I had the pleasure of photographing Cairnwood’s Annual Trim the Tree Event yesterday and I couldn’t think of a better start to December! As much as I love California, I so enjoyed waking up to the crisp winter morning in Pennsylvania yesterday. The door on my frost covered car crackled when I opened it and I had to wait for the ice to melt off the windshield before I headed to Cairnwood. At Cairnwood, I was ensconced with warmness and cheer at this richly historic home. Joyous holiday music and the mouth-watering smells of freshly baked pastries, quiche and coffee catered by Peachtree & Ward intermingled throughout the house. As the guests arrived, some began their morning by decorating the tree while others participated in a holiday flower workshop led by Donna of Beautiful Blooms, where they could design their own creation using bright red oasis, white birch branches and red gerber daisies. Once the tree was decorated and the holiday arrangements were complete, guests sipped sipped coffee, chatted with friends and made labels for their Christmas presents. It was so lovely to see all of the generations in the community, including a family who once lived at Cairnwood, come together to decorate the tree and keep the history of Cairnwood alive. I left with a warm heart and a huge smile on my face, as I’m sure everyone else did as well. Thank you to the Cairnwood staff for all of the hard work they put into making the Trim the Tree Event so successful!

the venue | cairnwood estate

the caterer | peachtree & ward catering

the flowers | beautiful blooms

Please join me at the Cairnwood Estate in Bryn Athyn, PA on December 1, 2009 at 9 am while I photograph the Annual Cairnwood Trim the Tree Event!  Enjoy a light breakfast and holiday decorating that will make the breathtaking Beaux Art Cairnwood Estate sparkle!  Take home your own handmade holiday keepsake.

The Team:

the venue |  cairnwood estate

the caterer | peachtree & ward catering

the flowers | beautiful blooms

Click on the Image to See the Flash Slideshow

Click the image above to view the flash slideshow.

I am proud to say that I hold the privilege of photographing the 2nd Quarter BAWN Event at the majestic Guild Hall at Piedmont Community Church. The venue itself was breathtaking and once all the pros had done their work, the grounds were transformed into a magical wedding venue.

As a wedding photographer, I just love the different angles, perspectives and rooms that are all within a few steps of each other at Guild Hall. At Guild Hall, you have the luxury of convenience and the opportunity for each part of your wedding to look like it was shot at a different location.

So what is BAWN you ask? BAWN (The Bay Area Wedding Network) is a group of wedding and event professionals who wish to promote growth in the wedding industry through education, networking and building strong relationships among peers. BAWN events are for the benefit of the wedding and event industry and are produced by Marie Rios, Owner Creative Occasions and Gwen Helbush, President of Where to Start, Inc. Wedding & Event Management. BAWN events are intended to provide networking and educational opportunities, as well as, the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships between event professionals.

The Team

the photographer | natalie wi | allure west studios

the planners | marie rios | creative occasions // gwen helbush | where to start, inc. wedding & event management

the invitation | sabrina moyle | hello!lucky

the calligraphy | michele papineau | papineau calligraphy

the rentals | jennifer khan | blue water party rentals

the piano | frederick hodges | frederick hodges music productions

the band | benjamin wanicur | golden gate jazz trio

the videography | jonathan metcalf | metmedia creative digital video & multimedia

the chocolates | deirdre stewart | scharffen berger chocolate maker & dagoba organic chocolates

the service staff | susan sheinkopf | the party staff, inc.

the sound | michael peterson | weddings with michael peterson

the beverage service | madeleine amodeo | best beverage catering

the furnishings & floral design | selyca medford | blueprint studios, the studio collection

the lighting | megan woods | enhanced lighting & sound

the lunch & service | alicia slater | global gourmet catering

the venue | carol leslie special events | guild hall at piedmont community church

the staff | kristjan gavin | in good company meetings & events

the sanctuary florals | orna maymon | ornamento, llc

the centerpieces in guild hall | paige benjamin | passiflora designs

the centerpieces in the courtyard | constance shrecengost | sunshine flowers

the cake | judy chadwick | true confectionse cake | the display cake was a four-tier square cake finished in ivory fondant and decorated with white chocolate draping edged in copper luster dust and white chocolate roses edged in claret luster dust with dark chocolate leaves | cake was chocolate butter cake filled with Espresso Bavarian Cream and Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

the education | shawn jackson, esq. | california business development center

As told by Jodi Murphy

It’s time to tweet about two exciting project in the works – Nesting Newbies and The Lea Show. A team of very talented people have been working to produce two internet shows. Nesting Newbies is a cooking, entertaining and decorating show featuring Lea McIntosh who is using her culinary training to teach newlyweds and those newly out on their own how to cook great food and entertain in style…and on a budget.

We always say “Leave it to Lea” when we need to find great resources for, well, anything and we’re showcasing her discoveries in The Lea Show. Experts and interesting talents show Lea how to do what they do on each episode. Lea asks the questions and the audience learns great insights, tips and “how tos” right along with her.

On Sunday April 19th the team – James Burkart of Burkart Video, Lea McIntosh, Natalie Wi of Allure West Studios, David Braddy of Vine-agra, Vanessa Rockey, Pat Campbell and Betsy Rose (best crew ever!) and I – took over the Rutt of Los Altos showroom to re-film the first episode of Nesting Newbies and the second episode of The Lea Show.

Lea and Vanessa arrived bright and early to begin hair and make-up while Pat and Betsy started food prepping and setting up. Natalie Wi was there to photograph the day’s events, including all the behind the scenes pandemonium. I arrived with the items on loan from Bloomingdale’s Stanford so that we could create our featured “Bella Notte Bistro Chic” tabletop. I had challenged David Braddy, a florist extraordinaire, to come up with something magical. I was doing the “happy dance” when he arrived because he had woven curly willow together anchored by two urns to create an arch over the table with a lantern attached in the center. It was beautiful, easy to make, and inexpensive! Perfect, since the goal is to show “newbies” how to stylishly entertain without breaking their budgets.

Diane Phillips of DK Designs dropped by to deliver two of her floral creations for the set of The Lea Show. Diane was the first guest artisan featured on The Lea Show (soon to be aired) and it was great to have her beautiful work decorate this episode’s set.

We learned so much from the first taping of Nesting Newbies that we decided to redo it and asked our first newbies, Lacee and Tejas Naik to come back again. The energy was high and when it was time for “Quiet on the Set” we were all in awe of what we were seeing. The chemistry between Chef Lea and the newbies was fantastic and the interaction, inspirational. Lea invited the Newbies into the cooking process and I think we all learned something new. Personally, I discovered how to properly cut an onion and hold a knife properly…and I’m not a newbie!

Jonathan Murphy dropped by to meet everyone in person as he will be doing the voiceover opening for the shows.

Soon Jung Wi, Natalie’s husband arrived with their three adorable kids who were quickly called into “crew” duties while Jung prepared for his segment on The Lea Show. Jung and Natalie own Allure West Studios and Jung, a master photographer, also teaches people how to get the most out of their digital cameras. He busted so many “megapixel myths” and taught Lea (and us) what to look for when buying a digital camera. With so much valuable information, Lea invited him back for a future episode to teach her (and the audience) how to take better digital shots.

By the time we wrapped it was a long day but one that was fulfilling and fun! James is editing the shows, the opening illustrations are being created and soon we will launch the first episodes of Nesting Newbies and The Lea Show. Sweet! – JM

Wedding Walkers

This morning I went for a 6-mile walk with Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide (see us on the Flirty Guide), Lea McIntosh of Lea McIntosh – Extraordinary Events & Weddings and Lea’s sister, Christina, who was visiting from Sacramento.

We met at 7:30 am and walked the Los Gatos Creek Trail in Campbell.  It took us a little over 2 hours to walk 6 miles, but it literally felt as if only minutes had passed.  It was such a great opportunity to catch up and share ideas while doing something healthy for ourselves.

After our super calorie-burning walk, we indulged ourselves in a sumptuous breakfast at Stacks in Campbell.  While Lea was smart and ordered the yogurt sundae, I went with the crab crepe.  Well, the way I see it is that it evens out and makes it as if I didn’t walk or eat this morning.  Sound good?  Works for me!

Dilek Sezen and I collaborated and presented our 2009 Bridal Showcase last week. Several brides and industry leaders stopped by last Tuesday to model Dilek’s bespoke bridal collection and to peruse through our wedding photography collection. Thank you to Mandy Scott for the beautiful flowers.

WHEN, WHERE, HOW MUCH?
Sunday, March 22, 2009 1 PM – 5 PM
Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchants Exchange Club
465 California Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco
www.movie-me.com
info@movie-me.com
408.773.9421
Online registration $49

WHAT IS MOVIE-ME?
MOVIE-ME is a creative solution to brides who have chosen to rely on friends or family to video their wedding day. They are offering an afternoon seminar that will dramatically increase the couple’s odds of producing a better video of their wedding.
1. It’s a 4-hour informative, fun seminar on how to DIY a wedding video in which a professional videographer will be filming a series of enactments of a ceremony, entrance into the reception, toasts, cake cutting and first dance. Attendees will see on a screen in real time what is being filmed, with will hear narration of the right and wrong way to do it. There will also be a demonstration of how to edit.
2. Attendees will come away with
5 common mistakes and how to avoid them
5 ‘must have’ shots at the ceremony
5 ways to make the video interesting

and much more!

3. Easy tips and tricks
the single most important tip to producing a great video
how to frame an image
4 ways to hold a camera steady
how to record sound
how to choose the best (unobtrusive) angles

WHO SHOULD COME?
Brides and grooms
Friends who will shoot and/or edit the wedding
Friend who will edit the wedding that a professional videographer shoots
Friends who will shoot and edit Friday and Sunday activities (a professional videographer shoots the wedding)

WHY COME TO A SEMINAR?
1. It would take a lot of time and effort to research the information on the internet, even if it existed, which it doesn’t; your time is worth something
2. It’s easier to learn by seeing a professional do it than by reading a book
3. It’s one of those things where you just have to be there (it’s the experience)

LEARN FROM ONE OF THE BEST
Movie-Me is presented by Chuck and Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films, an award-winning husband and wife team who are outstanding presenters with an engaging and lively style, who draw from their experience as wedding cinematographers and their long-time avocation as avid movie buffs.

TWO MORE REASONS TO COME…

WIN A FREE FLIP VIDEO CAMERA
Anyone can enter to win a Free Flip Video Camera at www.movie-me.com – no purchase necessary, need not be present to win.

MEET GREAT WEDDING PROFESSIONALS
There will be a mini-faire after the seminar from 5.30 – 6.30 PM. Come meet and see the work of the best event professionals in the Bay Area.

ENTER BY SATURDAY, JANUARY 31ST AT THE FLIRTY GUIDE AND WIN 2 FREE TICKETS FROM THE FLIRTY GUIDE!

I recently had the privilege of photographing Hello!Lucky’s 2009 Stationary Preview featuring their newest wedding stationary line, Handmade Hellos,
their book recently published by Chronicle Books and the new face of their website.

Beautiful standing floral arrangements designed by Sharla Flock and soft white uplit drape hung by Got Light? invited guests to walk down a luxurious red carpet into Hello!Lucky’s brand new SOMA studio in San Francisco. Here, guests enjoyed poured wine provided by Andronico’s Market at a modern purple illuminated Blueprint Studio Collection bar. As guests sipped their wine, a technician hand-fed fine art paper through the 3 beautiful vintage Heidelberg presses that Hello!Lucky uses to create their sensuous invitations.

Several samples of these elegant wedding stationary designs by Joel Dewberry, Lab Partners and EIEIO lined the walls leading to the second floor, where guests listened to expert music mixing by DJ John Jow, were served tantalizing hors d’oeuvres, including bite-sized crab cakes, empinadas and mushroom tartlets catered by Jane Hammond Events, as well as fine company from several of the leading wedding professionals in San Francisco.

At the end of the evening, guests picked up goodie bags sitting atop a Wildflower Linen’s gorgeous diamond taffeta in chocolate and graciously filled by Sabrina and Eunice with 2 packs of blank thank you cards, a sponsor booklet and an informational pamphlet about Hello!Lucky and pricing for their new budget-friendly line.

This amazingly successful evening would never have come together so effortlessly without the design expertise and vision of prominent urban designer Morgan Doan of Events by Morgan.

Hello!Lucky is a leading specialty letterpress printer and design studio, based in San Francisco’s SOMA district, with an office in London. They have been creating wedding invitations, greeting cards and personalized stationary since 2003. Their worldwide clientele includes Anthropologie, Kate’s Paperie and Liberty of London.

Sisters Eunice and Sabrina Moyle co-founded Hello!Lucky with a vintage Vandercook press in Eunice’s garage in 2003. Since those humble beginnings, they have collaborated with leading stylists and event designers around the world. Their designs have appeared in publications including Martha Stewart Weddings, Daily Candy, InStyle, Lukcy, Real Simple, Marie Clare and inStyle Weddings.

Their team of 14 creative professionals relish in creating unique designs for their clients, ranging from vintage to modern. Their services cover the range from budget-friendly digital designs to high-end letterpress and hand-crafted invitations.

Dilek Sezen is one of the amazing Union Street professionals I’ve gotten to know quite well since we started working on the Union Street Wedding Ring.  She is most certainly a true professional and I admire her passion for her work and her drive for her business.

This is a slideshow of her highly successful showcase at the City Club in San Francisco.

Next time you’re on Union Street, please do visit her at 1757 Union Street, First Floor, Suite 2 (follow her signs down the alley).

We have a lot of new things happening this week!  Check out these new cards Suzie McKig of Twig & Fig :: Couture Invitations designed for us.  She was a dream to work with and knew exactly what we needed to spruce things up a bit.

Here are some pictures I took of their store at 2110 Vine Street in Berkeley: