Archive for the ‘Wedding Reception Decor’ Category

The Couple:  Julia Cohn and James Willsie

Wedding Date:  October 10, 2010 starting at 10:10 am (Editor’s Note: Happy Almost-One Year Anniversary!)

Photography by Christopher Kight Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  James and I met in the outdoor adventure club at our university. For more than two years, he was that great guy friend who would not only drive me to the train station when I needed a ride, but would wake up an hour early and take me out to breakfast before my trip!

He asked me out in February of 2005. At the time we lived five hours apart, and I wasn’t sure about doing a long distance relationship. I said, “I’ll give it a shot!” And I did. He truly is my best friend and my lover. I couldn’t ask for anything more. True to our outdoor nature, James and I were on a trip to Yellowstone National Park when we got engaged. He told me he would take a picture of me looking at the hot-springs, and when I turned around he was on his knee with a ring. I said, “Yes! All I want to say is Yes!” (He had told me that if I said ‘I’d give it a shot’ he would take the ring back).

We incorporated a lot of our love for the outdoors in the wedding. The site was stunning and overlooked the Squaw Valley Mountains and grassy meadows. Our reception tables each had a picture and name of the various locations/adventures that we’ve had together.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  Both the men in my life — my father and my new husband — are not typically emotional. Yet, they both were tearful in their speeches. James was choked up during his vows. The words were so sincere and loving that it barely left a dry eye in the house. I was so touched that I wanted to kiss him right then!

My dad actually started crying during his father of the bride speech. It was so cute since James, my mom and I each came up to support him. He was laughing and crying and saying, “It’s okay — I can do this!” I’m so glad I got it on video so I can watch it time and time again.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  I really enjoyed having a morning start to the whole day. The wedding started at 10:10 a.m. We had lunch and dancing until 4 p.m. Then I hung out with a bunch of my close friends that I rarely see until 8 p.m. that evening. And I still had time for my new husband and me to relax in the hot-tub under the stars and have a nice evening together. It felt like I had time to really enjoy the best day of my life.

I also loved staying at my wedding location. It made everything so relaxed! Everything was in one spot. We got there a couple days in advance and stayed three days after. The resort service was impeccable. They took care of the set-ups, all the foods, favors and more. We were the only wedding that weekend and the staff knew us by name. We didn’t have to worry about wedding clean-up, since the staff brought all the flowers, gifts and extras to our room after.

I would like to share this funny story; I ended up buying two wedding dresses. I went to the Brides against Breast Cancer Gown Sale and got a lovely dress for $300. (I highly recommend them. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to breast cancer research.) Then I ended up exercising more and eating better, and l lost 30 pounds before the wedding! I completely shrunk out of the original dress and had to get a new dress 6 sizes smaller. It’s OK, since I adore the Mori Lee dress that I bought, and it came two weeks before the wedding!

Ceremony Site:  The Resort at Squaw Creek

Reception Venue:  The Resort at Squaw Creek’s Cascades Restaurant

Photographer:  Christopher Kight Photography

Videographer:  Jordi MacFife (Friend)

Flowers:  Bellisima Floral Creations. The flowers were absolutely spectacular. It was as if the florist Sara read my mind as to what I wanted and then created that into a beautiful atmosphere.

Favors:  efavormart. We gave out glass coasters that were very popular. I wanted personal favors, so each person got a box with the coasters, a bag of Swedish fish candies and a mini Clif bar with a little note saying how these were our favorite foods and why.

Wedding Dress:  Dress #1- David’s Bridal, purchased at Brides against Breast Cancer Gown Show. Dress #2 - Trudy’s Bridal.

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Novella’s Bridal

Hair & Makeup:  Elyssa Lee

Invitations:  Printed by RR Donnelley (I work for the print company RR Donnelley. I really enjoyed making the stationery. I bought all the paper, dark shimmer-blue envelopes, an embosser and wax stamps with our J&J initials. I had a couple friends come by and we had a party to put everything together.)

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  North Shore Entertainment

Honeymoon location:  Fiji Islands. We took a four day cruise, and then spent eight days on a small island called Qamea.

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  Rings: Skalet Jewelers ­in Old Sac Sacramento. Phenomenally high quality rings and great service. They’ve already cleaned my ring several times for free. I now consider them my jeweler for life. Both my rings and the groom’s rings were bought here.  Officiant: our Brother-in-law, Ian. He did such a perfect job of making the ceremony personable and loving. I will forever treasure the words he said. And I can’t thank my friends enough!!! My wonderful friends, Katharyn, Lauren, Kelly and Derek and Harold really made my day a success. I gave them each a list of items to check on to make sure everything was in place. The result was that I didn’t have to worry about a thing on my wedding day! Every item was in place and the day flowed like smooth silk.

First Dance Song:  “Have I Told You Lately that I love you?” by Rod Stewart

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Enjoy the planning! And try not to stress. There will always be something that is not perfect. That’s okay. There will always be someone else who’s not exactly happy about your choices. That’s OK. The choices are hard to make because, really, whichever way you go it’ll be a great day and hopefully you’ll have the time of your life!

Also, I’m sure you’ve heard it before, be sure to not to skimp on the photographer and/or a videographer. The day only lasts 24 hours, but the pictures will last forever.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Nothing. My day was fantastic. I was so incredibly happy and I wouldn’t change a thing. Even the little things that weren’t one hundred percent made the day that much more memorable.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Kight Photography.

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

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The Couple:  Amanda and Kenton Matchell

Wedding Date:  October 3, 2010

Photography by Shepard Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We met at our friend’s Super Bowl Party and we hit it off right away. Kenton surprised me with a proposal at Apple Hill. It was a beautiful fall day I will never forget.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  Saying, “I do!”

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We had our tables named after apples to represent our Apple Hill proposal. My niece was the flower girl and my nephew was the ring bearer. The guest book was a Fuji instax photo book. All of the guests could take their picture right then and put it into the book and write something special.

Ceremony and Reception Site:  Newcastle Wedding Gardens & The Red Horse Barn

Photographer:  Shepard Photography

Caterer:  Jackson Catering & Events

Cake:  Sweet Cakes by Rebecca

Flowers:  O’Shays Flowers and Antiques

Favors:  Purple kisses wrapped in organza and a tag with the saying, “Life, the gift of nature. Love, the gift of life. A kiss, the gift of love.”

Wedding Dress:  De La Rosa’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses:  I chose the color purple and wanted a satin fabric and the girls had their choice of style and brand.

Hair:  Sabrina Evans

Makeup: Elizabeth Matchell

Invitations:  We purchased the invitations at Target and did the printing ourselves.

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  DJ Huggy Patrick Hugunin

Honeymoon location:  Maui, Hawaii

First Dance Song:  “Only You Can Love Me This Way” by Keith Urban

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  I think you if you can find a venue that is all inclusive, it makes the planning and the day itself less stressful.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  No, it was a perfect day.

Photo courtesy of Shepard 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:  Katie and John Heilmann

Wedding Date:  December 31, 2010

Photography by The Goodness Photo & Design

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We met through my friend who is married to John’s cousin. Katie knew she was going to marry John after just three weeks. John proposed to Katie on the beach in Cancun at a family reunion.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  We got married on New Year’s Eve! Not only did we get to celebrate John’s birthday and the New Year, but we got to watch fireworks and start our life together surrounded by our friends and family.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We loved every single vendor. From Lisa and Geoff at the Goodness to Steve our DJ. The food at The Citizen was amazing, and our guests had a great time.

Ceremony and Reception Site:  The Citizen Hotel

Photographer:  The Goodness Photo & Design

Cake:  Freeport Bakery

Flowers:  Visual Impact Design

Favors:  New Year’s Favors from Party City

Wedding Dress:   House of Fashion

Bridesmaid Dresses:  House of Fashion

Hair:  Katie at Essentials

Makeup:  Shana Beals

Invitations:  Papyrus

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Function45

First Dance Song:  “Can I have this Dance?” from High School Musical 3.

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Be organized! And don’t sweat the small stuff. No one cares about napkins. Keep your attention on the things that matter.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Had more time to plan! We got engaged and married in six months!

Photos courtesy of The Goodness Photo & 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:  Teresa and Michael Enrico

Wedding Date:  June 25, 2010

Photography by Jacqueline Photography

Tell us a little about you and your husband:  We met while at Sacramento State.  He was studying to become an accountant and I was studying to become a teacher. Mike is my best friend, and we love being with each other. We are very active outdoors people. Snowboarding, softball, camping, hiking, wake boarding and biking are some of the things we like to do together. He is now an accountant and I’m now a teacher.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  It is too hard to pinpoint one moment. There are so many moments that were amazing. It was a wondering feeling to be finally united with my love and celebrating with our friends and family.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  The entire morning and afternoon dragged on for what seemed forever. I just couldn’t wait to get to the church and be with Mike. Getting ready and taking pictures was fun and exciting, but it was also in slow motion. After the ceremony, it felt like everything sped up to hyper speed. There was so much to do and so many people to talk with, it was like being in a whirlwind.

Ceremony Site:  St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church.  It’s a small little church with a lot of personality. Very intricate woodwork and stain glass windows.

Reception Venue:  The Sterling Hotel. A great victorian hotel, beautiful ballroom and amazing bedrooms!

Photographer:  Jacqueline Photography. She is extremely talented and versitile. She did our engagement photos, a boudoir session as a wedding present to my husband and our wedding photos. Everything she takes is amazing, and you’ll have a hard time choosing which ones you want.

Wedding Planner:  Plantium Planning. Amber is a life saver! When the Sterling had said they might close months before my wedding, she found many other locations that would have worked out perfectly. She helped plan all the details and kept me on track with what needs to be taken care each month. She knows many amazing vendors, and I could go on and on about her.

Caterer:  Hannibal’s Catering

Cake:  Village Cake Shoppe. The cake was delicious and moist. Patrick is very talented!

Flowers:  Visual Impact Design. Beautiful flowers, the girls that work here are great! They have many good ideas and are extremely helpful.

Favors:  Little boxes filled with salt water taffy in our wedding colors.

Wedding Dress:  La Soie Bridal (formerally Bella Donna Bridal).  I love my dress! It’s ivory, strapless, trumpet, with a sparkly design on the bodice which is mirrored on the train.

Bridesmaid Dressess:  Diamond Bridal Gallery.  We went to about five shops and couldn’t find anything. Here we found bridesmaids dresses that were very cute.

Hair:  Jessica from Spanish Hair Fly Garage. She has a lot of experience and did a beautiful job with my hair and many other women in my bridal party.

Makeup:  Breanna Morris of JillyBreez salon.  She does a great job of making you look gorgeous without caking on the makeup. It’s still you under all of it.

Invitations:  My wedding planner helped me pick these out, I can’t remember it’s name, but they turned out wonderfully.

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Exquisite Events and Entertainment. Sonny Gallardo is amazing and I highly recommend him. I’ve been to weddings where the DJ runs the show and it’s all about him instead of the couple. Sonny does a great job of giving individualized introductions, and has the night flow so smoothly and effortlessly. He really works with you to make sure your night is one to remember for all the right reasons.

Honeymoon location:  St. Lucia at a Sandals resort in the Southern Caribbean. It was amazing and I highly recommend an all inclusive resort for a honeymoon! After all the work that you’ve put into planning your wedding, you deserve to be spoiled and pampered

First Dance Song:  ”I Get a Kick Out of You” by Frank Sinatra.

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Make sure you taste everything you want to serve. I made the mistake of serving bruchetta thinking how could anyone screw that up, and it turned out aweful and no one ate it. Also, make sure your bartenders know how to work a keg and count bottles of wine. All my guests were sufficiently serviced, but when there is plenty of alcohol to drink and the bartender tells you they’re out, that’s not ok.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  I wouldn’t stress out as much. Everything will turn out wonderfully, and there is no reason to give yourself a heart attack about bows not being tied right or any of the other details.

Photo courtesy of Jacqueline 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:  Justine Colomb and Scott Aitken

Wedding Date:  March 26, 2011

Photography by Emily Heizer Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Scott and I met when I was in the seventh grade and he was in the eighth grade at Pleasant Valley School in our small home town of Penn Valley. We knew each other all throughout our high school days at Nevada Union High in Grass Valley. After high school, Scott and I just hit it off and fell in love. We dated for seven years before we married!

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most amazing part of our wedding was the first look, we took pictures together two hours before our wedding. I was a little hesitant at first, wanting to keep that semi-traditional, but we both agreed it would be amazing. We would get to see each other and have our special moment in private. I would never change this moment. We cried when we looked at each other and held each other…it was all so magical. After the wedding we barely saw each other so it was very much worth it.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We got married at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City where we had our Jr. Prom and Sr. Ball. This is a very special place for us!

Ceremony and Reception Site:  Miners Foundry Cultural Center

Photographer:  Emily Heizer Photography

Caterer:  Family Affair Catering

Cake:  Peace Love & Sugar

Flowers:  Fleurs Du Jour

Favors:  SJS Disc Jockey. They did our photo booth which printed out two prints — one for our scrap book and one for the guest to keep! They even personalized it with our wedding date and names and wedding colors! They were awesome.

Wedding Dress:  The Bridal Collective

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Kohl’s

Hair:  Bride’s hair by Michele Skinner from Bella Toscana Salon.  Bridesmaids’ hair by bride’s sister.

Makeup:  Patricia Neher from Bella Toscana Salon

Invitations:  Wedding Paper Divas

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  iPod

Photo Booth:  SJS Disc Jockey

Honeymoon location:  Maui, HI

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  Spray Tan by Iglo Tans

First Dance Song:  “Make you feel my love” by Adele

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  The best advice about the while day was from a close friend of mine. She told me to go into the reception room that took me a little over a year to plan, and just stand there and take it all in. She said to look at all that hard work — this is your wedding, that took all of this planning and it’s finally here. Today is your day, whatever happens now you can’t control. If something doesn’t go your way, there is nothing you can do about it now. Go with the flow.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  Our wedding was amazing and perfect. We were celebrating us and our love with all our close friends and family! It was perfect!

Photo 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!