January 18, 2017

Fun and Fancy Wedding at the Bently Reserve

There's no better way to meet a new client than to have them walk in on one of your events during set up, be completely blown away by the design, and then decide right then and there that they've got to hire you to design their own wedding.

That was a true story of how I met Dana. Our team was installing for a beautiful event at the Bently Reserve and was about 75% done when Dana walked in with the venue manager to do a site visit. She was too polite to interrupt our installation but after conveying how much she loved what she saw, the venue manager introduced us. I felt so humbled at all of Dana's compliments at the time, and was thrilled when she reached out to me the very next week, asking me to plan her wedding.

Dana and Hisham lived in Southern California and were both extremely busy with their careers, so they basically entrusted our team with all aspects of the wedding, from the more macro tasks of hiring the right team, to the tiniest of details like preparing comfortable flip flops for her guests to dance in. They flew in once to do their menu tasting, design meeting, table mock up, and final site visit and left everything else to our team.

The Bently Reserve is one of the most classic venues in San Francisco, and is a wonderful blank canvas for us to work with. After curating through all of Dana's pins on Pinterest, we proposed a design concept that conveyed a style/mood of a dreamy luxe garden that would be fancy, yet fun. The details would be refined, yet relaxed, and we would incorporate a clean mix of Old World details and modern touches. Dana loved this concept and so we ran with it, using warm tones of grey, blush pink, and metallic gold.

The results were just what Dana and Hisham envisioned, and we couldn't be happier to watch them walk down the aisle that day! Hope you enjoy these lovely photos from Chung Li:


The awesome team that made our clients so incredibly happy:

Event Design, Planning + Production: Jubilee Lau Events
Venue: Bently Reserve
Catering: Melon's Catering
Bar Service: Best Beverage Catering
Photography: Chung Li Photography
Floral Design: Cherries
Lighting + Draping: Enhanced Lighting
Stationery: Aerialist Press
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen
Votives: Theoni Collection


Cheers,

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January 16, 2017

Time Lapse Video of a Beachside Dinner

One of our most memorable events to date was an incredible beachside dinner on a private estate in Los Cabos. It was for a client's birthday, and 60 of her closest friends and family flew there to celebrate with her. 

We designed and planned every little detail of this birthday weekend to the T, from the custom welcome gifts awaiting in each guest room to the little surprises that we sprinkled throughout the weekend to delight everyone. The events began with an all white beachfront welcome party, where we filled a private beach with hundreds of candles, dance music, and the most comfortable lounges. The next day, guests got to enjoy the same beach, but in broad daylight this time, and received as much pampering as they did adrenaline-filled activities. The grand finale was the birthday dinner that evening, where we created a 64' custom canopy right next to the ocean. Chef Michael Tusk from Quince Restaurant in San Francisco and his team flew in to cater the event and guests danced the night away (outside!) to the tunes of DJ White Shadow. Right when the birthday girl blew out her candles, the most spectacular fireworks were set off right above us. It couldn't have been a more perfect weekend. 

We brought in the best of the best from San Francisco all the way to Los Cabos for this week-long installation. We are only able to post a few photos from the event due to the client's request for privacy, but one of our event partners, Blueprint Studios, did capture the installation of our custom canopy in a time lapse video below:








Cheers,

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January 12, 2017

Cherry Blossoms Wedding in the Wine Country

We work with clients from all over the world that dreams of getting married in Napa Valley. It really is such a gem up there, and I have to remind myself often not to take it for granted that we're just a short drive away from one of the most beautiful destinations in the world!

Christine and Oskar lives in Hong Kong but reached out to us to plan a memorable wedding weekend for 80 of their friends and family from Hong Kong, Sweden, New York, and other parts of the world. One of the best parts about the occasion of a wedding truly is its ability to bring all your loved ones together in one place! Our team was super excited to take Christine and Oskar's vision of a fun, cozy, and comfortable wedding and to turn it into a reality with beautiful and personalized details.

