Casa del Mar Santa Monica wedding

Such a good time with these peeps.  Eric met Tamara at an Irish pub, where she lived and is from.  Time goes on, she lives here they now get married and choose the fabulous Casa Del Mar hotel in Santa Monica to get married at.    It was a Friday in February and the ballroom was sitting open so they were offered that.  It was perfect.  When you come from the union of castles and royalty, we needed some chandeliers and space to make all those that travelled feel right at home.

We did the ceremony in the ballroom, then everyone moved to the foyer/front patio for cocktails while we turned the room for dinner/dancing (and yes there were Irish jigs played) which which easy as our total guest count was 26 and we spread everyone out over 4 tables and the sweetheart table.  It’s funny because with my next wedding in that ballroom we maxed it out, there was no room for one more table, so we go from one extreme to another, lol

Since the wedding i have through instagram kept in touch with them dming and they just moved into their brand new home which we watched get built and lived Tamara’s excitement through the process.  Did i ever tell you i love my job!!

till next time

Lisa

xoxox

catch me on insta  @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Baltimore wedding

So this has happened two times to us now, we get hired to handle the events for the Indian Groom (as they have many events leading up to the wedding day only for them) and we are not doing anything for the actual wedding day itself/events that day or bride.

So this wedding was in Baltimore and the grooms parents hired us to handle a wedding reception/party they wanted to throw here in S CA for the friends that were not going to be able to make it over to Baltimore, with friends and family it was still a 200 person event, it would be the following week so a lot of the family were coming to S CA for it.  As things got going they realized they needed help pulling their event together in Baltimore.

So i did research and we got the hotels narrowed down for the events as well as where most of the guests on their side would be staying, and then mom and I went to Baltimore and got things handled.  Nicole and I both went to do our part in Baltimore, we were there nearly a week and even though we had a plan, once in house and dealing with lots of guests with different needs we got settled into roles pretty quickly that were different than originally imagined, and where we thought we would have some off time, we ended up with about 3 hours one night when everyone headed off to an event at the bride’s home and we found a great burger place to do take out for everyone one day for lunch and we headed to a really cute old part of town and had a lovely dinner, but the rest of the time we would head to bed very late and sleep like babies, lol.  Nicole became the hostess with the mostess in the hospitality suite, first thing in the am she would sort it out from what may have on in there the night prior, get everything restocked and then take care of it all day/bring lunch&snacks in as needed, and because the parents room was next door anything they needed she handled also.  I described my job as what i would imagine a traffic controller feels like, people coming at your from all directions, emails/texts/phone calls needing airport transfers (thank goodness i found a guy not long after arrival that pretty much became on call for me with his crew/vans 24 hours a day for the week, he was awesome), food, as well as working with the host hotel on anything to do with rooms, we used banquet space for hair/makeup and meals in the restaurant, welcome dinner first night then time blocks on other nights with vouchers, and was working with the hotel down the road that had beautiful old fashioned ballrooms and chandeliers like we don’t get to see here in SA CA anymore where we did a few events, it was walkable so that made it easy when i needed to get there make a quick decision and then get back.  Yes for those in the industry, i was pretty much doing my normal job and being a DMC, lesson learned, lol.

It was also July and July in Baltimore is hot so you actually didn’t want to be outside too much.  But anyway the point to this story is, you need help anywhere in the world, we can do it.

Till next time

Lisa

xoxox

catch me on insta

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Fiji Wedding in mind??

Well let me help you out.  I have been to Fiji well over 15 times and have been to most of the islands and resorts that are worth going to/experiencing.  I love it.  In fact was there two times in the past year.  It starts with a night flight to Fiji, so you depart around 9-11pm depending on who you are flying and you arrive around 5-6am, go through customs, head to the hotel and you can be lying by the pool by 8am, believe me, I’ve done it.  I will do a few posts on the different resorts, but today its the Westin Denarau Island

So its is an island but connected to the mainland by a bridge about 30′ long, lol.  On Denarau are the holiday homes for wealthy folks from downunder or American’s, as well as around 10 major hotel brands, so if we do your destination wedding here they can stay at the host hotel or stay at whichever hotel along the strip they prefer.  What is the perfect situation is to have everyone arrive/acclimatize for a few days, then everyone heads to one of the island close by where you all stay 2 nights and you have the wedding there, then you head off to honeymoon on another island or head to Australia or New Zealand, and the guests can leave or go wherever they may want now too!

On Denarau the Westin is my fave hotel and the spa is fabulous, you have a massage in an open air bure style some overlooking a lily topped pond, very relaxing for sure.

