Venue Spotlight: Hornblower Cruises & Events

Hornblower is perhaps one of the most quintessential and unique venue ideas for a Bay Area wedding. A 30-year-old charter yacht company, Hornblower started with just two small yachts in Berkeley and now have over 30 yachts in seven ports up and down California. Since they have a variety of yachts, they can handle from the most intimate of weddings to the hugest ones. And they take weddings very seriously. From the moment they get a phone call from an excited couple, to the second they step off the vessel at the end of their special day, they ensure that every detail is taken care and every couple remembers their wedding for a lifetime.

Tegan Firth, Corporate Public Relations Manager, tells us that couples can expect personalized coordinating and many options in terms of food, decor, music, etc. They prepare wedding day cuisine on-board that day, so everything you and your guests will eat will be fresh and delicious. Tegan also tells us that their culinary team has created several catering packages ranging in price. We love that, especially in today’s times!

Scene & Heard: International Wedding Festival & A City Club Affair

Ladies, next Sunday, October 3, you have two wedding planning fairs for your choosing.

First, the International Wedding Festival will be held at the Westin St. Francis and will feature a bridal fashion show, live entertainment and the chance to meet a variety of Bay Area wedding professionals. Bonus: take advantage of the valet parking OR the limo service from the Yuerba Buena Garage at 5th/Mission, both included in your $42 admission price.

Deets:
The Westin St. Francis
Sunday, 10/3, 11am-4pm
335 Powell Street
Register: www.internationalweddingfestival.com or 1-877-700-BRIDE

If this sounds too big and grand, head over to the City Club of San Francisco’s Wedding & Event Show. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne mimosas will be flowing as you enjoy a full day of live entertainment. Tasty treats from their dessert partners will also be passed around and you'll get the opportunity to meet with all of their premier partners at the event. Bonus: the event is free and you'll get a complimentary copy of San Francisco Brides Magazine.

Deets:
The City Club of San Francisco
The Stock Exchange Tower
Sunday, 10/3, 11am-2pm
155 Sansome, 10th floor
San Francisco, CA 94101
Register: www.cityclubsf.com

Spotted: Gary Ferber's Photography

We couldn't resist posting Gary's leave-behinds. As we've been hunting around for the best venues in the Bay Area, we caught a few of Gary's marketing materials place after place. He's a seasoned wedding and events photographer who knows the lay of the land here and has worked with many of our favorite venues. And of course, his reputation is fantastic. Take a peek at his website at www.garyferberphotography.com

Creative Corner: In Memory

There are some beautiful ways to honor those who can't be with us on our wedding day. We couldn't resist posting Denise Y.'s bouquet for her Big Day on Oahu. She tells us, "Before we got married, I was trying to find ways to remember and honor my husband's father who'd passed. I was looking through a bridal magazine and saw these little picture frames. They had several suggestions for how you could use them, one being to attach them to your bouquet. I took a picture of my mom and dad as well as his parents on their wedding days, resized the pics, glued them into the little frames and sent them to our florist. She attached them to my bouquet. It was super special to me, and I thought a really unique way to think of our parents on their wedding days, too." We couldn't agree more.

Vendor Spotlight: Pinon Design, Wedding Florist

Jun Pinon began Pinon Design a decade ago from the back of his pick-up truck and has since successfully established a reputable floral and event design business in San Francisco and Los Angeles. One look at Jun’s designs, you can tell that his pieces truly add to any occasion. In fact, that’s what he enjoys about creating pieces for weddings, “Because they can create a powerful ambiance for everyone to enjoy.”

And about his craft and business: “I believe flowers are meant to be shared and I have had the opportunity to showcase my work in many places but my main goal has been to inspire others with my live floral design presentations and hands-on floral design courses for various charities, venues, corporations and exclusive resorts throughout Hawaii and California.”

When you meet and consult with Jun, you won’t only be signing up with a passionate floral expert, but a friend as well. His warm personality is sure to reel you in, along with his gorgeous samples. Take a look at his beautiful designs at http://www.pinondesign.com/

Vendor Spotlight, Fat Bottom Bakery

Vegan wedding desserts, anyone? Well we have a bakery for you. Fat Bottom Bakery was started by friends, Carolynn and Ashley, as an outlet for their love of baking and their combined commitment to veganism and delicious, sustainable foods. All of their treats are vegan, which means they don’t use any dairy, egg or other animal products. They use as many organic ingredients as possible and make every effort to source ingredients locally, making their goods fresher, tastier and ecologically sustainable.

