Planning a wedding without a planner? Take a look at the “Whirlybird” and “Early Bird” services from Twitterpated Weddings.

Twitterpated Weddings offers many different types of services from wedding day management to full service & design. However, we also offer something for couples who decide, for whatever reason, they don’t need a wedding coordinator throughout their planning or on their wedding day.

Although we are happy to meet for consultations with couples at any point in their planning, these are the two most crucial points and the ones we get the most inquiries for:

The Whirlybird: For the last few weeks before your wedding to make sure nothing got missed and pull all your hard work and planning together.

The Early Bird: For the beginning of your planning process to get you on the right track

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“The Whirlybird” is a “whirl” of info in a jam-packed planning session!
This is a single consultation meeting ,usually 2 to 4 weeks from the day of the wedding.
We will go over all the details of your wedding and plans you have so far. We can offer last-minute advice, help sort out your priorities, create to-do lists and give you any remaining vendor referrals.

You will leave this meeting with a list of anything you may have overlooked as well as a list of tasks that should be completed ASAP.

Just imagine how much more at ease you will feel knowing if you are on track …and if not, how to get there! This is valuable service for couples who can use a bit of
help towards the final stretch of their engagement and wedding planning.

 

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Appropriately called, “The Early Bird”, we can also offer the same type of meeting at the BEGINNING stages of your planning to put you on track right from the start. Vendor referrals, to-do lists, prioritizing…basically a wedding planning compass .We simply give you the info and tools, you run with it. Easy as pie.

Meetings are up to two hours long and are held at the Twitterpated Weddings office in South San Jose. You may find that you do want to hire a coordinator after all, or maybe you don’t, either way, there is NEVER pressure to do so and you are never under any obligation to use Twitterpated Weddings for anything else.  It is just a service to make your life a little easier. Promise!

Please contact us for more info at amy@twitterpatedweddings.com

Na Young and Tim are married! Private residence wedding in Campbell

Na Young and Tim hired me for reception coordination so I didn’t have a chance to see the ceremony that took place in Santa Cruz overlooking the ocean, but from the photographs taken by Urban Shutter Bug, it looked beautiful!

I loved all the natural elements in the decor for this wedding. We used blue ticking linen, burlap, twine and natural vegetation in most of the decorating with some crates, paper lanterns and some unique DIY items in the mix.

This is an example of a private residence reception. We took a small space that had never been used for a wedding before and turned it into a party! Don’t be fooled though, it isn’t easy to do and requires a lot of planning, lots of challenges to overcome and lots of extra hands and supplies brought in to make this kind of event work.

We think it came out pretty cool though and hope you do too!

Escort Cards

Cake table

Cocktail hour nummies

Guest tables & decor

Buffet table & menu

Kids table complete with bags of cotton candy!

The couple walking in to their reception!

Group photo

Although we didn’t help with the ceremony coordination, here are some great shots of it!

Vendors:

Reception planning and coordination: Twitterpated Weddings :)

Photography: Urban Shutter Bug Photography

Food: Andy’s BBQ

Cake: Icing on The Cake

Hair: Roze Johnson of Oebius Salon

Flowers: By Madeline Trait

Linen/rentals: Williams Party Rentals

Roze and Kyle are married! Michael’s On Main, Soquel Wedding

Roze and Kyle got married at Michael’s on Main in Soquel and had plenty of creative DIY elements. The overall theme was Alice In Wonderland and guests were encouraged to dress in their steampunk attire. It was jackets, top hats and bustiers galore!

I actually met Roze when she came shopping at the bridal store I was working at. I helped her choose a wedding dress that she loved (of course she had it modified a bit to fit her theme) and we clicked right away. A few months down the line she contacted me to help with her wedding planning and coordination. I was very excited to help with her and Kyle’s wedding in Wonderland – you will know why when you see all the fun elements below!

So…enter here…or there…

Guests were greeted by this sign:

Ceremony decor

Details

Amazing bustle and corset added to the dress, custom for Roze!

How cool is this?

Another one of the bride’s personal touches

EAT ME cake complete with teacup on top

The sun was shining on them during their first dance…perfect.

Me and the amazing bride!

Venue: Michael’s On Main

Master of Ceremonies: Jason Spencer of Spencer Entertainment

Cake: Gayle’s Bakery

Hair & Makeup: Oebius Salon

Allie and Garrick are married! Nestldown, Los Gatos Wedding

Allie & Garrick were married at the ever magical Nestldown in April 2012 and from the moment I met them, I knew we would have great fun. ESPECIALLY when they didn’t look at me like I was cray cray when I suggested black and white striped linen on their tall cocktail tables and actually chose to use them. I was  finally able to see some of my black and white stripe obsession come to life at a wedding! Woo Hoo!

A few well placed upgraded linens made a huge difference at the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. It just goes to show you don’t have to go overboard, but rather mix some standards and upgrades to get an interesting look.

~Sand ceremony table with textured overlay~

~Fun & bold stripes tied in with their pops of yellow and red accent colors~

~Shot glass escort cards…they were later filled with lemon drops for the toasts instead of champagne~

~The Sweetheart table and 2 flanking VIP tables had a special textured overlay over the same linens that the rest of the guests tables had.

A fun way to embellish the head tables without straying too far from the overall look~

~The amazing cakes from Studio Cake~

~A for Amy!

Ok ok, really for the newlyweds last name ;) ~

~I know its done a lot but I love having a special touch at the bride and grooms seats, it never gets old to me~

~S’mores!~

Here are some shots from the professional photographer, Michael L’Heureux Photography

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

Allison & Garrick » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

Allison & Garrick » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

Allison & Garrick » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

2012 May » MICHAEL L'HEUREUX | PHOTOGRAPHY – Wedding & Portrait Photography in California and beyond.

Venue – Nestldown www.nestldown.com

Coordinator – Amy Frugoli www.twitterpatedweddings.com

Caterer – Thomas John Events www.thomasjohnevents.com

Photographer- Michael L’Heureux Photography

DJ – Paul Burchfield Big Fun DJs

Bakery – Studio Cake www.studiocake.com

Florist – Precious and Blooming www.preciousandblooming.com

Hair & Make-up – A Perfect Look www.aperfectlookmakeupandhair.com

Officiant – Tara Menefee

My 2012 weddings AKA The recap! (Part 1, Jan-March) Mountain Winery, The Clement Monterey, Carmel Weddings

I really dropped the ball on blogging in 2012 so I wanted to get some of the goodness out there in the blogoverse. Here are some of my favorite things and/or favorite photos from some of my 2012 weddings. I have fallen in love with all the weddings I have worked on and all the couples I have worked with, but 2012 was a particularly epic year with couples that seemed to be a perfect fit. I also had the chance to work with some of the best vendors that were a joy to partner with and get to know.

Happy 2013 and enjoy some of my 2012 memories :)

(Broken into several parts/ blog posts because I added more than I thought to each post…not as easy to choose as I thought it would be!)

SARAH & WILL

Sarah & Will got married in January at The Mountain Winery and  the thing I remember most is that is was COLD. I believe in the 40′s…brrrrr…But you would never know it by the photos because the girls, even in their sleeveless chiffon dresses, were troopers during the formal shots taken outside. It did however lead to some great outtake shots of the dresses and hair whipping around.

And of course I love this pic I took of photographer Todd Rafolovich getting his shots :)

One element I really loved was the use of tangerines for escort cards, it was a great natural element and when guests brought them to their seats, Boom! …instant color and decor at the tables to add to the existing centerpieces of candles surrounded by oranges.

I also loved the billowy tent the ceremony was in with simple topiary at the front

Sweet shots

SABRINA & JOE

Sabrina & Joe got married at the fantastic Intercontinental The Clement Monterey in March. Rain meant Plan B, but as I always say, sometimes Plan B ends up being a blessing in disguise. Awesome pics, more intimacy. and everyone pulling together to make the best of things…things usually end up being better than planned!

I always have this black and white umbrella in my Twitterpatedmobile and I always love how it looks in photos.

One of my fave shots, I took myself, of couple with said umbrella

The rain also led the professional photographer, Tom O’Neil of TGO Photo, to some interesting places indoors that he wasn’t planning on. He wasn’t expecting it, but he stumbled across a black light mini golf course and candy store which equaled unique and fun photos.

My favorite part of the Clement Monterey, hands down, is the stairway with the jellyfish chandelier, glowing lights on the walls with soft, watery music playing. I always spend a couple extra seconds there when I am running back and forth up and down the stairs just taking it all in. It was the spot for the first look for this wedding as well as a million other group shots and a few shots of just the couple at the end of the night.

Here are a few taken by Tom and myself.

Yes that is me holding the frame in this one :)

I took this one too which was one of my faves since it really summed up how down for anything this couple was. I mean, I have seen couples follow photographers crazy directions for a great photo opportunities, but when I told them to lie down because I had an idea for a shot, they just did it, no questions asked. Now only if I took better pics this would have been amazeballs. But still glad I got the shot :)

And here are just some cool shots from Tom and myself that I had to throw in here…there were just SO many great ones

First Look reactions

They do!

Cotton Candy late night sweets in the lounge by Sugar Tree Sweets and Treats

Burning up the dance floor

Photobooth fun

AMY & KEN

Amy & Ken called me from out of state and hired me over the phone for their Carmel wedding at Rancho Canada in March. She works for a popular national magazine and he is a movie director and works on lighting and production. To say they were bringing their own crew in was an understatement. They had friends who were professional photographers, videographer, musicians, emcees, an actor/friend as their officiant and theycreated almost everything on their own. From centerpieces, the cake topper, escort cards, directional signage, it was all them… and they even hung their own string lights for some ambiance. The great thing was, this was by no means a “platinum” overdone, overpriced, over budgeted wedding. It was simple, low maintenance, personal and , well, just plain fun and comfortable for everyone. It rained so the ceremony was moved inside, but that just meant we got to improvise and that, my friends, is what actors and wedding coordinators do best ;)

Of course my absolute favorite thing was the programs…they made these themselves (of course) to look like movie posters and I even got credits as “A Twitterpated Weddings Production”  I may or may not have this framed in my office :)

They had a dictionary for guests to circle a word and sign their names by. The words could be something to describe the bride and groom, special words, inside jokes, etc. But it got pretty darn funny and even a little risqué’ it was a BLAST to look at. Great idea indeed.

They had cupcakes and Psycho Donuts (brought all the way from Campbell) for their dessert table! Psycho donuts!!! Yesssss.

Amy made the cake topper herself,  a fair likeness of her and Ken.

I even found these little typewriter keys with their initials to put on their cupcakes

Cheeky bride

Planking Bride and friends

Rock and roll

Thug life

A surprise fencing dual during toasts

Right before the first look, Love this!

Ceremony in background of head table

My famous black and white umbrella again

Just love this shot

Fun signs

My absolute favorite. The photographers staged this shot and the groom post produced it and filled in the monsters to create this masterpiece!

Coming soon….some more weddings from 2012! Thanks for looking at my joy :)

Yosemite Wedding ~ Yosemite Valley Chapel and Ahwahnee Hotel

It was by complete chance that I met bride-to-be Stephanie (as she likes to say, it was Serendipity) We just “clicked” and before you know it she and her finace’ Aaron had hired me for their destination wedding in Yosemite.

I hadn’t been to Yosemite since Winter 1986 so this was something I was very excited to do. The wedding was to be in October 2011 and I knew it would be amazing in the fall.

I met Stephanie and Aaron for our site visit at the Yosemite Valley Chapel and Ahwahnee Hotel in June 2011 and fell in love with Yosemite Valley!

I took some time to explore the valley a bit:

Me sitting in front of the Yosemite Valley Chapel

The view when you walk out of the chapel. Amazing!

Short hike to Lower Yosemite Falls

Fast forward to October and it is wedding time!

The colors and theme were centered around fall - orange, red, yellow and brown. There were a lot of natural elements including twigs, sticks, pinecones and moss. I had the most fun ever at this wedding partly because I heart this couple mucho, partly because I had an amazing team, and partly because Yosemite just takes my breath away. Enjoy some pics I took and a few that their photographer , Ken Kato, took. (His are the really awseome scenic ones and the ones with me in them ;)

The fab vendor team included:

DJ:  Jason Spencer of Spencer Weddings & Entertainment

Photographer: Ken Kato Photography

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Yosemite Valley Chapel/The Ahwahnee Hotel

Florist: Sweet Pickins

Cake: The Ahwahnee

Groom’s Cake & Cake pops: Sweet Tooth Confections

Table numbers,escort cards, invitations: Sleepy Hedgehog Press

Jewelry: One World Designs

Wedding in the cutest chapel – Yosemite Valley Chapel

This amazing Photo is by Ken Kato Photography

This amazing Photo is by Ken Kato Photography

Sweetheart table with a breathtaking background. Wow.

The wedding cake and grooms cake. The funny thing is I brought these tree trunks INTO Yosemite from Palo Alto. Who brings trees TO Yosemite??

EVERYTHING on this grooms cake was edible. Yes everything. Sweeet Tooth Confections is amazing!

Memorial candle

The fab couple, congratulations Stephanie and Aaron!

Fixing Stephanie’s dress and being a little silly (Photo by Ken Kato)

The bride and groom having some fun with me, my assistant and the DJ (Photo by Ken Kato)

Wedding and Event Professionals at the 2011 San Francisco AIDSWALK

 

On Sunday July 17th 2011,  myself and a wonderful group of wedding and event professionals (and those that know and love us!)  walked 10k for the 25th Anniversary of the SF AIDSWALK to raise awareness and money for the SF AIDS Foundation.

Funds raised by AIDS Walk San Francisco enable the foundation to provide  services that improve the quality of life for thousands of people living with  HIV/AIDS and focus prevention efforts on those at greatest risk of contracting  the disease. With a goal of radically reducing the number of new HIV infections  in San Francisco over the next five years, the foundation is leading the way in  advocating for critical policy changes in Sacramento and Washington that will  ensure broader access to HIV prevention, treatment and care so people can live  healthier, longer lives.

Growing up in San Francisco and personally knowing people with HIV/ AIDS, this has always been a cause that I have been passionate about. This year I decided to start a team and although it is the middle of our busiest season in the wedding and event industry, we had a great group of people come out and walk with us.

Our team ended up with 14 people and we raised $1475.00! Click HERE for a link to our page! 

Total 2011 AIDSWALK Funds Raised: $3.011,245!  And we were a part of it :)

Our team consisted of the following walkers:

Amy Frugoli of Twitterpated Weddings

Nicole Lisanne of Nicole Lisanne Weddings & Events by Design

Kathryn Kalabokes, Jacob Goldman, Adrianna Thorne, Caitlin Scholz, Joe DelLaCella, Taryn Moore of Dream A Little Dream Events

Jen Jaciw of Lone Star Limousine   **LONE STAR LIMOUSINE WAS ALSO OUR TRANSPORTATION SPONSOR FOR THE EVENT!**

Debbie Belmessieri of My Espresso Gourmet

Miranda Meisenbach of Divine Affairs Event Design

Teresa Garcia of That Girl Hair and Makeup

Julia Brodil of Flutterby Events

Danielle Stolman Not So Still Life Photography

South Bay team members (Teresa Garcia, Julia Brodil, Debbie Belmessieri, Danielle Stolman, Jen Jaciw, me(Amy Frugoli) and Nicole Lisanne

San Francsico team members led by Kathryn Kalabokes (Far left)

Our team check in area

Me and Debbie

The stage where celebrities like Alan Cummings and Cloris Leachman spoke during the pre walk events

Even doggies walked for the cause!

Starting line

Here we go!

Walkin with a smile

Entertainment along the route

Kissy faces!

Stanford Band!

4 Mile Marker

Finish Line. 10K done!

Nicole and Me

Resting after with some snacks

Loading back into the van. Thank you Lone Star Limousine!

We had a lot of fun but we have big plans for next year to raise lots more money and get a lot more people on our team so be on the lookout for SF AIDSWALK 2012 Team Wedding and Event Professionals (and those that know and love us!)

Thank you to everyone who supported us by donating , walking or offering words of encouragement!

Twitterpated Weddings voted 2011 San Jose Mercury News Best Wedding Planner in Silicon Valley!

I am absolutely thrilled to have been named “Best Wedding Planner in Silicon Valley” by The San Jose Mercury News for the second year in a row! Click here for the write up. :)

I definitely don’t do the most weddings each year and I certainly don’t specialize in high-end, platinum weddings. I don’t design a wedding with the intention of making it look like a over-the-top photo shoot (unless that is what the client wants) or let my ideas take over the couples’ vision of their day.

What I DO do is take on the weddings that are good matches, personality wise, both for the client AND myself, regardless of whether the event is in a park, backyard, or ballroom. I have respect for my clients’ ideas, thoughts and choices. I gently steer them towards other options if I know for a fact an idea is a bad one but always let them have the final say. I try to match them with the right vendors, keep them on budget, and keep them grounded (and ALWAYS with a smile).

A Happy Team: Me, the newly married couple & their photographer (Jeanine Brown)

Also, something equally important to me, when working with other wedding professionals on a wedding or event I treat them with respect.  I
make sure they have all the tools they need to do the best job they can in order to give the client the best experience possible. Making someone look better
while standing in the shadows is ok with me; I love seeing people’s true potential shine through. There is enough talent to go around!

I love my wedding industry colleagues, I really do. I came into the wedding & event industry late in the game, yet I was welcomed with open arms by most industry people. A few in particular have really been strong supporters, friends, and mentors (they know who they are). I accepted board positions in both the event industry and small business community because I felt like I had something to contribute and learn. I have no doubt that I have the constant support of my fellow members of The Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants and The Women’s Networking Alliance.

Thank you Silicon Valley voters. I am honored and humbled and will continue to run my business with strong ethics and honesty while nurturing those around me and making my clients feel like a million bucks. I have never been, and never will, be anything other than the authentic Amy Frugoli: what you see is what you get. Winning this award tells me that is good enough!

Lauren & Mike are married! Santa Clara Mission and The Ranch Golf Club ~ 5/14/11

Finishing touches on the bride
Finishing touches on the bride

Lauren and Mike are a super sweet couple who got married at the same place they got engaged, The Santa Clara Mission. After the wedding, guests made their way to The Ranch Golf Club in San Jose.

This wedding was one of the most seamless weddings I have had the pleasure of working on and a lot of it had to do with the fabulous team I worked with. I also loved the cooperation and complete respect I got from the couple and their friends and family.

These are some pictures that I took from a “behind the scenes/wedding coordinator ”point of view. Enjoy!

My FAB team of wedding professionals included :

Hair and Makeup – Monina Wright of Natural Images

Ceremony – Mission Santa Clara

Flowers – Precious and Blooming

Ceremony Music – An Elegant Touch of Strings

Reception - Chrissy Wolfman at  The Ranch Golf Club

Photographer – Ken Kato

DJ - Turner Hayes of Elite Entertainment

Wedding Stationery – Sleepy Hedgehog Press

Cake – Jen’s Cakes

Transportation – Lone Star Limousine

Wedding Coordinators – Melissa Reyes, Nodie Chariter and Amy Frugoli of Twitterpated Weddings :)

Santa Clara Mission before the guests arrive.

The bride arriving and getting some pre ceremony pictures

Going to take some pre ceremony pics

Beautiful

Papparazzi!

It's almost showtime!

A little easy reading before the ceremony.

One of my favorite times of the wedding day. Bride and dad lined up ready to go

Card holder (My newest birdcage available for client use!)

Escort cards

Me and Chrissy, the site coordinator, setting up the cake table. (Thanks Turner for the pic!)

Cakey goodness

Cookie favors.Yum!

Table numbers

The bride and groom arrive to The Ranch Golf Club for their reception

 
 

Bustling the bride's dress

Getting the wedding party lined up with the DJ for the grand entrance

Having some fun with the bride and getting some Facebook pics up :)

Me and Lauren!

 

Photo shoot at Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate in Aptos

Last Sunday a group of  us made our way up to Aptos for a photo shoot of some unique and fabulous wedding details.  I have to say, putting together a photo shoot is not easy. There were all sorts of obstacles and road bumps along the planning process and right up to the day of the shoot, but thanks to a team of committed professionals,  in the end it all came together!

Here is the team that made it all happen:

Photography: Urban Shutter Bug Photography
Design & Coordination: Twitterpated Weddings
Floral Design: Courtney Marie Floral
Linen/ Guest Chairs: Hartmann Studios
Jewelry: Alissa B. Custom Jewelry
Hair accessory (Teal flower): LinzGutz Flowers N’ Things
Stationary: The Card Lady
Model (Bride): Jacqueline Tang
Bride’s Dress: Queen Bridals
Cake: Glass Slipper Gourmet
Venue: Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate
Bowtie: Intwined 

The official photos from Michelle at Urban Shutter Bug Photography are coming soon, but here are some I took along the way :)

Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate

 

Escort Cards

Guest table

Guest table place settings

Life ring for guests to sign in

Poolside Bride

The cake