2019 A Year in Review!

Holy Crap, it’s the end of a decade. That came and went fast, at least for me. Did it for you? In the last decade I grappled with being a recent college grad (in the midst of a recession), moving to another country, getting a master’s degree, finding my passion for events, returning to the US, being lost in my career after completing my master’s, moving to Monterey, getting married, starting a business, juggling a full-time job while working my business on the side which also seemed like a full time job, becoming brave and confident enough to leave the full time job, having a baby girl, learned how to juggle being a mom and a business owner, and now here I am starting the new decade full of excitement for what lays ahead. I am expecting my second child in April, a boy this time, and having a really full calendar full of exciting events. All I know is that the past decade was filled with huge wonderful things, and a lot of heartbreak too, I skipped over all the major sad milestones from the last 10 years because, ain’t got time for that. 

 

Jan 2019 started with a corporate event for 2,000 people, I worked with Chic Event Rentals to erect the largest tent I have ever seen, it was a structure tent which is more like a building than a tent. The event got started on a rough foot with last minute changes to the tent site, traffic & Parking Plan and of course good old rain. All in all the event went really well and really smooth after a couple really long late nights leading up to it. 

 

At the beginning of March I was the chair for the Monterey County
Hospitality Association’s Annual Dinner held at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa. I am on the board of directors for the MCHA and have been involved with the annual dinner now for 4 years and chair for 2 years. This year was really hard to put together but also a wonderful event to celebrate the hospitality industry that is so vital to Monterey. 

 

I had two weddings in March, both for delightful couples celebrating their happiness finding second chances at love later in life. The first was at Sanctuary Beach Resort where I am a preferred vendors and the secondwas at a beautiful Private estate in the Tehama area. Private estate weddings come with a whole host of difficulties, I am lucky that I get to plan weddings and events at non-traditional spaces often because there is a lot that goes into them. Having an event planner for a wedding at a private estate or non-traditional space is essential because trust me we will think of things that can happen that you have never dreamed of.

 

I took the whole month of April off with the exception of a few small events but used this time to enjoy the celebration of my daughter’s second birthday. We took her to San Diego and Los Angeles for some fun in the sun and visited a lot of family. The highlight was certainly seeing her love of animals and sea life when we took her to the San Deigo Zoo and Sea World. 

 

In May I had a beautiful intimate wedding at the Tickle Pink Inn in Carmel Highlands with a elegant reception at the Monterey Plaza Hotel And Spa. While the weather was particularly rough this weekend we made the best of it and still had the gorgeous cliff side wedding the Texas Bride was dreaming of. 

 

 

 

 

I got to have the incredible expereince of working with a corporate client to help with their private chalet experience on the 3rd Fairway at the 2019 US Open. While I know nothing about golf this week was incredible. Being at the course everyday and watching the huge crowds and also the insane amount of fun in the chalet was a real blessing.

 

 

 

 

The first wedding of June  was at the San Carlos Cathedral in Monterey followed with a reception for 250 people at the Hyatt Regency. The couple grew up here and had the cutest story of being in love since middle school so getting the help them with this magical day was pretty special.

Due to the size of the wedding they needed to have a large ballroom but didn’t want to look like a boring ballroom, so they opted for super elegant draping around the ballroom beautiful linens and just the right amount of pink and silver to really transform the space. My favorite part of this wedding was their italian cookie bar, because my goodness the Monterey Italians know how to make some cookies. 

 

My Last June Event was a gorgeous wedding at Poppy Hills Golf Club. Poppy Hills typically doesn’t go large weddings or events, and that is a shame because their space is amazing and one of the few golf courses in Pebble Beach that really has the space to erect a large tent for more than 150 people. This wedding was simply beautiful and full of special touches, I think my favorite part other than the beautiful tent and space were the incredible florals by Fionna Floral, they were stunning.

 

My First July Wedding was at the historic Carmel Mission with a reception at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, both are stunning locations. This wedding was beautiful and full of exquisite work from several of the areas best vendors, I was honored to be a part of it. A lasting memory from this wedding will be the Father of the Brides speech.

He sent me several emails about the speech and I thought he was so nervous about it and I thought it was going to be super sentimental and sweet but oh my goodness he even surprised me with a hilarious representation that was spot on about his daughter. Cheers to dads that can shock and surprise us in great ways! 

