Dustin and Rina

My good friends Dustin and Rina found a beautiful space with tall white columns for their outdoor wedding...the only problem was the space behind the columns that was not so beautiful...and I'm so glad they asked me to help!  I made a few silver satin panels that hung behind the columns, but what made their ceremony over-the-top amazing was the light from the sun that peeked over the curtains just as their ceremony began...which I canNOT take credit for, but I'm so happy I had a small part in making their wedding special!

A Big Announcement for a Little Dude

Last May I became a Mommy for the first time!  "Little Dude" (as he is affectionately called) has provided my Husband and me with hours of laughter, many adventures and fun firsts!

I hate to admit it, but even before he was born I had his birth announcements designed...in my head of course.  What I failed to realize was that assembling announcements from scratch while caring for a newborn would take twice as long!  But it was so worth it...I really loved how they turned out!

Photo by Kristen Self Photography: www.kristenselfphotography.com

Those are my son's actual footprints!  I made his footprints with acrylic paint on cardstock, scanned them into my computer as jpegs and converted them to black and white to achieve the "faded" look.

Ian and Lucia

Sometimes I enjoy just doing the little details!  My good friend Lucia had a pretty good handle on planning her wedding and certainly didn't need my help!  But I did get to make her programs for her and I was so happy to be a tiny part of her special day. : )

Dustin and Rina's Mountain Engagement

I was thrilled to be asked by my friend Dustin to set the stage for his proposal to Rina.  Apparently my rose petal overload is a big hit for proposals!  I was told that he would be proposing on a hill with a pretty view...what I was NOT told was that his spot was on the top of a mountain that could only be reached by a very steep 20 minute hike...and the fact that I was 6 months pregnant did not help matters.  But I made it to the top and I'm so glad I did and that I got to be a part of their special day. : )

Roy and Cynthia

Usually only photographers get the pleasure of working with couples for both their engagement and their wedding...but I also had that opportunity with my friends Roy and Cynthia!  I was very honored to help them plan their wedding...and I had way too much fun doing it!

I made their wedding invitations from 5X7 pictures, printed vellum and ribbon.

Their ceremony was held at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita.  The stage was home to a large choir loft with lots of chairs, so I made curtains to cover them.  The white arch was the church's but I dressed it up with organza and flowers.

I made the flower balls that hung in the aisles to match the bridesmaids bouquets.

I hung their initials for a personalized touch.

Unity Candle table.

The wedding favors were different flavors of candy suckers.  Each girl in the wedding party decorated a pot and the guests grabbed a sucker from a pot on their way out.  It was a personalized touch and each pot was so cute and different! 

The beautiful Bride and Groom at their sweetheart table at the reception.
Photos by wedding photographer Charles Zablan (www.f8imaging.com).

Surprise!

My Mom and her good friend Nadine have birthdays just a few days apart.  Nadine's daughter Caitlyn and I decided that throwing them a surprise party would be the perfect way to celebrate!  We used their favorite colors: pink and purple and I cooked...and unfortunately my cooking isn't as good as my decorating and the oven started smoking five minutes before the guests arrived!  But it was a lovely day and I don't think anyone noticed...

Bachelorette at the Beach

Bachelorette parties in my world are very, uh, non-traditional.  I much prefer a girl's night in watching movies or a day at the spa...and we did both of those things at Cynthia's bachelorette weekend!

My In-laws generously allowed me to use their beach house in San Diego and I had a blast "redecorating" each room and planning our fun weekend in Cynthia's wedding colors: yellow and blue.

Part of my yellow and blue redecoration.

Had to have snacks ready for the girls when they arrived at the beach house...it was a two hour drive!

Every girl got a bag with essentials for the weekend: flip flops, a beach towel, a journal, body wash and a
Bride/Maid of Honor/Bridesmaid tank top...all yellow and blue!

We ate dinner our first night on the balcony overlooking the beach.  I had so much fun putting this table setting together and making the dessert: "Sandy" Beach Mousse in sand pails!

The centerpieces

Our tank tops!