Simply Modern Weddings

yesiree, photo friday has evolved for 2010…i now give you friday fabulousness!

while trying to think of a new name for friday, i came up with friday fabulousness… because of my love of the word “fabulous” (must be all those years watching sex and the city!) and over-usage of ellipses in my sentences (don’t laugh, i even talk with mental “…” in my head). so i decided to embrace my writing idiosyncrasies and just rock it out!

every friday will feature some fabulous goodie found during the week that i just have to share, be it an amazing wedding image, a sassy wedding gown, cool etsy find, or some other random love that i want to send out into the blog atmosphere. hope you love what i have in store for you…i know i do!

this week’s fabulousness is from ruche’s spring 2010 lookbook shot by stephanie williams. can this image be any cooler? so much wedding inspiration can be pulled from this…color ideas, the vintage books, an outfit for your bridesmaids, a wall of pages as a cool photobooth backdrop, it’s just yummy to the core! me loves it!

that’s why i am so overjoyed at the new utterly engaged “tear jerker” issue! you must must must check it out right now….like this instant!

this collection of images are definitely beauty.art.emotion all in one. when i dreamed of photo friday images to feature…these are the kind of images that would catch my attention. they are the reason that we hire photographers to capture our weddings, because they can catch these soft, tender, quiet moments as well as the ones of fun, laughter, and joyousness! also i love all the featured sweet stories, videos, the surprise proposal, the groom’s letter to his bride on the wedding day. i just love it all!

moments to last a lifetime…isn’t this what weddings are about?!

i am beyond honored that the utterly engaged gals included 2 of our weddings in the photo spread, as well as aaron & barbara’s beautiful wedding video! (p.s. what magazine do you know features video? that’s why i adore the whole concept of utterly engaged e-zine!)

for more touching images, check out issue #007!

i know i do! so here is a giveaway to drool over!

sara with one love photography is giving away an engagement session to 1 lucky couple! i am a firm believer in the importance of an engagement shoot…and if you have a chance to win a free session? that rocks!

the winner of this awesome giveaway gets a free engagement session, free disc of images, free online gallery, and a free 11×14 of their favorite image. sweet win!

but you have to hurry, because this contest is over this saturday the 30th! for all the details be sure to check out her blog!

gotta love this super cute engagement photo eye-candy from one love photography

for all you crafty newly engaged folks! if want to create some custom “paper candy” for your wedding, paper source always has the coolest diy classes at their local stores!

my favorite is the upcoming wedding tea on february 20th, where you can get some hands on wedding projects done while sipping tea and munching on some treats. they will also be introducing their new 2010 wedding invitation collection, as well as giving you additional ideas with their wedding inspiration boards. best thing is, you will also receive a 10% off store coupon for purchases made that day. gotta love that!

this private event is limited to 12-15 attendees, so make sure to sign up quickly!

you all remember barbara and aaron dieppa’s sultry spanish wedding at casa romantica that was recently featured in utterly engaged? well i just had to share this highlight video of their day by the motion boutique.

there is nothing like a fabulously done wedding video to get me all teary eyed…and this one is definitely one of my all time faves.

check it out!

what are you doing this wednesday the 20th from 7-10pm? if the answer is “ummm?” then come party with me at the “utterly spankin new year party”! the girls over at utterly engaged have lots of fun in store: get pretty at the nail lounge & lash bar, dance it up to some great music, say cheese in the photo lounge, and nosh on some yummy late-night treats! not to mention that there will be a creative tabletop design competition featuring amazing teams of wedding professionals…myself included!

so come, hang out, have fun, eat…and for you newly engaged peeps, meet some of southern california’s fabulous wedding professionals!

below is the invite to the party, and you can register here. hope to see you all there!

what do you get when you have an ultra stylish couple, that doesn’t mind breaking a little bit of traditional wedding rules to make their day unique? you get a simply modern weddings dream come true!

during my initial meeting with alison and daysun, i remember the non-stop laughter when daysun mentioned how funny it was to see alison and i taking charge with chatting over the wedding details! you see…alison is a television style correspondent, and also has a great lifestyle blog ali on the go…so she is used to a fast paced schedule filled with tons of detail planning. so meetings with the two of us “type-a planners” was absolutely hilarious!

what i loved most about alison & daysun is that they stayed true to what mattered to them most vs. what “trends” dictate weddings should be. they love hosting dinner parties with friends and wanted their wedding to be an intimate get together with friends. “personal, lively, and fun” were the three words they used to describe their wedding vision…so decor was kept to a chic minimal, loews whipped up a droolworthy menu, and tony and ian with redshoe rocked it out with some fabulous tunes. typical beachfront ceremony? of course not! the ceremony was at the beautiful wayfarer’s chapel. white wedding gown for alison? um, not even close! she wore a stunning custom pale peach lloyd klein gown with some killer rene caovilla heels with sparkly soles! boring wedding toasts? i don’t think so! their friends are just as fun as they are, so instead of toasts we had performances with singing and laughter. speaking of performances, alison had us help her surprise daysun with a sweet sing-a-long of “say a little prayer” before they were seated for dinner…that was so sweet! traditional wedding cake or trendy cupcakes? nope! try yummy fabulousness that is the mini bundt cakes from kiss my bundt bakery. all these special details made their day memorable, and i can still picture them laughing with friends and dancing it up until the lights came on…all with a look of absolute love and joy in their eyes. this is why i absolutely love what i do!

another major cool part to the wedding was working with michele m. waite, who alison and daysun found from reading my photo friday feature on her work. michele was an absolute blast to work with…and the photos? amazingness!

for more eye-candy from this wedding, be sure to check out michele’s blog.

also…i am so very honored that elizabeth anne designs featured this stylish santa monica wedding!

as always, i also have to give major props and thanks to our “dream team” for being the most amazing peeps ever!

bakery: kiss my bundt
ceremony: wayfarer’s chapel
dj: redshoe
floral: la vie en rose
invitations: wedding paper divas
linens & lounge: Fusion Linens
photography: michele m. waite
venue: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel