One Fine Day & Tahoe Unveiled Featured on Utterly Engaged's site

I love being featured on blogs and in publications, especially ones as well designed as Utterly Engaged. Today AND yesterday they featured our event, Tahoe Unveiled, on the their blog. Take a gander below for more details!

Scott Corridan, In Style’s celebrity wedding planner, is going to take 3 regular ladies and dress them up in the perfect dress, get their hair and makeup styled, and show the audience how to look like a model on your wedding day. We want ladies with different figures – big butts/no butts, athletic, etc. – your normal lady!

Three lucky brides will be chosen to model on the event day, strut their stuff on the runway, and get bedazzled by Swoon Bridal Salon, Kiss and Makeup, and Cortney Knudson Hair Design.

The models will also receive 10% off the following for their wedding day:

- wedding dress purchased from Swoon Bridal Salon

- wedding makeup from Kiss and Makeup

- wedding hair up-do from Cortney Knudson Hair Design

To enter, submit your full profile pics and measurements, along with a description of why you would be a fabulous attribute to Scott Corridan’s Boobs & Butts seminar. Please email submissions to Stephanie Anderson at sa@onefinedayevents.com with the subject line “UE Bride: Boobs & Butts Contest.” Contest ends on Monday, October 11, so hurry and get your entry in!

Tahoe Unveiled | Catherine Hall is a Keynote Speaker

One of the highlights of Tahoe Unveiled's, A Day in the Mountains, is a fabulous presentation by Catherine Hall, a photographer recognized worldwide for her artistic brilliance! Today, Catherine has written noted her upcoming presentation on her blog. You can view a clip below, or go to her site to read the entire article.

In conjunction with One Fine Day, an event planning company, Tahoe Unveiled is hosting a weekend of "splendor, luxury, and education" at the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. The occasion--called A Day in the Mountains--offers brides and grooms the opportunity to enjoy a weekend getaway and develop relationships with some of Lake Tahoe's finest photographers, florists, planners, and venue coordinators. I'm pleased and honored to be a keynote speaker for this event, at which I will deliver a talk about how to craft utterly elegant, wholly exquisite pictures of your wedding day.

I invite you to read a description of my talk for A Day in the Mountains: "Did you know that it's a bride's loss to select a standard hotel room for her bridal chamber? Has anybody warned you against sitting in front of a window during your reception? Have you heard about the critical Golden Hour yet? Are you curious to learn how you can look, well, absolutely stunning in your pictures? In her discussion, Catherine reveals an elite photographer's tricks of the trade, which will enable you to make the right decisions before your special day.....read more

Private Estate Wedding | Lakefront Soiree

I am so excited to see the images from Angela and Jeremy's wedding! The fabulous, Catherine Hall has done an unbelievable job of capturing the emotion, the artistic creation, and the story of this wedding. Here's a sneak peak, you can check out Catherine's blog to see a few more images. I'll post the whole wedding soon!

In the Press | One Fine Day Featured on Bridal Guide

One Fine Day is featured on Bridal Guide's site! As I am very aware of how awful wedding fairs can be, I decided to produce, design, and coordinate a spin on a wedding fair called Tahoe Unveiled, A Day in the Mountains with Tahoe's finest vendors. Every detail has been designed to create an enjoyable experience for brides, friends, and moms to soak up the romantic side of wedding planning. Bridal Guide featured my tips on how to prepare and enjoy yourself at Tahoe Unveiled and similar events.You can view part of the article below, or go to Bridal Guide's site for the full article.

To reserve and purchase tickets for Tahoe Unveiled, click here.

Bridal Guide Feature

Thinking of attending a bridal event or expo in your area? Have you already attended a bunch and feel more overwhelmed than ever? Relax and take a deep breath, then take in a few tips from Stephanie Anderson of One Fine Day, an event planning company based in northern California.

1. Know Your Budget. “Determine what your top three priorities are,” Anderson suggests. “For instance, you may have your heart set on a specific venue, amazing photography or an awesome band.” Depending on the cost of your must-haves, break down what you’ll have left to spend on, say, flowers and food.

