San Diego Wedding Panel!

Thursday, January 21, 2016, Personal Touch Dining is putting on an event in our warehouse that you don’t want to miss! We have six panel members talking about weddings and everything having to do with them. DJ’s, Florists, Wedding Planners, Caterers, Dress Shops, Photographers, Event Designers, and much more!! Some of our favorite guests will be attending including our very own Tracy Zemke from Personal Touch Dining. We also have Ashley and Jillian from Coastyle Events  & Kimberly Blois owner of The Dainty Lion. If you are looking for a great photographer, Walter Wilson will be joining the panel! Come join us and get great advice and ideas for future wedding and events while enjoying music provided by DJ Artistic!

more information click here!

Alison and Matt Tie the Knot!

On October 23, 2015 Alison and Matt created one of the most gorgeous wedding we have seen at our lovely venue, Leo Carrillo Ranch. The creativity Alison put into her dream wedding was exquisite. Samantha Louise Moments took every idea Alison had and made it all come to life. It was truly an amazing thing to watch and Aaron Willcox captured every moment. Friends and family members from all over came to help celebrate this festive and exciting wedding with their Mexican Sodas in hand. There were so many special moments during this ceremony, especially the cake cutting with Matt’s Marine Sword.  DJ Sage created such a fun and memorable night for the two with great music and dancing. Everything simply fell into place, we are so excited for Alison and Matt!

Other Vendors to Note: Personal Touch Dining, The Dainty Lion

Two-Piece Gown: Trends

In order to fit in to the rustic, bohemian style some of these venues have to offer, brides are changing up the wedding norms and stepping outside their comfort zones. In many different ways this has become apparent, like flower arrangements and lawn games, but the most appealing style to us right now is the two-piece wedding gown set, ESPECIALLY lace. This is mostly seen at a more casual wedding ceremony, like on the beach, but now brides are getting very creative.The two-piece set is absolutely gorgeous and could be just as ravishing as any normal wedding gown if you chose the right brand. You can never go wrong with lace and Free People has many lovely lace sets. This trend is a great change of pace for a ordinary wedding ceremony, it brings excitement to the guest’s eyes as the bride walks down the aisle! This bohemian feel is very elegant but brings style to the ceremony. Every bride wants “all eyes on her” and if your someone who wants to push it to the limit, a delicate, lace, two-piece set is the best way to do it !!

Featured Brands and Photos: Free People, Pinterest, Riki Dalal  

#Hashtag: Trends

What is something you simply cannot forgot to do before your wedding day? Check with your vendors? Pack for your honeymoon? Try on your dress? NOPE.  Create the infamous hashtag!!

Creating a hashtag for your wedding day is very important. By including your hashtag in your post, it gives your guests, and others that did not attend, a chance to look at all of the pictures that were uploaded.  This has been a trend for a while now but the new entertaining thing to do is to create a more versatile hashtag; more than just #weregettingmarried. People are going ALL out for this! There are even “hashtag generators” so you can type in the name of the bride and groom and even the wedding date, and wala you have your own personal hashtag that is cute, fun, and catchy.

If you wanted to think of one on your own there are many ways to do it. One simple way to do it is find something that rhymes with the groom’s last name and add a wedding word like “hitched” “love” etc. It will then be catchy and easy to find on Instagram or even Twitter. It is your chance to get creative!

This is something that is really booming in the wedding world and is a fun way to get everyone involved. Thinking of the perfect hashtag is definitely not easy, but once you have it, it will make for the perfect caption on your wedding day. Featured Photos: Pop Sugar, Pinterest

Meet the Interns!

Meet Becca:

Hello! The name’s Rebecca Frilot, born and raised in Corona, CA to two phenomenal parents who sacrificed countless weekends for school and sporting events; who without, I would not be where I am today. Despite being the youngest in a very tight-knit, boisterous family, the love, humor, and support of an older brother and cousins has fostered my passion for sports and people. When I’m not channeling my competitiveness into sports or academics, my concentration turns to my love for people and having an impact in their lives.

My journey to San Diego started when I embraced my passion for people and was accepted into the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program and San Diego State University. Currently in my final year of undergrad, I decided to push the limits taking 19 units, holding a job, and MOST exciting of all privileged to be selected for an internship with Personal Touch Dining.

Emphasizing in the Meetings and Events Industry in the Hospitality Program, this opportunity with Personal Touch Dining will be humbling. I am thrilled to be apart of such a passionate, successful team and cannot wait to build of the foundation of my academics and see where this experience takes me!

Favorite Move: Remember the Titans

Favorite Food: Anything wrapped in Bacon!

Dream Vacation Spot: Italy

Meet the Interns!

It’s the beginning of a new season, which means it is time to take a moment and introduce our new interns! Let’s learn a little bit about one of our new SDSU interns!!

Meet Gina:

Hi! My name is Gina Navarro and I was born and raised in Orange County, CA. Since I was young, my love for the ocean has never changed. Because of how close I lived to the beach; surfing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, and any other type of water sport was always a big passion for me. I have two older brothers, which I admire immensely, a mother that shares my second passion of yoga with me, and a loving father that is consistently pushing me to be the best I can be.

My major at San Diego State University is Recreation Tourism Management (which not a lot of people have heard of). I fell into this major on complete accident. Hospitality was a huge part of my life, always working in restaurants and helping out events for restaurants as well. After taking one class in RTM, I knew this was the major for me.

This last semester, I spent 5 months studying abroad in Florence, Italy. It was the most amazing experience and I learned more in those 5 months than I could have ever imagined. After taking an event planning course while I was there, I decided when I returned home, I would be on the hunt for the perfect internship in event planning. I could not be more excited about the opportunity to be one of two interns at Personal Touch Dining!! I learn something new every time I come into the office whether it be blogging for the different venues, or learning what goes on to coordinate the ideal wedding. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of the Personal Touch family.

Favorite Movie: Harry Potter (all of them of course)

Favorite Food: Italian food is the best.

Dream Vacation Spot: Maldives!!!

Flower Arrangements: A Trend Different From The Rest

Sometimes it is hard to break away from the traditional bouquet trends… Modern, nicely put together, and color coordinated is a style we have always been very comfortable with. But recently there has been a new trend in town! Why settle for a flower arrangement that no one will remember? Not only are florists creating large and diverse bouquets, but brides are incorporating these wild flowers in their entire wedding décor as well. Table settings are different by adding runners of flowers instead of a traditional style of separate flowers down the table. Succulents are a very popular addition to the arrangement, and are even being added to the cake design as well. With florists adding succulents to any flower arrangement, they are automatically creating a very rustic feel, which complements our venue, Leo Carrillo Ranch, exceptionally well! Every bride wants their wedding to feel different, but more importantly; they want their wedding to feel more beautiful than all the rest. This new trend of gorgeous/bewildering flower arrangements, is a style that florists have gotten really creative with and we cannot wait to see what it leads to next!…

Featured Florists and Photographs: The Dainty Lion, Layered Vintage, Siren Floral Co., and Green Wedding Shoes

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Cameron + Alexandra – Elate Photography – Leo Carrillo Ranch

Alexandra and Cameron are yet another wonderful couple to get married at the Ranch.  We love that they chose a more simple and elegant theme with blush and mint tones.  Their wedding really shows how versatile Leo Carrillo Ranch can be, over-ruling the stigma that the Ranch is best suited for a rustic or Spanish style venue. The happy couple chose to embrace our peacocks, even incorporating our white peacock into their cake topper! This wedding was perfectly put together by Lavish Weddings and captured by Elate Photography.

Lawn Games – One Wedding Trend That Is Not Going Away

We have been noticing that more and more couples have been opting to add lawn games to add some extra entertainment to their reception.  This is one trend that does not seem to be fading, and we are behind it all the way!  Lawn games are great accessories to any wedding reception whether they are just played during the cocktail hour or throughout the entire event. The games fit right in with the DIY craze that is going on now and you can customize or personalize each game any way you like with your names, wedding colors, pictures, or cute sayings.  I know when you hear lawn games you automatically think corn hole, but there are a ton of other games you can play around with such as jenga, latter golf, ring toss, and croquet just to name a few. You can do one or a variety it doesn’t matter. Either way guests love lawn games and it gives them an alternative to dancing or being stagnant at a able.

Take a look at some of the couples who have had lawn games at the ranch and inquire about some of ones we have available for you to use: 

Kimberly and Zack on Green Wedding Shoes

We came across this gem today.  Kimberly and Zack’s rustic, boho chic wedding at the ranch was featured on Green Wedding Shoes!  Green Wedding Shoes (GWS)  is a great resource dedicated to helping couples plan the DIY wedding of their dreams.  They feature real weddings as well as tips and creative ideas for DIY weddings.  GWS can also recommend great artists for all different types of projects!

Kimberly and Zack got married last year at the ranch, and their wedding was the epitome of mix and match gone right! Their bridesmaids and groomsmen tastefully picked out their own dresses and suits and they looked fabulous! Kimberly choose amazing wild flower bouquets and centerpieces which were absolutely stunning. We loved all the personal touches they added and how they mixed the shabby chic vibe of the ranch with elegant accents and place settings. It was quite a lovely event, and we are so happy they were featured on GWS!

To see the original post click here: http://greenweddingshoes.com/rustic-bohemian-california-wedding-kimberly-zack/

photography: Love Janet Photography // wedding planning, coordination + design: The Dainty Lion // venue: Leo Carrillo Ranch Carlsbad, California desserts: VG’s Bakery // rentals: Allie’s Party // vintage rentals:Pow Wow Design Studio // videography: Rodaniche Films // photobooth: SD Photo Bus // florals: Compass Floral //  calligraphy + signs: Ampersand Collections