A Peach and a Pear is a vintage rental resource that caters to any old soul with an interest in antique and retro furnishing and accessories on a budget. From beautiful, rustic farm tables and chairs to vintage cameras and silver accent pieces, A Peach and a Pear provides the statement pieces of an earlier time to any party, wedding or photo shoot.

The founders of A Peach and a Pear Vintage Rentals have handpicked their entire inventory of one-of-a-kind pieces from estate sales and flea markets around the Bay Area, to ensure that your event will be a day to remember. From an intimate affair to the big day of “I Do,” they have the large (and small) vintage pieces that will have your guests in awe! Whether you are a bride, event planner, wedding coordinator, photographer or stylist, they will work with you to create a stunning experience based on your style and vision. Visit their website to see their collection and projects or to schedule a consultation.

Hello! My name is Sarah Russell and I am the newest addition to Fantasy Sound Event Services and I am so excited to be here. After high school I attended Las Positas and the went on to Sacramento State where I majored in Intercultural Communications. While I was at Sac State I joined the sorority Phi Sigma Sigma and it was the best decision of my college career. I met so many people and left college with not only friends but people I can call sisters. I was extremely involved while in Phi SIgma Sigma. I held the position of Greek Activities Chair, which was very time consuming but it was my life and I loved it. I learned so much through Phi Sig and it definitely has changed me for the better. While being in college I managed to juggle an internship, job, sorority, family, friends, social life, and a long term relationship. With all of that it only helped to me to become very organized and have great time management skills, which are both things that I think will help me be successful as the new administrative assistant at Fantasy Sound.

Also, I am a big sports fan my favorite is basketball but I pretty much enjoy all sports especially going to live games. I also am a huge Disney fan along with Twlight and Harry Potter.  I am a totally obsessed with anything involving the sun and water. I love the beach, boating and pretty much anything in the water or near it. To sum myself up I am very outgoing, driven and all around just love having a good time with life!

We are so excited to welcome Sarah to the Fantasy Sound family! If you want to say hi, feel free to email her at Sarah@fantasysound.com

Our videographers Jillian and Fallan were on hand to capture all of the love, and they had an amazing time working with this couple. Kate and Patrick were extremely fun and energetic, and as such it was incredibly easy to transfer all of that energy to the screen. We have just finished editing their video, and we wanted to share it with all of you!

Thank you Kate and Patrick, for allowing us to be there to capture all of the magic on your special day. We wish you all the best in your life together!

By Caitlin Arnold, Caitlin Arnold Weddings and Events

If you’re on a small wedding budget, or just having a small wedding in general, a wedding coordinator is usually last on your list of things to spend money on. It makes sense when you think about what is necessary and what isn’t – you have to have a dress, a bouquet, pictures/a photographer, etc., etc. Regardless of budget and size, most brides think a coordinator goes into the “unnecessary” category, especially if they’re organized and on top of it themselves. But let me give you a list of 5 reasons why the coordinator should be in the necessary category.

1. You’re the bride on the day of the wedding, not the coordinator – When you’re getting dressed, walking down the aisle, taking pictures, listening to toasts and dancing, you can’t be on top of it. Even if you have planned the wedding down to a “T” yourself, on the day, you can’t oversee the set up or flow of the event. Or if you try to, you’ll probably have a distracted, stressful day!

2. Your friends and family should be your guests - Your mom, maid of honor, best friend, whomever it was that you were going to place in charge really wants to celebrate this day with you! You don’t want them to have to “work” or stress that day, but enjoy themselves. Especially if you and your fiancé are hosting the wedding, shouldn’t all your guests get to have a great time?

3. Your wedding will have problems – Every wedding has problems. I know that as a bride, you don’t want to think there will be glitches, but there will be. The best way to plan for those is to have someone whose job is solving problems in the fastest, easiest way possible. More importantly, if that person is your professional wedding coordinator, not only will they likely know the best way to solve the problem, but their main goal is to ensure you have a great wedding day – that means you won’t even know about the problem unless you have to! I remember a wedding where the cake somehow got smashed in on one side during delivery. The bride didn’t even know about it until weeks after the wedding, because the florist, caterer and coordinator worked to solve it – with beautiful cascading flowers decorating the cake! No one noticed except for them. That’s the way it should be!

4. There’s more to notice at a small wedding – Even smaller weddings have the basic needs of coordination – in fact, usually they need it more, because it is more likely for something to get noticed and every detail will matter. Plus, my guess is that you’re having a small wedding partly because you want the intimacy, so make your guests feel comfortable and at home with a well-planned, well-hosted event that they all will feel privileged to attend.

5. Coordinators save you money – All of this is fine and good, but let’s talk money. I did say you should have a coordinator even with a tight wedding budget, right? Not only will some coordinators work with you to make sure their fee fits your budget, but they can help you create an overall wedding budget that ensures you stay within your means. Most couples that don’t have a professional create a wedding budget for them will overspend their cap by a couple thousand dollars. Instead, if you have a budget created by a professional who knows the industry, you’ll be pretty dead on in the end, with the coordinator fee in there! Having a coordinator might even save you money by allowing you to take advantage of the many discounts they receive from vendors and suppliers.

Still not convinced? Ask someone who has had a coordinator – usually they’ll tell you they were worth every penny. I understand the concerns – years ago, I used to think coordinators were an optional luxury in wedding planning. Then I talked to some coordinators and previous brides, watched some weddings with a coordinator to see all they did, and I was sold. It doesn’t hurt to contact someone to ask questions and feel free to ask for testimonials. Brides and their families will usually tell you they would never do it again without one.

*Our newest guest blogger, Caitlin Arnold, can be found at www.caitlinarnoldweddings.com. Be sure to stop by her website to learn more about Caitlin!*

On Friday, July 9^th, 2011 Christina and Aaron were married in a wonderful ceremony inside the beautiful chapel on the Saint Mary’s campus in Moraga, California. The color palette of the wedding was a soft green and orange, which gave the entire wedding a light, summery feel. Christina made sure to incorporate the soft green in her dress, with a beautiful green accent at her waist, with matching green shoes. Her hair was done in soft curls, and Aaron couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she walked down the aisle. They exchanged their vows in a light and joyful ceremony.

The reception moved to the Lafayette Park Hotel, and that’s when the party really got started. Christina and Aaron appeased all their guests with kisses anytime people clinked their glasses, which happened often throughout dinner! The couple chose to cut their cake to an adorable song called “Chupee” by Cocoon, which is featured in one of the couple’s favorite movies L’arnacoeur. It was a perfect cake cutting song, because everyone was clapping to the beat of the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ5XOreQz28

The party continued to the dance floor, and Christina and Aaron played a little joke on everybody during the garter toss. Aaron pulled out a pair of Spongebob Squarepants boxers instead of a garter! It was such a funny moment to watch, and everyone enjoyed the moment.

Everyone had a great time on the dance floor! All the guests were asked to join Christina and Aaron in dancing to “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. It was the perfect first song, because it’s so high energy, and it really set the tone for the rest of the night. The dancing continued on throughout the night, culminating in a dance-off to Daft Punk’s “One More Time”. Christina’s father Lou even got involved!

Congratulations to Christina and Aaron! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day, and we wish you all the best in the future!

Fantasy Sound Event Services is now WeddingWire Rated for 2011!

Livermore, California – July 6th, 2011 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is pleased to announce that Fantasy Sound Event Services is WeddingWire Rated 2011 for Disc Jockey, Videography, and Wedding Planning. WeddingWire Rated is an annual award program that distinguishes wedding vendors across the country for their excellence. Based on hundreds of thousands of recent wedding reviews, WeddingWire Rated is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples looking to find the best local businesses for their wedding.

Fantasy Sound Event Services has 25 reviews on WeddingWire. Reviews by our newlywed clients include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions about their experiences working with our business and staff. Our reviews provide transparency for potential clients, assisting them in making the most informed decisions for their big day.

“We are delighted to unveil the 5th annual WeddingWire Rated program,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire, Inc. “Fantasy Sound Event Services has made a commitment to capturing their clients experiences on the nation’s leading wedding review site.”

As the largest site for wedding reviews, WeddingWire empowers engaged couples with the most comprehensive and trusted review system available. The WeddingWire Rated program provides Fantasy Sound Event Services with a simple platform to capture customer feedback from their wedding planning experience. Newly engaged couples can easily access all of the reviews for Fantasy Sound Event Services on WeddingWire.com. We would like to thank our newlyweds for our WeddingWire Rated 2011 recognition.

For more information, please visit Fantasy Sound Event Services on WeddingWire here.

For more information on WeddingWire Rated 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Once Roux and Ian were declared Man and Wife, the party moved indoors. Our DJs Marshall and Elasia provided the music, and everyone was on the dance floor having a great time. Ian and his best man had an amusing “Bro-ment” on the dance floor, to “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads. It was awesome!

We had a great time with Roux and Ian, and we wish them all the best. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day! Also, thank you to Christina Hernandez from Nightingale Photography for providing us with this wonderful photo of Roux and Ian with our DJ Marshall. Christina was on hand to capture all the beautiful moments from the wedding, and she does amazing work! Check out her blog post about Roux and Ian at http://nightingalephotosblog.com/?p=2332.

We just finished our new videography demo, and we are excited for all of you to see it! Hopefully you enjoy what you see. If you would like to get more information regarding our Videography services, please call our offices at (925) 373-1934.

These table name-cards can include the names of famous baseball parks across America. They are a fun nod to your love of baseball!

These engraved bats can be a perfect gift for your groomsmen, or another great way to commemorate your special day.

These fun baseball themed favor tags are also a cute nod to your love of America’s pastime.

Aren’t these cake toppers adorable?

Hopefully you can use some of these ideas as inspiration for your own baseball themed wedding! We would love to hear if any of you have attended a themed wedding, or if your own wedding had a theme.