Transforming dreams into reality...
Opulent Gatsby inspired wedding at the Prado Balboa Park

JENNIFER & CHAD

PRADO AT BALBOA PARK

PART 2 – THE CELEBRATION

In this Social Butterfly, a Monarch Weddings’ blog, Part 2 “The Celebration” you will see stunning details of this blush, ivory, black and gold Great Gatsby inspired wedding  at the Prado at Balboa Park.  There was glitz, glamor, opulence and beauty.  There are many Gatsby  themed details from the mini champagne bottle favors with art deco designed place-cards, to the elaborate candy station (La Dolce Desserts) and stunning opulent floral centerpieces with feathers crystals and pearls (Splendid Sentiments Floral Design), to the beautiful laser cut menus by Whimsique and gorgeous rose gold, black and antique gold sequin linens and white and crystal lounge pieces from Concepts Event Design. And what would a Gatsby themed wedding be without a beautiful champagne tower? read more

Stunning Gatsby inspired wedding at the Prado Balboa Park

JENNIFER & CHAD

PRADO AT BALBOA PARK
PART 1 – PRE-CEREMONY & CEREMONY

It’s so much fun to design around a beautiful theme and this one is one of my favorites.  This stunning was wedding a the Prado at Balboa Park was inspired by Great Gatsby and the art deco designs of the 1920’s era.  There was glitz, glamor, opulence and beauty.  From the beautiful Gatsby inspired invitation with it’s black laser cut design with gold and ivory color pallet (by Whimsique) to the beautiful and intricate detail of the beading of the subtle blush tones wedding dress, to the opulent florals centerpieces with crystals, pearls and feathers (Splendid Sentiments Floral Design), to the Mini Champagne Favors/place-cards with themed art decor designed place-cards to the beautiful champagne tower and sequin glamorous linens (Concepts Event Design) and even the Great Gatsby themed music – you felt and saw the theme throughout. read more

Gorgeous Gold, Lovely Lace & Lavender Hotel Del Wedding – #2

KATHRYN & NICK

THE HOTEL DEL CORONADO

PART 2 – THE CELEBRATION

Designing and planning this glamorous gold, lovely lace and lavender wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado was so much fun!  The bride (Kathryn) and Groom (Nick) lived on the East Coast, so we planned their destination wedding all over the phone. In fact, I met her for the first time at the Rehearsal.  She intrusted me with all the planning and design, which was so fun for me.  In fact, at the beginning of the design process, the I asked her “what are some of your favorite wedding design elements and colors”, to which she replied, ” I love lace and bling and my colors are ivory, violet/lavender, and gold”.  Then of course, she shared her pinterest board with me and I saw that she loved opulent floral centerpieces and got a good sense of her style, so from there it was a fun design process and collaboration with Bethany and Splendid Sentiments for floral decor.  We decided to keep the Ceremony and Reception mostly soft ivory, gold and lace (shown in Part #1)  and the Cocktail hour we played up the lavender color.  I feel in love with Concept Event Designs new lace linen with a gold soft bridal satin. read more

Gorgeous Gold, Lovely Lace & Lavender Hotel Del Wedding – #1
bride-groom-portraits-beach-under-veil-hotel-del-coronado-wedding

Love these bridal portraits on the beach. The lighting is insanely beautiful and love the softness and romantic look of this shot under the veil. Stunning! Pam Scott – You nail it every time!

KATHRYN & NICK

THE HOTEL DEL CORONADO

PART 1 – DETAILS & CEREMONY

I had a blast designing and planning this glamorous gold, lovely lace and lavender wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado.  The bride (Kathryn) and Groom (Nick) lived on the East Coast, so we planned their destination wedding all over the phone. In fact, I met her for the first time at the Rehearsal.  This worked so well because she truly trusted me ad the wedding panning and design process.

As for the decor/design of this beautiful wedding, the bride allowed me to truly showcase my expertise and design skills by giving me pretty much design control.  I presented ideas I thought would be amazing and it seemed to click perfectly with your design aesthetic – we also through in some surprises she didn’t know about.   The results are magical!  At the beginning of the design process, the I asked her “what are some of your favorite wedding design elements and colors”, to which she replied, ” I LOVE lace and bling and my colors are ivory, violet/lavender, and gold”.  Then of course, she shared her pinterest board with me and I saw that she loved opulent floral centerpieces and got a good sense of her style, so from there it was a fun design process and collaboration with Bethany and Splendid Sentiments for floral decor.  We decided to keep the Ceremony and Reception mostly soft ivory, gold and lace and the Cocktail hour we played up the lavender color.  I feel in love with Concept Event Designs new lace linen with a gold soft bridal satin. read more

Intimate Plum & Gold Hilton Torrey Pines Wedding – Video

 AMANDA & TRAVIS

HILTON TORREY PINES

HIGHLIGHT WEDDING VIDEO read more

Intimate Rustic Blush Wedding at the Lodge at Torrey Pines
Lodge-at-Torrey-pines-wedding-blush-rustic-ceremony-arbor

NINA & DAN

THE LODGE AT TORREY PINES – LA JOLLA, CA 

Nina and Dan were such a sweet couple to work with and their beautiful intimate wedding with 50 of their closest friends and family really reflected them in every way, as you will see in this post.  We blended their together… we took his more rustic style and her soft romantic aesthetic by using interesting rustic textures with soft florals and a warm soft color pallet.  Splendid Sentiments created very unique centerpieces combining drift-wood in the upright position with greenery (such a hanging amarantus) and romantic roses and other lush florals at the base and floral clusters throughout.  For additional romantic ambiance, we added hanging candles & lots of gold mercury votive candles to the table.   The color pallet was soft & romantic, using blush, soft sherbet oranges, soft pinks, and touches of white, which really gave this rustic look a more feminine touch.  The Cafe Au Lait Dahlias were such a pretty floral for these pieces, giving them a soft but very interesting texture.  To round out the romantic look and feel, we paired the floral elements with a soft blush linen and napkin and glass and gold beaded charger plate from Concept Event DesignDarin Fong did an excellent job of capturing the softness and beauty of this intimate Lodge at Torrey Pines wedding. read more

