Monthly Archives: July 2018

Delia and Chris – High Elegance at Thomas Fogarty Winery

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Delia’s and Chris’ union is a match – well, made in Heaven. Delia has two beautiful grown daughters from her first marriage and had not expected to get married again in her lifetime. And for Chris it would be the first time EVER.

When Delia called my company, A Day Like No Other, for help with planning her dream wedding at Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside, California, I jumped at the opportunity.

I LOVE this venue! And I loved Delia’s “vision” for the design and decor as well. After many months of planning, vendor sourcing, designing and curating, developing floor plans and timelines, all our “labor of love” came together last Saturday on a perfect California summer day under blue skies, a warm sun and a light breeze, on top of the mountain ridge where this beautiful venue is located, overlooking all of Silicon Valley with views up to the San Francisco city skyline.

Delia arrived at Fogarty Winery together with her Maid of Honor, her “flower girl” and her two daughters Alivia and Madeline, in full hair and makeup done by her personal friends Connie Cook and Sofia Collazo. Photographer Megan Reeves and Videographer Justin Ferrar of Weddings on Film captured that precious moment of the bride getting dressed for her great moment… (and everything beyond that, too!)

… and here is a detail of her extraordinary veil, embellished with stunning embroidery and beading…

… plus “Cinderella slippers!”

 

Florist Jeffrey Adair of J Floral Art delivered an elegant, feminine bridal bouquet in shades of ice blue, ivory and silver…… with bridesmaids’ bouquets and boutonnieres to match. Next, he went on to install an incredible wrought-iron arch and to decorate it with matching floral arrangements for the ceremony, complement this with large arrangements flanking the aisle, and finally covering the aisle with a thick carpet of fresh ivory rose petals.

Harpist Erica Messer played prelude music (she brought her newest harp out for us for the first time!)

… as guests were arriving via shuttle bus (by Destination Systems) and welcomed…

… to an incredible setup with endless views.

Fans to combat the summer heat did double duty as ceremony programs.

Groom Chris was also preparing with the help of his brother and Best Man …

 

 

At 4:30 in the afternoon, the great moment had finally come! Delia had been adamant: following strictest tradition, she did not want Chris to see her before the ceremony. 

And here comes the bride, accompanied down the aisle by her daughters.


The ceremony was officiated by a close friend of the couple who found the most personal, moving words for them.

Just married – and so happy! While guests were enjoying Fogarty wines at Cocktail Hour on the deck…

… accompanied by delicious hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Toast Catering,

Chris and Delia had many more photos taken – among them, of course, their official wedding photo!

Soon enough it was time for dinner (by Toast Catering) in the open-air Pavilion, at dining tables beautifully set with silver Chiavari chairs, elegant ivory-moiré linens and stunning china, glassware and silverware from Hensley Event Resources, and with centerpieces from J Floral Art.

 

See’s chocolate candy favor boxes, menu cards and little herb bundles of rosemary and lavender, hand-tied with color-coordinated light-blue ribbon by the bride’s sister, completed the look.

Of course, the newlyweds’ Sweetheart Table, from which they were presiding over the congregation, received special treatment!

Guests were guided to their assigned tables by a whimsical, charming escort card board custom-made and hand-painted by A Day Like No Other.

Next up: the Grand Entrance of the bridal party and of the newlyweds!

After feasting on delicious salad and entrees, guests were treated to a mouthwatering selection of pastries and chocolates by Toast Catering.

 

The last highlight of the evening was Delia’s and Chris’ First Dance to the rousing tunes of DJ Stefano Bortolin of Big Fun Discjockeys.

Outside, as darkness fell, the scene turned downright magical…

 

Fogarty Winery is a very special place for very special moments – like this unforgettable wedding. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness, Delia and Chris!

The Perfect Bridesmaids’ Gift!

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Here at A Day Like No Other, we are used to being asked all sorts of questions about any wedding detail imaginable. One regularly recurring question, however, is in regard to appropriate gifts for bridesmaids. Given that etiquette demands a lot from bridesmaids – from planning a bridal shower to paying for their travel to the wedding, accommodation and attire themselves – our brides feel that a special gift to these special ladies is in order. It should be beautiful, personal, meaningful; it should be worn for the wedding day, but also beyond. Some brides gift their bridesmaids the dress they are supposed to wear at the wedding ceremony, some gift a robe and hair/makeup services.

I personally have always been a fan of giving a piece of beautiful jewelry that can be worn way beyond wedding day. And now I’ve finally come across the perfect choice!

It is a personalized necklace from brevity with the name of the recipient rendered  in a variety of materials and at different price points – something for every taste and for every budget. Founder and lead designer Anna Corpron is most definitely up to something here! You can have individual signatures translated into necklaces – just email them a photo of the signature, and they’ll do it!

Or you can have the name of the intended wearer hand-calligraphed (they have a calligrapher on staff who is doing nothing else!) in a modern, flowy style.

You can even combine two names in one piece (I would say that’s the perfect bride-and-groom version!) for an impressive statement piece.

OR you can have four names, or a phrase, or or or…

All these pretty pieces come in steel, pure or gold-dipped (the most affordable versions) or in sterling silver or in solid gold… so, which one is your favorite? As I said – something for everyone! Actually, YES. Also for celebrities! Kylie Jenner, Francesca Eastman and Malin Akerman, to name just a few, have been spotted wearing their names or signatures as jewelry courtesy of brevity.

And the best thing is… our brides at A Day Like No Other even get a discount! So – what are you waiting for?

 

Kay’s Memorable Milestone Birthday Celebration

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My company A Day Like No Other is known for creating one-of-a-kind wedding celebrations. But as the name announces: any celebration could become “a day like no other,”  a special birthday, for example. And when that opportunity did present itself, I did not hesitate to jump in right away!

“Birthday Girl” Kay had something big in mind for her celebration – she would treat her guests to a whole “day with Kay,” including everything she loves. A delicious brunch, to start with. A musical performance (of course – Kay is, among other things, a professional organist). A theater performance, too! Artist Kay is also a longtime benefactor of a small local theater troupe. A slide show, “down Memory Lane.” A birthday cake.

We started with an invitation that would set the tone for what was to come. Digital, custom and with music!

When Sunday, May 27, rolled in, everything was ready at the newly opened elegant Courthouse 2021 restaurant –

including welcome packages and name badges for the more than fifty guests, each and every one of them closely related to the many stations and phases of Kay’s life.

The party truly went off to a great start here!

After brunch, hostess and guests walked over to the Dragon Theatre…

… to enjoy a private performance of musical favorites by the Nebula string trio.

After that: time to share cherished memories via a very personal slide show… and then, finally, a private performance of the Dragon Theatre’s production of the award-winning play “Seven Days of Rain.”

The last highlight of the day was saved till intermission: THE CAKE!

Lovingly hand-delivered to the Birthday Girl and decorated with scenes from her life. It doesn’t get much better than this – a sentiment quite obviously shared by the star of the day. Happy Milestone Birthday, Kay, and many more happy milestones to come!

 

 

 

 

Blueprint Studios Winter Showcase: WOW!!

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Yesterday, Blueprint Studios invited again to their annual Winter Showcase, and I was among the lucky ones to receive an invitation. My only comment in one word: WOW! In the heat of summer, the Blueprint designers had pulled out all stops to create a whimsical homage to winter decor – be it glitzy and glamorous or more woodsy or modern… or a genius combination of all of the above!

There was natural birch with Freesias and golden candlelight, and …

… there were also sparkly green and turquoise Christmas ornaments nestled in white summer blooms.

My favorite? The dramatic suspended orchid arrangements!

The Blueprint team did again what they do best: come up with show-stopping setups! A modern white-chrome-and-glass lounge combination against the backdrop of a winter forest…

… and table decor to die for! First up: “Vintage Napa:”

… showcasing all those beautiful pieces from Hensley Event Resources; then…

… an homage to the late Kate Spade, in preppy red, ivory and gold, with giant dahlias, as well as a glamorous Moroccan-inspired fantasy.

Since Blueprint always throws not only an impressive showcase, but also a great party, guests were treated to drinks from a chic custom bar…

… accompanied by savory little bites and finally: dessert! That came in two varieties: edible…

… waffle pops with rich chocolate sauce and delicious toppings; and visual…

… with bright pink carnations imitating old-fashioned ice cream sundaes!

What totally sold me? Chandeliers. Believe it or not… with all the “eye candy,” it took me until the very last moment to look upward and notice an assortment of chandeliers in a hallway – one more glamorous than the next. Here are my special favorites…

I am still absorbing all those inspirations! All the new chairs I’d love to use, the linen and tabletop collections that just beg to be displayed in ever new combinations… I can’t wait to be back in the showroom with new clients and dreaming up another unique wedding decor! Thank you, thank you, Blueprint!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Country Charm at Thomas Fogarty Winery: Cristina’s and Dmytro’s Dream Wedding

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Please meet one of my favorite clients EVER: Cristina and Dmytro – or Dima, as he is called by his friends. After more than a year of wedding planning with the two of them, they are now Cristina and Dima to me, too!

Cristina and Dima hired my company, A Day Like No Other, last year – to put together a really memorable celebration for them, including decor in a vintage French Country theme. I jumped at the opportunity to do that project! Taking my cues from Cristina’s favorite color – a soft French Blue – and a few Pinterest inspirations, I let my imagination take off, and the most wonderful thing happened: Cristina and Dima were thinking in the same direction, approved my ideas and let me “run with them.” It was a wonderful, shared creative process, bringing together many of my favorite vendors, and culminating yesterday in one of the most memorable weddings I’ve ever done.

I had the opportunity to design their invitations – which set the tone for their decor theme…

For their venue, the two had chosen Thomas Fogarty Winery – a spectacular location with endless views all over Silicon Valley.

Their “home base” for their wedding day was the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto, where both bride and groom and their attendants were getting ready. The ladies started early with hair and makeup styling by Miabel Artistry – and emerged as drop-dead gorgeous, red-carpet-worthy beauties.

And just look at her “princess slippers:” sparkly golden Jimmy Choo heels.

