Real Wedding Inspiration: Veronica & Brian's Romantic Lavender Wedding

While eggplant purple was a popular color last Fall, the more subtle, lavender, tone this charming couple chose suited them very well & gave their wedding a nice, soft, elegant look.

This neat little box with inserts for photos of the couple was the perfect card box.

Also at the reception table, guests found their place cards which were delicately decorated with gem stones to add sparkle.

 For their glamorous ceremony, the couple also upgraded their aisle decor with these pedestals & sheer draped white fabric, designed by one of our preferred floral vendors, Pure Elegance. The flowers on top of the pedestal were later moved inside during cocktail hour for 6 of the tables as was the center spray on the arbor, which doubled as the sweetheart table arrangement. 

Insider tip: to save money, make your ceremony flowers do double duty! Ask your florist & venue for help in making the most out of your floral budget by helping you move pieces from the ceremony setup inside while you mingle with your guests after the ceremony.

The room looked very pretty when it was all set before the guests came in from cocktail hour. They chose lavender overlays & white napkins to incorporate their color scheme.

The head table with the center spray from the arbor was fit for a king & his queen.

As their favors, the couple chose mini customized bottles of olive oil & balsamic vinegar. I really appreciate when you get something at a wedding that you can actually use, or in this case eat!

And of course, the cake! This gorgeous one was designed by my personal favorite preferred bakery, La Creme, which means it also tasted great!

Insider tip: Remember when you go on your cake tasting appointment, that the taste of the cake really does matter. It'll be the last impression you leave on your guests & though a fondant & diamond decorated cake might look great for pictures, there's nothing like a tough, dry tasting cake to spoil the evening.

But obviously, this gorgeous, moist, buttercream frosted La Creme creation was to die for!

Congratulations again to our fun loving couple Veronica & Brian!

We hope you enjoyed your day & continue to celebrate your milestone moments with us.

Real Wedding Inspiration: Rebecca & John's Romantic Red & Black Wedding

It's time for a little more real wedding inspiration for you from our past brides & grooms!

This wedding was for a super sweet couple & lovely family... 

Rebecca & John decided to go with a very romantic red & black color scheme for their wedding.

For the seating chart, they went a more modern, less fussy route opting for a seating chart list of names, instead of the usual individual seating cards (grouping guests under the first letters of the last names to make it easier for everyone to locate their names).



A fun touch to decorate the area around the guest book-The groom used his artistic talent to sketch the couple's images on these canvases that were propped up around the reception table. The red rose petals & candles also helped to set the mood from the moment the guests arrived at this romantic affair.



The white arbor got a black tie upgrade with black fabric draped over the front & two large arrangements on the side & top corner. I like that it's not symmetrical because it made it look very chic & modern. Elizabeth at Van Nuys Flowers (one of our preferred vendors who did all the flowers for this wedding) always knocks it out of the park!



That walk down the aisle sure looks pretty with red rose petals tossed on the bright green grass leading up to the arbor! Outdoor weddings are so picturesque...

Case in point, this killer view! I took this photo with my simple point & shoot camera, so just imagine what your photographer can capture on your big day!

Normally I don't show photos of our clients, but this photo is abstract enough to keep the bride's identity private & the train on her dress just has to be seen! Such a gorgeous & happy bride too!

(By the way, that's Julie, our Private Events Director, on the left sending the bride off with her dad for her big moment!)

The room, looking sophisticated & stylish with black chair covers, black linen table cloths to the floor, white napkins with a pocket fold, & all red roses in the arrangements...

The square vase of the arrangements & candles made for a clean, streamlined look.

For the favor, the couple gave each guests a heart shaped wine bottle stopper with personalized ribbon with their names & wedding date. A perfect parting gift to remind guests of their loving celebration!

The sweetheart table had the prettiest white draping that really made it stand out from the rest of the tables.

And for the couple's wedding toast...personalized flutes of course!

Now moving closer to the cake, one of the most anticipated elements of every reception...

Served with no less than this elegant personalized server & cake knife...

And what a gorgeous cake it was! Notice all the detailed scroll work by Jaqki's Bakery? No wonder our brides love her cakes. The black ribbon & red roses topping the cake are the perfect touch.

Would you like a piece?

Congratulations again Rebecca & John!

Thank you for celebrating your special day at Porter Valley!

Real Wedding Inspiration: Judy & Brandon's Elegant Silver, Lavendar & Pink Wedding

Here are the highlights of yet another wonderful wedding at our Club to help give you some inspiration for your wedding. I really liked the silver, lavender, & pink color scheme they chose. This was a very romantic wedding with several personal details that turned out perfectly.

The couple had one of their great engagement photos framed with a large white mat so the guests could sign & leave them their well wishes. Great keepsake!

An outdoor wedding is always a favorite. Here the aisle was dressed up with sheer white fabric hung over pedestals with beautiful flower arrangements on top (insider tip: these can be moved inside to a few of the reception tables before your guests enter the room to save money).

Our four post arbor was dressed up with sheer white swagging to enhance the romantic look along with a center spray of flowers & two bunches on the side to even out the look (insider tip: these too can be moved inside for the flowers on the sweetheart table to help with costs).

The bridesmaids were in gorgeous silver gowns, groomsmen wore handsome tuxes, & the bride wore a lovely strapless white gown. Even the little ones were dressed to the nines in their wedding attire with their own coordinating boutonniere & flower basket. 

The getaway horse! This is one of the offerings we include in our evening packages which I have come to love. It gives the wedding such a fun, fairytale element.

