After meeting with Laura and Garry of A Diamond Affair, I walked away with not only two new best friends but a whole month of support leading up to the wedding! Rehearsal coordination…check. Welcome basket help….check. Schlepping presents to honeymoon suite…check. Ahhh – the cavalry has arrived!

Let the games begin….

I initially loved the idea of doing a catered fete poolside at my 1920′s style townhouse complete with tray pass mimosas (this is where it pays to have bff’s in the industry because they KNOW how to plan a party!). But with all of the amazing oceanside restaurants in LA (hello Malibu!) I’m wavering. This is where my event planning mind kicks in – home reads more warm and personal…and more work! Swanky hotel or restaurant reads chic “LA” gathering, less work but perhaps more stuffy? And then there’s the games (insert Hollywood horror flick scream here). I’m not a big shower games gal so possibilities of finding me mummified in a toilet paper wedding dress will most likely depend on mimosa intake!

It took us three days, two trips to Crate & Barrel and one minor blow up (aforementioned Bed Bath & Beyond self imposed time out) but we did it! And if you’re registering in the LA area I must insist you check out the Bed Bath & Beyond flagship in West Los Angeles (11854 West Olympic Boulevard). While not normally a BB&B fan, this place is the mother ship for brides-to-be. They keep all of the good stuff on the basement level so as we descended down the long escalator and began to catch a glimpse of the fine china and Kate Spade crystal frames it took all of my will power to not plow over the couple in front of us.

Crate & Barrel also has some great registering parties too. You can’t beat the dangerous combo of a scanner in one hand and cocktail in the other!

This person can help define the entire look and feel of your big day. They might be putting the final touches on the fist thing your guests see when they arrive, or perhaps the last thing they see before they leave. Luckily, I already knew EXACTLY who I wanted to handle this job! I had worked with Le Petit Gardenia in the past and entrusted the owner to some of my most hard to please clients for their events. Since she walked away not only unscathed but to rave reviews, I figured she would be up to the task.

Hmmm…I started out with no false fantasies of a huge floral budget but by the end of my appointment I wanted an orchid at every turn. Good thing I opted out of having Mr. Right come along for this one!

I know you may think “What’s Left?!” and it was this thought that made it easy for me to weed a lot of DJ hopefuls out. There’s a TON of great music left (I almost hung up on the one who tried telling me that Celebrate was his #1 song to get people on the dance floor).

Finally we found Mike Bocek (aka DJ THC Electra). After 10 minutes on the phone with him I was sold and we sealed the deal after Mr. Right and I went to go check him out at one of our fave downtown bars.

So for all the brides out there who do not envision line dancing the night away I’ll make sure to share our play list!