Great Finds

It's been hectic finalizing and squaring away all the July weddings, and continuing on with other upcoming weddings for the next few months. Before I headed off to Halfmoon Bay for Julia and Chris' wedding next weekend, I wanted to finalize the tablescape details for the September Marvimon wedding.

Kristine and I have been visiting many stores trying to find vintage collection items that would complement the Marvimon space. Today, I was thrilled when we were able to put together some of the items we purchased throughout the week. I won't show you the whole tablescape, but I'll give you a sneek peek of all the amazing stuff we found, all for UNDER $35 each.

Introducing Kristine's garage and this picture does not do justice! She has an amazing and TONS of collection of silverwear and party trays in her garage/ workspace. I felt like I was in a Crate and Barrel Outlet

Kristine found these rustic lanterns at Home Goods for under $30 each.

T.J Maxx: Tall skinny vases were $6- $7 each. We found those colorful votives at $5 for 8 pieces

These little guys caught my eyes when I was shopping at Pier One the other day. Succulent and cactus mini pots- 3 for $8
Its such a hassle if you "DIY" these mini pots, but considering that its $2.50 per pot, I'd say its a steal! We'll be using these for escort cards and favors for guests to take home.

I love the props that we found for the sign in table. Kristine bought a vintage airplane ($16.99) and a small vintage suitcase ($35) because the couple will be going to Greece for their honeymoon right after the wedding. I bought an "All Because Two People Fell in Love" sign ($4.99) and vintage books that you can actually open up like boxes (for under $30), which all give off the vintage feel. We found a lot of other neat stuff which aren't shown above that we can't reveal just yet, but its going to be really awesome!

These are some of the modern floral arrangements that Kristine will be making. She will be mixing and matching different elements to get the rustic, natural and organic look with a modern twist. I can't wait to put these together with our custome made runners, linens, chargers, and so much more!
Our search isn't over yet...... I'll be hitting major flea markets & looking through Craigslist to find more stuff..

Finding Contentment

Couple of days ago, one of my clients who is getting married in November text messaged me, saying she wanted to talk to me. We met up today and we instantly clicked on a personal level and ended up talking for almost two hours! We were so caught up on opening up to each other about our personal lives-our families, and our guys, that we didn’t even get to talk about wedding planning!. :) Unproductive as that time may have been work-wise, my client shared that she felt at peace & relieved just from being able to really talk. I too, felt like we established a sisterly bond. It was amazing to know that she saw me as more than a hired planner, but as a friend who can listen as well. That’s a great feeling and it is in small moments like theses that I find the biggest contentment in my career and in my life.

But to be completely honest, there are some days when I am easily discouraged or can't find contentment in my career. While this job allows me to be creative and passionate about what I love, I can’t help but find myself comparing with other wedding professionals, top notch vendors, and people who seem to appear much more accomplished than I am. Keeping up with latest trends & getting inspirations from other wedding blogs sometimes leads me to discouragements because I see how much I lack in comparison. So then I try even harder and spend even more time researching and thinking of ways to improve my company. Not that it's wrong to be constantly thinking about how to improve my company and coming up with marketing plans, but there are days when I KNOW I became overly ambitious or workaholic. My mind is scattered with NEXT to do lists, ideas, plans.. it's endless! Amidst the clutter, I lose sight of why I started this work and I am left feeling horribly empty and discouraged. There's only one thing to do when this happens. I leave all the thoughts of work behind and re-focus on why I chose this career in the first place. (Or sometimes it's my dear husband who reminds me to re-focus!)
More and more, I find that maintaining my contentment & joy is always going to be something I choose & struggle to choose. I'm sure there are lots of women who can relate with me on this topic. I am genuinely happy & thankful that I enjoy my work as much as I do and am completely satisfied that I chose this career. Dear readers, I LIVE and BREATHE wedding planning. There is not a moment that goes by when I’m not thinking about my clients, upcoming weddings, vendors, and responding to emails to get work done.

Amidst the clutter, it is my wonderful clients who bring true meaning to why I am doing this. I am so humbled and blessed that they entrust me with something as huge & important such as their wedding. They shower me with thoughtful gifts & thank-you cards after the weddings are over, telling me I was their "absolute best wedding planner that they could have asked for or dreamed of." And then.. it all clicks to me once again. I am so thankful, blessed and truly content.. Being able to share my passion.. enjoying the beauty of building wonderful relationships... I cannot complain about a single thing that has happened or that is going on right now. Then I shake off this feeling of discontentment and let joy fill my cup all over again. Then, I give a big kiss & a hug to my husband who loves me unconditionally and smile at my baby smiling back at me.
How easy it is to confuse what success is. If I don't guard my heart, I can be totally disillusioned about becoming a successful planner. I don’t want to spend my life struggling to keep up with latest trends in wedding industry. I truly believe that when I can be content in my present situation and be motivated by building wonderful relationships, the rest will follow. After all, I didn't choose this career so that I can chase after fame, reputation or success. I'm just a girl who loves to express my creativity & find joy in helping couples in their crucial moments in their lives.

