The Caribbean comes to Laguna Beach/Dana Point

Loved my time with Natasha and Jim from beginning to end.  We pulled together an awesome vendor team and everything turned out fabulously.  Colors, deep blue and bright orange, Natasha told me, and that is what we did, right through to the blue dancefloor.

Natasha is from Jamaica and a lot of the guests were from the islands and other places, so we really wanted to bring her heritage to the celebration. Plus she referred to herself and I called her, our Caribbean queen. Look at the back of her fabulous gown and the bouquet her friend made for her.  Yes, she is a bling bling girl, as you will see!

Melissa of Flowers by Cina nailed the Caribbean tropical look, must be because like me she spends a lot of time in the Caribbean and loves it.  Look at our beautiful linens for the sweetheart and cake tables from La Tavola, did we say bling bling, and our B&G chairs from Monico Décor as always.

B&G should always look at something pretty if a band stage is no opposite them, cake meet sweetheart table, sweetheart table meet cake, and inbetween we had a magnificent round blue dancefloor with their initials in silver, another fine job by TMMPRO

Doesn’t the ceremony site look awesome, oh and that Pacific Ocean backdrop worked out well too!!

View of the sweetheart table before the lights got dimmed and the uplights went on

Different views from the sweetheart table, cake and other areas.

As always it takes a team, I have already mentioned a couple prior, but here are more.  tony Florez photography, some of the pics above are his and the bad ones are mine, lol.  Shane Productions/video, xoxoxo.  Uncle Larry was the officiant.  For music, we had strings for the ceremony, Naples Chamber Music xoxoxoxo, for cocktails we had 2 steeldrummers from Essence Entertainment, and for mceeing and dinner/dancing we had Dj David Krieger.  Linens/napkins/chiavaris were from Chiavari chair rentals, and of course, our family at the Ritz-Carlton Dana Point worked with us to ensure a great time was had by the couple in the planning months and on the day, as well as a great experience for all the guests.

Till next time

Lisa

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

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Add a comment September 26, 2016

Island Hotel wedding

ALL the vendors involved in this wedding wanted only the best for this great couple, we just loved them.  They got married in a church where the brides father was okayed to orchestrate the ceremony.  Good thing they chose to add on my early at hotel to keep things on time and  church assistance option, as there was no church lady present/that we could find, until after the ceremony, so I got everyone up the aisle in place!!!

Then over to the Island Hotel where Teri was overseeing setup/vendors.  Teri had done a wedding at Island Hotel not so long ago, but this was my first one for many years, so it was good to be back, the team there is excellent, and a bonus having the wonderful Kelly Odell (previously at St Regis Monarch Beach) there now too.

Our bride and groom were open to my fun things, round dancefloor/decal etc by TMMPRO, and it all turned out fabulous as you can see from the pics provided by Judy & Gavin (our 2nd wedding with them, they are great) and some are mine.

Below you can see same room different color lighting and also only with the hotel lights up, none of them look like the same room right?  Huey of Platinum Peaks was the mcee/dj and handled the draping and lighting, he was wonderful to work with

A whimsical placecard piece.  The feathers were actually used at the church, no florals, that tells you a lot about our couple and why we loved them so much

Probably the prettiest floral display on a sweetheart table I have ever seen.  The colors and flowers were just beautiful.  Fab u lous work as always by Elegant by Design/Karla and her team.

Rental linens were by Monico Décor, we all loved our cake linen.  Noemi of Post Beauty beautified the ladies, love her.

I got to see Veronika a couple of weeks in a row, she is great.

Till next time

Lisa

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Add a comment August 1, 2016

Second Pelican Hill wedding of 2016 for me

Was so thrilled to help Sara and Jeremy with their wedding celebration.  We had a great time planning, pulling the vendor team and vision together, gonna miss them!!

Sara wanted elegant and calm, think we nailed it!!

Vendors we love: Karla/Elegant by Design-florals, TMMPRO-dancefloor, Chiavari chair rentals-draping of rotunda, McCune Photography – but the pics above are mine, fyi everyone, lol, Design Visage-Sara and the girls all looked fabulous all night long, Monico Décor-napkins&chiavaris, and of course our team at Pelican Hill Resort, excellence doesn’t even begin to describe how you all are.

Till next time

Lisa

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

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Add a comment March 21, 2016

Pavilion Ballroom – Ritz-Carlton Dana Point

So this event was actually a couple of years ago, but everything about it was unusual and I have never forgotton i, so thought I would share.

