Wedding Wednesday: Kristin and Sam's Wedding

I thought this spectacular wedding was a fitting first post for the New Year! With only 6 weeks to plan and 350 guests we had our hands full! I will never forget Kristin calling me in late August to tell me about her Oct 5th wedding date. I surely figured she meant of 2013 but quickly realized she was meaning in 42 days! Luckily she hired me on the phone :) and the rest of history. The 3 of us hit it off right from the start. Both Tammi and I totally feel in love with Kristin's SWEET, generous and always positive spirit. Her and Sam were such an incredible couple and took all the decision making and hard work in stride!

The ceremony was held at her parents home in Rancho Santa Fe. Kristin had always dreamed of marrying in her backyard. Her hopes were fully met as her Dad built a railroad cross in front of the natural growing arch covered with foliage. 350 white chiavari chairs lined the green grass and all the small touches were at each turn. We had a lavender infused water and champage bar, stunning ceremony programs, and cones filled with lavender for their ceremony exit. It was so warm and welcoming and trulely stunning.

The cocktail hour and reception was held at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, a hotel and restaurant down the street from their house that they grew up going to.  We brought in two large lounge areas to make enough room for the guests to sit and adorned the cocktail hour with the work of Annette Gomez.

It was not hard to pick and stick to a theme as Kristin had been dreaming up this day for a while. She wanted a natural and effortless classic look. She wanted it to air on the side of "preppy" but lean more towards "timeless elegance". We mixed powder blue with pinks/blushes and deep emerald green.  She wanted it to feel beautiful but not stuffy so we added a rustic twist with wood long banquet tables.  Doing that allowed us to get more playful with some fun colors, fluffy blooms, elegant mercury glass, and LOTS of candles. Danielle Leopold did all of the print work.  Every item was custom designed and totally fitting for the style.

The Inn put on a delicious dinner to be followed by a yummy Michele Coulon cake and a ragging dance party from the Wayne Foster band! The dance floor was packed the entire evening and the energy was out of control. I feel so blessed to have been able to work with such a unique and special family and couple. Cheers to you both.

xo,
Michele

Thanks to Troy Grover photography we are able to share this story...

 
 


 

San Diego Wedding Vendors: 

Ceremony Location- Private Home
Reception- Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
Coordinators/Design- Before I Do Events
Floral- Annette Gomez
Cake- Michele Coulon
Photography- Troy Grover Photography
Videography- Taylor Films
Rentals- Classic Party Rental & Chiavari Chair Rental
Lounge Rentals- AFR Rentals
Linens- La Tavola
Band- Wayne Foster
Cocktail Hour - Peter Pupping
Print Work- Danielle Leopold
Dress- Modern Trousso from White Dress in Del Mar
Shoes- Alice and Olivia
Wedding Party- Jcrew (girls) and Vera Wang from men's warehouse
Hair and Makeup- Browtique
Transportion - E Limo
Valet- PVP

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!  I was inspired by the always amazing Pinterest but decided to put my own spin on this fun treat. We just moved to a new house so I thought it was a fun and easy (which is always nice this time of year) treat to hand out to all our "favorite" - I mean - neighbors!



Enjoy the last bit of 2012. We are all so blessed and have SO many reasons to be thankful. I am very much looking forward to another year with our business, family and friends!

Cheers,

Michele

DIY Friday: Christmas Gold Glam Spread

I hosted my first Christmas this year. Not 1 but 2. I had my husband's family over for Christmas Eve and my family for Christmas. In the crazy and amazing mayhem that occured I forgot to take pics of the finished product. But here are a few pics I snapped on my phone during the process....

I wanted to use things I had around the house and just spruce them up with glitter, glam and gold! It was so easy and affordable!

Candles- double sided tape and glitter
Wood sticks- I pulled from around the garden and spray painted in gold
Glasses- spray adhesive and glitter
Popcorn- I tried it the edible way and the glitter did not show up as well. So I just used spray adhesive gold flakes and clear sprinkles. Who needs to eat any more then we already did!
Napkins (not pictured :( - rolled white napkin tied with jute twine which was dipped in gold and giltter in the center and then added in was a piece of greenery and a cinnamon stick.

It came out great and was SO easy!

Thoroughly Inspired Thursday: A new member on the Before I Do Team!

It is my pleasure to announce I have finally brought on a partner at Before I Do Events!! For the last 6 months we have been diving full fledge into events and loving every second. Tammi Pederson is a dear friend, and a killer addition to our team! We've been friends since our SDSU college days, and we're former colleagues from a company where we both focused on sales and business development for a small, growing company. Although her business-oriented mindset is key, it is her true passion for events that sealed-the-deal. We have known for a while that we would complement each other extremely well in the events world and I am thrilled she has come aboard to take Before I Do to the next level!

Tammi has "dabbled" in everything from sales, to online marketing, corporate events, international operations, software, and strategy planning... all of which, I know will benefit our biz in a big way! Her organization and knowledge have already impacted lead generation, our "social media" presence on sites like Yelp, LinkedIn and Facebook, and we're updating our website as we speak!

