If you would like to use any of my pictures for inspiration, please do, just give credit where credit is due.  And, if you see a picture of yours, please let me know so that I can give you proper credit as well!  Thanks!

Chris and I met about four and a half years ago through a co-worker of his that was actually trying to set me up with someone else and not Chris! Ha ha! I was actually the one that asked if he was single, he was, and the rest, as they say, is history! :)

We live in the valley...suburbia, but its nice and we like it and its so central to everything! We are about an hour or so away from San Francisco and Tahoe so that makes planning weekend trips fairly easy. We are minutes away from the lake, which is where we spend the majority of our time in the summer, on the boat. Chris is an avid wakeboarder. Me? Not so much. ;)

Career wise, on paper, we have such serious sounding jobs, but we're actually really goofy and nerdy and have a great time with one another. He is truly my very best friend.

 

My Ring: My ring was designed by a jeweler in San Francisco. Its absolutely beautiful and I am in awe every time I look down at my hand.

My Wedding Band: With my ring having side stones in a kite setting (round diamonds with prongs set like a kite) and with the ring being 1 of 6 made by a jeweler in SF, we were so surprised to find something that matched! 

His Wedding Band: Was purchased from a local jeweler. It is made from titanium which he loves because its light and virtually indestructible!

I made these boards using Big Huge Labs.  It was really easy.  Just load the pictures you want and hit create.

I knew I wanted a more formal wedding, but I also knew I wanted something that not everyone else was doing. I imagined a lot of candle light, twigs and branches, moss, rhinestones and a lot of white...

We used all white flowers, greenery and branches and used this pictures as inspiration.

I decided to do an all white bouquet, with shades of white and ivory. I love the traditional, romantic look of an all white, rose bouquet with exposed stems.

For the girls, we did smaller versions of my bouquet, but wrapped them in bronze satin.

 These are some of the flowers/foliage that I like.

Mount Everst White Rose                     Akito White Bulk Rose

Hanging Amaranthus                                 Birch branches

Curly Willow                                                         White Lillies

White Gladiolus                                 White Snapdragons

(Inspiration photos courtesy of Celebration Photography, The Knot, Ed Pingol Photography, 500 Flowers and Save-On-Crafts.)

 

We held our wedding and reception at Chateau Felice's private estate in Healdsburg on September 20, 2008. This location was truly my dream location. It has the exact look of what I imagined in my mind; tuscan with unending gorgeous vineyards.

The cream cardstock and envelopes were purchased through LCI Paper. The metalic brown backing cardstock was from a local stationary store, "The Scrapbook Station", the stamp was purchased through Inkadinkado, Swarovski crystals and gold ink from Michaels. Printed and assembled my moi! :)

We had our engagement party in April and it was absolutely perfect! My girls and I started the morning off at my mom's bridal shop with breakfast of champagne, muffins, dresses and presents!  Then my mom surprised us all with having an engagement luncheon and our family friend's home...its gorgeous! We ended the day with our actual engagement party at my Aunt and Uncle's backyard. They did a BEAUTIFUL job with the decor and a PHENOMENAL job with the food!

Our photographer, Jeff Walters, did an amazing job with our engagement photos.  We love them all! Here are a few of our absolute favorites:

The first picture from the dressmaker:

Here are pictures from when I first tried on my dress.  I made some additional changes. I had it taken in and changed it to more of a mermaid skirt. 

During my first alterations I realized two things: 1) I actually did love my dress; and 2) I was going to wear my hair down! She pinned in the sides a bit, pulling it in through the seat, making the skirt more mermaid in style. And, of course, she hemmed it.  She also added more rhinestones to the beading pattern under the bust for a little more "bling."

(Top Image courtesy of Augusta Jones.)

My mom stitched this dress label for me free hand to affix to the inside of my dress. I absolutely love it.

I had a bracelet made resembling the one above by Haute Bride.  I think my bracelet came out better than the original.  The cell phone picture hardly does it justice.  And, get this! My bracelet was forgotten at the hotel and I wasn't able to wear it during the wedding! Ugh! Such is life.  Here are also the earrings I wore, purchased from Nordstrom:

My shoes: Pelle Moda, style Romance. I bought them through Zappos. I LOVE THEM.

I purchased my garter from the GarterLady on Etsy.  It is white shuntung. I love it because its so simple yet chic.

(Image courtesy of the Garter Lady.)

