It was a sunny Sunday in the desert for Courtney and David's wedding. They live in St. Louis, and they wanted a destination wedding that was casual, elegant, and, most of all, fun! With the expertise of Cathy O'Connell and Dorry Wynham of Celebrations of Joy, Courtney and David enjoyed a custom-tailored celebration at the Miramonte Resort and Spa in the heart of Indian Wells.

Courtney's parents have a beautiful home in Rancho La Quinta, and this is where Courtney's family and attendants got ready for the day. The atmosphere was very upbeat, yet relaxed. Samantha Bishop and John Hardin provided makeup and hair expertise for the group. The home's backyard opens onto the golf course, which made a scenic backdrop for our bride's family and group photos.

David, his family and groomsmen prepared for the big day at the Miramonte Resort. David wore a sharp charcoal gray suit instead of the traditional tuxedo, matching the day's theme of casual elegance. The groomsmen wore short-sleeved guayabera-type shirts, each with different boutonnieres that matched their corresponding bridesmaid's bouquets.

Arrangements Floral and Party Designs once again provided the gorgeous personal flowers, centerpieces and accents. Courtney and David chose a stunning kelly green and vibrant yellow color palette to define their wedding motif. Samantha Ward at Exquisite Desserts created a white pleated two-tier cake with the couple's initial on a medallion as the cake topper.

Courtney and David exited at the end of their ceremony to a string version of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," and they entered their reception to the original version with a lively dance to their favorite song. Once the music picked up tempo after dinner, the guests filled the dance floor. Family and friends of all ages danced under the stars until the end of the evening. The crowd was very energetic and the music was well-mixed. DJ Chris Paul kept everyone happy!

Nader and I wish Courtney and David the happiest of lives together!

For more photos from their wedding, please click on the thumbnails below.




DETAILS (all links open in a new window):
Wedding Venue: Miramonte Resort and Spa, Indian Wells
Coordination: Cathy O'Connell & Dorry Wynham, Celebrations of Joy
Floral: Arrangements Floral and Party Design
Music: DJ Chris Paul, 323.717.7874
Hair: John Hardin, 707.799.0025
Makeup: Samantha Bishop, Le Mirage Day Spa, 760.564.7915
Cake: Samantha Ward, Exquisite Desserts
Officiant: Cathy O'Connell, Celebrations of Joy 

Heather and Ryan started dating in 2000. Since they had their first date on my birthday that year (October 8), I feel that there was a tiny bit of kismet in their choice of Red Lantern for their wedding photography.

Ryan and his groomsmen got ready at the Riviera Resort but put on their finishing touches at the Morningside men's locker room. Heather got ready at her mother's home, in the company of her bridesmaids. Heather's mom, Lloydette, couldn't have been more hospitable, and thanks to Rosie, too, for her invaluable assistance with the group photos!

The color scheme was coral pink and cream with touches of light green in the floral arrangements. The wedding cake was simple, but spectacular, in white fondant with pink ribbon and tight, uniform coral pink roses for emphasis. The feel was fresh, light and elegant - perfect for this late spring wedding.

The evening ended with the couple saying farewell to their guests under a shower of sparkler sparks as they were driven to the Riviera to begin their lives together.

Heather and Ryan both have a wonderful sense of humor and kind and generous personalities. Nader and I wish them a long life together, full of laughter and love.

Congratulations!

For more photos from their wedding, please click on the thumbnails below.

DETAILS (all links open in a new window):
Wedding Venue: The Club at Morningside, Rancho Mirage
Coordinator: Cathy O'Connell & Dorry Wynham, Celebrations of Joy
Event Designer: Lloydette Hust, Mother of the Bride
Floral: Arrangements Floral and Party Design
Music: Dwight Kennedy Music
Hair: John Hardin, 707.799.0025
Makeup: Neeraja, 760.218.7370
Cake: Pam Eldridge
Officiant: Cathy O'Connell, Celebrations of Joy
Bridal Gown: Jinny's Bridal Center, Huntington Beach
Accommodations: The Riviera Resort and Spa, Palm Springs

When Nader and I got married in 2003, we knew we wanted to include his cousin, Mira, in our ceremony as our flower girl. She was an "old hand" at being a flower girl since she had already been recruited for Nader's sister's wedding 7 months earlier. Her sister, Tala, at the time, was a wee bit too young to make it down the aisle.

Well, flash forward to 2009, and these girls have really grown up! Mira will be entering junior high in the fall and Mira will be a third grader. It's been a joy to be a part of these girls' lives and to watch them mature. Nader captured these photos on a recent visit to LA and I absolutely love the colors in the images! The light is really gorgeous, too.

Their mom, Mona, has great taste in clothing, and the girls always look cute and stylish, but age-appropriate. Tala's little black shoes are so adorable!

We look forward to seeing Mira and Tala grow into young adults and to continue being a part of their lives.

For more photos from Nader's visit, please click on the thumbnails below.

We are listed currently as the #1 photographer in the San Diego area on ProjectWedding.com!

If you are a former wedding client of Red Lantern and would like to leave feedback on our services, visit Project Wedding and create a free account. You can review all your wedding professionals on the site, and you'll help future brides make better informed decisions in their wedding planning.

A great big THANK YOU to all couples who already left a review for Red Lantern at ProjectWedding.com!

From the moment Nader and I met Megan on a site visit a couple months before the wedding, we knew her wedding to Benjamin was going to be a chic and sassy event. (If you follow our blog, you'll recall that we posted shots of their wedding venue a few months ago when we met Megan for the first time.)

Megan has a wonderful sense of style and an effervescent personality with an infectious enthusiasm. To handle all the details of her day, Megan entrusted her wedding planning to Rochelle Saenz of Rochelle Marie's Events by Design. She gave Rochelle a general sense of what her wedding vision was, and Rochelle ran with it, creating a beautiful black and white palette, accented by teal and hot pink. The ceremony and reception were both held at Twin Palms, Frank Sinatra's former estate in Palm Springs.

Benjamin and his groomsmen got ready at the Riviera Resort and Spa, while Megan and her ladies received the royal beauty treatment at the estate. Megan wore a unique strapless, silk taffeta Liancarlo gown with stitched ruffles and a sweetheart neckline with metallic Christian Louboutin wedge heels. The color story for the flowers were white with touches of green. The reception centerpieces were bunches of lush hydrangeas from which an exuberance of phalaenopsis orchids cascaded.

Rochelle and her team transformed the estate carport area by draping the sides with soft fabric and laying a black-and-white dance floor that coordinated with the black and white linens. The focal point of the dance area was a tiered, elegant crystal chandelier. Against the back wall was a comfortable couch for lounging and illuminated cube tables. More illuminated bars and cocktail tables glowing in different colors were scattered throughout the estate.

Megan and Ben walked up a petal-strewn aisle to say their vows. After the ceremony, the couple took time to take portraits at the Riviera Resort, while their guests enjoyed cocktails around the piano-shaped pool at the Sinatra house. A buffet dinner was held outside beneath the trees and the stars on the opposite side of the home.

We are so fortunate to have such amazing clients as Megan and Benjamin. We wish them the happiest of lives together!

For more photos from their wedding, please click on the thumbnails below.

DETAILS (all links open in a new window):
Ceremony & Reception Site: Twin Palms (Frank Sinatra Estate)
Wedding Planner: Rochelle Marie's Events by Design
Catering: Jennifer's Fine Foods and Catering
Cake: My Favorite Cakes and Cookies
Floral: Arrangements Floral and Party Design
Hair: Joy Fields and associates from J. Russell Salon
Makeup: Chip Tuvman, J. Russell Salon
Videography: Pacific Pictures
DJ and Entertainment: A Musical Affair
Officiant: Paul Palodichuk
Transportation: Cardiff Limousine and Transportation
Bridal Gown & Bridesmaid Dresses: Stanley Korshak (Dallas)
Rehearsal Dinner and Hotel for Guests: The Riviera Resort and Spa

For those of you who are planning a wedding with fall colors such as oranges, golds and browns, I would like to share with you the work of Joey Lizotte of Artisan Events. Joey is based in Palm Springs, and he designs floral and event decor for weddings, corporate events and parties of all kinds.

The wedding featured here took place at the lovely Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells. Our happy couple, Mika and Jeff, hail from Canada and they entrusted much of their wedding day details to Mika's mom, Carol. Thanks to Carol's dedicated efforts, Mika, Jeff, and their guests had the time of their lives.

Mika is a champion amateur show jumper, and her horse is named Huxley. Since Huxley couldn't join Mika at her wedding, Joey created a floral centerpiece of Huxley for the bride and groom's table. I love the choice of flowers and materials used to create texture and coloring on Huxley! Pavé is one of my favorite floral techniques because of the neat, precise formation it creates (which you can see here on the legs and body of Huxley).

The fall colors complemented the warm tones found around Toscana. Mika's bouquet was composed of deep orange callas accented with looped bear grass, and her bridesmaids' bouquets were rich gold orchids with dark orange throats. To incorporate an Italian influence into the ceremony, an opera soloist sang "O Mio Babbino Caro" for the bride's processional with her father.



Joey and his team did a beautiful job in creating a warm, contemporary and elegant feel for Mika and Jeff's special day.

For more photos showing Joey's work at Mika's wedding, please click on the thumbnails below.

DETAILS (all links open in a new window):
Ceremony & Reception: Chae Collette, Toscana Country Club
Floral Design: Joey Lizotte, ARTISAN EVENTS
Hair: Joy Fields and associates from J. Russell Salon
Makeup: Chip Tuvman, J. Russell Salon
Reception Music: Michael and Ronnie Capitanelli, California DJ
Officiant: Dr. Michael J. Coppersmith

To celebrate Kathy Griffin's hosting of the "A-List Awards" on Bravo tonight, I thought I'd share our D-List experience with you.

Kathy Griffin came to Palm Springs last month, and she was going to do a bus tour of celebrity homes that would be filmed for her Bravo reality show, "My Life on the D-List." I managed to get seats on the bus for myself and my best friend, Leslie, who was going to come out from LA to do the tour with me. Long story short - four days before the filming, the D-List production people said the tour had been cancelled. But on the day the tour was originally scheduled to take place, the tour company called me to see if I still wanted to participate. I don't know what kind of mix-up occurred, but I was in LA and couldn't make it to the tour within 15 minutes, as the tour operator requested. Evidently, the tour company thought the event had been cancelled, too, only to be surprised to have Kathy and her team arrive at their door, waiting to go on a bus tour. It was pretty disappointing but there was nothing I could do about it at that point.

When we got back to the desert from LA, I read that Kathy Griffin was being honored with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame the following day. Nader and I decided to go, and by the time we arrived, there were throngs of fans already seated and standing about seven deep spilling off the sidewalk on Palm Canyon. We were standing on the road, actually, as there was no room on the sidewalk for us. I didn't think we'd be able to see anything, but as luck would have it, Nader was able to get some great unobstructed shots of Kathy and her entourage emerging from their Spa Resort Casino shuttle (what, no limo?). Those are the first two images you see at the top of this post. The other shots were taken from far back in the pack, but I think Nader did a great job capturing these images considering how many people were between us and Kathy.

Kathy's mom, Maggie, made the trip out with her, as did tour manager Tom (you can see Kathy's star reflected in his sunglasses) and assistant Tiffany. No Jessica, however. The Palm Springs officials invited celebrities Carol Channing, Suzanne Somers and Barry Manilow to say a few words at the ceremony. After the ceremony ended, I was not aggressive enough in pushing my way in for a photo op with Kathy, as she had to leave right when I got the chance to talk to her. I was able to shake her hand and say a few words, but that was it. BTW, she is very, very tiny in person.

Enjoy this gorgeous highlight reel by Boulos Studios of Lee and Tom's wedding. Definitely not the typical wedding video - so much more cinematic and artistic!

