Christina Ricci is engaged!

Although she's been wearing a diamond ring since last October, Christina Ricci officially announced her engagement this week. In an interview with Us Magazine, Christina confirmed that her boyfriend of one year,  James Heerdegan.

This isn't the first time they've kept their relationship status under wraps. After Christina and James met on the set of Pan Am, they kept their dating quiet until last February. James worked behind the scenes on the show, of which Christina was a star.
Christina hasn't said much about how the wedding plans are coming along, or whether they have the date set.  (She did mention that they didn't have anything planned for Valentine's Day, so we might be able to rule out a February 14th wedding date!)
With such a stunning sparkler on her hand, we're guessing that the couple will have something really fantastic planned for the big day. What do you think we'll see from Christina and James?
If you're recently engaged, you should start planning now. If you want to discuss plans for your big day, get in touch!

Morning after brunch

Many couples are adding an extra party to their wedding – a morning after brunch. This is another great time to get your family together.

These parties are perfect for getting some extra photos of your family while they’re all together. It’s also a nice way for you and your new husband to enjoy being husband and wife in the company of those closest to you.

You might not have had a chance to say hello to everyone during your wedding, and this can give you an extra time to catch up. You can also hear about what everyone enjoyed most about your wedding.

The day after your wedding is a special time, and everyone will still be abuzz with excitement. With a less formal gathering, you can have a smaller guest list, but don’t feel like you can’t invite everyone!

Wedding celebrations that are spread over a few days have been a big celebrity wedding trend for a while, and it’s no surprise that it’s a 2013 wedding trend that we expect to grow. If you’re getting everyone together for a morning after brunch, get in touch to find out how we can help!

Extend your theme...

Just about every bride chooses a particular theme for her wedding and often this extends, not just to the outfits and the band, but also the reception area and table decor.

Color is always a big theme and it's easy enough for us here at Bella Event Services to match up with what shade the bride herself is keen on. But there's other little touches we can add too to emphasize that special theme. For instance:

Table decorations. Your guests are going to be spending quite a bit of time sitting around their table (unless they're the John Travolta type and you just can't get them off the dance floor). So, this is where you should think about adding in your theme too. Table linen and crockery are important, especially if you're going for a vintage wedding. Maybe you want to think about table confetti too - in a shade or shape that matches your theme?

Balloons. They're not mandatory but they do add a little fun to weddings - especially if you've little ones there. Children can spend ages amusing themselves by batting around balloons with each other (it's so much better than having to cope with tears and harassed mothers!).

Favors. In pretty boxes these can look great laid out on tables as the guests go to sit down and, again, they're another brilliant way of emphasizing your theme.

For more ideas on planning your wedding venue decor and to ensure it looks as perfect as you imagined it would, give our team a call here at Bella Events in California.

Uniqueness is the wedding theme this year

There’s four wedding trends that are set to be huge this year:

Color. Emerald green is this year’s color in case you haven’t heard yet. Shades of this such as sapphire blue and mint green will also be big news. Metallic is set to glimmer down the aisle and so too is gold. Neutral will stop playing a back seat and come to the fore – beige and soft grey in particular along with blush and taupe. 

Décor. Sophistication is replacing rustic. Look out for lots of geometric patterns too.

Destination weddings. More couples are going for an intimate ceremony in far off locations such European cities. Hawaii and the Caribbean will still be high on the list but maybe not as much as in previous years. 

Uniquness. Everyone wants a one-off these days and for vendors to tell the couple’s story. Look for favors and table settings with a difference.

For help with planning the decor and getting your look just right see Bella Events in California.

Our Busy Week at Bella Events

We've had a busy week here at Bella Event Services, having organized and supplied to a number of events at different locations and venues throughout California.

We took photos along the way to let you see some of the decor and themes involved. First up was a wedding reception at the Costa Mesa Marriott. You can see here the white chair covers, red satin sashes and red charger plates look pretty stunning together:

At the Harborside Grand Ballroom in Newport Beach, CA we organized a reception without chair covers and which, as you can see below, still looked stunning:

Next up, keeping the team busy, was a wedding at the Hilton Waterfront. This involved silver wedding charger plates, beaded, rose pink wedding linens, napkins and overlays. Again, a pretty impressive display we reckon - and happily so did the bride and groom:

For help on wedding event planning in California contact us at Bella Event Services for an initial informal chat.

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How to Enter a Wedding Reception

Imagine for a moment that your ceremony is over and it's time to enter your beautifully decorated
reception. The announcement of your bridal party can set the tone for your whole reception.
Whether it's fun and festive or formal and orderly, the introduction lets guests know what to expect
for the remainder of the evening. No matter how you set the stage for your big night, there is a
traditional, simple way to announce your bridal party.

The most important thing to remember is to speak with the MC days beforehand and map out who
will be walking in with whom and in what order. That way he can introduce each person as they
enter. Of course, the bride and grooms entry is the most important and should be done after the
bridal party entrance.

Most likely your wedding guests will be seated and waiting for your entrance...so make it a good
one. Some couples dance their way in which is a fun way to start the evening. Whichever way you
choose to enter your reception, make it memorable.

Early Booking

Ask any wedding vendor and they’ll agree: early booking is always good.  To get the best of everything, you need time.

Booking early can help us ensure we have everything you want. Whether it’s a special color of chair cover, a custom mix of chargers, or something  else, the earlier you tell us what you want, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to get it for you.

When you book things early, you’ll also have less stress when you get closer to your wedding date. The time before your wedding will be stressful enough. The last thing you want is to be booking vendors as your guests start arriving.

Most vendors will happily take bookings for the year ahead, with some booked up years in advance. Once you have a date set, it’s the right time to begin getting everything lined up.

If you want to discuss how we can help at your 2013 wedding, or have any other question, get in touch with us today!