| About our wedding:
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~*~WE'RE MARRIED!!!~*~
All Professional Photos by Aaron Delesie
www.aarondelesie.com
Welcome to my Bio!
(Formerly known as reemavenue)
We had such a beautiful day!
Being able to celebrate our union with 400 guests (yup, 400!) was such a blessing!
We are thankful to God for His sovereignty in bringing us together,
and are EXCITED to be Husband and Wife!
Enjoy our photos!
(Some images are dark - most of them are "raw," and have not been computer-enhanced)
...Getting Ready...
 
 
 
  
  
...Details...
My earrings and "Something Blue" were both gifts from Bryan.
 
I received both months before the wedding,
but was a good girl, and didn't wear them until the big day. :o)
 
My unbelievable Haute Bride bracelet was definitely my *WOW* piece.
At the last minute, I decided to wear the Stuart Weitzman's afterall.
They were just much more comfortable than the other pair!
My Bridal Bouquet
  
My florist loved our crystal initial pins so much,
he's now going to do it for all his brides!
Bridesmaids' Bouquets
 
They were gorgeous.
Bridesmaids' Details
  
...All Ready for My Groom!...
  
  
...To the Church...
  
  
 
I love these pictures of my stunning mom!
  
  
LOL, look at the expression on my face!
I'll admit it, I was petrified!
 
...Ceremony...
 
 
 
 
  
  
..."We Did It! We're Married!...
 
  
 
Our First "Portraits" as Husband and Wife
 
 
 
 
  
...Our Awesome Wedding Party...
 
 
...Le Sigh... ;o)
 
...The Reception!...
 
  
Our cake was magnificent!
It far surpassed any expectation I had for it, and was DELICIOUS.
  
Our videographer later emailed me and said that it was one of the biggest wedding cakes he had ever seen. =P
 
Our tables were so beautiful, thanks to our fabulous centerpieces and table names!
  
Knottie MrsPresley made 42 table names for us.
Every single one of them were PERFECT.
So many people commented on how lovely they all looked. :o)
 
  
The guests played a game for the centerpieces, involving a dollar. =P
  
 
Dancing with my debonair uncle
 
Toasts!
DH's brother and Best Man gave the first speech of the night.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his speech.
(I did both. =P)
As soon as my best friend stood up to make her speech, I started tearing up.
 
 
So cute!
  
It just better have been apple juice they were downing! =P
The last speech was given by DH's best friend.
  
My mom and DH played a piano/cello duet.
Loved it!
 
  
 
  
*********
Bio last updated: August 13, 2006
DH and I are blessed to have a good friend who is amazing with a camera.
He came along to our rehearsal, as well as to the wedding,
and captured some beautiful shots.
I know some of you might be curious about whether or not he shoots weddings --
Sorry, he doesn't!
He used to, but doesn't any longer.
Photography is now just a hobby of his. :o))
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wedding pictures from our friend, Kenny:
I can't describe just how much I loved our ceremony flowers.
 
Our DIY programs that I went CRAZY making at the LAST possible second:
 
In the dressing room, before the ceremony...
 
A very close family friend came into the dressing room right before the ceremony to pray with me.
 
 
I just loved the shade of pink the girls wore! <3
 
 
Ready now! ;o)
Ceremony
We had a lovely string quartet play during the ceremony.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Signing the marriage certificate:
Silly GM after the ceremony:
 
Reception!
 
My awesome, WONDERFUL wedding coordinator, Angel Swanson, with the placecards (left).
I'm told by many that finding the cards was a nightmare.
My fault, 'cause I forgot to alphabetize them!
Whoops!
Thank goodness Angel was there to make sense of my mistake.
 
Hehe, I look so giddy. =P
 
**************
Rehearsal
Thursday, May 25, 2006
 
 
 
 
 
 
After the rehearsal, we went outside for some group photos.
 
