Destination Bride-to-Be

I have to admit it, I’m exhausted! Don’t get me wrong, I thrive on being busy, but this is definitely a different kind of busy. I set a goal for myself: create, make and pack everything for the wedding by the end of August. Of course everything is taking way longer to finish than anticipated and now I know the perfectionist in me needs to take a back seat. Thank goodness Nate has been away for work over the past couple weeks, otherwise he would have had me committed. This is me taking a deep breath because everything will get finished, my goal will be met and I will have some fun along the way.

Nate and his friends in Yosemite for his Bachelor Party  

Nate with his Best Man and Groomsmen

Keeping me sane are some incredible friends who live in the area, Marisa, Maureen, Kara, and Kat (and of course my sister). They have been an amazing support system, coming over after work and for hours upon hours on the weekends; helping me to glue and tie menus together, stuffing the welcome bags, stamping napkins, etc. While I have so many random thoughts developing in my head because I want to put so much into our wedding, they have been able to reel me in, reminding me that certain ideas are totally excessive. My family and friends are very therapeutic, thanks for keeping me on track!

Candles for the Guestbook table, they match our wedding invitations perfectly!

So far we have four fully stuffed suitcases and I am expecting to fill up three more. Sabryna and I separated everything in half and placed each half in different suitcases, just in case one gets lost. We figure it is better to have 40 dinner menus than none at all! I am keeping very detailed lists of what we have and what we can wait to get once down in Mexico. We have come to the realization that certain items will be much easier to acquire in Cabo rather than trying to lug everything down with us. Real flowers in Cabo are extremely expensive (more so than in the states, since they all have to be flown in) making the largest box to be hauled down, all of the birch wood flowers that we are using to make the centerpieces, bouquets and hairpieces. Luckily they are extremely light!

Personalized Napkins and Dinner Menus - DIY

I love the fact that we can get away with using bright colors; it’s really going to make the pictures and decorations pop.

As I wrote in a previous post, we hired a travel agent thinking it would make our lives so much easier. Unfortunately, it has turned into a bit of a headache. We hired the agent for the expertise she could provide, and after answering all of our questions with flying colors we were sold. Everything was going along swimmingly and people were very happy with her service, until a few months ago when we started to get complaints from guests who were trying to book with her. The last 20 guests to book were not happy with the service or quotes provided so they all went through other channels to make reservations. We even divulged to the agent information regarding a couple friends coming in from afar, South America and Europe, who write for travel magazines and blogs. Yep, they booked elsewhere. It’s a terrible feeling to know that our friends and family were inconvenienced.

In all honesty we gave our travel agent the benefit of the doubt, while we continued to hope for the best, telling ourselves, that everything would turn around. I started to question the deal Nate and I were getting as well after talking to two other brides who will be having their weddings at the same resort in September and November. Their rooms have been completely comped and they are bringing half as many guests to the resort (with no upfront payment for group bookings, unlike we were lead to believe). We were never counting on a complimentary room, but I decided to call the RIU corporate office and talk through the situation. They were very helpful, but there is really nothing to be done unless if we re-book everyone, which really is not an option. The travel agent decided to go through a 3rd party instead of working directly the resort which also played a part in not being able to secure the special benefits for us and our guests that were promised in the first few meetings. I have come to realize that sometimes no matter how much research one carries out, substandard service can still be had.

Obviously I do not want to end this post on a downer. So on a positive note, one item I highly recommend all destination bride and grooms provide is a welcome bag filled with goodies for their guests. Nate and I chose to go with a non-woven polypropylene bag that will make a perfect beach/pool bag which dries fast after getting wet, with our wedding logo adhered to it. We are going to fill the totes with useful items for the adults and have special fun bags for the kids.

{Tags DIY}

My favorite part was coming up with the themes for each bag insert:
In Sickness and Health…
- Tylenol, Tums, Floss, etc.
Beautify Me for the Big Day…
- Nail kit, Comb, etc.
Resort Relaxation...
- Mad-Libs, Drink Stirrer, Chiclets, Beach Ball, etc.

I really hope the huge suitcase filled with all of these items doesn’t get misplaced, haha!

Less than 2 months to go…

Lots of love,
Amanda

Wedding Shoot by Bella Weddings & Events

We were so honored to be included in this gorgeous green + white inspiration wedding shoot by Bella Weddings & Events that was recently featured on Green Wedding Shoes!

From Susan & Kathy at Bella..."When Leila came to us asking to collaborate on a shoot, we were thrilled. We immediately thought of Vibiana as the perfect venue for the shoot and a fresh green spring theme started to evolve. Vibiana is a gorgeous venue with so many amazing architectural details - we loved shooting the details in the church's old altars and confessionals. The white marble is a gorgeous background!


Carissa's inspired floral designs brought to life the modern look for the dining and cake tables and through the light and airy bouquets. We had so much fun playing around in the Classic Party Rentals showroom to find the perfect place settings and chairs. The cake designed by Melody from the Sweet & Saucy shop picked up details from one of the gorgeous wedding gowns from the Alisa Benay collection. And Laura Hooper's classic custom calligraphy invitations, menus and place cards completed the look."

To tie the stationery in with the green + white theme, we provided invitations, menus and place cards using our Manhattan script in green ink. To play up the elegance of the venue and decor, we used a formal, all-calligraphy invitation.

We just love the dessert pieces!

Thank you to Leila at Be Inspired PR for bringing us into the shoot and to all of the vendors involved!

Venue: Vibiana
Coordination & Design: Bella Weddings & Events
Florals: JL Designs
Photography: Barnaby Draper Studios
Wedding Gowns: Alisa Benay
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals, Culver City
Linens: La Tavola
Cake & Desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop
Producer: Be Inspired PR

Darling Magazine

We are pleased to be a contributor to Beth Helmstetter's Darling magazine and the March 2011 issue was just released last week!

This issue includes tips for planning your destination wedding, a beautiful bridal shower, cookbooks for newlyweds, tips for getting your wedding published (hint: details!!), and a bridal fitness calendar anyone could follow! Here are sneak peeks of a few of the features!

{tips for a tropical wedding}

{planning a destination wedding}

{bridal shower feature}

{real wedding Maui}

Click here to view the lovely issue in its entirety.

In the Press: DARLING Magazine

We are so excited about the launch of Beth Helmstetter's new mini mag DARLING! This new piece of wedding heaven features tons of ideas and inspiration for wedding planning and overall design - she has even included tips for the home to match your style!

From Beth herself...
I’m so thrilled to share our behind the scenes project that has been taking up all of our time as of late. Born out of a hope to share our work and inspiration in a more beautiful way, our vision has come to life in the pages of our mini mag, DARLING. We hope you enjoy following along as we share not only some of our recent work, planning tips and trade secrets but also give you access to some of the experts we know and trust on a daily basis, such as Monique Lhullier or Interior Designer, Amanda Teal, both of which you will find inside this month’s issue. Along the way you will also get a taste of some of our designs like this month’s tablescape which is full of peachy goodness. Or, in the form of one of our favorite weddings, which took place in the Hamptons last year. But not only are we going to show you WHAT we do, we hope to show you HOW we do it, so maybe, just maybe, you’ll find the inspiration and know how to keep your wedding planning & design moving along effortlessly.


At Laura Hooper Calligraphy, we were more than honored to be included as a contributor, and here is a taste of our work in the magazine.

{icons by LHC}

{icon & map by LHC}

{invitation by LHC}

{invitation suite by LHC}

{logo & icon by LHC}

As you can see, the magazine give tips and advice for everything from overall wedding planning to setting a table, to purchasing gifts, to decorating your home!

Click to see the first issue of DARLING in its entirety ~ Congratulations, Beth!

In the Press: VOGUE Sposa (Italy)

Our clients often ask if we can work with them out of state and we are delighted to inform them that we work with couples all over the world getting married all over the world. So when we found out that one of our couples, and in turn our Capri map, was featured in the current issue of the Italian VOGUE magazine out in the EU - we were beyond thrilled!

"For all the guests to really appreciate Capri, all the wedding couple's guests received a chic welcome bag and also an original map which was hand designed for the occasion."

Coordinated by Diana M. Sorensen of Sugokuii Events, the wedding was unique and glamorous!

From Diana...This wedding was designed for a couple from San Francisco, who invited 75 guests for a 4-day wedding weekend in Capri. They wanted to incorporate as many local traditions as much as possible, as well as primarily use floral product that was local for Capri. They incorporated beautiful linens from a 100% Capri boutique for draping the restaurant in white linens, and the bride, groom, groomsmen & bridesmaids (their 6 children) were also outfitted in linen clothing designed for them in Capri.

The ceremony took place in the intimate Anglican church on Via Tragara, one of the most picturesque roads in Capri. The music was that of a single mandolinist - an ancient instrument typical of this region, who played Ave Maria as the bride walked down the aisle. There wasn't a dry eye in the church!


After the ceremony, guests threw rice from cones made of leaves and were then escorted by the local Scialapopolo folk group dressed in traditional costume who danced and sang around the couple through the center of Capri, while being greeted by almost everyone in Capri who passed by them. The escort ended in the main piazza, with the Scialapopolo engaging the couple into dancing the Neapolitan tarantella.

The guests were then met by the local open aired taxis that drove them to the reception venue in Anacapri, overlooking the sea. The multi leveled restaurant was rented for the evening - and started with Italian inspired cocktails on the lower levels, then a sumptuous seafood dinner that included Italian caviar bruschette and later dancing and Millefoglie wedding cake served on the roof top terrace where an Italian inspired cocktail bar was set up under the stars overlooking the sea.
This gorgeous backdrop at the wedding reception?! Yes please!

Photography by Umberto D'Aniello.

Style Me Pretty| Real Wedding: Malibu, CA {my sister's!}

As most of you know, my younger sister Alyssa got married last year, and I of course was so excited to handle all of her printed materials! We used our Manhattan script to take care of everything from programs, escort cards, menus, cocktail hour signs, restroom signs - everything - and we have tons of luscious photos to share from Steve Steinhardt!

The overall look was based on Western charm combined with casual elegance. The happy couple chose the gorgeous outdoor setting at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, CA and as you can see, Saddlerock provided a truly picturesque backdrop!

Beth Helmstetter was the planner and from day one she guided us through all our choices from tables, to linens, to the beautiful china my parents purchased for the delicious meal. She helped us pull together all the adorable items we sourced and made sure everything we chose was cohesive.

As guests headed to the venue, they were greeted with wood signs we made guiding the way.

Before the ceremony, guests were invited to sip iced tea and lemonade while signing the custom guest book or grabbing a pashmina for later in the evening.

{we used Ryan and Alyssa's artwork to have this custom leather

guestbook created by Dewdrop Designs!}

For the programs, we created a bifold card with a design that matched the invitation set. We also tied each program with twine to tie that in as well. All the paper products were done with guidance given by Beth regarding the style and colors. I wanted them to coordinate with the invitations, of course!

After the ceremony, guests moved to cocktail hour where we included custom printed cocktail napkins, signs for the hors d'oeuvres, and a special bar sign with the bride and groom's choice signature drinks!

My mother and sister scoured etsy to find these worn horseshoes - the perfect touch. These rustic looking wooden signs were carefully placed in various places around the reception area. The cocktail sign sat right on the bar.

These adorable custom bark frames are a speciality of Beth Helmstetter's.  They capture the charm of the wedding perfectly! We love them in all their different sizes, both large, and small.

Before heading up the hill for the reception, guests located their table numbers with escort cards made of wooden tags tied onto Dublin Dr. Pepper bottles shipped in straight from the groom's home state of Texas! We also included a small sign with the story of the original Dr. Pepper bottling source in Dublin.

Everyone found their tables with our coordinating wooden table number signs and at each place setting was a letterpressed menu with the guests' names hand-calligraphed at the top.

For the table numbers, we chose to keep it simple with a larger version of the little escort tags. They are made of real cherry wood.

The menus were enveloped in a delicate lace band, and tied with twine, just like the invitations.

Combined with the florals by Holly Flora, it was everything the couple hoped it would be and just perfect!

With not a detail too small for this very important client, we also created signs for the restrooms and Beth and her team used the western font to stamp the bags for the favors created by a family friend.

It was such a beautiful day and so special in every way!

Visit Style Me Pretty to see more from this lovely affair and to get the full scoop from the bride herself!

Wedding designed by Beth Helmstetter Events. We can't thank her enough for all the hard work she put in on making this day so special.