If you are interested in Fiji for a vacation or honeymoon, i have peeps that can pull it all together for you.  Let me know

Till next time

Lisa

xoxox

catch me on insta   a post a day  @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Trish Peng Bridal Gown Designer Event

I got to meet an up and coming bridal gown designer here in LA, who has a huge business/following in New Zealand, yes she is a fellow kiwi, and was here starting to get things going.  So what could i do to help, had a roll out dinner with some of the top planners/peeps in the industry!!  Her showroom was in a mansion with amazing views over to downtown LA and over Silverlake area and there was enough area on one side to do a lovely dinner under a canopy we created covered in chandeliers.

Amazing job bringing my vision together Melissa/Flowers by Cina, as always, Luxe Linens, Over the Top Rentals for the chairs/tables/canopy/chandeliers, Frank Salas for the pics for me, beautiful food by Contemporary Catering and amazing unique drinks.  It was a daytime events so no pics of LA at night for you, but i have been there and seen it, pretty fabulous, 2 kiwi girls living the dream here in Los Angeles, CA.

Check her out:  http://www.trishpeng.com   or on Instagram  @trishpeng

Till next time

Lisa

catch me on insta  a post a day minimum  @lisasimpsonweddings

714 305 7112

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Ritz Laguna – Ceremony + Terrace Salon

Ines loved red, so red we went for and with Square Root Floral Design it was very much a focal point from ceremony to ballroom.

Terrace Salon looked beautiful.

We started with a petal pattern down the aisle but Ines wasn’t digging it so we went for full carpet red petals and that looked rich and beautiful, sometimes those things become day of decisions and it’s just perfect.

The ceremony was held on Monarch Bay Sunset Terrace Lawn and right next to it is the Terrace where we had cocktails and the guests got to enjoy that same view and take as many selfies as they wanted/needed to and not hold up the after ceremony pics, lol.

We had a white dove release at the end of the ceremony, always a crowd and couple pleaser, my fave harpist Wendy played ceremony/cocktail music, TMMPRO provided the black dancefloor & decal which was the center of our room and lighting, and we had singers and a dance troupe for music/entertainment as most middle eastern/Arabic weddings do and it was fabulous.  Again, without our ladies & gentlemen at the Ritz Carlton Laguna, none of these wedding dreams would end as fabulously xoxox

Till next time

Lisa

xoxxo

catch me on insta   @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Jamaica overwater bungalows-Sandals

Did you know you don’t have to go to Tahiti to find overwater bungalows??!!  Well you don’t, I have been selling Sandals all-inclusive Resorts in the Caribbean since 2005 and a couple of years ago they were the first resorts in the Caribbean to add overwater bungalows.  The first ones were at the Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, and i was very fortunate to be there with a small group of wedding planners that sell Sandals and we were lucky enough to be able to get a quick 10 mins in one between the cleaning from a checked out guest ending to a new couple arriving at the resort to go in.  These have been sold out from the minute they hit the market, so successful were they that they were added to another Jamaica resort and in St Lucia, more on those resorts in another post.

The pics above are what you see when your butler opens your door to the villa and the balcony area with your own plunge pool, 3 levels of deck for enjoying , an outdoor shower, lots of seating including a fab big round flat swing you can lie on and just enjoy the view.

The bathroom and outdoor shower areas, yes, i would use all the above, lol

Decisions decisions, swim in your own plunge pool or the ocean??!!

Lets do dinner on the lower deck, closer to the ocean tonight honey xoxx

Think i will take that stairway to heaven….

Should we nap on the netting and fall asleep looking at the wee fish below or you can swing me to sleep on the swing?  I’m the one covered in pillows, lol

You are picked up at Montego Bay airport and have a luxury vehicle private transfer to the airport where your butler meets you, then escorts you to the boat for your transfer to the island where the overwater villas and bungalows are off of.  You have access to the island where there is a restaurant, pool, lots of lovely beach, but the rest of the resort guests who can access the island via a larger boat transfer are not allowed to come down the pier where the overwaters are, so you are very very exclusive.

My fave place would be the lower deck sitting in those bucket seats reading and sipping my champagne and saying, how lucky am I.    aaaahhhhhhhhhh

The pic with the crane is the overwater bungalows starting to be built at the other Jamaican Sandals Resort lucky enough to get them.

The guests on the main part of the resort look over and wish and wonder!

the glass to the water at the foot of the bed gives a beautiful light in your villa all night.

