We're married!!!

We did it...and we did it our way!!! A picture is worth a thousand words, and by the expressions on our faces you can just picture the sheer happiness, love, and joy that my husband and I shared on our wedding day! It may sound cliche, but it truly was the best day of my life (so far)!

...We're off to Maui for a honeymoon in paradise, for some much needed lounging in the sun on the beach, sipping mai tais, and eating dessert every night!!!

I laugh when I see how serious our faces are in this one!!!

My mom had peacock feathers on her dress! She's quite the fashionista!

I wore my mom's veil, that we had re-worked and re-designed to be 2 parts (a long one for the ceremony, and a blusher to be kept on at the reception). My dressmaker was able to make a bolero to wear during the ceremony. I wanted a look reminiscent of an italian bride.

Surrounded by my older sister Dulcena (to the left) and my younger sister Chelsea (to the right) and all my best friends I have known since 7th grade.

All the little details...I love old fashioned candy and just had to have a candy bar in lieu of take home gifts.

The Ketubah with our monogram on it

It's all in the details...

My invitation was inspired by one I found in Martha Stewart Weddings. It was printed in gold and really sparkled. We carried the crown motif on to our RSVP cards and on the menu cards at each table.

A love note arrived with flowers and candles from my fiance while I was getting ready. He always sends me little "love notes" and this was a special one.

The Ketubah with our monogram

I found these Manolos at a Saks in Palm Desert over New Year's priced at $650 down to $183!!! Love a good deal!

I wanted all pink peonies (my favorite flower), but in March they're a little out of season, so my florist mixed in some garden roses. It complimented the monochromatic colors of the bridesmaid dresses.

My bouquet of white peonies and white garden roses. Simply stunning!

Dark pink, light pink, and white hydrangeas (my other favorite flower) were the centerpieces. I had long peacock feathers mixed in to give some drama. We also stood under a wrought iron archway filled with hydrangeas in the garden ceremony.

The cake had 5 different sized layers with 3 of my favorite flavors: Carrot Cake with a cream cheese filling, Red Velvet with cream cheese filling, Lemon with lemon curd and was frosted with Buttercream. It was so decadent and to die for! I chose fondant pearls to accent each layer and I found the vintage cake topper online!

"The Sweet Life," was appropriately the quote for our candy bags. Words to live by.

In lieu of take home gifts a vintage candy table was displayed for our guests. Chocolate covered strawberries and French macarons were also added to the desert table for them to enjoy!

Wedding Set List

As Guests Arrive

“Save A Prayer” by Duran Duran

“All My Love” by Led Zeppelin

“Sympathique” by Pink Martini – Best of Hotel Costes

“Sun King” by The Beatles

“Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups

“I Can’t Wait” by Andy Caldwell

Processional As Groomsmen and Groom Walk In (Groom with Parents)

“I Fall In Love Too Easily” by Chet Baker

Processional As Bridesmaids Walk Down Aisle

“J’Ai Deux Amours” by Madeleine Peyroux

Processional As Bride Walks Down Aisle with Father

“Café De Flore” (Trio Reprise from “Le Defi”) by Matthew Herbert

Recessional

“Sowing the Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears

Cocktails

“Sympathique” by Pink Martini – Best of Hotel Costes

“Latazz” by The Funky Lowlives – Best of Hotel Costes

“L’Amour” by Rouge Rouge – Best of Hotel Costes

“Morenito” (Bossa Mix) by Stephane Pompougnac – Best of Hotel Costes

“My Funny Valentine” by Big Muff – Best of Hotel Costes

“Et Toutes Ces Choses” by Rouge Rouge featuring Karin Viard – Hotel Costes Vol. 9

“Dream Machine” by Mark Farina – Hotel Costes Vol. 8

“Think Twice” by Ralph Myerz & Jack Herren Band – Hotel Costes Vol. 8

“Lo Que Pidas” by Julieta Venegas

“Omerta Bossa” by Isabelle Antena – Issy Does It

“This Is Not A Love Song” by Nouvelle Vague – Nouvelle Vague

“Smooth Operator” by Sade – Best of Sade

“Hold On To Your Love” by Sade

“You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse

“Me Gustas Cuando Callas” by The Brazilian Girls

“Save A Prayer” by Duran Duran

“The Fez” by Steely Dan

“Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan

Bridal Party Grand Entrance/Bride and Groom Grand Entrance

“Viva La Vida” by Coldplay

Bride and Groom’s First Dance

“Where Do I Begin” by Shirley Bassey

Father/Bride Dance

“Desert Skies” by Marshall Tucker Band

Mother/Groom Dance

“Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder

Cake Cutting Song

“Happy Together” by The Turtles

Bouquet Toss

“Rich Girls” by The Virgins

Garter Toss

“Boys Wanna Be Her” by Peaches

Last Dance

“Last Dance” by Donna Summer

Happy Birthday Valentine!

