Joyful Weddings & Events

New Blog and Website!

2009-09-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited to announce that we have a new website and blog! We love them and hope you do too!

We will keep this blog up so that you can see old posts, but all new posts will be on our new blog: www.joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/

Please update your RSS feeds, google reader or subscription status.

We hope you have a joy-filled day!

4 Years Ago...

2009-09-09T12:52:00.001-07:00

Four Years Ago Today…

*I woke up much earlier than I wanted to. The butterflies shaking up my stomach just would not let me sleep.

*It was sprinkling as I left to go to my hair and makeup appointments. I had to remind myself at this point that I had to let go of control.

*I felt more beautiful than any other time in my life.

*As my best friends and family surrounded me in our hotel room at The St Regis, I felt overwhelmed with love and was so ridiculously grateful for the amazing people in my life.

*I met up with the man I would spend the rest of my life with on the beach. When he saw me approaching, he sprinted toward me with more joy than I have ever seen.

*I relished that hour together, giddy with excitement for what was to come.

*We met up with our best friends and family for photos and were greeted with cheers. We felt like celebrities.

*The church coordinator forgot to line us girls up and get us ready, so after the guys and family entered, there was a good 4 minutes of nothing. Our guitarist just kept playing and playing. We did not even realize that the ceremony had started. David wondered if I was standing him up

*My adorable niece fell asleep and had to be carried down the aisle, with a cookie in my brother’s hand for when she woke up.

*I honored those who had been an important part of my life by having them piece together my bouquet as I walked down the aisle. I shared a special moment with each one: childhood friends, college mentors, impactful teachers, cancer doctors and nurses, my aunt and uncle. As my dad stood by my side, my mom tied together the bouquet once I reached the front of the lawn.

*I grasped onto my love’s hand with more love than ever before.

*I promised not only to be faithful, love him fully, support and respect him, but also to have fun with him everyday.

*He tried to kiss me right after our vows.

*The cloudy sky parted and the sun shone down on us right as we all were singing one of our favorite worship songs.

*We became husband and wife.

*We exited to “When I’m 64″ by the Beatles

*We took the largest family photo ever. Seriously- ever. It was quite an ordeal.

*We had our grand entrance to “Everything in it’s Right Place” by Radiohead. This made my husband’s day.

*I experienced one of the most magical moments of my life, dancing with my new husband to “Love Me Tender” by Norah Jones

*I did not eat any food. Only cake.

*We were surrounded by more love and support than we had ever felt in our lives. So cool to have everyone important to you in one place at one time.

*We danced. A lot.

*One of my maids of honor wrote us a poem for her speech. It was amazing.

*My husband surprised his mom by writing and recording a song for their mother son dance. Many tears were shed.

*Everything did not go as planned, but we did not know or care. We had the time of our lives. Treasuring every moment that passed while excited for our future.

photo by Docuvitae

Today, I love my husband 4,000 times more than I did on that day. Next year, it will likely by 5,000 times more. Being at weddings almost every weekend, I am continually reminded of the emotions and memories of September 9th, 2005.

I love you David.

Date posted: September 9, 2009

Andy and Tracy's Engagement Photos at Pelican Hill

2009-09-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the silence this week... I am excited to announce that our new website and blog is just about ready to launch. SOOO happy! Be on the look out at the beginning of next week. I just love it.

Because of that, I have been holding posts for the new blog, but I decided I wanted to get one last post up on here. Let me introduce you to Tracy and Andy:

These two are getting married at The Island Hotel in Newport Beach in November and I am looking forward to their wonderfully stylish day! I am especially looking forward to working with their photographer, Trista Lerit, for the first time. Here are some more of the beautiful engagement photos she took while running around Pelican Hill with Andy and Tracy.

You can see more on Trista's blog.

Make sure to check back next week: new website, new blog, new weddings, new inspiration. I can hardly wait! Happy labor day weekend!

Anthropologie Deal Alert!!

2009-09-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of deals. Especially when they involve my favorite store, Anthropologie. While browsing their site yesterday, I came across a winner! One of my favorite items in my kitchen are my latte bowls from Anthro. Eating cereal in them makes me happy every morning. And ice cream at night, you can only imagine my joy!

Right now, they have a set of 6 on sale for $7.95!! That is right- $7.95 for 6! (Normally $24). These would make such a great shower, hostess, thank you or just for yourself gift.

If only I did not already have 12....

Matt and Ashley's Engagement Photos

2009-08-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

Matt and Ashley are such an awesome couple and I am so excited to start working with them on their rustic vintage-inspired wedding at the Bernardo Winery next June! If it is anything like these two, it is going to be a.maz.ing!

Here are some of their engagement photos taken by Elsworth Photography. They are beautiful!

You can check out more on the EP Love blog.

Lauren and Scott: Sneak Peak from Wedding Chicks

2009-08-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I loved Lauren and Scott's wedding! Totally my style: vintage, feminine, stylish and all about the details. I had so much fun designing everything with Lauren.

The Wedding Chicks featured their wedding today in two wonderful posts. You can see the posts here and here. Thanks ladies!!

Here are a few of the beautiful photos from the wonderful Amy Squires:

I will have a full post once I have more photos, but for now, you can see vendor information and details on the Wedding Chicks.

Happy monday!

Sneak peak on Wedding Chicks

2009-08-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, one of my favorite weddings to date came to life. A vintage, backyard wedding filled to the brim with sweet handmade details. I cannot wait to share it with you! You won't have to wait long- it will be featured on the Wedding Chicks on monday.

In the meantime, they have posted a sneak peak photo on their main page. It is on the right side right under WC Brides. A little teaser of one of the cute details: mason jars holding their signature drink: "sweetheart lemonade".

Be sure to check Wedding Chicks on monday. Just wait until you see the gorgeously stylish bride and their beautiful intimate backyard celebration.

In other exciting news... be on the look out for our new website and blog launch next week! I am so so so excited to share our new look with you.

Gift alert: Lisa Leonard Designs

2009-08-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have been a long time fan of Lisa Leonard Designs. Lisa and I met back when I was a little high schooler and it has been so fun to see her business grow and her style develop over the years. She has a great blog- full of inspiration for the everyday and showcasing her adorable jewelry designs. I have a few of her pieces and I wear them all the time. Literally- look at my wrist at every wedding and you'll see a bracelets that she designed for me. It says "joyful" and reminds me of my purpose and motivation for every day of my life.

Today, she posted THE cutest necklace. It would be such a great gift for an engagement party or bridal shower.

Oh, I just love it!

You can find lots of other goodness on Lisa's site. One of my brides had custom necklaces made as a gift for each of her bridesmaids. My sister in law gifted us with a personalized silver spoon for my son. I even had Lisa custom make a decal that I attached to an iphone case for my husband. Endless options.

In perfect timing, Hostess with the Mostess is giving away one of Lisa's designs! Click here to enter the giveaway.

I'm alive and Michelle's cute invites

2009-08-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry I disappeared from the blog world for a week and a half there... Two big weddings and a midweek camping trip with my family stole me away from my computer. I am back now and have some great inspiration and weddings to share with you!

First up, Michelle's super cute invitations. In my last post, I shared her save the dates with you. Today, I am going to brag about her crafting skills even more. Check out these adorable invites that she and the hubby to be created 100% on their own:

For more details and information, you can see her post on weddingbee.

Can I just tell you how excited I am for their wedding in a few weeks? It is going to be beautiful! And, bonus points: the venue is only 5 minutes from my house! Win win!

Super cute Save the Dates!

2009-08-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

One of our September brides, Michelle, is super creative and crafty. One of the first things we bonded over was our love for our Cricuts. At our design meeting, she pulled out her inspiration for her save the dates and we got to chat about ideas on how she could bring her vision to life.

She recently posted the finished product on Wedding Bee and look at how cute they turned out:

She also posted a tutorial on how to make them. As I am sure you can tell from these, her wedding is going to be adorable!

Summer Party: Friends

2009-07-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

To follow up on my post of details from our Summer Party, I thought I would share some photos of our guests enjoying the party:

1...

2...

3!!!

Our Fourth Seasonal Season Party: Summer

2009-07-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had our fourth Seasonal Season Party, celebrating what we love about Summer. If you are new to the blog, I'd love to introduce you to our little Toney family tradition: Last fall, we decided to have a party at the beginning of each season, inspired by our favorite things of that season. We select a decor theme, discuss what foods remind us of that season, my husband picks out a playlist of the perfect seasonal songs and we get together with our friends and enjoy it all! You can take a look at Fall, Winter and Spring.

