Honoring those that make you who you are today

In the wedding planning process, I encourage my clients to reflect upon their lives. What events or which individuals shape you into who you are today? The wedding day can be the perfect time to honor those that are important to you. For many people, that would be their parents and/or grandparents. Whether we admit it or not, our parents have a big part in shaping us into who we are today. If you are lucky enough to have your parents and grandparents participate in your wedding, you should consider honoring them in different ways. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Arrange a special and meaningful song to be played as they are being escorted down the aisle for your ceremony.

2. Present something special to them during the ceremony. It can be as simple as flowers, or as sentimental as a favorite childhood item that reminds you of them.

3. Though it is traditional to do a father/daughter and a mother/son dance, you can certainly add onto that by dancing with both your parents, and even your grandparents! I had a bride dance with her 90 year old grandfather and it was one of the most touching parts of the day.

4. Have pictures of your parents' wedding, or memorable family photos displayed at the wedding to share with guests.

5. Keep a sentimental item, like a grandmother's brooch or handkerchief, with you during the day.

Don't be afraid to be creative and be true to your heart in how you want to honor the special people in your lives. Even if they cannot attend your wedding, you can still honor them in many different ways.

Photo on top by Michelle Walker www.michellewalker.com
Photo to the left by Lawrence Lauterborn www.lauterbornphoto.com

Wood Tavern

My good friend Rebekah and her husband Rich recently opened up a fabulous restaurant call Wood Tavern in the Rockridge neighborhood. They are certainly not new to the restaurant industry. As previous owners of Frascati, the Woods have established quite a reputation for their delicious food and outstanding service.

The Wood Tavern has only been opened for three months, and it is already bustling with repeat customers. Even Michael Bauer gives it a raving three stars and compliments greatly on both the food and the service. He especially credits the bartender for creating one of the best Manhattan that he has had!

A California/American restaurant, the menu changes daily. You can find comfort food like burger and fries or grilled cheese sandwich guaranteed to make you go back often to find that comfort! Michael Bauer loves the soup and duck breast, so I'm definitely going back to try that out next time. Being a big dessert fan I must blog about the yummy desserts I had when I was there last week!

The warm chocolate cake with crispy crust is to die for! The profiteroles changes daily and interesting enough it was mint chocolate chip that day. You really can't just settle for one, trust me. The panna cota with fresh strawberries is light enough for those that needs to satisfy their sweet tooth but not feel too guilty about it. As for me, I had every excuse to indulge in all 3. After all, being a new mother is hard work right?!

The Wood Tavern is located on 6317 College Avenue in Oakland. You may want to get there earlier to check out all the cute little boutiques on that street!

Motherhood is wonderful!

If you've read my previous posting, you will know that I just recently became a new mother. I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a MOM this past weekend and it was wonderful! Every year, I'm always busy planning nice Mother's Day brunches/dinners for my own mom and more recently my mother in law. This year was no exception. In the midst of my planning though, I realized that I am taking on a new role this year! We celebrated with my mom last week since she is travelling this week and I planned a nice dinner for my mother in law but I decided to keep the brunch/lunch time open.....secretly hoping I'd be surprised.

I was indeed surprised! Not only did I get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep (thanks to my husband for taking care of all the mid night feedings!) but I woke up to a vase of fresh tulips and a heart shape balloon next to my bed. My little Bridgette was next to me in bed with a bright yellow card attached to her tummy. It was the most delightful surprise and I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. I suspected that Bridgette had a little help there in putting all of that together....

It was a delightful day. We enjoyed a nice brunch as a family and took a stroll around the neighborhood in the most beautiful weather. I'm so thankful for the wonderful family that I have. I really can't ask for anything more!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! There is no harder job in this world, but it's also the most enjoyable and rewarding job of all.

Team F-A-B

One of the greatest delight of my job is getting to work with fabulous people. My passion is in matching my clients up with the best Event Professionals and I really appreciate my clients' trust in me to do that. I would definitely consider this one of my greatest strength as a Wedding Coordinator. To all the brides out there--it makes all the difference in the world when you have a strong team of Event Professionals working for you so don't be hesitant to pay a little more to hire experienced, ethical, fun, and all around FABULOUS vendors!

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of working with some of my all time favorite people. The wedding was at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Kelly Mcleskey is definitely one of the BEST Catering Managers that I have worked with. Her energy, attention to detail, and sense of humor is just superb! The quality of food, cake and service were all extraordinary and they even ordered the perfect weather for us that day!