We asked Ashley and Carolynn what they like about baking for weddings: “It’s always lovely to deliver and set up for a wedding, since we often get a little glimpse of the celebration! It’s also a unique situation for us as bakers to have our products play such a starring role at the party. We get the satisfaction of knowing we’ve created exactly what the couple wants as their centerpiece.”

The ladies tell us they’re always working on expanding and changing their menu, on hunt for the very best ingredients. “We’re fans of ‘veganizing’ classic flavors and dishes, which is a fun challenge and can result in some relatively rare and exciting items. We also like to get out there and talk to people about what types of items they’d like to see. There are lots of desserts that are hard to find when you a conscious consumer or one with a food allergy and we hope to fill in some of the gaps.”

Why else should you consider Fat Bottom Bakery? They’re eager to work with couples to find the perfect combination of flavors, colors and textures for your wedding. They're also extremely excited about the repeal of Prop. 8 and are happy to be able to take part in celebrations of love in its many forms. They focus on cupcake displays which afford couples the luxury of picking several different flavors of cake to satisfy everyone’s taste buds. With Fat Bottom Bakery, it's all about taking your needs and desires into account and turning out a totally fun, unique and delicious wedding dessert. Just the way we like it.

Venue Spotlight, Falkirk Cultural Center

Looking for a venue with some history in the Bay Area? the Falkilk Cultural Center may just be your cup a tea. A 19th century country estate listed on the National Historic Register, and owned and operated by the City of San Rafael, this beautiful venue has served the community for more than 35 years in the areas of art, history and gardening.

The 17-room mansion features an outside verandah, rolling grounds, a wedding lawn, multiple gardens and a greenhouse. It sits on 11 acres and rentals include four downstairs rooms, two bathrooms, the verandah, the wedding lawn and gardens, a kitchen, a butler’s pantry and an upstairs dressing room. Bonus? The majority of the rooms are wheelchair accessible. The property fits up to 100 guests in the winter months and up to 125 in the spring and summer. There are tables and chairs for use, as well as a baby grand piano, and the stairway with stained glass windows and the entry stairway outside are favorite places for memorable photos.

When it comes to weddings, Cory Bytof, the Falkirk Culural Center Program Coordinator, tells us: “You’ll find us friendly, affordable and reasonable in accommodating your needs. Falkirk is a charming, elegant facility with small rooms ideal for weddings where a couple wants to have multiple environments for different aspects of the wedding. Our room layout affords guests to enjoy easy access to all areas of the house and gardens, with the ability to mingle in smaller groups closer to or further away from the music and entertainments.”


The Falkirk staff goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable and is equally at home responding to your needs or staying out of your way. And get this: While many of Marin’s finest caterers have worked at Falkirk, they have no restrictions on use of caterers. You can create your wedding as you see fit, using whichever caterer you choose at any level of food service. “It’s like having your wedding in your very own grand Victorian home,” Cory says. We think that sounds divine.

Visit today at http://www.falkirkculturalcenter.org/

Spotted: Fair Trade Diamonds

We spotted this via DailyCandy's Smart Small Go Big contest and couldn't resist giving them a mention. The Clarity Project is dedicated to sourcing fair trade diamonds, gems and metals and invests their profits in mining communities. A diamond with a heart, if you will. Learn about their beautiful pieces, story and more at: http://www.the-clarity-project.com/

Vendor Spotlight: Pat Gibbons, Floral Designer

A true seasoned professional, Pat Gibbons moved to the Bay Area from Cambridge, Mass in 1981 where she’d been working in the Events Department at the Museum of Science in Boston. Floral design was an easy career transition that combined many of her interests: flowers, art and gardening. All you have to do is look at her work to understand why! She’s even been invited to participate in the prestigious Bouquets to Art, held at the De Young Museum in San Francisco for the past 22 years.

“It’s my love of color, texture and bringing interesting elements together that keeps everything fresh,” she tells us. “Every season brings a whole new flower palette. I enjoy meeting people for consultations and hearing about their ideas and find it a fun process to develop innovative designs. Because I limit the number of weddings I do to one per weekend day, I offer personalized and detailed service and great value. On the day of the wedding, I’m always on-site for the delivery and setting up of the flowers.”

While everything starts with service and quality, Pat strives to bring ‘style-design-beauty’ to everything she does. She has a great reputation with both her clients and peers and is known for her artistry, service and the expertise that comes from designing for 29 years. And true to the Bay Area, Pat strives to be a green as possible; recycling, using local vendors and products. We think she’s divine and so will you.

View more of her beautiful work at: http://www.patgibbonsfloral.com/