Enchanting Events Blog

Inspiration Board ~ Tangerine, Pink and Green

2012-01-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Etsy: Tangerine flower photo, hair comb, glass pendant, felt ring and dinosaur cake topper

Brides: Bridesmaid dress, mixed flowers bouquet

The Knot: Invitation, green mums pomander

Saks Fifth Avenue: Tangerine pumps

Elegala: Gerbera daisies bouquet

Pantone's color for 2012 is Tangerine Tango, a vibrant red orange. Since it is such a bold color, I like to pair it with softer pastel colors like blush pink and light green for a balanced look. I think this color combo lends itself very well to spring and summer weddings, don't you think so? Enjoy!

My day at The Wedding Symposium

2012-01-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

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...

2011 in Review and Happy 2012!

2012-01-04T15:01:00.001-08:00

Are we already in 2012, what happened to 2011? I don't know about you but time seems to have flown by really quickly the past year. Let's recap some of our highlights for 2011:

In February, we participated and helped organize and manage the Event Professionals Showcase at the ACPWC E.P.I.C. 2011 Conference which was received warmly by the participating event professionals.

We had 2 memorable weddings in June. Firstly, we had our most challenging wedding to date; what we like to refer to as our "warehouse wedding" now, which was recently published at Wedloft. Later that month, we had our first Marie-Antoinette-themed wedding at the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel. It was a blast designing that wedding with our bride, we promise photos will be posted in the upcoming months!

In October, we were able to help coordinate a wedding for a dear friend of ours, who is also a wedding planner, and also took some time off for a vacation in Rome and Florence (blog coming soon!).

In December, we launched our Facebook Fan Page (do check it out if you haven't already), where we hope to interact more closely with our clients and vendors.

Looking ahead, we look forward to working on this year's weddings, keeping you posted on our chronicles and like to wish you all an awesome year ahead!

Our Warehouse Wedding Is Featured!

2011-11-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Remember my warehouse wedding blog that I posted a few months ago? That wedding has now been featured on WedLoft.com! You can check out more details of the story and the amazing photos captured by Rosaura Sandoval here.

I will also like to thank the AWESOME team of event professionals who participated and contributed to their wedding day:

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Marquez Brothers Warehouse

Rentals: Stuart Rental Company

Lighting and Drapery: North American Theatre Technology

Floral Designer and Wedding Day Stationery: Chic Designs

Caterer: Catered Too!

Photographer: Rosaura Sandoval Photography

Videographer: BlissfulPixel
Wedding Cake: Jen's Cakes
DJ: DJ Nica
Spanish Guitarist: Jay Alvarez
Mariachi Band: Oye Productions

Photo Booth: Glass Coat Photo Booth

Magician: Headliner Productions

Babysitting Service: VIP Babysitting

Cigar Roller: Oye Productions

Taco Cart: Medina's Taco Bar Catering

Late Night Snack: Pinkberry

Guest Transportation: Lone Star Limousine and Angel Limo

Hair and Makeup Artists: Savvy Hair Salon

Wish Upon A Wedding Blissful Wishes Gala - California Academy of Sciences

2011-10-15T01:21:00.000-07:00

Wish Upon A Wedding will be having its annual Northern California Gala at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco this year. Tickets are selling fast so get your tickets today!

Things are being set in motion for the Gala coming up next month and we're working with awesome caterers to give guests an experience they will not soon forget!

There is also an online auction for brides and grooms to purchase items for their weddings such as photography packages, invitations, candy favors and many more, please check them out here.

Modern Romance Table Design

2011-09-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last month, I posted the inspiration board for the table design I am doing for Stuart Rental. Last week, I went in to Stuart Rental's showroom in Milpitas to set up the table design and will like to share with you photos of the completed design.

My goal is to create a design that is contemporary, sophisticated and elegant. I used the colors of blush pink, wine and silver with splashes of sparkly accents to achieve that look. The Crinkle linen and Lamour napkin were chosen to provide a contrast in texture. Square place card holders, votive holders, centerpiece vase and flatware with a square motif are used to reflect the contemporary aspect.

Overall design:

Close-ups of design elements:

What do you think of this table design? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!

I also want to thank my awesome team of vendors for their collaboration in this table design!

Rentals: Stuart Rental Company
Stationery: Cards de Luxe
Clay Florals: DK Designs
Cupcake Wrappers: Sugar Cat Studio

Sneak Peek - Modern Romance Table Design

2011-08-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Brides: Pink table, pink bouquet, silver dress, silver shoe, champagne glasses

The Knot: Pink centerpiece, gray container centerpiece, pink and wine bouquet

Stuart Rental: Crushed Iridescent Wine linen, Lamour Primrose linen

Sugar Cat Studio: Pink cupcake wrappers

Recently, I have been invited by Stuart Rental to design a table for their main showroom in Milpitas. The above picture is my inspiration board for the table design. Stay tuned for the reveal of the design next month!

Wish Upon A Wedding Blissful Wishes Gala

2011-08-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Since it has been a while since I talked about this non-profit organization, I thought I'll post an update and let you know that Wish Upon A Wedding has recently launched their newly-redesigned website.

Also, earlier this year, I was approached to see if I was interested in contributing to the Northern California's second annual gala this year, so I jumped on the opportunity! I am now the Catering Coordinator for their Blissful Wishes Gala and am responsible for all details surrounding the catering portion of the evening. I am SO excited for this opportunity to do my part in vounteering for such a cause-worthy organization. Besides, I love working with caterers and food, so it's a perfect fit!

The Blissful Wishes Gala is going to take place in late November, I'll be sure to post more details in a future blog.

Catering Trend Alert!

2011-07-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Food trucks are getting more popular nowadays, there are even festivals in the Bay Area dedicated to them and street food. As a surprise for wedding guests, how about hiring a food truck to come by during dancing time and serve up some late-night snacks? Food trucks here offer a variety of delectables, it's not just your traditional tacos anymore, there are Korean tacos, Thai tacos, Vietnamese tacos, it's fusion cuisine, fancy some lemongrass chicken tacos or vegetarian tofu tacos? There are even sweet treats such as ice cream, cupcakes, creme brulee etc. It's amazing how vast the variety is. Do you know there's even a food truck offering organic dim sum?

As a foodie myself, I never pass up an opportunity to try what a food truck has to offer. One of my favorite food trucks is Sam's ChowderMobile, their lobster rolls are to die for!

Eat Real Festival 2010 in Oakland

Another of my favorite food trucks is RoliRoti, it is a gourmet rotisserie food truck and I can never pass up on their porchetta sandwiches, traditional Italian roasted pork served on a bread roll with greens, yum! They can actually cater your entire meal, from starters to desserts.

Roasted pork in action

The famous porchetta sandwich

Another famous food truck is Nom Nom, they originated from the Los Angeles area, offer Vietnamese cuisine and recently expanded to the Bay Area. They were also featured on the Food Networks' series "The Great Food Truck Race".

Nom Nom food truck at a corporate event in the Bay Area

A good place to try out different types of food trucks is to go to a food trucks gathering, there is one called Edgewood Eats in Palo Alto on Monday evenings (moving to Tuesday evenings starting October). They usually have 9 to 10 food trucks there so you can get to taste a variety of food.

Whether you want something rustic, gourmet, or organic, I am sure you will be able to find a food truck that satisfy your needs. Brides and grooms, you should also check with your wedding site to make sure they allow food trucks and if the space and terrain is suitable for the trucks.

Hope you find this information useful in your wedding planning!

My first hilltop-turned-warehouse wedding

2011-07-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin to describe what I've been busy with for the past couple of months, only to have the plans come to fruition in a completely different way than I expected...

A couple of months ago, I met with a couple from Central California who was looking to have their wedding at a family-owned property here in the Bay Area. They had a clear vision of what they want their wedding to be like; a celebration with family and friends lasting from the afternoon till the wee hours of the morning, with elements of surprise here and there. Ok, so here we have a site, which is just mainly land on a hilltop; we will have to bring in generators, lighting, tents, water, portable restrooms and all the rentals among the more than twenty vendors we have to secure (think mariachi band, Spanish guitarist and DJ for musical entertainment, Pinkberry and taco cart for late-night snacks, babysitters and magician for the kids, a photo booth and cigar roller for other activities), plus make it all happen in about two months? Why not, I love a challenge as much as anyone else!

Transportation was also a major issue as we needed to shuttle guests up the hill via a dirt road for the wedding and down the hill at the end of it. So, after much time and effort spent on finding, coordinating and planning details with about twenty four vendors, we were supposed to have an outdoor ceremony, tented reception and an outdoor cocktail hour and lounge area. Lo and behold, the June 4th weekend was the first rainy weekend we had in weeks and that threw a MAJOR kink in our plans.

The dirt road got really wet, muddy and slippery, making it difficult for non-4 wheel drive vehicles to get up the hill. The vendors were the first to arrive at the site and one of their vans got stuck! The property owner had to tow it up with his bulldozer, that is not a good sign. As the rain poured on, a decision has to be made as to whether the wedding was still going to be held on the hilltop or moved to a different location, and if so, where can we move it to in such short notice?

To make a long story short, a relative of the couple offered his warehouse for their wedding so the caterer, lighting designer, floral designer, my assistant and I scrambled to have everything set up in about three hours. Picture a Costco-style warehouse, with aisles of products on one end and large loading/unloading docks on the other. Natti and her staff, our lighting designer from North American Theatre Technology, Inc., added as much pipe and drape as possible to make the open space as attractive as possible.

Even though the schedule was delayed, we still had the ceremony and the reception still lasted till 2am. In the end, the bride and groom were happy with the way things turned out, they still had a great time celebrating with their family and friends and even though the view was not what they had in mind, it turned out to be an unforgettable wedding for them after all.

That is thanks in part to all the vendors who banded together to make it happen. Personally, I'm grateful for the team of vendors we assembled for this wedding, they showed professionalism in their service that day, especially Stuart Rental, Catered Too!, North American Theatre Technology, Inc. and Chic Designs.

To all you brides and grooms out there, the lesson to take away from this is make sure you hire quality vendors; all vendors can do a good job under normal circumstances, it's what they can do in extreme circumstances that separates the good from the great. How do you go about hiring quality vendors, well, start off by hiring a wedding planner! They will be able to help you distinguish the great ones. Stay tuned for more photos in a future blog!

Occupational Hazard of a Wedding Planner?

2011-04-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

That is from attending food tastings and cake tastings with wedding couples and...

attending caterers' open houses and bridal fairs :)

Karen and Aric - Summer 2010

2011-03-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have been planning your wedding but got stressed out as it gets closer and closer to the wedding day and you feel overwhelmed with all the wedding details? Why, you seek professional help of course!

That is exactly what Karen and Aric did. Karen came to us about a month before her wedding, looking to have us help her manage her wedding day and take care of all final details for her wedding. We gladly took over and allowed her and Aric to be able to enjoy the extra time that was free-ed up. Mind you, Karen was a very organized bride and very meticulous about details herself. She even gave us all the wedding stuff in labeled boxes on the rehearsal day, which makes our job easier!

Karen and Aric got married at The Pavilion Event Center at Boulder Ridge Golf Club in San Jose. It is a relatively new venue for weddings and it has gorgeous views of Almaden Valley in San Jose. Even though their wedding day was one of the hottest days last summer, Karen and Aric did not let it bother them and soaked in all the glorious sunshine amidst all the love and support shown by their friends and families that day.

