Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Shelley & Brett at Rancho Las Lomas

What an amazing way to kick off my wedding season!
  • An incredibly sweet couple, family & wedding party
  • One of my all time favorite sites, Rancho Las Lomas
  • A dreamy vendor team:
  • A day not void of challenges- sprinkles, fire codes, etc
It all added up to a stunning wedding. One of my favorites, in fact. What a joy to be a part of!

Here is a sneak peak into Shelley & Brett's day:










To see more amazing photos, check out Jasmine's blog. This girl just keeps getting better and hotter. I cannot tell you how much I *heart* her.

Shelley, Brett & Sara (one of my favorite mamas & my new best friend): Thank you for allowing me to share in your day. Your joy for life and love for each other shines through constantly. I wish your wedding was every weekend :) I wish you all the best and whole-heartedly hope that our paths will cross again.

Need some paper lanterns?

I frequently order Chinese paper lanterns for my events through Cultural Intrigue. I have a wholesale account with them and am able to get them very inexpensively. They are a great way to spice up your decor. They also have all sorts of other fun goodies like fans, parasols and candle holders.

I will be placing an order this week. If you would like me to get anything for you, I would be happy to do so! Please check out their website to view their products and then email me (courtney at joyfulweddingsandevents dot com) for pricing.

Here is a sample of some of my favorite products:






Votive holders:

These votive holders can be hung or set on tables. They would be great favors or gifts too!:



These would be so fun for shower decor. Martha Stewart has kits at Michael's for making something similar from scratch, but these are cheaper & take no work. I like that!
These fans, as well as the lanterns and parasols, come in more colors than you can imagine:
Here are some pictures of how we have used them at events:



My sister-in-law, Lindsey, reused these beauties for her daughter's "under the sea" themed birthday party:

I have also used black & orange lanterns for a Halloween party, hot pink & hot orange for a sweet 16 party, a sea of white lanterns lit up to bring light to a dance floor and pink square lanterns hung from trees for a wedding ceremony. They are a fun way to bring in color in an unexpected way. They are great for lowering a high ceiling, especially in a tent. Here are a few photos that I love from Cultural Intrigue's website:




I love that the event above also hung parasols! So many fun ideas. A current client & I were toying with the idea of hanging parasols overflowing with flowers from a large tree at the front of their ceremony.

All that to say: If you would like to order anything, please let me know by next monday, March 3rd.

Monday, February 25, 2008

I'm a workin woman!

On saturday, I had my first wedding since having Isaiah. It was a blast! It was at one of my favorite venues: Rancho Las Lomas. I got to work with such an incredible vendor team including Jasmine*, David Jay, Vanilla Bake Shop, Craig's & Kristin with the Treasured Petal. The bride & groom & their families were super sweet & it was such an honor to be a part of their day! Thanks for making it such a wonderful day everyone!

The rain gave us a little bit of a scare here and there, but all together it was a beautiful event!

I can't wait to show you pictures soon...
In the meantime, here is a lovely shot of Jasmine & I:

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

It's a good week to be a southern california bride

Why? 3 great events for brides locally.

Here's #1:
Monique Lhuillier at Newport Beach Bloomingdales!

On thursday night (the 21st), from 6:00-8:00, the wedding dress designer will be unveiling her new china line at the Fashion Island Bloomingdales. There will also be representatives from many of the best OC wedding vendors, including yummy drinks, appetizers and cake tastings.

RSVP in store or by calling 949.729.6843.



#2: Paper Source Wedding Day!!



One of my most favorite stores in the whole world, Paper Source, is hosting a day full of wedding ideas, take home crafts and demonstrations. You don't want to miss this! Unfortunately, the one at South Coast Plaza was last saturday (I totally dropped the ball on blogging about it on time- sorry!), but Pasadena's is this saturday from 11:30-4:30. Click here for more details. I wish there was one in San Diego!! What am I going to do now?

#3: Dress shopping for a cause



I posted a couple of weeks ago about Brides Against Breast Cancer. Such an amazing organization and you can shop for some beautiful dresses at great prices and the proceeds go towards women with cancer. The event is in San Diego this weekend, both saturday & sunday, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. For more details on the event click here, and for more info on the organization visit their website.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Heather & David at Aliso Creek

Back in September, Heather & Dave hosted a very fun wedding at the Aliso Creek Inn. It was a blast to be a part of! These two are very laid back and sweet and their wedding ceremony & reception reflected that. Here is a sneak peak into their day, with photos by Colleen Rosenthal:

The beautiful couple:

Flowers by our very own Shannon Rojas. How amazing are these colors? Heather knew exactly what she wanted: bright, fun tulips. They were gorgeous against the backdrop of the bold bridesmaids dresses & the sweeping green golf course.

I love this shot of the bridesmaids sitting at the ceremony. In stead of having all of the girls wear the same color, she let them pick any dress they wanted in the color scheme. The result was beautiful eye catching. The couple was also very thoughtful of their attendants, as they had them sit in the front row during the ceremony, rather than stand through the whole thing. From someone who has stood as a bridesmaid in high heels for close to one hour in front of a large group of people many times, that is very appreciated :) If you choose to do this, you will score big points with your attendants and they will get a better view. However, you do loose the classic look of having the wedding party up there with you.
The ceremony:
Shannon incorporated in Eucalyptus leaves, as a nod to Australia, where David is from.

For the sand ceremony, our original plan was to have Heather pour sand from Laguna Beach, where she is from, and David would pour sand from Australia. However, the US customs department did not see the need for David's parents to bring the sand into the country... so, we just pretended!

Their beautiful dog got to be the ringbearer. He even got his own flowers!

How cute is this flower girl? She was supposed to be walking the dog down the aisle, but he ended up walking her down the aisle! Notice how sweet her little outfit is- including the red shoes!

Reception details:
Each table was monochramatic with candles and flowers either orange, red or fushia. We sprinkled also sprinkled some shells that the couple had gathered on each table.

All lit up:

Instead of cake, the couple had delicious cupcakes by Viktor Benes Bakery. The bride and her mother found tiered serving trays and had the serving staff bring one tray of cupcakes out to each table.

For favors, the couple imported Cadbury chocolate bars from Australia. Yes, they do have them here in the states, but trust me- for whatever reason, the Australian bars are soooo much better!

It was really fun to come up with ways to incorporate the couple's personalities and backgrounds into the wedding. Another way we did this was with the programs. Guests received a postcard from either Orange County or Australia, with the order of the ceremony printed on the back.

The reception was set more as a party, with hors d'hovres served throughout the night, an espresso machine open and Y3k, a lively 80's band playing away. The guests danced until the very end. I however, was off my swollen feet early, as I was 9 months pregnant! Thanks to Shannon & Jordan for helping me with this one!

Heather & David (&mom!): It was a pleasure to help make your day come to life. I wish you two the best!

Other vendors:
Ceremony & cocktail hour music: Del Lago Trio
Make-up: Make-up by Berit
Espresso Machine: Brew Ha Ha