This is such an exciting time for me -- the hard work I've put into this business is paying off and my "other baby" is growing up! Bringing Tammi on will not only help grow BID, but it will allow me to focus on the aspects that I LOVE most about events... design & decor. I'll be enjoying work that I love, and have a trusted friend to lean on when it comes to our business. Most importantly, I'll have all this, plus quality time to spend with our growing family. :)

We are both so very excited to work you with in the near future! Cheers to an amazing year of growth in 2012, and a Happy, Healthy and Fun 2013!

We have also brought on a full time assistant, Alicia Strom. The post will be coming shortly...

All the Best,
Michele

Photo Credit- Stone Crandall Photography

Wedding Wednesday: Kylie and Patrick's Beach and Ranch Bash!

Why not soak up the two best elements of San Diego in one day? Kylie and Patrick did just that. They decided to get married at the beach and then move inland to Rancho Santa Fe, to find the incredible rolling hills, horses and acres of property! In my opinion it is the best of the best. If I could live any where it would be in "Hollister" in Santa Barbara where the ranch meets the coast - there you will find nothing but bare land sitting right on the ocean cliffs. I just think the two are a breathing pair to be treated with in one day.

The weather was perfect and Kylie started the day with a giant smile and never took it off her face. She glowed and was so beautiful!  I had the pleasure of getting to know Kylie, as I knew her "now" husband from our high school days. The two of them were so much fun to work with.

Kylie wanted to bring Italy to San Diego.  Thanks to the incredible planning, effort and attention that Paula from Paula Mac Floral gave to us we were able to achieve exactly what Kylie and Patrick had hoped for. The decor was spot on in every area. The wine barrels at the ceremony and the stunning tables with a runner of flowers and vegetables spilling over onto the table was just right!

Michael once again had the party going all night. It was not hard with this group as they were itching to go from the moment they were pronounced husband and wife. Take a peak at the incredible shots from Sean Walker.... It was such a fun night to be a part of!

xoxo!




San Diego WeddingVendors:

Ceremony- Sea Grove Park
Reception- Inn at Rancho Santa Fe
Rentals- Classic Party
Catering at Sea Grove Park Cocktail Hour- Continental Catering
DJ- Still Listening
Floral- Paula Mac Florals
Sweets- VG's Bakery
Photobooth- Classy Event Group
Photography- Sean Walker

Finishing Touches Tuesday: A little girl's gift

Today I was reminded of the crazy amount of joy, excitement and energy Christmas brings.  To be a kid again and to relive Christmas as an adult is high on my list.  So instead I decided the closest way to achieve that was to make a little kid SO happy with a thoughtful gift.  I spent the morning making up fun gifts for my sweet and beautiful nieces.

All 3 of them are at the age where clothes, jewerly, purses and anything girly is the best thing ever.  I went to my local Michael's and got a jewerly organizing kit and filled it with all the tools for them to make their own jewerly. I know they are going to go wild over it. It will pair just perfect with the adorable outfits I got them!

I think "seeing" and opening the gift is almost as fun as the actual gift so I spent a bit more time and made the present sparkly and very enticing! Don't you just want to open it.... :)

Vendor Love: Kaelin and Chris's Wedding

Yipppeeee married and happy we will be! Kaelin and Chris could not be more happy and in love then they were at their Estancia wedding.  I knew the day could only be a complete success as they are the sweetest and most laid back couple ever. Not to mention they were going into the day with the best team of vendors you could ask for. Those two reasons and a whole lot of love and support from their closest family and friends pair to only the best of best. 

Thanks to the very talented and sweet Sean Walker we have these fun images to look through. Kaelin and Chris got married in their home chapel Saint Terese Carmel Valley and then head over to the always stunning Estancia.  There guests enjoyed the cocktail hour while listening to an authentic Irish duo. They were so much fun and totally got the party in gear.  After a few bites of food and some drinks guests walked into the Grande Room, which is one of Estancia's smaller rooms and one of my favorites. We wanted to stick with the rustic charm of Estancia but incorporate the brides love for color and lace. We paired a teal linen and lace overlay from A Perfect Table with Annette Gomez's rustic iron vases and stunning floral. The room was beautiful and the night was just perfect.

Michael Tiernan got the party going and going and going. The dance floor was packed and the vibe was just right! They are huge Red Sox fans so giant "sports fingers" came out and they rocked out to the theme song for the Sox of "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond.

Thank you both for letting me be such a special part of your big day!



San Diego Wedding Vendors:


Ceremony- St Terese of Carmel ValleyReception- Estancia Resort and Spa
Lighting- Swank Lighting
Floral- Annette Gomez 
Rentals- Classic Party Rental
Linens- A Perfect Table
Photography- Sean Walker 
Irish Duo- Highland Way 
DJ- Still Listening Productions
Cake- Baby Cakes
Photobooth- San Diego Photobooth