melissa + garland

08.03.12 -- I had the honor and privilege of coordinating Melissa & Garland's wedding this past August.  It was my first event to kick off the "school year" (working for a university I still think in terms of school years) so there was a lot more mental preparation going into this event just because I had a more relaxed summer doing more research and design work than actual event coordination.  It was long, but completely God-centered wedding, and we only had a couple snags along the way.

The wedding took place at the Vibiana downtown, a Los Angeles Cultural Monument, and L.A.'s first cathedral.  A beautiful venue in and of itself, the hall is completely transformed when the sun goes down and the colored lighting highlight the architectural columns and details of the space.  

My favorite detail was the white cherry blossom trees that Garland and Melissa brought in to frame the aisle and line the sides of the room.  They helped create a more intimate and elegant feel to the space.  Simple potted orchids served as the centerpieces and hand sewn table runners were just a small detail that kept the tables from looking empty.  

The reception started off with an incredibly energetic and choreographed first dance by the couple, whose energy carried the guests to the dance floor by the end of the evening.  It was a great time for everyone there.

Thank you, Melissa and Garland, for giving me the opportunity to share in your special day!  Hope you're both enjoying married life! 

All photos are courtesy of Nate Goins Photography. For more photos, click here.


Vendors
Venue: Vibiana, Nicole Kingston
Lounge Furniture: AFR Furniture Rental, Rhonda Boyer
Catering: Jay's Catering, Patti Robledo
Photography: Nate Goins Photography
Video: Anthony Ma
Lighting & Audio: Amber Events
Officiant: Kenny Peavy

brie + robert

I had the privilege of coordinating Brie and Robert's wedding in the beginning of October at the beautiful Majestic Halls downtown.  A newer venue to the Los Angeles area, this historic bank created the perfect backdrop for Brie and Robert's special day.  Close friends and freelance set designers Seth Bauer (I help coordinate his and Ziza's, the matron of honor, wedding last November -- see the post here!) and Christian Snell did an amazing job transforming the space with tall trees lining the room and black duvetyne draping from the balconies.  The tables were adorned with bountiful amounts of fruits on vintage platters couple with chandeliers to create a classic and vintage look.

See the beautiful photos below by Joseph and Jenny Llanes -- it was great working with you two again!

Brie and Robert, thanks for letting me be part of your special day!

Vendors
Venue: Majestic Halls, Ashley Cole
Catering: Dean Kahn Catering
Photography: Llanes Weddings
Video: Paperback Weddings -- check out their beautiful video here!
Florals: Claudia Johnston
Hair & Makeup: Lorena
Decor: Seth Bauer and Christian Snell
Officiant: Tim Chaddick
Dress: Vera Wang

jacqueline + jake

Hello, readers. I apologize for my extremely long absence from this blog, but I'm back and will be posting more weddings and events in the coming months!  First up is a beautiful wedding photographed by my friend, Lauren Hom of Hom Photography.  Jacqueline is a fellow Trojan alum so I'm excited to share this with you! 

Lauren and her brother began doing photography together less than a year ago -- since last spring. However, it is a passion that has run through the family. They have one of their grandfather's old cameras and pictures he took during WWII. He was intrigued by it his whole life, even in his last days! Her dad actually pursued photography in his college studies, and so they both grew up learning the basics because of it. Thankfully, their dad kept a lot of his stuff, which they are able to use even today -- so cool!

It's amazing how much emotion you can capture in each picture, and Lauren and Bryan definitely showcased how great they are at what they do with each and every picture from this wedding.  My favorite is the joy that you feel as Jacqueline and Jake and recessing down the aisle.  Such a great picture! Be sure to check out their website here!

"The Wedding Song" -- an original by Cameron Ernst

Choosing the right music for your wedding can be tough.  Brides are still trying to find an alternative to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce for the bouquet toss, and I think we're all a little tired of hearing Pachabel Canon in D.  Among other things, music is yet another aspect of your wedding that you can make all your own.  For one bride, my college friend, singer/songwriter Cameron Ernst, wrote a beautiful original piece for her wedding, "The Wedding Song" -- which just might be the wedding song you were looking for...    

The Backstory: My best friend's sister was getting married and wanted me to play at her wedding and I thought it would be cool if I wrote a song.  I had something I had been working on and decided to write a "wedding song." It turned into "The Wedding Song" which I performed at her wedding on December 11, 2010.  For the bridal party entrance and bridal procession, I played just the music of "The Wedding Song." For their first dance, I played and sang "The Wedding Song" that way people would recognize it from when she walked down the aisle! That was her idea :) I gave them the recorded version of "The Wedding Song" for a wedding gift, but then I was thinking I wanted to release it to the public.  I came up with a marketing plan with the help of my friend, Devon, to invite others to a private "Wedding Listening Party" where 8 fans were selected to hear the song before anyone else.  I officially released the song with a video on January 31st and the song is also on iTunes!

About the Video: The music video is all stop motion, which means I took a bunch of pictures and put them together to make a "flipbook" looking movie. All of the pictures were taken on my iPhone and then I Instragrammed (an iPhone app) them all. I used Bananagram letters for the lyrics, a ring box and Stella Dot ring, a Build-a-Bear, and roses. The couple at the beginning of the music video is my parents (pictures from their wedding a long time ago!) and the old couple at the end is my grandparents.  It was a blast putting it all together.  

I've known Cameron since my freshmen year in college and it has been exciting for me to see him pursue his dream as a musician.  Originally from the small town of Wichita, Kansas, Cameron is currently in the Texas area, constantly writing and looking for opportunities to get his music heard.  Most recently, Cameron wrote the song "Love is Louder," inspried by the Love is Louder movement started by actress Brittany Snow in response to all the recent suicides from bullying.  You can download this song for free at http://www.noisetrade.com/cameronernst!   

If you would like to hear more of Cameron, or stay updated on his new music (he tells me that there's new music coming soon!), follow his fan page at http://www.facebook.com/cameronernstmusic!

nicole + seth

I met Nicole and Seth through my community group with Reality LA.  As with every wedding I've coordinated so far, it always starts with an offer to help.  Little did I know how much of a blessing I could be to the both of them and it was such a privilege to serve both of them on their wedding day!

It's always so special for me to get to work with couples whose relationship is centered in Christ, and it is so apparent how much God is present in Nicole and Seth's relationship and I'm excited to see the ways He is going to work through the two of them together.

Of all the weddings I've attended so far, theirs was by far the most unique.  Set in a random warehouse in downtown (Seth found it while scouting locations for his job), it was awesome to see the place transformed into an elegant rustic environment with mason jar centerpieces, handmade boutonnieres and headbands made by the bride, and lots of other details that made their day true to the couple.

The cupcakes and appetizers were graciously provided by Sanaz of Fixa Catering.  She did an amazing job, and I loved the use of bricks and empty pictures frames for the display.  Food was provided by Crepes Bonaparte, a fun and cost-effective alternative to the typical banquet menu!

Of course, no words can ever describe the beauty of each wedding, so thank goodness for excellent photographers like Jenny and Joseph Llanes of Llanes Weddings who captured their wedding day amazingly.  Check out these photos belows -- be sure to check out their blog for more pictures!

On top of everything, they had the sweetest getaway car EVER!

Thanks Seth and Ziza for letting me be a part of your special day!

a little something for the gentlemen...

I think it's safe to say that the majority of my readers are female, but for all you male readers who are looking for some inspiration -- this one's for you!

There's always so much focus on finding the perfect dress, what color the bridesmaids dresses are, their style, the shoes, the veil...the list goes on and on.  It may seem like your apparel options are limited to a tux, and...well, a tux.  Granted, you can go jacketless, add a vest, change the color of your vest.  But don't worry you've got lots of options too!  Here are some fun alternatives & additions to the traditional suit and tie.

1.  Opt for a colorful bow-tie instead of a tie...

Not only the bowties...but suspenders anyone?
Image Credit: Aaron Shintaku Photography

...or stay classy with a black one.  James Bond style (you know you've always wanted to rock that look).

2.  Change up the shoes. 

Rocking the Converses.
Image Credit: Aaron Shintaku Photography

I'm sure these are way more comfortable than your dress shoes!
Image Credit: Ashley Rose Photography

3.  Let your boutonneire reflect who you are.  No, you don't have to wear fresh flowers if you don't want to. I fell in love with these on Green Wedding Shoes by Lauryl Lane!

For all you music lovers.
Image Credit: Alec Vanderboom

 Also, check out these fabric ones by JL Designs!

Image Credit: Ashley Rose Photography

So there's a few ideas that I hope inspire you today!

strut your stuff

So when you typically think of the colors that a bride can wear on her wedding day you think...

White. Ivory. Silver (maybe?). Red? Purple? ...

Seem strange?  I mean, the first time I saw a bride in grey I'll admit I was a little shocked.  But the more weddings I've done, it seems that all the rules of what we consider "traditional" for weddings are slowly being broken, including the "bride has to be in all white" rule.  It seems that color has been sneaking its way into all aspects of the bride's attire (I mean how could we resist, colors are great)! 

Of the many ways color has been incorporated into bridal attire, my favorite trend are shoes, especially the bright colored ones (I'm a big fan of bright colors)!  I may be slightly biased -- I have a pair of purple ruffle booties that I LOVE, but also, I think colors are a way of communicating your personality (i.e. bright = loud, happy, excited, optimistic).  And it's just one more way to make your wedding day special!  So if you decide to opt for the not-so-typical bridal shoe, be sure to hike up your dress a little and show them off on your big day!

Image Credit: Natalie Moser, TOMS Shoes - Jessica Hill Photography

Image credit: Cory Parris Photography

Image Credit: SimplyTwo Photography