The Wedding Community

Me and Karen Miyanaga, Catering Sales Manager at Ritz-Carlton S.F.

If you are planning a wedding, you will probably know that there's a community of brides and grooms out there (okay, definitely more brides than grooms). Websites like The Flirty Guide, The Knot, etc... allow brides and grooms to join such communities to exchange ideas, vent frustrations, and bond with one another. I've heard that many brides stay on these message boards even after their wedding is over, because they cannot bring themselves to separate from these communities.

On the other side of this wedding planning community is a tight-knitted community of wedding vendors. I can only speak for the San Francisco Bay Area since this is where I am located, but I just have to share with all of you that this is the best industry I've been in. There's so much team-spirit present, and I often feel like we're one big happy family. I've established a lot of wonderful friendships with people that I work with, and we're always collaborating and thinking of ways to continue setting the bar high and offering the best service for our clients. I know that there is a misconception out there that wedding vendors are out to get as much money from engaged couples as possible, and that there's some conspiracy going on! That could not be further away from the truth (at least for the vendors that I recommend)! So many wedding vendors in the Bay Area come from professional backgrounds--Lawyers (Sonya Hong of Butterfly Cakes), CFOs (Michelle Walker of Michelle Walker Photography), Marketing Executives (Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films), Branding Managers (Nancy Liu Chin of Nancy Liu Chin Designs)....and they all left their jobs to pursue something they are passionate about. It's so admirable!

Left to right: Megan Woods of Enhanced Lighting, Armando Serabia of Get Your Do Up, Carrie Topoian of Carrie Topoian Events, Todd Rafalovich of Todd Rafalovich Photography, John Woods of Enhanced Lighting, ME, Carl Mindling of Carl Mindling Music, and Bill Kelleher of Stuart Party Rentals

Left to right: ME, Stacie Hallinan of Four Seasons Hotel S.F., Jean Marks of Jean Marks Weddings

Left to right: Armando Serabia of Get Your Do Up, Amanda Chan of Jubilee Lau Events, Laura Isom of Nancy Liu Chin Designs, Nancy Liu Chin, and John Woods of Enhanced Lighting

Left to right: Jean Marks of Jean Marks Weddings, ME, Sonya Hong of Butterfly Cakes, Michelle Walker of Michelle Walker Photography, Kevin Chin of Kevin Chin Photography, Nancy Liu Chin, and Justin Fone of Justin Fone Video Productions

Left to right: Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide, ME, Karen Baba of Plan Decor

Me with Kelly McLeskey of Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn