Happy Valentine's Day

We are fortunate to be in an industry where we witness true love all the time. After 9 years, it is still remarkably sweet to us, when we see the little gestures from our couples that reflect their love and endearment to one another. The admiration in their eyes, the entwined fingers, the intimate body language. As beautiful and close-to-perfection as we try to make each of our clients' weddings, we also frequently remind them that the marriage after the wedding is what really matters.

Because, to grow old together takes so much more than speaking the vows. The wedding is a great starting point for you to celebrate your commitment to one another. After that, it will take a lot of empathy, understanding, compromising and unconditional love and hard work to sustain a healthy, balanced, fulfilling marriage. As difficult as that may sound, it is all worth it when you are with the one you love most.

Wishing all love birds a lifetime of happiness and sweetness together....

Photo obtained from Pinterest

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

I was traveling in Asia over the Christmas holidays, and had the delightful pleasure of celebrating my wedding anniversary at Tosca, the Southern Italian restaurant located on the 102nd floor of the brand new Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. It would have been impossible to book a table there during the holidays, even on a week night, but because my brother in law Brian was one of the Project Managers that helped to build the hotel, he was able to pull a few strings for us. It was especially nice to walk through the hotel with him, because he was able to tell us all the "behind the scenes" in the construction of the hotel, and how ideas evolved into the final execution.

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong was built just a few years ago, and is now an iconic landmark in Hong Kong as one of the world's tallest hotel. We were enthralled the minute we stepped out of the car at valet, by the panoramic view of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.

The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong steers away from traditionalism and instead, takes the lead in one of the more contemporary and stylish hotel under the design talents of Singapore's LTW Designworks. I especially love the subtle oriental influences around the hotel.

It took all of 52 seconds to get from the 9th floor lobby to the 102nd floor restaurant. Arriving at Tosca, we received service that was definitely up to par with the Ritz Carlton luxury brand, and were seated near a window with spectacular views of Hong Kong's magnificent skyline. 

My hubby ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu while the rest of us feasted on appetizers and entrees from the menu. Each dish was artfully presented, but I have to admit, I wasn't blown away by the overall taste of the food. The ambiance and service definitely made up for it though, and so did the wine and desserts. :) 

When the last of our dessert plates were swept clean, we decided to indulge in some after-dinner drinks at Ozone, the chic and sophisticated bar located on the 118th floor (top floor) of the hotel. It was jammed pack, both inside and outside, even on a Wednesday night! The vibe was fantastic, and the unparalleled view was the icing on the cake.

I would have liked to stay there for a night, and to experience their world-class spa, but alas, we shall save this special treat for our next visit! 

Oriental Theme Photoshoot for San Francisco Brides Magazine

Since we're still celebrating Chinese New Year, I thought it would be fun to show this awesome photoshoot that we did in collaboration with some pretty extraordinary Event Professionals for San Francisco Brides Magazine.

The magazine wanted a series of photoshoots centered around the different neighborhoods in San Francisco. We got Chinatown--surprise, surprise! My partner in crime for all photoshoots and designer extraordinaire, Gloria Wong, wanted to take a very different spin on our theme. After going through some major challenges, like driving for 7 hours scouting for the ideal location, we were able to take Chinatown out of Chinatown and into the Wine Country! 

Kunde Estate Winery proved to be the perfect setting for our oriental theme, where we created the look of an old Chinese village against the decrepit walls. Jose Villa flew in from Southern Cal as the official photographer for all of the shoots and he captured every last detail beautifully! I have worked with Jose before and I am always in awe at his unobtrusive and effortless approach. 

One of my favorite part was Neil Hunt's brilliant idea to incorporate live chickens, a perfect touch to the air-drying laundry that one can always find in a Chinese village. My good friend and fabulous DJ, Ron Grandia, just happened to have two in his backyard, and he generously lent them to us for this shoot. Special thanks to Joey Cheung of JBeautique for handling the chickens, Apple and Alice, for us the entire time. It was actually a lot of fun to have them wandering around our set the entire time.

Unbeknownst to us until the magazine came out, our shoot actually made on to the cover of the magazine!! A million thanks to a very hard-working team who pulled this off in less than 2 weeks. 

Planning & Production--Jubilee Lau Events

Design & Styling--Gloria Wong Design

Photography--Jose Villa

Floral Design--Hunt Littlefield

Venue--Kunde Estate Winery

Chinese Furniture & Accessories--Old Shanghai

Food--Le's Kitchen Catering

Hand-painted petal fan menu and place cards, calligraphy, & handmade tassels--Mira Aster

Custom-printed fabric--Blueprint Studios

Hanging Fixtures & Production--Enhanced Lighting

Graphic design on fabrics--Amy Hayson

Here's the actual magazine spread:

Though Gloria and I have partnered on quite a few weddings and photoshoots now, for the past 4 years, she still blows me away with her original concepts and level of design detail. I love that she's a color fanatic too, and can tell if a fabric or paper is even slightly off from her pantone color swatches. It is this attention to detail that makes her designs so one-of-a-kind. 

And, here are more detail shots by Jose...

Check out some behind the scenes images here!

A Valentine Gift From Jennifer Skog Photography

Gump's Bridal Event

If you happen to be in San Francisco on Sunday, February 12th, I would highly encourage you to check out Gump's annual Bridal Event in downtown San Francisco. There will be many fabulous Event Professionals there, including some of our favorite partners like, Taste Catering, Blueprint Studio, and Kathleen Deery, and you will surely find some remarkable items for your wedding registry!

This is one of the classiest, most sophisticated bridal event out there, so don't miss it!

Featured in 7 x 7 Weddings

What a great way to kick start the new year for us, with a beautiful 6 page spread of Soomin and Chung's September 2011 wedding in the newest 7 x 7 weddings magazine! Thanks for the love!

I'll be posting the full story on this extraordinary wedding soon, with more drool-worthy photos by Angie Silvy! 

Merry Christmas!

May your Christmas be filled with beauty, love, and joy...

Photo credit: Left, Middle, Right