The room always looks elegant with our crystal chandeliers & choice of linen. This couple went with ivory overlays & silver napkins so that their flowers (by our preferred vendor Pure Elegance) would be the pop of color bringing in their lavender & pink color scheme.

Each guests found a frame with their name on it on the reception table on their way in to the reception room. This served both as their escort card letting them know which table to set at as well as a cute party favor.

The cake, by Delicious bakery, was uber girly & sweet (literally)! I love the double heart design-perfect for two people in love like Judy & Brandon!

Congratulations Judy & Brandon on a beautiful wedding & we hope your lifetime together is just as amazing!

Real Wedding Inspiration: Oanh & Adam's Fairytale Ceremony & Reception

This wedding was a joy to be a part of because the couple was so sweet, as were their families, & they had some great romantic touches, like a horse & carriage as well as custom lighting with sheer drapping on the banquet room pillars.

We enjoyed the special details the bride & groom added, including these cute table names (like our previous bride who named each table after characteristics of a loving marriage) with a photo of the couple together; This definitely added a personal touch to the reception.

Their favors were so cute-little handmade magnets imported from Vietnam (where the bride's family was from) to add a cultural element to the wedding. They also included a sweet message to their guests on a card with the favor.

Another beautiful cake by one of our preferred vendors, La Creme; Very pretty delicate designs & light pink flowers to match the centerpieces.

The couple had a lovely, elegant arbor decorated with sheer white drapping & lots of flowers flowing over the top & sides.

This was my first wedding at Porter Valley where the couple had the horse & carriage (which is included in our $13,000 inclusive package; some opt to remove it & use the credit towards other things like more flowers). I absolutely loved it! It really added a fantasy, fairytale type element to the wedding. It wasn't too overdone, but made it extra special.

Another fun thing about the horse & carriage is that the guests were expecting to see the bride & her father come down the aisle after the rest of the wedding party, but then when they came riding in on the side by the golf course on the carriage everyone was caught off guard & started clapping. It added a fun element of surprise & I bet the bride felt a rush of excitement coming around the corner on the horse to her wedding!

The happy couple leaving their wedding ceremony in elegant style!

Congratulation Oanh & Adam! We hope you have a fairytale marriage too!

We Loved Meeting The New Brides & Grooms At The Expo Bridal Show!

This weekend's Expo Bridal Show at the Universal Hilton was a big success. We spoke to many excited couples about their upcoming weddings and had over 50 brides & grooms enter in our drawing for a romantic dinner for two. I am happy to announce the winners have been selected. Drum roll please... Linda & Robert from Virginia! Congratulations! We look forward to having you come by for dinner to celebrate your engagement. Congratulations to all the other couples who are newly engaged too! We hope you will come by to see us to find out if Porter Valley is your dream wedding location (I think you will fall in love with it, but don't just take my word for it, make an appointment to see it in person)!

We had a lovely time with our preferred vendors from La Creme there with us to give out samples of their delicious cake, our lighting and design guru Mars hooked up the booth and made it look awesome, and one of our preferred florists Tina's gave us a beautiful centerpiece to show the brides what they can get with our packages. Here are some highlights of the day...Enjoy!

Our booth looked amazing, thanks Mars!

We had a raffle for a dinner for two at our club, which the brides and grooms were excited to try to win. Plus a slideshow of our beautiful wedding photos playing for them to watch while sitting in our lounge.

Tina's Flowers made a gorgeous arrangement. I loved the feminine color choices. Perfect for any wedding!

The women from La Creme really helped us get the couples in our booth with their yummy cake samples. They screen printed a photo of our lake view which gave them a great intro to talk about our club. Smart women! And the cake was a show favorite. Not too sweet, but still decadent.

Julie, our Private Events Director, with a soon to be bride explaining our packages. We had many interested couples who were surprised by our competitive pricing. We take care of all the details in our all inclusive packages without the high cost that a lot of other venues charge.

We had a great time meeting new brides and grooms in this relaxed environment and look forward to showing them our location in person soon. As much as brides and grooms like seeing all the options at these shows, nothing beats coming in to the venues to see what they really look and feel like to make your choice. I definitely recommend shopping around and hearing what everyone offers before you decide so you are sure you are making the best choice for your wedding day. As someone who's worked in this industry for a while now, I am confident our packages, ammenities, and gorgeous space will win anyone over who comes here but I always like to know that the couples have made an educated decision and looked at what others offer before they choose us. Your wedding is a big deal to us and we know it is to you too, so always explore your options then let us know how we can help you make your day perfect!

Lucy & Patrick's Wedding Reception With Floral Flair

This lovely couple had a friend help design their flower arrangements, though as he told me, "I'm just a friend who likes to play with flowers". But I say he did an awesome job & should consider making this his day job!

I loved the 3 levels of arrangements, especially the monochromatic ones with roses of all the same pink & white hues. Very classic & modern at the same time.

The menus were also professionally printed with an elegant design & tucked in to an ivory napkin with a traditional pocket fold.

 

How cute are these little shot glass favors doubling as seating card holders? The flower in the "pots" tied in the couple's pink color scheme.

The sweetheart table with a Garden of Eden style makeover.

Just gorgeous!

And yes, there was a stunning cake! It was adorned perfectly with pink & white colored flowers. Also, I have to point out how cute the cake by Delicious Bakery was with its bows, just like a gift box! That's one gift I know I'd like!

Have A Great First Year of Marriage Lucy & Patrick!

We hope you had a wonderful time with your loving family & totally amazing friends here at Porter Valley. It's definitely good to have friends like yours! Congrats!