February 2013 - Bridal Hot List

Weddings at Five Crowns: Corona Del Mar, California

February 28, 2013 Leave a Comment

Along Southern Orange County’s coastline, there are some amazing spots. One of these locations is a charming and lovely restaurant, a historical landmark set in Corona Del Mar, California. At BHL we are always searching for amazing and unique venues, and this one definitely caught our eyes! Five Crowns Restaurant has been designed to match the look of a old English country inn. Inside you will find all the English charm of an inn, with cozy fireplaces in each of the private rooms, antique details, and paintings. Right outside, there is a lovely greenhouse with a delightful patio and garden.

You can have your ceremony in the private romantic garden immersed in greenery and serenity. Adjacent to the lovely garden, is the greenhouse patio where you can host your reception. You can enjoy the beautiful sun, as this room has a glass roof, allowing the sunlight to come through. This space is whimsical, romantic, with a touch of vintage style. Once the sun goes down, imagine dining under the stars with your guests. Perfect for outdoor dining.

For appetizers, main courses, desserts, and drinks, Five Crowns offers a wide variety of menu options, or the menu can be customized for you and your guests. The food is made with the best organic ingredients which are carefully selected from local farmers markets. Speaking from personal experience, we can tell you that the food is amazing. Beautiful presentation, and great taste!

A venue which features private and romantic ceremony and reception locations, award-winning cuisine, and impeccable service, is perfect for any couple who wants to have a romantic and intimate wedding.

If you want a unforgettable wedding for you and your guests, then you should consider the Five Crowns for your wedding event!

For more information on weddings at Five Crowns visit their official website.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: bride, Corona Del Mar, English, five crowns, garden patio, groom, Southern Orange County, venue, wedding

Bridal Accessories by Always Ari

February 27, 2013 Leave a Comment

I am obsessed with accessories! I am always looking for something new and unique to spice up my outfit. I love over-sized watches, pearls, stylish purses, and statement necklaces. Not only are accessories a fabulous add to any everyday outfit, they are an absolute must when it comes to your wedding day! I am thrilled to share the amazing accessories of a talented and creative designer, Arianna Garibo. She is the owner of Always Ari, where she designs and creates unique and stylish accessories. Arianna’s passion for style, design, and fashion has inspired her to create fashionable accessories which are affordable. She tells us that, Style isn’t how much you spend, it’s what you do with that you have.

Arianna recently launched her bridal collection this month, and was excited to share her new accessories with us. Being in love with all things bridal, I was super excited to hear the news. There are some fabulous pieces which I instantly fell in love with. Believe me, if you love accessories as much as I do, then you will fall head over heels for these amazing bridal sets.

Old Hollywood: A feather and netting head piece adorned with chic black and clear gems. Styled with a necklace which features black large pearls and a classic black and rhinestone pendant in center. All paired with a white, black and clear pearl bracelet. For the bride who loves Old Hollywood glamour.

Vintage look: A beige fascinator (mini hat) gossip girl inspired, together with a necklace with three strands of pearls, that meet at a clear bead and pulled together by chain. This look is great for the bride who adores vintage details, and wants to add it to her overall bridal look. Perfect for a vintage romance wedding!

Bling Queen Look: A necklace with spaced gems held together, but with the appearance that they are floating on the wearer’s chest. To complete the look, a bling flower brooch on a double wrapped ribbon is added. This look is perfect for the bride who loves bling.

Bridesmaids Look: A multi chain necklace with a touch of tulle and square culver charms, paired with a tulle and charm bracelet. If you love purple, and this color is part of your big day, then you can style your bridesmaids with this fabulous look!

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Alwaysari, bridal accessories, bridal jewelry, fashion, style

Country Chic Engagement Session from Happy Photos

February 26, 2013 Leave a Comment

I don’t know what I am more obsessed with. The fact that this engagement session took place in my college town, or this adorable couple who is so obviously in love, it is not even funny. After spending half my morning deciding which images to share with you all, I was instantly hooked and fell in love with their country style, and complete and utter love they share with each other. Oh, I am totally in love with the red barn too. It is so rustic and charming. Enjoy the amazing photos captured by Happy Photos.

