Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

Just when you thought all the pretty was coming to an end, we have a gorgeous film from Living Cinema to stretch out the party a little longer. Feast your eyes on this warm-fuzzy-inducing gem…

From the Bride…We both met in 2003 when we worked at the same advertising agency in Orange County.  He was an Art Director and I was in Account Management, which coincidentally equates to the perfect wedding planning duo.  He had the creative vision and I was into the details.  We are both laid back, like to be comfy and love to dance.  So the inspiration for our big day came easy: we wanted people to feel like guests at our home, like they were dancing in our very own beautiful outdoor living room. As we have both learned through many years in the ad industry, it takes the right team of people to bring an idea to life.  And so the hunt was on for the perfect partners to do just that and the criteria was clear;  a caterer that was up for the challenge of serving 14 different dishes, tapas style, from cuisines around the world, a floral and décor genius with exquisite taste that could transform an outdoor venue into a plush, cozy space, a photographer that could deliver a time capsule that would bring us back to that very day 20 years from now,  a pastry chef who could transport us back to our childhood with old time classics, a videographer that not only shot weddings, but made beautiful films, and a wedding planner who had the courage to bring it all together.

I love to snack and Christian will eat anything….literally.  So we thought this was a good opportunity to infuse some of our culture and introduce our guests to our heritage.  We decided to serve a progressive dinner, tapas style – Italian dishes from my father’s side and Columbian and Filipino classics from Christian’s side. We were surprised at how adventurous our guests were as this was certainly not your traditional filet and chicken.  At the end of the day, we are both still straight up American, so we did serve some traditional favorites during cocktail hour, fried mac and cheese, Kobe sliders and fruit skewers.  And finally, we brought out a late night breakfast to honor me and my mom’s after hours pancake eating tradition.

Niki and Rene from R. Jack were my dream come true.  They are truly responsible for transforming an already beautiful place into the world we had hoped to create. The Filipino lace that adorned all the farmhouse dining tables, the ceiling of Moroccan lanterns that lit the dance floor, the Persian rugs that covered the grass, the daybeds and blankets and mismatched pillows that formed the coziest of seating areas and the FLOWERS!  They were everywhere and everything I wanted each arrangement different from the next, stems from all kinds of flower families.

Thank God we found someone who not only takes beautiful photos, but made the experience an amazing adventure. Because of Yvette, we discovered every nook and cranny of Saddlerock, even an up close encounter with some curious horses who insisted on a tasting of my bouquet and veil.  At that moment it became clear that Christian had never been this close to a horse – he was completely freaked out.When Yvette delivered our wedding photos in a beautiful little silk box, we were overwhelmed at how clearly she was able to capture that day and all of its magic.  As a bride my greatest fear was that our photos would not reflect the energy or the emotion of our wedding day. How could it be possible to package it all up – every piece of it, how we felt that day, and the dream of it all.  But there it was, all of those memories and moments perfectly fit into one little box bound by a satin ribbon and I could not be more grateful for that.

Christian was the dream groom!   He wanted to be a part of virtually every meeting and decision, but totally let me do my thing.  He just wanted to come along for the ride – didn’t want to miss anything.  But I will say, for such a neutral groom, he did inspire quite a few of my favorite details:  He and his groomsman wore the traditional Filipino barong – not only to honor his father but also because he hates to tuck in his shirt.He was also dead set on wearing sneakers to satisfy his fetish, which I didn’t dare challenge him on.  And the beer – we served Imperial as a nod to our Costa Rica honeymoon destination.  One thing he was very particular about – his ring.  It was hand carved by his artist friend (and fellow Filipino) as a wedding gift from Doyok wood from the island of Siargao where Cloud 9 is…(Cloud 9 is the best surf spot in the Philippines), and he loves it. And finally, the music – this was his personal mission…old school hip hop that we would dance the night away to. And that’s exactly what we did.