Christine loves blossoms and envisioned an outdoor wedding with a vineyard view. The challenge wasn't in finding the right venue for them. It was to find a venue that could still offer this even if we had to move to a rain plan at the last minute, because the only month that Christine and Oskar could wed was February. With El Nino in the forecast, we had to make sure to find a place where we could erect a clear tent outside to still give a lovely vineyard view even in a downpour, which was our worst case scenario. Auberge du Soleil, nestled in the hills of Rutherford, won the hearts of our clients.

As planners, we're used to scheming up contingency plans. We often have Plan B, C, and even D in place depending on the venue. Such was the case with Christine and Oskar's wedding, but to everyone's delight, their wedding day fell on one of the warmest, and most pleasant days of that month. How lucky was our couple?! 

The wedding weekend began with a welcome dinner for everyone, at a "secret location", as stated on the invites. We shuttled all 80 guests from their respective hotels to the secret location, which was the breathtaking Ram's Gate Winery in Sonoma Valley.



We love arriving on the morning of the wedding day to find our brides relaxed and joyful, and those were the exact words to describe Christine when we saw her in her suite at Auberge. She had enjoyed a nice workout in the morning and was watching her bridesmaids get their makeup and hair done in the suite before it was her turn. Upon arrival, our hospitality team arranged for room service to bring some high protein food for the ladies to give them enough energy for the day, and helped to style everyone's dresses, shoes, and accessories for Kevin Chin to photograph. If you ever wonder what our hospitality team does on the wedding day, you can view this behind the scenes Snapchat video on our Facebook page

Christine picked the most feminine and gorgeous dress by Monique Lhuillier, with just the slightest hint of blush. Even before she put the dress on, she looked absolutely radiant!


She chose to have her bridesmaids and her mother present to help her get into her dress....one of the more sentimental moments of the wedding day because as soon as you see yourself in the mirror with the dress on, it all becomes very real!


Auberge is a vast property full of picturesque areas, and Christine chose to have her first look with Oskar in the quaint and quiet olive grove. The moment was simple, yet romantic, just the way they envisioned it to be...


The wedding ceremony was held on the terrace of Auberge, and we created a design that was romantic and lush, full of blooming branches, birch, hydrangeas, garden roses, succulents, moss, and jasmine vines. Some key words we used as inspiration for this wedding were:

Classic modern organic glam
Clean modern vintage
Refined and polished with some hints of whimsy
Simple and understated
Dreamy and ethereal 
Swanky soiree

For colors, we used shades of blush pink and white with neutral tones like warm greys and browns. We played with modern vessels such as cement while focusing on really lush, asymmetrical arrangements to make it classic modern. The results were stunning!





The ring bearers held mini wooden stumps with tiny blooms and jasmine vines spilling out. For their custom stationery, we used a combination of gold foil and laser cut methods to create an intricate design with scallop edges, lace details, and gold accents. 


During cocktail hour, guests were surrounded by beautiful fountains and decor as they enjoyed a spectacular panoramic view of the valley and vineyards, with cocktails and hors d'oeurves by Auberge's Michelin-star restaurant. In lieu of signing a guest book, guests were encouraged to write down their well wishes and best marriage advice for the couple. We designed custom wine bottles for the notes to be dropped into, each one representing a marriage anniversary in which Christine and Oskar would break the bottle to read the notes.


When dinner was ready, guests found their seats from a large custom wooden board that had everyone's names and table numbers beautifully calligraphed in white script.


Dinner was held in Auberge's Vista I. and II. rooms, and we made sure that the design was a continuation of the gorgeousness that the guests already experienced from ceremony and cocktail hour. Long Queens' tables were filled with tall blooming branches, flanked by smaller, modern asymmetrical arrangements. Classic taper candles made the entire room glow, and the rustic-feel of the room itself was completely softened up by white, chiffon fabric all around. 



The menus were a circular die cut menu with lace scalloped edges. The front side had each guest's name calligraphed in gold while the back was a description of the dinner menu, printed in gold foil. 


It is part of the Swedish tradition to have a continuation of toasts during dinner, and that was exactly what we did. Christine's brother was the "Toast Master" and over the course of the 2 hour dinner, he introduced a number of friends and family members that got up to tell stories about the couple and to toast to their new beginnings.


During the wedding planning process, Christine had conveyed to us her desire to create a wow factor at the wedding, and wanted advice on where and when that wow factor should take place. After some collaboration on ideas, we decided that the the dessert bar that Christine and Oskar wanted would be an excellent place to play it up. Auberge's Cedar Room was right across from Vista I. and II. It was a circular room with a thick, large wooden pillar right in the center. When our Creative Director, Gloria Wong, walked into the room during an initial site visit, she immediately saw it as a giant tree. She proposed several really fun, unique ideas and Christine chose her favorite--to use the wooden pillar as a focal point, making it look like a partial snapshot of a tree, filled with white and blush wispy flowers draping from the ceiling. We would scatter cement pedestals and wooden stumps in various heights around the room where the different desserts would be presented. And ofcourse, such an extraordinary dessert room couldn't house just one wedding cake, so we designed 3 different cakes! 

It definitely took a village to transform the Cedar Room that day, but we definitely achieved the wow factor for guests! 



Besides the sumptuous desserts, one of the biggest hit of the evening was the floral wall that acted as the photobooth backdrop, which filled the room up with the most amazing floral scent! 

As mentioned earlier, it truly took a village to produce this wedding, and we're immensely grateful for the teamwork that it took to make it happen for our clients!

Event Design, Planning + Production: Jubilee Lau Events
Venue + Catering: Auberge Du Soleil
Floral Design: Cherries
Photography: Kevin Chin Photo + Cinema
Cinematography: Kevin Chin Photo + Cinema
Lighting + Draping: Impact Lighting
Wedding Cakes: Sweet on Cake
Photobooth: Giggle & Riot
Cake Stands: Francis Lane
Stationery: Aerialist Press
Calligraphy: Curlicue Calligraphy
Makeup + Hair: Jane Kim
Transportation: Pure Luxury Transportation
Ceremony Chairs: Blueprint Studio
Specialty Furniture: One True Love
Tabletop Furniture: Classic Party Rentals
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linens
Votives: Theoni Collection
String Quartet + Live Band: Bay Music Entertainment

All photos above by Kevin Chin Photo + Cinema.


Cheers,
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How to Word Your Wedding Invitations

Congratulations on the many couples who were recently engaged over the holidays! Now that you're settling into your new role as fiance/fiancee, it's time to dive into the wedding planning. If you're wondering whether or not it's worth it to invest in a professional Wedding Planner, you can read our insight here. For those that are braving the wedding planning journey on their own, we hope you'll find our blog posts useful along the way.

Today, we're here to share with you an extremely informative resource from one of our favorite stationery partners--Aerialist Press. They have clearly laid out all that you need to know in planning your wedding invitations, from the wording of the invite to the type of details that should be included to the hand canceling process of mailing them out. 

When we work with Aerialist Press, we spec out the design that we dream up for our clients, and they are the ones to help us turn that into reality with beautiful, physical paper goods. We love partnering with them because they really get our vision when we explain it through words and sketches, and the end products always meet our expectations. 

Enjoy this fantastic infographic from Aerialist Press and read all about their wedding invitation etiquette advice here.



Cheers,
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December 16, 2016

How to Help Aleppo

From the Instagram of @everlaser

Christmas is just a week away. Living in America, and particularly in Silicon Valley, we are often living in our own bubble. While we may be aware of the war and suffering in other parts of the world, those problems often feel too far and out of reach for us to do anything. We read about it on our Facebook feed, we feel compassionate towards the situation, and then we move on with our own lives again. But we are not completely helpless. There are things that we can do, money we can contribute, that will truly help the people in Aleppo. Please don't turn a blind eye to a war of this magnitude! The children in Aleppo needs us to take action for them. Below are links to ways you can donate, where 100% of the proceeds will benefit the victims in Aleppo:


Purchase a beautiful laser engraved ornament from Ever Laser (as pictured above)

White Helmets

Doctors Without Borders

If you are planning your wedding and thinking about potential registries, consider The Good Beginning, where you can specify the charities you most care about and have your guests donate to them in lieu of physical wedding gifts.