View from the bedroom area

This resort has 2 options for the overwaters, one with the big deck/plunge pool, referred to as Villas, and a 2nd with smaller interior and deck and a soaking tub referred to as a bunglow.  I had one couple last year spend 8 nights in a bungalow overwater, they would have stayed in the Villa but they were not available-just fyi they are always sold out/first to go, its amazing.  Even getting 8 nights in the Bungalow was hard, they were flexible with their dates and had to actually spend a night prior to going out to the bungalow in a suite on the main land part of the resort.  When i go looking for rooms those 2 room types are always the ones showing big red SOLD OUTs on them!!

Remember with Sandals it’s all inclusive, airport transfers are included, all food/beverage, resort activities and entertainment, resort snorkeling and if you dive resort diving, if not certified you can get certified quickly and for a low cost in 1/2 a day and then enjoy all that free diving, and with this resort you are just down the street from the Sandals Montego Bay Resort and there are shuttles you can catch to go back and forth, so you can enjoy all the amenities and restaurants/bar/lounges over there as well, and there is no extra charge, all included.  Pay for 1, stay/play at 2.  there are also excursions and activities off resort that can be arranged for you too, so you don’t get there and waste time trying to work out what else you may want to do.

Call, email me, let’s get your vacation, honeymoon, group trip, destination wedding planned in Jamaica at one of the Sandals Resorts or on any of the other 5 Caribbean islands they have Sandals or Turks & Caicos where we have a Beaches Resort, for families, or friends that don’t want to share a bed at a Sandals!

Till next time

Lisa

xoxo

catch me on insta   @lisasimpsonweddings  or for my Sandals posts   @caribbeanallinclusive

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Fashion Island Hotel Cabana Room

Elizabeth and David were lovely and it was a pleasure to help them plan their wedding.

Ceremony was on the Cabana patio, we then had the guests go to the side patio for cocktails, as we turned the patio area into tall tables for after dinner, but the dinner/dancing was inside Cabana Room, you can do about 80 in there comfortably with a dancefloor and sweetheart table etc.  Once the guests were inside we kept the window doors behind the sweetheart table open, it was a nice backdrop for any photos of B&G but also let the guests know they could be in or out, whatever they preferred.

Photos by me, been waiting and waiting for them from the photographer but no luck, grrrr.  Paul Uhlar did a lovely ceremony, Design Visage did hair/makeup, EBD Floral another fabulous job, Jim Vita/guitar for ceremony&cocktails, DJ Mister Bill for djiing (he is no longer djing which is all our loss, and TMMPRO for the dancefloor & chiavaris.

Thanks to Fashion Island Hotel for being such great teammates xoxoxo

Till next time

Lisa

catch me on insta  i post everyday   @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Tuscany wedding

Be still my heart.  I am very fortunate to have been to Tuscany 5 times, last time 11 months ago and in fact was supposed to be heading there this week but due to coronavirus not going, so aiming for a different trip that was planned for later in the year, fingers and toes crossed.  So my US bestie moved here with her Italian husband nearly 3 years ago, they had spent 20 years in the USA and now it was time to have time living there.  This was the place they first moved to, he had gone ahead to get things in order and they have 2 cats, you can only take 1 per person on a plane, so i got to come for a weekend as that was all the time i had at that time, to bring the 2nd cat, lol!!  Pienza was the first town they lived in, they have since moved 2 times and they love where they are now, but i love this town, its my favourite i think, it is everything you imagine a small Italian village to be.

Now i have pics of a great venue, its a farmhouse with rooms so for an intimate group you can stay here and do the pre and post wedding time here and do the wedding here or elsewhere, up to you.  Options are so huge in Tuscany or anywhere in Italy.

Views from the farmhouse where you could have your wedding

Above are all farmhouse pics, it was December when i was there so that is why its not sunny and blue, plus my iPhone takes sucky pics for whatever reason

We went travelling to other villages to eat and see sights

These are thermal pools at a spa hotel, i have since gone back and we went there and it was lovely, it rained while we were sitting in the lovely hot water too, bella

So let’s do your European Destination wedding here in Tuscany, i have people on the ground there, and am fortunate to have been several times, you are in great hands.

