Creative Ceremony Entrance

Don't have to say much. This was such a creative way to celebrate their wedding. I'm not sure all churches would approve of this, but it was awesome none the less. Weddings should always be this joyous. It had me in tears. After seeing this I wonder what the rest of their wedding was like...especially the reception. I am sure they were dancing all night!

Would any of my clients like to do this? Just let me know.

Great song too - Forever (unfortunately it's sung by Chris Brown)

Enjoy.

-Percy

Video from YouTube

What's New at The Shop @ Percy Sales Events

The Shop @ Percy Sales Events is your one stop shopping source for your wedding or event. You can find everything from bridal shoes and accessories to favor ideas and invitations. Check out the latest finds at The Shop @ Percy Sales Events

Kate Spade Gracious Bridal Shoe
$325

Jessica Rhinestone Bangle Bracelets
$38/per set

Pre-Printed Quote Aisle Runner
$55 (36"W x 100'L)

Find these and other spectacular items at The Shop @ Percy Sales Events. Use our convenient search function to easily locate the items you need.

Happy Shopping!

-Percy

Photos from The Shop @ Percy Sales Events

Location Love - Canary Hotel, Santa Barbara

Yesterday I took a client to see potential venue spaces in Santa Barbara for a quaint wedding of 75 people. Our last stop was the Canary Hotel, a boutique hotel that is located in the heart of Santa Barbara. After checking out the banquet rooms, the largest capable of seating a party for 160 people, we took the elevator up to the Rooftop Perch, thanks to the staff who let us up. The bride gasped as we exited the elevator to this little haven above Santa Barbara.

She thought she wanted to have a reception near the beach until she saw this place. She was overcome by the mountain and red tile roof views that the Canary Hotel provided...it truly is the quintessential Santa Barbara location. It was like putting on the perfect wedding gown. She immediately thought that this was the space for her and I have to agree, this location would be perfect for this bride. I have been to that perch many times and even planned a wedding there when it was known as Hotel Andalucia. At any rate, I fell in love with the space again.

Everything about the Canary Hotel...the architecture, decor, tile work, outdoor fireplace, views, location, and the hotel staff...may just make this little hotel the perfect location for your wedding. It's a lot more affordable than most people will speculate and it can accommodate a good number of folks. The only negative is...I was not listed as one of their preferred Wedding Planners and Coordinators. Regardless of that little detail, if you are looking for the ultimate location in Santa Barbara to wed, check out the Canary Hotel. You may never want to leave its nest.

To check out their floor plan, capacity charts and catering menus, please visit their Special Events Webpage. The Canary Hotel is located at 31 West Cabrillo, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 or you can reach their Sales and Catering department by contacting them at 805-884-0300.

-Percy

Photos from the Canary Hotel

TIPsy Tuesday: What Would I Change About My Wedding?

Every month, I am going to be featuring a question to people on both my Facebook and Twitter accounts that relates to weddings or events. Once I have gathered some answers, I will post it on my blog.

April's question is, "What is the one thing you would change about your wedding day?"

Here are some of the responses I received:

I would do away with the dog-n-pony show and make the wedding smaller and more intimate. I would save the money to feed distant relatives who we'll never see again and use it on more high end touches for a smaller group such as an extra romantic location/flowers/food/photos, that would bring more joy to the couple themselves than to just "show off" and "please" the crowd." - Kelly, Fremont, CA

Not invited so many people to the reception. The best thing we did was only inviting close family to our wedding ceremony, that was about 20 people. Our reception was about 100 people that took place right after our ceremony. Having less people at the ceremony made the moment very special to us. - Salvador, Dublin, CA

As a wedding planner, I should have hired a day of coordinator, so I didn't have to worry about managing vendors, set-up, and clean-up myself...allowing me to enjoy more. Don't get me wrong I had a blast at my wedding, it would have been nice to not have to worry about all the "day of" details myself. The other thing I would have done differently is taken the time to eat. I did not even get to eat my wedding meal because we were talking to so many people, we had 170 guests, and I never got to eat our delicious food, maybe I got two bites. Eating is one thing that I make sure happens for for all my clients. I would have also hired a videographer, because I hardly remembered the evening, except for how fun it was. - Percy, Ojai, CA

