The Romantic First Look

What’s your ideal first look plan when you see your bride or groom for the very first time with full dressed up?

I think Becky and Steve set a really good example of how the first look should be…romantic, sweet, meaningful, and intimate. I love love their reaction to each other!! It really gives the private moment feel of the two of them, appreciating what each other put together for this special day of celebrating the beginning of their lives together.

Wedding First Look

They gave me the feel of “Love is in the Air”, and I hope you feel the same too. =)

Thank you Orbie from Orbie Pullen Photography for capturing the details of this special moment!

xoxo,
Amy

Wedding Venue: Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate
Makeup and Hair: Joey from Jbeautique

TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER….OR NOT…?? THAT IS THE QUESTION

Read the below blog post recently from another wedding planner, Wink Weddings, about why it is important to hire a professional wedding planner. It is worth a few minutes for you, the bride and groom-to-be, or if you know someone who are recently engaged to read and learn more about hiring a professional wedding planner. And YES, I’ve heard it all…time and time again!

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TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER….OR NOT…?? THAT IS THE QUESTION
I’ve heard it all…time and time again…

I’m super organized and love DIY. I don’t need a coordinator.

I know you spend hours on Pinterest and reading wedding blogs and bridal magazines and you have a ton of fun doing it and that’s wonderful. It’s even better that you’re so organized! Wedding planners are not there to take away your fun, your vision or your creativity. A planner will however, ensure that your thoughts and ideas are executed the way that you want.

The DIY bride has such a specific vision and has spent so much time creating all of those special touches that represent you as a couple. You need someone who will take your vision and execute as you would. The DIY bride needs a coordinator more than any other type of bride. But why? Because the expertise that goes into creating another person’s precise vision is not something you want to put on a friend (because there is no way you can do it that day and not hate life — and all friends and family that day). It’s too much to expect. Wedding planners live for this stuff!

At some point, you will get stressed and overwhelmed and you’ll need professional advice, a professional eye and/or professional connections. A coordinator is there to provide these things.

We have a friend/family member who LOVES planning weddings/events/parties and she offered to help with our wedding.

This is an extremely generous offer, but most likely this person is not a professional in the wedding industry. This can lead to even more stress because of your relationship. If you’re not happy with the way your friend is doing things, will you be able to complain or ask for something different without offending them? Do they have insurance, do they know the logistics of managing vendors? Don’t put a relationship in jeopardy in an attempt to save money. We’ve all heard that you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. Your wedding is NOT the time to break that rule. With family and friends, everyone has an opinion and that’s sweet but you need an unbiased opinion to step in and solve the problems.

We’re on a really tight budget and simply can’t afford a wedding coordinator.

You shell out thousands of dollars on wedding vendors so that they can have the wedding of their dreams. Sadly, a coordinator is often an afterthought. Many people feel that a planner is a luxury as opposed to a necessity. The vendor relationships and connections in the wedding world that a planner possesses is a resource that will save you time and money. Most likely, you will end up saving money by hiring a professional wedding planner.

The venue and/or catering company already offers a coordinator, so no need to hire another wedding planner.

This is one of the worst misconceptions. Your venue has hired this coordinator as a manager for the venue staff. Venue coordinators are wonderful and a necessary addition to your team, but NOT a replacement for you wedding coordination. The venue coordinator is not going to execute your vision and manage those wonderful vendors you’ve hired. What happens when the linens arrive in blue instead of teal or the limo goes to the wrong church? Who is going to get your guests seated and line up your bridal party and cue the DJ? These problems are going to be solved by your professional wedding planner, not the venue coordinator.

I’ve never once heard someone say, “I didn’t need that wedding planner I hired”.

No amount of planning can guarantee a perfect day. There will always be something that doesn’t go as planned. Thankfully, if you’ve hired a professional wedding planner you can rest assured that she is going to manage any problem that arises so that you, your family and/or your friends don’t have to. The job of a coordinator is the most intricate of all the vendors you will hire. From the extremely detailed timeline to the heavy communication between vendors, this is definitely a job for a professional.

