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Monday just got a little better! We are so excited, thrilled and over the moon about Anna and Mark’s Wedding being featured inside Utterly Engaged Magazine – Issue #25 “Humble Beginnings.” See the gorgeous spread below, but don’t forget to check out the rest of the magazine for some of the most beautiful dresses and shoots by amazing artists that really made this issue even more special. Thank you so much again Utterly Engaged! You just made our, day, week and month!                   Our prayers go out to Boston and all the victims and families affected by the bombing at the marathon last week. A marathon, to me, has really been about pushing your body to its limits and running for a cause, a purpose and for loved ones. With that being said, it really broke my heart when the news reported the bombings that occurred at the Boston marathon in last week. This was also particularly concerning for me personally because I will be heading to Washington D.C. this week to partake in the 1st Nike Women’s Half Marathon in D.C. I had sent an email the morning before the incident to all our clients that I would personally be out-of-town this coming week to participate in the marathon in D.C. After learning of the tragic news, I began contemplating whether it’d be wise to go and to run at our nation’s capital, knowing that such a catastrophic event had just occurred. An hour after I had sent out those emails, I received numerous emails, texts and phone calls wishing me safety and extending their prayers during my time there. After much thought, prayer, and uplifting and warm emails, I came to the realization that despite all the scary and tragic things occurring around us, we shouldn’t allow those who try to instill fear in our lives dictate how we continue pursuing our aspirations and dreams. I’m happy to say that I will still be partaking in the marathon in D.C., and am truly excited to be traveling with my good friend, seeing cherry blossoms in full bloom and eating our way through D.C.! We actually planned our days around the restaurants we will be eating. =) On a positive note, we are very excited to share with you Monalisa and Paul’s wedding, who were wedded this past December! It was such a fun, energetic and lively wedding, and it was the first time we got to actually “play” with the color RED as the main color of the wedding. Monalisa and Paul are both lovers of great music. Naturally, we based their winter wedding around some of their favorite great tunes. The couple truly embraced the overall look of their “Hollywood Glam” wedding with sleek black vinyl, strong reds in all the floral, cut-crystal glass and tufted white walls (behind the bar). For the stationery, the very talented Lani Choi created a beautiful invitation suite that also included a map of “Mona and Paul’s Hollywood,” which included some of the couple’s favorite record stores to buy and listen to great music. Guests signed in on vinyl records, and desserts were custom colored by the amazing Semi-Sweet Bakery in Los Angeles. If you haven’t tried this bakery YOU MUST try their ding-a-lings. Our CCL Team is absolutely hooked on them and we are always excited when we have them at any of our weddings. Mona and Paul, THANK YOU a million times for allowing me to be a part of your wedding planning journey and your big day. It was so great to work with the both of you! And a BIG congrats to you both on your soon-to-be bundle of joy. Please keep in touch and whenever you are in town, please let me know so we can do dinner! Love you both!
                                        
My, oh my, this year has been going by so fast! I still remember our last wedding in 2013 for Tina and Aryan, and now here we are in April. We are getting ready for our wedding season that will be filled with lots of bright colors for the summer. In the meantime, I will be jetting off to Washington D.C. with a girlfriend in a couple of weeks to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon for Leukemia and Lymphoma. This is the first year this race will take place in D.C., and I’m so excited to see what the course will be like and see CHERRY BLOSSOMS in full bloom! I still remember the first half marathon I ran in 2005, and this next race will mark my 8th marathon in total (mostly half marathons and one full). Now, on to a wedding from last year for Frances and Bryan at Union Station. Funny enough, Frances and Bryan actually were referred to me by another couple (Jenn and Daniel), but were also coincidentally friends with another one of my couples as well. It’s just that small of a world. I still remember when I first met the two because I had been recovering from the flu. We enjoyed dinner in Fullerton at a restaurant that made me fall in love with Italian Wedding Soup. We hit it off right away! With Frances having tons of energy ad Bryan with his witty jokes, it made planning their wedding very entertaining. The couple wanted to have a travel-based wedding in consideration to their venue, so we brought China to Union Station! The couple had an outdoor ceremony in a circular setting for 150 of their closest friends and family. During cocktail hour the guests munched delightfully on dim-sum accompanied with a lychee sake martini. The groom’s BIG obsession with popcorn led to us having a popcorn machine serving freshly popped popcorn. The high ceilings and gorgeous architecture complemented with very high decor created by the bride’s talented friend. The couple’s monogram was placed on the ends of each table runner and on a large banner hung from the balcony area. Guests dined on an Asian-fusion inspired dinner, and cooled down the evening with a Pinkberry station. And did I mention Frances and Bryan are huge King’s fans? So it was possibly the best way to celebrate the King’s winning by walking into their grand entrance holding a blow-up version of the Stanley Cup. Frances and Bryan, you both are seriously two of the most energetic people I have met. I loved working with you both and having random side conversations about life, travel and food. I’m so happy you don’t live too far and can’t wait to visit you new home! I’ll just look for the large banner from the wedding hanging in front of your new home! Thank you again for allowing me and the CCL team to be a part of your big day. Thank you to Erwin from Apertura for providing these stunning photos.                                     The TEAM that made this wedding possible: Wedding Planning & Coordination: CCL Weddings & Events Venue: Union Station – Courtyard and Fred Harvey Room Photography: Apertura Photography Videography: Komotion Catering: 24 Carrots Photobooth: Cheesy Photobooths Cake: King’s Hawaiian Dessert: Pinkberry Graphic Design: Chris Kim Floral: friend of the bride
The year 2012 has quickly come to an end, and our final wedding couple, I must say, was the perfect couple and had the perfect wedding ceremony to end our wedding season. When Tina and Aryan first began dating, Tina was living in Southern California and going to school out in Grenada, while Aryan was living 10,363 miles away back home in South Africa. Predictably, distance could not keep these two apart. Tina and Aryan were married on December 22, 2012 at the Newport Beach Hyatt. Like the wedded couple, the weather and venue chosen were perfect. The venue was accented with a color palette of navy, blush pink and silver. Heartfelt quotes placed throughout the venue illustrated Tina and Aryan’s story of their long-distance relationship, which included one of my new favorite quotes: “Distance means so little when you love someone so much.” The couple wedded in a traditional Baha’i Faith ceremony in front of 300+ friends and family from all over the world (I literally mean all over the world). The wedding included a beautiful Sofreh arrangement, set up and decorated by Tina’s very talented cousin. Once the wedding ceremony ended, the second round of festivities kicked off with dancing, food, food and more food! It was a feast indeed, which was needed to fuel the party for the non-stop dancing which took place, even before dinner started. Even the staff members from the CCL Team commented that this wedding possibly had the most food they had ever seen.                                               The TEAM that made this wedding happen: Wedding Planning and Coordination: CCL Weddings & Events Have you ever heard of Hatfield’s Restaurant in Los Angeles? Before working with Catherine and Sam on their wedding last October, I hadn’t. But once I was introduced to this extraordinary restaurant by Catherine and Sam, I was simply blown away! Planning Catherine and Sam’s wedding was a bit more interesting due to one factor: they both lived in Hong Kong. With the challenge of planning a wedding and two receptions from abroad, they contacted us to assist them with their planning. The rest, as they say, was history. The atmosphere during the evening was a food lover’s affair, accented with pops of deep oranges and calming sage greens. Centerpieces were decorated with fresh oranges, tangerines, and kumquats in beautifully matching ceramic dishes. True foodies at heart, Catherine and Sam selected the well-thought-out menu for the entire evening. It was a four-course meal of absolute bliss that included a starter, the main entrée, a cheese & wine pairing, and dessert. The reaction from the guests? A very appetizing and fulfilling meal that had them going up to the main kitchen window to toast the chefs for such an amazing dinner. The idea of a traditional dessert station was replaced with a fruit and nut station that was both unique and fun. Oh! Did I mention their wedding cake was a four-tiered beauty constructed of sheep, goat, and cow cheese wheels? It was one cake I truly enjoyed decorating. Catherine and Sam, thank you so much for allowing myself and CCL Weddings & Events to be a part of your special day. It was such joy to get to know you both and for introducing a restaurant that I could happily say is my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. I wish you both the very best back home in Hong Kong and hope to see you in L.A. soon! Many CONGRATS! Now get ready to feast your eyes on the beautiful photos by Christine Farah Photography.                         The Team that made this wedding happen: Wedding Planning & Coordination: Catherine Leo – CCL Weddings & Events |
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