nathalie + paul mills

Sunny clear blue skies. A slight breeze. Nathalie and Paul couldn’t have chosen a better day for their ocean view wedding at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach. It was definitely the cherry on top to a beautiful wedding.Every detail contributed to the overall elegance of the day, from the concha shells on the ceremony table to the cones filled with rose petals for the guests to toss.

I had that privilege of helping out at their wedding with Ashley Powell of Agape Planning, LLC. I began interning with Ashley in April. As an intern, I help her out with the day-of coordination, doing everything from setting up the reception to cleaning up. Every wedding is a learning experience, so here’s a few gems I’ve taken away:

lesson #1: You can never have too many rose petals.
Put them everywhere. And even when it seems there’s no place for them, you see another table that could benefit from just few more rose petals.lesson #2: Mini LED lights are awesome!
Who knew something so small could make such a big difference? These things added a nice touch to the beautiful centerpieces.
lesson #3: ORCHIDS. YES.
They’re beautiful. Enough said.lesson #4: Everyone loves a good surprise.
Ashley and I decorated Nathalie and Paul’s suite with leftover rose petals and candles unbeknownst to them. Hopefully they enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed decorating it. Here are a few photos: With a Tiffany blue (who knew there was a color associated with my name!) and brown color scheme, the Vista Ballroom was transformed into a beautiful beach themed reception. Here are some detail photos:
At the end of the day I was exhausted. I had been on my feet since 1:30 p.m. and it was now 1:00 a.m. I’ll be honest, not everything about wedding planning is glamorous. Not many list raking up rose petals or lighting candles in the job description. But the more I learn about the hospitality industry, the more I realize, it’s not about me. I want to do this so that other people like Nathalie and Paul can enjoy one of the best days of their life without having to worry about who’s picking up the linens or if the cake is going to arrive on time.

And the joy of making their day special makes it all worth it.…not to mention the free filet mignon, red velvet cake, and flowers were a nice bonus.