Oh the weather outside is frightful...

but this Christmas season has been so delightful!

so i am weeks behind in my updates! life has been hectic...we are squeezing a lot onto our plates!

so...let's get to the holiday goodies!
the floods hosted a dinner party about two weeks ago! the 2nd annual. we had a blast hangin' with friends, eating a great meal & a fun white elephant couples gift exchange!

Check out Lindsey's gorgeous holiday decor! don't you love that old window with the wreath? i do! i do!



Anyone need a good laugh? the photo above is just a teaser...jump over the Lindsey's blog to check out the video that goes with this photo! Laugh OUT Loud funny!!

thanks linds & justin for a fantastic holiday get together!

NEXT UP...
Anna's amazing photography show at long beach state! it was her final project before she graduated! Congratulations Anna...you did an amazing job!

the artist (anna), chatting with her professor

the gang (jason, me, anna, my mom & dad) taking a pic in front of her work.
jer was still out of town shooting his new T.V. show...he was SUPER missed!

a close up of one of her shots. she did her project observing people in line. each photo was taken in a different setting but all of people in line. her artist statement was awesome & really made you think about each individual standing in line. So cool...
Love ya Anna!!

Christmas Eve & Christmas...

jason & i hosted our families for christmas eve. this was our first holiday we have EVER hosted. slightly nerve racking. our house wasn't feeling very festive because we had decided to not get a tree & i have been so busy that i only pulled out a couple of decorations...that quickly changed when we realized we would be having guests.

we got a tree. and yes, brought it home in the back of jason's convertible. only in california!

i went to the LA flower mart...finally...for some gorgeous floral decor! i have been wanting to go for years. best part...it so wasn't a disappointment. i am now addicted.

and some fun festive touches in the house including garland with ornaments & lights on the banister (not pictured).

and of course got some great rentals from a little event rental company that we like to use to enhance the scrumptious flowers.

yes, we are losers...total losers! we didn't take any pictures of the guests that night. hosting & being the photographer is a BIG task. we are still working on mastering it!

AND again...we are losers...Christmas Day photos you ask? you won't be seeing any from our camera. why you ask? because we didn't bring the camera to my parents' house. we spent the day with them, jer, anna, my grandma & grandpa AND the newlyweds...Geoff & Marcia Graham.

we stayed until 1:40am playing games, laughing and telling stories! such a blast. we walked out to ice on the cars...so much so...my back door got stuck from the ice! NUTS...especially for california!

i hope you all had a splendid Christmas season! Merry Christmas to you & yours!
xo!

We've Been Blogged!

as some of you already know, we took our engagement pictures a little over a month ago! well, our photographer, ryan has blogged us! here are a couple of my favorites from our day (courtesy of ryan's blog)! we are super excited for him to shoot our wedding...he is oh so talented!

'Tis the Season...

...for family traditions!

growing up we always had a fantastic time during the holidays. jer & i would search for our gifts in our parents closest. i'm not so good with surprises! we would go for a drive or walk to look at christmas lights. waking up for school in a warm house, just the christmas lights on the tree adding a beautiful glow & christmas music playing softly in the background (thanks mom..that's one of my favs). who could forget our christmas movie tradition...christmas vacation! if you haven't seen it...you must! it is a totally imperfect holiday that is truly priceless!

jason & i have been getting in the spirit whenever we can (work is keeping us busy). what have we done so far you ask?

saw handel's messiah at the orange county performing arts center.
checked out some amazing christmas lights in redondo beach! a big thanks to sarah & rory! we had a blast drinking hot chocolate & taking in the gorgeous houses & lights with you guys!


a new tradition - my mom & i decorated her gorgeous new mantel & tree! (i will post photos soon!)
and jason & i have watched christmas vacation & elf!

more holiday cheer coming soon...
a holiday dinner with friends at the Flood's. (2nd annual...so fun)
christmas eve dinner at our house for jason's family & mine.
and christmas...of course!

what is your family up to this holiday season?

Prayer Request

natalie's (my cousin Elton's wife...but i think of her as my cousin) 2-year-old nephew, Russell, was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma called Burkitt Lyphoma this past Tuesday and began chemotherapy on Thanksgiving. She has created a blog to keep family & friends informed and as an avenue for folks to leave comments for natalie's sister (Leslie) and her husband (Jeff) as they endure the coming months!

Please feel free to visit his blog & learn more about his journey!

From Aunt Natalie -
"Here is one of my favorite pics of little Russell on Thanksgiving Day when he wasn't feeling too well after his biopsy, spinal tap & bone marrow sampling, but was sleeping soundly....Baby Jaguar is standing guard!"

today & over the next months, i ask for your thoughts & prayers. i know that most of you reading this blog don't know Russell, Leslie or Jeff but i believe prayer is such a powerful way to promote healing & to bring lives together. please, take some time out this holiday season to send your thoughts, love & prayer to this amazing family!

Happy Thanksgiving

california delivered some fall like weather just in time for Thanksgiving. rain wet the ground the past few days and left the air cool & crisp. perfect for all the wonderful food that lined my mom & dad's dining room table. turkey & ham, with stuffing, sweet potatoes, salad, bread, mashed potatoes (my fav), an amazing broccoli dish, cranberry sauce, olives & gravy! it was all so delicious & i totally didn't take a picture of any of it!! i think i will have to take a picture of the leftovers because there are plenty of those now in our fridge! dessert, you ask? of course! pie...apple & pumpkin with whipped cream & cookies.




the best part of Thanksgiving was being able to see my amazing family & break bread with them. two big missing pieces from Thanksgiving this year...Jer & Anna. Jer is traveling for his new TV show & Anna also had to work. Serious sad lip! I am truly blessed! thank you mama & dad for hosting such a fantastic day!

Happy Thanksgiving to you ALL!

Too much SUGAR!!

i love sweets...seriously. but, you know that feeling you get after you have had too many sweets? that feeling where you just feel high & sick at the same time!? that's what happened tonight. we went to vanilla bake shop for our cake tasting. amy placed an adorable cake stand (side note: i love cake stands. don't know what it is about them but i LOVE them) in front of us with 8 different mini cupcakes to try. it didn't end there she brought us one more to try. this one is our cake and it was totally delicious BUT i think it is the one that pushed the sugar high over the edge!


the final decision...a small cutting cake for J & me with a tower filled with mini cupcakes below for the guests. the mini cupcakes will be joined with some other sweet delights but those will be unveiled on wedding day. soon we will all be in sugar sick heaven together!

SWEET DREAMS!

Here come the Bridesmaids

yay for my oh so fantastic girls! i am so incredibly blessed to have all of these ladies in my life. i have shared so much with ALL of these ladies & i can't imagine not having them stand at my side as i say "i do!"

Kristen is & has always been such an amazing friend to me (since the summer before 6th grade). she truly has allowed me to be me...regardless. that is something you don't find in many people. she has been there for me through thick & thin...no questions asked. there are really no words to explain my love & appreciation for our friendship.


Lindsey & i were drawn to each other the first couple of weeks in 6th grade (side note - i moved to a new school in 6th grade & linds, erica & kristen made this transition so easy on me!). linds always has fantastic words of wisdom...she is way beyond her years with great advice. she never judges...just encourages. linds has such a fantastic heart that is filled with so much love. i couldn't imagine linds not being in my life...she is truly an enormous blessing! (i know that i have already said blessing 5 hundred times...but it is going to be used plenty more times during this post!)


Erica...ah...erica! i can still remember the outfit that i meet erica in for the first time. the plaid green (still her fav color) vest & short combo with clogs & her bright green contacts. she looked so cute & i know i will never forget her outfit. erica has one of the biggest hearts i have ever seen. she is such a romantic & i love that about her. she loves being loved & giving love. she has incredible "smart" jokes that always keep me entertained. she helps me stay focused on the positive things in life because she is always able to find them. i am so blessed to be able to call erica my friend!


Andrea came into my life in HS. she is a grade older then me BUT we grew very close on the song squad! we have been through so much together. andrea has helped dry my eyes, make me laugh & knock some sense into me, too. HS would not have been the same with out the memories that andrea & i made together. our friendship grew even stronger after HS. i know that we don't get to see each other as much as we would both like (life is crazy!) we will always have an undeniable bond that i will cherish forever. i am spoiled with good friends!


Anna is my brother Jeremy's girlfriend. she has blessed our lives for over 7 years! i love, love, love anna! she is truly like a sister & i consider her family. she fits perfectly in with our family & is an amazing match with jer. they balance each other so well. i cannot imagine our family without her. she cracks me up & is such a talented photographer! jer picked a fantastic girl when he picked anna! i am so glad she is one of my bridemaids...it would not be the same without her! God blessed our entire family when jer brought her home! Love ya Anna! :)


i know, i know...i have said i am blessed BUT seriously...i am so blessed. i seriously get all warm and fuzzy inside when i think about what amazing friends i have. thank you girls for being a part of my special day.

I love you all SO much!!

Details, Details, Details...

my mind is scrambling the last few days trying to get all our little ducks in a row. details in my opinion are what create the ultimate event...the items that make people walk away and say "wow, stunning, amazing...spectacular!"

the details have to work together with the venue, the attire, the colors, the decor & the food. this is where my head starts to spin...

i see so many pictures where brides pull it off...which makes me hopeful! BUT, the other little item that makes my heart beat a little faster, is every time i contact a potential new vendor and they reply "oh vibiana, i have been DYING to work there & you work at Classic...it's just going to be amazing..."

fingers crossed they are all right! here are some wedding inspiration boards i have found that prove...it is all in the Details!

LOVE how each detail makes the last that much better!

totally different then the first but...SERIOUSLY GORGEOUS!

it just all works from every aspect & that color combination is stunning!

Both of these boards just make my heart flutter with pure delight!
inspiration boards courtesy of snippet & ink

ah...back to getting all my details to line up in a row!

Happy ONE year Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Boyle!!

a year ago today Kristen & Danny were walking down the aisle to say "i do!" how time seriously flies! i could not be more happy for them...they truly are perfect for each other. Kristen has been my dearest friend since 6th grade & i couldn't have thought of a better person to partner Kristen in life.




jason & i love getting to spend time with them! Happy Anniversary! Wishing you many, many more to come!! We love you guys!

LET'S GO LAKERS!

basketball season is BACK!! i couldn't be more excited about it. i love basketball, not as much as jason, but still...i love to watch a game of basketball! jason & i went to the Lakers home opener on Tuesday. we scored seats in a suite which was so sweet! this is one of our favorite things to do together...but with the wedding we will have to cut back this year!

another lakers shirt! doesn't jason look like a kid in a candy store...
except these tickets cost a lot more then candy! :)

I LOVE L.A.!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Scott

this past weekend jason's cousin Sterling married his beautiful (now) wife Kristin at the Yosemite Lake Clubhouse. everything was so beautiful & it was great getting to spend some time with jason's side of the family! it made us even more excited for our BIG day...which is now a little less than five months away!

Sterling & Kristin released doves at their ceremony to symbolize the purity of marriage! Pretty cool. If you look closely you can see them in their hands!

The Bride & Groom sharing their first dance as husband & wife!

Congratulations to the Newlyweds!

Already Monday?

okay...so i take back "three straight busy weekends!" in reality...it is three straight busy weeks. here is a quick, last week, recap!

MONDAY
a surprise, free ticket trip, to the dodgers playoff game. i know this made jason oh so excited! unfortunately, they choked it away in the 8th inning and the game after that got knocked out of the playoffs. still super exciting to be there!



TUESDAY
Happy 23rd Birthday, Todd Davis! jason's baby brother celebrated his birthday last Tuesday. we celebrated by taking him to a yummy Brazilian restaurant in beverly hills. Todd lived in Brazil for two years. he showed off his Portuguese skills by speaking to the waiters ALL night! andrew (jason's brother), jason, me, gisele (todd's girlfriend) & of course the birthday boy had a fantastic dinner out on the town!








WEDNESDAY
seriously our only day to just breathe!

THURSDAY
i was the "day of" wedding planner for my cousin geoff's wedding. thursday night was their rehearsal at the ebell club in long beach. it was my first time ever running a rehearsal...so let's just say i was a little nervous. i think everything went pretty smoothly...which is always good! thanks to some quick tips from Courtney! (side note: if you are having an event in OC or SD...call COURTNEY!)

FRIDAY
the black & white dinner! geoff & marcia had a fun, in-n-out truck dinner for all of the wedding guests that could make it! seriously...you can not go wrong with IN-N-OUT!! even our 91 year old granddad ate TWO burgers! Gotta love it!






SATURDAY
the wedding! geoff & marcia's wedding day! so exciting...their five month engagement went so fast. they had a 10am ceremony followed by a reception. jason (my assistant) & i arrived at the venue at 7:30 to welcome the vendors and to get all of the details in place. the morning went smoothly and everything looked amazing!




that evening we had a mini family reunion at natalie & elton's house. it was great getting some more time with the family that we just don't get to see enough!


after a couple of hours at the mini family reunion we headed to lindsey & justin's for Justin's 27th birthday bash! (Today is his really bday!) we missed the dinner portion but got to enjoy a bonfire and some great fun with friends! we didn't get home until 2:15am...a full 20 hours, awake! (that's a lot for me)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!
this picture of justin & linds is really from our spooky supper...i think by the time we made it to their house we were too sleepy to think about pulling out the camera!

SUNDAY
we slept until 10:45...seriously!! To finish off the weekend we picked up the pups from Doggie Day Camp AND watched sports!

they are always so sleepy after a weekend with other puppy friends!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! Even if it is just Monday.