How amazing would it be to get married in the same church that your parents were married in? Christy Duggan and Chris Osborne were married at Our Lady Mount Carmel (where the Duggans were married) in Montecito New Years Eve weekend and had their reception at the Montecito Country Club. Christopher Aldama Fiori Fresco Special Events has worked with the family on several parties and WE were honored to be able to work on Christy's wedding. Eggplant, purple, plum, fuchsia, crimson colors- were all incorporated in the floral which suited the Spanish motif of the CC. More of these colors are seen in 750 sugar gum paste flowered cake, made by the hands of The Cake Studio. The ceilings were wood beams and amazingly tall which allowed for the wrought iron chandeliers and additional floral and crystals. The motif on the fireplace was a custom gobo created by Shine Lighting that emulated the menu card and invitations created by Nickelsons Invitations. Ira Lippke and Elysium Productions took the couple around downtown Santa Barbara and took photos in front of the old SB courthouse, perfect portraits for the tag team lawyers. And I have to add this in as people have emailed me about who did Christy's hair, and yes, it's the famous Mr. Eric Bilardi. They partied all night to James Gang of West Coast Music and surprised guests with a lounge and plasma tvs around the room featuring a same day edit video created that night by Elysium Video Link Dimitri Zarate, DJ mixed hip hop/pop for the after party lounge. But that was not the last surprise…thank you tags for the rear view mirror were placed into guest cars by the valet staff. -Jeannie, Brooke, Michelle

MaddieTotes.com, another division of Details Details will be featuring lightweight, gardenia hair clips. They are made of air like clay, individually handmade in Hawaii, and are extremely life like. The benefit is that you can touch it without worrying about the edges browning. Often times brides order gardenias for their hair, but they become dry and brown even before the ceremony starts, as there is no water source and sensitive to the oils on hands. Hair Stylists will love them too. Will be able to purchase at the end of the month.

Liz and Derek found true love on EHarmony. If you ask Derek, as I did, when they first met, what they did on their first date, when they got engaged, and when he knew she was the one, his response is not, "last summer" or "a few months ago," but the EXACT dates! He said that they were the most important dates of his life, so how could he forget them? As soon as Liz and Derek got engaged, Liz had her perfect photographer picked out! Who is this photographer you ask? Well, it was Jessica Claire. It was actually Jessica's Blog that led the couple to me. Jessica had just done my headshots and posted them, so Liz and Derek decided to call me and see what Details Details was all about. Their wedding was held at the beautiful Virginia Country Club, a private golf club that Liz's family belongs to. The Ceremony and Cocktail music was performed by an acoustic guitarist, Kristi Jo. However, during the ceremony, Derek had arranged for a keyboard so that he could serenade his bride with the song "Destiny" by Katherine McPhee. Liz was completely blown away. The fall flowers were provided by Bixby Knolls Florist. To entertain the guests, they had DJ Devon from Invisible Touch and a Photobooth from Fotocabina. The delicious cake was from Great Dane Bakery. Liz and Derek left the next day to Canada for a wonderful and relaxing honeymoon! -Brooke

Heavy downpour of rain soaked the Botanical Lawn at St. Regis Resort the night before and the morning of Shelly and Kevin's wedding. With the help of St. Regis's staff and quick movements on all vendors, we moved the location of the ceremony to the Grand Lawn. The beautiful tropical florals created by Nisie's Enchanted Florist were prefect focal pieces as the sun peeked through the clouds when the ceremony began. The vibrant flowers just popped against the chocolate linens and fruitwood chairs provided by Fusion Linens. Nisie also created a custom cake stand made of tiny bamboo branches in which a white fondant square cake made by Sweet Gems was displayed. Inside the fondant was red velvet and cream cheese frosting, Shelly's favorite! Shelly also had a very unique guest book of smooth rocks in which guests wrote wishes for the couple, to be displayed in a glass bowl forever. With rain, brings luck and the perfect opportunity for photography and video as Ira Lippke and Elysium Productions took advantage of the sky, clouds and sun which created amazing lighting as see in the last photo. -Jeannie

A beachfront estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Del Mar was the setting for Nancy and David's beautiful fall wedding. There were definitely many components to this wedding, since it took place at a residence. To accommodate the 150 guests, we had to remove all of the existing furniture and bring in additional tables and seating which was provided by Abbey Party Rents. Premiere Valet was instrumental in making the guests' arrival and departure seamless, even with the extremely limited beachfront parking. The ceremony was intimate as guests gathered around the outdoor deck, while John Neriastrummed his slack key guitar to provide an essence of Hawaii. Guests feasted on an abundant and delicious buffet perfectly executed by Pamplemousse Grille, with a banana fosters action station as the grand finale. The fabulous cake was prepared by M & M Patisserie. E Plus Productions kept the crowd entertained with a Steel Drum Band during cocktails and The Antix Band who kept up the dancefloor alive. Nancy’s dear friend, Sharrie Woods created the floral décor in shades of cream, chartreuse and olive green. Nancy also enlisted her long time neighbor, Susan Goldman to photograph the wedding. Besides the radiant love and passion that exuded from Nancy and David the entire evening, the best part of the wedding was the toast given by Nancy’s daughter, Casey, who evidently was one of Jeannie’s brides last year. She by far gave the most eloquent, meaningful and comical toast I’ve ever heard and it’s moments like this that you wish would have been captured by a videographer. Nancy and David will always be a couple that I admire for their spirit, generosity and love for life! –Michelle

The adorable couple Sabrina and James live in Seattle Washington but will be getting married here in CA at the Trump National in Rancho Palos Verdes, May 2008. We have been planning their wedding for the past several months and on one of their visits south, their photographer Memories by Michael took their engagement photos. You may recognize Sabrina as a model, past 49ers cheerleader and currently Director of Dance Teams for Seattle Super Sonics and Spokane Wired Shock.

Davina and Ryan got married on a beautiful fall day at the Estancia La Jolla Resort and Spa. With most of their friends and family traveling from other states and England, they hosted an amazing 4 day event. Thursday was a welcome cocktail reception, Friday was the rehearsal dinner and movie screening, Saturday was the wedding and Sunday they hosted a brunch. The event floral was provided by Square Root Designs, and the table numbers were hand painted by the Bride's talented mother. All 20 numbers when put together make one beautiful picture. The photos were taken by Kevin Roche Photography and the ceremony, cocktail and reception music was provided by Music As You Like It. The cake was made by Michele Coulon Dessertier . The logo for the entire weekend was the koi fish that was put on the invitations, welcome bags, menu cards, and even used as the gobo on the dance floor. Congratulations Davina and Ryan!- Brooke

Just thinking about 2007, and how food played an important role at each wedding and event. From cupcakes as a centerpiece for a wedding brunch, truffles in the after party lounge area, food can also be part of your decor. Late night snacks have been popular this year and will continue to be a trend for 2008. Sweet is always nice but the salty and greasy blends well with alcohol. One of my favorite combinations, mini kobe beef cheeseburgers, shot of coca cola and sweet potato fries. -Jeannie

Did you notice the wall size poster of the married couple? I guess it's a popular thing to do in China. Michelle and Gene were married in OC at the Montage Resort and Spa but also had a second reception in Beijing. Their photographer Ira Lippke was able to get them about 100 images on the night of the wedding for them to take. Elysium Productions also created what they call a 1 day edit for them to show too. I just adore the pink cymbidium bouquet made by white Lilac It was one of Michelle's favorite flowers. It's just so cute!! Michelle and Gene actually live in NY so they really traveled around the world for their wedding, and stoppped over in Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Fall colors of carmel, chocolate, champagne, soft peach, blush pink, ivory....all were a part of Linda and Bob's wedding last month. They were married before sunset at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. Crystal glass containers topped with lush flowers lined the aisle and similar centerpieces were created for inside the ballroom. The beautiful floral work was created by Enchanted Florist and the gorgeous chocolate lace paired with blush satin underlays were provided by Wildflower Linens. Linda of the Cake Studio matched the fondant with a swatch of the blush linen. It took us 6 tries but with the help of Luis at Lighten Up, we found the right shade of soft pink carmel by mixing 2 different gels on the uplights. Ashley Video surprised the guests with a same day edit video presentation after dinner. Something fun that I have never done before, was giving each guest a 10 question quiz on Linda and Bob. We also decided to use these packets as the escort cards which were hand calligraphered by Lettering by Leslie.The winner received an ipod. Believe it or not, a kid at the wedding answered almost every question correct down to how many bottles of wine the couple owned, I think it was something like 4315!! To see more photography from this wedding, click on the link to see the slideshow created by Memories by Michael-Jeannie

Ira Lippke Studios is now offering a new service that some of you may have not have heard before. Ira is so gifted and creative....of course he would be the one to come up with this new trend of documenting newly married couples. Haleh and Doug were married last summer at the Montage Resort and Spa in Laguna Beach. Haleh is not only beautiful on the outside but gracious and lovely on the inside too.

