Link to my Planning Bio: Link Text

Pro Pics

where the madness started. the view from my suite.

the boutenierres for the "lucky guy" so cute!

One of my fondest memories of the day. April revealing the bouts and bouquets. I almost cried, I was so pleased.

my Miosa Couture gown and shoes by Grace..plus something blue =o)

my other something blue, my ruffle butt panties =o)

getting dressed and sashed...

my something old... my mom's wedding bands tied to my garter. She was helping me with my jewelry.

DH's brother, our best man, delivered red roses to me, from DH.. too cute.

my bm helping me with my veil

my little girl getting pampered too.

I LOVED my bridesmaids' dresses

gotta toast the bubbly before we go!

gettin' in my Rolls and my bridal party in their cable car..

ceremony programs. That's my baby cousin handing them out at the church.

maids of honor and best man

finally, my dad walks me down the aisle

we were all in tears.. I couldn't help but giggle at how much more he was in tears =o)

sis adjusting my train

our mothers...Father said it is the ones who gave you life that must light the taper candles.. then my husband and I let my daughter light the unity candle with us.

I do and the kiss

WE DID IT!

A view of our cocktail hour from the putting green

our signature drink. watermelon mojitos with fresh pureed watermelon mmmm, everyone was super tipsy after 2! LOL =o)

crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms were some of our appetizers. We had our waiters wear our monogrammed aprons

our placecard votives. DH printed our monogram on them as a background, and there was a dragonfly cutout on some which indicated salmon. As you can see, most people opted for filet mignon! Our DOC was kind enough to make the sign for the table at the last minute and the flower arrangement and ribbons were a Petalworks touch. I love those two!

we had a wish tree as our guestbook. my DOC also made this sign for me. what a lifesaver.

reception program and card box.. (card box provided and decorated by my DOC)

the candy buffet that lasted all of but 5 minutes per my DOC ahaha.

menu shot with the napkin treatment, tall centerpiece, and low centerpiece with sofia copola pink champagne cans. that was one of my must-haves. plus our lottery ticket favors.

first dance photos

sweetheart table before I put my bouquet in the vase and view from behind sweetheart table... good arch shot.

DH surprised me with a video. I cried and laughed the whole time! our guests enjoyed it too, and it's a good room shot teehee.

mother-son dance

father-daughter dance

during my dad's speech.

CAKE!

BRIDAL PARTY SHOTS...

ALTAR PICS

the entire bridal party

my side of the family

the sponsors

my life.

VENDOR REVIEWS

ST. IGNATIUS CHURCH, SF: ceremony: (B+) Wow. this church is absolutely amazing! I loved it since the day I set foot in it! Why the B? No photographers or videographers allowed in the aisle =o( Church coordinator, a little spacey.

THE BRIDGES GOLF CLUB, SAN RAMON: reception venue: (A+) This facility has a huge room called the Garden Pavilion, with huge windows and a balcony overlooking a beautiful golf course. I fell in love with the look of this huge room because of the wrought iron chandeliers and large beams across the high ceiling. We used the fireside room and balcony just up the stairs, for our cocktail hour, which was beautiful as well. The food was good and our guests still comment on the crab cakes which was one of the appetizers passed around by the waiters. The filet mignon and the salmon is also delicious! They have several options and they also offer buffet style or "stations" as an alternative to a sit down dinner. I worked mostly with Alicia who is very quick and responsive especially through email. however, you have to take the initiative to ask ALL the questions you may have. They don't charge a fee for having rentals delivered their two days before, or having them picked up two days after. They have 2 different centerpiece options they offer at no charge as well as tons of tea light holders. They also work with you and your budget to help you find the best combinations for food/cocktails etc. I emailed Alicia a recipe for a watermelon mojito because I really wanted a signature drink. The recipe was pretty complicated and she said her bartenders could do something similar, but not quite as intricate. However, she found me as soon as I arrived to tell me that the bartenders ended up puree-ing fresh watermelon for me! Those were the best mojitos I had ever had! www.thebridgesgolf.com

