Inside the Conservatory of Flowers

As a gardener, I never turn down a chance to see anything relating to plants, flowers, and gardening; therefore, an invitation this week, to sample some of

Global Gourmet's Spring delicacies, inside the historic Conservatory of Flowers, in San Francisco, was too perfect to even consider missing. My intern, Katie Moua was able to join me for the event, to experience the delicious food of one of the most popular caterers in San Francisco, and to meet and mingle with the amazing group of wedding professionals I work alongside all year.

Katie and I stop for a moment before entering the Global Gourmet party inside the Conservatory of Flowers. GG now qualifies as a 100% FULL service caterer; the staff member greeting us at the door, offered to come out and take our photo in front! I call that above and beyond service!

Speaking of interns, one of my recent interns, Monique Rodarte, now works full time for Global Gourmet, so she was there to welcome us, and escort us through the newly renovated, century old Conservatory of Flowers. It makes me really happy to see my interns become solidly a part of the wedding world, where they desired to work; when Alicia Slater, from Global Gourmet, emailed me looking for a new staff member, I was happy to recommend Monique, and according to all involved, it has been a perfect match!

Monique and I, as we enter the Conservatory of Flowers, remembering all the fun and hard work we shared as she assisted me in my 2009 wedding season. Now she is heading into her own wedding season as a vital part of the Global Gourmet catering sales team. Congratulations, Monique!

There are many wonderful things about having an intern, and especially competent ones like Monique and now Katie, but one of them is they are there to take pictures! Katie got a shot of this group of my friends, gathered beside the soup/salad bite bar (see photo of the soup and salad presentation below)

Dave Etheridge, A Video Reflection, Duncan Reyes, Duncan Reyes Events by Design, me with the soup/salad bites, Nelle of Zazoom Events, and Ann Saavedra, Dreamcatcher Events

The food and lounge area was set up in the tent, just a few steps outside the Conservatory; this tent is the perfect venue for a wedding and/or wedding reception for up to 150-180 guests. Got Light, Blueprint Studios, and Bluewater Party Rentals did a fantastic job of enhancing the welcoming, warm and modern feel of this area.

As always, at these wonderful wedding industry events, I was able to make new friends while enjoying reconnecting with my long term colleagues. I have been in touch with Amber, the owner of newly launched Sweet on Cake, in Napa, but finally getting to meet her was a special treat. I look forward to the personal cake tasting we will be setting up later in March, and the fun of getting to know her more in the months and years ahead.

Getting to know Amber as we toasted the great food at this Short Ribs station...seasoned perfectly, this all- American comfort food truly melted in your mouth!

My friend Rafael Campos, owner of Spiral Hand Floral and Event Design, sponsored the floral decor for the GG event; I love what he did with long Forsythia branches woven artistically into the arc which enhances the tent area.

Branches of the early Spring blooming Forsythia create texture for the lighted arc on one side of the tent; I was very impressed that Rafael incorporated a huge photo of the blooming forsythia into the buffet table provided by Blueprint Studios. Well done, Rafael and Blueprint!

Here is the soup/salad plate I mentioned. Wild Mushroom Soup in a tiny espresso cup, with small but intensely flavored spinach salad bites, were perfect for the cool SF evening. Katie cleverly took this photo with the plate positioned on the table where Rafael had added his Forsythia branch photo, under glass.

I encourage engaged couples, and anyone planning a special party, to consider the Conservatory of Flowers as your venue. I met the wonderful new Program Coordinator for the property, Morgan Davis. She will be happy to give you all the information you need to book your wedding or event at the newly renovated Conservatory of flowers. Morgan can be reached at 415.846.0538, or at mdavis@sfcof.org

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!

Teaming with a bride!

While planning Kelley and Adam's Nestldown wedding for last August, Kelley and I formed a bond which neither of us wanted to lose; we have stayed in touch and discussed her helping me at weddings, partly because she was so creative and detailed in her wedding planning, and also because it would give us opportunities to strengthen our friendship.
When I decided to participate in the Nestldown Showcase, I asked if Kelley could be my set-up assistant, and partner as we met with brides and grooms who attended the Showcase. Kelley was available, and excited to help me; we had a wonderful time working together, so I want to share a few memories!

Kelley and me at my Showcase table

I chose to create a Tea Time atmosphere for my welcome table, a reminder that I enjoy having couples over for tea as a part of our initial consultation. Kelley, being a wonderful cook, provided Mexican tea cookies, for snacks. The plates in my display were filled with her yummy treats, but not until the guests began arriving...we were afraid if we put them out too soon, there would be none left for the brides and grooms! I kept sampling them!


Once my display was complete, I went around to visit a few of the other vendors who were a part of the evening's Bridal Showcase. Because I was in charge of vendor communication and timeline planning for the showcase, I had gotten to know a few of the vendors only via email; now I wanted to meet them face to face!

