Kicking off the party right. [Please ignore the plastic cups. The caterer provided the wrong ones. However, I didn't end up caring much since most guests really didn't notice, especially after a drink or two or more.]
My attention-loving mom had to get a dance in with all the guys.
Love this black and white film shot
Like I said, our DJ was awesome and kept the party going. Time to get down to business.
The kid 'n' play must always happen at weddings in our circle,
for some reason. [Photo by friend + guest Cee. ]
A friend gave me good advice. She said that if you stay on the dance floor and have fun, people will join you. Not sure if it was our fault or our great DJ's, but the dance floor did have a decent crowd on it all night.
We decided to go ahead with the bouquet and garter tosses as many of our friends are not married yet.
My mom caught the bouquet.
Oh dear.
We also had a nice little prize (gift certificates) for the lucky catchers.
A special shoutout to a bunch of my lovely college friends who came out from all over the country, mostly from the east coast. Yeah, the hubs was getting a little sloppy happy by that time.
As soon as I pulled up to this venue, I knew it was
perfect for our wedding. The well-kept grounds, the
charming courtyard, the splashes of red, all the bamboo,
the Modern architecture, and the expansive outdoor areas
met our aesthetic criteria. On the practical side we
loved the relatively reasonable rental fee (it's more
of a steal if you are a city resident) that includes
use of chairs and tables for up to 300 guests, 10 hour
use of the estate (7 hours of which guests can be on
the grounds), city-required security, a site coordinator,
and ceremony sound equipment. ample parking is provided
a short walk from the main gate of the estate, only
one event is held at a time, and the expansiveness and
variety of the grounds allows you to hold both ceremony
and reception at the same venue, a must on our list,
while still varying the feel of each portion of the
wedding. There are a few regulations that must be respected
due to the historic designation of the estate and its
residential neighborhood, but none of the stipulations
were deal breakers for us. Their BYO policy for food
and alcohol allowed us to save quite a bit on catering
costs as well. The estate's events coordinator, Tamra Wilbur, was professional, pleasant to work with, accommodating
of any special requests, and wonderfully organized in
her dealings with us, our wedding coordinator, and our
caterer.
Coordinator Events of Love and Splendor [Angel Swanson] Highly Recommended
angel@loveandsplendor.com www.loveandsplendor.com
We initially thought our budget did not have room for
a coordinator. However, we wanted to insure that things
would run smoothly, we did not want to impose too much
on guests, and we wanted to be able to enjoy the day
ourselves. While I was very happy with all top three
coordinators (on my list) I met with, Angel stood above the rest. Her poise, genuine enthusiasm for her clients and weddings,
and amazing, current sense of style set her apart. No
matter the look and feel you are going for in your wedding,
she has an adaptable and keen eye for what will (and
will not) contribute to the big picture. She is organized
and professional but also has an ideal personality,
in my opinion, for a coordinator - sincerely sweet and
affectionate toward her clients, diplomatic, and nice
but firm + assertive when required.
When my original alcohol vendor flaked out two weeks
before the wedding, she went over and beyond her contractual
obligations in helping me make sure our guests did not
go thirsty. On the day of, she and her assistant, Anna,
made sure everything ran smoothly and on time while
being everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She cued
all of the vendors, the bridal party, our families,
and us subtly and at appropriate times. Our other vendors
commented on what a pleasure she was to work with. many
of our guests commented on what an organized yet fun
and laid-back wedding ours was, and that is due in large
part to Angel's work.
Caterer Elegant Affair Catering [Pete + Julie Ortega] Recommended 800 N. Main St. Orange, CA 92868
714.532.0114 www.eacevents.com
I love delicious, beautifully presented food. However,
with our modest budget and moderate guest count (145), O had to find a caterer who made solid (if not crazy
excellent) food for a decent price. With the help of Elegant Affair, we did it! we got a three-course sit-down
dinner, all china/drinkware/flatware/linens rentals,
some disposable wares (please feel free to clutch your
pearls now), a few miscellaneous rentals (bar height
tables for cocktail hour, a bar, etc.), cake cutting service,
champagne toast service (which we didn't use), cold
drink station pre-ceremony, coffee station, bar staff
to serve our BYO alcohol, and waitstaff for less than
$50 a head.
While their food is not the most gourmet, it is definitely
tastier than most wedding banquet food I have had. The
presentation was sufficient but didn't wow. However,
the food was fresh and tasty, service was excellent,
and everything was a really great value.
Cake
For the Love of Sugar [Sarah Witt]
Highly Recommended sarah@fortheloveofsugar.com www.fortheloveofsugar.com
Her specialty is cupcakes, but she can do pie, cookie
favors, and cake as well. Cake decorating is definitely
her forte, but the cakes, fillings, and frostings are
all fresh and delicious as well. I gave her an inspiration
image, and she took it from there, producing exactly
what we wanted. I wanted cream cheese frosting for my
outdoor, August wedding, and she agreed as we pushed
the delivery back to early evening and promised a shady
area for the cake table. While putting together the
contract, she threw in fondant over the cream cheese
frosting for free, as she wanted to make sure the cake
stayed pretty and safe to eat. On top of it all, she
is definitely one of the most affordable bakers in the
area.