From Happy Photos…

Lauren and Mike love their hometown of Southern Orange County, so they wanted to go rustic and country to compliment their country chic wedding theme. The location for their engagement photos took place at the open fields and farms of University of California, Irvine. The 100 year old red barn was the perfect backdrop for this couple. They are a fun loving couple who love the outdoors. Lauren is a SoCal girl with a country heart! I really enjoyed the time spent with such a fabulous couple.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: barn, bride, country, engagement session, groom, happy photos, love, rustic

An Interview with TLC Star Kelly Nishimoto

February 25, 2013 Leave a Comment

Have you been watching the new show on TLC’s BrideDay lineup, “Something Borrowed, Something New”, which airs Fridays 10/9c? We are having a blast watching this show. We are in love with all the fabulous details of each bride and their journey in finding the perfect dress. We are most intrigued by how a heirloom, previously worn dress can be transformed into a stylish and fashionable new gown! Who is the person behind this amazing transformation? Kelly Nishimoto, a fashion designer and television personality who stars in “Something Borrowed, Something New”. We were thrilled for the opportunity to interview Kelly. Kelly took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Bridal Hot List: Welcome to Bridal Hot List, Kelly! For our readers that aren’t familiar with you, could you tell me about yourself and what you do?

Kelly Nishimoto: I’m from a tiny town in Georgia (Roberta) population 800! Now, I’m a clothing designer in Los Angeles…I started off in Contemporary Collections including Red Carpet Dresses and suiting…and I ended up with a full blown casual lounge wear company! I also do a ton of custom orders including Bridal, Bridesmaids, & Mother of the Bride!

Bridal Hot List: Kelly, you’re a top fashion designer now. Can you tell me where you started and how you got into fashion design?

Kelly Nishimoto: Well…I started sewing when I was 11. My dad bought me a sewing machine from Wal-mart for Xmas. It all went crazy from there! I made or modified my clothes throughout high school and taught various arts & crafts classes around town! I moved to Miami when I was 19 and started throwing my own runway shows… I used to make entire collections out of Reynolds Plastic Wrap! When I moved to Los Angeles, I started a real business in my garage and things moved forward from there! I launched my 1^st full collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion week in 2005. I’ve since been in over 130 stores including Macy’s & Equinox.

Bridal Hot List: Some say that high success comes from having a passion for what they do. For you, where do you draw your inspiration from? What motivates you the most? At what points in your career did it help energize you to stick with it and find eventual success?

Kelly Nishimoto: I’m a dreamer…so I dream up most of my ideas…or believe it or not…the treadmill! I’m constantly day dreaming and when I come up with something genius…I stumble back to reality when I’ve fallen off! Lol! My passion comes from my desire to be successful. I’m super competitive…mostly with myself…I feel like I can always do more and better! When I was younger, the idea of success motivated me. Now…my family is my motivation. I want to be able to provide for my parents and my family…and I want to do it by being successful at what I love to do. Have I found success? Not by my own personal standards…What makes me stick with it is the fact that I refuse to give up! If I seriously wrote down my personal challenges with life and this business…you would think I was lying. Even during the filming of the show…life threw me some MAJOR curves that I will one day be comfortable enough to share. I’m still waiting for that moment when I can say…”Remember when? I think it’s right around the corner…so I’m going to stick to my journey!

Bridal Hot List: The Fashion world is always changing. How do fashion designers like yourself keep up with what is new and trendy?

Kelly Nishimoto: For the most part…I make what I feel like making… I never look at color trends or trend reports…honestly…and when I choose a color palette for my next collection…knock on wood…it’s aligned with the rest of the design world! Now, what I have a hard time keeping up with is the business! The business is ALWAYS changing…and that’s my biggest challenge! When I started, there was no Twitter or Facebook…trending…QR codes…etc…Whewww…I’m exhausted just thinking about everywhere I have to post 1 piece of news! Pinterest, Flicker, Website, Face book, Blog, Instagram…

Bridal Hot List: When you are recreating and designing an outfit for someone, what details do you focus on the most, and why?

