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posted by Jennifer |
Last week Carie and I headed down to San Francisco to a combined meeting of San Francisco NACE and Silicon Valley NACE. The meeting was on the California Hornblower yacht which we boarded at Pier 3. We were asked to shoot the event and we were so excited. We have been attending San Francisco NACE meetings whenever our schedule allows for a couple of years now. We love the organization and the friends we have made.
It was an absolutely perfect day. Look at how clear the sky was! It was truly remarkable. |
| We were allowed to board the Hornblower early to get some detail shots. The ship had to leave the dock for a few minutes to allow another Hornblower yacht to dock and disembark. We were fascinated by the goings on of such a huge ship. I love these giant ropes! |
San Francisco NACE holds one combined meeting per year. It's really cool to get to know some of your fellow industry folks in other NACE chapters. It was so nice to meet the Silicon Valley players and say hi to our friends in San Francisco.
Mimi Renfro-Rodriguez, Secretary/Treasurer of San Francisco NACE and owner of Creative Designs by Mimi designed the lovely programs and menu cards for the event. |
| The details of this dinner cruise were absolutely gorgeous! Of course I loved all the bright colors. Robin Brockelsby with Creative Coverings did an amazing job with the table settings and linens. The fabulous florals were provided by Jeeryn from Tanjeeryn Designs. The centerpieces were given away in the raffle at the end of the night. Duncan and Beverly, San Francisco Nace co-program chairs, were on hand to make sure the event preparations went smoothly. |
| Beverly Yip, Programs Co-Chair for San Francisco NACE had a great idea for a networking game. The Silicon Valley Chapter members and guests got in a circle facing the outside while the San Francisco Chapter members formed a circle just one foot outside Silicon Valley's circle and faced inside. We shook hands with the person right in front of us and introduced ourselves. When the music started the circle on the inside moved over one person to their left, the music stopped and the two people facing each other introduced themselves. This went on for about 20 minutes or so. It was a great game and totally worked. I met and obtained business cards from many new people. It was fun and effective. |
| The San Francisco NACE Board of Directors let us know they needed new head shots. This was a great opportunity to get everyone's picture in the same spot with the same beautiful backdrop. I love how these turned out. What a great looking Board! We were honored to be asked to take these for San Francisco NACE. From top left we have Duncan Reyes, Programs Co-Chair; Stacie Hallinan, President; and Mimi Renfro-Rodriguez, Secretary/Treasurer. In the second row from left is Jason Diavatis, Membership Chair; Marlen Abolafia, Past President/Gala Co-Chair; and Mariell Rahmani, Fundraising Chair. In the bottom row from left we have Leslie Wong, Communications Chair; Richard Mayer, Photography Chair; and Beverly Yip, Programs Co-Chair. Please click the Board link above to read all about each fabulous San Francisco NACE board member. |
| We got a great shot of the Silicon Valley NACE Board as well. This isn't the entire Board of Directors but some key players. From left is David Ethridge, Membership Chair. Next is the lovely Virginia "Gigi" Santaines, Vice President. As you can see from her gorgeous smile, Gigi lights up any room. Next to Gigi with yet another gorgeous smile is L.T. Beaton the current President of Silicon Valley NACE. And last but not least we have Rich Armooi, Vice President. What a great group. It was so nice to meet you all! |
| Of course I couldn't resist a few shots of the Golden Gate Bridge as we passed right under it! |
| This group shot was so fun! We were determined to get everyone in it and Jason, Duncan, Carie and a few others worked very hard to round everyone up on the back of the ship. Look at all those happy faces. |
| There was a wonderful surprise during the raffle that the Board members were in on. Can you guess what this was all about? |
| This shot of the San Francisco skyline is one of the best I have seen as we passed under the Bay Bridge too. I can't take credit, as this is Carie's photograph! It was the clearest night ever in the city! We couldn't have asked for a better day, evening or a better NACE meeting. Click the below image to start our slideshow (or click here!) Enjoy! |
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posted by Jennifer |
Tomorrow The Memory Journalists will be at Wine and Roses "A Decadent Affair". Come visit us!
Experience a wedding at Wine & Roses with top of the line vendors, a designer wedding gown showcase, our unparalleled service, cuisine, and more! Voted best Wedding Venue by San Joaquin Magazine, best Wedding Reception Location by Stockton Record in 2009, and The Knot's pick 2008 Best of Weddings! Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to see the region's premiere wedding venue, meet with the finest wedding professionals for unique and creative ideas for your special day.
Includes: champagne, wine tasting, hors d' oeuvres, specialized desserts and specialty coffees.
Win fabulous prizes - including a Grand Prize!
6 pm - 9 pm
$45 per person pre-registered, $55 per person at the door. Tax not included.
RSVP: rsvp@winerose.com or 209-371-6162 |
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posted by Jennifer |
The 2nd Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer was held in February at Celebrations Party Rentals Some of our wonderful Dynamite Weddings experts were on hand to chat 1 on 1 with brides in a casual and fun environment. The educational topic of the evening was "What to know when contracting with your wedding vendors." Thanks to those Dynamite Weddings Experts who contributed to the content! The Memory Journalists took photos of the event.
It was great to see sample portfolios and albums from Celebrations, Allison Stahl Photography, Gino Creglia Photography, and of course The Memory Journalists had an album on display too. Real Weddings Magazine was on hand to be sure everyone received the latest issue. Heidi from Granite Bay Golf Club made it out to let everyone know about her upcoming open house. And while our dear Lora Ward with A Day To Remember Wedding Consultants got stuck in traffic, we were still able to set out some of her brochures as well. Watch for subsequent posts about some of our other great vendors who contributed to this Mixer! |
| Oh, and Marvin our Dynamite Weddings mascot was on hand to welcome everyone! |
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posted by Jennifer |
Tuesday night Bella Donna Bridal Salon hosted their 2010 Preview Collection open house to showcase all their wonderful new designer gowns. I love them all! Here are a few iPhone images taken from the event. (yes, I was a dork and forgot my camera - but thanks to Shannon of Flourish Floral Designs who came prepared; I'll post some of her great photos as soon as I get them from her). In the meantime, here are a few from my phone.
This wonderful floral centerpiece was created by Shannon. You can see some of our canvases on display in the background.
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| I love the butterflies that were everywhere for the event! |
| And Carissa of Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts created custom sugar cookies for the event, as well as some of her other fabulous knock your socks off desserts. I'm biased to the sugar cookies of course. |
There were many great vendors participating and the brides in attendance were treated to some fabulous giveaways by all the vendors:
The Memory Journalists was there representing the Wedding Photography catagory.
Dynamite Weddings also attended.
Taylor James Clothing Boutique owner, Taylor herself came by and had a phenominal sale going on that evening at her store.
Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts provided all the delicious treats!
Grape Video joined the fun and caught everything on video.
and of course Bella Donna Bridal Salon was our fabulous host.
Copies of Real Wedding, Our Wedding, and Sacramento Bride and Groom magazines were there for the brides.
Village Cake Shoppe and Taylor James clothing boutique (also found in the Town and Country center) both stayed open late for this evening so that brides could wonder into their respective stores.
I ran over to Taylor James to take a peek, and I have to say that it made my entire night. Taylor is the nicest, and her mom was so cute (their two dogs too)! I didn't come out of the store empty handed...no way...I was ecstatic to find not 1 but 2 cute dresses! I have to admit, Nicole from Bella Donna, caught me whilst shopping. :-) |
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posted by Jennifer |
The Dynamite Weddings Bridal Mixer at the Citizen hotel was a huge success this last week! I'm so excited that the reviews we're receiving from both brides and vendors alike are so positive. The next Bridal Mixer, February 25th at Celebrations Party Rentals, as been posted on the Dynamite Weddings site - so all brides should sign up now!
This was our crew that helped put this event together, left to right, Jasmine, Carie, and Heather. (look for an introduction to Jasmine soon on the Dynamite Weddings site). |
| The topic of the evening was "Wedding Budget 101". With material passed out, and our Who's Who game in motion - the evening was full of conversation between brides and all the wonderful Dynamite Vendors. |
| Carissa of Sugar and Spice and Specialty Desserts provided yummy treats in the color and whimsical style of Dynamite Weddings. |
| The Citizen Hotel provided killer appetizers. I could not eat enough! |
| Cathy of Visual Impact Floral Designs provided centerpieces that some lucky brides were able to take home! And Bella Donna Bridal Salon was able to showcase their beautiful dresses. |
| The atmosphere was relaxed and casual. The goal of each bride was to get to know as many Dynamite experts as possible in the limited time we had together. |
Thanks to John Vu of Profinish Design for taking my camera and shooting most of our people images, since I was busy introducing all our experts in fun fashion and giving our little talk on wedding budgets.
Below you'll see Heidi from Granite Bay Golf Club, Heather of Dynamite Weddings, Lora from A Day to Remember, Cathy of Visual Impact Floral Designs, Haley of Our Wedding Magazine. |
| Of course, they caught me talking, Brad of Celebrations Party Rentals, Wendy of Real Weddings Magazine, and Harmony of the Citizen Hotel. |
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