Happy Friday, dear readers!  I am SO excited to send you off on your weekend with this generous dose of wedding loveliness.  🙂  Note: This utterly gorgeous wedding is featured today (part one here) on the ultra-fabulous Southern Weddings Blog, so make sure you head over there for more beautiful photos and Jennifer’s unique perspective.  (Much love to the amazing ladies @ Southern Weddings magazine; we are thrilled about the feature!)

Just about a month ago, I kicked off 2010 in serious style with Jennifer & Michael’s wedding at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.  From the outset, Jennifer let me know that she envisioned a charming and elegant, winter-inspired and Southern-feeling wedding and reception.  She was, after all, marrying her very own Southern gentleman.  😉  I absolutely LOVE a good winter wedding, brimming with cozy details and rustic touches.  I had a marvelous time working with Jennifer on every aspect of the design of this wedding and I think the result was truly beautiful.  I hope you are ready for some serious eye candy, because this post is going to be quite laden with images!  So pour yourself a toasty mug of cocoa and curl up with this post; I promise it will warm your soul.  (And if you’re in SoCal where it has been near 80 degrees this week, a frosty glass of lemonade and some flip flops will do, too!)

One hundred thanks to the marvelous photographer (and my very dear friend) Trista Lerit for these incredibly stunning images.  Trista — you always knock it out of the park and I am so thankful that you were there to capture every detail of this special wedding!

Jennifer’s classic gown is by Ulla Maija…

Jennifer with her drop-dead gorgeous bridesmaids!  I loved the mix of styles the maids wore; all of their dresses are by Vera Wang Maids.

Kristin crafted the most charming white bridesmaids bouquets, each with a single type of bloom.  They were striking against the navy blue gowns.  Do you spy the gorgeous ring they’re all wearing, too?  Perfection.

Can we all pause and fall in love with Jennifer’s bouquet right now??  It definitely was one of my all-time favorites.  Bold, intensely textural, and a little wild.  🙂  The gigantic amaryllis blooms send me over the edge, though…

The chapel at Mariners is breathtaking…

The cutest getaway car 🙂

Cocktail tables were topped with silver mint julep cups filled with creamy white blooms, branchy pussy willow and my favorite — magnolia leaves! Pinecones and cinnamon sticks were added as another seasonal touch.

Just in case it isn’t coming across in the photos — these tall centerpieces were ENORMOUS.  They made a dramatic statement in the Ritz Carlton’s Pavilion Ballroom.  Kristin never skimps on her arrangements; they always blow me away.  These were no exception; I absolutely adored the soft texture of the florals she used, as well as the height added by the branches.

Other tables had a trio of arrangements, nestled in rustic wooden boxes and dotted with pinecones and cinnamon sticks.  Tables were named after the ski resorts of North America; I looove that!!

Sprigs of rosemary made fragrant napkin accents.

The hotel provided tealights on the tables, but we supplemented with these mason jar votives that Kris brought in.  They perfectly capture both the wintry and Southern feel we wanted to evoke…

The sweetheart table had this incredible trough of florals, accented by the couple’s initials (stands purchased at Anthropologie) and fake snow!  Yep… fake snow!!  Before you get indignant at the thought of something so potentially heinous, allow me to show you this….

Introducing — Angel’s favorite ‘special project’ for this wedding!  Many of my {lovely} and {splendid} package clients (like Jennifer), commission me to put together exquisite décor projects for them.  This was the pièce de resistance for me that day, and was a complete surprise to Jennifer.  (P.S. She LOVED it!)  It is a birch pole structure (designed by me, built by my husband… LOL) adorned with crystals, grapevine wreaths, and lots of fake snow! Kristin provided the wooden boxes for the escort cards, which I filled with more fake snow.  The escort cards were affixed to little twigs (which I snapped, one by one, for various lengths) and placed into the snowy beds.  I think this display, set against the dazzling blue Pacific Ocean, was truly visually arresting and I could not have been more pleased with the result!

The floral adornment??  That would be my Twigs and Honey necklace!!  I grabbed it and brought it along because I knew it would be the perfect touch for this display.  Tell me it wasn’t made to be hung on birch poles.  SERIOUSLY — can this get any cuter??  🙂  Why actually, it can…

… with the addition of 3 of my Ann Wood birds!  I collect these precious (and highly coveted) birdies and they live on my desk.  I knew that they would be right at home in this setting, bundled up in their scarves and jaunty acorn berets.

In case you’re wondering, the fabulous fake snow we used is cold, wet, and packs/feels like real snow!  It is truly amazing and we used it all the time at Anthropologie (I worked there in college) for our winter displays.

The pastry chef at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel did a wonderful job with both of these special cakes.  I loved the sugar paste magnolias on the wedding cake, and the playfulness of the groom’s cake (a surprise to Michael!).  Can you name both teams represented on the cake??

I almost cried laughing during Jennifer’s sister’s toast.  She brought along a headshot of Scott Weinger (DJ’s boyfriend on ‘Full House’ — apparently Jennifer’s dream man in her adolescent years) that had been hidden away for over a decade among Jennifer’s old things.  How many of us were crazy about him growing up??  LOL

If there’s one thing you can gather from these images, it’s that Jennifer & Michael are so deeply in love with one another.  The way that Jennifer looks at Michael just makes you stop and melt a little.  All of us (vendors) could not stop talking about how palpable their love was that day — what a joy it is for me to be in the company of inspiring love, every.single.day.

My favorite part of the day: I gave Jennifer and Michael a “sneak peek” of the reception room during cocktail hour and it moved Jennifer to near-tears.  I will never forget the look on her face and the way it made my heart swell!  I have the best job in the world (yes, I’m a broken record!) and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a bride over-the-moon on her wedding day.  <3

Jennifer & Michael: It was a complete pleasure working with you in planning and designing your wedding day!  Thank you for inviting me into your lives and allowing me to share in all of the excitement, joy, and beauty of your wedding.  Thank you for trusting me in so many ways, and allowing me to stretch my creative muscles with many of the details.  Thank you, most of all, for the gift of your friendship.  You two are truly blessed with one another; I know your love will continue to grow, deepen, and sweeten with time.  Love you both very much and can’t wait to see you again soon!!

{ Vendor Round Up }

Wedding Planning & Coordination + Event Design: Angel Swanson, Events of Love and Splendor

Photography: Trista Lerit

Ceremony Site: Mariners Church in Irvine, CA

Reception Venue, Catering, Cakes: Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel

Florist: Kristin of The Treasured Petal

DJ: Ian of Red Shoe LA (my favorite favorite DJ!  Per usual, he had guests dancing until the very end and was so.much.fun.)

Hair and Makeup: the always amazing Joyce Luck

Photobooth: Cheesy Photobooth

Lighting: De-Lighted!

Linens: Elegant Designs Specialty Linens

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!!  I am looking forward to lots and lots (and LOTS) of meetings with fabulous clients, two of whom are in town this weekend from the east coast.  Cannot wait to see them <3.  xoxo, Angel