I love it when couples add personalized touches to their wedding day, Karen and Aric's wedding is one of my favorite summer weddings last year. They were going to honeymoon in Hawaii so they used leis to decorate the aisle at their outdoor ceremony. Karen is Chinese and the wedding reflected this as they had specialty wooden fans from China at the ceremony for the guests. They also had a dessert buffet at their reception; cupcakes, cookies, eclairs, cream puffs and fruit tarts, yum! That turned out to be a very popular feature for the guests, the desserts were gone in a flash!

This was a wedding that has understated elegance written all over it, check out the photos below to see for yourself:

Thank you to Tom Vo Photography for providing all the photos here! You can also visit his blog for more photos of their wedding here.

ACPWC EPIC Conference 2011

2011-03-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

What a February it has been! I spent most of my time working on the ACPWC EPIC Conference, specifically the Events Professional Showcase that took place on Friday, and am so happy that the entire Conference was a huge success. Both attendees and vendors alike commented on how valuable the information gained from the workshops are; I know I personally learnt a lot of useful information that I cannot wait to implement into my own business.

It was a lot of hard work but I'm so glad that it paid off! The Showcase reminded me of the event that I helped plan last year, the Free Pamper Yourself Event. We also had different types of vendors showcase their products and services. It looks like I had been doing a showcase each February for the past 2 years, wonder what next February will bring.

Without further ado, here are some photos I'd like to share with you:

Registration table on Friday morning

Breakfast table Friday morning with linens by Exquisite Party Rental

Opening address by ACPWC Director Deborah Moody

Vendor Showcase at The Poolside Pavilion at Hyatt Regency

Lounge area for the Gala on Saturday night (by North American Theatre Technology and furniture from Stuart Rental)

The Poolside Pavilion transformed for the Gala

Table setup (Chairs and linens from Stuart Rental, centerpiece from Citti's and North American Theatre Technology)

New Kid On The Block - BoLee Bridal Couture

2011-01-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

BoLee Bridal Couture is a new bridal salon in Sunnyvale. They have been open for a couple of months now and I decided to pay them a visit yesterday.

Their salon is big and spacious with plenty of room to accomodate brides and their entourages. I spoke with the owner, Bo Lee's, husband and he told me that they started this couture salon to cater to brides who want good-quality gowns with affordable price tags. They pride themselves also on their customer service; the appointments are 1 and 1/2 hours to ensure that the bride is not rushed and can enjoy the time trying on bridal gowns.

They carry bridal gowns ranging from $700 to $3,000 and some of the lines they carry include Mikaella, Pronovias, Ella Bridal, and David Tutera, which is exclusive to them . They also carry bridal party attire with lines such as Watters and Watters and Wtoo. They are going to be adding more lines to their salon in the future. In the meantime, their grand opening is this Saturday, January 29th, and they will be hosting an Ella Bridal and Haute Bride Accessory trunk shows on that day too, so book your appointments and check them out!

542 Lawrence Expressway, Sunnyvale, CA 94085

408 - 774 - 9242 (business)
408 - 774 - 9342 (fax)
info@boleebridal.com

Store Hours
Mon & Friday 11:00a.m to 7:00p.m
Tuesday - Thursday: 12:00a.m to 8:00p.m
Sat: 10:00a.m to 6:00p.m
Sunday By Appointment Only.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

The time between this post and my last post seemed to have flown by in an instant, I guess that is what happens when you take a vacation to rejuvenate yourself. My husband and I went to Hong Kong and Singapore to visit families over the holidays and spent Christmas and New Year in a warmer climate, good times.

Now that the new year has begun, I look forward to the ACPWC E.P.I.C. 2011 Conference, which is coming up next month. To all you small business owners out there, I highly encourage you to check it out, we have an amazing lineup of speakers and workshops.

In regards to Enchanting Events, we are continuing to enhance our services to brides and grooms to better assist them with their wedding planning needs. We are very excited about the upcoming changes and cannot wait to share them with you soon!

In the upcoming couple of months, we will also be posting about our favorite weddings from the past year, so please stay tuned! Wishing all of you a happy, healthy and safe 2011!

(And just because I am still reminiscing about my Christmas vacation, I leave you with a picture of me taken in Hong Kong.)

Year in Review

2010-12-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

This year has been a rather fruitful one for us. We had a busy summer and fall working on weddings, in fact, we just had our last wedding of the year a couple of weeks ago! This year, we had the opportunity to work on our largest wedding ever, more than 500 people, and also our smallest weddding so far, about 40 people. Regardless of the size of the weddings though, we enjoyed working on the weddings because of the couples; they are some of the nicest couples we got to work with this year.

As a result of these weddings, we also got to work with some new wedding vendors as well. We will be posting pictures from some of our weddings this year so do check back soon!

One thing we are looking forward to next year is the ACPWC E.P.I.C. 2011 Conference, where we are in charge of working on the Events Professional Showcase portion. This national conference is to empower event professionals to establish greater success through education, awareness, support, and motivation, thus building confidence and credibility. We will have more information about this conference in a future blog.

It's time for us to recharge our batteries over the holiday season so that we are prepared for the next year of weddings and special events. Hope you all have a great holiday season as well!

ACPWC Salsa Dance & Dinner Fundraiser

2010-10-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Please join us for a Caliente Fundraiser event hosted by ACPWC (Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants)

Date: Thursday, November 11 at 6:00pm - November 12 at 2:00am
Location: Azucar Latin Bistro - 71 E San Fernando Street, San Jose, CA

A night filled with dancing, good food, salsa lessons, WHILE helping ACPWC raise funds for their 2011 EPIC Conference. A conference which empowers event professionals to establish greater success through education, awareness, support, motivation-building confidence and credibility.

Your choice of a package:
...
Dinner, Salsa lessons, Show and Dancing (includes 1 drink): $55.00pp

Salsa lessons, Dancing, Show and Appetizers (includes 1 drink): $30.00pp

Please RSVP to events@elegantoccasions.us. Once we receive your RSVP, you will be emailed a link to purchase your tickets.

Tickets may also be purchased for cash at the door. Door sales will be $65.00 and $40.00.

Please feel free to bring a guest(s) and to share this invitation.

There will also be raffle tickets available to purchase for a chance to win many prizes. We will be giving away gift certificates for Horseback Riding, Cake Expressions, Photography, Night at the Hilton San Jose and many, many more!

Parking is on 2nd and San Fernando and is about $5.00 per car.

Our sponsors for this event are Azucar Latin Bistro, Loves Cupcakes and The Card Lady.

The Secret Garden Tea Party Fundraiser

2010-09-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

You are invited to attend The Secret Garden Tea Party Fundraiser, hosted by Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants.

The ACPWC is sponsoring a Tea party fundraiser for all to enjoy on Sunday, October 3rd, 2010.

The Tea party will be held at The Guglielmo Winery with the proceeds going to benefit The Ainsley House and The Fattal Foundation.

Come enjoy an afternoon at Guglielmo Winery filled with delectable goodies, exciting raffles, and a silent auction.

The Grand Prize of the raffle is "A Night Out On the Town" which includes a limousine, a (1) one night stay at the Hilton in Downtown San Jose and dinner.

Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for children 3-12 years.

RSVP by Friday, September 24, 2010. Click here to register.

Blog interview from Judy Lee of Iridescence Bridal Couture

2010-09-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to work with Judy Lee, owner of Iridescence Bridal Couture and creative director of an all-occasion bridesmaid dress collection called ju.lee for The Free Pamper Yourself special event earlier this year.

She did a mini-interview with me afterwards, just thought you may like to read all about it here.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Downtown Napa staycation - Part II

2010-08-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Usually, a highlight of any of my vacations is trying out great restaurants. This time, my hubby and I got to try 2 great ones; Bottega and Redd, both in Yountville.

Bottega is owned by Michael Chiarello, well-known for his TV shows on Food Network and Top Chef Masters shows. At Bottega, the cuisine is defined as "micro-regional Italian cuisine"; selecting the best dishes from across Italy and anchoring them with artisanal, heritage, or house-made ingredients.

We even caught a glimpse of the famous chef himself in the parking lot! We were trying to find a parking spot and lo and behold, we saw this man in chef whites walking towards the restaurant. Could it be? Yes, it was him alright! As we drove closer to him, I quickly rolled down my passenger-side window and shouted out to him "Hi chef!". He turned around and looked at us, trying to see if he recognizes us. Then I said "We're big fans and are trying your restaurant out for the first time." He was very gracious and wished us a good time inside. I wish I had taken a quick photo of him but I think it would have been weird and honestly, I was too star-struck to even think about it at that time...

On to our dinner, we decided to go with the following dishes:

Pecorino cheese pudding with crispy soft-boiled egg and forno roasted rapini

Polenta Under Glass, caramelized wild mushrooms with balsamic game sauce

Smoked Pasta with porcini mushrooms (One of the specials that day)

Adriatic Seafood Brodetto monkfish, mussels, rock cod and fresh Monterey calamari, forno-confit tomato broth, olive oil-crouton, paprika-saffron rouille

Vanilla Goat’s Milk Panna Cotta with saffron kumquat marmelleta and passionfruit citrus gelee

My favorites were the polenta and pasta dishes. The polenta was creamy and with the balsamic game sauce, it was the perfect comfort food. The pasta was just very earthy with all the mushrooms and I never had pasta that was smoked before so that added an interesting nuance to the dish. Needless to say, we were happily stuffed and rolled on our way back to our hotel.

The next day, we returned to Yountville for lunch at Redd. Redd is the complete opposite of Bottega, both in terms of the decor inside and the cuisine. Where Bottega evokes a warm and cozy feel in its dining room, Redd offers a more contemporary and casual feel in its open layout. Their cuisine is an "updated interpretation of wine country cuisine with influences from Asia, Europe, and Mexico in a relaxed yet elegant environment."

We were quite full from dinner last night but still wanted to try their specialties so we had the following:

Glazed pork belly, apple purée, burdock, soy caramel

Sashimi of hamachi, sticky rice, edamame, lime ginger sauce

Steamed pork buns, hoisin, vegetable salad

Dark chocolate pot de creme, hazelnut mousse, warm beignets

My favorites this time were the pork belly and dessert. I am a sucker for pork belly, and am drawn to any kind of pork belly dish on a menu. The ones here were so soft and tender that again, it's like comfort food to me. And for the dessert, the combination of the dark chocolate sauce and hazelnut mousse was what did it for me, it was so good that I did not need the beignets, just give me another glass of that and a spoon and I'm good!

If you think all we did in Napa was eat, that's not entirely true... We did visit a couple of wineries in the area and I am going to leave you with this picture that summarizes what the wine country means to me.

Bella Bridesmaids: Jenny Yoo August Sale

2010-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jenny Yoo is offering a Perfect Sale for the Perfect Dress! For the month of August take an additional 15% off any Jenny Yoo Collection orders. This sale includes all bridal, bridesmaid, flower girl and junior bridesmaid dresses! Don't miss this amazing event at Bella Bridesmaid!