Great job, Maher and Mike!

For best viewing results, please allow the HD video to download completely before playing.

It was a beautiful day for a vibrant spring wedding. Lee and Tom live in the desert, and they married amongst their families and friends on a hilltop location in Rancho Mirage. The private home overlooked the Coachella Valley, providing a secluded venue in which Lee and Tom could join their lives together.

I'm sure you'll agree that Lee and Tom make a stunning couple. And they have wonderful personalities to match. We were very lucky to be chosen to share in their wedding day!

Lee got ready at the home, while Tom prepared at his parents' condo in Palm Desert. The day was all about family, and both Lee's and Tom's families played important roles in the wedding. Lee's sisters were in her bridal party and Tom's son was one of his groomsmen. Lee's nieces were junior bridesmaids, a nephew was the ring bearer, and I love that Tom's father was the best man!

One of Lee's bridesmaids, Lulu Powers, is a talented chef/caterer/party planner in her own right, and she made addictive grilled cheese sandwiches and comforting mushroom risotto to add to the menu.

The cheerful yellow and green color story accented the outdoor landscaping beautifully, creating a crisp, fresh visual for the guests to enjoy. Lee carried a happy yellow bouquet of roses and calla lilies, and her bridesmaids carried white calla lilies.

The ceremony was held on the lawn on one side of the pool. A friend of the couple sang the Beatles' ballad, "In My Life," to honor those who have passed on but are not forgotten. The buffet reception was set up outside with the bride and groom sharing an elevated sweetheart's table. Lee designed a candy and dessert display, which was, of course, in yellows and greens, and extremely popular with her guests!

Maher and Mike Boulos of Boulos Studios documented the wedding in high-definition video, and we are looking forward to seeing how Lee and Tom's day looked through their lenses!

It was obvious from the moment we arrived that Lee and Tom are surrounded by an abundance of love from their family and friends. What more auspicious way could two people begin their lives together?

Congratulations, Lee and Tom!

For more photos from their wedding, please click on the thumbnails below.

      

      

     

DETAILS (all links open in a new window):
Ceremony & Reception: Private estate at Mirada, Rancho Mirage
Coordinator: Janette Temple
Cake: Samantha Ward, Exquisite Desserts
Catering: Chef Chris Simeone and Lulu Powers
Floral: KRISLYN
Hair: Joy Fields and associates from J. Russell Salon
Makeup: Kristin Zama and Mia Bellas with MAC
Videography: Boulos Studios (Wedding Films division)
Music: Ray, Midnight Mobile DJ
Jewelry: Madison and Co.

Photo from Vista Dunes Estate website

Yesterday evening, Nader and I had the opportunity to attend a launch party showcasing a new special event and wedding venue in Rancho Mirage called Vista Dunes Estate. The party also allowed us to re-connect with fellow event professionals under clear blue skies in a very elegant setting.

Vista Dunes Estate is situated on five acres with ample privacy because it is surrounded by palms, trees and greenery. The home is classic contemporary in style with a patinaed copper roof that makes this property unique. The main home is 6,000 square feet and there is a 1,000 square foot guest house that is also available for rental. A serene lake with a gazebo highlights the outdoor space which includes a pool and tennis court, as well.

The weather was beautiful yesterday, and as the sun went down, luminarias lining the lake came to life, creating a softly illuminated romantic ambience. Live music and non-stop hors d'oeuvres (at least seven different kinds that I recall!) helped add to the very welcome and comfortable atmosphere. This home has immense potential for making your own special event truly memorable.

Laurie Lund of The Events Department is the contact for booking the estate for your next special event, whether it's a corporate function, a wedding, a shower or engagement session location. Visit the Vista Dunes Estate website for more details and photos about this wonderful new location, or to contact Laurie.

Last February, we had the honor of documenting the rehearsal dinner and wedding day of Kim and Christian. They live in Manhattan, but they chose the balmy climate of La Quinta as the backdrop for their special event.

It's their first anniversary today, and Nader and I would like to wish Kim and Christian many more years of happiness, romance and love!

