Archive for January 2016
St Regis Monarch Beach-Botanical Garden & Club 19
My lovely Brooke, a journey that lasted 1 1/2 years until the big day arrived. We had such a great time and Brooke went through a lot of changes, left her job and went back to school, by the time the wedding came the groom was back at school too. Moving from New York to another state, Brooke spent a month backpacking through Europe with her brother, 2-3 trips out here, which were always great and mom and Brooke and I enjoyed champagne a few times together, loved everything about the months of planning on this one and could not wait for the big day to be here and see everything become a reality. The dancing/inside area of Club 19 was important, so we created a club feel inside and got a great band who kept the dancefloor full, Uncover Live under the direction of George. Brooke wanted to do something different in the Club 19 area and I came up with the cabana idea on the lower patio, which Brooke loved and became a huge talking point of the celebration, and as the celebration went on more and more people went down there to relax and be comfy!!
Brooke wanted to do a round menu card and I immediately said, fabulous, it can sit under the charger all night, perfect. Classic Party Rentals created the cabanas and provided the furniture/benches down there, loved it.
We had a sweetheart table, rounds and had a great of 14 we could not break up so we had a rectangle table center stage, it all looked great.
From the beginning Brooke wanted to do edible placecards. So on the cocktail lawn our placecard table was center and the trays of hors d’oevures with guests names/table #s were easy to find and then enjoy!!
One of my favourite parts of the day, especially when I have lived and breathed a vision with a bride and gone through months of helping her get it started, finesse it and then see it become a reality, when I get to show my couples how it all turned out.
Fabulous chandeliers hanging, moss table numbers and beautiful flowers, Elegant by Design/Karla you are wonderful, thanks for bringing my words/thoughts to the reality I tell my brides they are going to see and for backing up what I tell them, they are in great hands and have nothing to worry about, their expectations will be exceeded.
Thanks to Julie Cate/their photographer they flew in from New York, for some of the pics above. To Paul Uhlar for doing a lovely ceremony as always. To Naples Strings for ceremony/cocktail music, and to Monico Décor for the rentals we used in the dining and dancing areas. Last but not least, to the beautiful Kelly O’Dell and the team at the St Regis, you are all awesome, thank you.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 31, 2016
Ritz/Laguna, Sunset Terrace & Plaza Room
Just so hard to beat, this beautiful backdrop to a ceremony, with a 5 star/5 diamond hotel attached and a wonderful intimate room/balcony to have your lunch or dinner and dancing celebration.
A lot of my couples take advantage of the private beach cart/driver for a fee to head down to the beach and get some pics down there.
Great shots by Joe Latter above, I have to say Joe you are the first I know of to do the shot above with the B&G in the window, kudos to you.
A lot of couples want just one more practice of their first dance, so of course we sneak them in.
Tammy wanted an intimate/gardeny feel and only low centerpieces, great job Karla/Elegant by Design the flowers were lovely. We also went white chiavaris (which could be my favourite) and white dancefloor to offset the creamy/ivory hotel table linens. The room really had a lovely feel. We pulled together a great cohesive vendor team to ensure their day went well and they were looking forward to working with everyone. Elysium Video, OCASV lighting, Noemi/Posh Beauty, Jeff Holmes/Moondance Mobile Music- kept that dancefloor full, Monico Décor/rentals, and of course without them none of this is possible, the awesome ladies and gentlemen at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 30, 2016
Red Chair Lounge/Hyatt HB wedding
With the opening of the fabulous Watertable Restaurant at Hyatt Huntington Beach, it allowed the Red Chair Lounge to be offered up as space for events, and so far we have done three in here. It has always been popular for bride and groom pictures because of its lounge vibe, so we are excited for intimate or larger wedding celebrations to use it. The patio with the fire pit is a popular place for guests to hang. The wedding above did have dancing so a dancefloor was put in by the hotel.
Everyone loves the existing bar. The picture on the right is the sitting area end of the space. Its an L shape space.
Always a few guests sitting by the indoor fireplace/sitting area, no matter how hot it may be outside. One wedding we did had a pianist using the grand piano in there as background music, one used their ipod, one used the in house music.
