Keren had small locket with a photo of her parents at their wedding tied onto her gorgeous all white bouquet. Each bridesmaid carried a bouquet of a different yellow flower, with the maid of honor having a mix of all of the yellow blooms. Keren also gifted each bridesmaid a unique necklace, purchased from various etsy sellers.

The reception was set with a mix of round and long tables, set with custom runners made by JL Designs. Keeping with Keren’s simple but beautiful vision, all white flowers were used in white ceramic vases with white candlesticks. Various ribbon accents were added to the centerpieces and napkins as well.

Keren was born in Israel and speaks Hebrew and Pieter grew up in France and speaks French (in fact, “Frenchy” was Keren’s nickname for Pieter before they started dating) so we wanted to include that into their wedding somehow. For the table number signs, the number was written in both English, French and Hebrew. Posh Paperie also made signs for the back of the bride and groom’s chairs with “Mr.” and “Mrs.” written in all three languages as well. As a surprise to the couple, Courtney made a banner saying “love” in French for their photos and cake table. Speaking of the cake – Sweet and Saucy created a trio of gorgeous cakes featuring the wedding colors. In addition to the delicious cake, late night snacks of milkshakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers and french fries were served with paper cones and flags to match the wedding decor.

Pieter and Keren’s wedding day was a great reflection of the two of them as individuals and as a couple: gorgeous, elegant, personal, stylish, meaningful and fun. This was such a special wedding because it was one of the last events Danae and I had the honor of working with Courtney Toney. Major kudos to Court for orchestrating this amazing day!

Check out their beautiful wedding film by Threaded Films (formerly Weddings by SML)

The vendor line up:

*Venue: The Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel

*Photography: Jasmine Star Photography

*Floral Design: JL Designs

*Cinematography: Threaded Films

*Wedding Stationary : Posh Paperie

*DJ: SoCal-DJ

*Wedding Cakes: Sweet and Saucy Shop

*Hair: Bride’s Friend

*Makeup: Cheek Couture

*Linens: Fusion Linens

*Custom Banner: Joyful Joyful

*Custom Runner: JL Designs

*Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin

*Wedding Dress: Amsale

*Bridesmaid Dresses: Priscilla of Boston

Views from the Horizon Hotel

My favorite photo of the night! The full wedding party celebrating the close of the festivities with a jump in the pool!

The vendor line up:

*Venue: The Horizon Hotel

*Photography: Aaron Young Photography

*Floral Design: Cachet Fiore

*Catering: The Manila Machine

*DJ: Ultimate Entertainment

*Hair & Makeup: Bridesmaid

*Rentals + Linens: Classic Party Rentals

Mike did just that. Their love story is beautiful (you can read a bit more of it here) and I could not be happier to have been able to be a part of their wedding day. It was overflowing with joy. I teared up more than I have at any of my weddings before and I simply could feel the strength of their love all day long. One of the best ceremonies I have ever witnessed on top of it all.

Their wedding took place at Parker Ranch in Trabuco Canyon and the cheery rustic vibe set the tone for a super fun, relaxed wedding day. Here is a glimpse into the beauty, shot by another one of my favorite UCLA friends, Emily with Gem Photo.

Cayla & Mike: Thanks for letting me help with your amazing day. I love you two and cannot wait to see what God does through your marriage!

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/12/06/cayla-mikes-orange-county-ranch-wedding/feed/ 5 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/08/18/monica-and-elliots-la-jolla-cove-bridge-club-wedding/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/08/18/monica-and-elliots-la-jolla-cove-bridge-club-wedding/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:00:03 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=3262 Monica and Elliot are one of the sweetest couples I have ever met. Full of joy, you cannot help but smile when you are around them and see their love for one another. They were married last summer at the La Jolla Bridge Club- a cute little spot with an incredible view. Their color palette of seafoam green, white and yellow was fresh and summery and their wedding day was full of fun. All photos are by the lovely Photographs by Anjuli

With such a stunning ceremony backdrop (yellow pacific!) we wanted to keep the ceremony decor simple. We tied bunches of ribbon from the chairs and the Floral Lab set up pomanders on different sized glass hurricanes to frame the bride and groom.

I loved this bike! I’m not going to lie, I kind of wanted to take it for a stroll. We used it to greet guests with a sign directing them to the ceremony and then changed the sign out for a little after ceremony ride for the couple.

Monica made a large amount of the decor and details herself- from the poms to the programs to the table number clocks. It all turned out so cute! We made a large banner to cover up the bridge club’s sign and sweet mini banners for the bride & groom’s chairs. Leigh Anne with The Floral Lab did an awesome job with the flowers and the escort card grass display.

In leiu of favors, the couple made donations to Invisible Children.

The guests kept the dance floor packed all night and were surprised with a frozen yogurt buffet at the end of the night. Such a joyous wedding and we were honored to be a part of it!

The vendor line up:

*Venue: The La Jolla Cove Bridge Club

*Photography: Photographs by Anjuli

*Floral Design: The Floral Lab

*Video: Curtis Nemetz Productions

*Catering: Ki’s

*DJ: Mobile Music Plus

*Frozen Yogurt Bar: Fiji Yogurt

*Hair & Makeup: A New Twist

*Rentals: Affairs

*Linens: A Perfect Table

*Banners: Joyful Joyful

Their wedding was simply stunning- classic details with a warm, tasty color palette of plum, peach and blush pink. It was held at one of our favorite venues- Vibiana.

Julie’s veil is one of my favorite veils I’ve ever seen- those ruffles!

Meg of La Partie did the floral design and everything was beautiful!

How sweet are they?

We were so excited to see that their wedding was featured today on Elizabeth Anne Designs. You can see the post here, as well as a snippet of their wedding film!

The amazing vendor team:

*Photography: Erin Hearts Court

*Planning & Coordination: Joyful Weddings & Events

*Venue : Vibiana

*Floral: La Partie Events

*Lighting: Amber Event Production

*Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas

*Calligraphy: Little Miss Press

*Videographer: Artisan Productions

*Gown: Amsale

*Hair : Cathy Masingale

*Makeup: Alissa Wasser

*Catering: The Food Matters

*Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop

*Rentals: Signature Party Rentals

*DJ: Red Shoe LA

*Ceremony music: Angelica Strings

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/07/11/julie-bryans-elegant-la-wedding/feed/ 4 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/06/24/jeannette-jjs-sangria-inspired-rancho-las-lomas-wedding/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/06/24/jeannette-jjs-sangria-inspired-rancho-las-lomas-wedding/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:08:26 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=3048 Jeannette and JJ were married last summer at one of our favorite venues, Rancho Las Lomas. We used Sangria as the inspiration for the wedding style- incorporating in the colors (deep fuchsia, orange and spiced wine), fruit and Spanish flair into their decor scheme. This worked perfectly with the venue, which is a Spanish style Hacienda. I just loved these two- they are so sweet and have such a deep love for each other and for their family and friends. Their wedding day was an incredible celebration and I am so excited to share it with you!

Jeanette is absolutely stunning and the bouquet that Carissa of JL Designs made her was simply gorgeous. Carissa wrapped Jeanette’s grandmother’s rosary around the bouquet- such a sentimental touch.

Instead of a bouquet, we ordered fans for each of Jeanette’s bridesmaids and Carissa attached a gorgeous bloom to each.

Staring with the invitation, papel picado became a recurring element of the decor scheme. For the ceremony, we draped banners of it from chair to chair to designate the aisle and it turned out super fun and festive.

This ring bearer was THE funniest ring bearer I have ever seen! At the rehearsal he came up and introduced himself to me as the ring bearer and told me his job was to greet everyone. And that he did. As he was walking down the aisle he was waving at the guests the entire way down, shouting “hello! hello!”. It was hilarious!

Jeanette is a book editor, so she wanted to tie old books she had collected into the wedding as well. Instead of a pillow, our little character of a ring bearer carried a book that Carissa jazzed up with ribbon.

Jeanette had her heart set on incorporating bougainvillea into the decor, specifically on the arch framing where they would say their vows. After many told us it was not possible, Carissa of JL Designs took on the challenge. The result was gorgeous! The bougainvillea looked like it was made to be on that arch.

As a surprise to the guests, a mariachi band was hidden during the ceremony and began to play just as the couple was pronounced husband and wife. They lead the guests in a procession up to the cocktail hour. It was such a joyous moment!

Jeanette made the escort cards by attaching lace seam binding to simple escort cards. A cheap and easy way to dress up DIY cards.

We set up a photo booth backdrop incorporating colorful papel picado banners and the couple provided fun props for their guests to get silly.

I made Jeanette & JJ a thank you banner, which they used in photos that became their thank you notes for their guests.

From the minute Jeanette, Carissa and I started dreaming up their reception tables, I was in love. When guests returned to the site of the ceremony, it had been completely changed into a gorgeous, alfresco dining area. Long wooden tables alternated with round tables dressed in beautiful champagne colored shantung silk linens. To incorporate papel picado in a unique way, we took the banners and created runners on the wood tables.

Centerpieces included books, cut crystal succulents and fruit. Carissa used a variety of purple, orange, fuschia and dark burgundy florals – dahlias, peonies, tulips, sweet peas, scabiosa, chocolate cosmos, amaranthus – with purple basil and fresh mint to add a fresh, garden feel. It made the tables smell incredible too!

We brought in purple wine glasses to give the tables a pop of color in a unique way.

In lieu of favors, the bride and groom chose to donation to a few different donations. Guests were given a card at their place settings and they were able to chose which organization they wanted their donation to go to by placing their card in a designated box.

The bride created the cute Salud! drink stirrers and we couldn’t have a Sangria inspired wedding without serving Sangria! 24 Carrots served a delicious sangria in carafes at each table, adorned with tags that Jeanette made.

I suggested incorporating in Spanish style tiles to replicate tiles used throughout the venue and Jeanette created these cute tile table numbers.

For the cake, Jeanette envisioned numerous cakes set up bake sale style. Sweet and Saucy Shop created six rustic style cakes in different flavors and one larger cake with papel picado details and the most gorgeous sugar peony. I made mini banners to serve as labels for the different styles of cake.

The mini banners were quite time consuming (I made them with my cricut), but so worth it- I adored how they looked on the cake stands. I also made cute stained wood plaques with these mini banners hanging on top for the bride and groom’s chairs. I do not have any professional photos of them, but one of Jeanette’s friends captured these images:

A little dia de los muertos touch:

This moment below warms my heart. I love sneaking the bride and groom into the reception area before guests are invited in so that they can soak it all it. It is so sweet to see them beam as they realize their vision has come to life.

Jeanette and JJ were adorable as they performed their first dance- a salsa number they had been practicing throughout their engagement. As the sun set, the reception was aglow with candles and market lights and guests danced the night away to music provided by the incredible DJ Smiles from the Flashdance, while be served late night snacks of pulled pork sliders, curly fries and mini milk shakes.

So much love, warmth and tasty eats and drinks! Definitely one of my favorite weddings I have been blessed to be a part of.

The amazing vendor team:

*Venue: Rancho Las Lomas

*Planning & Design: Us

*Floral & Event Design: JL Designs

*Photography: Tara Leigh

*Caterer: 24 Carrots

*DJ: The Flashdance, DJ Smiles

*Video: LuvBug

*Cakes:  Sweet and Saucy Shop

*Hair & Makeup: Nicole DeAnne

*Mariachis: Mariachi Espuelas de Mexico

*Invitations & Stationery: Kavamore Press & Tigerette

*Thank You Banner:  Joyful Joyful on Etsy

*Rentals:  Signature Party Rentals

*Purple Goblets:  Classic Party Rentals

*Linens:  Fusion Linen

]]> http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/06/24/jeannette-jjs-sangria-inspired-rancho-las-lomas-wedding/feed/ 7 http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/06/21/chris-alisons-cape-cod-inspired-newport-beach-wedding/ http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/2011/06/21/chris-alisons-cape-cod-inspired-newport-beach-wedding/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:59:51 +0000 Courtney http://joyfulweddingsandevents.com/blog/?p=2982 Christopher and Alison were married last Spring and I have been patiently waiting to be able to share their wedding with you. Now that it has been featured in the current issue of The Knot Southern California, I can finally show you the loveliness of their Cape Cod inspired wedding, with stunning photos by Meg Perotti. It is one of my most favorite weddings- not just because it was gorgeous- but because it was deeply personal to the couple and their families.

I first met with Alison and her mother at the beachfront property that had been in their family for over a century. They had hoped to have the wedding there, but did not know if it was realistic. I took one look around and said that there was no way they were not going to have it there! The sweet beach house lies right on the sand on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach and is filled to the brim with family memories. Trophies from the Christmas Boat Parade from 1918(!), photos and heirloom pieces fill the shelves and I was literally giddy walking around dreaming of ways to incorporate it all into their seaside wedding.

With a color palette of white, tan, celery green and ocean blue, Carissa of JL Designs and I worked together with the couple to design a classic, comfortable, non-cheesy nautical wedding, reminiscent of a summer vacation in the Hamptons.

Alison was such a stunning bride!

I loved the bouquets that Carissa created- each bridesmaid had a bouquet made out of a different crisp green bloom and the made of honor carried a mixture of all of the flowers. The blue of the bridesmaid’s Ann Taylor dresses made the bouquets pop in such a gorgeous way.

The ring bearers carried the rings on pieces of grapewood adorned with white peonies:

When Carissa and I met at the house for our design meeting, we walked around asking Alison and her mom, “can we use this piece? Can we pull that table outside?”. I loved being able to use the antique furniture that had been in their family for decades and decades, including this cute little table we used for the programs. Carissa did such a great job with the wreath hanging above it and I found the perfect little knot balls on clearance at Target to pull in.

Another fun find from the house was this huge (& heavy!) steering wheel from a ship. I knew it would be the perfect detail to greet guests.

In order to have enough room for the ceremony and reception, Alison’s dad spent months building out there beach. It was incredible to see the process from beginning to end and it definitely paid off- the beach was just the right size and the day was perfect. A harpist played as Alison and her father walked down the sand she grew up playing on.

I created a sweet and simple “just married” banner for their family boat, which the sailed away on at the end of the reception.

The cocktail hour took place on the front lawn while we completely turned over the ceremony site into the reception. When I started working with the couple, they were living in the Caribbean for Christopher’s job, so we tied in that part of their story by having a steel drum player entertain the guests throughout the cocktail hour.

When thinking about their decor scheme for the wedding, I could not get the idea of a vintage dingy out of my mom. After telling Alison to be on the lookout, they ended up finding the perfect barnacle-crusted dingy in the garage of the property! I literally cheered out loud when I saw it. We hung escort cards made by Posh Paperie across ribbon and it became a focal point of the wedding.

One of the antique pieces we grabbed from inside of the house was a huge buffet and hutch that we used to showcase family photos and sweet little arrangements that Carissa made. Later on in the night, we removed the pictures and used it to display all of the cute mini desserts that 24 Carrots served (mini cobblers, candy apples and creme brulee spoons, among many other tasty things).

For the reception, we lined up tables perpendicular to the ocean and the resulting set up was so stunning and yet comfortable for the guests. It felt  almost like a big family dinner. Khaki colored raw linens were used to create a clean and natural base to the tables. Carissa did such a killer job with the florals- mono-botanical arrangements were elegant and clean, but striking all together.

I made Mr & Mrs chair back signs using cards that Posh Paperie created to match the stationery. I sewed them onto linen fabric and loved how they turned out!

Sometimes, Plan B ends up working better than Plan A. The bride and groom named tables after locations that they had traveled to together and Posh Paperie made signs to indicate each table, which were to go into small little stands. Because of the wind, the table signs would not stay upright. I made a quick decision to tie them to a chair at each table and it ended up looking so cute!

