New Semester = New challenges

Last week was the beginning of the spring semester and the final semester of floral design courses at College of San Mateo.  Lots will be happening in the coming months including a Bridal Fair put on by the students and a grand finale party.

For our first design, we took bear grass and weaved the grass into a ring.  Then we took tulips and created either a bouquet or put the piece in a small container.  I added some Oasis Diamond Wire for some sparkle and this is what I came up with:

A little note on tulips:  they are funny flowers that keep growing even after they are cut.  If you ask for tulips in an arrangement, be aware that they typically last 3-5 days and if they are in a warm area they are likely to die sooner.  If you want a long lasting bouquet to send to people, don't ask for tulips!  However, in the Language of Flowers, tulips are very romantic flowers.  Here's a list of tulip colors and what they mean:

Pink Tulips- Caring

Purple Tulips- Royalty

Red Tulips- A declaration of love

White Tulips- Forgiveness

Yellow Tulips- Hopelessly in love

Coming soon:  Tired of giving or receiving red roses for Valentines day?  I am doing research on flowers and their meanings so you can order flowers with a message for your loved one!  Keep checking back for that entry!

Up Coming Bay Area Wedding Events

In a few months time, wedding season will be gearing up.  Here are a few shows and websites that can help you plan your perfect dream wedding!


***Wedding Faire and Symposium
"The Wedding Faire has been coming to the Santa Clara Convention Center since 1986. Brides can shop, watch fabulous fashion shows, attend informational workshops and plan their weddings! The Wedding Faire offers everything to Plan the Perfect Wedding! Local and national retailers and services will have booth displays. There are fashion shows and Wedding Workshops throughout the day. The first 250 Brides each day will receive a Savings Booklet from local Bay Area Wedding merchants. Arrive early to register and win fantastic Wedding Prize Giveaways!"

Friday Thru Sunday January 6-8, 2012

Admission: $12
Located at the Santa Clara Convention Center

Modern Luxury Weddings

Filled with spectacular decor, innovative floral, sensational tastings, and inspiration galore, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco invites you to meet with the bay area’s most celebrated and sought-after wedding professionals. Vera Wang runway shows highlight the season’s most fabulous wedding gowns. Enjoy the complimentary Beauty Bar, champagne and tastings plus the first 100 brides will receive a Swag Bag.

Sunday January 8, 2012 

Located at the Ritz-Carlton in SF


***The Lab

“A not-so-ordinary bridal experience to immerse yourself in creative inspiration to define your wedding style.  Are you ready for some chemistry? The Lab is a handpicked collection of some of the top trend-setting wedding industry professionals Northern California has to offer. It’s designed to be an experience for couples seeking vendors, inspiration, and style definition for their wedding day. The Lab won’t have typical vendor booths or pushy salespeople. Instead, in a laid-back setting, couples will experience inspiration boards brought to life, sips and bites from some of the best caterers, sweet and treats from top dessert designers, a vendor library, a non-traditional runway show, and one heck of a party to round out the night.”

Saturday January 14, 2012

Admission: $25 (group rates available)
Located at Cline Cellars


***Napa Valley Bridal Show
The 8th Annual NAPA VALLEY BRIDAL SHOW. Plan your entire Wine Country Wedding in one location where the finest wedding professionals will be found. Check out the latest fashions and register for incredible prizes.”
Sunday January 22, 2012 11am-4pm
Admission: $10
Located at Embassy Suites, Napa Valley

SF Wedding Fair

Sip chilled flutes of Domaine Chandon while sampling the newest trends in hors d’oeuvres and wedding cakes. Luxuriously stroll by 70 exhibits featuring the elite of Bay Area wedding professionals. View stunning couture fashions modeled throughout the afternoon.

Attention Grooms… Drop by the gentlemen’s lounge for scores, snacks and cold beer!

Sunday January 22, 2012 11am-4pm

Located at the Four Seasons Hotel

Modern Bridal

View the most incredible photography, breathtaking floral designs, and fabulous samples as you stroll through our aisles to find the right wedding professionals to make your wedding day vision a reality. Experience spectacular runway shows, view unique caterers, sensational jewelry, incredible photography and all you’ll need to make your wedding day the celebration of a lifetime

Sunday January 15, 2012 at the Pleasanton Hilton

Sunday January 22, 2010 at the Claremont Resort & Spa, Berkeley

I Do Venues

An insiders view to the venues serving California.

San Mateo County Hidden Gem

The Pulgas Water Temple in San Mateo County, is a small, unique, gorgeous wedding venue that I came across a few months ago located at 80 Canada Road in Woodside, California.

  It was built in the 1930s by architect William G. Merchant to commemorate the 1934 completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.  Here are some specifics on having your wedding ceremony at this location:

Guest Count:  100 guests max, with limited parking

Available times:  April to October 9:30-11:30 or 1:30-3:30.  2 hours maximum which includes set up and tear down.

Price:  $150 non-refundable

Limitations:  The site does not allow rehearsals on the property.  The site is closed on Sundays.  To have amplification or any other electric needs, you must bring a 150 foot extension cord.  They do not have their own chairs so you must rent them.

All in all, its a gorgeous venue for a low budget, quick wedding ceremony and definitely something to look into.  For more information, you can call them at 650-872-5900 or visit the site here.  Here are a few pictures:

Creations

Hello readers, sorry for the lack of new posts.  I've been in rehearsals for the play Harvey and it has kept me pretty busy.  Here are a few things I've been working on lately:

The first two pictures are a garden vegetative design.  The purpose of this design is to look as natural as possible.  I created the design to be seen from every direction.  Using dried lavender, heather, decorative cabbage as well as potted stock and a succulent, I created a rock garden scene.  Once I'm ready to take it apart, I will plant the succulent and the stock in my garden.  This design would be a great gift for a friend or family member who likes to garden.

Its a bit late, but this is the Halloween design I created.  I call it "The Spooky Pumpkin Patch"  I used a light up branch that I purchased at the SF Flower Mart, attached some spiders I use for my Halloween decorations (its hard to see them, but they are there.  The orange carnation represent the "pumpkins" and I added some raffia and a skull candle for a little bit more "spooky" fun.  The container is a rectangular, plastic tray that I bought at Michaels.

Next week, I will post the before and after picture of this guy:

Using chicken wire, I created a rabbit.  I will be putting carnations, spray roses and hydrangea in water tubes and decorating the structure for the opening night gala of Crystal Springs Players Harvey.  Keep coming back to see the finished product as well as a few of the other arrangements I have donated to the production!

Fall Floral Festival- Triton Museum of Art

The DeYoung Museum's Bouquets to Art exhibit is one of my favorites.  I love seeing how floral professionals see and interpret works of art.  I was excited to find out that the South Bay has their own version and went to check it out this weekend at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.  The entrance fee was a suggested donation of $5 for Sunday, and there was an event on Saturday evening that was $50/person and included a raffle and much more.  Definitely something to check out next year!

Although the event is smaller than the DeYoung exhibit, the talent featured is every bit as good as the  San Francisco designers.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a design by my good friend Poppie Rodriguez, owner of Sashay Floral.

Another designer featured was Kika Shibata, who came to College of San Mateo recently.  

These next two pieces were interpretations of the same piece of art.  I found the differences very interesting.  The first is by designer Ahou Shams and the second by Barbara Rodriquez.

Here are a few other designs that I enjoyed:

Something for everyone: What to do with kids at your special event

There are many activities for adults to do during a wedding or special event, but not a lot for the younger guests to do.

One of the more recent trends in weddings is to have a goody-bag for each kid who attends.  Usually these bags have coloring pages, some candy and small toys to keep the kids occupied during all the "boring grown-up" stuff.  If you want to go beyond the goody-bag here are a few ideas:

Kids Only:
Have a special Kids Only area that is open for a few hours during the reception.   For safety, create a sign-in, sign-out rule with the parents and the kids and only permit them to leave with the designated parent.  In this area, have board games, coloring books, craft supplies, and goody-bags to keep the kids occupied.  Find out if the venue has a television you can rent and hook up a Wii console for the older kids.

