NACE in Wonderland Gala

On April 17th. I had the pleasure of attending the NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) Gala with my friend Gabby of Cake Coquette. This year's gala was held at the new Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco and the theme was Alice in Wonderland. Each florist who contributed to the event was asked to create their interpretation of Alice in Wonderland through flowers. What they came up with was quite extraordinary and above are just some examples of what Floramor Studios, Mandy Scott Flowers, Passiflora Designs and Flowers by Atalanta created.


MB, Ron Grandia and Jenny Voight


This centerpiece was created by Mints Flower and it was the centerpiece that graced our dinner table throughout the evening....pretty cool huh?

Sooo Inticing!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Zubal, the owner of Inticing Creations. Kelly, who creates special occasion cakes or "party centerpieces" as she calls em is based in SF and has been creating custom celebration cakes for the past few years now. I heard about Kelly through my good friend Bev and after taking a glance at her website and viewing her amazing cakes I had to call her and schedule a tasting, just to see if the cakes tasted as good as they looked.
Kelly gladly agreed to come by my office and bring me some samples of her delicious cakes and of course I was excited, because who doesn't like cake????

Well folks after trying several of the different cakes that Kelly had brought me, I must say I was quite impressed. Not only were the cakes good but the flavors where very unique and it appeared to me as if Kelly really took her time in creating something that your palette would never forget. I think one of my favorite flavors was the salty caramel.....yummmm! After my tasting with Kelly I noticed there was a chocolate brown box with a pink ribbon sitting right next to her and for some reason I hadn't noticed this little box which appeared to be a gift of some sort till after the tasting, so me being of curious nature asked who the gift was for, (knowing deep down it had to be for me) and of course as I presumed it was for me.

I just love gifts...especially edible gifts :0)





Thanks Kelly for the great cake tasting and for the gift!

Viva Las Vegas

March was a very busy month for me, with Promises and Pearls, my wedding anniversary and my trip to Vegas, I definitely had a busy month....hence the reason I didn't find time to blog, so please forgive me. In any case I had a great time in Vegas, but it definitely wasn't all play since I was out there for work as well. I was out there to meet with some of the folks at the Wynn for a wedding I am planning out there in the fall. The Wynn's in-house florist is the one who created the lush florals you see in the photo to the right, and she will also be providing my bride and groom with beautiful flowers in their suite for their wedding weekend.

My client's are from the bay area and originally had planned to get married in SF, but eventually chose to have a smaller wedding in Las Vegas. The ceremony and reception for 10 will take place in one of the larger suites at the Wynn Hotel, with a full view of the strip. I am super excited to be planning and coordinating this wedding, since I LOVE LAS VEGAS....my husband and I literally go out there 2-3 times a year.

Aside from working on this trip, I did manage to squeeze in some "fun time" and also celebrate my 3 year wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband and business partner, Francisco. While visiting Las Vegas, we also managed to hang out with a few of our wedding industry friends who were in town for the WPPI convention, and here are some photos of us just having a good ole time in LV....enjoy!

Photos courtesy of: MB, Augie Chang and David Ethridge


Angelica Glass, MB, John Griffin, Gene Higa,
Ann Hamilton and Augie Chang hanging out
inside TAO


Justin and MB at TAO


Augie and MB at TAO


Augie, MB, Angelica and Justin hanging out
inside TAO


Francisco, Gene showing off his new biz cards and Justin in the limo...cruising the Las Vegas
strip on our way to the Bellagio


Justin Fone, MB, Beverly Yip hanging out at
the Bellagio


Beverly, Jennifer, Jay, Justin, Duncan, MB,
Francisco and David - Dinner at Trader Vic's
inside Planet Hollywood


Duncan, Beverly and MB having too much fun
in the car!


Gene and MB at TAO


MB and my wonderful hubby, Francisco..cheers!

It's finally here......

....photos of Promises and Pearls, that is. I know many of you have already seen photos of this beautiful soiree that was held on March 5th. 2008 at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria. The soiree was truly a success and it couldn't of been possible without the help of our talented professionals who where featured at the event.

As some of you may know, Promises and Pearls was created last year by myself and Beverly Yip of Especially Yours Chair Covers, for those brides looking for an alternative to the large bridal shows. We wanted to create a very boutique like event, by showcasing only 1-2 vendors in each category. With this concept it allowed each bride and groom to have more one on one time at our event with each vendor they visited and they didn't feel so overwhelmed by having more than 2 vendors in each category to choose from.

With the success of last year's soiree, we decided to bring back Promises and Pearls, and we are glad we did. This year's event was definitely a step up from last year's, and we received tons of compliments from our many bride and grooms and professionals who attended the event. We look forward to next year's soiree and once again we want to THANK each and everyone of our talented professionals and sponsors who were featured at this year's Promises and Pearls.

