Costanoa Lodge | Eco Friendly Wedding Venue

I was recently invited to the Costanoa Lodge in Pescadero. The second I turned off the main road and drove through a tunnel of eucalyptus trees, the surroundings forced me to leave my busy day behind and relax in the peaceful setting. It is such a beautiful place and so well designed. Costanoa offers the outdoors lover an excursion indoors and out with a variety of unique lodging accommodations, a delicious restaurant, and an infinite amount of outdoor activities. In addition, they have designed the property to be eco friendly with an onsite reclamation water plant, tv-free rooms, organic sheets, recycling containers in each room, onsite garden, and the list goes on. The three different lodging styles are filled with character. The lodge rooms are luxurious; the log cabins are the epitome of rustic elegance; and the bungalows allow you to be one with nature. As bathrooms are not included in the cabins and bungalows, comfort stations are provided. Not to be confused with a campsite restroom facility, the comfort stations are oozing with style. These consist of an outdoor fireplace with Adirondack chairs, heated floors, toilets, private indoor and outdoor showers, and a sauna.

As I walked around the property on my tour, I was so captivated by the various features, especially the wedding space. A beautiful, fresh and lush lawn overlooking the canyons serves as the perfect ceremony and reception venue. The adjacent patio and outdoor fireplace offers a romantic setting for the dance floor and/or lounge area. I was surprised to discover that Costanoa provides most of the necessary furniture and all of the catering. This really cuts down on additional wedding costs, labor fees, and permits. Plus, their furniture is very fitting for the green wedding style - natural wood folding chairs, banquet tables, canvas umbrellas, linens, glassware, and dinnerware.  The onsite restaurant, Cascade bar & Grill, is also available for weddings to use as a late night venue or even to hold the dinner and reception. The setting is intimate and romantic!

The company's motto is "Discover the pace of nature." I couldn't find a better way to describe the surroundings, the facilities, and the atmosphere. Guests come to the Costanoa Lodge for an experience unknown to anywhere else. They will find themselves pleasantly surprised with the unique design and style of vacationing.

To learn more about this beautiful property, become a fan of Costanoa Lodge on Facebook!

Mike Larson Photography | Engagement Love!

Here's a little intro to my next Real Wedding. I feel Jon & Jessica's engagement pics really show their fun, happy, and super "in love" personalities. Thanks to Mike Larson & his team for the fabulous pics! Real Wedding pics to come soon.

Phenomenal Design Seminar!

I feel so unbelievably inspired after listening to and learning from the creme de la creme of the wedding industry. More to come soon from who we met, our favorite designers, and so much more!

One Fine Day & Bay Area Bride Guide

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting with Elizabeth from Bay Area Bride Guide, a wedding blog about the latest wedding tips, trends, and tidbits. I met Elizabeth and Stacy, owner of the blog and Marry Me Live, at the San Francisco Wedding Fair a couple months ago.Elizabeth asked all about the trials and tribulations of wedding planning, how I became the owner of an event planning company, and my daily duties. To read the entire interview go to Bay Area Bride Guide's site.

Inspiration Board | Accessories

Oh how I love accessories. There are so many ways to dress up a room/space/yard/estate. One of my favorite roles as an event planner is working with my clients to find their vision and design the colors and theme, while implementing accessories to boost the personality of the event. Here are a few of my latest finds: Simple Whimsical Elements

Implementing nature is a very popular theme today. It is especially great for those on a tight budget. Why? Because there are many things you can collect in the forest, on the beach, in your backyard, etc. that are free. They just require a little crafty DIY!

This inspiration board is made up of fresh accessories that elude an organic feel. The place cards wrapped around a wooden post and held in place with clothes pins is such a simple, yet decorative display; the wooden lantern is used to collect gift cards and decorated with river rocks; a collection of recycled paper hand tied with raffia is used as a unique guest book; potted plants and popsicle sticks create a very whimsical means for seating guests; a beautifully decorated belly belt is used to hold the napkin in place while adding a punch of color to the table; and rustic lanterns hang from tree branches over hay stacks, which are covered with colorful blankets. Each of these images are pretty simple, yet so prominent.

