inspiration board: industrial glam

I don't know about you, but it seems like it's engagement season in my side of the world. So you know what that means -- more weddings!

I have the great honor to work on my co-worker, Michelle, and her fiance, Walt's wedding this upcoming June.  I always enjoy the designing and creative process for an event, especially for a wedding (since I often don't have the time to bc I'm juggling a full-time job).  Visiting linen warehouses, rental showrooms, site walkthroughs, etc. -- the real joy comes in seeing all the inspiration come together.

Michelle and Walt chose the Art Share, L.A. a local gallery downtown with a very industrial feel.  Using a color scheme of taupe, gold, and greys, along with string lights and lots of metallic fringe, we're going transform this art gallery into a fun party atmosphere as we celebrate these two! Below is a sneak peek into what we have planned. Stay tuned for the wedding! 

Source: 1// ceremony 2// lighted love sign 3// chandelier 4// pipe stool 5// flowers 6// bridesmaids dresses 7//string light backdrop

another charles dickens dinner

12.14.12 -- Dickens has come and gone, again.  And thankfully with a little more ease this time.  This year's Dickens wasn't accompanied by as much stress and craziness as past years, and I'm hoping that's a sign of experience. It also helped that the structure and flow of the evening remained pretty much the same from last year, a definite blessing considering I had more events that normal in the two months leading up to the event.

Over these past three years I have been able to develop some great relationships with the staff at the Biltmore, and it is these relationships that make the long days more bearable. I'm so thankful for their hospitality and how helpful they have been from year to year -- there's definitely a sense of comfort I feel knowing who I'll be working with and knowing I can trust them.  I'm sure many event planners who work with the same venues and vendors over and over feel the same way.

This year we honored James Newton Howard and Wells Fargo.  The night was narrated by opera star baritone Rod Gilfry and highlighted by performances by our talented USC Thornton students.  I chose to go back to a traditional red and green color scheme, with copper accents in my centerpieces (I was thankful that the Biltmore also decided to decorate with copper--what a blessing!) which resulted in a very rich and Christmas-y room. So thankful for the wonderful success of this event year after year!

Here are some pictures from the beautiful evening.

Vendors
Venue, Catering, & Valet: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Valerie Lehman & Olivia Manzo
Linens: Elegant Design Specialty Linens
Florals: Dellarobbia Design Studio & Flower Market, Jolene Reynolds
Lighting, Production, Sound: Thinkwell Design & Production, Jamie Hamlin
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Sound: PRG Audio
Photography: Steve Cohn Photography

symphonic hall dedication

10.28.12 -- My most challenging event of the year, but also one of my most involved events as well. The reason for this dedication was to celebrate the generous donor, Alice Schoenfeld, who gave $3 million to help renovate and name the Lloyd Sound Stage into a new symphonic rehearsal hall for the USC Thornton Symphony and other music ensembles at USC Thornton. For about two months, I worked closely with the client, with almost daily meetings and phone calls to go over guests lists, confirm the performances, discuss the program, etc.  During these meetings I developed a wonderful relationship with this woman, hearing stories about her sister, her time in Germany, and I am glad I got the opportunity to meet and work with.  Those are the connections that make my job so enjoyable.

It's always such a blessing to see everything come together on the day-of and to hear that the event was everything they envisioned. so much of my job is not about what I personally like, or would want, but taking my client's vision and making it a reality.  I had the help of Thornton's amazing production team (Jeff, Tori, Heather, and Michelle -- you guys rock!), whose company and jokes throughout the evening made the 18-hour day, yes, I said it, fun!

Complete with a red carpet, I transformed our loading dock into an elegant reception space for the reveal of the new name of the symphonic hall.  After the unveiling, guests were ushered inside to enjoy a concert featuring world-renown artists and then served a delicious three-course meal by Barbara West Catering.

One of the biggest blessings of being the only event planner at the music school is the opportunity to learn about different components of events in more detail because they're all under my responsibility. For example, we wanted to create a memorabilia piece for the donor in order for future students who entered the hall to know the legacy of Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld.  In the process of trying to figure out how to frame these pictures, I learned a lot about foam core and different mounting materials, something I wouldn't have thought to research otherwise.  Additionally, I personally designed the invitation, menu, and program cards for the event, a task that allows me to exercise me creative side.

