{LOVE} Wedding Video Teaser of Pia + Ryan's Wedding

We have a special treat today!  Steve Luxenburg of Weddings by SML posted a teaser wedding video of my much talked about bride and groom, Pia + Ryan.  The teaser is SUPER cute!  There's a quick scene of my daughter dancing too!  Below is an excerpt from Steve's blog summarizing the story of this fabulous couple..."Sneakers & Shoes"!  Thanks again Steve for sharing this amazing teaser.  Enjoy!

From Steve's blog:

Pia + Ryan // Sneakers & Shoes

The key to every couple is their story. The story always defines who and what we are and even more importantly, what we are all about. Every time we meet with a couple, we look for the things that make them unique, interesting, and separate them from others.

Sure, everyone is going to share some vows or the exchange of a kiss at the end of a ceremony, but we want to know what it is it that makes a couple unique. What separates them from all others and helps to tell their story? In Pia + Ryan's case, it's simply sneakers & shoes.

You see, when we first met this wonderful couple, the first thing that stood out were the sneakers Ryan was wearing, and after a simple comment about the kicks, Ryan revealed that (at the time) he owned over 300 pairs of sneakers. . . . . not a typo. . . . . over 300 pairs. Then Pia revealed that her love for shoes was not to be sold short as she also owned shoes into the triple digit count. Let's just say that they have some serious shoe equity :-)

Well, from that point on, it was a given that the guys (and girls) would be rockin' some special footwear the day of and we were determined to tie it into their story. So you will see a fun little sequence in this trailer that takes place before the grand entrance as the guys needed to go to their car to grab their custom kicks. We searched everywhere and couldn't find one of the groomsmen, and then, at the last minute, he finally showed up. He was hanging out at the bar, who would have thought? So we inserted him last minute as you'll see. Also, a shout out to the INSANE photo backdrop (not a photo-booth, this thing took up an entire room!) and the ever talented Gregorio Bumatay of Bumatay Studio for snapping stunning imagery the day of. Thanks also to to Majell Del Castillo of MDC Events for keeping the timeline on track!

Pia and Ryan, you're style rocks and even better, the fact that you were willing to be yourselves on the day of your wedding makes us smile every time we see this trailer. Enjoy!

DIY Photo Booths: The Hottest Trend

Today's post I want to talk a little more about DIY photo booths.  Photo booth rentals have been in demand for quite a few years.  However, recent economic trends have shifted forcing couples to create their own photo booths either by putting up a fabric background (like the ones at high school dances) or by simply holding vintage frames.  For Pia & Ryan's wedding we created a modern photo booth to fit the bride and groom's style (thanks to the help of my husband and his friend).  The bride purchased fun props, which the guests had lots of fun with.  Her photographer added another shooter to take pictures of all the fun.  It was a HUGE HIT!  Whether you rent a photo booth or build your own, it's always good to have a little something for your guests to enjoy and become interactive instead of sitting down for 3-4 hours straight.

For the budget brides, this particular photo booth backdrop can be rented out with customization, set-up, delivery, and teardown included in the rental fee within Southern California.  Extra travel fees will apply for events outside of Southern California.  Props, furniture, signages, camera, printer, photo paper are NOT included.  Please inquire either by calling or emailing me.

{Signages by Claudia Martinez.  All photos by Greg Bumatay}

Dreamy Details of Sophistication and Elegance for a Modern-Chic Wedding {Part II of Pia + Ryan's Platinum Wedding}

My ultimate gift to a good friend of mine was designing and coordinating her DREAM WEDDING!  Get ready because this post is filled with tons of detailed shots from Pia + Ryan's platinum wedding.  As promised here is PART II of the modern-chic wedding filled with gorgeous details!  I can't believe it's been a month since Pia + Ryan got married.  It's always great to hear the overwhelming positive feedback from guests (especially the newlyweds) on how fabulous everything turned out and how seamless the event was.  And it's always a delight to hear how much the newlyweds and their guests simply can't get enough of the wedding and how anxious they are to see pictures.

As with all my weddings, when I hear or see the guests mouths (literally) drop to the floor and their eyes widen like a kid in a candy store, I immediately know I've done my job right.  As an event designer not only do I want to run a seamless show, but you want to imprint images in the guests minds to hold in their memories forever.  Enjoy!!!

{Below:  Bride's bouquet - White peonies and phalaenopsis orchids in a ivory French wrap accented with crystals.  The bride wanted to honor her late grandmother by attaching a locket with her picture.

