Michelle + Kristian | Madrona Manor | Oct 24

We were so excited to get this wedding back from one of our favorite photgraphers, Janae Shields. Brittani coordinated this wedding, as I was one of the lucky guests to be able to attend, being that Michelle is one of my dear friends. It was a stunning late October afternoon wedding in the country setting of Healdsburg at the Madrona Manor. The weather couldn't have been better, and the bride more stunning. The vendors worked together so well, and I can personally say that the food was hands down amazing. As a guest and professional, I notice everything at weddings, and this wedding could not have been more smooth and memorable. Congrats to Michelle and Kristian!

Some of my favorite images are below, but you can view the entire slideshow here.

The vendors that brought this wedding together were:

Venue and Catering: Madrona Manor, Healdsburg
Photographer: Janae Shields Photography
Florist: Dragonfly Floral
Djay: Noel with Perfect Day Music
Cake: Jill Branch from Branching Out Cakes
Harpist: Bertina Mitchell from Sound of Harp
Bagpiper: Lynne Miller from House of Bagpipes

Happy Planning!

Happy Turkey Day!

Yay! My favorite holiday of the year is finally here, and I'm up bright and early writing on my blog!?! Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, and I can't wait to share some pictures on how my table scape turns out. The place cards are absolutely adorable, as well as the candles and other goodies I got to make our family table festive.

In the meantime, this weekend is a great time to purchase your holiday cards, as we just did through Tiny Prints. From now until the 28th you can save up to $40 sitewide by using the code THANKSALE. I purchased both my personal and business holiday cards this week, and I can't wait for them to arrive! Nice thing to do as well is order the matching return address labels to really make your cards stand out, and use festive colored ink to hand address them.

Enjoy your holiday, and I will be back to blogging on Monday with the information on the ticket release for the January 24th bridal tour on Tuesday!

Happy Planning

Giving Thanks: Making the Simple Things Special

Ever since I was a little girl, Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday. For anyone that knows me, I love food, especially the comfort food that my Mom prepares on Thanksgiving. But, that wasn't the only reason. It meant taking the time away from the everyday grind to be with family and friends, watching football and eating and enjoying each other for an entire day. Computers aren't on, cell phones are tucked away, and the true meaning of holiday is fully embraced.

When I was 8, my Mom enrolled me in a calligraphy class to 1) try and get me out of the house, and 2) to try and get me to be right handed. Neither worked. I'm a true homebody, and I will forever be a lefty. The great thing though is that one year of calligraphy classes brought me to the career I am in today, and it always gave me the job of making the place cards for Thanksgiving and other holiday dinners. I loved it! I would grab stickers, glue, paper and all my best pens and create the dining table scape. I felt so cool, and the funny thing, my Mom actually keeps all the place cards I ever made in a drawer. It is sweet looking back at them, especially remembering people that are no longer with us.

So, the reason for my post was to remember what we are thankful for during this time of the year, and how to make the simple things special. I was inspired by the email blast I received from Paper Source with their super cute letterpressed "I am thankful for:" cards. I have purchased these for my family festivities, and I think it will be a huge hit. We usually eat around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and when dessert is served, we always play games. We are Greek and Italian, so the competitive nature can be a bit much, so before the games this year, I want everyone to read their cards, and we can keep them in a scrapbook to look back on in years to come. Maybe it will keep everyone calm when Pictionary comes out!

The other thing I found that I cannot wait to put together are the Wheat Bundle Place Cards. Um, how cute are these?! I have picked up a bunch of goodies to make the table scape this year, and this will really add to the look of it. I love handmade, and I love it even more when it comes ready to be handmade!Wishing you all a lovely and joyous holiday with your loved ones!

Denise + Dean | Nicholson Ranch | Oct 9

I am so excited to share these pictures that the lovely Tara Arrowood took of my clients' Denise and Dean's wedding last month. They were on the fast planning trail, and put together a gorgeous and joyful wedding in less than four months! Great vendors, a lot of love and laughing made it come out as wonderful as it did. The best part was I got to coordinate a wedidng in my own little Greek Orthodox Church that I have gone to since I was 8.

