Northern California Wedding Planner | Taylor & Cory ~ White Ranch, Chico

The forecast weeks out had called for rain, but as just as Cory's father said in his toast during the beautiful reception "Cory is a lucky man." Take one glimpse at Taylor and that is easy to see, she was simply stunning in her gown and the way she looks at him says it all.  We love LOVE.  Photos by Bloom Portraiture 

Thank you to the vendor team who rocked, and made this day so beautiful! 

Venue: White Ranch Events 
Photographer: Bloom Portraiture
Caterer: Truck-a-roni
Florist: M Creations 
Cake: Mims Bakery
DJ: Elite Sound

Real Northern California Weddings

Veronica & DanielChico, CA 10.10.10

With all of the planning leading up to my wedding day in October, I had begun to get overwhelmed with all of the details. Eventually, I let myself stop stressing and try to enjoy everything that was happening. I knew my vendors had everything under control so it was time for me to just be a Bride!

Initially I had wanted to hire a wedding coordinator, but I had confidence that I could handle organizing the details myself, and although there were a few rough patches I must say everything went rather smooth!  (Believe me when I say I was far from a DIY Bride)

My theme was black and white damask, with an accent of red. (Oh and of course some bling)  When I booked WeDo Designs, I knew that the owner, Rabina Khan really understood my vision and from samples of her work I knew she would be able to exceed my expectations.

The wedding venue was The Card Center in Chico, which offers an outdoor area for the ceremony as well as indoor reception area with a patio for the cocktail hour.   The Card Center staff provided me with a floor plan of the reception area, and we were able to work on the layout and plan out how the tables and chairs would be set up.  We also decided we would use floor to ceiling fabric, and up-lighting to really transform the room. See the before and after photos below.

When I met Lisa Hunter of Lisa’s Flor Décor, I was hooked on her artistic creations with flowers and centerpieces. I had so many different pictures of designs I liked, but she was able to choose designs and flowers that were cohesive with my wedding theme. She made sure that the centerpieces were an appropriate height for the room and really accomplished what I had asked of her. I loved that she was willing to mix things up and play with different heights and centerpiece ideas. When it came to the altar, Lisa brought my vision to life and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.

I really loved our aisle, and Lisa's Flor Decor made a beautiful Monogrammed "E" covered in Roses.

Speaking of flowers, every bride dreams of walking down the aisle holding her beautiful bouquet! I loved the mix of flowers used in the my bouquet, and the Gerbera Daisy’s had a dark center which matched the bridesmaid dresses.

I wore a Casa Blanca wedding gown and the Bridesmaids wore Black Alfred Angelo gowns with Red Accents.

Daniel wore a black Tuxedo with a White Vest, and the Groomsmen wore Black Tuxedos with Red Accents from Mens Wearhouse.

What is a wedding celebration without appetizers and a delicious dinnner? Leslie with Shelly’s Creative Catering really brought her A game to the wedding and not only was the food amazing but she was also great at keeping the festivities on schedule. The cocktail hour consisted of an open bar, fruits, cheese and crackers, and veggies, followed by a tri-tip and chicken buffet dinner.

Christy, with Christy's Creations created a cake that tasted amazing and fit perfectly into our theme. It was a three-tierd white cake with fondant. The photo-booth was a blast, and the photos served as our wedding favors. Chico Photo and Video brought the booth to the reception, provided props and also a cd of the photos for us to be able to see all of the pictures. Having the props really added to the fun, and since there was no limit on how many pictures we could take I think the kids at the wedding probably went in the booth over 20 times! Tracy with Tracy Lynn Photography captured some great shots, and really made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. She knew I wasn't a picture person so she really had a challenge on her hands!

Cheers!

Looking for a Hot Deal?

For those of you who haven't heard, Corwin's Bridal in Chico is offering a store-closing sale at the Cohasset location which was formerly Suzanne's Bridal.  Early last year Corwins Bridal quietly bought out Suzanne's Bridal, after they moved from their downtown location to Suzanne's location on Cohasset.

