I'm a Mrs!

Wow.  What a crazy month its been.  The biggest emotion I've felt over these past few weeks is gratitude.  Tony and I are so lucky to have had such generous support not just from family and friends, but from our vendors as well.  Our wedding is an experience that we will remember forever, and I can honestly say that it holds some of the best moments of our lives.  Sure we had hiccups... who doesn't... but they were small and went unnoticed; and the most important parts - our love and the love of our family and friends - were the focus.  Not much more you can ask for.

Yet we were lucky to have so much more.  I have very heartfelt thank yous for all of our vendors.  They worked SO hard, at a venue that was definitely not an easy one, with a bridal party of TWENTY PEOPLE (All You Need is Love = Cat Wrangler), and a bride in the industry who wanted everything perfect.

Tony and I are in the process of packing up and moving, so I'm going to keep this entry short and point you in the direction of Christine Chang.  She and her second shooter, Carla Choy, captured moments I had no idea they noticed.  I have been a fan of Christine's for quite a while (I stalked her blog before I was officially engaged and claimed I was doing business research), so I knew what she shot would be beautiful, but she still managed to blow me away.  Here is a link to her blog, and below is the slide show preview she put together for us.



Talented, eh?

I'll end it there, but I'll be back soon to give each vendor their due praises.  Back to packing!

Renegade this weekend!

Hey terrarium lovers!  Planted will be at the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend (July 9th and 10th) in San Francisco at the lovely Fort Mason.  I'll be right down the middle at booth #97.  Come say hello!  (L.A. next weekend at Historic Park outside China Town :)

Pelican Hill.

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of doing the flowers for Chris and Vincent's Pelican Hill wedding.  The way we decided on everything was a little unconventional, as I was never able to meet the beautiful couple in person (not even on the day; the coordinator picked up the personal flowers from me while I was setting up the reception).  I did get to meet the bride's mother prior to the wedding, and Chris and I emailed a few times to work out details.  These photos were taken by their photographer, Brian Khang, who captured the day beautifully.  Check out his blog to view more examples of his work.  

                        

The Well-Mannered Wedding.

We all remember Emily Post's books on the rules of wedding etiquette.  Her daughter, Peggy (who also has a few books published on the same matter) has started a Q&A blog via The Times answering and discussing reader's questions on such touchy subjects as who on your guest list gets a plus one.  I know I'll be a regular reader.  I expect the possibility of some of the information to be a bit outdated and stringent, but this first entry was pretty spot on in my book.

Photo Credit: The Legacy Boutique
Bouquet and boutonniere by Yours Truly

All You Need Is Love. Seriously.

This week was a great week in the planning realm for me.  I found a team of coordinators that I am THRILLED to be working with.  Vikki and Shannon of All You Need Is Love are two amazing planners, and I could not be happier that they are going to help me with The Day.   Vikki was a bride of mine last September (with the same wedding day as me and T!); a couple of her wedding photos can be seen in this post.  After talking to them this week, I immediately felt an overwhelming sense of trust and I know it in my gut that these two are going to kill it.  In every good way of course.  This is a definite scenario where two heads are better than one.  Here's how they operate: 

Vikki stays on site for the wedding from the very beginning, making sure that each detail looks right and keeping vendors on track.  I feel so lucky to have someone I can pass all of the decor responsibilities off to.  As a wedding florist that's not easy for me to do, but now I know that I can basically transfer all of the minute details from my brain to hers, and she will make it happen.  Shannon will stick by my side all day, making sure I get to where I'm supposed to going gracefully (and on time of course) and that I have everything I need while doing so.  She will be there to protect my experience of the day - a stress shield if you will.  In my head I picture her throwing her arms up like Wonder Woman deflecting potential anxiety heading my way.  And with a total of 20 (twenty!) people in our wedding party, I'm going to need it.  I love my girls almost as much as I love my future hubby - but no matter how you slice it, that's a lot of people to wrangle, and herding cats is not my forte.  If any of you engaged folks are in need, I strongly suggest getting in touch with them.  At the very least you should check out their blog where you can find lots of helpful little tidbits and ideas.  Happy planning!

Amber & Calen.

One of my dearest and longest friends got married last September.  She and her now-husband (who have been together since they were 15!) chose beautiful Catalina Island for their wedding since it held a lot of memories of their years together.  It was an extra special occasion for me and T since Catalina was the place we met (also at a wedding!) and this trip was first time we had been back to the island since.  I was thrilled to do her ceremony and personal flowers, but since I was a bridesmaid, she saved me the workload of doing her reception decor so I could enjoy the day with her and the rest of the ladies.  Such a good friend.

We had a little mishap with one of those big guys in the back.  There were supposed to be six, but one of the volunteer helpers (uh-hm... groomsmen) dropped the sucker carrying it up the stairs.  Cue me lowering the ceremony piece count to four - to keep it even - and then filling Amber in on the uh-oh.  She was pretty sure I was joking the first few times I told her one of 'em broke, but once it sunk in she was cool as a cucumber about it. 

Her lovely bouquet.  Amber's middle name is Rose, so it was no-brainer for the flower selection.

A fuller view of the ceremony.  Amber got crafty and made those little paper cones on the ends of the chairs herself.  We filled them up with petals for the guests to toss post-ceremony.  Such a beautiful idea - you can see proof in the first photo above.

Oh yeah, and we did some simple hydrangea buckets for the rehearsal dinner.   Hydrangea is one of those flowers that always looks so awesome all by itself.  These are a simple example, but they were perfect for the casual feel of the night.

Congratulations again to Amber and Calen!  I am SO happy for them and can't wait until they have a mini version of themselves!

All photos courtesy of D2 photography.

Attention: Hippy-Chic Brides

I realize my last few entries have felt like advertisements, but I promise no one is paying me to write what I write.  This one is no exception.  Last year, Anthropologie's parent company, Urban Outfitter's Inc., announced that they would officially be coming out with a line of wedding dresses.  It's no surprise, with so many brides these days inspired by their aesthetic (especially with vintage being such a popular theme amongst weddings these days) I personally wonder why they didn't figure this little nugget out sooner.  When I heard the news I hoped that they would be available in time for my wedding... alas, I've already found and ordered a dress that I love (by a designer I will not name as my fiance is a snoop would love to find out what it looks like).  But I digress... Anthro's dress line, named BHLDN (Beholden minus the vowels) is scheduled to debut this Valentine's Day.  You can visit their website ahead of time - i.e. now - to get on their mailing list and learn all of the necessary details as they become available.  Where there stores will be is anyone's guess, but once one finds a store - I'll update as so as I do - brides will be able to go in and try dresses on without needing an appointment, and they will have a tailor ready to make alterations for you.  Plus, there will be an area of the store dedicated to the details of your decor and tablescape.  They've basically put my dream store into practice.

 The one on the left is my hands-down favorite, which is yours?