Last year, I challenged wedding professionals from across the country with this: design an entire wedding 'look' using a single piece of paper. It was amazing to see what people came up with!! You can see all those features by clicking here. Well, this real wedding was inspired by a piece of paper!! I was tickled all sorts of shades of pink when the team over at told me that when they submitted Aurora and RJ's wedding to me. It brings everything full circle for me and it's super exciting!!!

I love Aurora and RJ's Orange County wedding ... the details, the dress, the bouquets ... all stunning. But perhaps what I loved the most were the dancing photos ... Aurora changed into a sexy little gold number and she and her darling danced to choreographed steps! It's a must-see!!

XO~ Heather

Design Visage is the best! Lauren Hendrix was my stylist for hair and make up. The DV ladies are professional and extremely talented. All of the bridal party looked beautiful. Beauty appointments were done on-site at The Pacific Club which was convenient and comfortable.

We hired a "day-of-wedding" coordinator from LVL Events. As a very "hands-on" bride, it was the perfect decision. I was extremely organized but I needed the help of a true professional like Hope. No matter how detail-oriented or prepared you are, I do believe it is necessary to hire a coordinator. Hope was our director and she was crucial in the execution of our day. The LVL Team has the experience to know what can go wrong or be forgotten. This makes them prepared for anything and ensures all of the details will be remembered.

We found a husband and wife team, Sarah and Derek Frenzel of Frenzel Studios and loved their work. They are a great couple and make a fabulous team. Our engagement shoot was a fun experience and we were confident in their ability to capture our day.

We moved to Austin and got engaged a few months later. California was really the birthplace of our relationship and many of our friends and family were still there. We knew from the beginning that we wanted our wedding back home.

RJ went to the Pacific Club for almost every special occasion or holiday from the time he was a toddler, and we shared our first Thanksgiving and Christmas meals together there. RJ had known some of the staff for more than 20 years, and they are all wonderful people. We couldn't imagine anyone welcoming and caring for our guests the way the men and women of the Pacific Club could.

I found Rossi 'Blue Florentine' paper online and it became our wedding inspiration and theme early on in the process (now discontinued). It was first used on our formal invitations as the envelope liner. We also used it as the ceremony program cover and as the case for our CD gift favor. Bridesmaid dresses were chosen in blue to coordinate with the paper. We planned the reception in an ivory and gold color scheme for simplicity and elegance.

Our flowers were stunningly beautiful. Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Designs is an artist. The bridal bouquets were marvelous and Amanda helped add some personal touches to my bouquet by tying my mother's wedding band and my grandmother's blue, gold and ivory Cameo pin to it.
Fantasy Floral provided the ceremony flowers, pillars, and the shepherd hooks with flowers for the sidewalk aisle. Amanda provided the frame to display escort cards and small arrangements for our guestbook and cocktail hour tables.
Each of the 11 reception tables had a tall crystal stand with gold mercury candles at the base. Resting on top were lovely, blush and ivory flowers.

Our cake was created by It's All About the Cake in Dana Point. We loved a 3 tiered design featured in their display book. The cake had two round layers with a square top. Our favorite tasting was their lemon cake with raspberry and French pastry cream. This flavor combination was our bottom and top layers. The center layer was a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and dark chocolate truffle.

Aurora: My favorite memory of the day was performing our choreographed dance to kick off the reception. I vividly remember standing outside of the ballroom watching our bridal party's grand entrance through the crack in the door. I was panicking. I remember telling myself "It's just you and RJ." He and I entered from opposite sides of the ballroom and danced our little hearts out. It was so fun for us and a great surprise for our guests.

RJ: On the day, nothing beat the five minutes we spent recuperating in a back room while our guests enjoyed cocktail hour. Of course the ceremony was beautiful and the toasts were touching and the surprise arrival of the best man (who flew on standby for more than 23 hours to get there) was a thrill, but those spare minutes, the only ones we spent alone all day, were the most special to me. For a moment it wasn't about making sure everybody else was enjoying themselves, or how late someone was going to be, or any other detail - it was about the two of us. When I remember my wedding I will think of Aurora and me, alone. Together.

One of the most difficult parts of planning was making the wedding unique while keeping it traditional and classic. It became easier to personalize the wedding the more we planned. One idea that we came up with was giving guests Florentine stationery as an additional party favor. We created a tribute table in front of the ballroom which displayed framed quotes about love letters, family photos, love letters between my husband and I and the basket of stationery for guests.
Planning a wedding is stressful for everyone involved. The biggest stress for me was making sure everything would be perfect. Of course everyone insisted that was impossible, but it was certainly my goal. And like every wedding, there were things that did not go as planned on our day.
My advice to any bride is to keep smiling, enjoy every moment and remember that your wedding day is about you marrying the love of your life.
I can still tell you everything that went "wrong" on our day. These details were not anticipated or desired, however they were part of what made our day special and truly ours. When my husband and I look at our beautiful photos and video, the flaws are overlooked and we only see our magnificent wedding.