Something Real

As many of you know, I got married back in May to my husband, Ashish. Our wedding was truly a joyful and beautiful celebration, and I've received lots of very sweet and gracious compliments on it. Not to sound boastful, but Ashish and I worked really hard to get some fine details into place. It feels good to know that those odds and ends, big decisions and major choices all amounted to something worthwhile - a great wedding day that we will remember forever.

My dad was asking me today about my videographer. I sent him home with a copy of our wedding DVD and he was super-impressed. (This is big coming from my dad as he, himself, also films weddings). I was happy to hear that others had also been asking about our guy, and thought that it might be helpful to share all of my wedding vendors with people. Now that it's been about 2 months since the "big day," I feel like I can take a look at all the wedding stuff again without feeling overwhelmed.

So, here they are, in no particular order:

OUR WONDERFUL WEDDING VENDORS!!!

OUR VENUE: Calamigos Ranch, Malibu, CA

We booked "The Oaks" venue at Calamigos in Malibu Canyon, which had a beautiful outdoor patio for the ceremony and indoor reception seating. They advertise a capacity of 130, but 110 felt just right (we did 12 tables of 8, 9 or 10). Also, for the ceremony, our guests fit perfectly on the patio. What a lovely spot! All of the venues at Calamigos are equally quaint, gorgeous, and boast a great amount of "rustic elegance," as I like to call it.

Our consultant in the wedding office was Samantha Douglas. She was great. As the wedding neared, Samantha was no longer available to be in touch (I hear she was ill -- hopefully doing better now), and so we got passed over to a couple other wedding associates. This proved challenging, as we had to deal with a lot of run-around, double-explaining, etc. that was super frustrating. I wish they would have just assigned one person to handle everything for us, or at least keep one another in the loop. (If everyone's in charge, then no one is, right?) The biggest frustration was that at the rehearsal evening, when we sat down with a girl we'd never met to go over our details, NONE of the changes we'd been emailed about for the past 2 weeks had been noted. It was like starting all over again.

Additionally, Calamigos is expensive. I won't reveal how much we paid, but it was steep, and the costs kept adding up. But, it's a beautiful, enchanting and intimate space, and, honestly, I wouldn't have wanted our wedding anywhere else! I think that if you go in prepared for some challenges, ask A LOT of questions, and maybe even do what we did and hire a "day-of" coordinator, you will thoroughly enjoy a picturesque and peaceful wedding day.

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo. All Rights Reserved.

"The Oaks" at Calamigos Ranch

OUR WEDDING PLANNER: Taryn Leach Events + Paper Studio

Uh. Maze. Ing. Taryn saved me. SAVED me. On my way to becoming the most ferocious of Bridezillas in the weeks leading up to my wedding, I discovered The Wonder That Is Taryn through my friend (& fellow bride-to-be) Brynn. I'm so thankful Brynn was willing to share her coordinator with me, because Taryn did what I couldn't - she tied everything up with a beautiful bow.

I had busted my butt organizing everything, coordinating vendors, etc, and then about 2 weeks before the wedding, Taryn and I met and she really took the reins. I CANNOT OVERESTIMATE HOW ESSENTIAL IT WAS TO HAVE SOMEONE ELSE IN CHARGE OF THE WEDDING. :) :) :) I didn't believe I needed a coordinator because I'm a great planner, and good at directing people. But, really? For me & Ashish to be able to relax and just enjoy our day and our friends and family? We needed someone. And not someone who was a guest at the wedding. We needed Taryn - our wedding day angel.

Her attention to detail was impeccable. Spreadsheets, forms, fancy-schmancy procedures. And she was a pleasure to work with. Her pricing was reasonable, and she was willing to negotiate with me, since I hadn't budgeted a dime for her. :-/ She was worth every penny.

Me and my Fairy Godmother, Taryn,
still smiling at the end of the night!

Check out this most glorious SLIDE SHOW of our wedding Taryn put up on her web site!

