C&C Engagements, Inc.: Cheers to Donna & Leo Dizon

We had one beautiful wedding to start our Summer (Arlan-Aleman Wedding)...and we finished with another memorable wedding to end it on Saturday, August 20, 2011 for Donna Megino and Leo Dizon.

When Courtney told me last Fall that she had another client lined up for us, my eyes lit up with excitement thinking to myself, "Perfect, another one we can add to to our C&C portfolio." Hey, it's a start. Donna is her name...a cousin of Lionel (Courtney's fiancee).

I met Donna for the first time when we had our initial consultation in late August 2010, and already I felt her free-spirited nature she carried with her. She has this easy-going aura, sweet and kind about everything. Throughout the planning, I learned more about her (her childhood illness she overcame and the things she had gone through that impacted her life growing up (Donna's video). Even gone through difficult times of healing, she grew to be a beautiful woman inside and out, and proudly carries her big dreams everywhere she goes, especially when it came to her wedding. She wanted it to be as special as the person she was going to marry...as special as her family and closest friends mean to her...and as special as her heart is and who God made her to be.

We worked with Donna closely month after month...which sometimes then turned into weekly chats as we approached the month of March. Leo, who was living in Virginia with a 3-hour time difference finally got on board to do our weekly chats at any odd hour. Soon after, we all were in sync with what was needed to get done. Yes, that's right, Virginia and yes, that's right, Donna lives here in California. And YES, for 7 years, they managed to stay in love and dedicated to one another clear across the country. Who does that? I'll tell you who...Donna & Leo. :) As you've heard it before "Absense makes the heart grow fonder" and oh, how they can testify to that. Their strength and stability is something we can all learn from.

When we got together with Donna, she already knew what her colors were and the guest list which stood roughly around 120. The colors she chose were beautiful (reminded me of a soft, yet fun and striking event to be had). Fuchsia is such a bold and vibrant color, so choosing tan, chocolate brown, and ivory as her accent colors made it a little less bold. This worked well for her flowers, as she wanted them to have that pop to radiate a fun, yet chic atmosphere. We went on a mission trying to find the perfect venue to fit her budget and finally after several and more inquiries to local bay area venues, Oakhurst Country Club nestled in beautiful Clayton, CA was the residing winner to accommodate their needs for their big day.

To work her budget a little more cleaner, Donna decided to opt and do her own flowers with the help of her gals in waiting. Not only did she save money with her florals by visiting the local flowermart, but she did an excellent job with her stationaries (invites, programs, namecards, table #'s). Alot of DIY (including the ribbon wands that were waved during the reception in lieu of clinging glasses for the couple to kiss) was invovled and that made it even more personable and eventful.

She didn't want a typical sign-in area with a sign-in book, so she created two photo albums from Shutterfly and had people sign in them. Before we knew it, the idea to have a wishing tree was born. It turned out spectacular, as people signed their well wishes on beautifully cut cardstock in many different colors, which already had the ribbon tied to the paper, ready to be strung onto the manzanita branches (I glued on the fuchsia colored dried freeze orchids to add a little bit of that pop she wanted).

River rocks were ordered and purchased and we used the large ones for the wishing tree, while the smaller rocks went into our 13 centerpiece vases. White alstroemeria flower were placed in the vases and water was added to float the ivory candle.

The cake table was decorated with the same jute runner that was placed on every guest table. She went with Minia's Bake Shop in Newark, CA and chose a 2-tiered chocolate flavored cake with fresh strawberries. One hundred beautifully decorated cupcakes flavored with a Filipino favorite of ube mocha macapuno stood on a 4-tier cupcake stand, which sat behind the main wedding cake.

Donna also requested her Mickey and Minnie wedding hats she had purchased during her bachelorette trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth" be displayed to the side so that they could put them on before cutting their cake.

What a cute picture that turned out to be!

The night continued on with her family showering the newly married couple with love, smiles, laughter and lots of dancing. A big fan of not only Disneyland but Hello Kitty, she couldn't resist the adorable pink Hello Kitty shoes she danced the night away in.

It was a pleasure working with a couple devoted to each other no matter the distance. And with Leo making a move to the Bay Area, what a great way to celebrate the upcoming holidays with his new wifey. Here's to the their "Ever After..."