Events | Regency Center Centennial Celebration!

A night that I thought I would only stay until 8PM, at most 8:30PM, I stayed until 10:30PM! If it wasn't because my husband had to pick me up, I would've stayed till the end! What a night! What a night! The newly renovated 100 year-old Regency Center was gorgeous and jaw-dropping, especially with all the live performances throughout the night in the Grand Ballroom and The Lodge!

Whenever I go to these networking events, I tell myself to meet at least one person. I met many, but among them, that one person turned out to be another Florist, but one that has been in the business for 20 years and services mostly Sonoma County.

We immediately clicked! The more we talked about our individual businesses, the more similar we found our business models and even philosophy in life! It was like talking to an old friend, and I felt so open to tell her my hidden qualms, frustration and basically everything under the moon! It was so refreshing to let it all out and having someone in the industry COMPLETELY understand you, because they probably went through the same thing just last week! =P

We spent the rest of the night basically partying it up! And even on the dance floor too!! I don't know if i was too young or too old, but when i got whisked onto the dance floor, I felt like I was too YOUNG to know how to swing dance. And after trying to catch up to my partner who was so gracious to put up with my two left feet, my lower back was hurting, then I thought I must be too OLD! =P

Events | Challenge of the camera lenses

A table made out of camera lenses...what (kind of arrangement) would you make?

Post update: Unfortunately, I cannot post pictures of the arrangements that I ended up making for this penthouse suite due to the Confidentiality Agreement I had to sign. But I can tell you the "camera lenses" table turned out to be indeed made out of lenses, but more like magnifying glasses side-by-side with crisp white edges along the four sides of the long table. The table was a lot narrower too than I had imagined, but the three low cylinder vases that I ended up designing -- flax leaf-wrap inside each vase with a cluster of curved miniature vibrant yellow calla lilies curving out of it (so curved that the end of the stem is not even in water) fit perfectly in this modern, chic space.

Events | Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce mixer at Wente Vineyards

Sweet summer, picnic-ky theme set the stage for Pleasanton's Chamber of Commerce mixer at Wente Vineyards. As one of Wente's recommended vendors, we were invited to sponsor the flowers for this event. The simple mix of white daisies and seeded eucalyptus in glass vases were the perfect accompaniment to the red-plaided, green linens and white wooden folding chairs on Wente's new ceremony setting, The Vineyard Lawn.

It was refreshing to meet some local businesses that were NOT in the wedding industry:

(1) Amelia's Gourmet Deli-Bistro - freshly baked breads daily and is venturing into the cupcake side of the wedding business, coming soon online

(2) Sue Evans Photography - refreshing to meet a photographer who does NOT do weddings, but focuses on "nature and you"

(3) Cynthia Safdari Realtor - buy or sell with cindy (buyorsellwithcindy@yahoo.com) at J. Rockcliff Realtors, Pleasanton location

(4) Red Door Restoration - Z Safdari, Cynthia's husband, has been in the business for 20 years and does everything from new construction to construction management and mold remediation (reddoorrestoration@yahoo.com)

Events | The Knot Industry Networking Event (recap)

It turned out to be a fun-fun-FUN night! Seeing a lot of familiar faces and meeting new ones!

Here's Fu of F.C. Wong Photography (above)

Here's Elley of Elley Photography (above)
Here's Janae Shields of Janae Shields Photography, Gabby of Cake Coquette, Duncan Reyes of events by design (above)
Here's Mary of Very Merry Events, who's that trying to get in our picture? (above)
Is it Andrew of Studio MSV? (above)
IT IS ANDREW of Studio MSV! (above)

And here's the mastermind of this event, Michelle of MB Wedding Designs (above)

Events | Filoli's Kaleidoscope of Flowers

Filoli, had its annual Mother's Day weekend Flower Show event last weekend, this year called the "Kaleidoscope of Flowers". (View earlier post of my initial thoughts and inspiration here). Literally at the eleventh hour, I was still searching for inspiration. I went back to IKEA, still nothing stood out. The initial idea of the hanging utensil holders were not going to "hold" well because they couldn't be hung against the wall, thus the flowers would most likely fall out and even if they didn't, it would literally just be hanging buckets of flowers. What's the big deal?, I thought.

Then I thought to browse around Macy's kitchen department since I was starting to form a "baking scene" in my head (mostly because in real life, I've been baking and loving it!). As I neared Martha Stewart's kitchen collection, her distinct signature turquoise color hit me with a "ah-hah!" moment - that color completely matched the distinct turquoise colors of the cabinetry in the Butler's pantry! I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier!

Then the rest is history and I went to town, drawing also from the red, grey, green, a lighter shade of blue, and another shade of the turquoise blue of MS's ingredient cups, and came up with my design, titled "A baking scene in a modernized kitchen, inspired by the same turquoise blue of Martha Stewart's kitchen collection as in the blue of the cabinets in the Butler's Pantry", see below:

SJMA Council of 100 Annual Dinner

Didn't get a chance to blog about an event we did last last week on 3/6/09. It was a sponsorship event that we gladly did for the San Jose Museum of Art's Council of 100 Annual Dinner. The night was themed around the guest speaker, Tony Oursler - an internationally reknowned video artist - and his piece, Slip, 2003. Fiberglass sculpture, which is currently displayed at SJMA. Here is a picture of the piece taken from SJMA's website, but it's definitely something you have to see in person to appreciate...because it's alive and it talks!

So of course we drew our inspiration from such a unique piece and artist. Worked closely with the Director of Individual Giving and one of the committee members, brainstorming and going to town with picking out very interesting textural materials to use. In the end, we decided to be minimal and use succulents, thistle, kale, an orb, waterproof lights and of course gels! That is our final product for each the centerpieces and the registration table.

Paula Le Duc event at City Hall

Usually for a corporate event, there is no professional photographer hired. Although this event at City Hall was smaller, it was still elaborate enough that I asked my photographer friend, Chung Li, as a favor to come and photograph it. As if Chung needs more pictures for his portfolio of City Hall AND of my flowers in it (this will be the third time we've teamed up together at the same venue), but without hesitation, he ecstatically agreed to come along.

I am so spoiled once again with pictures from Chung Li Photography, who's turnaround time is just impeccable! By the very next morning, he's already emailed these pictures to me. How does he do it? Just ask him at chung@chungliphotography.com.