San Diego Wedding Vendors Inspiration Shoot

These images are by the lovely and talented Iliana Morton of Iliana Morton Photography.
We wanted to do a somewhat Valentine's themed shoot, with a twist. So we found a real life adorable couple, to stage and photograph. They had a great time and got some super sweet images for their mantle, while we all had a great time chatting, setting up the shots, and afterwards, drinking the wine!
The images are featured on the Wedding Wire Blog today!

Thank you to the following vendors for this fun day!!

Iliana Morton- Iliana Morton Photography

Nicole Campbell- Calculated Whisk 

Liz Fraser- Petal Punch

Evelyn Peelle- BambooStar Studios

Jillian Rae-San Diego Wedding Hair by Jillian Rae

and thanks to-

Erika Livingston- Rockstar Assistant for the day!

Dennis Jones- The Creative Music DJ for the good sounds!

And a very special Thanks to Bobby and Vanessa Martini for letting us recreate your love story!

MCRD Bayview Wedding Planner

Louanne and PJ were married at Casa Del Prado patio A and had their reception at the MCRD Bayview Restaurant . Louanne planned their day down to the tiniest detail.. one of my favorite things to do, and her time was well worth the effort she spent!
The ladies got ready at Holiday Inn Bayside, where they added details to their bouquets, did hair and makeup, and chatted with their large family! Louanne is Italian, and has 3 sisters and a sister in law, so of course they were in the bridal party. This is such a loving family, I really enjoy being around all of them. Last June Louanne's younger sister Jessica was married and I did her wedding, as well, so it was fun to see everyone again!

Their ceremony was fun and full of love and laughter, and, of course, a few tears.
The wanted to be announced as if they were in a boxing ring, so they had the officiant yell "Let's get ready to rumble" into the mic which made for some laughs!

PJ reciting his hand written, very sweet, vows

Their family sand ceremony

The kiss

Following the ceremony, the bridal party took photos amid the beautiful architecture of Balboa Park.

Including some silly ones!

After photos, they all got back into their limo from Extreme Limo and headed to the Bay View Room.

When they entered their reception, they were both amazed at how the decor they selected really represented their overall vision! They selected two types of centerpieces and alternated between 3 staggered height votive holders and tall vases with lampshades. Both with orchids and crystals. When the lights went down, the candle light and crystals sparkled and looked amazing!

The cocktail hour tables also had similar decor.

And their sweetheart table

with lovely flowers by Branches.

Louanne and PJ chose 4 songs to have live mixed for their first dance. 

They started with the two of them, and their bridal party and family joined for some fun, interactive dances, and then ended with their original song. This was all mixed live, on site by DJ Dennis J.

Their choreographed first dance

After their fun dances, the floor was opened to all and they sure jumped on it!

I firmly believe the success of your dance floor, and your event depends on a great DJ. So it was wonderful to work with The Creative Music DJ! 

After some dancing, everyone took a break for the cake cutting and some sweets! 

The cake was made by Louanne's cousin! 

Cotton candy time!

The entire day was just bursting with love and the fun personality of this couple! 

They were able to celebrate as they wanted, and we were all exhausted at the end of the night!

Here is a photo of myself, my amazing assistant Supreeta, and DJ Dennis J! 

Congratulations Louanne and PJ

Photos were provided by Patricia Lucia Photography

Photobooth by 360 Photobooth

So for 2012 I have decided to send the couples some questions to go along with the blog posts.

These are answered in their own words! 

What made you choose your venue?

We choose our venue two months before the wedding and we got very lucky. We had to look for another venue because the place we were supposed to have it at was still building and it was supposed to accomodate 200 people and could only accomodate 100. We had to find a venue real quick.

 What unique touches did you add to personalize your event?
 I personalized almost everything at my wedding. I did all the do it yourself projects from the invitations to the centerpieces, to the cake stand, the arch and all the finishing touches.

 What was your theme?
 Our theme was hearts

 Did you do a first look, yes or no, and why?

Nope just went with my first idea and stuck with it.

  What was the best part of your day?

The Ceremony was the best part of my day especially walking down the aisle and seeing my soon to be husband was the greatest moment ever.

 All about the food/music- describe why you selected what you did:

The food was great and our dj was freaking awesome saved the day since we got scammed two weeks before the wedding and had to find a photgrapher, dj and videographer and our wedding planner helped us with all of that. Dj Dennis Jones was awesome!!

 Any advice for engaged couples-
Do your research on everything from photgraphers to videographers, djs, venues and etc.. because there are a lot of crooks out there that will get you.

Thanks again for allowing me to be a big part of your day! 

Happy New Year!

2011 was a great year! In honor of the amazing couples I had the pleasure to work with in 2011, I thought I would make a little collage of some of my favorite photos from their weddings.

Working with fabulous couples and meeting new vendors was really enjoyable, and I'm hoping that 2012 continues on in the same fashion!

Photos from the outstanding photographers I was lucky enough to work with-

Bellus
LaForge Photography
Iliana Morton Photography
Leif Brandt Photography
Adam Baruh
Joseph Stein
Your Inner Song
Patricia Lucia

Any other images are by me, as I am still waiting on photographers!!

XOXO,
Amy

Cyber Monday!!

