Carly & Jason ~ One Year Later

Memories of Their Winter Wedding

Written by Allison Hopkins for Très Fabu Event Planning and Design

“Thank you for making our wedding the most magical and unforgettable day of my life. The wedding was everything I wanted: simple, classic, and elegant.” –Carly Skinner

The proposal.

Jason surprised Carly on New Year's Day in 2008 at sunset. The couple was overlooking London from the top of the London Eye, the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. They were alone in a capsule with champagne and strawberries. Carly had no idea he would be proposing and was caught completely off-guard!

The special day | January 30, 2010

St. John’s Lutheran Church & Tsakopoulos Library Galleria

Sacramento, California

The atmosphere…candles, candles, candles!

The main idea for the wedding and reception was simple but elegant. Carly opted for the use of candles throughout the reception venue and minimal floral arrangements. The candles created a very romantic mood, with delicate lighting everywhere you turned. Debra Hiebèrt, owner of Très Fabu, focused mainly on the head table and used votive candles and a mix of different sized vanilla pillar candles to enhance the feeling of amber romance.

Colors and florals.

Black, champagne, and ivory. The bridesmaids wore black gowns with a champagne sash, while Carly wore ivory with silver rhinestone bead work. The men wore black tuxedos.

The bridal bouquet was clean and classic—including roses, freesia, gardenia, and stephanotis,” says Cathy Brooks of Visual Impact Design. “Hydrangea was used as an accent. A silver broach was placed on the stems of her bouquet for an accent of bling.” 

The dress.

“I LOVED my dress,” says Carly. “I visited at least eight stores and did not find a dress that made me feel like a bride. Finally, I went to Always Elegant Bridal. I wish it had been my first stop. I found multiple dresses there that I liked, including the one I finally selected. The gown was very comfortable and had the sparkle I was looking for. It was also very affordable.”

The sentimental cake topper.

The cake topper was originally used at the wedding of Carly’s grandparents and was over 50 years old. They were the only set of grandparents not at the wedding and it was special for Carly to have a part of them there with her. Carly’s grandmother had actually painted it and added on details to customize it for her own wedding.

The family tree.

A large centerpiece on the guest book table included branches with pictures of family weddings hung from them…these were designed by the bride and groom, were double sided, and hung with black ribbons and crystals. 

The “sparkle” of the night.

To top off the evening…guests held long-lasting sparklers outside as the newly crowned Mr. and Mrs. Everitt made their way down the row!

The team behind the magic.

Wedding Design and Execution: Très Fabu Event Planning and Design

“I quickly realized that I wanted someone who knew the ‘vision’ for the wedding to oversee the set-up and flow of the day,” says Carly, who was located in Santa Barbara (six hours away) during the planning process. “When we met with Debra, I felt like she really understood what we wanted from the day. She had wonderful suggestions while being completely devoted to keeping it ‘our wedding’ and letting us make the decisions. In the end, it was great to have someone I could trust to take care of everything. She was so supportive in the planning process and handled everything the day of the wedding so we were able to fully enjoy our day, family, and friends.”

A note to Debra (Tres Fabu) from the mother of the bride on the morning of:

“…as I look at my daughter sleeping, her wedding gown hanging...how fortunate we are to have you in our lives...looking forward to the celebration!” –Liz Skinner, Carly’s mom

Photos: CinZo Photography, www.CinZoPhoto.com

Video: Phillip Sheffield, www.sheffieldmultimedia.com and www.phillipalanfilms.com

Cake: Divine Desserts, www.divinedessertsbyaguirre.com

Red Velvet Cheesecake: The Cheesecake Factory, www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Florals: Visual Impact Design, www.visualimpact-design.com

Catering: All Seasons All Reasons, www.allseasonsallreasons.net

DJ: Extreme Productions, www.extremeprodjs.com

Paperie: Deb Penrice of By Invitation Only

Shutterbugs in Love!

Written by Allison Hopkins for Très Fabu Event Planning and Design 

CinZo Photography

The biggest smiles are behind the camera.

It all started in San Francisco in 2007 when he spotted her and couldn’t keep his eyes away, though she seemed not to notice. ‘He’ was Lorenzo Bartone; ‘she’ was Cindi Kinney. Two people with a true passion for capturing life. They were both attending a wedding photography seminar and he waited by the hotel entrance, approached her, and offered to assist her on a wedding shoot. A successful plan!

Lorenzo and Cindi lived two hours apart and endured a long distance relationship for about a year, until Cindi moved in with Lorenzo.

“I remember walking in his house for the first time and thinking who is this guy with this amazing art that he's photographed,” says Cindi. “He had the most loving sweet dog named Phoebe and I had a cat named Phoebe—many similarities!”

Shortly after moving in together, the couple made long-term plans.

“We decided that, not being kids anymore, we’d do this with full commitment,” says Lorenzo. “On Christmas Eve, while Cindi was making a sandwich, she cut her finger, requiring a trip to the ER (where we spent the entire day). This changed my plans for asking her to marry me—at least the ‘ring’ part—as the finger next to her ring finger had a bandage the size of a banana on it. The next morning (Christmas morning), I asked to see the bandaged finger and placed a ring on the other one, asking first, of course.”

Along with the ring, the wedding, and the joining of families, came CinZo Photography—the combination of two talented professionals with the ability to offer clients the best of both worlds. Cindi’s background focuses on portraiture and Lorenzo’s on advertising and product work, while both share a love for wedding photography. Cindi has been photographing weddings for more than twenty years. They come as a package deal for their brides and grooms, and with their dual American/Italian citizenship, they can work in Italy and the European community.

“We seem to work together effortlessly,” says Lorenzo. “Our strengths and weaknesses complement each other perfectly. Cindi is more in touch with the emotional side of people; I’m a highly experienced studio/advertising photographer (used to teach lighting). She’s a better editor and a terrific designer. I spent a year at Apple helping with virtual reality research, so I’m pretty technically capable.”

The couple resides in Auburn, California in a lovely old home on lots of land. Cindi’s favorite: a fireplace in the bedroom and bathroom! The décor includes her large collection of various small hearts—made of metal, wood, and stone (many of the rocks have been found on their hikes by the river). She also has photographs and paintings of hearts.

What’s in store for this Valentine’s Day? Cindi and Lorenzo plan to enjoy a hike and a romantic dinner. 

“Cindi is the most loving, thoughtful person I’ve ever met,” says Lorenzo. “Sincere, completely who she seems to be, never superficial or two-faced. Always genuine; always sweet and loving.”

“He cooks for me,” says Cindi. “I had always wanted to marry a cook! He never really knew he was so talented in the kitchen until he had someone (me!) to appreciate his cooking. It's just so nice at this time in my life to have a partner who shares in almost everything I do. It's a great feeling of support. We ham and egg it amazingly well, which allows us each to do the things we love.”

Future plans? To travel through America during the slow months, photographing the ‘personalities’ along the way. Lorenzo began this project many years ago and the couple would love to eventually complete the book.

Grazie: an Italian word meaning thanks/gratitude.

Lorenzo and Cindi included this word on their wedding announcements.

It’s a term that is kept close to their hearts. 

Together; www.CinZoPhoto.com

His; www.bartonephotography.com

Hers; www.CindiHeartstrings.com

Phone: 707.206.5531