BAWN First Quarter Event!

Something old, something new, that was the ongoing theme for BAWN's (Bay Area Wedding Network) First Quarter Event, held at the historic San Francisco building, Marine's Memorial Club & Hotel. As a preferred vendor there, we were graciously asked to sponsor the flowers for this event.

The old for us is definitely having worked at the Marine's multiple times and seeing the other preferred vendors of the Marine's as well - Pete and Terry of The Spinheads (below left), Bala and Mandy of The Cakemaker (not pictured) and Beverly of Especially Yours Chair Covers (below right).












But the "new" is multiple too:
(1) Working with Gwen at Classic Party Rentals and going to town with the ceremony and reception tables, the Crystal Lounge has never looked so "enchanting" and magical!










(2) coming up with new aisle decor - using napkins matching to the chivari chair cushions without having to sew or cut, but just with double-sided tape and pins, making it seamless! (I will reveal my sources/mechanics if you ask! =P)












(3) meeting loads of new friends:
Jean of Jean Marks Weddings (my new blogging/picture taking buddy!), Amy of Amy Wedding & Events, Julie of Four Seasons, Adrienne of Adrienne D. Keats Calligraphy, me!









me!, Mary of Very Merry Events and Dia of Dia Rao Photography - my partners in crime for the night!









me! and Janae of Janae Shields Photography









(4) And other noteables are Jennifer of Jennifer Skog (can't wait to get pictures from you for this event!, Maria of Professional Makeup Artistry and of course Gwen of Where to Start and Maria of Creative Occasions, co-founders of BAWN!

Hillsdale Bridal Expo & Registry Faire

What's more fun than going shopping while it's raining outside?

"Shopping" for a venue of course! (well, that is, if you are a bride and groom-to-be!) We were so lucky to be asked to sponsor the flowers for The Westin Palo Alto and Sheraton Palo Alto Hotels' table at the Hillsdale Bridal Expo & Registry Faire this past Sunday.

We did a centerpiece, leaf-wrapped vase of light blue hydrangeas, creamy lisianthus and white with buttery-centered spider mums, twined with beargrass. A bridal bouquet of the same buttery-white spider mums with folded-leaves around the edge and a matching miniature spider mum for the groom.

There's me (right) with my friend/Catering Manager (left)! We have now partnered up and are officially on their Preferred Vendor's List!

SJMA Open House!

San Jose Museum of Art's Open House, "Art-inspired Events" was more than a networking event, it was FUN, inspiring and exhilarating! We were asked to sponsor the flowers for the martini room - be inspired from Andy Warhol's very famous martini glass - the glass itself was green, with a purple olive and yellow background. We studied and studied the picture and decided to do something abstract - tall, slender cylinder vases of sleek stems of green calla lilies, curved to shape like martini glasses, with purple flowers and olives around the lip of the vase. As for the registration and coat check area, we did six smaller cylinder vases of green/yellow spider mums in purple water with a curvy toothpick pierced through a rich purple aster flower on top, as to mimic an olive.

My photographer friend, Chung Li and new wedding coordinator friend, Amy Tam of Amy's Wedding & Events were having so much FUN (but maybe it was because of the three martinis for me =P) that we stayed till the end!

Here is me with my wonderful assistant, Jamie!

The night ended finally when the wonderful Louise of SJMA graciously gave me a brand-new copy of the museum's permanent collection. What a way to end the night!

San Francisco City Hall Preferred Florist!

We are officially on San Francisco City Hall's Preferred Professionals' List! I've just received an email from the publication announcing San Francisco City Hall wedding & special events brochure is off press and should be at the venue already, to be distributed to all engaged couples and event planners.

Here is an electronic link to the e-brochure: our ad is on page 24!

http://ebrochure.hawthornpublications.com/go/sanfrancityhall

But you can see MANY pictures in the pages prior to the ads - pictures specifically to feature City Hall were chosen from pictures I had submitted on behalf of Chung Li Photography. Page 3, Page 5, Page 12, Page 13 (that's our bride!), Page 14 (that's our flowers and cake from www.goldleafconfections.com), Page 15 (that's our centerpieces and our bride again!). There must be a reason why SO MANY of Chung Li's pictures were chosen - maybe because he IS that good! LOVE LOVE LOVE his stuff, at first sight!

