The Wedding University, 2010

Please join us for an Afternoon of Elegance and Education, for Engaged Couples, at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley!

If you are planning a wedding,

you do not want to miss The Wedding University...a full day of education, interaction with other engaged couples, and great food, where you can learn directly from top Bay Area wedding professionals.

SAVE THE DATE:
Sunday, January 31, 2010!
Four Seasons, Silicon Valley
2050 University Avenue, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
11am-5pm
beginning with Mimosas and Brunch

Here are some comments from a few of last year's students:

"The dance instructor was great with her tips, and offered information that applies to every couple in an entertaining an engaging way."

Cynthia Clinka escorting a groom onto the dance floor for a practice spin!

"This was so much better than any wedding fair; I appreciated the demonstrations, tips and tricks, and that the focus was about my wedding day, not sales....I was able to convince my fiance to attend, and he loved it!"

Nancy Liu Chin teaching the students about the "Love Letters" design display she created with Gloria Wong, as an example for the TWU students.

"The Decor and Design session was straight to the point and used great examples of how this specific part of wedding planning can be personalized and elegant."

One of the 5 vignettes created for The Wedding University Design and Decor Class.

Since Wedding University has spaces for only 150 students, and last year we were full, with a waiting list, register now!

Emily and Michal, Nestldown

I love the photos Michelle Walker put into a slide show to preview her amazing work at Emily and Michal's recent Nestldown wedding; please take a look!

http://www.michellewalker.com/data/web/slideshows/LuthraDrewniak/index.html

Darren, Tiffany, and me..

Working with Tiffany and Darren during the last 8 months, has been a joy! And seeing so many of their wedding dreams and ideas come become reality on Saturday at Kohl Mansion was a gift! I don't think I have ever smiled so much as I did during this wedding reception...the love and happiness were infectious!

The photo Darren took at the beach after he had proposed to Tiffany, became the focal point for the guest sign-in matte.

The vine pattern in Tiffany's wedding band became the theme for the invitations, as well as the gobo design on the walls at Kohl, the cake, and the dining table linens.

The morning began with Nellie Muganda's personal makeup care in Tffany's lovely suite at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores.

We gathered details as requested by our photographer, Catherine Hall, so they could be captured before the day got going. Included were the invitation, the hand bag Tiffany's mother made for her, the save the date, wedding bands, favor, program, and menu.

Kohl Mansion had never looked better, in my opinion, than it did for Tiffany and Darren's wedding; with rentals by Hartmann Studios, lighting by

Enhanced Lighting, and flowers by Church Street Flowers, the ambiance was rich and elegant, while remaining warm and welcoming.

The floral vine pattern motif was used effectively by John of Enhanced Lighting, to create a wash on the walls and ceiling which made Tiffany and Darren's theme design pattern wrap the room in light and warmth.

And even the cake, designed by Studio Cake, carried the scroll- like vine motif between each layer.

As tired as I was at the end of Tiffany and Darren's wedding day, I was sad to see it end...the wedding planning journey had brought us close in all the ups and downs of the real life that goes on in any 8 month period of time. We had laughed together, worked hard together, and prayed together. The bond we formed was very strong, and I was sad to see the day come to an end.

BUT, the very next day I got this email:

Jean

There aren't enough words to express our thankfulness for you. We felt that the wedding was truly magical and had the freedom to soak it all in thanks to your hard work behind the scenes. I'm sure we'll never know even half of what you've done and we want to make sure you know how indebted we are. I told several people just how wonderful it was to be able to pray with you and to know that you were praying for us.
Darren and I are sitting at SFO basking in the afterglow of last night. Thanks again for everything and we look forward to a full debrief when we get back.

:-)

Tiffany & Darren

Sent from my iPhone

Yea!! This is the best gift I could have received that day; the assurance that their wedding day was all they had hoped for, and that my service had been a part of that! I look forward to hearing about their time in Bora Bora when they return, and reminiscing about their magical Kohl wedding celebration!

These other fabulous vendors were part of the Darren/Tiffany team:

Ethan Mantle, of Componere Fine Catering

Matthew Cope, of Sound in Motion

Karen Nalvarian, of Shawn Cavlan Beauty Co

Ben Osgood, Pure Luxury Transportation

Kelly and Mark's green wedding

Pilar Zuniga, owner of Gorgeous and Green Events, was our amazing florist for Kelly and Mark's wedding at the University Club in September; Pilar is now one of the bloggers for The Knot's Green Wedding Blog, and just sent me the link to her post this week about Kelly and Mark's wedding..Enjoy!

http://green.weddings.com/blog.aspx

Fall inspired Nestldown wedding

October at Nestldown...what a perfect backdrop for Emily and Michal's wedding celebration! Fall leaves, apple pies, hot chocolate, s'mores and a crisp Fall evening...what could be better!?

The Fall leaf gobo served to create a warm dance floor feel in the Barn; this area was packed with dancers about 3 hours after I took this pre dinner photo!

Freshly baked apple pies were displayed on the hand-made cedar wood stands made by a member of Michal's family, just for Michal and Emily's wedding day.

The s'mores station was set up and ready to go as the sun was beginning to set.

Just before sunset, as Emily and Michal were exiting the Nestldown Taxi, to go into the barn for dinner, Michelle Walker captured some fantastic shots with Emily and Michal beside the pond at Nestldown

The faithful Nestldown taxi waits for the bride and groom..it is getting old, and only does short runs up and down the hills at Nestldown...here it seems to be right at home with the fall leaves and birch trees in the background

Since the Nestldown tree house was decorated for the wedding, Michelle took a sunset shot of Emily and Michal up there, as well.

Michal and Emily on their way to the Pie Cutting; I really liked the way the cafe lights added to the feeling of warmth, and a festive Fall ambiance in the barn.

Feeding the bride a bite of pie is even trickier than cake, but it looks like Emily was totally pleased with the result!

But during a break in the dancing, Emily had to have the second dessert for the evening...how many brides get to cook a s'more on their wedding day!?

The packages of cocoa and mini marshmallows were lovingly prepared by Emily months before the wedding; hot milk was available at the self serve hot chocolate bar...yummmm!

Emily and Michal thoroughly enjoyed their wedding day, as did the family and guests...I will always remember their happy smiles as they entered the reception in the Nestldown Taxi; what a privilege I have to be a part of special days like this.

I really enjoyed working with these excellent vendors; working together we were able to see all of Emily and Michal's wedding plans come into reality.
Le Papillon, Caterer
Michelle Walker, Photographer
Paul Burchfield, Big Fun DJ's
Stuart Party Rentals, lighting
Butter Love Bakeshop, pies
Sarah Hyde, Hair and Makeup