Burbank Loves Us!

I love living (& working) in Burbank, CA.

After all, my husband (Mike) & I just took our daughters to the city's tree lighting ceremony tonight. Notice the above photo. Where else can you celebrate the holiday season at the local city hall & have guest appearances by not only Mr. & Mrs. Claus, but also Mr. & Mrs. Mouse (Mickey & Minnie)? Well, perhaps Orlando...

In any case, I am simply smitten that Burbank.com contacted me to feature H&B on the city's site. I am one proud mama.

Check it out here!

playing in the (machine-made) snow

Sarah & Joe's Wedding Day

A perfect depiction of an affair bursting with personality, fun, respect, gorgeous details, & most of all - a couple utterly in love with each other.  We miss this day & absolutely adore these two & their families. Thank you, Paperback Weddings for this video.

Venue - Skirball Cultural Center

Flowers - Blossom Floral

DJ - Shammy Dee

Cake - Cake Crumbs

Photo booth - Shutter Box Photo Booth

Musicians - Greg Ruby

Photography - EP Love Photography

busy, busy!

The past month, H&B has had events on board the Queen Mary, at the W Hollywood, Bel-Air Bay Club, Carondolet House, & the Westlake Village Inn! There is something special about the option of venues we have in southern California. We cannot wait to share all of the glorious photos with you!

In the meantime, here are some beautiful images from our last wedding at Annenberg Community Beach House. What a combination of old Hollywood history & modern luxury. I encourage you to learn more about the beach house. It really is fascinating. The view & proximity to the beach is a wow factor for guests in itself. These wonderful shots were captured by Snider Photo & Design. This husband/wife photojournalism team could possibly be the best kept secret/bargain in town.

Now, back to the couple of the hour, Eileen & Patrick.

These two were married at St. Martin of Tours in Brentwood. The celebration continued to the annex at the beach house in Santa Monica. We had the privilege to work with some of our favorite wedding pros! This wedding was planned in eight fun months. We adore Eileen & since she booked our full wedding package, we got to know each other really well. After the reception was said & done, there was some feeling of devastation because she no longer needed our services. Congratulations, you two!!

It looks as if they are deep in a magical garden yet they are merely steps from the ocean.

Daddy's first look!

We incorporated simple arrangements of white tulips, roses, lilies (separately) fpr an easy, elegant feel. Thank you, Commerce Flowers!

The bridesmaids sneaking a peak of the first look.

The first look was taken at the Huntley, where they got ready.

There it is.

Eileen had her bouquet wrapped with a vintage hanky that belonged to her grandmother.

a bridesmaid bouquet

gorgeous beach house in the background

Eileen has serious style. The cocktail hour was chartreuse, black, & gold while the reception was almost all white w/ hints of those colors. For the lounge area, we added colorful pillows to the furniture provided by the venue. The ceremony was all white.

These arrangements engulfed the sweetheart table & were also used at the ceremony at the top of the aisle. The mirrors are from Dress My Party.

Their rehearsal dinner was on the top floor of Hotel Angeleno, another terrific location for parties! Many guests stayed there, as well. The staff is superb & were a huge help with the delivery of OOT gift bags.

Thank you to all of our terrific vendor friends!

Akilesh and Julie's Wedding

Another event, Kaci, coordinated - A very special wedding for Akilesh and Julia. They exchanged vows a year ago, but did not have a ceremony with all of their loved ones because Akilesh was ill with Luekemia. After a year, Akilesh became healthy and well and their parents decided it was necessary to give the couple a proper wedding. The wedding took place at Happy Trails in Pasadena. The ceremony was traditional Hindu and the reception was westernized. At the reception, the couple shared a recording of their original exchange of vows the year prior. You can clearly see & feel the joy & love shared throughout the day. The colors are vibrant & the mood is perfect. Gorgeousness abound - did you see Julie's gown & her stunning features?
One of the sweetest celebrations, ever.

Venue - Happy Trails  
             We are so proud to be on their preferred vendors list!
Photographer - Julie Pepin
              Thank you, Julie!

Brad and Vanessa's wedding

We were very lucky to coordinate a gorgeous wedding for the wonderful Brad and Vanessa. The wedding took place at Marvimon, which used to be an Auto Body Shop. A special touch to the wedding were the decorations, handcrafted beautifully by Vanessa's mother. The decorations consisted of dream catchers as favors, arrows, and cross stitched table numbers; encompassing the bride's Native American background. There was an extravagant dessert table consisting of all sorts of delicious goodies, made by Brad's sister. For fun the wedding party and the bride and groom wore animal masks for part of the night, which made for some cute pictures! The bride wore a bunny mask and the groom wore a bear mask. At the end of the night, the bride and groom performed a song together. Brad played the guitar and Vanessa sang, creating one of the most touching moments and unforgettable memories for all of the guests and of course the new beautiful couple.
P.S. Their wedding was featured on Every Last Detail!

Venue: Marvimon
Photographer - Corinne Krogh
For more pictures, check out Corinne's post!

Style Me Pretty Feature!

We here at H&B are absolutely delighted to have been featured on Style Me Pretty TWICE in May.
We feel so lucky to have such amazing clients who are creative & trust us enough to help with their most precious days.
Margaret & John got married at the breathtaking Saddlerock Ranch at the Chateau Le Dome. Margaret's supreme style was heavily apparent throughout the decor of the entire event.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with her chatting about the fabric for her table runners, the colors of the chargers, napkins, & florals. They both did a stellar job personalizing their event. Yes, they wanted to share their love of fun & carefree spirits with their guests but wanted to ensure that was an undertone to an elegant affair. Margaret created her programs with the same gorgeous fabric as her table runners. She even created her invitations. I still have my copy & will never part with it! Pinkberry was brought in & set up shop towards the end of the evening for a refreshing late night snack. We had the good fortune to join forces with some outstanding pros here. Yes, the venue & everyone who works at Saddlerock is amazing but so was everyone else.
Jillian Bisinger is one heck of a force to reckon with. You are blessed to just be in her company. What a ray of light. Command Perfomance Catering Group were just so accommodating & true professionals - yummy food, too!
Pros:
Venue - Chateau Le Dome at Saddlerock Ranch, Malibu
Photographer - Jillian Modern Photography
Caterer - Command Performance
Dessert - Vanilla Bake Shop
DJ - Red Shoe
Hair/Makeup - Chiali Meng
One of my all time favorite florists!!! - Tweeny from The Flower Lab

Check out the details from Margaret & John's wedding on Style Me Pretty or visit Jillian's blog post here!

our newest assistant

 The major reason (err, excuse) this blog is not updated more often belongs to this precious face.

 

 Vivienne Melan Shlimanoff was born September 30, 2011.

This gem of a being was with me throughout the 2011 wedding season. We made a great team.

I am to thankful to my amazing clients who did not seem to care that the wedding planner they hired ended up being a big ol' pregnant lady. I am also beyond grateful to my H&B team who could not have supported me any more, especially given that miss Vivvy decided to arrive a month early-on one of the busiest weekends of the year.

While I was pregnant, I was foolishly worried that I would not be able to love my 2nd baby as much as I cherished Abby (my first daughter). I am elated to say that is not the case at all. My other fear was that Abby would somehow feel less loved or ignored. I'm so relieved to note that this has not happened either. Abby is actually the best big sister I can imagine. She is incredibly loving & protective (& a little rough) towards Vivvy. I feel truly blessed. Also, as a bonus, Abby has never been one to cuddle. However, I've found that since the arrival of Viv, Abby has become quite the affectionate one, initiating snuggles & hugs - very cool! It's safe to say I am one happy mama! Let's not forget to mention my amazing husband, Mike, too. Let's face it, though, it's all about the baby right now!

with big sister, Abby

2011 also gifted me with some of my most memorable weddings. It saddens me to think they are over & my correspondence with some of my most favorite brides has dwindled. There was just so much more personality infused in the weddings. What a treat for me! This trend is continuing through to 2012, luckily. Many of these events have been or will be published on some of our favorite blogs. What a thrill! I am quite lucky to work with amazing cleints as well as vendors who really have a passion & talent for their craft.

Hustle & Bustle is also growing. I am no longer the sole planner on the team. I have two others on board, now (& a few outstanding assistants!). I am so blessed to have Kaci & Tanya with me on this wedding planning journey. They really stepped up last year & have taken over the bulk of our weddings for this year while I play house with my family.

I apologize for this "diary" style entry. I tend to focus on business & not my personal life on here. I

Just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude & my ecstatic feelings towards life & to acknowledge what a remarkable year 2011 was for me, both personally & professionally.

from the first or second week of her life