Minhee & Terry

One of my last weddings in LA, was for none other than Minhee and Terry! This wedding meant a lot to me because not only was it for one of my best friends who I love and respect so much, but I was honored to be a bridesmaid, have my son be one of the ring bearers, help plan and have live.love.create coordinate the wedding. It was also significant because soon after this wedding, both Minhee and I moved out of state to begin the next chapter of our lives. I’m so glad that we could celebrate this milestone as well as adventure together, she in Missouri and I in Texas, as we support our husbands and enjoy married life! It’s also nice to have a friend in the same time zone!

After dating for almost a decade, I had been looking forward to finally see [how] Minhee & Terry tie the knot. They did not disappoint… what an awesome, laughter-filled, fun night it was! Not only was Minhee & Terry’s wedding beautiful, it was a day that really showcased who the two are as individuals and how they complement each other as a couple. I’m sure I can speak for everyone present that Minhee and Terry’s wedding will go down on their list of “one of the best weddings ever!” Many great friendships and memories were formed that night. 🙂

A memorable moment that still makes me laugh was during the ceremony. One of the geronimo balloons popped and Minhee let out a SCREAM which erupted into uncontrollable laughter! It really set the tone and only Minhee could create an environment that was so entertaining and touching at the same time. One thing’s for sure, no matter how tough a day Terry may have, he can always count on Minhee to bring a smile to his face. In turn, Terry is the perfect partner for Minhee. You may recall from the e-session post, how sweet and thoughtful he is. He really will do anything for this girl and I mean ANYTHING, like learn the “Gangnam Style” dance for a surprise performance! Minhee had us, the bridal party, learn the dance and perform too, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Terry’s willingness to do it for her and then to actually see him dance – and dance well! Lol! It was awesome!

*with all my brides & grooms, if I’m lucky enough, I get to witness their first look.  so sweet and lovely*

 

 

   

 

“Gangnam Style” dance performed by the bridal party… guests were invited up to join!
There’s a picture from the engagement post where Minhee has ice cream in Terry’s face. Now it’s cake!

I love you guys! Congrats!

*special thanks to…*

Ceremony & Reception: Marvimon / Catering: Primal Alchemy / Photography: Amy & Stuart  / Videography: Solefire Films / Florist: Flower Allie / Dress: Monique Lhuillier / DJ & MC: All The Above Events /  Cakery: Porto’s Bakery / Hair & Make-up: Galleria Wedding/ Photobooth: Cheesy Photobooths / Rentals: AAA Rents & Events 

Ethan’s 1st Birthday

Hello, hello ~ Janet here!

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but thanks to my live.love.create girls, you and I have been able to see all the pretty that’s been happening with us! 😉 Thanks ladies!

I just wanted to take a moment to say that… I moved to Austin, TX! Yup yup! I’ve been out here for a few months and as you can guess, it’s been quite crazy trying to move and settle in to my new environment. As hard as it was to leave LA (and live.love.create during it’s growth), my home is where my husband is and thus supported his decision to move out here.

Settling in has been slow coming and about a month ago, Erica and a few other friends, came for a surprise visit. I was completely shocked and overwhelmingly touched. I love you girls. Thanks to their visit, I finally ventured outside of my home to see what Austin has to offer. I had heard only good things about Austin, so when I went to go and explore, I fell a little in love with the city. For a family, Austin is amazing and everyday I am thankful that Ethan can grow up here (but he will always have his LA roots… Go Lakers! Go Dodgers!). It’s not always easy being outside of my comfort zone and there are definitely moments of homesickness (family, friends and food), but it just makes me reflect on how blessed I am with an amazing community back home and excited for the community I will gain here.

Despite all the changes going on in my life, I am thankful for the things that remain constant and strong, one of them being…. you guessed it, live.love.create! Thinking back on when we began this journey to where we are now, I am amazed to see all the relationships that we have and still are forming with the most awesome people ever! Thank you brides, grooms, vendors and so forth.. You’re enthusiasm and faith in us really encourages and reminds us of why we do what we do. We love you!! These relationships are so special to us because that’s what our vision was really about – meeting and making good friends. I am sad that I won’t be in Los Angeles, to physically be a part of the live.love.create team (I miss you girls so much), but I am anxious for all that’s yet to come (and thank GOD for Google Hangout sessions)! In the meantime, I’ll be updating here and there and will be involved in every way possible. For those wondering if live.love.create is branching out to Austin…. well, we’ll see… you never know. ;P

For now, I wanted to give you guys a glimpse of Ethan and how much he’s grown. The last post was at my baby shower when I was eight months pregnant. Ethan is now fifteen months and always on the run… a sweet, but wild child! Hehehe…

Photos of Ethan when he was a newborn, just two weeks old, taken by Sam Lim

Last December, we flew back to LA for Ethan’s first birthday. In the Korean culture, the first birthday, dohl, is a pretty big deal. In LA, it’s become so big that it’s like a mini wedding reception!!! *And yes, live.love.create does dohls! I pre-planned a few things before I moved to Austin, but my live.love.create ladies helped put everything together while I was away. It was a great night of celebration, thanksgiving and love.