 

To wrap up July I had a wedding at one of my favorite venues, Tehama Golf Club. Tehama is beautiful, and a real hidden gem of the area. Unlike most golf clubs in the area you do not have to be a member to get married

there and everything about Tehama is top notch. This amazing couple spent a portion of the year in Canada since the groom was a professional hockey player so planning their destination wedding in Carmel meant that a wedding planner was essential. I was blessed to work with them, they were the nicest, funniest, and drop dead gorgeous couples that I have had the pleasure of working with. They had so many fun ideas to include in their day and it ended up being one of my favorite weddings of all time. From incorporating a beautiful live rendition of Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic in the ceremony to a lively and frankly INSANE Soul Train Grand entrance this group kept me on my heels all night – but in the best way possible. 

 

August was consumed by Car week for me. For the past several years I have worked with McCall Events to help manage the McCall Motorworks Revival. It’s a huge undertaking and I have always loved being a part of it but it is insane. In a matter of 48 hours a luxurious, top notch car  and aviation event is built and assembled on an active airport runway and then in a matter of 6 hours we tear it all down to return the runway to an active space. This year, I became more involved in the planning and sponsor relations side of the project and it is nothing short of consuming. There is so much planning, thought, logistics and work that go into this event to make it the magical evening that it is. A huge shout out to my colleague and friend Tiffani who works year round to make sure this event is a huge success. 

 

To Close out August and Kick off September I worked with the sweetest couple to plan their rustic elegant barn wedding at the new Barns at Cooper Molera owned and operated by the Events by Classic Team. This couple were insanely hard workers, their schedules and high stress work environments made my job look like a cake walk. I have a lot of admiration for those that work in thankless jobs that better the rest of this and these two were the epitome of that. They started the weekend with a casual rehearsal at the New Alta Bakery enjoying pizza and beer and the wedding day was laid back, and full of fun and a super cute and well behaved dog. 

 

September is a great month for weddings in Monterey. The weather is warmer, the water is calmer, and the crowds start to diminish slightly since many people are headed back to school. I had the pleasure of working with this couple for a very long time to plan their wedding weekend at Sanctuary Beach Resort. They originally wanted to get married in Big Sur but when we started our venue search in 2018 they quickly realized that they did not actually want to deal with a lot of the issues that would arise from a Big Sur destination. They opted for Sanctuary because it ticked almost every box on their wish list and while the bride did not want to get married in the sand on a beach she loved the stunning beach bluff and the coastal, dunes views that would surely wow her destination guests. Guests were invited to stay at the private resort for the weekend and what resulted was a magical weekend where only their guests were on property and they were able to relax and enjoy so much time with their friends and family that traveled from all over to spend time with them. The weekend started off with a casual taco night in the main lodge which was a blast, The wedding day weather (wind) derailed some of our plans but despite it we built a gorgeous clear tent out on the beach bluff and the entire vendor team rallied hard to make sure it was a magical day for this couple. Their farewell brunch was held at the Saltwood Kitchen on the property and was a relaxing and casual way to depart the weekend. 

 

October kicked off with fun fiesta night rehearsal dinner for a super sweet

adventurous couple at Gardener Ranch followed by a beautiful jewel-toned wedding the next day. Any party at Gardener Ranch instantly becomes a favorite because the setting is nothing short of magical, it’s like a private relaxing summer camp for you and your closest friends and family. 

 

October was closed with a beautiful wedding at Holman Ranch for another local couple that was born and raised in the Monterey Area and had been together forever. I don’t often get to work with local couples but I love

when I do! They had a fun, elegant and laid back day up at Holman Ranch that soaked in the super warm late October sun and then a super fun party with DJ Nick of Belmont Entertainment. 

 

I got to close out my year with another Holman Ranch wedding in November. This intimate and beautiful wedding was a blast to plan. The super fun couple from the Midwest was kind and funny and a joy to work with. They fell in love with Carmel a couple years ago and they wanted to 

bring their closest family and friends to share in their celebration. The wedding weekend kicked off with a fun private lunch at one of my favorite restaurants Affina, and continued with fun at Carmel Beach. The Wedding day was so perfect, gorgeous warm weather and an intimate crowd, including a special “mini” table for their under 10 guests – it was a favorite
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All in All 2019 was really busy with all the planning but it was a beautiful year and I am so thankful to all my couples and clients that trust me with their important events. Looking forward to 2020 and all my fabulous couples and clients!