Blog Flower Wedding Advice - Nancy Liu Chin - Top Floral Designer Bog, Event Designer

Press: Elle and Zach's Real Wedding in Smitten

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when you meet a couple, you know instantly that they have this connection. I felt that the moment I spoke with Elle and Zach over a conference call in 2010. Even through the phone lines, I could sense how much they cared about each other and it really shows! Look at these amazing images caught by my college friend, Michael Muramoto - a true talent. Our fiercely leader was Christopher Lee of Leftwich Events. Thank Hartmann Studios for the terrific job on the rentals and lighting. It truly takes a team to create such a gracious wedding.

Finally....

I'm honored that Smitten Magazine(can I say - giddy!) featured Elle and Zach's urban wedding at the sleek St Regis San Francisco(where the best catering staff works).

About Nancy: Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year wishes to everyone.

Here are some of my favorite Chinese New Year traditions....

It is traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house prior to New Year's. Cleaning or cleansing the house is a way to sweep away any bad luck and of course to make room for incoming good fortunes. For me, it's just a great way to declutter. Letting go of things you don't use. Starting a new year on a clean slate. I like that a lot.

Many Chinese families love to decorate their windows, doors, homes with red paper cut outs. Usually red colorful words like prosperity, double happiness, good fortune are things to "hang" on your doors. Red is one of those festive and bright colors, symbolic of happiness and good luck. You will see red mixed with gold as they form a celebratory combination. My hubby and I dressed up in traditional Chinese wedding clothes for a photoshoot but this is not a requirement during the celebrations(you might look a big foolish!).

On the Eve of Chinese New Year, dinner is traditionally eaten with your families. My mom usually orders or makes a combination of Crispy Roasted pigs, Peking ducks, Fried or steamed chicken as well as dumplings and noodles. Treats are sometimes hidden in dumplings. Not to scare you but one year we went to a restaurant that my parents frequent, the chef hid dimes, pennies and peanuts in the dumplings. Luckily, no one swallowed the "hidden" treats. The treats represent what your year will bring.

To all - I wish you a brilliant Year of the Dragon!

Inspirations: What's Hot in 2012

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone wants to know what's hot now but also what will be hot for this year. Here's what I think is going to be hot in weddings for 2012.

Post Vintage

Yes, we've loved vintage for so long. We are definitely entering a post Vintage era. The more brides I see, the more that I hear that they don't want to do things that look too stereotypical vintage. Several aspects related to vintage like stacks of old books, antique typewriters, rusty keys, olden luggage, old fashioned mason jars, aged pie tins, country farmer boxes, old loose buttons are now standard and losing their uniqueness. In the post Vintage era, be more refined in your design. Refining what is key, pinpointing beautiful new textures, avoiding cliches are the keys to creating an updated Vintage.

Remember - go beyond.

Courtesy of Style Me Pretty's Best of 2011 Wedding Magazine Issue

Strictly Ballroom
For several years, bloggers and on line wedding resources have inundated us with garden, outdoor, romantic weddings. The reality is that most couples don't have the luxury to exchange vows under a willow tree in Sonoma or walk through beautiful lush grassy fields in Jackson Hole. Some of us don't get married in the prime months where the weather is beautiful and calm. Many of us must face extremely humid and hot climates and/or rainy and windy temperatures. The truth is that ballrooms, halls, indoor weddings have been snubbed. It's really not an editors fault. Who doesn't love when Jose Villa captures a Santa Barbara vineyard, outdoor wedding? Who doesn't love when Karen Tran does those fabulous ceremonies by the San Diego waters? Who can resist the detail designs of those lovely Southern estate wedding by Tara Guerard of Soiree Charleston? Of course we love the graciousness that outdoor venues bring.

But....

Revamped interiors will be a huge trend in 2012. I can't wait to see how couples will transform space. One key thing is utilizing the ceiling as a design element.

As always I love how lighting and sheer drapery can create softer moods.

From Tic Tock Flowers in Los Angeles

Lastly, remember the more unusual the indoor settings, the better. Places not typical for weddings will be a must. Think old railroad stations, university libraries, county halls, or even churches(think of removing pews)

Color Me Mine
It feels as if every color could be trendworthy.

Metals - my favorite new metal is Gold. Soft gold, burnt gold, antique gold. This is not shiny gold but more mutted, more blond. In tabletops, gold is big! I see it in the china, glassware, lighting fixtures, and more.

Pastels - my favorite pastel hue continues to be blush, suede, fleshy peach. You can use it as an accent with browns, sable, cement or gravel, warm greys, antique golds, vanilla creams. You name it.

Bolds - Neon brights are hot in fashion. Colored denim is trendy. Given that I think there are nice ways of splashing color without making the wedding appear like trashy '80s nightmare flick. For me, pair a bright bold fuchsia with a neutral color. I like navy with bright white and hot pink and even a splash of lemon. Be your own editor and cut things that might make your wedding a cliche.

Photography by Angie Silvy. Flowers by Nancy Liu Chin

Instead of Pink - Try Lavender or Pale Hyacinth. I'm loving how this color palette can be paired with blues. But it is also really strong with taupe, naturals, creams. And if you think I'm still wrong, check this out.

Courtesy of Canadian Home

New Blacks - Black is always in. Of course in years past it was all about chocolates and browns. I'm passed those. I like true black or even a dark steel.

Neutrals - my favorite neutral is cement, gravel, paperbag. It's not khaki. It's not cream. In fact, it pops against black and white.

Cycle around Cyclamen

My favorite flower for 2012 are cyclamens. I just love their ruffled petals and their clean stems.

Courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings

Return to Gatsby
My God! When I remember watching The Great Gatsby when I was in high school during our American Lit class, all I could remember was Robert Redford in that cable knit Swiss Vanilla Tennis sweater and Mia Farrow in that beautiful sheer white, long sleeve, 20 - 30's flowing dress. That image has been burned in my head.

It's so ethereal, elegant, preppy, serene. And I think the influence of The Gatsby 2012 will be a big influence in weddings. It's Long Island, prestigious, subtle elegance. Can't you see bow ties, black tuxedos, pearls, white flowing 20's flapper dresses, jeweled brooches, pool parties, tennis lawns, Ralph Lauren mets Tom Ford, gardenias, white lilies, lilacs, old fashion champagne glasses, caviar, candlelights, Pre War mansions, vintage convertibles. You get the drift, right?

Courtesy of The Great Gatsby Movie

Best Thing Ever: Winter Branch Motif Cake

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

Heavenly is how I would describe this Winter Motif Cake.
It's perfectly balanced. The proportions of this cake is lovely.

I just wished I knew who made this cake. If you can help us identify it, I would be so grateful. It was originally on Pinterest with no cake credit so your help is needed. Send us your comments so we can give the cake designer a well deserved shoutout.

Cake and Sweets: Fudgelicious!

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

So appropriate for winter are fudge desserts. Once again I've borrowed something from Pink Blossom List. Enjoy these tempting images....Gotta to run and grab some fudge!

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Love chocolate but are looking to keep things fun and interesting at your wedding? Experiment with fudge. Its easy, fun, and delicious!

Fudge can easily be dyed different colors if you are trying to coordinate with a particular color scheme...and the flavor possibilities are endless!

The packaging is another opportunity to get creative and personalized.

If you love the idea of incorporating fudge, but are looking to keep things more traditional, try these mini fudge cakes (courtesy of Martha Stewart) on your dessert table in addition to your wedding cake.

Jars of hot fudge make perfect party favors (or late night snacks)!

Photo Credit: Wedding By Color, New Jersey Bride, Martha Stewart, Wedding Favors to Love

Press: Best Wedding 2011 In Style Me Pretty Magazine

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you Style Me Pretty for featuring Leslie and Jeffrey's Alfresco Chic wedding in your Best Weddings of 2011. It was an honor to work with a fabulous team which included Gloria Wong, Jubilee Lau, Lisa Lefkowitz, Paula le Duc, Good on Paper Design to name just a few.

The wonderful images by Lisa Lefkowitz take my breath away.
One of my favorite elements is the delicious ombre cake by Cake Coquette. Sublime.
How awesome were the escort cards. So clever, Gloria.
And who can resist coral peonies? Adorable.

Pretty is truly an understatement for this Chic wedding!

Best Thing Ever: Amazing Wintry Table

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I got the best(truly best) holiday card from the creative genius behind Tic Toc Florals, Eddie Zaratsian. His beautiful, moody holiday card featured this ethereal, luxe, glam tablescape.

I was totally enraptured by it's simplicity luxe beauty - which was artful, wintry, serene, and tailored. Love love love. It's one of those design that you wished you came up with first(I'm jealous!)

I loved it so much that I'm making this tablescape Best Thing Ever!!! Because it really is. Eddie, you are fab.

Lessons: Stressful Jobs

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

If you are reading my first "Lessons" post of 2012 you will realize that the news is not good at all for some wedding professionals. It turns out that CareerCast has listed "Event Coordinator" as one of the most stressful jobs to have in 2012.

Event coordinator aka Event Designer, Event Planner, Wedding Coordinator, or Special Events Manager are all interchangeable to some degree. It doesn't surprise me that event professionals have a stressful job.

There are plenty of reasons why it can be stressful but for me one of the things that makes Event Planning, Design, and/or Coordination so difficult is the amount of ambiguity.

"All people are paradoxical. No one is easily reducible, so I like characters who have contradictory impulses or shades of ambiguity. It's fun, and it's fun because it's hard. - Edward Norton"

Actor Edward Norton likes characters who are contradictory and who have varying impulses. However, in wedding and event coordination this typically adds to the stress of the job. When your client(and I don't care if it is a bride, mother of the groom, corporate committee), has varying likes, dislikes and needs, it leads to ambiguity and chaos. Trying to filter through likes, dislikes, expectations, needs, whims makes for a stressful job because you are never certain if your decision making is align with your clients ultimate wants and priorities.

One of the things that makes my job maddening is lack of inspiration or not understanding one's likes/dislikes.

A white back, I interviewed wedding clients who came to me without any ideas or vision. Their hope was that I would instantly and magically come up with some brilliant ideas upon meeting them yet when asked they couldn't really pinpoint any likes, dislikes, wishes or inspirations. When I asked them for something tangible to build on they said that they were hoping to find something in my portfolio that would click. This dialogue continued for another 10 minutes because I kept saying that I couldn't just come up with something brand new if I didn't have one small thing that was personable and unique to the couple. I asked question of their likes, dislikes in terms of style, flowers, colors. I inquired about their engagement and other relationship milestones. I asked what their favorite hobbies were. I even asked if they had ever gone to a wedding that they thought was wonderful. And the more I asked the more the clients became frustrated and simply said, "Nancy, we're just boring. We don't have any strong likes or dislikes. Once we see something that we do like, we will go with it.".

The problem is how am I suppose to figure out what they might like when I just met them 5 minutes ago. I am no mind reader and I doubt that your event coordinator will have magic powers too. How is anyone to create without some outside influence or brainstorming?

Let me just tell you that it was one of the most challenging meetings I've ever endured. It was completely stressful for me and the clients. Ultimately, I gave up on asking what the clients wanted and showed them 3 varying storyboards that I was working on for other clients in hopes it would spark imagination and show them that I did have creativity and good, solid ideas.

For reasons unknown, the client hired our studio to do their wedding. To this day, I have no idea why because I thought I had failed --- horribly. And that's why my job can be stressful because I work in an atmosphere of ambiguity.

Contradiction and ambiguity come in many forms. Sometimes clients do have a vision but when you see their list of needs and wants, it can often be contradicting in style.

Filtering and narrowing the list to it's key and focal point can be equally as difficult as solving a Rubik's cube or Smullyan's logic puzzle.

Here is a summary of one client's needs and styles. Can you picture this in your head?

Style: Natural, Organic, Modern, Understated
Venue: Outdoor lawn garden, vintage barn, white tent, Sonoma style
Colors: Gold, Red, Teal, Blue. The bride will wear Green/Seafoam.
Favorite Flowers: Green and teal hued flowers. Does not like yellows, reds, terra cotta hues. Likes unusual blooms.
Decor Inspiration: Greece. Mediterranean. Villa life. Terra Cotta walls. Southern California Outdoor Living mashed with Indian culture
Floral Likes: Botancial arrangements. Prefer simple single flowers in modern glass. Nothing romantic, fluffy, vine like. Like tropicals.

Centerpiece Wish: Tall grand all one linear flower. Nothing round.

Decor Items: Colorful linens. Pillows. Comfy Sofas. Moroccan Lanterns

For many creative minds, this list has some definite key words and concepts that are exciting. However, which one should you pinpoint as your focus? What is the most significant and crucial thing? Is it important to get the color right or the mood? These are all valid questions and thus I concur that being an event coordinator might be( I mean IS) very stressful as you have to navigate the ambiguities while always being aware that you might never please them.

Press: Cornerstone Wedding in Style Me Pretty

2012-01-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

Someone once told me that the beginning of the new year will dictate how the entire year will unfold. I sure hope that is right.

For our first post of 2012, I couldn't have picked a brighter, more cheerful wedding to feature. And I hope and wish that the entire year is equally blazing and festive.

This fabulous radiant yet whimsical wedding of Abby and Mike's was photographed by Ellie Grover and planned by the ever talented Kelly McLeskey-Dolata of A Savvy Event at Cornerstone Gardens in Napa.

When I first met Abby and her mother Karen they kept reminding me how fun and fanciful they wanted the wedding to be. And as you can see clearly from the color palette inly, it was prettily brilliant!
One of my favorite details was the ribbon backdrop for the ceremony and the awesome paper flowers in combination with the jeweled chandelier. Charming. So charming.

Thank you to our friends at Style Me Pretty for featuring Abby and Mike's nuptials!

Inspiration: Moody New Year

2011-12-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

These are the last days of 2011. For my last entry for the year, I ask you to pause for a moment to reflect, to remember, to relive.

As this year's journey ends, it is only fitting for us to wonder and ask....

what are you most looking forward to?

what are you happy to leave behind?

what will you miss the most?

where do you dream of going?

how has 2011 changed your views on life?

who can't you wait to meet?

who inspired you?

what one thing do you hope to accomplish?

Happy New Years, 2012....has arrived.

Inspirations: Great Red Est Magazine

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

New to the e mag scene is the global design magazine from down under called Est Magazine. We of the iPad world are ever so lucky to have it available to read on our "tablets". Can't wait to sit down with myi Est magazine and a mug of hot apple cider during this winter break.

Like dwell and Wallpaper, Est is equally edgy and urban. It's concepts center around fine, quality decor ideas that are truly and masterfully styled. I find the magazine ethereal, yet organic in its styling.

From it's 3rd issue, I pulled this lovely Parisian Blanc & Noir spread for you to preview. Since New Year's Eve is around the corner, this issue is spot on and sublime.

Cheers!

Lessons: Happy Holidays

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

From all of us at Nancy Liu Chin Designs and especially from my family, we hope 2012 brings you....

