it’s time for another wedding feature! i am so delighted to share this lovely event with you today, as it was an early favorite for 2009. julia contacted me with a vision for a fresh, chic, spring-inspired affair that reflected a love for literature. we discussed a citrus + gray palette that had me absolutely smitten. when you pair poppy sorbet colors with cool, calm slate gray, you get magic! pure white was the perfect addition for a neutral accent. the final result? a refreshing, cheerful, and altogether sweet scene that made me (literally) squeal with joy.

in addition to our yummy fruit-inspired colors (think grapefruit, raspberry, lemon, tangerine…), we decided to play up the charm by integrating playful, vintage-feeling décor. think eclectic bookshop meets saccharine-sweet nostalgic candy shop. vases were mostly distressed mercury glass, while vintage books and galvanized metals were featured throughout the wedding. in a flash of brilliance, kristin of the treasured petal put together unique hurricane vases (for candles) by wrapping glass cylinders with pages torn from favorite books, printed on semi-opaque vellum. take a peek at the outcome of our planning, as captured by the fabulous mike & emi of evoke photography. i looove working with these two, as they always deliver gorgeous portraits and detail shots that are classic with a fresh edge. plus they are sooo much fun! xo

meet the darling couple: julia & james! things we have in common: lovers of literature, great indie music, converse and france!

julia’s lush and textural bouquet included lots of “petally” florals like peonies, ranunculus, sweet peas and anemones. ultra romantic

the bridesmaids carried these bright & cheery posies — some of my favorite bridesmaids’ bouquets of all time. don’t they just make you smile?? i spy roses, anemones, tulips, dusty miller and one of my favorites… craspedia (aka billy balls).

adoooore this pic!! the splashy colors of the bouquets are perfect complements to the steely gray dresses, and the bms are all wearing such precious sherbet-hued shoes!! swoooooning over this well-heeled bridal party

the groom & his guys, looking quite dapper themselves!

i love the feel of this bridal party photo — so much joy & ease.

a quiet moment before the ceremony @ the stunning westminster presbyterian church in pasadena.

the escort cards!! i love love loved the display we put together using galvanized metal trays (squares and circles). i filled the trays with sour watermelon candies in the perfect shade of pink. simple tent cards were nestled in the trays for a charming presentation, and kristin added a collection of sweet & simple arrangements amongst more of our beloved antique books.

here’s a look at one of the guest tables. i adored the shimmery coral napkins and the box of paulette macarons (some of my very favorites!) at each placesetting. did you notice that the tables were named after favorite authors??

a look at a stack of green books on the sweetheart table. in my quest for the perfect antique books, i sought out volumes with especially beautiful spines, bound in spring-time colors. i hit the jackpot and even scored a few treasures for myself, including some classics printed in the 30’s and 40’s!

the stunning cake table! this may be my favorite cake display of all time. how perfect are those encyclopedias as a last-minute cake stand?

and here’s a shot of the room, all set with white chiavaris (which i adore for springtime events).

julia & james were your typical, extraordinary l&s clients. they’re intelligent, stylish, and most of all… in love with one another! i had such a fabulous time working with them both and am thankful i’ve already had the chance to see julia since the wedding. we share another love: rebecca minkoff handbags! so, naturally, we had to go to the sample sale together. julia also brought me my FAVORITE tea from her honeymoon in paris (mariage frères); sooo thoughtful! can’t wait to connect again soon over lunch!

many thanks to the lovely vendor team, who helped ensure a flawless day:

• the westin pasadena (i LOVE their staff, including my dear friends tracy & kathy)
• my dear friends michael & emi of evoke photography
• the sweet isabel gonzalez of isabel gonzalez videography
• my favorite florist and treasured friend, kristin of the treasured petal
• elegant designs specialty linens for linens and chiavaris
• my favorite DJs — ian and tony of red shoe la (we always have wayyyy too much fun working together! adore these boys!)
• rainbow sound & lighting
• paulette macarons for the delicate, elegant favors
• red cheese photobooths

i hope you’re all enjoying the gorgeous weather these days! i have taken up running (i know — who would’ve thought??) and derive a lot of joy just jogging in the sunshine, beneath brilliantly blue skies. enjoy the week — and happy early 4th of july!

xoxo, angel

dear readers — i am soo thrilled to finally share this wedding with you! i first met amanda in sherman oaks and it was love at first consult… seriously! within minutes of sitting down together, we were both going a mile a minute with ideas and inspirations for her fabulous wedding day. amanda’s initial hope was to integrate both her Chinese heritage as well as Stephen’s Jewish traditions. amanda also converted to Judaism before the wedding, making the day extra-special. the vision for her “Chewish Extravaganza” (amanda coined the term! lol) evolved and was refined over time, and the result was a luxurious Chinoiserie-inspired celebration. blush pink and shades of purple (including aubergine and amethyst) were accented by cool silver, and florals were lush, somewhat “wild” and organic in composition. whimsical elements like cocktail arrangements nestled in bamboo steamers and Chinese tea sets combined the traditional with the non-traditional. at every turn, amanda wanted to make her wedding to stephen highly personalized, detailed, and fab to the nth degree!! after all, they had spent 15 (yep, FIFTEEN!!) years together before tying the knot and that alone is reason for a serious amount of festivity!

