Old San Francisco Charm

I was one of the first to arrive at the BAWN (Bay Area Wedding Network) event at the Marine' Memorial Club and Hotel in San Francisco this week, so I was able to see the Crystal Lounge and Crystal Ballroom as they were set for the arrival of guests.



Annie Siu designed the decor for the Crystal Lounge, using her floral designs, and Classic Party Rental's table top items, chiviari chairs, and lighting, including the butterfly gobo over the ceremony set up. I like the way Annie made a chair decor holder from a napkin which match the pattern on the Chiviari chair cushion.

I enjoyed visiting with friends in the Crystal Ballroom, which was my favorite venue of the 3 different event spaces available at the Marines' Memorial Club.

Beverly Yip, Especially Yours Chair Covers, Annie Siu, and I enjoyed staying close to the dessert bar, where Coco Delice and Krumbs Cakes offered lots of samples!

What I love about BAWN events is getting to see old friends, and to make new ones; these photos are perfect examples. Above are Liz Guthrie, San Jose Wedding Consultants, and Frank Goldstein, Joel Nelson Productions; I had been chatting with Frank , whom I have known for at least 6 years, and then Liz Guthrie introduced herself to me, with the reminder that her blog had featured the Wedding University, as part of our promotion to raise awareness prior to the event, held February 8th...we had never met, but I was so happy to get to thank her personally for her support, and to establish a new friendship!

In this grouping of friends, old and new, I was just getting to know Amy Tam, Amy's Weddings and Special Events, standing beside me, as we chatted with old and new friends, Julie Kiendra, of the Four Seasons, Silicon Valley, Adrienne Keats, Calligrapher, and Annie Siu, my new florist friend.

The Crystal Ballroom was the location for our final meeting as a group, after we had toured 4 floors of elegant, vintage and "new to me" event spaces; as you can see, the original chandeliers and shape of the room, accentuated by the lighting and warm-toned linens, created a warm, relaxed environment for the 150+ wedding professionals to encourage brainstorm, and encourage one another, as we head into a year of UEC (Unique Economic Challenges)!

Thank you to Gwen Helbush, Where to Start, and Marie Rios,
Creative Occasions, for the amazing gift you give to all of us by organizing and producing these networking events on a quarterly basis.