Baby Noah turns ONE!

I know it's almost April, but this is my first post of the year so I'm still going to say it…, '”Happy New Year, Everyone!!!”

In between the diaper changes, emails, meetings with clients and vendors for this year, I almost forgot that I had a blog!  I was kind of scared to go back to it because I had been avoiding it for so long! ;)  BUT I'm finally on Instagram so if you want to follow our recent work, please look for me @ EstherKim_Mybridestory. 

I'm so sad that he's growing up too fast but there's so much deep appreciation and gratitude as I write this. Our little guy, Noah, turned one last weekend! CRAZY, right?!  Noah was born March 23, 2012 and he has completely changed my perspective about life, motherhood, and priorities so much more than when my first son, Grant, was born. This little guy has taught me, as a mother, to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy cuddling with him and watching him grow, something that I felt like I missed with my 1st son; I was always so worried and caught up with what I should be doing next.  

We thought instead of throwing a dohl, a first year birthday party, we thought it was better to wait till he can remember and join in on the fun.

I STILL get emails about my son's 'Curious Grant' birthday party (I still can't believe this was 3 years ago!) But this time around, we wanted to sponsor 3 kids who share the same birth date as our son. With that in mind, we turned to World Vision. Contributing only $35 per a month, we are providing children in need with access to life saving basics like clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, education, and more! It brings me great joy to know that a little donation can go a long way. I hope later on, our boys will remember that giving is way cooler and meaningful than receiving.

 Guess someone wasn't too happy about turning one! He didn't even want to eat the cake! LOL or maybe he wanted to have a real birthday party like his bro. ;) 

I know it's been a while since you heard from me but I promise I will be back on blogging from now on! ;) Have a great week everyone!

Elaine and George Tie The Knot (Part 2)

Hope you enjoyed the first part of Elaine & George's summer wedding!  Now onto some sweet reception details..

During the last 10 months of planning, Elaine and I clicked in every way... She was so talented at executing *our* vision. While I mostly took care of the overall decor, room layout and all the different rentals, Elaine took care of all the fun little details.  Did you know she made all the paper goods including the programs, table numbers, menu cards, welcome sign, and giant paper flowers?? George even helped make the giant 'LOVE' signs for the sweetheart table while a few of her good friends made the custom pillows, sweetheart chair sign, card box and basically everything else crafty! It really felt like Elaine and George had been thoughtfully planning for their big day since they started dating and I was just honored to be included in their special day.
Without further ado, enjoy these lovely photos by Yvonne Wong.

I wanted the ballroom to look elegant, feminine, classy with a cute, whimsical touch that reflected Elaine's taste & personality... To match Elaine’s bubbliness, we brought in some fun elements that really broke the traditional ballroom look. With long white lacquered tables, rose pink custom cushions, high gloss dance floor, and white leather lounge benches.. the ballroom couldn't have looked more lovely.

Janet from Bloompia went above and beyond!!! she executed our vision so perfectly!! 

For the grand entrance, the bridal party did a little choreographed dance to 'Marry Me' from Glee which turned out super adorable! 

 the sweet heart table set up was a labor of love but loved how everything turned out! 

Little Yorkie takes the spotlight again! :)

gotta love technology! skyping w/ family members who couldn't make it out that day

George even ordered a huge bottle of wine for guests to sign in & write well wishes.. 

Friends and family lit up the dance floor with customized LED form sticks and glowing ice cubes as they danced their night away...

Hope you all enjoyed their wedding as much as we did! Leaving you with two of my favorite images
from their day.. xoxo, Esther

p.s If any of you are interested in all the paper goods Elaine made, please feel free to email me! She may be able to reproduce them again for your big day! :)

Elaine & George Tie The Knot (Part I)

Oh, where to begin with this wedding.
Elaine and George:  Having briefly met during their freshmen orientation at MIT and parting ways shortly after, neither George nor Elaine would have ever imagined that 11 years down the road, they would once again find each other. On a magical night in San Francisco in 2010, George and Elaine found themselves at the right place, right time, reconnecting. After 197 flights between SF and LA, their future as Mr. and Mrs. Lee awaited them.

Elaine came to me soon after she had booked the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel.  The Ritz Carlton provided an elegant and classy yet traditional backdrop but she wanted the wedding without too much sparkle of the glitz and glamour. Because she is so talented at crafting and is drawn to some of the more quirky and creative aesthetic, I jumped on board to help create a ballroom wedding that would match her cheerful, sweet personality.

Because there are way too many photos I want to share (trust me, it was hard enough to narrow down the photos just for this post), I've decided to break up this wedding posting into two parts. Today, I’m sharing photos of the couple, the ceremony & cocktail hour and  I'll be back with the reception images tomorrow!  Here are some sweet, dreamy photos from the one and only, Yvonne Wong.  She blew me away with her talent... She's based in Seattle but is available for travel.

 

St. Regis provided such a gorgeous backdrop for the couple's first look! 

Elaine and George really wanted guests to have fun during cocktail hour so we brought in a gelato ice cream cart and life sized cut outs of the couple for everyone to pose with. They even customized their own croquet set for their friends and family to play on the lawn as they watched the summer sun set in the background. To top things off, each guest had their own escort flower to pin in their hair or to accompany their suits to match the color scheme of the wedding.

And of course, I HAD to give one to George's brother's Yorkie. ;)