Creative Twist on the Traditional Wedding

Traditionally, weddings were pretty straight forward and the decorations minimal at best. The focus of the wedding was mainly on the ceremonial matters and gathering loved ones together. While these two fundamentals are still huge in today's wedding world, the decorations, theme, and design of the wedding have become almost just as important. You want your wedding to stand out and be memorable - what other way to do so than in your accessories. Thanks to the abundance of magazines, websites, and creative minds there is an infinite amount of ideas at one's disposal. Simple things like signs created out of a plank of wood or chalk boards to direct guests are incredibly trendy at the moment. But, the creative part is not copying a picture, it is implementing this picture and twisting it to reflect your theme, personality, and design. This is the inspiration behind this board. Each item is very simple and somewhat traditional, but they are almost reorganized to produce a fun and different image.

Marry Me Live | Inspirational Interview

At the San Francisco Wedding Fair last month we stumbled upon a very interesting and new service to the wedding industry - Marry Me Live! It's a pretty ingenious idea - guests who are unable to travel to your wedding can view a live streaming on the internet. As we are on a role with our inspirational interviews, I saw it only fit to interview owners Stacy and Chris!

1. Tell us about your company - Marry Me Live was founded by Chris Anderson and Stacy Yamaoka (myself). By bringing live video streaming to the wedding industry, Marry Me Live is changing the wedding landscape and breaking down pre-existing barriers, enabling everyone to share in the couple's special day.

2. What inspired you to start Marry Me Live? Our inspiration came from family experience and is constantly reinforced by those who come to us for live wedding streaming. Last year, my partner and I both had very personal experiences with family getting married. These experiences were hindered because family and/or close friends were unable to attend. One of these weddings was for my sister, who was having a destination wedding. She was so disappointed because not a single one of her friends were able to attend the wedding. We immediately set to the task of solving this problem. As we did the search, we realized that there was not an easy solution, nor was it easy to find a company that addressed the problem. That was the birth of Marry Me Live. We could not ask for a more fulfilling job than to connect everyone on such an important day - not just for the wedding couple but those special to them.

3. How long have you been in business? We have been in business since July 2009 with our first wedding in August 2009. In the short time our company has been in business, we have been lucky enough to take on weddings in multiple locations including a private estate in Hawaii, California Coastal Wedding and even a wedding at Ft. Myer in Virginia.  For 2010, we feel very lucky to have calendar bookings that include SF, LA, and DC.

4. What can brides do to customize their Marry Me Live video? Anything that is physically possible! As a start-up, we are nimble and work with clients to come up with a solution that works for them. Everyone has their wishes and we do our best to match those requests. For a wedding in October, we came up with a mobile solution because the bride wanted multiple angles of the wedding ceremony. For an upcoming wedding, we are providing guest book options and chat capabilities for "guests" who login to view the wedding.

5. Do brides get to keep the video? Marry Me Live provides both the live video stream as well as on-demand video so that viewers can watch the wedding for 30 days following the event. The wedding couple can even wake up the next morning following their wedding and experience it all over again. Upon request, we also provide unedited DVDs as a keepsake.

6. What are some unique ways people have used Marry Me Live? Something that has been extremely successful is adding the personal touch of connection that is so often overlooked in web casting. It could be a little "wave" from the bride, or even relatives talking into the camera to loved ones across the world. Or, even a text sent from someone stuck at work, but who is able to connect by watching the video online. There are so many mediums of connection in the world, but it is tying those all together and connecting everyone that makes this service so special.

7. Anything else you would like to tell us about your company? Marry Me Live's goal is to transform the traditional wedding planning process. It isn't just the family or friends unable to come to the wedding, but an upfront guest list solution that is budget friendly and eco-friendly. Marry Me Live is part of the US Green Wedding Consortium and The Green Bride Bride. We support green practices empowering weddings couples to have a large weddings without a large carbon footprint.

Marry Me Live Website Facebook Page Phone: 877-233-4541 Email: info@marrymelive.com

T-Party Photo Booths | Inspirational Interview

This weeks inspirational interview is with Theresa Parillo, owner of T-Party Photo Booths. Photo booths are ultra popular right now, providing a unique form of entertainment for your guests. T-Party Photo Booths takes the traditional photo booth and turns it into a professional entertainment center. They are based in San Francisco, but travel throughout Northern California.

Tell us about your company

T-Party Photo Booths offers commercial photo booths built for high-volume shooting. Our booths generate photo-lab quality prints and a high level of print customization, so the photos are a perfect fit for any event. Depending upon the type of event and clientele, we can provide props and customize the design of the prints. T-Party Photo Booths are a great addition to any event providing guests with a souvenir they can enjoy for a lifetime. Our friendly staff ensures a fun, unforgettable, and hilarious event!

