I never thought I would ever be one of those brides that suffers from the Post Wedding Blues! Unbelievable, how could I do this to myself? I am stronger than this! What is it? Is it the weather? There has to be a reason why I feel this way.

I got engaged December 2008 and Married last October 9th. Time certainly flew by, stressful with a side of time consuming, but all for the greater good. Always planning, having events to go to, outfits to buy, gifts to give and receive, dances to learn, visits from my Dad who lives in Hawaii, errands to run, Moroccan tea glasses to find, wine to taste, pounds to loose, WEDDING WEDDING WEDDING!! Now, I am not that type of person who likes to be the center of attention, yes I know you have probably heard that before… To be quite honest, when friends would ask how the wedding planning was going I would constantly find myself changing the subject asking more about what was going on with them.

Prior to the wedding my mom reminded me to have fun with the planning, don’t get stressed, and I tried my hardest to do so. I had a great support team. At times there were obstacles to overcome, personalities to succumb to, but somehow made it through with hardly any scars. It was an exciting time to say the least, and in the end truly the best day of my life. No, the best time of my life. Every detail we had worked so hard on, was executed to the fullest and went far beyond my expectations.

Now I should tell you that this is my profession. I am Wedding Planner at the Verandas in Manhattan Beach. Almost every weekend I am able to witness other brides have the most wonderful day of their lifetime, and the best advice I received from my sweet brides was to breathe, and enjoy every moment of the day because it goes by fast. Now, I know this and I have always told my brides that it goes by so quickly, but finally I could relate to them. I was in their Christian Louboutins (well actually mine). I made sure to tell myself to remember every moment and so I did. I remember every moment from December 24th to October 26th (back from the honeymoon and back to reality). I think my blues have to do with all of the above. No more wedding planning, that it’s over, the excitement, the stress, the wedding is over.

It’s really okay to feel this way. Somehow you do get caught up in it, but it’s fun. The good the bad and the ugly, it’s all fun. While discussing this with our founder, Louise Lohman, she told me to take this opportunity to express my post wedding blues. She suggested that a majority of our brides feel this way, and really, what makes me any different? I think that just writing (and talking) about these blues has already helped me realize that these feelings are normal. This has been one of the most special times in my life, and that I am very fortunate.

As I take a sigh of relief, I have released myself from my post wedding blues. The wedding day was one of my most precious memories. Now I look forward to passing on that experience to my future brides. To help my fellow brides through the trials and tribulations of this thing called Wedding, pre and post. That through it all you have to stay true to who you are and what you believe. Make sure to savor every moment and focus on the good, and not to focus on perfection, nothing is perfect. That in the end, you can sit look at your pictures and realize that this is only the beginning.

Oh, I feel as though I also need to warn you. Once the wedding is over, and when you run into those friends who asked “when’s the wedding, how’s the wedding planning going?” Be prepared for the “When are you going to have a baby” questions…

This bride chose to upgrade to a deep blue water glass and matching votive candles which realy helped to tie the whole table decor together.The high centerpiece arrangements allowed for some space between the color on the table and the color in the flowers and created a cohesive look without going overboard.(photos courtesy of Craig Rucker Photography

This bride definitely has a flare for design.She even brought in a few blue pillows to add some color to the lounge area.

I had the honor of witnessing Lindsay and James tie the knot last Friday May 15th, 2009. This couple for sure, will go down as the sweetest couple ever. Lindsey and her mom Linda had been working so hard to make Lindsay and James special day magical. They were so creative and I could not help but be inspired by them.

Check out this picture of the USC marching band playing right in the dining room!

Introduced by Lindsay’s dad John, the band made their way through the dining room up the stairs to the dance floor with Lindsey and James at the front of the line.

The night was pretty close to perfect.  Everything looked beautiful. To the gorgeous centerpieces www.blossomfloral.net to the rocking band (thanks to Tom Noland and his band) www.swingentertainment.com  Craig Rucker was the photographer. This is the first (and hopefully not the last) time I had the pleasure working with Craig. He is a true professional, and from what I saw, the pictures of this special day will be amazing! www.craigrucker.com. The guest seemed to be as thrilled as the host’s. I can tell you that this couple is the most in-love I have seen yet! One of the best parts of the night….After the couple’s former introduction downstairs they greeted their guest by pouring the Champagne tower!

Hand Made Place Card Chairs

Speaking of Champagne please take a look at their place card holders. Probably the cutest things I have ever seen. Lindsay found this artist in San Francisco who makes this by hand. Not only that, he engraved each chair with the couples names and their date, all 135 of them. I must get his information…more to come! Here are a couple of pictures that I took from their wedding. Cheers to you Happy Couple! 

My couple from last week brought a little sunshine to a not so sunny Saturday. Now, I really dislike using the word theme for weddings, but the “theme” for this lovely and creative couple was citrus. Since we are in California, and we are known for our beautiful weather, why not incorporate the sunshine into your wedding. Lemon and Orange filled vases with White Hydrangeas and a touch of yellow and orange roses. Yellow rose petals sprinkled around the fireplace and window sill just as if someone had peeled the lemons right off of the cake, literally. Even the cake incorporated with lemons and oranges was fresh and clean. A white cake with lemon mousse was refreshing and light. The menu was colorful and fully representative of citrus like colors and flavors.

The Menu
We started off with the Lobster and Sweet Corn Bisque, then with the Heirloom Tomato Antipasto salad and finished with the Chicken Roulade stuffed with Polenta, Sundried Tomatoes and Asparagus AND Grilled Halibut Topped with Checca Sauce…oh goodness; I am so hungry just typing this! As you can see, that any “theme” that you choose doesn’t have to be overkill. In the most subtle ways, the Yoo’s incorporated all the beautiful sunny citrus colors into their wedding.  As I sit here in the office looking at our beautiful garden I am thinking of the happy couple soon off to their honeymoon for 2 weeks, WELL DESERVED! Thanks to you Andrea and John for the Sunny Saturday you brought to Verandas. I know you two will have a wonderful life together and I will really miss our weekly emails back and forth to each other!