From Hawaii to OC due to Covid

Sad reason #2: We were supposed to be doing the wedding at the Ritz-Carlton Maui, we had all gone over and scoped the space/all outdoors with ocean backdrop, they had done a tasting, and we were all really looking forward to it, plus i could add another Ritz-Carlton in the world to my resume!!

But as things work out, even though we really held off as long as we could, wedding was July 20, and as long as Hawaii was not going to make everyone quarantine as of June 1, we were still all going, well last week of May the Governor of Hawaii extended the quarantine until end of July/August, and as I am typing this in 2021 I can report he kept it in place until Oct 15 where if travelling after that and providing a negative covid test from their providers you did not have to quarantine, so we did the right thing by 1st week of June realising we needed to find a venue here in S CA. First plan was something with a Hawaiian vibe, so we found one in San Diego, liked it, but they had a lot of what seemed to be excessive rules due to covid, again, now we are in 2021 and look back, their rules were smart!! So not working for us, mom found a hotel venue in the OC that i was never really feeling was right for this wedding and after she had signed the contract the hotel came back with new rules that were definately not working for the couple, so we ended up at the hotel i had suggested from the getgo because i knew we could make it exciting/different and could kind of make not doing it in Hawaii aok. The Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach. Yes. We did the ceremony with the ocean/palm tree backdrop, did cocktails with that same view, and dinner/same view with a lovely water feature backdrop to our royal table. Then to suprise everyone, after dinner, the B&G lead the guests up the elevators to the rooftop bar/lounge area where we had dancing/socialising with 180 degree awesome views of the Pacific from Long Beach to Laguna. What were guests saying?? Are you kidding me?? amazzzzzing. Wow. Awesome.

Sad reason #3, the day before i broke my leg and was still in hospital when this wedding was happening!!! I was so mad at covid, because we would have been in Maui already and i would not have been doing what i was doing in my backyard!! In the ambulance from my house to the hospital, i called Nicole and said, i think you need to be prepared to get a call from me to come help tomorrow as i may not be very mobile, so got her set. Unfortunately the surgeon laughed when he gave me option of surgery that night or tomorrow and i said, well tonight please as i have a wedding to do tomorrow. Oh no he said, you won’t be doing a wedding tomorrow. So again, call to Nicole, you are full on tomorrow/no me. I was never worried as she totally knows what she is doing/to do/works from my timelines all the time and was working with Brittany, so i knew all would be fine between the two of them. And thank goodness, when i had to call the mom and tell her, she also knew that i would not send anyone who would screw things up, so they were all good to go/relaxed and enjoyed the wedding celebration as if i was there, i don’t think they even missed me, lol

As you can see from the pics above, all turned out lovely. We obviously had to get a new florist and karla/EBD floral stepped in and got the vision immediately, we brought the tropical/Hawaii feel to Huntington Beach, a new dj/DJ Griff a multi friend referral, but were lucky as the photographer was coming to Hawaii so she just didn’t have to fly so far, Andrea David, and the pics above/not iphone ones, are hers. Design Visage beautified the ladies and kept them on time as always. A friend officiated/she was going to do it in Hawaii also. A tropical duo for pe cere/cocktails and during dinner to again feel the hawaiian vibe, Naples String trio for ceremony, and a big thanks to the team at Waterfront Beach Resort, Vanessa jumped right in as she always does when i reach out and made it happen/work for me, love you lady xoxoxox

Till next time

Lisa

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714 305 7112

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

Add a comment January 23, 2021

Huntington Beach & Hotel wedding

The beach theme made its way across the street to the placecard table, driftwood and orchids, love it.  There wasn’t a memorable enhancement they weren’t up for, doves at the end of the ceremony, even on the beach, yes please.

Great shoe shot by Frank Salas, great looking shoes but not worn much that day by our lovely bride, as always!!  The pic above on the right is the surfboard martini luge which was a huge hit

Such a great time working with these two on the planning of their wedding.  They were the third referral from someone I know in Arizona, my Arizona couples love the beach and that is where the weddings are held.  During the planning a baby was even born!!  So Nick is a surfer and we had a martini luge created of a surfboard which was out on the balcony with the Pacific Ocean in the background, and Annemarie was such a great bride in trusting and going along with a lot of my thoughts on how to make their wedding look fabulous.

They sat at a great B&G table, and we had my fave, the round dancefloor in attendance.

We mixed up the tables, rounds and rectangles, and that meant a variety of floral looks

Behind the sweetheart table was a round room, we tried to do the first hanging cake in that room but it just did not work out, so instead had the cake sit on a great acrylic table display and created a cool sitting area.

The wedding ceremony was originally booked at the hotel but as time went along Annemarie asked about getting married on the beach and as they were before Memorial Weekend it was able to happen and look how empty the beach is, so lucky.  Wendy Smith/my fave harpist loved the stage/platform that was made for her, and the ceremony décor was a mix of driftwood and strung orchids moving in the wind, it was really lovely

You need to always look after the guests when doing a beach/sand wedding and the Waterfront Beach Resort were so fabulous in making everything happen and create a great station for the dry and damp cloths for our guests feet.

We had an awesome team on board for this one, Frank Salas/photographer-thanks for the ballroom pics/the beach pics are mine, Scott Cummings Music band Dirty Sugar, Design Visage for beautifying everyone and ensuring their looks withstood the ocean wind, Square Root Designs for the florals/futniture/linens-we love them so much. Carving Ice for the martini luge-it turned out even better than I had hoped.  Chiavari Chair Rentals for the ghost chairs and dancefloor, Shane Productions/video, Clint Hufft for doing a great ceremony as always, White Flite the best dove release company out there and I always do 100/most impact, and of course Vanessa and the team at the Waterfront Beach Resort.  It was great being back there again, and very exciting with their renovations and new ballrooms and ceremony space that will be on board in the next year, but I have to say, combining the beach with a room at the hotel that looks over to the beach is pretty hard to beat.

Till next time

Lisa

http://www.lisasimpsonweddings.com

lisa@lisasimpsonweddings.com

714 305 7112

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Add a comment June 26, 2016