CAKE - Wedding Newsletter of the Fallbrook Area / Temecula Valley wine country

THE "OH! MY! GOD!" EFFECT

Your sister's Wedding venue was, well . . . how nice.
Your best friend's Wedding venue was, well . . . how sweet.

But if you're like us (and you know you are!), when it comes to Wedding locations there's that certain yearning for "Isn't there somewhere different?!"

PALA MESA RESORT

Hang on to your veils, Brides, the Garden Pavilion at
Pala Mesa Resort is one of a kind.

The Pavilion, with its 700-pound mission bell - approached by a stone staircase, surrounded by a garden of white Iceberg roses and the finishing touch of a backdrop of waterfalls - will long remain in the memory as a slightly ethereal dream.

garden pavilion at pala mesa resort

Pala Mesa Resort marriage mavens Karon Cartwright & Denise Sutterfield spend their days walking through this dream. Let them share it with you.

[CAKE bonus plug: While dancing the night away at Pala Mesa's reception site - Cliff Terrace - be sure to say hello to CAKE pal, Kevin Poorbaugh, the Resort's banquet manager. Kevin's unassuming sense of professionalism (blended with a slanted sense of humor) guarantees a carefree evening of delight you and your guests won't soon forget].

PALA MESA RESORT

2001 Old Highway 395
Fallbrook, California 92028
760 731 6801

kcartwright@palamesa.com
www.palamesa.com

P0NTE FAMILY ESTATE

Or maybe elegant simplicity is more to your liking.
(You're always voicing that Zen thing, "Less Is More").

You should stroll the grounds of the winery at
Ponte Family Estate. The Wedding arch is set
at the far end of the lawn, surrounded by the
Ponte vineyards, with the mountains off in the distance.

Envisioned by Claudio Ponte, the site is lovely, the pace is unhurried and the wine is great! (Does it get any better than this?).

Coordinators Mindy Smith, and Sheri Alford & Serina Samuels maintain a low-key, calming vibe . . . every Wedding should be so lucky.

ponte winery

[We can't resist ducking into the tasting room to throw in a plug for CAKE pal - Ragan Erickson - head of Ponte's Wine Club. Look her up while you're visiting the winery, your taste buds will thank you!].

PONTE FAMILY ESTATE

35053 Rancho California Road
Temecula, California 92591
951 694 8855

msmith@pontewinery.com
www.pontewinery.com

RK GREEN STUDIOS
Randy Green

In our humble opinion, decisions #1 & #2 for a Bride are 1). which venue to choose, and 2). whether or not to use a Wedding Coordinator. (Just do it! Thank us later).

Decision #3? Its got to be the photographer. Their work will trigger memories for all your days to come. Your grandchildren will pore over your Wedding photographs. Yet these days, with seemingly everyone and his brother shooting Wedding photos . . . how do you choose?

randy green

This is a tough one, even for us. Not only are there a lot of photographers out there, but there are a lot of good photographers out there. So biting the bullet and spinning the bottle (champagne, of course), CAKE leads off with RK Green Studios. Specifically, Randy Green.

Randy works with a 2nd photographer, resulting in a combination of the formal romantic portraiture you expect,
in addition to spontaneous moments captured in a photojournalistic style.

But beyond all that f-stop, shutter speed, "I'm losing the light!" stuff, Randy Green has to be one of the nicest guys involved with Fallbrook area / Temecula Valley wine country Weddings. You'll find it a pleasure to work with him.

RK GREEN STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

41175 Chaparral Drive
Temecula, California 92592
951 303 9933

rkgreenstudios@msn.com
www.rkgreenstudios.com

diana ross
rk green studios photograph

CELEBRATIONS BY DIANA
Diana Ross

And finally, last - but definitely not least - the 2nd most important Wedding choice for Brides & Grooms to consider (the 1st being the all-important venue): the Wedding Coordinator.

These ladies (and the occasional gentleman) are worth their weight in gold! Their contributions toward enhancing Weddings cannot be overemphasized.

Wedding venues love them. (They make their lives easier). Wedding vendors love them. (They make

their lives easier). And Brides who use Wedding Coordinators swear an oath they wouldn't consider planning their nuptials without one. (Because Wedding Coordinators make their lives . . . you get the picture).

Your Wedding is a combination of the happiest day of your life, shadowed by a potentially immeasurable level of stress. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a Fairy God-coordinator who could always be turned to and told "Handle it!" This is how coordinators earn their keep and why you will love working with one.

The 1st Wedding Coordinator to be profiled by CAKE is Diana Ross of Celebrations By Diana. Along with her assistants Jervaun Trier (Diana's sister) and Kristy Floren, Diana takes the potential pain out of Wedding planning and turns it into cham-pagne.

(You'll often find these ladies at Wilson Creek Winery weddings, where the all-time Brides' favorite - Almond Champagne - flows as freely as tears of joy at a Wedding).

Diana and her chums are personable, organized, humorous . . . in other words, they are class acts. Give them a call and then repeat after us, "Thank you, CAKE, Thank you, CAKE . . ."

CELEBRATIONS BY DIANA

951 491 0552

srossca@mindspring.com
www.celebrationsbydi.com