Gina & Peter had their lovely wedding at the magnificent Palm Event Center in Pleasanton. They are such an amazing couple, and we were thrilled to be a part of such a lovely day. Thank You, Gina & Peter, we had a great time decorating your wedding!!
Esther and Abe’s wedding was so sweet and blissful. Their story started at Sts. Peter and Paul School, where they met in 5th grade. Placed in a group together, Ester and Abe became friends ever since. Their wedding designer, Gloria Wong, designed their San Francisco City Hall wedding from the inspiration of school classroom & playground, and I just loved the idea of using books as the table number decor. Thank you so much Esther and Abe for sharing your amazing day with us, it was truly memorable!!!
p.s. Thanks Lexigraphics Photography for the lovely pictures.
Megan & Pablo’s wedding was one of my favorites. It was held at The City Club of San Francisco, one of the historical landmarks in the city. All decor were arranged in black & white, and these two simple colors combo created a prefect contrast with the bold color wooden wall and gold ceiling. We also had so much fun incorporated artichokes, sea shells, underwater lights, and many more non-floral elements in the decoration. Thank You for including us be a part of your special day!!
Two of the Bay Area’s top Wedding Planners, Jubilee Lau and Jean Marks, launch a new concept in wedding education, Wedding 360, LLC. They will produce 2 major educational SF Bay Area events in 2010. For more information, please visit their website at www.wedding360llc.com
p.s. Congratulations, Jean & Jubilee!!
It was such a treat working with May & Davis and their wedding coordinator, Amy Tam. The wedding was located at San Jose Museum of Art. The couple incorporated some Thai wedding ritual to reflect the groom’s culture, and the guests pull water over May & Davis’ hands to give their blessing to the newly wed.
May & Davis were one happy couple, and their smile always brighten up our days. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day!!
Dianna & Andrew had such a fairy tale wedding at a beautiful winery, Casa Real. The wedding was sweet and romantic, and it was such a treat working with our dear wedding planner, Jean Marks, and designer, Gloria Wong, to plan & design the wedding elements. Enjoy the amazing pictures captured by Geoff White Photographers.
Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day!!
We are so honored that Chau & Jeffrey’s wedding at Bently Reserve was featured in The Knot!! It was truly a pleasure teaming up with Gloria Wong Design, Angie Silvy Photography and I Dream Of Cake to create this chic butterfly wedding.
Wil and I had our tasting at Citronelle at the Carmel Valley Ranch yesterday and it was an amazing experience. Last time we had a mini-lunch in the relaxing lounge area by the fireplace and we really liked the salad and the petite baquette, and this time we had a 4+ course meal and OMG! the food was soooo delicious! Now I am very very much looking forward to our big day coz we have so many foodies coming and they won’t be disappointed for sure!
From room design to tasting, food presentation to service, everything was beyond 5 stars! First of all, the room is contemporary and spacious with a nice view of the nature. Our waiters were very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable, gave us detailed descriptions on every dish, which is a great assurance as I want my guests to have the best dining experience! Last but not least, the food was excellent and was a work of art! Every single one was executed so well that we just started stuffing things into our mouths and totally forgot to take pictures! hahaha… and we were not even hungry! We actually did our cake tasting at Layers right before the dinner and hahaha I hope they didn’t think we were such a pig! =P At first, we didn’t plan to add dessert to our menu as we already have a wedding cake plus a dessert table, which will be designed by L’ Atelier Vi. We even planned to take the desserts to go since we were really full after the 3rd course!! but we got busted by Chef Anthony Keene, who came out to say Hi and insisted we should try the “Kit Kat” chocolate bar and the Napoleon cream brulee. And I bet it was his trick to get us hooked coz after the first bite, we were determine to add these to our menu as well. Citronelle is really the best of the best!
BTW, do you know that President Obama recently took his wife for a special dinner at Citronelle in Washington DC?
~Hors d’oeuvres~
Wild Mushroom Bouchee
Shrimp Cocktail
Charred Yellowfin Tuna, Jasmine Rice Cake, Mango
Crab Cigar
Charred Beef Tri-Tip Miniature Sandwich
~Starters~
Tuna
olives, chorizo, crispy potato
Sea Scallop
duck foie gras, carrot ginger sauce
~Entrees~
Pacific Salmon
dungeness crab risotto vanilla bean
Sea Bass
paella style
Roasted Filet Mignon “Au Poivre”
potato gratin, shallot confit, peppercorn sauce
~ Dessert ~
About a month ago, I had a chance to attend the Professional BusinessWomen of California (PBWC) 20th anniversary conference, with featured speakers included Meg Whitman and Congresswoman Jackie Speier. It’s really a pleasure to meet and be inspired by female role models. One of the sessions I attended was about turning your passion into business and this is one of the most frequently asked questions I got from friends and clients. I, honestly, do not think I am the best example. But if I have to give you one tip and one only, it would be “help and you will be helped.”
When we first started, we were lucky to have Lisi Su, a renowned designer, as our mentor. She graduated from Lyon Formafleur (France) and was the Chairman of World Flower Council Asia Pacific Mini Summit 2006, the honored advisor of Evergreen Elderly Centre Trust of Australia, the art consultant of British Vacation Village Development Co.,Ltd, and the list goes on and on. We never thought she would give us a chance as we were a newbie in the floral design industry. Yet, she gave us advices, shared tips and encouraged us to explore the unknown.
The hand holding experience is invaluable. In return, we learned to help others to get into the wedding industry. In 2007, one of our interns started her own company and it is a thrill to us!! I still remembered we brought her to the flower mart in San Francisco, showed her how to make her first bouquet and the smile she wore on her face when she saw the final product. And we shared our experience, struggles, design and tips, hoping she would have an easy start. You probably think this is crazy to share business information, but it is way more silly not to share. Creativity can only be grown if we exchange ideas. We can only be better if we learn from others’ mistakes and successes.
So for those who are interested in finding out more about the wedding/ floral industry, check out the workshop by Nancy Liu Chin, who is the most sought after wedding designer in the Bay Area. Don’t let a great opportunity pass you by.
“Helping others reach their business goals through coaching, mentoring, and sharing my secrets is a dream that I’ve had for a long time. What I hope to accomplish is to entry level wedding floral designers grasp solid business ideas along with exceptional floral skills. ”
Nancy Liu Chin
Wedding Floral Academy: Design & Business Development Workshops
Date: November 7 -10, 2009
Location: San Francisco, California
Space is limited.
Investment: $1250 for 3 day course.
Including materials, lunch, snacks, takeaway binders, & tote.
Details:
{ Design Modern Classic Table top Arrangements }
{ Design Hand tied Bouquets, Flower Girl Accessories, Groom’s Boutonnieres }
{ Learn Nancy’s inside Floral tips and tricks }
{ Develop a Proposal }
{ Learn the benefits of Marketing – Website, Sponsoring Events, Advertising}
{ Discuss the importance of Branding}
{ Find out how to get your work Published }
{ Learn how to Create Meaningful Websites and Blogs }
{ Learn tips on Building a Strong Portfolio by taking your own photos}
{ Create a Picture Perfect Wedding – More than just Flower Design }
{ Visit San Francisco Flower Market to see what is available}
My name is Vi and just wants to drop a note to let you know that I’ll be co-authoring this lovely blog with the talented Mints Design team! This is nothing like the work of Mints, however, I do hope that you like these fresh cut hydrangea from my garden 
XoXo,
Vi
