My day at The Wedding Symposium

Last Saturday, I had the honor of hearing celebrity event designer Preston Bailey speak on event design at a workshop at The Wedding Symposium held in conjunction with The Wedding Faire at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Like a giddy schoolgirl, I was star-struck with the sight of Preston and it felt really surreal to be in the same room as him. Listening to him speak, I realized that he is a really down-to-earth, funny kind of guy; no celebrity attitude, just a normal expert telling us stories about himself, his business, his past, current and future projects. It was very enlightening to hear about his sucesses and failures and how his business grew into the conglomerate that it is today. The one thing I love about Preston is his over-the-top designs; all the design slides he showed in the workshop generated oohs and aahs from us, they were so amazing! What can I say? Preston Bailey, you are truly an inspiration!



Mr Fabulous himself!

After his workshop, I had some spare time before The Wedding Lunch, so I went to check out the Design Gallery in The Wedding Faire.


ACPWC booth at The Wedding Faire



Classic Party Rentals and Pico Soriano Designs



Amazae Special Events and Nicole Ha Designs

Hartmann Studios



Napa Valley Linens

The next event I was looking forward to that day was The Wedding Lunch. We were able to view table designs by celebrity event designers Sasha Souza, Bryan Rafanelli, Nikki Khan, and Preston Bailey too. Sasha Souza also gave a presentation on her Favorite Things for brides, wedding professionals and weddings in general. I had heard her speak last year at the ACPWC EPIC Conference and it was interesting to hear how she runs her business and deal with her clients. She didn't disappoint again, I walked away with useful tips that I cannot wait to try.

Rafanelli Events with Amazae Special Events



Nikki Khan from Exquisite Events



Poppy's Petalworks (recreating a Preston Bailey signature design)



I also bought a copy of Preston's latest book, Preston Bailey Flowers, and got it signed by the master himself! All in all, time well spent on a beautiful Saturday...