Wedding Flashback: Vanessa & Scott Miller

For my first Wedding Flashback, I would like to introduce Vanessa and Scott Miller. They were married on March 22, 2008 at Villa Siena.

Vanessa is my kind of girl - she likes to plan ahead! She hired me almost 15 months before her wedding. My other favorite thing about her is that she knows what she wants! That is always fantastic and so much fun! She told me in our initial meeting that she wanted the color theme to be hot pink and brown with accents of green... and we started with that concept and this is what we created:

The day started out with the girls getting ready in the comfortable bridal suite at Villa Siena.

It was a beautiful March day so the weather was perfect! I was totally blown away by the amazing work of Leslie Lejcar and Shawna Yarbrough of Lasting Images. This was the first time I had the privilege of working with them and they were such a pleasure. They were on time all day long and as you can see, they got some really amazing shots! Here are some of my favorites of Vanessa. She was such a beautiful bride!

Here is a shot of the ceremony site. The flowers were provided by Tyler's Custom Design. She dressed up the fireplace with lots of hanging amaranthus... my favorite!

Here are some more detail shots of the ceremony.

This shot is of the Best Man. He was so funny... He told me he was a "professional groomsman" so he could be trusted to walk more than one bridesmaid down the aisle at once. He had been in something like 7 weddings... He was cracking me up all night long!

And this shot is so adorable... I think this might be the cutest flower girl of all time. I mean, is it just me or is this a bridal magazine cover waiting to happen?:

Here are a handful of detail shots from the reception. The cake was provided by Bamboo Bakery and the linens were provided by Elegant Presentations.

All of the guests enjoyed the create-your-own pasta station. It was such a treat and the aroma in the room was amazing! The occasional flames from the saute pan created a really fun buzz in the room as well.

Vanessa was so excited about her pink and brown candy buffet table! The containers were purchased at TJ Maxx and the galvanized scoops were from CostPlus World Market. We had personalized pink paper bags for the guests to fill up and take home... and at the end of the night there was hardly a piece of candy in sight!

Vanessa & Scott - It was such a pleasure working with you and your family! I hope that you are enjoying life as newlyweds! I wish you all the best for your future!

Wedding Flashback: Austin & Charlie Fairbourn

Austin and Charlie Fairbourn were married on March 14, 2009 in a beautiful and intimate ceremony at Brophy Chapel and their reception was held at the very hip, very urban Bentley Projects downtown.

This was one of those occasions where in the first phone call with Austin, we just clicked. Austin's best friend and Maid of Honor, Bailey and I met at the January Bridal Fashion Debut. Bailey was doing some reconnaissance on Austin's behalf since Austin currently lives in Denver. Bailey told me she would pass my information onto Austin and sure enough I received a call from Austin the following week.

As I mentioned, Austin and I had an immediate connection and within days she made her decision to hire me as her day-of coordinator. At that point we began working very closely together for the next few months, pulling together the final details of her wedding day.

Austin has impeccable taste and the vendors she had selected were all top-notch! It was a pleasure to meet some new vendors, and a delight to work with the ones I already know.

Below are a handful of my favorite pictures taken by one my new favorite photographers, Kirsty Edwards of Kirsty Edwards Photography in San Francisco. We found that we not only share the same last name, but also the same exact birthday! We dubbed ourselves "Team Edwards" and I cannot wait for another opportunity to work with my new found friend!

Below are some of the details of the day. The flowers were designed by Tamara at Petal Pushers and I could not have been more impressed. She is not only a talented designer, but one of the hardest working people I have ever met. It is obvious that her heart and soul goes into everything that she does. Just take a look at her handiwork:


I love this shot of Austin. So elegant, so chic, so glamorous:

Here are a few shots from the ceremony. I just love Brophy Chapel!

Isn't this a cute shot of the girls?:

And I love this shot of the guys:


The reception details came together beautifully. Austin and Charlie had a theme that was centered around bridges and the symbolism of what they stand for. I loved the way that the natural elements in the centerpieces and the earthy colors of brown and green were a really warm balance for the modern, urban art gallery.

The amazing menu provided by Santa Barbara Catering (led by the invaluable Melissan Falcone) was made up of down-home comfort food including Pulled Pork, Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Fried Green Tomatoes and Cornbread. And to top it off: Pie ala mode. Mmmmm!

The guests enjoyed a fun evening filled with music provided by Nick Kraintz of NDK and an Old Fashioned Photobooth provided by A2Z Photobooth. It was truly a magical evening!

Congratulations Austin & Charlie! You were a delight to work for and it was a pleasure to get to know you. I wish you all the best that life has to offer - you deserve it!


For more photos from this wedding, please visit Shoot Retouch Design's Photography Blog!

Soapbox Moment: Vendor Selection

I was talking with a client the other day and we were discussing the vendor selection process and the factors that go into making that decision.

Of course you want to select vendors that are amazing at what they do and are within the budget you want to spend. But more than that, you should be looking at their level of service and commitment to you and your wedding day.

When you select a vendor to provide you with flowers, photography, music, food or any other product/service for your wedding day, it is important that you keep in mind that you are offering them an opportunity! An opportunity to be a part of your one and only wedding day, and they should consider it an honor to be the one selected.  And I can assure you that if they are a quality vendor, that is exactly how they will feel.

Now, before you go gettin' all narcissistic on me... let me just clarify, that you too should treat the vendor with respect and courtesy, letting them share with you how best to accomplish your goals... after all they are the experts!