24 Carrots, as always, did an incredible job with the food, including a sushi station.

Sweet and Saucy shop made three delicious rustic style cakes which were displayed in front of a khaki linen backdrop that Carissa hung. Alison & Chris used heirloom silver champagne cups and cake servers.

The bride is a licensed sommelier, so the couple gave their guests bottles of wine with custom labels as their favors, which was a huge hit!

At night, the reception glowed and was like a scene out of a movie. Guests danced to an awesome Bluegrass band from San Luis Obispo, the Cuesta Ridge Mountain Boys. This was especially sentimental because the couple was watching the band play at a street fair the moment that Chris realized that he wanted to marry Alison. Touches like this made it so that guests left the wedding knowing more about the couple’s story and their backgrounds, which I absolutely adored!

I mean, does it get more dreamy than that?

I could plan this wedding every day of my life. The couple and their families were so wonderful to work with and they fully trusted the dream team of vendors we recommended.

Here is that amazing team:

Photography: the lovely and talented Meg Perotti

Planning & Design: Us

Florals & Design: the insanely talented Carissa of JL Designs

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals (always wonderful)

Catering: 24 Carrots (Jami & staff are a dream to work with & the food is so tasty!)

Stationery: my girls at Posh Paperie

Cakes: Sweet & Saucy Shop (my favorite, and I don’t usually say that)

Band: Cuesta Ridge Mountain Boys (They could have kept the entire guest list dancing until 4 AM. So good!)

Cigar Roller: Cuban Cigar Factory (always a hit)

Steel Drummer: Nesta (Created such a fun atmosphere!)

Harpist: Pamela Brown (absolutely beautiful)

Shuttles: Beach Cruiser style buses from OC Cruiser

Valet: Lighthouse Parking (My go-to valet company- they are great!)

Just Married Banner: Joyful Joyful on Etsy

And a big thank you to Leila from Be Inspired PR for getting this wedding into The Knot Southern California!

You will be seeing much more of this sweet couple soon!

Side note: Please excuse my extreme lack of posting. My hard drive decided to die on me, so we’ve been going through the painful process of trying to pull everything off of it in the midst of taking care of our new little guy.. Lesson learned: if you have something that your computer automatically backs itself on, make sure it is actually working

We should be back on the ball soon!

Guests found their seating assignments attached to mini horseshoes. Young guests were treated to a swirly lollipop instead, nestled inside of mason jars.

One of the fun perks that comes with the Bernardo Winery are a few fun rustic carts that are available to use for food displays, the cake and anything else you can dream.

Ashley collected milk glass all throughout her engagement to use for the centerpieces.

I incorporated doilies into the reception signage, including mr & mrs signs on the back of the couple’s chairs as well as on the basket of flip flops that Ashley put together:

For favors, Ashley made delicious homemade cookies for her guests. We set them up in our vintage suitcases and guests were grabbing them by the handful!

The groom’s grandma was the best dancing grandma I have ever seen:

Matt & Ashley: You two and your wedding day hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for having us be a part of it! I miss you- hope Texas is treating you well. If it’s not, we’ll take you back in San Diego any day!

Here is their wonderful vendor team:

*Venue: Bernardo Winery

*Planner: Joyful Weddings & Events

*Photographer: EP Love

*Caterer: Café Merlot

*Florist: Holly Horn

*Cake: Sweet Cheeks

*DJ: Events by Design

*Officiant: Doug Kyle, Green Valley Church

*Banners and signage: Joyful Joyful- Etsy

*Ring Bearer Flag:  Joyful Joyful- Etsy

*Ring Bearer Bowl: Paloma’s Nest

*Dress: Mikaella

*Hair Fascinator: Vie Moderne – Etsy

*Cake Toppers: Naked Peggies – Etsy

*Bridesmaid’s Clutches: Paper & Silk Made – Etsy

*Bridesmaid’s dresses: Anna Elyse

*Dress Hanger: Lila Frances- Etsy

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