Sorelle Weddings & Events Blog

Two Sisters, a Bride, a Groom, and a TV Show!

2009-06-08T16:47:00Z

So I know it's been awhile since we've blogged but life and work get in the way sometimes. So much has happened that it will take some time to get you all caught up!

In the mean time, let me tell you about our couple Michelle and Ryan. They are a really fun, energetic couple that hired us for their 2010 wedding. The date is still unclear as of yet but they have it nailed down to two! We do know that the reception will take place at the Newport Beach Marriott and that the floral designs will be breathtaking in the banquet room.

Anyway, while touring venues for said wedding, Michelle told us that she really loved the idea of a David Tutera Couture Wedding. Can you say "EXPENSIVE"? While their budget is by no means minuscule, a David Tutera Couture Wedding will cost you! LOTS! Of course David is a world renowned Planner and so one expects to pay top dollar for his designs. That being said, top dollar is a very hefty price when your guest count is 200+. But I digress! So.....while trying to find a way to give our couple the wedding they envision without breaking the bank, we received an email from Petals by Xavi asking us if we had any couples that would be interested in appearing on a new TV show they are doing for TLC! Um, YES!

On the evening of the appointment our bride and groom weren't sure what to expect but, they knew they didn't want to be on a show that was disruptive to their wedding day like most other shows out there. Thankfully Brianne explained that this show will focus on the floral aspect only and will in no way invade on their privacy. With the worries out of the way be began brainstorming with Brianne about the flowers for Michelle and Ryan's Big Day. When all was said and done, we had 4 gorgeous centerpieces that will be displayed on 5 tables each. They will be a combination of high, medium, and low pieces done in white and green. The flowers will be orchids, roses, gardenias, hydrangeas, white lilacs, lilies, and stephanotis. There will also be a plethora of candles, crystals, and rhinestones so that we can be sure the WOW factor comes into play.

When all was said and done we figured that we had gone severely over their floral budget and we were going to have cut back drastically elsewhere. Once Brianne calculated everything and gave us the total we about fell out of chairs from sticker shock! Are you sitting down? We were UNDER budget by almost $2000! We couldn't believe the price that was before us. Never have we gotten so much for so little. What Michelle and Ryan are getting for the wedding day would easily have cost double their original floral budget.

Now we don't have to worry about how Michelle went over budget on her Monique Lhuillier dress and veil!

Ah, life is good!

Stay tuned to find out when their episode will be aired.

Melysa and Mike's Wedding

2009-03-13T23:02:00Z

We finally got the pictures posted on our website of Melysa and Mike's Wedding and they are so incredible we had a very hard time deciding which ones to use. It's no wonder since the photographer was Leigh Miller. She does amazing work and she is such a pleasure to work with. She captured Melysa beautifully which really isn't hard to do since she is stunning to begin with.

Mely and Mike were married on October 25, 2008 at Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. We love doing weddings there because the staff is so easy to work with and they are very helpful. If you have never been to a wedding there and are looking for a beach location to hold your wedding or event, you should definitely put them on your list. The ballroom is gorgeous and if you don't mind an indoor ceremony it is the perfect place to get married. Even though your ceremony takes place in the ballroom, the west wall is covered in ceiling to floor windows that overlook the ocean. It is a breathtaking view and one to consider if Santa Monica appeals to you.

For this particular wedding, we were able to work with some vendors that we had never worked with before and we couldn't have been more pleased. We worked with Hidden Garden Flowers for the first time and if you have ever heard of their reputation let me tell you they exceed it by leaps and bounds. Amy and Trisha are wonderfully creative and are just as nice as can be. We look forward to working with them on other weddings and events in the future. The flowers that they provided for Mely and Mike's wedding were stunning. Done in deep shades of red, the bouquets popped against the bride's and bridesmaid's gowns. The centerpieces were a combination of topiary and candelabra styles. The topiary centerpieces had a ball of deep red roses, and dahlias at the top with large pillar candles and the base was wrapped in spanish moss with votive candles surrounding the bottom. The candelabra centerpieces were also wrapped in spanish moss but the top had just the large pillar candles on them with roses and votive candles surrounding the bottom. It was definitely a sight to see!

To date this has to be our absolute favorite wedding. Not just because we were able to work with some wonderful new vendors, but Mely and Mike are such a fun couple and their family is full of love and life. It was such an honor to be a part of. I must mention that never in my 15 years in the wedding business have I seen the Hora go on for over 15 minutes! When all was said and done, I don't think an immediate family member was left that didn't go up in the chairs and there were 11 of them!

Yes a good time was had by all.

Be sure to go to our portfolio at Sorelle Weddings & Events and click on Gift from the Sea to see these wonderful pictures.

The things we do to please our clients

2009-03-09T06:08:00Z

Today we took our clients, Janet and Phil, to do some pre-shoots with the two photographers that they are thinking about hiring for their wedding. The first one we met with was Amanda Lynn. She is a new photographer we found that does wonderful work and is a pleasure to work with. Since it was such a nice day out, we set out for Griffith Park to utilize the beauty of its surroundings.