Peace at Last

Abundant Laughter

Moments of Tranquility

Long Pauses

Lingering Smiles

We thank the ever talented Lisa Lekfowitz for this beautiful image!

Bear Hugs

Shorter Lines

More Homecooked Meals

Random Acts of Kindness

Evermore Friendships

Lasting Love

Floral Inspirations: Manzanita Branch Menorah

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of my good friends Matt and Lisa I found this awesome manzanita candlestick that could be a modern twist on the traditional menorah. There's something elegant and soothing about this beautifully crafted West Elm candleholder.

Tomorrow is the beginning of Hanukkah and with it comes wishes for our dear friends.

To those celebrating the Festival of Lights,

I hope it will bring you warmth and good blessings.

May all your homes be bright with happiness and of course, love.

Best wishes during this Hanukkah celebration.

Inspirations: Looney for Lonny

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

I often find inspiration for wedding trends in non floral and wedding magazines. One that I like is Lonny Magazine. It's in fact an e-mag which makes it easy, accessible, and fresh.

The Nov/Dec issue is filled with innovative ideas and meaningful trends. Do you know what Gypset is? Or is New England Farmhouse the next decor trend? There is only one way to find out. You got to get yourself some Lonny.

Lessons: Greyston Bakes Brownies....

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

For many of us, the holidays is a time for giving. Not just giving presents to our loved ones but giving to our clients, our vendor and venue friends.

One great gift idea are Greyston Bakery Brownies. Why?

I just love what Greyston Bakery stands for. They don't hire people to bake brownies, they bake brownies so that they can hire people to work. Not only are their treats delicious and marvelous(they are the exclusive brownie suppliers for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream) but also the more the business grows, they more people they can help train, educate, and hire.

Most businesses including my own started because someone had a passion to create a unique product or service. But how many people think about starting a business so that they can employ people in the community and give back to those who need affordable childcare, who are homeless and who live with HIV? I love their message which is so pure and lovely.

Here is an excerpt from their website on their Social Mission.

If I had the power of Oprah, I would give this to all of you as it is a 2011 Favorite Things.

About Nancy: Goodbye Grandma

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Brown Bag Fans...

I consider you more than fans but friends and with friends, it's so easy to pour out your soul.

It's been a while since I posted and it's probably because of a combination of things. Mainly, my heart is somewhere else these days.

During the last two months, my entire family has been saddened as my grandmother fell gravely ill. In mid September, she lost consciousness and was in coma for a period of time. After two months of being on life support, my 99 year old feisty, brilliant, lovely grandmother(yes, my Ai Po was 99!!!) finally decided she wanted to go to heaven.

On Saturday, December 3rd, Ai Po(that's my nick name for my 4 ft 10 inches Chinese grandma) was placed beside my Ai Gong(that my grandpa!) in their side by side resting place.

Looking back at my grandmother's life I know how remarkable she was. Though never formally educated, Ai Po grew up in Shanghai were women did not have careers and her main life aspiration was to "marry" and settle down. After having 3 children, she endured several devastating wars in China during the 40's. Without the help of my grandfather who was away at war, she was forced to find a way to feed her children. Though having very few skills, Ai Po decided that she would find her own food and prepare it for others during the war times. Taking her prepared meals, she would walk the streets selling her homemade dishes. This is how my grandmother feed her family. I only heard about this story from my aunt two years ago and never knew about the darker times in my grandmother's life because she never let it show on her bright and smiling face.

Another great thing about my grandmother was that she was not highly educated yet she willed herself to read. The only book she ever read and owned was the Holy Bible. It was the one book she read every day of her life. And you could often find her quoting things from the good old Bible. Ai Po had a strong spirit and set her mind on never giving up even when she didn't know how to do things.

It's said in my family that I take after Ai Po. You betcha! I am equally short, tough, and I hope I have her entrepreneur spirit.

A couple things that I learned from Ai Po that I wanted to share with you(after all, my granny lived a long life so who better to follow!)

1. Walk everyday and everywhere.
My grandmother never learned to bike. And she definitely never drove. The lady liked to use her two legs to stay fit.
2. Mediate Daily
She started her day with solitude and ended it the same way.
3. Eat lots of Organic green vegetables.
I don't think my granny ever used a microwave in her life. And she frowned upon processed anything. Even when she lived with us, my Ai Po loved to eat home cooked meals.
4. Wear a nice piece of jewelry. Girl, you deserve.
5. Family is important.
6. Smile often. And if you don't know what people are saying, just nod your head.
7. Keep on learning. Never give up.
8. Have amazing goals.
One of hers was to live to 100! Well, she got pretty close.
9. Eventually, you get pretty old so you've got to forgive others or you won't have any friends left.
10. God gave us two hands, so go make something! Don't sit around.
My grandmother loved to cook. What can you do with your hands?

Thank you for letting me share a little bit about my family. God Bless!

Floral Inspirations: Wreath It Is!

2011-12-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone. I'm having a blast putting together inspiration boards of holiday ideas via my pinterest boards. Today, I thought I would inspire some of you to create WREATHS! For me, a wreath is that perfect thing to put on one's door or above one's mantel. It instantly greets your house guests. It can even be a conversation starter.

Here are just a few of the gillion favorite wreaths that I adore.

These wreaths below are so creative. They include some floral wreaths, some candy/food wreaths, and lots of fabric and paper ideas. I love them all and each of them are unique. So for the holidays, think outside of the box. Take simple things even "marshmallows" or candy cans and turn them into these works of art.

Which one do you like?

Cakes & Sweets: Butterfly Love by Pink Blossom List

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

To start off our day, I just had to share another great inspiration post from Pink Blossom List. This time it's a butterfly inspired cake. It's one of the most decadent cakes I've seen. Since it's cold outside, I think a little colorful inspiration is much appreciated and needed.

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We just couldn't help but share this magnificent cake! Style Unveiled shared this beauty from Nancy Kay Confections, a custom wedding cake studio in Beverly Hills, CA.

Such a work of art!

Photo Credit: Style Unveiled, Nancy Kay Confections and Michael Segal Photography

Industry News: Smitten Nov + Dec Issues is Here!

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

In an earlier post, you might recall how much I like this Smitten Magazine. Well, their November/December 2011 issues is out and it's just delightful.

Check it out at Smitten-Mag.com

Cakes & Sweets: Fruit Pairings from Pink Blossom List

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Originally posted on Pink Blossom List, I thought it was appropriate as we head into the Holidays to feature this wonderful blog post by Erin M, blog intern about Fruit pairings.

To bad we don't have smell vision.

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It's hard to image that anyone could not be a chocolate lover, but it happens. Fear not- these fruity desserts are so delicious and gorgeous that all your guests (even the die hard chocoholics) will be swooning.

Strawberry vacherin ( vacherin is basically a meringue made with strawberries)

Mango Yogurt Sorbet with Tropical Fruit (perfect for the destination wedding)

Turkish Delight Semifreddo with Red Berries

A Modern Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries and Cream

All photos and recipes can be found at Gourmet Traveller

Press: Modern Bride China features Gertrude + Mabel Photography Wedding

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is going to make my Chinese American parents very proud of me. For years now, they think I just goof around all week. They haven't a clue of what a Floral + Event designer does. My parents are typically conservative and are still harboring aspirations for their adult/grown children. No, Mom, I think it's too late for me to be a physician. No Dad, I don't think another business degree is necessary as I don't think my clients want me to talk about global market trends as much as local wedding resources. Yes, Mom, I think Jeff(which is my brother) is not going to work in the computer field as you had hoped. Sure Dad, maybe your grandson Jonathan can be the first lawyer in the family.

Well, Mom and Dad, I hope you can be proud of NLC Designs being featured in Modern Bride China's magazine.

Quite happy to be apart of this beautiful Ferry Building Wedding planned by my esteemed wedding buddy, Jubilee Lau. And much thanks to Modern Bride China (感谢您的现代新娘中国杂志). And of course, to our lovely couple, Julie and Nathan. All these fabulous images were by the talented duo, Gertrude and Mabel Photography. They are so groovy!

Industry News: Reverie Magazine

2011-11-28T00:00:00.001-08:00

So giddy with excitement. I'm looking forward to this new and exciting wedding magazine aptly named Reverie.

The debut issue is coming in January 2012. How is that for a dream?

Floral Inspirations: Are you Glad?

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

To be honest, I have gone years without using some flowers. (Yup, having touched Asters in a while! No Anthurium on my to buy list ) One of them is the humble Gladiolus Typically you see them in funeral work. They are typically stiff and a good line flower.

Sometimes I've used them for modern arrangements and for our weekly restaurant jobs because they are long lasting. They open slowly and tend to blend awkwardly at the tops. Too bad.

Lately, I've been writing more and more proposals utilizing this very elegant and versatile flower. We've been removing the florets and adding them to bouquets which is a great idea because their blooms are amazing. They have this interesting texture. And who doesn't love their broad color assortment.

See for yourself and try to find new applications to bring back this "old standard".

Courtesy of Rideau Florist at rideaufloristottawa.ca

About Nancy: Beyond Thanks....

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

While the office is closed officially for Thanksgiving, I am leaving you with this Thanksgiving mood board which was inspired by in image of what I had in my head, not so different from that of this painting below. Instead of colors like orange and brown which are often associated with Thanksgiving, I was thinking of deeper hues like olive green, fig and plum colors along with moody ebony.

I hope you like my Thanksgiving Olive + Fig board where you will find images of beautifully styled food like pies, tarts, breads, cheeses. I especially looked for images with black background to create a somber and serious mood. As a pop color, I choose squash yellow/orange which is neither too orange or too lemony. Hope you and your family are enjoying themselves today. And if you get a chance, tell yourself what you are most thankful for....

That's what I will be doing.

Press: EAD features Merced Wedding with Augie Chang

2011-11-23T00:00:00.001-08:00

It's wonderful seeing Josephine and Milo's wedding on Elizabeth Anne Design's real wedding blog. The reason why I'm happy to see that EAD has selected this bright, bold, classic wedding is that I feel so strongly that classic, traditional, indoor weddings are so underrepresented in blog and wedding features.

It's like we've turned into vintage, rustic, outdoor vendors. For all of us, it's so important to see that every wedding doesn't have to be outdoors with vintage inspired details.

This is just classic, grand, ballroom elegance done tastefully with vibrant colors that represent the client's favorite hues. Since Milo grew up in Hawaii, it was important to feature some "Hawaiian" details without being too "tropical". For the ceremony Milo wore a lieu of ti leaves with white orchids. I included orchids and tropical leaves in the bridal bouquet. They choose to marry in a beautiful church in the Presidio that features the beauty of San Francisco. Their evening reception was at the Lake Merced Golf Club which was a special place for the bride's family. The bride loved lace so that incorporated in the invitations as well as in the linen choices. It was a wedding about family as the evening ended with sweet cake made by the bride's aunt. All in all, lovely and authentic.

Images by Augie Chang

About Nancy: San Francisco - My City

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

In one word, this year has been about reconnecting. I've been slowly trying to reconnect with college friends, past roommates, my family, and my buddies.

One additional thing is that I'm also trying to reconnect with my home, San Francisco. Partly it's because I haven't travelled as much as and secondly it is because of Rocco, our 2nd dog. Having two dogs has changed my routine for the better. Instead of going out of town, I'm staying on a homecation.

For those who are visiting San Francisco, sit back and enjoy.

So, where to begin?

San Francisco is a city of neighborhoods, small gems hidden away. Though many people think of San Francisco as Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39, I rarely venture to the more touristy locations but instead head for the rare gems like Hayes Valley, Mission, or Potrero Hill.

Though most people wouldn't say that San Francisco is a great city to walk or stroll around, I find it absolutely interesting in it's quiet diversity with its sometimes awkward facades but equally charming urbane attitude. There is something rare about my city. A city where people gather and mingle over great, niche food. A place where you will find the city's young hipsters along with suburbanites.

If I had just a few hours to spend in San Francisco, I would end up eating my way through the city's amazing range of niche restaurants and hole in the walls. For those wiling to walk to the darker and sometimes dingier side, San Francisco has a wealth of restaurants that are actually affordable and so down to earth, places where food comes first.

Because of my work life, I am on the go which means that I often eat out and must eat on a dime. Here are some of my favorite places to grab a bite and to reconnect with "life".

Hard Knox Cafe - My husband and I had one of our birthday celebrations here so it's special. Fried Chicken is so good. Sides are remarkably straightforward. There's nothing here that is over $15. I also like their potato salad which has something that makes it slightly bit orange.

Hard Knox Cafe - the fried chicken is about as good as it gets for less than $15 including 2 sides and a plate of corn muffins. With 2 locations, you can choose between Outer Sunset or Dogpatch.

Shanghai Dumpling King - I'm a sucker for dumplings. Chinese dumplings = comfort. Of course I rather be at the Nanking Dumpling House in Shanghai but these must suffice.

The famous sweet fried Chinese donuts/dumplings from Shanghai Dumpling House. It's so hard to find a sit at this tiny little hole in the wall that my friends Sally, Dave and I just grabbed the small table near the kitchen. The atmosphere might be subpar but these fried things are heavenly.

Burma Superstar - long lines have hurt their reputation but it's still one of my favorite places on Clement Street. Make a trip of it and walk the strange produce and Chinese butcher shops. Toward Arguello, the shops change but in the middle around 4th and 6th, it's little Chinatown.

One dish has almost converted me into a vegetarian and that would be the Green Tea Leaf Salad from Burma Superstar. There are several great dishes but it's all about this simple salad. After this I love the Spicy and Crispy Chicken and the Curry Noodle with eggs. Everything tastes so awkwardly familiar, a bit Indian, a bit Thai, a bit Chinese.

King of Thai - for me, the original one is on Clement with it's royal purple store front. It's the tiniest little place with a kitchen as big as it's sitting area. I don't usually eat in as the atmosphere is pretty blah but once the food gets to you, you forget the sparse decor.

When I first ordered this Duck Noodle Soup from King of Thai, I knew I had found something. The rich broth has a taste of star anise which makes it sweet yet interestingly "licorice" like. The blend of the dark and soothing broth with the fatty duck makes this remarkable and all under $10.

Tartine - The best place to start your trip. Don't eat a thing....come hunger.

One must start the day with a good bite. The first time I had this Morning Bun from Tartine, I think I knew was a goner. There are amazing croissants but I think this is my favorite.

Slow Club - one of those word of mouth places. You never see big reviews. It's a place where people in the know still go. Hidden in lower Potrero Hill, it's hard to find but so worth it.

When I got my first big job at Macy's, I would often go out to dinner with a friend at this tiny cafe/bistro. Slow Club has not changed in it's authenticity. It's a place so darkly romantic that it's perfect for a Friday night date.

Slow Club's small and charming kitchen reminds me that you don't a huge space to be a success.

Suppenkuche - Right in Hayes Valley, it takes up a corner. I must have passed this place so many times. Sure Jules is next door. Of course the suburbanites are at Stacks. True brunchers come here.

I first learned of this place from friend's Matt and Lisa. Ever since I had my first Belgium beer for breakfast, I was a sold. Suppenkuche is a favorite place to get a little rowdy.