MARGARET POZA L'EVENTIQUE: Day of Coordinator: (A++++) I cannot say enough about my DOC. BEST MONEY SPENT! I am so glad I made the switch from my first DOC who was a fraud and a nightmare. Margaret was my angel. First of all, Margaret did WAY more than I'd ever expect of DOC. She met with us countless times, and a lot of the time, it was her idea to meet! She wanted to show us linen swatches and she helped us finish all the details we weren't finished planning. She constantly kept in touch and emailed ideas and information to us about vendors she's found. Margaret came to my bridal suite at 7 am to make sure that I was calm and that I had a designated spot for my hair and makeup (since I had 12 bridesmaids that needed their hair and makeup done as well!) She even went to get my STARBUCKS! We joked the days before, that she wasn't going to sleep the night before my wedding. She then made sure the bridal party got onto their cable car and me into my Rolls before she headed over the the church. Towards the end of the planning stages, I got sick and she offered to finish all my DIY projects and whatever else I wanted to throw at her! I wouldn't let her do all that, but he made my coloring books for the kids, she made the signs for the place card table and wish tree table. She even provided the bird cage for the cards! Margaret then drove to San Ramon once I was down the aisle, and set up my whole reception along with my florist! My husband and i absolutely adore her and will remain friends with her forever! As an added bonus, Margaret's partner for L'eventique is Minie with Wish Flowers! Lucky for me, Minie was free the day of my wedding, therefore, she assisted Margaret in the set up of my reception! I got so lucky! They make an awesome team!

APRIL OF PETALWORKS: florist: (A++++) April is my other favorite vendor! I loved my bouquet and bridesmaids adored theirs as well. All the guests were trying to take their centerpieces home! LOL April is so down to earth and easy to talk to. We clicked right away. She also replaced a previous vendor, who wasn't open to any of my ideas. April loved that I wanted to try different things and she was excited to make my vision come to life. That was important to me. I probably changed my mind quite a few times, and she was extremely patient with me! We have similar taste, so it was so easy for us to work together. It was like hangin' out with a friend and talking about flowers! She was awesome enough to do a mock-up of my tall centerpieces and she even made me a replica of my bouquet for my aftershoot 3 weeks later!

JOHN GRIFFIN PHOTOGRAPHY: (A) We are so glad to have hired a good photographer for our wedding. We definitely don't regret spending a lot in this area. John puts so much effort and energy into each wedding he shoots. We still love looking at our photos! Also, since we really didn't get to take many photos in between the ceremony and reception, John photographed me and DH in an "aftershoot" weeks later, and those pictures are great as well. What's good about him is that he gave us high-resolution proofs on a CD, and he gave us all the negatives from our engagement session at no additional charge! If you look up Nor Cal photographers on the knot, his info will come up! www.johngriffinphotography.com

THE AMBASSADORS ROLLS : transportation for the bride and groom: (A) Scott is very kind and easy to work with. The car was just amazing, and in perfect condition! We got so much attention driving down the Embarcadero in that car! Their prices were very competitive, after doing tons of car research. The driver was friendly and their sparkling peach cider is delicious! www.theambassadorsrolls.com

MIOSA COUTURE: the dress: (A-) Michael and Sanae are the owners of Miosa Couture on J St. in Downtown Sacramento. I found them after going to tons of bridal salons and not finding what I wanted. They custom make wedding gowns and their prices start at around $2500 depending on the style you choose, the amount of fabric necessary, etc. They allowed me to design my own dress, and even found the perfect lace for me in Paris, after they didn't carry it in their store. They were happy to meet with me as often as I liked, and the dress turned out amazing. The reason for the minus? They didn't focus on the bustle as much as we knotties obsess over that! I probably should've stressed how important that was to me, so the dress ended up being a little long in the back even after bustling. Then, when I wore it during the aftershoot, one in the front came undone completely.

LUX IMAGE AGENCY: bridal make up: (A+) Jena Perry does air brush and conventional. Although I opted for conventional makeup, my MOH's both did airbrush. She did an amazing job, and I'd definitely use her all over again! I hired two MAC artists for the rest of my maids, and I have to say, Jena's work was significantly better. =o) She owns her own studio in Los Gatos and she does charge a travel fee, which was well worth it in my opinion! My best friend was in another wedding recently, and she convinced the bride to hire Jena Perry to do both hers and that bride's makeup because she liked her makeup at my wedding so much! LOL

DEBRA DIETRICH: hair stylist: (A) Debra gets her business by word of mouth, so there is no portfolio or website to see. She's also a head instructor at the Paul Mitchell School in San Francisco. I have to say that I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to my hair, and she agreed to come early for me to ensure that I agreed with the placement of each and every section of hair =o) LOL Poor Debra. I loved my hair for the ceremony, but I wore it down for the reception, because that's how I feel most comfortable.

VEILSHOP.COM: (A) My veil came fast and in perfect condition.. I even bought a detachable blusher! You can also email this site with any questions and they respond right away.

