Food, Wine, and Love

When I first met Paula earlier this year, one thing really stood out to me. She had an incredible spark of love in her eyes. It was apparent that she had found the true love of her life and she had the sweetest smile when she spoke of her fiance Harry.
We had just a little over 6 months to plan their wedding, and they selected one of the most charming venues in the Bay Area--Thomas Fogarty Winery. Food and wine were the priorities, as Paula was not only a food lover but also a great chef at home! I had the perfect caterer to match them up with, and it was indeed a match made in heaven. Paula and Harry fell in love with Ethan Mantle of Componere Fine Catering at the very first meeting/tasting. His impressive background in the culinary industry, along with his warm personality and exceptional food, really blew the couple away. They knew immediately that they wanted Ethan to cater their wedding. We had so much fun creating a customized menu together as Ethan worked hard to really understand Paula and Harry's tastes and preferences. Creating the menu and pairing it with the perfect wines from Fogarty were definitely the couple's favorite part of the wedding planning.

The wedding day took place on a hot summer day in July. Despite the heat, there was a nice breeze at all times since Fogarty is located high in the mountains. Guests gasped in awe upon arrival when they saw the magnificent panoramic view in front of them. Reverend Ed Holt performed a warm and touching ceremony that incorporated Harry's two sons and Paula's brother, acknowledging the coming together of two families. Following that, guests enjoyed delicious hors d'oeurves and a wine tasting experience with Patrick Meier's band playing smooth jazz music in the background. One of the highlights of the day was certainly the impressive four course dinner prepared by Componere, followed by a selection of creative desserts in the Hill House. It was definitely a beautiful day of great food, wine and company....just what Paula and Harry wanted!

Pictures were taken by the AWESOME Lisa Leigh, who can put even the most nervous, camera shy person at ease in front of her camera! Paula and her bridesmaids' makeup and hair were done by Armando of Get Your Do Up. All the flowers were the creative products of Mandy Scott Flowers, and the gorgeous (and tasty!) cake was the creation of Sonya Hong of Butterfly Cakes. All paper products (menu cards, escort cards, and programs) were designed and printed by the talented Lisa Wong Jackson of Good on Paper.

Romance in San Francisco

Jill and Conor, two highly successful and beautiful New Yorkers, decided to have a destination wedding in San Francisco where Jill grew up. Throughout the planning, I corresponded with Jill mainly by email but she was so sincere and nice that our email exchanges were quite warm and fun....not at all distant! I loved her sense of style and attention to detail from the very beginning, so I was not surprise to find out that she worked in the advertising department at Ralph Lauren. From her invitations to the programs to the escort cards, everything was beautifully designed and crafted to reflect an elegant, old world theme. They selected the perfect place for their wedding--the exquisite Julia Morgan Ballroom in the Merchant's Exchange Club, right in the heart of the San Francisco financial district.

On the wedding day, Jill looked absolutely stunning in her Reem Acra gown. To incorporate personal touches, she had her seamstress sew a small piece of her mother's veil inside her gown, and her bouquet had her grandmother's vintage pin attached to it. Pictures of Jill and Conor with their families were placed on one of the fireplace mantels at the Julia Morgan Ballroom. For her "Something Blue", Jill had the bottom of her shoes colored! Guests flew in from New York and as far as Ireland, where Conor was raised. For their photoshoot prior to the ceremony, Jill and Conor picked San Francisco landmarks such as Nob Hill, Legion of Honor, and Polk Street. They flew their photographer in from New York--the renown Christian Oth. Reverend Ed Holt performed a heartwarming ceremony with a light touch of humor in front of the charming fireplace inside the ballroom. Guests arrived early and took the time to admire the amazing architecture of the building. Following an hour of sumptuous hors d'oeurves and cocktails, guests were invited into the ballroom once again, as they gushed in awe at the transformation.

Guests feasted on an opulent menu prepared by McCall's while David Martin House Party made an astounding performance on stage. The party lasted late into the night before guests picked up their boxes of Godiva chocolate and were sent home to "Sweet Dreams."

The exceptional team for this wedding included the Event Professionals I named above, plus Jim Avila (hair and makeup stylist), Karen Baba of Plan Decor for flowers, Rudolfi Artists in Music, and Katrina Rozelle for the delicious wedding cake.

An Amazing Designer

Anyone who has flipped through a recent wedding magazine will not find the name Nancy Liu Chin unfamiliar. Her creativity has been featured in numerous magazines from Martha Stewart Weddings to Modern Bride to local publications such as San Francisco Magazine and 7 x 7. I am so honored to have had the pleasure of working with Nancy on numerous weddings these past two years. Through work, we have bonded greatly and established a wonderful friendship. This girl never ceases to amaze me everytime I see her. She has more energy than a classroom full of young children put together! Nancy has inspired me tremendously. She constantly encourages people around her to think outside of the box, to see things differently. She seems to have endless brilliant ideas!

Ask anyone in the wedding industry if they know Nancy Liu Chin and you will likely get the following response: "I LOVE Nancy! I love her energy, her bubbly personality and her amazing creativity!" That's right, Nance (as she likes to be called) is much loved and respected by all of her peers in the industry. She has really risen the bar for everybody, yet she remains a fun, friendly and easygoing friend to all of us.

When I bring clients to meet with Nancy for the first time at her studio in San Francisco, they always fall in love with her and her designs immediately. All you have to do is to spend a few minutes telling her your wedding colors and your visions and she takes it to a whole new level! Her excitement sometimes even exceeds the bride's, and is highly contagious. Next thing you know, we will all be jumping up and down in excitement going over all sorts of different fun ideas for the wedding. If something doesn't look right, Nancy is the first to speak up and is never afraid to express her honesty.

On the wedding day, Nancy's flowers are always the freshest and though I know she doesn't like to use the word "perfect" to describe flowers, it's as close to perfect as you will find! She is not one to be frugal with the amount of flowers that she puts into the bouquets and arrangements and is always on site to make sure everything looks exceptional. I have seen endless brides shed tears of joy when they see their bouquet by Nancy for the very first time!

Nancy is truly a gift to all the brides out there, and to everyone in the wedding industry! You can find her at www.nancyliuchin.com.

*Pictures above are by Wendy Maclaurin Richardson www.wmrphoto.com