Beautiful + Bright Sonoma Wedding: Mia + Kendrick

Mia and Kendrick are an adorable wine country couple who planned their wedding at the bride's parents' spectacular Sonoma home. The estate's stunning architecture and manicured grounds were the perfect canvas for an elegant affair. But the bride's playful personality was ever-present throughout the event, creating the seamless marriage of formal and fun. 

Guests witnessed the couples vows amid a classic palette of pale pink, white and brown. But when they moved to cocktails, the decor was injected with bright bold pink for a punch of colorful fun. Charming escort buttons hung from young maple trees replaced formal seating cards. 

Mia's Italian heritage and love of good food and wine meant the wedding dinner had to be a show-stopper. So the couple enlisted celebrity chef Tyler Florence to create their dream meal. A four-course affair featuring Italian favorites like burrata, carpaccio and lamb (more menu details to come, check back soon!). 

The dancing under the stars was one of the most memorable parts of the night. Mia and Kendrick took their first dance surrounded by sparklers, which continued to burn while Mia danced with her dad. Chef Tyler even came out of the kitchen for a spin around the floor with the bride. 

The crowd then moved inside the home's magnificent foyer for wedding cake by the Perfect Endings. More dancing to a DJ followed, then a late night party in the wine cellar kept things going into the wee hours.

My favorite decor detail from the day were the lovely individual wreaths on the ceremony chairs, so charming and perfect for the setting. But my favorite moment has to be the bride and groom's first dance surrounded by sparklers. Instead of the usual sparkler send-off, the whole wedding encircled them with light in such a romantic, memorable way. 

Photography by: Meg Smith

All-Star Bar Mitzvah

Please forgive my hiatus from the Laurie Arons Blog this summer. I had one very full event season and had to put my brides before the blog for a few months. But fortunately this means I'll have many exciting events to share with you soon. 

With the beloved San Francisco Giants in the NLCS right now, I couldn't miss a chance to post the amazing bar mitzvah I had the pleasure of planning earlier this year. The guest of honor Ashton is a huge Giants fan, so his parents celebrated his right of passage with a blow-out bar mitzvah at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The Giants-inspired design featured black and orange, and an "AF" logo (his initials) to replicate the Giants' SF logo. We had a great time carrying this throughout every imaginable inch of the event - from the "orange" carpet grand entrance, to the custom hotdog wrappers, to the over-the-top baseball-themed dessert buffet (complete with a spot-on replica World Series Trophy cake).

The night kicked off with cocktails in the dugouts, serving specialty drinks like the Splash Hit, the Ground Rule Double and the No-Hitter. A special surprise awaited the kids in the Giants locker room - their names on lockers stocked with great personalized gear. The Jumbotron then played an ESPN-style profile montage of Ashton, produced by Hart Pictures. It was one of the most spectacularly produced videos I've ever seen.

For dinner, the kids enjoyed ballpark fare straight out of the working Giants concession stands, while the adults were treated to an elegant sit-down dinner on the Club Level of the park. The DJ turned up the music after dinner to get everyone on the dance floor, and the kids enjoyed visiting the graffiti artists, airbrush tattoos, caricaturists and photobooth set up around the stadium.

Photography by Angie Silvy. 

As Seen In: Style Me Pretty

Thanks so much to Abby and the team at Style Me Pretty for the wonderful feature on Jenny & Jordan's September wedding at Durham Ranch. There is so much I love about this wedding, from the beautiful couple to the breezy yet elegant design to the mouth-watering fried chicken served up by Tyler Florence for the wedding dinner.

Meg Smith and her associates captured this special wedding perfectly; I'm so glad Style Me Pretty shared so many wonderful images from the day.

Olive Branches + Modern Touches

My clients looked all over the globe for their wedding location before ultimately realizing there was no place more perfect for them than Napa Valley. They chose my newest exclusive property Z Modern Estate in St. Helena for its sweeping views and clean modern lines.

The bride loved a look that was simple and elegant, so we selected Napa's second most popular plant, the olive tree, to carry as a theme throughout the wedding. Upon a fresh palette of white, Kathleen Deery Design incorporated delicate olive branches and green succulents into the arrangements. I brainstormed with Kathleen and Illusions Lighting to devise a unique lighting fixture for their dinner under the stars. Illusions erected long white poles and draped beautiful string lights wrapped in garlands of olive branches. As the sun went down, the glow from the dinner area was simply magical.

