A Fairytale Wedding

An enchanted forest in a modern museum. Does that sound like a a fairytale wedding to you? Emily and Leonard's wedding day was so extraordinary in every way that it truly felt like a fairytale. From the astounding redwoods that they got married under to the luxurious marble staircase that they made their first entrance as husband and wife, it was a wedding to be remembered!

Let me backtrack to August, 2007......

I met Emily and Leonard at Crossroads Cafe in San Francisco and right away they really made an impression on me by bringing lots of pictures and magazine tear outs to show me their wedding inspirations. From that day on, we journeyed into 11 months of very detail-oriented wedding planning, from color palettes to design meetings to tastings to logistical planning, and much more. We had a blast!

On July 12, 2008, Emily and Leonard exchanged their marriage vows at the beautiful Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley. Surrounded by redwoods and 180 of their closest families and friends, Emily officially became Mrs. Ng! After that, guests made their way to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and were immediately greeted by a row of striking floral arrangements by the amazing Kathleen Deery, and a specialty drink named Elan created by McCall Catering.

Guests strolled up the marble staircase to the Loggia, where they enjoyed delicious hors d'oeurves, music by Nob Hill Ensemble's string quartet, and a stunning 'photo tree' to bring them down the memory lane of Emily and Leonard's courtship. When it came time to open the doors to the Samsung Hall, I made sure that Emily and Leonard were the first ones to walk inside.

They were completely speechless when they walked in the awe-inspiring room. The tabletops featured tall, elegant floral arrangements with orchids cascading down. We had chosen to use several different hues of the color green throughout the wedding, as a tribute to Emily's talent as a landscape architect. The lighting was absolutely spectacular and completely transformed the space into one that was warm, elegant, and inviting. It was like walking into a magical, enchanted forest that you discovered!

I can go on and on about this wedding, but I feel that the gorgeous photos by the incredibly talented Lisa Lefkowitz can tell you the rest of the story...






            

And they lived happily ever after.....

A big thank you to an exceptional team:

Photography--Lisa Lefkowitz

Caterer--McCall

String Quartet--Nob Hill String Ensembles

DJ--Carl Mindling

Floral Designer--Kathleen Deery

Lighting and Draping--Enhanced Lighting

Rentals--Classic Party Rentals

Dance Instructor--Cynthia Glinka

Makeup/Hair Stylist--Taylor Pham

Wedding Cake--Flours

Transporation--Pure Luxury

An Evening with Susie Coelho

I had promised to do another post of the fabulous event I recently attended at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco once I got the photos from Kevin Chin and here they are! As you can see from the beautiful photos, it was a very chic and fun evening for us Event Planners. Not only did we have the honor of meeting the stylist guru Susie Coelho herself, but we were treated to a sumptuous five course meal inside the Presidential Suite of the Ritz. Ahhhh------to top it off we each got our own room for the night so that we didn't have to drive all the way home after the wine pairing! It's call the Ritz-Carlton experience, and yes, I'll take that any day!

I especially wanted to post photos to inspire those who are using fun, cheerful colors for their event. Colors really help create a mood, so when you are choosing colors for your event you always want to think about the mood and ambiance that you want to create. When I walked into the suite that afternoon, the white and oranges really popped out at me, and I immediately knew the event would be a very fun, chic, type of party. Gerbera daisies added the perfect whimsical touch for the evening. Floramor and Classic Party Rentals did a superb job with the tabletop settings and florals!

Happy Olympic Day!

It's finally here--8.8.08 or aka OLYMPIC OPENING DAY 2008! I just wanted to post this beautiful picture of the National Theater in Beijing, nicknamed "The Egg". My favorite games are definitely woman's gymnastics and diving. I remember watching a documentary on Mary Lou Retton when I was 8 years old, and begged my parents to let me take gymnastic lessons. I lasted for two years, before admitting that I just did not have that talent in me! Oh well, at least I know what it's like to be cartwheeling on a balance beam!

