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Real Wedding: Beach Elegance at L’Auberge

Nahid — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:00:24 +0000

Bay and Casey are a gorgeous couple who wanted an elegant beach wedding at L’Auberge Del Mar. The couple met through mutual friends and family at a Christmas party nine years ago. Their personalities are like mirror images of each other and they love to be active. While on a snowboarding trip in Big Bear, Casey proposed to Bay at a bed and breakfast resort… how romantic!

L’Auberge Del Mar is an elegant setting for any wedding! It’s known as one of the best North San Diego coastal resorts.

Love the floral accents on the cake and the couple’s decision to have a modern, sleek lounge for guests to mingle during cocktail hour.

Bay’s fondest memory of her wedding: Seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony.

Bride’s words of wisdom: Relax and have fun. Involve your partner and do it together. It’s actually fun. Be very organized and get things done early so you’re not stressed. Hire a great planner like Nahid!

Ceremony Site: Seagrove Park in Del Mar, CA

Reception Site: L’Auberge Del Mar

Photographer: Brett Charles Rose Photography

Florist: Haydee’s Creative Flowers

Hair: Jessica Bertheau

Makeup: Mirror Mirror

Linens: Concepts Event Design

Rentals: Lounge Appeal

Lighting: England Lighting Systems

Stationary: Paper Paper Del Mar

Cake: Cake, Inc

Ceremony and Cocktail Entertainment: Caprice Strings

Reception Entertainment: Wayne Foster Band

Videographer: Pristine Videos

Transportation: LA Class Transportation

Indian Weddings: Sangeet Ceremony

Nahid — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:37:20 +0000

A sangeet is a traditional Hindu Punjabi ceremony held before a baraat. It is considered a ladies-only event, but men can participate if they are close to the bride and groom. The day is filled with dancing, singing, and a joyous celebration of the couple’s relationship. Depending on the size of the sangeet, it can be held in a large venue or at a house. To put it in a more Westernized term, it’s similar to a rehearsal dinner but differs because it’s a grander celebration of the couple’s history and journey towards marriage.

{Maharani Weddings}

{India Forums}

{South Asian Bride Magazine}

{Lin and Jirsa}

The two pictures above were from a wedding we worked on last year. The theme was a fun luau that had many natural elements in the sangeet decor.

Menu Monday: Holiday Dinner Ideas

Nahid — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:35:46 +0000

As any event planner or party hostess will tell you, creating an inspired holiday dinner menu is the heart of a successful party. From creating your own culinary meals to hiring a catering company, we’ve got a few holiday dinner ideas from our vendor buddies for you to salivate over. There are many options you can go with for a great holiday meal, but remember the most important details: it should encompass tastes of the season and reflect your personality.

Martha Stewart, the queen of homemade, has this “Effortless, Exquisite Evening Menu” which sounds classy and delicious! Visit her site for recipes and instructions.

Umami Bound, is the product of a L.A.-based chef, offers the tastes and culinary experiences of a high-end restaurant on a personal dinner party level. Umami Bound uses local ingredients and infuses his Korean background to enhance his creations. Here’s a menu for the “Food & Co.” event: $40 per person for a 6 course meal!

Behind the Scenes Catering & Events, a vendor we love, offers plated service and buffet options for their holiday catering menu. Mmm, miso grilled sea bass! For pricing, contact BTS.

There are a lot of different options, whichever you choose– we hope your dinner party is a success!

Real Wedding: Persian Glamour

Nahid — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:00:08 +0000

Kamran and Leila are a really stunning couple with an impeccable sense of style. Their wedding embodied both Persian traditions along with a romantic old Hollywood feel. If we may be bold to say, Leila has all the poise and grace of a Hollywood starlet, like Grace Kelly! Their ceremony had a sofreh, which is an elaborate floor spread with food and decorations, and they hired a band to play at their wedding as well. The rich jewel tones in the ceremony were offset by the romantic pale pink, green, and white color scheme of the reception. It was a very elegant affair and we loved working with Kamran and Leila to make their special day come to life.

Venue: Fairbanks Ranch Club

Photography: Ohana Photographers

Floral: Ana from Floral Works

Catering: Amir’s Catering

Videography: Ashley Video

Rentals: Miramar Party Rentals

Bakery: French Gourmet

Transportation: Rolls Livery

Dark Fairytales–Halloween Inspiration Boards

Nahid — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:00:51 +0000

Halloween is a little more than a month away and we wanted to give readers inspiration boards that make us think of Halloween without being obvious or tacky. You could say it’s more of an “editorial” take on a Halloween-inspired wedding theme! If you’ve watched shows like “My Fair Wedding with David Tutera,” you’ll notice he likes to pull key elements like the feel, and colors of a theme rather than using literal items to create the design of the wedding and receptions. Here, we focused on words like “spooky,” “haunted,” “dark fairytale,” and “dark beauty” to create these inspiration boards which are still very “Halloween” but with a grownup taste.

Cinderella, Alexander McQueen, Book, Candle

Headpiece, Pumpkins, Rings, Clutch, Terranium, Fireplace

Model, Favor bags, Estate, Necklace, Invite

Candles, Apothecary, Princess, Canopy, Tag

You can find inspiration anywhere, you just have to let your imagination run a little wild

Indian Inspired Bridal Makeup Looks

Nahid — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:00:57 +0000

Indian bridal makeup is colorful and eye-catching, and even if you’re not of Indian descent, you can still rock their looks! Thanks to YouTube, we found some stunning Indian bridal inspired looks that you can re-create for yourself. The jewel toned eyeshadows combined with a heavy-liner will transform you into an Indian goddess.

Here are two very talented YouTube makeup gurus you can watch on Indian bridal makeup tutorials.

Makeup Geek’s Marlena

MakeupGeek’s Modern Indian Bridal Look

Promise Phan
Promise Phan’s Bollywood Bridal Makeup Tutorial

Be prepared to get compliments when you go out with these dramatic and gorgeous looks!

New Wedding Trend: Bali Feather Wedding Banners

Nahid — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:00:29 +0000

We love to share new trends with our brides and readers, so when we came across this new trend we knew we were going to blog about it! Balinese banners/flags represent hope, meaning and strength; generating an energy people may use to build a better future with. With such an amazing meaning behind them, it’s no wonder these bali banners are becoming a great alternative to florals at weddings and receptions. These banners work great in outdoor settings and can create an exotic and breathtaking ambiance that’s both different and modern. Bali or feather banners come in different colors and when used with lighting, they can transform any space into a dramatic setting.

Monogrammed flags, Ceremony site flags, Feather flags

Feather banner, White Bali flags

We just love what a statement they make! Once the wedding’s done, there are no flowers to throw away (sustainability and being green is always a plus!)

Best San Diego Wedding Venues 2011

Nahid — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:29:02 +0000

10 News San Diego has just released their “A-List” winners for Best Wedding Venue for 2011. Venues were picked based on votes by local San Diegans (thank you to those who voted WE for Best Wedding Planner! Hopefully, we’ll get it next year *crossing our fingers*).

Here are the results:

1. Safari Park

2. The Venues of NTC Promenade

3. L’Auberge Del Mar

4. La Jolla Cove Suites

5. Orfila Vineyards

So what do you think? Are these awesome locations for your wedding or are there other untapped treasures in San Diego the A-List missed? The Safari Park works as a great venue because the park isn’t commonly seen as a possible wedding spot, but with the right planner and imagination, it can turn out to be very romantic and exotic. The Orfila Vineyards offer a spectacular view along with a rustic charm–perfect for the vintage or outdoorsy bride.

All images are courtesy of the venue’s website except for La Jolla Cove Suites.

