best of the bay - bride nine/mocha bride | wedding invitation competition

***News Flash***

We WON! According to Bay Bella Publishing - we are the 'Best of Napa' Invitation Designer! Look out designers from the other 8 counties in the Bay Area, we're coming to win at Best of the Bay on November 18th!

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We were so excited to get the call from Bay Bella Publishing (the publishers of Mocha Bride and Bride Nine magazines) and they asked us to compete in their Best of the Bay competition. So on October 18th we packed up the car with samples of our newest design (created just for the contest based on some our favorite elements from several weddings this season) and headed to the Gaia Resort in Napa to show off our stuff!



After arriving we set up our display table, presented to judges and told them that we should win! Our display included:

• an invitation suite (including rsvp, hotel information and a map + directions insert)
  
• a save the date with envelope
  
• program
  
• custom stamped petal tossing bag
  
• wish ticket guest book
  
• hotel welcome guide
  
• menu with place card mini chalkboard
  
• jam jar favor with ribbon and tag
  
• candy bar bag with custom sticker
  
• photo thank you card
  

Don't you LOVE this shot of the couple (I just love the light and the country road behind them!) Hats off to Jennifer Brotchie Photography (check out the real couple behind the faux design we used for the contest)




We thought that instead of just showing the pieces on a display board, we'd show off our wares in action, so on the backside of the table we created a little vignette showing the elements as they would be used at a wedding.







Cross your fingers! We'll let you know if we win...

40th Birthday Bash at Orson San Francisco

We got a last minute call from a client to help him plan his brother's 40th birthday. The plan: they we're going to have dinner at a neighborhood restaurant and then wanted to surprise him by having a limo pick them up after and take them to a cocktail party. We we're given three weeks, a modest budget and some general likes and dislikes of the guest of honor and we were off!




We worked with our friends at Orson Restaurant & Lounge (owned by chef Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake and Food Network) in SOMA. We booked the Mezzanine upstairs, where we could have semi private use of the space and a dedicated bar.

While about 12 of the birthday boys best pals had dinner, Orson got ready for the other guests to arrive...And when the guest of honor arrived, he was greeted with a surprise!




Sadly we had another event to attend that evening, so we were not able to taste the yummy fare this time, but the guests gave it rave reviews. We started out the evening with:

• Blini with crème fraiche and caviar
  
• Smoked salmon maki rolls
  
• Steak tartar on individual spoons
  
• Prawns with romesco
  
• Korean crispy pot stickers
  
• Cheesy churros and chili jam
  
• Asparagus and aioli dipping sauce
  
• Arancini
  

And then after birthday cake the guests we're delighted with passed dessert bites:

• Cupquettes - vanilla & chocolate
  
• Rocky Road Marshmallow skewers
  
• Crème Brulee spoonfuls
  
• Chocolaté bon bons
  

The birthday cake {RETRO TROPICAL SHAG - 2 layers of genoise cake with splash of rum, passionfruit-mango mousse, vanilla buttercream and unsweetened organic coconut shavings, yeah baby!} was also a huge hit and was presented by Elizabeth Falkner herself!






We also worked with Natalie Bowen Designs to whip us up some MANLY cocktail table arrangements, to give a little splash of color to the evening scene.



And my favorite shot, sent to me after the event, is of the birthday boy and his friends chillin' on the couch in the back of the SUV style limo. Party on!




If you want to have a private dining experience at Orson, the guy to talk to is Michael Beachnau @ 415.722.4380. They have several different options for where you can hold court all with very reasonable food and beverage minimums for the style of venue, atmosphere and AMAZING food.

chalkboards & postcards | unique monterey wedding

we're were so excited to get the call from joe & kelly to help them with the finishing touches (just as we had done with their friends andrew and meredith a few years ago).

we helped joe and kelly with some ideas for their ceremony and the table markers and seating chart. the couple had the fun idea of using garden markers with small chalk boards, to name the tables. we then created a large chalk board seating chart.








then at the table each guest received a stemless wine glass with a chalkboard on it and a scratcher lotto ticket. each table was equip with chalk and quarters. it was super fun for the guests and gave them something to do while they waited for their turn at the buffet.





the couple said their 'i dos' under a beautiful magnolia tree in the memory garden in monterey. since it was memorial day weekend, i go the treat of taking my family with me. my girls were so excited to peek in at the wedding and to see the bride. they never get to see me 'at work' so it was a big treat to sit on our hotel balcony and eat ice cream and listen to the band at my wedding.