Guests danced the night away to the Durell Coleman Band before moving into a late night after party tent where DJ Dojah spun the groom's favorite music. 

Photography by Meg Smith. Catering by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering. Cake by Perfect Endings. Tabletop and tenting by Classic Party Rentals.

SF Happenings: Gump's Bridal Event

San Francisco brides simply must stop by Gump's on Sunday February 12th for their annual bridal event.  Gump's is one of my favorites for bridal registries - guests feel like they're buying something truly special that the couple will treasure for a lifetime. I'll be there, along with the lovely and talented Kathleen Deery. Sip sparkling wine and enjoy a continental brunch by Taste Catering as you take in all the beautiful tabletop items. Hope to see you then!

Q + A with Jim Avila + Darlene Carlson

A couple weeks ago, Huffington Post Weddings featured an article I wrote about wedding day beauty. I hope it proved to be an educational read for brides-to-be and their wedding parties.

The article shares advice from two of my highly recommended Bay Area wedding stylists, Jim Avila and Darlene Carlson. I had an enjoyable time interviewing them for the story, and wanted to share their full Q + A for even more tips on how to achieve a peaceful, beautiful wedding day.


What do you think makes a beautiful bride?

DC: Inner peace and calm reflects your true beauty,and gives you the chance to enjoy the love and happiness of your wedding day.


What is the best thing a bride can do beauty-wise to prepare for the wedding day?

DC: Arrange to have your hair and makeup done professionally on site. You won’t have to fight traffic and possible delays going to a salon. Instead spend your

time enjoying family and friends. You will have a fun and relaxing start to your wedding day.


On a wedding day, what are some of your secrets for a successful flow to getting ready?

JA: Work with a wedding planner or designer whom you know and trust. Do your homework before hiring them, then let them make decisions on the day so all you have to do is be calm and beautiful.

Have a trial with your hair and makeup artist before the big day, you don't want any surprises. Eat and drink your favorite things, but not too much. Brides tend not to eat and that can lead to you passing out.


What are your tips for jewelry on the wedding day for the bride and bridal party?

JA:  Don't wear too much! I don't recommending wearing a headpiece, necklace AND earrings - two pieces are good, three is too much. If you have on too much bling, people look at that and not you.  Your engagement and wedding rings are the most important pieces you will wear that day.

If you have family heirloom pieces, sometimes they work well with the bride's look and sometimes they do not. If it's important to your family that you wear them, consider wearing them only down the aisle or perhaps only at the reception, but not all day.

For bridesmaids, my advice is don't give each one the same thing. They are individuals, so it's nice to give each of these special people in your life something special too.

What are common mistakes brides make with regards to wedding day hair and makeup?

JA: Too much, too big, too overdone. You should look like you did the best job ever on yourself. You do not want to look like you were beat up at a make-up counter and tortured at the hair salon.  Think about how he likes to see you. 

My goal is to make each bride look elegant, chic, sophisticated and a little sexy. Remember this -- women get married, girls don't.

DC: Don’t date your wedding day by picking a trendy style for your hair or makeup. You don’t want to shudder when you see photographs years later.

Any other advice for brides?

JA: In the weeks leading up to the wedding, wear sunscreen on all parts of your body. exposed to the sun. The last things you want are tan lines and sunburns in your photos. If your groom is going to play sports to relieve stress, make sure he wears sunscreen too.

And speaking of grooms, don't let them groom get a haircut on the wedding day. In the week before, yes. But the day of, NO.

Photography by: Elizabeth Messina, kissthegroom.com

As Seen In: San Francisco Brides

I'm excited and honored to be included in the beautiful new edition of San Francisco Brides magazine - such a fun start to the new year.

San Francisco Brides features one of my favorite couples Noelle and Ken, and their elegant winter wedding at City Hall. Creating their creamy white and silver wonderland look was such a pleasure, and I'm excited to get to share it with readers.

The magazine also interviewed celebrity chef Tyler Florence about our wedding partnership. Tyler shares some wonderful insights about his philosophies for a spectacular wedding meal, not to mention a mouth-watering sample menu for a Spring affair.

Be sure to pick it up on newsstands, or flip through the online version as well.