some of you may recognize amanda below.. YES, she is mrs. hot cocoa (or ‘haute cocoa,’ lol) of weddingbee fame. she was my third (!) bee bride and it was an absolute delight working with her. now enjoy this gorgeous look at her day, with many thanks to luna photo (could mike and paula be any cooler??) and della chen (the sweetest!!) for their stunning images:

i looove this ethereal portrait of the couple! we’ve got a JD/PhD bride, and an MD/MBA groom. did i mention that stephen COMPOSED all of the ceremony music himself?? brilliant, stylish, fabulous people — these are my clients!!

the stunning & romantic huppah, flanked with cherry blossom branches and topped with a family heirloom tallit.

before the sunset ceremony began, guests were encouraged to write notes and best wishes for the couple, and attach them to the huppah. in that sense, the couple was surrounded by these wonderful words as they were ushered into marriage.

two lovely shots of the ceremony. i loved the delicate chinese lanterns floating overhead…

gorgeous bouquets! i loved the sweet, antique-feeling dusty miller in amanda’s bouquet, and the mono-floral bouquets carried by the bridesmaids. can you name all the flowers carried by the bms??

some lovely details! first — the table numbers were exquisite paper-cut pieces of art… each hand-cut in accordance with the art form! (amanda clued me in that papercutting has a history in both the Chinese and Jewish cultures; fancy that!) they were simply displayed in acrylic frames to highlight their intricate detailing. the dinner menus were carefully gocco’d by the bride herself.

i loved the loose & textural feel of the florals. these low arrangements were bursting with color and felt very garden-inspired.

how exquisite are these tall centerpieces?! i love the dramatic height of the cherry blossoms, anchored by a collar of hydrangea in these tall glass cylinders. the chinoiserie-inspired fabric cuff at the top, along with the scrumptious (and altogether delightful!) addition of pears and plums in the base, took them over the top.

and here’s a little room shot — during set-up if you weren’t convinced before, i hope you are now thoroughly assured that lighting delivers quite a bang for your buck!

i could share dozens more from this event, but i hope you enjoyed this little taste of this beautiful wedding!!

to my dearest amanda & stephen: i love you two TO.THE.MOON. it was a true joy and pleasure working with you both. collaborating with amanda was a creative dream and i was sooo excited with how everything turned out. above all, you two really made me feel like a part of the family and i was blessed & encouraged by the tender, supportive, truly precious relationship you share. hope to see you both on your next trip out here… or on my next trip to boston! xoxo!!

many thanks to the following vendors who were on board that day:

• ritz carlton marina del rey (special thanks to sommer g. in catering, who was such a pleasure!)
• photography by luna photo and della chen
• studio west videography
• kate baker florals (thank you, kate, for always delivering above and beyond!! always adore your work!)
• rainbow lighting
• bruce garnitz band (they brought the house down, and do killer springsteen covers!!)

hope you all are having an exceptional week!! in the works: a fun fab finds post, a vendor highlight and MANY more unique, one-of-a-kind, dripping-with-detail weddings!! love you all for reading & commenting! xoxo, angel

hey lovely readers!! i hope your week has been splendid so far! i started mine off in palm springs and have to say i am enjoying an especially inspiring, productive, joy-filled week myself!

this weekend i was very excited for my asSIStant, anna, to debut her skills as a lead coordinator on her first wedding without me. all reports back (including the SWEETEST 1 a.m. vmail from the clients themselves!!!) say anna performed beautifully, as i knew she would! yay! i’m so excited for the new possibilities that open up for us with this development. 

anyway, i am eagerly awaiting the teaser photos of their wedding from the FAB photog duo, amelia & justin lyon.  for now, here is a sweet look at some of my favorites from their engagement session. aren’t they the cutest couple?? n&e ooze love and i was constantly inspired by their tender interactions throughout the planning process. i can’t wait until they return from their honeymoon so we can debrief over dinner. <3 xoxo, n&e! love you two to the moon!!!

this one is my absolute favorite. pure, pure joy.

lots more to come! xoxo, angel

helloooo everyone! can it be? is it really june already?? may was an absolute whirlwind as i had 4 weddings in 5 weeks. considering that i only take on 20-25 weddings a year MAX, that is a pretty intense month! whenever i get busy, the blog is the first thing to take a back seat. so, i apologize to all of my loyal readers for leaving you hanging! i assure you i have a TON of eye candy in the queue for you, so stick with me! tonight i wanted to give you all a sneak peek at a fab wedding i did last month at the ultra-hip 7 degrees.