oh how we love folks that enjoy being creative! for a guest book the bride and groom picked out fun postcards from the monterey area and put them out on the welcome table along with photos of themselves growing up. each guest got to sign a postcard, which later the clients will make into a book.

around town | custom wedding maps

as we're moving into full swing with our 2010 wedding clients, we're remembering all the things we love about what we do. one favorite is incorporating a custom map into the wedding invitation suite, as either a stand alone card, worked into the format of an informational insert or on the backside of a reception card.

we love custom maps because they really help your out of town guests get the lay of the land. what might seem simple for you to understand, can be a bit complicated to folks that have not been to your area before.

we think custom maps are a steal for $125. we get to call out the area, streets, highways, airports, landmarks, etc. that we want, as well as incorporate the custom design of the invitation into the format of the map with fonts, colors and custom markers.

here are a few samples that our 'map guru' has whipped up for us in the past (click on the map to get a larger view):

erin & bryan | map on the backside of the reception card



allegra & andy | map on an insert card in a pocket style invite



susi & david | map showing church, hotel and reception venue



katie & matt | folded insert card in a pocket style invite


see the full invitation for katie & matt's san francisco wedding

give us a call and we'll hook you up with a custom map too!

elegant picnic | corporate retreat

initially from these shots you might think these shots are in a restaurant or private residence, but when we pull back you'll see we're catering an elegant picnic in the park. we're always excited when we get a call from our long time client, rmc water and environment - and this call was the most interesting. as part of a corporate/partner retreat they were going to be doing a wilderness (GPS) scavenger hunt and wanted to conclude the activities with an elegant dinner in the park.





as our guests came out of the forest and into the greenway, they found us ready with a glass of wine and some pre-dinner snacks.







for dinner we served grilled ball tip, orzo pasta with feta cheese, olives and red peppers, fire roasted asparagus, green salad and broccoli salad.



for dessert we served a custom cake by shannie cakes



everyone loved the food and enjoyed dinner in the park. we're looking forward to our next party challenge!

hotel welcome bags!

we're kicking into high gear at stacey & company, helping everyone get ready for 2010 summer and fall weddings. last year we found these super cute jute* bags (made by a floral supply company) but we LOVE them for hotel welcome bags.


don't know what that is? when you do a block of rooms at a hotel for your wedding guests, it is fun to leave them a little treat either in their room or upon check in. it is a nice way to thank them for traveling to your wedding. these bags can also be a vehicle for helping your guests get to know the area.

often we'll include a wedding itinerary or local pocket guide for them to reference through out the weekend. also when you're staying at a hotel or resort that does not offer mini bars in the room - the little bags are a great place to stash sweet and salty snacks for them to much on between events or late night after the merriment. we'll often work with the couple to pull together their favorites, local specialties and just plain fun treats.

these 'jutee cutie' bags come in lots of fun colors that can coordinate with your wedding theme. we love the bags too because they stand up on their own, are big enough to hold pleanty of stuff!



in this case we created a san francisco pocket guide to help the out-of-town guests navigate around town and know when and where to hook up with the group and pick up the shuttle to the wedding in stern grove.



we worked with an illustrator to design custom pencil sketches to be used on the pocket guide, the program and the CD we enclosed in the hotel welcome bag.

*jute is increasingly being looked at as an alternative source for making paper, rather than cutting down trees for pulp.

vacation day in paradise

for mother's day, i took a break from the busy life in san francisco and went to the foothills just outside of chico, to paradise to be exact - and had a scrapbook retreat day with my moms.

i had a blast just hanging, being crafty and telling tall tales!

here are the fruits of my labor

| HALLOWEEN 2009 |








| STINSON BEACH 2007 |





| 'NYMNASTICS 2009 |








a BIG thanks to karen and her team for hooking us up with an awesome day, super unique crafty good bag treats, a summer YUMMY dinner, and according to grammy norma, TO DIE FOR chocolate cupcakes.

if you're ever in the area you HAVE TO STOP in to paradise scrapbook boutique

Paradise Scrapbook Boutique
6539 Skyway
Paradise, CA 95969
(530) 876-8037

or check out their blog | paradise scrapbook boutique


thanks GG for getting us booked for a spot, thanks grammy for sharing your ribbon and thanks to brittny for showing us some new tips and tricks and keeping us entertained. we've been checking out your work on your blog this morning and it is super cool:

check out brittny's blog | paisleylane

i wish i knew the next time i was going to get to scrap! i wish i had time to do it
once a week - or month for the matter! i am GOING to make it a PRIORITY!