Casey & Brando's Wedding

Casey and Brando coincidently attended the same high school yet Casey, being two years younger than Brando, was just a little freshman with a school girl crush. It wasn’t until Brando graduated that Casey captured his heart and he surprised her with a first date at Seaworld in San Diego! They quickly built a strong connection and soon fell in love but it wasn’t until later that they discovered another connection they’d shared for years but had no idea existed.

As a girl, Casey and her mother frequented a post office that sold hand-painted greeting cards by a local woman from Lake Arrowhead. The artist told Casey and her mom the story behind her work and how she decided to sell her art to support her family.  Touched by the woman’s story and her incredible talent, Casey and her mother bought them whenever they could. After a year of dating, Brando noticed the cards at Casey's parent's house and said "Those are my mother's cards!”

Brando proposed in Coronado after sending her on an eight hour scavenger hunt which consisted of activities like yoga, a picnic lunch with her parents, and beer at a brewery with some of Brando's friends and brothers. The day ended with Casey riding her bike around Coronado and arriving back at the spot she had her picnic lunch, to find Brando waiting for her with a view overlooking downtown San Diego.  

When Casey told me she envisioned the wedding having a natural and organic feel, I thought of ways to keep with various outdoor elements by using hues of sage, mustard, and brown for the fall season. The large ficus tree in the backyard became a major focal point for much of the detail in Casey and Brando’s wedding.  For their engagement photos, they carved their initials into the tree, creating a unique prop for the shoot.  This concept grew even further when Jody, Brando’s mother, drew a symbol of a tree, incorporating a “K” as the trunk. The tree motif was found in various elements of the wedding; the invitations printed on wood, the decoration on the cake, and even the note on their wedding favor, The Giving Tree. 

The tree became a symbol of Casey and Brando’s union. The strength of a tree tied in well with the idea of a strong foundation in love. This concept grew further when I suggested creating tree-like structures from branches for the centerpieces. As a result, the Moss’s began to collect tree branch clippings from their own backyard. After being dried for a year, these clippings ultimately became the foundation for the six foot tree centerpieces. Romantically decorated with flowers, greens, and hanging candles, these original centerpieces were a perfect complement to Casey and Brando’s vision.

Casey's gorgeous corset and skirt were designed by Monique Lhullier.

The maid of honor is Casey’s older sister and best friend. To her sister's right is Brando’s older sister, and two of Casey’s best friends stand on the left. The flower girl is Casey's cousin and Casey was her parent’s flower girl years ago.

 

Brando’s best man was his best childhood friend. In fact, it was the best mans’ father who married Casey and Brando. Brando also had his two brothers, Casey’s brother, and a childhood friend along side him. 

We always love to watch the groom’s expression as the bride walks down the aisle; but Brando's was especially moving. We staged the ceremony so that Casey would come down the side lawn, allowing all the guests to see her before Brando; this really created an element of suspense and surprise for the groom, and you could see in Brando’s face, as Casey came into sight, the pure joy he was feeling in knowing she was about to become his wife.  

Wedding Planner: A Divine-Occasion

Photography: Cean One Photography

Cake: Great Dane Bakery
Beautician: Karen Allen Salon and Spa
Dress: Monique Lhuillier
Bridal Salon: The White Dress
Calligrapher: Kathryn Murray Calligraphy
Caterer: Choura Events, La Bodega Wine and Spirits Superstore
Entertainment: Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment
Florist: A Divine-Occasion
Gifts and Party Favors: Barnes & Noble, Old Navy
Jeweler: Bon Bon by Micah Yancey, Starz Selection
Linens: Wildflower Linen
Rental Supplies: AFR Event Furnishings, ANZA Party Rentals
Stationery: Cards of Wood, Delights and Invites, Jenny Gray, Milkfed Press
Transportation: Sunset Parking Service

Save the Veil: When the Wind Blows...Your Veil Won't!

I've found a great product that every bride planning an outdoor wedding should consider. If your wedding will be on the beach, at the desert, or on a yacht; you need Veil Weights! Not only are these Veil Weights practical, they're gorgeous!

Jill Watson, a Southern California Wedding Planner, came up with the idea for Save the Veil after coordinating several weddings where windy conditions made her brides' veils blow around, causing frustration and disrupting the ceremony and photos. Jill decided that there must be a way to tame the veils. She created some beautiful magnetic jewelry pieces that can be easily attached to a bride's veil.

These little pieces of jewelry are made with genuine mother of pearl and swarovski crystals; they're magnetic and easily slip on and off your veil. When your wedding day is over, you can save them as a keepsake, wear them as jewelry, or use them as magnets to hang up your wedding photos!