If you’re interested in enjoying not only your wedding day but, the entire planning process, a wedding planner should be the FIRST vendor you hire. This will give you peace of mind knowing that you have a professional that is there for you each step of the way. This is an invaluable resource.

A wedding coordinator is your friend, your therapist, your problem solver, a specialist in the wedding industry who is familiar with the wedding world and who works with other professionals in your area. Let us help you!

By Erica from Wink Weddings
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Hope this will help you on your planning process. =)

Happy Planning!
Amy

Happy 6th Anniversary to Amy’s Wedding & Events!

We are so happy that we have marked our 6th year of serving numbers of happy couples recently! It’s a big milestone for AWE, and we are proud to have such an amazing team who helped created a lot of wonderful and beautiful weddings for each of our clients. Last but not least, THANK YOU SO MUCH to all our lovely clients. Without you, Amy’s Wedding & Events won’t be where we are today! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! Love you all!! <3 We are looking forward to continue providing our best to many more happy couples.

And…we are so happy to celebrate and share the anniversary with our first couple:
{Lauren and Brad from Boston}
Wedding at the Berkeley City Club in Berkeley, CA
Photo by Augie Chang from Augie Chang PhotographyAmy's Wedding & Events Wedding

Another happy couple on the same date but the year of 2012 (which was our 5th year anniversary)
{Adriana and Jasen from San Francisco}
Wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco, CA
Photo by Albert Law from Pork Belly StudioFour Seasons Hotel Wedding San Francisco

Happy Anniversary <3

Ruffle cake for your wedding?

Happy Monday!! Saw this from my dear dessert vendor, Venus Wei from La Vie Douce Design, posting from a recent wedding she did, and what a sweet treat to start the day. Ruffle cake (aka Frills cake) is becoming more popular nowadays (vs. the traditional cake) and that you can be very creative on mixing colors to fit your wedding or event.La Vie Douce Design Ruffle CakePhoto Credit: La Vie Douce Design

Have a sweet week ahead!

xoxo,
Amy

Pearl + Simon :: The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay Wedding

Spring…the season of love! And for wedding, you always have to pay a closer attention to the weather forecast, especially a wedding in Half Moon Bay. But for Pearl and Simon’s wedding, we got very lucky to have the sun came out right before the ceremony. This gave them the perfect weather wedding experience in Half Moon Bay especially they were coming from Los Angelas. And guests from around the world got to enjoy a nice day by the ocean. We started off with a beautiful ceremony in the gorgeous The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay for an intimate ceremony and moved to the Koi Palace, Daly City for a more bigger size of reception to accommodate more guests with a delicious seafood dinner. I loved that when we first started with the planning and design meeting, they had a clear vision of the colors that they like and things that they would love to be in the wedding to create the welcoming feel for everyone. All our meetings were full of laughs and creative ideas. Pearl and Simon are such a sweet lovely couple. Wishing them all the best and lots of happy years to come!


~The AWESOME Team for this happy day~

Complete wedding planning and design {Amy’s Wedding & Events}

Bride and girls accommodation {The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay}

Groom and guys accommodation {Oceano Hotel, Half Moon Bay}

Guests Accommodation {Sofitel Hotel, Redwood City}

Wedding Ceremony {The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay}

Wedding Reception {Koi Palace, Daly City}

Photographer {W Photography} Thank you for all the beautiful captures of the above photos!!

Florist {Tanjeeryn Designs}

Videographer {Ocean Blue Videography}

DJ {Big Fun DJ}

Cake {Jen’s Cakes}

Officiant {Wedding by Steve}

Bride’s Makeup and Hair Artist {Jbeautique}

Bridesmaids’ Makeup and Hair Artist {WOWPretty}

Transportation {LeGrande Affaire}

Lighting, Linens and Chair Covers Rental {Especially Yours Chair Covers}

Dance Floor Rental {Classic Party Rental}

Rehearsal Dinner {Sam’s Chowder House}