Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a bride whose head seems to be high up in the clouds. Her name is Monique and rainbows and butterflies are the theme of her wedding. I must say for my bride Monique, though this initial concept took me by surprise and made my face cringe, when I met her, I wanted to make her dream come true.When I walk up to a bride’s house and they open the door for the first time, most usual responses are screaming, cheers, and jumping up and down. Yet, when I got to Monique and Gus’s front door, I was greeted with a different excitement. Monique opened the door and was immediately in tears. My heart sank. This girl was so overjoyed with emotion and gratitude of my being there, that she broke down crying. I immediately comforted her with a hug and she continued to cry and told me “her dream is coming true”. Once Monique composed herself, she introduced me to her fabulous groom, but soon he was out the door and Monique and I got right to work.
Butterflies? Rainbows? They were everywhere, and Monique took the words right out of my mouth when she said it looked like a 5 year old’s birthday party. She was confused, stuck, and this little butterfly was struggling to make it out of her cocoon. My first question, was the most important. “Why butterflies and rainbows?” I said. Monique responded by saying “butterflies are a symbol of beauty and freedom, and rainbows are important because they are a representation of unity in life.”
Monique’s family is important to her and these beautiful things best represent her love for her family. But wait… She has how many bridesmaids? 14! That means 28 people in the wedding party! She’s not going to have many guests because they are all going to be in the bridal party!
Therefore, I needed to spread my own wings and fly fast because I needed to get to the other side of the rainbow and avoid any dark clouds. The first things I wanted to do for Monique was give her that touch of glamour to incorporate the rainbow theme. So, I took her to the Swarovski store in Los Angeles to decide on what gift she wanted to give her bridesmaids. Then after seeing three different butterfly accessories in crystal, I wanted to treat her like the glamorous bride she is and give her a set of jewelry to wear at her wedding. I wanted her to try on a few different sets of jewelry because when hit in the right light, crystals reflect the colors of the rainbow. She tried on three gorgeous sets, and after an exhausting day of being pampered, I had another special surprise in store.
Where better to take a bride who loves butterflies and rainbows, than up in the clouds on a private jet provided by Wings Jets! Monique’s breath was taken away, as we ascended into the sky. We each had a glass of champagne to celebrate, and when she thought her life in the air couldn’t get any more spectacular, the pilot announced that we were flying over Malibu. I then told her I was changing her original venue, from the golf resort, to the gorgeous Church Estates in Malibu. What’s important for my brides to remember on this extremely important and special time, is that though it can be stressful, they need to take the time to relax and enjoy. After all, this is one of the most memorable moments in your life. After a long and exciting day, we needed to get our beauty rest because we had a few more changes to make before the big day.
We showed up to Two Birds to change up the bridesmaid dresses. Monique’s initial concept began to change once she realized that there were other ways to accent the colors of the rainbow than with the dresses. Two of her bridesmaids tried on three different gowns that all had a different look and feel. But the sky blue dresses with the white rosettes painted a beautiful picture and I knew would tie into her theme very nicely. After we finished with the dresses, I took Monique to see linens that had another very eclectic feel, and she was finally beginning to see my vision and hand over the reins. We saw a few different options, and as she saw all of the colors together, she retreated to wanting more of a monochromatic feel. With all of these decisions to make, my little butterfly needs to rest her wings, because now is the time I step in and work my magic and make everything take flight.
The big day had finally come and everything was in place at Church Estates in Malibu. There were pastel color chairs, which lined the aisle way of the ceremony with beautiful topiaries that had dozens of butterflies on them. Three archways, filled with ivy and flowers, also had butterflies, lined the alter where my bride and her groom were going to have their ceremony. But first, I went to greet Monique and give her a few things before she saw the ceremony. I introduced her and her bridal party to a team of hair and makeup artists that were going to take care of them for the first part of the day. I also gave Monique a set of jewelry which she loved, and also surprised her with custom designed heels that had just that touch of rainbow. As for the gifts we picked at Swarovski, each of the girls wore a butterfly crystal necklace that shined beautifully as they walked down the aisle. Then, it was finally time…
Monique looked magnificent and it felt as if she were walking on clouds in the sky. She was truly in a dream state and could not have been any happier. I took her and Gus to see their reception area and they were beyond thrilled. They both held their hearts and teared up because of how overwhelmed with emotion they were. There were different tiers where the guests tables were, that led down to a pond where geese swam. The sweetheart table sat right at the edge of the water near the dock, where Monique and Gus would share their first dance. It was truly remarkable and at the center of each table were an array of pastel flowers with butterflies scattered among the centerpieces.
Everything in Monique’s vision finally had come to life and she could breathe easy. My bride had reached the end of the rainbow and was extremely satified with what she found. I met this delicate bride when she was just budding out of a cocoon and it didn’t take long for her to become a mature, confident and beautiful butterfly that finally spread her wings.
