CONGRATULATIONS KATIE AND STEVE!

Once October rolled around and we thought we'd closed the chapter on our 2011 wedding season, all of a sudden the phone rang. It was Katie, a bride who was only a month away from her wedding and had a falling-out with her previous wedding coordinator. She was very upset and in need of a coordinator who could jump in right away and help her and her mother tie up all their loose ends. I arranged a meeting with them that weekend and we began immediately. Katie and her mother Christine had done a fabulous job with all their plans and I was very excited to be getting involved.

 Katie and Steve chose to have a Mass at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church followed by a "Christmas at the Beach" reception at The Malibu West Beach Club. Katie brought her love of evergreens and pine cones to the beach club where her brother had been married years before and the two themes meshed surprisingly well.

Katie's parents let us know about a very special surprise they planned for Katie and her new husband Steve. They had invited the USC marching band to come for a surprise performance. We decided that just after dinner and before the dancefloor opened would be the perfect time and it was a blast greeting them at the door and sneaking them into the staging room. I'll admit that it was tough being amongst all that Trojan pride (being a very proud Bruin myself) but I got over it just long enough to pull the big surprise off without a hitch. Katie, a proud Trojan and huge fan of the band, was absolutely floored when the roar of the trumpets echoed in the room as the band marched in. They played for a good 15 minutes and Katie danced like a crazed fan the entire time. She couldn't have loved it more and it was amazing to watch!

It was AWESOME helping to pull this fantastic event off in the final month and it was such an honor being asked to step in at such a crucial time. We were thrilled to have been able to help and it was the perfect close of our 2011 season.

Thanks so much to Heidi Ryder Photography for these gorgeous photos!

And here is the gorgeous video from JakPhoto. We're so happy the videographer took our suggestion and used the audio of the bridesmaids, maid of honor, and the bride's mother signing "Going to the Chapel." It was such a beautiful moment when they sang it to Katie as she prepared to walk down the aisle. Such a lovely video!

Katie & Steve 12.10.11 from Jakfoto Films on Vimeo.

Congratulations Josh and Alissa!

It was such an amazing evening when we had the pleasure of coordinating Josh and Alissa's wedding at the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica. Let's back up just a little bit and discuss how we all met. Another couple we were working with named Desiree and Rich met Josh and Alissa at a retreat they all went on through their temples. They completely hit it off and became fast friends. This was a perfect coincidence because their weddings fell within 2 weeks of each other so Alissa and Desiree had a lot of fun planning together. About a month before their wedding we got an email from Alissa saying that she'd been referred through Desiree and that she and her fiance Josh would like to come in for a meeting. The three of us hit it off immediately as well and I knew from the get-go that I really really wanted to work with them because they seemed like SO much fun. Plus I alreay loved Desiree and Rich so I knew any friends of theirs would be very cool people. I had the pleasure of seeing Josh and Alissa when they attended Desiree and Rich's wedding and then I had the pleasure of seeing Desiree and Rich, just off their minimoon, at Josh and Alissa's wedding. I do hope we'll all keep in touch because it's been completely wonderful getting to know all of you!

Here are some pictures from Alissa and Josh's wedding. Their color scheme was fantastic and their 27 person wedding party consisted of ridiculously fun and photogenic people. The huge, magnificent, centerpieces were to die for and the DJ kept the dancefloor completely packed all night. What a great experience this has been. Congratulations to Josh and Alissa and now enjoy these beautiful photos from Rob Greer Photography!

 

And one photo we took to show their gorgeous centerpieces:

  

Congratulations Ashley and Dan!

Oh my gosh, where do we even start with the fabulous Ashley and Dan? This silly, fun-loving, warm, and wonderful couple was such a blast to work with! Their wedding was held in the beginning of October at The Sunset Restaurant in Malibu. When Ashley came into our office for the first time about a year ago, she said she wanted a white wedding. As the conversations progressed we realized more and more that Ashley was not a white wedding kind of girl and that some splashy colors would really bring out her fun personality. It finally came out that Ashley was just nervous about choosing colors because she hadn't designed an event of this magnitude before and didn't know where to begin. So we spent time looking through photos and trying to get a feel for the colors that would really make Ashley (and Dan) most happy. We decided on lime green and navy, complete with limes in vases, floating green spider mums, and beach balls. We are so happy Ashley went with her instinct and we were honored to help because what developed was a colorful and bright wedding palette - which perfectly represented Ashley and Dan's fun-loving nature. Dan's choice of music was amazing and each song kept getting better and better throughout the night! He even found a beautiful Elvis song for his mother/son dance that we don't think anyone has ever even heard of. Congratulations Ashley and Dan! It was a blast!

To see more images from this wedding view photographer Karen L. Barnes' blog here:

http://blog.karenlbarnes.com/