Venue: San Francisco Design Center Galleria
Event Design: MB Wedding Design & Events
Chair Covers: Especially Yours Chair Covers
Floral Designer: Spiralhand Floral & Event Design
Rentals and Draping: Hartmann Studios
Caterer: Nico Martin Presents
Beverages: Best Beverage Catering
Lighting: Elle Music and Impact Lighting
Band: Keith Johnson All Stars
DJ: Elle Music
Stationery: Marizette Paperie
Cake: Cake Coquette and Glass Slipper Gourmet
Photographers: Jennifer Skog and Melinda Le' Photography
Videographer: Studio MSV
Hair and Makeup: Professional Makeup Artistry
Jewelry: Carrie D. Mader
Salon and Spa: MNKY THMP
Chocolatier: Coco Delice
Wedding Resources: The Flirty Guide, Brides and YWD
Favors: Beau-Coup
Cupcakes: Sibby's Cupcakery
Transportation: Bay Area Limousine and Transportation

Video courtesy of: Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV



Photos courtesy of: Allure West, Augie Chang and W Photography






Jennifer Skog & Maria Chang - MB and Andrew Hsu










MB & Carl Mindling


Gene Higa, Ann Hamilton & Kevin Chin




Some brides to be....................... Jennifer Skog & Nicole Ha








Some Promises & Pearls guest.......Beverly Yip and family


Carrie D. Mader & Crew








Melinda Le'.......................................................Nico Martin


Kevin Chin & Trish Lee


Karen Miyanga, Gene Higa & Ann Hamilton


Zuesette & Marivic..................................Beverly & Augie




Nicole Ha & Augie Chang......some more P&P brides to be

Studio MSV Launch Party

So I'm finally getting around to bloggin about the first event I planned and hosted this year, which was the launch party for Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV formerly known as Morning Star Videography. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew last year when we worked on a wedding together at Yang Sink. I very much liked Andrew's warm personality and calming demeanor and we definitely clicked from the start. We stayed in touch after the wedding and as soon as my wedding season was over I invited Andrew to come visit me in my SF studio. He brought me some demos and we got to chat more about his company and how he got started. I really liked Andrew's style and the fact that he could be romantic and edgy at the same time and I think that versatility is great quality to have.

Shortly after our meeting Andrew began discussing the need to network with other vendors in our industry and his plans to relaunch his company with a new name and new branding. Andrew asked me if I would help him plan and coordinate his launch party and of course I couldn't say no to creating a fab event for him. The event was held on February 5th. at the ultra trendy and chic photography studio occupied by the Dekker/Muse photography gals, Beth and Laura. Their space is located near SOMA and they rent it out for private events. We were so happy to have Andrew's event in this space, because for me it was a blank canvas that I could work with and have fun decorating. While we didn't do a whole lot to enhance the space, we did have the help of some key professionals who helped us transform this work studio into a lounge scene and while I have already thanked each and everyone one of these folks personally, I thought I'd do it again.....so here's to all of you who helped make Andrew's event a huge success:

Nico Martin Presents for the delicious food
Spiralhand Floral & Event Design for the flowers
Hartmann Studios for the rentals
Elle Music & Events for the lighting, gobo and DJ services
Cake Coquette for the delicious petite fours
Beth and Laura of Dekker/Muse photography for their space

Many thanks to all of you for your help in launching Studio MSV!!!

Enjoy the pics below provided by Ricky Wong of W Photography, Jennifer Skog and Dekker/Muse Photography







Andrew and Armando of Get Your Do Up





Monica & Ed Pingol with Jennifer Skog



Gene Higa and Maria Chang of PMA





Celeste and MB



Andrew and Ricky Wong of W Photography





Jennifer, Andrew and Ricky

A Masque Ball

About two weeks I got to attend a really fun and swanky industry event put on by BAWN, the Bay Area Wedding Network. A group of talented professionals transformed and already beautiful and newly remodeled Julia Morgan Ballroom into a lavish and lush romantic oasis. The lighting was killer, the florals where amazing and the food wasn't too shabby either.....but what makes these events so great are the people you get to surround yourself with and this event was truly just a fun night out for all of us to eat, drink, dance and enjoy in each other's company.

Photo above: Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide, and MB

Photos courtesy of Stacie Tamaki, Misti Layne Photography and Rosemarie Lion Photography


From left to right: Morgan Doan, Justin Fone, MB, Natalie and Jung Wi


The exquisite Julia Morgan Ballroom

Cathy and Melinda of Melinda Le' Photography & MB

The Premiere......Justin Fone Productions

The other evening I had the pleasure of attending a premier party for one of my good friends, Justin Fone of Justin Fone Productions. His company produces high quality cinematic videos that are likely to bring a tear to your eyes. The party was held at his ultra modern and chic loft in SF, and champagne was flowing throughout the evening, along with some delicious food prepared by Alex's Catering and super yummy cupcakes that Sonya of Butterfly Cakes provided. The whole ambiance and mood was very swanky, turning his loft into an ultra lounge. The lighting and draping was provided by Enhanced Lighting and of course this event was only fabulous thanks to the design and coordination of my good friend Duncan Reyes!