These Suppenkuche potato pancakes are amazing but if they don't bring you ketchup, don't be surprised.

El Tonayense - I have to put a food truck on this list. And this one is pretty darn good. If you are near Best Buy in SOMA, you will find one of their infamous trucks.

El Tonayense's Taco truck sits across from our storage warehouse. Originally I just order burritos but for $1.75 you can get tacos with various filings. For those not so adventurous, Grilled Chicken is very simple and straighforward but give the other items a try.

Serpentine - it's my neighborhood hangout. This is where I take vendors and clients. One block from our studio and I couldn't be more happy. At the corner of 3rd and 22nd. It's definitely a great up and coming place.

One of my favorite burgers is from Serpentine. For $14 bucks, it's perfection and the thin fries aren't so bad.

Bi-rite Creamery - in the Mission, this is my favorite corner and I never want to leave.

Sure I like all ice cream but Bi Rite makes the best salted caramel ice cream. Period.

Humphry Slowcombe - Gourmet ice cream with a twist in the Outer Mission. The neighborhood is so colorful with all the Mexican produce stalls. Love strolling around this neighhood where the vibe is edgy.

Humphry Slocumbe has this Secret Breakfast ice cream that is strangely perfect for a hangover. I love it.

Another ice cream shot

Press: I Love Southern Wedding Magazine

2011-11-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

In my drawer next to my side of the bed is an old spiral journal that measures 4 x 6. The outer cover is creased and partially dog earred. Why I chose to keep this old journal would surely be a complete mystery to a stranger, but for me, there lies in its pages --- my bucket list. Things like....

1. Go travel to China to see the Great Wall.
2. Learn to make bread in a Parisian bakery.
3. See all the 4 Grand Slams ofTennis.
4. Attend a Winter and Summer Olmpics.

These of course are my personal hopes and desires spilled out between pages of lined paper awaiting to be crossed off.

Like in my personal life, I have aspirations and dreams for my career life. Things that include....

1. Meet Preston Bailey
2. Get a Real Wedding in Martha Stewart
3. Be featured in Southern Weddings

and on and on it goes.

Though I'm working on #3(be featured in Southern Wedding Magazine), at least I got a chance to work on a feature with Gloria Wong for her Southern Wedding photo shoot. This charming photo shoot centers on Classic White Shoes.

Gloria's styling is so wonderful, making simple white shoes, so irresistible and sweet.

I love all things about Southern Weddings so make sure to visit their blog and website for inspirations.

All Images by Leo Patrone

Wedding Tips: Rehearsal Dinners

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Often my clients ask me where can they hold their pre wedding day rehearsal dinner. It's rather difficult to find the right place but for a small dinner between 18 and 22, I'm happy to announce that I found a great little place that's just oooozing of charm and warmth. The overall feel when you step into 1300 Fillmore is that it's more supperclub than restaurant. I'd describe it as "lounge like, romantic, sultry, elegant without formality". The food sticks to your ribs. It's comfort food elevated to a gourmet level.

What till you see the private dining options that begin at $55 for a 3 course meal. I think that's wonderful.

And don't you forget that a little rehearsal flowers will make their long table ever so beautiful and polished. Imagine simple modern flowers in clean glass vases down the center of the table. Oh Oh Oh so pretty.

Industry News - Get Published by Photo Mint

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Lara White of Geoff White Photographers has been a good vendor friend for ages. I remember the first time I met the White's. We met at Plump Jack Resort in Squaw Valley for a summer wedding. That wedding featured ribbon details, colorful candy, stuffed elephant favors, and bright colors. Even though the wedding was several years back, when I see the images from Lara and Geoff, they still look fresh to me. A testament to true artists.

From the get go I really liked Lara and Geoff because they had such amazing chemistry. The image on the cover of Lara's new ebook Get Published was from that Plump Jack wedding. I remember that wedding because it was one of the first weddings that I did that was ever published. Ever since that editorial spread, I've realized how crucial the vendor relationship is. We've worked on several weddings since that Tahoe soiree. In fact, one of our spring weddings was featured in Style Me Pretty this year.

Get Published is a great read. It pretty much summarizes everything you have ever wanted to know and more about getting published. It's so valuable for not only photographers but also other vendors who rely on editorials as part of their marketing strategy. Hope you enjoy this educational book.

To download the link to Get Published and for more information about Photo Mint, go ahead and click on Photo Mint.

About Nancy: Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween is an essential DIY/Craft opportunity. Whether you are dressing up for a soiree or getting ready to entertain some zombies and vampires guests, this year, I am going to my Pinterest for new twists to Halloween fun. Pinterest has ample ideas plus that magical spark to get you motivated and excited. I'm so obsessed with Pinterest because the images are amazing and the navigation could not be easier. My favorite sections are "DIY and Crafts" and "Architecture" and this mood board was created in just a few minutes through it's wonderful search function.

I love the pumpkin ice bucket and that fabulous "bat" hairpiece. So fun.

Wishing all of you a stupendous Halloween. Hope you get lots of treats and sweets.

Best Thing Ever: Cake And Bouquet

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Cakes and Bouquets should go together like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, and Kelly and Regis. When both pieces come together - it's a symphony of color and textures. I just love it.

This gorgeous combination makes me smile. It's everything right about a wedding. Colorful. Beautiful. Striking. This fabulous floral basket style cake looks delicious, I could never cut into it. And the bouquet looks equally festive, colorful, summery. I love how each of them are not quite exact but certainly complementary.

Don't you agree that there is something wonderful when a wedding cake and bouquet works together in harmony! It's why I call it the Best Thing Ever.

Preston Bailey Bouquet

ps: Though many magazines have mentioned this trend , I rarely see many which leads me to ask the question, "have you thought about your cake and bouquet coordinating?".

Inspiration Board - From Pink Blossom List

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

To tell you the truth, I'm not a great mood board maker. I mean, I can do it but I'm just impatient. Searching the internet for ideas can be daunting. That's why I love and prefer pinterest because it gives me quick assess to myriad images.

For now, here is another wonderful inspiration board from our sister blog, Pink Blossom List, It is just so lovely that I have to share it with all of you.

______________________

Summer is over and the soothing coolness of fall is here. Change is in the air. But no matter what season it is or was, there's something lovely about Neutrals. This inspiration board is representative of a trend that is seasonally universal and seasonally classic.

Inspiration: Contemporary Neutrals

Colors: Khaki, Bone, Ivory, Caramel

Textures: Rich fabrics, Roping, Metallic details

Photo Credit:

Top: Martha Stewart Wedding, Style Me Pretty, Trendhunter
Middle: Stitches on 8th, Robert Mc Nary Photography via Style Me Pretty
Bottom: La Maison via Potato Boutique, The Brides Guide via Martha Stewart Wedding, Not Your Ordinary Bride

Press: Real Wedding in Private Napa Estate on Style Unveiled

2011-10-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm blown away by these images by fellow wedding photographer, Sara Atkins, who captured these fabulous images from Molly and David's summer wedding. All the elements were carefully selected by one of our fav planner, Kelly McLeskey-Dolata of A Savvy Event. Details included a sign in vignette featuring old medicine bottoms, herbs, succulent, antique doctor's bag, and faux prescription pads. It was all the personal touches that made this wedding so very special and well deserving to be on Style Unveiled.

Thank you Style Unveiled for picking yet another stunning wedding.

And lastly, to Molly + David, all you need for a happy marriage are 2 pills of love, 1 spoonful of tolerance, 1 tablet of laughter, and 1 capsule of patience. Put all that together and a box of CUPCAKES would make anyone smile and feel better!!!!

Best Thing Ever: Anemones Flowers

2011-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Seriously - this cake is way adorable.

3 tiered, soft pink, fondant, sugar flowers. Perfect. What's there not to love about it?

Thank you Peggy Porschen Cakes

One reason why I picked it as Best Thing Ever is that it features sugar Anemones flowers. As a floral designer, I strongly recommend that your cake designer make sugar flowers as the real anemones are not as large or perfect. And frankly, I'm not too excited about fresh flowers on a cake for many reasons. There are times in which fresh flowers are necessary but in general, my favorite floral cakes are made with sugar or faux ceramic flowers.

There's two reasons why I prefer the beauty of the sugar Anemones flowers versus real ones. Here's why:

1. Anemones are not available throughout the year and definitely not during the summer after June. In fact, these white or light pale pink ones are very rare. I hardly see them at the flower market. There is one grower in the market, Santa Clarita Wholesale Flowers, who had them for about a week or so in late May/June. That's it. Seriously - do I look like I kid around?

2. Anemones are like Iceland poppies and hellebores. Sometimes they just don't want to open. Sometimes they go limp. Sometimes they have very transparent petals so they show tears, flaws, bruising easily. For the most part, getting anemones to open is harder than one thinks. Some just never open at all. In order for me to get 10 good anemones, I have to sometimes buy 20 to 30 blooms. The reality is that they look more like the flowers above. Some are just really tight.

Plus: when these white or light pink colored anemones with black center open their pistils can drop. Yet another reason why I don't like to put them on cakes. Can you image black lent like pistils on your cake? Not a good thing at all.

Hopefully when you are planning your own wedding, you will use flowers as an inspiration for a beautiful cake like this cake designer. I just love it.

Press: Real Wedding Carmel Valley in Grey Likes Weddings

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

This beautiful Carmel Valley(one of my favorite places in California) wedding designed by the talented planner, Julie Briggs Dunn of JBD Events and photographed by Bay Area's Allyson Wiley deserves to be featured. When you have a gorgeous setting, near perfect weather, beautiful and charming couple, seersucker details, spring hues, what could be more lovely.

Thank you to Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings for featuring the timeless and classic wedding of Carrie and Chip. For more information regarding this feature and to read the full article, I invite you to take a look at the fabulous Grey Likes Wedding blog. It's fantastic.

Inspiration: From Pink Blossom List - Bouquets without Flowers

2011-10-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

My job as as floral designer is evolving. It's no secrets I love flowers in all shapes and sizes. I love things organic and natural like foliage, branches, twigs and more. But my job is changing and I'm learning new things like making fabric leaves, tissue paper garlands and felt flowers. Incorporating paper goods, brooches, shells, feathers and much more can be so exciting.

For me, I'm guilty of liking new things especially pretty new things. And though I will always prefer floral designs with flowers only, I do see the beauty and excitement of new trends. There is room for bouquets and centerpieces that utilize non florals. Absolutely. And yes, it might be a trend but it's still something newsworthy.

Today, I am featuring another article from our sister blog, Pink Blossom List. I love how Erin M. of PBL featured non florals in tasteful ways.

I mean no disrespect to all the floral designers out there. Whether you like non floral pieces or not, it's still inspiring and I hope you will embrace some of these ideas.

_______________________

Bouquets without any flowers? Yes, you heard us correctly. This week PBL is taking "floral" inspiration outside the box. Check out these amazingly unique and fun bouquets that are made with all kinds of non-floral materials. These bouquets are anything but dull!

So fun!

Photo Credit: VM Events, Martha Stewart, Poptastic Bride, Bright Bold and Beautiful, Martha Stewart, BellzandWhistelzblog, Simply Perfect Weddings

Lessons: Talk to Me Clearly

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Misunderstandings happen every day because often in our communication it's not what we say but how we say it that can and may be misinterpreted. Too often we say too little or in my case, too much.

Communication skills are one of the most important and powerful tools that we can develop. A successful business owner knows the value of communicating clearly. Developing strong communication skills is essential to building a success business and solid reputation.

Our language may be the same but often the meanings are different.

Avoiding Pitfalls
In our communication with our clients we need to be careful that we overuse "common" industry terms. We know in the wedding world that we have our own language but for a client these terms and words might mean something else. Even simple wedding words used in our every day communication like contract, design, planning, setup, delivery, consult, consultation, invoice, proposal, agreements may have different meanings in their world.

For me, this is something that I am consistently working on and though I've worked in the business world for 20 years, it still doesn't mean that I have it all figured out. In fact, the other day, a client completely misunderstood a simple email response because I made assumptions. I automatically assumed that he would understand my message which I thought was so clear. Using common wedding terms doesn't mean anything if the groom is new to the world of weddings. What it says instead is that you are unsure about yourself. And in this case, that was probably correct.

Any inner uncertainty showed. It turned into one pitiful note with obvious ambiguity, over communication, and potentially confusing assumptions.

Once again, know what you are trying to say before saying it. We can't assume that they know our "wedding vocabulary". We can't assume anyone is a mind reader. Avoiding short cuts, abbreviations, insider terms is best.

Too Much Fluff

Being a woman, I tend to be gentle, flowery in my communication.

For example, when we are booked for a particular day and am not available, I often say to the client that "I am not available as I am already "engaged to another client". Sometimes instead of using the word engage I interchange it with committed.

But for some clients, our "flowery language" might be easily misinterpreted. Does that mean that I am not available because I am engaged to be married on the same day of their wedding and that's why I can't do a wedding on that day? Why couldn't I just say. I am not available and another client has already booked our service. Period. Why do we find ourselves in the position that we have to make this long explanation?

The lesson is easy - when we talk, we must be wise in our language choices. We must be clear and choose words with care. As a woman it is especially hard to communicate clearly because I often try and attempt to bond, comfort, appease people when I communicate. So often, I want to please the receiver of the message, thus, I'm too quick to fill the email with "fluff" and flowery words. Like the example above, I try to let clients down gently when it's not positive news. And it's unnecessary. Frankly, I was using words that are meant to soothe. But every now and then, when it was best to use silence and less words, I added more confusion by using language that was too flowery.

Remember - when we speak and communicate with others, we are simply trying to tell others what is on our mind. Let our minds speak firmly, professionally, simply, precisely.

Edible Trends: Biscuits Lovin' from Pink Blossom List

2011-10-14T00:00:00.001-07:00

A week or so ago, I announced that I would be featuring some of my favorite posts from Pink Blossom List. Today, I'm featuring some of Erin's Food posts.

Being a lover of biscuits, this article makes me hungry which is so appropriate as fall is a season for restoring the soul. With the fall harvest, Thanksgiving, and other end of the year parties, it's time to enjoy some good eats.

Inspired by New York Times article You are Making Your Biscuits Wrong, we couldn't help but feature the homemade biscuit as our food of the week. With ingredients as simple as flour, baking powder and little milk, who could imagine that there countless ways to make them "wrong". Whether you use heavy cream or milk, salt or sugar, a fresh baked biscuit is certain to be a crowd pleaser if styled correctly.

Here is some eye candy that proves how this classic treat can be the sweetest addition to any affair, once you get your recipe perfected, that is...

Biscuits can be classic...or cutesy!

Happy baking!

Photo Credit : The Paupered Chef, The Sweetest Occasion, New York Times, Petit Chef, Etsy

Press: Summer Yellow and Gray Wedding on Style Me Pretty

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell a lie. Getting a real wedding featured in a magazine, blog, website is such an honor. Thank you Orange Turtle Photography for sharing this wedding with Style Me Pretty. Thank you to our lovely couple Lina and Henry who never once hesitated when I said, "you should do this...". Every idea that I suggested was transformed into something meaningful. And every inspiration that Lina gave me was spot on. For a designer and business owner, such faith is admirable.

