The Grande Colonial
September 30, 2006

“We love to travel and, when in 2005 on a mini vacation to California, we discovered La Jolla, it was love at first sight. La Jolla was the ideal backdrop to host such an awesome event as our wedding,” Catherine said.

“We were married in Calumet Park, overlooking the ocean. The park is so open—I wanted to make it feel more intimate and cozy, casually elegant, so we created an outside church via floral arrangements of all-pink flowers hanging from shepherd’s hooks, potted palms, and a delicate archway with clusters of pink roses, lilies and hydrangeas decorated with greenery. The aisle was sprinkled with pink rose petals,” she continued. “So many things made our wedding unique. A special honor was that my dad officiated the service. I thought of him doing that since I was young. And he surprised us with an old-fashioned airplane flying over the ceremony site sprinkling rose petals and trailing a sign saying ‘Congratulations Put and Catherine.’”

At the reception, the tables were graced with candles and centerpieces of roses, cymbidium orchids, and hydrangeas set among sprinkled rose petals to create a romantic atmosphere.

The theme was “Life is Sweet,” complimented by the colors pink and brown. “Since Put and I got engaged, it became a slogan for us that we wanted to share with everyone. It was a reminder of how blessed and fortunate we are and it seemed natural that it would be the theme for our wedding,” Catherine smiled.

“I dreamed of having a huge, extravagant, party kind of wedding. But as I got older, my ideas changed. Put and I realized we wanted something small and very special. We also wanted it to be more than a single day event. By keeping our list small and setting intimate, our guests were able to enjoy the entire weekend together,” she added.

“Everyone we worked with was professional and did an amazing job. Olga from Rituals was outstanding with the florals. It can be hard planning a destination wedding, but Christina at The Grande Colonial took care of the food and hotel details. Rebecca Gaffney and Mia Saling from Red Letter Days were the dynamic duo. They found all the vendors and helped me create my ideal wedding. I thought Patricia Norvell, who did my make-up and hair, was phenomenal.”

“Put said to me during the process, ‘We’re getting married; we’re not just having a wedding!’ Those words resonated with me throughout the planning, and especially on that day. Yet, when you are marrying your best friend and are so happy, you want the wedding to reflect the feelings you have for each other and for everyone there,” Catherine commented.

Afterwards, the newlyweds relaxed at the Beverly Hills Hotel for a couple of days, and plan to visit Argentina next year.


WEDDING RESOURCES

Ceremony Location - Calumey Park

Reception Location - The Grande Colonial La Jolla

Wedding Coordinator- Red Letter Days, Wedding & Event Coordination LLC

Officiant - Tim Cowen

Photographer - Lori Krause

Videographer - Tangerine Video Productions

Florist - Rituals Floral Design

Linens & Rentals - Classic Party Rentals

Ceremony Music - Caprice Strings

Reception Entertainment - San Diego DJ & Video

Catering - Nine-Ten Restaurant at The Grande Colonial

Makeup & Hair - Cara Mia

Rehearsal Dinner- Sante Ristorante