There is something so magical about partying inside a tent, so what better way to welcome everyone to The Academy by having our kick-off party inside an extraordinary tent that was transformed to an Emerald Underworld by the talented Gloria Wong.
It really took an entire year of creative collaborations and careful logistical planning to produce this phenomenal tent party, because every little detail was attended to. Each vase had beautiful, intricate details embellished by Asiel Design, from black fringes to sparkly brooches to sexy black lace. The black beaded drapery were custom ordered by Enhanced Lighting, and each Louis chair was upholstered by Hartmann Studios with special fabric that was selected by Gloria. The wall flats were wrapped with a custom pattern paper designed by Peculiar Pair Press, as were the large pendants hanging from the tent ceiling liner.
The canopy in the middle was dressed in the same emerald fabric as the Louis chairs, thanks to the very hard working staff at Enhanced Lighting. It was anchored by two black Fu Lions from Hartmann Studios, and had custom pillows all around it to create the sultry ambiance that Gloria envisioned for the jazz trio by Bay Music and Entertainment.
Guests were greeted by four sexy, stunning models in black dresses by Bella Bridesmaid with emerald jewelry from Naomi King before they were offered our specialty 'Jade Dynasty' martini to kick start the party!
Ofcourse, we must acknowledge the wonderful St. Regis San Francisco for being the most gracious hosts for The Academy! Thank you!!
To read about Gloria's conceptualization process, click here.
If you read our previous post on Gloria Wong's design vision for the Museum of Petals dinner at the inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers, you will know that a great deal of time and creativity was spent in conceptualizing the beautiful design behind this party which was held in honor of the lovely Grace Ormonde.
Everything came together SO beautifully, and I wish someone had captured the moment the ballroom doors opened. Everyone was in awe and about a hundred cameras were flashing at the same time!
At the center of the room was a floor to ceiling tree that hung hundreds of thousands of petal strands. It was an amazing focal point, and each design element tied in so perfectly with the unique decor of The St. Regis San Francisco.
Gloria collaborated immensely with some very talented people in the Bay Area to make her vision come true:
Our Emerald Underworld Welcome Party was designed by the ever so lovely (and humble!) Gloria Wong Design. I seriously wished I could have sent her flying into the tent like an acrobat when I acknowledged her at my opening speech, because she so deserved that ultra special spotlight. But, she really would have killed me, because she so prefers to stay under the radar. I have never met someone so incredibly talented, yet SO modest and humble! It's hard not to love Gloria Wong, because she is one of the sweetest, most genuine person you will ever meet.
Gloria did such a phenomenal job designing the Emerald Underworld party, which was held inside a tent on the terrace of The St. Regis San Francisco. For months, she worked diligently with Hartmann Studios, Enhanced Lighting, Peculiar Pair Press, and Asiel Design to transform the tent into a sexy, sultry, 'underworld' with black beaded drapery, geometric patterned pendants, Fu lions, and so many other fabulous details. It was fun to watch people's jaw drop when they first entered the tent, greeted by these sexy models wearing dresses from Bella Bridesmaid and jewelry from Naomi King.
My favorite part of event planning is the production process, and I loved being able to partake in the transformation of the tent, from the carpet installation to the velon ceiling liner to the chiffon wall drapes....and then all of the details being put into place, one by one.
It's hard to believe that exactly one week ago, I was on my way to the Museum of Petals dinner at the inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers! It was such a joy to meet my peers from all across the country, Canada, and Mexico. Like everyone else, we were completely inspired and encouraged to run back to our business to take it to the next level, now that we're armed with such valuable knowledge and information learned from our amazing speakers.
There's so much to share from The Academy, and we will definitely be blogging more about it, as well as reveal some exciting things that are cooking at Wedding 360. For now, I want to share a round-up of fun blog posts from some of our speakers and attendees!
It's hard to put on any kind of event for planners and designers without fun, over the top parties. Despite the fact that we packed two full days of incredible educational content, we couldn't resist planning two extraordinary parties as well! You work hard, you have to play hard, right?
At our Museum of Petals dinner in honor of Grace Ormonde, held inside the magnificent ballroom of The St. Regis San Francisco (photos to come!) we had a real fun photo station by SNAPSHOT. Gloria Wong designed a beautiful backdrop that went with the overall event design, and SNAPSHOT provided lots of cute props to be used, such as smitten sticks. Everyone relaxed and became goofy in front of the camera!
I will definitely post a lot more photos in the coming week, but here are some fun ones from SNAPSHOT!
The past five days have been a whirlwind for us. The pre-con on Friday seemed like it was months ago. Has it really only been just a few days?
The debut of our inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers couldn't have been more successful. I use the term successful because everybody left the event feeling inspired, encouraged, motivated, and knowledgeable. That was our goal from the very beginning, and although it took an entire year of thoughtful planning, it was well worth every sweat and tear.
There are soooo many people that we want to thank:
--The St. Regis San Francisco, for its five star service all the way --Our stellar group of speakers who taught so passionately and openly --All of our enthusiastic attendees that sponged up every ounce of knowledge and inspiration --Our incredible sponsors that worked around the clock for us for 3 whole days --Our amazing Wedding 360 staff that took care of every last detail so we could be the best hostesses for our guests
There is so much to tell that I don't even know where to start. Admittedly, I am quite exhausted, so for now I'd like to give you a sneak preview on the fun by sharing a really cool video from our rock star cinematographer Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV. This video captured Sunday, March 14th, where attendees arrived to check in and to attend our Emerald Underworld kick-off party at The St. Regis San Francisco.
Less than 2 weeks away, but there is still time to register!
Investment to attend is $975 per person. Registration includes all meals, classes, and social events from Sunday, March 14, 2010 through Tuesday, March 16, 2010.
Here is our final agenda for The Academy! We are so thrilled and excited to have top experts in their respective fields be present to teach what they are best at. They will be sharing a lot of how-to's and going quite in-depth into the nitty gritties of their specific topics. Attendees will definitely take away a wealth of knowledge and inspiration!
7:00pm-9:30pm: ‘Emerald Underworld’ Welcome Cocktail Party, designed by Gloria Wong Design, in the terrace tent at The St. Regis (Click here for sneak preview!)
Monday, March 15, 2010(Breakfast, lunch, and classes will be held at Four Seasons SF)
6:00am-10:00pm: Blogging/Internet Lounge open all day for TAPD attendees at The St. Regis
8:00am-9:00am: Continental Breakfast provided by Wedding 360
9:00am-10:30am: Speaker Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts will present the state of the wedding industry as it relates to Planners and Designers
10:45am-12:15pm: Speaker Sean Low of The Business of Being Creative will teach practical advice to make your wedding planning or event design business profitable, and whether or not it is wise to market yourself as both a planner and a designer
1:30pm-2:30pm: Speaker David Beahm of David Beahm Designs will teach a 'Lifestyle Weddings Design Techniques Master Class--Designing for visual volume and perceived value in the new economy.'
2:45pm-3:45pm: Speaker Todd Fiscus of Todd Events will teach about his unique approach to design, and the 'behind the scenes' of expanding and growing your design business effectively
4:00pm-4:45pm: ‘Forward Thinking’ presentation with Abby and Tait Larson of Style Me Pretty to
discuss their vision for the new decade. What will come after blogging, and DIY?
4:45pm-5:15pm: ‘Forward Thinking’ presentation with Siri and Rosalind of Two Bright Lights. They will have a live demonstration of their new social networking tool that will revolutionize the way we do our marketing in the wedding industry
7:00pm-7:30pm: Mixologist to present 'What's new in Cocktailing'. Sample the newest, trendiest cocktails to recommend to your clients!
7:30pm-10:30pm: "Museum of Petals" dinner inside the Gallery Ballroom at The St. Regi in honor of Grace Ormonde (Click here for a sneak preview of the extraordinary design by Gloria Wong of Gloria Wong Design)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 (Breakfast, lunch, and classes to be held at The St. Regis)
6:00am-8:00pm: Blogging/Internet Lounge open all day for TAPD attendees
8:30am-9:30am: Continental Breakfast provided by Wedding 360
9:30am-11:00am: Speaker Tara Guerard of Soiree by Tara Guerard will teach all about spatial planning and techniques to overcome spatial challenges, including tent design.