For summer, I wanted something laid back and easy (and not just because we were moving the next week!). We had a pool party complete with BBQ (hamburgers & hotdogs), otter pops & ice cream sandwiches and lawn games. It was so fun to just relax with our friends enjoying the beautiful weather.

Friend of ours graciously offered a family home that has an amazing backyard which overlooks a local lake:

Here is a look at our decor (my favorite part!):

For tablecloths for the food tables, I used cheap towels that coordinated with our color scheme:

I made two different styles of paper pinwheels and stuck them into sand pails filled with sand:

I also utilized the sand pails (from the Target $1 section!) to hold the plastic utensils (just stuck upright in sand):

I 100% stole this next idea from little tags I saw at a scrapbooking store:

I reworded them a bit to my liking :)

Mason jars for drinks (frozen margaritas, horchata and lemonade):

One of our good friends works for an up-and-coming upscale water company, Kiawii, and they graciously offered to sponsor our party:

It is really great water... and I'm not just saying that because we got it for free! And... get this- it even matched our decor!!!

Plates and napkins were all from Target:

I made these fruit kebob sticks by cutting out small circles with my cricut and taping them to the end of bamboo skewers. Not only was it cute, but it made a great holding spot.

Lots of delicious summer junk food:

And, finally, a cute frozen margarita (with umbrellas that I found on clearance at Pier One in december!):

All photos were taken by my good friend, Jenetta Penner Photography. Thanks so much Jenetta for always working a bit while attending our parties!

So, my question for you: now that you have seen all four seasons, which seasonal party was your favorite?

Kelsey and Carl's Engagement Photos

2009-07-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for Kelsey and Carl's wedding this September- is it going to be a gorgeous day, held at the bride's parents home. Michael Norwood recently met up with these two to take their engagement photos and they are stunning!

Summer Party Sneak Peak

2009-07-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a little taste of our summer party:

Photo taken by the wonderful Jenetta Penner.

More to come! Happy monday!

Rolling along...

2009-07-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

I could not let a week go by without a blog post!

To say this week has been crazy is an understatement. We had our summer party and an industry bonfire worship night at the beginning of the week, now we are moving, my husband hurt his finger badly while moving and I got amazing news on thursday which is resulting in a big photoshoot on monday. All good (except the finger!), but things are busy busy busy.

I am excited to share details on what the photoshoot is for and we have a few more exciting things on our radar as well, but you will just have to wait :)

All of that to say, I promise a few posts in the next week, but for now- I wish you all a happy weekend! I'll leave you with a pic of my cute little swimmer at our Summer Party:

Our TV Debut!

2009-07-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Joel and Danielle's wedding is going to featured on Amazing Wedding Cakes TOMORROW!! (That is sunday, July 12th). It is on the WE Network- check your local listings for times.

I am so excited/a little nervous. If you get a chance to watch or DVR it, let us know what you think!

ps- another huge Thank You to Leila of Be Inspired PR for setting this up for us!

Renegade Craft Fair

2009-07-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

If you are in LA and looking for something fun to do this weekend, you have to swing by the Renegade Craft Fair. It is at the California Market Center on saturday and sunday and is FREE! There are hundreds of artists selling their handcrafted items.

Last month, by pure luck, I happened to be in New York during the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. We met up with a couple of local friends and headed over to check out all of the handmade goodness. Here are a few highlights:

I was thrilled to see wedding blog world favorite Goose Grease showing off their adorable cake toppers:

I loved kindling's super cool wood candle holders and bud vases:

These would be so perfect for a outdoor, very natural wedding!

I bought one of these for my son:

from The Chalk Board Tee

I really loved looking at how people designed their displays:

up in the air somewhere

something's hiding in here

Berd and Bee (where we bought some amazing smelling candles)

I fell in love with these ribbons made by Kindly by Hayley Carmo:

Grabbing lunch midway through the day:

It was such a fun day! I left with a few shirts for Isaiah (and his first pair of little undies!), a beautiful necklace by So It's Gray, a poster for my husband that I then left on the plane and a few other goodies. I totally regret not getting this T-shirt for my son by Hello Banjo Baby:

My friend Clarissa scored a super cute dress, some fabric flowers and even a pillow made out of an 80's concert shirt.

I wish I could go this weekend but I cannot make it up to LA. If you are going, please please please report back on monday and tell me how it was! There are three more fairs after this weekend: San Francisco, Chicago and a holiday sale in Chicago.

Hurry! Extra 20% J Crew ends tonight

2009-07-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Until midnight tonight, use code EXTRA20 for an extra 20% off of sale prices at JCrew.com. There are some great finds on there! Some of my favorite:

Think Bridesmaids, Rehearsal dinner, Shower dresses:

Some seriously stylish flower girls and ring bearers:

Wedding Day Makeup Tips

2009-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

No matter what her style, no matter what her budget, every bride wants to look amazing on her wedding day. One of the best ways to ensure that you look your best on your big day is to hire professional hair and makeup stylists that you trust.

Today, I am excited to introduce you to Amanda Peck, a very talented makeup artist out of Orange County. Amanda and I actually were good friends in Jr. High and I was so thrilled to hear that she decided to pursue professional makeup artistry because she has always had such a great artistic eye. Over the past couple of years, Amanda has been at the top of my recommendation list to my brides and today she has offered to share some of her insight and tips with our readers.

*Please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you like doing wedding makeup:

My name is Amanda Peck and I am a professional makeup artist based in Orange County. Makeup has been a passionate practice of mine over the past nine years. It brings me so much joy being able to make a bride feel and look her best on her wedding day.

*How far in advance should brides book a makeup artist?

Brides should start looking for a makeup artist 3 to 5 months prior to their big day.

*Many brides feel like they can do their own makeup- whether it is to save money or because they want to look like they normally do. Why is it worth it to pay for a makeup artist?

Even if you are a pro in your daily makeup, booking a professional artist is a must. Your daily makeup will not hold up for hours of photography, bright lights, hugging and tears. Trained artists apply makeup differently. I use a combination of tricks involving contouring and highlighting which makes my brides appear stunning in an intimate close-up shot as well as for the guests that are seated far from the altar.

*What is the benefit of having a trail run? When should it be scheduled?

I can’t stress enough the importance of a trial run. The makeup artist you decide to use for your wedding needs to be someone you’re comfortable with and whose results fit your personality and style of wedding. The only way to insure that is to consult an artist or two. I always recommend scheduling your trial on the same day as your engagement photo session. That way you can see exactly what the makeup will look like in professional photography.

*How heavy should the makeup be?

Your wedding day makeup should be about 40% heavier than your typical wear. Even if you are wanting a natural look, full coverage is still necessary for photography and to last through the ceremony and reception.

*How much time should brides allot for their makeup application on the wedding day?

I alway tell my brides to block out a full 2 hours for makeup application. That amount of time allows for a non-rushed application, false lashes and a 30 minute buffer zone just in case.

*What should brides look for in a makeup artist as they are deciding between companies?

One of the most important things a bride should look for when researching makeup artists is his/her past work. If you can’t find any photos of previous brides or professional photoshoots, I would recommend looking elsewhere. Check as to whether or not the artist charges a travel fee, if they offer discounts for large parties, and if their costs fit within your budget.

*Any tips for brides who decide to do their own makeup?

If you decide to do your own makeup, I recommend finding a full coverage foundation, a bolder lip color than what you would normally wear and waterproof mascara. The photographer is a great person to consult with to see whether or not the makeup will provide enough coverage.

*Do you have any favorite wedding day makeup/beauty items?

My favorite wedding day items include a lipstick/gloss to match the color you and your artist decided on, translucent powder for touch ups, mints (no gum!), and tissue. I provide all of these items for every bride I work with as a complimentary touch-up kit.

*Any other tips or insight you would like to share?

Two things I highly recommend:
First, false lashes. They make all the difference in photographs. It’s an extra touch of glamour that can be applied as natural or as dramatic as you desire.

Secondly, I highly recommend treating your bridal party to a makeup and/or hair session the day of the wedding. What could be a better way to thank your bridal party than providing them with a morning of pampering? It de-stresses everyone and is truly a bonding experience.

