Rick & Christopher

Rick is one of my closest friends. We met when we both worked for Student Housing at UC Irvine. We made an instant connection and became fast friends. He's been with me through thick and thin for almost 6 years.... Mostly thick & thin on my part through two pregnancies! :) We've seen lots of ups & downs with work, Rick going to law school, relationships and my health. Rick has always been a rock for me.

So, when Rick married Christopher last year (before the laws in California changed to take that right away from gay couples... that's a WHOLE other Oprah!!), I was itching to help them with their wedding reception. They postponed it for a full year and ended up having a wedding/anniversary reception on November 8th at a family member's beautiful back yard. I was so surprised when Rick asked me to Emcee the reception on top of coordinating. I knew coordinating the reception and helping out with stationary and whatnot was going to be a given. But, Uh... Hellooo! What were they thinking having me emcee?? I tried to stay on my best behavior! And, I think the emcee-ing went okay... I think? :)

There was a total of about 120 guests at the reception. The tables and chairs were black with white tableware. The centerpieces were done by a friend of Christopher's who owns a flower shop next to where he works in West Hollywood. The cake (which I don't have a picture of) was a gorgeous 2-tier black and white fondant covered cake. And, plum-colored accents were used throughout with ribbon and the stand for the cake. To make it more fun, we did famous couples' names for table numbers. It was a blast to call Brad & Angelina, Sonny & Cher, or Siegfried & Roy to the buffet line to get their food! The guests at each table seemed to "own" their famous couples by the end of the night.

Special thanks to my hostesses for the evening, Theresa, Patty & Anna who were o-so-great in getting everything done! Also, special thanks to Billy Le for providing the sound system, mic and helping out with everything else! You All Totally Rock!!

The grooms looked amazingly handsome and dapper in their suits. And, I have to say it was one of the most intimate and beautiful receptions I've ever had the pleasure of attending and being a part of. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your day filled with love. I love the two of you so much & wish you all the joy, happiness and love in the world for the rest of your lives. You were made to be together! *BIG HUGS*

Inspiration Personified

I was so inspired by the flowers I did for Emily's wedding, I decided to use the black, purples and teals (from the peacock feathers) to create a table with black feathers, peacock feathers, orbs of crystal and sequins and pomanders in purple... I love the colors and had such a great time playing dress up with this table. Special thanks to Huey & my brother, Paul, for helping me with this photoshoot!

Emily & Aaron (Part 2)

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Stout! I was so honored to be a part of your wedding day in such a special way. The two of your are an amazing and beautiful couple. May love and happiness fill your life together always! *HUGS*

Emily & Aaron (Part 1)

I've known Emily for almost 6 years, working at UC Irvine. It was a total compliment for her to ask me to do the personal flowers for her & her wedding party on October 30th. The reception site included the centerpieces. So, Emily was left with trying to find a florist to do the personal flowers for her and the wedding party. The ceremony was at a very small church in Laguna Beach, so there was no need for church flowers. Emily wanted a very modern, yet classic look to her wedding with a bit of "Hollywood Glam" & flare with feathers for her bouquet. But, I ended up surprising her by using black feathers & peacock eyes for the bridesmaids bouquets & groomsmen boutonnieres, as well. Emily wanted a different flower for each bridesmaid since they were all wearing different black dresses. I loved how the bouquets & boutonnieres turned out!... And, the pomanders for the flower girls were unexpected, with dendrobium orchids, instead of the traditional roses or mums. I loved the "feathery" texture they gave without the use of feathers.

Diaconate Reception

I had the pleasure of working with my best friend of nearly 25 years, Lisi, on an event for her work a few weeks ago. Lisi is an official "church lady." I know it sounds a little funny for someone so young. But, she works for the Catholic Diocese of Orange for the Office of the Diaconate. Yea... I know some of you are like, "what??" LOL Anywho...

The reception her office wanted to host was for 250-275 people and they needed our help with getting food for the event as well as doing flowers, decorations, etc. It was our first catering gig, so I was a little hesitant to take on such a huge endeavor. 250 mouths is a lot to feed... especially on a budget. After all... it IS the Church so it's not like they're rolling in dough. But, how can I resist a friend in need, helping the Church... and advertisement? ;) The venue was at the future site of Christ Our Savior Cathedral. There were 10 cocktail tables, 2 beverage tables and 4 buffet tables. Luckily, Victor & I have our own chafing dishes and tons of platters, so we didn't have to rent or buy any of that stuff. The food selection encompassed a wide variety of foods to represent the diverse population we were trying to feed. Everyone enjoyed themselves and ate to their hearts' content. There was so much food left over that there was plenty to give to the nearby homeless shelter the following day. It felt so great to do something for the Church, and also having enough left over to give to those in need.

I asked my friend Huey (http://www.hueybui.com/) to come and take some pictures for me. So... Here's what the church people walked out to after their service... Enjoy!

Cocktail Tables

Buffet Table

Beverage Station Arrangement & Everybody enjoying themselves!

Joanne & Tyler's Wedding

I was approached by my sister-in-law, Agnes, to handle her sister's wedding reception. She mentioned that Joanne & Tyler's wedding was going to be extremely low-key and intimate, with just under forty guests & no entertainment. She also mentioned that their wedding was on a very tight budget. So, they needed some innovative ideas for centerpieces & favors. And, I'm always up for a good challenge. So I said "okay"... Besides, you can't ever say "no" to family! And, Agnes knew she had me on the hook! BTW... My budget was $150 for a cake, flowers & favors! Challenge enough?

The 2-tier wedding cake from Final Touch Bakery for $100 took up the bulk of my budget. So, I was left with $50 to make 5 floral centerpieces & 50 wedding favors. The centerpieces were white hydrangea with purple "cool water" roses and purple spray roses in glass tumblers that I found at Target (4 for $1.99... SCORE!) I also used the white hydrangea & "cool water" roses to decorate the cake. The favors were tissue paper flowers on wire stems with a base of Hershey's Kisses wrapped in green tissue paper. Don't ask me how I did it all for that low of a budget... but, everything ended up being right at $152 (so, I went a little over budget)

And... BTW... Don't think I'll EVER take on another challenge like that again... But, once again... you can't ever say "no" to family!

Congratulations to Joanne & Tyler!

Annie & Robin's Wedding

Annie & Robin’s wedding was held at the LA Arboretum in Arcadia. The Arboretum was the perfect setting for this gorgeous couple and their guests to celebrate their union. The day started out with a ceremony held at the Rose Gardens with the reception immediately following at the Sunset Gardens.

I loved, loved, loved the color palette Annie chose – purple & orange. From purple & orange paper parasols at the ceremony to little purple, orange, and white flower plants w/ flags as place cards, the color scheme had a high impact. There were even orange & white paper lanterns over the reception area to set the romantic mood for the evening. I made the boxes for the parasols at the ceremony, the ceremony programs, the ringbearer's pillow, the flower girls' baskets, the table menu cards, the "placecards," and another Manzanita Photo Tree, similar to the one Linh & Jason had at their wedding. However, with Annie & Robin's tree, Robin had the idea of having wedding pictures of their family members on the tree. So, we had wedding photos of Annie & Robin's siblings as well as their parents' wedding photos. It was so cool to see the Family Tree... all paying homage to their heritage & culture, which was kind of the "theme" of their wedding. The motif for the wedding was the Chinese double happiness symbol that I used on EVERYTHING! And, the menu cards included explanations on Chinese Wedding Food Symbolism.

Annie & Robin actually started their day with two Tea Ceremonies off-site - one at Annie's brother's house, then one at Robin's house... to signify the groom's family coming to take the bride to the groom's home. The Marriage Ceremony was officiated by a Buddhist monk, Kojima Sensei, and the reception started with the bridal party being led in by a Lion Dance Group. Robin is part of a Taiko drumming group that also performed during their reception. And, of course, given Annie’s & Robin’s professions… There was a full film crew capturing every moment, complete with a director & production assistants! It was a true production!

And, as with any production, it can never come together without all the key people behind the scenes...

- Heidi Ryder (www.heidiryder.com), their photographer, was awesome to work with! Check out Heidi’s Blog: http://heidiryder.net/2009/09/los-angeles-arboretum-wedding-photography-annie-robin/ for more photos of the wedding.

- CA Party Rental (www.calpartyrental.com) really came through with getting everything set up in a short amount of time.

- Cat Tuong Flowers for their floral arrangements & centerpieces.

- James & his staff at Grace Catering (www.gracecatering.com) were ultra-accommodating & wonderful in getting the 10-course meal out to hungry guests.

- DJ Ernee Felix provided the music for the day & was a pleasure to work with as well.

And, of course, I can’t thank my two Hostesses, Theresa & Kelly, enough for pulling out a 12-hour day with me! You girls totally ROCK!

And last, but definitely not least… Thank You to Mr. & Mrs. Robin Shou for allowing me to be a part of your special day. You are a gorgeous couple and I wish the two of you an eternity of love & happiness!!

More Pix from Kat & Henry's Wedding

Some Reception Pictures...

Courtesy of KevinLe Studio (www.kevinlestudio.com)

Pix from Kat & Henry's Wedding

CEREMONY PICTURES...

Courtesy of KevinLe Studio (www.kevinlestudio.com)

Project Wedding Review

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Kat & Henry's Wedding: Part One... Pix to Come

Kat & Henry got married on August 8th. Pretty much everything went off without a hitch. Kat looked amazing & Henry was Oh-so-handsome... the perfect pair! Their ceremony was at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove. And, the reception was at The Westminster Rose Center in Westminster. It was a bit of a crazy day for me, so I wasn't able to take any pictures. But, I should be getting them from the photographer soon and will post them once I get them. In the meantime, here's a little snippet of what the day looked like for Kat & Henry via their wedding video. The video was shot by Michael Shu and was edited by Kat's brother, Khris. I think it turned out amazing! Just click on http://vimeo.com/6126019 to see the video!

Special thanks to everyone who made the day possible:

Sylvia - Wedding Coordinator at St. Columban... She is a very special lady & was so wonderful to work with!

Terri Sweeney & Staff - Rose Catering at Westminster Rose Center

Kevin Le - Photographer (http://www.kevinlestudio.com/)

Michael Shu - Videographer (www.michaelshu.com/shumedia)

Betty Lang of Vanda Events - Flowers... The flowers were gorgeous & everyone was so pleased with the bouquets & centerpieces... EXACTLY what Kat wanted! (http://www.vandaevents.com/)

Craig White - Lighting... Craig's lighting was A-MAZE-ING!! It far exceeded our expectations & I couldn't have been happier with the outcome. I especially appreciate Craig's & his team's professionalism & hard work in setting everything up in a very limited amount of time. (http://www.djcraig.net/)

Lionel Mabasa of Next Level Entertainment - DJ/Emcee... Lionel ROCKED IT OUT! He tired out all the guests with his bumpin' music and was one of THE BEST wedding emcee's I've seen in a very, very long time! (http://www.djnextlevel.com/)

Ryan Chiang & Staff - Cheesy Photo booth (http://www.cheesyphotobooth.com/)

Van's Bakery (Westminster) - Cake

Kelly & Stephanie - My two wonderful hostesses who helped me out the entire day. They were both so tired by the end of the day, but were just as excited as I was that the day had gone so well. Thanks, Girls!! You are too fantastic for words!!

And, last but certainly not least... Mr. & Mrs. Henry Balanza, Jr. Thank you so much for letting me into your lives the past 10 months. Taking the journey with the two of you during this planning process has been an absolute joy. You are so beautiful together & your love for each other spills over to everyone you encounter. I wish the two of you an eternity of love & happiness. I hope that we will continue to keep in touch as you both hold a very special place in my heart.

P.S. I cannot wait to hear the pitter-patter of little feet in the Balanza house!! You are going to make the cutest little babies!!! :) *HUGS*

Linh & Jason's Wedding

After seeing what I could do at her bridal shower (see post "Linh's Bridal Shower" from May archives), Linh asked me to help her with the wedding on July 18th. It was an absolute honor to help her & Jason on their special day.

Linh asked me to come up with a 2-tiered box for envelopes at the sign-in table, as well as a tree with pictures of her, Jason and family & friends to be the focal point of the escort cards table. She had some picturs of what she wanted the projects to look like for inspiration, but left the artistic interpretation up to me. I'm so pleased with how both projects turned out. I also did the favor tags, but wasn't able to get a good picture of them. So, they're not included in my little photo montage.

The day-of coordinating was so great because Linh is THE MOST organized bride I've ever met! She was so detailed & knew exactly what she wanted. So, it was really easy to just follow her requests & keep everything flowing for her & on schedule. Also, the vendors that she had were amazing.

Special Thank You's to:

- Lifetime Weddings - Natalie & the staff at The Villa

- Ernie Felix - DJ

- Mina Nguyen - MC

- Tara Stevens - Photographer

- Sing Sing Bakery

- Jason Young of Garner Films. (http://www.garnerfilms.com/) Check out the amazing wedding video!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Jason & Linh Forse!! May you be blessed with a lifetime of love & happiness! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your special day!

Kat's CrafTea Party

Kat's cousin, my good friend Cat (Yes. There are 3 of us with the same name involved with this wedding), asked me to help out with her bridal shower. We knew that Kat likes to learn crafts & we thought a tea theme would also be cool... So, a CrafTea Party was born!

Everyone entered the room to a perfectly laid out tea party. I decorated all the teacups with little flowers and ribbon, which also served as party favors. After the ladies had all settled, we commenced the crafting! I did two demo crafts that the ladies played traditional bridal shower games to win. And at the end, everyone was able to let their own creativity flow. Everybody enjoyed making their frames & were excited to bring something they had made home with them. I think that the room turned out looking awesome and from the reviews, all the family and friends had a great time. But, of course, Kat was especially pleased. And, as always, the bride's opinion is the only one that truly matters...

Just a sneak-peek to what she can expect of my design, planning & coordinating skills for her wedding coming up in 3 weeks!

Mike's Retirement Party

The Marine

It is the Marine, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Marine, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Marine, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Marine, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Marine who salutes the flag,
Serves under the flag,
Whose coffin is draped by the flag.
And, it is a very special Marine whom we honor this evening.


I found this poem online & added the last line to it for our old neighbor & friend, Mike Arnold, who will be officially retiring from the USMC in August. The above poem was at the "sign-in table" for his retirement party last weekend at Il Fornaio in Irvine. Mike's wife - my good friend, Stacey, asked me to help her with the planning, decorating & arrangements for his retirement party. And, of course I was more than happy to help out in any way I could. For all that Mike has done - serving in both Kuwait & Iraq, the least I could do was throw together some invitations & handle some decorations. It's just an honor to have him and Stacey as our good friends.

Mike & Stacey had about 100 guests and were able to rent out the entire back of Il Fornaio for the event. With a DJ set up and a special designated area for all the kids to dance & run around in, complete with three babysitters, the evening was primed for everyone to have a great time... And, everyone did! The centerpieces for the party were comprised of 3 wine bottles put together. I made posies of roses, purple statice & purple misty blue to put in the centers of the bottles and we tied a big yellow bow at the top of each. Stacey had taken the back labels off of the wine bottles, and I made new labels for them with the USMC seal and Mike's name & official retirement date on them. The bottles and flower posies doubled as both centerpieces and party favors!

I was so glad that everything turned out beautifully for Mike's special day because he (and Stacey) really deserved to have a day of recognition for all they've sacrificed for us to be able to have all the liberties that we so often take for granted.

