• welcome to san diego weddings of distinction!

    Weddings of Distinction is a select group of San Diego area wedding vendors who are dedicated to providing excellent quality services for the discriminating bride and groom. As individual companies, we are committed to serving each client to the best of our abilities in the area of our particular skill or expertise. We strive to work together or with other wedding professionals you may have already chosen to make your special day live up to and surpass what you have envisioned. As you plan for your wedding, surround yourself with local professionals with impeccable reputations and skills that will compliment your special day. Experience, professionalism, creativity and excellent service will lead to peace of mind for you and your family and a spectacular, memorable and fun wedding day!

    We want to take a moment to welcome you to our website. There are a lot of features we hope you will enjoy. Make sure to search for your favorite vendor under MEET THE PROS, and you can find out more about them by searching under the MEMBER SPOTLIGHT section. If you had a great experience with one of our members, please feel free to leave a comment. Also be sure to subscribe to our RSS Feed, follow us on Twitter, join our Facebook group. The site will be updated frequently. We hope you visit often!

    Thanks for stopping by!!!! 

member spotlight :: pink star design

 

photos courtesy of Pink Star Design

Jenn Ragusa rocks out invitations with her company Pink Star Design. Based out of San Diego, but servicing all of the US & international, her mantra is “Invite With Style!” As a member of Weddings of Distinction, Jenn & Pink Star exudes quality. Guidance, etiquette, creating a perfect match for your vision…these aspects are what she is all about. After all, your invitation is the first impression of your wedding.

Their aim is to create couture invitations at a reasonable price. Pink Star is very unique in that they are one of the few local invitation businesses who design, print & produce the invites, save-the-dates, seating charts, favor tags, place cards, etc. in house. They are everything paper. Pink Star offers additional services such as complete assembly, mailing & computer or hand calligraphy.

Five pieces of advice:

1)      Your invitation is the 1st impression for your guests. Choose to reflect your tastes & personality.

2)      Ask upfront about additional costs: extra fees for color, insert card, return address printing, etc.

3)      Quality. Can you touch & feel the product ahead of time? Thickness, feel, style, quality?

4)      You, the bride, must proof the product. Have others (family, friends) read it & double-check for spelling & style.

5)      Caution ~ if shopping online, look at their return policy, options, reprint fees, etc.

Pink Star Design will create a custom designed invitation to match your dream & vision. Trust the professional to take care of your special day’s 1st impression!!

tips from the pros: newlyweds share their wedding regrets

Newlyweds Share Their Wedding Regrets (So You Can Learn from Their Mistakes)

No wedding is absolutely perfect. When we asked newlyweds and… the less newly wed to share their biggest wedding day woes with us, a few common threads started to emerge. Here’s what we learned:

1. Get It On Film
So many brides told us they wished they’d sprung for a videographer, or given their wedding photographer more specific directions. Your wedding will be RIFE with special moments – make sure you capture as many as possible!

My husband and I really regret not recording the speeches. They were so loving and beautiful, we were moved to tears again and again! It’s one of the best memories I have of that day and I wish we had a better record of all the kind things our family and friends had to say. A few gave us their typed notes but most strayed and added in some great anecdotes. Nothing about hair/makeup/venue or cakes mattered to me once I realized there were so many people there who loved us so much!” – Isabella

2. Beauty Accidents Happen
Wind, rain, and acts of God can seriously undo your updo. When you’re contemplating your wedding hairstyle, consider the locale, temp, and time of year. ALSO – the week of/day of your wedding is not an awesome time to try exciting new beauty treatments for the first time.

My biggest mistake? Thinking my hair would actually cooperate and not require 3.5 hours to do so, effectively ruining photo happy time.” – Christen

My wedding was on the beach. It was gorgeous but there were strong winds so my Kardashian curls turned to a frizzy, curl-less disaster AND my veil flew out. Luckily the ceremony was over when it happened…. But you can see my hair get progressively worse in the pix!” – Jessica

3. Budget Your Time
Three words, ladies. HAIR AND MAKEUP. Too many wedding timelines get derailed when brides don’t budget enough time for wedding prep. Don’t let the primping get the best of your special day!