I would have probably spent less on the things that didn't matter as much and more on the things that do - and what's important is different for every bride/groom. For me, it was the location/venue for the ceremony, reception area, and the photographer. In retrospect, I feel like we did most everything we wanted to do within our budget, but I think that spending less and saving the money for the stuff that counts...like putting a down payment on a house and getting our new life started together might have been a better investment! A big party is a good way to get you in debt. - Clarissa, San Diego, CA

We got married at the Justice o' the Peace in New York City. Just the two of us and one witness. I think people need to focus on who they want at their wedding and not how much they want to spend. Any time I hear about someones wedding, it's always they should have made it smaller, not bigger. Have a small wedding and get a great photographer and videographer. You will see more of your wedding in the photos and videos than you ever will at the event. They will last a lifetime. - Darrin, Pollock Pines, CA

Who I married! - Lynnette, San Francsico, CA

Make it smaller and less "traditional" (no cake which i don't like, typical music, etc...) - Jules, Wilsonville, OR

It would have been less traditional, and I would have not worried so much about the food and spending lots of money on top shelf alcohol. - Lilia, San Francisco, CA

I wouldn't have changed anything. We decided that the whole goal was to wake up single, and go to bed married. That took a ton of pressure off, and we didn't "sweat the small stuff" as it were. If anything, I wished the day had lasted longer! It was magical. - Kristin, Santa Barbara, CA

I'm actually pretty happy with how ours turned out. It was exactly what we wanted, where we wanted, and it was just a big party—fun for us and for the guests. I do wish I got more of my dinner though. And I heard the dessert that was served before the cake was amazing (never got it). - Maureen, Santa Clarita, CA

Not a thing. Maybe that Bret didn't get so sunburned. Other than that not a thing. Everything people say, "don't spend so much, don't invite a zillion people, etc." well we did that. It works. We didn't even hire a photographer and we have the most beautiful and candid wedding pictures I've ever seen. - Carl, Santa Barbara, CA

Our wedding was very low budget - I wouldn't change that, we were poor at the time. But we couldn't afford a photographer so I'd change that. - Nancy, Ft. Worth, TX

This may sound odd, but adding a dancefloor. - Tim, San Francisco, CA

First I wish i hadn't, secondly, I wish I had more cake, expensive cake for just one bite! - Angela, Monterey, CA

Don't ask me why, but we chose not to hire a videographer for our wedding. We had a beautiful garden wedding in Cambria, and our ceremony had sweet moments that I wish were captured on film. - Kathy, Dallas, TX

I wouldn't change a thing, except for hire a videographer. I should have listened to my wedding planners suggestion on that. - Leslie, Englewood, NJ

I hope this helps couples who are in the midst of planning your own great event. If you are married and have anything else to add, please make a comment. Your suggestions and thoughts are appreciated and a great way to advise others.

-Percy

Photo from Cake Wrecks, hopefully that cake is one thing that bride would have done differently.

Inspiration Monday: Hello Kitty

I've been seeing a lot of blogs about Hello Kitty weddings lately and I thought wow...there are some people who literally take the Hello Kitty theme to heart. So as I pondered...what would I do if a bride insists on designing a wedding around the theme of Hello Kitty? I thought about it all day and came up with the above inspiration board (click board to enlarge).

I am inspired by Hello Kitty's simplicity and versatility. I am inspired by the color pink...all shades of it. I am inspired by the quirkiness that fans of the cartoon icon seem to possess. I'm inspired by Japan. So in designing my Hello Kitty inspiration board, I have mixed the classic with the wild and have added a touch of the famous pink.