Kelly Nishimoto: There are 3 things to consider…

1. Is the integrity of the original piece worth keeping? If so…I have to be careful not to change it into an unrecognizable piece.

2. What does the client expect or envision for the revamped piece? Are the clients expectations realistic?

3. Is the “new” possible to make out of the old? And if not…what is the compromise?

Bridal Hot List: You are starring on a new show on TLC called “Something Borrowed, Something New”. For viewers, what is the most exciting and new fashion details they should tune in to see?

Kelly Nishimoto: What Sam & I are wearing? Just kidding! Viewers should tune in to see the transformations…Not only the transformation of an old dress…but theses brides and their families are transforming right in front of our eyes! They are all having new experiences…and these are very real! As for the fashion…wedding fashion is all the rage right now! Sam and I are constantly bringing what the designers are doing on the runway straight to the bride!

Bridal Hot List: For a fashion designer like yourself, what kind of opportunity does starring in a TLC show represent?

Kelly Nishimoto: It’s an opportunity for people to see me for who I am and for what I’ve been doing for years. It takes sooooo long to build a profitable fashion business. TLC is a wonderful platform to showcase what I do on a daily basis. I am forever grateful for Andrew Strauser for keeping me in the TLC loop for years & years…

Bridal Hot List: By the end of your first season of the show, what goals are you hoping to accomplish?

Kelly Nishimoto: Besides a second, third, & forth season…One of my goals is to make a living doing what I love and to not have to continuously stress out about paying rent or having enough money for payroll! Also…I really want to give back to young girls who need guidance…Fashion is a great way to help the younger generation learn about hard work, dedication, presentation, communication skills, being properly dressed and well mannered for business…I feel like today’s youth are missing out on learning some crucial life skills…ones that are learned from a human and not the Internet.

Bridal Hot List: On the show, your job is to transform a special, previously worn gown into a gown which is for the time, venue, and personality of the bride. What elements of the dress speaks to you the most? Is it ever difficult to tear up parts of a special gown and recreate it?

Kelly Nishimoto: I try and put myself in the mind of the person who made the dress in the first place…Especially if it’s an old dress! These aren’t “off the rack” like the 80’s dresses! I often wonder what they would do to the dress if they lived in modern times…I have had a hard time with 2 or 3 of the dresses. They were very special. One in particular hurt my feelings to cut up! But the end product was very true to the original dress and is EXACTLY what the bride wanted…

Now…when I get an ugly dress made with cheap fabric…I can’t wait to tear it up and make something new out of it! These don’t hurt my feeling at all! If anything stings…It’s the thought that designers really though those sleeves were cool! Lol!

Bridal Hot List: What are some tips on how to recycle the material from an old wedding dress?

Kelly Nishimoto: There are MANY things you can do! You don’t have to make it into a new wedding dress! You can turn it in to a party dress and dye it another color, you can make pillows, veils, head pieces, baby blankets, teddy bears, etc… So limitless!

Bridal Hot List: What are some of the best tips you can give the sentimental brides that want to wear something old and special on their wedding day?

Kelly Nishimoto: Go for it! Don’t let your friends influence you! I’m not a vintage type of girl…but I definitely appreciate vintage and reusing beautiful things…

– Think outside the box! It doesn’t have to be used in a traditional way…GET CREATIVE!

– If you want a dress re-vamped…Spend the money on a professional unless you are REALY good at pattern making & sewing…Transforming a dress is harder than you think!

Bridal Hot List would like to extend our gratitude to Kelly and the TLC staff that helped make this interview possible.

Filed Under: Interview Tagged With: Interview, kelly Nishimoto, something borrowed, something new, TLC

TLC’s Four Weddings Winning Bride: February 22nd

February 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

Who was the winning bride from Friday’s TLC’s “Four Weddings” show? Kimberly! After watching episodes of the show, “Four Weddings”, Kimberly learned how to put together a romantic affair wedding. It scored Kimberly a total score of 84 points out of 120 points. Here is the breakdown.

Venue: 22 points
Dress: 16 points
Experience: 21 points
Food: 19 points

The other three brides really liked her venue the best. She scored the highest points in this category. The venue was set at a golf club with some lovely details. Kimberly did a wonderful job planning her wedding. It definitely showed in all the details. From the ceremony at the garden with a string quartet, personal vows, to the tall white cake with red roses and bling. It was romantic in just the right way, Simply perfect!

Congrats to Kimberly for winning an all expenses paid honeymoon. After all the planning of her wedding, the couple is now ready to pack their bags and have a relaxing honeymoon.

Here is a look back at Kimberly’s wedding:

Filed Under: TV Shows Tagged With: bride, four weddings, honeymoon, television show, TLC, winner

TLC’s Four Weddings Episode Recap: February 22nd

February 23, 2013 Leave a Comment

Did you watch last night’s episode of “Four Weddings” on TLC? What are your thoughts of the four brides and their weddings? What details stood out for you? If you missed it, we have a recap of the episode:

Who are the Brides?:

Irina, a bride who wants to share her Russian traditions and then some. What a better place than to have a wedding at a Russian restaurant. Inside the restaurant, there are tall ceilings, beautiful artwork. red and white colored decor, and some Christmas decorations. The room is laid out in theater style, with guest tables on three different levels. The ceremony started with the bridesmaids in their short red dresses, and then the bride with her parents walking her down the aisle. Under white drapery with red and white flowers, the couple stands. After breaking of the glass, they are married. After enjoying cocktail hour and appetizers, Irina and her husband enter from above and float down while inside a Russian egg structure. Dinner is served and guests seem to really enjoy it.
Dana is a bride who loves the outdoors and has a ranch style wedding. The day starts outside at a horse ranch, where the ceremony takes place. The ceremony chairs are arranged in a circle under a tree, surrounded by white rose petals. Around the circle of chairs are mason jars with candles in them. At sunset, the ceremony begins and the bride enters from a old classic white car. During cocktail hour, guests can enjoy seeing the horses in their stables. The reception inside had a rustic and warm feel. The tables had burlap, gold chargers, candles, and white flower centerpieces. On the dance-floor during crazy hour, Santa shows up, and dances with all the guests.
Geysell is a bride who is in love with all things Paris. She has a french style wedding with all the Parisian elements. The ceremony took place outside surrounded by tall trees, and waterfalls. Down the red colored aisle runner, the groomsmen wore Latin style outfits, and the bridesmaids in green long dresses. After cocktail hour and some appetizers, guests are invited inside a rustic style space for the reception. There was a long rectangular table in the middle and then round tables around. The guest tables had a champagne colored over lay linens,gold satin napkins, and a green, white, and pink flower centerpieces in a gold vase. Following dinner, there was a nice array of desserts including macaroons made by the bride. During the “crazy hour”, there were sexy lady dancers dancing with all the guests.

Kimberly loves romance and the color red.She went with the white hot romance theme for her wedding. Her wedding took place at a golf course clubhouse. The day begins on the golf course, where her ceremony takes place. On the gazebo, there are red roses and other red flowers with hanging crystals. Down the aisle, there is white draping with red roses tied to the white chairs. The ceremony featured her two dogs dressed in suits, and then the bride and her father down the aisle. Inside the clubhouse the colors of red and white are seen throughout. The guest tables had a white tree with hanging candles and crystals, all inside a crystal box full of red roses. The dance floor featured drummers and guests danced the night away.

Cool factor: There was one detail from each wedding that stood out for me. What I thought was super unique at Irina’s reception was the Russian performance. There were dancers, music, acrobatic dancers, magic, and a tiger. Yes, a tiger! I thought that it was a great idea to include this type of entertainment. I thought it tied in to the whole Russian theme. It was amazing! I fell in love with the personal vows that the Dana and her groom shared at their ceremony. It was personal and from the heart, pure romance. I just love when couples share their love with each other in this manner. I loved Geysell’s brooch bouquet! I think it was so beautiful and a nice touch for her French theme. I loved the colors and how it went well with the whole color scheme of her wedding. At Kimberly’s wedding, I absolute loved her wedding cake. It was a six tier white cake with red roses and bling. I thought it was very romantic and was perfect for her romantic wedding theme. So stunning!

The winner, Kimberly

Who won?: Congrats to Kimberly for winning! She and her husband won an all expenses paid honeymoon to the coast of Barbados. So I am not totally surprised about Kimberly winning. While I can not account for the food since I wasn’t actually there, I did like the originality, venue, and the dress at Kimberly’s wedding. She has mentioned that she had planned her wedding by watching this show of “Four Wedding”. You know what? It paid off! All the details of red, white, and romance were put together so beautifully. Kimberly planned a romantic affair. Great job Kimberly! So how did the other three brides score? Dana came in second, and guess what? Irina and Geysell tie for third place! Were you surprised by the results? Love to hear from you, so please share!

Stay tuned to Bridal Hot List for more TLC updates on wedding themed shows!

Filed Under: TV Shows Tagged With: bride, ceremony, four weddings, television show, TLC

TLC’s Four Weddings Sneak Peek: February 22nd

February 22, 2013 Leave a Comment

Are you ready for this week’s sneak peak of “Four Weddings” on TLC? If you have never seen the show, let me tell you a little about it. This show features four completely different brides who have never met, and attend each other’s weddings with one wedding being deemed “the winner” at the end. The brides rate the food, dress, venue, originality, and overall experience of each wedding, except for their own. At the end, all the scores of each bride are tallied, and the one with the highest score wins an all expenses paid honeymoon.

On tonight’s episode the four brides are : A bride who loves the color red, a Paris loving bride, a bride who adores ranch style details, and a bride who shares her Russian traditions. Each of these brides share their unique style and taste on their wedding day. Which bride will be your favorite? Which bride’s detail’s will you like the best? Which dress will stand out the most? What ceremony will be the most touching? Which bride do you think will win? What do I think? You will have to wait until Saturday where I will provide a re-cap on this episode. All I can tell you know is that you do not want to miss this episode, there are some wild animals and acrobatic dancers! Make sure to watch tonight.

TLC’s Four Weddings airs Friday at 8/7c. So set your DVR’s, or watch it live tonight!

For more information on Four Weddings, check out the website: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/four-weddings

Filed Under: TV Shows Tagged With: bride, four weddings, television show, TLC

How to Get a Marriage License

February 21, 2013 Leave a Comment

You got the groom, the dress, the venue, and all the other fabulous wedding details to have the most perfect day. All those details are wonderful and fun, and you can not wait to see it all come together. But do you have a marriage license? With all the fun of planning a wedding, sometimes couples may forget the one item that is needed to legally be married. Without a marriage license, you can not be announced Mr. and Mrs. So, just before you check off all the wedding items off your list, make sure to add, “get a marriage license”. So how do you get one?

We asked, Alan Katz, Presiding Officiant of Great Officiants, to tell us how to get a marriage license. Alan Katz is a well known officiant who serves Southern California. He has a local wedding chapel and provides a marriage license service.

Here is what Alan shared with us:

In order to be legally married you must first obtain a marriage License. This is your permission to get married. There are 2 types of marriage licenses Public and Confidential. Both are equally valid forms of your marriage record.

Public:

You can get from any county clerk’s office in California and get married anywhere in California;
You need one or two witness to sign the license
The Marriage Record is recorded and made available to the public. Anyone can access these records.

Confidential:

You must state you are living together as a couple;
You have to get married in the county where the license is issued
No witnesses are required
The Marriage record is recorded but is confidential and is only available to the two married parties.

There are two ways to get obtain a Marriage License.

