Smashing Pumpkins
If you’re planning a fall wedding, you need to know about Gene Granata at Masterpiece Pumpkins, 949-837-4687, masterpiecepumpkins.com, in Foothill Ranch. This artist can carve on the side of a pumpkin almost anything you dream up—your monogram, wedding date, or even a portrait of the two of you. Add a tea light and you’ve got a glowing work of art. Not marrying in the fall? No worries. Granata, who has been carving professionally for 20 years, carves watermelons in the summer. Cost: $50 (for a basic monogram) and up.
Succulent Settings
"These hearty plants are surprisingly just as versatile as cut flowers," says Ryann Davis, co-owner of Succulent, 310-279-9985, succulentla.com, a Los Angeles-based boutique that specializes in, you guessed it, succulents. These obliging plants actually last three to five times longer than a typical cut-flower arrangement. Davis creates succulent-filled bouquets and wreaths, but we especially love the idea of succulent centerpieces or individual place-setting arrangements which guests can take home and replant. They’re modern, beautiful and easier on the environment.
Next-Generation Desserts
From elaborate candy buffets to chocolate fountains, couples have been offering whimsical dessert options (in addition to cake) for the last few years. Those now-standard treats receive rave reviews, but it’s time to take your spread to the next level with a new novel confection: mini cheesecakes. A favorite of Hollywood sweet tooths, Millie’s Cheesecakes, 877-464-5543, milliescheesecakes.com, are based on owner Stephanie Ellis’ family recipes. The desserts are available in bite-size versions called Millie’s Minis—baby cheesecakes with buttery graham-cracker crusts. Prices start at $25 per dozen.
Beyond Green
Lots of invitations are eco-friendly, but these Grow-a-Note invites from Green Field Paper Company in San Diego, 858-565-2585, greenfieldpaper.com, are made from 100 percent recycled paper. Printed with soy-based inks, each invite is embedded with wildflower seeds so the card itself can be planted. Not only will they cut down on waste, they’ll also be a blooming reminder of your wedding.
The Way I See It
When you’re shopping for a site, supremely focused on finding the right fit, you may not be able to envision how it will look in your wedding pictures. Ultimately, this matters because it’s how you will remember it for years to come. Lindsey Hinderer and April Killingsworth of Sweet Monday Photography, 323-634-2847, sweetmondayphotography.com, suggest Rancho Las Lomas, Silverado, 19191 Lawrence Cyn., 949-548-2444, rancholaslomas.com. "This is our new favorite place," says Lindsey. "The variety of locations at this private estate—orange groves, gardens, an outdoor theater, a charming cottage—makes this venue just fabulous for wedding portraits."
Organized, but Not Ugly
For an organizing companion that can fit all of your fundamentals, but isn’t tacky or impossible to carry, we recommend the Maddie Tote, maddietotes.com. This beautiful brocade-covered three-ring binder, stored in its own roomy bag, is designed by an Irvine-based wedding planner. There’s even a keepsake box. Now you’ll be organized and fabulous. Cost: $119.
Vintage Locations
Historic venues usually require minimal additional decor and make dramatic photo backdrops. Even better, you’ll find great style ideas to use as a wedding motif—a scenic view, a statue or even a design element from the architecture. Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave., 619-435-6611, hoteldel.com, with its red-tiled turrets and beachfront location, is perfect for couples who want a beach wedding plus a dash of old-Hollywood glamour. Receptions are held in the Crown Room, named for its unique, crown-shaped chandeliers. Ceremonies take place on the lush Windsor Lawn. Capacity: Windsor Lawn, 1,200; Crown Room, 400. Fees: rental starts at $2,000; dinners at $150 per person; no outside caterers allowed.
Truly Inspired
"Add some personality to your wedding cake," suggests Long Beach-based cake designer Erica O’Brien, 562-434-5533, ericaobrien.com. A talented designer can turn almost anything that’s visually inspiring to you into a gorgeous cake. Bring your ideas—no matter how un-cake-like they seem—to your baker and see what develops. Here, the bride and groom wanted their wedding cake to match their playful, retro-looking invitations from rockscissorpaper.com.