 

  

Doljabi is a traditional Korean 1st birthday celebration where items are placed before a child and the child picks up one of the objects. Each item has a significant meaning, which is supposed to foretell the child’s future. Ethan picked up the golf ball. Daddy was so happy.

Ethan had cake for the very first time. He didn’t really have a reaction.

He seems to favor savory over sweet.  🙂

The best kid picture we could take. Lol!

The birthday boy partied too much… Knocked out! xoxo

*special thanks to…*

Venue & Catering: Little Prince Cafe

Photography: Grace Baek

Little Prince Cake: Julie Jeon (my good friend. thanks love!)

Sheet Cake: Porto’s Bakery

Florist: Commerce Flowers (head table) & live.love.create (centerpieces)

Dduk (Korean rice cakes): Seoul Bakery

Dohl Pillars: Myself and Erica

Design & Coordination: live.love.create

Ethan’s hanbok (Korean traditional outfit): my aunt from Korea sent it 🙂 Thanks eemo!

Happy Easter!

I saw a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight where he asks children what the meaning of Easter is and their responses were all chocolates, eggs and bunnies. It was really cute, but when it was explained to them what Easter was about, the children definitely had no idea and it made me a little sad. I know we often emphasize the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, but personally to us, Easter has even more significance and is a vital element of saving faith. As we say hello to spring, we cannot help but often associate spring with Easter. So, with Easter Sunday fast approaching, and amid the  pastel colors, bunny ears, egg hunts and chocolates, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what Easter is really about…

Luke 24

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Resurrection

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” ⁸ And they remembered his words, ⁹ and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, ¹¹ but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹² But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³ That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles^[a]from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them,“What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ Andbeginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening andthe day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while heopened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish,^[b] 43 and he took it and ate before them.

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and^[c] forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

On another note: Here is a fun Sequin Easter Egg DIY from Kelly at studiodiy.com! She has the cutest ideas!!

*Click on the link or the picture for instructions ~ Happy crafting!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Jenny & Mike

There’s such a serenity to blue skies and rolling fields that make the joy of marriage that much more beautiful.  Jenny & Mike chose to have their ceremony at Saint Monica and reception at Saddlerock Ranch, and it was such a beautiful day!  They were both radiant, and looked amazing ~ Jenny in her self-designed wedding dress and Mike looking dashing in his suit.  Look out for our DIY project: wood board using Jenny & Mike’s family photos!

     

*special thanks to…*

Ceremony: Saint Monica Cathedral / Reception: Saddlerock Ranch / Photography: He & She (Luke & Kate) / Videography: Shade Tree Films / Catering: Tender Greens / Florals: Commerce Flowers / Photobooth: Cheesy Photobooths / Cakery: Susina Bakery / Hair & Make-up: Beauty Makeup Studio

Michelle & Jeff

We have been dying to share these next wedding photos with you!  Today actually marks Michelle & Jeff’s 1-Year Anniversary, and as we walk down memory lane and remember this beautiful couple, we’re reminded of how much we loved helping them bring their wedding vision to life.

Michelle & Jeff contacted us while they were making a short visit from Korea to plan their wedding.  Michelle’s younger sister, Jen, was actually a friend of ours from college, and when we met, it was as if we were with old friends.  Plus, Michelle looked just like Jen (or vice versa), so it was easy to chat with her!  Since their stay was short, they decided to enlist our help to plan and design their wedding, while they finished up teaching the school year in Korea.  Throughout those few months, Michelle & Jeff were amazing to work with and we were so honored that they gave us full control and trusted us completely!

We hope that your first year of marriage has been a beautiful time of growth, and that you’ve come to love each other more and more each day!  Thank you for entrusting us to make your wedding day beautiful!  love, erica . janet . christine

photos take by the amazing Bonnie Tsang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*special thanks to…*

Ceremony & Reception: Nature Friends / Flowers: Bridesmaids & live.love.create / Photographer: Bonnie Tsang / Videographer: Annal Shah / Hair & Make-up: Marie Mingoia / DJ: Josh Stone / Audio & Visual: Rail Productions / Lighting: Event Plus / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & AAA Rents and Events / Paebaek: LeeHwa Traditional Korean Dress / Dress: BHLDN / Desserts: Friends & Lark Cake Shop / Catering: Home Girl Cafe / Shuttle Service: EZ Vans / Decor: live.love.create / Favors: Filthy Farmgirl

Selina & Jeff

Remember Selina and Jeff? The dynamic DIY duo who exudes pure awesomeness with their individual style and adorable love?  This wedding was so much fun, not only because of Selina and Jeff, but because of their amazing family and friends who were so involved in the creation of this beautiful day. From the flower girls’ dresses made by Selina’s mom to the pomanders made by friends and vintage handkerchief invitations screen-printed by the bride herself, we are so eager to share their fab wedding with you! *Oh! Keep an eye out for the wedding dress, also made by Selina herself!

photos taken by Floataway Studios

      

Such a sweet moment when Selina and Jeff lifted up notes to loved ones who had passed.

  

Get ready to ooh and aah over all the yummy details!

  

  

 For dinner, Selina and Jeff had a food truck and Cool Haus came for dessert!

Having some fun with the Bride and Groom!

Congratulations again, Selina and Jeff! You guys are awesome!!

*special thanks to…*

Ceremony: Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook/ Reception: 8443 Warner Studios/ Florist: La Fiesta/ Photographer: Floataway Studios/ DJ: DJ Tony/ Hair & Make-up: Jasmine Chang & Grace Kim/ Cakery: Frosted Cupcakery/ Desserts: La Maison Du Pain/ Food Trucks: Sky’s Gourmet Tacos & Cool Haus Ice Cream Truck/ Rentals: Pico Party Rentals & Classic Party Rentals/ Photobooth: Traveling Photobooth/ Dress: made by Selina herself!

There’s No Place Like Home

Back in July, we blogged about our first consultation meeting with Selina & Jeff  and mentioned how Selina has an eye for all things beautiful and that their home was enough for us to want to be a part of this dynamic duo’s wedding adventure. Selina and Jeff are the coolest people ever and have their own unique sense of style. It’s no wonder that they decided to shoot their engagement session in their own home and neighborhood. Not only is it the perfect location to capture such sweet intimate moments, but it also reflects how sweet and comfortable they are as couple! *Oh, and of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a few photos of Boombox too! 🙂

 

 

Jeff made the “JS” sign and Selina, with the help of good friends, made the pom-poms. Keep an eye out for these DIY projects, which will be making another appearance in Selina & Jeff’s wedding pictures!!!

 

 

 

We hope you enjoyed these photos taken by Mary from Floataway Studios!

…fall in love with baby ethan…

For those that don’t know, Eddie and I are expecting our first child. 🙂 I’ll be 36 weeks this coming Monday and we are so excited for our bundle of joy to be here already!! 4 more weeks (and maybe earlier) to go! Woohoo!! I have been really lucky to have had the easiest pregnancy ever (i.e., no morning sickness, no nausea, no vomitting, no food aversions, etc…) as well as the best group of family and friends who have been with us every step of the way, supporting us and sharing in all our new discoveries and joys….

…with that being said, my beautiful girlfriends along with my live.love.create gals, of course, hosted a beautiful shower for me and their soon-to-be nephew Ethan! 🙂 **yes, we are having a boy and his name will be Ethan**

We used a photoshopped picture of my husband’s baby photo for the invitations, which led to his photo being a running theme throughout the shower. Guests dubbed the image, the “logo.” haha.

 

As one of the party favors, we made mini apple-pies that guests could take home and bake. Instructions on how to bake were on the back of the “thanks” tag. And the “redeem for one hug” ticket was used for a diaper raffle.

 

The picnic baskets contained chips and select sandwiches from Porta Via Italian Foods which the guests had RSVPed for. The picnic baskets, along with the magnetic hearts were also favors for the guests.

We also changed the water bottle labels to say “fall in love with baby ethan” to give it a more personal touch.

 

Yummy Chocolate, Red Velvet and Pumpkin cupcakes with the “logo” on edible paper.

 

 

One of the many activities we had was for guests to guess whose baby picture was which guest. Very entertaining!

   

In another activity, we had five diapers with different melted chocolate bars and guests had to determine which chocolate it was.