2. Come Prepared. Before the event, determine what your wedding style is, i.e. modern, shabby chic, vintage, rustic elegance, etc. Create an inspiration file that features your favorite colors, flowers, foods, and more. “When you are meeting with vendors, it’s great to have a picture that you can point to,” Anderson says. This way, you’ll be able to tackle what you’re looking for without sifting through what you’re not.

3. Get Chatting. Talk up the wedding vendors to see if you really click, because after you’ve chosen them, you’ll be dealing with them for the better part of a year. “Ask them who they are, how did they get into the business and what their basic philosophy is,” Anderson advises. “It helps in developing a level of understanding for both the bride and the vendor.” Plus, a good relationship can pave the way for constructive negotiating on prices and services.

4. Have fun!

Brides, Save the Date for Tahoe Unveiled

Hello lovely brides! One of our latest and greatest projects this summer is Tahoe Unveiled, an online resource and an event designed to reveal the luxury side of Lake Tahoe as a wedding destination. We have hand selected fabulous vendors to participate and be featured on our blog and website. Tahoe Unveiled is the place for you to find all things brilliant about Tahoe: how to get here, what to do when you are here, who to book for your wedding, inspiration boards, tips, and beautiful weddings.

On October 16th, 2010 we will transform the walls, ceilings and floors of PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn to display the finest talent available for your wedding. Highlights include wine and champagne, tastings from local catering companies, opportunities to meet with our featured vendors, vignettes of various styles, presentations by Scott Corridan and Catherine Hall, beautiful gift bags, and many more treats. It will be a beautiful, relaxing, and inspiring day in the mountains! To attend, purchase your tickets before the event sells out.

One Fine Day Receives a Perfect 5 on Project Wedding!

I am pretty thrilled to have a Perfect 5 Star rating on Project Wedding! Project Wedding is a resource for brides to find wedding vendors, inspiration, and trends!

See more reviews of One Fine Day Event Planning on Project Wedding.

Thanks to all of my wonderful brides for the testimonials!

The Gatekeepers Wedding | Woodland Romance

On a beautiful July afternoon, Ruth and Jake said their vows in front of their closest family and friends on the shores of Lake Tahoe. It was peaceful, quaint, and perfect! Influences of Texas, Reno, and California provided for a great party with lots of laughs. The details were simple - we utilized the beauty of nature and the wild lupins while incorporating pops of color with calla lilies, tulips, and sun flowers. It was a beautiful celebration!

Vendors:

Photography | JLM Creative

Flowers | Wanda's Flower Shop

Catering | Mountain Magic

Music | We Aint Saints

Venue | The Gatekeepers

One Fine Day Featured on Catherine Hall's Blog | A Wedding Conundrum

We are thrilled to be featured on Catherine Hall's blog! We wrote a guest post about the predicament many couple's face when inviting families to their wedding. It is always nice to invite the entire family to your wedding, but sometimes it's easier to either not invite the kids, or provide a kid-friendly environment. You can read the guest post here:

Catherine Hall Studios

Kids or no Kids: A Wedding Conundrum

Event planner Stephanie Anderson of One Fine Day and the brand-new wedding site, Tahoe Unveiled, authored a guest post for my blog. Stephanie is a talented professional with a gift for producing off-the-charts events. Today, she addresses a couple's inevitiable wedding conundrum.

Inviting kids to a wedding? A few of my brides have inquired about the difficulties of guests with kids. Although kids are lovely and can be very endearing, you may not want to hear crying and screaming on your wedding day. In addition, it can be pretty tricky to invite your friends and not their kids, especially if travel is involved. To avoid the hassle, the arguments, and any hard feelings, try one of these ideas:

1. Hire a babysitter. Inform your guests that a babysitter will take care of your kids throughout the ceremony and reception. For your slightly paranoid parents, you may want to hire someone with First Aid certification or from an agency. Ask your venue if they have a spare room you can use as the kid's room.

2. Kiddie Corner. Designate one or two tables at the reception to kids only. Garnish the table with GI Joes, coloring books, Pretty Pretty Princess, and Hungry Hippo (clearly my childhood favorites). If you are worried about the kids wandering off, hire a babysitter to sit at the table with them.

3. Hire a magician! Kids are easily distracted, so if games won’t cut it, then hire a clown or a magician to keep them entertained and away from your lime light!