Ira states: The intention of a "Newly Married Shoot" is to create images that capture the wonderful nature of newly married life. It's similar to my engagement shoots, in that we plan an enjoyable afternoon and I use that setting to create fun, romantic portraits and documentary images of the newly married couple enjoying life and each other. It makes a statement that it's not only meaningful to have a beautiful wedding, but that the Marriage that follows is the reason. I love photographing the wedding - why not photograph the marriage too?

To see more of Ira's work, click on his website Ira Lippke Studios

Chris and Kristy went all out for their wedding celebration with four locations and 250 people. The guests flew in from all over the US, including their home towns of Boston and Buffalo. To accomodate the guests, they rented motorcoach's from Premier Charters. The ceremony was held at the beautifulSt. Francis of Assisi in Henderson, NV. From there, the guests headed over to the Four Seasons Las Vegas for cocktails, dinner and dancing. During cocktails, the guests were entertained by the lovely Duo Mystique in the Ballroom Foyer. The guests were then invited into the Ballroom for a decadent 4 course dinner while a pianist from Steve Beyer Productions played background music for thier enjoyment. The loveley lilies and centerpieces were provided by Something Blue. After dinner, the guests headed down to the pool for a night of entertainment and dancing. Chris wanted to suprise his mom, so instead of having DJ Leland of Boogie Entertainmentplay a CD for the Mother/Son Dance, he flew in Boyz II Men on a private jet from Palm Air Charter to perform "A Song for Mama" live! After the formal dance, they played a 45 minute set which included some of their classics, such as "On Bended Knee" and "Motown Philly." The all white decor and lounge furniture was provided by Destinations by Design and the lighting from Swank Audio Visual. The guests had a blast taking their photos in the Photo Booth from Photo Works Interactive. This amazing event was captured by J & J Photography. The beautiful bride had her hair done by Holly of Tonic Salon and her makeup done by the talented Lisa of On Location Artists. After this tremendous event, the couple escaped to Bora Bora for some much needed relaxation!-Brooke

Sweet Southern Charm with Canadian Hospitality equals romantic wedding in Laguna Beach. Kristan and Dave loved the breathtaking views that the Montage Resort had to offer. They hosted dinner at the famous Studio restuarant, 4 course meal with wine pairings at each course; my favorite, warm chocolate shots, you have to taste it to believe it. Kristan's darling sisters seen below hosted a fabulous sunset dinner at the Mosaic Grill.Square Root did the exceptional floral work and made sure southern accents like mint julep cups were present to blooming gardenias everywhere. And can't forget to represent the Canadians and hockey lovers, Kristan's surprise for dave, hockey sticks ice luge...The Cake Studio matched the cake color to a small swatch of linen provided by Wildflower Linens Our fun group danced the night away to Peter's mixes To see more of this event, check out Joe Photo and Elysium Productions Blog for the same day edit filmed and created by Jeff, Kyle and Desiree.-Jeannie

The talented lead singer and drummer of one of our favorite West Coast Music bands, the James Gang, got married in Las Vegas. The ceremony was at the Wynn Las Vegas and had their reception at Maggiano's. Brandi and Jason's passion for music is what initially drew them together. The event was filled with their closest family and friends, which included many talented musicians. After feasting on the wonderful food, it was a live concert showcasing some of the most talented musicians in our industry. Brandi got up on the mic to serenade her grandmother to "At Last", and Jason rocked out on the drums to some of his favorite rock tunes!-Brooke

Adie and Brian who lived in NY, were married in Laguna Beach at the Montage Resort and Spa. To bring a little of NY with them, we did an ice luge of the NY skyline with signature martinis. Adie and Brian are candy and dessert lovers. They themed the wedding around sweet treats; caramel apples by Will of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, candy jars filled with sour apples, sour belts, pink gumballs and red licorice by White Lilac. Even their tables were named after desserts. Hot pink silk menu folders and table name cards were created by Paper girl. Red velvet, one of my favorite dessert, was also featured as the cake topper made by Linda of The Cake Studio They did not skimp on sugar as they also served dessert wine/ Moscato with cake. But the most amazing part of the room was the smoked color plexiglass suspended over table tops with crystals, candles and flowers in water bubbles strung from each plexi. The genius Sunny of White Lilac carefully planned the rigging and positioning of the square and rectangle tables. Lush dahlias, roses and orchids filled silk wrapped containers, while dusty pink draping with a black bottom border lined the room. Hot pink and red lighting by Shine help set the tone for after dinner party by DJ Hideo. To see more of this wedding, click on slideshow LINK created by the infamous and talented photographer Aaron Delesie. Continue to check out Elysium Blog for their upcoming wedding video.- Jeannie