I had had a call from the bff of a very busy bride, we had a great chat, she spoke to the bride, and I was on board.  It was the three of us that pulled a really fabulous looking and fun celebration off for a group of 80ish that all came in from Texas.  The two of them worked side by side/hand in hand  with the tasks to be done along the way, invites etc, and then when they came in for the tasting (yes no groom, just us) we pulled the vision together with furniture/linens/chairs and of course the florals.

I don’t have pics of this celebration, but wanted to post about it because it was a really unusual setup in the Pavilion Ballroom and worked well and looked awesome.

Our bride wanted it to be a party (it was a 2nd marriage for both), so we had a relaxed ceremony on the Gazebo Lawn with that beautiful Pacific Ocean backdrop that I know impressed those Texans!!  Cocktails were held on the balcony with a mix of furniture and cocktail tables and that full on Pacific Ocean backdrop again.  In the ballroom/which is one side 5 sets of french doors looking out to that ocean again,  there was no assigned seating, but we had enough seats for everyone (very important, ladies must have a place to put their things down at and feel this is their home for the night), we did a variety of tables/size/height in the ballroom. We had a furniture setup in the middle of each table setup/ie each end of the room.  We mixed things up, the guests may not have noticed but we enjoyed doing it, we used the same color chivaris in all three areas, ceremony/cocktails and dining room, but put different color cushions on them to match the different mood or linens we were using in that area.

A really great celebration, as I looked at it on the night I realised I would probably do this myself!  That may have been part of why I enjoyed pulling the vision together with them, and couldn’t wait to see it come to life on the night.  A fabulous floral display from Square Root/loved the cake table, we were all excited to see how that came out on the night.   The girls loved Design Visage for hair/makeup so much they used them for pre events too.  Enchanted Evening Strings played elegantly as always for ceremony and then cocktails, my fave band kept the dancefloor full inside – Full Spectrum, just love them and the energy they produce.  Monico Décor did all the rentals and of course we had a gorgeous white dancefloor center.  They were very considerate of those travelling with small kids (as they were) so we had a company come in and setup a daycare in a banquet room and then it turned from fun to sleep for the kids in there, so the parents were really able to enjoy enjoy enjoy.  Of course the team at the Ritz as always helped us bring everything to a five star reality, xoxoxo

Till next time

Lisa

www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

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Add a comment February 21, 2016

Hilton Costa Mesa wedding

I had done her best friends wedding and about 3 other friends since then, so Rosalynn knew she wanted me (gotta love it and feel honored) so she booked me a year out .  She is a beautiful person and has great taste.  On her day looked absolutely stunning and she had an awesome honeymoon in Spain with their best friends!!!  The ceremony was held at a church.  Great vendor team on board, McCune Photography/thanks for the pics Gloria, Shane Productions/video, Kelly Zhang who beautified the girls, Shelby/Green Leaf floral design, Rentals by Monico Décor, and showing her fun side, late night snacks were the grooms fave ice cream sandwiches cooked right there by Chunk n chip, and of course a photo booth that was non stop busy.  Cocktails were held out on the patio which has the great furniture already there and we had a jazz group out there, nice and relaxing with café lighting above.  I had broken my ankle the week before and had my knee scooter and boy did I whip around that ballroom/area, it was quicker than my normal walking!!!

Till tomorrow

Lisa

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Add a comment February 16, 2016

My last wedding of 2015-Hyatt HB

I even spent all year looking forward to this wedding happening, because a month after Jacqueline booked me she found out her husband was being moved by the military to another state, so I told her no problem 70% of my brides don’t live in state we can get your wedding planned easily from afar, then while I was driving somewhere I had a thought, so I called her and said, Jacqueline if you are in, lets get everything done in the next month and then you can leave and the wedding will be planned and you won’t have to worry about anything, so we met with/booked all vendors, detailed the wedding day/event out, did the floral sample/rental meeting, the hotel tasting/detail, then off she moved!!!  Fabulous

We pulled together an awesome vendor team and had such a great time with everyone on the day, Jacqueline was just the best and her bridesmaids were wonderful/such great friends, the parents were great too.  Jacqueline decided to have me start earlier in the day to keep everyone on track and get them off to the church, as when she booked me if was to handle the planning with her and then be at the hotel on the day to oversee/orchestrate the reception/dinner/dance, so she extended that (which was a very popular option last year) and it really meant that by the time everyone arrived for the reception we were old friends.  Thanks to Joe Latter/photo for the photos and being great to work with as always, karla/Elegant by Design-florals, Monico Décor for the draping (we did the whole wall behind the sweetheart table)/my fave the round white dancefloor/furniture/chairs/linens etc.  The lighting/gobo was done by the inhouse PSAV department, Tomgirl Bakery did the cake and as always it was yum, Peter/Vive Ent for the great music and B&G left before it was over but that dancefloor was full until the guests were done/I thought it would wind down after B&G left but ohhhhh noooooooo!!  And to Design Visage for beautifying these beauties and the moms, not that any of them really needed it, they were all beautiful in and out.  And to the team at Hyatt HB, as always we see you as family and love being with you and everything is always fabulous, this was a great way to end the year of 2015 with.

