Archive for the ‘Extreme Productions Entertainment’ Category

The Couple:  Morgan and Michael Motia

Wedding Date:  July 2, 2011

Photography by The Goodness Photo & Design

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Morgan and I are both trying to become doctors. Morgan wants to be one of those doctors who helps people, so she is in medical school. I am in a doctoral program in religion, so I can ramble on about fourth century church councils or French philosophy, but if you’ve got the flu, I’d go to Morgan.

We met though Morgan’s roommate who was a classmate of mine, and became friends when a group of us started watching that romantic show, 24. Morgan and I found ourselves doing everyone’s dishes. We didn’t mind. In fact, that was our style.

A few months went by and after a facial hair experiment (i.e. fasting from the razor for the 40 days of lent)—I shaved on Easter Sunday, asked her out on Monday, we went on our first date on Tuesday… and we haven’t looked back.

We’ve road tripped across the country and have had our fair share of other adventures, but you’d be most likely to find us sitting on a couch, watching TV, talking about life, or, well, studying. Truth be told, we’re probably at our best sitting in a coffee shop reading material full of words that the average person has never heard (khôratic pyelonephritis), enjoying great coffee (we’ve been all over the country exploring coffee shops), and looking up a little too often to tell a story, to make a joke, or to just say hi.

After a little more than a year of dating, we were engaged June 22, 2010 and were married July 2, 2011 at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  Morgan will tell you that nothing will ever compare to walking down the aisle with her mom and dad to me and the people we love most (the bridesmaids and groomsmen). Walking into a room full of all the most important people in our lives wasn’t bad either—it is the only time we’ve ever been able to have that many people in our lives in a room for a night.

For me the five minuets or so between the “you may kiss the bride” and when the room cleared out and we started pictures was incredible. It was chaotic, everyone was happy (it was a short ceremony, so people didn’t get bored), people were trying to congratulate us, we were bouncing up and down with excitement. And then pictures started—which was great because we were taking pictures when we were as happy as we had ever been.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Just as we were about to walk into the reception, Morgan peeked into the room, got a look at our cake and screamed. She was crying walking down the aisle; she was glowing after seeing the cake.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue:  The Citizen Hotel

Photographer:  The Goodness Photo & Design (Lisa and Geoff were incredible before, during and after the reception)

Caterer:  The Grange

Cake:  Freeport Bakery

Flowers:  Blooms by Martha Andrews

Favors:  DIY. Each table had a “theme” based on something about us (coffee, med school, etc.) And each guest got a favor in line with the theme (coffee beans from our favorite coffee shop, a first aid kit for med school)

Road Trip – CD of music

Pizza Night (our Friday night tradition) – Homemade pizza sauce

Coffee – Coffee beans from our favorite shop

Sushi (every Tuesday for the first year we were dating) – Chopsticks

Vegetarians – Mini tomato plants

Dishwashing (how we met) – Dish soap

Baseball (Mike) – Crackerjacks, baseball score card

Harvard Divinity School (Mike) – Moleskin notebooks

Medical School (Morgan) – First-aid kit

Running (Morgan) – Shoe laces

California – Rainbow sandal keychains

Wedding Dress:  David’s Bridal. Altered/detachable black straps at Alterations by Melody.

Bridesmaid Dresses:  We had them get any black cocktail dress, necklaces were from Etsy.

Hair & Makeup:  Ashley Alice Artistry

Invitations:  The Goodness Photo & Design (They were amazing! They did our place cards, logo and thank you cards as well)

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Extreme Productions Entertainment

Photo Booth:  The Goodness Photo & Design

Honeymoon location:  We flew to Paris, then got on a cruise in Copenhagen (Denmark, Norway, Germany, Russia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden), then finished in Geneva, Switzerland.

First Dance Song:  ”Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Ingrid Michaelson

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Do personal things. Our favors took a lot of time, but our guests loved them, and (more importantly) they were a reminder of why we were getting married. Or to say that another way, have fun planning. The year of our engagement Morgan was a first year medical student in Scranton, PA, and I was finishing my master’s degree in Boston, and we were planning a wedding that was going to be in California. It was a lot of work and logistics but we made it stress free by having fun with it.

