By dot@mintsPublished: May 8th, 2009Posted in: Featured Vendors, Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal
In the past 2 weeks, I have received quite some emails and calls asking whether I have bought my dress yet. Thank you all for sending me links, images, tips and advices! And yes, I have finally picked my gown.
About 2 weeks ago, I was very tempted to visit Bridal Galleria one more time as it was offering 10% discount on all Vera Wang dresses, yet I decided I should hire a local designer, Jinza, to custom made my dress and I am so proud that I am doing so! Not only it is my strong belief that we should support local businesses and designers as much as possible, but it also means my dress will be one of a kind and perfectly fit!!
I knew I was at the right place once I walked into Jinza bridal boutique on Union Street. Her work is beautiful, feminine, flattering yet not too exaggerated. The details are intricate and I have to admit that I am soooooo fall in love with all the lace dresses (all laces are imported from France). hm…I can’t disclose my dress details here as I really want to keep it a surprise but well, I guess I may at least show you some of her work.
By the way, Jinza will name her dress after brides if you are the first to purchase the design. What a cute idea!
By dot@mintsPublished: April 22nd, 2009Posted in: Featured Vendors, Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal
For me, wedding planning is almost like going through my quarter life crisis again. Do I want a solitarie or three stones engagement ring? Do I want the diamond surrounded by bead-set diamonds or band with diamonds? Should I pick strap or strapless wedding gown? Mermaid or A line? sweetheart V-neck? how many bridesmaids? and gosh, the wedding color?! so many choices and it is incredibly hard for a person with Indecisive Syndrome.
Luckily I got Canna and Mei to help me out with my dress hunting! Our first hop was Glamour Closet in San Francisco. This place is highly recommended by a few of our clients. It carry designer gowns, such as Reem Acra, Monique Lhuillier or Vera Wang, and all these sample dresses are discounted 25-75%. It had the “March Madness” sales, where brides get an additional 25% off. No wonder one of my brides got her dress $7000 less than the retail price (huge markdowns!!). Too bad that I didn’t start my dress hunt earlier. =P
Since many brides mentioned this place is crowed on weekends and the wait can be extremely long, we visited the store on a weekday and I didn’t have to wait at all. I was surprised that this is not an “outlet” store. Instead, it is a charming boutique with good customer services. I tried on 5 dresses but didn’t find anything here as it specializes in selling samples “off the rack,” which means most of them are size 8 and up. It just wouldn’t make sense to alter a dress down to size 0 but overall it’s still a fun experience.
One thing I learned from this hop: Though I love lace but it doesn’t fit the venue’s style (yep, it is true that you need to find the venue before your dress hunt!!). I want something modern and dreamy/romantic at the same time. For my petite frame, no ball gown and I need something light and simple. hahaha…axing choices!!
By dot@mintsPublished: April 8th, 2009Posted in: Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal
Having a slideshow for the wedding reception is almost like a must these days. Some like to share their family history and couplehood with their baby pictures, high school pictures (hahaha, yea with big plastic frame glasses and heavy hairsprayed hairstyle) and of course the couple’s love story. I am sure you have seen plenty of those. Some photographers offer a slideshow of your engagement pictures and/or the images from the ceremony or rehearsal.
When Canna planned her wedding in Hong Kong 4 years ago, she didn’t want to do the regular family history slideshow. Since all guests they invited are close friends or family members, Canna and Gary wanted to do something different, more fun and unique. Instead they made a video of their very own wedding making. What a great idea, rt?! You spend all your time folding invitations, tying bows for favors and making everything so special for your guests and of course you should document all the efforts and hard work! Since I really don’t want to show my high school prom pictures (even though I am still friend with my prom date, I can’t stand my make-up and hair plus that super ugly dress. hahahahaha. I am sure I will be teased the rest of my life! ), I am so going to do the same.
So without further ado, here comes Canna and Gary’s Slideshow…(hope they won’t be mad at me showing this to everyone) Sorry it is in Chinese as it was for their Hong Kong wedding, but you can get a sense. This was put together by my cousin Mono. =P
By dot@mintsPublished: April 2nd, 2009Posted in: Featured Vendors, Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal
Wouldn’t it be nice to have your wedding at St. Regis in Bali? I always wanted a destination wedding but traveling far wouldn’t be feasible for most of our families and friends with kids. My friends and I traveled to Los Angeles last year with 4 babies and we were lucky enough to witness the record high heat wave and the most thorough LAX security check. so in a way I know it is a definite no-no. But can’t fly to Mexico or Thailand doesn’t mean we have to give up this idea altogether! We have many options for sorta weekend getaway destination weddings in Northern California. Napa Valley, Santa Cruz, Halfmoon Bay, just to name a few locations.