OUR FLOWERS: Tweeny Kau, The Flower Lab, Santa Monica, CA

Ok. So, Tweeny is this scientist who decided that what she really wanted to do was open a flower shop. And she did. And I just happened to come across it one day while walking down 7th street in Santa Monica. And, boy, am I glad I did! From the very first time we met (when I had very little idea of what I wanted and NO idea the names of any of the flowers I thought I MIGHT want), Tweeny was patient, adaptable, and always so kind. Whether in person or via email, her customer service was gentle and thorough. She really knows how to work with indecisive people.

Word is she's handing over The Flower Lab to her assistant, Una, this Fall to focus on being a momma. But I have good faith that in the hands of Una, the Lab will still be Fab! (Una did a lot of the work for our wedding.)

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo. All Rights Reserved.

When my mom saw my bouquet, she cried, and then I cried!

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo. All Rights Reserved.

I want to put ALL the flower pics up,
but there's no room!

OUR DJ: DJ Keelez

DJ Keelez (or Bernadette Quiles, her non-Super Hero name) is seriously awesome. This woman put up with SO MUCH from me and Taryn in the week/days leading up to the wedding. We didn't have a super-complicated plan or anything, but just needed to make some changes here and there, and she rolled with it all.

Here's my favorite part of what she did for us (and forgive me for being a ceremony nerd on this one): I had a very specific song cue that I wanted to hit for my procession. The song playing before my entrance was running short, and as I waited in the back I was like, "Oh, no! The song is ending and the flower girl isn't in yet!" What did DJ Keelez do? She looped that sh*t like the pro she is. Seamless. Elegant. Top-notch. This is what she did and what she is.

Hire this woman for your wedding. Your bar mitzvah. Your party. She will ROCK. THE. HOUSE.

And, uh, a female DJ. How cool is that?!?

OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jennifer Carrillo, Bella Rosa Photography (assisted by Rochelle Bettis)

A picture is worth 1,000 words. Here are 2,000. :)

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo.
All Rights Reserved.

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo.
All Rights Reserved.

OUR VIDEOGRAPHER: Ian Delgado, Bright Glare Pictures

If I could upload the video here, I would. And I probably can. But I don't want to. Because what Ian captured and put together is such a personal account of our wedding ceremony, I don't want it to get too far away from us.

This young man UNDERSOLD himself. By A LOT. And while I'm not glad he did it, I'm glad he did it for us, because I don't think we'd've been able to afford him at what he's worth. With less than a month to go before our wedding, without a videographer, we turned to Thumbtack for bids on the gig. What we found was Ian, totally willing to work with us in our budget, to film our wedding ceremony.

The man HAND-DELIVERED our wedding DVDs (two beautiful copies, complete with personalized box art that came STRAIGHT from our wedding program. Don't know how he did that) TO OUR HOME (don't count on it - he was in the area...but STILL!). What we received is nothing short of *perfect.*

Get this guy before word gets out and his rates sky-rocket. Seriously. You will not be disappointed.

OUR CAKE & DESSERT TABLE: Alicia Laski, Ali's Custom Cakes

My big sister rocks. Not only did she make a BEAUTIFUL, DELICIOUS cake for our 100+ guests to enjoy. She also INSISTED on baking an 8-foot-spread of AMAZING, DELECTABLE, SCRUMPTIOUS desserts (or so I'm told; I didn't get to have any!).

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo.
All Rights Reserved.

Talk about Pinterest-quality! :) PLUS, she's super-easy to work with and MUY friendly. You should see this kitchen she bakes in, though... I'm in awe of what she can create in such a small space, and with 2 kids, a dog, a husband, and a full-time job as a 3rd grade teacher all goin' on at the same time. In short, she ROCKS! And so do her desserts!

Bella Rosa Photography by Jennifer Carrillo. All Rights Reserved.

The dessert table was demolished before the dance floor even opened!