Details about their day (all links open in new windows):

Venue: Rancho La Quinta Country Club
Coordinator: Celebrations of Joy
Florist: Charlotte Groves
Hair & Makeup: John and Neeraja at Loran Loran, Rancho Mirage
Videography: Jon and Caroline Ruffridge, Epoch Productions
Band: Shaken Not Stirred
Rehearsal Dinner: Wally's Desert Turtle

Recently, we visited Twin Palms in Palm Springs with one of our brides, Megan, and we wanted to share a few shots taken at Sinatra's desert home. Palm Springs and the surrounding area offer a selection of beautiful residences for rent for special events or accommodations. If you are looking for a venue that isn't a hotel or a country club, then perhaps a private estate might be the answer.

Megan is getting married at Twin Palms in April, and since she lives in Texas, she is employing the services of Rochelle Marie Saenz, of Rochelle Marie's Events by Design, to plan her special day.

Hiring an event planner who knows the area and the local wedding professionals can be a real time- and stress-saver for any bride, but especially for destination brides. When Nader and I were getting married in Los Angeles (my hometown and where we met), we originally hadn't planned to hire an event planner, but we were so happy we did! Our coordinator, Eunice Griffith, was invaluable in tactfully handling an unresponsive catering manager the week of our wedding. Eunice relieved us of a great deal of stress and we were able to fully enjoy the day of our wedding.

Megan and Benjamin will be saying their vows on a lawn adjacent to the piano-shaped pool. Cocktails will be served in the roundabout at the front of the house, while dinner will be set up around the pool under the stars. We are so lucky to be a part of Megan and Benjamin's wedding at Twin Palms this spring!

UPDATE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUbsc_a-e3g (The video is no longer embedded, so please click on the link to view the video in a new window.)

NOTE: Some language is NSFW.

Though this has nothing to do with weddings directly, I wanted to share this video with you. British dog trainer Victoria Stillwell has a cable show called, "It's Me or the Dog." Watch as she sends Stains, the dog, into a trance by tempting him with cupcakes right in front of his face. The look is priceless.

Presented by Joel McHale of "The Soup," another favorite show of mine.

Jesse and Chantal were married at the mod-chic Mojave Resort in Palm Desert last fall. Their union was celebrated by their family and friends from all over the world. Jesse and Chantal's wedding was truly unique because their family and friends all had a hand in creating the wonderful event.

Chantal's mother made her elegant mermaid-style wedding gown (!) and also designed the personal flowers and centerpieces in vibrant yellows and oranges. Chantal's father is a chef, so naturally, he prepared all the food for the reception. Instead of a formal sit-down reception, Jesse and Chantal opted for a cocktail-party-type atmosphere. There were multiple stations set up around the Mojave, with choices that included pulled pork sandwiches, a raw oyster bar, cooked-to-order gnocchi, a carving station and Chinese take-out boxes filled with cold sesame noodles.

Jesse and Chantal left plenty of time for portraits before the ceremony, so we were able to explore more interesting locations off-site. Above, Jesse and Chantal are photographed at the "Bump and Grind" hiking trail in Palm Desert. They were both game for a little hiking to this spot, which is a little out-of-the-ordinary for wedding portrait locations.

Chantal's family also made a variety of desserts for after-dinner enjoyment, including brownies, lemon bars, cupcakes and even artisanal chocolates! Centerpieces filled with simple orange flowers coordinated with vases full of sliced oranges -- eye-popping color that drew upon the Mojave's color scheme. The entertainment was provided by a band composed of the couple's friends.

Jesse and Chantal chose to use recycled paper napkins and earth-friendly bamboo plates and utensils. The floral centerpieces were placed on simple, but modern corrugated paper mats.

It was wonderful to be a part of such a happy day and to see all of the effort and creativity that their friends and family put into the wedding. Congratulations, Jesse and Chantal!

I am a huge fan of the blog, Cake Wrecks, and I found this fun claymation video on their site today. Thought I'd share this creative and humorous animation with you!

Enjoy!