Vendor Spotlight: Flawless Faces Inc.

Can I just say I love love love Carina Lindgren and her Flawless Faces team?  They are honestly everything you could ever want in a hair and make up team.  In addition to doing "Flawless" wedding hair and make up, Carina has a studio where she can do facials and other treatments since she is a licensed esthetician.  Check out their website for a full list of services they offer.  Not to mention, Carina and two of her girls have done my hair and make up twice and I honestly have never felt so confident....cheesy I know.  But seriously, please check them out!

  • Cat or Dog? Cat
  • Twilight or Harry Potter? Twilight
  • Mac or PC? Mac
  • Sweet or Salty? Salty
  • Beer or Wine? Wine
  • Mountains or Beach? Beach
  • Neat or Messy? Neat
  • What is the last book you read? The Secret
  • Most embarrassing moment? Any moment when you’re arguing with someone and realize you’re wrong
  • Favorite sports team? Not into sports teams, I like watching Equestrian
  • What was the last movie you went to see? It’s been a while, Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp
  • What is your favorite drink? Hazelnut coffee, ½ hot chocolate
  • What is in your refrigerator right now? Spinach, Kale, Banana, water, white wine, hemp seeds
  • What is your favorite place to eat? Anywhere Italian!
  • What TV reality show or game show would you go on? I would go on a make-over show and do makeovers on people
  • How many pairs of shoes do you own?  I own probably 46 pairs of shoes
  • Where did you grow up? Thousand Oaks
  • Where have you gone to school? Thousand Oaks High, Moorpark College, Orange Coast College, Empire Makeup Academy, Bellflower Adult Night school (Esthetician's license), & International Dermal Institute, Orange, CA and Santa Rosa, CA
  • What is your advice to people planning a wedding? hire a wedding planner!  There are so many details that you are not aware of when starting to plan, and brides get super overwhelmed and don't enjoy the process as the wedding gets closer.
  • What is your best marriage advice? Don't settle.  Marry the person you cannot live without and who is a positive influence in your life.
  • One of your favorite wedding moments? My favorite wedding moments is always the Father/Daughter dance.  I always cry.  OR when the groom sees his bride walking down the aisle.

12 Clever Ways to Cut Costs!

  No matter what your budget is for your wedding, there are always ways to lower how much you spend on your big day. This article from Bridal Guide gives some clear cut ways to save some money for other things like your honeymoon!

1. The Guest List
Keeping your guest list trim is so important. But if you;re worried that you;ll offend people by not inviting them, stop now. Of course you wouldn't ;eave out your nearest and dearest family and friends , so just think of all those people who would probably be flattered to be invited but not bothered if they aren't. Your best bet is to make some rules. That is, first cousins, but not second, Spouses and live-in or serious partners, but not dates. Your boss, but not your whole office. These are some great ways to make sure your wedding stays a good size.

2. The Dessert Table
Unless you're having a dessert reception, don't go overboard on sweets. Wedding cake is so spectacular that offering a dessert buffet, a crepes suzette station and mini ice cream cones is just excessive.

3. The Flowers
The first time you gazed upon your reception site you saw veritable fields of flowers, right? It's no surprise though that piles and piles of blooms can ratchet up your costs quickly. You don't need to fill every corner of your venue with flowers for your wedding to be pretty. Work with your florist to use the freshest, most in-season blooms to their advantage, then fill the rest with budget-friendly candles or greenery. The look will still be beautiful! If you adore flowers, check out botanical gardens in your area and you'll have a bounteous backdrop of blooms at your disposal.

Troy Grover Photography

4. Cocktail Hour
Don't overload guests with everything from sushi bars to hors d'oeuvres to pasta and carving stations. Keep it short and sweet. This ensures that you'll need less food. Hand pass hors d'ouvres instead of having stations. Stick with just enough food to keep guests from getting too tipsy too early.
Troy Grover Photography
5. The Drinks
Feel free to skip the champagne toast and use whatever wint you have on the table. Create a bar you can afford, whether that means offering only beer, wine, water and soft drinks; a signature cocktail and wine with dinner; or less expensive liquors for mixed drinks. Keep your drinks simple.
6. The 5- Course Meal
I know you're worried about guests going home hungry. This concern has led many couples to go down the path of offering too much-up to seven courses-end up paying too much for it. Eliminate one course and just serve an appetizer and entree. Or instead of offering chicken, steak, or salmon entrees, assemble a plate that combines a few grilled shrimp, and medallions of beef, and an array of vegetables. You can save up to 40% or more!
Troy Grover Photogaphy
7. The Cake
A five-tier tower covered with sugar-paste flowers, butterflies and bows? The more elaborate the design, the higher the cost. Consider serving a smaller tiered display cake ad supplementing with a sheet cake that is brought out after the official cake cutting. Or do less-pricey cupcakes in your wedding colors.
Final Touch Bakery

8. The Invitations
Engraved and letterpress invitations are costly. Choosing an unusual color, paper or design may also raise your costs. If you're a DIY-er, design and make your own invitations by hand or on a high quality computer. Or find an amazing invitation designer like Jen Simpson to get inexpensive but beautiful invitations!
Jen Simpson Design

9. Transportation
White limos cost more than black or silver ones, so cross white ones off your list. If you do hire a limousins, don't have the car that took you to the ceremony wait for you all day. Book another to come for you later.
10. The Venue
You've found out the price per person at your chosen venue and it is just too high. You can always negotiate. But some brides are shy or they think that is tacky. But in a touch economic situation, vendors expect it. Be honest about your budget and see what they can do to help. Even if you don't get a price reduction, you may get some extras thrown in, And, if you're flexible with days of the week like a Friday or Sunday, times of days or seasons, you can get a much better deal. Remember: Vendors want your business as much as you want a nice wedding.
11. Rehearsal Dinner
Your rehearsal dinner doesn't have to be a mini wedding and be at an expensive restaurant. If you can have it in the home of someone willing to host. Sometimes people will do this as a gift! Do something casual, like a barbecue or picnic. As your wedding caterer if he or she is willing to cater in a private ome for a lower fee as part of your package.
12. The Impressions
It isn't your job to dazzle your friends. Just remember to take care of them. Be sure they have little amenities in their rooms and that older guests don't have far to walk. Take care not to have an uncomfortable time gap between ceremony and reception. A sweet and inexpensive gift you can give is milk and cookies at the end of the night because it always makes people feel loved!

Vendor Spotlight: Luminaire Images

I'm so excited to highlight my friends Molly and Matt from Luminaire Images!  They are such a fun husband and wife team and make their clients feel so comfortable in front of the camera! See their interview below to get to know them a little bit better and be sure to check out their website!
  • Cat or Dog? Both! I have had the pleasure of owning both cats AND dogs! Currently I get my “pet fix” via my pet rabbit Butters, and by volunteering as a photographer once a month at the OC Humane Society, which gives the shelter pets more exposure and good publicity photos.
  • Twilight or Harry Potter? Harry Potter. Who doesn’t love that Luna Lovegood?! I just photographed a Harry Potter-themed holiday party this past weekend too. That was totally fun, I wore a Hogwarts sweater, scarf, & tie and everything!
  • Mac or PC? Mac all the way, baby.
  • Sweet or Salty? Both, but I think my “sweet tooth” is bigger than my “salty tooth”!
  • Beer or Wine? I enjoy both. Beer in the summer, and wine any ol’ time.
  • Mountains or Beach? What a question to ask someone who lives five minutes from the Pacific Ocean!
  • Neat or Messy? Neat. Unless it’s my desk. For the life of me, I cannot seem to keep my desk tidy for more than ten minutes.
  • What is the last book you read? The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It’s cute in the same way early Tim Burton movies are “cute.”
  • Most embarrassing moment? I have to confess that I am a little embarrassed that I just admitted to recently reading a Young Adult novel. Even if it was by Neil Gaiman.
  • Favorite sports team? The only sports I typically watch are international soccer tournaments. I love watching Brazil play for their technique, and African nations for their amazing speed. I also cheer the home team (U.S.), of course!
  • What was the last movie you went to see? Hugo. It had a lot of references to film history which I really enjoyed. I’m a total cinephile.
  • Who would play you in a movie? I have been told that there is a resemblance between Rachel McAdams (Morning Glory) and myself, but if resemblance wasn’t relevant, then I have no idea. I’ve never thought about that!
  • What is your favorite drink? My favorite “adult beverage” right now is vanilla vodka with ginger ale. So delicious. You have to try it. I also like tea--I have a cuppa every morning.
  • What is in your refrigerator right now? Fixin’s for food...what else!
  • What’s your favorite place to eat? I loooooove sushi. My favorite local sushi joint right now is Matsu, on Beach Blvd & Talbert in Huntington Beach. Best sushi of all time that I have EVER eaten was at Morimoto Restaurant in Napa, CA.
  • What TV reality show or game show would you go on? I am not much of a fan of reality TV or game shows, but I think it would be awesome to participate in an episode of “Globe Trekker” or something like that. I love traveling, destination weddings are among some of our favorite events to photograph.
  • How many pairs of shoes do you own? I think I only own maybe fifteen pairs or so, which I don’t think is THAT many. My husband Matt, who only owns like...four pairs of shoes, gives me such grief for it! I have a penchant for sneakers and comfy slip-ons.
  • Where did you grow up? All over Southern California, but mostly the Huntington Beach area.
  • Where have you gone to school? I attended Chapman University, where I studied filmmaking. Much of what I learned in that major I have since applied to photography as well, such as production development and execution, and image composition.
  • One of your favorite wedding moments? One wedding I photographed this past year was that of a bride who believed she was past “marrying age” and would never find anyone, and a groom who uses crutches due to a severe genetic arthritis disability and believed he’d never find anyone either. I think nothing short of “magic” can describe their connection and how in love they are. We arranged for a “First Look” (when they are “revealed” to each other before the ceremony on the wedding day), and the reactions in the photos really sum up their beautiful, inspiring relationship.
  • What is your advice to people planning a wedding? I highly recommend making a list that prioritizes everything involved in your wedding planning, and then hiring professionals in the order of that list. So, if the top three most important aspects of your wedding to you are, for example, your venue, your planner, and your photographer, then secure those three things first. Using this method, if your budget starts to really pinch by the time you reach the bottom of the list, it doesn’t matter so much because everything at the bottom was never very important to you anyway.
  • What is your best marriage advice? I am a fan of the Three C’s: Crystal Clear Communication! Tell your partner how you feel when you’re angry, sad, affectionate, etc. Do NOT wait, and do NOT leave your partner guessing, because if he or she happens to guess wrong then you’ll have an even bigger problem on your hands!
  • Anything else we should know? Yes! Now through January 30th, we’re happy to offer anyone looking for a wedding photography services a 10% rate reduction if they mention that they found us through this interview! You can e-mail us to tell us about your big day and any inspirations you have for your photography.

In Honor of Adam Kholgy and Stephanie Peterson

It was so great to finally work at the beautiful Rancho Las Lomas. I was also lucky enough to work with some of my favorite vendors like photographer Scott Nelson and the always amazing caterers, 24 Carrots. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures from the special day below!


The Team: {Coordinator: Simply Sweet Weddings} - {Location: Rancho Las Lomas} - {Photography: Scott Nelson} - {Florist: The Twisted Fig Fine Florals} - {Caterer: 24 Carrots} - {Ceremony Music: Denny White} - {DJ: Peter Gutierrez} - {Bakery: Great Dane Bakery} - {Makeup: Makeup by Berit}

How to Welcome the Out of Towners

At most weddings there are relatives and friends who travel from around the country and sometimes the world to see their loved ones get married. I think it is so important to make them feel welcome and a little extra special for making the effort to come out and see you get married! Here's some tips from The Bridal Guide on how to give your guests from far away a warm welcome to your wedding.

MG Events via All Things Lovely

Sometimes out-of-town guests make matters tricky because there are rooms to block, transportation to book, directions to give, and gift bags to stuff. But as the host you have to make sure things go flawlessly and they enjoy themselves!

Start Early
I cannot stress this enough! Procrastination is the worst possibly thing for a wedding. Of course you have to send save-the-date cards. You can be super creative with these and its best to make them a little special because it will make guests excited for your big day! These cards is the best way to let guest know they'll need to plan ahead. It's most considerate to send these out six to eight months before the big day. Keep the information you provide simple. Include your names, the wedding date and place, and a wedding website URL, if you have one, and hotel information.

Martha Stewart Weddings

Block Rooms Strategically
When choosing a hotel to recommend to guests, always keep in mind proximity, price and special features. A location near both the ceremony and reception will make it easier for guests to get around. It should be affordable, clean, and nicely decorated, and it should offer amenities like a restaurant, and a bar and airport shuttle service. You might even want to give options and recommend different locations at different price points.
Guests will appreciate it if you block rooms at a discounted rate. Contracts for a block vary from hotel to hotel so it's important that you go over all the details.
Give Guidance
Guests will be on their own to book airfare and other transportation. But do consider working with a travel agent to find good deals and packages for them. You might be charged a fee of about $15 to $30 per guest for coordinating out-of-towners' flights. Even though guests should manage their own transportation from the airport to the hotel, provide them with the name and phone number of a taxi service and any details about hotel-provided transportation. Also, you'll want to give guests some ideas of what to do, whether its sights to see or restaurants to eat at. Post this information on your website!
Consider a Shuttle
If you have room in your budget, hire a bus to shuttle guests from the hotel to the wedding and back. It provides a designated driver-plus, party buses can be fun. Have flip-flops for tired feet, bottled water, mints and aspirin on the bus. guest will seriously appreciate how thoughtful you are.
Don't Overdo It
It's customary to invite everyone coming from far away to the rehearsal dinner-and sometimes even to a next-day brunch- if financially feasible. If not, suggest guests to meet at a nearby hot spot for cocktails or take a tour of the town. Take good care of your guests but don't fee; guilty if you can't afford to wine and dine them all weekend long.
Gift Giving
Guests will appreciate a little basket, like the one above, of treats to help them feel welcome! Be creative and fun with it. Here are some ideas and suggestions.
Comfort and Care
Bottled water, fruit, and other convenient snaks should satisfy their just-arrived cravings; throw in some bubble bath and soft slippers too!
City-Centric
Marrying in a big city? Provide bus or rail tokens, a map, a guidebook and some locally made treats!
Beachy Keen
For a beach wedding, fill a sand pail with flip-flops, sunscreen and a gift card for ice cream on the boardwalk.
Morning Glory
A bagel, juice, pain reliever and the newspaper will make the morning-after enjoyable.

Vendor Spotlight: Jen Simpson Design

Your invitations are one of the first things guests will see of your wedding! So you want them to look the best you can. Jen Simpson and her husband Luke of Jen Simpson Design create the most beautiful invites ever! Luke is the printer and maker of the invitations while she designs them and takes care of the customer contracts. Their invitations are so unique and every single one is special.

  • Cat or Dog?  Cat
  • Twilight or Harry Potter? Harry Potter
  • Mac or PC? Mac
  • Sweet or Salty? Salty
  • Beer or Wine? Beer
  • Mountains or Beach? Beach
  • Neat or Messy? Messy
  • What is the last book you read? Ummm…..haha we havn’t read a book in forever!
  • Most embarrassing moment? We have had a few… :)
  • Favorite sports team? Ohio State
  • What was the last movie you went to see? Harry Potter
  • Who would play you in a movie?  Jen: Anna Torv- the girl from fringe Luke: Tom Cruise from the 90’s
  • What is your favorite drink? JEN: Vodka Cranberry LUKE: Dirty Martini
  • What is in your refrigerator right now? Leftovers
  • What is your favorite place to eat? Sonny’s Italian Restaurant
  • What TV reality show or game show would you go on? Amazing Race
  • How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Around 15
  • Where did you grow up? Ohio
  • Where have you gone to school? Bowling Green State University
  • What is your advice to people planning a wedding? JEN: Keep calm and carry on :) LUKE: Use a lot of paper decorations :)
  • What is your best marriage advice? JEN: Give and compromise LUKE: Talk with your spouse enough that you can anticipate their wants and needs.
  • One of your favorite wedding moments? JEN: when we hand over invitations to a bride and get to see their faces glow with excitement! LUKE: At our wedding when we entered the reception to the Simpson’s theme song!
  • Anything else we should know? We have a cat named Rolland who is basically our kid. We love him dearly, and he is very spoiled!  


15 Ways to Show Mom Some Love

It's every mom's dream to see their son or daughter marry their soul mate. Generally, mothers play a big role in the wedding planning and they out their heart and soul into the special occasion. Here are some ways to say thank you to the woman who dedicated her life to you.

Jim Kennedy Photography

1. Have her join you and Dad for your walk down the aisle.
2. Present her with a photo album of snapshots of the two of you-with a placeholder for a wedding-day picture.
3. Have a piece of lace from her wedding sewn into your gown.
4. Hit her up for "something borrowed," like a piece of her jewelry.
5. Display her wedding portrait on the escort-card table (place it with photos of other family brides).
6. Ask her to light a candle or to give a reading at the ceremony.
7. Have breakfast with her on the big day. You'll sneak in a few moments of calm before the craziness begins.
8. Treat her to a pre-wedding hair-and-makeup session with you and your girls.
9. Order er a monogrammed handkerchief especially for the wedding (She's going to need it!).
10. Tuck her fave bloom into your bouquet; give it to her when you reach the altar.
11. Have your guy make a toast in her honor.
12. Spend your wedding eve watching rom-coms with her at her house.
13. Mail her a letter telling her how much you appreciate her; time it to arrive while you're on your honeymoon.
14. Having a destination bash? Surprise her with a massage at the spa or with a hotel upgrade to a luxe suite.
15. Start a new tradition; the mother daughter dance.

Easy RSVP Tracking

There is nothing more frustrating than when a guest sends back a RSVP card without their name on it! And believe me this happens. Here is a great idea to ensure you know who is sending and RSVP even when they forget to write their name and all you need is a blacklight ink and pen.

 What you do is write your guest's initials or name on the RSVP card in blacklight pen o when a un-named card comes back to you, you just whip out your blacklight pen and identify! And you can give them a hard time for forgetting :)

And these pens are super inexpensive! Go here to buy this handy tool.