Posts Tagged ‘Sacramento Bridal Gowns’

The Couple:  Kami Burgess and Sam Cadeaux

Wedding Date:  September 4, 2011

Photography by Capture Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  A childhood friend of Kami’s was in town visiting her parents and met Sam at a church function. Something told her that Kami and Sam had to meet. Of course she presented the situation differently to each of them. She told Sam she had this cute friend and was wondering if he was up for a blind date. However, knowing Kami would turn down a blind date, she told Kami that Sam was new to the area and asked if she could show him around. After exchanging many emails, the two finally met for a picnic in Capital Park. Two and a half years later, Sam proposed under the same tree where they first met.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  Dancing through the line of our wedding party to “Beautiful Day” right after being announced and seeing all of our friends and family standing. It was amazing to see how many people love and support us.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We were married on Labor Day weekend, so we had a lot of family and friends in town a few days prior to the wedding. It was a great time to hang out, share stories, eat and really blend our families. Our wedding party didn’t really know each other before that weekend and by the end they were teasing one another, swapping numbers and had created memories of their own.

As hectic as things got closer to the wedding day, it was nice to be with friends to help calm us down and remind us of what is most important…each other. It was great to get to share our special day with people who really love and support us as individuals, as well as a couple. It was an amazing weekend.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue & Caterer & Cake:  Monte Verde Inn

Photographer:  Capture Photography

Flowers:  O’Shays Flowers

Favors:  Chocolate chip cookies made by the bride’s father

Wedding Dress:  House of Fashion

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair:  Amanda from Sleek Salon

Makeup:  Johnny Nicely

Invitations:  DIY by the bridal party. Designed by Somer Loen (friend of the bride) with calligraphy by Emily Loen (friend of the bride).

DJ:  Rich Carlson

Honeymoon location:  Whistler, Canada

First Dance Song:  “When You’ve Got a Good Thing” by Lady Antebellum

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Decide very carefully on the items that are most important to you and splurge a little. Photography, food and music were our top three most important items, and we made sure to allocate a good part of our budget for those items. Your vendors are an integral part of your day, so choose wisely. Our wedding would not have been nearly as stress-free or beautiful without the professionalism and experience of our vendors.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  I would have taken home the leftovers from my meal. The food was amazing, but with everything going on I didn’t get to finish my meal. It would have been great to have a late night snack.

Photos courtesy of Capture Photography.

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

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The Couple:  Rhea Ramsey-Lewis and Chris Reinbold

Wedding Date:  August 27, 2011

Photography by Andrea’s Images Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We met at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Chico in 2005 and have been together ever since. We live in the Sacramento area with our three dogs: Jackson, Brutus, and George. We enjoy hunting together and spending time outdoors.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The reception, just having a big ole party with our friends and family.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Just what most everyone else says…it goes by too fast!

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue:  Wilson Vineyards

Photographer:  Andrea’s Images Photography

Wedding Planner:  An Impressive Event

Caterer:  Ludy’s BBQ

Cake:  M&W Bakery

Flowers:  About 90 percent were grown by my brother — the bouquets and arrangements were done by Flowers by Annette.

Favors:  Wilson Vineyards. Wine glasses with our initials and date.

Wedding Dress:  Cocco’s Couture

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal

Hair:  Danielle Pinkston from Sinor Salon

Makeup:  Simple Serenity Spa

Invitations:  Done by a friend

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Elite DJ

Honeymoon location:  Malta, MT. Antelop Hunting Trip booked through Cabela’s.

Any other of your wedding vendor(s) you’d like to call out?  They weren’t a wedding vendor per se, but we did have to send our dogs somewhere that could be trusted so we could focus on the day and our honeymoon without worrying about their well-being. Dogwoods Resort is where they went, that place is FANTASTIC! They treat the dogs well, they aren’t cooped up in any type of cage, and best of all – they come home tired and happy.

First Dance Song:  ”She’s Really Something” by David Lee Murphy

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Keep it simple and hire a planner. It’s the marriage that ultimately counts — the wedding is just a big party for everyone to celebrate.

Photos courtesy of Andrea’s Images Photography.

