When I first met Natasha, I was not only blown away by her charm and beauty – I was also deeply impressed how organized she is. She had been planning her dream wedding for more than a year, and she had dozens of spreadsheets to show for it! So I felt very honored and happy that she and her fiance, Fabian, decided to entrust the coordination of her Great Day to me.

For their wedding ceremony, the two had chosen Mission Dolores Church, the oldest church in San Francisco…

… and for their celebration with 200 guests – all family members and close friends – they had picked the historic Golden Gate Club on the Presidio of San Francisco, a former military outpost.

Lots of local history and high style! And lots of family ties to celebrate on this special day… Both bride and groom had six attendants, there were four flower girls and one ring bearer, and many “padrinos,”  family members who had contributed to this very special day.

The bridesmaids, in hair by Le Burget Salon and makeup by Susy Gonzalez of Piera Beauty Salon, wore elegant pale purple ruched dresses with an asymmetrical neckline, and the bride was radiant in a crystal-encrusted lace mermaid gown:

Before heading to Church, Natasha and Fabian posed with their cute doggie while Photographer Lyndsay Undseth and Shtiv Valencia of ReViewlutionary Visions recorded every moment.

Here they are, the new “Mr. and Mrs,” back from Church in high style in a snow white vintage Rolls Royce from NSL Limousine  …

… and ready for a huge party!

Their guests, having signed a beautiful personalized guest book with the couple’s engagement photos…

… were already awaiting them over cocktails (by Barbary Coast Catering) with cheese and fruit (by Ulisess Catering).

While Natasha and Fabian were mingling with their guests at cocktail hour, an elegant dinner reception had been prepared, starting with rental furniture from Lush Party Rentals and escort cards in a bed of rose petals…

… and luxurious flower and candelabra centerpieces by Amy Burke Design:

Guests found picture frames on their place settings – to be filled with snapshots from Kyle Mills-Bunje’s photo booth (which proved to be a true guest magnet throughout the evening!).

As a nod to their shared cultural heritage, bride and groom had designed table symbols in lieu of table numbers – all inspired by game cards for the beloved “Lotteria” board game, and paired these with escort cards cleverly displaying the table symbol in back. After guests had found their seats...

… the newlyweds followed them into the dining room – with a spectacular flourish: a Grand Entrance of sorts! Parents, padrinos, bridesmaids and groomsmen in couples all entered, each dancing to their own specially chosen songs – and finally, Natasha and Fabian with a whole Mariachi band in tow! What a start to a spectacular evening!

Tito Arias from Ulisess Catering and his crew kept feeding the crowd while family members and friends shared memories and hilarious stories about the young husband and wife, and cheers and laughter often drowned out DJ Hugo Gomez‘ carefully chosen dinner music! And then it was time for the newlyweds to share their First Dance:

The dance floor and walls were illuminated in glowing gobos by Just De’Lights, magically transforming the space. Latin dance music brought everybody to their feet…

… and guests only took a break from dancing to enjoy Chef Bala’s (aka the Cakemaker‘s) delicious wedding cake.

More high points of the evening were still to come: the bouquet toss…

… garter toss…

… and the traditional Money Dance!

After the dance, a beaming Natasha and Fabian – both covered in Dollar notes big and small – retrieved their “Honeyfund” and handfuls of pins from their wedding gown and tuxedo…

Most guests stayed right to the end of the festivities, and they would have gone on and on all night! Everyone agreed it was a great party, and I was reminded once more…

… why I love my job so much!

Thank you, Natasha and Fabian, for allowing me to be a part of your Great Day – and again, congratulations, and many happy years together!

Valerie and Andrew are true citizens of the world – they met in New York City, and then they  lived in many different places all over the world: Paris, Denver, Vancouver and Toronto  only a few of them. And since they are the most kind and charming young couple you can imagine, they made a lot of friends wherever they were living. When it came time to get married, I had the pleasure and the honor of being their wedding coordinator.They chose a beautiful country club in one of the most beautiful landscapes you can imagine to celebrate their love with their extended families and with all those friends, many of whom had come from Canada, the East Coast, even Europe.

And where is that magical spot where the two ultimately said their vows?

Inland of Monterey – the Pasadera Country Club, an exclusive golf club whose Clubhouse is actually a Spanish-Mediterranean estate dating centuries back. Impressive architecture, original wood beams, frescoes, antique furniture and cobblestone courtyards surrounded by mature trees and the lush, rolling landscape of the Monterey Peninsula combine to transport you to another place and another time.

The wedding celebration began with the ceremony under the iconic Big Oak Tree behind the mansion…

The bride, resplendent in a one-shoulder trumpet dress

with cathedral train and veil, and in hair and makeup by Jonathan Reisfeld, walked in on her mother’s arm,

preceded by the couple’s two doggies, Pastis and Milo. Valerie and Andrew were officially married by a longtime friend of theirs, under a gauzy “chuppah” of organza draped across the branches of the oak tree.

They came dancing down the aisle as “Mr.” and “Mrs.” and were immediately whisked away for photos, photos, photos – by another longtime friend and artistic photographer, Prof. Matthias Geiger.

Their guests meanwhile enjoyed cocktails in the romantic courtyard with a whispering fountain in the middle… and white camellias gently floating in the water. It doesn’t get much more romantic than this!

With the evening chill rolling in, guests gathered inside the artfully furnished mansion…

and nibbled on hundreds of delicious handmade sweets – dozens of trays filling a whole table, a labor of love of the Mother of the Bride, until it was time for dinner and dancing!

In accordance with Valerie’s elegant color scheme of eggplant hues and silver, the dining tables were adorned with tall arrangements of gladiolus, curly willow, and hydrangeas, all artfully created by her closest family members. Talk about everyone contributing!

Dancing began right away with the Hora Dance to the rousing melody of “Hava Naguila”- with the newlyweds being hoisted high up in the air on chairs while the wedding guests were dancing around them, picking up speed (and joy) by the minute!

And dancing continued throughout the evening – expertly paced by DJ Kevin O’Scanlon from Sound in Motion.

The only little break the new husband and wife took from visiting tables and from dancing was – cutting the cake! The cake – an exquisite confection by the local Parker-Lusseau bakery, airy, moist, and intensely flavored – a true revelation!

And here is why I love my job so much:

Congratulations, Valerie and Andrew, and many happy years together!

When Diahann and Brent first met, they embarked on a true whirlwind romance. Says Diahann, “That first kiss changed my life; a kiss I will surely never forget.” And Brent was so overwhelmed that instead of devising elaborate plans for the perfect proposal, just did it at his first visit to meet her family. Talk of being carried away… Getting married was the natural next step for them, but – super-busy professional people that they both are – the execution of that plan wasn’t quite as easy. “The day doesn’t have enough hours to get it all done,” was what I heard from Diahann all the time while I was planning with her and for her. The two wanted an elegant, urban, and distinctive setting for their Great Day, and they found it in the hip Le Meridien Hotel in  San Francisco’s Financial District.

Stark modern architecture in clean lines forms an impressive framework in front of million-dollar-views of downtown San Francisco. For their wedding, the two “headquartered” in the Penthouse Suite, perched on the 24th floor with floor-to-ceiling windows,

and Diahann’s family, after a long trip from various East Coast locations, enjoyed the luxury of the Meridien as well. Speaking of family: that is perhaps one of the most striking aspects of this beautiful couple – their closeness to their family members and best friends, the warmth that surrounds them. So, all urban elegance aside, this was as much a celebration of family and friendship as a fancy party.

How to bring both together? Diahann had ideas, and together we made them a reality! The ceremony was held on the second floor of the Meridien, decked out with flowers, an arch, and blue-shining carved lanterns on stanchions along an aisle sprinkled with white and blue petals. The silver shimmer of the elegant chiavari chairs brought in the third element of Diahann’s wedding colors: white, blue and silver.An arch decorated with arrangements of white hydrangea, white orchids, fragrant white Stargazer lilies and ivy, accentuated with blue iris was the stunning focal point for the ceremony officiated by Rev. Kathy Wilkerson of Heartfelt Weddings.

The bride – radiant in a Vera Wang dress and lace-edged veil,  walked in on her father’s arm to the sounds of Schubert’s Ave Maria, performed by the Garden Strings Trio. The bridesmaids all wore cobalt blue dresses of varying style, and the groom and groomsmen were outfitted with matching neckties and pocket squares. The bridal bouquet and bridesmaids’ bouquets rounded out the unified look –

white hydrangeas, orchids and blue iris in silk cuffs by Petals Floral Boutique.

Following their “I Do’s,” the new “Mr. and Mrs.” danced down the aisle, followed by the whole bridal party, also dancing – and that joy would set the mood for the rest of the evening! And every moment was recorded on photo and video by Indulge Studios.

For them, it was now “photo time”…
The stark architecture of the Meridien Hotel formed an expressive backdrop for Indulge Photography’s staged group photos…

… but eventually the couple needed just a quiet moment to themselves!
And then, after cocktail hour on the patio, guests enjoyed a lavish dinner in the Park Grille Restaurant,

all glowing in blue from the sparkling centerpieces that the bride had envisioned and I had put together – dripping crystal chandeliers over tall glass cylinders adorned with sequined cuffs and filled with blue fairy lights: just have a look for yourself:

And then: the cake! A little masterpiece by Katrina Rozelle, the cake design artfully complemented the bride’s stunning dress, from bodice to ruffled skirt, and even displayed the groom’s attire, right down to his blue necktie! Then it was time for the couple’s First Dance – and they kept on dancing to DJ Steve Perry’s music long after the last guests had left, just the two of them… and Steve kept playing for them until their Last Dance: “Unforgettable…”

 And that’s what it was, unforgettable! Congratulations, Diahann and Brent, and all our good wishes on your way to your future together!

Dear friends of Wedding Woof –

Great news! A Day Like No Other, my company, just earned another badge: One of my weddings, Nicole and Isaac – last October in San Francisco – just got published on Style Me Pretty! Look up “San Francisco Wedding from Nima Salimi” (our wonderful photographer) and enjoy!