Alcohol Supplier Wally's Wine [David Othenin-Girard + Judi Wallace] Highly Recommended 2107 Westwood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025 310.475.0606 www.wallywine.com
My original alcohol vendor flaked out a little less
than a week before the wedding. We wanted someone who
could help us calculate quantities of alcohol/mixers/garnishes/ice/etc.
to provide a full bar, provide delivery and pickup services,
and would also accept returns on unopened bottles. I had frequented Wally's previously for special occasion
bottles of wine, but I never knew they also frequently
cater parties. They provided us with a quote very quickly
and made placing the order very easy for us. Their prices
are comparable to other retailers, but they do offer
volume discounts depending on what you need.
DJ Mixterious Force [Joey Inez] Highly Recommended jinez@verizon.net
Due to sound restrictions, we had to use a DJ from
the venue's pre-approved list. After talking to many
cheesy DJ's off the list that were asking for quite a bit fee-wise,
my husband finally found Joey. He was everything we
wanted in a DJ/MC and more. He is laid back, organized,
and completely respects your specific desires. He went
over and beyond in setting up for our three different
areas--ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. As an MC, he was not cheesy at all, only announced the things
we asked him to, and made sure he was on the same page
as the other vendors involved in each event he announced
to insure smooth flow. As a DJ, he stuck to our lists,
edited our long lists down very nicely, did a great
job mixing (no awkward transitions or silences between
songs--a peeve of my husband's, who used to spin),
and also did a good job of reading the crowd and adjusting
as needed. An added bonus was that for some of our more
obscure, older hip hop, he was even able to dig records
out and actually use them as he has both CD and vinyl
turntables. Many guests complimented both his MC and DJ skills, and a fellow wedding-obsessed friend and recent bride in attendance
even commented that she was so sad she had not hired him as well. You'll see the dance floor moves he inspired in my next entry!
Things remained on the calmer side, at least to our knowledge, while it was still light out. How I love long, warm summer nights, and we had a wonderful one for the reception.
[Grand Entrance]
That's me, tripping on the stairs and my dress during our
grand entrance. we did eventually make it to the table in
one piece.
No idea how Michael Norwood got this lovely shot, short of climbing the house on the estate or making a ladder appear out of thin air.
I previously wrote a blurb on our first dance. Here is just one photo since I've already posted a ton. [Toast + Tables]
Although we did mingle with our guests during cocktail hour,
we are really glad we did table visits + had pro photos taken at each table [even if some guests were missed due to being at the bar being who-knows-where.]
[Cake Cutting]
No smashing here. We love food too much to put it anywhere
but in our mouths.
So sweet, that cake! Oh, the kiss, too.
Vendor reviews on the amazing group of people who helped the above happen to come, before the second, rowdier installment of reception photos. 'Til then, link away below, for those who've missed the parade thus far.
I am interrupting the pro photo parade to bring you some info on some of my super fantastic vendors.
Videography HD Invision [Robert Busch] Highly Recommended
818.825.1054
info@hdinvision.com
www.hdinvision.com
Robert was very responsive, professional, and on top
of follow-up from our intial contact. He arrived on
time, decided to throw in a second shooter for the ceremony
close to our wedding date when I sent him our ceremony
setup in order to best capture everything, and was
everywhere and very unobtrusive at the same time on
our wedding day.
Editing-wise, we like more of an edgy and contemporary
style. However, we didn't want our video to get dated
too quickly, either. Robert's editing style is a good
balance between classic and modern without any cheese. From his other samples, it seems he can adjust more
toward one end of the spectrum or the other as well,
depending on your taste. He does give you a very detailed
questionnaire regarding your style preferences at the
beginning, but he was able to extract that which fit
us and our event best with very little direction from
[lazy] me [who didn't fill it all out]. His turnaround
time was very reasonable as videography goes, his packages a great value, and he
was such a pleasure to work with throughout the process.
And now, our highlights reel to show you some of his work.
I was fortunate to have found michael when he was just
breaking into wedding photography, especially since
we had a beer budget and have champagne tastes as far
as photography is concerned. Both my husband and I were
instantly taken by his warm, laid-back personality. Despite both being rather camera-shy, we knew that we
would be comfortable in front of him on our wedding
day. Even with only a few weddings under his belt at
the time, his portfolio showed obvious talent, understanding
of the types of shots brides and grooms want, and an
impressive range.
We loved his enthusiasm and creativity in trying a
new venue for our engagement photos. he was present
for every moment of our 15+ hour wedding day, and we
love both the candid moments and casual portraits he
caught of us, our guests, and the event. As evidenced
throughout my entries documenting our day and Michael's work, his work speaks for itself. he was also prompt
to respond, had our online proofs up in record time,
and was another vendor that our other vendors truly
enjoyed working alongside.
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