Stacey and Michael – at Last…!

Posted on January 24, 2019 by jlammerts

… at Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside! The two had been together a full seven years, were parents to three cats (the youngest kitten having been adopted two weeks before their wedding!) – so all their friends agreed: it was about time! Stacey and Michael are super busy young professionals, so when they decided in Spring to “make it official” in October of 2018, they were looking for help. A lot of help! My company, A Day Like No Other, was entrusted with all the preparations, and off we went…

The two had chosen their venue, a spectacular winery overlooking all of Silicon Valley with endless views, and a day that turned out to be proverbial “Bay Area Golden October:” sunny, with blue skies, and warm. Just perfect.

The bride arrived at the venue in full hair and makeup (by A-List Makeup) and all she needed to do was get into her gorgeous wedding dress with the help of her bridesmaids…

… pick up her vibrant, Fall-colored, richly textured bridal bouquet (from Laurel & Vine)…

… and here she is, ready for her First Look:

Groom Michael and his groomsmen were meanwhile also getting ready…

… donned their boutonnieres, and the Best Man took care of the rings.

With that, Bride and Groom were ready for their official First Look:

Time for many, many photos with bridesmaids and groomsmen (by Sandra Fazzino Photography) and video (by Sway Media) while the teams of Thomas Fogarty Winery, Laurel & Vine Florals, and Toast Catering were busy with preparations. DJ Justin of JustIntertainment set up their sound systems while my assistant Trisha and I set up decorations and made sure that all went smoothly and on time.

Very soon, the first guests were arriving – they were greeted by a vintage baby-blue typewriter to leave their messages and well-wishes for the couple.

In addition to the (already quirky) typewriter in lieu of a conventional guestbook, we had provided a map for all guests to mark from where they had traveled to be with Stacey and Michael on their special day…

… and here they see the first of many kittens that would pop up throughout that whole wedding celebration in honor of the couple’s beloved felines!

Time for the ceremony which was officiated by a longtime friend of the couple, aided by more friends who read passages from Antoine de St. Exupery’s “Le Petit Prince” during the ceremony.

You may now kiss the bride! And here they are, just married… and so happy!

For the couple, it meant… more photos! And for their guests, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the open deck, with gorgeous views.

For “escort cards,” the couple had come up with yet another quirky and unexpected idea: custom cookies decorated in the “College colors” of each particular guest! A smart idea as most of their guests were their friends from college…

Dining tables in the beautiful open “Pavilion” were adorned with centerpieces matching the bride’s bouquet, and the table numbers were another loving nod to the couple’s cat babies.

The couple’s Sweetheart Table got, of course, a little extra-special treatment!

Time for the Grand Entrance of the newlyweds!

… and for speeches…

… and then, for dessert! Another quirky choice: delicious, fragrant mini donuts (by Harvey’s Donuts) – everyone decided to “re-start the diet tomorrow!”

The couple “wowed” everyone with their elaborate First Dance …

… which opened the dance floor to everyone and to an epic dance party!

Everyone – young and old – had a great time, and then we gave the newlyweds a Grand Send-Off in style, with glowsticks:

Dance on, Stacey and Michael … for a lifetime of happiness!

The glorious St. Francis Heights Reveal at the Westin St. Francis

Posted on January 24, 2019 by jlammerts

Exciting news! One of SF’s most storied landmark hotels – the Westin St. Francis on Union Square – just completed the remodel and renovation of its equally famous “Imperial floor” ballrooms. It took three months, and the result, as revealed two days ago with an elegant cocktail party for event professionals, is just gorgeous!

The way time-honored traditions go is that they hold on to the glories of the past – and that is good and comforting for a long time. Here are the two ballrooms on the “Imperial” (32nd) floor before the remodel – Alexandra’s in golden hues…

… and Victor’s, a folly in soft pinks and baby blues…

Holding on to this turn-of-the-century glamour was a comforting tradition and had become a “gold standard” in San Francisco , until, of course, it was time to bring everything up to today’s standards and esthetic sensibilities and start a new tradition and standard of excellence! And that is exactly what happened here.

Riding up the glass elevators to the 32nd floor and taking in gorgeous City views has not changed…

… but once you step out on the “St. Francis Heights” floor ( that’s what the 32nd floor is called now) – everything is breathtakingly new!

Mirrored walls with a subtle etched Art Deco pattern with matching consoles set the tone in the elevator lobby – everything now in elegant cool shades of silver, grey and shimmering glass and mirror.

Turn to your right, and there is the new “Golden Gate Room” (formerly Alexandra’s) transformed into glamorous modernity:

… with boldly-patterned grey carpeting, silvery-grey draped curtains (reminiscent of the flowy gowns of silver-screen goddesses…) and stunning modern chandeliers creating a “sky of glittering stars” overhead. The views are, of course, gorgeous as always!

But you haven’t even see half of it! Return through the elevator lobby to the other side of the building to where Victor’s Ballroom used to be – now it’s called “Mission Bay” …

Mission Bay has a large foyer, spacious enough to be a function room in its own right, for example to host a good-sized Cocktail Hour:

… and maybe offer wedding cake, dessert bar (delicious verrines and mini desserts by the onsite patissier) or a candy bar (here by SF Candy Bar):

… of course, everything with that breathtaking “million-dollar” view!

Now – isn’t that drop-dead gorgeous?!! I can only recommend to go and see it for yourself. It’s even more impressive in reality, and I can’t wait to design events in this new beautiful space. “St. Francis Heights” is definitely the new gold standard for elegant events in the City.

Iris and Roger – the Ultimate Party in Ultraviolet

Posted on January 9, 2019 by jlammerts

Iris and Roger’s wedding celebration was as funky and as elegant as their wedding color of choice – ultraviolet, Pantone’s color of the year. Given that they had taken care of the “legalities” beforehand, these two were free to focus on sheer fun and party on their Wedding Day! They took full advantage of it. Iris wore a succession of no less than THREE dresses. For her nails, she chose an ice-blue polish, and in lieu of the standard (highly uncomfortable) wedding high heels, she wore plateau sneakers! The ceremony was sheer fun and laughter, and a good part of the reception was reserved for wild dancing.

They had chosen a spectacular venue – Thomas Fogarty Winery in the hills high above Silicon Valley – for an indoor/outdoor celebration. Given that their date was in early October, we were hoping for great warm and sunny weather, but there were no guarantees. We got lucky! It was a glorious Fall day, as beautiful as they come!

Iris arrived for photos fully made up (by Urban Beauty Loft) and dressed in a traditional Chinese dress, picked up her elegant purple bouquet by Green Petal Designs …

… and had her bridesmaids put a few finishing touches on her (after all, that’s what you have bridesmaids for!)

Here she is posing with her chic entourage, wearing dress no.1.

… all of them in fashionable shades of purple, of course, and Groom Roger and his groomsmen were likewise getting ready…

… sporting matching purple neckties and boutonnieres.

While Bride and Groom were taking many, many photos with photographer Duy Ho and video, too, with Martin Meyer of MartinFilms (see Martin’s teaser below!)…

… the teams of Fogarty Winery, Le Papillon Catering, Green Petal Designs and A Day Like No Other were hard at work to get everything ready in time for the guests.

Ceremony chairs were set up and bunches of flowers tied to them, a glorious arch was set up and lavishly decorated…

… a pretty Welcome sign set up to greet the guests who were arriving via shuttle (by Destination Systems) …

… and the Bride quickly changed into her Western wedding dress and veil for the ceremony.

Ready for the ceremony! The Espiritu Ensemble was playing wedding classics, giving this ceremony a decidedly elegant touch.

Officiated by a longtime friend of the couple, this ceremony could not have been more upbeat and more personal!

Just married! And off to more photos in the golden light of the early sunset…

… while guests were enjoying cocktails on the open deck

– AND picking up their escort “cards”: cleverly affixed to favor bags (light purple, of course!) containing personalized drinking bottles.

Soon enough it was time for dinner with a dramatic view all over Silicon Valley …

… with beautiful centerpieces in purple hues and tree-shaped table number holders with candy-filled globes (additional wedding favors) adorning the tables.

Le Papillon was cooking up a storm…

After dinner, Iris slipped into dress no. 3, and guests were treated to dessert: a delicious (and just as gorgeous-looking) purple wedding cake from Patisserie Gerhard Michler.