May all of us find joy during this holiday season by giving!


Cheers,
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August 17, 2016

Wedding Planning Q & A with Borrowed and Blue


We recently teamed up with Borrowed and Blue, a locally-focused online wedding resource, to give couples some insight into our perspective on wedding planning.


Here’s our Q&A with Borrowed and Blue. All questions by B&B, all answers by Jubilee of Jubilee Lau Events:


  1. If you could possibly narrow it down, what would be your favorite moment of a wedding day?


It would be the moment before the bride walks down the aisle. I love positioning her in place, fluffing her train, and giving her final words of encouragement right before sending her down the aisle.

Photo by Gary Ashley of The Wedding Collective
  1. Describe your event aesthetic in three words.


Refined, sophisticated elegance

Photo by Kevin Chin Photography

  1. The first thing you ask when you sit down with a couple?


Where are you from? I love hearing about people’s history!

Photo by Augie Chang

  1. Top three pieces of advice for couples who just got engaged?
Hire a planner so you can enjoy the process.


Choose bridesmaids/groomsmen that will help alleviate (not add to) your stress on the wedding day.


Be true to who you are when planning the details of your wedding, even if that means tossing out certain traditions or rejecting your best friend’s ideas.

Photo by Rylee Hitchner


  1. Most important detail of wedding decor?


Lighting! Truly, lighting makes a tremendous impact on the overall event design. Not only does it create the mood that you want, but it highlights all the beautiful elements of your design and hides the areas that you don’t want to show. If you despise the carpet at your venue, but don’t have the budget to re-carpet the entire space, lighting can do miracles to hide it.
Photo by Augie Chang
Photo by Rylee Hitchner
Photo by Chung Li


  1. Your thoughts on DIY weddings?


Be very selective on what you decide to DIY, because some things are just meant to be produced by the pros! Pick the smaller projects, like wedding favors, for your DIY project. That way, you won’t be spending an overwhelming amount of time on it and if it doesn’t go as well as you planned, the impact on the overall wedding would be minimal.


  1. What would your ideal tablescape look like?


I love a simple, elegant table and I’m bias to long tables as they always look better in photos and on a practical level, long tables allow guests to converse with more people at the table. My ideal tablescape would have simple low floral arrangements flanked by taper candles. Lots of candles! I tend to like solid, neutral colored linens in fabric like dupionique or shantung.

Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz
  1. Your favorite of all the San Francisco wedding venues?
Asian Art Museum! It’s so rich in its history (Samsung Hall used to be the old card catalogue room of the S.F. Public Library!) and the architecture is stunning. It’s marble interior makes for a very neutral setting for any design!

Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz


  1. The most important part of wedding planning?
When it comes to planning a wedding, there are a lot of decisions to be made collectively as a couple, or as a family, and the process can be stressful at times when there are challenging family dynamics involved. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, which is the love and happiness behind this celebration that you are planning. It is truly a celebration, and a rare occasion where all your loved ones will travel far and near to be in one place for you. Don’t lose the broader perspective by being fixated on the little details!

Photo by Gary Ashley of The Wedding Collective


  1. Describe your dream wedding.


My dream wedding would be to have my closest family and friends on a remote island with us, celebrating for several days. People are so much more fun and relaxed when they’re on vacation, so I would want our guests to make a vacation out of our wedding! Every detail would be well thought out to ensure they feel pampered and taken care of, from the welcome amenities that will be waiting for them in their rooms upon arrival to the facial masks that will be sitting on their pillows after a day in the sun, to all the other little surprises that I would plan for them throughout their stay. It would be a weekend full of festivities to give us plenty of quality time with our guests!

Photo by Jeanne Chan 

All photos above are weddings/events by Jubilee Lau Events. Thanks again to Borrowed & Blue for the Q&A!

Cheers,

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