To change things up a little, we thought we would feature a beautiful engagement party, which was held for a very photogenic couple: Christina and Joshua!

Before planning their 2013 wedding, Christbina and Joshua celebrated their engagement with a party at the Marina Village Center in Mission Beach. Because Christinia comes from a traditional Middle Eastern family, there was no doubt that this party would be lavish, with amazing food and tons of dancing!  From Christina’s gorgeous custom-made emerald dress, to the specialty hand-crafted cocktails, to the six-tier cake, this engagement party was more like a wedding!

Since the walls of the Bayview room at Marina Village are covered in natural wood, the couple wanted to incorporate wood and other natural elements into the decor. With the help of Sandy Konja from Party Planning by Sandy, all of the event details and floral arrangements were executed beautifully.

All of the wood pieces that were used throughout the room were crafted by Christina’s dad and Joshua. Even the wood was homemade – it came from trees cut down from their home in Jamul!

To add a vintage touch to the charming room, the team created handmade linens out of burlap and lace. These were used as table runners, table covers and chair accents.

Because Christina is a very talented pastry chef, the stunning dessert bar treats and the jaw-dropping cake were made by this bride to be!

This celebration was truly a labor of love! Even Christina’s gorgeous green gown was specially made for this fabulous evening. To create the dress, which was handmade in Turkey, the future bride met with the owner of HERMZ in Los Angeles, Jennifer Hermz.

Later, family and friends enjoyed specialty handcrafted cocktails by bartender Leigh Lecap, from San Diego’s popular gastropub Craft & Commerce. The menu included drinks like the Westside Story, featuring mint-and-rosewater-infused gin with fresh lime and sea salt, and Commonwealth Punch, combining gin, vermouth, fresh lemon, grapefruit oleo-saccharum and champagne.

As the evening progressed, Christina and Joshua kicked off the dancing with an emotional first dance.

This group could definitely party! As sparklers were lit, a train of friends and family hit the dance floor with a bottle of Dom Perignon.

After hours of dancing, great food, and delicious cocktails, guests made their way to the espresso bar that was provided by Coffee Couture. Each espresso cup was topped off with a festive design, like an heart for the engaged couple!

Guests didn’t leave empty handed! As a personalized favorite from the future bride and groom, guests took home jars of Grandmother’s homemade plum jam a

What an amazing party with family and friends! We can’t wait to see what they have in store for their big day. Congratulations to the beautiful couple!