Archive for the ‘Wedding Decor’ Category

Happy first anniversary to our friends at SPARKLE bridal couture!

Did you know that SPARKLE bridal couture is dedicated to bringing chic bridal and stylish special occasion dresses specifically to women sizes 14-30? Not only do they have drop-dead gorgeous wedding gowns and an amazing LBD (Little Black Dress) selection, but we are particularly enamored with their often-changing show-stopping window displays that draws in admirers from all over.

In fact, their most recent window display is so fabulous that we just had to share it with you, our Real Weddings Brides, for your own wedding decor inspiration! Take a peek at this sparkling piece of eye candy and get ready to “Ooh” and “Aah!”

A special thank you to all who contributed to this amazing window display:

Location:  SPARKLE bridal couture

Design Concept:  Kendahl Paschetage

Couture Linens & Chaircovers:  Mimi & Co.

Table Top Decor:  Design with Floraé and Pizzazz Event Planning

Desserts:  Simply Sweet Pastries & Treats

Photography by:  Carmen Salazar Photography

And, in honor of their 1st anniversary, SPARKLE bridal couture is hosting an anniversary savings event this weekend, July 6-9! This event happens only ONCE A YEAR so book your bridal gown event appointment now to get your in-stock SPARKLE gown at an amazing value. Appointments are necessary, so call 916-538-6615 to book yours.

Photos courtesy of Carmen Salazar Photography.

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

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The Couple:  Cristina Buss and Eric Halverson

Wedding Date:  July 9, 2011

Photography by Kris Holland Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Cristina and Eric met in the “nerd” dorm at UC Davis, and were friends for five years before dating for another five years, before finally getting engaged in Italy in June 2010. They are avid ultimate frisbee players and have spent many weekends traveling around the country (and world!) for tournaments — Eric is a current National and World Champion with his team, Revolver, and Cristina won the 2004 National Championship with her U.C. Davis college team.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  We wrote special vows to each other in the form of “I love you because _________,” followed by “Because I love you, __________.” Some were sincere, and some were funny, but all followed the pattern of loving something unique about the other and what we’ll “put up with” in exchange! Our friends and family really enjoyed hearing those.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Our friends surprised us with an impromptu rap and a planned, choreographed dance to “Thriller” during the reception.

Ceremony Site, Reception Venue & Caterer:  Kirkwood Mountain Resort

Photographer:  Kris Holland Photography

Cake:  Laurie Hedden (Eric’s mother)

Flowers:  1) Bouquets: Gordon Hill Flower Shop

2) Kathlynn Angie-Buss (Cristina’s step-mother) arranged loose bulk flowers ordered through Gordon Hill Flower Shop to create our centerpieces.

Favors:  Fun-Size Skittles (bought at Target). Our programs challenged people to a game of guessing the Skittle’s color based on taste alone, a skill at which Eric proclaims to be an expert.

Wedding Dress:  House of Fashion

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair:  Carina Port (Cristina’s friend)

Makeup:  Lauren Soest with Mary Kay products (Cristina’s friend)

Invitations:  David’s Bridal

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Playlists put together by Kevin Cissna (Eric and Cristina’s friend)

Photo Booth:  Photo booth with digital camera organized by Carina Port and Megan McKenzie; costumes from Lauren Krugman (Cristina’s friends)

Honeymoon location:  Albion River Inn in Albion, California

First Dance Song:  Lucky by Jason Mraz

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  After some contemplation about how to do our bar tab, we ended up hosting wine and beer but not liquor, and it worked out really well because most people could have the thing they wanted, and groups of friends started buying each other shots, etc., which was fun! And like you’ve heard already, keep it in perspective — it’s easy to panic during planning but it will end up being unforgettable. Get a good photographer, because that’s all you have afterward (besides each other). :)

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  We had a basket for people to write us notes/marriage advice, and got some GREAT sincere and humorous comments from friends and family. In retrospect, I wish we had put the cards and pens at the tables during dinner, instead of just out during the reception, so more people would have seen and done this.

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!

The Couple: Margaret and Wen Luu

Wedding Date:  July 17, 2010

Photography by Kris Holland Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We had been together for more than seven years before we got married. Wen is actually my best friend’s older brother. She and I have been friends since high school, but Wen and I definitely had no interest in each other at that time. We went to the same high school and the same college, but actually didn’t really connect until my junior year of college.

