19 May 2009

on the spot • no. 10

after collaborating with my new friend laura on custom wedding designs, i knew she should be the first bride i put on the spot. laura contacted me about designing her wedding invitations a few months ago. i was honored, knowing how many choices brides have these days! she was the ideal bride to work with; easy to please and so much fun! laura knew the look she was going for and had a strong sense of what her wedding would be like, yet remained open to new ideas. we came up with a design coordinating both elegance & simplicity (both traits, i now realize, laura possesses). after designing the printed material for the wedding weekend, i was confident their dream day would go perfectly; she planned an amazing event! here are all the details...

Bride: Laura Campbell
Wedding Date: April 18, 2009
Ceremony: San Diego California LDS Temple
Cocktail reception & Wedding dinner: Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, California


Laura, you truly know how to throw a party! From your photographs, I can see your wedding was absolutely fabulous, what were some of your favorite moments of your special day?

Well, thank you. With most of our families and friends coming in from out of town, it turned more into a wedding weekend, rather than just one day. Cortney (the groom) got to spend the day before with family and friends playing golf, and I got to spend the day with some of family and friends at the RBI spa. We had great meals, great conversations, just a great time altogether. It was truly a celebration! Realizing all the time and effort that had gone into everyone being there for just the two of us was amazing, special and ever so humbling. We had a program during the dinner where members of our family and our best friends got up, took the mic, and gave touching toasts, sang funny songs, and gave us sweet words of advice. It really personalized the whole day for us, and we felt like everyone had a piece in making it special. I have never felt so much love in one place before.


How did you go about personalizing your event? (I love the idea of boxed up cupcake favors and polaroids too.)

The cupcakes were made by Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills. We wanted to include them because we felt like we bonded over our mutual love of sugar in the beginning of our relationship, and it is one of our favorite places in California.

I did not want to do a traditional guest book, and I liked the idea of guests getting involved with a Polaroid camera and being able to take fun pictures along with signing. That way, we could remember everyone, exactly as they were, and it made it extra special. It turned out even better than I thought, and we got some great pictures that I will keep forever.

When it came to personalizing our event, we wanted everything to feel like us. We wanted to keep a very natural, relaxed and organic feel to the whole event. We kept that in our theme and included our favorite food, favorite flowers, favorite music and colors, etc. Everything just felt like US.


You are a gorgeous bride, any beauty tips?

I'm definitely no expert when it comes to beauty, and I consider myself a minimalist. My sister, Amy, who is a very talented artist, did my makeup on my wedding day, so there was no confusion about what I liked, and she made me look much better than what I do on a day-to-day basis. I just wanted to make sure I looked like myself, so I kept things very simple and soft. I think less of everything is better.

I'm also very routine about the things I do. I am HUGE on exfoliating. I love Epson salt baths to detox, revive muscles and de-puff skin. I use an exfoliating mitt to stimulate the skin and leave it soft. After the bath, I always lather on Burts Bees Milk and Honey Lotion. I love all the Burts Bees products, and use the lotion, body wash, hand lotion and pomegranate lip balm. I'm a stickler about drinking water too. Your skin, hair and everything else looks best when you are well-hydrated.

Your wedding day earrings are such a fun choice; I love your style. May I ask where you got them?

my younger sister, Anna picked those little gems up for me at Banana Republic - they are fun, aren't they? I didn't wear any other jewelry (other than my wedding band/ring) so I wanted to make a statement, of sorts. they were also my something blue.


Any favorite event vendors?

My photographer, Rachel Thurston did an amazing job with my pictures and was a huge help to me on the wedding day. She was so great with all of our guests and really captured the spirit and happiness of the day.

Our florist, Sharon Mintz of Organic Elements, exceeded my expectations in every way. I went to her with a vision of what I wanted, and she went above and beyond.

Elaine Ardizzone of Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. in San Diego made the most delicious wedding cake I've ever tasted! Not to mention, it being completely beautiful and lovely.

Tricia Sadikoff, at Rancho Bernardo Inn also did a great job of making everything the day of move smoothly and created a dinner menu for us that I still have dreams about.

And of course, sweet Marta of Marta Designs, helped me tremendously when it came to personalizing my event. She created some beautiful pieces, from our shower and wedding invitations to our dinner programs, menus and place cards. She made everything so easy for me. Her creativity and advice was influential and much appreciated through the whole process.


Do you have any other words of wedding wisdom?

I think the wedding is all in the details. Making the guests feel special, including things that the two of you love - I think that is what makes the day special, and that is what you will remember. Also, do not let the wedding get bigger than the marriage - remember why you are planning this special day! Trust in the people you have hired to help, and enjoy yourself. Interact with your guests, enjoy the food, hug everyone and take a moment to look around to see all you have created. And have fun!

thank you, laura, for sharing the details of your unforgettable wedding day with us. you are a beautiful bride, with classic taste and excellent advice. best wishes in your matrimonial bliss. xo.

images provided by rachel thurston.
see even more shots of laura's wedding.


11 comments:

--r said...

i did the invitations for my husband's cousin who got married at the rancho bernardo inn. unfortunately we couldn't afford to make the trip out there, but her wedding photos were gorgeous - it looks like a wonderful place to celebrate!
isn't it a bit of an ego boost to have someone let you design for such an important life event?

EliseBlaha said...

ooh la la!
pretty bride and pretty wedding.
i am going to love this feature.

ALFIE said...

absolutely beautiful!
love all the little details and originality!

thank you laura and marta for sharing!

Jennifer said...

The printed pieces look great, Marta, and the photography is GORGEOUS! Great catching of the small and beautiful details that went into this wedding. Amazing...

laura said...

really marta...couldn't have done it without you! thanks for the sweet shout-out and post!

Vanessa Hutchinson said...

Beautiful! Who is the dress by?

love.boxes said...

What a beautiful wedding and post. :)

whit said...

love the Q&A with Laura..you did a great job on the invites and isn't that Laura just gorgeous!!!

Hannah said...

She is so beautiful. What a dress! Oh, if I hadn't been 19 when I was married...I would have done things so much differently. ;)

anya said...

I stumbled upon your blog from mutual friends from BHS! Remember me? Anya Phillips Neidig... I am loving your blog. Great work.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, Laura's dress is a dream. The neckline, the capsleeves, the covered buttons: they are all perfect on their own, and somehow Laura and her tiny self made them look perfectly modern as well!

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