Your Event by Erin

Elisheva + David, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

Erin Donoghue — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:02:38 +0000

Elisheva and David’s wedding at Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa was a beautiful fusion of passion, culture and all the little elements that make up this yoga loving couple! Their wedding was featured on Pretty Little Weddings Blog take a minute to check it out!

Rancho Valencia is one of those places tucked away in North County San Diego that makes you feel like you are on a vacation, even if you just stop by for lunch on the patio. It really is a little slice of Heaven with the fountains, lawns, gorgeous landscaping, the Spanish style architecture, tile work, wonderful staff…I could go on!

This photo of Elisheva holding her bouquet was one of my favorite photos of 2011, I think you will agree. Photography by the fun loving and fabulous ladies at Joielala Photographie and that perfect bouquet was designed by The Floral Palette! Enjoy

Rustico Leather Albums

Erin Donoghue — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:00:44 +0000

Check out Rustico Leather…. they have coolest leather albums, portfolios, books, journals and bags and my brother-in-law Toby happens to be a rep for them, score! Kathleen and Toby, for their October 22nd wedding, made an awesome wedding logo that they carried throughout their wedding. They had it embroidered on their welcome bags for out of town guests, printed on their Rustico leather guest book, they had Rustico messenger bags made that Kathleen currently is trucking around Hong Kong on a business trip, they had hats made, leather bracelets…wow, lots of special event goodie potential. When you get the long awaited Hi-Res disc, get those prints and add them to a custom Rustico album!

As a gift for planning their wedding, Kathleen and Toby got me a gorgeous Your Event by Erin portfolio and 2 custom event and wedding albums to use for client meetings!! LOVE!

Pinterest and Inspiration Boards!

Erin Donoghue — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:36:49 +0000

As you begin your party planning or wedding planning path it is so very helpful and pretty much necessary to organize all the fun ideas you have swirling through your head. When your ideas are down on paper or online with a Pinterest Board or other online inspiration board such as the ones on Style Me Pretty it helps you focus your vision and lets others see what you envisioning and help you! I love putting together boards for clients and seeing their eyes light up with delight! Sometimes we don’t even really know what our vision is for a dinner party, event or wedding, but we can talk about it, think of cool colors and textures, fun little details, a piece of art, a piece of jewelry, gather photos…all the sudden when put together your event vision is born! Now it’s time to bring that board to life!

Follow me on Pinterest and see if these fun party ideas inspire you

Check out my Pinterest Page!!

Liz + Travis, Escondido, CA

Erin Donoghue — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:06:31 +0000

Liz came to me with a need for a unique out of the box venue….we toyed with Scripps Birch Aquarium, Sea World San Diego, The Children’s Museum, Breweries (so many cool spots in SD, BTW!) but nothing held a candle to the love Liz had for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She was giddy about it (I was too, being a San Diego Native I definitely had many-a childhood photo on the bronze rhino!) and we booked right away, contract signed while sitting by the lions. They have a fabulous and flexible staff there and know how to throw a great event. We covered much of the park, with 3 distinct locations for ceremony, cocktails and reception. Liz, Travis and all were so excited for the big animal presentation…yes a CHEETAH. We did not know if the cheetah would make an appearance, at the Safari Park they let the animals “tell” the trainers if they want to make an appearance. Gotta love that. Well she came out and it helped make Liz and Travis’s wedding that much more memorable. Enjoy!!

Vendors: Ceremony and Reception Venue – San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Officiant – Rev. John Sorensen, Photographer – Maggie Marsek, DJ – Sound Prodigy, Cake – Happy Tiers, Flowers – Splendid Sentiments

LaRae + Brett, Poway, CA

Erin Donoghue — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:26:02 +0000

Check out this dress!!!!! Seriously stunning show stopper! The rolling rocky hills, the perfectly manicured grounds, top-notch customer service and seclusion make Maderas Golf Club an ideal setting for a fabulous wedding. LaRae had an incredible vision for her wedding and brought together a team of fabulous vendors to make it all come together just as she had dreamed. She is a lover of all things Lady Gaga! LaRae and Brett’s wedding was a wonderful reflection of sweet close family, bling-bling crystals, fun and glam abound!! Enjoy! Thank you to the always talented Cary Pennington for these dramatic and lovely photos!

