Photo of the Week- What happens when a Ring Bearer takes directions literally

This photo had me cracking up! This is from a recent destination wedding in the Riviera Maya, Mexico.

The Ring Bearers always seem a bit nervous and hold the pillow close to their chest. So as this little guy was standing there doing the same, I reminded him to hold it facing out and low so everyone could see it. We practiced it, and he was doing great as he headed towards the aisle.
He turns the corner and here's what we get.....


I'm still cracking up! Thanks Jason + Gina for capturing this priceless moment!

Real Wedding - Lovely Mexico Wedding

Nicole & Mike
Puerto Morelos, Mexico



Nothing like getting away from a cold Colorado winter to do a stunning wedding in Mexico.
Nicole and Mike selected the fabulous Ocean Coral & Turquesa resort for their guests to join in their celebration.



Her colors looked fantastic, perfect for a destination wedding...peacock blue, orange and fuchsia.



The gazebo draped in organza looked beautiful against the ocean.
It never fails when you do a destination wedding that as soon as onlookers see the guests starting to arrive they gather to watch the ceremony. We had quite a crowd of additional well wishers....it all adds to the festivity. I think Nicole was a bit surprised to see so many additional "guests" when she walked around the corner.


The reception took place on the terrace overlooking the ocean. It was a bit cool the few days beforehand, but the weather warmed up for their day...just a touch of wind that blew the lanterns (a few escaped and rolled off around the resort).


Thanks Jason & Gina for capturing a beautiful couple and great wedding!

Wedding Cake Inspirations

It's my birthday today.....nothing says birthday like cake...and since my trainer won't let me have any cake (bummer!) here's some photos of my faves, enjoy.

The rhinestone added a bit of glitz and glamour to this cake.



A mountain feel...


Bright colors and waves for this tropical wedding feel.



Beautiful garden wedding cake....


This one was so amazing. The baker actually used leather working tools to get that texture, a great rustic wedding cake!


This cake matched the brides gown design, although the cake has hints of green in it.




Yea...go BUFFS! Had to pop this one in! (University of Colorado Buffs Grooms Cake)



Elegant wedding cake...


Simple details on your wedding cake make it really amazing...here it's all individually folded rose petals adding texture to the clean lined wedding cake.



The bride only wanted a simple, small cake to cut...we had more in the back.


So if I could be eating cake today, it would be Pistachio cake with Victorian Buttercream from The Makery or my mom's lemon cake......hmmm.....what the trainer doesn't know won't hurt him right ;)

Real Wedding- Hysterical Best Man Toast!

Heather and Jason

Villa Parker

Parker, Colorado

Ok, besides being the most adorable couple ever, this wedding was so much fun! It made it in to one of my top 10 most memorable wedding moments...read on to hear all about the best man's toast!

Heather and Jason wanted to make sure their guests had a great time and that the wedding reflected their flair for fun.

We had a guestbook photo station with props and this frame, which ended up being a hit for group shots too! I don't think I ever saw them this serious?

Heather's stunning blue hydrangea bouquet was personalized with a pin from her father who had passed away.

Here comes the bride....adorable ring bearer award, smiled on cue and everything!

Such simple aisle decor, but the color really popped!

Love the enthusiasm....can you tell they enjoyed every second?

A few reception details...

They decided to skip the floral centerpieces and went straight for their fave part...the cake. Each one was a different combination of their colors and had a word important to marriage on it.

And now....for the all time funniest best man's toast!

I seriously was bit worried for the groom....ladies you have to share this with your groom, he'll love it!

The best man started by giving all these funny little gifts wrapped in blue paper to the groom that had to do with the fact that now he's married his life will change. Then they said something about how since the bride didn't like golf that he would need the pass to go and so they had wrapped all his club handles in pink.

So far no big deal....then he said actually he probably wouldn't be needing his clubs any longer at all...and he proceeds to break them one at a time across his knee.

After the first one, the groom picks it up and realizes these really are his clubs!

Then they continue to break them for various reasons..."he never was really good at using this anyways", etc. One of the gifts he had received earlier was a box of Kleenex....the bride hands one to him as he watches them destroy every club in his bag. I really think he was in shock!

On the up side, the last box they brought out had a whole brand new set of great clubs that the groom had wanted! ...it really was a Happily Ever After!

Thanks Gaston Photography!

Real Wedding - Grand Lake Outdoor Celebration

Elizabeth and Kip's Wedding

Grand Lake, Colorado

This couple LOVE's the ocean and the mountains, and wanted to blend the two to create a tropical feel to their wedding but have it in a rustic setting.....hmmm interesting challenge!

I love the bright colors she selected for her palette! Orange and fuchsia were the perfect choice for the tropical feel and really stood out against the evergreens.

The couple selected Point Park for the ceremony since water was an important element of the wedding design and the lake created a great backdrop. She wasn't sure the group would fit because of all the trees; however, due to of all the pine beetle devastation the trees had to be removed and we had plenty of room (note that in lieu of a favor they made a donation to the forestry service to help combat the pine beetle devastation). They absolutely wanted to have one specific mountain in the background of the wedding ceremony...rain earlier in the day threatened to ruin that plan. Luckily, it was only cloudy when the ceremony started, but during the ceremony the clouds parted and the sun shone down on them.

To bring in the water element to the design, we came up with an ocean wave pattern that we used on everything from the program to the menu, and even the cake.

After the ceremony the guests knew they were in for a good time. As the guests walked to the reception they were directed by signage with great sayings like "Who's ready for a drink?" & "Did you bring your dancing shoes?". For the cocktail hour, a signature drink was served via an ice luge along with tropical appetizers and punch....a fabulous party followed.

The dance floor was set between two tents and the bright colors really gave it an exciting feel.

My two fave details....the monogram on the dance floor and the cake (of course the cupcakes were a hit too)!

Great things from the Special Event- Color Trend!

I had a great time in New Orleans at The Special Event Conference and I wanted to do a few posts on some of the great things I saw while I was there.

Before I get in to it, I have to say that it was a great week. We met so many fabulous people. Our first night out we hit Jacques-imos and met one of the Kerns who basically run Mardi Gras, and who own Mardi Gras World! Talk about an amazing place for a wedding! They'll even take you down to Bourbon street later on an actual Mardi Gras Float! Now that's an after party!

That's me and my wedding planner friend Aimee (and friend Andrew) from True Wedding Events (D.C. area) incognito at Mardi Gras World Party.

Color trend....so you want to know what the hot color is? Per the Pantone Report (which comes out every year and tells the world the color trends) the color of the year is!

Turquoise...it looks great with a variety of wedding colors. Pair it with red (as below, linen from Cloth Connection); it's great with blues for that ocean feel; it adds a pop to neutral tones; and is especially trendsetting with yellows and greens.

Now ladies....keep in mind what I learned from fabulous wedding planner, Sasha Souza. It will take about 1-2 years before you'll really see it in everyone's wedding. It will show up in fashion first and then house products before it hits the wedding world.

So, for those of you who want to be ahead of the trend, jump right in.....the turquoise water is fine!

Real Wedding Featured in Brides Colorado

The new issue of Brides Colorado magazine just arrived and we have a great feature!

Check out Carrie and Jeff's Real Planning timeline, page 128.

A lovely Colorado Mountain wedding...too bad we had to move it inside at the last minute. Hate those freak snowstorms!