Thursday

Mysterious Universe Podcast

We love to blog.... but when witting a blog what do you listen to? Another Blog. Well, a podcast from a blog. Being fans of the X Files and Science Fiction- we have to listen to this. Did I mention the creator of X Files lived a block away from my street- and dated my great cousin??? Serious. Anyway. This is a fun podcast to listen to and you should have a real treat- even if everything is taken with a grain of salt. Or is it? Go to http://www.mysteriousuniverse.org/

Glamorous

Wednesday

The Los Angeles AIDS Walk

One of our favorite officiants, and we do love many- but this certain one is close to our hearts, since she is the one that married David and I (so who can blame our nepotism?) is walking for the cure. The cure for AIDS.

David and I tend to follow many causes like the cures for Cancer, Alzheimer's, and basically any other horrible disease that exists in this world (Cancer and Alzheimer's because we know many affected people- and cured ;-)!!!)- so when we got the e-mail from Elizabeth of Marriage To Go - we had to pledge.


Her goal is to become a "Star Walker" in the next 5 weeks, by raising $1,000. She made it simple for us to pledge- all we had to do was donate and she would do the walking! So as the holiday season comes into full swing, let's all remember the less fortunate and if not donating your money, perhaps your time- with a little positive thought on the matter or volunteering. When we look at some of the countries that are devastated by this disease- we thought that it was the least Charles Lauren Films could do.

If you do feel moved though, please visit our officiants website and pledge a few dollars - what's 5 bucks? - a day without a Starbucks?- every little bit helps.

Here is the e-mail she sent to us.... you read it and if moved, you can copy the links and paste them into your browser to make a difference today!

AIDSWalk is an important annual event in Los Angeles which shows community support for AIDS patients and gets desperately needed funds to the organizations that care for them. Funding needs for prevention efforts are now more urgent than ever. Half of the new HIV infections occur in people under the age of 24; more than one million people in the United States are estimated to be living with HIV – a first since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. If current trends persist, AIDS could claim up to 100 million lives worldwide by 2020, and AIDS will become the worst epidemic in human history.

So we all need to keep on walking--for hope, for research, for prevention, for patient care, and for a cure. You can walk along with us with a few clicks of your mouse or strokes of your pen. Here's how:

**If you'd like to WALK or VOLUNTEER for the event day, you can register online by clicking "Register Now!" (why not start a team at work and get a corporate matching grant?): http://www.aidswalk.net/losangeles

**If you'd like to DONATE TO MY STARWALKER EFFORTS, click on "Sponsor A Walker" and type in my name to go to my donation page. (Elizabeth Oakes)

**Any donation amount is appreciated--a lot of little steps add up to the journey home! However, the website won't take donations under $25, but you can submit a check made out to "AIDS Walk Los Angeles" and mail it to me by October 15th--Elizabeth Oakes, 3435 Ocean Park Blvd. #107, Santa Monica, CA 90405--and I'll be sure it gets where it needs to go. You can also send a check if you prefer that to online donation.

**My goal again this year is to make it to "StarWalker" status, which means I have committed to raising $1000 in the next five weeks. If you make a donation--no matter how small--you'll receive a thank-you newsletter with photos and my personal account of the walk (and find out whether I made StarWalker or not!) plus the gratification of knowing you are helping to make the world a healthier and more loving place.

A little love goes a long way! Thanks for sharing yours.


----Enough said.

Cheers to Rae Gabelich...




Cheers to Councilwoman Rae Gabelich of the 8th District of Long Beach. Every year we film the State of the Arts Luncheon in Long Beach, California. Because of this we film a brief 30 second sound bite with all of the districts councilmembers in Long Beach.
We love everyone- from Patrick O'Donnell and his Irish fairs' to Suja Lowenthal and her awesome office decked out with pictures of Gandhi. Or then there's Val Lerch with his witty comments about his mothers hot pan and Tonia Reyes Uranga detailing memories of Los Posada. And who can forget, Gary DeLong with his fondness for Musical Theater West and Dee Andrews recounting his days as a Dallas Cowboy football star. And of course Gerrie Schipske and her nurse “look alike” to Bonnie Lowenthal and her amazing cultural office!
But this year we sort of have a sweet spot for Rae, who gave us a glass mug detailing the City of Long Beach and it's incorporation in 1897. We thought that was pretty cool- so here's us with the mug filled up- with sparkling apple cider, as a toast to all of the city councilmembers and their help in making the state of the arts luncheon video a success once more!

The New "The Knot" Ad


As some of you might know we advertise in the magazine "The Knot". This year we've been working on a new ad to make it more- well, user friendly. We hope that the new ad does just that- enticing potential clients to come meet with us, which would lead to new bookings- which makes David and I happy, because filming weddings is our most favorite thing of course! (Hint, that's why we are in this profession!)

Take a look at our new ad and see what you think. Is there something you wish we've added- what would you like to see in an ad? What would make you want to call us, etc.? E-mail your suggestions to Love@charleslauren.com Because after all, if we aren't addressing your needs as a bride, then why are we in this business? ;-)

Squirrels and Squirrels....





Moving to Santa Monica has been a interesting experience. As some of you might know- there was a news segment on the squirrel population and how it was running out of control in the city of Santa Monica. Although our neighbors have had their trials with the squirrels- I find them fascinating! Coming from a suburban "un-nature life" it's a treat to see, well anything that resembles wildlife in this world.

We have installed a "squirrel log" and a squirrel "feeder". Don't worry- we've read up on the mal-nutritions of squirrels and how you have to be careful what you feed them. So, while our neighbors are complaining that the squirrels eat their berries and the City of Santa Monica is exterminating them- I feel the least we can do is enjoy them while we can, and snap a few cute pictures in the process. I've told David we need to install "Squirrel Cams" on each tree and provide a live feed on our website-- he hasn't gotten back to me yet... I wonder why?

Sunday

Introductions...

A client of ours came to us with an idea. Instead of opening up their video with a nice romantic interlude with the bridesmaids, groomsmen , bride and groom- they wanted an epic, but funny twist to this thing we call love. Although it might not be everybody’s cup of tea- it is hilarious, and a definite must watch, and we had tons of fun making it- click the link bellow to see….

Fall is Almost Here...

Who can help it- it's almost that time of year again. It begins to cool down and the summer days of laziness and suntans are replaced with cuddling up by the fire with your loved one and sipping hot apple cider in a big mug in front of you. These are our favorite days- and even more fun when we do fall weddings. Perhaps it's all in anticipation of the holidays to come, but I think- it's Fall itself that has a special meaning to us. So keep your eyes posted- we do a lot in the fall, besides weddings, and we will be sure to tell you about it!

Passing the Garter

The Garter toss. It's all fun and games until someone actually has to catch it! Women will line up in droves to catch the Bouquet- of course we will, it's free beautiful flowers- who wouldn’t! But men lining up to catch the garter?- not so much. One of our clients, however, anticipated this and put a new spin on the common routine of catching the garter. See what happens in the following clip...