 
While taking them, our photographer friend instructed us to act like we're dancing and having a lot of fun.
Here's what the girls came up with:
I know, nice "dancing," huh? =P
The guys were a little more enthusiastic:
Ahhh hahahahaha!!! =P
I'm *so* glad we have beautiful pictures of our rehearsal to look back on! :o)
~*~Vendor Reviews~*~
Ceremony Venue
Westminster Presbyteran Church
www.westminsterpasadena.org
B
Westminster Presbyterian is an absolutely GORGEOUS church.
The first time DH and I walked through the building, we both held our breath.
Modeled after French cathedrals in Paris,
there's definitely an "old-world," Gothic (but not spooky) ambience about it.
To this day, it is one of the most beautiful churches I've ever stepped in.
The only reason that I give this venue a "B" grade is because
I felt that the staff there had done so many weddings in the past, they were simply going through the motions.
I felt rushed (we weren't "allowed" to have a receiving line, due to time constraints)
and reasonable reqests weren't granted (I wanted to change the order of worship a little and was flatly denied).
All in all, the experience was pleasant, and the beauty of the church outweighed everything else.
Reception Venue
The Westin
A
The Westin was great!
The ballroom was beautiful, the food was good, and the service was outstanding.
The original catering manager we had worked with transferred elsewhere a month (!) before the wedding -
- I was so stressed that it'd be a disaster working with someone new so close to our date.
Her replacement turned out to be competent, friendly, and easy to work with.
I have zero complaints about The Westin, and would recommend the hotel to anyone.
Wedding Coordinator
Angel Swanson
angel@loveandsplendor.com
A
I can't even BEGIN to describe how much Angel did for our wedding!
I know it was no easy feat, coordinating a wedding for 400 guests.
- Not only did she do it without batting an eyelash, but she did it with class and style.
In the month leading up to the Big Day, Angel called and emailed regularly,
asking if I was ok, always offering to help.
She handled several uncomfortable situations (that I didn't want to deal with) with grace and poise.
She accompanied me on all the important meetings with various vendors, and was always extremely prepared,
asking every important question that I, of course, forgot.
Our wedding day moved from one "program" to the other like a well-oiled machine;
it was unbelievable how smoothly the day passed.
So many of our guests told me afterwards that they had never been to such a well-organized wedding before.
I knew it was all thanks to Angel!
She and her assistants transformed the Westin's Fountain Ballroom to an elegant Springtime Affair.
-- Each table was set up just the way I had envisioned it in my mind.
She was one of the first people to arrive on the scene, and one of the last to leave.
Angel is dedicated, extremely competent, faithful, and the most sweetest person you'll ever meet.
I can't recommend her enough!
Flowers and Chair Covers
Kerim Albanes, My Wedding Blooms
www.myweddingblooms.com
A
Kerim is a long-standing fixture on the Socal Boards, and it's so easy to see why!
The man loves, and I mean, ADORES flowers.
He lives it, breathes it, eats it... (ok, maybe he doesn't eat it!)
I just loved that he was so passionate about our wedding,
and making our venues look the way I wanted them to.
When I first laid eyes on our ceremony site, I was completely blown away by how utterly gorgeous it looked.
The bouquets were full, lush, and FRESH.
I could smell the beauty of the flowers walking down the aisle.
Our reception ballroom was a garden of vibrant, delicate orchids, roses, and hydrangeas.
Our guests applauded and whooped it up when they were told they could take the centerpieces home! =P
They had to play a game for it, though. ;o)
The chair covers were clean, high-quality, and looked great!
Kerim is a hardworking, professional, passionate artist.
I recommend him with 5-stars.
Photographer
Aaron Delesie
www.aarondelesie.om
A
Searching for a photographer was probably one of our most difficult tasks.
Bryan appreciates photography, and was very adamant about finding the perfect one for our wedding.
We must have interviewed about 11 photographers when we met Aaron.
Our initial appointment with him was like meeting an old friend.
We had never laughed or talked with, any of our other vendors the way we did with him.
--And his pictures!
My gosh, the man is a GENIUS at capturing the emotion, beauty, and the MOMENTS of a wedding day!
On the long drive back home after our meeting,
Bryan and I just instantly knew that we had found our photographer.
On the day-of, Aaron and his assistant, Jen (we loved her, too!) arrived early and went straight to work.
The camera was constantly clicking, and I just knew they were getting every important shot there was.
Aaron isn't just a great photographer -- he was massively helpful when nerves were escalating,
and said all the right things to put everyone at ease.
When my MoH couldn't put on my bracelet for me 'cause of her new acrylic nails (LOL),
Aaron valiantly stepped in and put it on for me! =P
He has a sparkling, effervescent personality that you can't help but smile to (which is awesome for pictures!)
And speaking of pictures?
I think we'll all agree that they are BEAUTIFUL!
Videographer
Young Lee
www.fireflyvideography.com
Grade Pending
Young worked SO hard on our day!
He was constantly at his camera, making sure not to miss a single special moment.
He is very polite and well-mannered, and wasn't obtrusive at all during the whole day.
I'm so excited to see what he captured -- I'm sure it'll be a joy to watch. :o)
Makeup/Hair
Joyce Luck
A
I love Joyce.
Really, I just love her!
I booked Joyce as soon as she opened up her calendar for 2006 Brides,
solely on reading other Socal Knottie reviews about her.
Thank GOODNESS I did!
Joyce, along with Angel, are two vendors that are now near and dear to my heart.
Not only is Joyce the best makeup and hair artist I've ever worked with
(and I've had my face and hair done by pros many, many times),
but she is also a true kindred spirit.
Every time we met (she did my hair and makeup for my E-pics, and we also had a trial)
it was like we've been friends for years.
We'd chat for two hours about nothing and everything,
and when those two hours were up, I'd look in the mirror,
and *gasp* it was a true transformation.
Every time.
On my wedding day, she worked meticulously and precisely, making all my (many) facial flaws go away.
My hair was exactly the way I wanted it to look,
and it stayed that way the whole 9-hour day.
She and her team worked on my whole Bridal Party as well as my mom and DH's mom,
and everyone looked drop-dead gorgeous.
I can't wait for another special event to come up, just so I could work with Joyce again!
Dress
Reem Acra "Lady"
Bridals by Lori, Atlanta GA
www.reemacra.com
www.bridalsbylori.com
A
Yes, I'm reviewing my dress! =P
Like many brides, my dress hunt became an obsession.
I tried on dresses from all over the price spectrum, but the second I tried on a Reem,
I knew it was going to be it.
Unfortunately, Reems were on the far end of the spectrum that I was trying to avoid! =P
I slept on it for many nights, but just knew that there was no use running away from my wedding dress destiny.
(Yes, I have a flair for melodrama!)
I had to have it!
I can't tell you how many times I heard over the course of our wedding day,
"Audrey, I have never seen a more gorgeous wedding dress!"
My girlfriends all carressed the fabric while cooing,
and even my guy friends said, "That is SOME dress!"
I loved and still love my dress so much!
I'm getting ready to part with it now -- it's so sad (!),
but at the same time, I'm so glad that it'll have another chance to shine on a beautiful bride. :o)
Custom Bracelet
Lindsie Jones, Haute Bride
www.hautebride.com
A
The level of service that Haute Bride brings is unmatchable.
Lindsie, the owner of Haute Bride, was extremely responsive to all my emails,
and was very patient with my many, many questions.
She's SO sweet and down to earth, every single conversation we had made me smile. :o)
The handmade bracelet itself is absolutely gorgeous, and has a sparkle that is almost hypnotizing.
A girlfriend told me that even from the back of the church (and it was a very big church!),
she could see the bracelet glimmering beautifully.
It's now been passed on to the stunning Knottie tiara76 who it'll look gorgeous on!
Wear it well, Babe! ;o)
"Fantasy" Tiara and "Small Dream" Hairsticks
Thomas Knoell
www.thomasknoell.com
A
 
