I'll toast to that!

Vineyard weddings = Romance.

Perhaps it's a Californian thing. I am a farm girl at heart. My uncle tried his hand at growing grapes when I was in Junior High School. For a moment in time, I thought I might end up part of famous winery family. Girls can dream, right!

When I was getting married, my first thought was I wanted to have a reception in Wine Country. I wanted a rustic yet romantic summer affair. That didn't happen but since then we have had the privilege of working with clients that lived out my dream....a romantic vineyard wedding.

Enter E and B. A fantastic couple that turned client.
They may be the sweetest people we've ever met! Full of smiles and completely up beat and in love.

E & B "stumbled" across an amazing find in the Southern California area: Bella Victorian Vineyard.

The main house, "The Painted Lady" serves as a beautiful backdrop to terraced yards and open vineyards. The Painted Lady has a beautiful bridal suite, and a welcoming front porch.

The grounds are split into several different levels.

The proprietors, Kim and Jerry Monahan, built the estate with parties in mind. I am finicky about bathrooms. I think most brides are concerned but it's rarely discussed! Bella Victorian has beautiful bathrooms in a stand alone building. Tile work, vintage hardware, pedestal sinks. As silly as it sounds, the "facilities" could sell me on this venue!

One of the unique aspects of the Bella Victorian is that it feels isolated....parties are transformed to a country vineyard away from the rest of the world. To achieve this quiet serenity, all parking is off site and guests are shuttled via old cable car trolley. It's adorable and makes for a fun experience and fantastic pictures!

If you are looking for a unique opportunity to celebrate at a working vineyard, Bella Victorian Vineyard might be the venue for you! For more information: http://bellavictorianvineyard.com

Whether day or night, Bella Victorian will be full of romance......

Professional Photography courtesy of Janice Trowbridge Photography. Snapshots from Style & Grace.

Floral artistry by Janet Webb, Greenwich Floral.

1-2-3....CHEESE!

Flash back.....

Eighth grade graduation. Someone asks Jill, "What do you want to be when you grow up?".

Jill says, "A neonatologist or some other kind of doctor".

Flash forward to today....

Someone asks Jill, "What would you do if you could do anything you wanted in this life?".

Well, I could answer with a philosophical retort, or I could say I'd want to save animals or children, but to be perfectly honest, my secret passion is photography. I am one crazy photography blog stalker. I love pictures. I love weddings. I love looking at the art which is wedding pictures.

In today's entry (yes, I know I am overdue for blog entries of actual weddings....) I salute some of my favorite local photographers. I send you all my love and respect!

• I "met" Crissy Farah when she was new in the biz. She took my Godson (aka Stephanie Janisse's baby's) first year photos. I fell in love with her work and my admiration has grown. http://itsjustsillyme.blogspot.com/


• Jonilyn Photography is a new find. She was the fun photo-artist (sometimes you've got to salute the artist within) at J & C's rehearsal dinner. Genious work! http://jonilynphotographyblog.com/?p=33


• Cameron Ingalls is my new crush (along with Rob Holley but he's out of the area now).
  Cameron took amazing pics at a wedding at Villa del sol D'Oro. His work is genuine and emotional. http://cameroningallsphotography.com/ Even his choice of music on his website evokes an indescribable sense of love.


• Sarah K Chen I've not yet worked with Sarah but I love her work! We've chatted about my own wedding picture woes and she seems like a doll. http://sarahkchen.com/blog/


• Janice Trowbridge is a fabulously warm and personable photographer. While she's not one of the regular names thrown around on WeddingBee and The Knot, she deserves a cult following. The picture above, the vineyard shot, is just one my favorites from a wedding last summer. She's super sweet and fun to be around. http://www.janicetrowbridge.com/


• A local girl, done good is none other than Felicia Perry. Felicia is another photographer I've watched and admired from afar. When I got married, Felicia was just getting started and she made my "short list". I am so impressed with her work and I can't wait to work with her in person! http://www.feliciaperryphotography.com/home.html
  

LA is such a lucky town to have such photography resources at hand. Brides (and grooms!) have so many great choices at varying price points. I know that I am missing so many talented names on my short list. I salute your talent, photographers and I dream of living your lives....tucked behind a camera.

PS- Here's a favorite of mine that Crissy took of my dear Godson (aka Steph's baby boy)! Does it really get any cuter than ten chubby toes?

Life shouldn't be printed on dollar bills. ~Clifford Odets

Pinching pennies. Wise investments. Budget weddings.

Aside from meeting with brides planning for their Spring weddings, I have been obsessed with finding bargains in the wedding world.