Beth + Noah: A Travel Inspired Wedding

Nahid — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:22:46 +0000

Beth and Noah were really fun and easy to work with because their wedding theme was right up Wedding Elegance’s alley! Since they were both in the Navy, they wanted a wedding inspired by all of their world travels. Beth had spent some time in Dubai and loved it so much she wanted to incorporate a mid-Eastern flair along with her color scheme, red and white. Although the couple were on a tight budget, Beth made sure to allot enough expenses on a custom-made wedding gown!

A memorial table was set out for Beth’s mother who had passed away during the planning process of the wedding. Place cards set out with a ribbon overlay due to it being windy that day. Not only was their wedding travel-inspired, but the couple gave it a little rock ‘n’ roll edge as well! Each table was named after a rock band.

The bride arrived in a Cinderella-like horse carriage! How magical!

The gorgeous cake of red and gold was designed after pillow cases. Very Moroccan-chic!

Are you sensing what the bride’s favorite color is yet? Red! Even the candy at the candy bar had mostly red-colored sweets.

For entertainment, Beth and Noah hired a sitar player, for the reception.

Red champagne flutes and red pillows on benches around the dancefloor gave the reception a romantic and intimate feel. The centerpieces were lanterns painted black–a chic and budget-friendly touch. Some of the tablecloths were actually handsewn by the groom! While in the Navy, Noah handled alterations on parachutes. No one was allowed to wear black that day, not even the staff!

Not many brides would allow another woman to dance around their wedding in a midriff-baring outfit, but confident bride Beth wanted to bring Dubai to Oceanside, CA with a belly-dancer!

Venue: Paradise Gardens in Oceanside, CA

Catering: Continental Catering

Photography: Unveiled Wedding Photography

DJ: Events by Design

Cake: Crumbs of Paris

Invitations/Stationary: Jen from Pink Star Design

Hair/Makeup: Bride’s friends

WIPA Retreat at the Malibu Church Estates Vineyard

Nahid — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:30:49 +0000

We recently attended a WIPA retreat on how to get published in sunny Malibu, CA at the Church Estates Vineyard. The venue is gorgeous and we recommend brides to check it out as a possible place for their special day. It was a wonderful experience learning from industry experts like Rebecca Crumley from The Knot, Dana LaRue of The Broke-Ass Bride, and Katrina Razavi, founder of Marriage.com. Let’s not forget the vendors who were amazing– from florals to linens to food. Enjoy these pictures! (Click on pictures to enlarge)

Just some of the awesome vendors:

Venue
Church Estates
Karen Waldron
Director of Events
6415 Busch Drive
Malibu, CA 90265
310-678-6199
kwchurchestate@aol.com
www.churchestatevineyards.com

Catering
Good Gracious! Events
Michelle Nowak
5714 W Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90019
323-954-2277
michelle@goodgraciousevents.com
www.goodgraciousevents.com

Linens
Napa Valley Linens
Sharon Dexmier
1054 Shary Circle Suite E
Concord, CA 94518
925-459-0470
sdexmier@nvlinens.com
www.nvlinens.com

Florals
Floral Sense LLC
Joanna Park
714-512-2443
contact@floral-sense.com
www.floral-sense.com

Bound, A Floral and Event Studio
Rhonda Clelland
909-908-2171
rhonda@boundeventstudio.com
www.boundeventstudio.com

Décor Rental and Event Design
Raj Tents
Maurice Walsh
16921 S. Western Avenue. Suite 222
Gardena, CA 90247
310-329-8222 Ext. 25
maurice@rajtents.com
www.rajtents.com

Menu Design and Printing
Grand Soirees
Linda Ly
1940 E Deere Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92705
949-274-7725
linda@grandsoirees.com
www.grandsoirees.com

Rentals
FormDecor
Jeff Sigler
14371 Industry Circle
La Mirada, CA 90638
714-493-9501
jeff@formdecor.com
www.formdecor.com

Premiere Party Rents
Sandy Radicevic
12100 W. Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90066
310-391-2552
www.premierepartyrents.com

Photography
Imagery Immaculate Photography
Chris Griffiths
18818 San Felipe Street
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
562-537-6844
iiphoto@mac.com
www.iiphoto.net