Loews Coronado Bay Resort

If you are not familiar with Loews Coronado Bay Resort it is set on a private 15-acre peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay.  Isolated from the hustle of the city it is made even more magical with views of the city skyline.  The resort can host your event, from a group spa day to an oceanfront wedding ceremony, to a post-celebration brunch on the Bay, and beyond.  San Diego Weddings of Distinction very much enjoyed the views, the service, and the property at our October meeting.

Photos by Brant Bender Photography 

news + press :: January’s meeting at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter

Our first meeting of 2017 started off with chill meditation as we focused on all things good and positive, thank you officiant Deborah Young .  The new board was recognized and birthdays were celebrated.

The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter was a great venue for our first meeting of the year and is the ultimate backdrop for San Diego weddings. This modern and sophisticated  hotel is located adjacent to the Horton Plaza Shopping & Entertainment mall making it a great location for San Diego weddings.  Thank you Eddie Garcia of E3 Photography for the photos!

news + press :: june’s meeting at stone brewing company

Stone Brewing Co. is one of San Diego’s finest beer breweries, yet many do not realize that at the brewery’s main location in Escondido, CA, there is ample indoor and outdoor space for weddings and events!  So, for June’s Weddings of Distinction meeting, the group traveled to North County San Diego and enjoyed a spectacular buffet lunch and beer pairing in one of the brewery’s main meeting rooms.  Not bad for a Tuesday afternoon!

Upon arriving in the space, guests were welcomed by the vocals the group’s newest vocalist, Celeste Barbier.  She is an amazing Jazz/Blues/Retro-style singer and performer.  Her voice is soothing, and her style was the perfect accompaniment to the meeting’s “cocktail” and networking hour!

After some time to talk and tour the grounds, lunch was served, buffet-style. Pairings and tasters were available to those that wanted to day-drink, and for those that had to go back to work, non-alcholic options were available!  We had a guest who spoke to the group about managing money for small business, so besides being social, we also learned something to take with us on our ways.

It was a great afternoon.  We ate; we drank; we networked.  We are thrilled to have Stone Brewing Co. as a member of our group!  Not only does Stone offer delicious craft beer, but for those beer enthusiasts getting married, a wedding at Stone Brewery, whether in Escondido or one of their other San Diego locations, may just be the perfect fit!

Weddings of Distinction_June 2016 Meeting

Photos courtesy of McGuire Photography

real wedding :: kelly + jodie

Edgy, yet romantic.  Soft, yet modern. Thats the best way to describe the wedding day of Kelly + Jodie. With both the ceremony and reception taking place at the Scripps Seaside Forum, Kelly and Jolie’s wedding included everything perfect about a San Diego wedding: the perfect weather and nearly 360 degrees of ocean views.  Modern details, along with clean and bright colors, complimented the space perfectly, and being as there were many of the couples’  friends and family visiting San Diego from out of town, the entire evening went off without a hitch!

Two of Weddings of Distinction’s special wedding vendors participated in the special day, with Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. providing the teal-colored, tiered wedding cake, and Carmin Cermak coordinating the wedding flowers and floral arrangements in shades of white with gold highlights.  Needless to say: perfection all around!

San Diego Weddings; Wedding Professionals; Wedding Planning; Wedding Venues; Wedding Cake; Wedding Coordination; Wedding Flowers; Wedding DJ; Networking; Wedding Photography; Wedding Videography, San Diego Wedding Music

Photos Courtesy of True Photography

stephanie + guy :: real wedding at sea grove park / private residence

Not all weddings have to be large in scale.  Some have a few guests; some take place in a hotel; and others utilize mere creative locations and details.  The wedding of Stephanie and Guy describes the latter.  With the ceremony at Sea Grove Park in beautiful Del Mar, the couple may have kept the guest list small, but the details and the decor definitely made a large statement.

Specialty wedding rental vendor, Concepts Event Design, provided the couple with all the chairs, tables and more that they needed in order to create this pop-up wedding location.  After the ceremony, Concepts decorated the unique reception location, which happened to be at a friend’s private residence in La Jolla.  

Market string, lantern lighting, along with vibrant, bright colors, graced the home’s outdoor area, and tables and lines turned the space into a romantic and private wedding reception.

Stephanie and Guy REAL Wedding

real wedding :: stephanie + matthew

It was a the perfect fall day, but in San Diego, it always feels like summer.  The outdoor wedding of Stephanie and Matthew took place at the beautiful Hilton San Diego Bayfront, in one of the hotel’s outdoor gardens.  The colors were blush , ivory and white, and against the backdrop of San Diego’s vibrant Bay, the ceremony was romantic as it was elegant.

The reception followed, not at the Hilton, but at the Westgate Hotel in the nearby Gaslamp District.  The couple, in true fairy-tale fashion, made the few mile trek to the reception location via no other than, a horse carriage!  Thanks to Always & Forever Carriage Company, Stephanie and Matthew kept the romantic spirit of their ceremony alive, and arrived to their reception to party the night away.

Thanks to the coordinating efforts of Carmin Cermak, all the details of the multi-location wedding had to be timed perfectly.  And, of course, it was!  Carmin also worked to coordinate the florals, which in line with the bride’s colors of blush, ivory and white, were soft and romantic.