Here are some photos courtesy of Auggie Chang and Maria Chang.....no relation to each other :0) and Duncan Reyes







Justin, MB, Pat



MB and Bev of Especially Yours Chair Covers ........and the consequences of eating one of Sonya's delicious cupcakes!



Neil of Justin Fone Productions and MB



Justin's pad fully turned out into a swanky ultra lounge



MB and Maria Chang of Professional Makeup Artistry

Go Kart Racing

All work and no play is never fun, so the other day I decided to engage in some extra curricular activities with some fellow wedding industry friends. I agreed to go Go Kart Racing without really knowing what I was getting myself into. As I arrived to Go Kart Racer in Burlingame I was given a black ski mask and directed to the ladies dressing room, where I found some not so flattering jumpsuits. At first I thought the jumpsuits where an option, till I read the sign on the wall. In the spirit of racing I grabbed a green jumpsuit from the rack and began to gear up for the race track. After we all geared up we headed out for a practice round on the Yamaha track, which lasted about 5 minutes and in those 5 minutes I experienced such an incredible rush, as I had no idea these cars went so fast.

After the practice round, we took a quick break before preparing for the main race, which was going to be 15 minutes of non-stop racing. We all got back into our cars and headed out onto the track for what was supposed to be a grueling race between the 10 of us.....however my competitive side got the best of me as I was speeding around one of the curves and I ended up crashing into the dividers causing the other 9 drivers to slow down and eventually everyone had to stop and restart from the begining. I should of mentioned that in the previous practice round I came in 6th. place and my goal was to come in at least 4th. or 5th. place in the main race.....but I never made it to the end of that race. After my crash I lost my competitive edge and bowed out gracefully after 10 minutes of racing. While I ended up with some minor bruising from the crash, I had a really great time with some awesome people and I would totally do it again!

Thanks to Geoff and Laura for the BBQ that followed the race and to David for organizing this fun outing....I can't wait for our next field trip!




From left to right: Nicole D'Ambra, Rich Amooi,
Crystal Lequang, Me, Linnae Asiel, Jon Gomez, Geoff White
In the back: John Woods and David Ethridge



The Girls: Me, Nicole, Crystal and Linnae

Wildflower Linens

The other night I attended the opening of Wildflower Linens new SF showroom. It was an amazing showcase of some of the most luxurious linens I have ever seen. I recently learned about Wildflower a few months back while I was swifting through the pages of a wedding magazine. I saw their add and thought to myself "wow, these are some serious linens", and indeed they were. The creative force behind Wildflower Linens is Youngsong Martin who began her career as a fashion designer. She was determined to create a new standard for tabletop and event design, hence combining unique materials, rich colors and creative patterns into her linen and chair cover designs. While these linens don't come cheap, they will definitely create a unique and custom look for any special event .





Pavan of Alia Designs and MB

Back from Europe....

Wondering where I've been??? Well I was away for a few days and just got back, back from Europe that is. I got back last week from a 9 day trip to Europe that started out in the beautiful city of Paris, with it's glowing lights, delicious pastries and an incredible eye for fashion! I was so overwhelmed by the history and architect that surrounds Paris. I did my best to make use of my four days in Paris by visiting sites like the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and the crown jewels, and the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which is an amazingly beautiful church. I also made a trip to the Palace of Versailles, which was once the home to King Louis XIV. Now this is what I call a home.....the backyard alone is one of the largest formal gardens ever created, with extensive fountains, plants and canals. I can only imagine what it would of been like to live here. Of course no trip to Paris would be complete without visiting the Eiffel Tour, which is what I did on my second night in Paris, even though I nearly froze to death....ok maybe not to death, but it sure was cold outside. All in all Paris was an incredible city and I fell in love with the rich history, the decadent food and the incredible sense of fashion that the Parisians have.

The next and final stop on my trip was London, England, home to the queen. On my first day in London I ventured out to the theater district to purchase tickets for a show and while in line at the box office, I noticed this cute little restaurant called The Mermaid. They had a billboard out in front that read "Best fish n chips in England", so needless to say I had to find out for myself. While I'm not sure if they were the best fish n chips in England, since I'm not from there, I will have to say they where the best fish n chips I've ever eaten. Aside from eating fish n chips in London, I also ate the traditional bangers n mash, with a side of Yorkshire pudding that was absolutely YUMMY! Oh, and if you are wondering what I ended up purchasing tickets for, it was Avenue Q. Now this show may not appeal to everyone but it definitely had my stomach hurting, with it's blunt humor and realism, I laughed through the entire show. On my second day in London, I took the big red bus all around town, making stops at the House of Parliament, also known as Big Ben, the London Eye, Abbey Road, Trafalgar Square, Notting Hill, and Buckingham Palace. The bus is the best route to go for anyone who hasn't been to London before, as I purchased a ticket that lasted two days and you can get on and off the bus as you please and it runs every 15 minutes throughout the day. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Europe, but my only gripe was that it was too short, as all my vacations are.

Here are some photos from my trip: