This was one of my favorite weddings because the bride is one of my dearest friends.  I can honestly say I've been planning her wedding in my heart for the last decade and I could not be happier that her mystery man is now a reality.  Everything about this August Saturday on Treasure Island was beyond perfect! The weather, glorious; the bride, absolutely stunning;  the friends, exuberant; the decor, crazy fabulous.  With a clipboard in one hand and a bridesmaids bouquet in the other, I could not have been happier for this amazing couple.

The superstars:
Venue: Administration Building 1, Treasure Island, San Francisco
Catering: Wine Valley Catering
Florals: Amy Burke Designs
Photography: Stacey Pentland
Entertainment: Folk Atrocity
DJ: Jason Seeba
Bakery: Studio Cake
Lighting: Allegra Entertainment
Rentals: Hartman Studios
Transportation: Nationwide Limo Service
Hair & Make-up: JoEllen Adcock & Tamika Stringfellow  of Tesaris le Salon
Stationary: Dandelion Patch

This was one of my favorite weddings because the couple was so precious.  Andrew with his Southern hospitality and Naphy with her contagious joy.  Their ceremony took place at the historic Ainsley House in Campbell followed by a parade through downtown - with a stop at Starbucks where the couple met - leading the guests to the reception.  Upon my return to the Ainsley House after checking on the reception set up I found Naphy standing on the side of road in her wedding gown waving at passing cars!  She confessed she just couldn't wait in a little room until her wedding started ~ she needed to be around people!  Love her!

Coordinator: It’s Your Day!
Photography: Poplar Photography
Reception Photos: Broadway Booths
Ceremony Treats: Honeysuckle Catering, 
Violin music during Ceremony: Fotomokio, 
Ceremony Location: Ainsley House Gardens, 
Reception Location: Sonoma Chicken Coop in Campbell
Cake: Nancy Schlink for such an awesome cake
DJ: Jason & Jamie Seeba for the great music
Dance Lessons: Craig Brown & Cindy Wood
Officiant: Chris McCormick
Makeup & Hair: Christa Koelewyn

Obviously, this was my favorite wedding.  Keith Patrick Harrop is my favorite person in the whole world.  He makes me smile with my heart and makes everything fabulous about my sweet little life possible .  Thank you, darling.
From a wedding planning perspective, this was the simplest wedding in my repertoire.  Only fifty of our nearest and dearest would fit in the chapel so our guest list was painstakingly reduced,  we each chose just one attendant, a friend created bouquets with what she found at the flower market the day before, instead of dinner and dancing we had cake and champagne, I even borrowed the dress!!  This was not thrown together at the last minute, but carefully planned with the desires of my sweet prince at the top of the list.  We were saving to buy our first house in the San Francisco Bay Area so instead of serving dinner to all of our guests on April 8, 2000 we spent the following year inviting them to our home for dinner.  It was a great way to really connect with dear friends and family and the perfect way to drag out the goodness for me.

This was one of my favorite weddings because the couple, family and guests had SUCH a great time.  The weather was perfect for the outdoor ceremony followed by dinner on the terraced decks, guests enjoyed the expansive lawns and danced the night away to the vocal meanderings of our favorite funk band. What a glorious summer day spent in the hills above Woodside at Mountain Terrace!

This was one of my favorite weddings because the couple was an absolute delight to work with. The ceremony was at the church they met at followed by the reception at the bride's family's home.  The tennis court was converted into an illuminated (thanks to the groom!), festive, dining and dancing venue that welcomed guests to linger into the night.

This was one of my favorite weddings because it was outdoors in January and it could not have been a more perfect day.  The ceremony was on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University followed by a reception at Marina Village in San Diego. The gorgeous couple left at the end of the night in a 1968 Chris Craft; a wedding gift from the groom's grandparents.

This was one of my favorite weddings because the couple was fabulous, the venue was fabulous, and the party was... fabulous!  A beautiful spring day at the historic Palace Hotel in San Francisco, family and friends, food and fun, dancing and cookies.  There were so many special details accented by the repeated motif of polka dots that could be found on everything from bride's gown to the labels on the favor bags.

This was one of my favorite weddings for several reasons: dear friends, pumpkins, a barn, paper lanterns and "it's it's" for dessert!  The ceremony and reception took place at a private residence, San Felipe Ranch, located within a California State Park. It was rustic and charming; the perfect way to spend an October evening.

In the spirit of my recently proclaimed quest to "do something fabulous everyday" - today did not disappoint.  A few weeks ago I received a coveted invitation to view the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales, K.G. and Miss Catherine Middleton at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.  If you've never visited this bay area landmark you really must add it to your short list of to-do's.  The Palace Hotel, a historic downtown San Francisco hotel, holds a fabled past steeped in grandeur.  For over a century, the Palace Hotel has been the site of important and regal events ranging from formal political gatherings to the exclusive galas of high society and private parties.  The Palace Hotel today maintains the hotel's tradition of excellence and sophistication.

So many times, while working at a wedding with other vendors I think to myself, I really like this person (florist, photographer, musician, caterer) I wish we could work together again.  As a professional wedding planner, I do keep a preferred vendor list that I use to guide couples toward vendors that I trust, enjoy working with, and believe bring the level of quality and professionalism that my clients are expecting.  That said, it is very rare that a couple chooses every one of my favorite vendors for their wedding.  Hence, the birth of “Engaged! A Wedding Vendor Collective.”