In honor of Cyber Monday, we decided to have a little sale in the boutique!
Just enter code lovebirds at checkout to save 10%
Remember, these are exclusive, custom made items just for us!
Enjoy!
SHOP NOW

Offer valid on all items!

Happy Wedding Day Janet and Roberto!!

Today Janet and Roberto will be married in a traditional Catholic ceremony at St John of the Cross.
Followed by a fabulous cocktail hour and dinner reception for 300 of their nearest and dearest at Liberty Station Conference Center!
They have thought of everything to make the night more enjoyable for their guests, even having onsite daycare!
I can't wait to see the custom attire they had made for this very special occasion!!
The photographer, Janet's brother that lives in Massachusetts has arrived to shoot this day with multiple types of cameras, including vintage ones!
Here is one favorite of the lovely couple!
XoXo

Summer Wrap Up

What a summer! Many many weddings and events to share, but I will just take a cue from my dear friend Iliana Morton Photography and do a recap!

Let's begin with June, shall we?
The first wedding of the month was for Jessica and Justin's wedding at Miramar Officers Club.
The ceremony was held outside on the lawn in front of an arch made by a groomsman which we hand draped in flowing satin and crystals.
This wedding was big on family members with all 3 of Jessica's sisters serving as part of their 16 person bridal party!
The celebration included tons of dancing and fun!

Photo by La Forge Photography

Next up was Lucy and Patrick and their Dana Point wedding!
They are the sweetest couple! And even gave us a referral earlier in the year when Lucy's brother Sam got engaged!

The next June wedding was Heather and Anthony's Jamul wedding at a private estate.
They took their 2 favorite things, their friends, and their love of San Diego sports, and created a fun celebration!

The very next day was Heather and Tim's wedding at Oceanside Marina Inn
where they were engaged, ww had a great time at this intimate family and close friends celebration. The couple focused on the blending of their two families and their lives. It was a beautiful sunny day at the shore!

Photo by Iliana Morton Photography

On to July!
First Beth and Mike got married at her local church and then celebrated with a reception at Catamaran Resort,
see the teaser from Murasaki Media
HERE!

The next day, Vivienne and Yian celebrated their one year anniversary! They recently had a son, so that was the greatest gift they could give each other! See photos from their Grand Tradition Wedding.

The next event in July was Eric and Alisa's Levyland wedding.
Photographed by the amazing Leif Brandt, this was truly a day to remember!

The next weekend, we did a new type of event, Inspired Events had their first show at Vin de Syrah in downtown San Diego, and we teamed up with some great local professionals to do this amazing table.

Photos by Siegel Thurston

Later that week, we co-hosted a Ladies Night out with Shadow Boudoir
What a night!! See all the photos courtesy of Limelife Photography-
HERE!


Next up, Amy helped out the Escondido High Class of 91 with their 20 year reunion at Harrah's Rincon. It was a great party and we can't wait for Class of 92's reunion!

On to August!
First up Brooke and Ben celebrated an intimate Cuvier Park Wedding and had a dinner reception at their brand new home. Such a day full of love!

Next up we did a secret Inspiration Shoot with the amazing Eddie Garcia! Those pics will be available to peek soon.

Following that, another busy week capped off with Jamie and Zac's Paradise Point Wedding.
A favorite photo by Adam Baruh

Then comes Labor Day! We celebrated with Katie and Orrin at their Carmel Mountain Country Club Wedding. Im still waiting on pics from Your Inner Song, and I know they will be amazing and well worth the wait!

Keep in mind, all these events were around new couple meetings, venue walk throughs, driving to Orange County for rehearsals, etc! Such a busy summer!

We were lucky to work with Iliana Morton not one, not two, but 3 times in September!!
And this is, I believe, one of both of our favorite images from the summer. Such a beautiful day of love, despite the rain, having to move the ceremony indoors, and some music mishaps. But overall, it was a wonderful, fun day of love and laughter!

The next week we headed to Las Vegas for the Wedding MBA. We learned a lot in the seminars, had a great time connecting with local pros, and spent more time with San Diego vendors!
It was so fun and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Iliana and I one early morning before coffee!



Another 2 Iliana weddings upcoming! So just click her link above to see the website!

Mission Viejo Community Center Wedding for Michelle and Sam at one of the coolest venues I know of! Sharing a peek from their special day!

The next day we were in La Jolla for Cameron and Cherish's wedding.
Totally them! Such a perfect day!

Wrapping up the September weddings with Louanne and Pj's Balboa Park Wedding.
Louanne is Jessica's sister.(from June) So I am quite close with this fabulous group of ladies!
They wanted to wow their guests big time, and despite some venue issues requiring a very last minute change, replacing the DJ, videographer, and photographer in the last week before the wedding, it turned out Fabulous!! Exactly what they wanted!

Still waiting on pro pics, but you can see all the ones I took HERE!
Also, their highlight video is HERE!

and their Live Mixed First Dance Thanks to DJ Dennis J for really stepping in and giving them a night to remember!

Finally, after much waiting and anticipation... Our tablescape for San Diego Style Weddings Magazine was released in the latest issue.

And that is it! In addition to booking new couples for 2012, mixers, meetings and timelines, it has been incredibly busy around here! Thank you!!!!