All pictures on our ad (Page 24) were also courtesy of Chung Li Photography. Thanks Chung!

We are also listed on http://www.elegala.com/ as a preferred professional on the feature page for San Francisco City Hall: http://resources.elegala.com/venues/125-san-francisco-city-hall

And also listed on http://www.elegala.com/ within our industry in the venue's state: http://resources.elegala.com/local_search/search

Filoli Meeting

The visit to Filoli this morning was splendid! After a short informational meeting for the 2009 Filoli Flower Show - Kaleidoscope of Flowers - we were set free to choose our site location. A little background first - this event is a premiere showcase of floral arrangements in the beautifully furnished and preserved historic mansion and gardens at Filoli and is a long established tradition four-day event, to take place on Mother's Day weekend, May 7 - 10.

From the meeting, I was already leaning toward the "Butler's Pantry," but when I got there, I wasn't so sure anymore. The room instantly spelled of fresh breads when I walked in and the tiffany-blue cabinets were striking. But these two elements alone did not inspire any ideas. All I could do was stand there and wonder, what to do with a sink counter?

I knew I wanted repeated elements, something that lined down the counter, something clean, something sweet, something that brightened up the sink counter like the incredibly bright ray of light shining through the windows above on this seeping cold winter day. Then the idea hit and I went running. So fast that quickly afterward, I went to IKEA, and more ideas formed as I was inspired by all their "metal" kitchen items/gadgets. Ideas/construction/flower choices are still brewing in my head, but looks like I will be creating a "modernized version of our everyday kitchen counter."

The Flirty Guide

This post has been long overdue. I was going to wait until I've been blogging for about a month, that is everyday for a month, until I contact Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide. But when I ran into Stacie at the Congregation Beth Sholom Open House, I had to introduce myself in-person and let her know she had inspired me to finally continue blogging.

I started my blog about a year ago and from that time on, blogged rarely, here and there, and eventually stopped and was really never going to start it up again...until I heard Stacie speak at the BAWN event. Stacie, of The Flirty Guide, an online wedding resource with "the coolest ideas from the Flirtiest Professionals", of course has a blog. In her talk, she highly encouraged all the wedding industry professionals to BLOG, even if it's just something short, even if it's just posting a few pictures - something, it's part of the business and it's not going away.

And since then, I've been addicted to blogging! I used to say, if you don't have a website, you don't have a business. Now I say, if you don't have a blog, you don't have a website, which in turn, you don't have a business.

San Francisco's Newest Event Venue

The Congregation Beth Sholom, indeed San Francisco's newest event venue, with its ultra-modern design throughout that you don't even realize you're in a congregation! I've actually passed by it (during the construction) many times while walking the baby (yes, I live in the Richmond District, but work out of Burlingame!). So when invited to their Open House, I was of course excited, as I had been so curious about the inside from all the construction on the outside!

The exterior was captivating, with its uplights at night, while the immediate interior entrance, the Rainbow Courtyard, was inviting. Stairs led up to the Sanctuary and the hidden-jewel, Koret Hall - with its dramatic ceilings, white-oak flooring and large floor-to-ceiling windows and drapes - really a to-die-for event space for weddings!

Congregation Beth Sholom
301 14th Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94118

415-221-8736

bethsolomsf.org

For inquiries, contact Beth Jones, BJones@bethsholomsf.org

Tasting at Marine's Memorial Club & Hotel

About every other month, the Marine's Memorial Club & Hotel hosts a Tasting, which is a where the bride and groom and their families are invited to try out their delicious menu; in the end to pick out their own menus for their wedding. As part of their Preferred Vendors' List, we too are invited to this event to introduce brides to try our services as well.

That night, I was delighted to have met Gabrielle Feuersinger of Cake Coquette. Besides her friendly, quirky personality and intricately-decorated cakes, what stands out most about her cakes is that unlike every other cake places out there, hers are not covered with fondant (she actually hates fondant!). Gabrielle's butter cream work is so unbelievably smooth that she doesn't need fondant to hide any flaws - because there are none! You can check it out for yourself on her cake gallery at http://www.cakecoquette.com/gallery/ and her upcoming display at Gump's Wedding Chic Bridal Event this coming Sunday, February 8, 2009.

Here is Gabrielle and I (chilling out):