Antonia Christianson Events: May 2010

Emily & Scott: Upper Weyanoke Plantation Wedding

I am waiting for a few great images of Emily & Scott's wedding...but I thought i'd share this fun video of their wedding day with you in the mean time. I have had the pleasure of knowing Emily (our bride) and her family since 1993...and I was more than honored to share in her blessed day. I'll go into more details about their wedding in the coming days...but for now, enjoy this short movie clip from Arthus Bugarin. (he's new to the wedding scene but already making a great name for himself).

Emily and Scott's wedding short film from Arthus Bugarin on Vimeo.

As always...we'd love it if you left us comments about this post (or any!).

Jamee & Paul Get Married...A Match Made Online

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of coordinating the wedding of Jamee & Paul...a great couple that actually met on E-Harmony. I feel like I have to mention this because there is so much online skepticism and they definitely make it work! (which we love!) Their wedding was held at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Portsmouth with a great reception at the Portsmouth Renaissance.

Jamee's turquoise and "fun" themed wedding was a definite hit with our guests. The event went off without a hitch with the help of DJ Chris Hinsin. It was our first time working with Chris, but we are looking forward to working with him again this July. Daevid Reed of Daevid's created amazing centerpieces and floral designs that were eye catchy, creative and LUSCIOUS! The event was captured by the always kind DelHaven Studios (see images below) and the couples amazing custom stationery was created by the one and only RSVP Stationery.

I of course can't finish my post without mentioning 2 things...First, Emily Patti of Patti Cakes created their wedding cake which was topped off by custom bobble heads of the bride and groom. Second, My favorite moment of the night was a toss up between a hilarious dance off by the bridal party or fireworks courtesy of the Norfolk Tides.

The Senior Experience

Last week, we had a great time at a wonderful event that we have helped plan for the second year in a row: The "Big Reveal" for Hayne Photographer’s Senior Experience. Each year, Scott and Adina Hayne work with rising high school seniors to not only give them amazing senior portraits, but a full model experience complete with hair, make up, and traveling to different sites to capture once-in-a-lifetime memories. Their models were invited to a red carpet event at Daevid’s Bridal Flowers where they get to see their amazing portraits for the very first time with their family and friends. Together, we worked with Arch Entertainment, Blue Steel Lighting, East Beach Catering, RSVP Stationery, and Pike Media Resource to create an unforgettable event! Here are some pictures from the fabulous night:

Scott Hayne Photography's Senior Experience Reveal Party from Charlie Pike on Vimeo.

Ryan & Mike...a Playful Engagement

I always love to plan events for loved ones...but it can make the life of a planner more than stressful. We have enough pressure planning for clients that we have no relationship with before the planning process begins, imagine how much more stress is involved if you expect to keep the relationship you have before the wedding...after the wedding. STRESS!

One of those such loved clients is Ryan and Mike. Ryan is one of the best friends of my sister Marci (who also happens to be a bridesmaid) and I absolutely love them! Ryan and Mike are obviously in love, have an amazing playful relationship and are always a JOY to have around.

When they were searching for their wedding photographer I knew that not just anyone would do the job. I wanted to recommend someone that would capture their aura...and understand the spunky relationship that they have. I think we found the right gal in Lissa Hatcher.

What do you think?

And my absolute favorite from the shoot...it screams RYAN & MIKE!

A Williamsburg Wedding

A few months back we had the pleasure of coordinating the wedding of Da-In Kim and Patrick Fang in Williamsburg. This great couple came to us when their planner had to move to California suddenly and we happily took over the planning role. Da-In was finishing her masters out of state and Patrick is an attorney in New York City, like many of our clients we were honored to help them plan their destination wedding.

Da-in wore a beautiful Priscilla of Boston gown as we walked around the campus of William & Mary (where they first met as Freshman). There is a wives tale at their alma mater that if a couple kisses at the crest of the Crim Dell bridge they will be together forever...so what better of a location for Da-In and Patrick to see each other for the first time on their wedding day...at a location that they shared a kiss early on in their relationship.

Da-In and Patrick were married by their college minister in a church that they attended regularly...and their wedding included many different traditions. They both come from different ethnicities with strong family legacies and they were excited to include them in their wedding festivities.

There were both a Chinese Tea Ceremony and Korean Tea Ceremony held during their cocktail reception and all of our guests were invited to join in. It was a great learning experience and my staff and I loved their amazing costumes...each custom designed for the happy couple.

Finally, I wanted to share a few images of the day that we loved.

This was the moment right before she walked down the aisle with her dad...

and walked back down with her husband. (love this fun image)

Da-In made some great details for their wedding...including table number luminaries and their place cards. She also made their programs and menu cards (i'm not usually a fan of DIY but she did an amazing job!)

oh yes...and their favors flown in from NYC.

I also wanted to mention a few of her amazing vendors...Eleise Theuer (love these pictures? thank eleise!). Bloom (Patrice always does an amazing job!), Roger Cruz with Astro Disc Jockey's kept all 200+ guests dancing all night.

What was our favorite part of the day? This wedding was a lot of fun...so it's hard to narrow down one, but I'd say watching Patrick see his love for the first time on the Crim Dell Bridge was so romantic and amazing! He was more than excited to see her...such elation! Amazing!

Audrey and Marc: A great way to tee off the season

We have many great events to post in the coming days and weeks...but Audrey and Marc are one for the books! Marc is a PGA golfer that recently came back from the Masters and Audrey is a hometown Virginia Beach girl with a great sense of style. I actually met Audrey through my client and pal Mary Paige and we immediately hit it off! I knew from the first day we met that their wedding would be a blast (did I mention he's from Australia)!

Here are a few details from the day: Audrey and Marc's wedding and reception had a great travel theme that was carried throughout the entire event. We had passport themed wedding programs, luggage tag place cards and hand painted signs for their guest tables named after cities. Along with including their travel theme, they included their great sense of humor...out of town guests were picked up in a big yellow school bus, the ring bearer walked down the aisle carrying a sign embroidered with the saying "Run Marc Run" and their groomsmen were incredibly hilarious (with sayings too inappropriate to put on a professional blog).

We worked with some amazing vendors! East Beach Catering (they have the most incredible macaroni and cheese I think I've ever had!), Chris Tyree (documentary film maker extraordinaire), The Boardwalk Photo Booth Company (so much fun for all!), Baker Entertainment and Pike Media Resource (they made a pretty sweet light show). And Finally...the entire thing was captured by the one and only Lissa Hatcher. You can see a few of her amazing and fun images below:

As always..let us know what you think! Leave a comment.

Lindsey! Have you met my amazing assistant?

Antonia Christianson Events is ever growing (which is amazing) and we have a kick-butt staff to help handle the crazy life of a wedding planning firm...I'm sure you all have heard enough about my staff and probably even seen a few pictures but I thought i'd share a few new images of my office manager/billing coordinator/good friend Lindsey.

I have known Lindsey's family for quite a few years now and was honored to offer Lindsey an internship this past year...Lindsey caught on so fast and our clients loved her so much that we soon offered her a job in the studio all the time. Lindsey is a rising senior at Virginia Wesleyan College, captain of their women's volleyball team and all around amazing guru of keeping me on track (which is a task all in itself).

Lindsey needed a few images for a project so my hubby James took just a few shots for her.

They turned out beautifully and I just had to share...here she is!