Sunday, November 12, 2006

It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas!

It's that time of year again... Thanksgiving is still weeks away, but already there are icicle lights, tree skirts, and boxed greeting cards galore in every store. While I am looking forward to listening to my beloved Christmas albums, it seems as though stores begin commercializing Christmas earlier every year. However, there is one Christmas item that I would love to be sold year round- Peppermint Ice Cream!
I highly recommend Dreyer's Slow Churned- it's amazing! My favorite ice cream has become a seasonal commodity, so I treasure it for the two months it is sold at Ralph's.

So, ice cream tangent aside, the holiday season is on its way. We are really excited to do some holiday party planning! We are available for corporate or private holiday parties and we would love for you to help us spread the word! We are also offering personal shopping & gift wrapping services. Happy early beginning of the holiday season!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Danny & Christina


One of my favorite things about what I do is getting to know my wonderful clients. It is so rewarding to stand in the back of the ceremony with a huge smile on my face as I watch two amazing people join their lives together. It brings so much joy to me!
Christina & Danny's wedding back in September was one of the most fun and special weddings I have been able to be a part of. These two are so adorable & their wedding was fun, fresh, personalized and so heartfelt. I had such a blast getting to know Christina & Danny and their huge wedding party- 11 on each side!
The wedding took place at the Centennial Heritage Museum in Santa Ana- you would never know that this cute little property exists unless you were seeking it out. The ceremony was beautiful, with flowers by the Bride's cousin & music played by her stepfather. The catering was so good & so fun! The bride's father owns Cornerstone Catering, so there were all sorts of special touches. From amazingly styled appetizers to an adorable lemonade stand, the food was great! Dinner was served family style from a picnic basket on each table. It was so cute and tasty! My favorite part of the evening was the dessert buffet- you should have seen it! The best cupcakes I've ever tasted along with a beautiful little cake & cookies and milk. It was a dream! (Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?) To top it all off- they also had a fun candy bar with bright colored candy decorated with adorable ribbon.
This wedding was so much fun to be a part of- I was sad when it had to end! Take a look at the beautiful photos by Jasmine Star. She and her team were such a pleasure to work with and the pictures are amazing.




Pat & Karen








Look at how happy these two look in the middle of the beautiful vineyards! What a privilege it was to help plan Pat & Karen's wedding at Firestone Winery up in Central California! A beautiful setting, a wonderful couple, and an extremely energetic group of guests- what a blast!

This wedding was an adventure for me because I also did all of the flowers as well. It was really exciting, but also an experience as I had to keep extremely delicate white flowers alive during a 5 hour drive north and an overnight stay in a hotel. The temperature inside of my car was literally about 60 degrees! I had to pull over at one point and take out a pair of my husbands socks to wear underneath my sandals!
Driving in an ice box aside, it was a beautiful weekend! What a gorgeous venue! The catering was amazing (RinCon Catering), the musicians were a kick, and David Gaston, the photographer, did a great job! Here are some of his photos from the event:







Our team hard at work:

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Jessie & Michael

Another whirlwind wedding- this time planned in 4 weeks! Jessie and Michael are such a fun couple- I had a blast planning with Jessie & her mom. The ceremony was at one of my favorite south county spots, the beautiful Crescent Bay Point Park in Laguna Beach.
Now- this was the closest I have ever been to having a wedding rained out. It had rained the whole day before and forecasts predicted rain & lightning at the time of the ceremony. When I was over in Mission Viejo setting up the reception site, it was definitely stormy, so I said my prayers and drove through the canyon into Laguna Beach. As I turned onto Laguna Canyon road, it felt as if the sky had parted and God was smiling down on me. Okay, maybe it wasn't so cheesy and dramatic, but I sure let out a deep sigh of relief as I walked up to the park with the sun shining down on me and not a cloud to be seen. Just look at the pictures- it was a gorgeous day! Phew! Jessie's parents definitely did not mind having to return the 25 umbrellas that they had purchased the day before.
The reception was at a great little restaurant in Mission Viejo, the Nirvana Grille. If you live in the area- you have to check it out. The food was amazing! It was a beautiful, intimate wedding with a very fun crowd and I was honored to be a part of it!

Our thoughts and prayers are now with Michael & Jessie, as Michael was deployed to Iraq a couple weeks after the wedding.

Here are some photos of the day:
















The gorgeous hand-dyed flowers by Shannon Rojas. The beautiful chocolate brown chair covers were from 3 Petals. The amazingly tasty cake (it had fresh peaches!) by PaperCake Designs.