Shoes for Thought Thursday, Champagne Shoes for the Bride

Rebecaa by Steve Madden, so pretty!

MBWEP Launch Party Wrap Up and Photobooth

Last week Monterey Bay Wedding and Event Professionals hosted their launch party. I am a founding board member and since I am the Facility Chair the events are my responsibility to organize. I want to give a few shout outs to all the amazing businesses who donated to make this party a success. The three shuttle companies who offered free shuttle service from three different locations in the two counties- Main Event Transportation, Pacific Monarch and The Santa Cruz Experience, Thank you! Guests were greeted with a professional calligrapher who made their name tag as they grabbed a glass of wine, Thank you Kari at Hansen Design for your beautiful work! Jonathan at Unlimited Events supplied us with beautiful wood kings tables for our food stations as well as benches, tables and custom cushions for our lounge area. Another big thank you to Freedom Bakery for making us two cakes and delish sugar cookies with our logo! And of course a huge thank you to the three wineries who donated and poured for us- Bernardus Winery , Boekenoogen Winery, and Joullian Vineyards. The yummy food was from founding Board Member Nancy and her Husband John of Paradise Catering and the beautiful floral was courtesy of Linda from Country Essences. The party was a huge success with over 160 event professionals in attendance. One of my favorite detail from the night was the Photobooth that Mike Steelman (of Mike Steelman Photographers) and I put together. What happens when you bring together all these amazing event vendors at the end of a long wedding season? They party!

Thanks everyone for celebrating the launch of such an important local organization. It was an Epic night.

Win a David Tutera Wedding Dress on Twitter

Starting tomorrow, Nov. 18, WE tv will be giving away one wedding dress from the David Tutera for Faviana collection to a lucky fan on Twitter. Fans can follow WE tv's Twitter feed (@WEtv) for instructions on how to enter. Here are the official rules for the contest in case you can share the info: http://bit.ly/QmEAq, no purchase necessary. Click on the link below to checkout his collection.

David's Fashion Show - Featured - WE tv Videos - WEtv.com

And why should I hire a wedding planner?

I read this blog post the other day where a Bride was saying that she didn't need a wedding planner since her reception site had a site planner. In some cases that may be a great option, but the two are not the same. Here are ten basic reasons to hire a Wedding Planner.

A Professional Planner will
~Work for the couple, not the site, to make every detail of their wedding as fabulous as they have dreamed it to be.
~Save you time and money when looking for vendors by directing you to ones that fit your style and budget, and that are professional and well qualified.
~Streamline the planning processes by helping the couple narrow down their priorities and then make a plan on how to include those in the event.
~Help organize the different vendors into a team who will together make the event fabulous.
~Communicate with your site and vendors to take care of the nitty gritty details many couples don't even know need to be taken care of.
~Take possession of all wedding day items and be responsible for their display and collection at the event.
~Act as the couples eyes and ears during the event, making sure every detail is perfect or at least perceived as perfect by the guests.
~Handle any emergencies or behind the scenes problems so everyone can continue to enjoy the event.

Of course there are many more reasons, and I could go on all day about what we do. I move furniture, sew bridesmaids back into their dresses, pick up trash, play peace keeper between Bride and Mother (or Mother in Law), take care of injured and drunk guests (always my favorite), and basically am the go to girl for every little part of the day. But most of all I have to say a good planner is worth their weight in gold in helping make the wedding planning process more enjoyable. It is not just insurance that all that money you're spending on this event is being taken care of, but it is the best gift you can give yourself and you family. Being able to truly enjoy every moment of your big day is priceless! Just remember to make sure that they are a legitimate business, i.e. insurance and licencing and some education in the field. You are trusting this person with ALL the day's details. And my last piece of advice is to make sure you really jive with your planner. We are there during some pretty intimate moments with you, so it is important you are happy we are there. Many times by wedding day my Bride's and I have become pretty close. There are many amazing and talented planners out there so do your homework and trust your instincts. Happy planning!

Wedding in the Redwoods with a train! Santa Cruz Mountain Wedding

Photos by Orbie Pullen

Loved this beautiful wedding we did at Roaring Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Lindsey, Carlos and their families were wonderful to work with. Hoping to share some of the detail pictures soon!

Photographer extraordinaire: Orbie Pullen Photography
Cake: Robin's Cake Creations
Caterer: Barbara and Company
Ceremony Music: Dancing on Strings
DJ: Santa Cruz DJ Company
Florist: Lezlie Johnson of Grand Design
Wedding/Event Planner: Heidi Hughett of Couture Celebrations

Shoes for Though Thursday, Kate Spade Love

So pretty. Oh Kate Spade, someday I will fill my closet with all your fab shoes.

MBWEP's new website

Not only did we have our MBWEP launch party last night (pictures coming, promise) but we introduced our new website. I worked with Rippke Design (Ashley you rock!) and Viola- http://www.mbwep.com/

What do you think?

photo by Mike Steelman Photography

Sasha Souza's New Book, its a must buy!

The fabulous Sasha Souza, Event Designer and Wedding Planner extraordinaire has a new book due to release just after Christmas. Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings by Design is full of real wedding event design featuring Sasha's signature- color! My good friends Alisha and Brook Todd have some of their stunning photography featured. I am a huge fan of Sasha's and feel blessed to know her personally. She is fun, strong, and impeccable when it comes to design. I can't wait to add this book to my favorites shelf in the office, though it will probably lay on my desk for inspiration! To buy a signed copy go to Sasha's site.

Fun Save the Dates

Bright and festive from Wedding Paper Divas


Love the postcard from Beyond Design on Etsy


for a destination wedding at Invitation Consultants

Love these flip save the dates from getmarried.com.

Shoes for Thought Thursday, a Couture shoe for the Bride

Valentino couture patent leather pumps, who doesn't swoon over a bow and a peep toe!