Wedding Ceremony « One Beautiful Blog

Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover

June 16th, 2011

(Photos from left to right found on location website: Richard Nixon Library, Redondo Beach Historic Library, Huntington Beach Library and Garden)

Just like the TV show and movie Sex and The City, having your wedding at a public library has become quite the trend these days. From their historical settings to beautiful ambiance, many brides are choosing public libraries to not only hold their wedding ceremonies, but their wedding receptions. Orange and Los Angeles County are both such beautiful places, why not take advantage of what they have to offer.

The Richard Nixon Library is great for the perfect “Rose Garden Wedding” with the library’s 1,400 rose bushes as your back drop. Your guests can enjoy cocktail hour in the gardens or dance the night away in the White House East Room filled with chandeliers.

Another great venue is the Redondo Beach Historic Library. With ocean views and rich Spanish architecture, this ideal location will have your guests in awe of not only the bride, but the great location. There are two levels of event space and ocean views for days.

Huntington Beach Library and Gardens is surrounded by fountains and pools which will give your wedding a romantic feel. Featuring a beautiful theater and seven banquet rooms, this venue is sure to make any bride happy. Your guests will feel surrounded by the culture and history of this marvelous location.

Who would have thought that a library could be such a beautiful place for such a beautiful day.

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Bridal Fashion, Styling and Unveiling Oh my!

June 8th, 2011

This event is sure to be a fabulous one! Will we see you there?

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How to Raise The “Bar”: Q & A

March 29th, 2011

Our bar is turning out to be extremely expensive. What are some ways we can cut back without looking “cheap”?

While a bar at your wedding can be costly let’s go over a few tips that can make it more manageable. The best way to get a bang for your buck when planning you’re wedding bar has been well noted as offering a “Signature” drink. The simple reason for this is that you will pool all of your bar resources into a few simple ingredients. A great example is a Mojito which is traditionally made of five ingredients: mint, rum, sugar, lime juice and sparkling water.

If limiting your bar selection is not your top choice another great option is to purchase the ingredients for a great bar from a local super store. Costco and Sam’s Club offer a great selection and at very fair prices. One of the highlights of purchasing from a wholesale store is the generous return policy. Worrying about the tab during the evening will be a non-issue because you have the ability to return any unopened bubbly and will have predetermined your maximum spent. The same is true with a great non-member wholesale store, BevMo! but with a nice plus they deliver! Again, limiting the selection will save you money and with less options (three hard top shelfs, one red and one white) you can keep your guests interest longer, and keep your overall budget down.

One other pointer that I think is important to keep in mind is the actual bar staff. You can give them guidelines on pouring, for example, a full to-the-brim glass is unnecessary. Also, offer non-alcoholic refreshments when guests arrive and before the ceremony. After the ceremony offer an open cocktail selection and with dinner offer wine. If you are a fan of champagne toast absolutely offer one. However many pre-poured glasses go un-sipped so instead let guests toast with what they are already drinking.

A last sage piece of advice is to only offer what you feel comfortable serving (some brides love tequila but others have seen their guests get rowdy after a round of shots).

Cheers!

Photo credits: Amy and Stuart Photography, Hazelnut Photography

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Style Me Pretty Feature!

March 2nd, 2011

We are delighted to be apart of a wonderful feature on the ultra fabulous Style Me Pretty blog!

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Coulda, woulda, shoulda… been a wedding dress! (Oscar Recap)

February 28th, 2011

The glory and absolutely staggering site of starlets on the red carpet truly takes the world by storm. Not only those getting dressed for a big night out (you’ll see knock-offs of Oscar dresses on the rack soon, promise!) but brides look to see what beautiful creations may inspire the seasons of weddings to-be. So which gowns this year coulda, woulda, shoulda and heck- may soon be inspiring our brides? Take a peak. While some are in color, in my minds eye I can see a soft white or clever cream could clearly make magic.

So here they are… the star and the bride she could be!

Sandra Bullock- classic bridal (in white)

Halle Berry- glittering city bride and top notch modern princess

Mila Kunis- summer bride, garden wedding

Gweyneth Paltrow-modern fabulous, golden dreamy (tall drink of water)

Hailee Steinfeld & Mandy Moore- a princess and queen look both with golden sparkle

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Your Wedding Planning Team

February 3rd, 2011

Planning a wedding can be the most fun experience of your life… but it can also be one of the most overwhelming. Some couples know exactly what they want from the lemonade served to the guests as they await the procession down the aisle, to the figurines on top of their cream cheese frosted cake. But most betrothed, do not. Sure, you might have a vague “idea” of what you’re looking for, but the second you type “wedding venues” into Google, you may find yourself drowning in a sea of options.

Do I want the ceremony outdoors? Do I want the reception indoors? Where would the cocktail hour be? Does my religion really matter to my future mother-in-law? All these questions and more will come into play on your search for a perfect venue. So where do we come in? After all, the website said there’s a wedding planner at the venue. Well, there might be someone for you to meet should you make an appointment to check out a particular venue, but who is going to help look out for you during the weeks approaching the event, and who is going to tell this on-site planner that you are not very happy with some of the options? Their job is to look out for the venue. Our job is to look out for you.

We are equipped with all the right questions to ask that may not occur to you right off the bat, for instance, are there noise restrictions at a certain hour, or how many security guards are required on site? Some places have hidden costs, like their personal “parking coordinators,” and others tell you they provide linens on their website, but in person, they actually strongly suggest that you rent your own. Now you have to find linens on top of everything else that you didn’t think of! We will help you search and find locations that you love and then weigh the pluses and minuses of your top choices so we find and help tailor the best venue for you.

Cassandra & Co. has your best interest at heart. We love becoming your friend and being of assistance in time of need, and we want to make every detail perfect (even the ones you didn’t know existed!). We want you to have your yet-to-be-seen dream location. Every last detail should be your choice, and we will be there to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch! Our love for our clients becomes such a great working relationship that often times the father is not the only one with a tear in his eye as you walk down the aisle.

Our Beautiful Day: Wedding Planning Made Simple team is comprised of very talented planning professionals. We provide an amazing option for “day-of” planning. It includes all of the elements to provide you the comfort and support of you, and your dreams, on your wedding day. An initial consultation, vendor contract review, confirmation services, wedding rehearsal and timeline creation are just a few of the ways we will pull together your beautiful day. In addition you may add our “icing services” to expand our support for your planning process (such as a design consultation or creative production).

Whether you are a blog fan, newly engaged guy or gal, or in-law to-be, we hope to provide inspiration, guidance and support to our readers! If you are interested in our planning services please be in touch- we love what we do and are excited to hear about your dreams.

Our couple chose a traditional Catholic Church for their ceremony in Santa Monica, California. {Photo by Braedon Flynn Photography}

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The Importance of Lighting and the love of Lanterns

July 23rd, 2009

When putting together visuals for her upcoming wedding a bride sent me this photo, I fell in love. The lanterns are elegant and a bit sexy. I like the idea of stringing them in open air and creating amibiance and visual context.

Considering that lighting often falls off the list I want to remind you how important it can be at your wedding. The warmth of table candle lighting, glowing amber walls and pin lights on the cake can turn a regular ballroom into a romantic setting. Dance floor lighting can help get people off their seats and highlight the fun that is coming after dinner. The right lighting can create what all the napkins and linens fall short on under bright white bulbs, warmth.

Consider having a consult with a lighting team while planning your wedding. Ask for photos of the reception site with different lighting treatments. You may just find that spending a bit of your budget on lighting can lessen the cost of other categories by creating the “feel”.

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