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

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Hello my beautiful Real Weddings brides! Let’s imagine for a moment that you’ve already found the PERFECT wedding dress (It’s possible many of you have!). The big day arrives and you dazzle the crowd with your gorgeous gown, recording every moment in photographs. Once the glitter has settled, your amazing dress hangs on your door, staring back at you, wondering “what’s next, girl?”

Do you pack it in an airtight box and hope that your daughter will one day beg you hand it over so she can wear it down the aisle? Do you put in on a mannequin and place it prominently in you living room so all can enjoy year round (I’m kidding…I think). Or do you sell it? Yep, sell it.

Many brides are choosing to part ways with their wedding dress so another bride can enjoy the magic they did. Plus, the extra cash doesn’t hurt.

Do you have what it takes to put your dress on the auction block? Check out this great article here and let us know what you think.

Blog post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photo courtesy of Recycled Bride.

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

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The Couple:  Crystal Golightly and Noel Figueroa

Wedding Date:  May 19, 2011

Photography by White Daisy Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Noel is a native New Yorker born and raised in Brooklyn. I (Crystal) am a Bay Area girl who moved to NYC in 2004 shortly after graduating college.We met in 2005 at a local bar/restaurant in Williamsburg Brooklyn where we almost instantly knew that we’d just stumbled upon one that we’d share the rest of our lives with. After few months of dating, we very quickly moved in together and have been together ever since!

What was the most amazing part of your day?  Having all of our family and friends together in one place since we are all scattered across the country!

What else would you like to share about your big day?  One of my girls from the Bay Area and the best man found love at our wedding! They may actually have some wedding bells in their future as well.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue & Caterer:  Estate Restaurant

Photographer:  White Daisy Photography

Wedding Planner:  Kellie Whelan, who was just amazing!

Cake:  Sweetie Pies Bakery

Flowers:  The maid-of-honor, Elizabeth Fletcher, who did some amazing things with flowers that we purchased at Trader Joes, Whole Foods and a local florist. (she is also a great blogger evasaidit.com very cheeky, urban and hip!)

Favors:  DIY. An eclectic mixed “tape” CD of salsa, pop, r&b and reggae finished off with a photo of us.

Wedding Dress:  Mihca Cho, a local NYC designer

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Mori Lee (purchased from various bridal boutiques throughout the country)

Hair & Makeup:  Knotty Hair Salon

Invitations:  Wedding Paper Divas and Paper Source. I did a LOT of DIY.

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Raquel and Bolero y Más

Photo Booth:  No photo booth, but we bought some pretty disposable cameras and let everyone go wild! It was a great to develop the photos and see what every one did when we weren’t hanging out with them!

Honeymoon location:  Planning to go to the Dominican Republic this year, we’ve had a bit of a crazy year with new jobs and a puppy!

First Dance Song:  “At Last” by Etta James

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Have fun and don’t stress out. If you are true to yourself, your likes and your taste, you will have a great time. For us it was really important to keep it simple since we live in NYC and were planning this day from 3,000 miles away. I knew that I wanted a low-key intimate, yet beautiful, day so what better place then Sonoma?

When I came across The Estate and read the history of this 100-year old Victorian house I was mesmerized! I actually didn’t see the property until about three months before the wedding. Not only was the location gorgeous, but it was very convenient because we were able to buy out the restaurant which included coordination, cocktail hour, dinner and wine, and even a dessert course.

A few years back I went to a wedding where they served Champagne as the guests were entering the garden ceremony and I knew that I NEEDED that. So we served Prosecco as our guests waited for us to arrive. It turned out great because not only were we late (I forgot my veil), but also because we knew our friends were getting a little tipsy so if we happened to trip or giggle it would be okay.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  I would have liked to slow the whole thing down and enjoy every single moment. Everyone told me to take a moment look around and absorb it all — that was probably the best advice and I wish I would have done that more.

Photos courtesy of White Daisy Photography.

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

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The Couple:  Maureen and Bryan Fulkerson

Wedding Date:  August 13, 2011

Photography by Fisher Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  Bryan and I are both very active and enjoy running, rock climbing, mountain biking, camping, tennis and hiking. We gave up TV when we moved into our new home shortly after our wedding and haven’t turned back. We use the time we would be spending watching “junk reality shows” and Iron Chef America, to explore self-growth on a quest to ensure lifelong happiness. We’re big on relaxing and enjoying life!

What was the most amazing part of your day?  For me (Maureen), I loved the procession. Since we didn’t have wedding parties, our procession was just our families and it was so heartwarming and meaningful to me to have each member of my immediate family be a part of the day.

Bryan liked that we didn’t give into society’s pressures of tradition or the “cookie cutter wedding.” We did things just the way wanted to, which included him wearing a polo shirt under a seer sucker suit (which he looked amazing in). Our day was truly a representation of us.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  Bryan made part of the centerpieces for the tables! Since he didn’t have a real opportunity to meet many of my hometown friends and family (we live on the East Coast and them on the West Coast), he thought it would be a great idea to introduce him and us through stories and photos. He put together pictures and brief stories on card stock and then I decorated them with ribbon and some scrap-booking supplies. They turned out great and made for good conversation starters for our guests. The stories brought old friends and family up to speed on how Bryan and I met and shared a lot about our life together.

In addition, the same person, Donna Jones, who married us also married my mom and my step-father in 2001.

Ceremony Site & Reception Venue:  Private Residence

Photographer:  Fisher Photography

Wedding Planner:  Maureen worked with her mom, sister, Mary-Beth Fulkerson (who is married to Bryan’s brother) and Jan Fulkerson (Bryan’s mom) to plan the details. Bryan thinks he managed the whole operation. Shhh, we won’t tell him! : )

Caterer:  DIY. We made all of the food with lots of help from family and my mom’s amazing garden. The menu was made up of our favorite foods to include baked brie, bruschetta, Caesar salad, pasta salad, turkey, beef and veggie burgers. We even did a bride and groom burger — the Beefy Bride Burger and the Gobble-Gobble Groom’s Burger, each complete with their own special toppings! It definitely showed our sense of humor and creative sides. Bryan wrote out the menu on a large chalk board which was located at the front of the serving line.

Cake/Desserts:  Pleasant Valley Grill. Again, in a step towards the nontraditional, we ordered four different round specialty cakes from the Pleasant Valley Grill made by one of the owners, Christine Meyers. We used the coconut cake (a family favorite) for our cake cutting because it was the only cake the color white. My aunt made candied lemons to decorate the cake. Having four completely different cakes gave our guests lots of choices, although I heard from several people that they tried all four!

Flowers:  DIY. We ordered all of our flowers through Sam’s Club.

Favors:  DIY. Small jars of honey with a piece of cloth that matched the center-pieces and secured by a yellow ribbon. Bryan’s mom sewed the fabric pieces that went under each jar of hydrangeas for the centerpieces and cut out the swatches to be used for the honey jars.

Wedding Dress:  J.Crew

Bridesmaid Dresses:  BCBG

Hair & Makeup:  Laura Schumaker at Blondie’s Salon.

Invitations:  DIY. Bryan and Maureen used an invitation kit and a template to create and print their own invitations. Maureen wrapped each with ribbon before sending them off.

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Mountain Event Productions

Honeymoon location:  Bryan and I returned to Virginia immediately following the wedding so I could start a new job as a school counselor so the honeymoon was postponed. This summer we have a three-week road trip planned up and down the east coast which we are both really excited about.

First Dance Song:  “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray Montagne

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Try not to get caught up in creating a glamorous wedding that breaks the bank just to impress others. Do things the way you want, use your imagination, and, of course, hire a great photographer who understands your style and make sure you give them plenty of opportunity to shine — smile and keep smiling!!

Also, consider a long family-style table! We made a last minute switch (my mom’s idea) to swap out eight round tables for long rectangular tables which we shaped into a “T”. The top of the “T” was the head table. This turned out great and made for an intimate feel!

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  I wish I could have slowed down time! The day goes by so fast, try to relax and soak it all up!

Photos courtesy of Fisher Photography.

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

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!