Xenia and Lance

The vows

Last weekend I had the pleasure of coordinating Xenia and Lance's wedding, held at the Old Homestead in Crockett. The Old Homestead is this great old house right across the street from the C& H Factory in Crockett, with a huge grass yard and a beautiful deck under the redwoods. It's also right near the train tracks
which allowed for some amazing shots (John + Louise did a fantastic job! - check out their preview here!)

Lance and Xenia are so mellow (and organized!), and I had a great time working with the both of them. Xenia spent a lot of time making the decor, and was able to use a lot of her mom's antique furnishings which made it very unique.

my favorite - the cake table!

Congrats again, Xenia and Lance!

Amber & Dan - Awesome engagement photos

Amber and Dan are such a fun couple - they love beer, games, and hanging out. What's not to love about them? Their engagement photos by dkweddings totally captured their fun spirits. I'm really looking forward to their September wedding at Joaquin Miller Community Center in Oakland. Check out the full post here!

Alice & Dai - a preview

This weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some q-t with Alice, Dai, and their awesome family and friends. This couple is funny, smart, and oh-so humble. Their wedding went seamlessly and was absolutely gorgeous, and the couple was radiating happiness. Congrats to Alice and Dai! And, thanks Allison Andres for these preview pics!

My clients are the bomb.com

On my way home from the Fairmont after meeting some clients

You know what I love doing? Meeting and hanging out with clients. Not to have small talk, but to get to know them, to learn their history (both as a couple and as individuals), and to hear what they want for their wedding. I love their creative ideas - from homemade photo booths and school bus rides, to art installations and cowboys as wedding staff - people blow me away with their creativity! I also love the thoughfulness and careful-ness (is that a word?) they take when planning their special day. Whether that means taking family members' needs into consideration, or making tough budget decisions, my clients seem to really think these things out. And really, that makes my job so much easier!

Happy Friday!

IMG_6018 by Mikaela2005 on Flickr

Happy Friday! I'm off for a week of strategic planning/relaxing and visiting - wahoo!!

Engaged? Listen to this!

Two great, local wedding bloggers* were recently featured on KQED's forum, talking about the wedding industry, what weddings look like today, and what makes them meaningful (click here for the podcast). The highlight of the conversation I thought, was the idea of a "wedding mission statement". What does the couple want from the event/experience (a party? time with family? good food?) How do they want to remember their wedding (it was meaningful? it was well decorated?) Some of it sounds silly, but it's important for couples to keep these ideas in mind when making decisions about venues, budgets, and even the invite list. These are all things that I like to talk with my clients about when we begin the planning process. The most important thing to remember - it's your wedding, do what feels right for the both of you!

*Kathryn Storke, founder and editor of snippetandink.com and Meg Keene, author of "A Practical Wedding: Creative Solutions for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration" and publisher and executive editor of the website apracticalwedding.com

Wedding Brain

Shana at Doomed for Happiness said it best when describing the wedding brain:

Wedding Brain

noun / [ˈwe-diŋ ˈbrān]

: a disorder that effects the the cerebral cortex causing anxiety, stress, procrastination and the inability to stay focused... Ooohh I wonder if Etsy has any vintage brooches from 1950?

 

Anyone else feeling this way about preparations for their upcoming wedding? :)