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.

Squirrels and Squirrels….

Up to the West Side 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?

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? 

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!

Yenyao and Stephen // Trump National Golf Course + Santa Monica // Wedding Highlights

This wedding was insane! So much fun, camaraderie, culture and partying! We started off at Yenyao’s house in Santa Monica – where Stephen had to go through the wonderful Chinese custom of entering her home. There were many obstacles, and he put up quite a fight – but he and his groomsmen persevered and did it! We then headed directly to Trump National Golf Course in Palos Verdes for the ceremony and fire-breathing reception! You have to see this!

Christine + Ajay / Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel / Wedding Highlight

Christine and Ajay did it! We’ve been to Disneyland and California Adventure plenty of times, we used to be APs – but never a wedding! They had their ceremony on the Grand Californian Hotel’s lawn, followed by a photo session at Downtown Disney, cocktail hour under the monorail and the reception in a Grand Ballroom! So much fun, so much crying, you’ll love it!

Pete Carroll Tells Our Couple to Fight On…

Thanks to Joanne’s maid of honor Christine, we are honored to have this clip of famous USC Coach Pete Carroll giving them the “go ahead” to fight on and last forever in their marriage. We have added this to their love story, that we will be showing at their wedding as a surprise to Andrew the groom on their wedding day, at the Ritz Carlton, in Pasadena.

Now with David’s mother as a staunch die hard UCLA Alumni, who every year wants the Bruins to kick some you know what Trojan butts, we might have been afraid to post this, for fear of rejection from her, but come on, it’s Pete Carroll!!! This isn’t the first time we’ve had this privilege, however. When working for PBS, I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of setting up our episode of USC’s Travler (the horse that Tommy Trojan rides), so USC football has always had a place in our heart- even if we are Beach Alumni. Hey, we never had a football team to support, that was nixed in the 1970’s when The Beach lost to Michigan like 10 to 180, and in the third quarter the replacements were getting broken arms from the Michigan boys. So they cancelled football forever at the Beach- so if you can’t beat them… join them. Where did that USC sweatshirt I had go to??

Freedom Writing

Kelsey and I finally saw Freedom Writers last night. It was a film that was true to what happened while trying to make a connection to the book and diaries that it was really based on. I know Erin Gruwell through video projects that I did with her and the Freedom Writers after they went to college, for archiving and documentary purposes. I was moved to tears every time they worked on new material and practiced telling their passionate stories. I was honored to have worked with them and have included at the bottom of this post a page from their book that they autogrpahed and gave to me. After seeing the movie, I had to bring that out and take a look at it again.
I know how hard Erin Gruwell had to work to make what she did happen with her kids. The Long Beach School District acted exactly how they are portrayed in the film. Many of my friends from high school and college are teaching now in the Long Beach and the LA Unified School District. The bureaucracy and vain attempts to come up with ideas, get messages across and be efficient is blocked so often that many of them have thought about quitting after only a few years of teaching.
If you are interested in social change or teaching you should see the movie.

This was one of those times when people came together to make amazing connections and create brilliant ideas that caused actual change in a community and the country. Many of the writers and Erin spend most of the year on tour doing speaking engagements at schools and corporate events around the country. Just remember that true passion, the kind you need if you want to grow to your true potential, often doesn’t involve people you used to relate to. The people around you in life need to grow with you. If they don’t, you need to move on.

If you don’t want to see the movie, the book has much more emotion.