i had the pleasure of working with the stylish marie (fun fact: we went to the same high school!) long distance on this wedding. she knew from the outset that she wanted to have a sleek & modern wedding that oozed individuality. i can’t think of a better location for the modern bride than 7 degrees! the venue is equipped with incredible audio/visual and multimedia capabilities that allow for spectacular lighting and fun tech effects. marie decided on a clean and fresh palette of grass green, turquoise, and eggplant purple. our recurring design elements were peacock feathers, brushed aluminum and apples! one of my favorite décor pieces were these granny smith apples. we left some au naturel, and spray painted (yes… spray painted!!) the rest in shades of rich purple and caribbean blue. i was ecstatic that marie was on board for my “painted apples” idea. i firmly believe that one of the keys to my success has been the trust my clients put in me & my (sometimes wacky) ideas!

without further ado, here is a sneak peek at the set-up! wait til you see the AMAZING pro pics from travis hoehne. the teasers he displayed @ the reception were insannnnne… and marie has to be one of the most stylish brides EVER. you will die over her DIY ruffle bolero!! ahhhh!!!

loving the purple + turquoise lighting!

long banquet tables were draped in crisp white satin linens. a punch of color came in with the turquoise napkins, topped with a menu + single peacock plume. lining the tables were silver troughs of wheatgrass, dotted with white dendrobium orchids, interspersed with mini silver vases with more feathers!

another view of the tables. my beloved apples were placed along the length of the tables as well!

feathery favor box table! these kraft boxes were the perfect size for cupcakes…

ta-da!! one of my favorite dessert set-ups EVER. carrot & red velvet cupcakes lined the table and were perched atop clear towers of glass! each cylinder was filled with a fun, whimsical design element: peacock feathers, painted apples, orchids, or my favorite…cotton candy!!! deeeevine!

awww! a pic of me & my asSIStant anna awkward self-portraits are the best!

hope you enjoyed that little taste of marie’s fab wedding! much, much more to come!

to cap off this post, here are 5 random facts:

• one of my dear clients, n, gave me a fabulous fuschia leather clutch at her wedding last weekend! yes, she actually brought a WRAPPED gift for me to her own wedding! she pulled me aside at the end of the night to give it to me; i was so beyond touched! it is the perfect size for date nights, and i’ve already taken it out for one! she also sent me an anthropologie gift card in the mail, which i received today! xo, n!!! (do my clients spoil me or what??)
• erik and i booked a summertime vacation for next month (july). cannot wait for tropical sunshine & snorkeling!
• i am still loving the bangs, but am contemplating a major hair chop at the end of the summer. to bob, or not to bob??
• anna is coordinating her first wedding without me this weekend! one of our very favorite couples, n&e, is getting married! i am really sad to miss it, but am delighted that anna is getting a chance to flex her skills and rock their wedding! although anna and i really love working together (and coordinating our outfits…lol), this may open up some doors for taking on more events individually down the line… exciting!
• last but not least, junebug weddings launched their AMAZING list of socal vendors last week! you must head on over to take a peek at the smashing folks they rounded up for their list of the industry’s best. i am so honored to be a part of their list of 10 wedding consultants, among respected industry peers and very dear friends. thank you, junebug! i know your list will be a great resource for soCal brides! <3

hope you all have a lovely, productive, joy-filled week! xoxo, angel

saturday’s wedding was another beautiful, joy-filled celebration. i’m excited to share a little sneak peek with you all.

the event took place at the elegant four seasons los angeles at beverly hills. the property has a lovely garden setting for the ceremony, and one of the most well-appointed, neutral ballrooms you will find in southern california. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve gone into a luxury hotel ballroom only to find a hideously patterned bright blue or hunter green carpet. bleh!! the four seasons beverly hills has a ballroom done up in elegant shades of champagne and blush, with lovely light fixtures and a very unoffensive carpet. beyond all of that, the food is phenomenal and the service top-notch. i had the most FABULOUS experience working with catering manager pete alles. he is absolutely one of my favorite venue coordinators EVER. pete was always upbeat, resourceful, helpful and fun! he took excellent care of my couple *and* the vendors. if you’re looking for an amazing spot for your wedding, i highly recommend the four seasons!!

anna & i started our day early (LOVE doing this) at the hotel so we could enjoy a more leisurely lunch. pete treated us to lunch at windows lounge — a delish restaurant at the hotel.

adorable anna with her requisite unsweetened iced tea.

we started out with calamari. if it’s on the menu, we’re gonna order it.

i ordered kobe beef sliders (medium) with fries. the burgers were perfect, with tender caramelized onions. the fries were a bit overdone for my taste, but adorable in their perfect square-ness.