My lovely sister is getting married in November. I am so excited! This is a second wedding for Lisa and for Greg. In this union, I get two adorable step-nephews. They are fabulously funny pre-teen boys!

Lisa and Greg are both financially savvy and they hope to keep the total budget of their wedding under, well, I guess I'd better get their blog blessing before I share their budget.

While we enjoy working with brides who appreciate their budget, this is a new challenge. The budget is small....and this is my sister who has immaculate taste. (I did chose the word immaculate because that truly describes her life and taste!) Again, this is my sister.

While I have many budget friendly ideas, I thought I'd embark on seeing what others are saying about budget wedding planning. (By the way, I hate the word budget. Does anyone have any other suggestions?!?)

In my searching, I found the typical suggestions.....

• Chose a non-Saturday wedding date
• Rent a town car instead of a limousine
• Have non-floral centerpieces
• Limit guest list
• Have a small wedding cake and use a sheet cake for additional cake
• Enlist family and friends talents
  

Well, those suggestions are neither earth shattering nor unique. In my query for unique and beautiful suggestions, I found very little. Instead I found......

this candy buffet. While the candy looks delicious, what's with the fake burgundy flower petals and the atrocious wallpaper. It definitely isn't the immaculate look of my sister.

I also found this book for sale. While it was discounted on-line, I am doubting it's wisdom.

So, instead, I am embarking on my own journey. I'll be helping my sister analyze pricing and shop around. I hope to answer questions such as are DIY invitations much of a cost-savings, or are there affordable invitations which are made on nice paper that look expensive but are easy on the budget? We'll be on the search for a great dress (lucky Lisa has a knockout figure) at a great price.

I plan on documenting all of my great finds so stay tuned!

PS- For those readers that are interested in seeing another wedding portfolio from
Style & Grace, we've got several in the works including a great wedding at a vineyard. Stay tuned!

Just like Peanut Butter and Chocolate.....

Some things are better together! And when they meet, perfection is made. That's a modest way to sum up C and J, and their amazing wedding at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
J, manages to combine sophistication, class, and merriment to be a striking two veil bride! C, a love struck groom, croons away to his new bride.

Priceless moments which will forever mark their special day and will be a new standard for beautiful weddings.

Nearly every bride we work with prides herself in her organization skills and attention to detail. J took it to a new and meticulous level! She thought of everything. Nothing was overlooked for this Old Hollywood glamour meets modern fun wedding.

J carried the beautiful essence of a winter wonderland throughout her wedding with punches of brown and cream damask. To play up the winter feeling, willow & birch branches and crystals were used to add an element of drama with the couples chuppah, cake, and even place cards. C & J even added a bit of humor by incorporating part of her new name into the favors.

Organization, details, and execution results in PERFECTION!

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel http://www.hollywoodroosevelt.com/
was fantastic to work with for a wedding. The staff was very accommodating and Ernie, the events director, was easy going and open to great ideas like placing the wedding cake on the piano. (Thanks, C....we may have given you a goofy look when you suggested it, but it was pure genius!) And the location was just about as "Hollywood" as it comes. Not to mention, at T-one minute when the bride was chilled and needed a cup of tea, the Hollywood Roosevelt staff gladly worked with S&G warm up our bride with a quick spot of tea. How proper!

J and C were open to working with the uniqueness of area which would serve as a ceremony room. It was the old lobby with gorgeous leather furniture. Instead of moving out the beautiful furniture, guests lounged on sofas, ottomans, and chairs. How distinctive! We highly recommend the Roosevelt for weddings and post event getaways!


The Dwight Kennedy Band sang the night enhanced with the ambiance set by J's vision & Michele Brue of Floral by Fauna.





While the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, Style & Grace disagrees. Whether it's salt & pepper, peanut butter & chocolate, or C & J....some things are meant to last!

Plus, what's not to love about a stylish bride who knows how to rock red soled shoes :)

PS- Thanks Rob Holley Photography!

!

And these are a few of my favorite things!

Yes, the Sound of Music is running through my brain as I type. And yes, I am a nerdy-sing-along type gal.
But while I love raindrops on roses and white colored kittens, I am much more anxious to share pictures from a few of our favorite brides in 2007.

I love the color combination chosen for this November wedding. The bride loved the idea of rich browns and wanted to add an accent color. At first, she was going to use accents of pink but then decided hues of purples would be unique and add a depth to a Fall wedding.



