Wedding Wednesday: Melissa & Andrew

3/28/2015  |  Ponte Winery

Melissa and Andrew's wedding was at Ponte Winery in Temecula, California. They chose this venue because of the amazing vineyard, elegant barrel room, and friendly staff. When they planned their wedding they wanted it to be a rustic and elegant theme. The happy couple wanted their wedding to represent them the best they could. The girls wore cowgirl boots while the boys wore vans. They had bright colorful flowers for the bouquets that matched the girls dresses perfectly! It's so hard choosing a favorite part of the day, everything was amazing! Melissa loved getting ready with her girls in a beautiful suite at Ponte. She absolutely loved doing a first look with her husband, and she absolutely loved walking down the aisle with her dad. Everything was so amazing, from her awesome photographers to my yummy cake. This was the best day and they couldn't have asked for better vendors to make this day and their memories so special.

ingredients:
Location: Ponte Winery
Photography: Leah Marie Photography
Florist: RSVP Floral
Cake: Cakes To Celebrate
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas
Gown: David's Bridal
Menswear: Men's Wearhouse
Rentals: Jake Duke

Wedding Wednesday: Jillian & Adam

8/22/2015  |  Martin Johnson House

Adam and Jillian dreamed of a serene and intimate wedding day surrounded by a "small" number of close friends and family. The lush cypress trees and ocean views at the Martin Johnson House provided the perfect backdrop for a night of romance and dancing under the stars. This venue is a hidden gem with so much natural beauty enabling my mother and I to DIY most of the rustic decor you see picture. Lastly, the best part of our wedding was that their fur-child was a groomsman and stole the show with his grunts and groans when he heard his name during the ceremony!

ingredients:
Location: Martin Johnson House
Officiant: Deborah Young
Photographer: True Photography Weddings
Florist: Anna Nguyen Classic Blooms Floral Studio
Linens: Kristie Emmons Continental Caterin
Entertainment: Dale Warstadt Pianist / Sunset Mobile Music DJ
Catering: Continental Catering
Cake: Cakes by Dina
Gown: Prevue Formal and Bridal
Menswear: Friar Tux Shop
Rentals: Continental Catering
Transportation: Goldfield Stage Coach

Wedding Wednesday: Amy & Christopher

9/13/2014  | The Soledad Club

Amy and Chris were neighbors before they ever knew each other. Amy had fallen with San Diego on a trip, and then decided to move across the country from Pennsylvania. Though they lived close, and eventually met through mutual friends and hit it off.


Amy is an interior decorator and yoga instructor, and Chris works in engineering. They are both adventurous and they like to stay active together. Amy may seem cute and girly, but she is totally the type of girl who will get down and dirty and go night fishing with Chris!
Amy did a lot of her own wedding planning, with the help of her friend Christine (and of course her bridesmaids!). Her experience as an interior designer was very apparent. The hilltop ceremony at Kate O. Sessions Park was absolutely breathtaking, and beautifully styled. The entire Soledad Club was made over to fit Amy + Chris' style on their big day. They chose a shabby chic look with lots of warm blush tones paired with succulent and mint greens. Everything felt really natural and the flowers were all eco-friendly and grown locally in San Diego. Amy’s amazing friend Christine also provided the gorgeous flower-topped cake and never-ending cookie bar. The escort cards used something from Amy's home back in PA- the Love symbol from LOVE park.
Before the ceremony, Amy's mom presented her with a very special gift. Amy's christening bonnet was made from a piece of fabric that Amy's mom carried on her own wedding day. The earrings Amy wore were her grandmother's, and they were worn in her honor because she was unable to attend the wedding. Amy also wore her mother's veil to complete her elegant ensemble.
Amy bought all of her bridesmaids Kate Spade bracelets to finish their look on her big day. Her girls looked gorgeous in blush Bill Levkoff bridesmaid dresses- the maid of honor wore a slightly different cut than the rest of the girls. The San Diego heat gets even more intense in September- and Amy thought ahead and provided bamboo fans for all of her guests to beat the heat!
Amy and Chris bought each other some very special wedding gifts. Chris made a darling shadow box for Amy, and also bought her a personalized necklace to remember their special day. Amy has not only been writing Chris a journal, but she also bought him a boat! Yes- a boat! Before the wedding, Amy enlisted the help of Chris' father to get this huge wedding gift right. She had her future father-in-law help Chris look for boats online, and played it all off as though he were going against her wishes in doing so. He even went and looked at a few of the boats in person, eventually falling in love with one. Amy was disappointed to find out the boat Chris loved so much had been sold. A few weeks later, she was beyond excited when she happened to see the boat re-appear on Craigslist. It had been bought and worked on, and was in even better condition than before! Needless to say, Amy jumped on the opportunity and got the boat! She surprised her new husband with it at their gift-opening party the morning after their ceremony. The next afternoon Amy + Chris took off for their honeymoon. These two lovebirds will be enjoying in Hawaii for the next couple of weeks!

ingredients:
Location: The Soledad Club
Hair & Makeup: Bella D'Ora Spa
Rentals: Best Rentals
Accessories: BHLDN
Gown: The White Flower Dress Store
Menswear: Men's Wearhouse
Florist: Organic Flora
Entertainment: The Summer Januaries
Coordinator: With Love Event Decor

Ask Abby: Is There an Appropriate Way to Kiss at the Wedding?

This is definitely something you want to discuss with your fiance before the day of! Obviously you don't want to be full on making out in front of Great Aunt Betty. But this is a special moment! It's your first kiss as a married couple! So take it for what it is and enjoy the kiss. Normally keeping it under 15 seconds is advisably best. This moment often ends up being a favorite photo of the wedding so make the most of it and enjoy your first kiss as newlyweds. Check out the adorable couple below who even added in a dip!

Photo by Blessed Wedding Photography

If you have a question you'd like to "Ask Abby," send an email to abby@sandiegostyleweddings.com.

Red, White, and Blue: Salute to the Military

Happy Fourth of July!! Here at San Diego Style Weddings, we are so thankful to be Americans and for our freedom. We're especially thankful for our military for defending our freedom and love military weddings. Check out our "Salute to the Military" Tablescape! We hope you have a wonderful safe holiday with family and friends! 

This military-inspired tablescape gets its style from the United States Marines dress blue uniform. Its clean lines and patriotic colors let you know this couple is proud of their service while still expressing a bride's personality with the fun feathers, gorgeous florals and dainty accents. The gold sequins, caramel macarons and accents on the Marine uniform. Every one of the gold uniform buttons used for this shoot were donated by military families. SDSW salutes a job well done with this unique table design.

SDSW Table Design Preferred Vendors: Stephanie Rose Events // Take Note! Creations

Wedding Professionals
Venue: Unconditional Surrender Statue at Tuna Harbor Park
Photographer: Melissa McClure Photography
Florist: Flowers by Coley
Coordinator / Wedding Planner: Stephanie Rose Events
Chairs: Thimbleana Wedding & Special Event Decor
Linens: Wildflower Line
Cake: Cute Cakes/Heavenly Cupcakes
Rentals: Raphael's Party Rentals
Cake: Lette Macarons
Stationery and Favors: Take Note! Creations

Dessert of the Week: All White with a Twist

A white cake is anything but boring when it has this much texture.

Cake by Perfect Wedding Cake / Photo Credit: Julie Anne Photography, LLC