Engagement Party: Julie & Henry 4.17.10

I’m thrilled to be a guest blogger on Simply Hannah!  My name is Julie and my entry is about my April Engagement Party.  Enjoy!

Henry and I recently hosted our engagement celebration at Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach, CA.  We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate with our closest friends and family.  During the planning process I pictured something more formal and elegant, but because of some hiccups with the space we had originally wanted, we ended up taking over a charming outdoor patio area.

The garden tablescape was adorned with small floral pieces sprinkled around jewel toned glass lanterns.  We used vases in all different sizes and shapes to line the table. All of the amazing flowers and vases were purchased at the LA Flower District.  My talented friend, Sharon, incorporated various loose blooms of ranunculus, chrysanthemum, roses, heather, and billy balls in rich hues of pinks, greens, oranges, whites, and yellows.  All the colorful lanterns that hung above us livened up the ambiance and looked great in photos!

Each guest had a handwritten name card that sat on a lemon and we used hand drawn paper plates to give the table a whimsy feel.

We also made a banner using blue scallop oval cards and pink letters to spell out the whole reason for our happy day.

And lastly, we boxed up some heart shaped sugar cookies with strawberry jam to send off with our guests.  The yummy cookies were baked fresh from Sweet Treats by Meichih and the favor boxes by Diana Chou Designs.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to create a beautiful and unique event. Some of my favorite pieces of our event were those that hardly cost a thing. It takes time to take in a bunch of ideas (some competing!) and merge them together nicely, but if you give yourself enough time, you’ll be delighted by the details that come to life!  And if you’re lucky and have crafty friends, I’d say you’re well on your way to creating events that truly reflect your own personal style.

Tin Roof Bistro, Paper Source, Diana Chou Designs, LA Flower District

Wedding: My + Robert’s 5.1.10

My and Robert’s wedding day is finally here.  I helped plan her destination bridal shower in an earlier post “Bridal Shower: Viva My Vegas 3.27.10.”   The happy couple got married this past Saturday in San Gabriel, CA.  It was a long day filled with prepping for the big day, attending a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, pictures and more pictures, wedding ceremony, and traditional Chinese banquet reception.

My wore a beautiful diagonal layered strapless Tamara Kristen dress by Marisa.  Maxi was the fabulous makeup artist that performed magic on all of us!   My looked gorgeous on her wedding day.

We (the bridesmaid’s) wore the cotton cady Erica dress in cypress and mixed crystal colletto necklace in buff, both by J.Crew.

Check out some pics from My and Robert’s big day.  Professional pictures to follow, so stay tuned!

We were all up by 6am

My's wedding gown by Marisa

Side view of the Bridesmaids hair - Hairstylist only takes jobs in the Pasadena area

Makeup by Maxi

One eye done!

Finishing touches on the bride

Mixed crystal colletto necklace in buff by J.Crew

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids- taken with a bberry

White calla lilies

The Griffith's first dance

Marisa Bridals, J.Crew