Hair:  Although initially I thought I would wear my hair up, its not really me and I just wanted to feel like me on my wedding day, so I decided to wear my hair down. On a day I was getting alterations done, I had my hair down and loosely curled and LOVED it, so I then decided I must wear my hair down!  (Don't ask me what Im doing with my face, I have no idea...) 

Makeup:  I wanted a more sultry look with an emphasis on the eyes and a paler lip.  I LOVED what Trisha O'Connor did!!!

We have finally figured out what my mom will wear...whoo hoo! Its Taupe European satin by Bill Levkoff.

We got the dress and it looks gorgeous on her! We are making a minor change; moving the sash from the front to the back and then will secure the bow with a brooch.

(Top image courtesy of Bill Levkoff.)

My Matron of Honor and Bridesmaids will be wearing chocolate brown, satin, floor length dresses from After Six. Try not to pay attention to the horrendous background, bracelets and hairband! ;) I will also be adding a brooch to the front of the dress.

The shoes are Capri, by Salon Shoes. They were ordered in mocha to match the dresses. (frustrating when you can only post some random color and not the color you want! Ha ha ha, but you get the idea!)

This is the brooch that we've purchased to go on the front of their dresses.

The dresses just came in! By the looks of the images from my mom's phone, they look gorgeous! Here is a picture of the dress and a close up of the brooch.

Here are what the girls looked like in their dresses:

(Top images courtesy of After Six and Salon Shoes.)

We have decided to go with the color Nectar. The sash will also be the same color. We decided to that keeping the dress all one color would make it more "grown up."

For her shoes, we dyed ballet slippers to match her dress. We used this brooch to put on the toe.

I found these GORGEOUS invitations at Dochelle and found them very inspiring for the creation of my own invitations.

I had Phyllis Wong of Sweet Paper Studio create my invitations, table numbers, programs, etc. It was a pleasure working with her!

My invitations are done! I just received pictures from Phyllis Wong of Sweet Paper Studio.  They are FABULOUS!

I made this photo guestbook through My Publisher.  It was really easy to use and the book came out so nice! I was also able to find a coupon code that gave me a two for one deal and can't beat that!

My Aunt and Cousin (who was also one of my bridesmaids) surprised us with a Butterfly Release.  The Butterfly has long represented my grandmother who passed away from Cancer.  Since then, the butterfly has come to represent not only her, but my Grandfather and "Dad" who both also passed from Cancer.

On the day of our wedding, my Cousin said some beautiful things about the butterfly and its meaning to our family.  She and her mom then released 4 butterflies, three for my family and one for my husband's grandfather who passed. It was unexpeced and absolutely beautiful.

We decided to have a famliy medallion ceremony to include Chris' daughter in the ceremony.  The wording of the ceremony went like this:

"Often, we think of a wedding as the union of two people. In reality, it is much broader. It is a coming together of families.

<daughter>, will you please come forward and join Ashley and your dad.

Two merged circles often symbolize love. This family medallion has three circles to represent not only the union of this marriage, but the importance of <daughter> within this family.

Groom to daughter: Daughter, in presenting you this bracelet, Ash and I pledge our continuing love. (places the bracelet on her wrist.)"

FI and I loved the idea and thought it would make his daughter feel really special.

Favor Tags for Guest Favors

These are REALLY easy to make.  I used a template found here for the text of the card. 

Print the text on white cardstock.  Cut them using both scissors and/or a paper cutter. 

Use double-stick tape to attach the white card stock to the Stardream Gold Metalic card stock.  Cut to size (and I eyeballed it as far as the border was concerned) using a paper cutter. 

Punch two holes at the top (still within the white area) with a hole punch.  Thread the brown satin ribbon through the two holes, forming a loop behind the card.  Slip the cello bag inside of the loop, pull the ends of the ribbon tight scrunching the bag closed and tie a bow. Voila!

This was a labor of love...let me tell ya!  My mom and I spent our Labor Day wiring close to 200 votives!  We used the basic directions from Martha, found here. However, here's a basic rundown.

My mom bought wire at Lowe's.  Its a heavier gague wire and comes greased so it wont rust.  It was cheap and it was not green or silver so we went with it. :)

Depending on the size of the votive, we used wire cutters and cut sections anywhere from 18-21 inches. 18" for the smallest votives and 21" for the medium and larger votives.  You can use 21" for all if you want, you'll just have a little extra when you close the sides.

