Caroline & Bill:: Sedona Engagement for a Sanctuary Wedding

After sitting with her and her mom for a very fun two hours during our initial consultation it was time to say goodbye. Caroline, the beautiful bride-to-be, stood up and said "We need to hug. I feel like we bonded!" That is the moment I knew I HAD to work with her!

That's Caroline. Happy. Smiling, Full of life. I always tell her that her wedding is going to be so bright and happy just like her outlook on life!

Caroline and her husband-to-be Bill spent a beautiful summer day in Sedona with the talented Katrina and Andrew of Sedona Bride. When I saw the pictures I knew I just had to share! Katrina and Andrew are beyond talented at what they do and make couples feel so comfortable behind the lens. I mean LOOK how beautiful these pictures are!

Straight from an Ashley Gain Bride please enjoy some wedding planning insight!

Ashley:: Engagement pictures are such a HUGE part of planning your day! How did you decide what props to bring and what to wear?!

Caroline:: We knew we wanted to do our engagement session in beautiful Sedona where our photographer, Sedona Bride, is based. For the first part of our shoot at Tlaquepaque, we just wore clothes that we felt comfortable in that were in similar color tones. For the second part of the shoot out by the red rocks, we thought it would be fun to do a road trip theme and convinced my Dad to let us borrow his fantastic red Corvette which ended up looking really great against the rocks. Bill wore a black motorcycle jacket to go with the theme and I wore a white dress and a pair of adorable red heels and belt to match the car. We also really love wine, so we also did a few shots of us sitting on a picnic blanket enjoying a glass of wine. It was just us having fun and doing what we like to do!

{See how happy she is?! UGH. I LOVE her!}

Ashley:: It's easy to tell you and Bill were genuinely having fun during this shoot. Getting in front of a camera can be awkward for some was there something you did to relax?

Caroline:: It was definitely a little awkward at first as neither of us had ever done a photo shoot like this before, but Bill is a complete jokester so he quickly started making me laugh and made us just relax and have fun with it. It's important to just act natural and be yourself and not worry too much about trying pose. Our photographer, Katrina Wallace from Sedona Bride, also really helped put us at ease. She is so good at what she does and has the kind of personality that makes you feel like you've known her your whole life.

Ashley:: We might be biased but we love your photographer, Sedona Bride, did they help give you any advice before or during your shoot?

Caroline:: Sedona Bride is simply amazing. Katrina told us to just be ourselves, keep moving, and focus on each other instead of trying to pose and look directly at the camera. She also told us to "snuzzle" which means "snuggle" and "nuzzle" and really helped us just enjoy each other's company and have fun.

Ashley:: Now on to wedding stuff.....What do you LOVE about planning your wedding?

Caroline:: The thing I love the most about planning my wedding is seeing all the creative fun details come together into my overall vision for the day - a modern, simple, elegant look with a touch of romance that is uniquely Bill and I. We have spent a lot of time thinking of creative ways to make the day special and memorable for both us and our guests and it has been a lot of fun expressing myself and coming up with some really unique details. Ashley has been absolutely fantastic and such a huge help and has really helped us come up with some amazing ideas! I can't wait to see it all.

Ashley:: So far what part of your wedding are you most excited to see come to life?

Caroline:: There are so many things I am excited about, it’s impossible to pick just one! I am so excited about our beautiful venue, the Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain with its gorgeous views of Paradise Valley and Camelback Mountain and its modern architecture. I am excited about my gorgeous dress and adorable bridesmaid dresses. I am excited about the fantastic food and our beautiful cake. I am excited about our beautiful white modern flowers. I am excited about our super fun band, the Instant Classics. I am excited to have all our closest family and friends together in one place for a really great party. Most of all, I am so excited to marry the love of my life and begin the rest of our lives together!

Ashley:: What is the one moment you can't wait for on your wedding day?

Caroline:: The one moment I can’t wait for on my wedding day is holding Bill’s hands in mine, looking into his eyes, saying “I Do”, and being pronounced husband and wife!

Caroline and Bill I can't wait for your beautiful Sanctuary Resort wedding this fall! It is going to be one amazing day to remember forever! I feel so blessed to be a part of it. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!

Wedding Planning Trend:: Scottsdale Cinematographer

Every once in a while as a wedding planner you meet a vendor who is so talented and good at what they do that makes the capacity of what weddings can be from large to a whole lot LARGER!

Meet Bright Bokeh. Jon and Jeff have been my friends for years, before they ever even entered the wedding industry. They are not only talented but they are just GREAT people.

The wedding trailer from my couple Karen & John and their wedding at DC Ranch in Scottsdale last Spring is one of their MANY examples of talented work.

If you are a bride be prepared to meet your videographer.

If you are just a blog reader be prepared to start stalking their facebook page.

