A Beautiful and “Centered” Wedding
Posted by Allison on Oct 31, 2007. Filed under Real Weddings, Receptions, Wedding Ideas
With just 20 days to plan their wedding—from first phone call to the ceremony—my super-capable friend Debbie, along with her betrothed, Richard, pulled off their own wedding at their Alamo home last week. This was one of the most delightful and meaningful ceremonies I’ve ever attended (and I’ve been to many, many weddings). With two children and several years of living and loving together, the whole event took a familial, welcome tone that was anything but formal and stuffy. There simply wasn’t time to agonize over garters or table charts, so instead the couple could just ease into the sacred meaningfulness of the day. 
Debbie especially loved that prior to the guests arriving, the rabbi held a private ‘mood setting’ ritual for the family to “center them” into the meaning of the day so they could relax and enjoy their own wedding (hey it’s a California wedding, we can get ‘centered’ here!). Yes, that’s right: the bride was relaxed. Debbie was so keenly aware of each moment that she remembers where each of her 58 friends were sitting during her ceremony. Now that’s ‘centered’!
Naturally they used some of our Certified By The Guide wedding professionals to help with the event. Many comments were made about the scrumptious food by Susan Foord Catering. The Lafayette-based catering firm, Debbie notes, is voted best caterer in the East Bay on a regular basis. Plus, Foord helped tremendously with the coordination of the details: providing tents, a dance floor, etc. But, most importantly: they were easy to work with! Katrina Rozelle Cakes provided their whimsical “Mad Hatter” cake, which kept the lighthearted and celebratory tone of the day going until the very end. 
Halloween Hot Shots
Posted by Jolene on Oct 31, 2007. Filed under Off Beat, Photography, Stuff We Love
Northern California photographer Jennifer Baccioco’s latest triumph is the cover of our upcoming Southern California edition of Here Comes The Guide. Her romantic, photo-journalistic style is perfect for our baby blue and chocolate brown design, due to hit the shelves by January 1, 2008!
And in case you’re critter crazy like me and wouldn’t dream of walking down the aisle without Fido or Fifi in attendance, take note—Jennifer is extremely adept at working with animals of all kinds.
Case in point: While browsing her site, I came across one of Jennifer’s more, uhh, exotic accomplishments: A cavalcade of cute costumed cavies in a creative calendar. (Cool!)
For the uninitiated, cavy=guinea pig, and we’ve got three of these clever cuties in our home. They’re always in the Harrington holiday photo cards (along with the assorted dogs and occasional cat). No mean photographic feat, that.
So kudos to Jennifer! (And she thought photographing tipsy bridesmaids was a challenge!)
News About the Southern California Fire
Posted by Meredith on Oct 30, 2007. Filed under Locations
We’ve all been on pins and needles here at Here Comes The Guide, wondering if any of our Southern California wedding locations were affected by the fires that are still raging after over a week. I’d like to share some heartwarming news from our friend Margie Hopkins, who has both family homes and an event location in Fallbrook. She represents the gorgeous Fallbrook wedding location, The Grand Tradition, and we’re so thankful that it was spared! 
Margie’s comments show the undeniable spirit of those affected, and what can happen when a community comes together after disaster strikes:
Dear Here Comes the Guide,
Thanks for the kind email checking in on us. We are among the safe in Fallbrook. The Grand Tradition and our friends there are safe, also. My husband, Frank, and I were evacuated on Monday along with thousands of other residents.
Early Thursday, we were on a list of 12 residents allowed past the military police to reenter Fallbrook so we could man the phone lines of the main (and only) info center in Fallbrook. We were privileged to spend 4 days on the phones talking with distressed residents letting them know who could return and who couldn’t. We let them know when they could expect to return. We had lists of houses destroyed and where those people needed to go to get help. It was such a blessing to tell some folks that there house was not damaged.
Our own home was within a half-mile of the burn. Our son’s home was within a quarter-mile of the burn area. We are told by our Fire Department, that had the winds kept up, all of Fallbrook would be gone. 
We are very humbled by this experience, and are now planning our best route to be of assistance to our fellow “Fallbrookians”. It is a different world, and we are speechless to explain the experience of waving and saying “thanks” to Military Police driving down our small private road to check on us. It is also heart-rending to see the high-spirits of our Fallbrook-neighbors who have lost everything and their positive attitudes toward recovery. There were no deaths in Fallbrook. What more can be said!
Our friend, a Navy Chaplain, will tell you that it was not “nature” but our thousands of prayers to God that saved us.
If you have an evacuation story or news about your wedding location, please let us know. We’re happy to help connect those who need help with those who are offering help. Also know that our hearts go out to all our friends, family, clients and colleagues in So Cal. While our wishes for safety may be meager at this time of trauma for so many, the depth of our caring is immense.