Wedding Decor - The Floral Deck

Today, I want to share a little secret weapon of mine: the John Henry Floral Fan Deck. It’s a pretty amazing set of cards that describe flowers. Sounds simple, right? It is simple. And it’s ingenious! And if you are a florist, planner, designer, or are planning your own wedding…it is an invaluable resource. This box of cards is an absolute wealth of knowledge, I have used it so many times and I always get the information I need. Check it out!

There are 8 decks total, they are separated by color and each one has about 50 cards. Each card has a large picture on one side and details on the other. I have brought the box to meetings with clients when we are discussing flowers and design. A bride can tell me her favorite flower, and then I can see if it’s in season, what colors are available, and tell her the “meaning” of the flower. I know I can look up all this information online, but having all of it in one place…something to browse through for ideas and inspiration…I prefer it to googling while brainstorming with a couple.

It’s just a great addition for your office if you are in this industry or for your bookshelf if you just love flowers.

In the meantime, get in touch with me if you have specific flower questions, ‘cause I have the box!

xoxo

Christy

Wedding Industry Love - Gay Weddings

An Open Love Letter to my Brother...
With Love, Christy

My dream career is to plan weddings for gay couples. I am a certified wedding planner, have been working in San Francisco for over 3 years, and got married myself in 2009. My brother, Alex, stood as a groomsman while our vows were exchanged and I know one day, I will stand up for my brother as he recites his own vows with his husband.

Here’s the thing: My brother is awesome. To know him is to love him. He is brilliant, ambitious, handsome, hilarious and loyal. He is the best person in the world to people–watch with. His sense of humor is wicked and no one makes me laugh more…or laughs with and at me more, which is a true delight in my life. I think he might rule the world one day. Thing #2: He is gay. So in most of America, by law, he is not allowed by to get married and he is stared at if he so much as walks down the street holding hands with another man. Not to mention the myriad of civil liberties he is not afforded. I don’t want to rant about politics here, but you can see where I stand and where I am going with this. I love this man. He deserves to be happy the same way that everyone else does. While I continue to love planning straight weddings, I need to put out there that I also love the gay and lesbian community, I support gay MARRIAGE, and I would be living a personal dream if I were working for gay couples right there along with my beloved straight couples.

So…here is my mission for 2011: I will work tirelessly (and happily!) to create beautiful, personal events for my clients. I believe weddings are a heightened experience and we have so few of these elevated moments in our lives. I also believe everyone deserves to feel loved and supported as they make the monumental life decision to get married. I hope one day planning gay weddings will be as "normal" as planning straight weddings, especially out here in California. But that day is not now, and this year I want to learn how to reach out to the gay community, market to the gay community and better support them through my career as a wedding planner. I truly look up to Bernadette of 14 Stories, who has created the first gay wedding planning firm. She is an inspiration to me and to the wedding industry overall.

I don’t just want to stand up next to my brother when he gets married one day. I want to plan the wedding. I want to plan the wedding in a country that recognizes, accepts, and embraces love and marriage for all.

So catch up with me, America!**

**you know who you are

xoxo Christy

Photo source: Shaughn Photography

Wedding Industry Love: Engage '10 Recap

I won't lie, I have been avoiding the writing of this post like the plague! It's just, I am afraid that what I want to say about my Engage!10 experience isn't easily described with words. Silly, I know, but so true. Engage'10 was the most amazing wedding industry conference I have ever attended. From the moment my cab pulled up to the stunning Breakers Hotel I was in awe.

Coming from the west coast it took me three flights and four airports to get to Palm Beach and yet for someone who is not the biggest fan of flying, I was thrilled to be attending this conference. I have been having some medical issues lately, and then when my grandpa passed away the Sunday before I was to leave, I thought about reaching out to Rebecca and Kathryn (their company Engaging Concepts created the Engage conferences) and seeing if I could postpone. My hubby and I chatted and realized that this trip might just be the R&R that the doctor ordered - away from the hum drum of every day, in beautiful sunny Palm Beach and focusing on my passion - weddings!

So once I pulled up to that gorgeous hotel and met some lovely friends in the bar, all was right in the world (maybe it was the amazing glass of chardonnay that was in my hand 5 seconds after exiting the cab or maybe it was the company I was surrounded by Harmony, Daniela, Paula, Alex and Lara you were a fantastic welcome wagon after a long day of travel!)

The next few days were a whirlwind of meeting wedding royalty, as well as the industry's up and comers, and then people like me, newbies trying to make a name for themselves in this fabulous industry. Every person I met, no matter what "level" they were at, was a kind and genuine person who seemed truly happy to meet me and chat. There were times I wanted to pinch myself (dinner with Marcy Blum, hanging bar side with Randy Fenoli, meeting Carley Rooney and Carol Poon, dancing up a storm with Tara Guérard and Todd Fiscus, photobooth fun with Bryan Rafanelli, chatting beachside with Lara Casey, discussing photography with Amy Atlas, I mean COME ON - SO darn cool!!)

I had two wonderful roomies, the fabulous Amy Nichols and the incredible Daniela Ferdico Faget. These two ladies were so much fun to be around and bounce ideas off of whether it was wedding related or simply what shoes look best with which dress. I know we had a blast on the dance floor late night and we took good care of each other making sure we all had heavily caffeinated morning lattes -- the three of us were damn good roommates!

A quick side note about The Breakers, the service at this hotel was AH-MAZING. Seriously. Unreal. It was almost as if, before I could think about needing it, these people made it happen. It was an incredible environment to be able to learn and play in.

I won't go on and on about all of the fabulous events and mind blowing surprises that Rebecca, Kathryn and The Breakers team created for us (the video can also show you a bit about that), but it was an experience of a lifetime, and at times allowed me look at event design and planning in completely new ways. The speakers were inspiring and fascinating - I could listen to Liene Stevens from Splendid Communications for hours....and David Beahm had tears glistening in the corners of my eyes...Tara Guérard and Liz Banfield had me giggling with bloody mary in hand while chatting about photography - the whole thing was such an unreal experience.

I have to give a ridiculously large shout out to two amazing people who demanded I go to Engage - Harmony and Ali, you are the best! Thank you for welcoming me into your worlds with open arms, lots of laughter and for letting me be your sidekick while I learned the ropes (and continue to do so!) It is talented, genuine people like the two of you that makes the wedding industry an incredible place to be.

And to all of the new friends I met, I can't wait to watch how our friendships unfold over time and how we will continue to inspire and support each other.

Seriously, this conference rocks. I know this was not the most eloquent and entertaining post I have written (and I use about a bajillion adjectives over and over) but just know that it was straight from the heart. Thank you Rebecca and Kathryn for an unforgettable experience. My goal is to contribute to your amazing conference in the future, some how, some way and I can't wait to experience my next Engage!

Take a peek at the awesome videos from Cloud Nine Creative that give you a little glimpse into my fun filled experience...

Engage 10 {Day One} from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

Engage '10 {Day 2 + 3} from Cloud Nine Creative on Vimeo.

xoxo

Trisha

Photo sources: Amy Atlas, J Sandifer from Live Books (and also from Portland, Maine, not Portland Main), and Bruce Patterson of Cloud Nine Creative.

Brides!! A Fab New Search Tool!

Hi Party People! I am switching things up a bit this week and posting Tuesday instead of Monday, I know I know, crazy but I thought I'd give it a whirl. I wanted to introduce you to this nifty list that I am loving, and it's not just any list, it's a list that will seriously help brides search out and organize their favorite wedding vendors. Allison from the fab little blog Engaged & Inspired created this tool with it with her tech guru fiance Ian, and I must say they made a rad little site.

The Inspired List is an awesome source list for all things wedding. You will find amazing vendors listed here in a different and, in my opinion, better way. It focuses on simplifying the search process for brides - they can search by budget, location and service and compare vendors. The site is super clean, easy navigate and pretty all at the same time.

I actually got pleasantly lost on it last night looking at all of my amazing competition out there! ;) They Bay Area has some great vendors listed! So if you are searching for the perfect florist or event designer - take a peek!

xoxo

Trisha