Featured Event!

 The Sweetheart's Soiree

Don't miss this unique, fun and worthwhile bridal event present by California Wedding Divas

Please be our special guest for an enjoyable day of:
Complimentary Champagne, (beers for the Grooms), exquisite hors d’oeuvres, tasty wedding cakes, cupcakes, candies, chocolates, music, and more brought to you by California Wedding Divas,
(2012 Winner of the BRIDE’S CHOICE Awards).
Meet our favorite Wedding Professionals for complimentary, gift bags, engagements shots, make-up sessions, photo booth shots, , demonstrations, free wedding information, and valuable PRIZ-ES.
EACH BRIDE WILL LEAVE WITH A FABULOUS GIFT!
Bring your Sweetheart and participate in our “Almost Newlyweds Game” for a chance to win one of the following: YOUR WEDDING GOWN from California Wedding Divas and Alfred Angelo, YOUR WEDDING CAKE from California Wedding Divas and The Grove Pastry Shop, COMPLIMENTARY “DAY OF” WEDDING COORDINATION by California Wedding Divas, A BRIDAL MASSAGE AND LUNCH by Therapie Day Spa, and many more prizes.
Raffles will be held for special gifts from all of our Wedding Professionals. Gifts include: a free grooms tuxedo rental from Friar Tux, a bridal Bliss Unity Candle Set, a one month supply of beauty products, bride manicure sets, cake servers, and more.
 

The Sweetheart’s Soiree is FREE for
local San Diego Brides, Grooms and their guests.
Outside Vendors will be asked to pay a $15 fee the door.
 

Sunday, February 19th, from 10am to 2pm
Tom Ham’s Lighthouse 

2150 Harbor Island Drive

San Diego, CA 92101
 

Get your tickets at: 

calweddingdivas.eventbrite.com 

by 2/15/12
California Wedding Divas (619) 764-8212

OUR SPONSORS:
ALFRED ANGELO
FRIAR TUX
PRIMO DJ’S
KAHALA TRAVEL

Monday Must-Haves

The perfect Valentine's Day Gifts

Two perfect gift ideas from TOUS. A beautiful handcrafted heart pendant and an amazing collaborative piece with Spanish shoe superstar, Manolo Blahnik! A lovely little red shoe pendant... who wouldn't love either of these beauties.

TOUS Jewelry can be found at these locations in San Diego.
 
Fashion Valley Mall
7007 Friars Road 651,
Tous Plaza Bonita
Ctra. Plaza Bonita, 3030, National City
Bloomingdale's Fashion Valley
7057 Friars Road

Fashion Friday

Today's Featured Designs: 

Claire Pettibone 2012 Bridal Collection

If you're a true romantic, you'll love these lovely gowns. Delicate lace, flowers and beautiful fabrics make these gowns simply stunning.

Real Wedding Wednesday

Katie Campbell & Kalen Suter
The Crossings at Carlsbad

After an enjoyable trip to Mexico with mutual friends, Katie Campbell and Kalen Suter knew they had found their soul mates. A proposal on Katie’s birthday at The Baleen Restaurant started their journey to the classic wedding of their dreams. Their version of Rock and Roll was used throughout the event with custom guitar pics, matching black and white ensembles, and The Verve’s “Lucky Man” tied it all together. A relaxing Hawaiian honeymoon followed.

 Katie’s Advice:
“Don’t stress the tiny mishaps…
have fun with your big day!”

Ingredients
Ceremony and Reception Venue The Crossings at Carlsbad  
Officiant Morrie Hansen 
Photography Tangerine Tree Photography
Florist Suzan M. Florals 
Entertainment Michael Tiernan
Catering The Crossings at Carlsbad
Wedding Cake Ashley Claire’s 
Invitations April Ink (etsy.com) 
Make-up Chandra Campos Make-up Artistry 
Hair JDM Salon
Dress Cinderella’s Closet 
Men’s Formalwear Friar’s Tux 
Jewelry/Rings Robbin’s Bros 
Honeymoon and Travel Blossom Valley Travel - Hawaii 

Trending Tuesday

Let's Talk Bouquets.

White Wedding Day Events.  Photography by Siegel Thurston Photography

Left: Indulge Flowers. Photography by White Haute Photography
Right: Cherry Blossom Floral Design. Photography by Siegel Thurston Photography

Tailored Florals & Events by Jeri. Photography by Siegel Thurston Photography

Left: Moments in Bloom.  Right: White Wedding Day Events
Both photos are by Siegel Thurston Photography

Floral Inspiration: Bouquet Trends
By: Kristen Castillo

Your bouquet is the star of your wedding flowers.  You’ve got lots of colors, styles and trends to consider so San Diego Style Weddings is consulting with local floral designers to help you create a one-of-a-kind bouquet.

COLORS
“Cream, white and hints of coral,” are popular colors according to Dawn Stone of Embellishmint Floral Event and Design Studio who says color palettes “are more sophisticated because of inspiration boards.”


Dede Barnes and Tara McClurkin of Moments In Bloom “predict that most brides will be going back to a traditional look. Lots of whites and creams with a touch of color.”

Patrick Higgins of Artistic Florals and Plants has seen lots of light yellow and white flower combinations, but he can’t pinpoint any one color as the “it” hue of the moment. “I’ve seen a lot of girls do black dresses for their bridesmaids,” says Higgins. “With black, you can go in any color direction.”

Bold colors are a wedding option too. “I’m seeing a lot of bright colors mixed with white,” says Jenna Severson of Flowers by Coley who is also “seeing pops of orange, red and yellow.” She says color combos like tangerine orange and turquoise are trendy as well.

