Wedding 360

Our Refreshed Website Is Now LIVE!

2010-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Our website recently received a slight makeover, and we hope you will find it informative!

Have An Edge Over Your Competitors

2010-09-21T08:51:00.001-07:00

W360 Online Todd Fiscus Teaser | three of three from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Full video coming soon, on Wedding 360's Online Academy!

Todd Fiscus' Favorite Fall Things

2010-09-13T06:00:00.001-07:00

As we bid farewell to Summer, we thought it'd be fun to celebrate the Fall by asking one of our favorite designers, Todd Fiscus, for his TOP FIVE FAVORITE THINGS to incorporate into a Fall wedding!

1. Charcoal Gray Velvet, with pale yellow orchids and mirrored everything

2. Woven Rabbit fur Shawls as bridesmaids gifts

3. Great Red Wine Bars, served with displays of cheeses and an on-site Cheese Monger (attendant) to instruct the guests how to enjoy together

4. Bridal Bouquets simply of White Phalo Orchids tied in exquisite lace banding

5. Lace Table Linens, over latte Silk and simple "tons" of candles

Don't Give Away Your Farm

2010-09-08T06:00:00.001-07:00

Weddings are so personal. We can't help falling in love with our clients sometimes, can we? When we do, it's like working for a friend.....and how could we possibly charge a friend?

As important as it is to love your clients, you can't give away your farm to them, because you've got a business to sustain. Many of us started our planning and designing careers in the wedding industry out of passion. It was so wonderful to be PAID to do what we love. The 'paid' part was almost a bonus in the beginning....because after all, we're 'playing' with flowers and other beautiful things and having a fabulous time. Who gets paid to do that??

Then, reality hits. You have expenses to pay, staff to hire, overhead costs to maintain, and probably a mortgage as well! This can no longer purely be a hobby. You have got to make money! There's no taboo to the words 'making money', even when it comes to weddings. Despite the ugly rumors out there that wedding professionals mark everything up ridiculously and unreasonably high to take advantage of emotional brides, we are no different than other service providers out there such as a realtor, a dentist, an accountant. We have to have a good understand of our costs to run the business, and the value of our skills, talent, and time, in order to know how to charge.

Todd Fiscus, besides being the uber talented designer that he is, also knows how to run a business successfully. Learn from Todd through the teaching segments that he filmed exclusively for Wedding 360 Online Academy, which will be available in just a few weeks! Here is sneak preview #2:

Video produced by Studio MSV

We Like Todd Fiscus!

2010-09-06T06:00:00.001-07:00

When Todd Fiscus told us he was in the midst of creating a Facebook Fan Page, we knew it wasn't going to be any ordinary fan page. Todd & Gang always go all out when they do something, to make it extraordinary and fun, and this was no different!

WE LIKE TODD FISCUS, WHAT ABOUT YOU?

David Beahm Featured on Brooklyn Bride

2010-09-03T06:00:00.008-07:00

We are always excited to see our professors featured elsewhere. A few days ago, the fabulous blog, Brooklyn Bride, featured an interview with David Beahm, along with photos of his amazing studio and team at work. David blew everyone away when he presented at our Academy for Planners + Designers in March. Prior to meeting David, many people perceived him as a celebrity Event Designer in New York.....and that title alone must simply come with some ego and attitude! That couldn't be further away from the truth. David was humble, down to earth, and extremely open in sharing his design techniques and business advice. Everyone loved him, including us ofcourse. We cannot wait until we get to film him in action in New York! For now, we hope that those who didn't make it to the Academy for Planners + Designers can benefit from David's presentation online, which is available in our Wedding 360 Online Academy. Here's a small snippet from that presentation!

Is Event Planning An Art Or A Science?

2010-08-31T21:43:00.009-07:00

Back in July, Wedding 360 embarked on our journey to Dallas, Texas where we filmed Todd Fiscus teaching three different design topics exclusively for Wedding 360! Our rock star filmmaker Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV has been busy editing away, and we are excited to share a series of sneak previews with our followers in the next two weeks. The first segment will officially be available September 20th on our Wedding 360 Online Academy....stay tuned!

Video produced by Studio MSV

Click here to read more about Todd Fiscus!

Tara Guerard on Throwing Great Parties

2010-08-23T06:00:00.001-07:00

When we first asked Tara Guerard to speak at our Academy, we gave her the topic of Spatial Planning. She ended up teaching that, AND the ins and outs of how to throw a great party, so our students definitely got a lot out of her! To design a fabulous party, you can't just focus on decor. You have to design with the guest experience in mind. Tara talks about her view to never use dinner tables bigger than 54". Why? Because you simply can't have great conversation around a table that's bigger than that. It was incredibly thought-provoking and interesting to hear the thought process that Tara goes through when she designs events for her clients. Every detail is well thought out, down to the cocktail napkins at the bar.

Tara has published two books already that's filled with eye candy from beginning to end. She was recently interviewed by Martha Stewart (see article below) and we are extremely honored that she is a part of our Wedding 360 faculty. For those of you who did not make it to The Academy earlier this year, Tara's presentation can now be purchased and viewable on our Wedding 360 Online Academy!

Congratulations to Asiel Design!

2010-08-19T06:00:00.001-07:00

Have you had a chance to check out the newest issue of Grace Ormonde's Wedding Style Magazine yet? We were elated to see that one of the design showcases at our Academy for Planners + Designers were featured in a 4 page spread! Congratulations to Linnae Asiel and Jonathan Gomez of Asiel Design. They transformed an ordinary meeting room into a magnificent living space that deserves to be featured in every interior design magazine!

Wedding 360 Heads South! { Day Three }

2010-08-17T00:15:00.001-07:00

A gigantic THANK YOU to Todd + Gang at Todd Events for partnering with Wedding 360 to bring valuable knowledge and education to planners, designers, and floral designers out there! As a side perk, we got the 'back of the house' tour of Todd's empire, AND we got a sneak preview of an actual event designed and planned by Todd and his amazing team!

Look for Todd's new videos in early Fall, 2010 on our online academy!

Wedding 360 Heads South! { Day Two }

2010-08-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

Day two of our Dallas trip included a tour of Todd Events headquarters, and a full day of filming at The Apartment, an event space owned by Todd Events. The tour was incredibly impressive. Everything about every inch of space there speaks the 'Todd Events' brand--tasteful, fun, fearless. We had a great time meeting Todd's staff, and even they were a perfect extension of Todd's brand. LOVE!

The first segment filmed was a very in-depth lesson on space planning. Todd shares his methods for site inspections and the proper tools that he uses to devise clever schematics and renderings for his events. He also shares an entire 45 minutes' worth of 'how-to's' on creating the best possible event spaces for clients. How many of you make sure that there is not ONE bad seat in the house for guests? Todd designs with guest experience at the forefront. If there are bad seats in the house, he designs something clever to turn them into the hottest seats for guests!

The second segment was about tabletop settings, both from a design perspective as well as a functionality perspective. How do you determine what shape and size tables to use, and the type of chairs? Todd makes sure that his designs are not only beautiful, but that they are functional as well. I know many designers have a hard time balancing both, but Todd has truly mastered this and is eager to share his knowledge with other designers.

The third segment focused on flowers--design, scaling, balance, symmetry, production, and more! Even though I am not a floral designer, I loved hearing Todd describe his design techniques. He is an amazing artist, and the best part is his willingness to share his knowledge and teachings with those who want to learn from him!

Wedding 360 Heads South! { Day One }

2010-08-02T01:29:00.005-07:00

Last week, Jean and I flew to Dallas with our awesome filmmaker Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV, to begin the filming of our very first series of online courses to be released at the end of this summer. Our short two and a half day trip was jammed pack with activities with Todd + Gang of Todd Events, beginning with our first night at Todd's restaurant Tillman's Roadhouse.