Whimsical Nautical Themed Hotel Del Coronado Wedding ~ #2
Bride-groom-beach-photo-nautical-theme-wedding-hotel-del-coronado

ALEXANDRA & JOHN

HOTEL DEL CORONADO, CORONADO, CA

PART 2 – THE CELEBRATION!!!!

In this post you will see more beautiful images by True Photography from Part 2  (The Celebration) of Allie & John’s whimsical nautical themed wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado.  You will find even more nautical whimsy and details from the darling passport style place-cards designed by Brightly Designed to the Nautical theme cake by Flour Power, to the sweet little touches of a Love knot ropes tied around the tall centerpieces (Splendid Sentiments Floral Design) to the nautical knots used as a holder for the table names, which were cleverly names after famous explorers & navigators of the Sea (by Brightly Designed).  It truly so much fun designing this nautical themed wedding.     VENDOR LOVE:

WEDDING PLANNER: KELI CHRISTENSON, MONARCH WEDDINGS

PHOTOGRAPHY: TRUE PHOTOGRAPHY WEDDINGS

FLORIST:  SPLENDID SENTIMENTS FLORAL DESIGN

PAPER ELEMENTS: BRIGHTLY DESIGNED 

WEDDING CAKE: FLOUR POWER

LINEN, NAPKINS CHARGER PLATES, CHIAVARI CHAIRS : APR FINE LINENS

FAVORS: LA REINE DES MACRONS 

SPECIALTY LINENS (NAUTICAL THEMED): LA TAVOLA 

ENTERTAINMENT & PHOTOBOOTH & LIGHTING: MOBILE MUSIC PLUS

SAN DIEGO WEDDING PLANNER –  MONARCH WEDDINGS, LLC
KELI CHRISTENSON – FOUNDER / CERTIFIED WEDDING & EVENT PLANNER
www.monarchweddings.com
PH. (858) 480.9332  /  E. info@monarchweddings.com
read more

Whimsical Nautical Themed Hotel Del Coronado Wedding ~ #1
Vintage-nautical-wedding-hotel-del-bride-and-groom-kiss

ALEXANDRA & JOHN 

HOTEL DEL CORONADO, CORONADO, CA

PART 1 – PRE-CEREMONY AND CEREMONY

This whimsical nautical themed wedding was so much fun to plan and design.  Of course, it helps when you have a fun and  fabulous bride like I did in Allie.  She was willing to be a little more bold with some of the design decisions, she didn’t play it too safe, which would have been easy to do.  Allie has a wonderful sense of style, as you will see from her vintage inspired wedding gown and her flirty second dress for the reception.   We loved that she wanted to opt for the navy blue roped linens from La Tavola, which  helped pull the entire look together and added the touch of whimsy, as well as nautical.   The Design process started with the brides love for vintage and nautical, which fit perfect for the Hotel Del Coronado. Then we took some of the brides favorite colors (blush, green, blue) and her willingness to step outside the box to be a bit playful and it all grew from there. It was truly such a fun process.  I wish more brides would do a themed wedding! read more

Rustic Garden Chic Wedding at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club ~#2
Keli-christenson-with-couple-rustic-garden-chic-wedding

MACKENZIE & COLIN

RANCHO SANTA FE GOLF CLUB 

THE CELEBRATION!

I’m in-love with this romantic Garden Rustic Chic look of Mackenzie and Colin’s wedding.  It was so well suited for the venue (Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club) perfectly.  We embellished the large existing rustic chandeliers with greenery and floral clusters dripping off of them. We focused on the main chandeliers over the place-card table, dance-floor and cake table (which was my favorite!)  Bethany at Splendid Sentiments Floral Design (the florist) really out did themselves with this wedding… they put their heart and soul into each details —  as you will see below. read more

Rustic Garden Chic Wedding at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club ~#1
Rancho-Santa-Fe-Garden-Wedding-Bride-and-Groom

MACKENZIE & COLIN

RANCHO SANTA FE, CA

PART 1 – PRE-CEREMONY & CEREMONY

What can I say, I’m one blessed wedding planner to have the opportunity to work with lovely couples like Mackenzie and Colin and their beautiful, loving family.  From the very beginning, they (the couple and their family) were so warm, friendly, gracious, and fun to be around and work with.  It was this way all the way through the entire planning process.   It only seemed perfect that the ceremony would be held at the Bride’s Parent’s private residence in Rancho Santa Fe, CA.   Their home was the perfect for this very special occasion, as it was beautifully nestled in Rancho Santa Fe and had a warm and cozy feeling, which provided a wonderful intimate setting for their ceremony.  In addition, the home lent itself perfectly to the bride’s chosen look and feel for her wedding of a Rustic Garden Chic design. Simply perfect! Bethany at Splendid Sentiments Floral Design (the florist) worked very closely with the Mother of the Bride to make sure every event area of the house was embellished with beautiful garden rustic floral pieces, which we later transferred to the receptions at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club.  Bethany and her fabulous floral team really out did themselves with this wedding… as you will see here and in Part 2 the reception, which really showcases their work. read more