After the Aisle
This community was awesome to me while we were planning our wedding. If you've never planned a wedding before (and frankly, most of us haven't!) the process can be really challenging, if often fun, so thanks for all the help that I got from this quarter!! Now it's time for the time-honored post-wedding recap. Our wedding was in Carmel, CA on May 25 and it was just what we had hoped for. We got married at a turn-of-the-century spanish-style mansion that has been turned into a hotel. The wedding was outside in the garden, and the reception was just above in a room that overlooked the coastline. We had 98 guests and a wedding party of four bridesmaids, one honor attendant (junior bridesmaid, sort of!) and four groomsmen; they were all fabulous and, along with our parents, really our saviors when we were nervous or otherwise challenged. None of us, guests or wedding party, live in the Monterey Bay area, so it was really a destination wedding. We were so honored that so many people came to support us.
Photo time! Our photographer was Michael Corsentino of Corsentino Photographer in San Francisco. His second shooter was Dennis Urbiztondo, who I hadn't previously met but was great. Please see my vendor review below of these guys. They were amazing.
Ironically I barely drank any champagne that morning because I was too busy drinking tea with valerian and St. John's Wort in an attempt to stay calm. Successful one, too! I was chill. I even surprised myself.
My dress was Grace Lynette by Maggie Sottero, in diamond white over light gold. I got it from Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn, IL (southside suburb of Chicago) and they shipped it out to me in Oregon where I live with no problems.
Me and my girls!
This is the face of someone who's thinking, will 5pm ever come?
According to my groom, this was "the Ocean's 11 shot"
Obviously I'm biased, but Arian is hot. Of course in this shot he was also petrified about his speech.
My grandmother was a big part of my upbringing, but in her 90s she was not well enough to fly out. The charm bracelet is hers and she wore it all the time (it was my "something borrowed"). There is a charm for each of her children and each of her grandchildren. As for the rosary, it belonged to my beloved Aunt who sadly passed away last November.
There's my charm! To the right you can see Julia's (she is one of my bridesmaids, and my cousin).
Well, there I am.
My accoutrements
This was how I incorporated the rosary and charm bracelet
My Lebanese half showing!
If I look terrified it's because I'm sure I'm about to fall....it was a LONG way down those stairs, you only see the tip of the iceberg here. This is one of light three flights of stairs down to the lower level of the garden.
Gettin' hitched
The Kiss as seen on the ground....and now....
The Kiss as seen from above; this one was shot by the second photographer so we got both vantage points.
Being presented. At this point all my worries are over but Arian's still freaking over the impending speech.
After the ceremony we had a cocktail period where champagne and hors d'oeuvres were served, also in the garden but a couple steps up from the ceremony terrace. Arian doesn't drink, though, so he doesn't have a glass here.
The bouquet
We saved loads on florist expenses by getting married in a garden!
With our attendants in the background
The happy couple
I feel like this shot really captures the feel of the site and all
My bridesmaids are hot, am I right?
'Course the groomsmen rocked those tuxes as well....
Our combined families
Some random guests of the hotel saw us taking photos and offered up their room's window as a setting. Michael (the photographer) jumped on it and look how nice it worked out!! I love this shot.
I am really happy with how we were captured here
I was EXHAUSTED at this point!
Power Rangers!
Beautiful setting, in my opinion....
We decided to make a photo guestbook by renting a photobooth for the reception, and it was a hit, totally worth it. Here are just a few of the 80-something photos that our guests took. We used partybooths.com and I would recommend them. You can do unlimited photos, and they print out a copy for the people to take with them like any photobooth. But then we also get a DVD with all the photos on it, and they host the photos online for people to see. People really had a blast with this.
Arian's aunt and uncle, and their two kids, his cousins Angela and Alvin. I love how his Uncle Victor has the same expression in every photo.
My Aunt Tammi and Uncle Marty...I was the flower girl in THEIR wedding! That was about 22 years ago.
The table of my sibs, cousins, and two of their dates decided to do a photo session with the whole table. The bar had been going for awhile by the time this photo was taken.
My friend Jeff. Um.
Arian with his Best Man, Cheng.
This is me with some of my coworkers who showed up (we girls all work in the same office). I had five adults come from my office (I live in Oregon) and I was so honored. Obviously I work with fun people.
So: Almost nothing went wrong. For us it was the wedding we dreamed of. The only things I can think of that weren't ideal were that we couldn't find my garter (my wedding coordinator just tied a blue ribbon around the leg of my panties instead, problem solved! We had never planned on doing a garter toss, so that wasn't an issue) and, the worst problem was that my bustle button broke off or something at around 9:15 (wedding ended at 10). So I had to carry the train around for a few minutes. I panicked for about 90 seconds about this, but strangely holding it wasn't awkward at all, and we were having so much fun that no one noticed. That's it, really, in every other way we couldn't have asked for anything more. The honeymoon was awesome as well, photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/erin.durst.
Some unusual things we did:
-The photobooth.
-Instead of favors, we provided hockey cards at each place setting with a note explaining that the guests could drop them in a basket for whichever charity they wanted to support, and we would donate $2 for each card in the basket to the corresponding charity (each person got two cards and could distribute them as they wished). Out of 98 guests we had 74 people complete this task, and I'm sure not that many people would've taken home whatever token favor we would've provided, so we were happy and glad to be able to support Human Rights Campaign, Direct Relief International, and the World Wildlife Fund. We put a sign in front of each basket explaining what each charity's mission was.
-We had a string trio at the ceremony and during the cocktail period before the reception, they played things like "Purple Haze" and "La Bamba." Hee heeeeeee.
-we were introduced at the reception to Rock and Roll Part II, which got good reviews from guests.
-We held a free brunch in the hotel the morning after which was much appreciated by our more hung-over guests.
-Our honor attendant, who is 14, assisted our officiant with the sand ceremony. It was a great way to involve Arian's young sister as she would've felt out of place among the older girls if we tried to pretend she was a bridesmaid.
-My uncle's 64 birthday fell on this date, so we played "When I'm 64" in his honor at the reception, made a brief announcement and he danced with me. That was cool.
Vendor reviews:
A+++. Michael and his partner Wendy were fabulous to work with from day one and I even cribbed this vendor list from his blog. Awesome!! We chose them based on a combination of quality of work and personality and I have to say, we weren't let down by either. We haven't gotten our albums yet or anything, but I really can't rave enough. At the reception, someone asked Arian, "Do you know the photographer personally or something?" based on how they communicated with us, like friends. He's based in San Francisco but works all over the country and the world. Dennis we only worked with the day of the wedding, but he was extremely friendly and his work also speaks for itself.
A+, Diane was great. We hired her really late into the wedding process and she really did some valuable work for us, including putting together the guest gift bags, delivering them to all the hotels (remember, EVERYONE came in from out of town), coordinating vendors, providing a detailed itinerary for us, and etc etc etc. Worth every penny.
The moment we stepped into La Playa we knew it was the site for our wedding. Food was good as well and the bartender was, um, liberal in providing lubrication for our guests' amusement. Some of the photobooth photos attest to this, believe me. Beautiful. Check out the website. They also had two great coordinators, Anna and Richard, who worked very well with us throughout the planning.
A+, Kevin was great....we got many compliments on his casual yet warm and classy style. Sand Ceremony went really well. We chose as our readings a piece from Song of Solomon (Old Testament), from The Prophet (Gibran), and one about old love that I hadn't seen before. He integrated them really well into the ceremony.
A, we didn't have any interaction with them at all but guests said that they teared up at the music I walked down the aisle to ("The Rose"). So that's a good thing.
A, I wasn't sure what to expect but Allen was great. He was enthusiastic and capable without being cheesy and he announced everything on time; he also approached us about timing several times during the evening. We had a long list of song requests that he fulfilled. Awesome.
A, loved the flowers and the price was right. I also liked what they did with the arch. They were very easygoing to work with, as well.
A+, I loved what I looked like and Eva was so calming the day of!
Incomplete....we won't get our video for awhile, so I can't say. He seemed perfectly friendly, though.
This was one of the best purchases we made!!! People loved this.
Photo time! Our photographer was Michael Corsentino of Corsentino Photographer in San Francisco. His second shooter was Dennis Urbiztondo, who I hadn't previously met but was great. Please see my vendor review below of these guys. They were amazing.
Ironically I barely drank any champagne that morning because I was too busy drinking tea with valerian and St. John's Wort in an attempt to stay calm. Successful one, too! I was chill. I even surprised myself.
My dress was Grace Lynette by Maggie Sottero, in diamond white over light gold. I got it from Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn, IL (southside suburb of Chicago) and they shipped it out to me in Oregon where I live with no problems.
Me and my girls!
This is the face of someone who's thinking, will 5pm ever come?
According to my groom, this was "the Ocean's 11 shot"
Obviously I'm biased, but Arian is hot. Of course in this shot he was also petrified about his speech.
My grandmother was a big part of my upbringing, but in her 90s she was not well enough to fly out. The charm bracelet is hers and she wore it all the time (it was my "something borrowed"). There is a charm for each of her children and each of her grandchildren. As for the rosary, it belonged to my beloved Aunt who sadly passed away last November.
There's my charm! To the right you can see Julia's (she is one of my bridesmaids, and my cousin).
Well, there I am.
My accoutrements
This was how I incorporated the rosary and charm bracelet
My Lebanese half showing!
If I look terrified it's because I'm sure I'm about to fall....it was a LONG way down those stairs, you only see the tip of the iceberg here. This is one of light three flights of stairs down to the lower level of the garden.
Gettin' hitched
The Kiss as seen on the ground....and now....
The Kiss as seen from above; this one was shot by the second photographer so we got both vantage points.
Being presented. At this point all my worries are over but Arian's still freaking over the impending speech.
After the ceremony we had a cocktail period where champagne and hors d'oeuvres were served, also in the garden but a couple steps up from the ceremony terrace. Arian doesn't drink, though, so he doesn't have a glass here.
The bouquet
We saved loads on florist expenses by getting married in a garden!
With our attendants in the background
The happy couple
I feel like this shot really captures the feel of the site and all
My bridesmaids are hot, am I right?
'Course the groomsmen rocked those tuxes as well....
Our combined families
Some random guests of the hotel saw us taking photos and offered up their room's window as a setting. Michael (the photographer) jumped on it and look how nice it worked out!! I love this shot.
I am really happy with how we were captured here
I was EXHAUSTED at this point!
Power Rangers!
Beautiful setting, in my opinion....
We decided to make a photo guestbook by renting a photobooth for the reception, and it was a hit, totally worth it. Here are just a few of the 80-something photos that our guests took. We used partybooths.com and I would recommend them. You can do unlimited photos, and they print out a copy for the people to take with them like any photobooth. But then we also get a DVD with all the photos on it, and they host the photos online for people to see. People really had a blast with this.
Arian's aunt and uncle, and their two kids, his cousins Angela and Alvin. I love how his Uncle Victor has the same expression in every photo.
My Aunt Tammi and Uncle Marty...I was the flower girl in THEIR wedding! That was about 22 years ago.
The table of my sibs, cousins, and two of their dates decided to do a photo session with the whole table. The bar had been going for awhile by the time this photo was taken.
My friend Jeff. Um.
Arian with his Best Man, Cheng.
This is me with some of my coworkers who showed up (we girls all work in the same office). I had five adults come from my office (I live in Oregon) and I was so honored. Obviously I work with fun people.
So: Almost nothing went wrong. For us it was the wedding we dreamed of. The only things I can think of that weren't ideal were that we couldn't find my garter (my wedding coordinator just tied a blue ribbon around the leg of my panties instead, problem solved! We had never planned on doing a garter toss, so that wasn't an issue) and, the worst problem was that my bustle button broke off or something at around 9:15 (wedding ended at 10). So I had to carry the train around for a few minutes. I panicked for about 90 seconds about this, but strangely holding it wasn't awkward at all, and we were having so much fun that no one noticed. That's it, really, in every other way we couldn't have asked for anything more. The honeymoon was awesome as well, photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/erin.durst.
Some unusual things we did:
-The photobooth.
-Instead of favors, we provided hockey cards at each place setting with a note explaining that the guests could drop them in a basket for whichever charity they wanted to support, and we would donate $2 for each card in the basket to the corresponding charity (each person got two cards and could distribute them as they wished). Out of 98 guests we had 74 people complete this task, and I'm sure not that many people would've taken home whatever token favor we would've provided, so we were happy and glad to be able to support Human Rights Campaign, Direct Relief International, and the World Wildlife Fund. We put a sign in front of each basket explaining what each charity's mission was.
-We had a string trio at the ceremony and during the cocktail period before the reception, they played things like "Purple Haze" and "La Bamba." Hee heeeeeee.
-we were introduced at the reception to Rock and Roll Part II, which got good reviews from guests.
-We held a free brunch in the hotel the morning after which was much appreciated by our more hung-over guests.
-Our honor attendant, who is 14, assisted our officiant with the sand ceremony. It was a great way to involve Arian's young sister as she would've felt out of place among the older girls if we tried to pretend she was a bridesmaid.
-My uncle's 64 birthday fell on this date, so we played "When I'm 64" in his honor at the reception, made a brief announcement and he danced with me. That was cool.
Vendor reviews:
- Principal Photographer: Michael Corsentino/Corsentino Photographer Second Photographer: Dennis Urbiztondo
A+++. Michael and his partner Wendy were fabulous to work with from day one and I even cribbed this vendor list from his blog. Awesome!! We chose them based on a combination of quality of work and personality and I have to say, we weren't let down by either. We haven't gotten our albums yet or anything, but I really can't rave enough. At the reception, someone asked Arian, "Do you know the photographer personally or something?" based on how they communicated with us, like friends. He's based in San Francisco but works all over the country and the world. Dennis we only worked with the day of the wedding, but he was extremely friendly and his work also speaks for itself.
- Coordinator: Diane Allen/Elegant Events
A+, Diane was great. We hired her really late into the wedding process and she really did some valuable work for us, including putting together the guest gift bags, delivering them to all the hotels (remember, EVERYONE came in from out of town), coordinating vendors, providing a detailed itinerary for us, and etc etc etc. Worth every penny.
- Ceremony, Reception, Hotel Accommodations: La Playa Hotel
The moment we stepped into La Playa we knew it was the site for our wedding. Food was good as well and the bartender was, um, liberal in providing lubrication for our guests' amusement. Some of the photobooth photos attest to this, believe me. Beautiful. Check out the website. They also had two great coordinators, Anna and Richard, who worked very well with us throughout the planning.
- Officiant: Kevin Heath
A+, Kevin was great....we got many compliments on his casual yet warm and classy style. Sand Ceremony went really well. We chose as our readings a piece from Song of Solomon (Old Testament), from The Prophet (Gibran), and one about old love that I hadn't seen before. He integrated them really well into the ceremony.
- Ceremony Music: Capriccio String Trio/Kelly Productions
A, we didn't have any interaction with them at all but guests said that they teared up at the music I walked down the aisle to ("The Rose"). So that's a good thing.
- Reception Music: D.J.; Allen James/Kelly Productions
A, I wasn't sure what to expect but Allen was great. He was enthusiastic and capable without being cheesy and he announced everything on time; he also approached us about timing several times during the evening. We had a long list of song requests that he fulfilled. Awesome.
- Floral Designer: Pacific Grove Floral Company
A, loved the flowers and the price was right. I also liked what they did with the arch. They were very easygoing to work with, as well.
- Stylist: Eva Nichols, 831-659-7880
A+, I loved what I looked like and Eva was so calming the day of!
- Video: Premier Video Services
Incomplete....we won't get our video for awhile, so I can't say. He seemed perfectly friendly, though.
- Photobooths: Partybooths
This was one of the best purchases we made!!! People loved this.