Thanks so much for your insight Amanda! Be sure to check out her website and blog , and you can also get a peak at her studio and graphic art here.

Heather and Justin: A Cinderella Themed Wedding

2009-07-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, Heather and Justin were married on a perfectly beautiful day at the Hyatt Huntington Beach. This wedding was extra special to me because Heather is my cousin and it was a privilege to help bring her vision to life. Heather and Justin met working at the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney, got engaged in front of Cinderella's Castle and later returned to Disneyland to take their engagement photos, so it was fitting for Heather to decide on a Cinderella inspired wedding.

Drew B was on hand to capture their day and it was so fun to finally get to work with her. Here are a some of the images that she posted on her blog:

My sister Shannon and I designed the flowers and utilized their engagement photos on the arrangements. I want to give a big thank you to Kristin of The Treasured Petal for letting us borrow her plexiglass stands and some vases.

Drew summarized some of her favorite aspects of their wedding day and they were definitely highlights for me as well, so I am just going to copy her words!

1) The ringbearer and flower girl couldn’t quite make it down the aisle (it was a long walk for them!) so Justin had to go get them and walk them down himself. Too cute!

2) The couple had one of the groomsmen, Sean, sign their first dance song. It was so special and a really personal touch. Besides that, he is super funny and has a great voice!

3) Heather surprised Justin by singing to him. She has an amazing voice and it was so emotional. I loved it!

4) Another groomsmen (it was a very talented group) did a special tribute to MJ. The wedding was just two days after he died and it will never be the same hearing a Michael song at a reception. The groomsmen is an awesome dancer and even incorporated Justin into the dance!

Thanks Drew!

I will post more details and photos once I receive them- lots of fun personal touches in this wedding.

Happy tuesday!

Simple 4th of July Arrangements

2009-07-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd everyone!

I am not the most festive person in the world. I love holidays and I love decor, but after growing up in a household where my mother pulled out boxes and boxes of decorations for every single holiday, I tend to stay on the more simple (or as my mom would say, boring) side for the smaller holidays like 4th of July. If I decorate at all, I stick with a simple centerpiece or a view small accent items.

Here are some of my ideas for festive, simple patriotic decor. I threw these together yesterday using left over flowers from my wedding last weekend, so try to ignore the browning flowers :)

How it started: a tin can and fabric I purchased at Jo-Ann's for $3.50 a yard:

How it ended:

I decided to make it a little more fun and add some fireworks:

Which are really just straws that I purchased at target. I cut the top portion of the straw off and stuck them in the arrangement.

For the next one, I wrapped a vase in paper that I found at Michaels:

I also wrapped a bigger vase in the same fabric as the arrangement above and then made ribbon fireworks to spice it up:

I made the ribbon fireworks by tying 5 three inch pieces of ribbon around the top of a straw:

I also want to show a cute arrangement that my sister put together earlier this week. The blue paper wrapped vase was from our wedding on saturday and she added the ribbon details:

In addition to the arrangements, I whipped up these little babies:

Votive candles wrapped in a baby sock! I found the pair of socks in the $1 section at Target. All you have to do is fold the top of the sock inside so that it is the right height of the candle and slide it on. So so easy. I stole the idea from Hostess with the Mostess, which featured potted plants wrapped in socks a while back.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!

More Red, White and Blue for you

2009-07-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

As usual, Martha Stewart has provided endless inspiration for 4th of July decorating. I have picked out some of my favorite ideas from the MS website and also from the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

First up, some decor from Martha:

I just want to hug those drink umbrellas. So cute and so easy to make!

Better Homes and Gardens had some cute easy DIY ideas:

How cute is that? It just using red, white and blue striped crepe paper.

Such an easy, but cute dessert idea: Using a star cookie cutter, cut out pound cake stars and decorate with strawberries that have also been shaped as stars using a smaller cookie cutter.

I love these- you can download the template from Martha Stewart here.

Simple parfaits, two ways:

Martha Stewart

Better Homes and Gardens

For a little drink inspiration, check out Real Simple's Simply Stated by Hostess with the Mostess.

I think I need to go sit by the pool and do some crafting...

4th of July Decorating Ideas

2009-07-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it is already July. Let the BBQs and swimming begin!

Some of my favorite 4th of July food and crafting ideas from around the blog world:

Rosettes from the Martha Stewart Crafts Dept Blog:

Twig & Thistle's fun DIY templates:

Star Cupcakes from Inchmark:

Pixy Stix Wand from Elle's Studio (Thanks Jenetta for pointing this out to me!):

Patriotic Posy Pins from the Pleated Poppy (too late to order them, though, unless you are on the central coast)

I will be back tomorrow with some more fun July 4th decorating ideas. Happy July!

Big Paper Source Sale This Week!

2009-06-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know about my love for Paper Source. I get lost in the store for hours and always leave inspired and with more than I planned on purchasing.

GOOD NEWS!!!! For all of you paper lovers out there, Paper Source is giving us 20% off of everything- that is right: EVERYTHING! Can you believe that? Now through July 4th, you can get 20% off of your entire purchase online with this code: 20OFF

If you have not discovered the deliciousness that is Paper Source, there is no better time than now. If you are looking for invitations, escort cards, guest books, gift cards, craft goods or random office supplies, hop on over to their site and have fun! Also, they have a fun blog you can read too.

Happy last day of June! (WHAT??)

Looking back: Jill and Harry

2009-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend a year ago, Jill and Harry flew over from the UK and got married in a fun and intimate backyard wedding at her mother's house in Fullerton. This wedding has been one of my favorite to date! I realized that I never did a full post of all of the details, other than showing some of Michael Norwood's amazing blog photos.

So, without further ado, here is Jill and Harry's modern geometric wedding:

We pulled the entire decor scheme from the invitations that Jill had selected from Wedding Paper Divas:

We incorporated the W+T (the initials of their nicknames for each other) on many of the details and also pulled inspiration from Bauhaus Designs- very clean, modern and fun,

Half the tables were orange and half were green. The favor boxes contained playing cards printed with the couple's logo, along with personalized pens and pads of paper. Their family is a big game playing family, so they wanted to include that in the wedding somehow. I heard that the family got a lot of use out of them over the next week! They also included Cadbury chocolate bars from England, which Jill frequently stuffs in her luggage when flying to US and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which she sticks in her suitcase when heading back to the UK.

Love the fun style:

(Above photo of the sand ceremony and ring plate, not by Michael Norwood)

For dessert, we had cake (one of my favorite designs ever!), a grooms cake of a traditional British cake, and cookies from Jill's favorite bakery.

Finally, the lovely Jill and Harry:

All of the amazing flowers were crafted by Kristin of The Treasured Petal. We had so much fun designing this wedding- so fresh and different!

The rest of the incredible vendor lineup:
*Photography: Michael Norwood
*Caterer: TGIS (yummy BBQ!)
*Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & BBJ Linens
*Lighting: we did it! How much do you love those square lanterns?
*Cake: Erica O'Brien
*All wedding day stationary: Serendipity Designs
*Sound: Fly By Night

Uncle Jesse and J Crew

2009-06-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since I returned from New York and I am still recovering and reminiscing. I am still planning on showing some of my favorite items from the Renegade Craft Fair, but in the meantime I wanted to share this with you:

Isn't it just so happy?

As I we were star watching at the Tony Awards, I noticed this display as John Stamos walked pass (Oh, Uncle Jesse!). When we were back at Rockefellar Center a few days later, I snapped a picture of J.Crew's window. I love the light grey dress, suit and the beautiful hydrangeas. It made me wish that my local J.Crew carried their wedding line in the store.

If only John Stamos was in the photo as well...

A preview

2009-06-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of creating a tablescape with the wonderful LaVonne of Adorations Botanical Artistry. The photoshoot was for San Diego Style Weddings Magazine and I cannot even tell you how much fun our design was.

I do not have the professional pictures yet, but I wanted to give you a small sneak peak of one of the centerpieces LaVonne created:

Hope it brings you a little summery cheer this afternoon!

Raquel and Greg's Engagement Photos

2009-06-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Raquel and Greg are getting married in a couple of weeks at the Laguna Cliffs Marriot. We are so excited to see their wedding come to life!

Here are some favorites from their engagement shoot by Ingrid Joy Studio:

You can see more on Ingrid's blog.

