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/

Vendor Spotlight: Sonoma Caterers

Amber Belshaw of Sonoma Caterers is fascinating. A formally US- and European-trained chef she also has people skills down to a science. It’s probably why Sonoma Caterers is such a success. While Amber serves as Executive Chef, she still insists on meeting every couple face-to-face and minimizes her number of commitments to devote the utmost attention to each event. She prides herself on making sure that she delivers exactly what couples want on the menu for their Big Day. “We are not platinum or over the top, I specialize in real events for real couples,” she says humbly.

Amber tells us that unique venues can help to spark unique experiences. “If I have power and water I am happy,” she says. “It’s not uncommon to be on a dirt road in a vineyard or on a mountain top. I have twice cracked the oil pan in my car on the roads that we cater. Yes, a four course wine dinner with no water, no power and you have to bring in all of the equipment.” Clearly she has to think of the location when creating a menu, as there are some things that cannot be made without an oven. “I can do a great menu on a BBQ and you would never know it” she admits.

So beyond the fact that you will have fantastic, fresh food at your wedding, Sonoma Caterers are friendly and warm. “We are a company with a green-certified and moral conscience; my staff has options for medical, health and retirement. Happy staff to me equals happy guests. When you work with us you will feel that you planned it yourself. We sit down and talk about the guests wants, likes, dislikes and put those in the event. I really listen. Our style is ‘good food done well’. We are in Sonoma County and do business in that style. I am blessed that I get to spend everyday doing what I love.”

Spotted: FMN Design

Laura Reoch of Forget Me Not Design has a super unique business: making custom wedding albums. With a double emphasis major in graphic design and photography, Laura tells us she is thrilled that she’s found a way to incorporate both studies in her line of work.

So what does she enjoy the most about her work? “What I love about working with my clients, is that I get to put together photographs from one of the happiest days of their lives. I have the honor to sort through their images and I get to pick and choose my favorites to tell their unique story from their day.” Taking a graphic or logo from invitations and using it is something she loves to do and it seems to set her books apart from her competitors and cookie-cutter templates.

So what can you expect if you work with Laura on creating the album of your wedding dreams? With photography as her background, the quality of the printed work is important to her as well as the binding and overall quality of the book. “I said before starting this business that I only wanted to do it if what I provided my clients was quality. I wanted to hand over a book that was exquisite inside and out. Not only am I confident in the storytelling of my design but the books themselves are simply gorgeous.”

Contact Laura at:

Laura Reoch
Forget Me Not Design

Web: http://www.fmndesign.com/

Vendor Spotlight: Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco

Just hearing the name, Ritz-Carlton, evokes imagery of grand, classic proportions. And the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco is nothing short of this. Perhaps the ideal venue for your dream wedding? The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco as we know it today was completed after a four-year renovation in 1991. Since then, this Neo-Classical Nob Hill landmark has been impressing tourists, business travelers, celebrities and couples in their 336 luxury guest room hotel. So what it’s like to plan your wedding here?

Bonnie Crail, President of Crail Communications and press representative for The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, tells us that while they host only about 30 weddings a year, they take weddings very seriously saying, “It’s a seamless service experience”. You will also have your own Ritz-Carlton Wedding Specialist who'll coordinate your every need from floral arrangements, china, chairs and entertainment. Food is catered by their infamous kitchen lead by Chef Patrick Callarec, and you will no doubt receive five-star service in every area from staff to the linens you choose. Sound dreamy? It gets better.

Don’t think just because you’re on a budget or hosting a small, intimate wedding that you can’t host your wedding at a grand place like the Ritz-Carlton. Bonnie details us the many options you have here and we love options:

* The Terrace Courtyard works for up to 250 guests, complete with a white tent and palladium-style windows. And the Terrace Room can host a reception up to 120 with dancing and windows that look out onto its courtyard.

* The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom can host anywhere from 50 to 500. All it takes is the magic that the staff makes to move things around decorate accordingly.

* And for truly smaller, intimate ceremonies and receptions, the Consulate and Colonnade rooms host up to 50 while the Plaza and Diplomat rooms host up to 25.

Still thinking these options will break the bank? They might or they might not. Consider a Thursday, Friday or Sunday affair where pricing can be better negotiated. Bonnie tells us they often do Sunday luncheon weddings or Sunday ceremonies followed by a tea party. Get creative!

Vendor Spotlight: Sift Cupcakery, Wine Country

No doubt, cupcakes are all the rage these days. Sift Cupcakery was born in 2008 after the owners weren’t able to find their dream cupcakes for their Sonoma wedding. Was delicious and whimsical looking too much to ask? With so many weddings planned in wine country, they opened their doors and voila! They now have 3 locations: Cotati, Napa and Santa Rosa.

Jordan, Wedding Coordinator for Sift, tells us that weddings are truly the reason they exist: “There isn’t any celebration we love more. We love working with the couples from start to finish, learning about their ideas to seeing the final product."

As for their creative inspirations, Jordan says Sift just loves to create. New flavors, new themes, custom artwork on cupcakes-you name it, they will create it. They've been inspired by movies, Martha Stewart, magic and more.

What can you expect from Sift? Fun, whimsical flavored cupcakes perfectly made for your special day. They can match any décor, theme or monogram for your wedding. They
deliver, set ‘em up, and will just love being a part of your special day.