December 26, 2011 – 11:32 pm
I first met Mike Colon when he photographed Usher’s wedding for me a few years ago. After reaching out to the ‘one and only’ Joe Buissink and discovering his unavailability, he told me that Mike was at the top of his recommendation list and that was good enough for me. I confirmed Mike at about 2:30am on the morning of the wedding and told him he had to make a 6:30am flight in order to arrive on time. After a hectic morning, he arrived calm, cool, reassuring and ready to go to work. However, my lasting memories are the spirit of the man that showed up to shoot this critically important client. Now with years of friendship under our belt, I am still in awe and impressed with his inner man. I know that his personal conviction and acknowledgement of his enormous responsibility will never allow him to show up in the wrong state of mind. You see, his gifts and his calling outweighs whatever may be in disarray in his private world. Mike Colon wears his heart on his sleeve and shoots from the soul – a quality that is admirable but also scarce. Mike shot 4 of the 6 episodes of I Do Over and blessed our couples with incredible memories. With this year coming to an end, I’ve finally been able to slow down a bit and had a chance to chat with Mike discuss some of the qualities that can only be found in a person whose life is called for greatness!
December 19, 2011 – 1:02 am
Tracey and Jason Carstensen shared such a precious love story. Since a near death disaster ruined their first wedding, these two knew immediately into their marriage just how important it was to love each other to the fullest with every day that they shared together. Their genuine love for each other made me want to work so much harder to ensure that their ‘Do Over’ was everything they dreamed and so much more. They were passionate and emotional and inspired me to realize that ‘today’ is all we have. I learned so much from them and the greatest lesson was that we all have imperfect hearts but our blessings lie in our ability to find the imperfect perfect heart that loves us just as much as we love them!
December 16, 2011 – 1:46 am
Rrivre Davies and I have been friends and colleagues for years. We have worked hand in hand on events both in Southern California and around the world. One of the qualities that keeps me coming back – other than his expansive inventory of décor and furnishings is his attitude. He is pleasant, gracious, humble and a joy to work with. In our industry, talent seems to lead the reputation of the leaders in our industry but I prefer to allow the inner man to lead my choice in collaborations and Rrivre remains at the top of my list. For the Carstensen’s episode, I needed lots of great, clean, modern furnishings as well as a special element that would help to remind them of the special heart that brought them together and I knew that only Rrive had just what I needed. With the Carstensen’s episode airing this Sunday night, I sat down with Rrivre to dig a little deeper and to give you all a glimpse of the man behind some of the biggest Hollywood mega-weddings!
December 11, 2011 – 11:42 pm
The fire that ruined the Pepple’s first wedding was such a devastating and unforeseen disaster. How do you prepare for a fire in the building? This disaster even had me with a loss of words – a rare moment of course! Jennifer and Ian Pepple were a very quiet and shy couple who wanted nothing to do with fire again. However, my design plan was to re-introduce fire in a way that would help them establish some beautiful and artful memories that they could be proud of while embracing the beauty of fire. Also, since Jennifer and Ian met in an art gallery, I wanted to create as many artistic design elements that would pay homage to the encounter that brought them together. Flowers and textiles were my two primary elements that would bring this design approach to life. And it also helped that we found this gorgeous, eclectic warehouse space in Downtown LA that allowed me to turn it into an art gallery.
December 5, 2011 – 12:32 am
The Tumbagas made a tough gamble on bad weather that cost them the perfect celebration for their wedding. After surprising them, I set out to help Jung re-create her wedding celebration while abandoning some of the traditions she held onto for her first wedding. Jung admitted that she did not love her wedding gown, was underwhelmed by her nautical décor and missed the favored candy table that she hoped to enjoy. Yet still, Jung holds on tight with her type-A personality and does not relinquish decision making authority too easy. After an uncertain week of deciding whether or not to trust my vision, Jung and Victor were in awe of their I Do Over! From the baby blue wedding gown to the ‘Candy Land’ lounge, I showed her how to distinctively interpret her love story on her own terms. However, I hope that they learned that you can never underestimate the power of Mother Nature!