Designer + Florist: R. Jack Balthazar / Wedding Photography: Yvette Roman / Wedding Cinematography: Living Cinema / Wedding Coordinator + Producer: Mint Julep Social Events / Lighting: Lighten Up, Inc. / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Specialty Rentals (lounge furniture, linens): R. Jack Balthazar, Inc. / Wedding Cake + Desserts: Vanilla Bake Shop / DJ: Michael Antonia, Flashdance / Catering: Urban Palate / Venue: Saddlerock Ranch

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Post tags: California Weddings, Classic Party Rentals, Flashdance, Inc., Lighten Up, Living Cinema, Malibu, Mint Julep Social Events, R. Jack Balthazar, Saddlerock Ranch, Urban Palate, Vanilla Bakeshop, Yvette Roman Photography
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Richard and I met over 4 years ago while I was working at a previous job. We were a customer of his and every time he would come in, my heart would skip a beat. Eventually I mustered some courage to talk to him and it paid off! After about two and half years into our relationship, Rich asked me to marry him with the ring of my dreams.

Living in Los Angeles, falling in love here and having our families near by, there was no question that we wanted our wedding to be here. I have to admit, that I have long been pouring over wedding magazines and blogs. When we got engaged the wheels were already turning about the style of our wedding. I was torn in a few different directions. The day we walked into the Luxe Hotel to see this potential wedding venue, everything just clicked. Right away it felt right and Richard and I knew this was where we wanted to get married. Our color palette of blush, champagne and cream fell into place to create the romantic, understated, elegant and clean feel we were looking for and was only amplified by the serene setting the Luxe Hotel provides. We knew what we wanted every detail to look like and I’ve been teased a bit by family about my “vision” as I called it through the planning process. I knew exactly what I wanted everything to look and feel like- from the cake, to the escort table, to the invitations and the amazing party that followed our ceremony. My husband sells commercial printing and we were able to work with an artist to design our stationery and have it printed on a letterpress. Florals were a big part of achieving “my vision”, using cream flowers and choosing only a few types of flowers to make an impact. I have to give a nod to our groomsmen who looked so handsome in their gray tuxes and pink gingham bow ties that coordinated with our bridesmaid dresses and my pink peony bouquet. I wanted to incorporate my family history into the day and my bouquet was the canvas; it was wrapped in trim from my mother’s wedding gown and adorned with a bracelet and pin belonging to my late maternal grandmother.

Our wedding day was incredible and we had the best time! We loved how everything turned out, but more than anything, we were blown away by the love we felt not only from each other, but from our family and friends who made the day all the more special. One of the highlights for both of us was doing our first look. It was emotional and really so amazing to see each other transformed to “bride and groom” for the first time that day. We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome and we feel so lucky that our amazing photographer, Heidi Ryder, was able to capture this exactly the way we dreamed.

Wedding Photography: Heidi Ryder / Wedding Cake: Cake Crumbs / Macarons: Vanilla Bakeshop / Floral Design: Blossom Floral / Event Lighting, Rentals, Linens: Designer Event Rentals / Coordination: Wish Wonder Dream / Wedding Cinematography: Timeline LA / Invitations: Satsuki Shibuya of Theong of Zakka Nouveau / Wedding Dress: Pronovias / Bride’s Shoes: Badgely Mischka / Hair Clip: BHLDN / Jewelry: Nadri / Men’s Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse / Men’s Bowties: The Tie Bar / Make-up: Kelly Jordan / Hair: Dry Bar

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Post tags: Badgley Mischka, BHLDN, Blossom Floral, Cake Crumbs, Designer Event Rentals, Dry Bar, Heidi Ryder, Kelly Jordan, Men's Warehouse, Nadri, Pronovias, The Tie Bar, Theong of Zakka Nouvea, Timeline LA, Vanilla Bakeshop, Wish Wonder Dream
Post categories: The Blog

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From the Bride… We decided on Shutters on the Beach because it has both the New England feel of where Aaron’s from and the quintessential view of the Santa Monica Pier that I grew up with. Then I got cracking. I bought “The Wedding Book” by Mindy Weiss, which was the next best thing to having a wedding planner. It offers insight on various traditions, gives advice for navigating tricky situations, hits all of the practical info, and provides the all-important checklists for every aspect of the planning. I merged her to-do lists in an excel document with things I’d learned from assorted articles and then I divided our projects up by month, week and day according to our timeline. I’m very right-brain, left-brain, so creating this doc from the get-go eased a lot of pressure and gave me the time and space to be creative.

I probably spent the most time working on the stationery with the very talented and thoughtful Jonathan Wright. I wanted something that reflected Aaron and me, and that also previewed the wedding to come, which was still somewhat of a mystery at this point. It didn’t help that I became addicted to the blog Oh So Beautiful Paper; everyday it gave me a new inspiration and a totally different idea for the invitations. In the end, it was this Modest Mouse record art that set the wheels in motion. Aaron proposed in a hot-air balloon and I love the symbolism of the anchor. For our other stationery, we worked with our friend (and Aaron’s groomsman) Mark Dawursk. He normally has an edgy sensibility, so I felt bad asking him to work with a pale pink and grey color scheme. His designs were a huge hit, though, and the next morning our Facebook pages were inundated with photos of Mark’s menu.

Writing the ceremony also became a passion project. It was so much fun to reflect on our nine-year relationship and get all of those emotions down on paper. Aaron and I took turns writing passages and then I edited it down. If you have it in you to write your ceremony, you should give it a shot because it becomes one of the most meaningful parts of your day. Another highlight was finding my wedding dress, though initially it was the thing I was most anxious about. My mom and I stopped into Badgley Mischka on a fluke and it turned out they had gowns upstairs. I fell in love with the “Fifi” style and that was that. I was so excited about it that I couldn’t sleep the next few nights.

There were all of the small moments in between too: Helping Aaron put stickers on the candy bags (and eating the candy that we should have been saving for the dessert table), getting our first correspondence addressed to us as a married couple, watching my grandma teach Aaron how to dance… If I were to pick one single moment to capture in a jar forever, it would be the ceremony overlooking the ocean during the part of the day when the sun makes everything glow. We were so excited, and so nervous, and so in love. We laughed, we cried, we kissed before we were supposed to. I could stay in that moment forever. I’m really glad we took photos after the ceremony too, because that’s when we felt the giddiest. We’d also done our engagement photos with our photographer, Sarah Yates, a few months beforehand, so we were really comfortable her. Plus, time spent with Sarah feels like an adventure. She’s fun and spirited and natural — it’s hard not to feel like you’ve known her forever. (Meanwhile, back at the venue, all of our friends seemed to develop crushes on her assistant Jack.)

Later, it was also thrilling to see the ballroom for the first time, and to see that we could transform it into a warm and intimate room. All of the details had come together — our favorite jazz band, the delicious dinner, the soft pink flowers, the dessert table — and our first dance wasn’t nearly the mess we thought it’d be (although it was still more comedy routine than “Dancing with the Stars”). But most of all, it was the heartfelt speeches and being surrounded by our friends and family that we’ll remember most.

Wedding Photography: Sarah Yates Photography / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Venue: Shutters on the Beach / Hair & Makeup: Fiore Beauty / Wedding Cake & Desserts: Vanilla Bakeshop / Wedding Gown: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaid Dresses: Jim Hjelm / Floral Design: Yvonne Van Pelt of Empty Vase / Ceremony & Cocktail Band: de Bois Entertainment / Dinner & Dancing Band: Big Willie’s Burlesque / DJ: Ian Gotler of RedShoe Productions / Officiant: Dr. Robert A. Ringler of Bel-Air Wedding Ceremonies / Stationer: Jonathan Wright and Company

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Post tags: Badgley Mischka, Ballroom Reception, Bel-Air Wedding Ceremonies, Big Willie's Burlesque, CA, California, Candy Bar, De Bois Entertainment, Empty Vase, Fiore Beauty, Fuchsia, Green, Jim Hjelm, Jonathan Wright and Company, Ocean View, Outdoor Wedding, Pink, RedShoe Productions, Santa Monica, Sarah Yates Photography, Shutters on the Beach, Southern California Wedding, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

click here to see the full gallery!

Jeremy and I had moved into our home about 8 months ago but still hadn’t had a “housewarming” of any kind, so after we got engaged we thought this would be the perfect time to have our friends and family over to celebrate! Since our wedding is taking place in later this year in Hawaii and will be full of bright colors, we wanted to keep the engagement party in metallics – think gold, silver, sparkles and black.

We used a gorgeous gold crinkle paper for our round invitations and I also glued crystals onto each one to add a little bling!

Beth transformed our small backyard into a comfortably elegant lounge area using hanging lanterns to help set the mood. We thought this would create a nice balance of casual and chic for our friends and family to enjoy! Guests headed inside for our heavy hors d’oeuvres display and Beth also created a fabulous champagne cocktail bar complete with our custom cocktail napkins! We made adorable swizzle sticks to tie it all together and everyone indulged in the delcious skewers, champagne, wine and strawberry margaritas.

