A wheelchair, a refrigerator cake, and a wedding crasher

Lord, help me if I ever have a wedding guest like Michael Scott.


I love The Office. It is one of very few TV shows that I actually watch. This week had me rolling with laughter and also caused a flash of panic: What if there really is a Michael Scott out there? How could I get him to stop clanking the wheelchair? How in the world would I get him to shut his mouth? Joining in the cake cutting? That awful toast... just thinking about it makes me cringe!

Thankfully, it's a TV show. And brides, rest assured, I have dealt with many a crazy guest/family member/parent and am able to tame them with a smile. Just please don't invite Michael Scott. Or anyone close to his level of social understanding :)

By the way, did anyone catch the adorable Groom's cake? A 3-D refrigerator!

We'd like to thank...

Exciting news! We have been voted one of the best wedding vendors in Southern California by the Knot for 2007! We will be featured in their upcoming "Best of " issue. I am so excited, honored, and surprised!

Thank you, thank you to our previous brides who nominated us- we are extremely flattered & feel so blessed! I absolutely love what I do- what a privilege it is to help create and orchestrate such an important day in two people's lives. It is a day that most of our couples have dreamt of for years and I am so honored that I get to be a part of it! The joy on a bride's face at the end of the night when she says "thank you for making this day perfect for us" is more then enough. Getting nominated for something like this is just the icing on the cake!

Thank you all for your love and support!


Here is a sneak peak at our ad that will be included in the magazine:

A huge thank you to Jasmine Star. This amazing woman helped me pull this ad together in just two days! She did an incredible job- it would look like a 6th grade report cover page if I had done it by myself. She is an amazing photographer- please check out her website. Again, thanks Jasmine!

We love a good sale!

Gina at Hair Comes the Bride contacted us last week, letting us know about a fun event they have coming up in Feb. They're having a sale!!! We love finding a good bargain, and we especially love helping our clients find ways to save some money.

On February 4th, Hair Comes the Bride will be having an open house and sample sale at their Laguna Niguel location. Accessories will be 50%-80% off! There will also be food (another top incentive to get me to be somewhere!) and you'll get a chance to find out more about the hair & make-up services this company offers. This will also be the last date they will book 2007 weddings at 2006 pricing.

Sounds like a deal to me!

Aimee & John

Aimee & John are one of the sweetest couples I have ever met- both of them are just so nice & they are so in love! There wedding was gorgeous- the flowers, the couple, the cake, the bridal party, the ceremony- everything (& everyone!) was beautiful. The toasts were amazing- you can tell that these two are very loved and also that they have touched many lives. All in all, it was a wonderful celebration to be a part of!






Venue: Hyatt Huntington Beach
Flowers: Green Leaf Designs
Cake: TomGirl Baking Co
DJ: Flo Maracine
Officiant: John Blue- Pacific Pointe Church
Photography: A Beautiful Day Photography

If only Canada was close by...

In the past 2 days, I have received 10 emails advertising the same thing. Normally, this would annoy me, however, this email brought a good message. One of my favorite bridal gown designers, Justina McCaffrey, is having a sample sale this coming Saturday (December 16th)! Dresses will start at only a couple hundred dollars, which is about 5% of the normal cost for these amazing dresses! "Oh wow", I thought to myself. "I have to tell all of my brides about this!"
I then continued to read the email, and my excitement slowly waned.
The catch:
The two sample sales are in Canada.

So, if you know of any brides in Canada, let them know that there will be two Justina McCaffrey sample sales this Saturday, one in Toronto and one in Quebec.

I still do not understand why I was sent the email 10 times. Especially when I live in California. Oh well, here's to gorgeous dresses!

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!

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:

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.