Vendors: Ceremony and Reception venue – Maderas Golf Club, Ceremony music – Caprice Stings, Wedding photography – Cary Pennington, Videography – Shade Tree Films, DJ – DJ Guys, Flowers – The Floral Palette, Wedding cake – Heidi Rogers, Hair and Makeup – Jennifer Fonda, Wedding dress – Lazaro

Meredith + Clint, Olivenhain, CA

Erin Donoghue — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:11:50 +0000

When I met Meredith and Clint, we clicked right away (luckily, I do that with 99.9999% of my clients )!! They were in town visiting from Texas and were about a year out from their “destination” style wedding at Clint’s parents house in Olivenhain, a rural community of Encinitas. Planning from afar was a worry for Meredith, but I assured her she was WELL taken care of. I got many of my fave vendors on board with this Texas style backyard beauty. Gorgeous horses, a beautiful home and yard, cool stables, an adorable couple, fun guests, lovely happy flowers, good tunes, lanterns and strung lights…what is there not to love?! Makes me smile!

Vendors: Catering – 220 Catering, Flowers – Francos Flowers, Photography – Maggie Marsek, DJ – Merrylin of Artistic Productions, Rentals – Classic Party Rentals, Wedding cake – VG Bakery

Hand-painted wooden wedding signs!

Erin Donoghue — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:07:40 +0000

With Kathleen and Toby’s wedding just a few days away (Eeeeee!) it was time to crank out the wedding signs! Think they turned out pretty cute. Thank you to neighbor Don for letting us use the scrap wood from the big remodel and to Richard for doing the work with the table saw and power tools.

I used an oil based wood stain and a variety of oil based paints to bring it all together. Make sure you allow plenty of time for drying, don’t want to smudge your lovely work!

Congratulations to my big sis and her awesome man, can’t wait for the festivities to begin!!

Ribbon wands…the other sparkler

Erin Donoghue — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:11:34 +0000

I get asked often about the GRAND EXIT, the final sendoff for the bride and groom! Do we have to do a sendoff? What time?….We don’t want to miss anything! But most often we come across a venue that does not allow sparklers and we need something festive for the newlyweds to run through as they exit their reception. Confetti and rice are messy and outdated and bubbles can stain tiles and wood flooring. The best alternative to sparklers, in my book, is the ribbon wand tunnel!

Here is a great “wand recipe” from Ruffled Blog for you DIY beauties.

**Note: Make sure at least one of the ribbons in your wand has a shimmer to it so it catches the light! Makes for a great photo.

Happy Crafting!

Thank you Joe Stein of Studio Paris Photography for the shot of Danielle and Alex heading out of the Thursday Club!

Loving VG Bakery

Erin Donoghue — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:02:18 +0000

Cardiff by the Sea is a little gem of a town located in North County Coastal San Diego. Cardiff is home to super cool and old-school style VG Bakery. It’s a feel good type of place with character and drool worthy treats. Some great people watching too, surfers old and young, families in their Sunday best, the weekend biker, local campers, high school kids, out-of-towners, locals who have been going there since 1969, soccer Moms and Dads, brides and grooms and wedding planners, too!

I have had the pleasure of working with Joe and his team over at VG on many a cake and cookie over the past couple years. My clients are always happy, the cake is fabulous, so reasonably priced (added bonus = they give you two 8″ round cakes to take home for cake tasting so you can enjoy for a couple days and they will make you a small cake for your 1 year anniversary…free!) Their cookies are moist, melt in your mouth and always made fresh daily. Event planner secret, bring in your own cookie cutter and they will bake and decorate custom cookies to match your party theme, corporate logo or wedding colors. A “fun and yum” personal touch.

VG Bakery is making my Sister and Toby’s red velvet and chocolate wedding cake, cannot wait to see and taste it in just 2 weeks!!!

Honeymoon planning with a pro!

Erin Donoghue — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:41:02 +0000

Can’t decide on that perfect seaside escape? Don’t know if you’re missing a hidden gem of a hike? Do you need a pro to lead you in the right direction or narrow your worldwide search?

Let me introduce you to my dear friend Alexa Talbot!

Alexa is an experienced and passionate world traveler. She decided to follow her love of travel and planning by starting Golden Key Travel Consulting. I am super proud to announce that she is now planning honeymoon vacations for fabulous couples….big or small budgets, thousands of locations, full or partial planning, domestic and international vacation dreams! Check out her website, give her a call, see how she can help you in your travel planning. Be stress free, feel cared for and enjoy your honeymoon. You deserve to be pampered! Mai Tai anyone!?