Huge Wedding Dress Sale this weekend in San Diego

2009-06-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Encore Bridal, along with the Bridal Bar San Diego, is hosting a huge bridal gown sale this weekend in San Diego- if you are looking for a dress and are local, you have to check it out!

Couture dresses will be discounted 40%-70% off retail- some are designer samples and some are from Encore Bridal's stock of consignment and resale dresses. The sale will include dresses by Melissa Sweet, Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, Christos and more. It is friday-sunday at the Omni Hotel in Downtown.

For more info, please visit Encore Bridal's blog.

Encore Bridal also has a store that you can visit in Los Angeles. It is a wonderful option for brides who are looking for a designer dress for a lower price.

Good luck with the sale Julie! We hope that everything goes well!

Our Spring Party on Hostess with the Mostess

2009-06-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to share that our Spring Party has been featured on one of our favorite blogs, Hostess with the Mostess. You can see the post here.

Thanks Jenn!

I am home from New York and am catching up on laundry, emails and catching my breath. It was a wonderful trip and I will share some moments in the upcoming week.

Happy Thursday!

Davis and Sara: A La Jolla Beach Wedding, Part 2

2009-06-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello from New York! I am having an amazing time here. Yesterday we spent a large portion of the day at The Renegade Craft Fair- it was amazing! I will be sharing some photos once I return. I grew up dreaming of performing on Broadway and now that is reality for some of my friends and it is incredible to see them in their element!

Enough about New York, lets get back to La Jolla. Today we have Davis and Sara's fun reception at The Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, photos by the wonderful Jason of Garret Photography.

Escort cards:

The Museum is such a wonderful event space. Here is the bride and groom during the cocktail hour, under a cool statue of canoes:

Instead of giving each guest a favor, the bride and groom gave donations to nonprofit organizations. I came up with the idea of choosing multiple organizations so that guests could have some say. They selected three: American Heart Association, World Wildlife Fund and Doctors Without Borders. Guests could choose which organization they wanted their donation to go to and put the round paper from their placesetting into the box of their choice. Guests loved it and it was so meaningful.

The food, catered by the wonderful Giuseppe Fine Catering, was out of the park. Absolutely delicious! Davis and Sara are vegetarians, so we did all vegetarian appetizers in their honor.

For dinner, we had stations set up with small plates and it was a huge hit.

The cake not only looked incredible, but it was the best tasting cake I think I have ever had. Way to go Sweet Cheeks! The picture of the slice does not do it justice- banana peanut butter with chocolate ganache. Yum. We also served gelato along side the cake as a nod to Sara's Italian heritage.

The topper was made out of fondant to match their monogram from the invitation.

One of the greatest things about the museum is that there are exhibits in the reception area. They change periodically- so you never know what you are going to get when the wedding rolls around. Lucky for us, one of the current exhibits was a cool chalk drawing of a gazebo. The perfect spot to put the cake. It made a lovely backdrop and was so unique.

The Save-the-Date and invitation:

A view into the reception from outside:

Most of the guests were from out of town, so we hired a school bus to charter them around from the weekend. It was an inexpensive and fun alternative to a charter shuttle.

A few more shots:

Sara and Davis, I had a blast getting to know you two over the past year. Thank you for entrusting your wedding day to me- it was amazing! Thank you for wanting a day filled with personal touches- I know that all of your guests thought it was a great reflection of your personalities and your relationship together. I wish you two the best- many more happy travels, beach walks and Radiohead concerts.

Our stellar vendor team:

*Venues: Torrey Pines State Beach

Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla (they also provided the bar)

*Catering: Giuseppe Fine Catering (One of my new favorites!)

*Photography: Garret Photography, Jason

*Florist: Whimsey Florals

*Video: Firefly Films

*Cake: Sweet Cheeks Baking Co

*DJ: Peyton with La Jolla DJs

*Linens: Concepts Event Design

*Rentals: Abbey Party Rentals (ceremony) & Raphaels (reception)

*Papergoods: PinkStar Design

*Bus: FirstStudent Charter

Davis and Sara's La Jolla Beach Wedding: Part 1

2009-06-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Last month, I had the privilege of seeing Davis and Sara's wedding come to life at Torrey Pines State Beach and The Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. I had been working with this fun couple for a year on their wedding plans and every day of it was such a joy.

When talking about decor, Sara knew that she wanted something a little different, not too matchy matchy and fun. What that translated into was a day full of personal details and lots of fun for all of their guests.

We had a great time working with Jason of Garret Photography and are delighted to share some of his photos with you.

First, let me introduce you to the gorgeous bride and adorable groom:

Now onto the ceremony on the beach at Torrey Pines State Beach:

Guests were greeting with a shoe changing station. Sara found this old trunk on CragisList for $20! Flipflops were purchased from Dollar Days.

Sara and Davis live in Encinitas and whenever friends come to visit, they take them down to the beach and have each person collect a rock. They keep them in their home in a bowl- how special is that? Taking from that tradition, we used those same rocks to line the ceremony aisle and also placed one on every chair to hold the programs down. Gerber daisies are Sara's favorite flower, so we incorporated them in where ever we could.

How killer is this photo?

The bridesmaid dresses were from J. Crew and the guys cool grey suits were actually purchased from JC Penny.

I have to end with a special moment for my husband. He played guitar for their ceremony music and it was so fun! Sara loves The Beatles so he played all Beatles songs. She walked down the aisle to "Here Comes the Sun" and they exited to my hubby singing and playing "All You Need is Love". Other songs included "Blackbird", "When I'm 64" and "Across the Universe". I loved it!

I am off to New York early tomorrow morning (yay!) but stayed tuned for part two of this wedding on monday! You won't want to miss it: a cool favor idea, a hot groom's cake and some yummy decor.

Jess and Christian's Fun Retro Wedding featured on Style Me Pretty

2009-06-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Such a happy day today!

One of my favorite weddings we have done has been featured today on Style Me Pretty. Click here and here to see the posts about Jess and Christian's "downtown LA, Wonder Years backyard BBQ wedding".

Thank you so much Abby for sharing this wedding and for your sweet comments! We had an absolute blast and are thrilled to share it with the blogging world.

Speaking of Christian, the groom, you have to check out his absolutely hilarious blog and book, Stuff White People Like. Seriously- if you need a good laugh, take a look. A few recent topics: "Hating people who wear Ed Hardy", "Sea Salt" and "Ugly Sweater Parties".

Another sneak peak at Megan and Jason's Wedding

2009-06-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I posted a few photos from Megan and Jason's gorgeous wedding at Vibiana. Their wedding was a combination of so many lovely things: It was vintage, feminine, clean, personal, urban. I still cannot show you all of the details, but to keep you intrigued until we can post it (we are working on getting it published), I am excited to share a little collection of images from their day.

This board was created for a sweet post about our florist, Carissa of JL Designs, on the blog of wedding PR queen, and my current business coach, Leila Khalil (Inspired by This). Photos by Ryan Phillips.

(note: please do not "borrow" this board without permission...since we are trying to get it published we must be careful not to spread these images too far around the web - just email me if you have any questions or want any images - thanks!)

Thanks for being so wonderful Carissa!!

Justin and Kristin's wedding in Big Bear

2009-06-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Since I posted Megan's engagement session last week, I thought it would be fun to show photos of her brother's wedding that Darcie coordinated back in 2007. Justin and Kristin were married up in Big Bear and the amazing Jessica Claire was on hand to capture their day.

Isn't it too cute? The florals were done by Megan and Justin's mom, Tara of Megan's Garden Weddings.

Megan and Dom's engagement photos

2009-05-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for Megan and Dom's wedding this August at the Ole Hansen Beach Club! Darcie and Megan have been friends since they were little and I have known Megan since freshman year of high school. Megan's mom, Tara, is also a wonderful florist that we love to work with (you can see some of her work on her blog).

We are also excited for their wedding because we get to work with Gabriel and Carlie of Gabriel Ryan Photographers. Here are some amazing engagement photos they took of Megan and Dom:

To see more, check out Gabriel and Carlie's blog.

Home Sweet Home

2009-05-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

We are back!

The wedding was amazing, Hawaii was beautiful, trying to be a bridesmaid, coordinator and partial florist was a tad bit crazy. I will have all of the details coming soon!

I have about 2 pictures of the actual wedding since I was a little busy, so here is a peak at one of my favorite moments of the trip:

Aloha!

Brittany and Josh are getting married!

2009-05-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been a little MIA this week. This is the reason:

These two are getting married in Hawaii this weekend! I head out early thursday morning to Honolulu and I am so excited! Not only am I the planner, but I am also a bridesmaid. Brittany is one of my closest friends from college and I am so thrilled to stand next to her as she marries the love of her life.

Destination weddings take a lot of organization and planning, so I am trying to stay at the top of my game this week!

I hope to post one more time before their wedding, but pretty please do not hold it against me if it doesn't happen :)

Here are a few more of their engagement pictures, taken by Chrissy Lambert.

Alooooooha!

One more little detail

2009-05-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

I realized as I was posting the Spring Party that a cute detail was left out of the photos.

Remember this sweet tulip arrangement?

Here is what was on the other side of the container:

This is a wrapped baby cereal can, embellished with a flower from my cricut and ribbon.

Our Third Seasonal Season Party: Spring!

2009-05-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

It is Spring- do you know what that means? A party!

If you have just recently started reading our blog, I am thrilled to introduce you to our little tradition. At the beginning of every season, my husband and I host a party to celebrate and capture the essence of that season. Our fall party was the first and our winter soup party was amazing.

For spring, the only thing we could imagine doing was to have a picnic. And picnic in style we did.

In addition to blankets, I found those adorable floor pillows at Target to use for seating. I placed trays and plates in the seating areas for guests to place their drinks on (and just to look cute!).

For lunch, each family was given a gable box filled with picnic goodies. Boxes and food containers were purchased from Paper Mart. I added a little paper, some cricut letters and voila!

A glimpse inside:

Lunch consisted of the most delicious potato salad I have ever had (and I do not even like patato salad- thanks Shae!), strawberries, carrots and a homemade cookie. I had guests bring their own sandwiches.

Round labels and cloth ribbon purchase from Paper Source.

I used wrapping paper from Target and Paper Source to wrap bottles and napkins:

Even little baby water bottles for the little guys:

A few more details:

And what is a picnic without bubbles?

What I loved about this party the most was that it was so mellow. We just relaxed, ate and played. Such a great day! The decor from this party can easily be transferred to a shower or birthday party as well.

Enjoy what is left of Spring everyone!

Happy day after mothers day!

2009-05-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I know it was yesterday, but my day of appreciation and pampering continues today (can I get a what-what?). Since my husband is a pastor and thus worked half of mothers day, he gave me the gift of a second mothers day. I am off to a much needed and appreciated spa day (while he cleans the house!) and I am all kinds of excited!

I hope that all of you moms had a wonderful day yesterday and woke up this morning feeling refreshed and loved.

I will be back tomorrow with pictures from our spring party- until then, have a blissful day!

Joel and Danielle at the Fullerton Arboretum

2009-05-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Joel and Danielle were married on the first day of spring and their wedding was simply beautiful. I posted a preview a while back and am excited to share more details with you today.

I absolutely love this couple! I led a bible study at UCLA and Danielle was one of my girls. I was overjoyed to hear a couple of years later that she began dating Joel, who plays saxophone with my husband on occasion. They are whole heartedly genuine, wonderful people and their love for each other is amazing.

Danielle was in Ethiopia for half of our planning and Joel was in his first year of med school but, even so, planning was a breeze. They were just so happy to be starting their lives together that all of the details fell into place.

We designed a simple but charming and crafty spring wedding. I am so happy to get to share the beautiful photos, taken by one of my favorites, Jenetta Penner.

Bouquets:

Ceremony:

We used some of the reception centerpieces as aisle decor for the ceremony:

Hello poppies:

Escort cards on beds of wheatgrass, accented by little arrangements I made:

A cute arrangement I made for the guest book table:

Reception:

Centerpieces by Flower Allie:

I made the table numbers to make it look almost like a patch of flowers, noted by a sign. Each was a little different: I used many different prints of paper (the back side of each sign was the same printed paper as the number on front) and then made little flowers to accent them.

I also cut out hundreds of flowers with my cricuit and scattered them around each centerpiece. Each table 's cricuit flowers matched the paper used on the table number.

The sweetheart table:

Fun candy bar:

Linens from Wildflower Linens. (Thanks Desiree!)

I loved these little accent pieces I made with cookies from Sweet and Saucy Shop:

The beautiful cake, to be featured on The WE Network's "Amazing Cakes" (more details here).

Gorgeous linen from Wildflower.

We had bubbles for guests to blow while the bride and groom left for the night. This cute little guy found the stash and blew bubbles for a good hour during dinner.

I will leave you with a few shots of the adorable couple:

The Arboretum is so picturesque!

Danielle and Joel (and family too!): You know I love you guys. Thank you for letting me be a part of such an important day in your lives! I had such a great time helping you plan, envision and dream. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you two!

Our vendor line-up:
*Church: EastSide Christian Fellowship
*Reception: Fullerton Arboretum
*Florist: Flower Allie
*Photo: Jenetta Penner
*Catering: Country Garden Caterers
*DJ: Fly By Night DJs
*Linens: Wildflower Linens
*Rentals: Create-a-Party
*Cake: Merci Beau Coup for Amazing Wedding Cakes

I want a Bat Mitzvah!

2009-05-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this event posted on The Bride's Cafe yesterday and about died. The most elegant bar mitzvah I have ever seen! Each table was named after a different city and the centerpieces were created to represent that location. This could very easily be transferred to a wedding. The centerpieces are amazing- I adore creative ideas like this!

Planned by Eclatante Design, Florals by Beautiful Blooms and photos by Marie Labbancz.

All I have to say is that Bat Mitzvahs have come a long way since I was in Jr High. Thanks for sharing this Janie!

I have a fun wedding to post tomorrow! Yay!

Also, I have received such a great response to the April Showers Series that I am going to share shower tips more regularly from here on out. I have a cute DIY favor project coming up in the next couple of days.

By the way, thanks for all of the love blogworld! Miss Duckling shared on WeddingBee, 30 Handmade Days linked to our series, Lindsey gave a little love and Sweeter Still wrote a super sweet post about us. *this is me blushing*

See you tomorrow!

Dress Envy

2009-05-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Kristin asked me if I was going to cut out little sombreros with my Cricut- I wish I had a cartridge for that- it would be awesome!

Nothing cinco de mayo themed here today though.... instead, prepare yourself to be jealous.

One of my favorite Orange County photographers, Boutwell Studio, just posted photos from her wedding this past weekend and my jaw dropped. This dress has to be one of my most favorite wedding dresses ever. And I have seen a lot.

Beautiful bride + Stunning Monique Lhuillier Dress= One awestruck Courtney that wants to get married to her husband all over again just to wear that dress.

Oversized balloons too? Seriously? Just gorgeous.

Thanks for sharing Chenin. The pictures are stunning!

Blogging and Facebook and Twitter, oh my!

2009-05-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

We have officially joined the social networking age (about time, right?). We now have a Facebook page and I have a Twitter (joyfulweddings).

Join and follow along if you would like to keep up with us!

Have a great Sunday!

Aprils Showers: May Flowers

2009-05-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Happy May! If you have missed our series this week on baby and bridal showers, please feel free to take a look back at our week full of inspiration and tips.

I.am.so.bummed! Tomorrow was supposed to be our spring party and... it is going to rain! It has not rained at all lately and the one day the skies decide to open is the day that we planned an outdoor picnic! We decided to push it back a week, so I will be sure to share all of the details with you in a few weeks.

Earlier this week, a reader asked about tips on making crepe paper flowers. The shower is an eco-friendly theme and the bride has requested that the shower attendees make flowers out of crepe paper to use at her reception. I think this is a great idea! I love crafting activities at showers.

Martha Stewart Weddings has a tutorial online for how to make these beauties:

To make it a little easier, Martha Stewart Crafts sells a Crepe Paper Peony kit on their website. I am not 100% sure, but I believe that you can purchase kits like this at Michaels as well.

If you want some fun gigantic flowers, there is another tutorial on Martha Stewart that shows you how to make these:

I found instructions for a cute crepe paper rose on The Fab Miss B's blog.

I know that these are not crepe paper, but I am a huge fan of Paper Source's paper flower kits:

I was in one of my favorite antique shops in San Clemente the other day and they had these adorable tissue paper balls placed in urns. I think this would be so cute for shower decor!

Two good places to buy sheets of crepe paper are Blick Art Materials and Crafts Etc. You can also find some more unique colors and textures on Etsy (including this beautiful flirty ruffled crepe paper):

It has been a fun week of showers. I guess the sky just wanted to take part.

Have a great weekend!

April Showers: Part 8

2009-04-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I am finishing up the series with one of my favorite sources for inspiration: Hostess with the Mostess.

Jenn has such amazing fresh, modern and practical shower and party ideas. Here is a look at some of my favorites:

Bling Baby Shower

Modern Alphabet

Beach Baby Shower

Bedtime Stories Baby Shower:

Citrus Twist Bridal Shower:

Modern Kitchen Bridal Shower:

There is much more on her website and also many great real showers on her blog.

While April is over tonight, I will be back tomorrow with some May Flowers!

April Showers: Part 7

2009-04-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Before I started my own company, I worked for the wonderful Ryan Larson of Savoir Flair Weddings. While working for her, I helped with this beautiful baby shower, captured by the incredible Laura Kleinhenz of Docuvitae.

Guests were asked to write down a wish for the babies as they arrived and then place their notecards in a cute little birdhouse.

I love using bassinets as gift holders:

The mama was pregnant with twins: one boy and one girl. There were three tables, which Ryan named "His", "Hers" & "Theirs". The escort cards were these adorable fences strung on ribbon with clothespins.

The shower was a tea, so guests were treated to delicious tea sandwiches and other light lunch items. I love how the watering can is hanging over the arrangement. So cute!

Ryan did such a good job with the centerpieces:

This one is my favorite- look closely. There is a little tire swing and sign hanging from the tree. I love the moss as well.

You cannot tell very well, but this centerpiece was a couple of baby blocks made out of carnations.

While the shower was over 5 years ago, the style is still adorable today. I love the classic, romantic garden feel.

April Showers: Part 6

2009-04-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day in April, which means just one more day of shower fun.

I want to share a few more fun ideas with you. First off, following up on my earlier invitation post, I adore this invitation made by Karrie Pyke Designs.

Co-ed showers can be a lot of fun. It is best to stay away from typical shower games- guys are not into playing the "what what is in the tray that was passed around" game. I think it would be super fun to do a few guys v. girls activies or games. Keep score throughout the shower and the winning gender gets prizes at the end. This invitation would lend perfectly to a cute, chic backyard BBQ shower. I know my husband would be all over that!

One reader asked about creative baby shower games. One fun one is to have guests guess whose traits the parents would hope their baby gets. For instance, whether they would want the mom's eyes or the dad's baby blues. Whether they would want the dad's sense of humor or would prefer the mom's. Have guests write down their answers, and then have the mom-to-be give the answers that she and her husband previously decided on.

A great activity is to have guests decorate onesies for the baby. It is fun to see what people come up with and every new baby needs a handful of onesies. This works best with a smaller guest count though- no baby needs 30 of them!

We did this at a co-ed shower and it was a blast. It was really funny to see what the guys came up with! You can use permanent markers or fabric pens or paint. Be sure to put a piece of cardboard in the middle of the onesie so that the ink/paint does not bleed through to the back.

One of the best parts about a shower to me is the dessert. For baby showers, mini or "baby" desserts are great! These were from Vanilla Bake Shop:

How cute are these cookies, made by Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop?

I am going to leave you with some photos of the baby showers that my sisters and family friends threw for me when I was pregnant with my little man (I cannot believe that it has been over a year and a half!):

Cute plates and napkins + lots of buttons + wrapped water bottles= super cute!

The theme of this shower was "I is for Isaiah" (my son's name). My sister cut out hundreds of "I"'s on her cricut to use as confetti all over the tables. It was really cute!

April Showers: Part 5

2009-04-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

Just like Lindsey said yesterday, I love making invitations for showers. It is definitely one of my favorite parts! However, I know that some of you probably do not enjoy things like that or just may not have the time to glue 60 pieces of ribbon on to cardstock.

Today I want to highlight some cute shower invitation finds on Etsy. I seriously love etsy- I could spend hours browsing the handmade lovelies.

I love this simple and sweet invite from LittleChickenDesign.

What is great about these is that she emails you the invite and you can print them at home on your printer or have a local printer print them out for you. You are only paying for the digital file so it is really cost effective.

I love that invite as well because it lends itself well to matching party decor. I made these for a baby boy shower:

Another shower decor idea that I love is using the gifts as decor. As the mom to be opens gifts, you can hang the cute baby clothes on a clothesline for all to see.

These invites, made by seller caelum, also tie in with that similar motif:

You could easily make these yourself as well. Swap pink out for any color and use some fun scrapbook paper. It would be cute with the onesie cut out of fabric as well.

A few more baby shower invites:

From seller SillyMeDesigns

Another great one that can easily set a theme. Desserts- sweet, delicious and will surely be a hit! Made by seller TucciPaperCo.

Another cute one by TucciPaperCo:

I would love to do a preppy, argyle baby girl shower. Note to self: file this one away!

Now for some bridal shower invitations:

Super cute by MadluDesigns. I, personally, would make these invitations myself using circles of scrapbook paper or fabric.

So sweet and feminine, also from MadluDesigns. It comes in other color combinations as well.

From WestWillow.

If you are having a hard time coming up with a theme for a shower, I recommend looking at invitations. Many times, that can start your design for the entire shower.

More shower goodness to come!

April Showers: Part 4

2009-04-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

I am back with more inspiration from Lindsey.

How cute is this shower invite she recently made?

I asked Lindsey to share some shower planning insight with us.

*How do you come up with a theme for a shower?

i usually try to think of what the bride or mom-to-be likes and go from there. sometimes i'll go with the colors or style of the wedding or baby's room. but sometimes i totally deviate and just pick something cute, maybe something i've seen online.

*What is your favorite part of planning a shower?

i LOVE making the invites because i feel like it sets the mood for the shower. it lets the guests know a little of what to expect, and hopefully gets them excited to attend.

*What has been your favorite theme of a shower you have helped plan?

tough question.... maybe the sweet baby shower i threw recently, because it really was so simple and VERY cost effective.

*How do you keep costs reasonable?

i get help from friends. i'm not so good at the food part and a good friend of mine is, so she handles that end so i can focus all my time on the fun little details. because we entertain a lot, years ago we bought super inexpensive white dishes and silverware to serve 30, so i never have to buy plates or plastic ware (yuck). i also save my spaghetti sauce/mason jars and use them as glasses with straws for almost every party we have. you can't get cheaper than free! and i also shop my house a lot. i grab things from different rooms that fit the theme.

*What are your favorite games/activities to include in a shower?

i'm not a big fan of shower games, and i've found that not too many others are either. this has been a bit if a relief for me as it takes another item off my list of to-do's. but there are times when games are appropriate, like if many of the guests don't know each other, and a little game as a mixer can help out. i've also done a craft at a shower before and it was a hit! for a baby girl shower we made little ribbon covered barrettes. simple things that require little skills are best.

*Do you have any secret sources of information for planning great showers or parties in general?

martha. she's built an empire for a reason: amazing ideas. you can easily take her ideas and put your own twist on them, and she almost always lists her resources. i also like to get baby shower ideas from bridal magazines. think outside the box - baby showers don't have to have ducks and carriages.

*Any other tips or ideas for our readers?

think of your guest of honor and what they are like, what they love and go from there. start planning early so when you see things that may work for your party when you're at the dollar store, target, or the grocery store, you can start stock piling slowly and not be rushed at the last minute. and if there is something you cannot find, start searching online. something i love to do is find great fabric or paper to incorporate throughout the shower. i like to carry little elements like a certain fabric through the invitations, favors, and decor. little things like that make a shower seem more put together.

Thanks Linds! If you have not checked out her blog or shop, please give yourself an hour and get ready to be inspired!

April Showers: Part 3

2009-04-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Lindsey, is amazingly crafty. I mean, super creative, can whip up anything and amazing design eye crafty. For me, this is a blessing and a curse. I get tons of inspiration from her, get to wear her cute posy pins, have her sew things for some of my clients and get to enjoy crafting with her when we visit. On the flip side, the bar is set very high for me! My family is used to amazing kids birthday parties and I am always trying to make things as cute as Lindsey does :)

One thing that Lindsey is especially good at is throwing a cute shower. Today I am excited to share her most recent one with you. You can see more photos and details on her blog.

The mama to be is having twin girls and the theme was two chicks. So cute!