At the other end of the L there is a pool table which keeps guests entertained and on the wedding above we brought in a photo booth, so we had an entertainment area. We did a wedding for 30 in here where they had proper dining tables and a sit down meal, the other two ranged from 50-100 people and they used the existing cocktail table/chair setup and had food stations both inside and outside. You don’t need to décor/spend a lot on florals as it has a lot of atmosphere. Two of the weddings did their ceremonies at the hotel, and one had theirs on the beach across the street.
Our beach wedding had a bagpiper for music over there and then he lead everyone back to the hotel and to the Red Chair patio.
So a new venue, unique, yet attached to a hotel so you get all the amenities/hotel room opportunities for the guests to enjoy. Perfect for a destination wedding. Good thinking team at the Hyatt Huntington Beach.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 29, 2016
Hyatt Newport Beach
Hyatt Newport Beach has such a variety of locations to have your wedding celebration at that its hard to call it a hotel, it has more of a feel of a relaxed country club with rooms and so gives someone looking for a hotel more of a boutique hotel feel than a resort or large hotel, yet in saying that they do conventions and corporate events all the time, so really, it seems to be the property that is all things to all people. For Laura’s wedding she did her ceremony at their main location, cocktails in a location where you can see the back bay, dinner/dancing in their private courtyard, then the after party/dancing in their unique round shaped room and outside there we had a firepit and smores station. N one could leave this wedding saying it was boring or the environment was bland as the event kept changing and evolving as the event went on.
We had firepit/sitting area for during the outside dinner/dancing portion but it was not dark until towards the end of our time there, so some women used it to chat, but it mainly just looked good!!
The ampitheatre ceremony site
Dinner was held outdoors with the important moments held there and dancing started out there too.
View to and from the sweetheart table.
The after party room that started at 10pm, at this point the dancing had been going for two hours outside so I thought a lot of people would leave, but no, dancefloor was packed for a good hour, then people started moving to the smores station/firepit right outside, or their hotel rooms, or on their way home. A great celebration was had by all.
Thanks to Jacqueline Kay for the photos, Design Visage for as always making the girls look awesome, their makeup looked as good at the end of the night as it did in the beginning, Naples Strings/you can spot them in the cere pic, Jenny B Florals-your team was great to work with that day, Tomgirl Bakery for dealing with a late delivery so we could have the cake out as short as possible in the warmth/heat, it was a hot day for sure but by the time the guests came to the dining area it was shaded, whew!! And to Christeen and the team at the Hyatt, you are the best, love you!!
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 28, 2016
Bella Collina-San Clemente
Now most of my weddings are at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna and St Regis Monarch Beach but I came across this venue a few years ago and have waited for the right couples to come along to have their weddings there and finally this year, had two weddings here. Look at that ceremony backdrop, who knew in the OC you could find this amount of open space no more than 10 minutes off the 5 freeway. The ceremony setup is great, the chairs are on levels that are amphitheatered down to the ceremony platform area.
Stacy and Tom and I spent a whole day driving around the OC looking for their perfect venue which they thought had an ocean backdrop, I made this our last stop knowing they would love it, and they did. The building/area is yours only after the golfers leave, and it reminds me of a beautiful lodge on the east coast or Scottish moors areas!! The cocktail area is inside/outside and has views over the greens/valleys and the ballroom is one wall of windows with the same view and also an outside patio and has really friendly feel. Our colors and rentals fit in beautifully. Karen and the team there are a joy and easy to work with for sure.
An awesome vendor team was hand picked: Frank Salas/photo-thanks for the pics above, Karen’s Flowers, Peter/Vive Ent-dj-ceremony thru the end, Shane Productions/video, Rentals/Monico.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 27, 2016
Intimate beautiful St Regis Monarch beach wedding
Mina had been following me on instagram for over a year and had made contact a few times with a potential date in mind but then got a job as an international air hostess so that held things up for a bit, but finally the day came that we could start planning her special wedding celebration. Because of her schedule most of the planning was actually done with her groom, we became firm friends. In fact he called me a week after the wedding was over and I thought oh no, what has happened, and he was just calling to personally thank me for all my help. Touched my heart!!!
