Sheryl & Rocky - How He Asked

This is a first of these series that we've been wanting to do since we updated the website and blog earlier this year. 

We're always inspired by the different couples that we meet with their love and actual love story. Today, we're excited to share one of our couple's engagement story as this couple is very special to us. 

I met Sheryl a few years ago during her sister's Shanelle's consultation meeting and we've loved her since then. Her relationship with her big sis reminded me of my own "baby" - I totally get their "Ate/Baby" relationship. I was over the moon the day that Shanelle shared with me that Rocky (Sheryl's fiancé) will be proposing very soon. I waited and waited and waited until I saw all the posts on social media that confirmed that Rocky's popped the question and finally sent the couple all my love. I'm excited that they've chosen our team to be there on their wedding day to help them with the planning and coordination of this day. We still have a few more weeks/months to go before the big day but I'm excited to share their engagement story for now with all of you. For the full post of this big day, click here to see their feature on How He Asked. 

How Rocky Asked

With the beach of Santa Monica as the backdrop to their love story, Rocky knew that this was the perfect spot to ask Sheryl to be his wife. They were celebrating their 6th anniversary of being together last September 17 with a day packed of activities that included a couples' massage at Burke Williams followed by watching the sunset on the beach and a romantic dinner at the Santa Monica Pier. 

As they were walking on the shore, Rocky grabbed Sheryl's hands and started sharing his love for her. Before Sheryl even knew it, Rocky was down on bended knee asking her, “Will you marry me?” After Sheryl gave her astounding YES and gleamed at her beautiful ring, Rocky proceeded to tell Sheryl to look up towards the edge of the pier where their family & friends were witnessing this special moment before their eyes holding engagement signs for them.  Rocky had everything planned out including having this whole moment captured on video by Sheryl's cousins & brother for them to treasure even past their big day. 

Watch their engagement story unfold in the video below. 

My Funny Galentines' Soiree

My Funny Galentine is the perfect inspiration for this group of girls that we were hosting for a special Galentines' soiree. Adelyn & her girls are definitely the funniest, bubbliest girls - so fun and quite charming. A few months back, I crossed paths with a very talented friend from high school while having dinner out and we decided that with both of our talents and passion combined, we MUST collaborate soon on a very special project. Michelle is a true artist and you definitely need to follow her on Instagram if you're not yet one of her followers. This My Funny Galentine’s party has all the sweets, pink drinks and inspiration you need to host the perfect day filled with love, friendship and laughter!

We planned a charming Galentines Day party for Adelyn (Michelle's daughter) and 7 of her closest girls. Everything you need to host the perfect Galentines Day Party is here. 

The Invite

Yes the truth is Michelle texted all of the girls' moms to invite them to this Galentines' Day party after school. Galentines' Day is all about fun and no fuss so we went the easy route. But we also found Valentines' Day cards that would make the perfect invite to this day. In today's world, we can all use a little more love. 

The Menu

What would a Galentines' Day be without any sweets so we knew a dessert spread was another MUST. The dessert table & bar cart were filled with all the must haves snacks for these girls, raspberry french macarons, donuts, heart marshsmallows, Pocky sticks, mini merengues, candy, and a beautiful pink marble cake designed by Amriel (Adelyn's sister, the Rogers family is quite a talented bunch!) to match our Galentines' soiree. Michelle curated a woven installation that gave the perfect focal point in our dessert table. 

The Drinks 

We served up bottles of these Rose Lemonades to all of the girls - a yummy and girly drink perfect for the occasion. 

The Decor

We were inspired with all of the rage of balloon arches and Michelle designed a heart balloon arch as the perfect backdrop for Adelyn & her friends to take photos with their Instax cameras. The heart balloon arch was another inspiration for this Galentines' soiree that was hung in front of a macrame curtain courtesy of Anthropologie. We used a sequined champagne blush tablecloth with an ombre runner for the tablescape. Small floral bouquets with Japanese ranunculus, wax flowers and coffee berries lined up the table. The XO wood decor pieces was a score from one of our favorite stores, Target. Happily Ever Etched provided these gorgeous rose gold custom laser cut wood names for each of the girls adding a personal touch to each of their place setting -- and a wonderful treat to take home. 

The Music

Instead of streaming through Spotify or Pandora, we opted for some tunes out of the pink Crosley that was used as part of our decor as well. After dinner, the girls decided to do their own Karaoke Showdown that ended the night on a very high note. 

The Activities

The girls along with Alec, Adelyn's younger brother exchanged Galentines' cards & messages to each other. Hearing their sweet and very funny messages were the best - things like "you're the beans to my rice you're my BFF". 

