I, like Jennifer, planned my own wedding two months ago and I had the best time doing it. I was a corporate event planner, so planning my wedding was right up my alley and I'm thinking about starting my own planning business for future brides (I'll let you know when that becomes reality). I loved the idea of this forum and wanted to post the experiences I had with my vendors to share with others. Ok - here are the details of our wedding:

Date: September 12, 2008
Venue: Pala Mesa Resort, Fallbrook, CA
Guest count: 150
Colors: White & Black with splashes of Red
Look and Feel: Chic and modern but accents of traditional

Pala Mesa Resort - Venue - Fallbrook, CA

Overall: Aesthetics: Awesome - Service: Not even close to Awesome


The scenery at Pala Mesa was great. The ceremony site and reception tent were beautiful. We had some issues with the service and staff - they had about 5 different wedding coordinators there within about 8 months, they charged us for bogus things, the wait staff were rude to the guests, catering manager was a wreck. For how much of a mess they were, they pulled it together on the night of. Our out-of-town guests loved that they could stay on site and the guys liked the golf course. I guess it was a give and take, but I'm not sure I would recommend the venue to any of my close friends.

Modern Bouquet - Floral - Oceanside, CA

Overall: Easy Breezy



Modern Bouquet is owned by a dear friend - Hannah Sampson. She is young, hip and fresh. We had such an easy time discussing everything because we were on the same page. Towards the end I just told Hannah to make the decisions because I was tired of making them and I think she did a great job. Everything turned out beautiful and it was so easy. I would definitely recommend Modern Bouquet for your wedding - visit their website http://www.modern-bouquet.com

Tamarack Studios - Photography - Carlsbad, CA

Overall: Great!




I got the pleasure of meeting Nic Dragomire a few years back. He did some work for the company I worked for and I knew I wanted him to do my wedding. He did our engagement pictures (some of which on on this website). Nic is a great guy and a stellar photographer. Big props to Tamarack Studios - use Nic for anything...portraits, e-sesssions, weddings, babies. Visit his website for more of our wedding pictures http://www.tamarackstudios.net

Just Fabulous Pastries - Cake - San Diego, CA

Overall: Just Fabulous!


Beryl Bird owns Just fabulous and you might recognize her from Food Network's Cake Challenges. I was so excited to have her do our cake. Although Beryl is a cake celebrity, she took the time to meet one-on-one with my husband and I and took great care of us. The cake was beautiful, just as we discussed it and tasted scrumptious. Visit her website just to feast with your eyes http://www.justfab.com

Plush Impressions - Furniture Rentals - San Diego, CA

Overall: Comfy Cozy


I had used them for a few events and knew I wanted to use them for my wedding. David, the owner, as well as his associate, Karen, gave me personal attention and great service. They were flexible with delivery times and I didn't have to worry about a thing. Anytime you need to spice up a venue call them for some furniture http://www.plushimpressions.com

Hi Loren,

Thank you SO much for sharing. Your photos are BEAUTIFUL. As was your dress and I love the black/white/red combo. It's too bad about the wait staff though! We got really lucky with the staff/mgmt at Pacifica. I would love to hear more and see more pics!

Jenn

This is the best damask wedding I have seen yet! Love the black matching chandelliers. Everything looks so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Wow! An absolutely stunning venue! And you were a gorgeous bride as well! Kudos to you for planning such an elaborate event!!!

I love it! You did an amazing job. Thank you for posting all of the vendors websites...very helpful. I love that the cake matches the decor so perfectly and you look beautiful too!