Rosewood Sand Hill FAM trip

There are some wonderful educational and social opportunities folded into the career of a wedding planner, and one the nicest ones is called a "FAM" trip. "FAM" is an abbreviation used for a "FAMiliarization visit" to a wedding venue where the management team want to provide planners with a first-hand experience of how they would host a wedding celebration at their location. This is where the educational and the social parts of the FAM come together...we as wedding professionals are treated like wedding guests and pampered the way our clients and their guests would be during a wedding weekend.

Therefore, attending a FAM event usually involves enjoying gourmet meals, luxury accommodations, superb decor, the best amenities the hotel can offer, relaxed time to socialize, and of course the necessity of experiencing the spa services! I am sure you are imagining what we say to each other...."tough work, but somebody has to do it!" Yes, and I am so grateful to be one of the hard-working planners given these assignments occasionally! :)

I was grateful to enjoy the FAM trip to Rosewood Sand Hill with several of my closest friends in the wedding profession. Tony White, Morgan Doan, Jubilee Lau and I have been colleagues as independent planners for over 8 years now. We are usually the ones enabling our clients and their guests to relax and enjoy a cocktail with friends, but in this situation we are the guests being served. We savored every moment of it!

Recently I was privileged to be among a dozen or so planners invited to spend a day and night at the beautiful Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel in Menlo Park; we were each treated to a luxurious stay in one of the deluxe king guest rooms, an off-site wine tasting/lunch at the newly opened AutoVino, a spa treatment in the Rosewood Sense Spa, an over-the top dinner in the Rosewood Ballroom, followed by a dessert buffet with cordials and coffee in the Presidential Suite. Wow!

Vero Suh was with us during the dinner portion of the FAM to capture images of the elegance we experienced; I have included a few of her fantastic images, but please take a look at her blog for a more complete visual feast of what Rosewood Sand Hill can provide for a wedding or event hosted at their lovely venue.

Dinner was a work of art from the elaborate table setting to the incredible flavors and presentation of the 4-course meal to the multi-level Dessert Buffet served for us in the Presidential Villa.

The Dessert Buffet was as delicious as it was beautiful...I was there late into the evening with my colleagues doing a bit of personal research on dessert/after dinner cordial pairing!

Below are a few photos taken during our visit to Rosewood by my friend Duncan Reyes, who is both an excellent photographer and wedding planner; I am pleased to say I was too busy relaxing to keep up with photo coverage of our non-stop activities!

The Rosewood Sand Hill pool, surrounded by the guest cottages, as seen from the Veranda just off the Library/Bar on the lobby level at Rosewood.

This lovely fountain is at the center of the circular drive (below) which is the starting point for guests as they arrive at Rosewood Sand Hill.

I want to thank the Rosewood Sand Hill for providing me with a personal taste of the luxury they provide on a regular basis for guests at their resort. I have seldom felt so pampered and cared for as I did during my stay at Rosewood. I am now very "FAM"iliar with exactly how they will serve any wedding couple who chooses to host their celebration at Rosewood Sand Hill. It was a magical visit, and I hope to be with you again soon, either as helping to plan and execute a wedding for one of my couples, or perhaps I will book a luxurious over-night stay with my own groom of 30 years! Either way, I will be back!

Our fabulous hosts for the FAM visit to Rosewood Sand Hill and their sponsor team include:

Shari Clenard, Catering Sales Manager
Todd Outhouse, Catering Sales Manager
Michael Casey, Managing Director
Executive Chef, Peter Rudolph
Executive Pastry Chef, Melisa Root
Sense Spa at Rosewood Sand Hill
AutoVino
Madera Restaurant
Lone Star Limousine
Ornamento
Classic Party Rentals
SWANK Audio Visual