Thank you to all of our creative partners that collaborated in this fun day. Special thanks to my partner Michelle Rogers for sharing her talent with us. :)

Details:

Planning: Premier Soirees, Michelle Rogers | Styling: Premier Soirees, Michelle Rogers | Photography: Rose Yoon, Tim Calas | Decor: Oh Happy Day, Target | French Macarons: Merely Sweets | Donuts: Krispy Kreme | Confectionary: Premier Soirees | Florals: Los Angeles Flower Mart | Drinks: World Market | Cake: Amriel Perches | Custom laser cut wood names: Happily Ever Etched

Why You Should Hire a Wedding Planner

With the enthusiasm that surrounds being newly engaged and wedding planning in the horizon, it can sometimes be a stressful and intimidating time for the bride with most of them asking "Where do I start? or How do I begin?" As any newly engaged couple knows, planning a wedding can be a huge amount of work. There are countless decisions to make, and they're all the more daunting for brides and grooms who are inexperienced with putting together such a big event. One of the best steps a couple can take is to hire a wedding planner.

Wedding planners are no longer just for couples with larger budgets. They have become indispensable today to many brides and grooms, who find their services well worth the investment. A wedding planner can actually save you money by helping to avoid costly mistakes. You might consider hiring a planner soon after you get engaged if you have a demanding job that leaves little time for wedding planning or if you simply feel overwhelmed by the details involved.

Wedding planners will:

- help you with manage your budget and understand your budget constraints.

- negotiate with vendors on your behalf. We have a built a community or network of trusted vendors in different fields that we would recommend. 

- take the logistics so that you can enjoy the fun part of wedding planning. 

- become the go to person at the wedding so that you don't have to answer ever question or request that come your way.

- manage your timeline to make sure that everyone including your bridal party and vendor tea sticks to the schedule and that you enjoy every moment of it.  

- make sure that all of your guests are taken care of. 

- help bring your vision to life and make your day and unique and personal to you and your fiance. 

- allow you to have a life outside of wedding planning.

With all of that said, full wedding planning may still not be practical or even feasible for everyone. If a couple has already booked their major vendors and only decides to consider a planner mid-way through the process, most planners still offer partial or packages that can be tailored to fit your needs. Don't make your family members or friends who have been gracious to offer their help with your wedding planning miss out on a one of your most special days by having them work your wedding. 

 

Enjoy your day and hire a professional

This is a once in a lifetime event and having a professional on hand to help you execute this day is priceless and well worth your investment. 

Just Engaged? What's Next!

Engagement season is here and I don’t know about you, but my Instagram feed is overflowing with engagement announcements starting from Thanksgivng weekend. There is so much love and excitement that surrounds a newly engaged couple. 

When the excitement wears off, reality sets it and now you have to start planning your wedding - something that you have may not have any experience in planning so we figured we would help you with your next steps to jump start your wedding planning.  

Decide on a budget

Budget is imperative though it's not the funnest or most exciting part of the wedding planning but you really should not do anything before deciding on your budget. Figure out your finances, outside contributions, how much they can contribute and your total budget. 

Choose your date

Start by thinking what time of the year you like, consider the weather, work schedules/vacation time and holidays. Choose 2-3 potential dates that would work for you and rank them based on your preference. Consider that most venues still offer lower rates and packages on Friday and Sunday receptions due to their popularity. 

Start your guest list

Like the budget, your guest list is another task that might not seem as fun to get started on right after you get engaged but it's necessary since it will provide you an idea of your ideal guest count. Be realistic when you're creating your guests list since you're gonna want to add everyone but know that the more people you have, the more you have to spend. Guest counts typically decrease by the time the wedding day comes around but it is highly important to know how many people you're planning on having in order to make some decisions especially when it comes with your venue and catering. 

Decide on your wedding’s style

There are many different styles from modern, rustic, boho, vintage and classic. Do your research and find out what style you're most attracted to and what you envision your wedding day looking like. Know the general style of how you want your wedding to be. Knowing this will help you find your most perfect venue.  

Decide on your venue

Deciding on your budget, your ideal guest count, your possible wedding date and your general wedding style will help shape which type of venue you are looking for. Start your research and schedule some venue tours with your possible venues. Take advantage if the venue is offering an Open House event since this will be a wonderful opportunity for you to see the venue all "dressed up" and meet some of your potential wedding vendors. Be prepared when you do your venue tours with the appropriate questions that you need to ask the venue and potentially caterer. Once you have your venue booked and your date secured,

Celebrate with your fiance!  

You're off to a wonderful start to your wedding planning.