So... from me to all of our troops & veterans - THANK YOU SO MUCH for all you do & all you've done!! God Bless You for your bravery & courage! Lord only knows where we'd be without you!!

Nico's Birthday Party

Photos by Betty Lang. Layout by C. Pham.

My Baby Boy turned the Big ONE at the end of May. It's crazy how fast this year has flown by! So, to mark the ocassion, we had a big shindig for the Little Guy at the Santa Ana Zoo Amphitheater. Yes, Santa Ana has a zoo! It's not a very big zoo, but there are a handful of animals & it was perfect for all the little kids. We had a guest total of about 90 people, with about 30 kids. It was a bit crazy, but a whole lot of fun for all!! The Amphitheater is spacious and had plenty of room for the kids to run around, when they weren't out & about exploring the zoo. And, I set up a "Bubble Station" on one of the end picnic tables for them to create bubbles to their little hearts' content when they were in the Amphitheater. There was also a stage, with stadium seating at the front of the Amphitheater. So, it was a perfect spot for us to put the cake and do the cake-cutting. Nico had a nice long nap and woke up just in time to have everyone sing Happy Birthday to him.

My friend, Betty, took pictures for me, since I was so busy being a hostess. The amazing 2-tier cake came from Van's Bakery. It originally had dinosaurs on it. But, I nixed the dinos and threw on the safari & zoo animals to keep in line with our little zoo theme. Overall, it was a bit of an exhausting day. But, all the kids enjoyed themselves, especially my two, and that's all that mattered in the end. I'm just so glad everything turned out so well. And, based on Nico's face in the picture below, he was having a blast!

Photo by Mommy

Linh's Bridal Shower

I was so excited to help plan this bridal shower for my sister-in-law's friend, Linh. When Jenny & Huong (my sis-in-law & our friend, who are bridesmaids) told me they were getting a little overwhelmed with the planning of the shower and needed help, I was more than happy to step in. I loved that I had free reign to handle all the little details, like: games, favors, prizes, decorations... The only thing I didn't handle was the food, which Jenny & Huong took care of for me.

I made handmade rose-scented soaps and bath salts as part of the favors. And, the prizes for the games were little "spa kits" that I put in boxes and had shrink-wrapped. I loved doing the flower arrangements because, well... I love flowers! And, I think they turned out really nice. Also, I saw this idea for a parasol and recreated it! I think it turned out awesome & is another unexpected thing for the bride to see at her shower. It's definitely something that I think I'd do again. Everything coordinated beautifully. The flowers, the favors, the prizes and the amazing cake (from Final Touch Bakery). All-in-all... I'm just glad everything turned out well & Linh was so happy... Because... In the end, that's all that matters - making the bride happy.

Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day! Not only because I'm a mom and my husband cooked me breakfast and Lauren made me an awesome necklace from dyed penne pasta at school that I wore proudly (THAT really was the best part!), but also because it gave me a chance to do something special for some of the other moms in my life.

Here are some flower arrangements I did for my Grandmother, my mom, and my aunt (Lauren's godmother). I also made arrangements for my mother-in-law, sister-in-law (Nico's godmother) and my godmother but didn't get a chance to take pictures of all of them.

I love to use not-so-traditional containers for my arrangments... It's easy to put flowers in a vase. But, I thought using watering cans and baskets made it a little bit more special because it's not what you would normally expect, and it takes a little more time & effort. (I always try to go the extra mile.) I made topiary-esque arrangements for everyone last year, in terra cotta pots that Lauren helped me paint. But, with 2 kids this year, taking time to paint pots was a little more time than I had.

Mother's Day was a busy day for us! I'm so glad I was able to enjoy my kids and spend some quality time with family.

Mary & Peter's Wedding

Here are some pictures from a wedding I helped my friend, Betty, coordinate on March 21, 2009. The wedding was held at Calamigos Equestrian Center in Burbank. It was awesome working with Betty to make Mary & Peter's wedding a huge success. I have to admit - when Mary & Peter were exchanging their vows, I was getting a little teary-eyed. I'm such a sucker for romance! Just solidified why I love doing this so much! Nothing is more gratifying than knowing that you are helping a couple start their lifetime of love... with a flawless day!

Ceremony at The Little White House

Reception in Grand Prix Ballroom

Photos & Layout by C.Pham

Jenny's Baby Shower

Victor's Sister-in-law, Jenny's shower was in October. But, since I just started this blog now... Here are some pictures! I did all the floral arrangements, party favors & made the two diaper cakes. The square cake is from Cinderella Cakes in Costa Mesa. Loved helping to plan this shower, but it's probably because I love Jenny so much... and, her little man - my adorable nephew, Joshua!


Photos & Layout by C. Pham

Holiday in CA

Here are some pictures of an entry way and mantle I did for a Holiday Party this past December for some good family friends. The idea is kind of a "Winter Wonderland with a Beachy Twist." I loved the idea of using feathers and seashells for the holidays! A little unconventional, but SO cool! I had a blast getting the place all "dolled up!" Thanks to Julie & Don for letting me "play" with their house!

Daytime

At Night Photos & Layout by C.Pham

Just starting out...

So, after years of planning and coordinating events for family and friends, I'm finally taking the plunge & I'm going to do this!

My hubby, Victor, was the first one to suggest that I consider the whole event planning thing as a career. But, at the time, I was pregnant with Nico (our 2nd) and the only thing on my mind was getting that baby OUT! And, after quitting my job last October to be at home full-time with the kids, I've had a lot of time to reflect and explore event planning,wedding coordinating and bridal consulting... And, the more I reflected and explored, the more enamored and enthralled I've become! I admit that with 2 kids, I can't possibly spend all the time I'd like on my daydreaming. But, I wake up with visions in my head of layouts for parties and color schemes for weddings. I envision table arrangements and centerpieces. I go to the market and want to buy every floral bouquet available so I can go home and play with the arrangements! I've turned almost every meal at our house into an opportunity to play "set-up." Victor hasn't minded since my cooking's gotten a whole lot better & the food always turns out looking and tasting gourmet. (I've also been spending a lot of time watching the Food Network... I gotta do my homework as a good housewife, too, ya know!) So, here I am... 9 months after leaving my day job & I've found my passion & calling!!

I've been working with a bride and groom since October on their wedding, which will be on August 8th. Kat & Henry have been absolutely awesome to work with. I feel so blessed that they've entrusted me with helping them plan and coordinate their special day... And, they've taken a leap of faith with me, since I've never done this before for actual "clients." Though, we've become so close during this whole process that I wouldn't consider them clients at all anymore. Kat is the cousin of my very good friend Cat... Yes, another Cat! And, Kat was actually the one who suggested that I start a blog. With all the millions of ideas swirling around in my head & also all the events I've planned and helped plan/execute over the years, I should have pictures or something to at least refer people to... I majored in Marketing. Why didn't I think of that?... Advertising?? LOL... Well, it's probably because I was always more in tune with POP displays & merchandising than the advertising aspect of Marketing. But, anywho...

As we're getting closer to Kat & Henry's wedding, I'm becoming more and more excited as I can see all the puzzle pieces fitting together so nicely. I know it's going to be a success & I really hope they and their guests will be impressed with the work I've done! And, I know that having someone else be a point person on their special day will make their day be stress free and perfect for them... Exactly what they dreamed of. I have a few other friends who'll be getting married soon. I just hope that they will think of me and ask for my help. And, I hope that other friends I know who have friends or family who are getting married (or having a shindig) will think of me, too!

I know I'm just starting out, but I feel that I've got such a wealth of knowledge and have developed some great relationships with some fantastic vendors already that I could really make a huge impact when helping somebody plan their event and coordinate their special day... We'll see where this all takes me...

Thanks for reading and for the support!
- Cat Pham