Bridesmaids' bouquet:  Purple lisianthus and white cymbidium orchids in a teal French wrap accented with teal jewelry.  Photo by Bumatay Studio}

{Below Right:  Customized coin (arrhae) and ring pillow - It always helps to know someone in any industry.  In this case, one of the bridesmaids works in the fashion industry.  As a gift to the bride, she created two pillows, one for the arrhae and another for the rings.  The stunning pillows were made of gorgeous satin fabric in eggplant purple and with a beaded/sequined swirly applique.  The ends of the pillows had hanging purple crystals.  Both photos featured below by Bumatay Studio}

{Below:  Wedding Invitation Suite - White letterpress suite on 100% recycled cotton with three-tone colored ink of different shades of purple.  Customized RSVP card with cute symbols of a cow, fish, and mushroom representing their menu selections.  Non-pro photo by me}

{Below Left:  Bride's Ceremony shoes Designer - Badgley Mischka.  All photos featured below by Bumatay Studio}

{Below Right:  Bridal Gown Designer - Monique Lhuillier.  A form-fitting ivory sheath with ivory Alençon lace and a scalloped V-shaped low neckline}

{Below:  Diamond earrings and bracelet for the bride; "i do" ring dish; and a surprise 'private' gift to the groom (boudoir picture album).  Boudoir photography for picture album by Beth Cocuzzi}

{Below:  Flower girl purses - In lieu of traditional flower girl baskets and to represent the brides love for designer purses, she wanted the flower girls to carry floral purses decorated with clusters of purple carnations and LOTS of bling on the handle and on the purse}

{Below:  Flower girl dress Designer - Janie and Jack.  Silk taffeta in autumn plum with a sash and bow.  Gorgeous and cute!}

{Below:  Flower girl purses; custom pillows, and Junior bridesmaid's bouquet}

{Below:  Bridesmaid gowns Designer - Enzoani Love Couture 2009 Collection.  Satin full-length gowns in eggplant satin with beaded trimming and applique.  I've seen lots of bridesmaid gowns, but these gowns are by far the most stunning I've ever seen!  VERY POSH AND ELEGANT!}

{Below:  Groom and groomsmen attire - Tagalog Barong.  Traditional attire for Filipino weddings.  The groom opted to wear an ivory barong made of Piña fabric.  The groomsmen wore barongs made of jusi fabric}

{Below:  Beautiful view of Chino Hills!}

{Below:  Detailed shot of the groom's Jordan socks because he's such a BIG Michael Jordan fan and a designer shoe shot of the bride's elegant pair of Badgley Mischka stilettos}

{Below:  Guest book.  I'm a huge fan of DIY guestbooks!  They serve a double purpose by allowing your guests to write well-wishes and to show-off pictures of the couple either via pictures taken from their e-session or photos taken during their childhood and dating years.  My personal recommendation:  MyPublisher.com.  I always recommend this company to all my brides who want a DIY guestbook}

{Below:  I absolutely love it when a couple give to their favorite charity instead of giving away favors}

{Below:  Bride's Reception shoes Designer - Dolce & Gabbana}

{Below Left:  Custom-made round menu cards.  Custom-made round transparent vinyl menu cards in opaque purple with the same oranate art that matched their letterpress wedding invitation and decorated with a single crystal}

{Below:  Custom-made Calligraphy Escort Cards.  Keeping with the modern-chic ambiance the escort card table comprised of custom calligraphy escort cards.  They were aligned in Lucite Trays with purple sand.  The manzanita tree centerpiece consisted of white phalaenopsis orchids and hanging crystals.  The base of the tree consisted of moss, purple lisianthus and white cymbidium orchids}

{Below:  DIY Table numbers.  The couple glued Swarovski crystals to house numbers they purchased from Lowes.  They glued the finished numbers to square glass vases.}

{Below Left:  Custom birdcage for envelope gifts.

Below Right:  Customized Photo Booth.  The couple wanted to add a personal flair and fun to their wedding so I asked my husband to build a modern photo booth for them  It was a HUGE HIT at the wedding!}

{THE DREAM TEAM}

Pre-ceremony location:  Ayres Chino Hills; Ceremony:  St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church; Reception:  Vellano Country Club Chino Hills; Wedding Planner/Coordinator:  Majell del Castillo Events; Transportation:  Classic Limos; Hair:  Gwen Jacobs; Make up:  Renee Lee; Rentals:  Royal Events Inc; Event Lighting:  Amber Event Productions; Flowers:  Commerce Flowers; Photography:  Bumatay Studios; Videographer:  Weddings by SML; Cake:  Rockwell's Creative Cakes; DJ:  DJ ROM of Vinyl Tranzition; Graphic Artist (signage, ceremony programs, menu cards):  Claudia Martinez; Letterpress Invitation Ensemble:  Invited Ink; Calligraphy:  Calligraphy by Katrina; Guest Book; MyPublisher.com; Boudoir Photographer:  Beth Cocuzzi Photography; Custom Photo Booth and Custom cake stand:  Majell del Castillo Events