What inspired you to start a photo booth company?

I have always loved going to weddings and big parties. When I was little I thought I wanted to be a wedding planner, I changed my mind a few times and eventually found myself in the industry I have always loved. I first discovered my love for photo booths after a wedding I attended with my cousin. We had a great time taking pictures in the booth and I thought it would be so much fun to have one at my house. The man who was running the booth said, "you know you can get your money back in a short amount of time." At first it didn't cross my mind that I would be able to have my own business in an industry that I absolutely love being a part of.

How does the photo booth work?

Different prints are designed for each event based on the event colors or the design that is of interest to the person throwing the party or wedding reception. We have black and white photos or color and you can choose to have 4x6 prints or photo strips. We always have a friendly member from our team to monitor the booth and add to the fun. The price includes four hours of unlimited photos and each guest receives a copy of the pictures within 10 seconds. They can go back as many times as they want throughout the party.

What are the requirements for the photo booth at an event?

My space requirements vary depending on the client. The booth can be made for 2 people sitting and up to about 10 people standing. Standing booths have become pretty popular because you can fit a lot more people in the booth. For about 3-5 people standing I would need about 4 feet by 6 feet. As for power, I just need a 3 prong plug.

Can you customize the photo booth?

I can customize the prints for the booths. There are a lot of sample prints on my website. Each event has it's own customized print with the event colors and special design. I also have a prop box that can be rented for the night. I bring props that fit the event and the people attending.

What is your favorite type of event?

WEDDINGS! I love being a part of weddings because it's so great to see how happy the bride and the groom are on their special day!

T-Party Photo Booths |  415.400.5164  |  Facebook

Inspiration Board | Winter Part II

For part II of our Winter Inspiration Board, I decided to focus on the dinner table. More specifically, three different types of Modern - Classic Modern, Rustic Modern, and Modern Glam. Everything shown below represents a different style, yet still captures the warm, inviting, romantic feel.

Classic Modern - the pure and subtle color palette combined with dark wood and candle light creates a soft and romantic feel.

Rustic Modern - incorporating elements of the outdoors while dressing them up with color and sass.

Modern Glam - multi-colored and textured linens, dramatic decor, vivid lighting, and a touch of Hollywood!

Inspired by Green Wedding Shoes

I discovered this wedding today and just had to share it. It's fun, unique, and beaming with style. You can view the rest of the wedding on: Green Wedding Shoes or Erik Clausen.

Save the Date Collage | The Knot

I found this Save the Date Collage on theknot.com. It's a brilliant idea. Thank you to Erin Hearts Court Photography for the inspiration!

The San Francisco Wedding Fair | Four Seasons Hotel | San Francisco

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010 everyone! We hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are ready for a fresh start to the new year.

We are very excited for the many great things to come this year, including our new website and our features in The Knot Magazine and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style. In addition, you will find us next Sunday, January 10th at the San Francisco Wedding Fair in the Four Seasons Hotel.

Our new year's resolution is to blog more!!! We love hearing from our viewers, so leave us comments on our posts, your requests, inquiries, and any questions you may have about the features!

So go make your new year's resolutions, a few wishes, and of course indulge in your favorites, as there is only one 2010!

Best wishes to you all,

One Fine Day

Bellissima Floral | Inspirational Interview | Lake Tahoe Florist

Bellissima Floral Creations has been part of the Lake Tahoe, California community since 2002. They are a full service wedding and special event floral design company, creating distinctive arrangements with unique and personal touches for clients' most treasured occasions. Bellissima was founded by Sara Spurlock, who takes great pride in providing thorough, hands-on service for her clients. She is the lead designer and is involved in all aspects of the design and creation process. She considers her design style to be whimsical and resonate with updated elegance.

Bellissima has been featured in Modern Bride, Today's Bride, Destination I Do, brides.com, and San Francisco Bride Unveiled

What inspired you to become a florist and start your own business?

Artistic talents run in my family and I've always been drawn to creative and crafty activities. As friend's started to get married, I wanted to contribute to their special day. I decided to put my creative drive to work as "florist" for these engaged friends. All it took was one time and I was hooked! Considering all the different varieties of flowers, vessels, presentations, and each client's unique personality, I realized the possibilities are endless.

Do you have a unique style or specialty?

These are some catchphrases that characterize the Bellissima Floral style: unique, personalized, unexpected, whimsical, organic, festive. I love to think outside the box and to create something different each time. I spend hours researching and brainstorming for ideas that either might match a client's personality or may pose as interesting ideas that I can present to future clients. I also pride myself on getting to know my clients and the personality for their event so that their vision can be understood and translated into an amazing reality.

After working with hundreds of clients, I am sure you receive an eclectic variety of requests. What is the most interesting? What is the most common?

I've definitely had some interesting visions to translate: ostrich feathers in the centerpieces, enchanted elegance, black and white wedding, vintage Hollywood Glam, woodland chic, contemporary whimsical, "007" theme.

These nontraditional concepts have been some of the most fun to brainstorm and create because the clients really wanted something unexpected that pushed the limit.

The most common request I receive is that the flower decor reflects the Tahoe surroundings and contributes to the setting. I find that this is important regardless of the theme. I never want anything to look out of place. It needs to compliment and be cohesive with the venue and personality of the event.

What do you love about being a florist?

Since Bellissima specializes in floral designs for weddings and parties, I get to meet a lot of different people and get to know my clients pretty well. Because I am trying to make sure that each even resonates with the client's personality, I am always creating original designs and arrangements. The work is never dull and always innovative! I love that I can contribute to such a memorable day in people's lives.

Do you have a favorite event that you designed?

I have so many, it's hard to choose. One that sticks out is a wedding last fall at PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. The clients wanted the florals to come across as organic, yet contemporary, warm, and elegant. The colors were eggplant, white, and green with accents of matte silver and brown. The floral and design elements were eggplant calla lilies, white orchids, gardenias, white tulips, dark purple lisianthus, green grasses, moss, polished natural stones. It was important to the clients that the dining tables be welcoming and warm, while articulating their modern, simple style. The tables were set-up in long, family-style rows. Flowers spilled down the center of each long table, individual types of flowers filling various sized clear glass, cylinder vases. The centerpiece layout included TONS of votives scattered among the florals. Half of the votives were presented in taller footed candle holders so the candle-light was dimensional. Half of the tables were dressed with ivory satin linens, and the other half with a beautiful brocade "oyster shell" (soft grey).

The menus, tucked into the deep plum napkins at each place setting, were printed in brown on ivory cardstock and we used mahogany brown chivari chairs. The seating cards were displayed on soft beds of moss stuffed into dark brown wooden boxes. The guest book/memory table was edged in dark brown wooden boxes planted with wheat grass. For the cocktail tables and powder rooms, we floated gardenias, orchids, and floating candles in bowls lined with little river stones.

Due to the thunderstorms, the ceremony had to be pulled indoors at the last minute. Luckily we had ordered some up-lighting, originally intended for lighting some large arrangements in the corners of the room during the late night, dancing portion of the reception. Instead, we used the up-lights to highlight the altar arrangements: square matte silver urns stuffed full of moss, pampas grass, and steel grass. This, along with a lot of extra candle-light, really added drama and romance to the indoor ceremony. Regardless of unexpected circumstances caused by the weather, the event came out beautifully: romantic, warm, welcoming, lush, elegant, and organic.

Inspiration Board | Place Cards of all shapes, sizes, and designs!

After all things great and small, fine attention to detail really does play a huge role in knocking the socks off your guests! It may seem like a simple and overlooked part of your wedding, but displaying your escort cards in a unique and aesthetic manner is the icing on the cake! Here are a few of my latest favorites.

Thank you to brides.com, theknot.com, marthastewartweddings.com, and the following photographers:

A Bryan Photo

Autumn Lin Photography

Mindy Myers Photography

Red Ribbon Studio

Angie Silvy Photography

Kim Long Photography

PlumpJack Wedding | Mountain Bliss

Sarah and Mike were married at 8200 feet (almost the top of Squaw Valley Ski Resort) and celebrated at the base of the mountain at PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. The entire weekend was a beautiful celebration, complete with several surprises for their out of town guests. One of which, was the transport to the ceremony - a cable car that traveled over, around, and under a few mountains climbing 2000 feet. The ceremony took place on High Camp's deck overlooking the world...well, at least it felt like that. Mountains upon mountains fell in front of the guests, as the lake glistened in the distance.

