Holiday Spirit

While the winter weather has driven the wedding crowds into hibernation for the season, we've been keeping ourselves busy with a few holiday parties. The plethora of red arrangements were echoed wonderfully by the decor of this private home in Coronado.

seashells by the seashore....

special thank you to bauman photographers for the wonderful images...

a bride's bestfriends...shoes & flowers!!!

Credits: embellishmint (4), Love Life Images, Twin Lens, Linda Chaja, tanja lippert

champagne, violet and bling...

Credits: embellishmint (5), tim otto, Michael Oppenheim Photography

Credits: embellishmint (2)

just for fun....

playing around with the Style Me Pretty inspiration board program....way too fun!!
used pictures of our last table top shoot ......

Credits: Twin Lens, Mark Brooke, Gourmet Invitations, embellishmint (2), Zoom Photography, Zoom Photography

Julie Vermeers & Mo Moayeri at The Grand Del Mar

Photos by Tim Otto Photography


Again, big thanks to Tim and his crew for the awesome pics!

Circle of Love - Exquisite Weddings - Fall-Winter 2009 - San Diego, California

Circle of Love

Anisha Gwynn & Kennard Jones

Poway, California

January 31, 2009

By Rowena Kelley

WHEN PADRES BASEBALL’S HALL OF FAMER and hometown favorite Tony Gwynn gave away his daughter Anisha to ballplayer Kennard Jones, it was no minor affair. The elegant wedding dazzled 350 guests who descended upon Tony and Alicia Gwynn’s estate in Poway on January 31, 2009.

Anisha, a professional singer who has had hits on Billboard R&B/Hip Hop charts, met her future husband Kennard through her brother Anthony, also a San Diego Padres baseball player, who had unknowingly competed against his future brother-in-law, an outfielder for the York Revolutions.

“Kennard is from the East Coast, so Anthony invited Kennard out to San Diego to train and work with my dad. They were roommates,” laughs Anisha, who began dating Kennard a year later. “And now we’re roommates.”

The couple chose the end of January for their nuptials, as it would be baseball’s off-season. Still, Anisha wanted to incorporate into their wedding the sport that brought them together, and she knew she would honor the sport by putting “everything in a circle.” She was determined to marry in a circular tent, and her parents’ home—with its giant circular driveway ideal for such a tent—proved to be the perfect locale.

“It ended up being a unique setup that actually flowed nicely,” Anisha says.

Guests strolled through a long white entryway tunnel into the draped white tent, where a lavish ceremony took place “in the round.” The bride and groom stood on an elevated circular platform underneath a chandelier strung with crystals and 2,000 yellow-stemmed roses. All around the couple were their loved ones, sitting on chameleon chairs of gold with matching golden suede seats. They watched as Anisha and Kennard pledged their vows to each other in front of a draped white table adorned with four glass bottles of sand in white, black, yellow and beige. In a touching ceremony, the couple and their parents each poured the sand together to represent unity in the family.

In addition to the circular theme, the magical wedding was also a study in incorporating unexpected wedding colors—white, yellow and black—in a sophisticated way. “My husband and I came up with that color scheme and later we discovered it was the same colors as my parents’ wedding,” says Anisha, who beguiled onlookers in a Pnina Tornai gown with a round bouquet of yellow roses. Her groom looked dashing in his custom-designed tuxedo.

After the ceremony, guests had cocktails by the pool where votives hung in the trees by the pool and yellow lights splashed across the reception tent.

“As my mom has a line of chicken, serving fried chicken seemed appropriate,” Anisha says. “We also had shrimp and crab cakes since my husband is from the Baltimore area.” Later, when it came time to be seated, guests enjoyed savories such as salmon from the family’s favorite La Jolla caterer, Giuseppe Ciuffa of Giuseppe Restaurants & Fine Catering, along with short ribs in Alicia Gwynn’s exquisite barbecue sauce—which was also bottled and given as a favor to each guest.

The tables were covered with black-and-white linens Anisha had custom designed after discovering the perfect pattern on a wallpaper print. Giant black vases and stunning circular florals of yellow roses punctuated the space while an expansive dance floor and upbeat DJ lured guests to join the wedding celebration.

“I had never seen my mom dance before, and she joined my father and me for our father-daughter dance,” Anisha says of her favorite moment. “That was an awesome sight to see.”

Of course, when Tony Gwynn spoke to toast his daughter and new husband, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

---

Cake: Edelweiss Bakery.

Caterer: Giuseppe Restaurants & Fine Catering.

Ceremony and reception location: Private estate, Poway.

Coordinator: McFarlane Promotions.

Decor/Furniture: Classic Party Rentals.

Pianist: Isiah Roy.

Vocalist: Vivian Cureton.

DJ: Kandu Moore, Kandu Entertainment.

Flowers: Embellishmint Floral & Event Design Studio.

Gown: Pnina Tornai, Kleinfield, Manhattan, NY.

Jewelry: Ashley Park Design—Marie Gallos.

Hair: Beverly Tolbert.

Bridesmaid dresses: Here Comes the Bride.

Invitations: Truso.

Officiant: Bishop McGrif.

Linens: Concepts Event Design.

Chairs: Chameleon Chairs LLC.

Rentals: Raphael’s Party Rentals.

Lighting: Peterson Lighting.

Lounge Furniture: Plush Impressions, Inc.

Staging: Kleege Industries.

Photographers: Suzanne Hansen, Mike Ofeldt and Kaleb Scott, Shewanders Photography.

Videographer: Darryl Yee.

Andrea + Scott . The Lodge at Torrey Pines

Yesterday's wedding was magical in the layers of fog that rolled across the lush green lawns off the cliffs of La Jolla....it conjured up images of whimsical treks through the earthy, damp forests of a 'Lord of the Rings' movie! The morning set up of the chuppa was overcast but still clear, but then an hour later a curtain of fog started to creep across the Torrey Pines golf course from the west and continued to get thicker & thicker....by 3:00 o'clock you couldn't see beyond 60 yards.....
but like the sweep of hand the fog lifted minutes before the first guests started to arrive and the sun came streaming through for a beautiful ceremony....craziest experience ever!!
then by the time the ceremony concluded at 5:30 the fog slowly ascended like a curtain at the end of beautiful show:) ....I can't wait to see the professionals video!!
This is just a quick clip of the flowers of the day....

a walk in the woods.....

a sneak preview of the centerpieces for our upcoming wedding at the Lodge at Torrey Pines .....natural manzanitas, chartreuse cymbidium orchids, lime green kermit mums, fluffy white & green hydrangea, silvery sage and prickly dusty blue thistle are just a few of the ingredients.
The patina metal tin vessels reflect the same hues of dusty blue to greens and will also be used for the custom made 'lanterns' that will shine with strung votives....
we are so loving these designs!!!
stay tuned to the updates as the floral arrangements are developed throughout the week....enjoy:)

Mami Masudo & Shintaro Ishida at the Darlington House

It was wonderful to get a chance to work with the Darlington House and Ray + Erwin of Apertura!

look who's featured on 'Inside Weddings'?

What a fantastic opportunity for Embellishmint to be featured on the launch of INSIDE WEDDINGS new website!!! We've already had a booking for 2010 with the web presentation...let's hear it for a robust 2010 wedding season!!!

Off to Santa Barbara....finally some much needed r

pale or hot...pink is perfect!!

this weekends wedding was in all shades of pink accented with whites...it was so gorgeous with the sea shells and especially in the keepsake nautilus shells in a polished pearl finish. The details were continued in the custom made ring bearer box encrusted with abalone shells and filled with white dendrobium orchids....
pink petals are always haute!!

Featured Wedding in Ceremony Magazine 2009

Lynne Lapinski
&
Ryan Salter

ceremony
St. Paul's Cathedral

cocktails & reception
US Grant Hotel
San Diego, CA

HUES
velvety chocolate brown | sparking champagne | crisp celery green

DESIGN ELEMENTS
cocoa creme charmeuse linen | crystal chargers | amber stemware | antique gold chivary chair | whimsical pheasant plumes | towering fluted glass vase | blanket of candle light

'FLORAL OF THE DAY'
dendrobium & cymbidium orchid | calla lily | sahara & vandela rose| star of bethlehem | tuberose | tropical greens collection | phalanopsis orchid

Purple as possible color theme...

toying with the idea of using purple for the color theme for the wedding giveaway...

read more about the giveaway from:
Nicole R. Matthews, CSEP
The Henley Company, LLC.
Phone: 619.757.6551
Nicole@thehenleycompany.com


LOCAL SAN DIEGO BRIDE AND GROOM TO BENEFIT
FROM WEDDING GIVEAWAY CONTEST AS NBC 7/39 THROWS A WEDDING

On average, a wedding in San Diego costs $30,000 to produce.
Thanks to the generosity of local vendors, one bride and groom will receive the perfect
wedding for free….but there is a catch! Couples must be willing to give up all decision
making to viewers of NBC 7/39, the NBC owned and operated station in San Diego.

“.... after watching the Today Show Wedding Giveaway we thought there was an opportunity to
replicate the concept for a local deserving San Diego couple. We recognize the cost of
producing a dream wedding is beyond reach for most, especially in this economy. This is a
chance for us to change the lives of a deserving couple, while engaging viewers,” says
Nicole R. Matthews, Principal of The Henley Company.
Starting in July, an on‐line and on‐air campaign on NBC 7/39 will commence to solicit a
local, deserving bride and groom as recipients of the wedding giveaway contest. Viewers
will select from one of four couples to be the winner. Once selected, the bride and groom
will be followed throughout the wedding planning process and viewers will have the
opportunity to select key elements such as florals, cake design, invitations and gown. A
special wedding micro‐site will accompany the NBCSanDiego.com website where viewers
can vote for their favorite element.
The entire campaign will last on‐line from July toOctober, with the wedding slated for
October 9, 2009 at The Prado Balboa Park.
“We have very talented wedding vendors and special events professionals in this market. In
addition to offering an amazing wedding to a very deserving couple, the NBC Throws a
Wedding project allows San Diego to be showcased as a wedding destination."

Bouquet Friday

a preview of a few of our bouquets that will be featured in an upcoming photo session sunday.....

inspiration board of apple green+black+white

NATURE'S INSPIRATION

Christine

&
Bryan
June 26, 2009

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
La Jolla, CA

Ceremony
Garden

Cocktails
La Jolla Foyer

Reception
La Jolla Ballroom

Design direction...simplicity of nature with a major Asian infusion of Earth.Wind.Fire. Earth


color palette: Imperial Gold



Cherry Tree Blossom



Green Tea



Cloud


grounded in the earthy tones found in natural bamboo & stone


floral of the day: mini calla lily . cymbidium & dendrobium orchid . variegated lily grass . gloriosa lily . green & natural bamboo
the show stoppers!!
The most adorable ring bearer & flower girl.....

a bouquet and beer...what else would you need???wedding coordinator: Liz Beck Wedding & Events
linen & chair rental : Concepts
bakery : Hans & Harry
venue: Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
floral design : Embellishmint Floral & Event Design Studio