We just got the news that Weddings by SML has received the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award in 2011 now setting three consecutive years that we have received the distinction!

What this means is that Weddings by SML stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

Truthfully, the reason we get these awards is because of our couples and the fantastic reviews they have left us over the past few years. Thank you so very much to all who contributed and we are truly looking forward to some big things in 2011 🙂

Stay tuned. . . . .

While January is usually a time for winter sports, snow storms, and hot cocoa, here in beautiful Southern California, we keep rockin’ the weddings! Tony + Chrystal invited us to be a part of their day as laughs and vows were shared along with an unusual invitation for the groomsmen. . . . .

The girls got ready at the salon and as Tony made the final touches, his parents gave him a traditional Chinese blessing as they placed his jacket upon him to send him off.

Special thanks to John from VIP Events for his help at the reception and also a shout out to Kristy Walker from Studio Verite. Kristy is a great photographer and so fun to work with as well! Filmed on location at the Grand Tradition in Fallbrook.

No snow at this wedding, just a ton of fun and a wonderful couple! Here is the Same Day Edit we showed at their reception on Saturday night.

P.S. – Did somebody say photobooth??? Of course we couldn’t resist. Our favorite is the Bottom left.

The destination wedding is always an option that we welcome and for a number of reasons. Not only did Ted + Lisa allow us the opportunity to share their story in a unique and distant setting, but it also allowed us the opportunity to show why this setting was chosen and special to the two of them. Set in the sleepy town of Morro Bay, this wedding had a small town vibe with a gracious and intimate group of family and friends. This highlight includes footage filmed over multiple days on their wedding weekend

As we welcome in 2011, we start January off with a Bang, lol, literally. And the jokes are not going to get any better, so please don’t hold your breath. Let’s just say this shoot was so much fun to be a part of and we couldn’t wait to pull the trigger on this one. . . . ok I’m done now.

It seems as though every year, our couples look to outdo one another as it pertains to their activities for the morning of the wedding day. Golf outings with father and son. . . . .5K runs and Yoga on the Beach. . . . so when Ted + Lisa showed us their list and it said “Guys to go Trap Shooting”, we were sold. ha! Not to mention the pun of the phrase (Ted’s last name is Trapp) was too knee-slapping funny to ignore.

We don’t get the opportunity to follow a storyline like this at every wedding, but Ted + Lisa’s day wasn’t like every wedding either. Filmed on location up north in the sleepy seaside town of Morro Bay, let’s just say that we stuck out like sore thumbs. As we went to grab some footage of the small town shops, locals were curious to say the least, but when we informed them that we were there for the “Trapp Wedding”, they looked at us with a face that said, “Oh, the Trapp Wedding! Why didn’t you just say so in the first place???”

Anyways, back to the storyline. . . . .Ted + Lisa are anything but ordinary and their sense of humor proves that point. While they don’t take anything in life too seriously, they did have a plan for their day. Lisa mentioned at one point in the reception that “It takes a village”, referencing what went into the planning of the wedding. That had more meaning than either of us realized because as we began to edit, we saw that theme over and over again in the footage, even culminating in the final shots of this trailer where family members came together at the rehearsal to put the decorating touches on the small church Ted + Lisa were to be married in. Grandma dropped flower petals on the runner that Ted had been on his hands and knees to tape down. Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, and friends, all rushed last minute to put the final touches on the church so it would be ready to go the next afternoon for the ceremony.

From sunrise to sundown over the 3 days we shared with Ted + Lisa, everyone surrounded the lucky couple and their sense of humor and willingness to laugh at each other and themselves even showed its face during the vows. While Lisa feels this word can be cheapened by its overuse, there truly is one word that describes the wedding weekend that was Ted + Lisa. . . . . amazing.

A special thank you to Paul Thompson from Escape Entertainment. Also, a special recommendation for anyone looking for a gem of a find in Morro Bay. If you want to treat yourself to a fantastic dinner on the water, goto Windows on the Water, where Ted + Lisa’s reception was held.

So. . . . . . the lovely ladies over at The Wedding Chicks asked us to take part in a crazy concept wedding shoot gone real. That’s right, this shoot was originally going to be a concept spread (where they dress up a wedding, but have models as stand in Bride and Grooms), but then they found a REAL B&G, and in only 3 WEEKS, this wedding came together for real!!!

The details at this wedding were beyond off the hook, and lets just say my personal favorite was the patio heaters, so be sure to pay close attention to those! I’m posting the trailer here, but you can check out the FULL wedding as it is featured on Wedding Chicks with all the AMAZING vendors that were a part of it, by clicking HERE.

Thank you again Amy and Jocey for inviting us to the shin dig and here it is. . . . Janelle + Scott // As Featured on Wedding Chicks.

Opposites attract. Clear and simple. One of the undeniable truths of the universe. Just as gravity pulls objects towards the earth and inertia will keep an object in motion; just as air smells cleaner after a good solid rain and trees shed their leaves in winter only to re cultivate them again in the spring, opposites will always attract to one another.

Becky is flat out corky and fun. While we haven’t known her for years, you can tell instantly when she comes in the room. There is a gaping smile just waiting to surface and it is when she is around her childhood friends that the personality truly comes to life as demonstrated by the “gift” that was given to her by Amy, her maid of honor, as the girls got ready.

Mark is calm, cool, collected. Not that he doesn’t have fun (the guy used a mechanic’s shop creeper for the garter remover), but he definitely balances Becky out. He is clearly the one for her and most certainly her opposite.

Becky’s father is a Church Pastor. As you will learn in the trailer, he has presided over many weddings, but walking his own daughter down to the aisle to then preside over her wedding was a special moment. To say that it added a very personal dynamic to an already emotional ceremony would be an understatement.

A very special thank you to Kimi Wislocki from Perfect Planning for all of her help with orchestrating the day’s events. Also, a shout out to Stefanie from Studio EMP who brought out the best in Mark and Becky and whose imagery is stunning. Finally, a big thanks to Steve Shanahan from Honored Occasions for keeping the evening rocking. . .always fun to work with Steve!

It was such a joy to share in Mark and Becky’s day and there are so many elements we cannot wait to share with them in their feature film, but in the meantime, here is a sneak peak. . . .