• Pare your guest list. It’s the best way to trim costs across the board. If you’re having a $100-a-head reception and you invite 25 fewer guests, you’ll instantly save $2,500. For help deciding who should stay and who should go, follow Marino’s rule of thumb: “Invite only the people you think you will know and be friends with in five years.”
• Take the show on the road. You’re from a big urban metropolis; your fiance is from a small city or town. As long as it doesn’t unduly inconvenience any one side of the family, consider having the wedding in the smaller city. Weddings in Portland, Oregon, for example, average about $25,000 — about half the price of a San Francisco shindig.
• Hire a planner. Here’s a case where it might pay to spend a tad more money. A well-connected insider can often get discounts by negotiating with vendors. At the very least, the cash you save may well pay for her fee. Just be up-front about how much you can afford before enlisting a planner.
• Trim a bit here, a bit there. A little scrimping across the board can add up to big savings overall. Besides, your guests likely won’t notice — or care — if you skip the printed programs, shorten the cocktail hour by 15 minutes, or forgo elaborate altar decorations.
• Seek out unexpected sources. If you are very close to family members outside your immediate family, you may be able to ask for their help. Your grandmother, for instance, might be willing to pay for your wedding cake or your gown in lieu of a wedding gift. “Don’t put anyone on the spot,” says Marino, “but do get creative.”

From Martha Stewart Weddings

Ahhh~mazing Brooch Bouquet!

A bevy of vintage brooches compose a startlingly beautiful bouquet that is utterly unique to the bride who holds it.Amanda Heer of Fantasy Floral Designs will take the miniature metal components of your choice and fashion a one-of-a-kind design for your wedding day. You can provide the necessary elements, or commission Ms. Heer to select them for you; either way, your exquisite bouquet will be completely beyond compare. Pricing starts at $300 and varies upon design; fantasyfloraldesigns.com, 949.240.3571.

And, to finish up our Platinum Wedding series of blog posts, how about this! A link to the entire gallery where you can view every detail from the overall room decor to the ice sculpture, cake and amazing cars!  I’ve also included a few photos of my one-on-one interview with the producer below! Thank you to Allison Stahl for coming out to capture this momentous occasion for me!

On Camera Platinum Weddings Interview

I would also like to thank, once again, all of the AMAZING vendors who worked on this wedding with me! Linens by Mimi & Co; Photography by Christopher Kight Photographers and Allison Stahl; Flowers by Botanica Floral Designs; Draping and Decor by Studio B; DJ Services by Mike Regan of Mr. DJ Service; Videography by Phill Sheffield and Sheffield Multimedia; Cake by River City Cakes, Ice Sculpture by Party Concierge; Brides Dress by Miosa Couture; My Hair and Makeup by Image Provocateur; Venues: Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa, St. Peter and Paul Church, Rocklin, and Piatti’s, Roseville.

Prior to their amazing wedding, Charity and Frank enlisted our services, along with the services of my favorite gals over at Mimi & Co, to deck out the rehearsal dinner which was held at Piatti’s in Roseville. It was fun to plan an intimate event prior to the over-the-top wedding day that was to follow. Working with the girls at Mimi & Co. always makes it a little more fun, too! As you will see from the chair covers and linens that they created for us, they always take that extra step to make their product unique, beautiful and totally personalized! How could you not love it? The feather detail on the satin chair covers, along with the custom linens made this an event fit for a rock star!

The music that evening was provided by the very talented Adam Donald, who I discovered at a networking event that I planned and attended at Scott’s Seafood and LeRivage in August. I didn’t get to stay for much of the dinner as I had a ton of work to do for the wedding the next day, but I did get to stay just long enough to hear a few of Adam’s amazing songs along with Charity’s reaction the the drop-dead gorgeous room that we put together! She was in awe of the room decor, of course, and she and Frank both couldn’t believe how incredible the music was. People were still talking about this fabulous dinner at the church the next day. Check out some of the photos below, taken by Allison Stahl (love her!!).

Awesome chair covers by Mimi & Co

Menu and Place Card Detail

The Platinum Crew doing a little filming

Centerpieces

In July, I contacted Charity to see if we could meet up so that I could be brought up to speed on the wedding plans and boy was I in for a huge surprise! Things had changed drastically in those 5 months. As we got to talking , they shared with me all of the plans made, new vendors hired, and money spent (totalling up to over 1.3 Million)! I was also informed that they had applied to be on the television show Platinum Weddings.

As we went through our meeting, we began organizing everything and refining the design and other elements that Charity and Frank already had in place. I encouraged them strongly to rent a 2nd room at their venue for the cocktail hour and drew up a plan for a lounge that we could put in that room.  They loved the idea and after a few venue and vendor meetings it was solidified, along with a million other little things. The next 7 weeks were CRAZY! In addition to hours and hours spent working with the producers of the show on the pre-work, we kept refining the design and adding to it every day. Charity and Frank were such a blast to work with! Incorporating their style, love of bling and cars, and working with some of the BEST vendors in the Sacramento area was a thrill for me!

I certainly can’t squeeze all of the details into one post! I will be highlighting the different aspects of this incredible wedding, along with the amazing team of vendors over the next week or two so that I can really share the details! So, to start…have a look at the lounge!! Custom draping and lounge furniture was provided by Studio B, Ice Swizzle Column by Party Concierge, and some incredible, ambient lighting was added by Mike Regan of Mr DJ Service!

Cocktail Lounge

Cocktail Tables

Centerpiece by Studio B

Love the lighting by Mr. DJ Service

Ice Sculpture/Swizzle Column