Making our day special meant doing something special for the people we love. We put a lot of thought into the food, candy bar, cake, DJ, photobook and favors because these were the things that our guest were going to enjoy. We didn’t want people to feel like we took them coming (especially across the country) for granted.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  We choose to have a served dinner, which I think worked great at the wedding because everyone got to eat at the same time. We hate the waiting in line for buffet food. But it was really difficult the week before trying to make sure we have everyone’s meal correct and it made doing the seating chart that much more difficult.

Photos courtesy of The Goodness Photo & Design.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

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The Couple:  Seija K. Murphy and Craig D. Zimmerman

Wedding Date:  May 21, 2011

Photography by Siegel’s Portrait Design

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Seija: I grew up in Saudi Arabia, the child of a pilot and a housewife. I have one older sister who was born with mental disabilities. My father worked for the oil company ARAMCO until 2003 when he retired and moved to Oregon with my mother. I lived in the Middle East for the first part of my life and then having attended boarding high-school in Pebble Beach, I stayed in California to finish university at UCLA.

As an undergrad I studied psychology with the intent of working to support individuals with disabilities. It took the better part of the next three years (2006 – 2009) after graduating for my life to gather momentum; not only in my work interest, but my personal life as well. I struggled with alcoholism and when I began on the road of recovery in 2008 my life changed drastically.

I never had much of a life, because I was very afraid to pursue it. I was very insecure and had been in a tumultuous relationship for almost nine years. I knew that I had more to offer and took a chance on changing my life to fulfill my purpose. I was making great strides to better my life and change my situation when I met Craig at work in November of 2009.

At the time I knew that I loved being a recovered person, I had a passion to support others, and I trusted that God would take care of me no matter what. I learned throughout the next year and a half (Jan 2010 – May 2011) that indeed God would take care of me. Coming from a life of fear to a life where I was encouraged to pursue my interests and supported by an incredibly loving man was a miracle for me.

We both work at a non-profit providing vocational support to individuals with disabilities. I am pursuing a career as a marriage and family therapist. Along with a passion for psychology I have learned that I love music (both creating it and listening to it), I love art, and my close friends are treasures.

Craig : I was born and raised right here is Sacramento. I am the youngest child, and have an older sister — Renee’ — who is six years older than me. My upbringing was pretty boring compared to Seija’s due to the fact that I lived in the same home for 24 years, rarely strayed from California, and never had been in a serious long term relationship. All kidding aside, as a child, I was happy. I went to good public schools, had (and still have) the best parents in the world, and was very busy with sports.

Later in life, I went to Sacramento State University where I got a B.A. in sociology as well as picked up a nasty habit called alcoholism. By 2009, I was a mess and began to live a life without alcohol. I was working full time by then, bought a home, and I met Seija through work. After that, well, I lived happily ever after.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most amazing part of the day were the ” I will’s ” (we said “I will” vs. “I do”) at the ceremony, the speeches that were given during the reception, and the picture slide show that Nick (Craig’s brother-in-law) put together for us (pictures of us separately as children, growing up with our families and together as adults)… even though Craig would make a reference to the wedding night as the best part of the day!

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Before walking down the aisle, it was important for me (Seija) to take some quiet time to reflect on the past year. We worked so hard to make the wedding happen, and I had to go through some family issues to get here, but it was so worth it.

I lived with Craig’s parents for the five months preceding the wedding. We respected our parents wishes not to move into together before we were married and although it was difficult not to live together it was definitely worth it. So, on our wedding day right before the ceremony I sat alone and reflected in gratitude.

Also, Craig and I made sure that during the reception we stayed by each other’s side and held hands as often as we could. We also tried to make sure that we thanked all of our guests for making the trip: personally by going around to tables and publicly by saying thank you over the microphone after the speeches were given.

Ceremony & Reception Site:  Carvalho Family Winery at Old Sugar Mill

Photographer:  Siegel’s Portrait Design

Caterer:  Jackson Catering & Events

Cake:  Shelton’s Wedding Cake Design

Flowers:  Garden Wishes

Favors:  We made them! Personally recorded CDs of music from our band The Two Steps

Wedding Dress & Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair & Makeup:  Terri Wangler from Space 07 Salon. She’s absolutely one of the most wonderful people I know.