Janet and Phil are in their 50's and Janet, although a beautiful woman inside and out, hates the way she looks in photos. We told her not to worry as they were in very capable hands and we would be there to help her out if necessary. Well needless to say Janet didn't feel all that comfortable at first so being the fun and crazy wedding planners that we are we took advantage of the carousel music in the background and started doing ballet moves and the monkey dance. We also reminded her of Dr. Manhattan's nakedness in the movie Watchmen that we had told her about earlier today.(If you haven't seen this movie, don't bother! It is the worst 3 hours of cinema ever made.) This worked like a charm! Amanda got some wonderful shots of them and they couldn't have been happier.

Our next stop was a visit to Timothy Fielding's Studio in North Hollywood. Timothy started out as a fashion photographer and has recently gotten into shooting weddings. Timothy is such a riot that Janet didn't need our antics to bring out that gorgeous smile of hers. In fact he had her laughing so hard that it took us twice as long to get through the shoot! That's our Timothy! His shots were amazing but he has been doing this for over 20 years so of course they would be.

On the way home Janet and Phil were left wondering who they should hire. They enjoyed their time with both photographers and so we guess it comes down to seeing the final product. Be sure to stay tuned to see some of their photos and to find out which photographer they chose!

Let them eat cake!

2009-03-08T17:42:00Z

While Marie Antoinette never really uttered this infamous phrase, they are 4 pretty important words to ponder when thinking about the perfect cake for your wedding.

Lest you be fooled, you must take into account that the wedding cake can take a nice slice, no pun intended, out of your budget. That being said, it is important to realize that that not all bakeries are created equal. Let me explain.

You are in the midst of planning your wedding and you know the perfect bakery for your wedding cake vision. You have passed by them many a time and you have seen the perfect one in the window. The excitement mounts as you wait for the owner/manager to bring out all those tasty morsels for you to sample. Your mouth begins to water as you bring the first bite to your mouth, but wait, "What's that?” your taste buds ask. "Cardboard!" You have just happened upon the bakery that, while having the worlds most talented decorator, makes the worlds most awful tasting cakes. The same is true in the reverse.

While you may think that having one or the other is just fine, you will want your guests to actually eat it. After all, what good is a beautiful cake that has your guests grabbing the nearest napkin to spit it out! Especially when you have just paid $5.00 to $7.00 or more per person for it. Yes, you read that right. Cakes are fast becoming a major showpiece at a wedding reception and believe me no matter how good, or bad it is, your guests will remember it.

Case in point. I was married a little over 13 years ago and to this day people still talk about how beautiful and how delicious our cake was. Imagine if all your guests talked about was how bad the cake was! Well there is good news!

A beautiful and tasty cake isn't hard to find if you know where to look. One of the best places to seek out a cake is of course at a wedding. If you happen to be at one where the cake looks and tastes great, ask the bride what bakery she used. Another resource for good cakes is your Wedding Planner. What’s that you say; you didn’t hire one! Well that should be first and foremost on your list. A wedding planner will have a plethora of bakeries in her vendor files that she has taken the time to meet with as well as sample their fare. She will be able to lead you in finding a cake that not only fits your taste and style, but your budget as well.

Now that we have the cake issue all figured out. Let me give you one last piece of advice. While your favorite cake might be carrot, it will not be everyone’s. Be sure to have different flavors on each layer so that it will appeal to all of your guest’s taste buds.

Your catering manager is not your Wedding Planner!

2009-03-08T17:28:00Z

That’s why Sari Rose, director of catering at Santa Barbara's exquisite Canary Hotel,
requires all wedding clients to hire an outside professional, whether it's a full-service
wedding consultant or a day-of wedding coordinator. She includes the following in
all her information packets:

Your hotel catering manager will:

• provide a personalized tour of the Hotel

• recommend special event professionals to provide wedding coordination,
music, flowers, photography, officiating, and other wedding services

• act as a menu consultant for all food and beverage selections

• detail your banquet event order and wedding résumé outlining all of your
event’s specifics and ensure that it is communicated flawlessly to the operational team of the Hotel

• create an “estimate of charges” outlining your financial commitments and
deposit schedule

• create a floor plan of your function space in order for you to provide seating
arrangements

• arrange and attend your menu tasting

• personally oversee the details of the bride and groom’s room reservations, if
applicable

• oversee the ceremony and reception set-ups, food preparation and other
Hotel operations

• be the on-site liaison between your wedding coordinator and the Hotel
operations staff
• ensure a seamless transition to the Hotel’s banquet captain upon arrival to
your event

• review your banquet checks for accuracy prior to completion of the final bill

Your hired professional wedding consultant/coordinator will:

• assist with etiquette and protocol for invitations, family matters, ceremony
and reception

• create a timeline for your wedding day, including ceremony and reception

• work with you to organize and coordinate your ceremony rehearsal, remind
bridal party of all pertinent times and “don’t forgets” on the day of the
wedding

• confirm times and details with all vendors several days prior to the wedding

• be the liaison with your family, bridal party, band/DJ, florist, photographer
and other vendors to create seamless operation

• assist you with your gown and any additional needs of the bridal party

• assist the bridal party with their bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres

• set up ceremony programs, place cards, favors, guest book, Champagne
flutes and any other personal items

• line up and cue the bridal party and musicians for the ceremony

• collect any personal items for you at the conclusion of the reception

• assist you with anything from “day-of” coordination to “full-service” from your
engagement to your honeymoon