Lemon Drop Socials: September 2009

Friday, September 25, 2009

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!!