OUR CATERER: Mel Walker, GourMel

So, our venue provided catering (from a company called "Duck Duck Mousse," which was delicious, in case I forgot to mention the food. Are you surprised I didn't mention the food?? That's because brides and grooms don't eat at their wedding!).

Anyway, the venue caterer did not offer an Indian entree, and we wanted that option for Ashish's family. After a failed attempt at getting them to cook a recipe we provided, we once again hit up Thumbtack for an outside caterer to make some Indian food. When we found Mel, we knew we had hit the jackpot, and ended up hiring her for all of our wedding week meals.

We did a family dinner mash-up of Indian and Italian (Wednesday), an Indian rehearsal dinner (Thursday), an Indian lunch (for Ashish's sister's wedding that Friday), an Indian samosa station during cocktail hour at the wedding, and 10 plated Indian entrees at the reception.

All I can say is: WOW. Mel personally delivered, reheated and set-up all of the weekday dinners herself. She came all the way up to the remote home where we were staying and worked her booty off int he kitchen. Her professionalism was OUTSTANDING. Truly extraordinary.

And the food? Magnifique! Even the Indians were super-impressed with the Indian food. Way to go, Mel!

Hire this woman for your next party, corporate event, wedding, Sunday night dinner -- whatEVER! She is the real deal.

HAIR & MAKE-UP: Irene Vuong & Evelyn, Jade Design Studio, Santa Monica

Another above-and-beyond vendor prize goes to Irene and Evelyn from Jade Design Studio for fancying us up for the wedding day. Irene did my hair, my mom's Marcela's and Hannah's, and Evelyn did makeup for me and my mom.

They came all the way to Westlake Village from Santa Monica and gave us EXACTLY what we wanted. Irene and I even invented an up-do together. I think I'll have her call it "the Kristin."

Aren't we GORgeous? :)

"the Kristin"

A FEW MORE...

Not vendors so much, but brands:

WEDDING GOWN

I got my dress at David's Bridal in Burbank. It was designed by Oleg Cassini. And it was ON SALE for less than $1,000. Absolutely amazing. David's carries a couple high-end designer brands that go on sale every so often. Even though their other stuff can be a little cheap and generic, their designer gowns are a great find.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES

We found *the perfect* dresses for my beautiful bridesmaids. The color was rare and glorious. The fabric was elegant. The quality was fantastic. We bought them at George's Tailoring and Formal Wear in Santa Monica. It's this teeny-tiny shop owned and operated by Natalie, who I think is George's daughter. She makes the sales, he does the alterations. (One of my 'maids had her alterations done there and they turned out great. My mom did my sisters' alterations.)

The dresses were B2 Bridesmaids by Jasmine, Style B4101 in Mango Tango. We did not go in looking for this particular dress, but Natalie recommended it and it turned out to be ideal.

All dress alterations were completed by my very talented, beautiful mother, Janice Firestone. Contact me to get in touch with her if you have alteration needs. She does everything from costumes to gowns to patio furniture covers. And all her work is hand-made. She will make you a dress from scratch. She is that awesome.

In addition to all of the above goodness, I had a lot of fun creating little do-dads for the wedding. I don't know if many people cared, or noticed, but I liked expressing my creativity with little projects like "take-home-the-centerpiece" table tents, programs, table numbers, a unity candle set and other such items. If you'd like to read more and see some pics of those items, click here for my "Wedding Details that Nobody Notices But Are Important Anyway" blog post. :)

Well, I think that's it! We've got flowers, photos, fashion, food, folks and fun! Put 'em together and you have one very FABULOUS wedding experience. All of the vendors with whom we worked were stellar, and to top it all off, they were all genuinely kind, hard-working people. I feel like we really lucked out on some of them who don't yet know the full extent of their own worth.

If you'd like any additional information on any of these vendors, brands, or my wedding planning experience, please be in touch! I welcome you! I really enjoyed planning my wedding, despite the stressful moments, and would love to help you in any way that I can.

In love,
~Kristin