Say I Do at the MUZEO: The Launch

For any of you who frequent the museums of Orange County, the MUZEO is one you may have visited to enjoy a taste of history. But my bet is that you have never thought of it as an event venue. Neither have I until this past Wednesday evening in which Floral Sense attended the "Say I Do at the MUZEO" event where nearly 50 vendors participated.

This picture was borrowed off of MUZEO's website. You can see that the property is rather spacious and with an event here, guests have the option to utilize the indoor of the front building and outdoor premises inbetween the two buildings.

This gorgeous tent was set outside by Platinum Peaks Entertainment who also brought the band.

It was the perfect mood setter for a evening event.


Right next door, Hyatt Regency set up this chocolate pop wall, something they can provide as part of their catering package. Since I can't seem to get enough chocolate, I opted for the chocolate ganache and I enjoyed my few minutes of chocolate bliss.

Deciding to explore the inside walls, I came across these sophisticated tablescapes and met Cindy Park of Floral Elements who was the creative mind behind the floral decor.


What a beautiful job! It was a true pleasure to chat with Cindy.

Oh, and I fell in love with these brooch bouquets by Floral Fantasy.

Gorgeous! And these are great because they will last forever.

I'm not sure how this happened, but I ended up in the photo booth by myself.

It was kind of like being in front of a mirror and making faces at yourself when you think no one is looking. But now you're being photographed. What, you don't do that too?

Now, no night for me is complete without my sweet tooth being fulfilled again and again. So its no surprise that I ended up at the Sweet and Saucy Shop's delicious display of cakes.

Here's a little bit o' chocolate.


Aren't these just too cute?


I just adored this sugar flower that Melody of Sweet and Saucy made for this cake.


And what is this, you ask? It's a cake pop and its the last one AND its all for me! Chocolate cake on a stick + covered in white chocolate = me in sugar heaven.


I came across cupcakes too. This one was baked by Tina and Donna of Morsels Baking Company and it really was as tasty as it looks. I ended my evening at the MUZEO with these two lovely ladies handing me this cupcake to take home.
Who doesn't love a happy ending.

Featured Wedding at Saratoga Country Club in Saratoga, CA

What is the simplest way to punch up the visual appeal of your event? Color it up with some great color combos like this wedding in fuchsia, rose quartz and chocolate brown.


And you don't even have to use fresh flowers. The entire ceremony was decorated with these pretty paper lanterns.


We had the wonderful opportunity to work with Melissa Frank of Marlowe Berglund Events in creating a fresh look for this wedding. At her suggestion, we carried the theme of these lanterns into the reception.

A great way to set the mood to your evening: dim lit paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Each guest table complete with manzanita branch and pink mokara orchids.


And the head table arrangement with flowers in varying hues of dark pink and light pink with a touch of chocolate brown.


The Bride's bouquet with roses, mini calla lilies, orchids and blushing bride:


The Maiden of Honor bouquet with roses and orchids:


The Bridesmaid bouquet with roses and chocolate cosmos:


It was a gorgeous day for a wedding! Thank you Iris, Micaela, Tina and Shawna for a fantastic set up.

Floral Sense's First ISES Orange County Chapter Event: Halloween Re-Vamped

There is no better way to bring in the new holiday season than with a fabulous networking event in full Halloween swing! ISES's Orange County Chapter held their annual Halloween party last Thursday which was hosted by Invisible Touch Events in Irvine. There were 16 vendors who sponsored the event to create a spookified evening and over 150 industry event professionals who attended. And it was Floral Sense's first ISES event in Orange County!

Upon entering, Colette's catering had a ghostly display of their menu. And being an overly obsessed fan of sweets, I headed straight over to the dessert bar first.


I was pleasantly surprised to find the food so appropriately served on an ice sculptured coffin created by Ice Bulb. How cool is this?! Chad of Ice Bulb was telling me that all ice sculpting is done with lazer inside a large, very cold room which was contrary to what I originally assumed...that it was all done by hand. Check out their website and you will be amazed at what can be created out of ice.

Oh, and see that big pumpkin shaped cookie on the left? Yeah, I took that and ate it and it was GOOOOOD! Thank you Colette's!

Meet the Director of Catering at Colette's, Natalie Good. She is one of my favorite people. Don't you love her kitty cat ears? And just in case you can't tell who I came as: an Asian version of Marilyn Monroe...or as I dubbed myself that night, Marilyn Mingcho.


I just ooh'd over this buffet table which was provided by Country Garden Caterers. Those red columns actually had red water running down them which gave an even cooler effect.


The decor was fantastic with a very creative use of manzanita branches.

Unfortunately, I can't report on the food here as I was too busy mingling around. But I did hear great reviews from the other attendees.

The beverage bar was dec'd out in this eye-catching green lighting. But its the actual furniture that is lit! Ilona Hobbs from Cort Event Furnishings brought these pieces in for the evening.


