Rachel and Neil's Moody Rustic Wedding in Cambria

Join us for this beautiful outdoor wedding in Cambria for Rachel and Neil. This couple’s moody country wedding, is one you’ll truly never forget!

We met Rachel, the bride, through her friend Brittany, one of our lead planners at Jamison Events.

Together we worked out the details of her wedding, including finding a beautiful oceanfront hotel in Cambria. During the planning, Brittney and I joined Rachel and her bridesmaid, Kirsten, for a great day with a venue walkthrough and rental design meeting. We also happened to stop in downtown Cambria and enjoy unique Mimosas for lunch! 

**Venue details below:

At Jamison Events, we love creating a custom wedding that’s designed to all of our couple’s individual styles and wants. This bride desired a modern country wedding, so here’s what we did to create a custom vibe:

It was an outdoor country wedding with rustic fall-colored florals, and wooden dance floor, barrels, bar, and tables, however in the design elements and decor, we added hints of modern, such as the ceremony arch, black incorporated into the color palette, and geometrical shapes.

The design truly turned out incredible with black linen, specialty vintage glasses and pops of fall colors. 

For the day, the bride and bridesmaids had stunning, edgy black leather jackets customized for each of them!

The entire wedding was fun, easygoing and everyone danced the night away.

You can thank Bethany Joy, an incredible Photographer to work with, for all of the beautiful photos from this wedding. She was sweet and calm, but creative + we loved the sneak peaks provided. 

And huge thank you to ALL of the vendors for making this couple’s dreams come true!

Venue @oceanpointranch
Photography @bethanyjoymugg
Planning @jamisonevents
Planning Production @brittney_jamisonevents
Florals @shelby_marie1117
Beauty @wearetheweddingcollective
Dress @e.a.bridal
Cupcakes @seabreezecupcakes
DJ @westcoastpartyco
Rentals @gycrentals
Bride @rachel_wray

Ashley and Kyle - Santa Rosa Valley Wedding

Who says you can’t have your wedding in your friend’s backyard?! Ashley and Kyle celebrated their wedding day at a close friend’s home in Santa Rosa Valley with stunning views. With such a perfect venue, the couple kept the event design simple and stuck to a gorgeous royal blue color scheme.

The closest friends and family gathered for a beautiful daytime ceremony that overlooked mountains and green treetops.

While the location was very beautiful, there was a small issue with the restroom company’s truck broke down on a street away from the home. Jamison worked swiftly and efficiently with the company to ensure the restrooms were delivered and ready to use before the wedding began. The couple didn't know about it until days after the wedding!

After this, the entire wedding was smooth sailing and the ceremony started. The bridal party all rolled down the aisle in style because the groom and groomsmen all got fresh, matching Nike shoes! Ashley even customized hers with their wedding date and an K + A.

And then came Ashley, who swept down the aisle in a gorgeous strapless dress with lace and buttons down the back! Even though Ashley and Kyle did a first look, the groom shared a huge smile as Ashley walked down the aisle. The ceremony was very sweet and beautiful, performed by a family friend

After the ceremony ended, the guests walked to the cocktail hour/reception area that was set up with intimate long tables for multiple people to sit. While all the guests were having fun and drinks, Ashley and Kyle enjoyed some private romantics with their photographer. Here are some sweet couple photos:

The reception began with an upbeat grand entrance with the wedding party. The Best Man was the MC for the wedding and he was probably one of the best I heard: both funny and sentimental!

The reception details were kept simple and sweet, and one of my favorites was this cute customized “order of events” sign for guests to keep track of the events during the wedding day! Reception details:

Another unique part of the wedding reception was a surprise DRAG QUEEN from a friend.

Overall, all the guests and wedding vendors got to enjoy the rest of the night and watch Ashley and Kyle cut the cake to end the night!

A big thank you to all of these vendors who made Ashley and Kyle’s day special!

Planning @jamisonevents
Production Assistant @coordinationbycasanova
Photo @eclipticphoto
Dress @bellabridalcouture
Catering @famoustacobar
Florals @yamaguchisn
Suit @menswarehouse
Rentals @partypleasers

5 Ways to Warm Up Your Fall or Winter Wedding

If you’re D R E A M I N G of a magical winter wonderland wedding or a woodsy, fall inspired wedding; what do you do about the cold weather? When you’re planning a wedding in the off season (November - March), those unpermitted weather conditions are a bigger challenge to your wedding planning.

