** If your planning a wedding at Holman Ranch or in Carmel, say hello! We are honored to have special rates with the local venues and vendors and we work with any budget and style.
We would be happy to help you with any service you need and if we can't help you we will put you in touch with someone we know and trust who can! So just say Hi! **
We would be happy to help you with any service you need and if we can't help you we will put you in touch with someone we know and trust who can! So just say Hi! **
"Here is the nights that became mornings, and to the friends who became family"
That has easily become one of my favorite quotes over the past few years. With every family dinner, with every friend gathering and with every one we love and adore getting married and building their own families it becomes even more and more true. Friends are the family you choose. I can tell you with my entire heart, we choose well.
Some friends kind of fall in your lap and come when least expected and that's how our story with this couple starts. Together they are sweet and kind, quiet and private and seek the shelter of the personal bubble they have created with their friends and family. Separate she is all business, knows all the best spots and makes heads turn when she enters a room. He is playful and enthusiastic and when you first meet him you feel as if you have known him your whole life. Two amazing people found each other and together they are perfection.
While this is going to be a pretty sappy post there is a much more important element- surprise. How do you surprise a girl who is incredibly hard to sneak anything by?
1. you avoid her calls, texts and emails about a certain reclaimed cart from India that you made her fall in love with while planning… and then you make her think you couldn't get it. More on that later.
2. you make her favorite dessert and surprise her with it ON TOP of her surprise cart from India on the night she will never forget.
But seriously, this really happened.... Here is the story
When I was asked by the bride and groom to design their rehearsal dinner at Holman Ranch it was no doubt one of the greatest days of my life. The bride has impeccable taste and style so to be trusted with such a task was an honor. Somehow we were able to keep many secrets and surprises from this all knowing girl so consider it a very successful challenge.
The day of the event was perfect. The kind of blue skies you read about in novels, the warm sun you crave when you need a vacation and everything sparkled and twinkled like it was dusted with magic. While friends and family were milling around with excitement and joy we worked hard behind the big wooden gates trying to keep every element a total surprise from everyone just a few shorts steps away. With the sun setting behind the picturesque Carmel Valley hills it was time to let everyone take a peek into the night that was to come.
I truly wish we could have gotten a picture of this moment because it's the kind of emotion, happiness and awe you want to bottle up and save for when life throws a punch at you. A day when you have so much going on and you need to be reminded that you love what you do and most importantly whom your doing it for.
The bistro lights came on, the wine started pouring and before you know it we were serving amazing wood fired pizzas and there was a warm buzz in the air. All was how it should be for the two sweetest and kindest souls.
The night ended on a high when one more surprise was given to the bride - you guessed it, her favorite dessert. We managed to hand make the night before almost one hundred Magnolia Bakery banana pudding's in adorable little mason jars.
Better yet we rolled them in on that sneaky cart from India she wanted SO BADLY but we convinced her it was unavailable (sorry, totally worth the prank!)
We love you J+S… we love you so much. Here is to many many many more happy and incredible surprises in our friendship.
see more of this wedding below
Theme 2:
Venue: Holman Ranch, Carmel CA | Planner + Designer: Katie Rebecca Events | Catering: Soleil Wood Fire Pizza| Florals: Katie Rebecca design with blooms provided by Unveiled Grace| Photography: Ashley Paige Photography