Romantic and Elegant Blue Franciscan Gardens Wedding Inspirational Shoot

Bride with long veil from Blossom Veils // Photo by Closer to Love Photography via @thesocalbrideI simply adore doing styled shoots. While they take a lot of time and planning, it's so worth it at the end, seeing how it all comes together. For the longest time, I've been wanting to do something with a Spanish/Tuscan/Mediterranean flair and after months and months of planning and hundreds of emails, I'm happy to finally share this shoot with you all.

Together with one of my favorite event planners, Hylah of Hylah White Special Events, we put together an epic team of SoCal wedding professionals who helped bring my vision to life. This shoot was one of the most elaborate ones I've ever done because we went all out -- from having a ceremony set-up to working with a catering company, 24 Carrots, to have 3 different looks for the bride -- no detail was missed and you'll just have to see the photos for yourself because this shoot is simply amazing! And don't forget to watch the video at the end -- it's breathtaking!

Elegant Wilson Creek Winery Wedding from Janelle Marina Photography

"I (the bride) always wanted a vineyard wedding. I thought they were romantic, magical, and beautiful. I luckily am blessed with a husband who allowed me to have free reign over the entire process (with the exception of what he and his groomsmen wore but he did a pretty good job with that) and because of that, I was blessed with the most amazing day and he loved it as well. Upon visiting Wilson Creek and seeing their Merlot Mesa site, I knew I had found the perfect look and ambience for my wedding and it definitely delivered.  My favorite part of the day was the ceremony. It was completely without blemish or fault. It was perfect. We said our vows under God, our family, and our friends in the most romantic space in the middle of the vines with the sun setting. Everything about it was amazing, the look and feel of that whole part of the day I would not change a single bit. The overall ambience and beauty of the vineyard along with my florist, Pip, from RoseBubbs Events gave me everything I needed and more in terms of the look and feel I wanted for my wedding day. My husband, our love, and the love from our family and friends made it perfect despite any mishaps." -Yvonne & Tyler


From the bride: Despite the million mishaps, the day was about more than the reception. It was the day my husband and I became ONE and it was one of the best days of our lives. My guests still had an amazing time and overall, we did as well because of what it meant to us. We saw friends and family that we loved dearly that we hadn't seen in forever. We laughed and we danced. The venue may have been a disaster in their service but it didn't ruin the most important moments for us. My good family friend surprised us by singing one of my favorite John Legend songs ("Cloud 9") during dinner. Our first dance to a remake of "Heaven" by Brian Adams was magic, and the father-daughter and mother-son dances were so special. My flower girls made us pictures to hang in our home, they had dance battles with our guests, and "helped" me with my bouquet toss. My husband made me a beautiful slideshow of us growing up and our moments together for the past 3 and a half years including a video of our engagement. There was so much love and laughter.

Wedding planning advice: I (the bride) planned our wedding while in my final year of law school (and taking part in the activities and jobs that come with that) and studying for the CA Bar. Luckily majority of the planning was complete by the time I had to study for the exam but there was still little last minute details I had to plan. It seems like a lot (and it WAS) but YOU CAN DO IT. Whether you can afford a planner or not, if you can make the time to plan your own wedding you should do it. We could have set aside a part of our budget to have someone else plan the biggest day of our lives but instead, I wanted to put that money towards cigars for my husband and his friends and an extravagant wedding cake. This day is YOUR DAY. It will be a headache at times but START WITH A PLAN AND VISION and TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. Everything will fall into place for you. I was able to get everything I wanted accomplished and everything (that was within my control lol) came out exactly how I wanted. Also, someone told me things WILL GO WRONG on your wedding day BUT DON'T LET IT RUIN YOUR MOMENT. On my day, things went wrong but I didn't allow it to ruin our moment so it was still perfection.

Honeymooned in: Puerto Rico and stayed at the Gran Melia Puerto Rico Golf Resort. The weather was perfect for that time of year (we went the first week of October) and since it was down season, we had the resort mainly to ourselves until the weekend. The locals were also very accommodating and helpful. It is one of the few tropical places that does not go through hurricane season during that time of year.

We were able to rent a car for a reasonable price for the week and drive to and from Old San Juan, visit the old forts, eat at restaurants loved by tourists and locals alike, and also dance along the warm beaches. You must visit the old forts in Old San Juan, eat at the Home of the Pina Colada (down the street from those forts), take part in the awesome shopping (if thats your thing) and eat at a local restaurant that the locals love.

Vendors: Photographer: Janelle Marina Photography* | Venue: Wilson Creek Winery, Temecula | Gown: Lazaro from JLM Boutique Beverly Hills | Bridesmaids Gowns: Jenny Yoo | Florals: RoseBub Events | Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas | Wedding Cake: Cakes to Celebrate | DJ: DJ H-Rod


The Best Holiday Events in SoCal 2014

With Christmas right around the corner and some of you on break from all that college work or even work-work, you might be wondering what to do or see during this holiday season. Below you'll find a collection of some of our favorites from each county. If you have suggestions, please comment below and we might just add them to our list!

Photo by Damaris Mia


LOS ANGELES COUNTY:

  • Ice Skating in the heart of Downtown L.A. at Pershing Square. 
  • Stroll through the L.A. Zoo and check out the brand new holiday-light experience! 
  • Visit Queen Mary's CHILL spectacular that includes a 6,500-square outdoor foot ice rink + a frozen igloo + go ice tubing! 
  • Are you the crafty type? Visit the Craft Market in the Port of Los Angeles. 
  • Looking for see some stunning holiday lights? Check out some of the best in LA here.
  • In the mood to see a play? Check out the Los Angeles Ballet perform The Nutcracker.
  • Love to sing? Head out to the Music Center for the Holiday Sing-Along. Free, but tickets required.
  • The Tournament of Roses in Pasadena.

ORANGE COUNTY:

RIVERSIDE/SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY:

SANTA BARBARA/SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY:

VENTURA/KERN COUNTY:

SAN DIEGO COUNTY:
Got something that we could add to this list? Comment below!

Rustic Purple Vineyard Wedding

"Lisa & Jake’s Still Waters Vineyards Wedding in Paso Robles was beyond beautiful. The weather, the vineyards, the gorgeous ancient olive tree grove, the rustic chic details, the amazing vendor team, the intimate group of loving friends and family, and of course, the stunning Lisa and dapper Jake. The two were absolutely glowing with excitement – completely electric with one another! There’s nothing more telling of love than the energy and chemistry of a bride and groom on their wedding day. The day they had been anticipating since childhood was finally here, and Lisa & Jake were radiating with pure joy and happiness.

As childhood friends, timing never seemed to be right for these two secret lovers. But when an opportunity arose sometime after high school, Lisa & Jake didn’t hesitate to finally take that leap and begin their lovely relationship. And we’re so glad they did, we adore these two as friends and as a couple!" -Gina & Ryan Photography


Vendors: Photographer: Gina & Ryan Photography // Equipment Rentals: All About Event // Caterer: Chef's Table catering // DJ: DJ - AMS Entertainment // Floral Designer: Flowers by Kim // Reception Venue: Still Waters Vineyards // Musicians: The Wedding Guitarist - Jeff Peters // Hair Stylist: Twist Spa & Salon // Makeup Artist: Tyla Vecchiarelli // Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Recap & Faves #6

I hope everyone is enjoying our rainy Friday and being safe while driving! Our state totally needed this but it's a little scary to see what the rain is doing in some places. Anyway, BE SAFE!

This week on SCB, we featured a few lovely engagement sessions, a beautiful wedding, and a gorgeous styled shoot. Check them out here:


Photo by Eliza J. Photography
SCB Members we're crushing on this week:

Pasadena Engagement Session

"For our engagement photos, we wanted to go for a rustic, industrial, and historical feel, but also wanted to have the natural grand scenery. We both love going outdoors, hiking, seeing nature so we requested our photographers Lukas & Suzy VanDyke help us find a place that provided natural scenery (trees, mountain, woodsy feel). The Hahamongna Watershed Park did just that. Lukas & Suzy also recommended the Pasadena City Hall for the other style. We especially love the brick walls and the different architecture.

Steven and I wanted to use our prop "WE" in the photos to emphasize the importance of "WE" in a relationship. He has taught me so much and helped me heal from my past wounds along with family and friends. That first time I met him, I didn't think we'd ever ever be good friends. Little did I know, he brought me more than I could imagine." -Stacy & Steven


Photographer: Lukas & Suzy VanDyke

An Orange and Blue Elegant Vintage Shoot at The Victorian

"Rock N Events teamed up with Molly + Co to create a beautiful vintage travel themed wedding shoot. The venue was the Victorian Hotel in Santa Monica, CA. It’s old fashioned glamour mixed with contemporary elegance created the perfect backdrop for a stunning inspiration shoot. 

Rock N Events utilized several of the rooms at The Victorian including The Basement Tavern which they transformed into the Groomsman’s Suite. The dark antique furnishings coupled with whiskey bottles and books created a luxuriously manly space, perfect for any groom to relax in before his ceremony.

Two separate reception areas were utilized for the shoot to exhibit the versatility of the event space. Upstairs in The Library, Rock N Events dressed the reception table using navy blue linens (provided by WildFlower Linen), arrangements of burnt orange and white flowers (provided by Elegant Thornes), and books pulled from the surrounding shelves. Rock N Events used open books instead of traditional chargers as the place settings topped with bronze napkins and an open rose. The result was a stunningly sophisticated table scape.

The second reception space was in the downstairs banquet suite. A vintage blue and white table linen (Navy Blue Toile) was the perfect base for an elegant table set up. Bronze chargers topped with a pocket folded navy napkin held the menu and a delicate orange rose.

The combination of The Victorian's 19th Century antique furnishings and Rock N Events attention to detail resulted in an elegant shoot full of vintage charm." From the coordinator - Jenny Chang


VendorsPhotography: Molly + Co | Event Design: Rock N Events | Tabletop Decor: Rock N EventsHair/Makeup: Kyle Mathis SalonDress: Reem AcraFlorals: Elegant Thorns | Cake: The Butter End | Accent linens/Decor: BAM Fabric draping | Linens: Wildflower Linens | Venue: The Victorian

Molly + Co is a member of our Top Wedding Vendor Guide. 
For more information on how to apply, click here.