Peter and Charlotte, by Catherine Hall!

I am forever in Awe of Photographer Catherine Hall! she captured the joy and beauty of my beloved couple Peter and Charlotte perfectly, and made Fogarty Winery, and the wedding day stand out as one of the most enchanting weddings of my 2010 season. Thank you Catherine, for the images, and peter and Charlotte, thank you for trusting me to guide you in your wedding planning adventure. The work was so worth it, don't you think! Congratulations!!!

Please click here to see Catherine's blog post about the wedding, and then make time to view the entire slide show, set to the classic "Dancing Cheek to Cheek"!

The Details Tell the Story, Part Two

Recently I coordinated an incredibly unique wedding in San Francisco, on Treasure Island, which had such a wonderful story behind it that every detail of the design incorporated part of the story. Gloria Wong, the designer, Nancy Liu Chin, the florist, and Peculiar Pair Press, the stationer, were the design team who took the couple's vision and made their dream come true in the details! I love working with such creative artists!

I am blogging about this wedding in 3 parts, because the wedding was described in the program as "A Wedding in Three Acts".

Part 2, Pre Ceremony to Cocktail hour

The bridesmaid bouquets with the program for the wedding, strategically placed for a wonderful "detail shot, in the window of the Bridal Suite. The view overlooked Huntington Park and Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill; what could be more classic SF?! Note the black feathers, crystals, and a bit of bling included in the bouquets.

But, speaking of bling, the bride's bouquet was a statement of the grandeur of old Hollywood, and took her breath away when she first saw it. All the florals and colors for the ceremony were in rich shades of magenta, deep purple, lavender and maroon; a dramatic background for what was referred to as Act One of the wedding day.

(Because I was so busy coordinating the wedding itself, I did not have a chance to take any photos of the ceremony. But it was as rich with color and elegance as these bouquets. Nancy Liu Chin used multiple shades of bright magenta, rich purple, and brilliant pink in her elaborate Altar and Entrance arrangements; when combined with the elegant purple velvet draping installed by Enhanced Lighting, and the abundance of multi height candles on the Altar, the Chapel at Treasure Island was completely transformed.)

For the reception, Gloria and the couple chose a cool black, white and silver color palette, accented by night club-like pin spots and deep blue uplighting (provided by Enhanced Lighting), to set the tone for Acts 2 and 3 (Dinner and Dancing). During this part of the wedding celebration, the details tell a story by changing the mood entirely from the intensely colorful design of the ceremony decor, to the understated tones of a 1930's club. This transition seemed to mirror the way many of the movies filmed by the groom were totally different in tone, feel, and background.

The Guest Book was an actual book with photos of the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Guests could write a note to the newly weds using the picture of their favorite Hollywood star as the background.

This view of the guest book, open to invite guests to write a note, also shows the hand made, over-the-top style of the escort cards...feathers and bling were everywhere, yet always presented tastefully and in an understated way. Great job, Gloria and team!

Awaiting the guest to enter from cocktails was the amazing wedding cake, created and designed by Perfect Endings Bakery in Napa, with black and white edible feathers. I can say from first-hand experience, this work or art tasted as wonderful as it looked!

Gloria and Nancy's staff, putting finishing touches on the Head Table before the guests are invited in from cocktails. An elegant combination of hundreds of white roses, feathers, bling, and silver accents....as they entered, the bride, groom, and all the guests, were captivated by the design and detail of the reception room where they would have dinner, and then enjoy dancing to the sounds of SBX Dance Band.

Part 3: The Reception and Dancing

This was the entrance into the Casa de la Vista, where guests were welcomed into a scene of beauty and old Hollywood charm.

White branches, decorated with thousands of crystals, hanging lights and and abundance of white flowers, provide the background for one wall of Casa de la Vista.

After dinner, the dancing went on until midnight, when the guests returned to their hotels via chartered shuttles and limousines, and the bride and groom were transported back to the Mark Hopkins in a Classic vintage Packard; one last detail requested by the bride and groom...a grand Hollywood exit!

I took this photo from the outside Casa de la Vista, during the beginning of the dancing portion of the evening. The bride and groom redefined the classic parents' dances, by having the Mother/Son dance be the bride dancing with each of her adult twin sons, and the Father/Daughter dance being the groom dancing with each of his adult daughters; just another way this wedding told a story, by honoring the children of the bride and groom, since their own parents are not here...now the romantic, Hollywood-like story continues, with a new chapter to be written by them as man and wife!

Other vendors who made this wedding day so perfect, include:

Sherri Long, Hair and Makeup

Wine Valley Catering

Intercontinental Mark Hopkins, Bridal Suite

The Fisherman's Wharf Hilton, guest rooms

Cast of Thousands (we had Paparazzi actors as the bride and groom entered dinner!)

The details tell the story! Part one.

Recently I coordinated a wedding which had such a wonderful story behind it that every detail of the design incorporated part of the story. Gloria Wong, the designer, Nancy Liu Chin, the florist, and Peculiar Pair Press were the vendors who took the couples' vision and made the dream come true in the details! I love working with such a creative team! I will be blogging about this wedding in 3 parts, because there is so much to share!

Part 1, Pre wedding:

In the bride's suite, as she had her hair and makeup done, I created a display of the customized printed materials and other special wedding details, so that our photographer, Catherine Hall, could capture detail shots early in the day, before the fast paced wedding action began. The light in the Terrace of the suite was so wonderful, I decided to set up the "collage" there.

Because the groom has spent 40+ years as a cameraman for Hollywood film makers, the theme of the wedding centered around Old Hollywood, and all the drama, glitz, and romance of those Golden years. There were lots of feathers, flourishes, romantic lighting, and reminders of the stars with whom the groom worked each day on different studio sets in Hollywood.


The view of San Francisco, from Nob Hill's Intercontinental Mark Hopkins, was dramatically beautiful on this sunny October day! The bride stayed in the historic Mark Hopkins Suite, on the 17th floor; what a treat for her bridal party to have their hair and makeup done, and to get dressed together, with a perfect SF panorama all around.
At the end of the evening, the bride and the groom came back to this lovely terrace off the Mark Hopkins Suite, for a surprise late night dinner, with Champagne, and Duck Horn Merlot, their favorite wine. The cameras were not rolling, but the scene was set!


Here the groom's wedding band is displayed beside the custom-made stamp showing a sketch of the white dinner jacked tailored for his wedding day; it is no accident that the dinner jacket very closely resembles the dinner jacket worn by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca...even the bow tie was hand tied, a la Bogart!


The bride designed her own wedding gown, with the help of a well known New York dress designer; the designer actually sketched the drawing shown on this stamp, and gave it to the bride after the last fitting in New York. Randy Fenoli of Seinfelds in NY, did the detail work and final fitting, so he also has had a big part in creating the overall look of this gorgeous dress.

I love the extra thought taken by the bride and groom, to make both the tuxedo and gown drawings into stamps, which were used on all of the invitations, RSVP cards. Beginning with the invitation, guests knew this would be a unique wedding celebration!

Coming next, Part 2..The First Look and Wedding Ceremony.

A Team Effort

Recently I was privileged to assist my good friend Jubilee Lau in the coordination of an amazing wedding celebration at City Hall in San Francisco. Each and every guest at the wedding could not help but be overwhelmed by the elegance, beauty, personalization and complexity of this celebration.

The Rotunda was the location for the wedding as well as for dinner. Lavender carpet was installed just for the wedding. The centerpieces and column decorations topped 10 feet tall...everything was magnificent!

The guests were welcomed into the Thai-themed cocktail hour, by 2 carnation encrusted elephants, a shower of orchid blooms and a silver stone pond with giant water lilies..all created for this event by Nancy Liu Chin Design.

A Food Court, inside the dancing/lounge area, offered guests a Sushi Bar, a Patisserie, an Espresso shop, and of course, a Pub!

The Stage and custom-designed dance floor occupied the other end of the lounge/dancing area, which was not opened until after dinner, as a special surprise for the guests.

So what does it take to produce an event like this?

I can only speak for the logistics team, who assisted Jubilee, but all 10 of us were involved for weeks before the event in discussing the details of the event, having walkthroughs at City Hall, as well as sharing meals together to fine tune each area of the wedding day from the logistical side: load in and break down, entertainment, coordination of the events of the day itself, transportation, assisting family members, communication with hotels, etc.

We each had our roles, and because everyone on the team was an experienced wedding professional, Jubilee could focus on the big picture, knowing we would carry out what had been assigned to us, and contact her immediately if something unexpected came up which needed her input.

Five of our team members going down the elegant stairway from the rotunda, during our walk through at City Hall 10 days before the wedding.

Our dinner after the walk through, used as a social and work time; we were able to get to know each other better as we discussed our responsibilities in greater detail.

Behind the Scenes: This is the Food Court in process:

Setting up the head table took a huge team!

The Dining area and Ceremony Site almost guest ready!

After 3 full days of setup by fantastic SF vendors including Enhanced Lighting, McCall's Catering, Blueprint Studios, Gloria Wong Design, Wildflower Linen, and a support staff of over 100 people...we are ready to open the doors for the guests!

The guests have arrived and are finding their escort cards. This tree was designed to replicate a tree that would grow in Thailand.

The guest tables are set and ready! Let the celebration begin!!!

Jubilee in the midst of our setting up the Head Table...she seemed cool, calm and trusting her team to take care of all the meticulous plans she and Gloria had been working on for almost a year to bring their clients dream into reality!

Congratulations, Jubilee! Thanks for including me in your team!

Todd Fiscus, tips for designers!

Please take a look at what is coming through Wedding 360 from Todd Fiscus, owner of Todd Events! His first video in a series of three filmed on-site at his Dallas studio, will be released this week, exclusively through Wedding 360!

I flew out to Texas in July to film the episodes with Jubilee Lau, my partner in Wedding 360, and Andrew Hsu, our fantastic cinematographer. He is almost ready to release the first episode. I will be sharing more soon!

Where to have the "First Look"?