So many delicious details! The tablecloths are ours and are actually just cheap fabric- a great option to jazz up a table- whether it is a full table cloth or just a runner.

Lindsey covered tins with wrapping paper and ribbon for the flower arrangements- proof that what I said yesterday actually works :)

I LOVE Lindsey's flower tip: She buys hydrangea plants from Trader Joe's ($7), gets at least three hydrangea heads off of it and then plants it so that she has more for the next party. So smart!

And talk about a great favor- each guest received one of Lindsey's adorable poppy pins. Score!

I will be back with an interview with Lindsey this afternoon. Lots of inspiration to come!

April Showers: Part 2

2009-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Today, I am back to share some tips on how to host an amazing shower without breaking the bank.

Tip #1: Theme, theme, theme.

Having a reoccurring motif, logo, colors and/or design will make any shower go from ho-hum to super cute. Think outside the box- is there something that the bride and groom love to do together? For one shower, I incorporated the bride and groom's love for kayaking into the invites and then developed an "A+A" theme from there. To see more photos from this shower, click here.

For baby showers, use an unexpected color palate (something besides pink for a girl and blue for a boy). Incorporate the baby's name or the decor of their room into the shower.

A simple theme carried through all of the details of the shower will wow guests and will hardly cost you anything.

Tip #2: Do NOT go it alone.

Get some help! Gather a team of a few friends of the bride or mom to be and assign tasks. Most people love to help with showers and it will alleviate your stress level and your pocket book to delegate. For instance, if you are not the world's best baker, have a Betty Crocker friend whip up a cake for dessert. Have someone else get prizes for games. Spreading out the load not only makes it easier for you, but it also gives others the chance to share some love.

(While I would love to take credit for these delicious cupcakes, my talented friend Shae baked them and then put the "A"'s that I made on top. Saved me hours and they were way better than anything I would have baked!)

*side note: there is a point where too much help is a bad thing. Trying to plan a shower with 10 people gets crazy. I have found that 3-4 planners is a magical number and it is helpful when one person is overseeing everything and delegating tasks.

Tip #3: Make it personal

Some people love the "make a dress out of toilet paper" game. Others despise games. I, personally, only like games and activities that are personal to the honoree.

For wedding showers, I almost always do a game that allows guests to get to know the bride and groom a bit better. My favorite is to video tape the groom answering questions about the bride and their relationship. Some sample questions are:

"When did you know that she was the one?"

"What is her favorite food"

"If she could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"What is her ideal date?"

"What is your favorite personality trait that she possesses?"

At the shower, we ask the bride those same questions. She has to guess how the groom answered. After she answers, we show the groom's response on the TV. Every question that their answers match is one point. Guests guess beforehand how many point they think that the couple will receive. The person closest wins a prize. It is fun, short, and most of all, personal.

Tip #4: I would not like any more lotion sets, please.

If you are going to do games, it is great to get creative with your prizes. For a bride who lived on Starbucks coffee, we gave out $5 gift cards to the coffee spot to the lucky winners. Who wouldn't be stoked to get that? And it didn't break the bank. For a tea shower, the prizes were delicious loose leaf tea and a tea strainer. For the shower I featured yesterday, our two game winners received these cute noodle bowls and chopsticks from Crate and Barrel. $6.95/piece. They went with the theme, were cheap and the winners loved them.

Useful. Fitting with the shower. Edible. Personal to the bride. Keys to good prizes. Wrap them up in paper, bags or boxes that match the decor of the shower.

Tip #4: Get creative with Decor

Use what you've got. Use fresh cut roses from someone's garden. Gather vases from all of the girls planning the shower. Wrap tins or cans with wrapping paper or scrapbook paper like I did here or here. You don't have to spend $100 to have a florist make a centerpiece. Using coordinating paper will tie the simplest of flower arrangements into the shower decor.

Or, think beyond flowers. For a baby shower, make something creative out of baby toys. For the tea shower I mentioned above, our centerpieces were towers of tea sandwiches. Cute and functional. Here is another shower that I will be showing more of later this week that used cupcakes as centerpieces with a few little bud vases on the side.

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of using scrapbook paper as placemats. So cheap and super cute. Even if you are using paper plates and plastic flatware, set the table. It looks cute and is instant decor.

Small secret: I hate Big Lots. I would never go in there just to browse. But, they have paper plates napkins in a few colors for $1 per pack. Not the greatest selection, but for basic colors it is worth checking out.

Tip #5: Keep it moving

Let guests socialize, yes- but try not to let them get bored. Keep the flow of the shower going. Typically, I aim for an hour of eating and socializing (more if you are doing a sit down meal) and then another hour for games, activities and gift opening. That may be much longer if you have a large guest list.

If your shower is going to be outdoors, think about your guests comfort. At one of my own bridal showers, we were outside in the middle of July for three hours in the middle of the day. By the time I was done opening gifts, most guests had gone inside and I was covered in sweat. Try to keep your guests shaded, comfortable and engaged. It does not matter if your shower is the cutest thing ever- if your guests are bored and uncomfortable, they are not going to enjoy it.

I have some fun showers coming up for you and some more great tips. If you have any questions about throwing a shower, please let me know by commenting on this post. I will answer any questions by the end of the week.

April Showers: Part 1

2009-04-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it is almost May? I am in a bit of shock over it. To celebrate the end of April, I am going to be doing a series this week called April Showers.

Definitely does not have anything to do with our weather here in Southern California: We have not had much of any showers this month- lots of summer weather. No complaints from me!

For a while now, I have been wanting to share some fun, creative, crafty and inexpensive bridal or baby shower ideas with you. The time has come!

I am going to start with a sweet bridal shower that I hosted for one of my dearest friends from college.

Brittany and Josh met in Japan and also got engaged in Japan a few years later. I wanted to incorporate that into the shower theme, while still keeping it cute and crafty. I shared the simple shower invites a couple of weeks ago.

Her wedding colors are turquoise and white (in Hawaii!!), so I wanted to use those and then throw in some red for fun.

Guests were welcome with some appetizers and timeline of Brittany and Josh's relationship in photos:

I made the centerpiece on this to mimic the cherry blossom design on the invitations. I used my Cricut to cut out different sizes of flowers and hot glued them on to sticks that my son and I gathered at the park.

Guests also were able to snack on some goodies on a Japanese candy table.

We had parasols available for guests if they wanted to shade themselves from the sun. We ended up placing one on the appetizer table to cover the fruit- cute and functional!

I am so bummed that I do not have great photos of the lunch area. The sun was right over head the patio cover, so there were shadows of the slats all over the tables. Here is what I got:

We hung lanterns in turquoise and red above the tables.

I used a different style of scrapbook paper for each of the three tables. Each table also had a trio of small vases filled with one type of flowers.

I found the Asian style vases at Pier 1- perfect colors!

I love these rectangular plates from Classic Party Rentals. They also provided all glassware, flatware, linens and tables.

This one is actually a toothbrush holder!

For lunch, we served sushi, chicken teriyaki, edamame, and an Asian chicken salad. It was delicious! The sushi was from Todai restaurant, which was fun because Brit and Josh met working for Campus Crusade for Christ on the campus of Todai University.

For dessert (always the best part, in my book!), we served Chocolate, Strawberry & Green Tea Mochi (Japanese Ice Cream balls- purchased at Trader Joes) and adorable mini cupcakes made by Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop.

Instead of playing a game, one of my friends taught everyone how to fold paper cranes. To make it special, we had everyone write a note of encouragement or prayer for the bride on the blank side and then fold their sheet of origami paper into the crane. She is going to open one every day leading up to the wedding.

The beautiful bride, showing off her work mid-fold:

My crane:

Me and the bride:

(Side note: I was so excited to wear my cute new dress that I got for a steal at Anthropologie!)

Stay tuned: I will have more great real showers, tip and ideas for you every day this week.

Hawaiian Engagement Party: Part 2

2009-04-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am back with more goodness from Brooke and Dustin's engagement party. If you missed part 1, click here to see some of the floral decor.

The view from the backyard:

A view into the gorgeous house:

See where the wood floor ends? There is normally a wall there. How cool is that? The entire wall folds up so that the whole house can be open to the outside. You can kind of see the lava rock wall and fish mosaic. What you can't see is the secret passage way bookshelf (complete with a secret knock code), the piece of a real meteor, the vintage pinball machine game room or the dinosaur fossil. Yep- it is that cool. I wish I could take you on a virtual tour :)

Back to the details:

We made all of the paper goods as well, taken from their invitation, which was this design from Etsy seller Tucci Paper Co.

Each guest was welcome to the home with a plumeria bloom. Ladies were given a bobby pin to wear them in their hair.

Jewell Entertainment provided an amazing ukulele player and Hawaiian dancer. The guests loved them!

I am so bummed we don't have a picture of it, but guests were shuttled to the home in a woody-style beach cruiser bus. Here is a photo from OC Cruiser's website:

Amanda made this adorable sign:

The event was catered by Back Home in Lahaina and it was delicious!

If you are hungry or your sweet tooth is craving right now, I would suggest you do not look any further.

Melody of Sweet and Saucy Shop made these incredibly delicious desserts.

I am going to run and find something sweet to eat, but I will leave you with a picture of the Bride, her sister Amanda and me. Love these ladies!

Our vendor team:
*Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & Unique Tabletop Rentals
*Linens: Wildflower Linen
*Hawaiian Food: Back Home in Lahaina
*Bar: Pacific Coast Bar and Beverage
*Dessert: Sweet and Saucy Shop
*Entertainment: Jewell Entertainment
*Shuttle: OC Cruiser

An Aloha Engagement Party: Part 1

2009-04-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

I had the great privilege to plan an amazing engagement party for a wonderful couple. I went to Jr. High with the bride and it was wonderful to reconnect with her twin sister, Amanda, as we planned the party together. A beautiful venue, freedom to come up with lots of fun details and a super sweet family made for an incredible event!

The party was held at the amazing home of the bride's Aunt and Uncle on the peninsula in Long Beach. It is one of the coolest homes I have been in: You feel as though you are in an incredible resort in Hawaii.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the party was being able to play florist. I had so much fun working with orchids and other tropicals.

Here are some floral details, captured by my hubby:

I loved this table! The green vases & wooden fish plate were found at Homegoods. Placemats from Crate and Barrel.

Simple cocktail table arrangements:

I wrapped glass vases in tea leaves and wrapped votives in a natural linen ribbon from Michaels. The beautiful natural linens are from Wildflower linens.

The main dining room table was my favorite piece. The table alone was gorgeous- huge and made of beautiful Hawaiian Koa wood, but when I added some tropical leaves and all white orchid arrangements, I fell in love.

The house is right on the beach, so we got to use the beach for the part as well.

The lounge benches and tables are from Classic Party Rentals. I adore them. Our bar also matched the wood. So cool! We also placed some fun towels out on the sand for guests who wanted to lay out a bit.

A few more arrangements:

How cool is that table? It is a booth in the family's amazing kitchen. I loved the little wood bowls pictured above- I found them at Crate and Barrel for $1/piece.

I will be back tomorrow with more fun details- super cute invites and paper goods and desserts that will make your mouth water!

UCLA Love

2009-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this engagement shoot this morning on Drew B's blog , and I just had to share a few pics. Go Bruins!!!

The bride played softball for UCLA and the groom was a pitcher for the Bruin baseball team. Love it!

I took many a class in this building:

Do I hear any 8-claps out there?

Shower Invitations

2009-04-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

One of my closest friends from college is getting married next month in Hawaii. Aloha!!! I am so excited for her wedding/vacation and am equally as excited for the shower we are throwing her this weekend.

I made these sweet, simple invitations to reflect our shower theme: an Asian-influenced sweet and simple luncheon. Brittany and Josh met and got engaged in Japan, so I wanted to incorporate their story into the shower.

I found the perfect paper from Paper Source- pool blue with red and pink cherry blossoms on elegant Japanese paper.

The envelopes & labels are also from Paper Source. Ahh, how I love that store.

Megan and Jason at Vibiana: A sneak peak

2009-04-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Megan is one of my favorite peers in the event industry. She is my go to girl with Classic Party Rentals and so I was thrilled when she contacted us to coordinate her wedding! I was heartbroken that I was already booked on her wedding date, but Darcie got the priveledge of coordinating Megan and Jason's big day.

This is definitely one of our favorite weddings to date: a super creative, sweet bride, an all star team of vendors and a breathtaking venue. I cannot wait to show you all of the details in due time. For now, here is a glimpse into their gorgeous day, taken by the wonderful Ryan Phillips:

The gorgeous bride:

Next Christmas, I would like:

The beautiful bouquet, by my girl Carissa at JL Designs:

Megan had the bridesmaid dresses made to match the fabric of the napkins she chose from Classic's inventory. They were super cute!

And, hello:

Oh, I just love it.

Vibiana is just stunning:

Some details:

These were made for JLo & Ben. Thanks guys!

They are such an adorable couple! Jason actually works for Classic as well.

I love this one of Megan & her sweet mom. I adore these two ladies:

You may remember the first of our Amazing Wedding Cakes weddings. This one was the second. Megan decided to surprise Jason with a grooms cake honoring his other love: The LA Lakers. It was so fun! The episode will air on the WE Network in early summer. We will be sure to keep you posted.

You might have noticed that Megan added a bright sash to her dress for the reception. I love it!

I cannot even begin to describe all of the wonderful details of the reception- I love every inch of it. For now, I'll give you a couple of overview shots to make you want more:

Okay, so that is all for now. I'll show you all of the good details in time- I promise! You can see a few more on Ryan's blog.

Here are the rest of the wonderful vendors we were honored to collaborate with on this wedding:

*Rentals: Classic Party Rentals (all of the best for these two, of course!)
*Cupcakes: Vanilla Bake Shop
*Groom's Cake: Merci Beaucoup for "Amazing Wedding Cakes" on the WE Network
*Catering: Good Gracious
*Video: Today's the Day
*Makeup: Tina with Flawless Faces
*DJ: Music on the Move
*Strings: Angelica Strings
*Photobooth: PhotoWorks Interactive
*The pleated poppy made a couple of guest appearances as well :)

Megan & Jason, thank you again for allowing us to be a part of your planning process. I had such a great time laughing over trees, clinching my fist over construction and getting giddy over details. You two have such a genuine love between you and we are so excited to see what your future together holds. We know this is not the end of our collaborations together and, to that, we say hooray!!

happy easter!

2009-04-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

from us to you.

Shopping Inspiration

2009-04-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

I have been searching the web for some fun accessories for a few upcoming weddings and events and came across some great clearance finds!

I am in love with these mobile strands, found at CB2 for $7.95 a strand. My mind is dancing thinking about how I can use them!

Also at CB2, I am diggin this Moroccan Dinnerware:

You might be seeing these soon. $9.95/piece at Pottery Barn.

These mossy spheres, also at Pottery Barn, would look so great as accent pieces at an outdoor, rustic or organic wedding.

These kill me. With the right theme, they would be so amazing with simple blooms.

I also am buying a Menorah from Crate and Barrel. Yep. A menorah. In April. For a pastor's wife. What can I say, it's a good deal! (and I have been wanting one since the holidays- next year, we will honor my hubby's Jewish heritage and teach our son about God's deliverance of his people)

What have you been eyeing lately?

Heather and Gian featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs

2009-03-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

I love it when things like this happen! Today, just as I was going to meet my friends Jasmine Star and Carissa of JL Designs for coffee, I received an email letting me know that a wedding we all worked on together was going to be featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs today. How fun is that?

The ladies at EAD were so sweet to feature Heather and Gian's Malibu wedding and I so enjoyed reliving their day and all of the great details! To take at a look at the post, click here.

Happy monday!

Danielle and Joel at The Fullerton Arboretum

2009-03-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share a little sneak peak of Danielle and Joel's wedding from last weekend. These were taken by my good friend Jenetta, who is an incredible wedding photographer. ( She is also becoming a mom this weekend to two sweet little girls!)

Can we say gorgeous?

Beautiful bouquet by Flower Allie:

I love this moment:

The adorable couple:

Some details we put together:

The amazing cake:

Much more to come with details, descriptions and more vendor information. Have a lovely weekend!

Great Bridal Show in LA this sunday!

2009-03-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

A Soolip Wedding is one of the best bridal shows around. It is this sunday in LA at the amazing Vibiana (where one of our fab weddings last weekend was held).

If you are free and in the area, I highly recommend checking it out: lots of inspiration, wonderful vendors and tasty treats. If I didn't have a wedding, I would surely be there! I have been in past years and promise you it will be fun!