Tag: real wedding san diego

happy new year!

new year 2016

2015 was a time to rebuild, and after some misfortunes and losses that the group faced in the 12-24 months prior, the members of Weddings of Distinction were ready to start fresh.  2015 was the perfect year to do so!

With a fresh new Board in place in 2015, we rebuilt the group by streamlining our processes, and perfecting our procedures.  In turn, we were able to focus on what was important for our members, and in the end, we ended the year extremely well!  Plus, in the process, we explored some truly wonderful San Diego wedding reception areas/hotels.

In 2015, we got some new members; we lost some others.  Yet, that is the nature of the business, and of our unique group.  We understand that circumstances are always evolving for all our members… in their businesses and in their personal lives.

Weddings of Distinction is more than just a group of San Diego wedding professionals; we are family.  We network with one another because we trust not only the quality of the work he/she performs, but we trust the integrity of the person involved.  To be a member is an honor, so we know that now, in 2016, with some minor shifts to our board, this could be our best year yet!

2016 Board Members

President – Elaine Ardizzone (Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.)
VP (co-chaired position) – Frankie Hartwell (Hartworks Florals) & Renee Hirsch (French Gourmet Catering)
Treasurer – Tracy Zemke (Personal Touch Dining)
Marketing – Shannon Henry (Studio Carre’ Photography)
Membership – Merrylin Brichmann (Lady DJ Merrylin/Artistic Productions)
Secretary – Andy Haganah (The Groove DJs/ Starlight Photo Booth)
Education (co-chaired position) – Ashley Noack & Jillian Ziska, (Coastyle Events)

real wedding :: paulina & adrian

You don’t hear about it often anymore, but for some, they meet “the one” early on in life.  That is exactly how it was for Paulina and Adrian.  They met in high school, when they both were in the same biology class.  Fast forward 8 years, and the two were married in a classy, elegant wedding at the beautiful Marin Village Conference Center.  Nestled right on the San Diego bay, the wedding featured amazing views of the water, custom cocktails and custom lighting in the shade of the wedding colors, purple and white!  Paulina and Adrian’s wedding was elegant, yet remained traditional. It matched couple’s style perfectly!  With all the special attention to detail, and a DJ that played tunes well into the night, the couple and their guests enjoyed quite a party!San Diego Wedding Photographers_015

Photos courtesy of Shadi Ameri Photography and Studio Carre Photographie

Real Wedding :: Nicole + Sean | La Valencia Hotel


“I don’t know how Lois Mathews did it, but I felt like she went into my head and found every memory of my grandmother…my mother and my family’s elegance, warmth and tradition. [She} put it together to create the most amazing feeling and atmosphere.  I felt like I was surrounded with all my favorite things in my life.  Every table had different elements and the most beautiful flowers and lace.” 

Real Wedding San Diego

Sometimes it helps to hear from the bride’s mouth exactly what she thought of her wedding, and the above comments came directly from Nicole about the work of Lois Mathews Design, a special and talented wedding floral designer with Weddings of Distinction.  She, along with fellow WoD vendors, Bryan Miller Photography and Artistic Productions, plus other great San Diego wedding vendors, made Nicole and Sean’s day magical.

The story of how they met is pretty awesome: Nicole (living in Detroit at the time) was visiting her parents over Thanksgiving.  During her stay, she decided to take the dogs to the dog park in Little Italy.  She was in her PJs, mind you!   Upon entering the park, one of her dogs ran up to play with a doggie friend.  Much to her embarrassment and surprise, both the other dog and its owner were pretty cute!  Nicole was so embarrassed, but it didn’t matter, Sean thought she was beautiful.  While she left CA the next day, 6 months later she had a chance to move to San Diego.  The two connected at that time, and the rest is history.

 They were married at the end of December last year.  Their wedding and reception were at the historic and iconic, La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, a Weddings of Distinction venue.  They were treated to food and service that was truly First Class.

The ceremony took place on the terrace, and Lois designed an amazing lace and floral chuppah, under which the couple exchanged vows.  The day started out beautiful, yet at about 3:00 in the afternoon, right before the ceremony was to begin, dense fog rolled in and made everything dark.  Yet as luck would have it, just as the wedding party lined up, the fog retreated and the sun came back out!  The couple, and their family and friends, thought it was an interesting circumstance, and the couple’s Rabbi, who was a long time family friend, joked during the ceremony that he could take the credit!

Everything, from the details in the bride’s dress, to the flowers, to the details at the reception, made this wedding better than the couple could have ever imagined!  Wedding DJ, and WoD vendor, Bob Brichmann of Artistic Productions, played tunes that ranged from classics of the 1940s to modern pop of today.

The wedding may have been intimate (only 40 guests), but the combination of great music, good food, and the company and friends and family made this wedding extra special.  That, combined with professional and talented wedding vendors, made the couple feel “so blessed.”

