Real Wedding... Lynnie and Rich Pelican Hill Wedding Video

Lynnie and Rich are truly a beautiful couple both inside and out.  It was such a joy to be part of their big day!  Here are the highlights of their wedding at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California.  Their beautiful wedding was captured by the talented Julie Hill of Elysium Productions.

Can't wait to show you their photos!


Lynnie and Rich Arthouse Edit from Elysium Productions on Vimeo.


Event Coordinator/Stylist: Annette Garcia Kerslake of Simply Natural Events
Venue: Pelican Hill Resort
Florist: Nisie's Enchanted Florist 
Photographer: Victor Sizemore
DJ: Vive Entertainment

Real Wedding... Rachelle and Chris

Driving to the stunning location Rancho Las Lomas is always exciting.  You're greeted by two white tigers and a zebra!  It's such a beautiful venue could live their.

Rachelle & Chris are the most relaxed couple I ever met.  So relaxed, they went on their honeymoon to Peru three weeks before their wedding.  They spent an amazing couple weeks without cell phones and little internet connection enjoying the Amazon all before their wedding! 

The Persian ceremony and reception reflected their personalities.  The dancing and singing was contagious.  They had me grooving all night long!

 Wedding Coordinator: Annette Garcia Kerslake, Simply Natural Events
 Venue: Rancho Las Lomas
 Photographer: John Schnack
 Florist: Kristie Jon

Traditions - Japanese Sake Sharing

Image Via sarahpostma.com

A traditional custom in Japan, and among many Japanese Americans include the “san-san-kudo” sake sharing tradition, which translates to “three sets of three sips equal nine.” Three is an indivisible number, and it is considered a sacred number in Buddhism.

Image Via The Knot

The groom starts with the smallest of three cups and takes three sips from the cup and then the bride follows. After the groom proceeds with the middle size cup taking again three sips and then goes to the large cup, and the bride follows the same system. At the end of the sharing of sake toast ceremony the families of both bride and groom drink a cup of sake to signify not only the union of bride and groom but also the unity of two families.

Jet Set: Rustic Eco Chic - Sundance Resort, Utah

Image Via Willduris.blogspot.com
The Sundance Resort is perfect for a chic, rustic destination wedding or honeymoon anytime of the year. The atmosphere is romantic, yet the area is an adventure playground. Winter is perfect for skiing and snowboarding, and the rest of the year you can hike, bike, horseback ride, even kayak down the river. If you're not the adventurous type, don't worry. You can relax at the spa or unleash your creative side at the art shack workshop. The restaurants offer 5 star dining and terrific wine lists.

Sundance has several areas to hold a ceremony and reception. My favorite area for the reception is the Rehearsal Hall. It holds up to 250 guest and has a beautiful view of the pond.


Sundance Resort has a long standing history of Green policies, dating back to the property's original purchase (1969).

Guests who stay at Sundance can participate in our linen re-use program, saving water, energy and waste. All Sundance rooms are cleaned using non-toxic cleaning supplies, and rooms are stocked with natural products from Sprout Out, as well as Sundance’s own organic soaps made in the Art Shack.

Both visitors and lodging guests get to participate in our resort-wide recycling program. Sundance Resort has its own glass works kiln. Glass bottles are not only recycled, but turned into decorative art and housewares, for use around the property. Sundance uses hybrid vehicles on property to promote the conservation of energy and lessening of polluting emissions.

Sundance Resort mountain staff implement ongoing mitigation projects each year aimed at restoring the mountain to its natural state by working to eliminate noxious weeds on the mountain, laying erosion blankets and restoring vegetation where seasonal land use has altered the terrain.

Traditions - Chuppah

My favorite part of a wedding ceremony is the many cultural, and religious traditions I've seen. This week tradition is the Chuppah. The chuppa carries a religious significance in a Jewish ceremony. It consists of a cloth or a tallit, stretched or supported over four poles. It is sometimes carried by attendants to the ceremony.


The wedding ceremony takes place under the chuppah (canopy), a symbol of the home that the new couple will build together, and the spiritual birth of a couple's life together. It is open on all sides, just as Abraham and Sarah had their tent open all sides to welcome people in unconditional hospitality.

The Ashkenazi custom is to have the chuppah ceremony outside under the stars, as a sign of the blessing given by God to the patriarch Abraham, that his children shall be "as the stars of the heavens"(Genesis 15:5). Sefardim generally have the chuppah indoors.

Images via Project Wedding