Thank you Wedding Blogs!

See What the Blogs Have been Saying About The Wedding University!

Don't miss your opportunity to learn about planning your wedding, from the wedding experts in an elegant, relaxed setting...the Four Seasons, Silicon Valley!

The Flirty Guide was the first to post about The Wedding University back in November; watch for an exciting new installment on January 1st, 2010!

Thank you, Stacie!

http://theflirtyguide.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

Now with The Wedding University only a Month Away...

Win 2 Free Tickets from Style Unveiled!

http://www.sanfranciscostyleunveiled.com/thelounge/

Thank you to Kimberly and Heather!

We are so excited to meet all the newly engaged couples at

The Wedding University, Sunday, January 31, 2010 at the Four Seasons, Silicon Valley. Sign up soon because we filled up last year!

You can click here to register!

Time for Tea!

Renewing Friendships over Tea

When Evonne Wong let us know she would be in San Francisco for a week in December, Jubilee and I were quick to book a reservation at our favorite SF tea spot, Crown and Crumpet, for the three of us to reconnect over tea.

We could not have chosen a more perfect afternoon for tea; the view from Ghiradelli Square, where Crown and Crumpet is located, was incredibly beautiful in the late afternoon, as we sat sipping our tea.

The table setting awaiting us at our table for 3!

Jubilee taking a picture to release on Twitter and Facebook of our sumptuous tea for three sweets and savories display...I have learned when I am out with Jubilee, NOT to take any food set before me, until she has posted the image on Facebook and Twitter...the wonder of social networking sometimes lets my tea get cold!

Evonne is the owner of a very successful wedding planning company on Maui, but her roots in the SF Bay Area are still very strong, so whenever she visits family here, she also makes time for her wedding industry friends; we learn so much from each other about the wedding trends in our very different locales for serving brides and grooms, while we enjoy the Holiday pause in our busy schedules. (For Evonne's amazing photos of Crown and Crumpet, please take a look at her new photography blog.)


After our tea, we were invited by the owners of the Crown and Crumpet to enjoy shopping downstairs in their brand new gift shop, applying the 10% discount offered to all tea customers to the purchases we might make.

Evonne is taking back to Hawaii several reminders of our time together, including the Peony Pen, used by the Trolly Dollies upstairs to take our order!

And Jubilee was happy to find a few gifts for her almost 3 year old Bridgette, and for her mom.

Before we left the shop, the owner Amy Bean, took this photo of us, and spent a good deal of time chatting with us, in the typical British way, about weddings, tea and other social matters.

Since Wedding 360 is never far from our minds, Jubilee and I asked if Amy would be interested in donating a gift to be offered to The Wedding University attendees on January 31st, at the Four Seasons, Silicon Valley. We were overjoyed with the offer of a tea for two gift certificate, and a discount for a Bridal Shower Tea, to the lucky engaged couple whose names are selected at the end of the event.

Thank you Amy and Chris Bean for creating such a warm and welcoming tea shoppe, and for your support of The Wedding University!

Wedding University, the movies!

During the last several months, Andrew Hsu, owner of Studio MSV, and a member of our Wedding University team, has been making short film clips of the many hours of planning which have already gone into preparing for

The 2010 Wedding University.

Episode 2 (Jean and Jubilee discuss TWU plans in general, meet with Armando Sarabia and Gabrielle Medrano, for a photo shoot with our TWU photographer, Janae Shields, and discuss the Beauty and Attire topic for The 2010 Wedding University)

Wedding 360 Webisode 2 from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Episode 3 (Behind the scenes with Jean and Jubilee at the Four Seasons, and with Gloria Wong and Nancy Liu Chin, as they plan the designs to be used in the Design Showcase, at The Wedding University)

Wedding 360 Webisode 3 from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Episode 4: ( November, 2009, Rehearsal for professors of The 2010 Wedding University, at the Four Seasons, Silicon Valley; professors practiced their presentations toh Jean, Jubilee, Janece and Amanda, the TWU Administrative team, who offered feedback. Professors pictured here include Kevin Chin,

Geoff and Lara White, Nancy Liu Chin and Gloria Wong.

Wedding 360 Webisode 4 from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Please plan to join us for The Wedding University, January 31, 2010, at the Four Seasons, Silicon Valley.

Tickets to The Wedding University are a wonderful gift to give engaged couples!

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICING:

$55. per person, and $100. per couple!

Consider asking parents, aunts, uncles and good friends to treat you, or other engaged couples you know, to this full day of professional wedding planning classes, taught by some of the best vendors in the SF Bay area, interspersed with the excellent cuisine of the Four Seasons!

AND don't forget the chance to win a 3 day Honeymoon stay at one of the Four Seasons Resorts!

You may register by clicking here.

Design Challenge announces a Winner

Yelena Johnson, owner of The Stylish Soiree, in her office

Wedding 360 is excited to announce our Scholarship winner for the

Academy for Planners and Designers, March 14-16, 2010.

Congratulations to Yelena Johnson, of The Stylish Soiree!

You can see Gloria Wong's comments about Yelena's winning design entry on our Wedding 360 blog.

We are so grateful to all of our amazing Scholarship entrants, who made the time to create and submit a visual and written response to Gloria's "opposites attract" design challenge.

We hope to meet many of you in March; we feel like we know you already!

It takes a team....

I want to thank Janae Shields for taking head shots of all of the staff and professors for The Wedding University; I will be using her work to introduce several of our professors during the next few weeks, beginning with the Administrative Team!

Jubilee Lau and I are the partners who formed Wedding 360 LLC, the overarching business created to produce Educational Programs for Engaged Couples, and Wedding Professionals, including The Wedding University and The Academy for Planners + Designers....but..

...planning an event like The Wedding University takes a TEAM---I want to introduce our team!


Jubilee, Amanda Chan, our Logistical Lead; Janece Shellooe, our TWU Administrator, and me, peeking in...now we are busily preparing the outlines, binders, name tags, and surprises for our 2010 Wedding University students. We look forward to seeing you on January 31, 2010, at the

Four Seasons, Silicon Valley.

The Wedding University, A Sneak Peek!

An Afternoon of Elegance and Education

January 31, 2010 Four Seasons, Silicon Valley 11am - 5pm

We are really gearing up for Wedding University, 2010 now. I met with Armando Sarabia and Gabrielle Medrano today to go over their presentation for our students on Sunday, January 31, 2010. I don't want to give all the tips away, but here is a sample of what Armando and Gabrielle will be sharing:

Hair and Makeup--Armando

-What should I take to a Makeup and Hair Consultation?

-What happens at a consult?

-How soon should I book a consult and hire a hair/makeup artist?

-Will I need a stylist all day?

As a special bonus, Armando will be doing a live demonstration on one of The Wedding University attendees during his presentation!

Wedding Attire--Gabrielle

-What styles of gowns are best for each body type?

-How long before my wedding should I order my gown?

-How do we choose a tuxedo or suit that is a good match for the bridal gown.

-What do you need on your wedding day to best protect your gown?

Gabrielle will have models circulating throughout the day, modeling a wide range of designers, styles and price points. She and Armando will use the models as examples in their presentation, to point out how the hair style, and accessories, were chosen to create an elegant and unified look for the bride.

To give you a sample of how Armando and Gabby work together, I am including a few photos from a photo shoot we did with our TWU photographer,

Janae Shields, as a part of our preparation for The Wedding University 2010.

The model, the hair and makeup artist, the dress, and the preparation begins in one of the elegant suites at the Four Seasons...

..with hair styling completed, the gown on, and the final touches of makeup in place, it is time to go downstairs and outside for the photo shoot itself...

Armando is always close at hand with his touch up hair spray...

...as is Gabrielle, to do any necessary "fluffing" of the gown to assure the perfect shot for Janae.

The results, seen in these two pictures, show the elegance of a professionally styled, dressed, and photographed bride.

Please register for The Wedding University soon; our capacity is 150 students, and last year we did sell out. To register, click here.

All photos are by Janae Shields.

A colorful bride, and new friend!

WHY I LOVE MY JOB!

Wonderful brides like Monica who become my friends!

My last wedding of 2009 was a wonderful experience! Part of the joy was seeing the two cultures of Monica's parents come together to celebrate as one. Monica's mother is Japanese, so for after-ceremony photos, Monica put on an elegant white Kimono, sent by her grandmother who could not travel for the wedding; and after dinner, Monica changed from her wedding gown, into this incredible, hand-made Indian outfit to honor her Dad, who is from India. Truly an international celebration!

In the next few weeks, I will have more photos from the wedding and reception, at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkely, but this shot is one Monica just sent me and it means so much because of the note that went along with it:

"Dearest Jean, Our wedding was a dream come true for me...I really loved every minute of it, and I believe that God blessed me with such a warm and caring person who would just fit into our family dynamics and faith to bring this all to together.

I know you worked so hard and dedicated so much time and effort to make this perfect, and it was!

Most of all, Jean, I felt so secure and taken care of; I felt like you were my friend by my side and even during the down time...I just never felt alone since I knew you were right there.

Everyone thanks you for making this memorable!!

Love and Thanksgiving, Monica."

What can I say?? This is WHY I am a wedding planner; because of the way I can be a support during the fun, but often challenging months needed to plan a wedding, and then remain a caring and competent presence throughout the busy hours of the wedding day itself. As my tag line puts it, "..beside the bride to help as needed." Thank you, Monica, for allowing me to be there for you...it was a privilege!