Chid Care Providers:
If you have any responsible, high school age attendees, ask them if they could be in charge of the kids area.   Sweeten the deal by offering to pay them.  If you don't have anyone that could be a sitter, look into babysitting services or home care services that offer babysitters.  Make sure they come with good recommendations and are reliable!

Games:
Organize a wedding scavenger hunt.  Separate the kids in several groups and give each group a disposable camera and a list of events during the reception.  The first group to complete the list gets to take a special picture with the bride and groom, or gets a goody-bag.

Piñatas are always a fun event at any party.  Make sure there is plenty of room in whatever area you designate since candy tends to fly everywhere!

Hiring entertainment:
If the budget allows, hire children's entertainment for an hour or two.  Here are a few magicians I looked into in the San Francisco area:

http://www.danchanmagic.com/

http://www.Pymagic.com/

http://www.WhoAteTheRabbitMagic.com/

If you can't find a magician you like, look into face painting, clowns, or puppet shows as well.  If you have hired a photo-booth company for your wedding, have a specific time set aside for kids to use it.  Have a chest with dress up clothes so the kids can get silly and have fun dressing up.  As a craft, you can have them make a photo frame to hold their keepsake in.  You can also have your DJ call up the kids during the cocktail hour and have a "kids only" dance hour with kid friendly music.

There is so much you can do for your kid guests to keep them entertained and have them remember your wedding as something very special!

If you have any other ideas you have used in the past, please post them here and share with all of us! 

Vase arrangements

Roses are such a classy flower.  The color variety is endless and they always look stunning in a vase arrangement.

These roses are hydroponically grown in Southern California.  I dressed up the vase a bit with a bling ribbon and added Lomey pins to the rose heads to add more sparkle.  Very simple yet very elegant.  This is a great arrangement for a centerpiece or to bring to a dinner party.

This second arrangement was for a friends birthday.  Its the same idea as the dozen roses, but its ten sunflowers (the single purple rose was to signify that the arrangement was from my friends mom).  The fun curly-cues are fern curls.  The sunflowers are locally grown and they were absolutely beautiful!  This arrangement gives off a happy, fun feel that I really loved.

Here are the steps for arranging your very own vase:

1:  Start with 5 pieces of leather fern.  Make sure the stems are cleaned of any debris.  Take the first leather fern and lace a second through the bottom leaf.  Repeat with the rest of the ferns and cut them so the bottom leaves are touching the rim of the container.

2:  Place the first flower in the center of the ferns.  It won't stay put until you add more flowers, so just keep adjusting it as you go.  Make sure this is the tallest flower in the arrangement.

3:  Take 3 more flowers and create a triangle around the center.  Cut these a little shorter than the first.

4:  Take 4 flowers and place them around the triangle.  These don't have to be cut shorter, unless you want to create more depth.

5:  Take the last 4 flowers and place them on the outer edge.  Make sure these are cut the shortest in the whole arrangement.

6:  The last step is to add filler like statice, wax flower, babies breath or any other filler you can find.

And there you have your very own arrangement!  If you take it on, send me pictures at thesassydiva@sassydivadesigns.com

Have fun!

Six Degrees of Separation

Head over to Kunde Family Estate Winery and check out the scenes of the film Bottle Shock.  While you are there, bring a picnic lunch and sit in the expansive courtyard of the winery before heading in to taste the wine.  You can also make arrangements to do the Mountain Top Tasting that leaves every hour between 11:30am and 2:30pm for $30 per person.  They also offer horse back riding tours through Triple Creek Horse Outfit.

This is also a great venue for events.  There are several different options to choose from including the Dunfillian Ruins,  the Wine Aging Caves and The Mountain Top.  Guest count can be anywhere from 30-250 people depending on the site you choose.  Kunde has their own event staff who will work hard to give you your dream event.

