Vy and Brian’s Wedding 9.4.11

Kelly Duprat — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:54:05 +0000

When Vy and Brian approached me on coordinating their wedding, I was a little bit hesitant because their wedding was 1 week before our wedding. But, seeing how much love they have for each other easily persuaded me on coordinating their special day. Besides, Vy sold me when she said the idea for the wedding is floral vintage and D.I.Y!

*Special thanks to Kim Le Photography for all the photos*

As usual…pinning boutonnieres.

The bride getting ready.

While everyone was still getting and taking bridal party photos, my team and I set up all of the bride D.I.Y for the ceremony.

Old school typewriter…

Their backdrop for guests pictures.

It isn’t vintage if all the old pictures aren’t out!

They had old school games and candies around the area for guests to enjoy. Reminded me of my childhood

Helen from Flowers by Helen did an amazing job on the ceremony floral decorations. I am swooning over all the soft colors!

Love the bouquets!

All the programs and fan are D.I.Y from the bride! So talented!

Bridal Party photos.

Vy wore her ao dai for a few photos. Aren’t she such a beautiful bride?

So much love!

And then it was time for the ceremony as guests arrived.

The ring bearer and the flower girl were too cute!

Brian’s anticipation to see his bride walk down the aisle.

Here comes the bride!

Married!!! Congratulations Mr & Mrs. Alcalde!

During the ceremony, KDWP team set up the drink and food station.

Before heading over to the reception, the bride and groom had a bit of fun in front of their D.I.Y backdrop.

I did not coordinate the reception as Brian and Vy didn’t want to overwhelm me too much 1 week before my own wedding

Furiwa did an awesome job as setting up everything to Brian and Vy’s vision.

The cake and the groom’s cake.

Brian and Vy, thank you so much for including me in your wedding day. It was such a pleasure seeing the love that emanate from the both of you. I wish you all the happiness in the world and I can’t wait to see your family grow. Love, KDWP!

Ceremony: Newland Barn

Ceremony Rentals: Anar Party Rental

Reception: Furiwa

Photobooth: Pixel Photobooth

Florals: Flowers by Helen

Officiant: Christopher Torres

Photography: Kim Le Photography

Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Renrick Hidalgo, Tammy Dang, Sylvie Huynh, Charles Nguyen

Trash The Dress – Anh and Dung

Kelly Duprat — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:00:39 +0000

Remember Anh and Dung, the sweet couple from their wedding back in May? Well, they were kind enough to let me hang with them while they did their Trash The Dress session a couple of months after their wedding. I remember when Anh approached me on the thought of a Trash The Dress and I told her “GO for it!” then she mentioned paint and I was worried getting it off her gown since it is all lace. I can’t believe they went with paint after all…I have to admit, it was really fun and totally worth it! Thanks again to the formidable Peter Tran from Icons Photography for all the colorful photos!

The Props.

Ready to do some damage…

First, a portrait of each other.

Dung’s version of Anh!

Anh’s turn!

Anh and Dung’s artwork!

Now…the FUN begins!

After Anh let go of her fear of ruining her dress…there was no turning back.

The aftermath of it all…

Good Times!!! Hanh of Hanh Nguyen Photography also joined us in this fun Trash the Dress.

L.O.V.E everyone in this picture!

Michelle and Kevin’s Wedding 6.18.11

Kelly Duprat — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:00:54 +0000

On the initial consultation, Michelle and I instantly bonded over our love for the color purple and so many other things we have in common! We got along so well on our first meeting that it lasted 3 hours!!! I think we spent about 45 min talking about wedding and the rest of the time, we just chit chatted about random things and became instant friends! I call Michelle my long lost purple sister!!! She is the sweetest, nicest, most lovable person ever! I didn’t get to meet Kevin on the initial meeting but I knew that he must be a sweetheart since Michelle was so lovable and easy to talk to. Over the course of the year, Michelle and I were constantly keeping in touch about the wedding and our everyday life. We even had a double date a month or so before their wedding! We felt so special when they invited Renrick and I to their rehearsal dinner after I conducted the rehearsal! I am so glad that I was part of their special, loving, memorable wedding and meeting all of their nice and welcoming family members. They really made me feel like I was part of the family and not just the coordinator. I am so thankful to call Michelle and Kevin my friends and to see their family blossom in the future.

I had the honor to work with the incomparable Henry Chen Photography on Michelle and Kevin’s wedding. I have been an avid follower of a handful of photographers and Henry was 1 of the top photographers I followed since even before I became a wedding planner. I was a bit nervous working with him at first but he is the kindest, sweetest person ever! I am truly blessed working with such amazing vendors. I am slowly but surely crossing off names on my list of “Vendors I would LOVE to work with”

All photos courtesy of Henry Chen Photography.

I headed first to the hotel to meet Kevin and his groomsmen to make sure everything was OK.

Kevin’s suit was custom-made in China! Love the shiny-ness!

A little gift to Kevin from his wife to be!

Love this part! The guys were all viewing a YouTube video on how to tie a tie

Meanwhile, the ladies were getting all dolled up…

The Bride!!!

Isn’t Michelle the cutest???

A mother/daughter moment….I can’t believe how young Michelle’s mom look! They look like they could be sisters!

While all the bridal party was still getting ready, KDWP headed to the Bowers Museum for the ceremony setup.

It was such a beautiful June day.

Before picture of the ceremony site….

During setup….Cards are all D.I.Y from the bride!

KDWP D.I.Y!

The end result of the ceremony site!!!

THE gown!

Michelle’s shoes were her something blue.

There were too many good ring shots! I Couldn’t pick just 1 so I’m putting them all!

The ring box/pillow is D.I.Y from the Bride!

The Bridesmaids putting the final finishing touches on the Bride before the first look.

A little one on one with the Matron of Honor.

Love these next First Look sequence!

Henry Chen Photography was able to squeeze a few portraits of Michelle and Kevin before the ceremony.

I really like Michelle’s cascading bouquet…there’s like an old-schooled feel to it.

Reflection shot…my favorite!

Soooooo ROMANTIC!!!

I had to resolve a little crisis before the ceremony starts. The florist forgot to leave the 2 stem of roses for the mothers so, I had to ~~pick~~ borrow some roses from the museum garden to avoid disaster. I was instructing the boys how to hold the rose without touching the thorns.

And…it all worked out! Pffuuiiii…

Michelle and her father before walking down. Yes, that’s her father! Can you believe it? I totally thought he was her brother when I first met him!

Here comes the beautiful bride!

The look of love and anticipation!

Michelle had a male attendant as part of her bridesmaids and Kevin had a female attendant as part of his groomsmen! This was so cool and modern!

So much tears of joy for the happy couple!

Married Mr. & Mrs. Jones!!!

A few more formal portraits before KDWP heads to the reception.

Reception setup.

Sweetheart table.

More Details!

Yup! Michelle and Kevin are both Doctors! Couple of Smarties

I have to say that the food at S Fine Dining is really good!

The Cake!!!

Time for the reception to start!

Grand Entrance!

The speeches brought tears and laughter to the sweet couple.

Kevin made a small speech in Vietnamese. He was really good! The whole room cheered for him!

Traditional round of tables with Vietnamese Ao Dai.

While the couple was greeting tables, KDWP was setting up the dessert station!

All cake stands are D.I.Y by the talented bride!

Michelle and Kevin’s first dance as husband and wife.

Father Daughter dance.

Mother Son Dance. The look on Michelle’s face is so touching and genuine.

Cake Cutting!

The night ended on a high note with all the guests partying until the wee hours.

Michelle and Kevin! Thank you so much for having me be part of your wedding and making me feel like family! I am so happy for the both of you and so excited that I can call you my friends. You truly are 2 of the best people that I have had the pleasure to meet. I wish you both many many years of happiness and unconditional love for each other. Love – Kelly.

KDWP having some fun!

Annh and I manning the guests seating assignment table.

Henry’s assistant, Jove from Jovanni Photography and I posing for Henry’s test lighting before guests entered.

Good times!

Ceremony: Bowers Museum

Reception: S Fine Dining

Hair and Makeup: Le Brian Salon

Cake: Final Touch Bakery

Florals: KC Floral Designs

Officiant: Reverend Ken

Photography: Henry Chen Photography

Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Annh Vo and Elise Tang

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Vivian and Kenny!

Kelly Duprat — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:45:17 +0000

Happy Anniversary Vivian and Kenny!!!

I wish you many many more years of celebration together and with the little one coming soon! I am so happy for the two of you !

I’m glad to call you my friends. Kenny must be one of the most romantic guy that I know! Enjoy and celebrate!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Katie B and Shaun B!

Kelly Duprat — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:45:44 +0000

Happy 1 year anniversary Mr. & Mrs. B! I can’t believe 1 year has gone by so fast and now, you are celebrating your anniversary with little B! How precious!

I am so glad and thankful to call both of you my friends. I wish the both of you many many more years of happiness and with many more little Bs! Love you!

Thuy and Andy’s Wedding 6.4.11

Kelly Duprat — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 06:58:47 +0000

Thuy and Andy got married on a beautiful day in June. When I first met them, I came out with the feeling that this couple was very serious, turns out it’s because they were doctors! Wow…my 1st in coordinating a wedding for doctors! I felt quite inadequate and not smart enough for them Thuy and Andy are 2 of the nicest people I have met. They are down to earth, very fun to be around and very sophisticated. I still can’t believe that they planned half of their wedding while living in Texas!

Special thanks to Jill Thomas for the great photos! She shot the whole wedding in films! That was a first for me working with a photographer who shoots totally in films. It made the color so much softer.

As usual, I woke up bright and early to pick up all the personal flowers for the bridal party.

Here is the groom! If I remember correctly, he had a designer suit. I like a metro-sexual groom!

The wire to hold the boutonnieres makes it pretty hard to pin…

The groomsmen flowers.

When I entered Thuy’s room, she gave me a big smile, hugged me and said “I’m so glad you are here, I am less worried now”. Made my day! It gives me so much happiness in what I do when the bride and groom feel relief just by seeing me

The bride’s Carolina Herrera dress

Louboutin!!!

KDWP helping the flowergirl to a perfect bow

The details….

The bride and bridesmaids lovely bouquets.

And the beautiful bride….

I’m not sure why but I love this picture of Thuy. She looks so serene and ready to get married! Just the simple act of putting her jewelry on gets to me.

The bride with her ladies. Love the softness of everything.

The groom with his handsome groomsmen. All doctors!!!

Andy checking out his beautiful bride…

Bridal Party!

Now onto some awesome portraits of the bride and groom…

The look of L.O.V.E!!!

This one is too cute!!! Andy’s nephew was such a cutie pie! I was even babysitting for a little bit when the bridal party was taking pictures.

KDWP = jack of all trades

After all the bridal photos, we headed to St. Nicholas Church in Laguna Niguel for the ceremony.

Here I go in the background ruining the photographer’s shot!!! I swear I usually am pretty good at being invisible!

Look at how happy they look at being Mr. & Mrs!!

Bubbles make great photos!

Details of the reception.

Everything was D.I.Y from the bride herself! So talented! I wished I had an ounce of creativity and craftiness in me to do those D.I Y.

The guests place cards

The cake!!!

While the ballroom was getting decorated and ready for guests, Thuy and Andy were out for more photos.

Andy changed into another suit Love when the groom doesn’t want to be outdone by his bride.

Time to have some fun!

Thuy and Andy performed a perfect choreographed 1st dance as husband and wife.

I really love her Ao Dai…

A little game to get to know the bride and groom.

At the end of the night, there was a dessert cake station! I was drooling over how delicious everything looked!

Thuy and Andy, thank you so much for letting me be part of your wedding day! Your love for each other is undeniable and I am so glad I was there to witness it. I wish you many many years of happiness together with lots of very smart children like the 2 of you!

Ceremony: St. Nicholas Church

Reception: Hyatt Huntington Beach

Hair and Makeup: Duy Ly

Cake: Tomgirl Baking Company

DJ: Atmosphere Entertainment

Florals: KC Floral Designs

Photography: Jill Thomas Photography

Videography: New Classic Wedding Films

Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Lily Luong

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Annie and Justin!

Kelly Duprat — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:00:13 +0000

Happy 1 year anniversary Annie and Justin!!!

Marriage agrees with the 2 of you! Wishing you many more years of bright happiness!

Love you both dearly!

Wedding Planner turns 30!!!

Kelly Duprat — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:30:41 +0000

This post is definitely not wedding related but when the planner turns 30, it calls for a celebration!!! I turned the dreaded number 30 about 1 month and a half ago but was too preoccupied with my own wedding that I haven’t had the chance to blog about how I made my milestone memorable. I have to admit that I was a bit bummed out because my 30th birthday was too close to the wedding and wouldn’t be celebrated as it should. So to still make it special and fun, I decided to capture jumping in my 30s at Disneyland! What better than the Happiest Place on Earth!!! I mean I only turn 30 once right???

Thao of Thao Vu Photography and I, have discussed about shooting my 30th birthday since I saw her blog about her 30th birthday shoot. We were brainstorming about location when I thought it would be awesome to capture it at Disneyland to show how 30 is just an number and all that matters is how I still feel young at heart. Besides…you can’t beat all of the colors there. As the days were getting closer to the photoshoot and I was submerged with wedding to-dos, I started panicking because I haven’t even figured out my outfits! Thank goodness that I received referral for the amazing stylist Karenza Kailee. After 2 meetings and a few hours at the mall, we ended up with 2 outfits for the shoot! All below $50 courtesy of Forever 21! Woohoo!!! I’ve enlisted the power of making me look pretty with makeup and hair from the sweet Anha Nguyen.

It was nice to have some alone time with Thao and getting to know each other more. We have worked together before (i.e. me coordinating her own wedding, side by side for a client wedding and her shooting our wedding) but during weddings, it’s not like we have time to chit chat about our personal lives I knew there was a reason why I like Thao and we get along so well… she is super professional, caring, sweet and a fun-loving person. I’m glad I’ve been going to Thao Vu Photography for all of my special occasions.

All photos courtesy of Thao Vu Photography! Here are the result!

We started at Toontown!

When I first saw this photo, I barely recognized myself.

LOVE the colors at Toontown!

I kept telling Thao that I don’t know how to pose and she tells me to think of something happy because I am turning 30 afterall….at that point I was thinking: “please, let me make it through the last month before the wedding” hahahaha….

My friends will dub this one “Cheeky Kelly”

Ready to take over the world!

In front of Minnie’s house because it’s purple

Steve Madden shoes….

…Forever 21 dress!

After I posed like this…a lady did the same I guess sometimes I do know how to pose

I’m going to sound a little vain here but there is something about this next picture that makes it very pretty!

In Minnie’s kitchen waiting to be served!

Having some fun with my Minnie ears!

Daydreaming…

SUPER KELLY!!!

Next, we hopped onto Alice In Wonderland teacup in another Forever 21 outfit.

I’m not much for these types of rides because I easily get dizzy :/ but it was so much fun!

I was aware the camera was pointed at my face so I tried to make an effort and show some enthusiasm.

One of my favorite photo!

Peek-a-boo!!!

Of course I had to take a photo with a purple tea cup!

Off to the Merry-Go-Round we go! I felt so much like a kid! It was awesome!

Sleeping beauty castle was closed that day but we made the best of it

I really do feel like a princess! That’s how Renrick calls me <3

Hellooooo….long legs illusion!! Only a great photographer can make you look like you are 5’8 when you are actually only 5’2

I was laughing so hard here because Thao was taking photos in between each person that walked by!

I fell in love with this boy statue in the New Orleans square!!!

Isn’t he the cutest??

Finally, we went crazy and rode Big Thunder Mountain

I had a great great time at Disneyland for my birthday shoot…even with the weird looks I got from time to time because I was over-dressed I highly recommend capturing all the milestone in your life. It’s worth the experience and memories. Thank you to Thao Vu Photography, Anha Nguyen, Karenza Kailee and my friend Amber Matas for making my 30th birthday even more special.

Final thought: being 30 is not that bad

Anh and Dung’s Wedding 5.21.11

Kelly Duprat — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:16:05 +0000

Anh and Dung were married on 5.21.11. It was “prophesied” as doomsday….well, looks like we all got out alive Working Anh and Dung’s wedding was like witnessing long time dear friends of mine. They are simply the nicest, funniest, sweetest couple! I know I say that about all of my clients but I truly am blessed and lucky to have such amazing couples who I can now call my friends. That is the one most rewarding thing out of being a wedding planner!! And to top off the perfect day, I worked with Peter Tran from Icons Photography, Fayth from Three Petals and Dzien from DJZ Productions. Friends I made from the industry = 1 big happy family!!

Anh and Dung were very calm and collected throughout the day. They even kept asking me if I had anything to eat or drink and they were worried that I was too stressed….lol…quite ironic when they actually hired me to take the worries and stress away from them. See? Sweetest couple ever!

All photos courtesy of Icons Photography. Thank you Peter!

We started off the day with the Tea Ceremony.

Here I am pinning boutonnieres as usual.

The Groom!

Getting the guys presentable before entering the bride’s parents house.

Look at them listening to me intently….always a plus when the bridal party takes my directions And the groomsmen were so much fun!

All set and ready to pick up the bride!

Here is the beautiful bride in her beautiful Ao Dai!

Love Anh’s beautiful smile! It’s contagious!

Touching moment…Anh’s mom gave a heartfelt speech which didn’t leave a dry eye in the house.

After the tea ceremony, Anh went back to the hotel to change into her wedding gown.

The Sparkly shoes

This is their save the date….it’s so cute!

The Bling!

The beautiful bouquets! I love the vibrant pop of coral/orange colors!

Proof that we are having fun!

Who would have known the Sheraton Hotel in Anaheim is so pretty to take pictures at….Perfect spot for Anh and Dung’s first look!

Bridal party pictures were such a blast! There were more goofy photos than serious ones…definitely shows the fun nature of Anh and Dung.

Then it was time for the ceremony…

I avoided a little problem…5 minutes before they were about to walk down the aisle, I noticed the father of the bride without his boutonniere. He told me he forgot it at home after changing out his suit. I had to run to Fayth from Three Petals for a very quick made-up boutonniere..pfffuiii…

Here comes the bride!

United as husband and wife! Congratulations Anh and Dung!

After the ceremony, Anh and Dung went back to the hotel for some formal pictures.

Although, Anh really can’t help it and keep making funny faces at Peter.

I love bridges and veil shots!!! So romantic!

Now onto the reception!!!!

It took me forever to line up these little suckers!

Anh and Dung built this wall with frames, decorations and props for their guests to play with. Clever idea!!

Dung works at Apple so it was appropriate for them to incorporate it into the wedding.

The next few photos shows how impactful and important lighting and drapery is.

The finished thumb print tree.

The cake!

There was a bit of a situation with the cake. The stand was so wobbly on the stage, it made Fayth and I very nervous so we decided to remove 1 tiered stand and fill it up with flowers. It turned out awesome!

Anh’s sister made these dolls to look like Anh and Dung.

First dance! Look at the love they have for each other…it oozes out of their bodies!

Yep…I’m also a personal assistant changing clothes for the bride

Cake cutting….I mean stuffing

Bouquet toss!

Garter…..

And….perfect way to end the night…

Anh and Dung, thank you so much for having me be part of your wedding. You two were too sweet worrying about me the whole time. I am so glad that we have developed a friendship through your special day. I will cherish it forever! I wish you many many many years of happiness that you well deserve!!!

Ceremony: St. Callistus Catholic Church

Reception: Mon Cheri Anaheim

Hair and Makeup: All Made Up Team

Cake: Paris Bakery

DJ: DJZ Production

Florals: Three Petals

Photography: Icons Photography

Videography: HI Videography

Lighting and Drapery: Three Petals

Assistant Wedding Coordinator: Lily Luong

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Thao and Robert!

Kelly Duprat — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:32:26 +0000

Happy 1 year Anniversary Thao and Robert!

Thank you for believing in a newbie like me to coordinate your fantastic wedding. It will forever be THE most beautiful wedding of my career!

I sincerely value the friendship we have built.

Here’s to wishing you many more years of happiness full of fun, love, and laughter like the below picture!!!