genelle and peter ~ the rehearsal

i love this venue and i can't wait for tomorrow's beautiful wedding at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.  it's also known as the the Los Angeles Cathedral and it has so many awesome architectural highlights:

the bells:  in the past, men used long ropes to peal the ringers.  as technology improved, motors replaced those men.  and these days, these modern bells are computerized.  these bells swing as they are rung, as opposed to being static and being struck.  as the swinging bell moves towards and away from the listener, it creates a doppler effect, much as the increase and decrease in the pitch of a train's whistle as it passes an observer.  i heard these bells chime and sing today as we gathered for the rehearsal to begin.  it was such a welcoming song as we prepared for the beautiful day ahead of us.

caroline tran

the cross and lantern:  one of my favorite highlights of the Cathedral is the alabaster and the cross.  one of the church wedding coordinators once told me that the alabaster was imported from italy.  it appears to glow as sunlight pours in through its slanted crossbeams.  it was its usual glorious sight today, as we rehearsed genelle and peter's ceremony.  when we began, the sun was setting and the alabaster changed colors as the sun's position changed in the sky.  in the evening, as we were wrapping up, the alabaster is illuminated from within and can be seen from a far distance in downtown los angeles.

dorothy rose events iphone 4s (i don't have the 5 yet!)

some fun facts!  the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels enjoys some interesting comparisons with other Cathedrals around the world (from www.olacathedral.org):

• it is 1000 feet smaller than Notre Dame in paris.
• it is 21 feet higher than the washington National Cathedral.
• it is 32,000 square feet larger than san francisco's Grace Cathedral. 
• it is one foot longer than St. Patrick's Cathedral in new york city.  this was not true in the original plans, but topping new york by one foot was too much fun to avoid, a little inside joke even amongst the clergy.

and of course, every good rehearsal ends with a great dinner.  tonight's dinner was held at ocean seafood down the street in chinatown.  the excited guests clinked their glasses and genelle and peter reluctantly obliged and "rehearsed" their kissing in public!  you guys are too cute!  i can't wait for tomorrow's festivities!

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genelle and peter 1 day to go!

www.genelleandpeter.com

i often advise my brides to try not to look at these countdowns to their weddings, cuz it often brings about unnecessary stress.  but let's face it, who can resist?!  and when the countdown looks like this, who can keep from being excited!  genelle and peter are just the sweetest couple and i'm truly excited for their big day to come!

Jeremy Rafanan

almost there!

anabelle and jerome highlights video

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anabelle is my great grand lil sis from my sorority and i've seen her grow from totally partying it up in college to the beautiful and mature professional woman that she is now.  we had such a fantastic time planning her wedding along with her groom, jerome.  i'm so proud that they've incorporated such a love of God in their relationship and wedding and i know that they will have such a wonderful marriage.

here are the video highlights from their wedding by ethan j studios.  enjoy!

credits
event planning:  dorothy rose events
venue:  aliso creek inn and golf course
photography:  wedding 64
videography:  ethan j studios
floral design:  elegant touch
ceremony and reception music:  elegant proposals
bridesmaids hair and makeup:  leann anderson artistry
bridal hair and makeup:  mary beth beauty
bakery:  rockwells bakery
late night snack:  bombdiggity dogs
flipbook:  D.J. Brother's Entertainment

rolisa ges and jonathan teaser video

i'm so amazed at how fast photographers and videographers get their stuff out these days!  ges and jonathan's wedding was just over a week ago and jigs tambong already has their teaser ready.  i can't wait to see the highlights and the full video!

The Wedding of Jonathan & Rolisa (Cinematic Teaser) from jigs tambong on Vimeo.

brides and their dads

a recent post from a bride with her dad on her wedding day touched me this week.  fathers and daughters have such special bonds and it totally comes out during wedding days.  through the defiance stage of high school days, to guidance in buying a first car or fixing that car, fathers are the men whom we often try to find similar qualities in our spouses.  

many people incorporate an ode to dad during the father-daughter dance.  below are just some of my favorites!

ges - the inspiration of this post!

from facebook

mina and her dad choreographed an entire swing routine to "heaven must have sent an angel".  it was absolutely flawless and fun!

ja tecson photography

jacqueline's dad is the friendliest man with so much love for his friends and family, especially for his daughter.

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 my special moment with my dad.  i love how i wore my mother's wedding gown during this dance with him.

danielle biel from skye blu photography

angel with her dad.  i love how chris watches this tender moment from their sweetheart's table.

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 and of course, chris, wanted his own moment with his new dad.  haha!  such mad love for dad!

dorothy rose events

monique lhuillier sample sale this sunday

great info for my brides!  i know you're shopping out there for the perfect dress.  why not try getting a fantastic designer dress at a discounted price?!  check out monique lhuillier's sample sale this sunday, july 15, 2012. it's one day only, so best get your booties there as early as 6am.  i'm sure it'll be crowded!  best of luck to you all and have fun!

photo courtesy of instagram

photo courtesy of instagram

sicky friday

lily is home sick today.  it's a contagious thing, so she needs to stay home from the baby sitter's.  so i, of course, am staying home with her.  i actually had a client meeting scheduled for yesterday and today, so we rescheduled both.  i'm sure glad my clients are understanding.

it's definitely something else being a mom... a kind of concern and worry that i never experienced before being one.  but then i can say the same thing about the love and wonder that i've discovered after being a mom.  i never thought i would have this capacity and it's been an amazing journey of love and laughter.  there are definitely sacrifices that it comes with, like difficult nights when your child can't sleep because they're in so much pain.  and then the tylenol stops working and you have to send your husband to cvs at 2 o'clock in the morning.  but somehow, you don't remember those as much as the joyful times.  like how happy i was today when lily and i had our usual dance party to a happy, peppy nickelodeon commercial.  how happy i was that she had enough energy to do that and go to the park, especially when she had zero energy when i brought her home yesterday and just laid down on the couch, staring at nothing.

i think the quote above sums up a point in parenting.  i don't think it's the medicines that lily will remember that made her feel better.  i'm pretty sure it's the fact that mama stayed home with her and the 2-minute dance party that we had in our living room today.  and that, is a happy friday.  :)