A Divine Occasion: February 2012

Monday, February 27, 2012

Eli & Mika New Years Eve Wedding at Sundance

Eli {+} Mika // Sundance // New Years Eve Wedding // Teaser from Chris McClain Productions on Vimeo.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Caroline and Elias: Cover Story in Ceremony Magazine

We are so excited that Caroline and Elias' beautiful wedding at the Montage in Laguna is featured in the pages of Ceremony magazine this month! Click here to flip through the magazine. For the full story on the ceremony and reception visit the Divine Occasion blog!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Caroline and Elias Part 3: The Reception

Caroline's vision for a colorful, chic and modern reception was realized in this clean-line event utilizing clear structure and illusion. We incorporated rich colors like red, plum, orange, hot pink, yellow, dark blue and black. It was challenging to create this lush, modern look in a dark ballroom with no windows; but we just had to transform it. We hung acrylic sheets from 16 ceiling points and boxed out all the large chandeliers with black fabric to transform the Montage's existing Art Deco Old World look to transform it into a nightclub. We had lots of help from the Montage in-house AV company! They did an incredible job!

The four-course dinner by the Montage started with a pan-seared diver scallop with a butternut squash puree, baby spoon leaf spinach salad served with Matag blue cheese, toasted macadamia nuts and a warm pineapple pancetta vinaigrette, complete with prime filet mignon and local sea bass in a red wind and tarragon sauce. Caroline is a huge dessert fan, so there could not be enough sweets! They had an amazing 4-tier cake with acrylic blocks in-between, which was spectacular. Cake flavors included chocolate with Bailey's and Kahlua, Carrot Cake and Red Velvet. The surprise rolled out just after the cutting of the cake with Cannoli's for Elias, cheese cake pops, mini chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies (Caroline's favorite), chocolate dipped strawberries and fresh fruit kebabs. It didn't stop there, because at 11pm, the California Favorite, In-n-Out truck pulled up in the valet area where we continued with Red Carpet photos!

If there was ever a party I would want to be invited to as a guest, this had to be the one! Martin and Juan of Invisible Touch was there to DJ and play Caroline and Elias' favorite original songs and the night went off without a hitch!

Wedding Planner: a Divine-Occasion
Florist: Flowers by Cina
Photographer: Duke Photography
Venue: Montage Laguna Beach
Stationary: Li-K Designs
Catering: The Montage and In-n-Out Burger
Cake: The Montage
Linens: Wildflower Linen and Fusion Linen
Videography: Elysium Productions
Decor: Barker Decor Service, Inc. and Dazian Rentals
Beautician: Andrea Buhler Hair and Make-up
Cake Stand: EventLuxe Acrylic Cake Stands
Entertainment (DJ): Invisible Touch
Lighting: Five Star Audio Visual
Officiant: Rev. Clint Hufft
Photobooth: Elegant Fondue and Photobooths
Rehearsal Dinner Venue/Catering: Choura Special Events Catering
Rental Supplies: AFR Event Furnishings and Baker Party Rentals
Seamstress: A Stitch in Time

Monday, February 6, 2012

Caroline and Elias Part 2: The Ceremony

Caroline was such a relaxed and tasteful bride! She was so open to every creative idea we proposed, it was like planning our own dream wedding! The tone was set with acrylic invites by Lil K Design and Caroline's wish that everything be very vibrant and colorful. She wanted to be the only person wearing white for her special day. Caroline and Elias also knew immediately that they wanted the Montage in Laguna. The ocean front and prestigious venue was a perfect match for their guests coming from all over the world to celebrate with them. Jaime and Olivia from the Montage were amazing to work with! Their professionalism made my job easy.

Melissa from Flowers by Cina, once again, blew me away with her completely innovative outside the box floral design. I knew Melissa would be a perfect match for Caroline and Elias, because she does events on such a grand scale with Disney and we needed creativity with no drama! She knocked it out of the park by incorporating all those vibrant colors into a completely elegant look.

Duke Photography and his staff were also fantastic. They were there from the beginning to end and made the entire process seamless. We had a red carpet step and repeat wall upon arrival for all guests to stop and take photos like they were walking the red carpet to a major event. From the moment they got out of their car they were pampered with a breathtaking view, passed Bellinis, Cosmos, Lemon Drops and warm sunshine.

Caroline and Elias' ceremony was so beautiful. They selected the amazing Rev. Clint Huft to officiate their wedding. He tied many traditions into the ceremony and I loved how they had their wedding party participate with a reading from Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince, " Plus a reading by Judith Viorst: "Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners. Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford — but you'll take him anyway."

Music was also very important to Caroline and Elias. They had a solo guitarist for the ceremony and cocktail hour on the lawn overlooking the ocean. He played contemporary, classical and jazz. The passed appetizers after the ceremony were tasty and beautiful and consisted of Tuna Tartar, Thai Spring Rolls, Lamb Kebabs, Mini Beef Sliders, Bruschetta, Goat Cheese Tuile and Fingerling Twice-Baked Potatoes....this all before an amazing 4-course served dinner!