Chris and Rich, like many couples, wanted to say their vows on 11.11.11 (there were actually FIVE weddings at Paradise Point that day!).  For some reason, the number 11 had popped up in their relationship time and time again, so it was the perfect choice for them.  Unlike all those couples, they went a step further and wanted their vows to also be sealed at 11:11.  We had to time the ceremony start time so that the END time would be 11:11am.  Quite a challenge, but also fun.  If you look closely, you will see me in one of the photos holding up a white board at the end of the aisle with 11:11 on it to signify to the Officiant that it was time.

Thank you to Paradise Point Resort & Spa for trusting me with the details of Chris and Rich’s Big Day, and thank you to Two Sparrows Photography for sharing the lovely pictures.

The awesome vendors who contributed to the day were:

Photographer- Ben Hoffman, Two Sparrows Photography

Florist- Che Bella

DJ and MC- Jeff Hawkins and Ryan Brennan, Hawk Weddings

Videographer- Ryan James Weddings

Photobooth- Friar Tux Photobooth

Hali + Brian | April 21st, 2012 from Luke McCain Videography on Vimeo.

Love me some Hali and Brian!  They were probably the most chill, relaxed, easygoing couple we have ever worked with.  The day was beautiful, fun, and a big Michael Jackson-themed party.  Cheers!

You may have noticed the brand new look, colors, and branding for the website.  I am so thrilled with everything, and I think it really showcases who I am, who I want to be, and how I want to come across to our potential clients.  I want After the Engagement to be the Wedding Planning company for San Diego and Southern California couples who want to have fun with their wedding- the fun, the funky, the unique… those couples who feel a little rock and roll, with a hint of sparkle, a hint of girly girl, and a huge side of “Let’s Party!”  The new logo is below, and lots of fun new branding is coming soon.  Be sure to poke around and check out our new headshots from AS Photography, the promo video on the “meet us” page shot by Side by Side Cinema, the fun new black and white striped website background, and so much more.  Let me know what you think!

Below are some gorgeous engagement pictures from some of our mutual clients.  Can’t wait for these weddings this Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Janet + Dan- getting married at the Crossings this year

Jessica+ Andrew- getting married at the Coronado Community Center this year

Tamara + Russell- getting married at Leo Carillo Ranch this year

Thank you to all these wonderful vendors, I couldn’t have done it without each of you!  To my models for being awesome, I love you- My Assistant Mitzi, my little Tot Billy, the beautiful Macyn and her buddy, and the ringbearer, the ever-so-adorable Walter!!

First of all, be sure to see the post published here, and COMMENT on it to vote for me!

Here are ALL pics I chose from our shoot {I was supposed to pick 15 – yeah right!!}, so there are some new ones here, too, that are different from the entry blog, since they certainly couldn’t publish them all.
First up, my inspiration board for the shoot.  My new favorite thing is seeing the inspiration for a shoot or wedding next to the photos of the reality- so fun and it just goes to show… create your inspiration to be something achievable, and you can make it happen.  Include pictures of over-water bungalow weddings in Bali when you’re getting married at a Ranch in SoCal, and it probably won’t match up very well.

Things have been super crazy around here getting ready for our 2012 wedding season, I haven’t even had the chance to blog about the Ultimate Wedding that I was chosen to design last year.  The wedding took place in late January and it was such a warm and beautiful day.

I really poured myself into making sure that this was a wedding that accomplished the three goals that *most* couples have when planning their Big Day- 1.That the guests have a great time, 2.) That there are wonderful vendors who come together and ensure a seamless day, and 3.) That everything looks beautiful.  I can honestly say that these goals were accomplished 100%.  While I did have hardships during the process (which is a story for another time), I am thrilled with the final product, and most proud of the amazing team of professionals that I put together- you are all INCREDIBLE.

Janell and Matt’s fantastic vendors who donated their services and time to this extraordinary event:

Photographers: La Vida Creations Photography • You guys rule!  So fun, easygoing, and above all, talented.  I am sure the couple will cherish your photos for a lifetime.

Ceremony Venue: Mt. Woodson Amy Strong Castle • What a beautiful spot for your Big Day!  Very different and unique- a castle!

Reception Venue: Mt. Woodson Amy Strong Castle •

Catering: Personal Touch Dining • Thank you for being awesome.  Your staff was impeccable and the food was wonderful!  It was so much fun to see my menu come to realization.

