Happy Holidays From Bridal Hot List

December 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

I love the holidays.  Spending time with family and friends and enjoying good times together is really amazing. I am especially excited this year since the launch of Bridal Hot List three months ago. The Bridal Hot List site was formed to be a resource for today’s bride and to provide her with the hottest wedding trends. From wedding gowns, bridal hairstyles, cakes, ceremony styles, to all that is wedding, we want to share it!  Since we love weddings at Bridal Hot List, we also feature real weddings to inspire brides.

I wanted to take a break from blogging today, and share with you what Bridal Hot List has done in the last three months.

I am overwhelmed with joy as we have been able to feature some amazing vendors. We have featured beach-side bridal shoes, wedding invitations, wedding decor, bridal hairstyles, videography, bridal makeup styles, wedding art work, bride personalized journals, gift registries, elegant chinaware, lighting, and amazing venues. Thank you to all our vendors!

We love our photographers and wedding coordinators for the inspiration of the weddings they share on our site. When a real wedding is featured, I get super excited because I love weddings and I can see all the wedding elements come together. I get inspired! Thank you all!

What I feel most lucky about, is the opportunity to work with TLC’s “Four Weddings” Television show. Each week a sneak peek and re-cap of the episode is shared. The show features four completely different brides who 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. I always been a fan of the show, and to be able to feature it on Bridal Hot List is so amazing. Thank you TLC!

It has been a great three months at Bridal Hot List, and we are looking forward to more in 2013. We have some exciting things which we can not wait to share with you. We will have “how to” videos, and cover other TLC wedding shows. If you like to be featured or have an idea you like to share, please feel free to contact us. We are always looking for new wedding ideas!

Happy Holidays!

Holiday photo

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Casa Romantica Venue

November 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

I have lived in Southern Orange County my whole life, and thought I knew all the hot spots, however I was wrong! I found a hidden gem in one of my favorite beach towns, San Clemente, California.

Tucked away near the San Clemente pier is a historical venue, the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens. The venue is perched on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean with breathtaking views. Imagine a ceremony with the most beautiful backdrop!

 

This venue is not all about the views. This historical estate offers a beautiful garden, gorgeous rooms, and unique architecture. Right next to the fabulous outside ceremony area, you will find a beautiful room which can be used for a cocktail hour or reception.

This room leads into an enchanting courtyard surrounded by lush trees and beautiful flowers. It serves as the perfect setting for dinner under the stars.

I absolutely  loved this venue, and rank it as one of my favorites!

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Do you have a Plan B?

November 3, 2012 Leave a Comment

For those of us who live in California, its seem safe to hold your wedding at an outside venue, right? Well, not exactly. Even if you choose your wedding to be held in the summer,(for the most part it is nice and warm), however we really do not have our four seasons here. There are certain months that we tend to get more rain and colder weather, and those are the months you may want to consider an inside venue. However, since we do have such beautiful beaches and views, there are couples who want to have their wedding at an outside venue. This is great!, why not take advantage of the stunning views and beautiful weather?

If you want to have your wedding at an outside venue, make sure to book that venue when the trends have been showing as weather being good that time of year. If you decide to book an outside venue, no matter what time of year, ALWAYS ask for a back up plan. PLAN B! As much as your venue will insist and promise that it will not rain, you must insist on a back up plan! We can not predict what Mother Nature will do. It is always better to be prepared than have to figure it out the day of.  Here are some points to think about:

1.  Ask the venue, what options are available for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception spaces? Ask for these diagrams in addition to the Plan A ones.

2.  If it rains, will there be umbrellas available for guests if they have to walk outside at anytime during the wedding event?

3. If you choose to still go ahead and have your event outside, ask if a tent can be put in place, and if so, will heaters be available? Most venues need to follow the fire marshall’s guidance and may not be allowed to have heaters inside the tent. Just be aware of this, so you can kindly tell your guests to bring something warm to wear. You may even want to consider having blankets available for your guests, so they can be confortable during the ceremony.

4. Always make sure to run through both plan A and plan B for the rehearsal. This will ensure a smooth ceremony.

5. Ensure that all your vendors know both plans, and provide them with all the details. For example, the photographer will need to know if more light is needed, since the location has changed to inside. They can then be prepared and bring lighting or extra staff as needed.

No matter if you have your wedding inside or outside, its your wedding day, be prepared and enjoy the day to the fullest!

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Tommy Bahama Wedding Venue

October 15, 2012 Leave a Comment

A wedding event at Tommy Bahama? Who would have thought? You may be familiar with Tommy Bahama clothing, however did you know they also offer fabulous dining? I recently had the opportunity to visit Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille located in beautiful Newport Beach, CA. When I walked in, I instantly felt like I was back in Hawaii, a feeling of the island.

If you love Tommy Bahama’s clothing, then you will absolutely  love the food! I could not wait to try it! I sat in the outside patio enjoying the beautiful Southern California weather. My first taste of the food was the delicious bread and butter. The breads are made fresh everyday and it was brought out fresh and warm. It was really good!

I was trying to decide what to order and I could not decide! Everything on the menu looked so good, I wish I could have tried everything! After drooling over the menu, I finally decided to order. Do you want to know what I ordered? Check it out!

Is your mouth watering?  This was one of the best burgers I have ever had! This is the Bungalow Cheeseburger which is a burger with proprietary grind, white cheddar, panchetta, Avocado, topped with pineapple relish and thousand island and side of french fries. All the flavors blended perfectly to create a delicious burger. I loved it! It was delicious. This burger is one of many choices that you can choose from for your guests to enjoy at your wedding. There are a variety of menu options for you and your guests to enjoy.

What was next? Dessert of course! Again, I could not decide! Which one would you choose?

Being a chocolate lover, I went with the  Chocolate Malted Pie. What do you think?

One bite and my eyes rolled in the back of head, and I was in chocolate heaven!  This chocolate dessert is a chocolate cookie crust, malted whipped cream with English toffee crumbles. So good! You can really “wow” your guests if you serve this or any of the other fabulous dessert choices.

After all that amazing eating, I took a walk around to see what this island style restaurant has to offer.  They have an intimate patio, a private dining room, and a stunning garden patio.  The largest space can hold up to 110 guests.

Here is a look at the private dining room. Beautiful!

The garden patio is the perfect setting for a wedding reception. Gorgeous right?

I enjoyed the excellent service, island ambience, and fresh cuisine. Thank you Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille!

 

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Top Five Questions to Ask the DJ

October 13, 2012 Leave a Comment

Music can make it or break it. Choosing the right DJ for your entertainment can set the mood for your guests. Guests are typically more happy when the music is really good!

When searching for the right DJ for your wedding, there are some questions to ask, however let’s take a look at the top five:

  • Do you DJ full time? This is great opportunity to find out what they do the rest of the week and what  kind of experience, background, and education they have.  It is also good to find out how long they have been a DJ for  weddings. Being a Dj for a club versus a wedding are two different events, so you want to make sure they have wedding experience!
  • What time do you arrive at the venue? This is good information to have and provide to both the venue and wedding coordinator  Weddings are all on a schedule and all parts of the wedding rely on each other. For example, the florist can not start decorating the ceremony site until it is set up.
  • What type of equipment do you bring? You can ask if they offer lighting, sound upgrades, a wireless microphone, and backup equipment.  
  • How many songs are in your music library? If there is a large selection of songs to choose from, then it makes it easier for your requests, and the DJ will not have to try to find that song you really like!
  • What are the reasons to hire you?  This will give a chance to find out more about the DJ’s personality and get a feel for how they are with you. In addition to your photographer, videographer, wedding coordinator  and venue contact person, you will be interacting with the DJ quite a bit on the big day. So you want to make sure you  have the chance to get to know them!
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Washington Wedding on the Puget Sound from Ryan Lash Photography

October 2, 2012 Leave a Comment

I live for long weekends and weddings, and this sweet combo makes me want to jump up and down. Yes I am jumping right now.  A summer loving wedding weekend on the cliffs overlooking the Puget Sound.  Sounds nice right? Its better than nice, its amazing! I love this wedding because it screams non-traditional in every detail.  I just adore this couple and their wedding! Photographer Ryan Lash  captures every  moment in documentary style.  Again, non-traditional, yet amazing! Are you ready to jump with me and check out these fabulous photos?

 

 

 

What our fabulous bride told us…

Our wedding was really a celebration for 3 days. We invited our closest friends and family to come 3 days before the wedding. There have been so many times, Baktash and I go to weddings and don’t even get to spend any time with the bride and groom; we traveled so far, and only get to say hello to them. We figured that when else will we have all our favorite people together, I mean, let’s be honest, maybe our funerals?? So we really took advantage of the opportunity, rented a big house on a cliff overlooking the Puget Sound and Mt. Rainer and everyone hung out. The house we rented held 14 people, which was perfect for all our immediate family to stay under one beautiful roof. We had our own private beach so we swam and had bonfires every night and barbeques and photoshoots during the day. It was so amazing & unforgettable.

The night before the wedding, I did a photo-shoot with my best girlfriends with Ryan shooting. I wanted the theme to be “big hair and fake eyelash party”. It was a blast to get all vamped up and goofy with my ladies, and it was a light, really fun way for us to bond.

We had around 120 guests at our wedding, with about 65 of them coming on July 1st to hang out with us beforehand. We had swimming, bonfires, jaunts into olympia for coffee and food, and barbeques leading up to our wedding – which was on July 4th at 4:30pm at the same location.

I designed my own wedding dress. Baktash’s cousin who is a fashion designer made it haute couture with French taffeta silk. Baktash’s suit was a JCrew suit.

We decorated minimally, as we are huge nature lovers and knew the natural beauty would speak for itself. We did put Japanese paper lanterns above the spot we got married at, but that was about it! All the flowers were locally sourced, from the Seattle Pike Place Market. My dear friend and fellow artist, Leili Towfigh was in charge of flowers; I gave her the cash and entrusted her in the design – which, by the way, was STUNNING. My only request was that we have sweet pea blossoms on every table in mason jars; I didn’t even have a wedding bouquet design in mind. It looked so delicate and amazing, with beautiful pops of color all around our evergreen tree wedding.  All around she did an amazing job, as we knew she would.

Baktash’s brother made a film about our wedding. We also had another  short film – which was rowdy clips of my friends and I in college horsing around (this was also an amazing opportunity for a reunion of all our friends, right). A lot of my closest friends and I went to college in the same city that Baktash and I got married in (Olympia, Washington at the Evergreen State College).

Baktash’s mother and my mother cooked up an amazing Persian feast of kabob, Persian rice and salads, though I really, truly believe that everyone helped out with grilling, setting tables, cutting veggies, etc. Dinner was followed by cupcakes, not cake. One of my buddies as our wedding gift bought us about $100 worth of fireworks for us to light off on the beach after our wedding ceremony & reception. It was amazing! During our reception, there were fireworks going off all around the Puget Sound and full moon. After the firework party following the ceremony/reception, we held a ritual/ceremony: my friends each found a rock that they loved, held it in their hands, and put their best intentions in to it – a blessing for Baktash and I. Then all at the same time, we threw the rocks in to the ocean.

By the end of the 3 days, all of our friends had hung out and bonded, and so it truly was an absolute feeling of unity, community and love,  of our dearly loved ones really blessing us and sending us off. There was a large component of service as well, meaning that everyone that was there early, helped out in some way, it was so touching and beautiful; everyone contributed in some way to making our wedding as perfect as it was. I think that having our closest family and friends helping out with things here and there (placing flowers, helping with the food, decorating, etc.) really made the energy of the wedding all that much more loved, everyone had put their “touch” in to it. That was so much more important to us, then say, where exactly the vases went, or what candles we used, or if we had matching napkins with the flowers kind of thing…It was so, so very beautiful and amazing!

 

Wedding Photography by Ryan Lash Photography

 

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