Picture it on Canvas

Wedding coupleI have become obsessed with printing photos on canvas. I love the way they look and I LOVE that I don’t have to buy frames! I love little artsty frames for tables, hutches, etc., but when it comes to large wall prints, I love the clean look of canvas on the wall. It looks like a piece of art! As a wedding planner in Southern California, I am spoiled by unbelievable photography…so I require the best in printing!

Family of fiveInfant

So, I just came across this new company www.pictureitoncanvas.com I love it when I find a local business that has done so well for themselves. Picture it on Canvas has grown from 2 employees to over 40, in 4 short years! That speaks volumes to their success! I am actually having them create some prints for me from a family photo session we had with Jared Bauman of Bauman Photographers. I will share them with you when I recieve them! I am so excited!

So if  you need prints of your wedding, your family, friends or children, check out Picture it on Canvas!

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A Wedding Planner’s Family Photo Shoot

Family Tree

Take a wedding planner, her rambunctious family and an incredible photographer…what do you get? One fun and productive family photo shoot, that’s what!!! So, truth be told, I was not having a good smile day…I was seriously over thinking it! But as usual, Jared Bauman of Bauman Photographers can make miracles happen! He made us comfortable and allowed us to have a great time as a family.

Tracktor with family

train car photoFor our family photo shoot we decided to go to a venue we manage called Bandy Canyon Ranch. We are a very adventurous family, always camping, hiking, bike riding, etc., so it only seems fitting that we shoot somewhere rustic, fun and…adventurous.

Family portrait

These 3 boys are my world. They are the reason I work as hard as I do. They are the reason I dream. They are the reason I strive to be the best person I can be. I don’t know how or why I have been so blessed…I am just so thankful I have been.

Our boys tie my husband and I together in a way that is indescribable. Tristan is 9 years old and Todd is 7.

Boys in a field

Swining on a swingBrothers laughing

Tristan was born on THE September 11th…September 11, 2001. Tristan is destined  to be something special. He is 9 going on 30! Which is not always a good thing when you are his parent! He has strong opinions, is passionate about EVERYTHING he talks about, and absolutely loves all animals. I am so proud to be his mother.

Tristan

This is Todd…or as we call him at home, Todd-O. He is a fisty little man! He is perfectly comfortable having his alone time and playing on his own, but also loves his time with other kids. He is OBSESSED with bugs. He digs for them, night and day! Aaaggghhhh! It’s a mother’s nightmare! He’s damn cute though!

Son

This…is the love of my life. How I landed this guy, I will never know. John Gillon is my husband, my love, the father of my children, my business partner and my best friend. He makes me feel beautiful everyday. His support is all I need in life. Babe, I love you more than I will ever be able to describe in words…you’re my favorite.

Husband and Wife

Couple on swing

So, this is my family. I am one blessed woman…

Family photograph

To experience a family photo shoot as great as mine (or any shoot for that matter) contact Jared Bauman of Bauman Photographers. Thanks Jared! Love you man!

www.baumanphotographers.com

Venue www.bandycanyon.com

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Tess & Andrew

Take one Hollywood producer, a Directory of Lighting, one dream team of wedding vendors…mix well and voila! You have a recipe for an unforgettable ranch wedding! There was one amazing detail after another that WOW’d guests at every turn. From a steam engine train to a campfire with smores…Here is a sneak peek trailer to Tess & Andrew’s stunning ranch wedding!


Posted in Bride, Design, Events by Design, Groom, Venues, Wedding Party, Wedding Planner, Weddings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Simple Elegance at The Rancho Bernardo Inn

Bride and groom

A spectacular venue, two amazing families, and one AWESOME couple. Laura and Ryan are not only beautiful, but extremely fun and adventurous! Whether it’s finding a new mountain to snowboard, traveling the world or planning a wedding, this couple clearing enjoys their time together.

It was very clear from the beginning what Laura was going for…clean, simple elegance.

Ceremony Program

Bride with flowers

Shoes!!!! Every girl’s bff!!!

wedding shoes

I love this shot of Jared in action!

Photographer with bride

I know a lot of brides want the groom to see her for the first time when she walks down the aisle but I LOVE IT when the bride and groom opt for a “first reveal”. It is such a intimate moment. The first time they see one another they can actually talk, tell each other how wonderful they look, KISS, and simply have a moment where there are not 200 guests staring at them! Laura and Ryan decide to have their moment and it was beautiful!First Glance

Pre ceremony photo

Flowers

bride and bridesmaids

Ceremony Guest Book Table

Ceremony flowers

One of the coolest guys I know…

Groom and groomsmen

Bride walking down aisle

Altar shot

Laura’s parent’s, Mr. and Mrs. Biberacher. Two of the nicest people in the world!!!

parents

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Engh!!!