And if you’re like most brides, of course want your big day to be PERFECT, so we compiled a list of 5 ways to keep your guests, but more importantly YOU and your groom warm on your big day!

1. Set Expectations

Make extra sure to set expectations with your guests, which means to ensure they will dress correctly for the event. An easy, no pressure way to do this is through your wedding website! For example, let your guests know if there will be a lot of outdoor time and what the expected average temperature will be at the location of your event when it’s happening.

Photo by JuneBugWeddings

2. Hot drinks and warm food options

Hot Coffee/Cocoa/Cider Station -

• Offer a fun drink station with a barista who can custom create coffees for your guests. 

  • **very often coffee runs out on cooler days. Make sure your venue is prepared if they have a coffee station

  • **spice it up with a spiked liquor addition

Hot Plate Options -

• Meals include anything: baked, roasted, grilled. etc. such as meats, pastas, soups, rice dishes, warm vegetables, etc.

3. Outdoor heaters or a fireplace

A warm fireplace or multiple outdoor heaters for guests are sure to keep your wedding warm! Remember, these will be in your photos so we highly recommend renting options that are in good condition and pretty to look at. 

Also, don't skimp on the heaters if you want guests to stay all night. Use 1 heater per table and add a few for the cocktail area and at the bar for super colder nights. 

4. Cozy fashion!

Options:

• Robes

• Coats

• Anything fluffy faux fur

• Leggings under long dress

• Wraps & shawls

• Blankets

Offer your guests a warm option for them to take home as a favor. Place on a table in a large basket or place one at each seat. 

For yourself, have a cozy jacket or shawl that you wear as an accent piece to stay warm. We always love monogrammed jackets (like in the first photo we showed!)

5.  Tenting or Indoor spaces/venues

Party tents can often be used as summertime items because they allow us to stay cool in the shade and protect us from harmful UV rays, however they are great for cold weather too!

Heating a party tent is as simple as using tent heaters—specialized space heaters designed for safely keeping your party tent warm—and tent sidewalls, which keep the warmth in. A party tent heater can be used inside the tent, or just outside the tent with the addition of a diffuser.

Photo by Love & Lavender

Brianna and Hanson's Wedding - Los Robles Greens

Who says your fall wedding has to be fall colored/themed? Brianna and Hanson imagined their wedding day to be full of soft pinks, white, and pops of gold. This romantic, garden setting fit perfectly at Los Robles Greens.

While this venue can accomodate many different styles, the lush green backdrop covered in vines, with a gentle breeze blowing, and the soothing sound of rippling water from a fountain is like no other. Plus, this venue has tons of accomodations such as; customized catering menus, a bridal suite, referrals on other vendors, and more!

We always love working at Los Robles because they truly step up for every event. From small details like, steak knives on the tables to ensuring each of their staff are aware of the important events on the timeline. I want to give a big shoutout to LRG Banquet Captain Ross for always working hard to ensure each event is smooth!

One of my favorite details of this wedding were the soft florals. Could you guess that these florals were actually rented? They were! And yes, you can totally steal this idea for your wedding by the way!

Each piece was beautifully created and the decor was set up by us (Jamison Events). A huge part of our job as wedding planners is packing up at the end of the night, and I have to say all of the rentals we needed to carefully pack away.

It was so special to see how Brianna and Hanson sweetly loved each other with quiet, but joyful matching personalities. Congrats to the newlyweds again and to all of the vendors who helped put this day together!

Venue - @eventslrg

Event Planning - @jamisonevents

Photography - @jenfujphotography

DJ: @bouquetsound & @jasonwesley

Photobooth - @desertlunaphotobooths

Beauty - @beautybybonbon

Brittany and Ned's Wedding - Los Robles Greens

If you are wondering what an upbeat wedding full of surprises, beautiful colors, and dancing looks like, you’ve stumbled upon the most wonderful couple! Brittany and Ned chose Jamison Events to help plan their amazing wedding at Los Robles Greens.

This venue is such accommodable & flexible choice for your wedding, including: customized catering menus, a bridal suite, referrals on other vendors, and more! This venue can adapt to MANY different themes & styles, however one of my favorite aesthetics is the romantic, elegant garden vibe.

With a mix of blues, greens, and white we helped spin this wedding together which helped create a calm, yet fun environment for their guests! Here’s their wedding invites if you’re looking for an inspired, simple looking wedding invite with a FRESH feel.

The most fun part of Brittany and Ned’s wedding was their choreographed surprise dance to the Greatest Showman song. Although the pandemic brought challenges in getting everyone together (since most of their wedding party was out of state) to organize their dance, they were able to practice via Zoom and it turned out amazing! This dance was a complete surprise to their guests AND even went VIRAL on our reels page @JamisonEvents, which we loved seeing!!

Los Robles Greens wedding turned out great for this upbeat couple. Brittany and Ned were some of my favorites to work with and cheers to the amazing vendor team for Brittany & Ned’s Wedding!!

Photography- @maxtepperphoto
Venue- @eventslrg
Planning- @jamisonevents
Video- @luxurylifestylestudiosllc
DJ- @bouquetsound @djdominiq
Hair and Makeup- @janaandcomakeupandhairdesign
Dress- @forlovebridal
Desserts- @nothingbundtcakes

Have a Wonderful Day,

Jamison

Sarah and Kevin's Cozy Wedding in Simi Valley

What does a rustic, private estate wedding look like you might ask? Sarah and Kevin’s wedding was full of desserts, cute wooden barrels, and lots of florals! If you’re thinking of having a wedding in your backyard or a family member’s home, we hope you are inspired by this wedding because no matter what, you can always have a dream wedding.

I love getting to tell how I meet each of my couples. but it’s so much more special when you’re planning a wedding for people who feel like family. Sarah is the SIL of a friend and actually an event planner herself, so this bride was organized and on top of the planning through the entire process.

Their venue was at a family member’s private estate in Simi Valley, an area super native to where my company is based so we worked with many vendors from our area.

It just so happened that my personal friend and Photographer, Jessica Woodard was the photographer on their day and I was so excited. While we had done a styled shoot together, it was the first Wedding we were able to work together on and I loved every minute working with her!

The day-of team from Gold Star staffing was also amazing to work with and made the entire day easy. The decor was classic with a rustic vibe which was a mix of pinks, burgundy and white. And for the reception, there were string lights wrapped all the way up the trees behind the sweetheart table. The overall wedding was classic with a comfortable, cosy home feel.

Sarah and Kevin hit all of the amazing things on their timeline such as; bride and groom pictures during golden hour, a fun grand entrance, speeches, first dances, bouquet toss, garter toss, cake cutting with the YUMMIEST dessert, and last but not least a magical sparkler grand exit. 

And when you’re a wedding planner, some of the fun benefits (at least for me) include being able to snag a piece of cake from one of my favorite bakers: Skiffs, based out of Simi Valley.

Overall, Sarah was a dream to work with and I loved getting to know her family too. I always love a beautiful Wedding that’s local to me and feel blessed to be able to plan incredible events!!

Vendors:

Photography @jessicawoodardphoto

Coordination @jamisonevents

Entertainment @bouquetsound

Staffing @goldstarstaffing

Dress @pebblesbridal

Cake @skiffscakes

Catering @muddys_bbq

Videographer @lightupvideos

Rentals @partypleasers

Florals @uniquefloraldesigns

Suit @menswearhouse

Limo @limo805

Have a Wonderful Day,

Jamison

Wedding Budgeting 101 - with Jamison Events

Does saving money and creating your wedding budget get you stressed out? If you’re engaged, newly engaged, or expecting to be engaged soon, this wedding budgeting 101 advice will surely put you at ease.

One of the first steps in wedding planning will be creating your budget, and this will be an ongoing process as you find each of the vendors for your wedding, kind of like slowly  placing puzzle pieces that will eventually create a beautiful picture. 

When you work with Jamison Events- Step one is to draw up your guest list. Step two is to establish your budget. 

• Start going over your savings and figure out what you can realistically contribute to the wedding fund without breaking the bank!

• You’ll want to find a detailed way to keep track of what you’re spending for each vendor.

If spreadsheets are your thing, you’ll want to make one for three stages; your estimated cost of vendors (research stage), an inquiry of costs from vendors (proposal stage), and then the final amount (total cost stage). 

• Leave a bubble for possible surprise costs; such as a set-up/clean up fee, vendor transportation/travel, etc.

• Use your credit card responsibly! Don’t put anything on credit that you can’t pay off in 30 days, or know you have the money to pay off. 

*If you do use a credit card, I suggest using one that gives you a generous cashback program. I’m always big on using cash to pay up front, since credit cards are expensive to use, but with the same rules applied from above, a % reward program on your credit card is common for Couples. 

• Remember to ask vendors how they take payments. Some only take checks or venmo, some only take credit. So, plan to have a few ways to pay! 

Let’s Talk About Wedding Budget Myths:

“Vendors charge more for a wedding than they would for a birthday party, so don’t mention “wedding” in the inquiry.”

Ok, this always makes my blood boil. For vendors, weddings have higher expectations and work. You may be the most easy going Couple on the planet, but that does not diminish the standard of work the vendor needs to accomplish. So, while weddings do tend to cost more than another type of event, the degree of work is higher too. 

“Service fees are gratuity.”

In fact, this is typically not the case. Service fees are often charged by the venue or caterer and typically go directly to the company. Gratuity is often not a part of the service fee or final bill. 

“You don’t need to add a gratuity if the vendor owns their business.” 

I always tell my Couples that gratuity is not expected but always appreciated. Whether the vendor is the owner or not, offering them a nice gift, cash or gift card truly shows appreciation for the hard work they did.

“Having a food truck will save you money.” 

While this is mostly true in regards to the overall food bill, there are many factors to consider when hiring a food truck. Who will buss tables, remove trash, set up coffee, cut the cake? Typically, when you hire a food truck you’ll also need to hire staff and bartenders to ensure the important things like trash removal is done. 

Five Thoughtful Ways to Save Money:

1. Don’t get stuck on a venue until you shop options: I always recommend looking into different types of venues. Make sure to shop different styles of venues, from country club to DIY. Really crunch the number prior to booking to ensure you understand all of the venue fees. It's not always true that bringing in your catering/staff/bar means a lower cost! 

2. Host the ceremony + reception in the same place: This will cut down on your need for a shuttle, extra vendor fees for multiple locations and longer booking fees from vendors. Typically multiple locations means you have to book your vendors for longer periods of time. 

3. Choose an off-time for your wedding (different season or a Friday/Sunday): Be open to a weekday wedding and/or an off season date because there’s a good chance most vendors will offer discounted rates. Remember- higher costs are always associated with holiday and peak seasons. 

4. Forgo an expensive live band, but don’t forgo the professionals!: It’s important to hire professionals to ensure your entire day is literally a dream. To do that, you do need to hire experienced professionals. In my experience, when Couples try to hire friends/family or newbie vendors, it ends up costing them sanity and peace. So, make sure to hire those who will ensure a smooth day and feel free to comparison shop to give yourself vendor options. 

5. DIY any paper products yourself: Address your own invitations AND to save on extra postage, have your guests RSVP on your website. 

Remember, more guests = more money! If budget is a concern I always recommend going for a smaller, more intimate event with your closest friends and family. 

Pro tip: Never assume any contributions from your loved ones, but it doesn’t hurt to ask them. Remember, that if you accept contributions a gift or thank you card is highly recommended! 

Have you seen the special Marriage or Mortgage on Netflix? 

I always watch this show in awe, because it's so interesting to see what is most important to Couples. The fact is, your budget will change and mold as you plan your big day. There may be certain areas that you end up spending less in or more. It’s most important that you have your dream wedding without throwing yourself into debt. You don’t need to forgo the home in lieu of Wedding, if you’re truly smart about your budget when you start planning. By setting a budget early and keeping an eye on it often, you’re preparing both of your futures for success! 

Have a Wonderful Day,

Jamison

Valerie and Michael's Fall Wedding at Los Robles Greens Gardens

This special day for Valerie and Michael was managed by our planner, Brittney, at Jamison Events. If you thought Jamison Events was a solo team, think again because we actually have a whole team of people + our friendors (vendor friends). Our planner, Brittney, is an absolute rockstar and one of my personal friends! You can find her on IG @brittney_jamisonevents.

Brittney & her team of assistants for the BIG day was Samantha of To Be Loved Events and Devyn of Coordination by Casanova. They all worked their butts off setting up decor, keeping track with the timeline, coordinating the first touch, taking behind-the-scenes clips for our social media assistant, and more!

Los Robles Greens is one of Jamison Events’ friendors, plus they have lots of great packages + inclusives but they were also a huge part of making Valerie & Michael’s dream wedding come to life!

The decor and overall wedding for this couple was a romantic fall color palette of burgundy, purple, and dusty rose tones with pops of gold. This design complimented the venue extremely well! To see this wedding in action, check out our instagram where we shared a behind-the-scenes reel of Valerie and Michael’s Wedding!

Since this couple loves to travel, they had chosen intricate details such as compass escort cards that took the guests to their table which was labeled some of their favorite destination spots! There were romantic cocktail tables, string lights, and a giant dessert table!

This wedding also had the most beautiful golden sunset, which I’m sure their photographer (@maxtepperphoto) got some great photos! I was over the moon to get the chance to work with Max Tepper (photography), as I have always wanted to work with him. When we get their full gallery back, we will be sure to post them on instagram, just make sure you’re following both of us to see them!

Overall, this wedding was so amazing; the night ended with great desserts, lots of dancing, and a sparkler grand exit!

Vendors:

Venue & Catering: @eventslrg
Planning: @jamisonevents
Photography: @maxtepperphoto
Videography: Conrad Petlin
Entertainment: @bouquetsound @djdominiq
Cake: @sweetnesscakebakery
Beauty: @elyssahall_hair
Hair: @beautybybrooke__

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How to do a Grand Entrance Dance: Brittany + Ned

If you find yourself learning all the new dance routines on Tiktok, then a grand entrance dance just might be for you! And we’re not just talking about striking a pose or twirling your partner around for your reception entrance, but we’re talking something GRAND!!

What is a grand entrance dance? Most couples have a grand entrance to introduce themselves as the newly-wed couple, introduce their wedding party, and start the party with their guests.

One of our couples at Jamison Events had a full, choreographed dance to The Greatest Showman soundtrack. And if you follow us on instagram, then you would’ve seen our most popular reel was a video of Brittany and Ned’s Grand Wedding Entrance dance. If you want us to share the full video on IGTV, we’d love it if you checked out all of our socials and sent us messages/dms!

Don’t think you can pull off an amazing Grand Entrance dance? Brittney and Ned proved that you can even do it over Zoom! A lot of their wedding party was long distanced so everything was coordinated via video call. Kind of like Dancing with the Stars’ dress rehearsal, when Brittany and Ned’s wedding party was able to get together the day before the wedding, everyone was able to practice in person.

Everyone, including the couple's parents, were surprised by the dance! The choreography was under 10 minutes, but it really kick-started all of their guests to be in the mood to get on the dance floor. Overall, this was a super genuine happy dance from the couple and their closest friends, and a memorable time that they will never forget!

Jenna and Micah's Romantic Botanical Wedding

Dreaming of having a romantic outdoor wedding? If you’re much like Jenna and Micah, they chose the Los Robles Greens venue, a favorite of mine too! Los Robles Greens is very accommodable & flexible venue, including: customized catering menus, a bridal suite, referrals on other vendors, and more! This venue can adapt to MANY different themes & styles, however one of my favorite aesthetics is the romantic, elegant garden vibe.

Jenna and Micah chose full-time planning with me, from beginning-to-end. I love planning full-time for my couples becase the longer + better I get to know a couple, the more perfectly their wedding day ends up becoming! Although wedding planning can cause stress for couples, Jenna and Micah are genuinely sweet, laid-back individuals and since Jenna actually works in education, she had a lot of patience. As a wedding planner, I also try to create a low-stress environment for the couple & make sure they are taken care of so we all meshed well together!

The bride’s wedding style was elegant and romantic with a bit of modern flare. Therefore we all banded together at Los Robles Greens to turn this venue into a romantic botanical DREAM. Her florals offered a botanical organic feel with pops of soft pinks, yellows and greens. Check out all of these detail pictures for inspiration if you love blue wedding colors, outdoor weddings, and the same style as this couple!

One of the sweetest details of their wedding was the guest book, probably one of my favorite ideas, where guests were encouraged to highlight their favorite Bible verse. I had to add mine which is Jerimiah 29:11, which I recite daily + have as the wallpaper on my phone as a reminder too!

The overall wedding was created around a comfortable, enjoyable, warm feeling for their guests to mingle, dance and laugh the night away. Check out these awesome dancing pictures by Wedding Nature Photography:

As fall weather slowly creeps its way in, Jenna and Micah’s wedding ended up being a cooler night, so the guests enjoyed the custom created dessert station and venue provided coffee bar and viennese desserts. I've never seen a group LOVE desserts as much as me, we couldn't keep them stocked!

Congratulations again Jenna & Micah! And if you were wondering who all of these amazing vendors were for this wedding, check them out below!

Venue @eventslrg
Photography @weddingnature
Hair and Makeup @jennaleeartistry
Dress @bellabridalcouture
DJ @bouquetsound
Florals @xtina.fleurition