We knew Todd had a vertically integrated business, but we had no idea it included a restaurant as well. Of course, a restaurant owned by Todd Fiscus would naturally be fun and fabulous, and no detail is left without a touch of Todd's creativity! I especially loved their private dining room, named the Peacock Room for obvious reasons (I wish I had better photos!). Their menu, presented on an acrylic backing, had so many great choices that it took us awhile to decide on our orders. I loved the trio of fries that we shared, which had parmesan black pepper kennebec fries, chili dusted purple peruvian fries and smoked salt scented sweet potato fries with housemade ketchup and horseradish pickle mayo. Oh, did I mention we also got truffle infused popcorn prior to the fries? What completely blew us away though, were the out-of-this-world desserts that included old childhood favorites brought back with a modern twist. The best item to me, by far, was the S'mores Table Side, which included orange, maple and coffee marshmallows, cinnamon grahams, dark chocolate bark, and we actually got to roast them on skewers at the table!

What a warm welcoming we received from Todd and his team. Definitely Southern hospitality at its best! Hey, if you don't know who Todd Fiscus is, you need to. Here's a fabulous article to read, to get to know Todd!

What's Next for Wedding 360?

2010-06-28T06:00:00.015-07:00

The learning at Wedding 360 Academy SF was life changing....and the learning goes on!

Images of Wedding 360 Academy for Planners + Designers, San Francisco, March 2010.

Orange Photography.

We will be introducing the first Online Academy for Planners + Designers at the end of June! Each content-rich online course will be taught by an esteemed professional who enjoys success in multiple disciplines. Join in the academy to partake of their knowledge and insights, specifically tailored to wedding planners, designers, and floral designers.

As planners ourselves, we juggle businesses, families, and our personal lives on a daily basis, just as you do. We understand the difficulty of leaving your business and family for several days to attend a conference—plus the considerable investment of time and money. Like most of us, you probably cannot do this more than once or twice a year, if at all. So we’re bringing education to you! Learn from top experts, at your own pace and on your own time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

The first videos to be posted online will be a selection of recorded presentations from our March 2010 Academy for Planners + Designers. In July, we are heading to Dallas, Texas to film Todd Fiscus of Todd Events which will begin a new series of hands-on, educational sessions to be released throughout summer and fall this year.

We know how important it is for students to have a chance to be up close and personal with the professors. To encourage such interaction we will be producing the Intensive Academy in Spring of 2011, in San Francisco, California. This two-day program will combine large-group classes with smaller-group sessions, where students will spend concentrated time with one faculty member and discuss their individual businesses.

We are not a conference; we are an Academy focused on content-rich education for a very specific group of professionals.

We welcome you to join us in this new journey! Go to our online Education Center now.

Recap of Day 3: Academy for Planners + Designers

2010-06-22T11:50:00.002-07:00

Day 3 was the final day of our Academy, and it was another full day of valuable education for attendees. We began the day with Tara Guerard's class on 'Spatial Planning' and her southern charm surely won everyone over. Between all the great knowledge we obtained from her, we got some good laughs as well! She really tells it like it is, and everybody loved her sense of humor.

The first panel was focused on the important relationship between photography, event design, and editorial. Gene Higa and Catherine Hall represented the photography aspect, Youngsong Martin of Wildflower Linen represented event design, and the lovely Grace Ormonde represented editorial. It was an interesting mix of personalities that came together to teach us the essence of getting your work published in magazines.

The second panel was made up of our uber talented designers for the Design Showcase at The Academy--Asiel Design, Grant & Co., Nancy Liu Chin Designs, and Tara Guerard. Each of them were given a small meeting room at The St. Regis to transform and they all pulled it off in their own unique, spectacular way. The styles were dramatically different, and it definitely inspired our attendees! We invited them to talk about their individual showcases, so that we could understand the inspiration behind the design as well as the production process.

At the end of the day, we concluded with a final class on Food & Wine, taught by Ethan Mantle of Componere Fine Catering and Henry Wine Group. Ofcourse, what's a food and wine class without an actual tasting? We got to enjoy some really creative bites from Ethan, paired with just the right wine and champagne from Henry Wine Group. As a farewell, attendees left with 'Nitro Ice Cream' made to order with -320 degree liquid nitrogen!

It was too hard to say good bye to the new friends we've made, so we had to have one more drink together! Credo, a new hip bistro in the heart of the financial district in San Francisco, hosted a Happy Hour for our attendees. As sad as we were to see everything come to an end, we also knew it was just the beginning for something extraordinary......

Photos by Orange Photography

Recap of Day 2: Academy for Planners + Designers

2010-04-29T13:32:00.002-07:00

Day 2 marked the 'official' start of our education program. Attendees woke up bright and early and were treated to a hearty breakfast at the Four Seasons San Francisco. After a short welcoming from Jean and I, Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts presented on the state of the wedding industry as it pertains to planners and designers. She was a dynamic speaker, and when she talked about the critical do's and don't's of a planner and designer's website, her examples were illustrated with images from the websites of our attendees in the room. Everyone absorbed the information like sponges, and learned an incredible amount from Rebecca.

Following Rebecca were presentations by Sean Low, David Beahm, Todd Fiscus, and the brilliant ladies behind Two Bright Lights--Siri and Rosalind. Attendees continue to absorb a massive amount of education from these experts and yearned for more after each session. David and Todd both shared design tactics and showed amazing images of their events' schematics and photographs. Todd and Sean, in particular, taught on the strategies of running a profitable design business and shared an incredible amount of valuable information for attendees to take back to their own businesses to implement.

Prior to our lunch break, we invited Liz Guthrie, Founder of Wish Upon A Wedding, to talk to our attendees about her wonderful new non-profit organization and the ways that we as wedding professionals can help.

In the evening, attendees were once again awe-inspired by the amazing design of Gloria Wong, at the Museum of Petals dinner at the St. Regis, which was in honor of the notable Grace Ormonde.

Photos by Orange Photography

Recap of Day 1: Academy for Planners + Designers

2010-04-12T17:06:00.001-07:00

The inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers took place on March 14-16, 2010 in San Francisco, California. 120 planners and designers traveled from all over the country, Canada, and Mexico to attend our two and a half days of intense education coupled with extraordinary parties. Here's how it all unfolded....

{Sunday, March 14, 2010}

Registration took place at The St. Regis, where attendees stopped by between 3pm-7pm to pick up their name badges, plus a copy of the beautiful new hardback cover book by Tara Guerard, along with a selection of the newest wedding magazines, which included Grace Ormonde's Wedding Style, Today's Bride, Northern California Bride, and more. Some also got their portraits taken by Orange Photography!

We had a 'Meet and Greet' for our speakers in one of the St. Regis suites, allowing the opportunity for our speakers and a few of our sponsors to meet one another in a more intimate setting before the festivities officially began.

The Emerald Underworld Welcome Party officially opened its doors at 7pm, leading guests into an extraordinary tent designed by the uber talented Gloria Wong of Gloria Wong Design!

All photos above courtesy of Orange Photography

Emerald Underworld Welcome Party

2010-03-29T19:12:00.005-07:00

There is something so magical about partying inside a tent, so what better way to welcome everyone to The Academy by having our kick-off party inside an extraordinary tent that was transformed to an Emerald Underworld by the talented Gloria Wong.

It really took an entire year of creative collaborations and careful logistical planning to produce this phenomenal tent party, because every little detail was attended to. Each vase had beautiful, intricate details embellished by Asiel Design, from black fringes to sparkly brooches to sexy black lace. The black beaded drapery were custom ordered by Enhanced Lighting, and each Louis chair was upholstered by Hartmann Studios with special fabric that was selected by Gloria. The wall flats were wrapped with a custom pattern paper designed by Peculiar Pair Press, as were the large pendants hanging from the tent ceiling liner.

