House wedding in Malibu

They came, they saw, they got married. The wedding that I’d been preparing for the past few months came and went Saturday.

How’d it go? Well, Jinah got married, so that went off without a hitch! Everything that needed to be decorated was decorated, and I didn’t fall off any ladders, thank God for that. I’ll show you what I mean in a minute.

However, as its Monday morning as I’m writing this, I do have to confess I am still in recovery. Saturday was a lot warmer than I thought it was going to be so I didn’t bring water with me as I decorated that morning. I think the combination of not drinking any water till about 3 p.m., all the time I spent in the sun, and the lack of sleep (I have a tendency to not sleep right away when I know I have to be up early, so I ended up getting about 4 hours) left me groggy and headache-y most of the day and Sunday.

Continue reading

Have your wedding at someone else’s house

As I alluded to recently, I am going to be helping a friend of mine who is getting married in April at a Malibu home. The mission: decorate an ultra-modern Malibu home with balconies for miles in silver and gold with lots of candles and lights.

Forgive my terrible Photoshop job on splicing together two photos to demonstrate how much balcony I’m going to be working with. Every house is different, which means there are unique challenges to decorating each one, for each individual bride. The bride, by the way, is my AAJA-LA co-president Jinah Kim (and NBC reporter), here in red. My partner in crime to help with the planning and decorations is Caroline Paras there, standing next to Jinah. The owner of the home is Jon Hoffman, in blue.

Continue reading

Wedding Venue: Adamson House in Malibu

I’m always curious about how people find venues for their weddings. I’m thinking most people choose their wedding sites based on weddings they’ve attended in the past. I try to help people out by always identifying the spot where my Wedding Decorator pictures were taken. But since I’m not doing many Wedding Decorator jobs now, I’m thinking I may just start visiting venues on my own — or crashing weddings. Won’t you let me crash your wedding? *wink*

I figured that my recent “field trip” to Adamson House in Malibu would be perfect to share here. The spot is spectacular — 13 acres overlooking Surfrider Beach. The house is a National Historical Site and a California Registered Landmark, so yeah — you can’t have your party in the actual house. But if you do opt to have your party on the grounds, you can opt to allow your guests take a tour from official docents.

There is not a lot of room at any one section on the Adamson grounds, so don’t think you can have a 500-person party here. This lawn was probably the largest, flat grassy area, with that nice little nook next to the tree perfect for a sweetheart table, but the drawback to this area is that there is not much of an ocean view from here. It sure is quiet and peaceful, though.

The lawn next to the iconic star fountain is probably where most of the weddings are held. This is also the area with the most direct beach access.


Check out that view.

So here are the dirty details. Weddings are held at the Adamson house from April to October only — I think. The cost to have a party on the grounds is $6,500 $7,000 and they don’t provide anything — you would have to bring in your own chairs, tables, caterers, etc. But check out that view! Call (310) 457-8185 for more wedding information