A Delightful Afternoon

Last week, one of my brides from 2007 invited me to afternoon tea at Lovejoy's Tea Room in San Francisco. Eileen got married last November at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. To thank me and her team of Event Professionals for helping to make her dream wedding come true, she organized this tea for us. What a delightful surprise when I received the invitation!

Unfortunately, many of the Event Professionals whom she invited were not able to make it that day but Debra Hertzog, Senior Catering Sales Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, and Susan Morgan, owner of Elegant Cheesecake, and I happily joined Eileen for tea at the adorable tea house. Lovejoy Tea Room is located in Noe Valley in the city. It's a really cute, intimate tea house filled with eclectic furnishings. We were seated comfortably on plushy couches in a cozy corner, and we enjoyed a blend of delicious teas with an astounding mix of tea sandwiches and pastries. My favorite were the scones with the double devon cream--YUMMY!! The toasted crumpets with lemon curd were also mouth-watering! Directly across the street is Lovejoy's Attic, where one can buy any (or all!) of their tea, china cups, teapots, and a lot of little nick nacks. It would be awfully hard not to bring something home from there!

Eileen is an amazing woman. She was the first female firefighter in San Francisco and is now a fire investigator for the fire department. She has such a great balance of strength and sensitivity, and is one of the most genuine and gracious person I've ever met. I am so honored that I got to be her Wedding Coordinator, and to help make her wedding day as perfect as she remembers it to be.

http://www.lovejoystearoom.com/index.html

My Clients, My Friends...

I met Samantha and Alvin a little over two years ago when they hired me to plan their wedding at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. We clicked instantly, and had so much fun during the wedding planning process. Every single vendor, including the staff at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, agreed that they were one of the BEST couples to work with...ever! They had a very clear vision of their wedding, yet they were so open to ideas from the Professionals that they hired. They were also incredibly fun, considerate, and appreciative. What more can you ask for from a client? Most importantly, they had their priorities straight. They never lost sight of what their wedding was about--two very in-love people committing to one another for life, and two very loving families joining together as one. I still remember their wedding day as if it was yesterday, and the way everybody cried as Alvin read the vows that he wrote.

Needless to say, we remained good friends even after the wedding. This past weekend, they invited my husband, my daughter, and I to their new home in Redwood Shores for dinner. Joining this dinner party was Chuck and Jewel Savadelis, the fabulous cinematographers that shot their wedding, and another couple Atsuko and David. It was a wonderful evening....good company, delicious food, and serene setting (they live right by the water side!). I feel so lucky to be in this profession, because I get to meet so many special people. I never lose sight of the business aspect of the relationship as I plan their wedding, because I expect myself to act professionally and to do the best possible job for them....but at the same time I really value and appreciate the bond and friendship that is developed along the way.

Thank you Sam and Alvin!!

Wedding Planning can be fun!

Are you a newly engaged couple that is dreading the wedding planning process ahead of you? Are you overwhelmed by the infinite number of vendors on all the wedding planning websites and magazines out there? Are you terrified at the thought of having the wedding planning consume your lives for the next year?

If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, you should really consider a wedding planner!

I strive to make the wedding planning as fun as possible for my clients. After all, this is a very exciting time in their lives and the excitement cannot be lost before the Big Day arrives! I'm not going to lie though. There will be stressful moments, such as trying to trim down the guest list. However, my clients have a lot of fun throughout the planning process. A few highlights that you can look forward to are, ofcourse, the tastings (with caterers and cake designers!), the selection of linens, chairs, and other rental items, and the walk through at your venue to finalize all the details!

With my clients, I like to have them focus on the areas that they love most. Everything else, they trust me to take care of. Ofcourse, they always make the final decisions on everything but it sure helps to have an expert guide the way. I'm not going to go on and on bragging about how great my services are (even though it sure is!) but I think the best gift any couple can get themselves is to hire an experienced and reputable Wedding Coordinator.

Last week, I accompanied my clients Emily and Leonard to a fabulous tasting with their caterer McCall's. They had so much fun tasting all the food that they were considering for the wedding. At the end, one of McCall's exceptional bartender worked with us to mix the perfect specialty cocktail for them....in the exact shade of color they were looking for. Talk about details and perfection--love it!

