First Ritz-Carlton Laguna micro/covid wedding

Well mid June it was time to get back in the saddle. Couples wanted to get married and were willing to drop guests/do everything outside, whatever it took. So this wedding was for all of us the first hotel wedding we would did not thinking there would be many. It was all about the masks and social distancing, something we found hard to do in the beginning but now so easy, sad to say!

Thanks to Joe Latter for the photos, Elegant by Design for the beautiful tropical florals, Wendy/harpist for the ceremony/cocktail music and Peter/Vive Ent for the dinner music, Design Visage for beautifying the ladies, and to White Flite for the dove release that we managed to keep a secret from the bride, yayyyy, and Alan Katz for officiating and providing/issuing the marriage license-that became a thing a lot of my couples had him do this crazy season as getting appointments when the registrar/recorder office was open was impossible, and of course to the ladies and gentlemen at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna, it was soooo good to be back after three months of being away especially when we should have been hot and heavy with weddings by this time. Little did we know the things we would be doing from here on out in 2020 to ensure guests, vendors, staff were all safe. Note the food behind screens that were handed to the guests by a gloved server!! And little did we realise that where dining under the stars that used to be maybe once a year would become the norm!!

Till next time

Lisa

insta lisasimpsonweddings

lisa@lisasimpsonweddingcelebrations.com

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment December 19, 2020

Have a Caribbean wedding

Well i am happy to report that you don’t have to give up your dream wedding vision for either just the two of you or an intimate group, or a large group, due to your original plan being dashed by covid rules/concerns that don’t seem to be getting under control.  Come to either the Sandals or Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean

It’s never been safer to fly i feel with everyone wiping everything down/masks etc, and the Caribbean Islands have done an excellent job of keeping covid down and the resorts also.  Sandals & Beaches have a huge protocol of cleanliness program which everyone i have sent down since June have said, how safe they felt and free of fear.

These pics are a range of weddings i have seen set up when i have been on property or been a part of, so you can see the sky is the limit as to what is right for you!

   

Let’s do it, still time for the end of 2020 if you want to elope or have a small group, or let’s get you booked for 2021 and get the rest of your lives started sooner than later xoxoxox

Till next time

Lisa

insta    lisasimpsonweddings

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment December 18, 2020

First wedding after Stay at home/Memorial weekend

Well to think of the journey i have been on since this wedding at the end of May when we really had no idea how long Coronavirus would be around, that wearing masks and social distancing would become a way of life not just something we were doing for a short while. Wow!! The weddings that followed that we were on their 2nd and 3rd dates and the redoing of timelines and reconfirming vendors over and over, keeping the couple’s positive, and for most of 2020 seemed to be doing a lot of work for free as we were paid earlier in the year when the weddings would have been happening. Sooooo crazy!!

For this couple their wedding was always to be on this date, but the original plan was around 200 people/mostly friends for a ceremony with an ocean view and a rip roaring party to follow at Laguna Cliffs Marriott. By the middle of April we had to make a decision, move the wedding later in the year or to the same sunday in 2021, so the latter happened, but they still wanted to actually get married on this date in 2020. So the first backyard wedding i have done in probably 18 years happened.

They are both Doctors so were very much on alert about people being safe, even their elderly parents were not allowed to come but could watch on the live streaming that we had going, as well as a friend who setup a zoom call which was screened on the side of the house, pretty awesome. Their closest friends/about 10 were at the house (I had done the wedding of one of the couples so it was soooo great to see them again). Everything was done outside in their intimate yard, never ever planned to have a wedding in, but it totally worked out great.

They are very casual, their lives revolve around really good food, so we started things out by them driving together to a park close by for some nice pics by Miki & Sonja, with Elysium Video along covering things. Then back to the house for the ceremony, some snacks after, and the dinner, delivered by moi, In N Out Burgers for all!!!!

Elegant by Design did the florals, i got on my hands and knees and made the heart on the ground, pushed the ceremony music and put food out, poured drinks, bussed and then left when it was time for them to just relax and enjoy some good alcohol. Certainly things that i normally don’t do at weddings, but welcome to 2020!!

As the groom and i said as I left, it may have just ended up being better than Plan A, and in fact i think it did, as as 2020 has gone along, we cancelled 2021 at the hotel. It didn’t seem necessary anymore!!

Congrats Jonathan and Tammy, it was a joy working with you both from beginning to the yard!!!

Till next time

Lisa

insta lisasimpsonweddings

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

Add a comment December 17, 2020

Yikes!!!!!

I knew i had not blogged for a bit and as 2020 has not been as busy as normal/not in the slightest lol, i thought it was only a couple of months i was behind, but nope, just looked and my last blog was July and as the last wedding i had photographer photos from was in March/3 days prior to the previous shelter in place (in another now) so many of the recent blogs were on Sandals Resorts for honeymoons/vacations and destination weddings, as well as other locations around the world for a destination wedding , oh dear!!!

So, in case you thought, maybe she isnt doing weddings anymore, wrongggggggggggggggggg

I have actually done 25 weddings since June 19. Some were couple only/elopements, some were 20 people or less, some were as many as 100 people when we could do that, some were in backyards of homes, some we changed dates two times before it happened and with some their venues did not reopen and we changed locations or for some, we cancelled out of where they were booked to a better venue for less guests and a really wonderful intimate celebration, and some were at my normal wonderful hotels and venues, where we all ensured the events were setup/happened ‘covid’ safe. Some couples had guests tested for covid 1-2 times prior the week of the wedding, some we took temperatures before guests could enter the ceremony area. Last sunday’s wedding we changed the timeline 4 times 24 hours prior based on a shelter at home mandate happening where the start time was not clear until around 16 hours prior!!! It’s been a roller coaster for sure, but we rode it together, couples got married and that is really what is was about, and i have to say it, i feel that some of them ended up with a way more special/wonderful celebration than what the original plan was.

I actually did have some down time in Oct/Nov so i headed to Hawaii and spent a month there, working on timelines/emails, I did pop back for 4 days to do a wedding at the Ritz then went right on back to my happy place, and ended up doing an elopement there too!!

Now being in a shelter in place (2 tastings, 2 floral sample meetings and a venue walk through, all cancelled for this past week) i have been able to get caught up again, and will now get the blog caught up again showing weddings mixed in with Sandals Resorts (which i have sold for the past 15 years), because we do all need a vacation or honeymoon, and for some who are tired of the roller coaster and just want to get married, let’s go to the Caribbean where you can go alone or with a small group and have a safe wonderful celebration.

You can also check my instagram, i post something everyday, so you will see my current weddings on there, as well as Sandals Resorts & weddings, and sayings/things of interest/tickled me, also.

Till next time

Lisa

insta lisasimpsonweddings

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

Add a comment December 12, 2020