Matt & Carey's Sparkling Wedding

It was a normal morning in Los Angeles. Matt was in the elevator, on his way to the office, when Carey stepped in and sparks began to fly.  They exchanged small talk about their college pasts and their love for the Boston Red Sox. Without knowing each other's phone number or last name, they were left with only the feeling of butterflies and the hope to meet again. 

Carey's gym was located in Matt's office building, and what they didn't realize at the time, was that more sparks were inevitable. Sure enough, they met in the elevator again, and after two or three more of these sparkling meetings, Matt finally asked Carey to accompany him to a play at the theater.

On May 1st, after a whirlwind romance, and a three month long-distance relationship, with Matt working in NYC, Matt and Carey made plans to attend a friend's birthday party after wine tasting at Malibu Family Winery. But instead of driving to the birthday party, Matt took a detour and drove to a Leo Carillo State Beach, exactly at the time the sun was setting. With a bottle of wine and a perfect sunset, Matt asked Carey to be his wife.

Carey was very succinct in her style and vision for the big day; simple, elegant, romantic and white. She wanted to take advantage of the beautiful California setting, as this was going to be a destination wedding for most of their family; and she also wanted lots of white lights, candles and all white flowers interlaced with large phalaenopsis orchids. 

Matt and Carey wanted their guests to experience the magnificent California sunset over the ocean; just like the night Matt proposed. With Carey’s family in Newport Beach, there were many beautiful hotels in the vicinity to choose from. It was determined that the Hyatt in Huntington Beach was the perfect location; with a beautiful outdoor ceremony arrangement, pedestrian bridge access to the beach, and a breathtaking view of the beach from the ballroom.

The bride wore an ivory Alencon lace over champagne charmeuse modified A-line bridal gown designed by Jim Hjelm, with a strapless sweetheart neckline and empire bodice, accented with floral feather and crystal appliqué on ivory satin ribbon. Complimenting the gown was a chapel length Alencon lace-trimmed veil. She carried a satin wrapped stem bouquet of white roses.

Carey’s grandmother, Martha, was recovering from her second stroke, and was not strong enough to travel from her home in El Macero. Carey wore her grandmother's diamond earrings and bracelet as a constant reminder of how much her Grandma Martha wanted to be there with her.

Matt is the former President of the LA Avengers area football team. At every game, the team would run onto the field to AC/DC’s "Thunderstruck." It was so much fun when the wedding party was announced into the ballroom, and Matt and Carey announced for the first time as husband and wife to "Thunderstruck." Like the arena on game day, the guests were on their feet clapping and were ready to party!

The couple had choreographed a waltz to Kenny Chesney’s "You Had Me From Hello" for their first dance; a song that reflected their first encounter on the elevator.

Photographer: Next Exit Photography

Restaurant: Sparks Wood Fire Grill
Stationary: Paper Source Invitations
Event Design and Coordination: A Divine-Occasion 
Entertainment: The Trip
Beautician: La Dolce Vita
Baker: Rossmoor Pastries
Lighting: Swank Audio Visuals
Venue: Hyatt Huntington Beach
Florist: Bliss Floral Designs
Linens: Wildflower Linen
Videographer: Awards Video Production
Transportation: Blue Water Pedicab

Liz and Pat's Vineyard Wedding

Liz and Pat had been to Wente Vineyards many times and loved the setting and experience they had each time. Founded more than 125 years ago, Wente Vineyards is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Vineyards is recognized as one of California’s premier wine country destinations; featuring wine tasting, fine dining and championship golf.

Liz's light and airy vision for her wedding seemed to fit perfectly with the vineyard's setting. I always start by asking my clients how they envision their big day. Pat and Liz wanted their wedding to have a dreamy feel to it, while keeping it simple. 

When I asked about colors, they wanted to keep with the existing environment of the vineyard and use natural tones of green, white and beige, with a subtle pop of blue, which became their accent color throughout the event. 

They wanted the affair to be very intimate, while still making a statement. It was especially important for me to grasp the style of this wedding, because not only was I helping to plan it, but I also did all the floral arrangements. 

The ceremony was beautiful and as Liz and Pat walked down the aisle, all the guests had velum cones filled with colorful petals to toss as they walked back down the aisle. It was so gorgeous seeing all the various colors falling, the guests got a kick out of it, and it made for some amazing pictures!
 

Venue: Wente Vineyards

Wedding Planner: a Divine-Occasion

Florist: a Divine-Occasion

Officiant: Father Robert Dittler O.S.B.

Photographer: Jennifer Graham Photographer

Rental Supplies: Classic Party Rental

Seamstress: A Stitch in Time

Stationery: RSVP by Linda

Entertainment (band): An Elegant Touch of Strings

Entertainment (DJ): Rich Rollins