The wedding cake was provided by Sweet Cheeks Baking Company.  The cake was a classic, 4-tiered masterpiece, and just like this beautiful couple, it has elements that were romantic and whimsical.

San Diego Weddings; Wedding Professionals; Wedding Planning; Wedding Venues; Wedding Cake; Wedding Coordination; Wedding Flowers; Wedding DJ; Networking; Wedding Photography; Wedding Videography, San Diego Wedding Music

Photos Courtesy of Dan Rice Photography

real wedding :: vicky + brett

San Diego is one of California’s best wedding locations, but just an hour away is the harbor of Dana Point that is also pretty spectacular.  For two of Weddings of Distinction members, making the trip up north to Orange County was well-worth.

The wedding of Vicky and Brett took place this past fall, and with the backdrop of the water and the boats, the wedding was scenic as much as it was special.  Both the ceremony and reception took place at Cannons Restaurant in Dana point. Guests were able to enjoy outdoor patio space, complete with cliff-side views of the water and the haze of the marine-front.

The wedding colors were neutral tones, combined with lilacs and other shades of purple.  Carmin Cermak, one of WoD’s wedding coordinators, served in this case, as the wedding florist.  Carmin is unique in that she can, and often does, serve multiple roles for the weddings she is a part of.  In addition to Carmin, Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. provided the couple with their wedding cake, and working closely with Carmin, they decorated the cake and dessert table with florals in multiple shades of purple.

It truly was a special day.  Its always exciting to see wedding vendors working together, and its even more so when they are two of our vendors!  To make the trip up north just goes to show that our people are committed to providing the best possible service to their couples!

San Diego Weddings; Wedding Professionals; Wedding Planning; Wedding Venues; Wedding Cake; Wedding Coordination; Wedding Flowers; Wedding DJ; Networking; Wedding Photography; Wedding Videography, San Diego Wedding Music

Photos Courtesy of Dan Rice Photography

news + press :: march’s meeting at bernardo winery

Just when we think our meetings can’t get any better, we go to a winery, the Bernardo Winery to be exact, and we completely out-do ourselves!   To sum March’s meeting up: outdoor luncheon, historic charm, and of course, wine!!

While admittedly it was hard to focus (:)), there were two, very informative speakers this month: the first, Marc Lehman from Emotion Picture Studio.  His company has transformed into so much more than just videotaping weddings.  Emotion Picture Studio works with a couples’ budget, and they not only offer professionally-manned coverage, but they’ve developed a service that sends cameras to a couple for them to distribute and use on their own, and then once returned, the Studio edits and creates the final memories.  Convenient and innovative, for sure!

Following Marc, we heard from Shannon Henry & Janine Abdallah (who manage marketing for the Weddings of Distinction) about Facebook Targeted Ads.  Albeit a brief synopsis, they offered the group a lot of information, that in turn, can be used to promote individual businesses.

When it came to lunch, it was a pretty warm, sunny day, s0 lunch was served in one of the vineyard’s outdoor pavilions.  The combination of the shade of the gazebo, the view of the vineyards, and the old-world charm that transports you back to the 1800s, made this afternoon one of our more memorable lunches!  After all presentations were presented, lunch was served, the group was escorted through the Winery.  We learned about it’s history (many of us didn’t know that Bernardo Winery is Southern California’s oldest operating winery); we toured the grounds, and, of course, had a tasting!  It’s a tough job; someone has to do it! 😉

San Diego Weddings; Wedding Professionals; Wedding Planning; Wedding Venues; Wedding Cake; Wedding Coordination; Wedding Flowers; Wedding DJ; Networking; Wedding Photography; Wedding Videography

Photos courtesy of Maryanne McGuire Photography

news + press :: february’s meeting at the bali hai restaurant

It was a perfect afternoon on the water, and with February’s networking meeting graciously hosted by the Bali Hai Restaurant, we had amazing views of the San Diego Bay Harbor.  We dined outside, underneath the restaurant’s “Hawaiian Village” outdoor pavilion.  It was just the right amount of space for our rather large group, and with spectacular views of the Bay and downtown San Diego, it almost doesn’t seem fair that our meetings are part of “work!”

We heard from one of our new members, Stephanie, from A Perfect Table.  They specialize in, as may be deduced, table decor, but what she and her company offer is really so much more.  She works with the couple, determines their vision and style, and then coordinates with the florists, planners, and caterers to make the reception tables absolutely perfect!

We concluded the luncheon with a presentation from The Knot Magazine.  The Southern CA rep told the group about the publicity they offer advertisers, as well as the benefits of working with the nation’s leading wedding planning magazine.

In the end, we hated to leave the San Diego sunshine and have to go back to the office, but this month’s meeting was not only enjoyable but informative!
San Diego Weddings, Wedding Professionals, Wedding Planning, Wedding Venues, Wedding Cake, Wedding Coordination, Wedding Flowers, Wedding DJ, Networking, Wedding Photography, Wedding Videography

Photos courtesy of Maryanne McGuire Photography

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)