Celebrate!: August 2011

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Real Weddings: Maya & Eric

What a fantastic time I had planning Maya and Eric's wedding! Their wedding was truly significant and had so many personal touches that you couldn't help but cry on their wedding day...pure love! Everything from walking in to an acoustic version of Sea of Love played by a guitarist to walking out as husband and wife to a full on mariachi band was just magical.

This is the second wedding I have done for this family and the great thing about working with them is that they are all really passionate about the process of being wed. It makes it so much easier for me when you can throw out an idea to the couple and they can vision it either working for them or not. Working with Maya and Eric and their families was filled with lots of laughs, conversations, and passion. I can't wait to plan the next one.

Maya and Eric were truly unique. The road to matrimony for them was a journey so "the journey" was reflected in every aspect of the wedding. From their invitations that included a cd of their favorite road tunes, to vintage postcards for their escort cards reflected that journey. The floral were a mix of of wild flowers and sunflowers, just like it was picked on the side of the road, were placed in mismatched jars, vases, and other vessels found in the home of Eric's mom. We also infused Maya's Mexican culture in the venue and added custom papel picados and luminarias. All in all it was M&E throughout the evening!

Maya had three dresses to wear for her wedding day, but opted for two. She wore a fabulous high low cut gown for the ceremony and than changed to a simple white summer dress for the reception. They walked from the church to the reception venue just so they can have some "alone" time together...of course they had a photographer there too!

Congratulations Maya and Eric! Thank you for letting me become part of your family!

The Vendors:
Planning and Design by Percy Sales Events
Flowers by Wendy Smith Tremiti of Your Image Floral Design
Photography by Gloria Plunkett Photography
Hair and Make Up: Tara Fontana, Fairytale Hair and Makeup
Bride's Make Up: Anya Collier
Ceremony Location: Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara
Ceremony Music by Anthony Ybarra
Officiant: Ken Collier
Mariachi: Mariachi Mexicanisimo
Reception Venue and Food: El Paseo Restaurant
Pies by Simply Pies
Reception Music and MC: DJ Luke

Monday, August 1, 2011

Real Weddings: Mina & Chris

I had the wonderful privilege of planning and designing Mina & Chris' intimate, but fabulous 2011 Fourth of July nuptials. Their wedding was suppose to occur in May 2012...but with a quick change of plans, I had to plan their dream destination wedding in just three weeks! Funny how things fall into place.

This wedding was pretty unique for me, and it seems to be the trend with other couples I am working with as well. I never met the Chris and Mina until, literally, two days before their wedding day. I didn't even know what they looked like...but I did take a peek at their Facebook pages, just so I would have a clue and get a sense of their style. We did not friend each other until after the wedding. Let's just say I had some anxiety at some of my choices for them, especially the estate they were having their wedding and staying at, which was booked solely on my recommendations!

I picked up Mina on the curb near Nordstroms in Santa Barbara to get her dress pressed...she had literally just gotten off the plane and was walking around downtown SB with luggage and dress in hand! Mina and Chris lives in VA. The planning and design was all done through email...literally! I think we spoke once on the phone and that was before they hired me! Everything from the estate to all the selections were done with the email approval process...some things they just left up to me to do and trusted my judgement...scary considering I've never met them as a couple...but I was also confident in my ability to create a fabulous event. I am just happy they loved their wedding and was pleased with the outcome.

Their wedding was held on a beautiful Fourth of July Day, clear in Santa Barbara, with beautiful 360 degree views all the way to the ocean from the estate. The wedding took place during the early evening just in time for them to sit down and enjoy a sunset dinner! The party ended with two firework shows which the family enjoyed while having s'mores at a firepit on the estate.

Their wedding was surrounded by immediate family only and it made such a touching moment throughout the day. It was great to be part of their family for the day and to see the love they have surrounding them! Congratulations Mina and Chris!