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Hello and welcome! In The Now Weddings + Events is a style-infused group of wedding gurus committed to making your day uniquely YOU from head to toe. On behalf of myself and the rest of the team, I want to say thank you for stopping by. I'm so glad that you've found the time to browse our blog! Here, you'll find loads of information about the industry, our clients, and ourselves mixed in with pictures and silly anecdotes that should give you a real glimpse into who it is that we are, and what we stand for. Above all, we hope that this online journal of our lives and job shows you how much we love what we do! We welcome comments and connection more than anything and our desire is that the outpouring of our hearts would resonate with you in a way that prompts you to reach out to us and let us know you're here. So, what are you waiting for?
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POSTED BY Amanda
Okay so this one feels like a cheat feature- but, you know what, a deal is a deal! Amy from Wedding Chicks reached out to me to help stylize a fun little DIY based shoot at her home along side Nace from
[who was cooking up the most delectable treats- I honestly do not have enough good words in my vocabulary to say enough about him!!]. Coupled with the fact that it was inspired by all things West Elm, I KNEW I was on board!! Although I felt like mostly I just contributed to the idea of “stand there, look cute”- I was honored and flattered that I got to be a part of this. And truly, who WOULDN’T want to spend a day with fun industry folk-turned-friends, to laugh a lot, style a little, eat a bit… and more. It was magical. And the proof is in the pictures:
Mussles and Chorizo
Seabass with Roasted Tomatoes
The best part about Amy Squires [from Wedding Chicks] is that she’s a retired photographer. And she’s seriously incomparable. I love her work SO much. Loved it wh love it now when she shoots food for fun on her iphone. Seriously, Ames, way to knock it outta the park! I’m drooling.
Bourbon Pears for dessert!!
And, at least I got to fully contribute in this way:
Teensy Yellow Arrangements in Amazing Mercury Votives from West Elm
ALL of the recipes can be found on the – seriously, they are simple and delicious! And don’t miss the stellar
that Nace put together, too! Seriously, that guy is the real deal!
Run over there, y’all! The fun is bountiful.
POSTED BY Amanda
I am totally and completely in love with all aspects of this. I always say to myself “I am DONE with styled shoots”- mainly because real love, people’s real love, is much more inspiring for me. Sometimes no parameters is the hardest to design in. But when the gals at
approached me about helping promoting their new site by utilizing their vendors for a shoot, I quickly came up with a concept that really inspired me: seasoned love. After planning
that happened early last year, I became totally enamored with the idea of everyone celebrating triumphant love. I mean really… what’s more worthy of celebration than marriage kept? And I knew the perfect couple- and family- to model for it. These real-life friends of mine, with a real-life successful marriage, and their real-life adorable kids were the perfect inspiration to let the ideas come together. I realize this got really wordy, but it’s worth it for me to give you that great back story! I can’t be more thankful that the lovely
was aligned to take photos for us. And with no further delay… go visit the full post with more details and TONS of images, over at !! Thanks Jen for the feature!
I mean, really…..
They’re SO cute, right?! Don’t miss out. !
POSTED BY Amanda
Now, I don’t play favorites. I mean, seriously and honestly: I feel blessed beyond measure to work with all of my clients. I’ve said from the beginning [and follow up each email from brides who respond saying that they have not chosen us with this same phrasing] that God hand-picks our clients for us, knowing that they trust us and are the right fit for our humble company. But sometimes, you meet those couples and you’re just excited to be picked! Amanda and I became fast friends trading texts and delving deep into the fun side of planning, so it was a shock when I found out I was due [with my baby] the week before her wedding! Although I had aligned capable hands for her with the rest of the team, including stellar planner Sharon, I knew she’d be sad if I wasn’t able to make an appearance. Low and behold, a 41-week-pregnant Amanda graced the Historic San Clemente Casino that day, around for set up, direction of styling/design creations, and- of course- lots and lots of hugs and excited shrieks. It was a fantastically perfect day after all!
As I was strolling down memory lane, scrolling through images of Amanda and Theo, I just kept thinking about how perfectly mermaid-y her color scheme was. In the best of ways, it was a dreamy, sparkly event with just the right touch of all things fancy fun. The aisle decor, seen above, is no exception. You don’t have to break the bank to make an impact but REALLY- Aly @ The Vine’s Leaf did an exceptional job with that curly willow arch! Eye popping. And the sweet strands of shimmering ribbon and tulle down the aisle are the simple reminder that this is a special day, and a very special aisle.