Perfectly Imperfect
The flaws, color and grainy format of Super 8 film now seem charming in light of the hyper-real qualities of HD. If you have your videographer shoot portions of your event on Super 8 film, the format on which most home movies from the ’60s and ’70s were captured, and then transfer it to a digital video, he or she can combine the aesthetic of simpler times with modern video technology. Aron Eisenberg and Robert Schwieger on Reel Life Pictures in Simi Valley, 866-646-7335, reelifepictures.com, can digitally retouch video to give your footage a grainy, vintage feel, but you can also hire them to film your nuptials using a Super 8 camera. Super 8 packages: $1,800 and up.
DIY Wedding Albums
Compiling your wedding album can be a daunting task. An album-making website, like Blurb.com, is a great way to go about it. There, you can create a glossy, professionally bound coffee-table book in just a few, easy steps. First, download and install some free software (compatible with both PCs and Macs) from the site. Then, upload your wedding photos as well as any scanned images—your invite, handwritten notes from guests—into one of several sophisticated design templates that have been made by accomplished book designers. You then add snippets of text, lengthy prose and/or photo captions. After you upload the finished album to the website, you’ll receive your book within seven to 10 days. Cost: 8"x10" landscape-sized books are $18.95 (softcover) and $29.95 (hardcover).
Fresh Silhouettes
Before black-and-white photography, silhouettes were the way to capture a likeness of loved ones on paper. Artist Karl Johnson of Cut Arts, 877-288-2787, cutarts.com, creates delightful black-and-white silhouettes that are instantly both nostalgic and fresh. Give your guests silhouettes of their own by hiring Johnson to create them at your reception. He’ll set up a small table and will use surgical scissors to cut each guest’s silhouette; they take about a minute to do and are mounted onto a sheet of cardstock that’s ready to be framed. The cardstock can be customized to match your wedding designs or color scheme, too. Prices start at $350 an hour.
You’re Spiritual, Not Religious
If you find yourself stuck wanting a meaningful ceremony but unable or unwilling to commit to a full-blown religious event, know that there are plenty of officiants who can make your ceremony uniquely yours. Palm Spring-based Cathy O’Connell, 760-777-8420, celebrationsofjoy.com, is an ordained minister who does interfaith, nontraditional, multicultural and Jewish "blended" ceremonies. "I start off by talking to the couple about their religious and spiritual background," O’Connell says. "Then, I use a questionnaire they’ve filled out to create a ceremony that reflects who they are." And for an added bonus, she offers wedding planning too.
We’re With The Band
If you’re devoted to your alma mater—or your groom is to his—why not hire the university’s marching band to perform at your reception? USC alums Bella Shimer and Steve Buster hired the USC Trojan Marching Band, 213-821-3469, uscband.com, to perform as they entered their L.A. Country Club reception. It was a huge hit with many of their guests who were also USC grads. "It’s very high-energy and lasts around 15 minutes," says Brett Padelford, assistant band director. Prices start at $1,750 (as a donation to the program).
Stay in Style
For guests who fancy themselves high rollers, tell them to book a room at the storied Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., 323-466-7000, thompsonhotels.com, the site of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. The hotel’s ultra-exclusive nightclub, Teddy’s, is one of the hottest spots in town—Paris, Nicole and Lindsay are often spotted inside and Orlando Bloom threw his 30th birthday bash here too. The poolside Tropicana Bar is equally hip and is sure to be rife with more star sightings. Rooms: $309 and up.
A More Responsible Ride
We know you want to carry the whole wedding party with you, but we’d just like to point out that stretch Hummers—besides being eyesores—emit more than 12 tons of harmful greenhouse gases per year. (Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, in comparison, emit just four tons per year.) For a much more tasteful transportation option, order a vehicle from the L.A.-based Eco Limo, 888-432-6546, eco-limo.com. Its fleet includes Prius, Mercedes and Lexus models, and even SUVs like the Ford Excursion and Chevy Suburban—all of which run on electricity, biodiesel or compressed natural gas. Cost: Starts at $60 an hour for a minimum of two hours.
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