Make sure to read the entire article at Style Me Pretty. The images are crazy adorable.

About Nancy: Oct 2001

2011-10-10T00:00:00.001-07:00

In the mid 90's, I had dabbed in wedding planning and floral design but I truly had never made it an official career until Oct of 2001 a month after 9/11. The realization that life indeed was unexpectedly shorter than one hoped hit me like a ton of bricks. The meaning of 9/11 was not lost on me and an opportunity to pursue one of my life's dreams had been presented to me. I was ready and I was going to start my own floral and event design business. And I did.

I knew than what I have always known that you have one life to live and that those who want a chance at a remarkable life, plunge head first into the vast unknown.

Since that first step in October of 2001 I have had very few regrets about my life's path. The few moments of regret have only been because I burned a bridge or two or that I missed too many gatherings and celebrations. Now, 10 years later, I am wiser. I've learned to cherish the craft, respect my mentors, and celebrate the milestones.

Never could I have imagined on that lukewarm Autumn day that I might one day do 100 weddings. When the 100th wedding mark passed, I wasn't even aware of it. Too busy was I just trying to work work work that I didn't celebrate or rejoice in that achievement.

Photography by Kevin Chin

However, this summer, I became fully aware that we were reaching another huge milestone -- our 400th wedding. The day couldn't have been better as our wedding was for one of our many great staffers, close like sister friend, Karen Lam. Karen and Steven were married on a beautiful Saturday afternoon surrounded by their parents near a willow tree. I was lucky to have observed it as I was not only her floral designer but one of her many guests.

Photography by Kevin Chin

I'm truly thankful for those who had the faith in me. No one walks this journey of life alone and there are countless cheerleaders who put their hands together and cheered me on. I have had the best experience of my life and there has never been a need to look backwards as I look forward to 400 more weddings.

Photography by Kevin Chin

Inspiration: Summery Sonoma At Quarry Hill

2011-10-07T00:00:00.001-07:00

Summer is slowly becoming a dream. To honor this summer, I'm loving this wonderful short film by my darling hubby, Kevin Chin Photography + Cinematography.

All the vendors worked so hard on this Botanical Garden photo shoot at Quarry Hill. A Savvy Event did the wonderful planning. I love partnering up with Kelly and her team at ASE. They have the best ideas (plus, it's such a fun relationships when everyone just laughs the whole day!).

Quarry Hill, garden theme photo shoot. from Kevin Chin Photography + Cinema on Vimeo.

Industry News: Smitten Magazine

2011-10-05T00:00:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am Smitten! Smitten with everything about this new glossy e-magazine, whose tagline is aptly titled, "The Lookbook for Wedding Fancy"! It's completely true --- everything is beautifully crafted in that Southern, charming way. Editor and co-founder Della MacNicholas first started in the wedding world as a wedding blogger and slowly evolved her blog, Wedding Row, into a regional blog. Her quietly subtle and soothing sensibility is very well appreciated from this wedding professional

I absolutely adore it! There are currently two issues so it's not to late to catch up on all things Smitten!

ps: One of my buddies is featured in Smitten, can you spot which Bay Area mogul is featured in Issue 2? I'll give you a tip - she has a great sense of style! Random winner will get a nice sparkly surprise. Leave a comment with you mailing address and full name! Thanks! One random winner will be announced shortly.

Lessons - Too Much Too Much

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

I believe in many things.

Everyone has a twin.

You can't pick your family but you can pick your friends.

It's so much better to be nice.

George Clooney will never get married.

The strike zone in baseball is ridiculously inconsistent.

Marriage is easy, planning a wedding is hard.

Too much of a good thing, is not good.

A little bit goes a long way.

One of my designers is obsessed with George Clooney and I have been trying for a long time to find a way to somehow sneak him into an article with no avail. I finally did it!!! Hope you love it Gaby.

Read my lips ---- I believe you when you say that planning a wedding is hard. It wasn't so hard when my brother got married in the 80's. It was simple - go to Virginia Bakery and order their signature cake. Go to University Florist and pick red flowers. Make favors with Jordan Almonds. Done.

When I was planning my wedding in the 90's it was a little more challenging. Interviewed 2 caterers, picked the one with the better food. Went to 1 cake tasting at Montclair Baking. Had to choose amongst 12 different slices. Ended up with a cake inspired by Martha Stewart. Made my own invites and had our good friends Joey and JoAnna help us stuff them. Picked a gown from Ann Taylor(like Amy Smart!) as there were very few choices of silver dresses in 1999. Drove to see 10+ sites in Napa. Picked two good friends to be the coordinator. A little more challenging but still manageable. But today, it's a job.

This is just my belief but planning a wedding is harder these days because there simply are more choices. More things to look at. More items to worry about. More details to review. More. More. More.

What ever happened to simplicity?

When I said more things to look at, I mean more real wedding inspirations and ideas. It has gotten to the point that there is just an insane amount of information to filter between the many media outlets.

Frankly, it is paralyzing.

There's just too many details repeated in new variations that it's original beauty is starting to fade. On top of that, there are endless color combinations in equally endless styles. Plus, how many vendors are there to choose from? With broader choices, abundant wedding "imagery", and endless DIY projects, it's harder for people to focus.

It's so disruptive ---- a poor bride could easily get Wedding A.D.D.

On another level, with so many real weddings being published or featured these days, don't these real weddings feel less special to you the reader? It makes interesting details which were once original, now frightfully trivial. It forces couples to come up with micro details that seem disingenuous. It makes the decision making process harder as people just can't make up their minds.

What have we done? What have we done?

I can't help but hope that we can return to editing, focusing, and sticking to what is true. Being a good editor means that you have to discern what is newsworthy before one's credibility is lost.

Remember, too much of a good thing, is not good and a little bit goes a long, long way.

About Nancy: I'm Back

2011-09-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Faithful Brown Baggers

I'm back.

For a few hours a day, I've been trying to write new posts. Though my thoughts aren't always coherent, I'm writing. I'm writing again.

Such that I am far from a true writer, coming up with something even remotely entertaining can be quite daunting. At first, the blank and empty white space is paralyzing. For just this short note, I think I've started it 3 times already. (Nurse Susan R, if you are out there, please help me.)

Randomly, people tell me that they know I am recovering through my facebook and twitter activity. Faceless readers whisper that they are reading my entries. But still, I'm rusty at this.

My awesome surgeon, Dr G. Gayre says my eye looks good though now he has discovered that I have a layer of new eye lashes growing on the underside of my left eye. OUCH. The tickling sensation makes me wink a lot a people(so if you see me winking at you, it's not because I'm flirting with you, aka Neil Hunt or Sean N. ) but nevertheless, I'm writing. I'm designing. I'm surviving. I'm moving forward.

During the two to three weeks of recovery, there were days in which I couldn't get out of bed(because I'm addicted to my pinterest). My body had adapted to sleeping and resting. The first few days back, I could hardly keep my eyes open. At night, the pain killers would send me strange dreams. If it weren't for all the emails piling up, I would not feel any connection to people and things.

In a way, email kept me informed.

Thankfully, my husband and my assistants kept my spirits up and motivated me to return.

Having a small business forced me to get going and get going fast. I recall that 6 short days after surgery, I had to go pick up flowers in the morning. It was a double header weekend. Though I wasn't suppose to drive, reality hit. The business had to continue. Life happened.

Thank you to all for your kind words, prayers, and in general, good thoughts. This might sound corner, but I feel supported and never alone.

Never alone.

ps: Thank you to all the great nurses and doctors as Kaiser San Rafael, especially Dr Ryan Hutfless aka Dr Hotstuff, my anesthesiologist and 2011 groom-client.

Inspiration: An American Classic Board from Pink Blossom List

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Nancys' Brown Bag fans and followers

Many years ago, a good buddy of mine wanted to get back into the wedding industry so she asked me to partner with her on a blog. We came up with the Pink Blossom List Blog. Having never done a blog, we struggled to find that voice and ultimately, it was too hard to keep up so I took the reins.

We had wonderful Top 10 lists, guest writers, and all sort of fun things. Pink Blossom List has grown but recognizing the ever changing business climate, I am sad to announce that it will be leaving us in early 2012. Basically, we just can't keep up!

During the last year, the blog has been written by a great editor, Erin Mastopietro, who came to NLC Designs as an intern.

Erin has worked so hard to get Pink Blossom List where it is today through having more consistent posts and featuring fun ideas on food for parties. Her inspiration boards have been entertaining and clever.

Erin's goal was to have something unique that spoke to our wonderful Bay Area and that was different from all the DIY and vintage blogs. And frankly, I think she has done a great job. As the managing editor she focused on the day to day articles while I continued to serve as an advisor.

Since the Pink Blossom List was one of my side projects I've decided to honor Erin by featuring some of the past year's posts on Nancy's Brown Bag.

Thank you Erin for your hardwork.

Happy 4th of July to our beloved Pink Blossom List readers! We decided to ring in the holiday with this darling American baseball themed inspiration board. What do you think?

Inspiration: All-American Classic Baseball

Colors: Cola Cola Red, Mustard yellow, Black and White

Textures: Baseballs and mits, Fireworks, Tickets as Invites or Place cards, Hotdogs, Cola, Vanilla Cupcakes, Vows on your home team's baseball field

Photo Credit: Wedding Aces, Wedding Paper Divas, Artisan Bread in Five, One Wed, Dawny Poo, Alice Pub, Trendsetting Wedding

Best Thing Ever: Tying the Knot

2011-09-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have seen some wacko(truly crazy and bizarre) inventions in my life. Sometimes what sounds great doesn't always work. When I had first heard about a save the date card that opened up into a knot, I couldn't image what it could look like.

However, seeing is believing (Rubin, are you paying attention!)

Check out this Save the Date invention. It is UNbelievable, so much so, that I'm making it my Best Thing Ever today.

Invitation concept by Christina Moralejo

Isn't this so cool. If you've seen something equally as innovate, we want to know.
PS: Susan R, tell me what you think.

Poll Results - Ballroom to Modern

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Poll results indicate that an Updated Ballroom Soiree is the style of real weddings that you want to see more of. I couldn't agree with you more!!!!

Board courtesy of Pinterest , Photography by Sherman Chu. Flowers by NLC Designs

Others are looking for more Regal and Grand or Modern Concepts.

What surprised was that Western Hipster and Vintage were low on the must see list since so many blogs continue to feature these styles. Given that rustic and vintage has been so trendy I think it's a great sign that indoor ballroom is making a comeback and I am searching the web for beautiful inspirations to share with you.

Press: Vogue Japan

2011-09-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Photography from Leslie and Jeff's wedding by Lisa Lefkowitz

Thrilled that some of the floral details from Leslie and Jeff's Refreshingly Beautiful wedding was featured in Vogue Japan.

If the images look familiar, it's because some of the details of Leslie and Jeff's wedding designed by my super talented buddy, Gloria Wong was already featured in Brides Magazine.

Lisa Lefkowitz who I admire so much worked her magic on these details and I am blushing just to have a few of the floral pieces in their wedding guide!!!

Aren't all the details so clever.

Real Wedding: Summer Soiree

2011-08-31T00:00:00.001-07:00

Mandi & Khoa | Asian Art Museum Wedding from IQvideography on Vimeo.

Mandi and Khoa are such a sassy and sweet couple. Mandi is inherently kind and warm. Khoa is reserved and calm. Together they are just perfect. I'm so honored to have worked with them on their Asian Art Summer Soiree!!!!

This beautiful and sweet short film by IQ Videography is charming to the core. You will love it.

Part of why this wedding was so charming and elegant was the fact that I got to work with a few wonderful vendors including Gwen Helbush of Where to Start, Alicia Slater of Global Gourmet Catering, and Cliff Brunk the so cool photographer.

Sit back and enjoy this short story! (If you can identify me in the video, I'll send you a "sparkly" gift - Only 1 winner!)

About Nancy: 4 times a Lady

2011-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

A year ago, I had the misfortunate of getting into a bicycle accident while on vacation in Anguilla. That journey has been a long one of healing and mending.

In a few days, I go under the knife again. Like the previous other 3 surgeries, I am glad that I have my family and friends for their unconditional love and support.

Needless to say, I owe much thanks to my great team. Rarely do I get to acknowledge them but I want to say "thank you" and send this shout out to all of them.

Lily C.

Crystal K.

Kristen B.

Rachel G.

Allison R.

Gabriella R.

Micah U.

Uncle Ben

Steve A.

Erin M.

Mei T.

A few shouts to our interns, Jae, Danielle D., Nicole, Lisa K., Heather Y - you have been so valuable. Heather and Danielle know what it feels like to setup a wedding and to strike a wedding, you are my heroes.

And our weekend warriors, thank you for being there on our setups. To Amanda K. Karen L., Amy M., Nicole C., Beth, Christopher L., I am incredibly grateful for your willingness to do some strange and unusual tasks while holding down a 9 to 5 job on the weekdays.

Without all of you I couldn't do this. I wouldn't do this. A small business needs great people and you are some of the best.

Finally, since I will be recuperating for about two weeks, I'll be posting infrequently. Hang in there and I'll be back shortly.

News: Elizabeth Anne Designs

2011-08-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

So excited.....we've been added to the vendor guide at Elizabeth Anne Designs in the floral section. We are so thrilled and excited. This is such a great blog and website. And look at the company we are in.

Swoon.

Lessons: A little more Patience!

2011-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me what is the one secret ingredient that sets you apart.

Initially, I would say that it's our classic but modern floral arrangements and personable service. But lately, the more I think about this, I would say that patience is a key component. Though I wouldn't necessarily say that I am the most patient of people but when it comes to working with my staff, my vendors and my clients, patience is key.

The definition of patience is

"The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. "

When you work in this volatile floral business where one week the flowers look great and the next week the flowers are terrible, you have to be patient with your sales rep and grower. If you lose your cool which I've done a few times in the past, you might burn a bridge which you can never cross again. Now that I've done a few more weddings(over 400), I'm wiser but still learning that it doesn't look good to get upset or angry. Sometimes raising your voice has its merits but in general, tolerance and acceptance are some things you have to have if you want to stay in this business for a long period of time.

As a wedding vendor, the relationship you have with your client is a tender and fragile one. The capacity to weather difficulty is the hallmark of a true professional. There will be times in which a client might be overly demanding. There definitely will be times in which communication might fail. There might even be hurt feelings. Seasoned pros have all experienced these emotions but those who practice patience weather these storms and come out stronger. Throwing in the towel is no way to behave. Getting angry or upset reflects an inability to put things into prospective.

Even if you are upset or angry, walk away and evaluate the situation.

It's frustrating being a business owner. Your patience will be pulled until you are on tenterhooks.
Yes, there will be long hours rewriting proposals. Definitely, you will have to prove yourself to your client and fellow vendor(over and over again) Undoubtedly, you will have endless emails that will make you feel like you are spinning out of control. For certain, there will be unusual requests. Inherently, people may fail you.

Unexpected things will appear. Delays will happen. Troubling issues will arise.

Yes, everything you have gone through, I've probably seen something similar or heard of some unimaginable nightmare. However, the big but is this....

As a professional, we have to accept the things we cannot control and be calm when trouble or frustration arises. We can be upset but we don't have to show it to our staff, vendors, or clients ---- ever.

A little more Patience never hurt anyone.

Best Thing Ever: Reception Decor

2011-08-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I was doing some research on backdrops. I don't know how it happened but my internet search led me to this amazing table. I was blown away by this wall of paper flowers. Amazing - yes. Fabulous - definitely. Inspiring - absolutely. Beautiful - for sure. Transforming - positively.

This wall was designed by the talented crews at Hartmann Studios and let me say - bravo.
Best Thing Ever.

Press: Style Me Pretty features Ritz Carlton Wedding

2011-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's so true. To have one of our weddings featured in a magazine or blog never gets old.

So excited to see this lovely Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay wedding featured on Style Me Pretty.

What made this wedding so wonderful was working with planner Frances Liu of Charmed Events. Her professionalism stands out. Throughout the planning process, she remained focused, positive, and supportive. Her communication was excellent and made for such creativity. Since much of my interaction is often with the planner, I love it when there's this calm spirit and fun energy.

The photographer, Geoff White Photographers captured this amazing wedding. One of my favorite images is of the couple with a great tree in the background. The sun is shining. You could never tell that it was a day in April.

Thanks SMP, Frances, GWP and our beautiful couple.

About Nancy: Doggie makes 4

2011-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Brown Bag Fans...

If you've been following me on twitter, you will recall that a couple days ago I announced that we have a New Dog.

Rocco LiuLiu Chin arrived last week weighing at 22+ lbs. Rocco is a true blessing and an answer to prayers. I've been wanting a playmate for Chin Chin, our soon to be 13 year old Bichon, for years. With my accident a year ago, the timing wasn't right last year so we put it on hold.

Though I still have an upcoming surgery, the time felt right to move on with our family plans. Rocco who is an 8 year old Bichon belonged to our friends, Sarita and Cary. Rocco is a much beloved dog. With their ever growing family needs, Sarita and Cary did a most unselfish thing which was to find a new home for their dog. Many owners find this difficult to do so I applaud Sarita and Cary for being so brave. It is a courageous thing to do!

Both KC and I feel so blessed to be able to be a guardian to Rocco. He will be forever Sarita and Cary's dog in our hearts. As Auntie and Uncle, we are so thrilled to provide Rocco with a buddy in Chin Chin.
Together, they will both thrive.

If you notice a little gap in writing it's because I've got my hands full so my sincere thanks to all for your patience as I will take a short short short break.

Don't worry, I'll be back in a week or so!

Press: Modern Solage Wedding in Style Me Pretty

2011-07-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you have been voting on what real weddings you would like to see more of. In response to that I'm so excited that Style Me Pretty picked this Solage wedding that was anything but typical ballroom or wine country rustic. It's about Modern Lines.

Yolanda and Gary's sensible tastes started the moment Yolanda contacted me in the early part of this year. Right away she wanted something with clean lines and modern hues that reflected a charm and casual whimsy.

As many of you know, I really love what I do and part of that is working with great clients and amazing vendors. I was thrilled that I got a chance to work with Vero Suh(and her fine assistant, AC). They were so fun to work with and made the day so relaxing. It was also great to see Andrea + Jamie of Coquette Events who did a great job on this event. Finally, how could one forget the cupcakes. Crystal and I will always remember the kindness of the baker who brought all vendors cupcakes to sample. Who doesn't appreciate a tasty cupcake?

About Nancy: AIFD Part Three

2011-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today wraps up my posts on the AIFD Symposium. These are more innovative and creative designs. Some border on the sublime while others are influenced by more traditional designs.

These represent some of my favorite designs like this from Hitomi's floral group utilizing non floral materials.

How about this great design by Rene van Rems. I love the pave of red gladiolis florets in this silver heart.

Who would have known that simple, utilitarian crates would make for a great prop and vessel for a modern design. Love.

A European Design by Rene van Rems.

This design was from Jim Hynd.

Modern and exquisite. Not sure who designed this but I really love the movement.

About Nancy: AIFD Part Two

2011-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Futuristic. Innovative. Simple. Organic. Structured.

These could be some of the adjectives that you might use to describe the European bouquets designed by Pim van der Aaker. Whether you like them or not, Pim's techniques and skills are inspiring. He was by far one of my favorite experts at the AIFD Symposium. Watching him create with such speed but with such innovative tools made me rethink the ordinary.

These designs may not work for all brides but we can take from his playfulness and adapt it for future designs.

What do you think?

About Nancy: AIFD

2011-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend my very first AIFD Symposium in San Francisco. The AIFD Symposium is the Super Bowl for Floral Designers. Expert designers from around the world fly in to touch and see new techniques and learn from the world's foremost experts.

This year's speakers and designers included many local experts and designers including Soho Sakai, Waterlily Pond, Michael Daigian, Steven Brown from CCSF and other fan favorites like Pim van den Aaker and Rene van Rems.

When I was debating about whether I should attend the Symposium, my good friend, Leighsa Montrose of Branch Out suggested that I volunteer because by volunteering I would get a chance to work behind the scenes. I had no idea what a volunteer did but the minute I stepped into the floral workroom, I was engulfed with mini projects including organizing sections of the floral room, cleaning flowers, making boxes, arranging small bouquets, and prepping work for larger arrangements. At times, I was overwhelmed but mainly, I was delighted like a child in a candy store. The ability to create and play with flowers is a floral designers dream. And not being responsible for a design was equally quite relaxing. Working in a team environment was such joy because everyone had one goal in mind - have fun.

Here are a few of the inspiring finished work. I'll post more photos in another post, so stay tuned.
Please let me know what you think of these because innovation isn't always about pretty flowers.

Wedding Polls: What Real Weddings do you want to see more of

2011-07-15T11:46:00.001-07:00

We've started a poll question last month and I feel that a few more days of voting would do us good.
So give us your answer.

Thanks!

About Nancy: Preview of Monday

2011-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about next week posts! You'll see my so not professional images from my week at the AIFD Symposium. I thought I would give you one sneak peak at some of the finished floral arrangements.

Can you guess the name of the white flowers with a black center?

Stay tuned for more about AIFD Symposium 2011.

Floral Inspiration: In the Jungle

2011-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last year I shared an image or two from one of our biggest events. Does this elephant look familiar?

I'm so happy that I can share a few more images and details from that magically event at San Francisco's City Hall.

The entry way featured two elephants and a garland of orchids.

There were 70 strands of orchids. The mezzanine courtyard that you see below had a small rotunda that was 32 feet high. We strung the orchids from the upper levels. Each strand were 25 to 27 feet long so that they framed the elephant. There's a gap in the middle of the garland because there was this elegant chandelier that we had to work around.

You can't even see the mechanic because of the back lighting. Nevertheless we made sure that the grid was silver to disappear when guests looked up.

When working at a historical venue you have to abide by their rules. I learned that we had to cover the marble surface on the top floor so that our iron grid would not scratch the marble.

This beautiful pond designed by Gloria Wong and produced by Blue Print Studios is magnificent. I love the gold rocks. We placed large tropical leaves to create the look of an Asian lily pond. Large dinner plate dahlias massed together complete the look.

Photography by Lisa Lefkowitz. Event Design by Gloria Wong. Venue City Hall San Francisco

Press: Wedding Style Guide

2011-07-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you might recall that I'm a fan of Wedding Style Guide. It's a fabulous, fabulous wedding magazine in Australia(yes, I'm aware that used fab twice --- it's that awesome).

So today, I'm thrilled that one of our weddings was featured in their Winter 2011 Magazine. The beautiful Bear Flag Farm wedding designed by Bliss'd wedding was just fanciful. In the midst of so many "vintage" weddings, this one feels a bit special and has so much personality. There's something utterly sweet and quirky about Zoe and John's outdoor wedding that feels so down to earth and wholesome. I love it.

Much thanks to the great Jose Villa!!! The images could not be more delightful.

Inspiration: Pool Party

2011-07-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and warm weather weddings are in full force. What better way to beat the heat than with a pool party inspired wedding? Love the idea of enjoying shaved ice at a wedding reception in a poolside cabana or in the Hampton's.

Inspiration: Summer Pool Party

Colors: Hot Pink, Orange Creamsicle, Stark White, Flamingo Pink, Sea Blue

Textures: Umbrellas, Shaved Ice, Gerber Daisies, Hampton's Beach House, Preppy tote bags, Flip Flops

Photo Credit: Pizzazzerie, Martha Stewart, Best Quality Pools, Vanity Fair, Cocktail Details, Boutique Bridal, Kate Spade

Real Wedding: Country Club Wedding

2011-07-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's not always easy to capture emotion in print. Though a photograph can conjure up feelings, you don't often see the peaks and valleys of a wedding during one snapshot. That's why I love how a short film can tell you a story within a wedding day.

Our real wedding features Josephine and Milo who said their vows in the Presidio and followed the ceremony with an all night party at the Lake Merced Golf Club. Her Country Club style mixed with some tropical Hawaiian floral accents blended well yet kept with her elegant classic style.

The event and wedding was planned and designed by Amazae. I will never forget how awesome Crystal Lequang of Amazae Events was. She was in her third trimester yet running around giving direction without hesitation. I could barely get her to sit still and relax. That's a sign of dedication.

We also want to thank Kevin Chin for this short film. And all the other great vendors including Enhanced Lighting, Augie Chang!

Josephine + Milo's wedding, HD video. from Kevin Chin Photography + Cinema on Vimeo.

About Nancy: Happy 4th

2011-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Brown Bag fans....

I bet most of you are enjoying the outdoors today. Could a little fireworks be in the horizon?

Today, my entire family is celebrating my parent's belated 50th Anniversary dinner. I'm really looking forward to this as I haven't seen my oldest bro, James, in years. My sister in law Joyce and niece Jess are also coming from Shanghai. My second brother, Jeff, is bringing his entire family to the Bay Area.

Today I get to meet little Ryan M. Liu(my 3 nephew). RML. He was born in the spring time and carries with him all our hopes and dreams. What lies in front of him is a world of opportunities, freedom to create, a spirit of independence given to us by our forefathers.

I'm wishing all of you a happy and memorable 4th. God bless.

End of Month Recap: June

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

June is major. It's the eye of the storm. The busiest of busy. One word: Hellish.

This year I'm feeling a little worn out because our 2010 season bleed into 2011 so there was no rest or time to think or breath. That said, I want to jump for joy as all of us at NLC Designs pushed through a major month of weddings, corporate parties, and changes.

June is when the tough gets going. And we got going big time. We did it.

When I think about June I remember that for many it's graduation. A time of celebration. Endings but also beginnings.

I think back to 1987 when I gave the commencement speech for my high school, De Anza(DONS). The title of my speech was Blossoms of a Different Kind. In the speech I referenced a tale that my mother use to tell me when I was little girl about this beautiful flower that would bloom for one beautiful and magnificent day. In hush tones, she would speak of the many people from all over China who would come to see it's beauty. Mesmerized by it's grand blossom, it became a legend because it bloomed for such a short time. ( I'd like to think that my mom is talking about Peonies which only appears brief in the early summer and leaves us too soon)

I'm not sure what the morale of the story was. Did my mother think that it was okay to be the best for one day? Did my mother want me to understand that life is short so shine brightly? Or was my mother trying to tell me that in life, if we create something wonderful, people will come regardless of whether it lasts for just a moment in time or longer?

For a floral designer, flowers often don't survive beyond a few days. Wedding flowers are often just for that day....often thrown out at the end of the evening(don't kill me for saying this).

Unlike an painter, musician, author, our art perishes. But the good thing is, we can keep creating new designs each day, week, year. Perishable but not forgotten.

Best Thing Ever: Summery Cake Competition

2011-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

In the search for the "the best summery cake" I came across four very different cakes. Cake 1 is modern and geometric, but sweet at the same time. Can you picture this cake at a chic poolside wedding? Cake 2 is just so yummy looking with the textured frosting and sweet cherries- very southern comfort. Cake 3 is bright and fun, perfect for the girlie bride. Lastly, who doesn't love mini white and yellow daises on cake 4?

We need your help! What is your vote for the best summery cake? Leave a comment with your answer.

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

Guest Blogger: Merging Friendship Circles (advice from a Groom)

2011-06-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Usually on Wednesdays you will find Real Weddings or Best Thing Ever posts but today I am taking the liberty of skipping our regular column so that we can feature a Real Groom Article. Enjoy!

Dear Brown Bag Fans --

It's been a while since our Real Groom, Danny La, joined us. I'm thrilled and happy to have him return as a guest blogger today. Isn't it always refreshing to get a groom's perspective on wedding "do"s and "don't"s? Here is some great advice from Danny, our Real Groom, who has real hand experience in creating a smooth, seamless wedding environment. Danny's topic today is about the guest experience. Welcome Back Danny, always good to have you as a guest blogger.

..............................................

Merging Friendship Circles 

As someone who has been to several weddings, I find each wedding I  attend is special not only because I am participating in the most  significant day of my friends’ lives, but also because I learn more  about them by meeting the other people in their lives. When we  planned our wedding, we wanted to ensure that all of our guests had a  fun and lively time, and at the same time wanted to weave together the separate circles of friends and family which made up our individual  lives.

Here are some ways to nurture this interaction: 

1. Promote a festive environment by providing alcohol –

Some of your  guests will know very few people at your wedding, and for them it  takes a little extra courage to open up to strangers. The downtime  between the wedding and reception – typically the cocktail hour – really sets the tone for how a wedding guest’s evening will go. An  open bar during the cocktail hour creates an atmosphere for  celebrating and mingling, so that the conversations will carry far into the reception. 

2. "Introduce" guests using fun fact games –

Prime discussion topics  for your friends, by providing ways for them to discover common  interests or shared experiences with you. A common way to do this is  by providing “bingo” cards at the cocktail hour. Each square contains  a description of one or more people at the wedding, such as “Played  Little League baseball with the groom”, and guests are encouraged to  mingle with other guests to get the squares filled out. This is a fun  and useful game, but logistically messy during the cocktail hour.  Guests usually have a drink in one hand and hors d'œuvre or camera in  the other, so would have difficult passing around a card and pen for  signatures. One alternative is to do this introduction at the  reception tables (see below). 

3. Overlap friendship circles in seating charts –

This is a good or bad  idea, depending on the guest. The safest way to draw up seating  charts is to avoid overlapping friendship circles at a table; if  everyone sitting at the same table already knows each other, there is  no ice to break and everyone will have a good time. However, they  won't have an opportunity to meet and make new friends. There may be  people in two different circles of friends who have very similar or  compatible interests, but who just have not yet had the opportunity to  meet. All of your closest friends are in the same place at the same  time for your reception. What better time is there to introduce them  to each other? This situation should be treated delicately; some  guests are comfortable only when with their circle of friends, and  need an adequate networking safety net.

A good way to overlap  friendship circles while preserving this safety net is to ensure that  three or four people in a circle are together. For eight-person  tables, a 3-5 split or 4-4 split works well. For 10-person tables, a  4-6 split works best. Having three circles at the same table may be  too fragmented, because too many side conversations detract from the  main table talk. 

4. Provide ice breaker fun facts at the reception tables -

This is a  good way to get conversation started between overlapping friendship  circles. Provide a small set of fun facts (“Someone at this table  hiked Machu Picchu”) about one or more people at the table, so they  can learn more about each other. You can list the facts on the back  of the table number or place cards. These facts could be those which  tie together the two friendship circles. 

5. Start the reception with a slideshow –

Most wedding receptions show  a five-minute slideshow chronicling the childhoods of the bride and  groom, and feature pictures/videos of their significant life events.  All of them involve some of the guests, and when they see the video  they will reminisce on those times. Showing the slideshow at the start  of the reception provides reminiscing opportunities and discussion  topics for the rest of the reception. 

Some of the most memorable weddings I’ve attended involved meeting new  people and making lasting friendships. Setting up an ideal  environment for them to meet and providing ice breakers to introduce them in your absence requires thoughtful upfront planning and work.  But, at your wedding you will foster a more interactive and memorable  experience for your guests, and perhaps create new friendships and  merge your circles of friends in the process.

Thank you to Danny for this accurate and applicable insight!

Today's images are courtesy of James and Lisa of Elie Jae Photogrpahy.

Press: 2011 Best of the Bay Area Weddings

2011-06-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

My heartfelt thanks to Today's Bride for featuring this modern design as one of many designs chosen for their 2011 Best of the Bay Area Weddings

Inspiration: Mauve, Taupe Rose Peach Blossoms

2011-06-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

The other day someone asked me if I ever get tired of pink as a wedding color. And to be honest, I don't. The depth and variation from deep magentas to pale seashells keep things from getting boring or mundane.

One particular shade that I don't see enough of are the dusty and peachier pinks. Mauve, rose, blush are shades that can be sophisticated and modern yet utterly luxurious.

Today's inspiration board echos my mood these days. With June being a particular busy month, I'm leaning toward calm, serene, gentle, linear boards.

Inspiration: Swedish interiors, uneven lines
Colors: Wood, White Ceramic, Blush, Mauve, Peachy Pinks, Taupe Rose, Peach Blossoms
Textures: Lines, pleats, twists, layers, windows, air

Ask Nancy: New Frustrations

2011-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Brown Bag Fans

About a year ago I gave up writing the "Ask Nancy" column because I wanted to move away from giving advice that was too specific to any one person. More importantly, many of the questions were a bit awkward to answer putting me in a place that I wasn't at ease with. Sometimes not answering a question also hurt and insulted others so I just gave up the "Ask Nancy"column. Ultimately, the fun was taken out of the whole thing and I almost gave up writing a blog because of the unnecesary drama it created. (There's enough drama in producing events that I didn't want to go home dealing with what other clients and vendors thought about my advice.)

So, what happens when a reader writes me with a question. Do I answer it? Do I ignore it?

This question came to me about a month ago. And here is my response.

Hi Nancy,

Thank you for being honest with your posts. We too feel frustrated at times by unrealistic budgets reinforced by other wedding professionals. Its frustrating when, ultimately, all of us vendors are not all playing on the same team.

We also feel challenged by venues that stack events or offer "centerpieces". Or (this is our favorite) advice like "the room is so pretty, you don't need centerpieces". Do you ever deal with similar situations? Have you ever worked with sales & catering personnel who are unwilling to cooperate or give you the information you need to properly design a floral plan? This is a huge frustration for us.

Recently we had a 40 minute set-up window to style and set-up a wedding because the hotel had booked 6 weddings the same day. In the end we left the event feeling flustered and rushed and (although the client was pleased) we knew it wasn't as fabulous as it could have been because of the time constraint. There are many wonderful venues and sales & catering staff we work well with, but a few make a bad name for the rest!

Signed Thallo

Dear Thallo

After reading your note, I felt an instant connection as I could relate to your frustration. I Am positive that many of us in the industry have gone through similar challenges.

As economic forces work with and against us, I'm afraid that many wedding vendors and venues will continue to offer additional services. This is not an intentional threat against floral designers of your caliber but a response to a need that satisfies their clientale. Many large and small companies diversify their services, expand their product offerings as a way to diversify, to simplify, and to add to their bottom line.

Diversifying Is Here to Stay

Venues offering centerpieces is just another example of a venue adding more services and offerings to their client. I'm guessing that it's a product that the client probably already needs. We've seen this in the past in other areas and businesses. Let's examine a few....

Restaurants offering catering services, gas stations offering coffee and pastries, photographers offering cinematopher services, floral designer offering workshops on business strategies, these are not threats but business norms. Diversification is not new. Offering new products/services is the new standard and it's applauded when done correctly.

I'm sorry to say that venues offering centerpieces is not going to go away if a venue feels that it is offering their clients a good service/product.

Of course, you may not like it. But it should give you further pause to make your product and service so amazing that your clients don't want a venue centerpiece. Right?

This brings me to another point. One day, you might need to change your business plans and you might also want to offer more services/products. It's all part of growing a business ---- branching into new directions.

Plan Accordingly, Preparation is the Strategy
As for the setup time, that is also something that is surprisingly common. Venues have a property that is meant to be used. So if a venue chooses to do multiple weddings, what can you do? It's their policy, not yours.

It's sad that you only have a limited time. For me, make buddy buddy with venues and ask them how long you have to setup ahead of time and do like what many vendors do, add more staff. I have heard that some floral designer have two set up people for a $12,000 floral order. That might be fine for some, but I personally feel that's a little tight especially when you have a limited setup time.

For a small wedding(30 guests), we had 5 staff members setting up the event. And of course the client had to pay for the amount of floral designers and setup assistants. We did it because our setup time was very short and the ceremony was very hard to get to. It would have been impossible for the ceremony staff to set up the reception. We had to divide and conquer. It was the right decision and we had very little time to spare even with 5 staff members.

I'm sorry to have to say this but it's critical that you plan accordingly. Staff accordingly. If your clients cannot pay for more staffing, then you have to tell them that you cannot get everything done in the fashion that you want to. Give them the option to say "yes" to more staffing or "no" to more staffing. Reduce on site setup, pre plan, and simplify the design if you have to. Preparation is the key. The more that you prepare, you can plan for small changes and errors.

No matter what, do work with the venue. In this day and age, we have to work together and create the right energy. Knowing to be a positive force during even the most stress of weddings is a true mark of your professionalism.

Bottom line: Plan accordingly. Preparation is key. Roll with it.

Hope this helps.

Wedding Polls: What Real Weddings do you want to see more of?

2011-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Back for the summer and possibly beyond, we end this week with the return of wedding polls. For our first "Wedding Poll", we ask readers "What Real Weddings do you want to see more of?

This shouldn't surprise many of you but we feel that the majority of the real weddings on blogs and magazines these days are trending way too "vintage". Vintage rustic, vintage diy, vintage sweet, vintage whimsical, vintage 50's, vintage modern.

In fact, word on the street is that many vendors(you know who you are!) and even clients want to move beyond, exiting from vintage(boho or backyard chic) to something else. Whatever you call it, vendors and possibly brides might be a little bit tired. We want to see a new twist to vintage --- how about moving beyond the mason jars, wooden signs, colored shoes, suitcases, old stacked books, old fashion candies, calico prints, barns, distressed frames, clothespins.

So - let the polls begin.

We can't wait to find out if there is still life to vintage or is ballroom the new fantasy wedding dream or perhaps western could have an influence on weddings this summer and beyond. If there's something you don't feel that you see enough of, please comment to.

Our poll will be open for two weeks and we'll give you the results in a couple weeks. Stay tuned and find out who will race to the finish line.

Best Thing Ever: Mr. Boddington's Invites

2011-06-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, our intern, Erin, discovered the charming, sweet, and simplistic invitation designs of Mr. Boddington. Together we browsed the entire website filled with clever designs.

This Sonoma wedding design is one of many adorable invitations that we fell for.

The use of Kelly greens, true Blues and a Hot Pink is refreshingly fun when done this way. In a way, it's preppy but classic.

The rock candy tied to the menu card is genius. I may have to steal this idea.

I love the use of sweet motifs especially the one of the dog for the escort card tables.

Thanks for my gal pal, Angie Silvy for sharing these images with me.

Press: Bear Flag Farm Featured in Project Wedding

2011-06-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

A very grateful thanks to Project Wedding for featuring Zoe + John's wedding which was crafted by her sister, Michelle Chen Miyari of Bliss'd Events and photographed by the uber talented Jose Villa(a crush).

You will love the sweet and charming details. Love all the thoughtful paper details including the escort cards. CUTE!

Inspiration: Rain Showers and Garden Flowers

2011-06-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Rain season doesn't have to be gloomy and grey. Summer showers bring beautiful garden flowers that inspire sweet wedding themes.

Inspiration: Rain Showers and Garden Flowers

Colors: Bright Canary Yellow, Pale Pink, Metal Hues

Textures: Tin Watering Cans, Rubber Rain Boots, Clothes Pins, Fresh Cut Flowers, Umbrellas, Rainy Wedding Days

Photo Credits: Tartelette, Kelly Shiro Events, Etsy, Ruffled, Brides Cafe, Green Wedding Shoes, Allyson Magda Photography

Press: Style Me Pretty Features A Vow Renewal

2011-06-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

We are loving that Style Me Pretty is doing regional features. We feel so honored that SMP choose Antoinette and Lance's vow renewel photographed by Erica Loeks for a real wedding article. It's also nice to see it featured on their new regional page. Antoinette is the owner of Paperista and created all the fine paper products. You can read more about the wonderful story of Antoinette and Lance on Style Me Pretty.

Thank you, SMP for featuring this darling Sonoma Weddding.

Guest Blogger: Where do you want to go with your Business: Part II

2011-06-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we all got to read the start of a great post by guest blogger, Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros. Read her conclusion to her wonderful and well written post, Where do you want to go with your Business?

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Where do you want to go with your Business Part II?

Close Your Business

Closing a business is not something people generally plan for. It’s generally something people fall into if they aren’t able to sell it or leave it to anyone. But, I’m being REAL here. You may have no desire to someday sell your business. You may see your business solely as a purpose for gaining income for the next several years until you retire or move onto something else. And, you may not have a team of people you to which you want to leave your business. Closing your business is a very realistic choice in the future of your business, particularly in the wedding industry.

Here are points you will want to consider:
- How long do you see yourself working in your business?
- Do you see yourself evolving your business into something new? For example, if you have a brick-n-mortar flower shop do you foresee closing your shop to service a limited number of exclusive events?
- What is your timeline for closing your business? If your longest sales cycle is 2 years (2 years between booking an event and servicing the event), when do you stop taking new jobs?
- How will you decide that it’s a good time to close your business?
- Will you sell any portion of your business? Your assets – equipment, machinery, and inventory – can all be sold.

Other Elements of a Succession Plan

I’ve identified the first big question in creating a succession plan for your business: what do you want to do with your business? It’s up to you to fill in all the other little pieces. A succession plan is much like a business plan in that it details a series of goals in relation to your business model. It identifies where you are and how are you going to get to the eventual goal you have for your business.

Another element of the succession plan is a planning for the dreaded question: what if something happens to you? How will your business go on without out? Can it go on without you?

What do you think? What are your thoughts on the future of your business?

Michelle Loretta, along with Kelly Simants, are owners of Sage Wedding Pros, a resource for professionals who want to create sustainable businesses in the wedding industry. If you need additional information about Sage Wedding Pros, including their one-to-one business plan coaching and workshops, please visit www.sageweddingpros.com

Floral Inspiration: From the Trash to Fash

2011-06-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Who remembers last week's post Floral Inspiration: Country Peonies Bouquet?

After the photoshoot, I had some extra flowers that I kept in our awesome walk in cooler. Even after a week in the cooler, they were still beautiful but were ready to be replaced with the hundreds of new flowers for this weekend's events.

I happen to be cleaning out my walk in when Angie Silvy came by. Not only is Angie an awesome photographer but she's my neighbor and buddy. Though she came over to drop off a disc of images, I managed to get her to take a whole bunch of flowers. As she left, I handed her an arm full of blooms in apricot, peaches, pinks, coral, and hot pink. Little did I know that she would turn our nearly "in the trash" flowers into a beautiful spread. So delicious, right?

With only ranunculus, Jonathan Adler vases, and a simple modern table, she created these amazing images and florals....WOW! You have to see the rest of the images on her May 25th post. It's gorgeous. With vintage becoming mainstream, I'm loving this retro, refined, luxe look. It's a dash more modern with luxury details. Refined retro --- here you come!

Best Thing Ever: Owl Cake by Studio Cake

2011-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

A while back I was invited to an adorable baby shower. It was for vendor buddy Gloria Wong and her husband Tani Tritasivit.. Happy to say that little Taylor Ling Tritasivit arrived safely on February 28, 2011.

When the shower invitation came I noticed this charming and sweet Owl on the invitation card. So of course, when I saw the Owl cake at Gloria and Tani's joint baby lshower, I was like a 6 year old --- lil' bit wow'd.

The adorable and eatable treat was designed by the super talented Beth Ann Goldberg of Studio Cake. I just love it. And yes, it tasted equally blissful.

Thank you Kevin Chin for capturing the event!

Guest Blogger: Where do you want to go with your Business: Part I

2011-05-30T00:00:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to welcome back, Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros. Michelle Loretta, along with Kelly Simants, are owners of Sage Wedding Pros, a resource for professionals who want to create sustainable businesses in the wedding industry. Michelle is going to be a guest blogger for the next 2 Mondays. I am honored to introduce her fabulous and insightful post aptly titled, Where do you want to go with your business? On a more personal note, Michelle is a great supporter of vendors and I delight in being able to call her one of my inspirational vendor friends.

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Where do you want to go with your business?

Most of us in the wedding industry launch a business because of an overwhelming desire to create something of our own. We yearn to be artistic. We yearn to see our name in proverbial lights. We yearn to have command over our careers. And, this propels us forward… year after year after year.

But, then what?

What is it that you are building?

Where do you want to go?

What does your business look like when you are done with it?

Where do you want to go with your business?

At Sage Wedding Pros, we ask this of wedding pros when we work with them on their business plans. And, it’s without-a-doubt the hardest of all questions to answer. But, it is probably the most important one. We are very focused on building our dream in the present and it can be challenging to envision the end of the road. But if we don’t know where we’re going how do we know what road to take?

We encourage business owners to start planning for succession as early as possible. (We encourage people to make this step at approximately 2 years into business, if not earlier.) If this sounds super scary to you, then start with the following question: what do you want to do with your business? Use this as a building block in beginning to create your succession plan.