Cinematography: Side by Side Cinema • My favorite video peeps- the ones I chose to do my OWN promo video (which I will repost soon!)… you are a true delight to be around, and you make me want an I-Do Redo so you can do my video!

Rentals and Linens: Party Production Rentals • Paula, you made my design dreams a reality!  Thank you for loving my crazy-fun color palette and for always having every rental I needed.  We couldn’t have done it without you!

Officiant- Bethel Nathan, Ceremonies by Bethel • I am so grateful you were a part of this wedding.  Your support and love were priceless, and I am so glad to have your friendship and to get to witness your talents at our weddings.

Rehearsal Dinner- Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club • Sarah, you and your team are awesome!  Thank you for donating your time and services and what I hear was a wonderful dinner!  The CMRCC will always be one of my fave venues.

Florist – Exquisite Blooms • Sally, you are an artist!  You always provide exactly what I am picturing in my head, and take such amazing care of our clients.

DJ- Bill Calhoun Mobile Music DJ • You’re the best!  I used you for MY wedding, and I will use you for any of my clients.  You are knowledgeable, fun, and love what you do.  You are SO easy to work with, and that means so much.

Live musician- Nick Weiss • Nick, I am SO lucky to have found you on YouTube of all places!  Your talents are astounding, and you are the perfect choice for any couple wanting live music.

Stationery and Paperie- Nic.Roc.Designs • Nic, I knew you were the perfect fit for this wedding!!  Edgy, interesting, non-traditional; you crafted the most perfect paper products to go along with this wedding and it added the best finishing touch.

Limo service – Elite Image Limo • Jon and the Elite Image team are the only ones we use for transportation, so they were the natural choice.  Professional, friendly, and with the cleanest vehicles we’ve seen, you will not regret using them for your wedding or special event.

Tux rentals- Friar Tux Shop • Thanks to this wonderful team, the process of choosing a suit was seamless and easy!  Thank you for your wonderful contribution!  I love a grey suit.

Bridesmaids Necklaces- KChicDesigns • I am so glad I found you on Etsy and that you agreed to be a part of this wedding!  The necklaces tied together the fun colors and were so cute.  Definitely not your normal boring bridesmaid jewelry.

Bride’s and Mother’s Hair and Makeup – Marisa Von Sheere • Marisa is a hair and makeup genius, and the one I go to to cut my hair!  The bride and mom’s looked spectacular thanks to you.  You’re the best, and if you ever leave, I will just have to shave my head.

Bridesmaid’s Makeup- Gerine Coronado • Gerine, you are amazing!  This girl is an artist with a blush brush, ya’ll.  She can do any makeup look you want, and it will last ALL DAY.

Bridesmaid’s Hair- Rebecca Hainline • Thank you Rebecca for joining Gerine and taking care of the bridesmaids hair- everyone looked beautiful!

Bridesmaid’s Dresses- Nordstrom • I always had a yellow dress in mind to go with the grey and to give a feeling of “sunshine”.  These were flowy and perfect.

Documenting Photographer – Evan Bishop • Thank you so much, Evan, for being there every step of the way and for documenting the “behind the scenes” portion of wedding planning- his photos coming soon!

Honeymoon – PS Riviera • A beautiful spot for a week vacay, or  for a weekend away, I thank you for donating this wonderful package.

Favors- SoBelle • Nada, your favors are one-of-a-kind and added the BEST touch to our tables!  Nada uses the best and yummiest chocolates around.

Photobooth : Jasper with After the Engagement  • Thanks to my hubby for donating your time and bringing along our baby, the Photobooth!

Boudoir – Modern Boudoir by Allie Lindsey Photography • Thank you Allie for donating your incredible talents- I LOVE stalking your blog, your boudoir shots are gorgeous.

Cake- Hey There, Cupcake • I died when I saw this cake- it could not have been more perfect.  Thank you for your talents!

Donuts- Sensational Treats • YUM!!!  These are the most delightful treats for any special events- hot, fresh donuts made on site?  YES please.

Cake Balls- Cake Ball Love • Oh, Pam!  You helped me win the design contest to get this wedding, and I knew this day HAD to include those cake balls- maple bacon!  They looked wonderful, and I hear they tasted even better.

Mini trifles- Sumi’s Oven • Sumi, you are awesome!  I asked Sumi if she could create something “brunchy” with a mimosa in mind, and she provided these adorable mini trifles.  Sumi has such passion for what she does, and it always shows.

Cookies- The Cookie Chew • Liz, you provide something RAD that nobody else does!  Stuffed cookies!  These were the first part of our sweets buffet to go- yummo!

Candy buffet- A Candy Store • Thanks to everyone at A Candy Store for donating the colorful candy, perfect for any wedding- they provide ALL colors and flat rate shipping.

Chocolate photobooth props- Tailored Sweets • Props you can EAT?  Heck yes.  Thank you so much for these fun and funny ‘staches.

Sponsored by Bridal Insider and Star 94.1

To Lori at Bridal Insider, Thank you for believing in me and for your support throughout this whole process!  You were so much fun to work with!

One of the biggest thank you’s of all goes to my team, Briana and Mitzi, for donating YOUR time that day.  I am so grateful and thankful for you EVERYDAY.

Also to Jaramillo Catering for catering our “Meet the Vendors” party before the wedding.

First, here was my inspiration board that was put together initially-

I really craved a wedding with a bright and unexpected color palette, so I went with red, aqua, yellow, and pink, with a charcoal grey neutral.  From the beginning, I knew this would be a brunch wedding.  I wanted to show people that daytime weddings can be just as fun!  I was so lucky and thrilled that the folks over at Personal Touch Dining were able to create my proposed menu exactly, and the food was wonderful!  The tray passed apps were a fun mix of mini quiche, deviled eggs, fruit skewers, and my favorite touch, cinnamon rolls on a stick.  Brunch consisted of eggs benedict with a plethora of options, made-to-order omelets, french toast, and more.

The one element of a wedding that I see guests ravage time and time again is the sweets buffet- they just love them!  Candy, cookies, whatever, it always gets eaten.  I decided to create a whole sweets room, and loved that all the vendors came together to offer their unique touch for this fun element.

Photography and Cinematography were super important as well.  Being that it was a day wedding, I knew it was important to use a photographer who had a good grasp of daytime light.  I remember Jeff and Betsy from La Vida Creations Photography telling me that the time of day didn’t matter- while it may be *easier* for a photog to shoot in this light or that light, a good (and experienced) one can shoot anything.  Their photos are so incredible, and the day light turned out gorgeous- just as I had hoped.  Side by Side Cinema did a terrific job as well, and nobody ever said “no” to any of my requests.  These folks rock!

The ceremony was beautiful and meaningful, thanks to Bethel Nathan with Ceremonies by Bethel.  You pretty much can’t find someone better than Bethel to marry you- she is warm, kind, and will make your wedding ceremony unique and one-of-a-kind.  I promise you’ll love her as much as I do!

As always, my favorite florist, Sally, with Exquisite Blooms knocked it out of the park!  The flowers were perfect.

The castle at Mt. Woodson was the perfect backdrop for the day, and Tracy was so accommodating to all requests.

Below are the finished product, and if you compare it to the inspiration board, I think you will see that it all came together wonderfully!

The photos from the wedding are below:

Inspiration to realization is possible!  This was such a crazy process, but I am so happy with the final product.  THANK YOU AGAIN to all who made this happen.

With love,

Courtney

I loved everything about this wedding- the bright colors, the fantastic paper products from Nic.Roc.Designs, the fun flowers from Exquisite Blooms, and the fact that not only was this a wedding, but also a birthday party!  The bride and groom were both celebrating their birthdays on the wedding day!  The party was small, intimate, and fun.  DJ Entertainment was provided by Paul Peterson “The High Energy DJ”, and he kept it going all night.

Thank you Jess and Will for allowing me to share your special day!

I have styled a couple of photoshoots, and always really enjoy it, but this was even more fun since it was a REAL engagement session!  We decided to have a picnic set up at Betsy and Jeff’s chosen location, Marion Bear Park, amongst the beautiful fall leaves.  In order to honor Heather and Michael’s first date (bagels and coffee), I added a cake plate filled with mini bagels and ”The Bride” and “The Groom” Starbucks cups.  We also took a bunch of no.2 pencils (the couple are law school graduates), and I tied them with a cute satin ribbon.  The Mexican paper banner- papel picado- was hung between the trees as an homage to their Cinco de Mayo wedding date.

The Scrabble set?  Heather’s idea.  They love to play together, and it added something really fun to the photos!

Thanks, Melissa!  And thank you Bonnie and Chris for having us be a part of your day!

Engagement sessions are a great way to not only document your engagement, but to work with your photographers before the wedding and get comfortable in front of the camera!

Yasmin and Deshun are always fun to work with, and I am sure these four had an amazing time in Balboa Park.