To schedule an appointment:
Call (408)399-4649 or email losgatos@bellabridesmaid.com

Address: 465 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Suite A, Los Gatos, CA, 95030

Downtown Napa staycation - Part I

2010-07-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took off to Napa Valley for a mini vacation. It is nice to take little breaks like this just to take in new surroundings and rejuvenate yourself. We have been to Napa Valley before and each time, we try to go to different areas, this time, we are focusing on downtown Napa.

We stayed at this new boutique hotel in downtown Napa called AVIA. I like that it has a contemporary yet warm feel to it; the color palette in the guest rooms consists of various shades of brown, chocolate with accents of moss green. On their website, they describe it as "rustically elegant". I love the bathroom too! It is big and bright as they use Eastern White marble over the entire bathroom, including the oversized walk-in shower. Bathrooms in hotels are very important to me, if it's too small or outdated-looking, that can break the deal for me.

As it was lunchtime soon after checking in, we decided to take a stroll through downtown Napa to get to the Oxbow Public Market, a smaller market kind of like the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco.

After walking around the entire market, we decided to have lunch at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. This place serves up Venezuelan cuisine and favorites such as the arepa; a grilled corn flour cake, the cachapa; a sweet corn pancake and the maize'wich; a sweet corn bread. Basically, you choose one of the three breads and then one of the many different stuffings available to make a sandwich.

We chose to have the chorizo capacha (left) and the pulled pork maize'wich (right) with a side of yucca fries (middle).

Both sandwiches were pretty good, I like how the sweetness of the corn contrast with the savory-ness of the meats. I did not try the yucca fries but my husband said that they were good!

In the evening, we went to the Chef's Market that was taking place just a block away from our hotel. For a Thursday night, we were quite surprised at how many people actually showed up at this outdoor event. It is like a farmer's market with live entertainment and cooking demonstrations. We tried the cherries at different stands, wine-infused jams and preserves and sat through a cooking demonstration of ahi tuna tartare salad. At the end of the demonstration, they gave out samplings of the dish and even complimentary sauvignon blanc to go with the dish! This is Napa after all...

Stay tuned for the second part of my recap as we visited Michael Chiarello's Bottega Restaurant and Redd in Yountville!

Wedding Jewelry Giveaway From One World Designs

2010-06-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Harper from One World Designs is an amazing jewelry and wedding accessories designer. I had a chance to work with her on The Free Pamper Yourself Event earlier this year and was blown away by her beautiful work and warm personality.

Starting today through next Thursday, July 2nd, she is having a 'Wedding Jewelry Giveaway', where she will be gifting two $150 gift vouchers toward the purchase of any of her jewelry and accessories! Check out this blog on details on how to enter for the drawing.

Good luck!

Destination Weddings at Silicon Valley NACE May Meeting

2010-06-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

The other continuing education event I attended last month was held by the Silicon Valley NACE chapter at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose. I was really looking forward to this event as there was going to be a panel of wedding industry professionals who were going to talk about destination weddings and high-end celebrations.

The theme of the event was Alice in Wonderland and it was perfectly conceptualized in the main ballroom of Silver Creek Valley Country Club, where we spent the main portion of our time that evening.

Check out the centerpieces!

Dinner at Silver Creek Valley Country Club never disappoints; for salad, we had mixed baby greens, artichokes, tomatoes and carrot curls with balsamic dressing.

For the entree, we had petit filet mignon, roasted shallots with Merlot reduction sauce, garlic herb potato au gratin and fresh seasonal vegetables.

For dessert, we had yummy mini cupcakes from Jen's Cakes.

After dinner, we awaited excitedly to hear from the panel of speakers; planner Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events; videographer Andrew Hsu, of Studio MSV; baker Jen Kwapinski, of Jen's Cakes; and photographer Brook Todd, of Alisha + Brook Photographers. They shared valuable information regarding what issues to watch out for in planning and coordinating destination weddings. Do you know that you have to pay customs tax for flowers you bring into certain countries? Do you know what kind of wedding professionals you should hire locally and whom you should hire from where you are located? That is definitely useful information to know beforehand!

I think this event has been very informative and it's nice to see how other wedding professionals work with destination weddings.

Lula Kate Trunk Show at Bella Bridesmaid Los Gatos

2010-06-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

You're invited to see the latest in bridesmaid dresses from Lula Kate at Bella Bridesmaid Los Gatos!

Start Time: Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 10:00am
End Time: Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 6:00pm

Address: 465 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Suite A, Los Gatos, CA, 95030

Sip complimentary champagne cocktails and enjoy:
- 10% off orders placed by June 30th, 2010

To reserve an appointment:
Call (408)399-4649 or email losgatos@bellabridesmaid.com

For more information, please visit Bella Bridesmaid.

Alix & Kelly Trunk Show at Bella Bridesmaid Los Gatos

2010-05-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

You're invited to see the latest in bridesmaid dresses from Alix & Kelly at Bella Bridesmaid Los Gatos!

Start Time: Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 10:00am
End Time: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 6:00pm

Address: 465 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Suite A, Los Gatos, CA, 95030

Sip complimentary champagne cocktails and enjoy:
- 10% off orders placed by June 6th, 2010

To reserve an appointment:
Call (408) 399-4649 or email losgatos@bellabridesmaid.com

For more information: please visit Bella Bridesmaid.

ACPWC May Meeting

2010-05-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind past few weeks it has been! After completing my biggest wedding yet (500+ guests!) a couple of weeks ago, I also attended 2 continuing education meetings/events, the first one held at We and Our Neighbors Club clubhouse in San Jose, hosted by ACPWC.

We and Our Neighbors Club clubhouse is a San Jose Historic Landmark and a well-kept secret. It is a Craftsman style bungalow and started out as a meeting place for a women's club in 1892. It is still in use today by several Scout troops and can be rented for special events at a minimal cost.

The main room can accomodate 80 people, there is a small stage area and an upright McPhail piano that is in place and still in use.

This evening, we had floral arrangements sponsored by Christine Le of Pink Lincoln Designs, linens and chair covers by Blanca Samano of A Touch Of Elegance and dinner provided by Michi Sushi.

I love the color combination of Christine's gorgeous centerpieces!

The amazing dinner was a 7 course meal that consisted of salad, appetizers, assorted nigiri and rolls.

The sushi was ultra fresh as Michi brought a sushi bar to the venue.

Our speaker for this meeting was Karmen Reed of Kickoff Topic, a Social Media Marketing Solutions company. Karmen is a social marketing expert and educates, coaches and consults small businesses and entrepreneurs on maximizing the benefits of social media marketing. She taught us about Facebook, LinkedIn and Youtube in particular. Social media is so important for small businesses nowadays, I am still learning about the benefits and how to harness the power of using social media.

Stay tuned for future posts of 1) the other continuing education event I attended this week and 2) of my biggest wedding so far!

Fire Safety, Anyone?

2010-04-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday night, I attended the Silicon Valley NACE meeting at the Stanford Faculty Club in Palo Alto to hear Natti Pierce-Thomson give a presentation on fire and electrical safety in the events industry. She is the President and Senior Lighting Designer of North American Theatre Technology. (You may recall that Natti also provided the lighting at the ACPWC meeting in February.) One of the first ETCP Certified Entertainment Electricians, Natti is also a member of the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). Who better to teach us on fire and electricity safety than Natti!

She gave plenty of useful tips and information to teach us about how to use extension cords properly, what kind of extension cords to use and not to use in different situations and how to check if a piece of fabric is flammable, among other things. She also showed us the latest in LED lighting technology. Lots of useful information! I also learned that there is a product that is essentially a single-use fire extinguisher about the size of a water bottle. Guess what I'll be adding to my bridal emergency bag from now on!

If you look closely at the centerpiece, you can see that different kind of extension cords have been incorporated and would later be used in Natti's presentation, how clever!

For dinner, we started with an artichoke carpaccio and mâche salad with shaved Parmesan, tomato concassé and balsamic vinaigrette.

The entree was a duet entree consisting of Painted Hills Natural Angus petit filet mignon topped with frizzled leeks and filet of halibut with lemon thyme beurre blanc with white and green asparagus and Gruyère potato strudel.

After the entree, we were treated to a cheese course; various Cowgirl Creamery cheeses with lavender honey, quince paste and herbed flatbread.

Last but not least, the dessert was an Opera cake; layers of almond sponge cake with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache.

All in all, good food, excellent presentation, getting to meet new event professionals and catching up with old ones, what more can one ask for?

Preferred vendor at Harding Park Golf Course!

2010-04-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to let everyone know that Enchanting Events is now a preferred vendor at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco!

Harding Park Golf Course is a hidden gem in San Francisco, it was the site for The Presidents Cup in October of 2009. It is actually located in the southern end of San Francisco, close to Daly City, which makes it easily accessible from both the North Bay or South Bay.

Outdoor wedding ceremonies held here overlook serene Lake Merced and wedding receptions are held at the Clubhouse, which is built in 2005 and has floor to ceiling windows. What makes this site great too is that you do not need to be a member to have your wedding here and there is plenty of complimentary parking available.

If you are looking for a wedding site that has incredible views, a fabulous catering manager and staff, no parking issues and is easily accessible, this is the place!

Harding Park Golf Course Wedding Open House

2010-03-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Photo by: FIMA Photography

Date: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Harding Park Golf Course Clubhouse, 99 Harding Road, San Francisco

Great chance to meet local vendors!
Photographers, DJ, Limo, Florals, Tablesettings, Cake, Hotels, Wedding Planners, Formal Wear & much more!

*Complementary Wine & Hors d'oeuvres*

Free Admission * No RSVP Required
For More Information: Contact Bridget Buck
(415) 664.4690 x112
bbuck@kempersports.com
http://www.harding-park.com/

National Raise Awareness Week - Wish Upon A Wedding

2010-03-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Followers of my blog will recall that in January, I posted about America’s first non-profit wedding wish granting organization Wish Upon A Wedding. Since this week is their National Raise Awareness Week, I like to give you some updates about this organization.

As of my previous post about Wish Upon A Wedding, there are now twenty chapters nationwide, (with more chapters opening soon in Colorado, Arizona, Portland, Miami, St. Louis, Ohio and Nevada) headed by some of the industry’s most renowned leaders:

Presidents:
• Sasha Souza, National
• Kevin Covey, LA/Orange County
• Stella Inserra, New York
• Ivy Robinson, The Carolinas
• Eliana Baucicault, Atlanta
• Mary Alice Sublett, Tennessee
• Heather Hamilton Sims, Houston
• Shelby Tuck Horton, DC
• Elisa Delgardio, Orlando
• Ali Phillips, Chicago
• Daniela Fageʹ́t Seattle

For those wishing to qualify for Wishes, you must be unmarried legal citizens of the United States, over the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with less than three years to live.

To apply online, please click here to request one of three wedding types: URGENT (Up to 10 guests, in hospital or at bedside); BOUTIQUE (up to 25 guests, in home town of applicant); ROMANTIC (Up to 50 guests, at any WUW destination).

For those wanting to be Wish Granters, please click here for more information on how to start helping them make Wedding Wishes come true.

Wish Upon A Wedding's first wish recipients are Florence and Michael, hailing from Elk Grove, CA, who will be getting married March 13. To read about their amazing story, please click here.

Press Mention!

2010-03-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

The Free Pamper Yourself Event last Sunday was a success! I'm so glad all our hard work paid off!

Wedshare.com's bloggers came to cover the event , wrote a blog about it and Enchanting Events was mentioned in it. Do check it out for a review of the event... Thanks to Crystal and Jason for coming by and for the wonderful blog!

I will also like to thank my amazing planning team: Arlene Marcos from Ah...New Beginnings and Judy Lee from Iridescence Bridal Couture, could not have done this without you ladies!

Also, thanks to Philippe Lee of Jade Studio Productions for hosting the event at their Treasure Island studio and all the participating vendors for contributing their skills and talents!

Quail Lodge Resort and Golf Club

2010-02-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, I drove down to Carmel for a site visit and lunch at Quail Lodge Resort and Golf Club.

Greeted by Nick DelPozzo, the Senior Sales Manager, I was welcomed warmly and with lots of smiles. We started off with lunch first as it was already 1pm. We had lunch at the Edgar's restaurant located at the clubhouse and were seated by the window with a wonderful view of the golf course. We both had the Thai-style steak salad with mixed greens, arugula, cherry tomatoes and lime ginger cilantro dressing.

It was light and delicious! For dessert, I had the Valrhona Chocolate Cake, basically, it was a molten chocolate cake, served with vanilla bean ice cream on the side, in an almond tuile cup. I'm so glad I had a salad for the entree as the dessert was sinfully rich and totally satisfied any chocolate craving I had! Kudos to chef Julio Ramirez for the awesome lunch! (He even stopped by our table to say hello.)

After lunch, it was off to the site tour, we met up with Kui Maluki, the Events Manager, to start the tour. We started off with the Peninsula Ballroom and Oak Room. The Peninsula Ballroom holds 180 comfortably with a dance floor. It has cathedral ceilings, 3 walls of windows and an outdoor terrace that overlooks the golf course.

Next to the Peninsula Ballroom is a foyer area which can be used for cocktail hour. Adjacent to that is the Oak Room, it also has an outdoor terrace and can be used as a babysitting area for children attending weddings.

The good thing about Quail Lodge is they only hold one event per day so once you book it for your wedding, you can have total access to their event space and not worry about having to share the space with another couple.

After that, we were off to see the outdoor ceremony site, Quail Meadows, which is just a couple of minutes drive away from the clubhouse. We approached the site through the Barn Loft, which is a rustic building where couples can hold a cocktail hour in the outdoor patio immediately following their ceremony.

Having your ceremony on the lawn at Quail Meadows, you get views of the nearby lake and the tree-covered hillsides. It is very secluded and private and offers a serene setting for a lovely ceremony. You can even choose to have your reception outdoors at Quail Meadows as well.

Here is a view of the lawn from upstairs at the Barn Loft, so gorgeous!

For you dog lovers, the other great point to bring up about Quail Lodge is they are pet-friendly! You can have your furry four-legged buddy as your ringbearer, no problem at all. During lunch, Nick mentioned about an event they have at Halloween called "The Howl-O-Ween Dog Paw-ty". It's a party for dogs and their owners where they have food (for both people and pooches), costume competitions, a dog fashion show and muscial entertainment. How cool is that!

I want to thank Nick and Kui for their gracious hospitality and for spending time with me and telling me all about Quail Lodge!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2010-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

When I think of Valentine's Day, I think of sweet stuff; candy you give your special someone, sweet nothings you whisper in each other's ears... I also think of romance and that leads me to think of Paris, the most romantic city in the world (in my opinion). And when I think of Paris, I think of my favorite cookie, the French macaron.

My favorite French macaron is called the Ispahan, it's basically a French macaron with a combination of rose, raspberries and lychee flavors that blend together so beautifully. The Ispahan is created by Pierre Herme, a very talented French pastry chef, who I think is the god of French macarons. (That reminds me, I better get started on working on one of my New Year's resolutions.)

I am going to leave you with this photo of a heart-shaped Ispahan by Pierre Herme, wishing you all things sweet today!

Photo credit: PierreHerme.com

ACPWC Installation Meeting

2010-02-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday evening, I attended ACPWC's Installation Meeting at the Santa Clara Convention Center. I love attending ACPWC meetings! All of us wedding consultants get to catch up with one another and it's a great atmosphere of inspiration and motivation. Especially the Installation Meeting, it usually takes place in February and because it's been a couple of months since we had all gotten together, there's so much to catch up on!

After the cocktail hour, Jennifer Dahlen, Director of Sales at the Santa Clara Convention Center, introduced herself and her staff to us and proceeded to give us a tour of the venue. They recently remodeled their ballrooms and now it has a modern look and feel to it. The carpet has neutral tones so it will be very easy to match it with other colors.

After the tour, we proceeded to a meeting room to continue our meeting. The room had lighting provided by North American Theatre Technology and beautiful floral centerpieces provided by Floral Design Studio.

Before dinner was served, our new Board of Directors for 2010 was sworn in, here is a picture of the swearing-in:

The delicious dinner was catered by Aramark; we had a cucumber and lettuce salad and the entree was a filet of beef with shrimp, with roasted tomato and asparagus and creamy Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. The beef was so tender that I finished my whole plate (which is usually not the case since I am a small eater)!

Let's not forget about dessert, my favorite course... This evening, the dessert was a personal, two-tiered mini wedding cake provided by Cake Expressions. How cute is this!! It is chocolate cake covered by white fondant. Yummy! Again, polished off the entire cake!

The other reason I love attending Installation Meetings is because we get informed of all the events and educational programs that the Board has in store for the members this year. 2010 will be an important year for ACPWC as we get ready to prepare for a very SPECIAL event next year (to be revealed soon). I am very excited about my new responsibilities within ACPWC this year and cannot wait to start!

