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Okay… I am saying this in all honesty, I had THE HARDEST TIME choosing my favorite photos from this session! The amazing Gretta & Rob were such amazing subjects to capture and we went to some pretty crazy locations for their engagement session; Justin and I were totally “in the groove”! After much deliberation, I was able to bring my favorites for this post down to thirty images — that's pretty good considering the fact that we shot over 1,600 photos just for the engagement session (we usually shoot close to 600 on a normal day!).
Like I mentioned, we went to some pretty crazy locations for this session. We started out in Downtown Pasadena in the parking garage just below the subway station, then shot some photos on the ride over to our next location, Chinatown, and finally we ended up at Union Station.
Gretta & Rob found us on the set of one of Justin's photo-shoots for Eliza Magazine. Gretta was one of the girls he shot for that spread and Rob happened to be there with Gretta. They mentioned that they were engaged so we set up a meeting and the rest is history. We had such a great time getting to know Gretta & Rob during their engagement session, that we ended up hanging out with them in Downtown Pasadena and grabbed an amazing Italian dinner at Il Fornaio.
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I had been anticipating Kristeen and Josh's wedding for months and months. At our Coffee Bean consultation, we excitedly threw out ideas that included smooth white river stones, sandblasted manzanita, crystals galore, papery white phaleonopsis offset by waxy green cymbidiums - by the end of the meeting we were both gushing over our plans. Their Marvimon wedding was shot by my talented wedding photographer and good friend, Trista Lerit. Trista's work is always creative, moody, and just plain beautiful. She always gets fantastic pics of all the floral details, which I of course appreciate- thanks Trista! See her blog for the rest of the images. Kelly Demaray orchestrated this detailed wedding beautifully, and couldn't have been sweeter during the whole process.
Many props to my wonderful day-of assistants, Marci and Ako, for hauling box after box of rocks, climbing that 10 foot ladder when I was too afraid (I have a fear of heights!), and just hustling nonstop for 4 hours straight to make sure everything looked picture perfect. They work so hard, and always have smiles on their faces!
Without further ado, Kristeen and Josh's wedding, as captured by Trista Lerit Photography:
Kristeen was ecstatic when she saw everything set up. I hope it was just like she imagined!
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Peggy & Johnny and I met in Beverly Hills, and I was instantly drawn to their vision for a classic and elegant wedding at the historic Greystone Mansion. Peggy is actually an incredibly talented graphic designer, so she knew she would want to play a large role in creating the lovely printed ephemera for her day. We discussed a cool, crisp color palette that would focus on soft pastels. Sage green and sky blue would be prominently featured against accents of chocolate and gold, keeping the overall feel of the event fresh and polished.
We brought Kate Baker onto our team of vendors for all the floral design. Her arrangements perfectly evoked the romantic and graceful mood we sought for the wedding. Peggy also ended up developing a lovely theme for all of the wedding stationery that suggested the idea of a love story or book. The invitations were designed to look like a book, and the programs and menus were later “chapters” of the same love story. Check out the incredible outcome below! Peggy & Johnny's wedding was truly a stunning affair, that delighted on both a visual and emotional level.
I have to begin with these precious portraits of Peggy. Check out the darling scalloped hem of her gown, and the scrumptious bouquet featuring ivory peonies and roses, accented by soft blue tufts of hydrangea. Ribbons dotted with rosebuds trailed daintily below the base of the bouquet.
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I can't think of a better way to celebrate love than reminisce about one of my fabulous weddings. This darling couple are such a special pair and I have been *dying* to share these photos with you! What do you get when a graphic designer marries an architect/landscape architect?? Pure creativity, and a wedding dripping with details. I could barely contain myself as i waited for guests to arrive for the ceremony. It was everything I could've ever dreamed of for them and their reaction was priceless.
I'll walk you through the heartfelt ceremony. It took place on the back lawn at Rancho Sol Del Pacifico, a private estate in Malibu. The azure skies seemed to melt into the horizon and you could barely distinguish sky from sea. A grouping of olive trees created a focal point for the ceremony, where the couple was married by a couple whose marriage and love they admire.
The gorgeous photos below are courtesy of my pal Jay Reilly, a fantastic photographer out of Oceanside.
the bride makes her way down the stairs for the processional
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Nari and Wyatt are such a special couple to me. Their wedding was my very first rainy wedding, and I have to say that God REALLY wanted to test me that day! Haha it didn't sprinkle… it poured and hailed! What a way to be initiated… I think that accomplishing what we did (moving the entire dinner reception indoors during cocktail hour, including ordering all new linens 10 minutes before the nearest rental company closed) made the experience very special to me. In a way, the wedding felt even *more* triumphant because we hadn't allowed nature to ruin the plans. I feel like I was able to really flex my coordination skills by thinking on my feet and most importantly, keeping a smile on my face. I just had this inner peace and knew we would still have a magnificent event! (and we did!) beyond all of this external “success” of the day. I feel most accomplished in the relationship I built with Nari during the months we worked together. We shared that “click” from the start, and I am honored to call her a friend today. I am pretty sure we have a lunch date + trip at Anthropologie in our future together. Maybe we can get another matching sweater??