Till next time

Lisa

xoxox

catch me on insta   @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Balboa Bay Resort Wedding Reception

Marina and John booked us for a month of service, so they had all vendors in place when the service was about to begin.  With the smaller services you do get a preferred vendor list from me as well as the ability to email/call anytime for advise/direction and referrals.  So things had gone well, i detailed them a bit early because it was a February wedding and with the holidays and I had friends from NZ here in January, so timeline and me confirming with vendors was all good.  However, with the smaller services i reach out to the florist re timing once i have seen a final order from the B&G they are good with, i had said to them to get me a copy of the order so i could look it over and give them thoughts if i thought something was not right/items missing etc and i would then confirm timing with the florist.  We were in good shape.  I am in Cabo about 2 weeks before the wedding and i get a panic voicemail from Marina to call her asap, i could tell something was not right…… well their florist decided they no longer wanted to do their wedding, gave a reason that seemed a bit suspicious (remember people, everyone can see your Instagram and what you are doing and where) and they were refunding the monies paid so far.  So that made it pretty final, right!  While i was talking to Marina and calming her down as i knew we could find a florist, but not for the pricing she was paying, that i knew, so always be wary if someone is giving you same as others but for a much lesser price, something is not right, I was texting/emailing EBD Floral/Karla to see if they were available and could she help.  Well this is why planners have their core vendors, all different for different reasons, so you see them intercrossing for different weddings, thank goodness she could help and within 48 hours Marina & John had met with her, she was booked (yes it cost them more, but what it should have cost in the beginning!!) and of course pulled everything off without a hitch, wish they would have gone with someone off my list from the get go, none of us needed that and i had to not drink for a good 36 hours in Cabo as i had to keep my wits about me for the calls/emails that were going back and forth to solve this, and to keep Marina calm.

So anyway, I digress but these things can happen, and i was worth my wait in gold to these 2, if they had not had a planner there last 2 weeks leading up to the wedding would have been horrific i am sure.  With their service they had included my being at the hotel early to keep the girls on track with hair/makeup/dressing and getting to the church on time and had one of my assistants at the church (it is an Egyptian church and there is no church lady, we have done many weddings here so know how it works/what to do to get everyone up the aisle and keep photos moving after the ceremony ) to keep me in the loop as to when they were arriving back at resort/what was happening at the church, so i could keep things on track from that end, not be blind.  Cocktails were in the foyer and the outside patio area which is lovely, then into the ballroom we went where the lighting/music/mceeing & Photobooth were done by Invisible Touch.  TMMPRO did the dancefloor and service wall draping.  Dolled up by Lulu did hair/makeup, Jim Kennedy was our photographer/always love working with him or his ladies, quick and fun.

After dinner we had a setup in the ballroom for the guests from the Boba Tea Truck, i have to tell you, this was a hit.  I may have sampled 2 of the 3 options, just to be sure they were quality enough for this wedding, lol.  it’s always fun seeing past couples/families at my Egyptian weddings, it is a very tight community and we are very lucky they have embraced us.  And to the BBR team, thanks as always, we just love being there for sure

Till next time

Lisa

xoxox

catch me on insta   @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020

Cabo wedding

I have been to Cabo 8 times and seen most of the fabulous properties there you can have a wedding celebration at, actually getting ready to head back there in July, so from a standpoint of working with someone here in the USA, no matter where you are, to help you plan then orchestrate your Cabo wedding, you are in good hands.  For me, i can fly down in just under 2 hours and the fares are reasonable, so pre trips to ensure all is perfecto is not an issue.  There will be more posts, but this post is just to give a tease of a property i stayed at a few years ago that had lovely touches all around, the normal part of the resort and the private accommodation area (where I stayed and there was a celebrity there at the same time, hmmmm), the food was awesome and the all the pools, there were many, were fabulouso, i used them all.

We ate breakfast in this restaurant most days because the views were awesome.  Most nights there were fireworks somewhere down the coast, most weddings do them because they are extremely reasonably priced, how great is that as a finale!!

The pool we spent the most time in, there was never anyone else there.  Sunsets in Cabo are lovely!

We did the all inclusive option after the first few days where we had gone into town and eaten in there, its really hard to beat those packages and you aren’t getting slop!!

This was a trip with my US bestie, we go down each year and stay somewhere different each time.  We found a cabana like you see in the pic, and i am on it taking this pic and we would spend the latter part of the day there reading and listening to the waves crashing and watching boats heading back to Cabo, so relaxing and peaceful

The pic right above here with the beach/sand and the white hotels is the main beach in Cabo, we always go here a couple of times for really cheap massages and to eat/drink in the middle of the hustle/bustle at one of the beach restaurants.  And never fear we do always have a massage at the hotel we are staying at Spa for sure.  On this trip we went out whale watching as we normally do, but this time we got a whale breaching right beside us, we were on a small boat with just 8 of us and it was amazing.

Let’s do your Destination wedding in Cabo, let me help!!

till next time

Lisa

xoxox

catch me on insta   @lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment April 11, 2020