Wednesday, April 30, 2008

More fun from Cindy & Eric's wedding

I have a treat for you! More photos from Cindy & Eric's beautiful wedding, captured by the super fun Joe Broccardo (If you missed the first detail shots, click here).


I had so much fun working on this wedding. Cindy's decor plan was right up my ally: simple, clean lines, elegant but fun and all focused around one of my favorite cities: San Clemente! This fun couple stumbled upon san clemente while looking for a house and they fell in love with the relaxed beach charm of the town. Friendly neighbors, locally owned shops & restaurants and beautiful beaches make this city a dream to live in. Working on this wedding made me miss living there so badly.

When choosing a venue, they did not have to think too hard. They have recently remodeled their home, which is just a few blocks up from the beach and it is amazing! When I first walked in, all I could think was, "Why, yes: I'll take one of these, thank you!". They did such a great job. It was a beautiful and personal backdrop for their intimate celebration.


All of the beautiful flowers were done by Kristin of The Treasured Petal. Love this girl! Her designs are always lush and elegant and really fill up a table beautifully. She threw in an awesome touch to the centerpieces by filling the bottom of the clear vases with sand & shells (see this detail here). I loved touches like that. It made the decor beachy, but not cheesy.
Square tables are my favorite! And I love that shot.

One of the reasons that I loved planning this wedding is that I got to pull out detail ideas I have been waiting for years to use. Here are a few of those:

Mason Jars: I love them! I use them all the time for parties. They are great- they have charm and are easy to adapt for any theme or colors: just throw some coordinating ribbon on them or use colored straws. For Cindy & Eric's wedding, we tray passed lemonade and water in these mason jars before the ceremony and then reused them for some tasty cocktails during the cocktail hour. We also used them as vases for the sand ceremony and then put some sand & candles in a few of them to light up the walkway at night.



Table Signs: I saw something made by this company in a magazine a few years back and had filed the idea away. I contacted the designer, Pen & Paper design, and we had her create custom table signs- each was the name of a different San Clemente beach. (No, "Old Mans" was not a table for the elderly but the name of beloved surf break!) They are made out of authentic driftwood and shells from the beach on the east coast.



Lanterns: You know me- I love some lanterns. I just purchased these dark brown ones and I think they looked great! I'll say it again: lanterns are a great way to not only light up your reception, but also to add a fun, unique visual element. If you are in a room with a high ceiling, they help to size the room down.


Message in a bottle guest book: Another idea I have had filed in my mind for years. Loved it! Guests wrote notes to the bride & groom and then rolled them up and put them into bottles. Our original plan was to buy vintage bottles in sea glass colors, but it did not work out with our time constraints, so we bought these great ones from Ebottles.com.

The model VW bus truck was in the couple's home. When I saw it, I immediately thought it would be perfect for the guest book table.

A little more insight to that: check out the groom's sweet car:


Favors: I have had one of these flip flop key chains on my keys for years. They are not just any flipflops: They are rainbow sandals. If you do not know about rainbows yet, you must buy a pair. They are hands down the most comfortable sandals around. I wear mine almost everyday :) Anyway, they are a San Clemente staple. The rainbow factory is in San Clemente and surfers have been wearing them hear for decades. Cindy really wanted a favor that went with the theme and that guests could actually use- I thought of these immediately. How cute are they?

The rainbow love did not stop there: The bride & bridesmaids all sported them.





Starfish escort cards:



To jazz up the napkins on each placesetting, we added a ribbon fastened with a glue dot on the back (fyi: my poor photo- not joe's).



I love paper parasols! They are so cute and do a great job of creating shade stylishly for guests at an outdoor ceremony.
By the way, if you are wanting some of these for your wedding or event, we can get them for you at a very inexpensive price. They come in tons of colors as well. Email me for more details.

How cute is this little guy?

Another shot of the beautiful & delicious cake by It's All About the Cake:


The rest of the amazing vendor team:

*Delicious, delicious food by Iva Lees. One of my favorites! If you are near San Clemente, you need to stop by the restaurant.
*DJ: Bobby Duran (He & his partner Flo are the best! If you are looking for a great DJ, email me and I'll send you their contact info)
*Strings: Naples Chamber Ensemble (gorgeous as always!)
*Linens: Fusion Linens (through Iva Lees)
*Officiant: Father Charles Ara What a kick! I don't know that I've laughed more during a ceremony than I did with this sweet man. Really fun ceremony.


Cindy & Eric: It was a blast helping you pull together your wedding! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a personal, unique and beautiful day. I so enjoyed getting to know you and I feel like I lived in your home for a couple of days :) Seriously though, if you ever need a house sitter- you know who to call! I am excited to see what you have in store as you start your next big adventure.

Monday, April 28, 2008

vendor spotlight: once upon a cupcake

If you have been to more than a couple of weeks in the past few years, chances are that you have seen some cupcakes. More popular than ever, cupcakes have made a name for themselves as a stand alone dessert for weddings, showers and parties.

Which is a-okay with me! I love cupcakes. I especially love cupcakes with style.

Sprinkle's simple modern designs have won over my heart.

I could eat and stare at Vanilla Bake Shop's cupcake babies every day.
*this shot is from one of my weddings :)


And another cupcake company has grabbed my attention with it's creativity: Once upon a cupcake.

A friend of a friend, Kelly, started selling her baked treasures out of her home in Orange County this past year. I have so enjoyed following her progress and seeing all of her new designs. She is truly a custom baker: she has a menu of flavor options but she can create any theme or design you want. Here is a sampling of some of the cupcakes she has created for parties and showers:











and my personal favorite, David & Goliath cupcakes! How hilarious are these?

Be sure to check her blog frequently as she is always posting new designs.

Kelly is starting to do weddings as well! Yum!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Eric & Cindy: a sneak peak

I had so much fun at Eric & Cindy's wedding on saturday! It was a beautiful, intimate wedding: we transformed their new remodeled San Clemente home into a a sweet backyard ceremony & reception site. Here are a few pics I snapped on my point & shoot to give you a peak at the details. Professional pictures to come soon.