Now, I jokingly refer to him as her creepy older brother, and he said I was just another one of her annoying friends. But I am very grateful that he and I connected and really got to know one another. We have similar senses of humor and always make each other laugh.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  We wrote our own vows and it was really sweet and special because we had the chance to tell each other exactly how we felt (in our own words) in front of all our friends and family.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Wen is Chinese and we also did a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, so we tried to blend a lot of things from his culture in throughout the wedding. The things we loved most about our wedding were the personal, unique touches. My best friend and maid of honor (who also happens to be Wen’s sister) is an artist, and she actually designed our invitations for us. The invitations were English on one side and Chinese on the other side.

Also, Wen’s cousin Steven is a musician and has a beautiful voice — he played the guitar and sang “Better Together” for our first dance, which also meant a lot to both of us.

Ceremony and Reception Venue:  Brookside Country Club

Photographer:  Kris Holland Photography

Videographer:  ES Creation

Wedding Planner:  None (but I wish we had one!)

Cake:  Yolanda’s cakes

Flowers:  Budding Events

Favors:  Chinese rosewood fans and a candy bar with Chinese takeout boxes

Wedding Dress:  David’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair:  Tiffany Julia at Renew Salon

Makeup:  Tiffany Julia at Renew Salon

Invitations:  Shiu Pei Luu

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Victor & Company Band

Honeymoon location:  Still working on it!

First Dance Song:  “Better Together” by Jack Johnson (sung by Steven Chan)

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Have fun — during planning don’t listen to anyone but yourself and your partner-to-be. No matter what you do or what you choose, the people who come to your wedding will have a great time because they’re coming for you. Also, try to take the time to make your wedding unique by personalizing things as much as you can. Those are the things we ended up loving the most at the end of the day and I wish we had taken the time to do more of those personal touches.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  We had several mishaps occur that are (sort of) fun to laugh about now that it’s much after the fact. For instance, it was a very full day because we did a traditional Chinese tea ceremony in the early afternoon and then the Western ceremony at Brookside in the evening. It was one of the hottest days of the summer, my bridesmaids wore their dresses all day and the dresses were beyond wrinkled (another tip for people planning their wedding, don’t forget an iron or pick chiffon for your bridesmaids’ dresses!). Also, my husband’s parents were 40 minutes late for the ceremony, my maid of honor forgot the ring, and two cell phones went off during our vows. I had wanted a simple guitar song to be playing when I walked down the aisle and we asked a family member to play, unfortunately he forgot his amp so no one could hear the music…

So yes, safe to say I would have done a few things differently if I had the chance to go back. After the wedding I wanted a redo! But at the end of the day I married my best friend and the love of my life so I can’t complain. If things are to go wrong, he’s the person I want at my side while it’s all happening. We still had a wonderful day together and loved sharing it with our friends and family.

Photos courtesy of Kris Holland Photography.

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

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The Couple:  Natalie and Ryan King

Wedding Date:  October 1, 2010

Photography by The Memory Journalists

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Ryan and I both went to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for college and were assigned to be senior project partners. With Ryan’s great sense of humor and my love for laughing, we became good friends immediately.

We were both in long distance relationships at the time, but stayed friends even after graduation when Ryan moved back to Sacramento. Two years later I moved to Davis to attend graduate school. We were both single at the time and started dating.

It didn’t take long for us to fall madly in love and a year later Ryan completely surprised me with his proposal. We went to dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House on a random Monday night and were seated near a window overlooking the patio which had Christmas lights on all the trees. Ryan ordered an appetizer and a bottle of wine and before I knew it, the waiter had brought a bottle of wine with a custom-label on it. It had a picture of us, the date, and said “Will You Marry Me?, In love and looking forward to a beautiful life with you. Love, Ryan.” Ryan was down on one knee, hands shaking and we both had tears in our eyes. It was perfect!

We are now living in Sacramento, working at civil engineering firms, and love to do anything to bring a smile to the other’s face.

What was the most amazing part of your day?   Ryan says, “The most amazing part of my day was standing at the end of the church aisle, anxiously waiting for my soon-to-be wife standing behind the big doors. When the doors opened, I saw the most beautiful bride begin to walk towards me to start our new life together. I was filled with emotions, but realized I was the luckiest man alive being able to marry my best friend. It was amazing to have so many wonderful family and friends together joining us on our marriage celebration. The whole wedding was one amazing sacrament.”

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We had lots of family traveling from out of town, so we planned a casual BBQ at a local park the day after our wedding. We had it catered so no one had to worry about anything, and everyone could just visit and have a great time. This was a great opportunity for us to spend time with family and friends that we didn’t get to visit with at the wedding.

Ceremony Site:  St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sacramento. Ryan’s parents were married there so it held a special place in our hearts.

Reception Venue:  Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. We LOVED this venue and John Carvalho and Marnie Stiles are amazing!

Photographer:  The Memory Journalists. We cannot believe how many compliments we received from our family and guests about how great our photographers were. We absolutely love the entire team at The Memory Journalists and could not be happier with our photos.

Videographer:  The Memory Journalists

Wedding Planner:  Danielle Massari at A Petite Affair. I wasn’t going to hire a wedding planner, but I am SO happy we hired Danielle because she is fabulous throughout all of the planning and the day of the wedding. She is so incredibly creative, detail-oriented, and just made the entire process so enjoyable and fun. And everything was absolutely perfect on our day.

Caterer:  Asante Catering. The food was delicious and they were awesome to work with.

Cake: We had a very small cake to cut into, but our main dessert was frozen yogurt and toppings from Yogurtagogo.

Flowers:  Galeazi’s Floral Designs. I absolutely LOVED my flowers and all of the creative details that Stefanie included.

Favors:  We had purchased a barrel of wine from Carvalho Family Winery and bottled it for our guests.

Wedding Dress:  House of Fashion

Bridesmaid Dresses:  J Crew. I chose the color and fabric and let my bridesmaids choose a style that they each loved.

Hair:  Kim Kirtlan at Strands Salon. Although now she works at Michael Mason Salon.  She was great! I started off wanting an up-do, but after 2 trials I realized that since I never wear my hair up (unless I’m running). I didn’t want it up for my wedding…it just wasn’t “me.” So we started from scratch with my hair down…and I loved it!

Makeup: Tessa Matsis at Strands Salon. I could not have been happier with my makeup!  I wanted something natural and that I wouldn’t have to worry about for the entire day… Tessa did a great job.

Invitations:  Costco. We designed and printed the invitation inserts (maps, registry/hotel info, etc) and all other stationery (ceremony programs, placecards, etc) at Paper Garden Boutique.

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Music on the Move DJs. Doug kept the crowd entertained with games and great music…we could not have made a better choice!

Honeymoon Location:  Sandals St. Lucia resort (We would definitely recommend an all-inclusive resort!)

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?:  I think we got them all up there. They were all so patient with us, gave us great ideas and did an amazing job…we would highly recommend all of them!

First Dance Song:  “Then” by Brad Paisley. Ryan surprised me with a single red rose at the beginning of the song. It was such a special moment for us…nothing else mattered except the two of us at that moment.

Any advice you’d give our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Make every aspect of your wedding personal to you, your fiancé and your families. Don’t do something that doesn’t have a special meaning to the both of you. Ryan’s piece of advice: Finish all your wedding planning at least one week prior to your big day. As a groom, it was extremely nice being completely done a week before and not having a stressed out bride before the wedding.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  There is not a single thing we would have done differently. We had a large guest list (we both have large families), so the budget was more than we had hoped. But being able to have our dream wedding, great vendors, and all of our family and friends there to celebrate meant so much to the both of us….we would not have changed a thing.

And remember: When things are getting stressful or you’re starting to worry if everything will go as planned on your wedding day, just remember all that matters is the two of you getting married…the rest is just celebrating that moment. So if you’re married at the end of the day, everything went just right.

Photos courtesy of The Memory Journalists.

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

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Ok, we are so excited to be a part of this upcoming event!  And, it’s only SIX days away…next Sunday, May 22nd!

Come and learn wedding vendors’ decorating secrets direct from the top trendsetters themselves!

What: Love & Lust Blog presents A Wedding Fashion Event

When: Sunday, May 22, 2011

Time: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Where: Sacramento Convention Center at 1400 J Street in Sacramento

Cost: FREE (yes, really!) for the Bride and her Bridesmaids, but preregistration is required to get on the guest list. Click here to register and reserve your complimentary tickets!

So what are you waiting for? Register NOW!

Presented by Mimi & Company Fine Linens: mimiandcompany.com.

Sponsored in part by Real Weddings Magazine and Classique Catering.

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

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!