ST. REGIS MONARCH BEACH RESORT & SPA, DANA POINT, CA

    Kari was a frequent visitor to Theo’s, a restaurant in San Diego’s Pacific Beach area where George is the chef. Both the restaurant and Kari’s swimsuit boutique, Sun Splash, are on the same street, and during the spring of 2005 the two became good friends. By the end of that summer, they were dating.


    The couple became engaged in December while vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. George had arranged for a limousine to arrive at their hotel and transport them to La Vista for dinner. When they arrived at the restaurant, Kari was surprised to find rose petals surrounding the table. Later, to the strains of a Frank Sinatra tune, George kneeled and proposed to her in writing on the dessert menu!

    Kari and George chose Cynthia Prichard of CP Event Company to produce their wedding. The couple selected sunset colors and butterfly accents for their wedding theme. The invitation for their traditional Jewish ceremony was handcrafted, with an engraved and watercolored butterfly by Alyson of A Papier.
    Kari’s wedding dress, a traditional fairytale ball gown with a custom extended-length veil for a princess look, was from Ines Di Santo. A second gown of a sleek, hand-beaded contemporary design was chosen for dancing. Kari’s shoes were from Stewart Weitzman. George chose a tuxedo by Mantoni.
    For the reception, the St. Regis ballroom was bursting with floral arrangements of tulips, roses, hydrangea, and cosmos in a formal yet relaxing environment featuring lounge vignettes. The lighting was dramatic, in amber and eggplant color tones, and featured a moving butterfly image that circulated the white dance floor and wafted around the room.
    Handcrafted menu cards that matched the invitations announced the fare, which was catered by the St. Regis and included filet of prime beef encrusted with black trumpet mushrooms. The cake, by Sylvia Weinstock, was flown in from New York City and featured five tiers, with handcrafted flowers and butterflies to match the wedding décor. The guests also enjoyed a fruit shot ice station, caviar ice cculptures, and a martini ice luge.
    The wedding favors included a glass butterfly plate from John Darien.

    Kari and George spent their wedding night at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort before leaving for a ten-day honeymoon at Casa del Sol Resort in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.