Clergy Fees for your Wedding...More Wednesday Wedding Etiquette from Emily, Peggy... and a Twist from Nat

Let's Talk CLERGY this Wednesday....

Emily Post 1957..."The fee of the clergyman may range anywhere from ten dollars to one or two hundred dollars, according to the means of the groom and the importance of the wedding."

Peggy Post 2006... " Site Specific.Each member of your wedding ceremony will be paid according to the site rules."

Natalie 2011...Ask your Officiant  up front  about their specific fees.  In terms of Gratuity for your Officiant:   "$50-300 in addition to fee is awesome..Not often considered a “tip”  If you have a relationship to this person, it may be given as a gift to the place of worship."

Special thanks to Melody Walker for her tips in Clergy Gratuity 

What a Gorgeous Rancho Las Lomas Wedding! Elizabeth and Chris= Forever Happiness

It all started with a tile as an inspiration for this gorgeous wedding...

 and WHAT a gorgeous wedding it turned out to be.

  Elizabeth and Chris' incredible families and wonderful bridal parties and a dream team of vendors to work with made the day flow beautifully
Check out .Elizabeth and Chris' Quick Video from 4120 to get an overall feel of their incredible day.

In the background, we worked for many months with Chris and Elizabeth bring their vision to reality. Several days of vendor meetings, many conference calls with the couple from San Francisco, and "Shopping Buddy" days with Elizabeth's Mom all laid the groundwork to create their vision.  Special thanks to The Incredible Pristine Rancho Las Lomas,  the talented Marc Weisburg,  wonderful 24 Carrots Catering, rock the house Shane Jordan Entertainment, My Favorite Graphic Designer, Brandi, From Girl Friday Designs; beautiful florals from The Spiraled Stem' perfect transportation from Lake Forest Limos, delicious cake from  Beverly's Best, and great fun from Capital Photo Booth.

Congratulations, Elizabeth and Chris!  Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

Today was a Great Day! A Tuesday following an Incredible Wedding

Allow yourself to see the following picture in your mind:  Content, calm, parents..at their doorstep.... as I dropped off the last of their wedding items (thank you Rancho las Lomas staff!) It was an incredible Saturday for the Guth and Bravman Family.. stay tuned for details of their wedding!  More to come.  "Go Natalie!  Go Natalie!" from Tim, Father of the Bride... What a Saturday.  Happy to be a part of their weekend.

Stephanie & Neil Nixon Library Incredible Wedding

Better late than never!  Wanted to share one of our very cool weddings from last summer.  Stephanie and Neil were SO much fun, and gorgeous, too!  I loved working with them, and their dream team of vendors.
A lounge designed with vintage furniture from the hottest new vendor Found Vintage Rentals  in Orange County, a sweets buffet fit for the President, plus a dress change during the reception so that the bride could boogie down  – this wedding is full of style and the Swell Details were captured by Jim Kennedy Photographers.




A Vintage Lounge created by Found Rentals and bright florals by Jenny B

 


Sweets Buffet thanks to Sweet and Saucy Shop




A Dress Change so Stephanie could boogie with Jordan Music Entertainment



Stephanie, who grew up in Orange County California, met Neil, originally from New Zealand, when they attended UC Santa Barbara. Their goal while planning their wedding with me was to create a warm environment for both families. It was important to have a hassle free weekend for the over 50 out of town guests.

The couple wanted a beautiful location that incorporated their Catholic traditions – they chose Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, CA for their ceremony and The Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA for their reception. 

"OH the Places You'll Go" Dr. Seuss Inspired Bar Mitzvah

"You'll go Far, Young Man!" -Dr. Seuss

I recently coordinated a one-of-a-kind, totally fun and whimsical Bar Mitzvah at The Marconi Automotive Museum.  SUCH FUN with such a great family!  Great themed stations from Award-Winning Jason's Catered Events included "Cat in the Hat" Cosmos... and "I am Sam"  Martinis...Gourmet Mashed Potato Station,  Awesome Slider Station with Three Types of Sliders, and a Gourmet Chili Station.   Amazing fried candy bars and mini donuts from Shelly at The Fry Girl.  YUM-O.  The Awesome Bar Mitzvah Mom created her very own candy station in the Turquoise and Red colors of the party.  Abbit the Average was his usual wacky self... strolling through the party and making everyone laugh.  Special thanks to the Awesome Jen from PhotoJenic for the detail shots.

Clever Names from the Book were our Table Names...including  Great Places!High Flyers!Great Sights!High Heights!Weirdish Wild Space!The Waiting Place!Another Chance!Brighter Places!Escape!Any Direction your Choose!Wide Open Air! 

    





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Centerpieces with OH So Cool Places

Once again, Thanks to the talented Jen Bierman from Photojenic for capturing these detail shots.