CABLE CAR CHARTERS: (A) No problems with them at all, the cable car was great and lots of fun for the bridal party!

ELLE MUSIC COMPANY: D'GROOVE BAND: (A+) The band was fantastic! Everyone loved them, and they played all night. They were a real joy to work with. They learned my first dance song 20 days before the wedding at last minute notice, and they sang it beautifully =o) They kept the dance floor packed at all times! I highly recommend this band.

AFTER HOURS FORMAL WEAR: tuxedo rentals: (D) Although I absolutely loved DH's tux and the groomsmen tuxes, their service was HORRIBLE! The only store I can give positive feedback about is the Fairfield store. All the groomsmen received the wrong tie, vest and shirt! Their policy is to come in 2 days before the wedding for the pick up and final adjustments BAD IDEA!!! All the groomsmen picked up their tuxes at different locations because everyone lives in different cities, and all of them got the wrong thing! I was FREAKIN' out! Luckily, the store in Fairfield ordered us all the correct things, however, it wasn't until about 15 minutes before the ceremony that all the groomsmen were wearing the same tie and shirt and one still had on the wrong vest! I really don't recommend them because of all the last minute stress they caused.

LUMITONE VIDEOGRAPHY: (A) So far we have recieved our "highlight montage" and we love it! (link at top of bio). The only reason we haven't recieved our actual video, is because it has taken forever for DH and I to decide on a song! Lumitone has a creative eye and is good at listening to specific shots that you want. They stay current with the latest techniques and technology. This company is fairly new and much more affordable than other videographers out there (for now!) If you tell them Karen and Curtis referred you, you'll even get a 35% discount! Oh, and they shoot in HD!

WEDDING WINDOW: (A) We got our wedding-planning website (www.karenandcurtis.com) through them. DH had fun updating the site with info, pictures, videos, etc...

The Aftershoot with John Griffin

Some pictures from our aftershoot with our photographer. He asked us to do this for him, since we didn't get to take very many shots in between the ceremony and reception on the day of. We had fun =o)

NON PRO PICS

My baby girl, not so much a baby anymore..

Ready to put the dress on...

Mimosas by Grace

Maids of Honor made up by Jena

My sister (MOH) and I in the Rolls before the ceremony.

Quick touch ups in the bride's room!

The maids

One of my twins, already cranky..We both needed to breathe!

The other twin with his lil' boutenierre.

MOH getting creative with the camera

Agh.. I'm so nervous!

My twin nieces.. yes, it runs in the family =o)

My girl.

Okay daddy, it's time.

Yay! The ceremony's over and I have my "baba"

Mommy and Daddy during recessional.

Altar Pics of course! Hope the photographer got us all in! LOL

My Entourage on their Cable Car. They looked fabulous.

Some of the Groomsmen in front of the Cable Car

Some of the Maids in the Cable Car

Flower girls in the Cable Car

Introducing...

I was singin' along with the band to my new hubby..

Mother-Son dance

Cheers!

Father-Daughter dance

My other MOH my best friend who cried the ENTIRE DAY!

One style of the BM bouquets.

A shot of the ribbon.

Our silhouette on some of the windows

Our monogram on some of the windows

A room shot before the reception

and another.

Sweetheart table and gobo shot

Menu

Table with low centerpiece

BM bouquet centerpiece.. Petalworks is THE BOMB!

After the money dance.

Flower girls havin' some fun ont>

On our Honeymoon.

French Polynesia

Air Tahiti Nui! Ready for our daylong journey!

Got leid at the airport =0P

I heart him.

View from lanai room at our first resort Intercontinental Tahiti

Our balcony there.

DH was so excited to film the view.. 2nd resort Intercontinental Moorea

Catchin' some rays

Loved the mountains all around us..

Tahitian Dancers at Tiki Village in Moorea

They pulled me out of the audience..Lucky for me I dance tahitian Hehe!

Room Service setting up our amazing breakfast on our patio.

DH's fave.. french croissants...

stingray feeding!

The resident turtles at our resort =o)

dinner at Alfredo's

The sunrise on Moorea... amazing. We jumped right out of bed every morning

Room Keys! LOL Resort #3.. The Pearl

Inside our Overwater Bungalow

Outside

on our balcony.. at sunset

The pool area at the Pearl

snorkeling under our bungalow

After my massage at the Manea Spa. (HIGHLY RECOMMEND)

I'd love to hear from you!

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