts” (wink wink).
My pal, Beth Baugher of True Love Photo, joined me at Miners Foundry in Nevada City, to capture all the images of shamrocks, heather, Bells of Ireland, Cornish Pasties, kilts, and the Irish fun of the day.
Hertha & Marlon e-session
During a week of our lovely February weather, Hertha & Marlon made a visit from Florida to take care of some wedding business. On the list was engagement photos with Jordan Zink Photography. Check out some of the images of my wonderful couple!
The camera loves Hertha (she did some modeling work before moving off to Florida.) Marlon cracks me up… sweet guy, cute smile, but since he plays for the Miami Dolphins, he knows how to give the “mean mug” look, too!
Can’t wait until I see you again and for the big day – July 7th at the beautiful Winchester Country Club. There is going to be some serious gorgeous touches to this wedding… Hertha loves some bling!
Venue Sharing Sunday … Cornerstone Sonoma
Recently I was travelling with the Venue Vixens through Sonoma County checking out more wonderful sites, and we dropped in to say Hi to Kristen, the event manager for Cornerstone Sonoma (we visited Cornerstone last year and really, love this unique property). So, I am selecting this cool venue as my Sunday Share.
Cornerstone Sonoma is a fascinating venue comprised of nine acres of garden installations created by the world’s leading landscape architects. Photo ops are everywhere! Wandering around just as a Sonoma County tourist is a real treat!
There are many locations on the grounds of Cornerstone to hold a social gathering…. The Wedding Garden, The Vineyard Lawn, The Garden Barn, and I think the coolest structure is the 50′ round Zephyr tent.
Give this property a thought if considering a Sonoma County wedding… unique, edgy, interesting, unusual, pretty… how many more adjectives can I come up with? Check it out!
Happy Leap Year Anniversary – Carissa & Mike
I want to give a big shout out to my buddy Carissa Jones of Sugar & Spice Specialty Desserts because she and Mike have now been married four years… however since they were married on February 29, 2008, I do believe they are now celebrating their “Official First Anniversary.” Congrats you Love Birds! How time flies – especially if you’re counting leap year anniversaries.
Love these photos… taken by another great pal, Beth Baugher of True Love Photo. Carissa and Mike were married at David Girard Vineyards on a sunny February 29th (not like today in Northern California).
And to show Carissa the love, I think I’ll go by the bakery this afternoon and pick up some goodies!
Katie & Nick – Married (Part 2)
This November 2011 wedding held at The Citizen Hotel was “simple and elegant” – but also dramatic, stylish and very fun! Katie wanted an autumn feel to her wedding, and started with the bridesmaids dresses being a crimson red. Sarah with Cuttings Floral Design incorporated shades of orange, yellows, reds and greens along with twigs and pods.
Before the ceremony, the entire bridal party gathered in front of The Citzen for a group shot. Love the reflection of the park across the street on the Plaza Ballroom windows.
The MC/DJ entertainer for this event was Doug LeVine with Music on the Move. Doug created the wonderful lighting in the Terrace at Citizen using hues of reds and amber tones. Very dramatic and romantic.
A few things to notice in the below photo. Rather than using just plain ordinary table numbers, write out the words instead. Also, the bride’s mom makes the most fantastic chocolate double-dipped Oreo cookies (white and dark chocolate). OMG, they were to die for – one favor that was not left behind on the table!!
The cake table was stunning. Freeport Bakery did a wonderful job, and Sarah, with Cuttings created the wooden box cake stand and all the floral decor. DJ Doug did some under lighting to the table which made it glow! And BTW, the bride’s mom sourced many of the table candle holder centerpieces and the cake table candles from Big Lots and Dollar Store. Great shopping!
Incorporating an ancestral heritage table is a nice honor to those family members who provide a solid foundation to the newlyweds by way of example for a good marriage. We had the wedding photos of parents and grandparents on both sides. The “guestbook” on this table were autumn leaves for the guests to write their well wishes.
Katie and Nick asked for their grand entrance into the Terrace Room to be light-hearted. We lined up the bridal party to snake through the guests, and gave them each multi-colored trigger actioned ”bubble guns.” It was very fun!!
Katie and Nick completed their graduate work at the University of Michigan.
Being proud of the school, Katie obtained personalized cufflinks for Nick and a cool garter for herself! Go Wolverines!
When DJ Doug pulled out the glow sticks, the bride and groom’s grandmothers got into the action! Does your heart good to see such happineses in their faces.
I’ve known Katie since before she was born. She was a great kid and a lovely young woman today. Thank you so much for asking me to be a part of your wedding day. You and Nick are just perfect for each other! Can’t wait to watch your future unfold.
Also a big thank you to Jordan Zink for providing me with all these great photos. It was a delight to work with you again.
Venue Sharing Sunday… and one of my fun weddings!
I recently received more photos from a fantastic wedding I coordinated last summer. Stacey and Joe were the absolute BEST couple… so full of energy, non-stuffy, beautiful and handsome, and just gosh darn nice. They held their wedding ceremony at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. The ceremony was in the stunning beautiful historic Crocker Mansion, but they enjoyed taking photos while walking the halls and galleries of the brand new, very modern, Crocker Art Museum. Chesk out this eye candy!
Below is Stacey with her siblings. The very talented photographer was none other than her brother Jeff (far right).
The Crocker is definitely a venue to consider for your wedding. There are a few locations within the venue to hold the ceremony and/or the party-reception. Below is a photo of the exterior of the historic mansion – home of E.B. Crocker, one of The Big Four for the Central Pacific Railroad and the building of the transcontinental railroad. And in 2011, the construction and completion of the brand new Crocker Art Museum occured – quite the modern facade!
Katie & Nick – Married! (Part 1)
When photographer Jordan Zink of Jordan Zink Photography sent me the disk with all the images for Katie & Nick’s November 2011 wedding, I had to take a breath and a break as there were so many images to shift through. But I’m ready to share now… and this is Part 1! Working with a lovely shade of crimson red and autumnal florals, the wedding was held at the fantastic Citizen Hotel in downtown Sacramento. This is an awesome venue for a wedding!
Arranging for the “First Look” on the Penthouse floor of the Citizen is very special. Katie & Nick are high school sweethearts and her smile is as bright and happy as it was when they were in school.
The downstairs Plaza Ballroom was where we held the wedding ceremony. Then guests moved up to the 7th Floor Metropolitan Terrace for the fabulous dinner and dancing reception. More of those photos will be included in Part 2. Rev. Jeri Murphy performed the wedding and incorporated a lovely wine ceremony for the couple to share.
Be sure to come back next week for more… the reception!
Fun Fact: I’ve known Katie since before she was Katie… her mother and I go waayyyy back and I was honored with the request to plan and coordinate this wedding. Katie, you sure grew up to be a beautiful young woman!