FLOWERS
Your bridal bouquet can have any flower you want. Still some blooms get lots of wedding attention. Severson says some top flowers for bridal bouquets include orchids, calla lilies, peonies, hydrangeas and David Austin garden roses.  “Since we live so close to the flower market in Carlsbad, anything is accessible to us,” she says. 

Stone’s favorite wedding flower is peonies: “I don’t think it’ll go out of style,” she says.

As for trendy arrangements, Barnes and McClurkin say brides will be “using a lot of traditional wedding flowers like roses, hydrangeas and mini callas.”

They also say many brides want to “’re-create’ their Mother’s bouquet but with a bit more of a modern twist.”

PERSONALIZATION
Bouquets are getting more intricate and interesting.  Higgins says many of his clients have used curly willow to add texture to a bouquet; one wrapped a boutonniere in bark; and another client used a bird’s nest as a place for the ring bearer to hold the wedding rings.

“I like the fact that people are adding more personality,” he says noting many couples are using unusual containers for wedding flowers, including teapots and mason jars.

Severson has been “seeing a lot of rustic elements like feathers and seasonal accents like berries or pinecones.”

Other touches of personality include using “vintage accents like velvet ribbons and cameos pinned to the nape of the bouquet wrap,” says Severson.

Stone agrees, saying: “They’re doing something personal like adding their grandmother’s rosary or their mother’s lace from her veil to remind them what the day’s all about – family.”

She says bouquets can have snazzy touches including antique buttons or rhinestone bracelets (which can double as bridesmaids’ gifts).

ROYAL INFLUENCE
For the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, the floral scheme was simple and elegant.

According to the Royal couple’s wedding website, flowers at Westminster Abbey,  their ceremony site, included “azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac.”

They also had six English maple trees and two hornbeams at the ceremony – all of which were replanted after the wedding.

“The trees gave it more personality,” says Higgins who says he found the Royal Wedding to be a very personal occasion. “It was more about the people than the event itself.”

Kate Middleton’s small bouquet fits the simplicity trend too.

But Barnes disagrees with the idea that San Diego brides will embrace simplicity.

“They are more aware of all the great things a wedding can be, including lots of flowers!” she says. “I think a lot of people felt that the Royal Wedding could have been more romantic if there were more flowers!

“I do however feel that the brides may be reusing trees, plants, etc. Everyone is going green and this is a great way to help decorate your wedding and still re-use! Brides have been giving seeds, miniature plants, etc. as favors.”

Whether you choose tulips or hydrangeas; whites or bold hues; a simple scheme or something more elaborate; show some personality in your floral style and showoff your bouquet!

Bouquet Basics: You’ll hear a lot of floral terms when you’re shopping for wedding flowers. Here’s a look at five of the most popular wedding bouquets styles.

Hand-tied bouquets have a fresh-from-the-garden feel. They’re typically assembled into a clutch style and can feature tulips, freesia and stephanotis, as well as other flowers. Many times the handle is wrapped in ribbon and embellished with personal touches such as a family brooch or fabric from the bride’s mother’s wedding dress.

Cascading bouquets have a waterfall feel since they seem to flow and trail down from the bouquet stem. This style was very popular in the 1980’s (Princess Diana had a cascading bouquet!) and is now starting to make a comeback. Orchids and stargazer lilies are two popular flowers in cascading bouquets.

Arm bouquets, also known as presentation bouquets, are generally long stemmed bouquets that nestle in a bride or bridesmaid’s arm. Calla lilies are a popular bloom for this style.

Pomander bouquets are rounded “balls” of flowers. Ribbon is attached to one side of the ball so the bouquet can be carried. Roses and peonies work well in pomander bouquets.

Nosegays are rounded bouquets that are a very full style. This Victorian style, which dates back hundreds of years, is also called “Tussy Mussy” or “Tussie Mussie.”

Monday Must-Haves

Pantone recently announced the 2012 color of the year is Tangerine Tango.
 
Tangerine Tango is a spirited reddish orange and continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

So get inspired and be bold and throw a little Tangerine into the mix at your weddings.

1. Pamella Roland 
2. Elva Fields  
3. Pear Tree Press  
4. Jimmy Choo 'Vamp' Sandal www.nordstrom.com  
5. JUDITH LEIBER  
6. Create a bright citrusy candy buffet
7. OPI Atomic Orange  http://www.opi.com/ 
8. STETSON  
9. Nordstrom Woven Silk Tie  www.nordstom.com 
10. Sofia Vergara KMART 
11. Bobbie Brown Bobbi Brown 'Neons & Nudes' Lip Gloss in Citrus

Color Coordinated

This is a great way to communicate and coordinate your wedding colors to all your bridal party and vendors!

The Dessy Group has introduced the Pantone Wedding™ Chiplette a new and cost effective way for brides to select and communicate wedding colors.  The Pantone Chiplette provides an easy alternative to mix and match colors. The color reference is a super-convienient way for the bride-to-be and her entourage when they need  an instant and accurate way to communicate color to wedding vendors.

The new Wedding Chiplettes allow the bride-to-be to find the perfect color palette for her dream wedding. Each 4” X 1.75” Pantone Wedding™ Chiplette is a full color card with the Pantone TPX reference number. A QR code is printed on the back of each Chiplette, which can be scanned to return a mobile user to the Dessy.com site. The bride can then share her color choices with the wedding party and distribute them to wedding florists, caterers, bakers and invitation printers.