I worked the booth for the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Bridal Consultants this past Sunday, and it was great!  So many San Diego brides and grooms came out to see what the San Diego Wedding Community has to offer.  I chatted with so many happy couples, their friends and their parents and I wish every one of you the best as you make your plans and say your I-Dos!

Here’s a peek at what our booth setup had to offer!

We had some budget friendly ideas in mind as we designed this lovely table.  I think one of the biggest concepts was to really talk to the florist you want to hire.  Tell them what you can spend, what your colors are and then have faith in your florist to deliver a beautiful product!  The florist we used was able to deliver this centerpiece to us for only $25.00 using that exact idea!  She had carte blanche to pick the flowers that were in season and lovely but not terribly expensive.

I was so excited about how great everything turned out!  And stay tuned for details on the favors!!  They are a DIY project and I’ll have all the details here!

Tomorrow is the Bridal Bazaar at the San Diego Convention Center, and is a great opportunity to see all things bridal!
If you’re just starting on your wedding plans, this is a great time to get new ideas and discover what you may still need to polish off your wedding plans!  Caterers will be present giving samples of their delicious food, bakeries will be there will cake samples, and florists with brilliant ideas will have samples on display.  Bring your camera to capture what inspires you!

Fashion Shows will be 11:30am, 1:00pm and 2:45pm.

Go to the Bridal Bazaar website to purchase your tickets or download a coupon.

Concession stands will be open selling soft drinks and snacks, but if you prefer to stroll through the booths with a glass of champagne then cruise over to the fashion show stage.  There is typically a bar setup there selling bubbly!

Bridal Bazaar
San Diego Convention Center, Hall H
111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA

I will be helping out at the Association of Bridal Consultants Booth (#908).  Stop by and say hi!

I vividly remember going to Pinot Bistro in Studio City for lunch several years ago with my co-worker, our Director of Sales and the General Manager.  It was our “incentive” for having exceeded our sales goals the previous month.  Pinot Bistro is one of those lovely places with linens on the tables, proper place settings (you know…too many forks to know what to do with), and VERY attentive servers that just appear out of nowhere when you need something.  Being fresh out of college, going to LUNCH at this joint was just a weee bit intimidating.

So, as we sat down to order I carefully eyed the menu because I didn’t want to pick anything I would have trouble eating.  It was French inspired cuisine so there were a few dishes on the menu that I was not brave enough to try at the moment (like the duck…which I know love).  Several other dishes sounded delicious, but as I considered HOW I would consume the meal I was quickly deterred from ordering one plate over the other.  Mainly because most of the dishes were accompanied by French Fries.  I thought to myself…how am I going to eat French Fries in this joint?!  It wasn’t exactly a place that screamed “finger food.”  So I ordered the Salmon which did NOT come with fries or anything that would appear to pose a dining challenge.
My co-worker, on the other hand, did not put such thought into her meal selection and ordered a dish with fries.

So as we were chatting and served our plates I noticed my co-worker carefully eye the delicios meal in front of her.  And I noticed her eat her main entree but not touch the fries…until the Director of Sales and General Manager started to eat their fries….with their forks.  And so she did the same thing.  Can’t blame the woman!  I probably would have done the same thing!  It was, after all, a business lunch.  And when all else fails the best thing to do is mirror your “superior” or client.

Later, at the office she and I were recapping the meal and she says, “I didn’t know what to do!  I was about to pick one up with my fingers but then realized that probably wasn’t right!  So I waited.”  We shared some giggles over the whole thing, but I did learn a valuable lesson.  There are occassions that require you to fork your fries…or any food you would usually dive into with your fingers (pizza, onion rings, chicken wings, all that good stuff)!

Happy Monday!

P.S. If you have tales of your dining adventures to share…comment!

Baby Showers, Bar Mitzvahs, Quinceneras, Weddings, Anniversaries. . . those are all life events and times to celebrate.  As somber as the loss of a loved one can be, it can also be a time to celebrate the life they led and share those memories….hence the name Memorial Service.  It is a time to gather with friends and family and embrace the memories of your loved one.

We recently had the honor of helping a family plan the memorial service for the family patriarch.  This family man chose to raise his family in San Diego as opposed to his native Boston.  However, many of his children (now adults) found themselves in various parts of the country and there was still a rather large contingent of family on the East Coast.  This situation prompted the family to hold two services: one in San Diego and the other in Boston.

With all the grief that accompanies the passing of such a loved family member, it can be difficult to plan the service…let alone two.  So the family sought us out to assist them with the plans they had for the San Diego memorial service.  It was a small gathering of 50 people at the father’s home, which contained photos and awards from his days in the service as a boxer as well as photos dating as far back as the turn of the century.  It was quite humbling to be in the presence of a such a well documented family history.

Because the family hired us as well as a professional caterer to assist them, they were able to focus their attention on each other, the memories, and the stories of their dearly departed.  It was very special to hear this man’s children tell stories of growing up in that home.  They told a story of how the ducks come around every year (much like the swallows in San Juan Capistrano), go door to door searching for food and knocking on the doors with their beaks until you feed them.  Its a memory special to that family and that home that we were honored to partake in.  And when the ducks showed up at the doorstep on that very day the family, friends and neighbors all gathered around to talk to the ducks and share their own special memories.  I cannot say enough how humbled and honored we were to help this family.

Hello all!  For those of you not as fortunate to attend the visual delight of the wedding luncheon, here are “official” photos of the shindig!

Wedding Cake Gallery

More Wedding Galleries!

Wedding Gallery

The Wedding Lunch: Black and White Themed