I honestly think the one and only thing I would change would be starting hair/make-up for the ladies earlier, so we could have done more bride+bridesmaids photos. That said, I love the few we did get, and that is the *ONLY* thing I would change!” – Sean

4. Don’t Succumb To Peer Pressure
So many brides felt their wedding suffered because they’d been duped into letting friends or friends of friends handle important wedding services. “Friendors” can be fab…but they can also be a big flop.

I’d have written contracts for services provided. Just because they’re your friends doesn’t mean you don’t need one. I’m still waiting for the dvd of our ceremony 13 mos later with no way of getting my money or the video footage.” – Jennifer

So there you have it brides – wedding wisdom from real brides who have been to the altar and back (and lived to tell about it). If you’ve recently wed, tell us – what would you have tweaked about your wedding?

-courtesy OneWed.com

news :: december’s ugly sweater party

Yes, sometimes we do get out and have some fun! This year’s holiday party consisted of cosmic bowling and a variety of ugly Christmas sweaters….with a few select prizes for the most creative. We had great fun with each other during a relaxed evening away from work, but some competition was definitely going on between the lanes…and the santa gift exchange!

We hope that you all have a wonderful and happy holiday season, and we’ll see you next year!!

tips from the pros :: what to look for in a dj

courtesy of Bob Brichmann, DJ / Emcee at Artistic Productions

The adage that the right DJ can make or break your event is completely accurate. DJs come with so many skill levels, levels of experience and do so many different things. Yes, they play music, but there’s an art to mixing your tastes with those of your friends & families coupled with timing (not to mention dealing with spontaneous requests). The emcee aspect, including introductions & announcements are all key tasks for the modern DJ. DJs monitor and manage the flow of events as the evening unfolds. They mini-crisis manage. They interact with the other professionals to make sure all are on the same page.

DJs also help with ceremony music & microphones. DJs are production specialists these days, too. They can do multiple sets both on-property and at two different locations and even set remote speakers for outdoor patio areas. Various A/V aspects are often a part of their repertoire, including DVD/slide show projection, monograms, uplighting, pin-spotting and various lighting décor.

Brides & grooms should look 1st for someone that does weddings. They are different than high school dances, bars/clubs, bar mitzvahs, karaoke parties and backyard BBQ’s. Find the personality you “click” with. Discuss your dream and seek their advice. You’ve probably never been married. Many of the good DJs do upwards of 100 weddings a year. That says something for experience. It’ll give you peace of mind, but, more importantly, it’ll lead to a stress free, memorable wedding experience.

news :: november’s meeting at the loft at ucsd

photos courtesy of abi photography

Our last meeting for 2011 was a lot of fun. Elizabeth Bradshaw from The Loft and Michelle Koenig, Projects Manager for Zanzibar Café, Inc., treated us to a great venue and lunch experience at UC San Diego.  Our guests were Brent Clifford, Studio Carre, and Joe Park with Disc Go Round DJ & Video Services. We also welcomed our newest member, Jen from Pink Star Design!  And our thanks to Paula for the great centerpieces.

Andy Hagenah was our showcaser.  He talked about Disc Go Round DJ & Video Services and Starlight Photo Booth (yep, we got to take fun pictures in it too).  Andy, Tim and sometimes a third guy handle the DJ end of the business.  We all know Andy is professional, classy and does a great job for his clients!  Joe Park, one of the videographers, does a lot of video for DGR and showed us a sample video of his work ~ professional, sharp and a great overview of the event.  Andy offers a lot of value and entertainment with the photo booth, including video, props and pictures ~~ prices vary so check with on availability and options.

The Loft is a great location for all kinds of events, including weddings.  They can seat 120-150 for weddings and 223 standing room.  The space rents for $1500 and offers an impressive variety of packages.   They have a wine and beer license, lots of tables/chairs custom menus and an over-the-top sound system.  In addition to the delicious lunch, we all were given welcome bags (including cool T-shirts)!   They really did a great job hosting us ~~ special thanks to Krista and Karen for setting this one up.  It’s a “hidden jewel” and they would love our support.

After raffle prizes were drawn, we all headed off campus to enjoy the rest of our afternoon.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our Ugly Sweater Bowling Party with Secret Santa gift exchange next month.  Our new Board will be announced then too!

Happy Holidays All!!

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