Today, Emily, Leonard, and I met with their amazing floral designer Kathleen Deery at Classic Party Rentals to pick their tabletop settings. We got to PLAY--that's what I like to call it. We played with different linens, napkins, chairs, chargers, and had a fun time pulling the decor elements of the wedding together. Kathleen is one of the most talented floral designers I've had the pleasure to work with in the industry, and I just know this wedding is going to be extraordinary!

Service at its BEST!

The Ritz-Carlton brand is undoubtedly one of the strongest, most recognizable brand in the world. Why would anyone buy a Ritz-Carlton residence for $45 million dollars? Because they want the best of the best. If you have ever been to a Ritz-Carlton, you probably remember being greeted by name by the valet attendant, or even the doorman. Each Ritz-Carlton employee carries with them the Ritz-Carlton Credo card everyday. What is the Ritz-Carlton Credo, you ask. It is their mission statement summed up in three sentences:

"The Ritz-Carlton is a place where the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission. We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambiance. The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the sense, instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests."

The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay is a beautiful resort located on the coastal side of the quaint town of Half Moon Bay. Each year, over a hundred unique, beautiful weddings of all sizes are held there. I have had the good fortune to work there on many occasions, helping my clients coordinate one-of-a-kind wedding celebrations. It's one of the best places a wedding planner could work at, because we get the support and partnership of the amazing staff there.

I feel honored to be on their Preferred Vendor List, a list that the Catering and Sales team hand-selected based on our professionalism, level of service, expertise, and many other aspects. Yesterday, they invited all the vendors on this list to participate in a Vendor Educational Workshop, a program that the Catering, Sales, and Human Resources team have worked collaboratively for the past few years to put together. I was thrilled to see many of my friends there, people whom I love working with. It's been awhile since I've sat in a classroom setting, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The workshop was incredibly informative and inspiring. It allowed us to better understand the Ritz-Carlton brand and why it is so successful. It also taught us how we can improve our businesses by taking our service to the next level--the Ritz-Carlton level. They view us as partners, as an extension to the Ritz-Carlton brand and family, so it is important that we have the same level of standards for our own businesses. By the time the workshop was over, we were all ready to run back to our offices to come up with our own Credo! It was truly inspiring. Thank you to Debra, Sunni, Tony, Rachel, Leslie, and everyone else on the Ritz-Carlton team that made this workshop happen! I am thrilled to be associated with such wonderful people.


Left to right: Debra Hertzog, Sunni Oza, Lisa Leigh, Jean Marks, Michelle Walker, John Woods, Ron Grandia


Ron Grandia and Armando Serabia


Left to right: Cero Anthony, Shawna Futagaki, John Woods

Love fills the seaside air

My 2007 wedding season ended on a very high note. Eileen was one of the most beautiful bride, inside and out, that I've had the opportunity to work with in my wedding planning career. During the wedding planning process, she was always so considerate of everyone involved. She wanted to bring very personal elements into the wedding, while making sure that all her guests will be enjoying themselves. I had so much fun working with her, and she became an inspiration for me on how to be a better person.

Eileen and Jerry got married in the beautiful, quaint town of Half Moon Bay. Their ceremony was held at the Community United Methodist Church and it was an especially warm and genuine ceremony bringing two families together. After the recessional, the couple gathered with their guests in the courtyard to do a Butterfly Release. It was quite a magical moment to watch the hundred of butterflies soaring into the beautiful blue sky.

Guests enjoyed the cocktail hour by the gazebo lawn at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, just a mile away from the church. Just when the sun was getting ready to set, Eileen and Jerry made a stunning entrance into the cocktail hour while being serenaded by a bagpiper.

I want to share a couple of interesting aspects of this incredible wedding. Instead of a sign in book, we used mid size river rocks for guests to write their well wishes on with a special pen. Following the wedding, Eileen and Jerry were going to place these rocks into their garden so that they can feel that their guests are part of their new home together.

During the cocktail hour, there was an I Love Lucy impersonator mingling with guests. Those that know Eileen well will laugh, as they realize how much Eileen has always loved this character and comedy.

It was an incredible wedding day....and I am still so honored to be a part of it. Thank you Eileen and Jerry!

Photos were taken by the wonderful Elisabeth Fall and you may recognize the vibrant, colorful ring pillow as a creation by the faaaabuuuulous Nancy Liu Chin.