The vendors that brought their best to this wedding were:

Church: Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church, Novato

Reception: Nicholson Ranch, Sonoma

Catering: Caridwyn & Son's

Florist: Julie Stevens Design

Photographer: Tara Arrowood
Lighting: Elle Music and Design
Cake: Laurie Lucov Wedding Cakes
Transportation: California Wine Tours

Happy Planning!

Get Your Tan On... Properly

So many brides (and women in general) like to have a nice tan to look better, but not suffer from any damaging rays from the sun or a tanning bed. The next best options became the Mystic Tan. This is nice, but tends to come out streaky or uneven. I have seen many a bride on their wedding day with bright orange feet, and a bright white neck. Another great thing is they over the option of tan line correcting, which is great for brides that have a strapless or thin strap dress with those tan lines still leftover from your bachelorette party in Vegas.

The better option? To have a custom spray tan in your own home. Yes, Brown Bunz Mobile Tanning will come to you, set up shop (while you get to sip champagne), and in the end you will look like you've been on the beaches in Costa Rica. They can even take last minute appointments, so check them out today at www.brownbunztan.com.

Happy Planning!


Here is a before and after:

Jin Wang Sample Sale - 11/11 - 11/28

One of my favorite local bridal dress designers and salon is having a blowout sample sale! It is taking place from Nov 11-28, and you need to make an appointment to get your spot to view the dresses priced between $590-$1990. They carry the in house designer gowns, as well as Angel Sanchez, Nicole Miller, Amy Michelson, Jenny Packham, Domo Adami, Junko Yoshioka, Enzoani, Model Novias, Youlin, Reva Mivasagar, and more. They also have some select veils, handbags and shoes available on sale.

Make your appointment today by calling (415) 397-9111

Jin Wang is located at 111 Maiden Lane, 3rd Floor, San Francisco.

Happy Planning (and saving!)

Out of Town Gift Baskets That Will Wow Your Guests

About a year ago I was introduced to Sarah Tarantino from Woods and Company by a mutual wedding industry friend, and I had to get more information about her unique and creative company. She creates custom out of town gift baskets and gifts that really take the stress off the couple that creating these gift baskets can sometimes cause.

I asked Sarah about the process, and she explained to me that she first likes to meet with the client and find out exactly what they are looking for. She wants to find out what makes this client unique and how they can welcome their guests in a way that will be personal. She thinks it's really important for an event to have meaning, and guests should feel that they are a part of that special meaning.

During that meeting, she also gets to understand what they are looking at for a budget, so she can then take the ideas from the brainstorming session and the budget information and begin to pull ideas and draw up a quote. After that is done, she likes to present a "mock up" to the client to get approval and make any necessary changes. Once it is approved, production on the final product begins!

She then makes all the gifts and either the client can pick them up, or she can deliver them to the client or hotels directly. She delivers for free in San Francisco, and can arrange to deliver to hotels outside that area for an additional charge. One thing that she also really likes to do is to personalize the gifts for the guests, include welcome notes and itineraries, and also provide any tags on the items in the bag. She can work directly with the client to decide on these details.

In case you wanted to know about pricing, generally, the bags range from around $8.00 per bag to $25.00 + per bag, if they have more elaborate contents such as wine or champagne. However, she can work with any budget to make something unique! Those prices include all the meetings, design, materials, production, and delivery within the area.

Check out her website, and let the designing begin!

Happy Planning!

How To Be The Coolest DIY Bride!

A hot trend with weddings right now is incorporating DIY (do it yourself) projects to add special handmade details to your wedding. Even the not so creative types can get the advice, guidance and supplies they need at your local Paper Source (if you are not near a store, check out their online video tutorials). This shop is a candy land for those that love paper, and all that revolves around paper. Learn how to make your own table numbers with vintage stamps, place cards or even your own invitations, if you dare!

My favorite thing right now is paper garlands and paper flowers being hung whimsically at weddings. Paper Source offers a ton of different paper flower and garland kits that help you make these amazing decor pieces without too much stress on your part. Grab a few bridesmaids and a couple bottles of wine, and you are well on your way to being a DIY bride.

If you live close enough to a store, check out their workshop schedule, and see what is coming up that you would want to sign up for. I highly recommend taking advantage of these workshops, as they are very informative and make the sound of DIY much less scary.

Happy Planning!