Emika and Haj had a high tea for their guests at Park Prive. They had a traditional buddhist ceremony out on the lawn under a pine tree on the grounds that looks more like a giant bonsai tree. We added a few touches of the vibrant yellow orchids in the tree for some color, and hung some of them from the branches. The aisle was lined with bamboo, and mum pomander balls adorned the chairs. Inside the reception area it was tea time with individual cakes at each table, with each table named after a type of tea. Groupings of four small accent arrangements were placed around the cakes. The planner brought in her own bamboo structure for a unique sign in idea….guests wrote their well wishes on bookmarks, and then hung them onto ribbons that we adorned with fresh flower blooms of orchids and mums. This was an absolutely beautiful greeting blowing in the gentle breeze as guests walked in–loved it!

So you ask….. what’s this all about? I thought I would add in a little of what we do on our nights off. A shamless plug for the band, Crash Course. My hubby plays bass, and once in a while he and the drummer will switch places! We call thier music “punk light”, you can actually hear what they are saying, and it’s not too over the top but you still need earplugs for sure… He keeps me laughing, and we are always up to something…this is one of his many hobbies. I grabbed my camera and shot some colorful pics of the band and our friends at Fern’s in Long Beach a few weeks ago, enjoy:)

Ceremony: Upper Deck

Reception: Royal Salon

Dress: Stephanie James Couture

Painting by: Live Event Artist

I took a step back to memory lane with Lisa and Chad…I had my own reception on the Queen Mary way back in 2000, and we had it in the same room, the Royal Salon. On top of it all, my husband’s name is Chad…..crazy! It was a perfect day out on the deck, we added a beautiful smilex garland and florals to the square arbor and lamp posts. They decided to have an artist paint an original painting of thier wedding, this was the coolest thing–I was fascinated!! I stood behind him the entire ceremony and watched him work his magic on the canvas. This is a very unique idea for capturing your big day, loved it! Lisa and Chad wanted floral elements that were unique as well, we incorporated papyrus, lily grass, and curly willow into the centerpieces to spice things up a bit.