Thank you Catherine for featuring One Fine Day on your blog!

To view Catherine Hall's new site or to learn more about Tahoe Unveiled, click on the following:

www.catherinehall.net

www.tahoeunveiled.com

Day 5 of the Wedding Festivities ~ The Farewell Brunch

After a spectacular night of dancing, playing ping-pong and corn hole, and sipping on margaritas, it was time to end the celebratory week! Just in case everyone didn't get enough of the stunning lake views, we planned a post-wedding brunch at Gar Woods. The private room has tall windows and a private balcony overlooking the lake. Guests were treated to a feast consisting of smoked salmon, fresh fruit, roast beef, roasted potatoes, and plenty more! For decor, I setup the lovely flower arrangements from the wedding. Congrats to Angela and Jeremy - have a wonderful time on your honeymoon in Maui!

Inspiration Board | Rustic Elegance with Whimsical Accents Part II

A few days ago we posted a couple inspiration boards for a client getting married at The Cornerstone Gardens. They are seeking a rustic elegant wedding with various whimsical and unexpected accents. The colors are fresh yellows, greens, and creams; the style is Pottery Barn meets Martha Stewart! Take a look at our inspirational collages:

The bride loves the idea of using mason jars for the rustic side of her wedding, but used in a more creative fashion. She would also like various unexpected accents, hence the book covers with love-words on the book bind and the newspaper flowers. The final style accent in this collage is "romance" - which is where we find the oversized hurricane vases, floating candles, and petals blanketing a path. The remaining images here represent rustic signage to direct the guests, lounge furniture for the cocktail party, and a signature cocktail.

Since the wedding will take place in 3 locations at the Cornerstone Gardens, it is important to direct the guests - what better way than simple wooden signs with white paint? We have toyed with the idea of using benches for the ceremony and then re-purposing them as lounge furniture during dancing in the Barn - the image above shows the benches but dressed with pillows to incorporate color!

As I mentioned in the previous collage, the bride loves mason jars - so I pulled a few examples of using them as vases and water glasses - but adding a simple tag to dress up the look.  The remaining images in this inspiration board reflect the look and feel of the wedding - utilizing wooden farm tables with a table runner, jam as favors, simple table number tags, and a monogrammed sweetheart table. The possibilities are always endless. We shall have to wait and see how all of these details will be refined!

Inspiration Board | Rustic Elegance with Whimsical Accents Part I

I created these inspiration boards for a client seeking rustic elegance with touches of whimsical, unique, and unexpected notions. The wedding is slated for The Cornerstone Gardens in Napa Valley, CA. The venue is a designers dream with three incredible locations for the wedding: the vineyard lawn for the ceremony, the wedding garden featuring an open tent for dinner, and the garden barn for dancing! There are so many creative avenues - I love it! Take a look at some of our ideas:

The bride's ideal colors are fresh yellows and greens. She would like the flowers to look complete and polished, but freshly picked from the garden. Both the bride and groom's style is fun, crafty, and creative hence the incorporation of unique elements including: colorful buttons for decor, a hallway table as an accent piece, a selection of colorful beverages in a galvanized tub, and croquet to keep the guests entertained.

There are oodles of ways to display your escort cards. The bride requested some form of hanging with clothespins. I took this and ran with it. Here we have flower seed packets, antique postcards, gift bags and escort cards as one, and a few more fun styles. In addition, I threw in the seating board, as the colors and style fit perfectly with the couple's wedding features.

Stay tuned for more of their inspiration boards!

Annie X Photographie | Engagement Pics

Nothing like big smiles and a little snow for an engagement shoot! Sam and Tim spent their engagement session with the very talented Annie X in downtown Truckee, CA. Annie is fabulous at finding fun locations for creative shots. It helps when the town comes with a fake, old-fashioned gas station! This weekend, the two will tie the knot in Squaw Valley! Enjoy their engagement photos below and stay tuned to see the wedding photos shortly!

Bay Area Bride Guide Give Away!

Bay Area Bride Guide is offering a great give away to everyone who becomes a Facebook fan throughout April and May! The 2 fantastic prizes are: 1) A night out in San Francisco at the Hotel Griffon and a $50 gift card to McCormick & Kuleto's

2) A Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

To read more, click here!

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!