anna ordered the crab-crusted halibut with spinach mashers (yummm) and asparagus. scrumptious!

our sweet waiter, fausto, walked by with one of these and said he thought we needed one. he was right. haha baby banana split & gelato sampler. YUM.

good coffee always rounds out a great meal. pinkies out!! anna and i got a kick out of the individual carafes we received, cozied up in fun fabric sleeves.

after our decadent lunch (thanks again, pete!), we put some finishing touches on the set-up and got ready for a flawless event!

the ceremony was done up in pure creams, whites and blush tones. florals by the ever-fabulous kate baker.

paparazzi-style shot during the ceremony.

i LOVE the stunning orchid display the hotel has in the ballroom foyer. dramatic and timeless. you already know phalaenopsis orchids are a fave of mine..

escort card table & a sweet manzanita branch arrangement. it’s one of kate’s signatures and i think she does some of the best manzanita work out there.

one of the tall centerpieces. pardon our mess in the background; we were still setting up. i spy lots of black magic & fuschia roses, antique hydrangea, and lime and pink cymbidium orchids.

the low centerpiece option, lushly packed into an antique silver urn.

the cake was made in-house by the four seasons pastry chef. delish!

now i get to share some GORGEOUS pro teasers from saturday’s second shooter, andrew lin. many thanks to him for sending these over!

the gorgeous couple. nancy’s hair and makeup was by one of my favorite vendors ever, sherry mcanelly of on location beauty. her work is flawless every time.

aren’t they perfect together?? the first words anna said to me after meeting nancy were, “ohmygosh she is soooo beautiful!” couldn’t agree more!

i love these striking b&w shots of the ceremony. nancy’s dad was such a sweetheart and his toast at the reception brought tears to my eyes.

husband and wife! check out the stunning arch created by kate.

the couple with the bridesmaids. i loved their sleek platinum-colored dresses and ruby red bouquets!

a peek into the stunning ballroom…

left: grand entrance! right: the couple during a dinner game. i made these fun signs that said “him,” “her,” and “me!” their dj (the wonderful brady of propsFX) asked them various questions and asked them to reveal their answers to the crowd. questions included things like, “who’s the better dancer?” and “who sometimes forgets to brush their teeth?” it was absolutely hilarious and a total crowd-pleaser.

much more to come in a month or so, when i receive some teasers from the official photographer, josef isayo.

i had a wonderful week, filled with meetings, mockups and projects galore. i also have this saturday off before 3 weddings in a row. i’m looking forward to a little r&r before monday. definitely on my to-do list: in-n-out, the new star trek movie (unashamed nerd here!) and my first massage of the wedding season. a little bit of pampering goes a looong way!

have a fabulous weekend, readers! xoxo, angel

april showers bring may flowers, right? well we aren’t getting much rain here in sunny soCal (and that’s the way i like it!), but i can tell you that in terms of my “busy-ness,” it is POURING over here at L&S! i’ve been running around trying to stay dry in the downpour… readily armed with my too-cute lulu guinness umbrella, of course! i am so thankful for my job & my clients, especially in the current economic climate. but i am simultaneously sorry to not have as much time as i’d like to devote to my blog. i thought i’d FINALLY set aside a little time to play catch up here. here are some fun “general” fab finds that have brought me inspiration & joy as of late. they are more like random tidbits than fab finds, but i hope you enjoy! TONS of wedding posts in the queue, so know that your patience will be rewarded shortly!

1) THE one and only tarina tarantino posted a “tweet” linking to my blog!! yessss, you read that correctly. if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will recall that i am a major tarina devotee. well i guess somehow tarina came across the blog post i wrote about her delightful jewelry and she posted a link to it on her twitter account!! here is a screen shot, courtesy of my darling client J, who emailed me to let me know!

the top post is a link to THIS POST!

as you can imagine, i was giddy about the mention. i plan on marching into tarina tarantino’s flagship boutique later this week and seeing if i can leave a biz card for tarina. i’m pretty sure we’d be best friends forever if we met. seriously.

2) i saw weddingbee’s fabulous miss hot cocoa become a mrs.! yep, it is true. i had my 3rd “bee” bride last month and was soooo overwhelmed with joy and delight as she married her love of 15+ years! amazing. i cannot wait to share all of the utterly fab details with you. for now, here is a photo of mrs. h.c. and i at her posh rehearsal dinner at wolfgang puck’s chinois on main. they did a buyout on a friday night — sweetness!

for the interested fashionistas… my top is nanette lepore and mrs. h.c. is wearing badgley mischka. we are complete fashion twins and initially bonded over a mutual love for anthropologie. love this girl to the moon!!!