The canopy in the middle was dressed in the same emerald fabric as the Louis chairs, thanks to the very hard working staff at Enhanced Lighting. It was anchored by two black Fu Lions from Hartmann Studios, and had custom pillows all around it to create the sultry ambiance that Gloria envisioned for the jazz trio by Bay Music and Entertainment.

Guests were greeted by four sexy, stunning models in black dresses by Bella Bridesmaid with emerald jewelry from Naomi King before they were offered our specialty 'Jade Dynasty' martini to kick start the party!

Ofcourse, we must acknowledge the wonderful St. Regis San Francisco for being the most gracious hosts for The Academy! Thank you!!

To read about Gloria's conceptualization process, click here.

Museum of Petals Dinner

2010-03-29T13:48:00.001-07:00

If you read our previous post on Gloria Wong's design vision for the Museum of Petals dinner at the inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers, you will know that a great deal of time and creativity was spent in conceptualizing the beautiful design behind this party which was held in honor of the lovely Grace Ormonde.

Everything came together SO beautifully, and I wish someone had captured the moment the ballroom doors opened. Everyone was in awe and about a hundred cameras were flashing at the same time!

At the center of the room was a floor to ceiling tree that hung hundreds of thousands of petal strands. It was an amazing focal point, and each design element tied in so perfectly with the unique decor of The St. Regis San Francisco.

Gloria collaborated immensely with some very talented people in the Bay Area to make her vision come true:

Nicole Ha Designs
Enhanced Lighting
Blueprint Studios
Baranova Design
Chisel It Ice
Peculiar Pair Press

Behind the Scenes

2010-03-22T23:31:00.003-07:00

Our Emerald Underworld Welcome Party was designed by the ever so lovely (and humble!) Gloria Wong Design. I seriously wished I could have sent her flying into the tent like an acrobat when I acknowledged her at my opening speech, because she so deserved that ultra special spotlight. But, she really would have killed me, because she so prefers to stay under the radar. I have never met someone so incredibly talented, yet SO modest and humble! It's hard not to love Gloria Wong, because she is one of the sweetest, most genuine person you will ever meet.

Gloria did such a phenomenal job designing the Emerald Underworld party, which was held inside a tent on the terrace of The St. Regis San Francisco. For months, she worked diligently with Hartmann Studios, Enhanced Lighting, Peculiar Pair Press, and Asiel Design to transform the tent into a sexy, sultry, 'underworld' with black beaded drapery, geometric patterned pendants, Fu lions, and so many other fabulous details. It was fun to watch people's jaw drop when they first entered the tent, greeted by these sexy models wearing dresses from Bella Bridesmaid and jewelry from Naomi King.

My favorite part of event planning is the production process, and I loved being able to partake in the transformation of the tent, from the carpet installation to the velon ceiling liner to the chiffon wall drapes....and then all of the details being put into place, one by one.

Here are some behind the scenes photo I took!

Round-up of Blog Posts on The Academy

2010-03-22T20:38:00.003-07:00

It's hard to believe that exactly one week ago, I was on my way to the Museum of Petals dinner at the inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers! It was such a joy to meet my peers from all across the country, Canada, and Mexico. Like everyone else, we were completely inspired and encouraged to run back to our business to take it to the next level, now that we're armed with such valuable knowledge and information learned from our amazing speakers.

There's so much to share from The Academy, and we will definitely be blogging more about it, as well as reveal some exciting things that are cooking at Wedding 360. For now, I want to share a round-up of fun blog posts from some of our speakers and attendees!

The Full Bouquet Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Nuance Occasions

Orange Photography (our official photographers for TAPD!)

Izzy Magazine

A Bride's Best Friend

Tara Guerard's Bon Bon Blog

Dooby Design Group Part 1, 2

Mango Muse Events

Luna Photo

If we missed any, please let us know!

SNAPSHOT > The Life of the Party

2010-03-19T00:15:00.003-07:00

It's hard to put on any kind of event for planners and designers without fun, over the top parties. Despite the fact that we packed two full days of incredible educational content, we couldn't resist planning two extraordinary parties as well! You work hard, you have to play hard, right?

At our Museum of Petals dinner in honor of Grace Ormonde, held inside the magnificent ballroom of The St. Regis San Francisco (photos to come!) we had a real fun photo station by SNAPSHOT. Gloria Wong designed a beautiful backdrop that went with the overall event design, and SNAPSHOT provided lots of cute props to be used, such as smitten sticks. Everyone relaxed and became goofy in front of the camera!

I will definitely post a lot more photos in the coming week, but here are some fun ones from SNAPSHOT!

Thank you!!!

2010-03-17T00:05:00.006-07:00

The past five days have been a whirlwind for us. The pre-con on Friday seemed like it was months ago. Has it really only been just a few days?

The debut of our inaugural Academy for Planners + Designers couldn't have been more successful. I use the term successful because everybody left the event feeling inspired, encouraged, motivated, and knowledgeable. That was our goal from the very beginning, and although it took an entire year of thoughtful planning, it was well worth every sweat and tear.

There are soooo many people that we want to thank:

--The St. Regis San Francisco, for its five star service all the way
--Our stellar group of speakers who taught so passionately and openly
--All of our enthusiastic attendees that sponged up every ounce of knowledge and inspiration
--Our incredible sponsors that worked around the clock for us for 3 whole days
--Our amazing Wedding 360 staff that took care of every last detail so we could be the best hostesses for our guests

There is so much to tell that I don't even know where to start. Admittedly, I am quite exhausted, so for now I'd like to give you a sneak preview on the fun by sharing a really cool video from our rock star cinematographer Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV. This video captured Sunday, March 14th, where attendees arrived to check in and to attend our Emerald Underworld kick-off party at The St. Regis San Francisco.

Academy of Planners and Designers from andrew msv on Vimeo.

Learn From the Best, All in One Place!

2010-03-03T17:38:00.003-08:00

Less than 2 weeks away, but there is still time to register!

Investment to attend is $975 per person. Registration includes all meals, classes, and social events from Sunday, March 14, 2010 through Tuesday, March 16, 2010.

Here is our final agenda for The Academy! We are so thrilled and excited to have top experts in their respective fields be present to teach what they are best at. They will be sharing a lot of how-to's and going quite in-depth into the nitty gritties of their specific topics. Attendees will definitely take away a wealth of knowledge and inspiration!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

3:00pm-7:00pm: Registration in Sculpture I., St. Regis San Francisco

7:00pm-9:30pm: ‘Emerald Underworld’ Welcome Cocktail Party, designed by Gloria Wong Design, in the terrace tent at The St. Regis (Click here for sneak preview!)

Monday, March 15, 2010 (Breakfast, lunch, and classes will be held at Four Seasons SF)

6:00am-10:00pm: Blogging/Internet Lounge open all day for TAPD attendees at The St. Regis

8:00am-9:00am: Continental Breakfast provided by Wedding 360

9:00am-10:30am: Speaker Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts will present the state of the wedding industry as it relates to Planners and Designers

10:45am-12:15pm: Speaker Sean Low of The Business of Being Creative will teach practical advice to make your wedding planning or event design business profitable, and whether or not it is wise to market yourself as both a planner and a designer

12:15pm-1:15pm: Lunch provided by Wedding 360 | Book Signing with Tara Guerard, Alison Hotchkiss, Leila Khalil.| Portrait opps with Orange Photography

1:30pm-2:30pm: Speaker David Beahm of David Beahm Designs will teach a 'Lifestyle Weddings Design Techniques Master Class--Designing for visual volume and perceived value in the new economy.'

2:45pm-3:45pm: Speaker Todd Fiscus of Todd Events will teach about his unique approach to design, and the 'behind the scenes' of expanding and growing your design business effectively

4:00pm-4:45pm: ‘Forward Thinking’ presentation with Abby and Tait Larson of Style Me Pretty to
discuss their vision for the new decade. What will come after blogging, and DIY?

4:45pm-5:15pm: ‘Forward Thinking’ presentation with Siri and Rosalind of Two Bright Lights. They will have a live demonstration of their new social networking tool that will revolutionize the way we do our marketing in the wedding industry

5:15pm-7:00pm: Break

4:00pm-11:00pm: Design Showcase open for viewing on 4th level of St. Regis Hotel. See 4 very different and distinctive design vignettes by our designers Nancy Liu Chin Designs, Asiel Design, Grant & Co., and Soiree by Tara Guerard

7:00pm-7:30pm: Mixologist to present 'What's new in Cocktailing'. Sample the newest, trendiest cocktails to recommend to your clients!

7:30pm-10:30pm: "Museum of Petals" dinner inside the Gallery Ballroom at The St. Regi in honor of Grace Ormonde (Click here for a sneak preview of the extraordinary design by Gloria Wong of Gloria Wong Design)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 (Breakfast, lunch, and classes to be held at The St. Regis)

6:00am-8:00pm: Blogging/Internet Lounge open all day for TAPD attendees

8:30am-9:30am: Continental Breakfast provided by Wedding 360

9:30am-11:00am: Speaker Tara Guerard of Soiree by Tara Guerard will teach all about spatial planning and techniques to overcome spatial challenges, including tent design.

11:15am-12:30pm: Grace Ormonde, Catherine Hall, Gene Higa and Youngsong Martin of Wildflower Linens will present as a panel, the relationship between a designer/planner, a photographer, and an editor. They will provide tips on how to maximize these relationships and how to work best together on events and photoshoots

12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch provided by Wedding 360 | Portrait opps with Orange Photography

1:45pm-3:00pm: Design Panel will include Tara Guerard, Nancy Liu Chin, Linnae Asiel, Grant Rector who will share their processes from inspiration to conceptualization to production for their individual design showcases. Moderated by Linda Hylen, this amazing panel of speakers will also share their trend forecasts and design perspectives with us

3:15pm-4:00pm: Speaker Ethan Mantle of Componere Fine Catering and sommelier Yohanna Burmeister of Henry Wine Group will reveal the latest trends in food and wine pairing, and also share tips on how food presentation can complement event design. A tasting and wine flight will be included in this portion!

4:00pm-4:30pm: Wrap-up by Jean Marks and Jubilee Lau, Founders of Wedding 360, LLC.

5:00pm-7:00pm Farewell Happy Hour at Credo, hosted by Linda Hylen of the Julia Morgan Ballroom

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

1 on 1 consulting opportunities with Sean Low--VERY limited space, please inquire at jubilee@wedding360llc.com (additional fee of $500 for each 1 hour time slot)

Participation in the inaugural Floral Summit, led by Sean Low, Nancy Liu Chin and Amy Marella
(additional fee of $100 per person)

Wish Upon A Wedding

2010-03-02T22:52:00.001-08:00

The entire wedding industry has been buzzing about an amazing new organization that was recently founded by a lovely wedding planner by the name of Liz Guthrie.

What is Wish Upon A Wedding?

Wish Upon A Wedding was founded in San Francisco, CA, in January of 2010, by a group of wedding and business entrepreneurs and is America’s FIRST nonprofit wedding wish granting organization, producing weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States for individuals facing terminal illness, regardless of sexual orientation.

What a great cause!!

The wedding industry is one of the most giving industries, and in a very short amount of time, they now boast twenty chapters nationwide, headed by some of the industry’s most renowned leaders with plans to expand to over 40 chapters worldwide.

Who Is Behind Wish Upon A Wedding?

Presidents:

Sasha Souza, National President & SF Bay Area President
Kevin Covey, LA/Orange County
Stella Inserra, New York
Ivy Robinson, The Carolinas
Eliana Baucicault, Atlanta
Mary Alice Sublett, Tennessee
Mark Kingsdorf, Philadelphia
Saundra Hadley, Indianapolis
Heather Hamilton Sims, Houston
Shelby Tuck Horton, DC
Elisa Delgardio, Orlando
Ali Phillips, Chicago
Daniela Isabella Ferdico Fagét, Seattle

They also have many influential people in the industry who are beginning to endorse Wish Upon A Wedding and the endorsements can be found on their website. In addition, they have amazing people sitting on their Boards and Advisory Panel throughout the US such as Dana Larue Stiebel “Broke-Ass Bride” {LA Chapter PR Chair}, Leila Khalil {National PR Advisor}, Beth Helmstetter {National Outreach Director} just to name a few.

How Wishes Are Granted:

To qualify for Wishes, applicants must be unmarried legal citizens of the United States, over the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with less than three years to live. Couples can be granted wishes either in the chapter where they live or in a chapter of their choosing as long as they are able to make the trip.

Couples can simply apply online to request one of three wedding types:

URGENT (Up to 10 guests, in hospital or at bedside);
BOUTIQUE (up to 25 guests, in home town of applicant);
ROMANTIC (Up to 50 guests, at any WUW destination)

As Wedding Industry Professionals, How Can We Grant Wishes?

As WUW builds their organization, Wish Granters are needed in all locations. Please apply online today to start helping them make Wedding Wishes come true. In two weeks, Wish Upon A Wedding will be granting the very first wish. To read more about that wish and the couple please visit the website.

Liz Guthrie will be at The Academy next week to talk to us about this amazing organization, and answer questions!

Forward Thinking

2010-02-24T00:21:00.003-08:00

In this day and age, it's not good enough to be exceptional 'in the moment'. To stay competitive, you have to have the intelligence and wisdom to think ahead. If you or your business remain stagnant, your competitors will surely outrun you sooner and later. These days, it's usually sooner than you think.

Many of you reading this blog are probably small business owners like us. We don't have the luxury to have a whole team of professionals behind us strategizing all the time. At times, we barely have enough hours in the day to finish our most immediate projects! But we must realize how important it is to set aside time to do some forward thinking, to help our businesses grow and flourish.

Last year, I attended a class by Sean Low, and two of his powerpoint slides that remained in my head until today was a slide of a gumball machine, followed by a slide with just lots of gumballs. To Sean's point with those slides, if we are constantly always deep into the gumballs counting them one by one, we are unable to pull ourselves out to see the bigger picture. In order to grow our businesses, we need to be able to see the bigger picture.

Sean inspired us to create a 'Forward Thinking' session as a part of The Academy. For this, we have invited Abby and Tait Larson of the blog that everyone knows and love, Style Me Pretty, to share with us their vision for the new decade. What do they see for the future of blogs, and what comes next after DIY? Style Me Pretty has just joined a new partnership with Google, and this is just one way that shows how Abby and Tait have the amazing wisdom and intelligence to always think forward for their business!

The second part of our Forward Thinking session will be a presentation by the two brilliant ladies behind Two Bright Lights. For those of you who are not familiar yet with Two Bright Lights, it is going to be the 'next best thing' in the wedding industry! It is an extremely powerful networking tool, and takes social networking to a new level. I really believe they are going to revolutionize the way we do one on one marketing in the wedding industry. Rosalind and Siri, the two masterminds behind this company, understands that "it’s not enough to simply be a social butterfly. You need to be smart and reach for the stars."

If you are always complaining that you never get professional images from the photographer after an event, you will love the way this software easily enables photographers to share images with the entire team that worked on the same wedding! This is just one of the many benefits and feature of this amazing product, and we will get to hear Siri and Rosalind's insight on social networking at The Academy!