Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden Wedding Preview | Sarah and Alex

Recently we had the distinct honor and privilege of photography Sarah and Alex's wedding at the beautiful Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena. Photographing weddings here is such a dream as it is so serene and beautiful. 

Sarah and Alex were so calm throughout the day and we couldn't be more excited to be part of their day. Their closest friends and family surrounded them as they literally had an unplugged wedding with the ambient sound from the wind blowing through the trees and the water running over the rocks into the koi ponds created the most peaceful wedding ceremony we have been a part of. 

Enjoy these preview images of their wedding until we are ready to publish the rest!

Summit House Wedding | Charisse and Justin

I can barely put into words the amount of energy, excitement and love surrounded Charisse and Justin throughout their wedding. They opted to be married in the beautiful St Paul the Apostle Church in Chino Hills and had their reception at Summit House Restaurant in Fullerton. They seem cool on the outside, but their friends and family definitely know how to celebrate!

We were able to help out our colleague Alex Mo  with Charisse and Justin's wedding and the team we had throughout the day was so awesome to rock out with. We're so grateful to be able to serve each and every couple we meet, and we absolutely love our "job". 

Charisse and Justin brought it and loved every minute of their day. From the custom suits the grooms and groomsmen wore, to the uninhibited emotions they allowed themselves to feel. It was definitely a special day for them and it was on full display. 

We're so happy for these two and many blessings to you guys! 

The glow on Justin's face is all natural, no camera tricks or photoshop. The excitement and love between these two was truly radiant.

Three Tips for Planning Your Wedding

Planning a wedding can be exciting as all of your ideas begin to develop. You may soon realize that there is a lot of energy that goes into every facet of your day and can become overwhelming for some. Creating a planning schedule leading up to your wedding day can help relieve the stress that comes along with balancing your day-to-day "life" schedule and wedding planning.  

So we've included a few tips below to help you plan your wedding.

Meaningful Dates:

One of the most important dates in your life will be your wedding anniversary. You can use your first date anniversary or use the month you and your fiance made it "official". You may also want to make a note of important dates you would not want to be married as well. For example, other weddings that are already planned, graduations and parent's anniversaries. One key tip to be are of, flowers and food may be a significant part of your wedding also, so be sure they are in season for your preferred date.

Budget:

There are many variables to consider when creating your budget. California weddings typically take place during spring and summer with Saturdays as the most preferred day of the week. In regards to your budget, Friday and Sunday weddings may be easier to plan if Saturday's are already booked for your preferred wedding date. Keep in mind, some venues and wedding professionals may provide an "off-season" price for winter weddings.

If you don’t have one already, click here for a budget worksheet to help you stay on track: Wedding Budget Worksheet

Wedding Planners:

One of the most invaluable wedding professionals you can have before and during your wedding is a wedding planner. A wedding planner is someone who can assist you during your planning. This isn’t what you may think. The key word here is, assist. You will still be in charge of making the decisions, but a good planner will help you plan your wedding. In our experience, wedding planners and coordinators make sure the wedding day timeline is adhered to, the other wedding professionals are where they need to be and everything is in place throughout your wedding.

Here are a few benefits from the wedding planners we have the pleasure to know and work with:

Kristeen LaBrot Events | www.kristeenlabrotevents.com

Email: kristeen@kristeenlabrotevents.com

Kristeen, owner and principal contact and 2014 Winner of California Wedding Day's Best Wedding Planner in Los Angeles, shares her advice on wedding details below.

She specializes in providing graphic design for monograms, save the dates, invitations and wedding programs for her clients. She has your best interest at heart and will respect your budget by looking for the best deals available to you.

“Make sure you’re including a detail because it’s special, not because it’s the hot new thing on Pinterest”

— Kristeen LaBrot

Charis Events & Design | www.charisevents.com

Email: info@charisevents.com

Grace, owner and principal contact, has over 10 years experience planning bridal showers and weddings. She provides a distinctive design with the color palette and current trends inspired by her couple's story. She believes in quality over quantity and only takes on a select number of events to provide the utmost service to her couples.

Bonus Download!

We hope these tips help you plan the memorable wedding you want to have. Our bonus tip is to create a schedule to meet with the wedding professionals you want to ensure they are available on your wedding date and are in your budget. Fill out your info below to get a pocket planner to make sure you have everything covered!