2011 Wedding Trends Report... Straight from Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings

If you haven't checked out Greylikesweddings lately, you might have missed something super swell!  At the ABC-OC meeting last week, Summer Watkins, of Greylikesweddings, talked about the 2011 Trends in Weddings. 

Biggest upcoming trends are: 

1) Back to Basics~ A Return to the Classics... STUNNING. Timeless, Classic, Feminine Looks.  Incredible Live Bands.  Classic Cakes. 

2)  Color Statements in a New Way ~  Neutral Palattes with a Pop of Color. Fashion Forward Design.  Statement Pieces on Brides and Bridal Party... Necklaces (think SHORT, BIG, THICK, CHUNKY) and FINALLY!  For the Bridesmaids out there... Your Own Choice of Dress in a Particular Color.
3)  Didn't your Mom always tell you, "Make new friends, but keep the old ?"    Perfection here in the OC.  Check out Found Vintage Rentals  for the perfect combination of New and Old Decor for your Event.  Jeni Maus has created a one- of- a- kind Vintage Rental Company... here in the OC  (had lunch with her today..:)  ) She definitely knows how to mix the old with the new  ... and how to create your perfect event.

Wednesday Wedding Etiquette... New Trends in Wedding Cakes ~ Emily- 1957 to Peggy today

Wednesday Wedding Etiquette Review with Natalie...
A cup of coffee and two of my favorite Etiquette bBooks in  my hands!

LET'S TALK CAKES!

Emily Post 1957.."Wedding cake is an essential of every wedding reception.  Black fruit cake is traditional, and most expensive.  Also used are light fruit cake and pound cake..."

Peggy Post 2006..."One Cake, Two Cakes... Red Cake, Blue Cake... Fake Cake, No Cake."  "Among the oldest wedding traditions is the cake- almost certainly because wheat and other grains... are universal symbold of fertility." 

Natalie 2011...Let's create your perfect dessert station.... cake and all! I love to refer incredible cake vendors to you. Check out RAISE THE CAKE for the latest trends in incredible cake stands to complete your dessert station.

MY COMMENTARY?  LET'S CREATE YOUR PERFECT DESSERT! 

Oui Oui! Paris! What Better Way to Inspire your French Themed Wedding than to Send your Planner to France?

Starting my year off in Paris and Nice!  Oui.  One form of art always inspires another... In this case, Architecture gave me some inspiration for Wedding Design...check out these door shots  from my January soiree.  I'm always in search of inspirations, and .. I'm INSPIRED!  Can you imagine using a similar shaped door for your backdrop of your ceremony?  Entrance to your room?  Engagement Photo Shoot?

Parisan Doors to Flats along the Seine... Check out this Gal that I caught on her daily walk!

Wednesday Wedding Etiquette from Emily and Peggy

More news from Emily Post's Etiquette 1957... The Classic.
 Peggy Post 2010....Wedding Etiquette....The Updated Classic
 From 1957 to 2010, much has changed.  WOW!.
1957 by Emily Post: "From the moment the bride and groom start off on their wedding trip, all the expenditure becomes his."
2006 by Peggy Post (Emily Post's Great Grandaughter-in-Law): "Traditional Division of Costs..."Expenses of Honeymoon"  No mention of "all expenditures becoming his.   Good news for the Groom!

Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Winner~ SUPER SWELL!

Just heard that we've received the Bride's Choice Award for 2011!  Honored to be part of that group of professionals....top 5 % of Wedding Wire Professionals in the country.

  What does it mean to you?  Instead of tooting my own horn, I cut and pasted the information right from their Website. 
"WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of our top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community," said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire.
"Over the past three years, the Bride's Choice Awards™ program has afforded WeddingWire, and the bridal community, the opportunity to recognize those professionals for their unparalleled service and commitment to the wedding industry. We applaud the 2011 winners for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience for couples throughout the prior year."

New Year! New Blog! New Picture Sizes!

Can I be a little self depricating here?  Ok  I will. One of my  New Year's Resolutions was to post blog entries twice a week.  Now that it's almost February, we can see how well that's working.  Thanks to my team, Gloria McCune and Sandra Chang, they're motivating me to get moving on this.  So... take a peek.  New Year!  New Blog!  New Picture Sizes... compliments of Swell Nat.

Sweets from one of my Favorite Vendors....Sweets Indeed 

Sneak Peek: Lauren and Scott!

The gorgeous Oak Creek Golf Club framed a beautiful backdrop for this wedding

The bridal party was chic in black but spicy with coral and green. 

Swell details captured by Jack Randall Photography -(Love him!) were the gorgeous coral and green florals, the flower petals at the ceremony, the papergoods, their sweet favors, and Lauren's haute dress. 

 

The emotion captured at this weddings was palpable.

Best wishes to a beautiful and fun couple!