Nari & Wyatt - it was a true blessing working with you two! I had a blast and was delighted to play a role in your day. If your wedding is any indication of the future, I know you can weather anything! (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun!!)
Now on to those pics!!
Wyatt & Nari's first look! I love the composition of this photo.
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A few weeks ago, Erik and I were photographed by the fabbbulous amelia lyon & her too-much-fun hub, Justin. We wanted to get a unique pic for our annual Christmas card and came away with these stunnnnning images. Amelia is an immensely talented photographer who always produces the most lovely, modern-yet-vintage-feeling photos. She also has a fresh, innate sense of style that comes through in all of her images. I LOVE her work for weddings and portraits! Hip, stylish and full of emotion. Make sure to check her out!
After our shoot, we went for a delightful double-date at the scrumptious Thai eatery, Daisy Mint. Good times + good food! Looking forward to doing it again soon! amelia — thank you for sharing your incredible gift with us!
Here's a peek at a few pics from the shoot!
I hope you're ready for some deeeelicious eye candy today!! Suthi & Sanjay's November wedding was one of my very favorite of the year, no question about it. I first met suthi in 2006. She was the 2nd shooter for the fab Danielle Biel of Skye Blu Photography and we hit it off immediately. Suthi now runs Picotte Photography; check her out! I loved seeing her at events and having her as a colleague, but I was touched, honored and delighted when she asked me to help her plan and coordinate her own wedding. It was a DREAM working with her as she and i share a very similar aesthetic and style. She and Sanjay are both artists (he is a filmmaker) so creativity oozed from every detail of this wedding.
We had an INCREDIBLE dream team of vendors on board that day, so check for details at the end of the post! 
The event unfolded at the uber-hip Marvimon in Los Angeles. It was the ideal backdrop for their bold and colorful event. Now enjoy this look at the day through the lenses of the amazingly talented Amy & Stuart. I ADORE this husband + wife photography team and their stylish, emotive work. Their photos blew me away and I had the hardest time picking my favorites. I hope you don't mind me indulging myself with a very photo-heavy post.
Suthi's wedding gown was a beauteous confection of ruffles and pleats.
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I’m Courtney of Flush Designs. I’ve been doing all sorts of art since I can remember. I always had to have theme birthday parties, starting with my 7th birthday, a gold rush theme. I’d also continually get in trouble for picking flowers. So in order to release all of this ball of creativity, I decided to start a small business; Small now but hopefully big later. 
Weddings to me are the perfect place and moment to show all your friends and family your personality and your love. The best part is they include everything I love: paper, color, flowers, photos, and beautiful dresses.
I specialize in handmade and custom designed invitations, but as my clients know, I don't just stop at their invites – I love to make suggestions about cool ideas on how they can personalize their wedding. I not only make escort cards, but I also need to know how they will be displayed! I have slowly been involving myself more in the world of designing the whole wedding, from the invites to the flowers, favors, colors, theme, etc. I do flower arrangements for fun and have done them for a few events, so I am also starting to venture into this aspect more and more. My husband and myself are also a photography team for his wedding business, Paloma Images. I love the idea of being fully involved in the entire process and seeing the finished product — it is a complete feeling of pride and joy.
Here are a few samples of my work. Invitations, flowers, photography, and table theme designs. Hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy doing it!
Cheers
Courtney
When some brides initially contact me, they're not sure if they're looking for a coordinator or a planner. I thought I'd use this post to explain how I *personally* distinguish between the two!
A wedding planner is a seasoned professional who can confidently guide you through the entire wedding planning process. From engagement to the grand exit, they are your experienced guides in the world of all things wedding! Although there are levels of service you can commission with a wedding planner, most will assist you (at least to some degree) with venue selection, vendor referrals, production of a detailed checklist of things to do, production of a detailed day-of timeline and communication with all vendors leading up to the big day. They help you plot the course down the aisle and are there to answer questions all along the way. Often a wedding planner will also have a hand in event design. They will proffer ideas and inspiration for the “look and feel” of your event and help you secure vendors who will contribute to that cohesive vision.
A wedding coordinator, by contrast, is not necessarily deeply involved with the wedding plans. Their primary function is to facilitate a smooth-running event on the wedding day itself. They often jump into the picture a month or so before the wedding to gather key information and create a timeline. They may help you iron out final details and contact your vendors to confirm contract obligations. On the day-of, they run the show and ensure that things go according to plan.
Many times people will use the terms coordinator & planner interchangeably. It is somewhat understandable, as a wedding planner is always a wedding coordinator. BUT, a wedding coordinator is not always a wedding planner. It's important to determine what your needs and desires are before you begin contacting potential planners/coordinators. Make sure that your “wants” line up with what is being offered. This also ensures that you are comparing apples to apples once you price out a few options.
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Courtney is the super talented gal behind custom invitation company, Flush Designs, which incorporates her love for art, design, letterpress, planning parties, and all things handmade. But she’s a jane-of-all-trades when it comes to the wedding industry — she also styles events, arranges flowers, and second shoots for her husband’s photography business!
Here is a glimpse of some of her work, but stay tuned for so much more inspiration from Courtney! Please help me in welcoming her to the hive!
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