A big birthday wish to my sister and other half of this crazy train Miss Chelsea Valentine!!! She's the real deal behind Cuvee Chic, the blog she created as a lifestyle guide of music, fashion, fitness, design, and nightlife. She loves rose wines, French House and French Pop, foreign accents, and can explain everything that makes a bohemian a bohemian (her favorite book is the Bohemian Manifesto by Laren Stover, mine's The Bombshell Manual of Style), she's an Aquarius, she's a very stylish girl, she lives in a Hollywood studio, and she has the fiercest collection of music!  Cheers, Chels, and I will raise a glass of bubbly to you!

Wedding Hair

I am stressed out right now trying to find the right hairstyle for my wedding. I am drawn to styles that aren't overly done.  I want to look polished, sophisticated, and elegant. Not like my hair has been in rollers, pulled, combed, and prodded with for hours.

There's nothing more unattractive to me than a bride that looks like she is going to prom with a crazy up-do and ringlets. Here are a few of my favorites.

Perfume

I don't leave home without it.

The best gift I received for Christmas was a huge bottle of Chanel's Gardenia that is now discontinued!!! It looks so pretty in the center of a big tray on my vanity!

April in Paris

My fiance and I have been throwing ideas back and forth for our honeymoon and my dream is a few days in Paris, followed by the Amalfi Coast in Italy. I first visited Paris with my sister a few years ago, and have been longing to return with my love ever since.

I'm thinking we could dine at the Cafe de Flore, since the song is the inspiration for our wedding. I just want to sit at one of the sidewalk tables, sipping fine wine, and smoking cigarettes like the French do. I hear the food is fantastic and it's been a hangout for writer's and intellectuals for years.

Another must do is an Eiffel Tower picnic. There's nothing more magical than taking a basket of meats, cheeses, dark chocolates, and a bottle of champagne to enjoy at sunset, just before the lights flash on the Eiffel Tower like fireworks!!!

....and I want a strong espresso to wash down my Nutella Crepes...

...and we have to hit the Paris Flea Markets to find a chaise inspired by these! The aqua and pinks would work well in any setting with modern accents to create a vintage feel.

Bride's Processional: Cafe de Flore by Matthew Herbert

The first time I heard "Cafe de Flore" it evoked romance, great depths of love and passion, a rose garden, smells of perfume, fine wine, and simply, Paris. This will be the song to carry me down the aisle on my wedding day. Music has always taken me to far away places and has been the soundtrack to my life. For this event, I want to remember the day forever, I want to play this song and know that it's our song. I am not drawn to traditional wedding processionals that I have heard over and over at weddings, it's too generic. It's the little things like music that make the first impression, sets the tone and mood, for what's to come next.

Last fling before the ring!!!

I am off darlings for a fabulous Fall weekend with my dearest girlfriends to celebrate the final months of my single life! My sister and maid-of-honor has planned a crazy, fun-filled weekend in San Francisco! The only thing she is letting me know is we are staying at my favorite hotel, The Clift, we have a private dancer at Asia SF, and a limo is whisking us away with mimosas in hand en route to Napa. Great City + Best Friends + Wine Tasting = party time!!!

Sweet dreams are made of this...

Nobody can ignore a table of eye-catching candies in bright colors. In lieu of take home gifts, I have decided to have a candy table reminiscent of the old candy parlors I used to visit on family trips and at Disneyland. I also love macarons, especially if they come all the way from Laduree in Paris, the sweetest shop in the world! Ooh la La Dolce Vita!!!

Love this graceful monogrammed invitation!

I found this invitation in Martha Stewart's Weddings and absolutely fell in love with the gold monogram at the crown on top of it! Look at the little crown detail on the menu card!!! I am taking this to my printer right now to see if we can replicate this. The invitation featured in the magazine is by Crane's. My mom found blank white card stock with gold trim at Kelly Paper in Pasadena for half the cost.

A Garden Wedding with a Ballroom Reception

It's officially booked! My dream wedding location at the Huntington Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California. I first toured the glamorous and gorgeous grounds of this historic hotel when I was about 12 years old, and have been in love with it ever since.
Back then it was owned by Ritz- Carlton Hotels and known to locals around Pasadena as simply "The Ritz." When my friends and I went to college, we would meet every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve at The Ritz for cocktails, conversation, and to catch up with everyone who attended high school or grew up in that area. My parents, along with my fiance and I, toured the grounds for hours, and finally we all decided a Horseshoe Garden wedding it will be! Cocktails to follow in the Courtyard and dinner and dancing in The Georgian Ballroom!

The Dress

The most exquisite wedding gown I found

by Oscar De La Renta.

Dresses for the Bridesmaids

The bridesmaid dresses have been ordered! I decided long gowns are perfect for a wedding starting at 5 pm on the first day of Spring. A friend of mine referred me to Renee Strauss in Beverly Hills, and the ladies at the shop were most accommodating making the entire experience a pleasure. I chose 6 different styles, 6 different colors, all from designer Jim Hjelm's collection. The colors I chose are rose, raspberry, primrose, berry, burgundy, and bordeaux. I can't wait to see how 6 different styles in 6 colors look on the bridesmaids!