Kevin Chin photographed the wedding and he is AMAZING. His sense of calm and unobtrusive style really helps people to feel very comfortable in front of his camera. Because he is a film photographer, you will not see him snapping away like crazy. Instead, he is extremely observant with everyone and everything in front of his camera and he waits for that PERFECT moment before he presses his shutter. Kevin may not shoot thousands of pictures on a wedding day, but of the few hundred that he shoots the clients will love the majority of all the photos because they truly capture the special moments. For those who have been to Kevin's studio/loft, you will agree with me that it is like being in an art gallery. Mariko, the bride on Saturday, commented to me that seeing Kevin's photos is like seeing an art piece. You really take the time to admire it, and it will never go out of style!

Nancy Liu Chin was the floral designer for this wedding and as always, she did a phenomenal job. For those who are unfamiliar with Nancy please read my previous post on her as she is one of the most sought after floral designer in the Bay Area and there are good reasons why! She created a beautiful spring look for this wedding with flowers like tulips, hydrangeas, and roses. She also used wheat grass to add to the modern flair of the square and rectangular tables draped in a satin periwinkle linen. The couple loved Nancy so much that they invited her to stay for dinner as a guest. She is so loved and adored by all her clients!

Carl Mindling was the DJ and he is just superb! I work with him for over half my weddings every year and all my clients love him. He has the perfect balance of professionalism and fun, which is so important for a DJ! He never makes cheesy remarks or act as if the wedding is about him. He is extremely articulate, and is really good about reading a crowd which always help him to play the right music at the right time. No matter what generation your guests are from, you can depend on Carl to get them to strut their moves on the dance floor!

Lighting is often forgotten but let me tell you....it is the final mark of perfection for your reception site! You've spent a good amount of money on all the decor from flowers to linens to the chiavari chairs. The lighting will tie everything together beautifully and truly transform the room to create a WOW factor. If you don't have the budget to do pinspotting on the tables, at least do uplighting around the perimeter of the room, a pinspotting on the wedding cake, and a gobo projection on the dance floor. When my clients walked into the room for the first time that day, they were in awe at how beautiful the room looked and they thanked me a million times for talking them into doing the lighting. It is worth every penny! Enhanced Lighting was the company that did the lighting for this wedding and they pretty much do the lighting for all my events! Megan and John Woods are the dynamic duo behind this company and they are just wonderful, wonderful people to work with. They can also do draping as well!

Nellie Muganda was the makeup/hair stylist for the bride, her mother, and her Matron of Honor. Nellie has her own line of makeup and she is so good at enhancing a person's feature. Instead of making them look like a totally different person, Nellie is careful to keep her clients looking natural and very much like themselves except with enhanced features. She also has a terrific personality and great sense of humor, which is important because she is the first vendor that a bride will see on her wedding day! Nellie is sought after by even the celebrities and was recently commissioned to do John Travolta's makeup!

Saturday's wedding was as close to perfect as you can get on a wedding day. My clients Mariko and Matt could not have been happier and I refused to take all the credit for it. I had a fabulous, fabulous team to work with!!

(The photos here were taken by me, and I cannot wait to see Kevin's photos!)

www.kevinchin.com
www.nancyliuchin.com
www.reachcarl.com
www.enhancedlighting.com
www.nejacosmetics.com
www.fairmont.com/sonoma

Rehearsal Dinners

Rehearsal dinners are a great way to kick-start the wedding celebration, and to welcome friends and families who have traveled to be a part of your special day. Last Friday, I coordinated a fabulous rehearsal dinner at El Dorado Kitchen, a chic and stylish restaurant in Sonoma. My clients Mariko and Matt were from New York, and they had friends and families flew in from all over the world to attend their wine country wedding. When asked why they chose the wine country, they had a consistent answer: "It is equally inconvenient for everyone!" Mariko's family flew in from as far as Japan for this celebration!

When selecting a rehearsal dinner site, you should consider several important factors. First of all, is there a private room or a semi-private area that could be sectioned off? Because there may be toasts and thank you speeches, it is often better to have a secluded, quiet area for your party. Secondly, I often recommend that my clients choose restaurants that have a different style or cuisine of food than what they will be serving at the wedding reception. Therefore, your guests will get a chance to enjoy completely different menus both nights. Last, but not least, consider logistics such as parking to make it as convenient for your guests as possible. Make sure there's a nice waiting area or bar/lounge for guests to enjoy a drink or two if they arrive early.

I recommend having assigned seating for the rehearsal dinner. It doesn't necessarily make it more formal, but you will find that your guests often hesitate in where to sit when they approach such events. They are unsure of the etiquettes, so it's best to guide them to make them feel more at ease.

If you have gifts for your attendants and families, the rehearsal dinner is a terrific time to pass those out and to express your gratitude for their participation in your wedding. Toasts do not need to be 'pre-arranged' and often is more appreciated when they are spontaneous at a rehearsal dinner, so sit back and enjoy!!!