Here's a closeup of one of the cocktail tables.

I was having difficulty capturing the green light on my camera so I asked photographer Frank Salas for some tips. And you can see that the second picture looks so much better. Its always nice to get professional help! Thanks Frank!

Red Carpet Photo Booth even showed up! This was a great form of self entertainment.

I know the photo isn't the best but I how could I leave this one out? Anthony and his team looked so great in their costumes.

This is a fun thing that Red Carpet does: they let guests write on the actual booth!


I met some fun characters that night and one of the more impressionable people was Beetlejuice (AKA - Robert Arthur, President of Invisible Touch Events).

He acted in full character too! Hilarious! It was fun to find out that although his company hosted the event that night at their location, it is actually a wharehouse which they completely transformed.

Like the decor?


I don't think I've ever seen a shared coffin. Ha!


No Halloween party is complete without some wax drippy candles and spider webs.


Here's a taste of the entertainment: ghoulish belly dancing by Jewels that Raq. Great makeup!

I missed the act in which the girls danced with snakes. Yikes!

The grand finale for the evening was the cirque du soleil'esque show.

This almost inspired me to go to the gym.

Some might say "Ouch!" but not for her.

Wow! What a party. Thanks ISES-OC.

Featured Wedding Reception at Hotel St Claire in San Jose, CA

Want to check out a wedding in classic chic with a little bit 'o bling? This is the one for you!
Meet Lauren and her bridal party.

What a great way to stand yourself out as the bride with a big, bold, beautiful bouquet of Black Magic and Black Bacara roses against your bridesmaids' lush white rosed bouquets!


And such a fun picture of these lovely ladies!


Lauren had two Maiden of Honors who's bouquets were distinguished with white specialty garden roses and crystals. We love the way these turned out.


The other eight bridesmaids had all white bouquets with Polar Star Roses and Spray Roses. The simple use of varied sizes in flowers adds a nice texture balance amidst all white.


Cory, the Groom, wore a red Black Magic rose to coordinate with his bride. And the ten groomsmen wore the same white spray rose variety as the ones in the bridesmaid bouquets.

Their stunning reception was held at Hotel St Claire in downtown San Jose.


Cocktail tables were decorated with white hydrangeas and tea lights. The lighting truly set the mood for a gorgeous evening.


The guest tables were adorned with alternating tall and low arrangements.


Aren't these beautiful? We used white hydrangeas, roses, tulips and blooming branches with just a hint of green tinged flowers. Hanging crystals added just the right amount of sparkle on the floral decor.


We incorporated clusters of white tulips, hydrangeas and roses in varying heights to give a classy modern appeal. And we can't forget the crystals!

Congratulations to Cory and Lauren!

Playful 1 Year Birthday Party

Although weddings are the more common event serviced in floral decor, birthday parties are definitely no exception! You will love these innovative floral designs for a little boy's first birthday party. We decided on a playful use of pomander balls with varied designs on each ball. Check out the main attraction with the chocolate bamboo!


Like the close up? Let's see if anyone can guess what the mini yellow balls are.


Each centerpiece was adorned with three distinct designs and no two alike!


There are so many different kinds of moss but reindeer moss served most appropriate for this one.


And since we were celebrating a little boy, we kept the colors more masculine (aka - NO PINK).


Happy Birthday Mason!

Featured Wedding at The Veterans Memorial in The Green Room in San Francisco, CA

San Francisco has some of the most beautiful buildings and The Veterans Memorial is no exception. Located off of Van Ness across from City Hall, the Green Room inside The Veterans Memorial is a popular wedding location. And yes, the Green room really is green but its a soft mintish green accented with gold throughout.

Pretty, isn't it? This is a shot of the ceremony.

Our bride Jeri (who was fabulous, by the way) decided to go with white and cream flowers for both the ceremony and reception. She and I had lots of fun coming up with a design concept for her centerpeices. Initially debating whether or not to add white french tulips,



the tall spray orchid arrangement and



modern curly willow and lily arrangements won. And what a great choice they were!



Jeri and William decided on a simple 4-tiered cake with gold accents and white lilies. The result is true elegance.



For the bride's bouquet, we decided to add big beautiful blooms of peonies and roses as the main flowers with freesia and mini calla lilies for added texture.



And here's a close up of the bridesmaid bouquets with cream roses, stock and alstromeria. The finishing touch of the varigated pittosporum leaves completes the color scheme.



Of course, we can't forget the flower girls. These little pomander balls are just too cute!

And our lovely couple was kind enough to send me some great shots of their bridal party.

Meet Jeri and William.



They look so stunning! I am particularly fond of the way she chose to do her hair in soft long curls. And check out her hair for the reception:



A low elegant side bun. Gorgeous!



The gold bridesmaid dresses were a perfect fit with the entire color theme.


Thanks Jeri and William. You two are awesome!

And a special thank you to Natalie and Stephanie for a beautiful set-up.