3) i cut blunt bangs! if you couldn’t already tell from the photo above… i decided to cut blunt bangs about a month ago. i actually had bangs all my life up until age 16 when i decided to go “crazy” my senior year of HS and grow them out. haha i remember being sooo nervous to grow them out! well i finally returned to my fringed hairstyle and have to say i love it. my fabulous salon gives free bang trims so i am there every 10 days or so. my hair grows like a weed!! bumble & bumble ’straight’ is my magic product for smooth, frizz free bangs. here is a recent pic of me, my new bangs, and my kristin (of the treasured petal):

i’m wearing an anthropologie headband, urban outfitters vest (which i will admit, is slightly ridiculous… haha), and betsey johnson dress. kristin teased me that day for “wearing everything in my closet at once,” (you can’t see my leggings & riding boots…) but i know she loves me and my quirky style nonetheless.

4) i scored some fantastic summery shades of nail polish… i absolutely love doing my own nails. it is a huge stress reliever for me, and i enjoy taking my time to make them perfect. i’d say i do my nails about once a week and i frequently joke around and say that if i wasn’t a wedding planner, i’d make a pretty great manicurist. haha i exclusively use OPI polishes after being positively freaked by the cancer warning re: essie polishes at my local ulta. i mean, seriously?? anyway, i recently picked up some great hues including ’shootout at the OK coral’ (a perfect shimmery summer-time coral), ‘lincoln park at midnight’ (a shimmery deep purple… kinda scared of dark polish but am hoping to push my comfort zone), and ‘on collins avenue’ (a fun orange/red shade).

on collins avenue…

5) i booked an EXTRA special wedding that i can’t really talk about yet. no guesses, please. i promise i’ll share when the time is right! of course all of my clients are precious to me, but this one is a bit different.. and you’ll soon see why. thanking God for all the amazing opportunities He brings my way!

hope you all are having a delightful week so far! i have an elegant wedding this Saturday for a darling couple. black, white, platinum and pink! it is going to be insanely beautiful and dripping with details. cannot wait…

enjoy the rest of your week! xoxo, angel

hellooo, lovely readers! i am back from an unexpected hiatus. due to some technical issues with my blog, i wasn’t able to post for the past week or so. to apologize for the blog drought, i have returned with a photo-heavy recap of a fabulous wedding i did at the end of 2008. i hope it satisfies your desire for eye candy this friday!!

i met tran and peter @ a local coffee bean (mmm! english breakfast tea lattes are my favorite!) and we clicked right away! (you know the story, right? girl meets coordinator, coordinator and girl fall mutually in adoration with each other…) tran envisioned a joyful, unique wedding day filled with bright and cheerful colors and florals. her style keywords included modern, creative, and happy. instead of embracing a rigid color palette, we went for a delicious mix of tropical fruit colors. lime & grass greens were mixed with shades of fuschia, lemon yellow and tangerine. i think the overall look & feel of the day perfectly aligned with tran’s initial vision. we enlisted some fab vendors and had a beautiful day!! here’s a glimpse at what transpired, thanks to two of my FAVORITE people (and photographers!!) on the planet, nate & jac kaiser of the image is found:

the beautiful couple, framed by towering cypress trees!

the blushing bride wore an absolutely gorgeous blush-hued liancarlo gown. her mega bouquet, carefully crafted by my dearest kristin of the treasured petal, included crisp cymbidium orchids and fluffy peonies + ranunculus.

i couldn’t resist posting all of these INSANELY GORGEOUS portraits of the couple. nate + jac blew me away with their genius talent in capturing this wedding. if i were tran & peter, i would be wallpapering my home with these stunning images!!

i love this photo of the bridal party, framed by the two skinny trees.

the couple’s trusty yorkie, ocho, was the dapper ringbearer. here he strikes a thoughtful pose for the camera.

one of my favorite shots of the day: this joyful capture of tran and her bridesmaids! i love that the girls carried unique, monochromatic bouquets. they coordinated perfectly without being too matchy matchy. and how amazing are their flowy gray dresses?? it was one of my all-time favorite bridesmaid dresses.

the soothing scene for the ceremony. while most diamond bar center weddings take place on a non-descript lawn (not pictured), we opted for a more unique layout in the zen garden. we had seating dispersed among the tiered levels of the garden, following the length of a modern “river” fountain.

the “altar” was flanked by two sleek plexiglass columns topped with manzanita arrangements. kristin provided dozens of these whimsical hurricanes to line the aisle. each was wrapped in a different (yet coordinating) patterned paper. she also filled some vases with orange tinted water and floated a large two-tone daisy on top. tran LOVES gerber daisies!

the striking manzanita pieces were dotted with cymbidium orchid blooms and hanging candles. i loved the orange beaker-like vases filled with single flowers, too! the look was playful, bright and fun!

here’s that ceremony site in action! note ocho calmly observing from the bride’s side.