As always, no post is complete without pictures.  Thanks to Vanessa Preziose for these beautiful pictures! For more information on this transformative gift, read this article here. 
Also, my apologies for the blogging hiatus -- I hope to be posting more frequently in the new year!

Vendors
Catering: Barbara West Catering
Valet: USC Transportation, Pablo Sahugun
Linens & Napkins: Elegant Design Specialty Linens
Florals: Dellarobbia Design Studio & Flower Market
Rentals and Lighting: ELM Concierge, Mark Vanis
Photography: Vanessa Preziose

be[love]d venue: studio 1342

i've never done a venue spotlight, but this venue deserves one.  i recently visited Studio 1342 after seeing a wedding there featured on 100 Layer Cake and it caught my eye for many reasons. 

1. succulents. recently landscaped with the guidance of landscape architect Rob Steiner, the garden and outdoor patio is lush with succulents of varying kinds that gives the space a modern organic feel.
 

2. bright colors. bright painted murals. bright patio furniture.  they create excellent backdrops for pictures and well, i'm a sucker for bright things. 

3. a unique indoor space. it's fully equipped with track lights on dimmers, a projector, and a kitchen. its blank palette allows clients to dress it up however they like.  i love the little shelves built into the walls, perfect for displaying pictures of the bride and groom.

the pictures don't do this wonderful space justice.  i personally can't wait for the opportunity to coordinate an event here! for more information visit their website! happy monday everyone :)

preview: lisa + byron

Congratulations to my cousin Lisa and my new cousin Byron!  Here's a sneak preview into their beautiful handmande Disney wedding that I helped coordinate yesterday.  Can't wait to share more of the glittery details with you.  Thank you to Taky of LA Color for putting together this wonderful video!


Lisa and Byron - Same Day Edit from L.A. Color on Vimeo.

melissa + garland

08.03.12 -- I had the honor and privilege of coordinating Melissa & Garland's wedding this past August.  It was my first event to kick off the "school year" (working for a university I still think in terms of school years) so there was a lot more mental preparation going into this event just because I had a more relaxed summer doing more research and design work than actual event coordination.  It was long, but completely God-centered wedding, and we only had a couple snags along the way.

The wedding took place at the Vibiana downtown, a Los Angeles Cultural Monument, and L.A.'s first cathedral.  A beautiful venue in and of itself, the hall is completely transformed when the sun goes down and the colored lighting highlight the architectural columns and details of the space.  

My favorite detail was the white cherry blossom trees that Garland and Melissa brought in to frame the aisle and line the sides of the room.  They helped create a more intimate and elegant feel to the space.  Simple potted orchids served as the centerpieces and hand sewn table runners were just a small detail that kept the tables from looking empty.  

The reception started off with an incredibly energetic and choreographed first dance by the couple, whose energy carried the guests to the dance floor by the end of the evening.  It was a great time for everyone there.

Thank you, Melissa and Garland, for giving me the opportunity to share in your special day!  Hope you're both enjoying married life! 

All photos are courtesy of Nate Goins Photography. For more photos, click here.


Vendors
Venue: Vibiana, Nicole Kingston
Lounge Furniture: AFR Furniture Rental, Rhonda Boyer
Catering: Jay's Catering, Patti Robledo
Photography: Nate Goins Photography
Video: Anthony Ma
Lighting & Audio: Amber Events
Officiant: Kenny Peavy

retirement celebration

As with every university, there comes a point when a faculty member decides to retire, and so as a special events coordinator, retirement parties fall under my job description.  I had the opportunity to put together a small, intimate retirement party for one of our dear faculty members to thank and celebrate his 14 years at USC Thornton.  Because it was a small gathering, I took on the challenge of doing the floral arrangements on my own as I had a lot of vases left over from past events.

With every DIY project I take on, I gain a new found appreciation for all the vendors I work with to help me put together a great event.  And florals are no exception.  I would like to say I have a pretty good eye for color combinations and textures (a lot of that creativity and design manifests itself in my personal style) but it's different when those colors and textures are in the form of flowers.  My office turned into a temporary garden before the event, displaying my different options in various vases across my desk.

I've been truly enjoying the opportunity to explore different areas of events, and not simply the coordination and organization aspect.  I hope to continue to improve my own personal skills in these arenas such as floral and invitation design in order to better serve my clients and create something new and exciting with every event I plan.  Thanks for looking!

Vendor Credits
Venue: Town & Gown
Catering: USC Hospitality
Flowers: Trader Joe's
Awards: SoCal Trophy