Just LOOK at those two lovebirds. I die for that killer Amanda smile! And we’re always fortunate when the client allows us to take their design from beginning to end- after crafting Amanda’s invites along with her amazing friend Queeny, who created her monogram, we were able to truly put a custom stamp on their day all the way through. I hope you’ll see in the pictures to follow, but first- here’s their sweet suite:
A unity act is always something that people are trying to re-invent. It’s tough to find something symbolic, simple, poignant, and have it be realistic for your big day. Amanda and Theo opted to tie a unity knot, tightening it and promising to keep their love strong and to fight for it. Gorgeous, I say. You’ll also see that they presented roses to their mothers. True class acts, these ones!
And a little post-ceremony-aisle-moment:
The room at the Historic Casino sparkled and glimmered. Some fun details included quartz rock candle holders nested into floral arrangements, sequin and sparkling linens, an amazing shimmering ribbon and fabric backdrop [that can only have justice done to it by viewing in person- I promise], glitter-dipped candles, and more! Fun touches were absolutely everywhere.
The best part is how many guests were clamoring to take pictures with the couple against the stunning sweetheart backdrop. My heart sings when I see these moments!!
Whence there’s a fireplace on site, I can never resist a little late night, intimate s’mores session! This was no exception [and, the guests loved it…. I coin our station the “gour’mores” because we use the fancy chocolate, you know]!
Totally my favorite cake cutting candid of all time:
The past year has shown these little puppies to be an In The Now staple [as much as an array of mini desserts seem to be a wedding staple], dessert names ON the cake stands! I love it.
This will always be one of my favorite simple, adorable guest books. And I can’t take credit, it’s all classic Martha! Mini envelopes matching darling notecards applied inside a book for guests to tuck their notes away!
[Thanks Queeny!!] Remember how I said we put that monogram everywhere? I truly meant EVERYWHERE! Custom pre-ceremony beverage station with monogrammed cups, that fits the bill!!
Amanda was obsessed with our glitter table number idea, so we made a special one for her and Theo to take home and display, to remember their big day!
Blue signature drink, anyone?? No? Well, maybe now that you’ve noticed it has a glitter-tipped plexiglass swizzle stick in it!!! That’s what I thought. And I’ll take two, please! And, just another small taste of their glittering cocktail hour… they spliced their tables with half all-sequin drapes, half shimmer drapes. It was a sight to be seen. Just perfection!
There is so much more to say about this day. So much more to show, really! They had a killer dance floor monogram, an exceptional escort chart [full glitter background!], and cute details abundantly. But, I’ll leave you with this, so you can remember the soft, romantic side of this special day:
And, on a personal note: my baby girl arrived the morning after this wedding at 8am. It was quite the moment, quite the rush, quite the crazy. I am forever indebted to my team who took such great care of our clients in my absence. They’re truly remarkable people and I just pray you’ll have a chance to encounter them and let them whip their wedding amazing at you. You’ll be shocked and stunned. Of course, we’re only as good as the people we align on your behalf, and in this case, so so so many props, thanks and love to each of these:
[setting the gorgeous scene, always]
[blooms to take your breath away]
[ridiculously cute and delicious confections]
[amazing food, amazing staff]
[for musical services, DJ style]
Piper at Allure Express [for hair and makeup]
[for snapping with style- without him I’d have nothing to show for!!]
[my peeps, haha]
And my exceptional, wonderful team of friends-that-are-family, who created this day on behalf of a company I started with my bare hands 9 years ago. I am humbled to call them associates, and even more humbled that they’d be my friends.
Amanda and Theo: I die. Just looking at these images again, I truly die for your love for one another. For your pretty wedding. For your friendship. For the good times so clearly had by all. You are everything, you two!!
POSTED BY Amanda
I love a good hunt. So when I found a picture on Pinterest that looked *mighty* familiar to one of my bouquets, I clicked link after link to find the original source and- sure enough- people have been pinning what we had put together! A definite sweet surprise all tied up in a vibrantly pinky purple package!
And, Irene’s bouquet in it’s full fluffy glory:
You can view even more from their amazing day at their photographer . I hold nothing but amazing memories of working with Irene and Aaron. So much fun. So much joy. So much love. They are the best! And worth being shared and found all over this big old internet!!
Hoping today finds a sweet surprise for YOU, too!
POSTED BY Amanda
Yay! Can I just say that I *adore* this wedding, this couple, this whole experience??? Chrystal and Ruel are so fun, so unique and totally infused their quirky personalities into their day and their Up! inspired wedding. So it’s beyond feature-worthy!!
There is so so so SO much color and whimsy over at , you won’t regret moseying on over for a peek!!
And- just to whet your whistle:
Seriously now… what are you waiting for?! Go see more !!
POSTED BY Amanda
Yippereedooooo!!! I love, love, love that we were featured on
along side of
and the gorgeous stylings of Erica @
for this floofy, fun, favorite-of-mine veil:
The entire article- which focuses on unique, fun and inpsiring head pieces for brides- is full of amazing, so it’s worth seeing, I promise!
Visit the post
to see more, more, more!
POSTED BY Amanda
In the past, I’ve done a post on
and I think it still rings true. But, so you don’t have to dig through old blog posts and to update it on how we do things now, I’d like you to meet our current color palette set up:
Now, let me break it down for you right quick!
We always feature two main colors, and two accent colors. Most of the time a bride already knows or has a feeling of her main colors. Pink and grey [very popular]. Yellow and grey [same- popular]. Black and red [a bit dated and classic, but you get the idea]. We start here and write down these colors at the initial meeting [along with some pertinent info regarding the feel and vibe the clients’ desi which ties into the color scheme pretty big time]!
Chenin and Doug’s vow renewal boasted warm “roasted veggie” tones that complimented the Italian-style Villa where the celebration took place. We amped up the palette by adding in the split pea color!
We always add in a base color, which is typically but not ALWAYS the color of the guys’ suits. Navy. Grey. Black. Sometimes brown. This also can be used as the color for the chairs [fruitwood being a common one, for chiavari chair rentals]. It can also be the color we use for fonts and text throughout the wedding experience [from invitations and through to all other paper products].
Christine came to me already knowing she wanted her 3 bridesmaids in different colors of dresses- turquoise, coral and yellow. We twisted the scheme to complimentary tones of these colors and actually ended up adding a light/soft tone of EACH of these colors into their big day. The striking black “base” color lent itself as an amazing compliment to the rest of the brights!
We pick a light, creamy tone: either white or ivory or something in between. This color designates the softness or the striking modern feel that each wedding may take. Clean white typically leans to the modern. Soft ivory leaves you with a warm, romantic feeling.
We pick a metallic. No wedding can escape having a metal tone. You just have to pick one that suits you. Sometimes gold. Sometimes silver. Sometimes an unexpected bronze or a warm light champagne. Whatever it is- pick it and stick it! This will tie in your candle holders, flatware, girls’ jewelry… and, adding in a metal is just the best way to step up the elegant factor!
Jackie originally wanted her wedding to be pink and black- a combo she’d set her heart on years prior. When she realized by looking around the web that the combo she loved may be a bit out of style, she went for a more classy grey and pink scheme. Since Matt’s favorite color was green and she really wanted him to love the event, we picked complimentary tones that gave the couple a fun, romantic color scheme that could still be swung modern through details and crisp, fresh white accents!
From there, we add a “push” color. That means we push our clients. This is where we “pop it modern”. Since we concept multiple color schemes for each client, we alternate what color we can push them [and their comfort zone] with in each scheme. Sometimes, we keep things light and airy and romantic and “safe”- if we know it’s what represents the client, their needs/desires, their personalities and the setting where the wedding will take place [like, a private estate or lush garden]. But most of the time we add in this small push color to scare and thrill our clients into trusting us. And, if I must say, we always end up in love with it!
Here’s a whole round of options from a client last summer:
Typically we send anywhere from 3 to 5 boards. As you can see from above, Michelle ended up going with Option 4 [though it was a true toss up between Option 1 and Option 4]. She came to me in advance knowing she wanted blush and grey, and she wanted a modern-feel to her big day. So, we punched it up with a turquoise teal blue that was featured in her sweetheart chairs [blue chiavaris!], charger plates, and candle holders. Just enough pop to twist the color scheme from romantic to unexpected! And the effect was truly delicious! We don’t always use the same base color in all of our options but since we knew what this client was going for, we focused mostly on that push color selection. Here’s another option from Chenin and Doug’s big day- as you saw above they chose Option 5, but this is a good example of how broad the options can really be:
Why selecting a color scheme is important: well, because it all starts here. I’m all about how “wisdom prepares it’s table”. Meaning, the wise take the time to set themselves up for success- and that’s something we believe in here at In The Now. We also love and live for a cohesive look and feel to the event. Weddings without schemes tend to easily wander off and get away from us- becoming a beautiful jumble of things that I can’t seem to wrap my type-A-but-uber-creative brain around. I’m an oxy-moron kind of person, I know [being organized and creative]. But, the fact of the matter is… the more you understand your colors, the more others will. The vendors. The friends. The bridal party. Even yourselves! And that is worth putting some time, effort and energy into! After all, this gorgeously expensive dinner party you’re throwing for a bazillion of your nearest and dearest is worth being understood right? I mean, who doesn’t want to make a splash, make a statement, make it personal and make it perfect for you?! I know I do!
So, go forth and color the world with your love! Feel empowered! Pop it modern and push yourself until you’re a teeny tiny bit afraid of “if you can pull it off”. Because you know what? You can! Just work it!!
POSTED BY Amanda
This adorable couple were- from the start- some of the fun ones! They booked us because of their love for stylish events and got hooked with with Brittany and Rachel to bring their dreams to life! Their bold color scheme focused on navy and lemon, and we tied in from there some gorgeous warm coral tones along with a kelly green punch. It was beyond fabulous [naturally, as that’s how we try to keep things around here]. Their ceremony took place at the Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, and was a simple, formal site to be seen:
I cannot emphasize enough how much the motivation of our team is the marriage beyond the wedding. These two emotional frames, below, sum up the WHY in what we do!
A fun portrait from the Mission:
And now- for the reception [!!!!] details! Their reception took place at Harborside Ballroom on Balboa Island. Rachel did a rockin’ job making sure that each detail felt personal, full of fun and color, and represented the couple to a T! From glitter-covered candles to meal-indicating place cards, this one was fun fun fun!!
We wanted to keep the options for their details cost-friendly [especially since the guest count spilled over into the 300s when they were planning] so a simple colored-ribbon adorned table to create lines of escort cards fit the bill perfectly!! The groom’s sister is responsible for nearly all the graphic design inspiration and decor, so we took that and tried our best to echo it throughout the space!
The escort card backing color worked as the meal indicator for the banquet staff [I love something with a dual purpose!] and the simple grosgrain ribbon wrap incorporated color and personality to the place settings!!
Navy is the new black. Or brown. Or grey. Seriously! It’s my favorite “base” color for all of the color schemes we design these days. These navy linens rooted the room and gave us such a creative space to work with the rest of their colors without coming off cheesy or playing “rainbow bright”!
Ribbon backdrop. Check. Fabulously sequined linen. Check. Star wars cake toppers. Check.
I think any avid reader of ours by now knows how much we *adore* vinyl accent details. This wedding was no exception. Mirrored vinyl stickers adorned the cake stands featuring mini desserts. Since silver was their metallic accent, this was such a fun personalized piece!!
A quick snap of the bridesmaid bouquets to make you happy [including these super blown-out coral charm peonies from this warm summer day!]. And one portrait of the over-the-top GORGEOUS bride, Kathleen:
And her delicious bouquet:
A lace wrap *over* her pop-color wrap makes the traditional feel just a bit more whimsical. Love it! Since we were so heavily involved in the floral side of things, here’s a centerpiece or two to dwell on…
The name of the game was “turquoise containers featuring white and yellow florals with natural green leafy accents”. And I like this game. I like it a lot.
K&J: you two are the best. We loved you from the start. It, truly, was kismet. I’m so thankful that couples like you- fresh, fun, exciting and IN LOVE- find us and seek us out to be a part of your day. It was an honor and a pleasure. I hope we did as right by you as you did by us. We adored your wedding and hope that the memories you made as you danced the night away are the ones you’ll keep on your nightstand through pictures for the rest of your long long marriage. :)
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