San Diego weddings

 

Ceremony String Music: Elian Strings

Wedding Cake: Cake in Mission Hills

Bridal Gown: Isis

real wedding :: Megan + Chris

When two people are meant to meet, somehow, some way, it will happen; even when the odds, and geography, are against them.

That is exactly how the story goes for Chris and Megan.  Chris was born in Pennsylvania and went to high school in Europe!  Megan: she was born and raised in San Diego.  Their upbringing could not have more different, but the world has a way of bringing people together, and as such, Megan and Chris’s paths did cross.

They met at The Waterfront in the Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego.  Chris was out celebrating being sworn in to the California state bar.  Megan, who was out with friends, noticed Chris and the fact that he was wearing a Nordstrom shirt, and since Megan was working at Nordstrom at the time, it appeared to be a no-brainer opening to begin conversation.  But alas, the time was not meant to be, and Chris chickened out and didn’t talk to Megan.  Fortunately for Chris, his friend wasn’t as afraid and he got Megan’s number for him!

But it would be months before the two would meet again, and this time Megan and Chris bumped into each other at Maloney’s in downtown San Diego.  Chris’s courage had months to mature, and that night he spoke to Megan. Hours and a Taylor Swift song later, the rest became history.

Megan and Chris share many loves: bagels, reality TV, Jerry Seinfeld and Friends.  But most importantly, they have two rescue dogs: Lyla and Lena, who are the center of their world.  If they’re not walking them in the park or playing ball with them in the backyard, Megan and Chris enjoy spending time with friends, enjoying our favorite Little Italy restaurants, singing karaoke, and relaxing at home with some tea and ice cream.

Fast-forward a couple of years and the two got married in a beautiful ceremony at the US Grant Hotel.   The couple took to downtown San Diego and celebrated their special day in the city in which they met.   It was a magical day for the lovely couple and their friends and family.  The ceremony site was candlelit in an exquisitely opulent fashion. The effect was clean and tasteful, a true reflection of the couple themselves. The reception décor was soft and romantic, with the colors of whites, grays, and then hints of royal blue.

Wedding coordinator, Carmin Cermak, of Carmin Design, did an excellent job capturing the taste of the couple, and all the vendors involved in this wedding did an incredible job making the event complete.  Megan and Chris are amazing people and together they are even more special.

The future: Megan and Chris plan to stay in ‘America’s Finest City’ and start a family.

Photos courtesy of:  TRUE Photography

Vendors Involved:

Venue/catering: The US Grant Hotel

Coordinator: Carmin Design

Cake: Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.

Entertainment: Tim Altbaum Productions

Flowers: Posies

Photography: TRUE Photography

Décor-Linens: APR Linens

Décor-Rentals: Posies

Invitations/Stationary: Wedding Paper Divas

Dress: Legends by Romona Keveza (Panache Bridal – Costa Mesa)

Jewelry: J. Crew

Groom Suit + Tie: J. Crew

Hair/Make-up: Theresa Amundson of Bijou Beautiful

Officiant: (Megan’s Uncle) George Fogelman

Honeymoon Location: Bora Bora

real wedding :: beach wedding at the hotel del coronado

Sweet Cheeks Baking - Embellishmint Floral

 

 

Beach weddings are a popular wedding option nowadays, and San Diego is one of the most-perfect spots for an exquisite beach wedding.

 

So recently, two of our fine vendors, Embellishmint Floral & Event Design and Sweet Cheeks Baking Company worked together to make one special couple’s beach wedding in Coronado a success!

 

It happened to be one perfect Coronado Beach day, equipped with giant sand castle – a great photo opp.  The couple, Avery & Thomas, have such a darling sense of style and comfort together.  Their quite stunning bridal party added to the charismatic bride & groom with humor & beach-side antics.

 

For this couple, the colors were coral as well as other natural beach tones.  Dawn Stone, of Embellishmint, decorated the ceremony aisle with hanging glass bulbs on the aisle chairs.  They were the perfect little pots of cuteness.  At the same time, the floral arrangements at the ceremony altar blew the house down in grandeur!  Dawn’s incredible use of stock, ranunculus, roses, hydrangea, and other wild flowers made these flower arrangements, both on tables and within the cake tiers, pop with intense color while at the same time as being beautifully delicate.

 

When it came to the cake, Sweets Cheeks Baking Co. came up with a delicious combination of Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Cake with Luscious Cream Cheese Filling and Italian Butter Cream.  The couple selected not only select a stunning cake design, but then during the reception, they took it upon themselves to have some fun and play around with one another, in a fashion that involved a lot of cake in the face!

 

It was the perfect beach wedding in San Diego, and all the wedding vendors involved made this day lots of fun and extra special!

Venue: Hotel Del Coronado
Wedding Dress: Here Comes the Bride
Makeup: Lipstick & Luster
Coordinator: Mint Weddings
Officiant: Reverend Powers
Invitation: Seaside Papery