Happy Olympics!

Featuring: Sarah Redmond and Cocoon Urban Day Spa

If you read my previous post Cocooning Coordinators, you will know it was not too long ago that I blogged about this fabulous urban day spa name Cocoon in San Francisco. Well, for me to blog about the same place twice in 3 months says A LOT about this unique place. I know many of you are consistently checking out different blogs to find out what's new or what's cool out there. For those of you who are always interested in experiencing the next great thing in San Francisco, look no further--Cocoon is it!

I had a lunch date today with Sarah Redmond, founder of Cocoon Urban Day Spa, because I really wanted to know her 'story'. Opening up a brand new spa in San Francisco is no joke, especially in this economy. It didn't take long for us to warm up to one another, and I was so inspired by the energy and passion that she possessed. Born and raised in Ireland, she fell in love with San Francisco when visiting her brother here. Shortly after, she decided to take a leap of faith, packed her bags, and moved to a whole new country! Now if that isn't courageous, I don't know what is!

With her internationally recognized degree (CIDESCO) specializing in skin care and over 8 years of industry experience, Sarah opened up Cocoon Urban Day Spa in October 2007. Since then, her spa has been featured in Daily Candy, 7x7 Magazine, and many other publications. Yes, people do know a great thing when they see one! I am almost certain that anyone who's had a mani/pedi session at Cocoon would remain a loyal client forever. It really is THAT good!

I recently attended a presentation by stylist Jim Avila, and he made a comment that really caught my attention. He said, "Vanity is a form of self-respect." Whoa! That was a very powerful statement and it certainly got everyone in the audience thinking. Sarah echoed the same message to me today, and it made me realize that I spend so much time taking care of everyone else around me that I neglect myself! Well, it's time to change that!

After our lunch, Sarah herself gave me the best facial I've ever gotten. I've been trying to relax all week, but have not been able to. Whether I'm sleeping, or driving, or playing with my daughter, I can't seem to get work thoughts out of my mind! But today, Sarah had me in total relaxation mode. She custom picked a facial treatment for me--Oxyliance, based on my skin type and condition, which is so wonderful because I never know which ones are right for me when asked to choose.

I left the spa floating on air. It's amazing how a nice spa session can 'detox' a person from inside to out. I felt totally stressed-free, even though there was a ton of work waiting for me in the office, many emails to return, an 18 month old baby to pick up, and laundry waiting for me at home. It's all good!

Rent a Photobooth!

The idea of having a photobooth at a wedding or special event is one that people seem to either love or hate. But I have to say that those who hate it or think it's cheesy must not have attended an event with a photobooth before because these things are a whole lot of fun!

Whether you're 3 years old or 80 years old, you will love the photobooth! For the elderlies, it is reminiscent of their childhood and adolescent years. It brings back a lot of sweet memories. For the younger ones, it's just plain FUN.


The best thing about a photobooth is that you can feel free to act as crazy or silly as you like in front of that camera, because you're in an enclosed space where nobody can laugh at you! You can make funny faces and act goofy, all behind the curtains!

I recently planned an event where we brought in a photobooth, and every single person LOVED it. I used a company call Photoworks Interactive, and I love them because they always bring two booths on site in case one fails to work. With technology, you just never know so it's better to play it safe. They also provide a lot of fun props for guests to use in the booth, which makes it all the crazier for people!

At this event, we asked Photoworks Interactive to setup a scrapbook station, where guests can use their creativity to make scrapbook pages with their photobooth photo strips. Stickers, colored markers, paper cutter, and all the scrapbooking goodies were made available for guests to use. Let's just say that was the most popular area for the whole event!



Ofcourse, as the planner for such a spectacular event I had to 'test' this photobooth out beforehand! The result--me with my goofy DJ pal Carl Mindling in funny hats and glasses and my darling assistant for that day Carrie Topoian in pink boa!

Photographs by Dave Medal