Dan and Phil, of Beverages and More (BevMo!) are wonderful supports for our brides and grooms, because they not only help couples choose the beverages and the amounts needed, for their wedding, they also can deliver to the venue the day before...the cost is minimal, and the convenience is priceless!

Photoworks Interactive brought one of their photo booths, complete with silly hats, glasses, and other props, as well as the guest book/scrapbook component they provide. Several of my clients have chosen to bring this photo booth activity into their wedding day, and guests have really enjoyed letting their often unknown "ham" come out in front of the camera!

This is the display of materials provided, always accompanied with a staff person to assist guests in their creativity, to complete a personalized and memorable guest book for the bride and groom to take with them at the end of the evening.

After a quick walk around the beautiful Nestldown grounds, to be sure all was in readiness for the over 130 expected guests, I returned to greet the first arrivals.


Several of the guests arrived a bit early, so I was glad the Kelley and I had also arrived early, both to get my table set up and to help the other vendors check in and be ready...after this initial photo Kelley took as I welcomed the first bride and groom, we were busy chatting and refilling the cookie plates until the last guest left.



I am so grateful for Kelley, her friendship, her help last night, and the wonderful profession I have chosen, where the work and personal aspects of my life blend together seamlessly.

Below is the invitation to the Vendor Showcase (click to enlarge), which lists all of the participants in the Nestldown Showcase where Kelley and I partnered.

Introducing Gloria Wong Design!

My friend and colleague, Gloria Wong Tritasavit, has just launched her new website, and her new business, Gloria Wong Design. I encourage you to get to know Gloria and her incredible talent, by enjoying her website:

http://www.gloriawongdesign.com

Gloria and I partnered on 2 weddings last year, where she handled the design concept and execution for the bride and groom, while I managed all of the other planning components, plus the overall logistical coordination.

As you can see from the photos, the designs of these two weddings were totally different, as were the couples who we were supporting in the planning of their weddings.

This wedding at the Flood Mansion represented perfectly the New York couple's love of chic and modern styles, plus their many trips to France where they honed their appreciation of fine food and aged wine, paired perfectly for a memorable meal.
(for more details about this wedding, see my blogpost
http://jeanmarksweddings.blogspot.com/2008/10/great-team-makes-great-wedding-day.html)

To represent their favorite things to enjoy, our other couple chose to emphasize their love of tea, books, and all things cozy....with the magical backdrop of Nestldown, Gloria and I were able to create an elegant, somewhat whimsical tribute to the enjoyment with friends of great tea, well-loved books, and of course, intricate table settings with lots of tea cups, candy dishes, cream pitchers, and sugar bowls.
(For more details see my blog post:
http://jeanmarksweddings.blogspot.com/2008/09/full-wedding-weekend.html)

At the end of the wedding day, both couples could not have been more pleased with how Gloria and I, working with our strong team associates, created a truly personalized, elegant, and seamless celebration for their guests, their families and most importantly, for themselves!

Having experienced such wonderful results from our partnership, and because we so enjoy working together, Gloria and I are looking forward to many more "joint ventures" in the months and years ahead...in fact, we are working on one wedding right now for July 4th, which is going to be fantastic!
See my blog entry for more details:
http://jeanmarksweddings.blogspot.com/2009/03/wedding-planningdesign-team-effort.html

Helping Tami

My good friend Stacie Tamaki* has launched a new website, Helping Tami, geared to locating a bone marrow donor for her cousin Tami, who has recently been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Finding a "match" for Tami has become a nationwide search; we can all become involved by simply requesting a mouth swab test kit in the mail, to determine if our bone marrow can save Tami's life. (Please click on the link, above, to Stacie's new website for details.)

In the wedding industry, we are like family, so when Stacie's cousin needs help, we all want to be involved. I am requesting my test kit today, and wanted to share the need with others, so you also can participate in Helping Tami.

*You may be familiar with Stacie through her extremely popular wedding website, The Flirty Guide; she has taken all the skills she gained as a savvy web designer/blogger, and applied them to creating a this custom Helping Tami Campaign. What a great way for Stacie to show her deep family love, by taking an active role in trying to meet Tami's desperate and immediate need.

This cherry blossom photo, which I took recently in Golden Gate Park, reminds me of the background Stacie chose for Tami's website...the freshness of the blossoms provide a subtle yet clear reminder of the hope we want to see flood the life of Tami and her family.

Networking is not work, it is FUN!