11:15am-12:30pm: Grace Ormonde, Catherine Hall, Gene Higa and Youngsong Martin of Wildflower Linens will present as a panel, the relationship between a designer/planner, a photographer, and an editor. They will provide tips on how to maximize these relationships and how to work best together on events and photoshoots
12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch provided by Wedding 360 | Portrait opps with Orange Photography
1:45pm-3:00pm: Design Panel will include Tara Guerard, Nancy Liu Chin, Linnae Asiel, Grant Rector who will share their processes from inspiration to conceptualization to production for their individual design showcases. Moderated by Linda Hylen, this amazing panel of speakers will also share their trend forecasts and design perspectives with us
3:15pm-4:00pm: Speaker Ethan Mantle of Componere Fine Catering and sommelier Yohanna Burmeister of Henry Wine Group will reveal the latest trends in food and wine pairing, and also share tips on how food presentation can complement event design. A tasting and wine flight will be included in this portion!
5:00pm-7:00pm Farewell Happy Hour at Credo, hosted by Linda Hylen of the Julia Morgan Ballroom
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
1 on 1 consulting opportunities with Sean Low--VERY limited space, please inquire at jubilee@wedding360llc.com (additional fee of $500 for each 1 hour time slot)
The entire wedding industry has been buzzing about an amazing new organization that was recently founded by a lovely wedding planner by the name of Liz Guthrie.
What is Wish Upon A Wedding?
Wish Upon A Wedding was founded in San Francisco, CA, in January of 2010, by a group of wedding and business entrepreneurs and is America’s FIRST nonprofit wedding wish granting organization, producing weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States for individuals facing terminal illness, regardless of sexual orientation.
What a great cause!!
The wedding industry is one of the most giving industries, and in a very short amount of time, they now boast twenty chapters nationwide, headed by some of the industry’s most renowned leaders with plans to expand to over 40 chapters worldwide.
Who Is Behind Wish Upon A Wedding?
Presidents:
Sasha Souza, National President & SF Bay Area President
Kevin Covey, LA/Orange County
Stella Inserra, New York
Ivy Robinson, The Carolinas
Eliana Baucicault, Atlanta
Mary Alice Sublett, Tennessee
Mark Kingsdorf, Philadelphia
Saundra Hadley, Indianapolis
Heather Hamilton Sims, Houston
Shelby Tuck Horton, DC
Elisa Delgardio, Orlando
Ali Phillips, Chicago
Daniela Isabella Ferdico Fagét, Seattle
They also have many influential people in the industry who are beginning to endorse Wish Upon A Wedding and the endorsements can be found on their website. In addition, they have amazing people sitting on their Boards and Advisory Panel throughout the US such as Dana Larue Stiebel “Broke-Ass Bride” {LA Chapter PR Chair}, Leila Khalil {National PR Advisor}, Beth Helmstetter {National Outreach Director} just to name a few.
How Wishes Are Granted:
To qualify for Wishes, applicants must be unmarried legal citizens of the United States, over the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with less than three years to live. Couples can be granted wishes either in the chapter where they live or in a chapter of their choosing as long as they are able to make the trip.
Couples can simply apply online to request one of three wedding types:
URGENT (Up to 10 guests, in hospital or at bedside);
BOUTIQUE (up to 25 guests, in home town of applicant);
ROMANTIC (Up to 50 guests, at any WUW destination)
As Wedding Industry Professionals, How Can We Grant Wishes?
As WUW builds their organization, Wish Granters are needed in all locations. Please apply online today to start helping them make Wedding Wishes come true. In two weeks, Wish Upon A Wedding will be granting the very first wish. To read more about that wish and the couple please visit the website.
Liz Guthrie will be at The Academy next week to talk to us about this amazing organization, and answer questions!
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