Wedding Showcase at the Ainsley House - Downtown Campbell, CA.

May I introduce you to the three amazing women who had the vision and talent to organize the first ever Ainsley House Bridal Showcase to benefit the Campbell Museum Foundation in Downtown Campbell, CA. From left to right: Ainsley House Foundation Vice President Linda Kane Neufeld, Campbell Historical Museum Director Karen Lange, and Wedding Consultant & Event Designer Nicole Lisanne whose office is located just 2 blocks away from the Ainsley House right in downtown Campbell.

In front was the elevated runway for the fashion show, a dance floor and large tent with booths.

The side patio contained all of the food stations for the many restaurants and catering companies that provided all kinds of yummy bites for the guests to enjoy. Sadly I didn't get any photos or the opportunity to sample any of the food or cake because I forgot to have someone come assist me so that I could leave my booth :( As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman: Big mistake. Huge.

In the backyard of the house, beneath a pergola of draping wisteria vine, was a beautiful set up for an intimate wedding ceremony.

All of the gowns featured in the fashion show were provided by Gabrielle's Bridal Atelier. While all of the guests enjoyed the show I took a quick run around the entire showcase to grab some images for you to enjoy.

No longer do South Bay brides have to travel an hour or more to find couture gowns and impeccable customer service. Now they can just head over to Downtown Campbell! Gabrielle's was a much needed breath of fresh air to help San Jose equal the quality of bridal gowns offered on the Peninsula and in San Francisco.

Gabrielle's Bridal carries the following designers:

Anna Maier/Ulla Maija

Anne Barge

Carmela Sutera

Cymbeline of Paris

Ines Di Santo

Jenny Packham

Junko Yoshioka

La Sposa

Martina Liana

Melissa Sweet

Paloma Blanca

Romona Keveza

Renella De Fina

Rosa Clará

Vera Wang

Vineyard

Both traditional and modern table tops graced the front lawn for guests to enjoy. The table tops were designed by Nicole Lisanne, flowers were by Kellye Clifford of Precious and Blooming and all of the furnishings were provided by Hartmann Studios.

Don't you just LOVE these bubblegum pink chairs? I did! They're called "Deco Chair White with Fuchsia Patent Leather" on the Hartmann Studio Rentals website.

And out front in the big tent was Claudia Akers Photography.

The booth for The Flirty Guide was located in the backyard behind the Ainsley House so a quick hello to Claudia and I had to get back to work.

This is Natti Pierce-Thomson of North American Theatre Technology. Her company specializes in event lighting for both theatre and special events like weddings. Here Natti is pointing in the general direction of the paper lanterns her team hung that morning.

LOL and here's a creatively composed close up. Ok, so maybe we were only cracking ourselves up but this shot was inspired by the Canadian tv show Kids in the Hall that had a sketch where a guy would use the same forced perspective and say "I'm crushing your head" as he flattened the heads of random business and trendy people passing by.

For extra fun, wedding photographer Dennis Menedez was there with his Light Sky Photo Booth. This is a great new alternative to hard sided booths. Dennis uses adjustable framework and elegant curtains to create photo booths that can fit anywhere from the traditional 2-4 people to larger groups of 10 or more inside of them. His booths also have a wonderful elegance if your wedding is in an upscale classic venue like the Kohl Mansion or a modern one like The Four Seasons.

Also in the white tent was Amy Frugoli of Twitterpated Weddings. Despite the fact that it was a little windy I thought the temperature that day was perfect. It was comfortable because it wasn't too hot, though a little more blue sky would have been nicer for my photos.

The turnout was phenomenal. My guess is that at least 300 people (After creating this post I found out it was 600 people) stopped by to peruse the booths, sample a lot of great food and catch the bridal fashion show.

The event itself was a fundraiser to benefit the Campbell Historical Museum's programs and scholarships which this year will benefit more than 4,000 Silicon Valley students who frequent the museum for annual field trips and a traveling trunk show that teaches them about their local history.

For the ceremony site in the backyard North American Theatre Technology hung paper lanterns and also created the draping swags and covered columns of the pergola.

A fresh rose petal runner for the bride...

And inside the pergola a close up of the paper lanterns and daisy blossoms peeking out from the vines. The large alter arrangement was created by De Young Flowers of Campbell, CA.

And here was my booth located on the back porch of the house. I had so much fun that day. In 3 hours I chatted with at least 200 guests!

And some other wedding professionals dropped by. Here wedding videographer David Ethridge, owner of A Video Reflection, stopped by for a quick hello.

More flowers by De Young Flowers. Their table was swamped with guests the entire afternoon so I had to wait until the show was over to get some close ups of their work.

And my neighbors who I shared the back porch with were (above) Dr. Kimberly Cockerham, MD who is a neuro-ophthalmologist. She also specializes in facial aesthetics, lasars and reconstructive surgery.

And (lower) the San Tomas Dental Group with Dr. Barton L. Machado, DDS. His office provides the "Zoom" teeth whitening process for brides and grooms who want to improve their smiles for their wedding photos. The process takes 3, 15 minute sessions that can be completed in one office visit with additional home care maintenance after the treatment. Dr. Machado recommends completing teeth whitening procedures at least 3 weeks before your wedding date as some patients experience tooth sensitivity following the initial treatment. Planning ahead will give you time to allow sensitivity to diminish by your wedding day.

If you're looking for a beautiful South Bay, outdoor location, to host an intimate wedding, The Ainsley House may just be the perfect place for you.