The evening flowed like a cocktail hour, with everyone mingling, chatting and catching a glimpse of our photo slideshow which we had up on our tv to brighten up the room (big thanks to Steve Steinhardt for producing our engagement photos so quickly!), and at the end of the night we all enjoyed desserts out in the lounge area…we of course had comfy blankets and heaters to keep warm on the cool night.

Event Design: Beth Helmstetter Events / Photography: Steve Steinhardt Photography / Calligraphy and Paper Details: Laura Hooper Calligraphy / Hair + Makeup by Summer Noelle / Catering: Joan’s on Third / Desserts by Vanilla Bakeshop / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

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Post tags: Beth Helmstetter, California Weddings, Classic Party Rentals, engagement party, Joan's on Third, Laura Hooper, Los Angeles, Steve Steinhardt, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: Real Parties

click here to see the full gallery!

Sigh. Didn’t I tell you it was good? Well brace yourselves. One of our very favorite SMP friends, Curtis Heyne of Living Cinema sent over a little vignette of the day as well. But beware, it’s kind of like all of that goodness taken to an entirely new level…

click here to see the full gallery!

Our ceremony and cocktail hour were held at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, tucked away from the city in a quiet garden. We had originally envisioned a modern wedding in an industrial space, but as the planning process unfolded that vision completely changed. My mother owned a store that sold antique furniture when I was young, and images from that part of my life ended up guiding the design. I started with a paisley-patterned fabric for inspiration. I ended up using this fabric throughout the wedding, and the invitations and cake were both designed with the print in mind.

It was important to us to include Persian traditions in our ceremony, representing the blending of our families and our cultures. In one tradition, women who are happily married sprinkle sugar over the couple to symbolize sweetness in the marriage, while in another ritual the bride and groom give each other a taste of honey. We knew the ceremony would be amazing, but had no idea how profound those short twenty minutes would be. Amir’s uncle served as our officiant, and had us laughing and crying from one minute to the next! The ceremony so perfectly reflected our personalities, and was truly amazing.

After the ceremony we celebrated at the London West Hollywood Hotel, where hand- picked and hand-made items were incorporated into the decor. My mom collected an assortment of blue vases from e-bay that we used as centerpieces. Amir and my dad also helped by restoring old frames we picked up at thrift shops to use in the escort card display.

Our guests danced the night away and hammed it up at the photo kiosk, which was an absolute hit! Later in the night we were surprised by an on-the-spot spoken word performance and more than one dance-off. What a party! We had an unforgettable day and are beyond blessed be surrounded by so much love.

Photography: ErinHeartsCourt /  Ceremony Location: Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills / Reception Location: The London West Hollywood Hotel / Coordination: Fresh Events Company / Flowers: La Partie Events / Cinematography: Living Cinema / Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier /Bridesmaids Dresses: Amsale / Groom’s Suit: Theory / Cake: Vanilla Bakeshop / Invitations: Wiley Valentine / Photo Kiosk: Lensley / Bride’s Shoes: Valentino /  Bride’s Earrings: Nadri / Bride’s Robe: Anthropologie

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Post tags: Amsale, Beverly Hills, California Weddings, Erin Heart's Court, Fresh Events Company, Greystone Mansion, La Partie Events, Lensley, Living Cinema, Los Angeles, Monique Lhuillier, The London West Hollywood Hotel, Vanilla Bakeshop, Wiley Valentine
Post categories: Traditional Elegance

{click here to see all of the images}

In an effort to stay as close to “reality” as possible, we created many of the other details of the day ourselves.  Napkins were sewn by hand from fabric bought in Los Angeles’s garment district, as were the burlap and silk table runners.  Milk glass and cake plates were gathered from our own collections.  While the silverware was purchased new especially for the shoot, it could just as easily have come from a thrift store (granted, collecting vintage silverware for 150 people would be pricey!) or rented.  The wedges of cheese were wrapped in inexpensive but lovely muslin, and tied with baker’s twine.  Our biggest undertaking was the backdrop we created for our ceremony!  Again, we used inexpensive cotton fabrics and burlap and attached them to a wooden backdrop.  It was time consuming, but super fun to work on, and very inexpensive.  We’d love to see more brides incorporate custom backdrops into their ceremonies or receptions.  A nice way to personalize and spice up an outdoor event!