There is limited to no electricity in most of the sites and you will have to arrange for transportation from the parking lot to the location you choose.

For a Hollywood feel or if you are into barbecues, check out the Boot Hill site where Bottle Shock was filmed.

The wine is decent and priced well.  As with many of the wineries, beer and Kunde wines are the only alcoholic beverages allowed.

A French Chateau in California

Heading back up the Sonoma valley towards Healdsburg and Calistoga, you find several large vineyards and castle-like tasting rooms. One of which is Chateau St. Jean.  Located at the base of Sugerloaf Ridge, the setting is picturesque and the mediterranean style gardens are stunning.  It definitely took my breath away.  The Chateau was built in the 1920s as a summer home for Ernest and Maude Goff who made their fortune in iron mining and lumber.  Its now home to the vineyards tasting rooms and event venue.

They have several labeled varieties of grape vines that you can walk through including the gardens.  So many amazing photo opportunities at this venue!

The venue can hold up to 150 guests, any additional guests require permission and add a $25/guest charge.  Rental for the site is from $1500 (Mon-Thurs/ 20 guests) to $12,000 (ceremony and reception/ 150 guests).  The site requires an event planner from a preferred list that you can request with the wedding packet.  There are four venue options:  The Chateaus dining room (24 guests), The Chateau Patio (36 guests), the Visitor Center (100 guests), and the Chateau Front Lawn (400+guests).  Events can be held until 10:30pm, but there is a amplification cut off time of 10pm.

I must admit, I wasn't a big fan of their wine, however they did have some nice whites which is important to any bride...if you spill it won't show up on the dress!

Chateau St. Jean is a breathtaking venue with lots of amazing photo opportunities.  Definitely check it out!

A taste of Tuscany

If you like a Tuscan setting, you will love Viansa Winery.  Located closer to the San Francisco side of Sonoma, its set on top of a hill over looking the valley.

Viansa can hold anywhere from 2-125 guests and has several location options.  Luscious Tuscan courtyards are scattered throughout the site and a beautiful lawn with a bocce ball court is a great location for a summer time reception.  The candle lit wine-cellar is also available for ceremonies and receptions and opens up onto the lower courtyard.

I was very impressed by the choices on the menu and it was one of the only venues I visited in Sonoma that allows an open bar.  In the wedding packet, they also offer add-ons such as: espresso bars, a photo booth, s'more bars, kids entertainment bags, and their market place will give you discounts on wedding favors. Renting the venue runs from $3000 on weekdays to $10,000 on Saturdays and you get a discount on their wine.  I enjoyed their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Sonoma Valley

They offer a full event staff so there is no need to hire an outside wedding planner, unless you wanted to hire me, of course!

It was a beautiful venue and they offer so many ways to really make your event personal to you.  Check out their Facebook page for more pictures on the different weddings they have had including a Brazilian wedding.

Next stop...

Our next stop on the Sonoma valley tour is the St. Francis Winery located in Kenwood, California.  This mission styled winery has breath taking views of Hood Mountain and the valley.  The ceremony site is on the lush green lawn surrounded by the vineyard.  The reception hall is in the Dining Room which opens up to a stone patio or can be closed and cozy with a tile-lined fireplace.

The venue holds up to 150 guests or 200 if the ceremony is not on site.  Prices range from $6,000-$9,000 depending on the date.  You have complete run of the grounds from 6pm-11pm and can keep partying past midnight, for an added fee.  St. Francis does require employment of a coordinator from A Dream Wedding and exclusive use of St. Francis wines, which are, in my opinion, pretty tasty.

Private events can range from 20-220 guests.  Its a great location to have small corporate meetings or even a family reunion!

I'd give this venue 3 out of 5 stars.  Its easy to get to, charming, the staff was pretty friendly and its fairly reasonable price-wise for this area.  Definitely a place to stop and visit and consider for your event!