But, I feel really strongly that you should be selecting vendors that have a true passion for what they do; vendors that understand your vision and are genuinely excited about executing it.

Soapbox moment over. Thanks for letting me share...

Wedding Flashback: Donna & Al Morrison

Donna and Al Morrison were married on September 27, 2008 at their private residence in Fountain Hills. This beautiful home overlooking Firerock Canyon Golf Course is actually their new winter getaway from Calgary, Alberta.

They hired me in May of 2008 and we got to work right away creating a warm and unique event. They really did not want a lot of formality and structure -- They wanted a fun cocktail party atmosphere for their 70 guests, mostly from out of town. So, our overall theme was to bring in the elements of the desert and southwest.

For the food, we decided to serve a Mexican inspired cuisine provided by Seasons Gourmet Catering, including Mini Tostadas, Quesedillas and a Salsa Bar, among many other tasty items. The staff was phenomenal and owner, Stuart Kramer went well above and beyond as usual!

For the flowers, we went with an array of proteas. They are huge exotic flowers and Tyler's Custom Design used at least 5 different varieties to create some truly breathtaking arrangements. They were not only a gorgeous addition to Donna's existing decor in the house, but they were a perfect compliment to the desert landscape in the back yard as well.

To create the perfect ambiance and add an additional southwest flair during the cocktail hour, we surprised the guests with a captivating performance by Flamenco Dancer, Linda Machado accompanied by her husband, Ricardo de Cristobal, playing acoustical Spanish guitar.

And of course, without the incredibly talented work of MelissaJill Photography, we would not have been able to capture the essence of this event in the way only she can. For some additional photos and her take on the event, I recommend visiting her very popular and addicting blog.

After dinner and mingling, the party began! Michael Broening, our Master of Ceremonies, had the difficult task of trying to make a very diversified group of dancers happy... and from what I saw it was a success! In fact, come to find out, the bride was one of the teachers in Van Halen's video "Hot for Teacher." So of course we had quite the cheers when Michael played that one!

Last but not least, I must share a YHD first!!! Half-way through the evening, about 30 guests, including the bride and groom, decided to jump in the pool, evening-wear and all! Their little dip only lasted about 15 minutes, but during that time I raided the house for every dry towel I could find. One guest asked me as I handed out towels whether this was part of my job description. I just laughed and replied, "It is now!" It was just good, clean, spontaneous fun and a wedding I will be talking about for many years to come!

Thanks Donna & Al for hiring me to be a part of such a spectacular event! My best wishes for you and a blessed future together!

Next Top Model: Sweet 16 Bash

Here is a flashback post from the Sweet 16 Party I put together for my sister last year.  It was such a fun idea I thought I would share it again!

This is my beautiful baby sister, Sara. I know, I know... she's not a baby anymore. In fact, she just turned 16!

She is such a wonderful young lady. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this little girl and how proud I am of her. She is friendly, well-mannered and has a really great sense of humor. On top of that she has a 4.3 grade point average! That's right: Beauty and Brains... Look out!

She loves everything fashion and everything photography, so it is no surprise that one of her favorite shows is America's Next Top Model. So, we thought it would be fun to throw her a Sweet 16 Bash centered around that theme!

Check out these adorable invitations designed by Kimberly McDowell of The Event Essentials:

There were a total of 8 girls who were able to attend (including Sara). When they all arrived, we asked them to have a seat around the dining room table at my parents house. They each received their very own personalized champagne flute to drink our homemade sparkling punch.

Check out this snazzy cake my step-mom made. She also filled a silver platter with sugared berries, cheese, crackers and other yummy treats. Then she walked around the house serving the girls from the platter... it was so fun!

Next, we had them all draw numbers to determine which order they would go in. First, they were each to have their makeup professionally done. Here is a shot of some of the girls primping and waiting for their turn in the makeup chair:

Rebecca Bond-Turner. We were so excited she was willing to do this for us! She did such a fantastic job with all the girls, taking special care to spend the same amount of time with each girl.


And here we have our very talented makeup artist:

Once they were finished having their makeup done, each girl got to spend about 10 minutes with the AMAZING professional photographer: Shawna Yarbrough and her assistant of Studio 7 Photography. I love this shot from Sara's shoot with both photographers doing their thing:

Meanwhile, about halfway through the morning, we stopped to sing Happy Birthday to Sara and cut the cake.

Here are another couple of cute shots of the girls taking photos with each other as they waited their turns:



And NOW... Here are the before and after shots of all the girls:
First up, Danielle:

Next was Kaitlin:


Then Chelsey:
and the lady of the day, Sara:

Followed by Missy:

And Danika:

Then Shelby:

And last but not least, Alyssa:

Then, in true Next Top Model fashion, they all donned various colored tank tops to give some consistency to the shot and took some group photos together. Here are a few of my favorites:

While Alyssa was finishing up her shoot, all of the other girls decided to pose with Rebecca... she was such a blast!

Then we arranged for a limo to come to escort the girls to a surprise lunch in Scottsdale. Here is a shot of a few of the girls posing in front of the limo. They were SO excited!


And finally, here is a shot of the girls at their final destination: Benihana. Sara has always wanted to go there and we thought it would be a fun interactive lunch for the girls to enjoy. (Plus it was SUPER yummy too!)

So there you have it: A 16-year-old's dream of a birthday party! They all had so much fun!

Way to go girls! Hope to see you on America's Next Top Model some day!