Stretch limousines from Le Grande Affaire – a white one for the ladies and a black one for the gents – pulled up, rolled out that proverbial red carpet (literally) and took everyone up that long, winding country road to the winery.

There, both Dmytro and Cristina put the finishing touches on their attire…

… with Cristina’s bridesmaids and mother very much involved!

Florist Natasha Kolenko had prepared the most beautiful bouquets for bride …

… bridesmaids…

… and boutonnieres for the gentlemen, too …

… evoking a summer day in the French countryside.

Ready for “First Look!”

Outside, not only the onsite events team, but many other vendors were already busy to get everything set up for the great moment – working hard at temperatures over 90 degrees! A glorious, sunny day, with blue skies, but really, really hot…

The catering team of La Bocca Fina set up all the tables and chairs. Linens and napkins – custom-made from blue-and-white Toile de Jouy fabric just for this event – from Wildflower Linens set the light blue French country theme …

… and china, flatware and glassware from Hensley Event Resources completed the look, down to the tiniest details.

Florist/stylist Natasha Kolenko provided centerpieces reminiscent of French country gardens – light blue, in loose, effortless arrangements, incorporating wildflowers and greenery for an overall charmingly nostalgic, feminine and soft effect. She even had a structure of untreated slender tree trunks custom-made to surround and frame the couple’s Sweetheart Table, with more summer flowers seemingly growing up and around this frame in the most natural fashion.

The arch for the ceremony mirrored this style perfectly; vintage-inspired vignettes of wine barrels and French wrought-iron garden chairs completed the “look.”

Guests were greeted by a custom-designed “Welcome” sign which I calligraphed myself – along with all the other signage for this wedding.

To add a little whimsy to their guestbook, I found a vintage typewriter for Cristina and Dmytro – with a time-worn sheet of typing paper asking guests to leave the couple a note…

Time for the ceremony! The Mersonacta String Quartet provided beautiful music for prelude and ceremony… and here comes the bride, in an elegant lace wedding dress from Nouvelle Vogue Bridal Salon, accompanied by both her parents.

The setting for the ceremony was nothing short of spectacular.

Our photographer Maria Hedengren, who had flown in from Finland just for this wedding, captured every precious moment.

“Minister Maggie” Beretz found the most personal and heartfelt words to unite these two in marriage.

“You may now kiss your bride!”

And here they are: JUST MARRIED!

Off to many more photos with Maria,

… while guests were directed to Cocktail Hour via custom signage mounted on an authentic vintage French bicycle (from Found Vintage Rentals) with a matching, flower-filled antique basket…

On the open deck, a well-stocked bar and a variety of hors d’oeuvres was waiting for the guests who enjoyed the sunshine and the views from vintage lounge furniture (from One True Love Vintage Rentals).

And then there was, of course, Night Owl Photo Booth for added entertainment!

Soon enough, guests were asked to find their dinner table assignments  on yet another custom sign by A Day Like No Other…… as dinner was ready – courtesy of Teri Menchini and her crew at La Bocca Fina, who had incorporated the couple’s favorite childhood foods from their home countries (Romania and Ukraine) into the menu.

Guest tables were not numbered, but named after famous algorithms; after all, Cristina and Dmytro are software engineers!

 

The newlyweds presided over the congregation of their 80+ guests from their elaborately decorated Sweetheart Table…

Photographer Maria whisked the newlyweds away for sunset photos – after all, we had a spectacular sunset on Wedding Day!

After dinner, guests were invited to the Hill House where Cristina and Dmytro performed their official first task as a married couple: cutting their cake. And that cake was a piece of art as none of the guests (or us vendors, for that matter) had ever seen before! Playing on the couple’s love for traveling and for math, patissier Gabrielle Feuersinger of Cake Coquette had made them a cake in the shape of a vintage suitcase, complete with travel stickers of their favorite destinations, topped with a stack of their favorite math books – and all of that so realistic-looking that more than one guest tried to pick up the books and leaf through them!! Needless to say that the cake underneath was super delicious, too…

Next stop: dancing!

Cristina and Dmytro presented their guests with an elaborate dance routine in the tradition of Russian ballet, dancing their First Dance to Shostakovich’s Valse no. 2 (remember the famous movie Doctor Zhivago? That’s when you swooned over that dance for the first time…) – in an expertly abridged version that DJ Woody Miraglia of Big Fun Dic Jockeys had created especially for them.

 

With that, the dance floor was officially opened for everyone, and DJ Woody kept the crowd going – and what a wild dance party that was!

But eventually even the best party has to come to a close… and guests took home little succulents as favors…

… to see love grow.

Jay of City Express Limousine service chauffeured guests back down the winding mountain road back to their hotels, and George Rose of Elegant Journey Limousines brought his “flagship” – a stunning 1927 Stutz limousine – as Cristina’s and Dmytro’s getaway car. We sent them off to their married bliss with a sparkler parade – that’s what I call an exit in high style!

Keep dancing, traveling and calculating math problems together, Cristina and Dmytro, and stay as crazy happy as you were on your Wedding Day!