Darren, Tiffany, and me..Part Two

As mentioned in my previous blog, my friendship with Darren and Tiffany became truly strong as we worked and prayed together in the months leading up to their celebration.

Our goal from the beginning was to emphasize the depth of their relationship with God and with each other, as well as their appreciation for understated elegance, attention to detail, and of course, food to "die for"! All these elements, and so much more, came together to create a beautiful event which reminds me exactly WHY I love being a wedding planner! Thank you Darren and Tiffany for your friendship, love, and memories!

Amazing photo by Catherine Hall, of the Great Hall, Kohl Mansion, as the guests saw it when they entered...truly magical!

For a beautiful overview of Tiffany and Darren's wedding, please check out Catherine Hall's blog post and the slide show she links from that blog post. Incredible images and memories!

A colorful bride, and new friend!

WHY I LOVE MY JOB!

Wonderful brides like Monica who become my friends!

My last wedding of 2009 was a wonderful experience! Part of the joy was seeing the two cultures of Monica's parents come together to celebrate as one. Monica's mother is Japanese, so for after-ceremony photos, Monica put on an elegant white Kimono, sent by her grandmother who could not travel for the wedding; and after dinner, Monica changed from her wedding gown, into this incredible, hand-made Indian outfit to honor her Dad, who is from India. Truly an international celebration!

In the next few weeks, I will have more photos from the wedding and reception, at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkely, but this shot is one Monica just sent me and it means so much because of the note that went along with it:

"Dearest Jean, Our wedding was a dream come true for me...I really loved every minute of it, and I believe that God blessed me with such a warm and caring person who would just fit into our family dynamics and faith to bring this all to together.

I know you worked so hard and dedicated so much time and effort to make this perfect, and it was!

Most of all, Jean, I felt so secure and taken care of; I felt like you were my friend by my side and even during the down time...I just never felt alone since I knew you were right there.

Everyone thanks you for making this memorable!!

Love and Thanksgiving, Monica."

What can I say?? This is WHY I am a wedding planner; because of the way I can be a support during the fun, but often challenging months needed to plan a wedding, and then remain a caring and competent presence throughout the busy hours of the wedding day itself. As my tag line puts it, "..beside the bride to help as needed." Thank you, Monica, for allowing me to be there for you...it was a privilege!

Emily and Michal, Nestldown

I love the photos Michelle Walker put into a slide show to preview her amazing work at Emily and Michal's recent Nestldown wedding; please take a look!

http://www.michellewalker.com/data/web/slideshows/LuthraDrewniak/index.html

Darren, Tiffany, and me..

Working with Tiffany and Darren during the last 8 months, has been a joy! And seeing so many of their wedding dreams and ideas come become reality on Saturday at Kohl Mansion was a gift! I don't think I have ever smiled so much as I did during this wedding reception...the love and happiness were infectious!

The photo Darren took at the beach after he had proposed to Tiffany, became the focal point for the guest sign-in matte.

The vine pattern in Tiffany's wedding band became the theme for the invitations, as well as the gobo design on the walls at Kohl, the cake, and the dining table linens.

The morning began with Nellie Muganda's personal makeup care in Tffany's lovely suite at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores.

We gathered details as requested by our photographer, Catherine Hall, so they could be captured before the day got going. Included were the invitation, the hand bag Tiffany's mother made for her, the save the date, wedding bands, favor, program, and menu.

Kohl Mansion had never looked better, in my opinion, than it did for Tiffany and Darren's wedding; with rentals by Hartmann Studios, lighting by

Enhanced Lighting, and flowers by Church Street Flowers, the ambiance was rich and elegant, while remaining warm and welcoming.

The floral vine pattern motif was used effectively by John of Enhanced Lighting, to create a wash on the walls and ceiling which made Tiffany and Darren's theme design pattern wrap the room in light and warmth.

And even the cake, designed by Studio Cake, carried the scroll- like vine motif between each layer.

As tired as I was at the end of Tiffany and Darren's wedding day, I was sad to see it end...the wedding planning journey had brought us close in all the ups and downs of the real life that goes on in any 8 month period of time. We had laughed together, worked hard together, and prayed together. The bond we formed was very strong, and I was sad to see the day come to an end.

BUT, the very next day I got this email:

Jean

There aren't enough words to express our thankfulness for you. We felt that the wedding was truly magical and had the freedom to soak it all in thanks to your hard work behind the scenes. I'm sure we'll never know even half of what you've done and we want to make sure you know how indebted we are. I told several people just how wonderful it was to be able to pray with you and to know that you were praying for us.
Darren and I are sitting at SFO basking in the afterglow of last night. Thanks again for everything and we look forward to a full debrief when we get back.

:-)

Tiffany & Darren

Sent from my iPhone

Yea!! This is the best gift I could have received that day; the assurance that their wedding day was all they had hoped for, and that my service had been a part of that! I look forward to hearing about their time in Bora Bora when they return, and reminiscing about their magical Kohl wedding celebration!

These other fabulous vendors were part of the Darren/Tiffany team:

Ethan Mantle, of Componere Fine Catering

Matthew Cope, of Sound in Motion

Karen Nalvarian, of Shawn Cavlan Beauty Co

Ben Osgood, Pure Luxury Transportation

Buttons, Butterflies and Ice Cream Bars

Brandon and Marissa are a playful, light hearted couple, who put together a wedding celebration at Nestldown that fit their personalities perfectly! It was really fun for me to be involved where they needed guidance, during our year of wedding planning partnership, but to stand back and enjoy all the amazingly creative ideas they came up with!

Marissa used buttons to make the bridesmaids bouquets, the groomsmen's boutonnieres, the family corsages, and even to embellish the ring bearer's pillow.

Marissa started the day by showing us the unique shoes she would be wearing under her Melissa Sweet gown; this was just one of the many surprises she had prepared for the wedding day!

Instead of the traditional guest book, Marissa and Brandon had a Polaroid camera, with props to make the photos more fun (the operative word!)and note cards for the guests to glue on their photos, then write a personal note to Brandon and Marissa, and display it on the bright and fuzzy green poster board Marissa created for the wedding day.

In case people were not sure what to do, Brandon and Marissa created an example of what they had in mind...even their beloved dog was included in the day, via photo!

Marissa's mother was Japanese, and so in memory of her, Marissa made and strung the traditional 1000 cranes, which are a symbol of good fortune; my staff was able to hang all 1000 of them from the arbor in the ceremony site at Nestldown. When I first met with Brandon and Marissa a year ago, Marissa was just beginning to do the origami folding of the cranes. It took her all year to complete the project, and the result was beautiful and heartwarming.

Close up of the rainbow colors Marissa used for her Origami cranes...one more element of bright color which was infused throughout the wedding decor.

Another way Marissa chose to honor her mother's memory was to have each guest release a butterfly at the end of the wedding ceremony; as the Monarch Butterflies flew around enjoying the flowers in Nestldown's Chapel, or winged their way up into the Redwoods, the full rich sound of Andrew Bocelli's "A Time to Say Goodbye" wafted up with them. I was glad I brought a big supply of Kleenex, as the vendors needed them as much as the guests.

One of the butterflies decided to stay for photos with a groomsmen, and remained on his custom designed "button-eire" all afternoon!

After the ceremony, guests were invited up to cocktails beside the Koi pond, then to dinner on the lawn, where once again, Marissa and Brandon had a surprise for the guests...hand made, brightly colored pinwheels, in jars full of candy, were the centerpieces, which would go home with guests as another reminder of the incredibly personal and playful wedding!

The final surprise of the evening was to be the arrival of Aunt Lali's Ice Cream truck...as the guests were inside dancing, we sneaked Marissa and Brandon out to don aprons, climb into the ice cream truck, and be ready to serve their guests.





When everything was in place, I cued the DJ to turn down the music, so the guests could hear the ice cream truck music...then he said, "hmmm...it sounds like dessert is outside...let's go see." As the guests poured out of the barn they were greeted by the bride and groom offering Push ups, Popsicles, It's-It bars, Ice cream sandwiches, and every other kind of ice cream bar we all remember from our childhood.



This photo really captures the spirit of Brandon and Marissa's wedding; they wanted to serve up a generous amount of child like fun and lovingly prepared surprises, to delight their friends and family.
(I must confess, I had TWO It's-It Sandwiches...I could not decide between mint/chocolate, or vanilla/graham cracker, so the kid in me gobbled both! Later the adult regretted it a tiny bit, but they were yummy!)

I am so grateful been a part of this amazing wedding day, and of Brandon and Marissa's lives for over a year; I will miss them, but I know we will get together to view the photos and the video, when Rhee and Justin complete them....and, until then, I did bring home a pinwheel!

Venue, Nestldown
Photography, Rhee Bevere Photography
Videography, Weddings on Film
Caterer, Poetry in Motion
Ice Cream Truck, Aunt Lali
Butterflies, www.amazingbutterflies.com

July wedding at Villa Montalvo

What wonderful moments were captured by Sherman Chu last Saturday when we worked together on Rosemary and Patrick's Villa Montalvo wedding! Please enjoy them with me!

Rosemary and Patrick (Villa Montalvo-Saratoga) from Sherman Chu on Vimeo.

Summer wedding at the Villa!

Yellow is my favorite color, so I really enjoyed all the yellows in Rosemary and Patrick's wedding at Villa Montalvo this weekend. Here I am, just beside the ceremony area , waiting to cue the bridesmaids, the flower girls, and then.....

......Rosemary and her proud father!

The wedding party looked beautiful on a warm summer day at Villa Montalvo.....the yellow really added a fresh feel to everything.

After the ceremony, the guests were invited to cocktails in the Courtyard, followed by dinner on the Terrace, dancing in the Ballroom, cupcakes in the Solarium, and a candy buffet in the Formal Dining room....what a nice way to use an entire villa for an elegant and carefree wedding celebration!

Rosemary and Patrick fully enjoyed every moment of their wedding day; I loved watching them relax and enjoy cupcakes in the Solarium with their friends.
As a "p.s.", here is an example of how the flower girl occupied herself, in the earlier part of the day, managing the stairway to where the bride was getting ready...this may be one of my favorite photos of the year!

Thanks to Kathleen Kirkpatrick, venue manager at Villa Montalvo, for sharing these photos with me!

And thank you to the wonderful team who worked so well together at this very happy and beautiful (yellow)wedding:
Kathleen Kirkpatrick, www.montalvoarts.org
Le Papillon, www.lepapillon.com
Raffi Nalvarian, www.simdjs.com
Mike Pulano, www.simdjs.com
Ingela's Floral Design, www.ingelasdesign.com
Ed Holt, Officiant www.revholt.com
Hello Lucky, www.hellolucky.com
Kara's Cupcakes, www.karascupcakes.com
Sherman Chu, Photographer, www.shermanchu.com

I also worked with 3 wonderful assistants, who make my job so much more fun, as well as helping me provide the excellent, personalized service I promise to each of my clients.
A big thank you to:
Elisheva Basseri, a talented wedding coordinator herself, as well as my two wonderful interns, Jeanette Elliott and Melissa Miller...what a great team!!!
At the end of the evening with Melissa, one of my great interns; photo taken by Jeanette Elliott, on her iPhone....we are still smiling after a 12 hour day!

Well worth the wait!

Working with Dianna and Andy during the last 14 months has been such a treat, especially because I was able to partner with my wonderful designer friend, Gloria Wong, Gloria Wong Designs, to provide a complete planning service package for their wedding.


These photos, taken at the end of the evening, by Dianna's brother, remind me of how happy Dianna, Andy, Gloria and I were with the results of all our hard work...the smiles say it all!

This was my first opportunity to plan a wedding at Casa Real, in Pleasanton;, I was extremely impressed by the level of service and personal attention offered by each and every staff person we met. Plus, the venue itself is beautiful, nestled in the rolling hills and vineyards of the Livermore Valley.

The Sun Garden, at the back of Casa Real, is often use for outdoor ceremonies.

I have known the owner, Read Phillips, for years, through her excellent catering company, Beets; about 5 years ago, Read and her husband opened the Palm Event Center, in Livermore; just a little over a year ago, they launched their second property, Casa Real, a well-designed event space, built with wisdom and foresight, based on years of serving brides, grooms, their families and guests, yet always striving to do it better!

This arbor, built into one wall of the Sun Garden, provides the perfect backdrop for a wedding ceremony, when the weather permits. Because Dianna and Andy's wedding was in July, they chose to have the ceremony inside, where air conditioning created a controlled and comfortable climate!

The Amber Room, one of Casa Real's indoor ceremony venues, was designed to seat comfortably over 250 guests, and yet maintain a sense of intimacy.

With the addition of a patterned amber wash on the walls, lots of floating candles, elegant floral displays, and a custom-made silk aisle runner, the room took on the romantic, old world atmosphere, which Dianna and Andy had envisioned.

While the Amber Room was being readied for the 5pm ceremony, the Entrance Hall was being prepared for the guests' arrival at 4:30pm.


The first thing the guests saw as they arrived, was this lovely table, with an invitation to write a wish or offer some advice for the bride and groom, and drop it into the "wish bowl", for Dianna and Andy to enjoy reading after their honeymoon.


The ceremony went beautifully, and after cocktails, the guests were invited into the Grand Salon, for Andy and Dianna's first dance.

Andy and Dianna moved gracefully across the dance floor, as the guests waited their turn to join in!

As a surprise for Andy and Dianna, there were customized signs welcoming the new Husband and Wife to their places at the head table.

The chandeliers over the dance floor, and the patterned wash of light focused down onto the dancing area, as well as the soft up lighting around the room, provided the warmth and welcome Dianna and Andy desired for their dinner reception. John Woods, and his team from Enhanced Lighting, worked all day to create the lighting effects for the ceremony, cocktail area, and the dinner dancing reception.

The cake, created by Gabi Feuersinger, of Cake Coquette, was made exactly to Dianna and Gloria's specifications. The different designs, seen on each level of the cake, mirror the patterns chosen by Dianna and Andy for their save the dates, invitations, escort cards, programs, and menus. Everything was pulled together visually within in the decor of the wedding cake.

Gloria and I, just before cake cutting time, savoring the beauty all around us!

When we brought Andy and Dianna into the Grand Salon, to see it before the guests entered, it was heartwarming to hear them both exclaim that it was exactly as they had envisioned it!
That comment was all Gloria and I needed to hear; at that moment, every bit of detailed planning, long and involved meetings with vendors, working and reworking the timeline, was worth it!

As I have said before, I love working in partnership with other wonderful wedding professionals, to provide "above and beyond" service for my clients.
I can't thank my team enough for all they did to serve Dianna and Andy with the highest level of excellence!

The team:
Casa Real Staff, www.casarealevents.co.
Gloria Wong Tritasavit, www.gloriawongdesign.com
Dorothy of Mints Flowers, www.mintsdesign.com
Gabrielle Feuresinger, www.cakecoquette.com
Geoff and Lara White, www.geoffwhite.com
John Woods, www.enhancedlighting.com
DJ Jody Amos, www.amospro.com
Sherry Lewis, An Elegant Touch of Strings
Taylor Phan, www.thicosmetics.com
Pure Luxury Transportation, www.pureluxury.com

Haidee and Wilson

Please check out the photos on Geoff and Lara White's blog of Haidee and Wilson's vintage wedding at the Julia Morgan Ballroom!

(blog.geoffwhite.com).

What a fun wedding! Thanks for capturing it so well, Geoff and Lara!

Rehearsal and the real thing!

Here I am, ready to begin the rehearsal for Renuka and Kyle's wedding at Nestldown. My assistant, Janece, took several photos during the rehearsal, so I thought it would be fun to give you an inside look at how I was able to provide direction and structure for 25-30 adults and children, many of whom have never met each other, but the next day would need to work together as a unit, to support the bride and groom by carrying out their individual parts in the ceremony...it can be a challenge, but it is one that I really enjoy!

I don't know how many of you remember the "Where's Waldo?" books, but the next photo reminds me of those picture books which I used to enjoy with my children; we would scan the colorful drawings of large groups of people, to find the distinctively dressed Waldo in the crowd...see if you can fine the Wedding Planner in the crowd...she has an orange shirt and brown pants, and probably a clip board!

Here I am showing the officiants, videographers and parents where they will be standing for the ceremony...

...discussing with Janece the arrangement of the wedding party in front of the arbor, how we will cue the 2 officiants, 8 groomsmen, 8 bridesmaids, 2 flower girls, 2 ring bearers, a Jr. Bridesmaid, plus family members for the processional, before bringing the bride and her dad down the 68 steps to the chapel...

...showing the parents where they will be entering to be seated for the ceremony...

...explaining to the bridesmaids how they will come down the steps before Renuka, enter singly at my cue, and take their places in front of the arbor.

Finally, I am out of the photo, because Renuka, Kyle and the wedding party are in place as they will be on the wedding day. Now it is the officiants' turn to run through the content of the ceremony itself....this is all preparation for the moment Renuka and Kyle have been looking forward to, during an 18 month planning process...the wedding ceremony itself! (see below, 28 hours later)

The guests have no idea of all the pre ceremony "choreography" that went before this relaxed, on-time wedding ceremony...every one of the 27 participants in the wedding ceremony confidently entered and took their place at the front, and waited excitedly to see the bride enter, as practiced the day before, on the arm of her father...it all seems so natural, but without an organized and thorough rehearsal, this photo could have been quite different!

I also want to share some of my wonderful memories of Renuka and Kyle's wedding day! Their photographer, Todd Rafalovich, will have some of his professional shots for met to share later on, but these area few which Janece and I took during the wedding day itself.

The rich shades of purple and green which Renuka chose look elegant and vibrant on the green lawn at Nestldown.

Escort card display by Niel Hunt, of Hunt Littlefield Designs...their flowers were perfect for the outdoor setting and Renuka's jewel tones.

Renuka's father shipped his favorite caviar by UPS to Tom Henderson, Thomas John Events, the caterer, so that Renuka's guests could enjoy a caviar buffet during cocktails.


The cocktail area was set up on the Bocce Ball meadow, so the guests could mingle among the redwoods, enjoy the "cooked to order" barbecue sliders (beef, chicken, pulled pork) and the music....

...a steel drum band from Trinidad, the country where Kyle's father was born.

During dinner, Renuka and Kyle enjoyed visiting with their guests on the lawn, and then at the end of the evening, thanked all the friends and family for joining them to celebrate their wedding.

And I want to thank my vendors and assistants for make this wonderful wedding, and the rehearsal, come together so perfectly!

Nestldown
Thomas John Events
Hunt Littlefield
Todd Rafalovich
Butterfly Cakes
Adam Lopez, DJ
Best Dam Steel Band
Janece Shelloe
Melissa Miller