We've Moved!!

We've moved!  Please check out our brand new blog at: http://abridges.amybridgesevents.com/blog/

Cheers!
Amy B.

My Journey to “I Do”: Viansa Winery & Vineyards

The stunning entrance to Viansa...imagine your ceremony here!

As the search for the perfect venue continues, Amy, Lisa, and I had the opportunity of meeting with Brooke Altman at Viansa Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma, CA.  The Tuscan-inspired architecture pairs perfectly with the hilltop views overlooking the Sonoma Valley to create a landscaped haven for hosting your big day.

Sonoma Valley view from Viansa

With the flexibility to accommodate weddings of 25 to 225 guests, Viansa Winery & Vineyards can host events in their Courtyard, Cellar, Terrace and Tent, which all flow flawlessly into each other as your day progresses.  A variety of rental packages include your choice of chairs, tables, linens, and table settings complete with china, flatware, and stemware.  Sage Catering, the exclusive onsite caterer, provides you with a personalized wine country cuisine, which pairs with the Viansa wines that are made available to you at a special discounted rate! 

With customizable options like cork place card holders and a candy buffet, your guests will enjoy an evening of fun, personal touches and friendly service at Viansa Winery & Vineyards!

The perfect mingling space for your guests during cocktail hour!

Mmmmm-agine the mouthwatering brick oven creations you can feature!

The Viansa Tent - a beautfiul blank slate for your big day...just think of what you can do with this space with just a splash of linen color, florals, uplighting & of course your lovely guests!

Rehearsal dinner ready lawn (complete with bocce ball)!

 Until next time, sending you wishes of success on your own search for the perfect venue!

Best wishes!
~ Janell H. (soon to be E.)

See you next time!

My Journey to "I Do": Campovida

As I recently became engaged, I’ve come to realize that after all of the “Congratulations!” comes, “When and where are you having the wedding?”  So to help you hone in on your perfect “location location location,” I’m here to shed some light on some spectacular venues throughout our area.  Follow me as I search for the perfect spot and vendor team for my fiancée

and I to say “I Do” to, and inspire you to discover new places and vendors for your own wine country wedding.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Kristen Stimpert at Campovida.  No, it’s not a camping ground, but rather a serene retreat located off the 101 North in Hopland, CA.  Stunned by the tree-lined driveway entrance, I just knew upon entering Campovida that it was going to be something special. 

Entryway to the Gardens

Flourishing gardens, fields, and vineyards make up the acres of land that Campovida rests on.  Though the land has been passed on through many generations, the property’s function as a multi-faceted event space is fairly new within the past year.  Escaping into the peacefully picturesque environment, there are many locations within the grounds to host your event, including the grape vine covered Learning Arbor for ceremonies and the Barn or Gardens for receptions.  The Honeymoon Cottage is complimentary upon booking your event reservation, plus there’s onsite lodging for your guests!

Check out the charming barn at Campovida!

Imagine your ceremony under this flourishing arbor in the fall!

 

 

Cozy onsite lodging!

Piazza de Campovida

And don’t let me forget to tell you that the space lends itself perfectly to all of your wedding festivity needs.  Rehearsal dinners and post wedding brunches could be footsteps away in the culinary pavilion with a pond view and fire pit, on the lawn space complete with picnic tables and bocce ball, or just a jaunt down the road at the newly opened Piazza de Campovida serving pizza and brews inclusive of local ingredients.

If you’re looking for a space of solitude that’s truly in a league of it’s own, Campovida may be just the perfect fit for your perfect day.

Picture perfect for a spring reception blooming with wisteria!

Best wishes!

~ Janell H. (soon to be E.)

Meet Janell!

We are absolutely THRILLED to be announcing the newest member of our ABE team-- the sweet and talented Janell Hughes!  She will be joining us as an Associate Planner. This has been in the works for awhile now, and Lisa and I couldn't be happier!  We cannot wait for you to meet Janell!  In the meantime, check out her bio below:

The fabulous Janell Hughes!

Janell Hughes is the newest addition to the ABE team, joining us in Summer 2012! She is very excited about her new position as an Associate Planner with Amy Bridges Events. With her combined passion for the industry and years of experience in event planning, you can be confident that all of your event needs will be met! 

Janell began her career in Northern California with a local catering company, working closely with many venues and wineries. The endless opportunities for creativity in pairing people and places within the unique experience of Wine Country food and fare provided Janell with a solid foundation in the industry. Most recently, Janell acquired years of experience in the DJing and event production realm of event planning, with a statewide-recognized company based out of Southern California. With a developed knowledge of sound, lighting, and décor, she provides a unique avenue of input for the entertainment and production elements of an event.

Between an exceptional and exciting background in event planning, and her devotion to creativity and organization through the event planning process, Janell is dedicated to making your experience a memorable one. With professionalism and attention to detail as Janell’s strong suits, the coordination of an unforgettable event awaits you!

Welcome to the team, Janell!

Cheers!
Amy B.

Real Weddings: Kelley & Michael

Kelley & Michael were married in late December at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa.  You could really feel the love in the air, as they celebrated with their closest family and friends.  I think that all of the guests and wonderful vendors that we saw that day would agree that Kelley and Michael make a beautiful couple, who are so deeply in love and just truly excited to spend the rest of their lives together.  With great help from Kelley's mother, Kathy, during the planning process, their wedding day was flawless!

Check out these great pictures below from Brian Ganyo Photography.  They are some of my favorite photos from this venue!

All of the girls changed into their Tom's Shoes for the reception. 

One of the favorite elements was the tossing bouquet...
Wine Country Flowers created 7 small bouquets that were tied together to look like one.
Right before tossing, Kelley untied the ribbon and they separated mid-air, allowing lots of opportunities to catch the bouquet!

And they lived Happily Ever After...

Thank you so much Kelley & Michael for letting us be a part of your wedding day!

Cheers! 

Lisa B.

Wedding Coordinator: Lisa @ Amy Bridges Events

Venue: Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, CA 

Caterer: Park Avenue Catering

DJ: AMS Entertainment

Florist: Wine Country Flowers

Photography: Brian Ganyo Photography

Hair & Makeup: Radici Hair Studio

Cake: Giorgi's Wedding Cakes

Transportation: Pure Luxury

Creative Guestbooks

While traditional guestbooks are a wonderful keepsake, many couples are coming up with new and innovative ideas to capture their guests signatures and sweet messages.  It can be so much fun to come up with clever ways to carry out your theme through your guestbook!  Below are some fabulous ideas from a few of our 2011 weddings.  Enjoy! 

Sonja & Daniel loved to travel-- in fact they traveled to Kenwood, CA from Washington DC for their destination wedding!  So they wanted to reflect their love of traveling in their guestbook, and did so by having guests sign postcards.  Super cute!  Photo by Christina Richards Photography.

Radhika & Nick had their photographer create matted photo pages for guests to sign.  They used their gorgeous engagements photos, which really reflected their style and personality.  Photos and guestbook by Volatile Photography.

Kimberly & Tom, who live in New York City, did a gorgeous NYC coffee table book and provided gold pens for guests to use to write them a note.  How fun to have this displayed in their home now-- they can flip through it all the time and remember their special day!  Photos by Volatile Photography.

Meghan & Jeff, both involved with the wine industry, asked guests to sign an actual wine barrel from the winery that Jeff works at!  Their wedding also took place at a winery, so it really fit the theme and atmosphere.  Photo by Kissed by Tammynize.

Molly & Matt had a "Thumbprint Tree" designed for their wedding on Etsy.com.  Guests pressed their thumb in ink that coordinated with the wedding colors, stamped it as a "leaf" on the tree, and signed their names next to it.  So fun!  Photo by Aaron Snow Photography.

Press Release: Bride's Choice Awards!

{Petaluma,CA} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Amy Bridges Events has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Wedding Planning!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Amy Bridges Events was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Amy Bridges Events is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Amy Bridges Events for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Amy Bridges Events is one of the very best Wedding Planners within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/amy-bridges-events-petaluma/48c59b37ddedb7a1.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

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