Susie & Peter Tie the Knot!

Susie & Peter’s wedding images are finally out! Going through these amazing photos took me back to the night of their wedding, one of the best weddings of 2009!
Susie was the client of my dreams! Every meeting we had realized we had so much in common and we would get carried away with our conversations that we always got lost on our way to vendor meetings. :)
As I mentioned earlier, we waited one year for this wedding to finally come alive and there were so many things that happened during while our planning process. I got pregnant and gave birth, Susie moved back to LA from Bakersfield, Peter got into UCLA business school (Congrats!!!) and there was the wedding...
The key elements that drove this event included lavender, green, romantic, classic, and friendship. Susie mentioned how much they wanted to value friendship the day of their wedding. They wanted to make sure everyone was having fun and you know that does not happen with just good food and drinks. Through the well organized ceremony and reception schedule, the transitions were smooth and the night was filled with lots of high-energy and excitement huge thanks to PK from Prokreation & our awesome bartender, Deanna from 701 Cocktail Kitchen
Ushering over 320 guests and trying to fit 31 round tables at LARCG was quite a challenge, but things fell in to place perfectly. I was surprised how the Korean buffet line at the reception wasn’t crazy and hectic!
The photobooth and the taco cart were a BIG hit with the guests. I received so many compliments that night, a lot of the guests told me it was one of the best weddings that they had ever attended. I can’t take all the credit though; the night was a success because I was working with the best team of vendors.
Click here to see Susie and Peter’s wedding highlights. This is a MUST WATCH! After you see the footage, I’m sure you will feel like you attended the wedding as a guest because Taek did an awesome job capturing all the moments.










Kerim from My Wedding Blooms went above and beyond with the ceremony & reception decor. Thank you so much for making this wedding dream come true!!!




Now with some detailed shots..







The photobooth and the taco cart were a BIG hit with the guests. I received so many compliments that night, a lot of the guests told me it was one of the best weddings that they had ever attended. I can’t take all the credit though; the night was a success because I was working with the best team of vendors.

I was going through all the images and this photo instantly caught my eyes. This has be one of my favorite shots, Susie's older bro hugging her after the ceremony.... so much emotions is impressed in one photo that it almost brings tears to my eyes....

Life is truly beautiful when you're surrounded by the people you love the most...

I heart Etsy

It's official: I'm addicted to Etsy.... HELP! But there are just way too many creative ideas to incorporate for our upcoming weddings! Plus I'm supporting all the talented local artists/small business owners out there!


Collections from SarahSeven


images from 5eizen! I love her stuff!

some of the wedding clutches I found that will be perfect for bridesmaids gifts & even for yourself

I love these nostalgic photos by Bueller You can change your names too!

For all you DIY brides!! I stumbled across emililies calligraphy and she sells downloadable file of hand calligraphy and computer font. HOW COOL is this??

Sharon & Jim tie the knot

Sharon and Jim were one of the coolest, ultra hip & unique couples I’ve met. If it wasn't for this job, I probably would have never started a conversation with them, because they look too cool for me. lol! I get quite shy around cool people! :) Sharon contacted me a couple of months before her wedding to help her coordinate the pae bek ceremony. This was part of an e-mail she sent me, while we were bouncing ideas off each other, “I think the main thing I want to emphasis for the ceremony is that Jim and I want to honor our parents. The western style wedding is more about “us” and us joining together. But I want to show our appreciation to our parents during the pae bek ceremony.” The ceremony was a hit and the couple was able to show their appreciation to their parents. It was a very memorable night, I remember coming home that day feeling giggly and warm about those two love birds. Sharon and Jim had a lot of creative and artistic ideas. Their wedding was a reflection of both of their personalities and sense of style. It was such an honor to witness one of the most original and unique weddings that I’ve ever seen! Now on to some of those images that I’ve been gushing about.

She's got to be the cutest flower girl EVER! I'm already itching for #2... hopefully a girl next time! :D

Jim is an Art Director and pro-rider for a BMX company! This explains why they have their own bike named after "the bauers" pretty tight,huh!



Sharon & Jim exiting the ceremony! I'm telling you this couple is just way too cool! :)

These three shots have to be my favorite ones!








Now on their way to Smogshoppe!

They had a vintage typewriter for the guests to sign in






Can you notice the"Bauer" on the bookshelf? :)

The flower girl was Sharon's older sister's daughter and she was standing next to the pae bek table the whole time during the ceremony! It was soooo cute!

You gotta love the photo booth! Huge props to Jim & Jeff for setting these up!

Huge thanks to incredibly talented Walter Peringer for capturing their moments so beautifully. Hope everyone is having a great week during this crazy heat wave..