Kissing shot

I always test new assitants by giving them the task of setting up the place cards. Not only because it’s tedious and time consuming, but because it’s NOT as easy as it looks! I was very impressed with this one…great job Allie!

Chocolate covered pretzels! Yum! Monograming designed by the, always amazingly talented, Katie Gaines of eitak Designs.

Laura and Ryan are a very cool couple. They are successful, fun and adventurous…hence why the tables were named after every mountain they have ever snow boarded!

Table Card

Wedding cake

Couple

And they snowboarded happily ever after…

Venue: Rancho Bernardo Inn, Tricia Sadikoff

Floral Design: Willem-Aidan, David Hahn

Photographer: Bauman Photographers, Jared Bauman

Rentals: Concepts Event Design

Lighting: La Luz Events, John Gillon

Stationary: eitak Designs, Katie Gaines

DJ: Pur Digital Entertainment, Herbie Smith

Ceremony Music: Hill Music Entertainment

Candy Table: Events by Design, Robin Pickett

Photobooth: Starlight Photobooth

Cake: Edelweiss Bakery

 

 

Posted in Bride, Design, Events by Design, Favors, Groom, Vendor Spotlights, Venues, Wedding Party, Wedding Planner, Weddings | Leave a comment

The photos are in…Bridalplasty Wedding Details!

 

 

I can finally share the pictures of John and Allyson’s wedding…the winner of Bridalplasty. On an oddly warm day in December, the two wed at a breath taking estate in Malibu, called Villa Cascata, which was designed by owner Audrey Ruth. She is beautiful, talented and gracious. Such a great combo! She and her staff were an absolute treasure to work with!

 Malibu Estate

One thing Allyson made very clear is that she likes bling! She said, “I have ideas, I just don’t know how to pull it all together”, which is what I hear from a lot of my clients. She wanted a whimsical design and used words like “Rock Star” and “Alice and Wonderland”. So, I had to keep a few things in mind…it needs to reflect the bride and groom’s personality, it needs to be elegant, it needs to be a “celebrity style” wedding and it needs to look great on camera…so I pulled together what are, in my opinion, some of the best wedding vendors in the world!

Katie Gaines from eitak Designs is a designer I have been working with for years now! She is beyond amazing. The amount of creativity and talent this woman possess is unbelievable. She is an artist who found passion in weddings…and it shows! The invitation is a guest’s first glimpse into the wedding, so we knew we wanted Allyson’s family and friends in Chicago to be blown away. The invitation arrived in a box filled with crystals (Bling!) and feathers. Here is what it looked like…is Katie amazing or what!?

Invitation Sample 

Here she is! Mrs. Allyson McAullife! The fabulous Kevin Lee of La Premier gave our bride the BLING! she wanted. Check out this bouquet! Holy Bling!

Bride

I brought in Rrive Davies of Rrivre Works out of Los Angeles. He created the most over the top rustic altar piece and Kevin Lee draped it in thousands of flowers!

 Villa Cascata Garden Ceremony

After six months apart, the happy couple was final married!

Allyson and John

Allyson wore a gown by Winnie Couture in Beverly Hills. Since her family and girlfriends couldn’t be with her, Shanna Moakler and I went went with her to choose her dress. We had a great time!

Bride at the altar

 

Altar Bridal Party

Once the highly anticipated ceremony was over, guests walked through a path of chandeliers from the garden to the cocktail area with the most unbelievable, 180 degree view of Malibu and the Pacific Ocean. Along the path where a bunch of little Moraccan sitting areas which encouraged guests to sit and soak in the view. Designer Rrivre Davies wanted to give guests a fun little get away…Moracco for an hour!

Cocktail Area Path

Cocktail Hour View

Moraccan Lounge Area

Cocktail Moroccan Area

If guests weren’t in Morocco, they gathered around the pool area. The view was the star of the cocktail hour so we wanted to keep the design of this area very simple.

Cockatil Hour Poolside Tables in Cocktail Area

The signature cocktail, also designed by Good Gracious!, was a gorgeous blueberry purple basil mojito…yum!!!!      The entire menu was designed to please the typical mid westerner. The theme? Meat and potatoes, of course! Appetizers consisted of goodies such as Mac N Cheese Cupcakes, Caesar Salad Cones & Short Rib Popovers. 

 Special Cocktail

Appetizers

Allyson made one more thing very clear…she and her guests are beer drinking Chicagoans! So Pauline Parry decided a micro brew bar was a must! Bread sticks, spiced nuts and potato chips were displayed all along this sleek and sexy micro brew bar!

Bar

Wayne Foster Entertainment provided an unbelievable trio of musicans who performed an innovative version of “Ave Maria” and “The wedding march” for the ceremony. At the cocktail hour they created classical versions of songs from bands such as Guns N Roses, Metallica, and Journey.

Cocktail Entertainment

We loved these birdcages from Rrivre Works and Allyson loved feathers…so we decided to hang feather escort cards in this gorgeous cage and place it over looking the ocean, on the path to the reception tent. 

Bird Cage Escort Cards

Feathered Escort Cards

Seating Bride and Groom

The tent…taaa daaaa! After meeting with Rrivre and telling him our initial design ideas, he wanted to drape the entire inside of the tent in silver fabric and accent with gold mirrors and crystal chandeliers. So how do we bring Rock Star meets Alice in Wonderland to life??? Here it is!

Tent Shot

 

Tent Walls

 

Table

Reception 1

Table and Birdcage

Cocktail Bar

One side of the tent was covered in gold mirrors but the other half was covered in gold windows so guests could continue to enjoy the ocean view until the sun went down.

Reception Shot with dance floor and windows

We covered half the tables in a mirror table top and paired them with a Coquette Sleeve and a Metallic Napkin by Wild Flower Linen.

Guest Table

The other half was covered in a Hanae Silver Linen and paired with a Curly Willow chair cap all provided by Wild Flower Linen.

Table Top Design

We wanted the menu to be a little more interactive so Katie from eitak Designs created a scroll menu that guests opened.

Scroll menu

Another creation by Katie, she hand painted all of the place card holders. Love them!

Framed Place Cards

Brie and Groom's Table

I love that the sweetheart table had a chair sleeve for bride and one for the groom! How great is this bride’s sleeve!? This was designed by Young from Wild Flower Linen…so girly and fun!

Sweetheart Table

The bride and groom danced to “I can’t fight this feeling” by REO Speedwagon.

Bride and Groom dance

The cast…

Cast of Bridalplasty

Celebrity guests…Brande Roderick with husband Glenn Cadrez and Shanna Moakler.

Guests

The “fabalaz” Kevin Lee…what a genuine, kind and gentle soul…with Celebrity Sylist Phillip Bloch and the Goddess herself…Apollonia. The Apollonia who starred in Purple Rain with Prince, you ask? Yep, that’s her! God, I loved that movie! Celebtiries

Allyson tossing the bouquet in true Allyson form.

Bride bouquet toss

What a sunset…

View of Malibu

And finally…Mr. and Mrs. AcAullife depart from their celebrity style wedding after being a part for 6 months!

Bride and Groom exit

Thank you to all of my amazing collegues listed below, to 51 Minds Productions and E! Entertainment and to John and Allyson. Thank you for allowing me and my team to be part of your very special day.

To Learn more about our company and services please visit our website

click here

The Team

Venue: Villa Cascata www.malibudestinations.com

Catering: Good Gracious! www.goodgraciousevents.com

Decor: Rrivre Works www.rrivreworks.com

Floral Design: LA Premier www.lapremier.com

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals www.classicpartyrentals.com

Linen: WildFlower Linen www.wildflowerlinens.com

Invitation and weddign Stationary: eitak Designs www.eitak.com

Lighting: The Lighter Side www.specialeventlighting.com

Bridal Shots: Micah Smith www.micahsmith.com

Detail Shots: http://www.baumanphotographers.com/

Ceremony Music: Wayne Foster Entertainment www.waynefoster.com

 Reception Music: Pur Digital Entertainment -Casey Conner http://www.sddiscjockey.com/

Cake: Hansen’s Bakery: Hansen’s Cakes www.hansenscakes.com

Gown: Winnie Couture www.winniecouture.com

Jewelry: Get Your Rox On www.getyourroxon.com

Wedding Rings: Jason of Beverly Hills www.jasonofbh.com

Dance Floor: Platinum Pro www.platinumpro.com

Posted in Bridalplasty, Bride, Celebrity, Design, Events by Design, Groom, Uncategorized, Vendor Spotlights, Venues, Wedding Party, Wedding Planner, Weddings | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment