by Bethany Thomas, Commemory Fine Art
ABC-OC Communications Chair

Modern. Beautiful. Educational. Delicious.

On May 8th, 110 wedding professionals took advantage of a beautiful modern setting, delicious food, learned about Pinterest, a social media phenomenon important to the wedding industry and more about each other at Celebrations by Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa.

Congratulations and thank you to John Goolsby who was announced as our new ABC State Coordinator for California. New members to ABC-OC were announced as well.

To find out more about Pinterest and other marketing strategies to grow your business, contact Wendy Dahl at wendy@bridebusinessbuilders.com or visit her website at www.bridebusinessbuilders.com.

Enjoy the crisply artistic photos captured by Christopher TODD studios, and please see the list of sponsors who donated their time and talents below:

Thank you sponsors:

Venue | Celebrations by Turnip Rose | www.turniprose.com
Speaker | Wendy Dahl/Bride Business Builders | www.bridebusinessbuilders.com
DJ Entertainment | Visions Entertainment www.visionsentertainment.com
Entertainment/Vocalist | Lindsay Jacobs | www.lindsayjacobs.com
Favor/Sweets | The Last Crumb | www.thelastcrumbcookies.com
Florist | Entwined Design Florals | www.entwineddesignflorals.com
Linens| Designer Specialty | http://www.designerspecialtylinens.com/
Papergoods | InStyle Event Co. | www.InStyleEventCo.com
Photographer | Christopher TODD Studios | www.christophertoddstudios.com
Video | Fiske Film | www.Fiskefilm.com

To learn more about joining ABC-OC, the standard for wedding excellence, and to receive our emails please visit our website.

by Bethany Thomas, Commemory Fine Art

Raise your hand if you attended last week’s ABC-OC social event at the St. Regis Monarch Beach. Now keep your hand up if you expected a beautiful event based on the venue. Because your hand is still up - keep it up if your expectations were exceeded. We are willing to bet your hand is still in the air like these members -

• “I had a fabulous time at the ABC event tonight!! This was my favorite flower and decor display!!! I loved it!! Thanks ABC for putting together the best event I have gone to in 6 years!!!”
• “It was great to see all of the familiar faces and to meet all of the new ones at the St. Regis tonight!”
• “As usual …first class all the way…great night.”

We were beyond thrilled with record-breaking attendance that had an exceptional experience thanks to the St. Regis staff and the ABC-OC board who brought in a variety of first-class companies to sponsor the event. From work-of-art floral and decor displays in the four corners of the ballrroom by, Enchanted Florist, tic-tock Couture Florals, White Lilac Inc., and Bloom Box to the deliciously prepared and stunning presentation of the food by St. Regis Monarch Beach, Itty Bitty Sweets,  Jay’s Catering, Hollywood Candy Girls, Simply Sweet Apples  and A Wish and a Whisk were delightful. Plus, the fashion show of bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses and mother-of-the-bride gowns by Carolina Herrera, The White Dress and Andrea’s Couture.

Did you win one of the fabulous prizes? A parting gift are these gorgeous photos by Lauren Hillary of Jim Kennedy Photographers. And don’t miss connecting with the fabulous sponsors listed below – enjoy!

Want to be in the know about upcoming meetings? Be sure to add yourself to the email list. Click here and enter your email address in the “Join Our Mailing List” box.

Thank you to all the sponsors who made this social meeting an exceptional experience. Please visit their websites and ‘like’ their pages for more information and ongoing updates about their services:

Florals | Enchanted Florist | www.nisiesenchanted.com
Florals | tic-tock Couture Florals | www.ticktock.com
Florals | White Lilac Inc. | www.whitelilacinc.com
Florals | Bloom Box | www.bloomboxdesigns.com
Bridal Gowns | Carolina Herrera | www.carolinaherrera.com
Bridesmaid Dresses | The White Dress | www.thewhitedress.com
Mother of the Bride Gowns | Andrea’s Couture | www.andreascouture.com
Photography | Jim Kennedy Photography | www.jimkennedyphotographers.com
Videography | Plug Video | www.plugvideo.com
Linens | Fusion Linens | www.fusionlinens.com
Hire Elegance| www.hire-elegance.com
Hair & Make-up | Design Visage | www.designvisage.com
Hair & Make-up | St. Regis Monarch Beach | www.stregismb.com
Media | Ceremony Magazine | www.ceremonymagazine.com
Treats | Itty Bitty Sweets | www.ittybittysweets.com
Treats | Jay’s Catering | www.jayscatering.com
Venue & Food | St. Regis Monarch Beach | www.stregismb.com
Candy Buffet | Hollywood Candy Girls | www.hollywoodcandygirls.com
Candy Apples | Simply Sweet Apples | www.sinnfullysweetgourmettreats.com
Desserts | A Wish and a Whisk | www.awishandawhisk.com
Photo Booth  | The Photo Booth Specialists | www.thephotoboothspecialists.com
Furniture Rental | Signature Party Rental | www.signatureparty.com
Giveaway | Shinodas Design Center | www.shinodadesigncenter.net
Entertainment | Tim Espinoza | www.theelectricviolinist.com
DJ | Invisible Touch Music | www.invisibletouchevents.com
Love Note Pad | InStyle Event Company | www.instyeleventco.com

by Bethany Thomas, Commemory Fine Art

After about a half an hour of networking, guests were seated in the ‘ceremony area’ for the educational segment of the evening.

First Lindsay Longacre and Kevin Covey greeted everyone. An important point they relayed was about the association’s website and to please check it out. All members have been added to the site. If you do not see your name or your company, please let them know.

The sponsors each spoke to the group about the services they provided that evening. Next up, the motivating talents of small business consultant and coach, William Pena of Sapient Business Solutions. William gave everyone a lot to think about in terms of how to break through the barriers of how successful we can be. He used a powerful visualization technique to help everyone see what might be stopping each person from getting clients. He challenged everyone to push themselves out of their comfort zone to break through their personal barriers. At the end he offered complimentary attendance to his workshop.

Here are some highlights from attendees about the sponsoring vendors -

- Itty Bitty Sweets – Their presentation was as delightful as their sweets. Especially the pretzel sticks. One guest had them for breakfast with an energy drink!

- BTB Event Productions – Their lounge furniture was adorable and different with a textured rosette cover. Guests also enjoyed their creative sweetheart table display.

- Harborside Pavilion – The dinner buffet had a lot of delicious choices.

- Brew Ha Ha – They always satisfy with a great cappuccino or latte at the end of the night to keep everyone going.

Thank you to all the sponsors who made this educational meeting possible! Please visit their websites and ‘like’ their pages for more information and ongoing updates about their services:

Coffee Service | Brew Ha Ha | www.brewhahacatering.com

Desserts | Pacific Patisserie | www.pacificbakery.com

Dessert Station | Itty Bitty Sweets | www.ittybittysweets.com

DJ | Atmosphere Entertainment | www.atmospheredj.com

Entertainment | Marieve Herington Band | www.themarieveheringtonband.com

Florals | Flowers Etc. |www.flowersetcweddings.com

Furniture Rental | BTB Event Productions | www.btbevents.com

Photographer | Joel Austell Photography | www.joelaustell.com

Printed Materials | Li’K Designs | www.li-kcustominvitations.com

Speaker | William Pena | www.sapientbizsolutions.com

Venue | Harborside Pavilion | www.harborside-pavilion.com

Video | Vantage Point Productions | www.vantagepointcustomfilms.com

by Bethany Thomas, Commemory Fine Art

The first ABC-OC coordinator luncheon of the year called “The Bright Way to I Do” illuminated many things that day. The first was a glowing hidden treasure in Laguna Beach called Hotel Seven4One on PCH just south of Forest Avenue. The Hotel Seven4One, a 12 room private address that guests can call their very own beach house while they host their guests and event in contemporary and thoughtfully designed spaces: the Euro-chic lobby lounge, urban courtyard, breathtaking sun deck, and relaxed yet totally wired guest rooms and suites. There was a real buzz about the one-way mirror in the master suite’s shower overlooking the ocean. You can see the manatees but they can’t see you!

Video Created by The Emotion Picture Studio: http://www.theemotionpicturestudio.com/

The brightness in spirit and mood were apparent as the coordinators were greeted by ABC-OC Co-Directors, Lindsay Longacre and Kevin Covey with lovely flutes of champagne and the light, mellow and hopeful sounds of singer, songwriter and acoustic guitar player Kevin Miso.

Calli Traub with The Event Company shed light on the importance of lighting to set the mood and give photographers a smile from ear to ear with a gorgeous landscape for their clients.  Yes, these shots are from Hotel Seven4One. An unbelievable transformation of the space with light and color. Photographer Kristina Lee agrees, “It’s so important to have great lighting like The Event Company provides. It makes my job much easier.”

The food was sensational and the desserts from A Wish and a Whisk melted in our mouths. The creativity of each delicious morsel was stunning to look at and a delight to the senses. It was hard to tell where the flowers from Empora Flora began and the desserts ended because they were so perfectly designed together. I heard many say things like, “what ooey goodness stuffed in that strawberry!?”

As you can tell from the beautiful detail shots from Kristina Lee Photography that it was Valentine’s Day. From the whimsical touches of the decor, florals, desserts, paper goods by Jessica Lam, music plus the reds and pinks everyone was wearing, love was in the air. The love of weddings, the friendship between members and comradery of creating beautiful memories for people’s union of love.

Thank you to all the sponsors who made this beautiful event, beautiful! Please visit their websites and ‘like’ their pages for more information and ongoing updates about their services:

Venue | Hotel Seven4One | www.hotelseven4one.com

Speaker | The Event Co. | www.eventcompanyoc.com

Video | The Emotion Picture Studio | http://www.theemotionpicturestudio.com/

Photography | Kristina Lee Photography | www.kristinaleephotography.com

Rentals | Signature Party Rentals | http://signatureparty.com/

Florist | Empora Flora | www.emporaflora.com

Papergoods | Jessica Lam | www.jesslam.com

Lighting | The Event Co. | www.eventcompanyoc.com

Music | Kevin Miso | www.kevinmiso.com

Dessert/Sweets | A Wish and a Whisk | www.awishandawhisk.com

by Bethany Thomas, Commemory Fine Art

If someone was doing a keyword search on Google for the first ABC-OC open meeting of the year, the words they would enter are: welcoming, friendly, re-newed and rejuvenating. These words were repeated in many conversations I had personally or that I overheard. One in particular was a direct quote from Monique Matlock of The Knot, “I loved the event. It was one of the most rewarding ABC meetings I have EVER attended. And believe me I have been to MANY!”

Coordinated by ABC board member, Cori Sponagle and hosted by the Aliso Viejo Conference Center, the night began with the ‘old’ and new board members anxiously awaiting guests to arrive as this was the first impression for attendees to experience ABC-OC this year. Welcoming scents of candles burning was in the air as guests found their adorably designed name tags.

Guests were directed to walk around to back terrace to the sounds of Mister Piano Man, Hector Jimenez and the sights of beautiful round paper lanterns. So many new faces!

Following cocktails on the terrace, guests were invited into the ballroom.

Lisa Moon, the association’s outgoing Co-Director of Administration welcomed everyone and had each of the sponsors talk a little bit about themselves and what they donated that evening.

Lisa then passed the torch to her successor, Kevin Covey who gave a very important message about improvements to this year’s meetings and how important it is to join and attend.

The association is all about networking and learning from fellow wedding professionals. But it is also about setting standards and ethics for our industry. Guests may attend two meetings. At which point they must join ABC-OC if they would like to continue to participate. He then introduced the new Board/Steering Committee:

Ambassador Chair | Kelly Feeney of Disney Fairy Tale Weddings

Ambassador Subcommittee | Monique Matlock of The Knot, Jan Wilder of FlowerFusion and Heather Morgan of The Hotel Hanford

Trendsetter Awards Chair | Stacey Gitten of Hitching Post PR

Trendsetter Awards Subcommittee | Shashona Reynolds of Mastro’s Steakhouse and Alan Katz of SoCal Officiant

Co-Director of Programs | Lindsay Longacre of LVL Events

Programs Chair | Holly Schoenke of Simply Sweet Weddings

Programs Subcommittee | Gini Garner of Gini Garner Events, Cori Sponagle of Events by Cori, Courney Urquiza of InStyle Events Company, Kerri Hatter by Kerri Hatter Wedings & Events and Carolyn Leal of Ceremonies by Carolyn

Co-Director of Finance | John Goolsby of Godfather Films

Membership/Database | Erika Bowers of Erika’s Elegance

Communications Chair | Bethany Thomas of Commemory Fine Art

Dinner was delightful! The conference center made a pistachio crusted French chicken breast with herb beurre blanc, sauteed arugula and whipped potatoes. My neighbor to my right mentioned it was the best chicken he ever had at an event!

An unexpected highlight of the dinner was a video produced by Steve Moses and his team at Vantage Point Productions called ‘The Arrival’ based on how “The party starts when you arrive” at ABC-OC meetings. A fun and fresh look at the great time our meetings are with a great group of friends and colleagues. Watch it! You’ll be sure to see yourself or your friends if you attended last year’s event at Casa Romantica.

After dinner, the room next door awaited guests with the heart of night’s activities with ’speed networking.’ It was invigorating to have the opportunity to meet every person and give each other a peek at what service we give to our clients and each other. Artists, DJ’s, florists, photographers, planners, sweets, venues, videographers and more – many of which met for the very first time. Monique with The Knot agrees, “The speed networking really forces you to spread out and talk with people you never chatted with before. I have to say at prior events, I am guilty of sitting with people I know and am most comfortable with and not always mingling like I should. I hope we do more of these types of events in the future…..I still feel there are some I didn’t connect with!”

It was exhilaratingly exhausting by the time it ended. Now when the next open meeting comes around on April 10th (joint with the San Diego chapter) we’ll all know each other!

Thank you to all the sponsors who made this exciting night possible by donating their products and services. Please visit their websites and ‘like’ their pages for more information and ongoing updates about their services:

Coffee Service | Brew HaHa | www.brewhaha.com

Entertainment | DJ Tasos | www.lsmentertainment.com

Florist | Pixies Petals | www.pixiespetals.com

Rentals | Signature Party Rentals | www.signatureparty.com   

Photography | Kate Noelle | www.katenoelle.com

Printing& Design | Kamka Designs | www.kamkadesigns.com

Sweets | Donna B’s Gourmet Cookies & Cakes | www.donnab.com

Venue | Aliso Viejo Conference Center | www.alisoviejoconferencecenter.com

by Bethany Thomas, Commemory Fine Art

In a word, the 2011 Third Annual ABC-OC Trendsetter Awards Gala on December 13th, 2011 at Disney’s Californian Hotel was sensational and spectacular. Okay, that’s two words but not nearly enough to describe the talent and fun had in one place celebrating literally the ‘trend setters’ in the wedding industry in Orange County.

Greeted by Jan Wilder of Flower Fusion on the step and repeat photographed by Studio EMP set the scene for the spectacular evening that was ahead for members and guests.

Members enjoyed cocktails and a wonderful selection of tray-passed hors d’oeuvres and live music as they greeted their friends and colleagues for the first time that evening at the welcome reception. And Mickey and Minnie were dressed in their holiday best to take photos with guests, taken by White Rabbit Photo Boutique!

Following the welcome reception, members were then invited into the ballroom where they were welcomed by a room filled with white twinkle lights, greens and golds with a splash of deep pink and red. The flowers were stunning yet creatively whimsical by Flowers by Cina. Beautifully rustic square tables by Classic Party Rentals provided intimate seating for guests.  Li’K Designs provided creative menus and programs for guests to follow the events of the evening.  Barker Décor Service provided a beckoning dance floor while the team at Our Wedding Dance showed everyone how they can look like Fred and Ginger with their graceful talent.

The premium accommodations, rich dining experience and service provided by Disney’s Californian Hotel provided was simply wonderful. Highlights included three cheese ravioli hearts, slow braised prime beef short rib and a romantic salad.

Lisa Moon, the association’s Co-Director of Administration recognized the ABC-OC 2011 Steering Committee for all of their hard work:

Stacey Gitten (Ambassador Chair), Kathy Jo Peterson (Trendsetter Chair), John Goolsby (Communications Chair), Michelle Tortuya (Co-Director Programs) and Kelly Feeney (Co-Director Communication) – many of whom’s faces were flawless thanks to make-up by Flawless Faces!

Following Lisa’s acknowledgements, Kathy Jo Peterson presented the 2011 Trendsetter Awards! Congratulations winners on your achievement -

Best New Food Concept, Presentation or Display | Catherine Joanne Cakes | www.catherinejoannecakes.com

Best New Concept | SoCal Officiant | www.socalofficiant.com

Best New Memento | Godfather Films | www.godfatherfilms.com

Best Introduction or Final | Once Upon a Time Weddings | www.onceuponatimeweddings.com

Best New Decor Under $50,000 | High Society Wedding & Event Planning | www.highsocietyeventplanning.com

Best New Decor Over $50,000 | LVL Weddings & Events | www.lvlevents.com

Best Captured Moment | Jim Kennedy Photography | www.jimkennedyphotographers.com

Members Choice | Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort/Waterfront Weddings | www.waterfrontresort.com

Trendsetter of the Year Honors Award | Barbara Wallace | www.bwallaceweddings.com

The celebration continued with decadent desserts featured at the creme brulee station and crepe station.  Brew Haha‘s coffee cart was on-demand with custom made cappucino and lattes to fire up guests energy level for Undercover Live Entertainment who provided a 7-person band offering guests hip, fresh, professional and exclusive live entertainment to dance the night away.

Thank you to all the sponsors who made the magical night possible by donating their products and services. Please visit their websites and ‘like’ their pages for more information:

Beverage | Adult Chocolate Milk | www.adultchocolatemilk.com

Coffee Service | Brew HaHa | www.brewhaha.com

Dance Floor | Barker Decor Service | www.barkerdecorservice.com

Entertainment | Undercover Live Entertainment | www.undercoverlive.com

DJ/Lighting | Invisible Touch | www.invisibletouchdj.com

Florals | Flowers by Cina | www.flowersbycina.com

Furniture | Classic Party Rentals | www.classicpartyrentals.com

Make-up | Flawless Faces | www.flawlessfacesinc.com

Programs | Li’K Designs | www.li-kcustominvitations.com

Photography | Studio EMP | www.studioemp.com

Photo Booth | White Rabbit Photo Boutique | www.whiterabbitphotoboutique.com

Venue | Disney’s Californian Hotel | www.disneyland.disney.go.com/grand-californian-hotel 

Trendsetter Award Swag Bag Sponsors:

Adult Chocolate Milk | www.adultchocolatemilk.com

Candee by Sandee | www.candeebysandee.com

Classic Party Rentals | www.classicpartyrentals.com

Commemory Fine Art | www.bethany-thomas.com

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings | www.disneyweddings.disney.go.com

El Adobe Capistrano | www.eladobedecapistrano.com

El Canito Cigar | www.thecigarrollers.net

Flower Fusion | www.flowerfusion.net

Itty Bitty Sweets | www.ittybittysweets.com

Kathy Joe Peterson Weddings & Events | www.weddingsbykathy.com

Mary Dann Weddings and Events | www.marydann.com

Our Wedding Dance | www.ourweddingdance.com

S&A Jewelry | www.safashions.com

Signature Events by Tania | www.signatureeventsbytania.com 

Trader Joes | www.traderjoes.com

Attention all ABC members! Now is your turn to cast your vote for your favorite Member’s Choice Submission. Please review all of the submissions below and at the end of the post please cast your vote. Please note only one vote per computer is allowed. Voting will close on Friday December 9th, 2011 so be sure to get your vote it.

Best of luck to all our nominees!!

NUMBER 1

The Gazebo helped to make a striking ceremony site for this beautiful Bride.  We created a widfer arch of white hydrangeas, roses, and yellow cymbidium orchids for one of the loveliest ceremonies.  The bride arrived by horse and carriage and walked down an aisle lined with cylinders of yellow cymbidiums and yellow rose petals.  After the ceremony, the guests moved into the completely draped ballroom, where the giant crystal chandelier set the theme for the ex-tall table arrangements with crystal drops that we designed.  Blue and yellow made a striking combination for this lovely wedding

NUMBER 2

It appeared to be a cloudy morning, but as the hours clicked by the sun moved the clouds away to a beautiful blue sky.   As the hour hand moves toward two o,clock in the afternoon the Baby Grand Piano’s soothing sound mixes with the wind and the waves while perched on the pristine sand.  The private cove surrounded by cliffs and the Pacific Ocean has a covered surfboard flat and raised, with tropical flowers flanking each side on the beach for the Bride and Groom’s I do’s.  The wedding guests emerge on the sand in their gifted Quicksilver flip flops to stand and await the ceremony. The groom, his men, the  priest watch as rose pedals part the guests as the beautiful  Bride appears to the theme song from her home state of Georgia.  After a moving and intimate ceremony the couple exit to the piano tune of the Beach Boys “Wouldn’t it be Nice”. This 48 year old first time bride is living her dream experiencing this magnificent beach wedding.  The simplicity of the beach mixed with the character of the Piano on the sand is a testament to the planners innovation and vision.

PASSWORD: Trendsetter2011

NUMBER 3

It was love at first site.  Between the couple and the venue, that is.  The bride and groom fell in love with the architecture and the feel.  Although a serious couple, my job was to keep them lighthearted in the planning process.  What better way to than to be whimsical by pulling inspiration from the venue and highlight the elements they fell in love with?  While thematic wedding decor is nothing new/trendsetting, the fact that the vintage/ eclectic look may be on its way out, makes room for the return to the cohesive theme.  The terra cotta painted tiles throughout the venue lent themselves to the perfect beginning inspiration, color scheme and them.  They were shown in the invitation colors and pattern, flower variety and colors, cake design, and choice of guest favor.  In addition to the exceptional attention to details, this wedding stayed within the couple’s budget as we mastered and highlighted the inherent feel of the venue, while bringing in incredible personal touches.

NUMBER  4

This waterfront boutique which is located in the lobby of a popular resort, offers couples a new wedding and event venue that has style and sophistication with modern design and interchangeable features to meet each client’s needs.  As we all know clients are visual so we spent months creating a room that would allow them to touch, see, and experience a taste of what their wedding will be like.

There are many fun features in the room that the clients will experience. There is a pin cushion as a wall where clients can pin up sample linens to see the different colors and such.  The main table does rotate out every month and a new centerpiece every week to bring new ideas to the table (literally).  Surrounding the table are different color drapes and mirrors so the client can get the perception of many tables by looking in the mirrors and also what the effect of pipe and drape would look like.  We have also installed uplights with a wall panel where guests can simply push a button to see the different colors.  We also have a pin spot and gobo to give clients the full effect.  There are five large plasma televisions in the room to show guests previous setups, food displays, and decor elements.  Clients can shop with their eyes and not just words.  We create diagrams as well and detail their event with them on the big screen.  There is also lounge furniture that guests sit on so that they can experience that as an option as well.  It truly is an entirely new way to create a real vision of their weddings and bring it to life.

NUMBER 5

They say “Everything old is new again”  That could not be more true than the vintage look when it comes to wedding films. We have spearheaded the movement the last year in popularizing using actual film cameras (8mm) to shoot weddings. This is becoming ever so more popular with chic, forward thinking brides.  Here is a cute example of a Wedding Film Highlights shot at the beautiful Southern California Resort….enjoy.

PASSWORD: Trendsetter2011

By: Michelle Tortuya, Co-Director Programs

Great wine, delicious food and fabulous company were all elements of our July Association of Bridal Consultants, Orange County meeting on July 12^th, 2011.

Huge thanks to the beautiful Hilton Waterfront Resort for hosting our group and educating us on the pairing of wine with wood.  The menu was perfectly paired with the night’s menu and each course was served with the most interesting information about the wine being served.

Thanks to the following vendors for donating their time and products to ensure yet another great ABC-OC Event!

Linens: Mikasa

Florist: Jackie Combs

Photography: Two Rings & A Dress

DJ: The Event Consultants

Photo Booth: EPOD

Chairs: Chiavari Chairs 4 Rent

Calligraphy: Liz Mickelson

Name Tags & Programs: Li-K Designs

By Michelle Tortuya, Co-Director

Thanks so much to Dove Canyon Country Club for hosting an educational, fun and beautiful event for ABC-OC member on June 14^th, 2011.  Our topic was Cultural Night, where four speakers gave us information on various ethnic wedding traditions and customs.

Guests were greeted at registration with lovely name tags by Li’K Designs,  then went on to enjoy Aki’s sushi rolls, Dove Canyon’s full bar and other appetizers.  After some mingling, our presentation began and offered valuable information relating to Jewish, Asian, Persian and Indian Weddings.  After our great classroom discussion, several ethnic food stations, music and more drinks awaited us all.

Room décor glowed and sparkled with florals from Designs by Tricia, a preferred vendor at Dove Canyon, linens/chairs by Fusion Linens and lighting by Carcano DJ.

Thomas from Agent Entertainment kept the party going for quite a while, we hear some members were having too much fun to go home before 11 pm! And for dessert, delicious and gorgeous cupcakes from The Cupcake Store, plus hot brewed coffee beverage from Brew Ha Ha.

Photography excellence by the one and only Joel at Studio EMP, always willing to help us out and provide his services and amazing pictures.

Huge thanks to our fabulous speakers for their time and expertise:

Beth Slavin – Jewish – www.facebook.com/bethslavinproductions

Caroline Chang – Asian – www.serenityevents.com

Mili Shah – Indian – www.planningelegance.com

Farah Fazl – Persian – www.sallysfloraldesigns.com

Also many thanks to the following event professionals for their donations to our meeting –without them, we couldn’t achieve the same results!  Please make sure to visit their websites to learn more about their services offered.

12►

By Michelle Tortuya, Co-Director

The Fairmont Newport Beach hosted our Coordinator meeting on May 10th, 2011 and it was fabulous.  Guests walked into the beautiful outdoor space decorated with florals from Elegant by Design and linens by Classic Party Rentals. Evyn Charles provided live music both inside and out, adding to the relaxing, warm ambiance.

Our guest speaker, David Ramos, Banquets Manager, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel gave us all a brief summary of TIPS, Training for Intervention Procedures relating to alcohol consumption among guests.  Very informative!  After our speaker concluded, we continued with an open discussion among fellow wedding coordinators.

Photographers Ron & Gabrielle Levy, Ron Levy Photo, were our featured talent on-site to capture all of the striking details and mingling of guests.  One of these amazing details included the cake and favors donated by A Wish and a Wisk.  Not only gorgeous to look at but delectable to eat!  Lovely designers Mercedes and Susana from BG Design Studio provided the name tags and vendor cards.

Huge thanks to the Fairmont and all of our talented vendors that made our May meeting another successful and fun afternoon.