Seriously, this wedding was a blast! Not only for the bride and groom, but the guests truly enjoyed themselves at Deanna & Joe’s Mad Hatter Tea Party wedding extravaganza!
I met with Joe & Deanna earlier this year to discuss their August wedding. At their Planning Consultation, Deanna revealed her dream of having a wedding with the them of a tea party, Mad Hatter style. She really wanted guests to be enticed with yummy sweets, treats, and of course tea as they enjoyed the entire day they were both already working so hard on planning. I was excited and determined to see their lovely dream come to fruition…
Originally Joe and Deanna had selected the Richard Nixon Library for their reception and another venue for their ceremony. Unfortunately, the ceremony venue was a bit farther from the reception, so they decided to move their ceremony to the lovely Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda, which is literally a hop, skip and a jump from the Nixon. It could not have worked out better! Plus, it is always a pleasure of mine working with Cathy at CCYL…
The day of the wedding happened to be a really hot one, as usual for that time in August. Deanna and her Bridesmaids arrived at the Nixon to dress and get ready for their pictures in the rose garden, while Joe and the guys arrived shortly thereafter to do the same. Because the blushing bride and groom decided not to see each other prior to the ceremony, we were on bit of a crunch time to make sure that they not only they didn’t see each other, but that they had plenty of time for pictures with their bridal parties prior to the ceremony. Natalie did and amazing job of insuring that the picture process ran as smoothly as possible and was able to get everyone to the church in time for the ceremony. On a side note, I just LOVE IT when Brides and Groom’s hire a videographer. It captures the “live” moments that once the day has come and gone, it will intrigue the senses when they get to watch their wedding video. And Charles, always does a fantastic job! Can’t wait to see their video (especially of their wedding dance!!!)
Back to the wedding…. Guests arrived at the church promptly at 3:30pm to be seated for their 4pm ceremony. The church looked absolutely charming all decked out in purples, pinks and ivory florals by Lavender Hill. As the lovely bride walked down the aisle, escorted by her father, guests were in awe of her radiance and excitement. It was truly setting out to be a beautiful occasion!
After the ceremony, guests showered the couple with pieces of lavender as they made their way into their limo to take off for pictures. Guests then headed over the the Nixon to peruse the museum, enjoy cocktails and tasty Hors d’ Oeuvres by none other than White House Catering, and play a bit of croquet in the Rose Garden where the stage was set for the start of their Mad Hatter Tea Party.
Deanna and Joe took the time to create so many wonderful details for their wedding, from a Wishing Tree to Personalized Drinks at the Bar…
To a yummy Candy Station and other treats galore… Everyone definitely got their fill of sweets at this wedding!
One of my favorite things from their special day was their wedding cake, created to go along with the Mad Hatter theme and the Groom’s Cake, which the Bride suprised her groom with. He really is her “Super Man!”
As guests danced the night away and were giggling with laughter from fun games, all created by Station Identification, I smiled as enjoyed watching this couple taking in the East Room in all its glory. Truly a lovely, wonderful wedding. Oh, I also have to give some “props” to Fly By Night, who added just that little splash of color to the East Room with Deann’s favorite pink lighting… it was a nice affect, don’t you think!?!?
Congratulations Joe & Deanna! Thanks for letting me be a party of your special day. I’ll always remember you two when I have a “spot of tea!”