Place cards....we love them! It's such a great opportunity for brides to express their interests and even thank their guests (see picture below). E, a charming bride who chose a vineyard for her reception, thought of every detail down to the cork bed for the place cards. A couple ingenious thoughts about E's placecards....She opted not to pay for a professional caligrapher but rather had her wonderful grandmother write each card. This added a personal touch and a reminder of the importance of each generation of our families. E was also crafty in assembling her bed of corks- she simply used serving trays to hold corks. I can only imagine that her husband is now using the serving tray to deliver breakfast in bed every Saturday!

As mentioned above, a September bride, J, took the opportunity on her placecards to write a personalized "thank you" to each of her guests. J also excited me with her punches of orange throughout her reception. Oh, I can't forget that she did an amazing job on her invitations....two of my favorite colors...green and orange.


This picture is such an intimate glimpse at a young woman moments before her big day begins. While you can't see the brides face, photographer Janice Trowbridge did an impressive job of capturing emotion with just a shot of the brides delicate hands. Janice is a gem to work with and did a fantastic job on this wedding.


All things feminine. Yes, I love all things feminine. High heels, lace, peep-toes. Feminine touches are beautiful.


May I say that I love Cameron Ingalls? We "discovered" Camoron Ingalls, a fabulous photographer from the Central Coast, in 2007. No worries, Mrs. Anna Ingalls, we love you too! Anna and Cameron come as a team. They are a great find. Their work is they type of work that brings tears to your eyes. I want to get married again to have Cameron shoot my wedding!

And my most favoritist thing (and yes, I am married to an English teacher!)of 2007 is knowing that Style & Grace witnessed bonds between couples that will guide them through the rainy days and provide sunshine and smiles. I don't think that there was a single wedding in 2007 that did not leave me misty-eyed. Stephanie and I thank each of our special couples for allowing us to share in your magincal day.

VENUE SPOTLIGHT: Villa del sol D'Oro

Villa del sol D'Oro, or the house of the golden sun offers a unique setting for couples looking for old world charm and historic architecture.

The Villa, as it's commonly referred to in the wedding industry, is a duplicate of the Villa Collazzi located on the outskirts of Florence, Italy. Villa Collazzi has been occupied for several centuries by the Bombicci-Fomi family, and legend has it that the Villa is the only one ever designed by the immortal Michaelangelo. In 1924, prominent Los Angeles physician Walter Barlow began building his dream house in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. The Tuscan-style villa reflected the Barlows' love of Italy - The facade a one-quarter scale replica of the Villa Collazzi near Florence. Pasadena architect Wallace Neff was commissioned to create the house that would be called the Villa del Sol d'Oro. The Villa has the elegant black and white tiled foyer with a curving stairway and wrought iron banister that became classic Wallace Neff touches.

Marion Patterson Barlow sold the Villa del Sol d'Oro, after her husband died, to the Sisters of St. Francis in 1942. The Sisters used the house as a novitiate before building the existing school in 1960. Alverno Heights Academy graduated its first class on the Terrace in 1964. The name was changed to Alverno High School in the early 1970's.

Film and television companies frequently use the Villa as a shooting location. Princess Diaries, Legally Blonde, Unstrung Heroes, A Walk in the Clouds, True Lies, and Molly are some of the feature films made at Alverno. The Villa is currently featured in the CBS television show, Cane, and it was the setting for an episode of Sexy, Dirty Money.

Couples chosing the Villa will contract with Santa Anita Gardens, a female owned and operated catering company that also services performers at the Greek Theater and the Pantages.

• 
  
  A few fanastic facts about the Villa:


• 
  
  It's one of the few BYO alcohol venues in Los Angeles which could lessen your overall costs.


• 
  
  Santa Anita Catering staff offer first class service on your wedding day.


• 
  
  The Villa offers a blank canvas which allows brides to create personalized space with lounge sets and special decor.


• 
  
  Santa Anita Catering staff is small enough to allow customization but they have 25 years of experience to ensure a seamless day.

The picture above and to the left is the "cake room". The cake is generally set up in front of the window and makes for dramatic pictures. To the right, is the library. The picture does not do this room justice. It's filled with dark wood and a warm bar area. We encourage brides to fill the shelves with candles and pictures. This is also a logical place for a lounge area.

Style & Grace has coordinated several weddings at the Villa. With each wedding, we hear guests echo the same sentiments, "this is an incredible site. How did the bride and groom find it?".

It definitely transports guests to another time and place. Just like Sam and Grace, featured above, we smile every time we think of the Villa!

NOTE: Photos courtesy of Cameron Ingalls, Heather Cantwell, and Becker Photography