 

One of the things I loved, were notes that guests wrote on diapers. I haven’t read them all yet, but it’s to give some encouragement or to crack a smile during those late night diaper changes.

There were a few other activities… but one that you see at most baby showers, which we also did,  was decorating onesies. We had a couple onesies with the “logo” screen printed on them. **Seriously, this should’ve been my husband’s baby shower! Hahaha.

Lovely Hosts

Thank you to all the loving aunties!! Baby Ethan is already so blessed with much love.

Prior to the baby shower, Eddie and I took a mini maternity shoot with a few elements from the shower. We had to have at least one photo with our first baby, our lovable and handsome corgi, Scout!

 

 

 

  

we can’t wait to meet you and already love you so much!

love, mommy & daddy

*special thanks to…*

Venue: Lacy Park

Photography: John Park

Cupcakes: Big Sugar Bakeshop

Invitations, Design & Coordination: live.love.create

Hosts: my lovely ladies

coffee + coffee filters

Hello friends,

Just enjoying a cup of joe and realized it has been a while since we’ve blogged!

For those that have been following our facebook and twitter, you have already seen the sneak peek of Michelle and Jeff’s summer wedding from the amazing Bonnie Tsang! Seeing the snippets of this beautiful couple’s wedding makes me feel all giddy again.

We’ve had some people ask us about the chandelier and can’t wait to show you the rest of the photos with more images of the DIY chandelier and garlands.  As for now, for those that were curious and asking, we wanted to show you how we made the chandelier, so you can make one for yourself! Not only is it beautifully ethereal, but cost efficient as well (and who doesn’t like that)!

Materials:

coffee filters, string, scissors, wire, thick needle

Additional Materials: paint, something to paint on

Directions:

1. Tear out circles of various sizes, which will be our “petals” *tearing by hand looks a lot prettier than using scissors since it gives the petals softer edges

2. Spread the circles out on a board or paper (you can even recycle and use a paper bag that is opened up)

3. “Paint” the petals to your preferred color choice *we use the term “paint” loosely; it looks better for each petal to look a little different, so some may have more paint than others. You can even mix it up with non painted petals or different colored petals too

4. Cut a piece of string to your desired length. For the chandelier we had four different lengths

5. Tie a knot at one end and string a needle to the other. Begin stringing petals…

6. Between each petal, create some space and make a loose knot before stringing another petal. Where you make the loose knot is where the petal will sit and the various amounts of space in between depends on the look you are going for *keep in mind that the more knots you make, the shorter your string becomes and don’t worry the loose knots will naturally tighten

For the chandelier, we wanted to make the bottom of the garland sparse and heavier on top… so less space in between each petal on top and a lot of space in between on the bottom

7. Once enough garlands have been made, find, create or purchase something sturdy that can be used as a frame. We wanted a circular frame made out of branches and twigs. You can either make your own or purchase one at your local hardware or craft store.

8. Crisscross the wire onto the frame

9. Our frame did not have a hook, so we tied four pieces of twine to the frame to allow for it to hang. On the wire latticework, tie the garlands to your desired fullness and shape…. and voila!

You can even use the garlands as a nice backdrop, which is what we did for Michelle & Jeff’s wedding as well as Joyce & Danny‘s wedding back in November. Garlands are not only beautiful for weddings, but any display!

Random: Anthropologie had a recent window display of cascading circles. The garlands used clear string/fishing wire,  different colored cardstock (instead of painted coffee filters) and a hot glue gun (instead of making knots). Playing with colors, lengths and the fullness of the garland changes the look so much!

 

[photo credit: i heart interiors]

Same concept but the materials we used were a lot less expensive although a bit more laborious! 

Whatever materials you use, we love that garlands can be manipulated to create various looks and always looks so stylish!

And just for fun, doesn’t this Jim Hjelm wedding dress remind you of the garland petals?

May Your Love Bloom!

After many months of emails, Skype, phone calls (and even one or two visits from Korea), Michelle & Jeff are getting married today!  Thanks to a referral from Michelle’s sister, Jen ~ whom we’ve known since college ~ we’ve had the amazing privilege of planning their wedding here in LA, while they were in Korea.  And though the time difference made things a bit difficult, we’re so glad everything has come together to make this a BEAUTIFUL day!

Their venue, Nature Friends, has so much history and character!  Here it was, circa the 1920s

Here’s a sneak peak at what’s to come!  So many details ~ we can’t wait to show you photos!

 

 

Many blessings to Michelle & Jeff for a BLOOMING marriage