Invitations:  Wedding Paper Divas

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Extreme Productions Entertainment

Honeymoon location:  Orlando, Florida

First Dance Song:  ”I Won’t Let Go” by Rascal Flatts

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  I would suggest to give yourself at least a year. Pay attention to each other’s needs and wants for the day. Craig didn’t have many opinions, so the things that he wanted to have (black and white table cloths for a supper club feel, vanilla cake on the top tier for our one year anniversary, and no roast beef) I was happy to honor.

Keep in mind the budget. We didn’t have a fixed budget at the beginning, so when Craig’s mom took over the planning we had spent a little bit that was unnecessary. Thankfully she got us back on track!

If you have the chance to do premarital counseling I would suggest to do it! We learned a lot and our pastor counseled us very wisely.

Lastly, get registered on the The Knot and follow the timeline suggestions on the To-Do list. That Web site saved us so much time and effort!

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  No! It was a perfect day!

Photos courtesy of Siegel’s Portrait Design.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

The Couple:  Andra and Dave Consulo

Wedding Date:  June 25, 2011

Photography by Emily Heizer Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We met when I came in to his office on a sales call. He bought, and we’ve been inseparable since then. We’re now a happy family of four — Dave has two sons, Benjamin and Brandon.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most amazing part of our day, outside of making our love official, was having everyone we loved, family and friends, all in the same building to celebrate with. We wish we could do that frequently!

What else would you like to share about your big day?  There were special personal touches in many aspects of our wedding day. One of the most special touches was the ceremony itself. The perfect words were a collaboration between Dave’s brother-in-law, Noel, and my sister, Shannon. Noel got ordained so that he could deliver the ceremony and marry us. It was touching and seemed so natural for him — so much so that we now joking call him Rev. Noel. The ceremony was meaningful both in the words and the delivery.

Ceremony, Reception & Catering:  Catta Verdera

Photographer:  Emily Heizer Photography

Cake:  Sweet Cakes by Rebecca

Flowers:  Fleurs du Jour

Favors:  Candy Bar. Candy from WinCo bulk

Wedding dress:  David’s Bridal

Tuxedos:  Men’s Warehouse

Bridesmaids dresses:  Alfred Angelo

Hair:  Chesley Wilmarth from Joseph Anthony Salon

Make-up:  Lindsay Harne

Invitations:  Minted

DJ:  Extreme Productions Entertainment

Honeymoon:  Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  Judy Bohn of Fleurs du Jour is incredible! She can create your perfect look with your budget. The staff at Catta Verdera was outstanding, too! It felt like I had personal wedding planners with them! They took away a lot of stress.

First dance song:  “When I Said I Do” by Clint Black

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Marriage is a blessing. Enjoy the experience and appreciate all who make it happen!

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  We wouldn’t have done anything differently. We shared a special moment with those who are special to us!

Photos courtesy of  Emily Heizer Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Another Featured Real Wedding from the Winter/Spring 2012 issue of Real Weddings Magazine loaded to the Real Weddings Magazine Web site…presenting Featured Real Wedding Couple Katherine & Sean.

Congratulations to Featured Real Wedding couple Katie & Sean who were married on June 10, 2011 at Sacramento Grand Ballroom.

Click here to read their story, see their slideshow of photos from Sarah Dawson Weddings & Portraits, meet their wedding dream team and more!

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Editor/Publisher Wendy Sipple.

Photos courtesy of Sarah Dawson Weddings & Portraits.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Another Featured Real Wedding from the Winter/Spring 2012 issue of Real Weddings Magazine loaded to the Real Weddings Magazine Web site…presenting Featured Real Wedding Couple Lesley & Joseph Maningo.

Congratulations to Featured Real Wedding couple Lesley & Joseph Maningo who were married on May 29, 2011 at Westminster Presbyterian Church with a reception at The Citizen Hotel.

Click here to read their story, see their slideshow of photos from Kris Holland Photography, meet their wedding dream team and more!

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Editor/Publisher Wendy Sipple.

Photos courtesy of Kris Holland Photography.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!