My inspirations (top left and clockwise): Wedding Gown: Alvina Valenta; Pink Dyed Crinoline (for under the gown): couturesantrash (ETSY); Flowers: fleuretica; Bridesmaid Gown: Jenny Yoo; Bracelet for bridesmaids gifts: Sanrio; Cotton Candy Bar: Martha Stewart; Chandelier: GSPN Crystals; Ceremony Site: One Source Weddings; Shoes: Stuart Weitzman; Centerpiece: InStyle Weddings; Wedding Cake: Simply Cakes; Ring: Gumuchian

I hope this inspires the little girl in you.

-Percy

Photos from above mentioned sites

Inspiration Mondays: Claude Monet's Water Lilies

I was recently looking through one of my favorite art books and stumbled upon one of my favorite artist, Claude Monet. I love Monet's work. The iconic images of water lilies in his Giverny, France home are one of my favorite series. The colors of these paintings are all so beautiful. The hues of greens, blues, purples, pinks, and browns work so harmoniously together.

These images have inspired so many before me, including Mattel, who released a Water Lily Barbie back in 1997. Today, I am inspired by this impressionist master and how I see his art being pulled in to a grand wedding.

A wedding inspired by Claude Monet (clockwise from top left):

Wedding Gown: White Chocolate
China: J. Seignolles
Bouquet: Hidden Garden Flowers
Bridesmaid Gown: Vera Wang
Lounge: Town and Country Event Rentals
Food: Serve French Cuisine to your guests
Tablescape: Nisie's Enchanted Florist
Shoes: Fifi Maisie Wedding Shoes from The Shop @ Percy Sales Events
Floral Hair Clip: Soiree Silk Floral Hair Clip from The Shop @ Percy Sales Events
Flower Girl Gown: Frances Johnston
Cake: Colette's Cakes
Venue: San Diego Botanical Building at Balboa Park

Hope this inspires you to create your own work of art!

-Percy

Photos from above mentioned sites except for White Chocolate Wedding Gown found at Brides.com

Trend Thursday: Off Celebrating My 17th Anniversary

Hi All,

I am taking the day off from blogging to celebrate my 17th anniversary to my partner (day we started dating 2/12/92), 4th anniversary of our commitment ceremony (not legal 2/12/05), and 8 month anniversary of our legal same sex marriage (6/17/08).

Keep our marriage legal go to www.couragecampaign.org/divorce and sign the petition to invalidate Prop 8 in California.

-Percy

Photo taken at our commitment ceremony on 2/12/05 by our friend Don Earl

TIPsy Tuesday: The Right Music For Your Ceremony

How many times have you gone to a wedding only to hear the same boring, un-meaningful music that the couple chooses for their ceremony? Well it's time to stop the madness! Don't get me wrong, I love hearing Bach's Air on a G String...but come on folks does that really signify you as a couple?

There is so much music out there and there is nothing better than to see a couple choose music for their ceremony that really reflects them. Plus there are musicians that can turn a rock anthem to a moving piece played by a string quartet. A couple of my favorite examples of this is U2's With or Without You and Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind as interpreted by Scala & Kolacny Brothers, "a youth choir from Aarschot, Belgium, roughly sixty teenage girls, directed by two talented brothers." They have turned these rock masterpieces into an ethereal dream like songs that is perfect for any wedding.

Another one of my favorite songs for weddings at the moment is Jason Mraz's I'm Yours (From the Casa Nova Sessions), found on his new album We Sing We Dance We Steal Things (Bonus Track Version found on iTunes). This is one of my all time favorite songs, but the acoustic version he released is perfect for either a processional or recessional. To take the words from Mr. M-Z, "And It's our God-intended right to be loved love loved love love."

I think couples should start thinking about music that carries "them" from the the ceremony to the reception. It makes it more of a couture event rather than a cookie cutter wedding. So couples, as you plan your grand day, don't leave the music to tradition. Start your own traditions and choose songs that have meaning to you as a couple. There is nothing better than hearing music that pulls on your heartstrings as you walk down the aisle. Trust me, it will be memorable not only for you but your guests as well.

-Percy

Photo from Jason Mraz