anna + andre

I'm so excited to get to share this real "lovebird" wedding with you! I met Anna and Andre through my community group at Reality LA and it has been such a blessing to see both their love for each other and love for God grow. 

They got married on a beautiful summer day at Hartley Botanica, a beautiful garden venue located in Simi Valley.  Her inspiration for the bird theme came from Matthew 10:29 --

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father."

With the wedding being in a garden she knew she wanted to incorporate that verse and her love for birds.  Most of her inspiration came from Etsy (an excellent resource), nature, and her husband's New Zealand heritage.  For example, the candy in the favor bags were from New Zealand.

I loved the hanging flowers in mason jars during the ceremony, such a beautiful backdrop for their wedding.  Here are some pictures from their wedding!

Favorite moment of the day: Our first kiss ever!

Any planning advice for future brides? Don't be afraid to ask friends for help (one friend sang, another did my makeup, and another made the invites and seating chart).  Also, don't be super picky about little details - it will keep things more relaxed.

I hear it again and again, that it's not so much about the wedding as it is about the marriage.  Keep that in mind when things start to feel a little (or really) stressful or hectic.  The wedding is a celebration of your marriage, so let it be a memory that you can look back on with joy -- as a time spent growing in your relationship with your fiance.

vic + jake

We prayed for sunny days, but got a light mist instead.  But even the weather could not even dampen the joy that was surrounding Jake and Vic's wedding day.

I was so excited when Jake and Vic asked me to help coordinate their wedding!  I never expected to be fully coordinating a wedding so soon -- I had every intention of putting wedding planning on hold because I just started a new full time job, and for me, well, weddings could wait.  But I guess God had different plans in mind.

I met Jake and Vic through Athletes in Action.  From the start it was apparent how much Jake and Vic desired to glorify God through their relationship, and I feel so blessed to have helped them on their wedding day.  I loved that in moments where Vic and I both felt stressed out or overwhelmed, we could stop and pray for peace -- because the only reason I have peace in stressful situations is because of God.

With every wedding or event I coordinate, I always learn something new.  I learned a lot of "somethings" at this wedding that I'd like to share with you!  After all, this blog is a way of documenting my journey.

1. Double check who's going to have the rings on the day of the weddings.  And ALWAYS check to make sure the rings are on-site.  They happen to be one of the most important parts of the wedding ceremony, but even the bride and groom tend to forget about them on the wedding day.  Entrust them to either the best man or maid of honor.
2. Anticipate, anticipate, anticipate -- even when you feel like you have all your bases covered, keep looking for ways to over prepare.
3. Rain doesn't ruin everything. Okay, well it does create some difficulties, but the overcast sky can create some really awesome lighting (so check out the amazing pictures below!)

I still have so much to learn about this industry, but I'm excited to continue to grow in my abilities as an event planner. 

Now for my favorite part -- the pictures, graciously provided by Michael JT Photgraphy and Montana Dennis.  They're both awesome photographers with great energy and enthusiasm to their work -- I had so much fun working with them!  Be sure to check them out if you're looking for a photographer!

 

 

 

 

Clearly, we had lots of fun! (Montana, Me, Mike -- L to R)

For more amazing pictures, check out his blog!