Cut your desired length of wire with a wire cutter.

Fold the wire in half and crimp just below the fold with round-nose pliers.

    To form a hook: Wrap crimped end over a pencil to form a hook. Hold the base of the hook tightly with pliers,     separate the two lengths of wire, then twist tightly around each other three times.

    To form a loop: while still holding the wire with your pliers, take the "legs" of the wire in your other hand     and twist one to two times.

To form the cuff that will hold the votive, use pliers to make a 90-degree bend, 4 1/4 inches from the hook base, on each length of wire. Situate the bends on opposite sides of the votive, about two-thirds of the way from the bottom of the glass.

Bring each cut end around to meet the opposite bend. With the tip of the pliers, make a tiny loop at each cut end. Hook the loops to the bends; use pliers to close loops tightly. Insert votive into the circle formed.

This is a very simple DIY project.  All you need is ink jet vellum, glass cylinders, votives and ribbon.

After finishing your design, I would first print it out on regular paper and put it around your cylinder so you know for sure that its exactly how you want it.  When you've finalized your design, then print it on your ink jet vellum (you can find vellum at your local scrapbook store, Michael's or JoAnn's).

Before permanently adhering the vellum, double-check the heigth of your vellum and if needed trim any extra with a paper cutter or scissors.  Using double-stick tape or adhesive, line one edge of the vellum.  Wrap around the cylinder and secure.

Next, take your ribbon and wrap around the bottom of the cylinder to see how much you need.  Cut and place on the table.  Use your double-stick tape or adhesive and put a strip on the ribbon the same length. Adhere the ribbon to the bottom of the cylinder and secure at the back.  Repeat this process if you'd like to put ribbon at the top as well.

Put a votive candle or LED light in each.  Do not use a tall candle as this will not illuminate the entire cylinder.

For more instructions, click here.

I made this door sign for our suite.  One side says "BRIDAL SUITE Enter at own risk!" and then after the wedding we'll flip it over and it will say "Please DO NOT DISTURB the newlyweds" :)  I just printed it from my own printer on cardstock and used double-stick tape to adhere it to a piece of metalic paper.  I also added a glass rhinestone to embelish the flourish on the bottom.  I finished it by using a whole punch to punch two holes at the top and then threaded some brown satin ribbon through, tying knots at each end.

While leafing through magazines one day, Chris and I found this really cool "detail" we wanted to add to our wedding.

Wild Hibiscus Flowers (in syrup): http://www.wildhibiscus.com

The flowers look so beautiful in the glasses and you can eat them afterward! We bought a small jar of them to test them out first. I didn't end up eating mine, it was kind of a texture thing to me, but Chris said that it was kinda like a plum. I just loved the look, but we did not end up ordering more for the wedding.

We did moss covered "K"s on the entrance gate to the property. We also did smaller "K"s in the courtyard. They will look something along the lines of these.

We (ok well I, ha ha) wanted a "Rat Pack" feel for the dinner music. Here is what I've come up with, Im pretty sure its long enough, just about an hour an a half. Listed in no particular order:

Blue Skies, Ella Fitzgerland

Ain’t that Love, Ray Charles

Fly Me To the Moon, Frank Sinatra

Dance Me to the End of Love, Madeleine Peyroux

My Baby Just Cares For Me, Nina Simone

I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Michael Buble

Volare, Dean Martin

Ive Got the World On A String, Frank Sinatra

Give Me the Simple Life, Steve Tyrell

I Get A Kick Out of You, Dinah Washington

Isn’t It Romantic, Tony Bennett

It’s De-Lovely, Jeri Southern

L-O-V-E, Nat King Cole

How Sweet It Is, Michael Buble

It Had to Be You, Harry Connick, Jr.

Sway, Michael Buble

Someone Like You, Van Morrison

People Will Say Were In Love, Sophie Milman

Just You, Just Me, Nat King Cole

Swingin’ On the Moon, Mel Torme

The Look of Love, Diana Krall

A Kiss to Build A Dream On, Louis Armstrong

Manhattan, Mel Torme

Lullaby of Birdland, Mel Torme

The Man I Love, Gladys Night

Come Fly With Me, Frank Sinatra

Beyond the Sea, Bobby Darin

My shower was held at my mom's friend's BEAUTIFUL home.