The ring bearers were the cutest little boys and so proud to be a part of their Aunt and Uncle's big day. The wedding party, shown above, was made up of the bride's sisters; who were each allowed to pick out their own dress and choose the color. The colorful combo was perfect!

After the ceremony at High Camp, guests were escorted to PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn's pool deck where they were served a selection of delicious appetizers including tasty pizza slices cooked in the wood fired oven.

After the happy couple entertained the guests with their choreographed first dance, Hip Service shook the dance floor with their high energy singing, dancing, and entertaining.

Ceremony Venue  ·  High Camp, Squaw Valley

Reception Venue  ·  PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn

Photographer  ·  Jennifer Riley  ·  917.539.7747

Florist  ·  Heidi Gellerman  ·  530.587.7488

Ceremony Musicians  ·  The String Beings

Band  ·  Hip Service

Hair  ·  Laura Seegmiller  ·  530.386.0444

Makeup  ·  Kiss and Makeup

Rehearsal Dinner  · Garwoods

Candy Buffets ~ The pros and cons of candy favors

The perfect assemblance of a color coordinated candy buffet  will evoke "oohs and ahhs" when your guests first enter the room. The cohesive architecture is intended to portray somewhat of an entertaining decoration. But, consider the alternate vision as the evening ensues and more guests dive into their sugar craving, leaving half full containers and candy spilled all over the table. Before you purchase infinite amounts of candy and varying vases and jars, consider the following pros and cons:

Pros ~

1. The look is dramatic, organized, and colorful - you can easily accentuate your colors in a bold manner.

2. Not only does it serve as a favor, but it can also serve as a late night snack.

3. The cost can be relatively cheap, as you can reuse the vases and jars in your house.

4. Kids will love it!

Cons ~

1. During the reception, the table will look messy and disorganized, which in essence negates the purpose of the display.

2. Requires someone to repeatedly refill the containers and clean up the mess ~ not a task for a guest, as their favorite song may drag them to the dance floor, stealing their "candy attending" attention.

3. Requires you to also purchase coordinating bags or boxes for the candy.

4. If you're reception is outdoors, the animals may devour it prior to your guests!

5. If kids attend your wedding, they will occupy the table.

6. When you run out of candy the look turns from fab to drab.

Inspiration Board | Lakefront Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak of a wedding I am currently working on. The following displays our inspiration photos. I am super excited to see how this wedding unfolds. It will be beautiful!

This couple is looking for a non-traditional wedding with sass, fun, and lots of surprise elements for their guests. Although I don't want to reveal too much, here are a few tid bits and links!

Decor ~ We will decorate the outdoors with lanterns and lights to create a romantic ambiance. The inside will have a candle-lit fireplace, chandeliers hanging from the tall ceilings, and low floral arrangements decorating the long tables. To honor the bride's Chinese culture, we will have accents of red, which symbolizes good luck!

Flowers ~ The very talented Bellissima Floral is creating a unique place card holder made out of tall reeds and floating candles and flowers. The bride's bouquet will be elegant with subtle creams and peaches.

Food and Beverage ~ Instead of a formal plated dinner, guests will be served a BBQ cuisine "family style" in large dishes by Blue Onion Catering. To emphasize the unique theme, guests will be served beverages in mason jars and greeted with a self-serve infused water and juice station.

Inspiration Board | Fabulous Martha

You have to love Martha Stewart for her fabulous creativity. Here are a few of my latest favorites.

1. Elegant program pockets ~ hanging on each chair, these programs perfectly incorporate the couple's invitation design while serving as a pretty accent to the ceremony setup.

2. Ribbons for boutonnieres ~ what a classy and simple way to bring color and uniqueness into the groomsmen's attire.

3. Branches for bouquets ~ these snowberries are booming with originality. Better yet, you don't have to worry about the flowers dwindling or staining your dress!

4. Program Fans ~ useful in multiple ways and great for an outdoor wedding in the heat. I especially like the colorful print on the back of the fans.

5. Fruit for Flowers ~ I love the idea of utilizing fruit for centerpieces. It creates a fresh, colorful, and casual setting for your guests. To top it off, this couple incorporated a yellow themed menu. This look is especially aesthetic on long dining tables.

6. Herbs for decor ~ fresh, natural, and simple. Utilizing bunches of herbs is a lovely way to decorate the aisle. I love this color combination of dark wood chairs, fresh green rosemary, and cream ribbon.