Year In Review 2016

What can I say about 2016? It was a…year. Although a lot happened politically and socially, we had the great fortune to celebrate with and support twenty couples down the aisle. We also furthered our company commitment to philanthropy by funding twenty mico-loans to female entrepreneurs around the world through Kiva and we also supported the American Civil Liberties Union, The Trevor Project and Planned Parenthood with our dollar bills.

Here is our Year in Review 2016, in photos and just a few words! (Click through the photographers name in the caption to take your to their website.) And please forgive the few obvious non-pro photos. Not all the pro photos were available to me yet!

We started the year off right with the lovely Allison & Andrew and some of my favorite vendors at Pacific Ridge in Palos Verdes. Allison & Andrew live in Wisconsin but married here. It rained on their wedding day, and they didn’t even want our fancy clear umbrellas. (This is how you know they don’t live in LA.)

Photo by Marble Rye Photography

February found us at one of my absolute favorite venues in Los Angeles, The Fig House. Dailyn & Todd had the most fun, loving, and truly delicious wedding I have ever planned. And their puppies got in on the action too! Dailyn’s gorgeous cala lilly bouquet by The Enchanted Florist.

Photo by Linda Abbott Photography

In March, we had the first of our many desert adventures with Lauren & Andrew’s amazing Joshua Tree elopement. Lauren & Andrew traveled all the way from New Zealand to marry amongst the Joshua Trees! We were so thrilled to be a part of their wedding day.

Photo by Westlund Photography

Our wedding season kicked into high gear in April, with weddings back to back!

We started our month with the lovely Veronica & Kenny at the equally lovely Descanso Gardens. Another rainy day, but everyone took it in stride! Veronica’s colorful bouquet by Truly Fancy Events. See and read more about their wedding day here.

Photo by Sammie B Photography

Then, we celebrated (again!) with Heidi & Wei at Calamigos Ranch. In 2015, I helped Wei surprise Heidi with an elopement, and I couldn’t have been happier to support them again for their 2nd wedding day!

iPhone, back of the aisle snap, courtesy of me.

We finished out April with sunny skies at the beach for Dana & Ray’s fun Annenberg Beach House wedding! Dana’s bright bouquet by The Enchanted Florist. Click here to see & read more about their awesome day.

Photo by Little Boat Photography

In May, we embraced our Wanderlust with not one but two out of town weddings!

We started the month in Pioneertown at the always awesome RimRock Ranch with Claire & Andy. Click here to see more of their lovely day, which was also featured on Borrowed & Blue!

Photo by Julie Pepin

After Pioneertown, we headed to the beaches of Santa Barbara & The Cabrillo Pavillion for Stephanie & Rudy’s awesome day! Florals by Alpha Floral. I am so thrilled we got to the beach twice this year, it’s always such a treat!

Photo by Linda Abbott Photography

In June, we went back to the high desert (are you sensing a theme this year?) to provide Wedding Management to Kathy & Sanden’s wedding day at the magical Sacred Sands in Joshua Tree. This totally captivating wedding was featured on The Venue Report, and you can read more about it here as well.

Photo by Andria Lo Photography

Los Angeles River Center & Gardens set the scene for the 4th of July wedding of Lucy & David. This was one of my favorites! I love taking a virtually bare space and transforming it into something special. Lucy & David have style for miles, and so did their wedding! Look for this one in the coming weeks here on the blog! Florals by Of the Flowers.

Photo by Clarkie Photography

We ended July back at one of our most frequent and favorite venues, The Unique Space, for Taylor & Sam’s amazingly creative wedding. This day had so many wonderful details and totally personal moments. You can see more from their day here and here.

Photo by Jen Emerling Photography

August found us downtown again, this time at Millwick, for John & Stefan’s Big Day! I loved their intimate and creative ceremony – and they collected vintage glass to make their own centerpieces! So much love for this whole day. You can see more of their day here.

Photo by Mark Brooke

We celebrated Light & Frank with an epic Labor Day wedding weekend extravaganza! Light & Frank opened up their home – well, both of their homes – to their wonderful guests for the weekend. On Saturday, we planned a casual Beach Day for everyone in Ventura, and then Sunday, we partied well into the night at their gorgeous San Fernando Valley home. This was truly a highlight of my year, not just because of the beautiful weekend, but because of these two beautiful souls! You can see more of their wedding day here. Floral by Juniper Floral.

Photo by Jennifer Rau Photography

We finished out September with Eunice & Damien at a truly gorgeous venue, Hinoki & the Bird. Eunice’s stunning Vera Wang gown left everyone speechless, including the incredibly dapper Damien. This was such a fun day for everyone! Stay tuned for more about this wedding on the blog soon! Bouquet by Pavan Floral.

Photo by Koman Photography

Before we knew it, it was October! Did you know that October is the new June? Not sure if that’s true nationwide, but it sure is true for Southern California! We started this fantastic month with Kendal & Dave (and Murray, who is a dog) at The 1909 in Topanga Canyon.

I love their effortless style and their infectious smiles! Planning their wedding with them was a joy! Look for this one on the blog here in a few weeks. Florals by The Enchanted Florist.

Photo by Kappen Photography

Next, we were so happy to provide Wedding Management for Rebecca & Daniel in Long Beach. Their wedding day was full of love and music! Rebecca recorded herself singing their First Dance song, and there was not a dry eye in the house!

iPhone photo, obviously

We ended October in Temecula with Dana & Chad at The Retro Ranch. I worked with Dana & Chad from the very beginning of their planning journey, and so this one was bittersweet. I was so thrilled to see their amazing wedding day come together so beautifully, but also sad that I was out of excuses to talk to them every day! The struggle of the Wedding Planner! Much more on this wedding in the upcoming months, for sure.

Photo by Linda Abbott Photography

Last, but certainly not least, we ended our wedding season in November with the lovely Deanna & Chad in Glendale at Vertigo Event Venue. They treated their guests to a casino night as well as a fabulous multi-course meal and dancing!

Photo by Laura Ford Photography

I have spent the last few days reflecting, planning, resting, and looking forward to today – New Year’s Eve! This is one of my top three holidays (1st place: Thanksgiving, 2nd place: Christmas) because I love the occasion of a fresh start. And I love champagne.

Before I sign off for the year, I’d like to give big thanks and love to all who made 2016 a fantastic year at Moxie Bright Events. To all of my wonderful couples, thank you for letting me into your inner circle and for trusting me on our journey together. I really do get to work with the most loving, creative, fun couples. Thank you all for being authentically you!

To all the fantastic vendors who make this job fun and who make it look easy, you know who you are, and I love you! I would list you all by name but then this post would be several pages long.

To the other wedding planners who embraced Community Over Competition and assisted me this year – Yoco, Tina & Holly, thank you so much. It’s so lovely getting to work with other pros, and learning and growing together.

To my rockstar day-of wedding assistant, Kristie, thank you for your incredible work ethic, for reading my mind, and for always finding my binder.  And my phone. And my Sprite.

To my fabulous interns, Debbie & Vivian, you had no idea how hard you were going to work or how much your feet would hurt. You climbed up ladders and ran up hills, and did it with a smile. Thank you! I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next year!

And to my husband (and co-owner) Joe, who is always there, always supportive, always ready to fix whatever problems might arise. Joe, you are the absolute best and I could not even for a second imagine doing any of this without you. Thank you.

“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year. – Vern McLellan“

Here’s to 2017!

Happy New Year!