Because it was relatively short term and their family was coming in from all around the world, it was a lovely intimate group, 20!! We had all the fixings of a large wedding celebration, and when the dancing began this group danced, for nearly 2 hours all the guests were on the floor dancing, the two moms would stop every now and again but everyone else was there to party, including the brides Japanese dad who was hilarious. Also, the most elaborate unity candle setup I have ever seen, just beautiful.
Of course a great vendor team is always required no matter what size or style of wedding you are doing, thanks to Karla/Elegant by Design-florist, as always you make my brides so happy when they see it all come together on the day. BTW, the Mediterranean room looks lovely with a bit of uplighting, I pushed for draping, but they just couldn’t justify it in the budget.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 26, 2016
Plaza Room-no dancing, Ritz Laguna
Erin and David were just wanting an intimate daytime celebration of their getting married with close friends/family, great location, excellent food/service, then when it was over everyone got comfortable and went/did what they wanted to for the rest of the afternoon/evening.
These pics show that you can spread out and have a lovely event, no dancefloor needed, thanks to Frank Salas for these pics and for being a gem. To Design Visage for beautifying the ladies, to Karla/EBD florals for as always getting the vision and making it happen, the florals/vases were beautiful, Monico Décor for the benches on the balcony which were well used and the other rentals, and to Jeff/Moondance Music for handling the ceremony music and providing great luncheon/socializing background music. We did a bouquet toss where the bride was on the balcony and the girls at the balcony doors, that wonderful Pacific ocean made a great backdrop for those pics. To keep it intimate Uncle Edward officiated the ceremony. A really lovely celebration for a lovely couple for sure!!
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 25, 2016
Grand Lawn/Club 19 St Regis Monarch Beach
I am such a fan of white dancefloors as I think they can really tie a look together and sometimes can make the look if lacking in other areas. Some of my brides agree and some are aok with the dancefloor the hotel provides, above the priority was lounge furniture/club vibe and later when its dark/dancing time it all looks great. There are no right/wrongs, it comes back to your priorities
Sometimes color palettes change too, originally this wedding was white and green florals for a fresh look and use orange or yellow for napkins to add a pop, but after the mockup the brides mom wanted the yellow and orange to be much more visible, and so it became!
Their guest list started a tad high to be able to do the two long tables, but as happens it organically went down and Joanna was thrilled to be able to do the two long tables. It looked great. Thanks to Karla/EBD florist for making the vision/budget work and being so gracious in working with last minute changes, Peter/Vive Ent for djing and keeping that dancefloor full, Design Visage for beautifying all the ladies, Joanna looked so lovely. Monico Décor for the rentals, and the team at St Regis for as always being awesome to work with and ensuring all went seamlessly from their end.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 24, 2016
Plaza Room, Ritz-Carlton Laguna
I love it when a bride picks up on something that most people are ok with, but Sally hated the railings around the balcony and wanted them prettied up. Both bride and groom love flowers and have flower gardens at their homes, so were really into sharing with Karla/Elegant by Design and had long discussions about flowers. It was lovely. Karla totally came to the party with the end result and both B&G were thrilled.
We came up with such a pretty vision, it was really an elegant beautiful celebration for an older very much in love couple. One of the best vows from a groom to a bride I have ever heard ‘I promise you will never fly coach again’!! Yeah baby.
We pulled together the perfect vendor team for this couple, James Johnson photography/thanks for the photos above, Karla/Elegant by Design florist, Enchanted Evening strings for our ceremony and cocktail music, Essence Entertainment for the band that kept the white dancefloor full, Monico for the rentals and Paul Uhlar for doing a great ceremony as always. To my friends at the Ritz-Carlton, you make our weddings 6 star events, so thank you very very much.
Till next time
Lisa
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Add a comment January 23, 2016
Hyatt Huntington Beach wedding
Quick post today. Kathy booked me for minimum service, she had all her vendors except video, so Shane Productions stepped in there, yay Kim. Kathy had listened to me regarding the bridge and covering it so you didn’t see guests walking over it during the cere, and I loved the backdrop she had done for the foyer, as they greeted the guests there and had a picture taken with them before they entered the ballroom, and then later guests were coming out and doing their own pics/selfies.
Till tomorrow
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Add a comment January 22, 2016
Lisa Simpson Wedding Celebration's Blog 