the escort card table was lined with these fabulous cardboard boxes filled with mints. each box had a cloud-like cutout with the guest’s name and table assignment. cardboard ended up being a strong design motif of the wedding, and these pieces were designed by the couple themselves. peter actually works in the graphic design of product packaging, so he had some really innovative ideas i LOVED.

the escort card table arrangement should always be a show-stopper. kris delivered with this incredible piece that featured strands of strung orchids, more hanging candles & beaker vases, and charming bubble bowls filled with blooms at the base.

more scrumptious cardboard details! the menus featured a floral design closure and the table numbers were simple and modern corrugated cardboard cut outs.

the couple had a delectable traditional chinese banquet menu for dinner, so we did not have centerpieces on the tables. but, the tables were lovely swathed in olive windowpane linens, accented by nubby maize colored napkins. you can sort of make out the chiavari chair pads they chose, which featured a gold-toned cherry blossom fabric. so chic!

the sweetheart table featured its own long and low vase bursting with color! bold fuschia uplighting added mood to the room.

a mouth-watering dessert display was set up courtesy of vanilla bakeshop. amy b. of vanilla bakeshop is a culinary genius! if you are interested in making my day, feel free to send me some of her meyer lemon raspberry cupcakes and copious amounts of her southern banana pudding. thanks in advance!

i’ll end with this rad photo of the couple during their grand entrance. after swaying tenderly to a jason mraz song (swoooon) for their first dance, they busted out their sunglasses for an uptempo kickoff to the reception. absolutely fantastic!!

tran + peter: i heart you two sooo much!! i am so thankful that we continue to keep in touch via email. i can’t wait to grab sushi with you two again soon. thank you for putting your faith in me with your wedding plans. it was a delight working with you both and i couldn’t have been more pleased with how it all unfolded! xoxo, angel

vendor roundup:

• awe-inspiring photography by the image is found
• tremendously creative florist: the treasured petal
• linens + chiavaris: elegant designs specialty linens
• dj: steve irons of djs at your service
• lighting: rainbow sound & lighting
• location: diamond bar center (a total hidden gem!!)
• staffing: argyle event services
• tantalizing desserts: vanilla bakeshop
• videeography: film my wedding by thomas buckley

although i endeavor to remind myself of my blessings each and every day, i find that i’m always especially filled with gratitude on my birthday. i suppose that i associate acquiring a new age with the need to reflect and reminisce. sometime back in the 80’s, on a military base in Texas, my little life began. along the way, i have been overwhelmingly blessed by amazing people and experiences. today i am the proud wife of my incredible husband, a friend to some extraordinary people, and a confidante and assistant to the fabulous couples who entrust me with their wedding plans. i never could have imagined that this is where i would end up at age twenty-five, but this is how the Lord had it for me. and i am SO thankful for His perfect will + timing. i am so excited for what this year holds in store for me…

here is a peek at how i spent my birthday weekend earlier this month.

i kicked off the celebrations with a special birthday tea with my mother-in-law, del. she is the most thoughtful person! here’s another fact that everyone knows about me: i looove tea. i love drinking tea, i love buying tea, i love going for afternoon tea, i love holding afternoon tea! del took me to a darling tea room i had never tried before and we spent hours just chatting and unwinding.

while we did enjoy some house tea (a sweet and spicy black tea), i could not resist ordering a refreshing glass of rosewater lemonade. DELISH and bottomless refills. i would pay a pretty penny for this recipe… (p.s. i love everything rose-flavored, including a delicate rose gelato!)

first course: a tasty lentil soup. smooth, perfectly-spiced and comforting.

second course: a crisp green salad with the most addictive sesame dressing.

a unique twist on the traditional tea sandwich: most of the offerings are served as wraps on lavash. the fillings remain accessible favorites, however. turkey cranberry, smoked salmon, and egg salad.

we also enjoyed some fabulous dessert, but i apparently failed to photograph the marvelous tiered display! trust me when i say it was altogether delightful. i highly recommend my favorite place (yes, that’s the actual name) for an intimate, attentive, charming tea experience. thank you, mom!

on saturday (the 7th – my actual bday), i knew i wanted to have lunch in san pedro. a longstanding tradition with my sis & daddy is having lunch at ports o’call. it’s basically a long dock with tons of fish markets and restaurants. you pick your fresh fish and seafood (we always get a sizable tilapia and 3-4 lbs of large shrimp) on the market side, and then drop it off on the restaurant side. they cook it up to order then and there. the fish is deep fried whole (YUM), while the shrimp is cooked fajita-style (with chunks of potato, bell peppers and onions). pair it with some lemons & limes, tapatio, tortillas and huge loaves of garlic bread… and you have yourselves one scrumptious feast! we used to go do this nearly every saturday of my childhood. back in the day, after lunch we would take a harbor cruise and get ice cream. this time we skipped the cruise but went for the ice cream.

we let the boys join us. left to right: anna’s friend edward, my beautiful sis, erik my love, and me!

for dinner, erik and i went to old favorite pasta pomodoro for a tasty & nostalgic meal. while we were dating at cal, we used to go to “pasta p” all the time for cheap & delish dates. we also finally saw slumdog millionaire, and loved it (of course!). it was a lovely way to spend the evening.

finally… i went to a family birthday dinner on sunday night with mom, raj, anna, and erik. we enjoyed a delightful sunday supper @ lucques. if you live in soCal and haven’t had sunday supper at lucques, you are missing out!! it is a 3-course prix fixe meal for $45. the first course + dessert choices are fixed, and you have two options for the entrée. each menu is released a few days prior (typically the wednesday prior) so you can browse it and make a reservation if it tickles your fancy. it is always packed so sometimes it is worth booking your reservation before the menu is released. on march 8th the menu was:

roasted asparagus with soft polenta, butter-crumbled egg and shaved parmesan. sweet & tender stalks of asparagus nestled on a bed of creamy polenta. the egg was the best part. i loved breaking into the crisp breaded exterior and spilling warm yolk all over the plate. YUMMM

maine diver scallops with green garlic soubise, pea shoots and tangerines or
duck pot au feu with farro, young turnips, stinging nettles and duck sausage. clearly i went with the scallops. they were INCREDIBLE. 4/5 of us went for them, but mom opted for the duck pot au feu. it was also quite tasty. and finalement…

rutiz farm’s carrot cake with golden raisins, walnuts and milk sherbet. wowee was this good! i love a good carrot cake, and this one was moist, well-spiced and chock full of walnuts… just the way i like it! the milk sherbet was the perfect complement: light and icy.

ready to make my wish… i’m wearing an anthropologie dress (yeah, another one!), tarina tarantino lucite heart necklace (my oldest tt piece…7 years old!), and twigs & honey hair piece. erik got me this gorgeous teal creation as part of my bday present!!

i have a slight peacock feather obsession, so this piece is perfect for me. that’s not a hearing aid in my ear, btw, but my dorky hands-free cell phone ear piece.

the gorgeous myra also sent me this special headband. how feminine and precious is this? i wore it to my afternoon tea excursion with del. sooo delicate; i feel like a little girl when i wear it! thank you, myra!!

all in all, i felt thoroughly spoiled for my birthday. thank you for being a part of my life via this blog. here’s to another fabulous year!!

p.s. SO many gorgeous posts in the queue, including three FAB weddings. yesterday’s wedding at the ritz carlton marina del rey was nothing short of AMAZING. sooo excited to give you a sneak peek!!

xoxo, angel

Hello, dear readers! I am still trying to catch up on all the fun posts I have up my sleeves. Today I wanted to share some fun & fresh imagery from the surprise 60th birthday party we threw in early February for my beautiful, inspiring, wonderful mother-in-law, Del.

Erik is the baby of the family (and the only boy in his generation! All female cousins!!) and has two fabulous older sisters. The two of them, along with the two of us + Erik’s aunt (Del’s younger sister), planned a well-deserved party to celebrate and honor Del’s special day. Del is the best mother-in-law you could ever imagine. She is also such a delightful person, I just feel blessed to have her in my life! She is always the type of person who wants to give and serve and love others, and she rarely takes the time to treat herself. So a big surprise party celebrating her was in order, wouldn’t you say? We all had a great time putting together a chic cocktail party at Simon LA at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles.

We used the hip outdoor (covered) lounge area as our backdrop. The existing furniture has a lot of ocean blue tones, so we decided to embrace the hue as a key color in our palette. I loove poppy orange with blue, so we threw that into the mix for a fun look. Pure white rounded out our color scheme. Add swank food, nostalgic desserts and 40 of Del’s closest friends… and you get this fab party!

Enjoy these lovely photos courtesy of my dear friend, the talented & totally awesome Michael Norwood. Michael is one of my favorite people to work with because he is SO.MUCH.FUN and he always delivers beautiful images. Michael: thank you for being a part of this special day with my family!! We loved having you there!

Earlier in the week, I put together a few dozen little arrangements for the party. I used lots of ranunculus, white china mums, tulips, kumquat branches and ruscus. The vases are from Ikea and personal collections.

A blue candy buffet… of course! Personalized treats bags from For Your Party.

Cute napkins for drinks & appetizers, also from For Your Party.

guests mingling before the guest of honor arrived… We put framed photos of Del through the years on each table. The b&w pic in the blue frame here is of Erik’s parents early in their dating years. Awww

A quick family portrait. Anna and I did not plan the pink, black and white; I promise! Don’t Mom & Raj make the most dashing couple?? (For those of you who are curious, my dress is from Anthropologie and the jacket was a lucky vintage thrifting find!)

The arrival!! I think Del was pretty surprised. She had her suspicions but was not expecting the party we had in store for her… (That’s one of Erik’s sisters on the left, and his dad in the back.)

We kicked off the night with toasts by her husband, her sister, her 3 kids and two kids-in-law (me and her son-in-law).

I love this pic of my timeless, elegant, kind-hearted and lovely mother-in-law!

Some of Erik’s beautiful family! (And yes, I am wearing hot pink tights with open-toed black heels. If that’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right…)

Some of the girls! Left to right: Erik’s sis, Erik’s cousin (half-Thai), me & my sis Anna!

Del blowing out the candles on her cake! We brought in our own from Paris Pastry: a yummy Princess cake (which, ironically enough, is Swedish… not Parisian).

Nostalgic desserts were presented in Simon LA signature fashion. These “junkfood platters” included tufts of cotton candy, fresh caramel popcorn, “hostess” cupcakes, sno-balls, donuts and cookies!

I’ll end with this sweet pic of me and one of my nephews, Alejandro. Isn’t he perfection??

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse at the intersection of my private and professional life. I loved working on this party for Del and look forward to many more memorable birthdays to come!

Have a FAB weekend, everyone! I have a completely charming wedding this Saturday and cannot wait to share it with you!! A few inspiration hints: grapefruit pink, papaya orange and strawberry + watermelon hues, milk glass & mercury glass containers, stacks of antique books, vintage charm and springtime whimsy. SOOO excited!

xoxo, Angel

I’m fairly predictable when it comes to my sleep patterns. I like to retire between midnight and 2 a.m., and get up around 8-9 a.m. So on any given day, you would be safe to bet that at 4 a.m., I am somewhere deep in dreamland, snuggled under the covers. Well, unless you made that bet last Wednesday. On that particular morning I forsook the warm haven of my bed to meet my very best friend, Kristin of The Treasured Petal, at the LA flower mart! It was not my first time visiting, but I wanted the opportunity to scope out the mart with a seasoned pro. I wanted to see Kris in her element! That and I can never pass up an opportunity to see Krissy, even if it is at 4 a.m. We live nearly 60 miles apart and it is absolutely excruciating!! haha

I dressed quickly, grabbing some comfy boots, skinny jeans and a long pima cotton sweater for warmth. It only took 8 minutes for me to get downtown!! Amazing! I looove driving late at night or early in the morning, when it’s dark and quiet and almost otherworldly in the emptiness. I think we’re so used to the hustle and bustle in LA that moments of silence can be uncomfortable. But me? I embrace it. I relish it. I roll down the windows, turn up the music and fly down the road!

After parking (for free!) on a nearby street, I met Krissy at the entrance. We spent nearly 2 hours roaming, inspecting, admiring and purchasing! Kris had a shopping list ready for a small wedding this weekend, and I had my hopes up for finding some fun, colorful blooms for my home. I am no florist and wouldn’t dare try to pass myself off as one, but I have a deep love of flowers and a pretty strong floral knowledge. I know what looks good together and I enjoy assembling my own arrangements for the home. Here’s a photo tour of some beauties that caught my eye!

a blurry pic i snapped as i ran across the street after parking. it’s still dark as night…

beauteous blooms abound everywhere you look!

these picture-perfect anemones made me weak in the knees, and i couldn’t resist taking them home in all 3 colors!

delicate poppies are among my very favorite flowers.

can anyone guess what these tight, creamy white buds are?? no, not ping pong balls on a stem…

purple kale!! be still my heart! i thought this was perfect for one of my brides getting married later this month.

my newest love: acacia! it is absolutely darling with its tiny & furry yellow pom poms. the best thing: no messy pollen like you might expect.

Once we had finished our shopping, we headed to the Flower Mart Café (formerly Operetta) for breakfast. Well, sort-of breakfast.

cute + modern décor at the cafe.

One of us opted for a veggie omelet, buttered bagel and water. The other went for a teriyaki carne asada sandwich (yeah, you read that right), served on a croissant (yes, i’m still serious) with fries and a Sunny D. Any guesses on who’s who? HAHA Lizzie, if you are out there reading this… I feel like this is a meal you would have relished with me.

7:09a?? really??

kris, looking positively adorable for that early in the AM.

me, looking pale as a ghost with no makeup!

ta-da! one of the arrangements i put together once i got home. happy & beautiful.

As a wedding planner + coordinator, I am exposed to every aspect of the wedding process. I enjoy learning about all the facets of a wedding so joining Kris for this adventure was fun *and* educational. Good times!

Hope you all enjoyed your day! I kicked off the week right with a MEGA office re-organization. It is refreshing and downright re-energizing to work in such a streamlined (and might I add… stylish) space. xoxo, Angel