1. Go to the County Clerk’s office and stand in line for up to an hour and a half and obtain your license. Most are open Monday thru Friday from 830am to 3pm. You must apply online for LA and OC before you go down.

2. If you are getting married in LA County… You can utilize an LA County approved specialized notary service that issues licenses on their behalf. They can either issue it to you at their offices or deliver it to you personally.

You will need to bring a valid ID such as a Driver’s License, State ID card or Passport.They must be current and not expired. If in the last two years you were previously married or in a domestic partnership, a copy of your divorce decree, annulment decree or death certificate or SDRP termination will be required. No blood tests are required.

Once you obtain the Marriage license you have 90 days from the issue date to get married.

Each county has their own prices and hours. Check their websites.

Here are the links to the Local County Clerk’s Office to apply on line:

Los Angeles County https://lavote.net/SECURED/MARRIAGE/mrglicense.asp

Orange County https://cr.ocgov.com/marriageappointment/

Here is a local service that issues the LA County Confidential Marriage license outside of the clerk’s office http://greatofficiants.com/marriagelicense

Try to get your license about a month before your ceremony. Remember it is illegal to get married without a marriage license.

Alan Katz from GreatOfficiants.com runs a local wedding chapel and marriage license service and provides Wedding Officiants for ceremonies across So Cal.

For more information and questions please contact:

Alan Katz
Presiding Officiant
Great Officiants
www.GreatOfficiants.com
info@GreatOfficiants.com
(855) Wed-Vows / (855) 933-8697

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Alan Katz, bride, groom, marriage, Marriage License, wedding

Santiago Oak Regional Park Engagement Session from Lucero Photography

February 20, 2013 2 Comments

They say that home is where the heart is. My heart is in Orange County, California. So that is why this engagement session fills my heart with so much joy and love. It is even more special, when the location of this session takes place at Santiago Oaks Regional Park, where one of the last orange groves are found. Growing up in Orange County, the memories of seeing orange grooves everywhere was exciting and sweet. When you would drive by an orange grove, your eyes would see not only a sea of oranges and lush greenery, but your nose would inhale the sweet fragrances. So, when you have a couple of nature loving sweethearts surrounded by orange trees, and a amazing photographer to capture it all, I am home.

Thank you to Lucero Photography for these sweet photos! Can you smell the sweetness? Enjoy the gallery below:

From Lucero Photography…

Meet Christine and David. This couple is very down to earth. They are both very nice and easy going pre-med students. They love nature, and that’s why they went with this local spot. The location is at Santiago Oak Regional Park in Orange and it has one of the last orange groves in OC from what they tell me. They don’t normally let anyone shoot in this orange grove, but they’ve given me permission to a couple times. It was truly amazing!

Filed Under: General Tagged With: bride, engagement session, groom, lucero Photography, orange, Orange grove, photography

Weddings at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden

February 19, 2013 Leave a Comment

We are always trying to find the most amazing and perfect venues, and when we come across a venue which is new, we can not resist. Nestled in the heart of Pasadena, California, you will find a historical landmark which has now been restored into an extraordinary private venue. Talk about something old, and something new. It features two acres of Japanese gardens with serene and peaceful surroundings and sounds. The Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden offers grand open spaces and a lovely tea house, which can all be used for whatever your heart desires.

You can have your ceremony immersed in the beautiful gardens featuring lush trees, flowers, waterfalls, and ponds, or on the hill overlooking the stunning views of the garden. You can have your reception at any of these locations as well. Imagine after a lovely ceremony on top of the hill, your guests can then walk down to the garden, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings the garden offers. Then you and your guests can enjoy cocktail hour at the tea house, and a lovely dinner under the stars. Whatever location you choose, it will be nothing short of exceptional.

This venue is intimate and private, allowing you and your guests to enjoy your special day with no interruptions. How wonderful is that!

If you want a unforgettable wedding for you and your guests, then you should consider the Storrier Stearns Japanese Gardens for your wedding event!

For more information on weddings at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, visit their official website.