As I am seriously in love with Monterey/ Carmel (probably because of the Marine Biology class I took at Cal, which got me very interested in whales and dolphins or watching Olivia with a cup of hot coco at the forest theater in Carmel many years ago was the most romantic moment), it is really a no-brainer choice for us. First, it is only less than 2 hours drive. Yep, no flying required. It is tucked away from the city and it offers the stunning ocean view as well as serene mountain view. For our friends and families, it has tons of attractions, activities and things to do in Monterey Peninsula. I am not sure if I can wake up 7am to get ready for the whale watch the day after our wedding but I am sure Salad will love to visit the Aquarium one more time!
In less than 2 weeks of searching and calling, we nailed down the location – Carmel Valley Ranch. It nestled in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains and its club house has floor-to-ceiling windows which our guests may enjoy the picturesque views and the culinary by Michelin-rated Chef Michel Richard (Citronelle). We had lunch here and it’s delicious. I especially like the white leather chair and the fireplaces in the club house making the room look rustic, cozy yet modern. I can’t even tell you how much we love this place once we walked into the room! We both knew it right then this is it. Janice Twomey, the catering manager, and her assistant Kevin Doscher are also very helpful during our visit. Not only she patiently answers all our questions and sent us the estimate and pictures right after we met, she even helped us call a few photographers and vendors. It’s really thoughtful of her. I really highly recommend this place.
By dot@mintsPublished: April 1st, 2009Posted in: Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal
Finding a venue is probably the top priority (or challenge) on your list as it basically sets the tone and style for your entire wedding. Your choices of the dresses, decor, favors, invitations, and almost everything would be so different if you’re having it in a ballroom with European elegance or on a beach in Hawaiian style. Some says work is half done if you found the perfect location that fits your budget and style, but the process of finding it probably may not be an easy task as we have so many options in the Bay Area. As a slacker bride, here is my approach and it only took us two weeks to secure a place we both heart!!
Budget:
I am sure you’ve heard it already — your budget pretty much determines everything. I truly believe you don’t need to spend a million to have a memorable event and setting a budget early on helps me eliminate choices and stay focused. I highly recommend couples to start their guest lists as early as possible. Ask yourself do you envision an intimate wedding with close friends and families or do you want a festive celebration with 300 guests. I know it may not be the most exciting activity comparing to trying on wedding gowns or choosing your bouquet’s flowers, but the number of guests determine the size of the venue you needed as well as how much you can spend per person. Just a rule of thumb, generally couples spend about 50% of their total budget on their reception (site fee, rentals, food and beverages).
Too many choices
Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many choices. Before you call and email every single venue, ask yourself if you want an outdoor or indoor wedding? in a hotel grand ballroom or a luxury resort? gallery or museum? golf course or your parent’s backyard? The KEY is narrowing down your options. If you are indecisive like I am, search The Knot and other wedding websites for real wedding pictures and try your best to imagine yourself was the bride and ask if you would be smiling as pretty as the girl in the picture if this was actually your wedding. Also check out here comes the guide to get a look and feel of the venues plus all the basic information, such as site fee, minimum, photo & virtual tour. Although some of the photos may not do it justice, most of them review enough details for you to say yes or no. Does it have a view? Can it accommodate all your guests? Do you like the window treatment? (yea, one site looks very nice till I saw the window blinds in the room.) How’s the overall decor and ambiance? Good reviews on yelp? Trust your instincts. For us, we eliminated down to three choices and it only took us one day to do site visit to make the final call.
Site Visit
Be specific with your questions. Is there any limitations or rules on vendors’ choices and decor? can you bring your own liquor? what’s the payment schedule? how many hours and what are the overtime charges? is there a Bridal room? extra fee for parking? Ask them to provide you an estimate. Although some locations require a site fee, it may still save some dough if they let you bring your own wine and liquor (tips from my brides).
Last but not least, search online and see if the venue is in good business/ financial standing before you sign anything. Next time, I am going to tell you my final pick. =)
By dot@mintsPublished: March 26th, 2009Posted in: News, dot's wedding journal
It’s been so long since I last blog and I have so much to share with y’all!
To kick start 2009, we welcome Charene the Sleepy Head (Canna’s second baby girl) to join our team! YEAH! She took us by surprise arriving a little bit earlier than we expected but what’s not shocking is Charene looks just like her sister, Salad and her dad Gary. We are truly thrilled with this new addition and I bet now my wallet is lighter than ever! I will post some of my latest finds for these lovely girls later this week.
Now the second news may not be a big secret after all. As you have already noticed, Mints has a new website and I hope it would be your new eye candy and your source of ideation! The songs are my personal favorites and I am asking my friends to send me theirs too. stay tune!!
Last and not least, I am engaged!! After planning hundreds of weddings for others, it’s finally my turn and I am telling you it is not at all an easy challenge. You may think that I should know it all by now, such as where to find those talented vendors, DIY ideas, bargains, tips and tricks and I just need to pick and pay and boom all set. I thought so too till I realize how many choices I have and it’s heartbreaking to let some great ideas fly out the window but focus on a few! Why can’t I have it all, rt?! I am having so much pain and fun and I am committed to share every single step with you all.
“If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped”.
- Melinda Gates
