Monica and Bradford’s Engagement Session Featured at Iliana Morton Photography’s Blog!

Happy Monday everyone!  I have wanted to share this with you ever since Friday but it’s  my first opportunity right now.  My good friend Iliana Morton took these gorgeous shots of our mutual friends Monica and Bradford.  Iliana is an amazing photographer (she did my own Christmas photos, and worked this weekend with myself and several other vendors to create an amaaaaaazing styled shoot, which I’ll share as soon as I can!), not to mention one of the sweetest people I know.  Monica is one half of the dynamic duo of owners at Classy Covers, and she and Bradford are absolutely adorably in love.  They are some of my favorite people and I am so honored to be coordinating their wedding!

I wish I could have made it to their engagement photos, but at least I was able to provide some super cute props!

I had to include this last photo, even though I didn’t (obviously) include props for it, because it’s my favorite!!!

Check out the rest of this beautiful sunny engagement session (including Monica in a va-va-voom red dress, playing on a railroad track!) over at Iliana’s blog!

Miss Maya’s Dia de Los Muertos Birthday Fiesta!

Last October, I got a phone call from my friend Jacquelyn, asking for help planning her daughter Maya’s first birthday party.  She wanted something really special and unique – a Dia de Los Muertos celebration!

Maya came into this world six weeks early.  It’s my theory that she was just way too excited to finally meet her parents and couldn’t stand waiting any longer to do so.  I mean, with incredibly awesome parents like these, I don’t know if I’d have waited around either!

It was, understandably, scary for Maya’s family and everyone who loved them, back in November of 2010.  But now, it was time for a fiesta – a celebration of life honoring this beautiful big-eyed rosy-cheeked smarty pants!

Jacquelyn sent me artwork she liked (purchased off Veer) and I laid out an invitation fit for a fiesta, along with food tags for the dinner and cupcakes!

 

I created these gorgeous giant tissue paper marigolds with the help of my incredible assistant Rachael, and Maya’s mom loved them so much that she kept them to hang from Maya’s bedroom ceiling!  Of course I couldn’t have hung them without the help of my “other” assistant, my amazing husband Ryan!  If you like them, you can buy a custom set in my Etsy shop, here!

Something I try to do whenever I’m shopping for a social event is to look everywhere, all the time.  Whenever I’m out and about, shopping for groceries or office supplies or the like, I have a constant list of things I’d like to find in the back of my mind.  I usually find the best – and best value – decorations for social events and inspiration shoots this way!  This party was no exception – I found the lollipops on clearance at Target and the fabulous fabric used for the table runners on sale at Joann’s fabric.  Actually, I should say that my assistant Rachael and my sister Jessica (who were shopping with me) found the fabric.  I just decided we had to have it, and I was right!

Of course this amazing cupcake display would not nearly have been as beautiful without the artistry of Stevi from Hey There, Cupcake!, who created all the cupcakes you see, as well as the sugar skull smash cake in the center (yes, that’s a cake!!!!).

Maya had never eaten sugar before, so she wasn’t quite sure what to do with her cake, but everyone else enjoyed these gorgeous treats!  She also loved opening her presents –  so she could play with the tissue paper and bags! 🙂

Her mommy thought of every detail – down to the bib she wore for her cake smash.  🙂  This family photo makes me so happy too – aren’t they beautiful?

Thank you Jacquelyn, Dave, and Maya for letting me be a part of your fiesta!!!  I loved helping to make your day memorable and beautiful!!!!

Maya’s Dia de Los Muertos First Birthday Fiesta 11*13*2012 Details:

• Venue: Private Residence
• Catering: Porkyland
• Cake and Cupcakes: Hey There, Cupcake!
• Paper Goods, Tissue and Cut Flowers, Table Runner, and Decor/Coordination: Events by Elisa, with supplies from Wholesale Flowers, Joann’s Fabrics, and Target

Marisa + James’ Harbor Island San Diego Wedding 10*22*2011

I met Marisa and James one day last June.  I was immediately struck by the way James lit up when he talked about his fiance, and I remember tweeting about how I was so excited about their wedding incorporating multicultural traditions (James is half Filipino, Marisa has Jewish roots, and they planned to incorporate wedding customs from both cultures into their ceremony), and about how much I loved them already!  I also was asked (for the first, but certainly not the last!) time if I use a headpiece during weddings a la Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner!  (For the record, I don’t!)

I was thrilled a few days later when Marisa called me to tell me they’d decided to hire me!  Over the next several months, we exchanged hundreds of phone calls and e-mails, I got to know them and their chihuahua Shorty, and because she wanted well-priced chair sashes, I met the girls of Classy Covers!  I feel so lucky to have gotten to know such an incredible couple (boy, I’m lucky – like I’ve said before, my couples are like my kids…  I love them all so much!).  Marisa’s even told me that she’d love to start coordinating weddings herself because of her experience working with me (I’m hoping to have her help me out at some of my weddings this year!!!). 🙂

Marisa and James got married last October at the Sheraton Harbor Island on a breezy cool but perfectly lit day!  Seriously days like this – a bit cloudy, but with filtered sunlight – are THE BEST for gorgeous wedding photographs, and of course Holly Sutor (of Sutography, and yes, we had a good laugh that Suter and Sutor were working together!) produced some beautiful ones!

First off, the details:

And our beautiful bride and handsome groom, and their super-fun wedding party (so much personality!):

The ceremony was non-denominational, but they incorporated elements from both Filipino and Jewish cultural traditions!  What you don’t see here is that the groom was choked up as he saw his bride walking down the aisle.  I was watching from behind-the-scenes with my intern Rachael, and both of us were getting teary too!

As for the beautiful ballroom reception…  The photos speak for themselves!  Pretty purple accents and elegant lines…  I love receptions that suit their space and this one does perfectly!

These two families knew how to have a good time!!!  Almost every guest was on the dance floor for most of the night, Cha-cha sliding and rocking out to Love Shack…  All the speeches were excellent, too, and full of love.  But hands-down the speech I will never forget was the groom’s father’s.  “You’re flying out to Hawaii tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow night you’d best get to workin’ hard! We’re behind the curve on gettin’ grandchildren!”

I can’t speak directly to his request, of course, but I do know one thing: These two are so in love that it’s contagious!

Congratulations Marisa and James!  Wishing you two a lifetime of love and happiness!  And who knows?  Maybe you’ll see more of Marisa as a part of my event team in the future!

Marisa+James’ Harbor Island San Diego 10*22*2011 Wedding Details:

• Venue, Catering, and Rentals: Sheraton Harbor Island
• Day-of-Plus Coordination: Events by Elisa
• Officiant: Rev. Judy Winkler
• Purple Chair Sashes: Classy Covers
• Cake: Eidelweiss Bakery
• Florals: Diane’s Flowers Please
• DJ: On Cloud 9 Entertainment
• Photography and Videography: Sutography, the Evolution of Photography