Tuesday I had the kind of work day many people would call play, because it was so much fun! As a wedding planner, part of my "job" is to visit some of the most beautiful spots in San Francisco, and to meet some of the most interesting and creative people in the industry. My day, shared with Bev Yip, Especially Yours Chair Covers, began at the historic Palace Hotel, in the heart of Downtown San Francisco.
Bev, who often works at the Palace Hotel providing chairs and chair covers, introduced me to Kate Taffel, who is Catering Sales Manager, specializing in weddings at the amazing Palace Hotel. I have worked at the Palace several times, but not in the last year and a half, since Kate took on her new role. I was excited to get to know Kate, and that came with another treat... lunch in the Garden Court; I can now personally recommend the Palace Hotel Signature Crab Salad! Thank you Kate!



Kate went over the wedding packet with me, so I can answer questions and share information with couples who contact me looking for an elegant, historic San Francisco venue for their wedding and/or reception.

Next, Bev and I walked over the the Four Seasons Hotel, to see the Wedding Specialists there, Emilie Rekart, Associate Director of Catering, and Serra Skadden, Catering Sales Manager. I had known Emilie in another hotel setting, but was looking forward to reconnecting with her now that she is at the Four Seasons; Serra was a new acquaintance for me, but she now is a new friend!

This is the modern, chic decor in the Four Seasons SF Restaurant; Bev and I were served tea in the cozy private lounge, just outside the Restaurant, which would be opening for dinner in a few hours. As I said, this is the kind of work you could easily mistake for an afternoon off in SF, relaxing with friends. But Bev and I were learning so much about the current wedding packages offered at the Four Seasons, which were described in the packet Emilie had prepared for us. Here again, I was learning how to provide helpful information for any couple looking for a modern, chic, upscale wedding venue in San Francisco; as I sipped my Earl Grey tea, with milk, I was working!


For our final visit of the day, Bev and I made a quick stop to see Solera Smith, Senior Catering Sales Manager at the brand new
Intercontinental, San Francisco. I had met Solera once when I attended an introductory tea/spa afternoon for wedding planners early in the Fall, but now Bev and I wanted to drop by to say Congratulations! Solera just announced her engagement, so Bev, who knows Solera very well, wanted to bring her a little gift to help celebrate the exciting occasion.


We spent some time visiting in the striking, ultra modern lobby, talking about weddings, both Solera's and the ones being scheduled for 2009at the hotel. Again, I learned tons about how this particular hotel venue might best serve couples coming to me for ideas on ultra modern, brand new downtown hotels. For this stop, we were offered lemonade and Italian sparkling water; what a hard job I have, right?!

After a full day with Bev, we parted company briefly, since I had left my car at her home in South San Francisco; we were both planning to attend the Open House/party being held at Classic Party Rental Company in Burlingame. This company is known by all SF/Bay Area/North Bay/Napa wedding vendors, so the turn out was huge! And what a party we had...again, more networking, seeing the amazingly creative table top/floral designs, meeting caterers and wine makers from all over California, and...can I say it again, Having Fun!!

I saw Bev soon after I arrived; no fair, she got to go home and change...oh well, my well-known bright apricot jacket was comfortable, and made me easy to find in the crowd!

The first part of the Open House featured table top/floral designs by dozens of talented Bay Area florists, incorporating rental items provided by Classic Party Rental.

Michael Daighan Designs worked with Royal Blue and Gold, with a touch of green...yummy and elegant.

Karen Baba, of PlanDecor, worked with a luxurious brocade and English China look; can you see the support for the circular centerpiece? It seemed to be floating, until you looked closely for the clear plexi glass support.

Neil of Hunt Littlefield, did his own magic with a bamboo and green lily frond ball, suspended atop an elegant dried Manzanita display; the greens and browns were carried out in the linens, bowls, plates and napkins...this would work well for an eco friendly wedding reception.

Now, once we moved through the showrooms full of amazing displays such as those above, the myriad of wine tasting stations, gourmet food presentations, we found our selves in the tent set up outside the warehouse...and this is where the Partee began! A DJ had music going, complete with a smoke machine (note the hazy look in the next group shots), a photo booth, a frozen brownie/ice cream bar, and an espresso cart. Once again, I found myself net-working with friends and colleagues, some of whom I have known for over 15 years, such as Susan Groves, In Full Bloom, who brought me into her business as a floral design assistant 15 years ago! Now that is something to toast, and toast we did!

Susan Groves and me, beside the bar!

Amy Burke, Amy Burke Design, Ellie Warner, Fogarty Winery, me, pointing out how much Mike, owner of Le Papillon reminds me of Indiana Jones, Mike Marakesh, and Jondel Goldsmith, owner of I Do Weddings.

my Burke, Tony White, Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay, Elisheva Basseri, Janece Shelloe, Every Elegant Detail, Tisa Mantle, Componere Fine Catering,
Ellie Warner, and moi, the hard working wedding planner!

It was a long day, and I was tired as I drove home about 10 pm; but what a wonderful way to be tired...a full day of net-working, spending time with colleagues and friends. I like my job!

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.