Wish Upon A Wedding

2010-01-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

Wish Upon A Wedding is a non-profit organization started by a bunch of wedding professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area passionate about helping terminally-ill couples by making their wedding dreams come true.

This organization is the first of its kind as America’s only wedding wish granting organization. It currently has 5 chapters across the country (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orlando, New York and Chicago) and new chapters are being formed as we speak. They will be taking applications from couples beginning February 14, so if you or some one you know will like to submit an application, please go to their "Request A Wedding" page for instructions.

Wedding vendors, if you will like to volunteer your service and become a Wish Granter, please go to their "Become A Wish Granter" page for instructions. This is for such a great cause, to be able to utilize your skills to help others in need, what more can you ask for? I, personally, am looking into becoming a Wish Granter myself, come join me!

Hartmann Studios Open House

2010-01-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hartmann Studios is an events rental company based in Richmond, CA. They offer anything you will need for a special event; china, flatware, glassware, linens, tables, chairs and lounge furniture. They even do tenting, drapery and lighting.

They had an open house on Tuesday and I was invited so I decided to go and check out their products. Besides, they are one of our participating vendors in The Free Pamper Yourself Event so I had to check it out with Arlene (another member of our planning team) to see what we will like for the event.

It was pouring in Bay Area this week but luckily, the rain cleared for this event. When we first entered the open house, we were greeted by a beautifully-draped space with a color scheme of various shades of brown, gold and zebra patterns. Everything was bathed in a soft, warm glow, very inviting.

As we walked through the massive warehouse, what I enjoyed most was the many tabletop designs that they had.

Another highlight of the open house for me was the Bollywood section. They had set up a portion of their warehouse to look like an Indian wedding celebration. There were pink and gold hues, which made it very vibrant and festive.

After about an hour or so, Arlene and I managed to narrow down our selections. Come visit us at our event to see which selections we've made!

The Free Pamper Yourself Event

2010-01-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

I have been planning this special event, together with a few wedding professionals, for the past month and a half and am very excited to tell you more about it finally!

This is going to be a fun and interactive event at a unique location. It is taking place on February 28th, 2010, 12pm - 4pm, at Jade Studio Production's latest studio on Treasure Island.

We will have vendors holding demonstrations and workshops throughout the entire event; you will actually get to learn hands-on information about the vendors' services and products instead of just talking to the vendors. You can enjoy small bites and drinks, participate in raffle drawings throughout the day, and take home a swag bag as a thank-you gift. But don't wait, as the first 50 registered guests will also get a free tote bag!

Even though this event is ideal for engaged couples, it is also open to the public so tell your friends about it.

To register or for more information about the event, please visit http://www.pamperevent.webs.com/.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

2010, the start of a new decade, the year where exciting changes are coming to Enchanting Events!

Firstly, we have been working very diligently over the past month and a half (yes, even over the holidays) on a very special event that is taking place this February. This special event is not just for brides and grooms, it is for wedding and event professionals and the general public as well. We are very excited about it and can't wait to tell you more! More details will be revealed in the next post so check back soon!

Secondly, we are also expanding our company and hope to be able to assist more brides this year.

There are more changes to be announced throughout the next few months so stay tuned!

On a more personal note, here are some of my New Year's resolutions for 2010:

Do more volunteer and pro bono work.
Invest some time in myself; enrich my mind, body and soul.
Find more time to spend with hubby as work gets busier this year.
Master the art of making French macaroons (A little tidbit about me: I love to bake! And have a sweet tooth...)

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2010? Here's wishing all of you a great year ahead!

Second Harvest Food Bank Volunteer Session

2009-12-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

Since the holidays are fast approaching, it leads me to thinking about those in need and about the volunteer session I participated in last November. I’ve donated to Second Harvest Food Bank before but am quite uneducated on what happens to the food once they have been donated. So when the opportunity to volunteer at the Food Bank presented itself, I grabbed it.

Rich Amooi of Hey Mr DJ was the organizer of this volunteer session and is the team leader of our volunteer group, which comprised of wedding professionals. After we signed in and listened to a brief introduction, we were led to this room where there were large barrels of unsorted donated food items and tables with some food items on them and empty cardboard boxes.

Mike from the Second Harvest Food Bank then proceeded to explain to us how to sort and categorize the food items. For example, canned food between 9 to 19 ounces will be further sorted into Fruit, Vegetables and Meals In A Can categories while any canned food that is not round or under 9 or over 19 ounces will go into the Miscellaneous category. The sorters will sort the food items and bring them over to the appropriate “stations” at the tables so that they can be boxed up. It’s a lot of information to take in but once you start sorting, it gets easier.

Some of us were responsible for sorting while some of us were responsible for boxing up the sorted items. I opted to do the sorting as I thought that would be more interesting. It was quite fun as we, the sorters, ran around with our food items to the various categories’ stations. Come to think of it, I don’t know why we were running, you’ll think we were in some kind of competition! I guess it was a good thing that we did, as at the end of 2 hours, we managed to sort through and boxed up food items from 27 of those barrels! Yay!

So what has this experience taught me? It’s always nice to donate your time and energy for a good cause. Everyone is so busy nowadays with stuff happening in their own lives that sometimes, it’s hard to find time to volunteer. However, giving back to the community should be a priority so that we give back to those who need it more than us. Happy Holidays!

Welcome to my blog!

2009-12-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting my blog! I am very exited to share my adventures as a wedding consultant with all of you!

Here you will be able to check out:

useful and unique ideas for planning your wedding
information on wedding-related happenings in the Bay area
wedding vendor recommendations
reviews of special events that I attend or plan
random shots of my life as a wedding consultant
maybe even a restaurant review or two (because I love food!)

So do subscribe to my blog and enjoy the ride!