In these pics you will see some when the lights are up before guests came in and some after, and even though some people question it, I have always placed the cake center in the room (why should something you spend so much time on be stuck in a corner for no one to see or care about) and even if no other lighting is done we always pinspot the cake, you can see why in these pics, it stands out and looks great.

Till tomorrow

Lisa

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Add a comment February 15, 2016

Hyatt Huntington Beach-Vista Ballroom

Our lovely Hya was definitely influenced by things she saw on instagram/social media and you will see some in these pics.  Lots of details and a great celebration was had by all.

The ceremony was held at a church and Hya had Teri come to the hotel earlier in the day to keep them on track so there was less stress/Hya having to tell the girls where/when to be that morning.

Great job Karla/Elegant by Design for bringing it all together and for some of the elements Hya had organized that did not work for your Tammy to take the time to make them work!

I’ve been doing weddings in Vista Ballroom since the day the hotel opened and I have draped the whole room which has meant the doors were draped, that was all Hya wanted/needed, and I loved it, she was thinking on the other side, but my Teri and I decided on the day it would have a longer impact if the grand entrance was done through it and anytime guests looked at the doors they saw it on the inside, Hya loved our decision.

Lighting went between lavender and pink during the event, and was done along with the dj/mceeing by Invisible Touch.

Monico Décor did the rentals and draping.  The team at the Hyatt Huntington Beach as always helped us pull of such a great celebration.

Till tomorrow

Lisa

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Add a comment February 9, 2016

Hyatt Huntington Beach Celebration

Ashley and mom booked me for a small service but did check in with me along the way when they needed advise/referrals etc.  Such a small world, when we met to interview mom as talking about a friend of theirs/a chef who would be attending the wedding, I asked who it was, and it turned out to be a chef I worked very closely with during my years with Disney, he was as passionate about the food being excellent for the weddings/events as I was about the weddings/events being fabulous.  As the wedding got closer they realized they wanted me there earlier on the day to keep them on track and get them the church on time, it certainly meant a smooth day for them and they knew all was well at the hotel while they were over there.

I’m not a fan of headtables being on a riser and you can see why here, unless you cover the stage the hotels black stands right out and it also makes you see a bit unapproachable to guests.  Ashley’s colors were gold, so this was one wedding where the hotel banquet chairs worked/were more comfy than chivaris.  Thanks to Flowers by Allie by doing a great job with the florals and the many many candles and to Monico Décor for the rental linens/draping.  They booked Bruce Battleson to dj/mcee which made me happy, haven’t seen Bruce for a while, and to Flawless Faces for beautifying all the ladies.  And of course to the team at Hyatt HB, as always a pleasure to work with from beginning to end.

Till next time

Lisa

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Add a comment February 3, 2016

Ritz-Carlton Laguna, Terrace Salon

Some of you will see the picture above and immediately know the culture involved with this wedding celebration.  Our bride/mother/her side were Persian and our groom/his side were not, but the groom was very happy to have the traditions of the brides culture/background be a big part of their day.  Most of the time a station is setup with fruit on it in a very fancy display and this is available to the guests from beginning to end of the reception.

I loved Sherene and her mom, and our groom was pretty aok too, we had a great time pulling the vision together and it really turned out elegant, soft, beautiful.

Thanks to Flowers by Cina for being a great partner/taking words-thoughts and bringing them to an even better reality.  To D-Park photo for being wonderful to work with and for the pics here, my fave Persian officiant Shahrzad Ardalan for always doing a beautiful elegant ceremony, Design Visage for beautifying everyone.  Naples Strings for the beautiful ceremony music and Monico Decor for the rentals.  And of course to my friends/the fabulous team at the Ritz-Carlton for making dreams come true in the way of reality and memories.

Sherene did not want their backs to the guests, which is normal at a Persian ceremony at a sofreh, as the bride and groom look into a mirror and the guests see their reflection which is an important part of the setup/ceremony, so we flipped them so the guests could see their faces and their backdrop was the beautiful Pacific Ocean, so not traditional but pretty fine.

Till next time

Lisa

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

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Add a comment February 2, 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

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

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Add a comment January 31, 2016