Hands-down, I think Thomas Knoell is the authority on bridal headpieces.
I did a lot of comparison shopping for the perfect tiara,
and his pieces just surpassed all others, quality and beauty-wise.
My breath was stolen when I opened the box containing my tiara - I had never seen anything so exquisite.
It's one of the very few wedding items that I've decided not to sell (though I've had many inquiries).
This piece is going straight to my daughter, Lord willing I'm blessed with one. ;o)
Groom and GM Tuxes
Men's Wherehouse
www.menswherehouse.com
A
Great tuxes, good service, 'nuff said. :o)
BM Dresses
Bill Levkoff, #966
www.netbride.com
A
Netbride was great to work with!
The girls' dresses came on time, and in perfect, beautiful condition.
All my BMs looked so fabulous in their dresses - they were the hit of the party!
Invitations
Designed by Chance
www.designedbychance.com
B-
 
Firstly, our invitations were beautiful.
They were exactly what I wanted, and I was extremely pleased with the product.
Many of our guests called to tell us that this was one wedding invitation that wasn't going into the trash,
it was so pretty.
However, the reason I'm giving this vendor a B- grade is because the level of service left much to be desired.
Because I had such a large volume of invitations that needed to be made,
I placed my order fairly early.
I was promised a ship date, and paid my final balance accordingly.
The ship date came and went, with no invitations.
Again, I was promised another date, and did not receive it then, either.
This happened 3 or 4 times - I was given a ship date, and... nothing.
My emails were left unanswered throughout a very anxious week.
(At this point, we were 5 weeks to the wedding - I wanted to send them out at the 6 -week mark).
Calls were coming in everyday asking why friends and family weren't getting invitations.
I know it's not really a big deal, but at the time, it was really stressful!
4 weeks before the wedding I received an oddly curt email stating that the invitations were on their way
along with a 10% refund for the delay.
There was no explanation, nor much of an apology.
They finally arrived with an 8% (not 10%) refund.
I'm a firm believer that it's not just the product that makes a business experience a good one
- the level of service that is given is just as important.
I will say that the owner was extremely personable and friendly at the beginning of our invitations process.
It was just toward the end that I was extremely disappointed.
BUT! All was not lost, and we ended up with unique, gorgeous invations in the end. :o)
Non-Prof Photos From Our Friends' Cameras
 
So many people said that they were the prettiest BM dresses they've ever seen.
  
 
 
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