I searched and searched for a dress, but found nothing...until I went into my own closet, ha! Im wearing a strapless, flower print dress, very cute and I didn't have to spend any more money on another dress, whoo hoo!

The shower was phenomenal! I had such a good time and was surrounded with such love. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

For my bachelorette party, my girlfriends rented a house in Lake Tahoe.  We has mimosas with breakfast on the deck and pizza for dinner. We spent our days at the beach and our nights at the clubs.  We had a blast!

We have decided to hold the rehearsal dinner on the property of Chateau Felice, across the pond in their rose garden.  We are planning on white linens and flower arrangements with limes in the bottom of the vases to keep it feeling light and fresh. Here is an example:

The Attire: I bought this dress from VS and am having my mom hem it short.The shoes.  I also bought these shoes from VS (on sale for $40!) in lime green.  LOVE THEM!

Date: September 20, 2008

Location: Chateau Felice in Healdsburg, CA

Colors: White and espresso with accents of gold and bronze

Theme: Old world, tuscan elegance

Guest Count: 41

April Smith is an amazing photographer.  She captured every laugh, every tear, every hug and kiss, I can't thank her enough! Here is a link to her blog where she has some of our photos, enjoy! SLIDESHOW

I have so many favorites, but these I really love.  The Blackberry pic always cracks me up every time I look at it and I LOVE the one in the vineyards.

Before the Ceremony

The Ceremony

Weding Party

A Couple More of the Bride & Groom

The Reception

For my fiance's wedding day gift, I decided to give him a boudoir book.  Boudoir shoots and subsequent books have become quite popular over the past year or so and continue to become more popular.  Bored with the laying on the bed, white sheet wrapped around me look, I decided to be a bit more brave and venture outside for my shoot!

I worked with Jeff Walters of Unique Photography and it was such a blast! 

After I received the images, I used Blurb to create my book:

Its booked! Thanks to our wonderful travel agent! We are staying at the following two resorts:

The Royal Cancun:

The Royal Hideaway

We LOVED the Royal Cancun. Sooo beautiful!  The only negative is that they upsell you, but we didnt care because our room was beautiful.  If you look at their pictures on line, the pictures are true to form. Super comfy bed (surprisingly enough), private concierge, fully stocked mini fridge, snacks and bar with full sized bottles of liquor, double jacuzzi tub in room, huge walk in shower, beautiful ocean view, 24 hour room service, very clean, super friendly and accomodating staff, food was GREAT, and fellow guests were very nice.

*****

We then went to Playa del Carmen and stayed at the Royal Hideaway.  We thought this was also a Real Resorts resort, but its actually an Occidental.  We liked this hotel, but not as much as the Royal.  It was pretty, the room was nice, very pretty, but there was no ocean view (which we love) and the service wasn't as good as the Royal either. We didn't think the food was as good, and don't bother with the room service, no es bueno! ;) 

Its very laid back and relaxing which was very nice.  Here was the one thing that bugged me.  We had the luxury romance package, which consisted of wine in the room upon arrival, dinner on the beach our first night with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, with some other things like robes, etc.  We didn't get any of it until Chris mentioned it to the concierge on our last night! Never got the strawberries...darn! ;)  They apparently had forgotten about it because they never put us on there newsletter that announced the newlyweds either...until Chris asked about it.  Anyway, that's neither here nor there.  We were on a beach with drinks in hand so it was fabulous.  For more specifics about the hotel, I'll be writing a review so check it out there.

Here are the vendors we have retained so far!

Location: Chateau Felice http://www.chateaufelice.com/

Officiant: Anthony Martin http://martinweddings.googlepages.com/

Catering Company: Park Avenue Catering http://www.parkavecater.com/

Photographer (wedding): April Smith Photography http://www.aprilsmithphotography.com

Photographer (engagement/boudoir/TTD): Jeff Walters http://www.uniquephotography.net

Solo Guitarist & DJ: Sutherland Entertainment http://www.sutherlandentertainment.com

Transportation: Triple Diamond Limousine: http://www.triplediamondlimousine.com/

Hair: La Coupe Sauvage: http://www.lacoupesauvage.com

Makeup: Trisha O'Connor - now retired :(

Cake: Michele's Corner Cakes: http://www.michelescornercakes.com

Invitations: Phyllis of Sweet Paper Studio: http://www.sweetpaperstudio.com/

Day of Coordinator:  Pink Petals Event Design: http://www.pinkpetalseventdesign.blogspot.com