Or if you just love a good love story.....sit back...relax and enjoy.

Karen + John | "From Chi-Town to P-Town" from Jonathan | Bright Bokeh on Vimeo.

Ashley Gain Featured:: Arizona Foothills Magazine

If you told my mom that her daughter was in a little black book, her heart might stop.....get your mind out of the gutter mama.

I am in a Black Book, only it's not your momma's {or my momma's} black book it's Arizona Foothills Magazine's Black Book.

Ashley Gain is in their top list of Black Book Vendors of their September issue Ashley Gain Weddings & Events has been featured for a second time!!!

Ashley Gain Weddings & Events was not the only thing to be featured this month but also a picture of me at the Best of the Valley Awards at Wrigley Mansion hosted by Arizona Foothill's Magazine. With my beautiful friends Stephanie & Britany {who is a photographer AND has been featured on my blog!}.

The Life In Between:: View From a Wedding Planner's iPhone

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see. ~John Burroughs

Time, it goes by so fast doesn't it?

One day it's Monday the next thing you know it's Sunday.

One day you go from single to having a boyfriend, and then in a blink of an eye there you are zipping up your wedding dress to take that walk down the aisle.

As a child my Grandma would take me on trips from the beaches in California to New York city. We would find cool restaurants, see amazing plays, visit see-it-to-believe it destinations. Each place added to me as a person and helped me view the world as this vast space where the possibilities were endless.

Grandma would makes me stop, not allowed to say a word, look all around my surroundings and just take it in. As a child it was hard enough for me to sit still so I didn't quite understand what she was having me do.

Now when I think back to those moments they are the moments I remember. Those times I just stopped, focused on that moment and took in all the life around me, those are the moments I will remember forever.

To this day I try to do the same thing. Only now, I take out my iPhone and snap a picture, so I can go back and see it.

I want to share with you some of those moments over the past month, in a new Ashley Gain posting called The Life In Between.

While on a venue tour for a client at the W Hotel in Scottsdale these were the flowers that were sitting on bar. I loved how the florist used the colors of the rocks to enhance the colors of the flowers. It was so vibrant and lovely.

During The Royal Couple's visit to Los Angeles I was blessed to attend the BAFTA event and after party at the luxurious Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont. During the event, although it was a split second, I got to shake Kate's hand and received a big beautiful smile from her. Full of grace and poise she carried herself like a true princess.

I am obsessed with Pintrest. I have seen SO many awesome pictures of fun girly manicures. SO I decided to try one. This is a first attempt with Sephora pink and gold glitter! Stay tuned for a much better looking second attempt!

There are days that I get hiccups like crazy. This day was no different. Jeff & Jon from Bright Bokeh and I made our way to The Hudson off Santa Monica in West Hollywood after a LONG day of shooting at our California destination. Jeff told me a secret on how to get the hiccups to go away. AND it WORKED!!! However, it means I have to make one not-so-cute face doing it. Well worth it.

A bed of rustic and chic succulents in our neighbors yard. This picture doesn't even fit half of them. I know a few brides that would love some this size for their wedding day!

My beautiful, sweet, fluffy, all heart dog Marlee. She was laying in my hubby's arms one day and just being her loving self. My dogs are my babies until I have babies.

One of the things that I love most about our wedding industry are the friends I make and get to work with. On a hot Scottsdale summer day I sat down to lunch with the amazing Rene of Bride and Groom Magazine and Sarah of Hagerty Photography at Olive & Ivy on the Scottsdale Waterfront.

One of the BEST things about spending some time in Los Angeles is the restaurants. Literally everywhere you go there is somewhere AMAZING to eat. My hubby took me on a brunch date to Tavern in Brentwood and more than just having amazing food the decor and set-up was amazing. This adorable bread display is my new inspiration for a 2012 Ashley Gain bride who is obsessed with cheese and bread! Maybe a similar display during cocktail hour?

Where would we be without our friends? Kim (on the left) and April (on the right) have been two of my VERY best friends for a very long time. April & I have been BBFs since Kindergarten and both of the girls were on cheer leading and pom squad at our Tucson high school together. We headed out to the W Hotel Scottsdale one night and took some fun goofy pictures. Just as if we were still 16. *smile*

During a weekend trip to Malibu Beach this seagull stared at me as I ate lunch on a deck above him. Literally, he just kept starring at me.

On a day date with my husband where Sunset Blvd meets PCH we stopped for a summer drink at Gladstones. Every moment I get to spend with him is precious to me. He snapped this picture as I was laughing with him about the story of our life together. He always makes me laugh

This is my life in between.

Thank you for letting me share with you!! XO

Happy Birthday Ashley

Happy Birthday to MY bride.