Business owners generally end up in one of the following places…

3 Options for the Future of Your Business:

Sell Your Business

Many people dream of selling their business and making millions from it. (I know I do!) Often a business owner that has built a successful business will realize and learn (and do some quick math) that they can sell their business for much more than they actually make in annual revenue. This is what is most enticing about selling your business.

In reality, a small owner-run business is not easy to sell. The wedding industry these days has very little barrier to entry. (We’ve all seen this as wedding pros pop up quickly each month.) But with such little barrier to entry, why would someone buy a business if they can’t easily start their own business? This is a challenge you will certainly face if you goal is to someday sell your business. It emphasizes the importance of creating a succession plan.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to sell your business someday:

Identify a potential buyer. This can be a real actual company that may be interested in acquiring your business to strengthen their company. Or, you can create a “pretend” buyer to have someone in mind.
Identify the reasons that this buyer would be acquiring your business. Is it your incredibly strong brand name? Is it your assets and equipment? Is it your innovation in the industry?
Build a succession plan around the assumption that this business (or person) will acquire your business. Structure your every business move around this and the reasons they would buy your business. You are now in the business of selling your business – not jut the product or service on which your business is modeled.

Leave Your Business to Your Family or Employees

You may be dreaming of the day that your family (or if your employees are like family – then your employees) take over your business. You have a vision of creating a legacy that can be carried on without you.

Before my life in the wedding industry, I worked for a small company who had this as a succession plan. The owner had operated and owned the business for 15 years and she wanted to retire. Her succession plan was to turn the business over to 2 employees who had worked in the business for many many years. The plan was that they would earn their equity (ownership) in the business over 5 years. This would be based on the company’s profit performance.

Two things happened. The first is that this succession turnover began in 2000 – and then came the dot bomb. Despite everyone’s efforts to keep the company going, the economy took its toll on the business. The company did not have a strong profit performance and the owner was forced to close. Regardless of her best efforts in creating a succession plan there were other circumstances that took over.

The other – incredibly significant problem – was that the owner had a very hard time relinquishing control to her employees in regards to daily operations. She was every bad stereotype in terms of being a horrible manager. She led by fear and threats. She had an incredible team but she never let them do the work they were hired to do. I watched profits slide in large part due to this factor.

If you plan to leave your business to family members or employees, here are some points to consider:

- Write a succession plan.

Who would you like to see take over this business?
How will you train them to do so?
Will they take on any ownership in addition to managing operations?

Find the right people for the right jobs and let them do their work. Often employees perform poorly because we expect them to do something that they aren’t skilled at doing. Your job is to teach them how to do so or put them in a role where they can excel. Once you have the right people in the right positions, you company will thrive better than ever.
Create a timeline and start working towards this now. If your plan is to take a less active role in your business in 10 years, then start NOW in paving the path to get there.
- Study other businesses with solid succession plans. Nordstrom and Zappos are two strong companies with succession plans at every level of their operations – not just at the executive level.

To Be Continued....

Read the conclusion of Where do you want to go with your Business? next monday.

For more on business strategy and information on Sage Wedding Pros, including their one-to-one business plan coaching and workshops, please visit www.sageweddingpros.com

Floral Inspiration: Country Peonies Bouquet

2011-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Guess that I'm a little more country than I ever thought. And this fabulous bouquet featuring sweet peas, coral peonies, ranunculus, mock orange, allium berries, scabiosa pods, jasmine, and variegated tree foliage is exactly what I would make for myself if I were walking down the aisle again. All the flowers remind me of freshly picked country flowers. The right amount of texture with one fabulous focal flower is sometimes all you need. The color mixtures - coral, pale yellow, peach, light coral pink, taupe, soft celadon, creamy combine well, what's not to like, right?

I recently made this bouquet as part of a photo shoot. (Will attempt to share the images from the awesome photoshoot with you in a later date)

You might not know this, but I actually shot this image while the team had a little downtime. Though I am not a professional I think it turned out rather nice.

As a pure amateur photographer, one of the most valuable things to learn is how to compose a photo. The ability to judge lighting is key.

How can you take better images? Just a little suggestion - take your favorite photographer out to lunch and tell them that you need a 10 minute lesson on how to compose a photo. And of course, practice like I do. There are so many lovely photographers in the Bay Area(and beyond). Make friends, I know I have the best photography buddies.

End of Month Recap: May Hurdles

2011-05-27T00:00:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here in my home office writing about the end of May. How did we get here? This week I was working on bookkeeping and year-to-date expenses. Usually I do this once a quarter but April flew by so I missed it. Oops. And suddenly, I noticed --- it's May.

It's finally hitting me, the wedding season is starting. Though Oprah may have said farewell, I'm starting to say hello Wedding Season or as most vendors call it, Wedding Hell.

That was wrong of me to say, it's not hellish. Well....Sorta.

The heat of Wedding Season feels like a pressure cooker. There's this nagging feeling that you are always behind, always losing it, always forgetting things, always making changes. At least, that's what it feels like to me. There's a feeling that 24 hours isn't enough.

But along with the need for "busy"ness there is this sense of accomplishment. With so many weddings coming at you, the best way to describe it is like hurdles coming at you every 10 feet. You jump over a few but the longer you continue you start to hit a few hurdles and stumble your way through the end. But no matter what, you do jump through all the hurdles and at the end it's this triumph journey. And then you start it over again! and again.

If May had a lesson, I would say that the lesson was on me. Boy, I don't like messing up. I certainly am not in the business of making people feel bad. Did I inspire? Did I teach a valuable lesson? I might have but in so doing, I also created a divide. There is a responsibility that we have as bloggers. Our voice should be genuine and heard but it's also important to listen, to hear, and to acknowledge our own mistakes.

One of my favorite sayings is that we can only grow when we make and learn from mistakes. I'm growing each day. This journey with all of you is helping me to be the truest person that I can be.

This month I am not doing a collage of May flowers but instead I've done a floral inspiration article. It's coming up so enjoy.

Best Thing Ever: To Oprah Winfrey

2011-05-25T00:00:00.001-07:00

25 years ago, I was merely 16 years old. I was a Junior in high school finishing the last quarter before summer break. Being young and naive, I saw the world as full of promise and hope.

Along the way, disappointments, failures, heartbreak happened. In 25 years, you go through bad health and death of loved ones, broken relationships, failed friendships, loss of job, and stress due to finances. These all bring you down and make you smaller, less significant and at times distracted.

I've been fortunate that from time to time, I've been able to catch the Oprah Winfrey show. This past year, because of my TiVo, I've been able to come home at night to a little dose of Oprah magic. I cry. I smile. I jump. And slowly, old disappointments and hurts faded just a little. Oprah has introduced so many people into my lives, strangers that seem to overcome the worse tragedies, people who have lived and inspired others, souls who have risen from their losses, dreamers who won't let their hopes died. Today, I couldn't forget not to say thank you to Oprah - a living legend.

If just an ounce of her talent, gifts, and generosity could rub off on me, I would be so honored and humbled by it. To be kinder. To be more hopeful. To be wiser. To desire to want to help those less fortunate. To be a positive influence on others. To be changed for the good. To empower others to be the best they can be.

Design by the great Preston Bailey!

To honor Oprah's last show, I wanted to feature Preston Bailey's "O" floral design which was featured at the 1st anniversary of the O magazine. It's my best thing ever today!!! Thank you Oprah.....you will be missed.

Press: BR Cohn featured in You and Your Wedding Magazine

2011-05-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

After writing about how I love the return of greens for ceremonies a while back, I'm glad to see that this beautiful Sonoma wedding was featured in the UK magazine, You and Your Wedding. How funny is the white/green color scheme aptly titled in the mag as "Green Queen"? Did You and Your Wedding know that the future Duchess of Cambridge was going to select these serene colors for her ceremony palette.

Hmmmmm....interesting!

Thanks to Lisa Lefkowitz was the gorgeous images which were captured at BR Cohn Winery.

Images by Lisa Lefkowitz

Inspiration Board: Countryside Formality

2011-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

When Kevin and I first started dating, we use to get away during the weekends and find faraway little cottages where we could just be still. It's been a while since we got away. Obviously I still yearn for a tranquil country living where I can hear crickets outside my window as opposed to the sound of urban traffic.

This inspiration board salutes a slower paced life. It doesn't mean that it's rustic and casual. Country can still have it's own formality with crisp white chair covers, bountiful white flowers, and beautiful traditional china pieces. The main thing is be inspired by a refined country style.

Style: Bed & Breakfast meets Formal Whites
Colors: Vanilla, Milk, Buttet, Flour, Paperwhites
Accent Colors: Sky Blue, Apple, Honey, Basil, Polished Silver
Textures: Cookbooks, White Porcelain, Metal Clocks, Chalkboards, Slipcovers, Pantry, Lampshade Chandeliers, Porches, White Mini Cakes, Lisianthus, Peonies, Paperwhites, Pantry spices

Top Row: Countryliving, Jose Villa, Country Living
Middle Row: Countryliving
Bottom Row; Country Living, Country Living, and Little Willow

Best Thing Ever: Green Ceremony

2011-05-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since Kate and Will tied the knot, I've been obsessed with green foliage and floral pieces for ceremonies and of course no one does it better than Ariella Chezar.

Many of us can't afford 20 ft trees in our ceremony but we sure can feature something like this gorgeous green tree for a "focal" piece. And how about those pew ideas?

I'm absolutely so in love with this. It's fresh. It's green. It's still timeless and classic but just refreshed. Love it. How would you incorporate foliage in your wedding?

About Nancy: Thanks for Feedback

2011-05-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Recently, a wonderful reader of Nancy's Brown Bag pointed out that our new layout font was a bit difficult to read.

It wasn't the first time we had heard about this issue. Today, we have changed the font so that it will be easier to read.

When we get good comments and feedback, we don't ignore them. Keep up the great feedback. Remember, if there is something you want to see, let us know. We write for you --- our fans, our clients, our readers!

Lessons: Being Positive

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! The other week, my article sucked. Even though I was proud of writing it at the moment, I realized today that my post entitled Lesson: Unrealistic Budgets went array because I said things that could be taken out of context, easily miscontrued, and definitely worthy of controversy. Definitely a fan of all things wedding, I feel just awful because I created a gap not a bridge between our community.

This is a great example of what I call --- voicing an opinion but forgetting the big picture. Sure I made my point which was about setting realistic expectations but in the middle of everything, I sort of "disturbed" people by eluding to the fact that I wasn't backing my fellow vendors. That's such a no no. Simply, I failed.

The lesson is obvious. As a vendor, whether you are a seasoned pro or a new business owner, we are one team. Though we all work in different areas, we each represent our community --- the wedding industry. And what I learned the hard way is that there is no place for "putting down" others in the industry even if that wasn't one's intentions. Our tone says a lot. It can hurt those that we shouldn't hurt. As long as we make others feel bad, it's not a good thing. It's never a good thing.

As leaders, we speak for those who are too shy to speak. I want to thank Chanda of A Monique Affair for pointing out that "we all need each other". Amen to that! I'm learning that we need to bridge the gap between vendors. We also need to bridge the gap between vendors and our clients.

Bottom line: We all need each other.

Floral Inspiration: From the Trash

2011-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people that thrive when I'm criticized. Blame it on my strict, perfectionist, Asian semi-'Tiger' mother(my mother was tough on us kids but she was incredibly caring and generous) who took it very hard and personal when I brought home a B on my report card for my small "chip on my shoulder". I'm working on my issues. Needless to say, toward the end of my high school years, I tried never to bring home a B and I grew very sensitive and probably more obsessive about many things. So, when faced with a little criticism, being tough and driven, I get going. Because - I can't stand it.

I confess that I am my worse critic though less critical in the last year. Sure, I'm still tough on my staff, my designers, and myself, but I'm evolving so that I can grow and mature. (Resulting in less "freak outs" and more stressfree events) My goal is to let criticism bounce off of me. Hopefully, all of you can learn from my own mistakes and shortcomings(and I have many!)

Someone once pointed out to me that the flowers that florists/floral designers get aren't always that fresh looking. (I've addressed this in the past posts but I thought I would bring it up again). To critics I would say that that's not entirely correct. Not that flowers aren't fresh looking, it's just that most flowers when the arrive aren't beautiful...yet! They need to be maintained, finessed, beautified. Certainly, they need a fresh cut and some "water". It's true - flowers can look worn even "fresh" flowers flown in and unpacked that morning, can look "tight", wimpy, etc. Of course, there's always some flowers who bruise so easily and plenty that can catch bugs/bacteria from others when buckets aren't very clean. Should I go on? And those that are delayed on planes can develop "water" spots because of moist dropped into bunches of flowers that are very tightly packed. There's so many things that go wrong that needs to be addressed before an arrangement can go out the door.....

However, I am so thrilled to say that this image was taken of an arrangement that I made from nearly "old", "worn" looking flowers.

Why did I make this arrangement which was literally about to be dumped? I did it to show people that if you take care of flowers, they can prove to be very beautiful even if at first they don't look great.

Professionals have to turn the worse product into the best.

Plus: The very best floral designers know how to combine flowers. They can take just a few stems and turn it into a cohesive design.

Now, back to the arrangement.

To recap from earlier, when we get flowers from our vendors, it's not always pretty. It doesn't come in prepared for you in clean little brown paper packages. It isn't devoid of mold, water spots, bruising, brown edges and even a few bugs. It's up to us as the artist to take what we have and make it sellable. It's up to us to clean the flowers and make it perfect even if it's beautiful ugly. Removing yellowing leaves, brown spots, and picking through what's good and what's bad is all part of the learning process. Just like when you cook, you have to prep all the ingredients, right?

Here's what I did.

I selected a few stems of worn, partly bruised flowers from buckets of leftover flowers(including some from the previous week's Wedding Floral Academy) including freesias, lisianthus, scabiosa. These were to become the focal flowers. Even though they were not in good shape, I perked them up by removing any wilted blooms, damaged petals and/or even browning petals.

You can remove petals easily by simply and gently pulling or cutting out "bad" petals. With something like freesia, I just removed the wilted, older blooms. A few bruised and brown flowers were savaged by removing all the petals and using just the center of the stem(see the flowers on the left corner). Some flowers that dry don't look good but I choose scabiosa pods that actually look fine even when it's a little dried. Viburnum is a very good flower and little hydrating will make them perk. They are quite long lasting when recut.

One smart tip: on Fridays toward the end of the flower market hours, many vendors are trying to clean their stalls in preparation of new product that might be coming the following Monday. This is usually a great time to sweet talk a few vendors into "giving" me some of their "ready" to toss flowers. I use them to test out new designs, not to put into wedding flowers for our clients. It's my way of practicing. Often when there's a few bunches of flowers left, even if it's not good, I ask my vendors to sell me two ok bunches so that I can pick out the flowers and make one useable bunch.