What do wedding planners do when they are not on-site coordinating weddings during this busy Fall wedding season? We are often out doing the background work needed before the wedding actually happens, to be sure every aspect of the wedding day is thought through and prepared for with care. Because I love to be personally involved with each aspect of my clients' wedding priorities, I often find myself doing some interesting research work. This week I scheduled a tour of a San Francisco landmark, The Intercontinental Mark Hopkins, with a particular goal in mind: Where should Felecia and Jim see each other for the first time, on their wedding day before the pre-ceremony photos?

Tucked in the back of Top of the Mark, this nook is where we hope to stage the First Look for Jim and Felecia. Though the view is extremely beautiful, the spot is known as Weepers Corner, because during WW 2, wives and girlfriends would go to this very spot to stand and weep as they saw their men head out in military ships to war.

This bride and groom are particularly interested in finding a dramatic, as well as photographically beautiful spot, for their first look; Jim has spent decades behind a motion picture camera, shooting hundreds of movies, many of them here in San Francisco, so he has a practiced eye for composition and understands the importance of location. Since Felecia will be getting ready at the Mark Hopkins, before going over to Treasure Island for the wedding and reception, it made sense to have the two of them meet somewhere in the hotel.

I offered to scout the property with Catherine Hall, my good friend, and the amazing photographer for this wedding, and Jordan Nimura, the Director of Romance (aka. Catering Manager Specializing in Weddings) for the Mark Hopkins, to find the perfect spot!

It was a beautiful day for our visit, and we were able to enjoy a wonderful view as we had tea at Top of the Mark, discussing what would be the best spot in the hotel for Felecia and Jim's first look. Jordan is helping us think what is the least busy time for the restaurant, and Catherine is discussing what kind of lighting to bring so the sun will not create a "blown out" look for the photos. This is the kind of forethought that needs to go into creating such a perfect moment for a couple, and then capturing in perfectly to be treasured in the years ahead.

It is becoming more common now for couples to schedule that "first look" moment, usually envisioned as when the bride walks down the aisle, and her groom sees her for the first time, for a private time earlier in the day in a place which is special to the two of them, away from the pre-wedding activity. When couples choose this plan, I see them fresh and excited about the day ahead, looking more relaxed than ever in front of the camera. Now the couple can begin their romantic photos and wedding party photos before the ceremony, allowing them to join their friends at the cocktail hour, and most importantly, they can rejoice together, before the day even unfolds, that they are soon to be husband and wife.

Catherine, Jordan and I took several hours out of our Fall wedding push (Fall in California is always the busiest time for wedding professionals), to meet and lay the groundwork for an unforgetable moment for our beloved clients. As we spent time together, we felt a kinship forming, because we all share the desire to serve our clients with excellence in every detail of their wedding day, as well as the planning leading up to that day...we never want to get too busy for extra's like this, not to mention the fun of being together at Top of the Mark!

We really hope that the weather for Felecia and Jim's first look will be as lovely as it was for our tour; but we are romantics enough to know that when Jim sees Felecia for the first time in her wedding gown, the sun will come out on his face!

Fall wedding at Rosewood Sand Hill

It was a perfect day for an outside wedding ceremony at Rosewood Sand Hill this weekend! I had the joy of working with Brenna and Jared to ensure that all the well-planned details they had been working on for months, came together perfectly for their wedding day.

The Chuppah, set up and decorated by Amy Burke Design, was a beautiful focal point for the bride, groom and their families to stand before their friends, and pledge their lives to one another.




Brenna and Jared's rich orange, peach, apricot wedding colors, seen here in the bridesmaid bouquets, matched perfectly the decor at Rosewood Sand Hill, as did the invitations and escort cards, which were hand-made by Brenna. As an artist, when she and Jared booked the hotel for their wedding venue, Brenna knew exactly how she would incorporate the style and aesthetic of Rosewood into her wedding design.

The escort cards were crafted with the same paper detail detail as that used in the invitations; each guest's meal choice was designated by where on the card the color detail was positioned. It was a very creative way to help the servers know what meal to serve each guest; the result was both beautiful in design, and clear in communication. Well done, Brenna and Jared!


The chargers and menus at each place setting were another connection to the wedding design, which mirrored the overall decor at Rosewood Sand Hill. The small boxes of 4 truffles, selected by Brenna and Jared, were a thank you gift for each guest...a sweet reminder of their wedding day!


Following the ceremony after a few moments alone, Brenna and Jared head out to the garden areas at Rosewood Sand Hill for photos with Jessica Lifland, before joining their guests for cocktails.


Soon the indoor part of the celebration began, and that was also amazing! Brenna and Jared were introduced into dinner by her father, welcomed with toasts, and along with their guests enjoyed a delicious 4 course meal,

before opening the dance floor with their first dance, which was followed by the Parents' dances, and...





...the Hora!

Once The Fundamentals got everyone up for the Hora, the dance floor never emptied until the party ended at Midnight!

No one wanted to say goodbye after the wonderful celebration of Brenna and Jared's wedding day, so they said "....see you tomorrow!", because Brenna's family hosted a Brunch on the Rosewood Sand Hill portico for all the guests who could join them. I understand the patio was full!