Malibu Sunday

This past weekend was so needed. I slept in every day, finished up the paperwork for a 300 person wedding this Saturday, cleaned out my closet, got a Thai massage, and took multiple naps. Last week just kicked my butt. Oh yeah, and it was 100 degrees here in LA and yesterday's walk through for an August wedding out at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu was the perfect opportunity to drag the husband along so we could head to the beach after the meeting. He crashed a birthday party and snagged some corn on the cob while I was in the 2 hour meeting. Trust me, it wasn't as bad as it sounds--he's such a cool guy that he makes friends wherever he goes, so he was actually offered the corn on the cob and invited to the party!
"Crashing" just sounds more exciting. He never fails to create an adventure wherever he goes!

Calamigos Ranch as 3 or 4 locations that are gorgeous for weddings, yet the Ranch House, where my August bride is getting married is my favorite. It is like an enchanted forest with the waterfalls, whimsical statuary, and twinkle lights hanging down from the gigantic oak trees. It is so great to have a venue that is so spectacular on its own you really don't have to do much in terms of decor. It's going to be a great wedding. With a gorgeous venue, great food, and the premium bar package chosen, you can't go wrong!


After our meeting, the husband and I went to one of the beaches in Malibu, along with everyone else in Los Angeles. It was waaaaay too crowded for us. Ugh. We didn't want to double back to get to the Thai restaurant on PCH that we love, so we settled for the Malibu Inn. Settled is the right term. My fish tacos were bad and the service was worse.

All in all though, it was a lovely Sunday.

GET. IT. IN. WRITING.

I know this is kind of a "duh" post, but I am going though a situation in my personal life that could have been avoidedif I had just HAD IT IN WRITING. Ugh. Hindsight is so 20/20, folks. And lawyers are not cheap. Unfortuantely, I am now speaking from experience.

When it comes to your wedding, take that extra minute after the phone call you had with your florist where she just promised you the aisle petals free to drop an email saying: "Dear Ms. Florist, thank you for the phone call. Just to confirm, you are providing xxx amount of petals for our aisle treatment at no charge. Thank you!" and make sure that email is printed and in your binder and your coordinator gets a copy of it. It's amazing how many things are "forgotten" on a wedding day. Get it in writing. Get it in writing. Get it in writing!! If only I had myself to advise my husband and I five years ago we wouldn't be in the pickle we're in. DUH.

Happy Anniversary Dana and Dan

1 year ago I coordinated my sister's April 21, 2007 wedding in Irene's Adobe at the Twentynine Palms Inn. Not only was it incredibly special because she is my sister, but this is truly one of my favorite weddings as it was so uniquely them. It was earthy, funky, intimate, and fun. I created and submitted this wedding board to (my fav blog) Style Me Pretty's "Unique Weddings Week"
I hope you enjoy!

It's hard work being the hostess

Rockstar Husband's birthday weekend was fabulous. The villa was better than I expected (it would be GREAT for a bachelor or bachelorette party) and we had 21 people there celebrating for 3 days. For the first time ever I played: Croquet, Blackjack (in a Casino!), and Beer Pong. Yes, Beer Pong. I somehow skipped that game in college. I was terrible at all three new games, but this weekend was about the Husband and that's what he wanted!
This is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. The boys are playing the lawn game Bocce ball, and Erin and I are lounging in the sun.
As much fun as it all was, I was the responsible hostess and always had my eye on our guests and the property. The Husband and I had a long discussion about how we didn't want any of our friends driving, so we needed to make sure to get a house in Palm Springs where we could walk or cab everywhere. It worked out perfectly. The same concerns should be thought about in terms of your wedding guests. If you are having your wedding at a venue that is not at a hotel where ALL of your guests are staying, you really need to think in terms of safety and the fact that a good portion of your guests will not be fit to drive after celebrating your marriage. If you can't afford to hire a shuttle to transport your guests to their hotels, make sure that your coordinator has one of her staff keep an eye out to see if any guests need a cab called for them.

Even though I spent all weekend by a pool in Palm Springs, I was exhausted from acting as the Responsible One, so last night I treated myself to a massage and a bath. It's a tough life :)

Happy Birthday, honey!

This weekend is Rockstar Husband’s 30^th birthday and I am so excited about his party! About 6 months ago I asked him what he wanted and he said “a good party in a good place with good friends” so the search for the good place began. We decided that renting a big house in cool location would be the perfect place for the party. Big Bear? Nope. Ski season is over. Santa Monica or Malibu? Too expensive and too close to home to feel like a getaway. Vegas? Done it already. Ensenada, Mexico? Close, but no cigar-- the 4 hour border crossings on Sunday are quite the buzz kill.

Palm Springs? Perfect! The perfect sunny getaway town AND it's only 2 hours away from LA.

Then the search for the house. We considered a castle, but thought again when we saw the price. We considered many homes in the gated golf communities, but they tend to be so stuffy and prim and proper we figured we’d be too rowdy for them.

Then we found: Villa Altamira. Perfection! It’s in downtown Palm Springs and is walking distance to the casinos, although I don’t plan on moving my albino bum from under an umbrella next to the pool. The only drawback: I’ll have to make my own Pina Coladas. Sometimes life is so hard.
We have 20 friends coming out to celebrate him, and celebrate we will! He requested a slip ‘n’ slide into the swimming pool, so a trip to Toys ‘R’ Us is planned for tonight. I’m also bringing my twister game. Happy Birthday, honey!