Remember the ridiculously cute, fishing-themed engagement photos that was featured on Green Wedding Shoes last year?  Well, Nikki & Andrew got married and based on their engagement photos, I couldn’t wait to see their wedding!  In a nutshell, in case you missed it, he loves fish & she loves dog.  They told Heather, of Amorology, and being the crazy talented/creative genius she is, she came up with the theme… dog beach.  Now honestly, when Nikki told me the theme, I scratched my head (that’s why I’m not a wedding planner).  I had never heard of a dog beach theme before and had no idea how they were going to incorporate it at Pelican Hill.  If you’re scratching your head too, then you’re really in for a treat!

Flowers were by none other, Squareroot Designs.  I just love succulents.  And you see that gorgeous ring pillow above?  It was made from Nikki mom’s wedding dress!!!  And I just adore how her Ines Di Santo dress sparkles!

Nikki is an amazing graphic designer with good taste.  Heather introduced her to Courtney from Brightly Designed, and the minute she walked into her studio, she KNEW they’d be a great fit. Nikki told her about the color scheme, theme, and a few details she wanted (like the wood dog cut-outs, the fonts, the letterpress, the background patterns, etc.), and Courtney took everything to the next level.

They also had the cutest flower girl ever.  I just adored her pink tutu from Fluffy Tuffies.

Above are the groomsmen gifts – pixel cuff links!

And how insanely creative are their escort cards??  It’s a dog beach!  Please fetch your name!  My favorite element is the tiny paw prints running through the sand:

Yummy drinks, including a champagne bar:

Cutest candy bar ever.  Amorology created a gorgeous ribbon backdrop.

Another fav element of mine, table names printed on old pages from a dictionary!  And the fish & dog graphics are so freakin cute!

I also love the subtle use of fish scales throughout, like in a centerpiece above, and on the CAKE!  Who knew fish scales could be so elegant!

And for late night snacks, they had a donut station, where you got to “Take a Dip” and put on your own toppings.  They also had mini milkshakes and sliders.

The cutest groom’s cake:

And a fun lounge by Concepts Event Design for guests to hang out into the wee hours of the night.

**This wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake and will be in the new Ceremony Magazine!**

Before I go into this awesome event, let me take you back to the year 1983.  It was Christmas night.  My dad was watching the Lakers play Portland.  My mom was pregnant with my brother.  My mom started to go into labor. and my dad said, “Hold on, there’s only 20 more minutes in the game.” My mom actually waited too!  She ended up needing a c-section, so my brother was born just after mid-night on December 26.  Our family still jokes that my brother could’ve been a Christmas baby.

This fabulous event was put on by none other than Carolyn of The Special Day and Nisie of Nisie’s Enchanted Florist.  These two are unbelievably creative & innovative!  It’s Rex’s 40th birthday and he celebrated in style!  His family enjoyed a weekend getaway at Pelican Hill and watched the Lakers game before dinner.  I got to get some shots before the game was over and guests arrive.

I love the yellow & purple!  Carolyn had a trellis thing built for the hanging ornaments.

Love the tulips!

I got a photo of myself in the yellow ornament. 

I love Nisie’s tablescapes!  She has such an eye!

And I love the basketball cake!  Every detail was perfect!

Carolyn tied in the Lakers theme with Christmas perfectly!   That gorgeous Christmas tree was also done by Nisie.

Guests were sent home with customized wine and Swarovski charms.

During cocktail hour, they had a champagne bar.   That was mine shown above. 

There was fresh fruit purees to mix with the champagne, like blood orange, raspberry, kiwi, and peach.  I had the blood orange and it was yummy!  If I wasn’t working, I would’ve tried all four flavors.  hehe

And the h’dourves were so delicious and well presented.

I must get my dad a cake like this someday.

They had a 5 course dinner and it was SO delicious!  Below was the first course, quail breast.  It was so so good!  My favorite was the black cod.  I dream of it still.  It taste like the Chilean sea bass, but a much more sustainable choice!

I love the custom label on the photo booth photos.  Like I said, every detail was perfect.

The birthday boy, Rex!  Cheers!

And then there was a gelato bar!  4 choices of gelato with fresh fruit toppings!

The amazing woman behind this event, Carolyn, with her sister.  They are so cute!  Again, makes me wish I had a sister.

And the funniest photo booth photos.  That first image says, “Audrey had her first wine today!”  Audrey is their 1 year old.  hehe.

Thanks for letting Jonathan & I be a part of this fun & warm family affair!