This has been long over due...
Here we go!!!

The Dress...
A Lazaro dress I purchased at Here Comes the Bride. It was the 3rd dress I tried on and I knew the minute I looked in the mirror that this was the one.

Now, here's me in it...



The Shoes...
I ordered these Sam Edelman's online (which I never do) and they fit! High heels, but comfortable.

Formal Wear...
The boys rented their Calvin Klein suits from Men's Wearhouse. The girls purchased their black brocade dresses from BCBG (and are now looking to sell them if anyone is interested! )

The Rings...
My engagement ring was purchased in LA from the family jeweler (my husband picked it out himself, with no influence on my part!) Our bands were purchased in Old Town at the Diamond Connection (now OUR family jeweler). Mine is an eternity band with filigree. My husband's is Tungsten with a Platnum inlay.

The Invitations...
We went to Truso in Del Mar originally for our Bridal Shower invitations. We ended up getting a moderate discount on our wedding invites and could have gone even further with thank you's and what not, but held out because they are pricey! These were pocket-fold invitations in plum and ivory (with black print). I wish now that I had been a bit more daring and added some graphics or something. They were a little on the plain side, but I like to say they were elegant.


The Guest Book...
We (or should I say, I) made this through Kodak Gallery. We used our engagement photos to create a "scrapebook" for the guests to write in. We also had a "fancy" one for the church, but this one ended up being much more entertaining to read!

The Church...
We were married at St. Brigid's church in Pacific Beach. This particular church has a lot of meaning behind it for my husband and his family. His parents were married there, he was baptized there, and his late grandmother walked to church weekly up until a short time before she passed. We did the whole Catholic preparation including the weekend retreat. Suprisingly, we both enjoyed it quite a bit (for two non-church goers ). We were unable to do a full mass like the family had hoped (because I am not Catholic), but it was still a very spiritual and beautiful ceremony.


The Flowers...
We went with a florist that was reccomended highly by both cousin-in-laws who had used her for their weddings. Haydee's Creative Flowers was reasonably affordable, fresh, and beautifully done. I really had a hard time picturing what I wanted and I think at times, I may have frustrated her, but in the end, she got what I was thinking and made it absolutely stunning! We did a variety of flowers from orchids to hydrangeas, calalilies, and roses.






The Favors...
Our favors were unique in the sense that we wanted to honor our two cultures, my husband's being Italian, and myself being (a quarter) Japanese. We used sake cups to hold the traditional 5 Jordan almonds representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity. When it came time to toast, servers came around and filled the sake carafes for the guests to pour into their cups and toast.

The Reception...
We traveled from Pacific Beach where our ceremony was held to Del Mar for a sunset reception at L'Auberge. The evening started with a one hour hosted cocktail reception followed by a plated, white-glove serviced dinner. Cocktail hour and dinner were held on the Pacific Terrace overlooking the ocean. From there, the party moved downstairs to the ballroom for dancing and MORE drinking. But just before dinner was served, Julius and I took part in a (modified) Japenese wedding ceremony with our families. This is where the sake cups came into play. We poured each other a sip of sake to drink from the same cup. Then we went to each of our parents and grandparents and offered them a sip from the cup. This is to unite the two families together. Here's the pics...







The Ice Luge and Cookie Table...
My husband insisted on having an Ice sculpture which ended up being a martini shaped ice luge with our initials inscribed in it. We are not typically martini drinkers, but it was definitely a conversation starter... in more ways than one!

The cookie table was something I wanted to do along with the cake. We served homemade treats (the lemon bars were the best!). These were accompanied by coffee and tea and were great little snacks to soak up the alcohol before the cake arrived! My mother-in-law's dear friend Chrisi is a wonderful pastry chef and was thoughtful enough to put this together for us.

The Cake...
Ahh, the cake. What ever you do, don't spend a fortune on some terrible tasting, yet beautiful looking fondant cake that costs a fortune. Why do that when you can get your cake at VG's in Cardiff (and a doughnut too while you are there)! It was the most delicious, inexpensive, and gorgeous cake I could ever imagine. DO NOT be scared off by the presence of the facility. It has been there for decades, so they must be doing something right!

And last, but not least, The Photographers...
Chana and Don Photography. The most down to earth, and fun couple I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. All the photos above were just a "snapshot" (excuse the pun) of the quality of work the put out. Not the most inexpensive, definitely affordable, and well worth the price. I am attaching another post below as a tribute to them of SOME of my favs..

This was worth the wait What a beautiful bride! I love the back of your dress. The decor and flowers are amazing. Thank you for sharing

Wow, everything was so beautiful and elegant. I love your flowers. I am obsessed with the dark burgundy callalillies right now. Congratulations!

Your flowers are amazing. The tree/floral arrangement on your name card table is just too beautiful. My fiance is dying to get an ice luge too Where did you order yours from and was it super expensive? You guys are hot, hot, hot! Congrats Mr & Mrs

Yeah, the ice luge was a hit! I don't know the exact company that makes them. The coordinator at the hotel was the one who booked it. She had worked with this company before and said she could get a good price...don't know if that's really the case, but it was a last minute addition, so we just went for what she reccomended.

What can I say that hasn't been said? Beautiful couple, beautiful wedding!