The Vendors

Styling and Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events + Lindsey Hinderer & April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography / Photography: April Killingsworth & Lindsey Hinderer of Sweet Monday Photography / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Cake & Sweets: Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop / Stationery & Paper: Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie / Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray / Make & Hair: Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty

The Good Stuff

Birdcage Veil: Le Chic Studio / Chairs: Fete Accompli Events / Sea Salt Caramels: Little Flower Candy Co. / Pies – Dupar’s / Cheese: The CheeseStore of Silverlake / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Anthropologie / Wedding Gown: Edgardo Bonilla / Plates and rubber lace Coasters: Gretel

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Post tags: Fiore Beauty, From Inspiration to Reality, Kathryn Murray, La Partie Events, MaeMae Paperie, Sweet Monday, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

We always think it’s a good idea for couples to start planning the look and feel of their day based around what aspect is most important to them, and for us, that was the FOOD!  Our design began to come together as we discussed ideas for the sweets table and the guest favors.  We knew we’d have some pies, but we also wanted to incorporate some other treats, and the bundt cake and sea salt caramels made their way into the plan.  We brought Amy from the wonderful Vanillla Bake Shop on board to create a cake that would be a perfect mix of the down home feel of the rest of our desserts and the more glam elements we were bringing in with the rest of the shoot.  Once we found a perfect pink birdcage veil for our bride, Amy gave our cake a veil of it’s own!  For our favors, we selected artisan cheeses and gave each guest a wedge of their own, along with cheese knives and mini graters.

Next we brought in Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie and calligrapher Kathryn Murrayy to create the paper goodness that would tie all the parts of the day together.  Especially when incorporating several different “feels” in a wedding, as we did, it’s wonderful to have a suite of paper elements to unify the look, from the invitation through the reception.

The Vendors

Styling and Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events + Lindsey Hinderer & April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography / Photography: April Killingsworth & Lindsey Hinderer of Sweet Monday Photography / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Cake & Sweets: Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop / Stationery & Paper: Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie / Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray / Make & Hair: Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty

The Good Stuff

Birdcage Veil: Le Chic Studio / Chairs: Fete Accompli Events / Sea Salt Caramels: Little Flower Candy Co. / Pies – Dupar’s / Cheese: The CheeseStore of Silverlake / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Anthropologie / Wedding Gown: Edgardo Bonilla / Plates and rubber lace Coasters: Gretel

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Post tags: Fiore Beauty, From Inspiration to Reality, Kathryn Murray, La Partie Events, MaeMae Paperie, Sweet Monday, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality

{click here to see the inspiration board that started it all}

In searching through the inspiration boards for our favorite, the first thing we fell in love with about the board Shawna created was the dreamy color palette. We were drawn to the contrast of the dark berry with the pale shades of pink. We also loved that the elements in the board appealed to both our homey sides (those pies!) and our glamorous sides (that dress!), and we hoped that in order to keep things fresh, we could inject a little bit of a modern feel into the shoot as well.

As wedding vendors and former brides, we know all too well how easy it is to blow your wedding budget – things add up fast! In conceiving this shoot, we really wanted to try as much as possible to keep things realistic overall. We did allow ourselves a few splurges – namely, Ghost chairs for the table and some seriously gorgeous flowers for the centerpieces and bouquets, but we know that in an actual wedding with 20 plus tables, those items alone would eat up a large portion of any budget. So for the rest of the shoot, we tried as much as possible to sway toward the “reality” side of things, and choose just a few things that we felt were really important to the overall look.

The Vendors

Styling and Coordination: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events + Lindsey Hinderer & April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography / Photography: April Killingsworth & Lindsey Hinderer of Sweet Monday Photography / Flowers: Megan Fickling of La Partie Events / Cake & Sweets: Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop / Stationery & Paper: Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie / Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray / Make & Hair: Jaimi Brooks of Fiore Beauty

The Good Stuff

Birdcage Veil: Le Chic Studio / Chairs: Fete Accompli Events / Sea Salt Caramels: Little Flower Candy Co. / Pies – Dupar’s / Cheese: The CheeseStore of Silverlake / Bridesmaid’s Dress: Anthropologie / Wedding Gown: Edgardo Bonilla / Plates and rubber lace Coasters: Gretel

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fiore Beauty, From Inspiration to Reality, Kathryn Murray, La Partie Events, MaeMae Paperie, Sweet Monday, Vanilla Bakeshop
Post categories: From Inspiration to Reality