Being that it is August 9^th and Ashley’s Birthday, I asked for approval to hijack her blog for one post. I am new to the blogging scene so please excuse any lack of creativity.

I would like to write a little about Ashley and give you a brief idea of who she is as a person rather than just seeing what she creates. Ashley is the love of my life and I can say that I have never met anyone as beautiful both inside and out. If you have had the pleasure in meeting Ashley you would agree that her passion and love for people drives her both personally and professionally.

It would also be appropriate for me to tell a little bit about her and how she feels about her clients. Years ago, following her first wedding she came home very late and was exhausted with sore feet yet was riding an emotional high and she began crying. As a logical male, I automatically assumed something must have gone wrong. Yet it was the exact opposite, she loved and cared for her bride and groom so much that she was crying tears of joy. Even now she returns from every wedding on an emotional high and so happy. We spend at least an hour talking through all of the events, usually until 1:00-2:00 in the morning. She always has the same amount of happiness for each wedding. Although I love talking about weddings at 2:00am, I am not always being the best listener but it makes it hard to sleep with an excited voice chirping in your ear.

Ashley, thank you for loving me and allowing me to enjoy this ride of life with you. Here’s to many more 2:00am conversations. I love you.

Happy Birthday

Brad

Here is a picture of Ashley during our trip to Europe this past May being true to form dancing in the rain with a pink umbrella.

Featured:: Arizona Foothills Magazine's Wedding Planner

Just in case my love of sweets couldn't get any worse, I went ahead and decided to become a wedding planner.

Cakes, chocolate favors, cupcakes, dessert bars, after party ice cream bars.....you name it I have tasted it for clients! I have to make sure it tastes good before it gets served to the guests {or that's my excuse anyway}.

This week our article on Arizona Foothills Magazine's Wedding BUZZ Blog is all about cake stands. From bling to Anthropolgie we covered it all.

{Photo Courtesy of Raise The Cake}

We LOVE being a part of Arizona Foothills Magazine's luxury wedding blog!

Thank you for letting us share our wedding trend advice!

Heaven:: Malibu Wedding Planning

Malibu, home to celebrities, the rich and famous but it's also known for some pretty fabulous weddings.

On a hot, beautiful California day 50 wedding industry professionals gathered hillside on one of Malibu's most beautiful wedding venues, Church Estate Vineyards. WIPA hosted their monthly outing amongst the beautiful vineyards, waterfalls and stunning gardens.

{Beautiful Photos Courtesy of Imagery Immaculate}

A cocktail mingling session took place amongst the vineyards. I LOVED the yellow linens and bright colored flowers by Bound, A Floral and Event Studio & Floral Sense LLC.

It is rare as a planner that you get to enjoy the event itself and not actually planning it!

Mixologist Dan Smith from Good Gracious Events Los Angeles & Beverly Hills was on sight making the perfect summer cocktails.
Just in case you stick to wine {like myself} Church Estate makes their own private labeled wine. It was amazing!!!

Honestly, how amazing is the presentation?! From the setting to the beautiful food, it was a perfect way to spend the day.

I do have to say that there is never a dull "meeting" or industry function in the wedding planning world. They are always colorful, eventful and full of surprises!

After our walk through the vineyard it was off to hear some fabulous speakers chat about the California wedding industry and social media. The topics ranged from print magazines like The Knot to wedding Blogs like Broke Ass Bride.

Honestly, can I have one of these Raj Tents as my office?! They are so regale and elegant.The amazing Pauline Perry from Good Gracious Events hosted and made us all laugh with her charming sense of humor {OMGosh, that chandelier in the tent is stunning!}

Yes, this is how we spent our day...working. *love it*

The outside grass area turned tented living room was made complete by Form Decor and the comfy chic couches! AND of course, no couch is ever made perfect without throw pillows {that's just how event designers work!}Parasols for the "hot" 80 degree sun. ;)I feel like this is an "Ashley Gain" tent. Agreed?After our learn session it was off to lunch. Again provided by the talented Good Gracious Events who did an amazing job catering the affair.Each table was dress in summer colors around a pound. Swans, beautiful Monet inspired gardens and private table areas was the perfect ending event to a perfect wedding filled day.

The menu's were inside these little boxes. A very creative touch that was also unexpected. Guest's always LOVE surprises and the unexpected!

Stripes and patterns are SO in with wedding decor right now. Using a hint of pattern on a few tables really adds that POP in pictures.

What would a party for party planners if there wasn't a fabulous dessert and coffee bar at the end? Yummy mini donuts provided by The Fry Girl, Inc first and coffee from Cappuccino Club to keep me awake after all the eating second!

Whether you are in Malibu, Scottsdale or in your own home little surprises and attention to detail go a LONG way. You only get one opportunity to make a first impression!

{Beautiful Photos Courtesy of Imagery Immaculate}