One lovely vendor, Vicki of Florist at Large gave me a hole bunch of scraps which I placed in this arrangement. She shooed me out so fast I didn't even get a chance to ask her what she gave me. But I love it. These greens plus the poppies were a few of the additional things that I picked up from the market that I used to create this green and white arrangement.

Now, one more lesson and inspiration. You don't need a lot of money to do a small photo shoot. You don't need a fancy venue. And you don't even need assistants. It does help to have a professional photographer that you can "call upon" for these quicky shoots(aka my darling husband, Kevin Chin).

Here's a behind the scenes photo of the before shoot of this "setup". There's me standing on a chair and holding the paper "lanterns". Yup, I didn't even hang them. I used an invitation from Hello Lucky which was in my collateral box, a few props, and even the curtains in my office as a nice backdrop. The sign was recycled from a previous wedding to add a little bit of charm. And the vase is one that is in my "onesy" pile. The box is actually a 3 drawer box that I use on my desk to place business cards. Hey, you've got to use props wisely.

My sweet husband, Kevin Chin, spent an hour at my office taking a few shots(there was actually 3 set ups) Thank you Kevin Chin, Florist at large, and my mom for being a Tiger!

Best Thing Ever: Dye Cut Menu

2011-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

What's not to like about dye cut invitations but this dye cut menu is really special. It's the first time I've ever had a client create such a special menu. Little details beside the dye cut also are appealing including the initials of the couple on the top and dainty crystals. Just pretty.

The menu inspiration was created by ever talented friend event design, Gloria Wong Design.

Photography by Wendy Maclaurin Richardson

Behind the Scenes: Wedding Floral Academy 2011

2011-05-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

When I started working for Nancy, I kept hearing about "WFA". What in the world is WFA?

Last month I was lucky enough to attend what I learned was Nancy's bi-annual wedding business and floral design class. The Wedding Floral Academy is a three-day workshop taught by Nancy herself. The curriculum is a combination of design technique, business strategy, and brand development which I have learned are some of the most important ingredients for any successful business.

The best part about WFA is the intimate setting and size of the group. With only 5 attendees, Nancy is able to study each student's individual business plan (or lack of) and give valuable advice and suggestions. I left the class with new inspiration and motivation to start something wonderful.

We also attempted to imitate Nancy's "instantly recognizable" floral designs. Check out my first bouquet ever!

If you missed WFA this season, don't worry! There is another session in the Fall. Check it out!

Floral Inspiration: "Tried and Tiered"

2011-05-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Tiered floral arrangements are not a trend, but rather a style that changes and redefines itself according to the latest trends. Someone may see a more traditional "tiered" design and be turned off by its gaudiness or extreme height. However, this does not mean that the same person wouldn't love another rendition of a "tiered" centerpiece.

We must also remember that the overall effect of a floral arrangement has to do with so many factors:
the floral designer, the event stylist, the surrounding tablescape, and even the flowers themselves.

Take a look at these different takes on tiered centerpieces. It is hard to place them in the same category, but technically they are all tiered arrangements.

Floral Design by Jeff Leatham

Floral Design by Karen Tran, Photography by Darrin Fong

What tiered arrangement would you like to see tried?

Real Weddings: Bear Flag Farm Wedding by Jose Villa

2011-05-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Pictures speak louder than words. This is one of the most adorable weddings that I've ever seen.

The boutonniere was one of my favorite things. I found gingham fabric and cut out my own leaves. Brilliantly fun to create.

Last year, Michelle Chen Miyari of Blissd Events asked me to help her sister, Zoe, on her wedding flowers. At the time I knew it would be a very sweet and meaningful day but I had no idea how beautifully planned and charming this wedding would be.

Thrilled. Honored. Elated. Thank you Zoe and Michelle for asking me to do the flowers.

Of course the images by the magnificently talented photographer, Jose Villa created a soothing and calming story.

One of the best things about a wedding at Bear Flag Farm is this vintage truck which is just the most fitting backdrop for these place cards. The hay is adorable.

Every detail about this wedding is thoughtful and well done. Even simple lemonade looks like a specialty drink.

Bravo, Jose for capturing this amazing event. Kudos to Michelle for great planning. And of course, Tina at Bear Flag Farms for letting my team work on such a gracious property.

Lessons: Follow up to Unrealistic Budgets

2011-05-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

I want to clarify something from the previous post regarding Unrealistic Budgets. And it's important that I make this perfectly clear.

As a vendor, one of the most important aspect of the wedding is a smoothly planned event. And the person/(s) responsible is often the planner during the day of the wedding. That role is so vital on the day of the wedding that I can't begin to say enough good things about planners. (I support planners! And more importantly, I believe in hiring one as you start your process not just a day of!). If you are a bride and you are even remotely thinking of getting a planner, I say it's a good thing. How can you possibly act as the planner at your own wedding? And if you are not planning to have a planner, I hope you will give it some serious thoughts.

However, my point from yesterday is that everybody needs to be accountable for their actions.
The planner, the client, and the vendors. And there is one line that I think was poorly written(yes I am human). Taken out of context, is sounded like I said, "don't rely on planners" but if you read the entire paragraph, it said....

As a planner, your reputation might be a little bit damaged (read between the lines, I would be tempted to fire you!) if you continue to give your clients unrealistic expectations. Secondly, as a client, you should do some research to understand what might a grand arrangement cost. Be accountable and take it upon yourself to do your homework. Don't rely on your planner to do the homework on cost of grand pieces, that's not fair either. And lastly, GFB, you should pre qualify your client. Duh? Stop blaming things on your clients. You have as much to blame for not addressing this upfront.

Regardless of my point, I am very sorry if I offend any planner or made any bride question their vendor relationships. This is my mea culpa. A wise planner pointed out that planners who care about what they do are still, industry wide, getting clients to trust them and my frank statement pushed the industry back a little by inferring that clients need to do their own research.

Absolutely well said. No matter what we believe, taking our industry a step back is not the right thing to express whether it was intentional or not.

Please accept my apologies!

Please note that I strongly believe that the best relationships start with trust.

Thank you for allowing me the chance to clear this up and much thanks to those who also know that I'm just one person, human as can be, and easily faulty.

Lessons: Unrealistic Floral Budgets

2011-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

My good floral buddy(GFB) called me up today and told me that several clients within the past year have been almost too unrealistic these days. They come to her office, pull out an inspiration boards filled with glamorous and lush arrangements that look like pseudo celebrity weddings featuring draping, beautiful chairs and decor, up lights, premium linens for large guest lists(over 200 guests for sit down receptions) and expect to pay $2000 to $3000 for the flowers. Now, as a bride if you are reading this, you might say, $2000 or $3000 is a lot of money.

Courtest of Squidoo

It sure is.

You won't find me urging that.

But even $2000 or $3000 will be difficult for any floral designer of experience in the Bay Area to meet especially for 20 premium floral centerpieces plus an array of flowers for other parts of the wedding including bridal bouquets, bridesmaid flowers, personal flowers, ceremony decor, and on and on.

When my GFB told me that some of her clients had planners (and one was even an experienced one), I sort of blew my gasket. How could a planner not educate her client that a beautiful, grand wedding filled with lush arrangements (whether low and tailored or tall and grand) would realistically be $2000 to $3000?

Courtesy of Wedding Nouveau

As a planner, your reputation might be a little bit damaged if you continue to give your clients unrealistic expectations. Secondly, as a client, you should do some research to understand what might a grand arrangement cost. Be accountable and take it upon yourself to do your homework. Don't rely on your planner to do the homework on cost of grand pieces, that's not fair either. And lastly, GFB, you should pre qualify your client. Duh? Stop blaming things on your clients. You have as much to blame for not addressing this upfront.

Bottom line: planner - educate, clients - research, and vendors - prequalify.

Let's take a little trip down memory lane.

Do you have any idea what caused the Home Mortgage Crisis? I don't have a freakin' clue on the details but one thing I do know is that the lender's were loaning people huge amounts of money for houses they really couldn't afford with very little down payment. Obviously this was a bad plan (understatement).

Luckily, we've learned our lesson and today, the rules are more stringent. It's incredibly difficult to get a mortgage. To prequalify you need to 'jump through hoops' before a bank will loan you money. The amount that the banks are willing to loan are more conservative. Don't you think we need to learn a little bit about this crisis. As a vendor, shouldn't we learn to prequalify our clients by asking a few key questions.

Here's a few questions that you might consider ( and please add your own to this list through commenting).

What might the range of your floral budget be?
What are you expecting as realistic deliverables (i.e. what do you hope a florist will be able to complete on your wishlist)?
Are you allowing for room for substitution so that premium blooms might be replaced with a less premium bloom?
When creating an inspiration board, what do you expect the cost to be inorder to fully execute such a design style?
Which arrangements/details are you willing to give up?
What's the priority?

Since I can't speak for planners or clients, I can only appeal to you - the floral and event designer. Prequalify your clients before you spend hours with them. It's better to spend a few minutes over the phone or even via email than to find out that their budget is not realistic at all. Ask questions upfront prior to writing that detail proposal. Call your planner or simply email them prior to your meeting and ask them what are the expectations.

Trust me, it's so much easier to take the time to be upfront than to have to "vent" later to your planner that you just wasted their clients time!

Courtesy of Strategy Stew

Save yourself some time and get the facts or at least a feeling from the planner or client(s). Often in a competitive environment we want to get clients into our space, write a proposal, and send them a contract to be signed and ready to go.

Courtesy of Underground Wellnew

Slow down.

Let's just due our due diligence when it comes to understanding if a clients' budget is manageable. And after that, let's move forward.

End of Month Recap: April Showers

2011-04-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here in my office writing about the end of April. For me, it's a very special month, good things happened in April. I got married in late April 2000, my parents got married early April 1961 and my cousin had a little boy, Alexander this month. April is an auspicious month in my family.

Hoping that all the good in my life can be transferred to you.

If you were following the blog, April started smoothly as I celebrated an early anniversary in Cabo San Lucas with my hubby where we feasted on ceviche, fish sashimi salads, and chips (yummmmm!). My favorite new restaurant in the Cabo area is The Market at One and Only Palmilla where I was treated with such warm and inviting service. When you arrive at the One and Only, each staff you meet graces you with a lovely greeting and their hand pressed against their heart. I'd love to come up with a greeting for my brides, how about a slight bow? I think not! As always, I ventured to several new resorts like Capella Pedregal and Hacienda Resort to see the latest in design.

While everyone in the office was busy with wedding prep, I concentrated my time on the Wedding Floral Academy and of course, Nancy's Brown Bag blog. How's everyone liking the new design? Do you like our new 3-posts-per-week format? Every month we are trying to come up with a theme and as you can see, it's not that easy.

One thing we did focus on were Easter pastel hues. Didn't you like the Lilac and Rose inspiration board? Lovely, right? Or that ruffly cake? Best ever.

Since today there is a royal wedding(my congrats to Kate and Will), it's obvious that nothing speaks more royal than shades of purple. I'm going to end my recap with some royal "pale purple" flowers. You can call them lavender, some are even lilac but together or separate, they all are just splendid.

Since April showers tend to bring May Flowers, I'm hoping that May will bring you some colorful blooms.

Top Row: Sweet peas, Mum, Novelty Tulip, Carnation
Middle Row: Dendrobium orchid, Hydrangea, Rose, Lisianthus
Bottom Row: Mini calla, Dahlias, Hyacinth, Cattleya Orchid

Courtesy of Fiftyflowers, Sierra Flower Finder, and MyFlowerBuyer.com

By the Numbers: Floating Wreaths

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Photography by Anna Kuperberg

Readers, it's been a while since I did a By The Numbers article. I hope I can ask for some "forgiveness" as Erin, my intern, and I have been so focused on inspirations, real weddings, and our new "best thing ever" topics.

Starting this May, I'm going to bring back 'By The Numbers' posts for our midweek posts. Usually on Wednesday I feature Real Weddings and Best Thing Ever articles but I'm adding 'By The Numbers' to add a little fun.

For starters, I'll attack how to make these floating wreaths and what you need.

For one 18 inch White Carnation Floating Wreath with Bubble Bowl and gardenias,
you will need

158 - 168 stems of white carnations
158 - 168 tooth picks
1 15 inch styrofoam circle - with center "hollowed" up
1 large Bubble bowl
Water for inside of Bubble Bowl
5 to 7 white gardenias
1 fishing wire
4 to 5 - mini washers - Around 2 pound if possible - 4 to 5 will give you 10 pounds.

Tip: The washers attached via fishing wire should be adhered(tied) to the styrofoam before you start putting your carnations(with toothpicks) on your circular wreath. It's really crucial that when you put them in the pool of water that the bubble bowl be placed "evenly".

Good luck and let me know how it works for you.

Lessons: The 4 P's of Success

2011-04-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a believer that it is never just one component that will make a business successful. Long lasting brands and small businesses stay in business because of a combination of attributes.

Oh, I've heard my own critics, other floral designers, who say that I'm JUST a great marketer(and to them, I will take the high road and not call them out). Heck, I hope I am a good marketer, I practice marketing on a daily basis (just ask my assistants). Sure, it's not my experience in marketing that makes me want to be a better listener, owner, and manager. It's not my degree in marketing that helps me want to create and innovate. And it's definitely not my love of marketing that makes me practice running a business or producing consistent designs. Hope you hear what I'm saying. If people think that marketing alone can lead to a successful business, I'd have to shutdown that theory. Good marketers might get clients to find them but in the end, our clients are more savvy than that. And even if you are the best floral designer, if your clients can't find you, that's not a good thing at all. Perhaps you are good at selling and closing a deal, but if you are disorganized, things will fall through the crack. Bottom line: it's not one thing that makes and breaks you.

Your strength has to be more than just one component.

What I find common amongst successful individuals and business owners can be narrowed to what I call the 4 P's. I've probably said it before and I'm not afraid to say it again. You need ----

Passion, People, Practice, Persistence

Of course, you have to have a love and passion for your craft. And passion isn't a fling, it's built over years. Passion for your craft, your business, your industry - hello, it's a must.

Beyond that - Successful people didn't become a success without some help. They have a great understanding of the importance of people. We need all sorts of people to help, to support, to advise, to produce. It goes on and on.

Successful individuals and businesses have been practicing their craft for years. That means, one or two weddings under your belt doesn't make you an expert. And for those who planned their own wedding, that doesn't mean that you can now be a wedding planner. Your own wedding isn't enough to qualify you as a successful planner or a great invitation designer just because you did all the paper goods.

More importantly, successful artist, individuals, businesses have an innate personality trait - they are persistent. One has to weather the storms to learn valuable lessons. If you've been doing invitations, photography, or cakes(cupcakes) for your friends, you haven't weathered any storms(yet). You can't do things for cost or give them to your family and friends and expect that you have persevered. You need real paying clients, many failures, and big flops for you to understand how to fix, adapt and change. Hardship and suffering are all part of the growing process that leads to success. A business owner who hasn't any understanding of failure, hasn't grown that much. (Trust me, I know what it means to fail and I'm still standing!)

Remember, successful wedding vendors, we've been in the muck. And if we rise above the crap, we become stronger.