Beckie & Patrick - 3/16/13

Seriously.  I really couldn't limit the number of photos to post for Beckie & Patrick's wedding because there were just SO many great ones!  Thanks, Rachel McCauley Photography!  B+P's wedding was held at the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.  BEAUTIFUL venue.  LOVE Love love...

Beckie designed and printed her own stationery, including her wedding programs:

 Instead of live flowers, B+P had felt flowers for bouquets, boutonnieres & corsages:

Beckie made these cute mismatched ribbon wands:

The dinner reception was held at Betty H. Reckas Cultural Center in Long Beach, CA.  The ballroom was really nice with neutral colored paint that worked perfectly well with B+P's decor.  Alright...brace yourself for some awesome photos of amazing DIY projects...

We adorned the gift table with a bunch of B+P's framed photos. Photos consisted of family members' past weddings...it was really cute and definitely added a personal touch:

As you can probably tell by now, Beckie is super crafty...she's a self acclaimed "DIY freak".  She made all the banners/signage you see in these awesome photos:

Rossmoor Pastries made B+P's super pretty cake to match their vintage book themed motif:

Can you believe Beckie made her own cake topper??  She said she went through a few trials & errors, but this one looks perfect!  SO cute!  Both B+P are major book worms which is why you see a bunch of books in their overall theme of the wedding:

 Sweetheart table in front of the fireplace with Beckie's art work displayed on the mantle:

Cute signage on the newlyweds' chairs:

 

Each place setting had a menu card which were all printed on the back of Penguin and Puffin book postcards AND a paper flower Beckie made:

Yes, Beckie also made those paper flowers on the book centerpieces...she's really amazing and so talented:

 Pretty book card box:

 Room shot...very pretty!

 Simple and pretty centerpieces were from Flower Duet:

Table numbers were made from real books and buttons that Beckie received from her grandmother...she used to play with those buttons as a child:

Another room shot:

At the bar, we had cute straws in mason jars wrapped in real pages from books!  Throughout the ballroom, we also had tealight candles in the same book page wrapped mason jars:

The cute bar menu that matches their invitations and the rest of their stationery...can't overlook those cool cocktail napkins:

Their guest sign-in...very creative:

 Escort cards doubled as mini notebook favors:

To learn more about B+P and their wedding, check out the awesome blog feature on When Geeks Wed:
http://whengeekswed.com/blog/2013/04/17/a-vintage-book-themed-wedding-with-a-geeky-twist/

Beckie & Patrick were just awesome and they totally shined on their big day!  I remember the first time Beckie reached out to me about coordinating her wedding.  I couldn't be more happy and felt extremely honored knowing she took the time to follow my blog.  I could tell from the getgo that they were going to be a sweet and laid back couple.  Much love and excitement for them as they embark on this journey together!  Congrats, Beckie & Patrick! =)

Back to Back Bridal Showers!

I had the pleasure of attending two of my girlfriends'/sorority pledge sisters' bridal showers the last couple of weekends.  Teary's bridal shower was on Saturday, May 18th at her home backyard in Long Beach, CA.  She'll be a Mrs. August next month!!!  Yay!  =)  Super excited for her and Jim!

Photography was by Vision Sweet, a company started by one of my first brides in the business - Chanthou Langslet - who happens to be Teary's older sister!  =) Check out some of her photos from the bridal shower:


Hung paper decor:

Gift table:

SUPER delicious appetizers made & arranged by Chanthou as well as Teary's close friends:

All the food was homemade!  There were quiche, mussels, smoked salmon spring rolls, fried chicken on sliced baguette bread, deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, and of course, cupcakes, cookies & pecan bars for dessert!

Their cute little mimosa bar:

Teary loves country music and her backyard had a nice rustic look, so to top it off, she gave away super cute DIY "Cowgirl Cookies" mason jar cookie mix as favors:

Then on Saturday, May 25th, I attended Van's bridal shower at her fiance's parents' home in West Covina, CA.  Van & Fred will be getting married August 31, 2013 and I've been planning their wedding since last year.  I'm super excited!

Can you believe these centerpieces were made by one of the bridesmaids, also one of our sorority pledge sisters when we were at UCLA?  Everyone said she needed to become a florist...but I think being a lawyer suits her just fine.  =p

Table full of YUMMY food made by the Maid of Honor Jamie's mom (Jamie is also a pledge sis of ours), the bride's mom and the bride's soon to be mother-in-law:

Pretty pink champagne cake with strawberry buttercream from Some Crust bakery...yummm - I want more:

Lastly, a table full of treats:  cute mugs w/homemade cookies, cake pops and of course, from the dermatologist bride herself, goodie bags w/Van approved skincare products.  She always scolds me for tanning and wanting to be darker...haha!

I had such a great time at both bridal showers and am really excited to celebrate both their weddings next month and in August.  I can't believe it's been over a decade since I met these girls.  We pledged in the sorority in 2001 and have remained friends ever since.  It's amazing and I can't wait for many more milestones to celebrate!!

Noor - Premier Event Space - Pasadena, CA

I visited Noor a few months ago and really, it's such a hidden gem!  I had no idea how close this venue was to me - in wonderful Pasadena, CA!  Jenny was the Sales Coordinator who gave me a quick tour of the venue.  It's actually 2 separate rooms, each with its own foyer & bar.  Both Noor rooms are named after the owner's nieces...very cute.

The "Ella" can accommodate about 140 seated guests:

Here's the ballroom...on the more chic side compared to their other Noor ballroom:

The bar area for Ella (love the cushiony walls!):

The patio that's connected to the Ella...great for cocktail receptions:

If you'd like to have your wedding ceremony & reception at the same location, you can definitely have the ceremony at the Noor Promenade:

This area can be completely draped around for a more private ceremony:

The other Noor venue (next to Ella) is the "Sofia", which can accommodate approximately 320 seated guests:

Here's the foyer of the Sofia...very spacious and great for cocktail reception:

The Noor Terrace would be great for cocktail reception, too, in case there's an overflow of guests from the foyer.  Great space for those that need a breath of fresh air:

Nice view of the city:

The beautiful bar area in the foyer:

The ballroom of the Sofia...elegant and classy:

In case you're interested in these great venues, they're available for all types of events...not just weddings!  Here's their contact info:

PHONE
626.793.4518

ADDRESS
Located in the Paseo Colorado on the Second Level
(next to P.F. Changs & Bodega Wine Bar)
260 East Colorado Boulevard Suite A209
Pasadena, CA 91101

EMAIL: sales@noorevents.com

Happy Belated Birthday to us!

Just the other day, I said to myself..."Oh!  Mad Love Events' 2 years is coming up!  I better remember to post something on the blog."  Of course, 2 days late, I remember that May 19th, 2013 marks our 2 years officially in business!  =p  As always, I really appreciate all of our clients, their support, reviews and referrals.  Thanks to family & friends who also support and spread the word about MLE!  Thank you to those who follow the blog!  And last, but absolutely not least, the biggest THANKS to my girls - Claire & Shasele!  Claire has been with me from the getgo when it all started May 2011 and Shasele joined the team almost a year ago!  They are wonderful ladies...talented, dedicated and just awesome!!  Last year, we had 30 total weddings from Jan-Dec.  This year, it looks like we'll be surpassing that and I couldn't do it without Claire & Shasele!!  THANK YOU THANK YOU!  *MUAH*

Happy Birthday to us!!  My wish?  Continued success...and a yummy Pink Velvet Gardenia cake from Superfine Bakery in their design below.  I can still remember how yummy this cake was at the 2012 The Cream event in Culver City.  *drool*

 

Cheers!  Ok, now I need to catch up on my wedding blog posts.  3 weddings have passed and I'm behind!  =p  Thanks again everyone!  

Jess & Cary @ The Carondelet House - 12/9/12

Jess & Cary are an awesome couple.  I met them for the first time, along with their dog and cats, at their apartment in West L.A. (oh how I miss living in WLA!).  Cary is pretty laid back and Jess is a total worry wart...and she knows this!  Haha!  But don't get me wrong...she's totally NOT a bridezilla.  She's just always making sure things are good and that she's not inconveniencing others, or making sure everything is okay for everyone else.  She's sweet like that!  And she's just like her sweet mom!  =)

J+C's wedding was held at the Carondelet House in DTLA - a very popular venue with a rustic feel.  The venue is so nice on its own, it doesn't need much adornment, which is why Jess decided on minimal flowers and lots of candles.  

The venue never had ceremonies facing the courtyard before, so we decided to make it their first!  =)  It worked out well and looked BEAUTIFUL.  Parents of the bride & groom all sat in the courtyard around the chuppah.  They even had their dog, Jersey, walk down the aisle with Cary.  Isn't he cute??

Here's a picture of Jess' pretty bouquet from Westwood Flower Garden:

Chuppah:

Pronounced as husband and wife...Cary kisses the beautiful bride!

Cary made the seating chart...very cool:

Bride chair sign (Cary had a Groom sign, too):

Jess fell in love with the dinnerware from Baker Party Rentals in OC so they got all their rentals there, including the tall 7 branch vintage candelabras we placed at the long tables:

Cary designed their place cards and menu cards, which was consistent with their wedding invitations:

Here's a pic of the ceremony room transformed to the dinner room:

Some clients don't like the house's bust vase, but Cary thought it was cool and so did I:

You can't tell so well in the picture below, but Jess chose the "silver elegance" line of dinnerware...the plates were just SO gorgeous with its silver design, she HAD to have them (no other rental company in L.A. had them):

Salud to the newlyweds!  Well, wedded for about 4.5 months now, but still very new! Haha!

Many thanks to the following vendors I didn't already mention:

Cake:  LarkCake Shop

Catering (one of their fave restaurants to go to):  ANIMAL Restaurant

DJ/MC:  John “DJ Aristocat”, Scratch Weddings

Entertainer:  L’Amour Romero “Prince”

Centerpiece Florals:  Sherra Swailes, Friend

Hair & Makeup: Janet Miranda, Be.NYLA

Musician (ceremony):  Aunt Ellen, Harpist 

Musician (cocktail reception):  Marc Bosserman, Pianist

Officiant:  Rabbi Barry Tuchman

Parking: Athena Parking on Carondelet

Photobooth:  What the Fun?! Photobooth

Photographer:  Isaac Sterling, Isaac Sterling Photography