Corwins is now closing the Cohasset location and moving back to the Downtown Chico location on West Third Street.  Due to less space, they are down-sizing their inventory significantly.  So what does that mean for brides?  "Wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride gowns, flower girl dresses and other inventory purchased off of the rack will be discounted anywhere from 20-50%," according to one of the managers in the store.

For brides who are interested in buying a dress of the rack, that would mean the dress is "as-is" so the store would most likely not offer refunds or returns.  The upside to buying your dream gown off of the rack is that not only will you get a great deal, but you will not have to wait the 3-5 month period to get your dress from the manufacturer.

Choose from a wide selection of wedding gowns made by designers including Maggie Sottero, Allure, Mori Lee, Casa Blanca, Victoria's and many more.  They carry bridesmaid dresses by Forever Yours, Jessica McClintock, Alfred Sung, Dessi and Mori Lee. The manager we spoke with stated that the transition would not interfere with any of the current order times, and should not affect customers in any way.

So stop by Corwins Bridal and Tuxedo on Cohasset at 169 Cohasset Road in Chico, or call (530) 342-6521 for more details.

The Bridal Shower... Let the Games Begin!!

As a bride-to-be, the Bridal Shower is pretty exciting because it means you are getting pretty close to the big day and your friends and family want to help you prepare for your new life with your hubby-to-be.   There are endless ways to celebrate this fun day, and chances are your Bridesmaids or Maid of Honor are pretty excited to get to plan this for you so let them make all of the plans! Bridesmaids/Maids of Honor - if you are here because you are getting the ball rolling in planning this event you are in the right place.  Lets get some pointers out there to make sure you have your bases covered.

♥ Set the Date (which means you have to make sure the bride and her family members can make it) so give yourself a lot of time for planning and for collecting all of the addresses for the invitations. Shoot for having the invitations out at least 4 weeks in advance. ♥ Choose a location - do you have a large family room or outdoor area at your home? If not try to network with other friends or family members of the bride to find a spot that works for you and the number of guests you think will be attending.  See our list of venues both big and small to find a location that can accommodate you. ♥ Delegate! We all have a life outside of being an awesome bridesmaid or maid of honor so don't try to take it all on by yourself.  Ask the other girls in the bridal party or family members to pitch in to ensure everything goes smoothly. ♥ Decor - Consider a theme, colors & patterns, flowers or other decorations.  Although you do not have to stick to the brides wedding colors, it is nice for everyone to get a sneek peek before her big day.  Incorporate interactive decor something that will create chatter to break the ice, such as large feathers, a wishing tree, a scrapbook with supplies for guests, a candy buffet etc. ♥ Food - Depending on how many guests are expected to attend you should consider selecting snacks and foods that will appease the entire group, so try to give options.  Veggie, Fruit, or Meat/cheese platters go over pretty well.   If the event is near the lunch or dinner hour make sure to provide a sufficient amount of food because your guests will come hungry! For a large group, catering is often your best bet because they can make sure that all of the food is prepared accordingly and kept at the right temperatures.  The last thing you want to do is slave away in the kitchen and miss all of the kodak moments.  Don't forget the sweets, it wouldn't be a party without cake, cupcakes or candy. ♥ Entertainment/Games - Keep your guests entertained and keep your bride happy! If the games and entertainment flows smoothly the entire event will be a hit. Offer game prizes to get people into the games, they dont have to be expensive but anything from a candle, perfume, picture frame, gift certificate etc. Now before you start planning anything too spicy just make sure everything is age appropriate so that no one is offended or feels uncomfortable (save that for the bachelorette party!) ♥ Gifts - help your bride keep track of all of the gifts that she recieves to ensure that she has no problems writing thank-you cards to all of her guests. ♥ Have Fun and know that all of your hardwork means the world to the bride, so enjoy the party!

*For some Bridal Shower game ideas check out this post with a list of fun games!