New Events by Evonne Blog

YAY! I am very excited to announce the brand new home of Events by Evonne Blog - "AWAY SOIREE"! As our company grows and the direction that it's heading, it is time for our blog to finally has its own identity. Please be sure to update your blog readers to the following address:

http://awaysoiree.com

This blog will still be here for those who want to check out the older posts, but it will no longer be updated and will remain as an archive as of today. I am glad that my blog content will no longer belong to Google now! :) Again, please don't forget to update your blog readers to "Away Soiree". See you all there!

Pancake and Franks

No, I am not talking about breakfast food, but Pancake and Franks is this wonderful letterpress invitations and greeting cards company based in the Mission district of San Francisco.

Stacy Pancake, the designer and owner of the studio, recently sent me her portfolio of all the designs and they were simple yet absolutely beautiful. Please check out their website above.

Photo Credit: Events by Evonne

EBE Loves SMP and WSJ too!

The acronyms are too confusing for you? 2 days ago, I came across a little article in The Wall Street Journal about blogs in general, and they mentioned one of my favorite wedding blogs - Style Me Pretty.

Yesterday, I had to email Abby (founder of SMP) to let her know that she received the "Blog Luv Award", so I briefly mentioned to her about the article as well. Little did I know that she was going to blog about it today on her lovely blog. Click HERE to see her post!

Thanks for the credit, Abby! Actually, that credit should go to my wonderful hubby, Darren, 'cuz he was the one who said: "Look, honey... Style Me Pretty is in the Journal today"! Needless to say, I am very impressed that he knows about SMP! :)

Blog Luv Award

Thank you to Charlotte at Delovely Designs for nominating Events by Evonne for the Blog Luv Award. It means so much to me to be recognized by fellow professionals in the wedding industry. Mahalo for the support!

This is how the award works:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link of this post to the person from whom you received the award.

It's so difficult to narrow down to just 10 as there are so many other blogs that I absolutely love, but here is my blog list (in alphabetical order):

Chewing the Cud
Critsey Rowe Photography
DK Designs
Melissa's Smitten
Project Wedding
Savadelis Films
Southern Weddings Magazine
Style Me Pretty
The Bride's Cafe
The Flirty Guide

One of my weddings is featured in Project Wedding!

I am very excited to see that Lena and Noel's October 12th wedding at the Sugarman Estate is featured on Project Wedding's Blog this week, as well as on their Real Weddings page.

Thank you, Margaret, for such a lovely post!

Photo Credit: Amity Mason

Great promotion for Events by Evonne clients

Last July, I made a post about this wonderful jewelry company called Adorn Brides, where you can rent those lovely baubles for your wedding. They are graciously offering all Events by Evonne clients a 10% discount of all fine jewelry rentals on their website.

If you are interested, please go to their website and start shopping for that special necklace and earrings for your very special day! The Events by Evonne promotional code is listed on the brochure below, as well as the promo banner on the right under "PROMOTIONS". Have fun!

Happy Valentine's Day

Wish all of you a very Happy Valentine's Day! I am really looking forward to spending time with my hubby since I didn't see him for almost 3 weeks while I was in Toronto. He is going to make dinner at home tonight, and we plan to go see "Slumdog Millionaire". It seems like the entire world has seen it already!

What are your plans?

2009 WPPI Conference

The biggest show in Vegas this week is the WPPI conference. Almost all of the wedding and portrait photographers I know are there right now, checking out the greatest and the latest in wedding photography... can't wait to catch up with them on their blogs, Twitter and Facebook page to see what's happening! I know Canon has a HUGE both there!

Paper Source Weddings

For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, don't miss out on an exclusive event hosted by one of my favorite paper store... Paper-Source. Please see below for details:

Come join us for a Paper Source Weddings 2009 exclusive event!
March 5, 2009, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Berkeley.

Sip sparkling champagne and enjoy chocolate dipped strawberries
while you create a full suite of wedding samples —
including a select group of letterpress invitations,
escort cards, favors and table accents.

Registration is required to attend this special event.
Seats are limited to 15, so don't delay.

Sign up with a friend and receive $5 off each seat!

2009 WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award

Events by Evonne is extremely honored to receive the 2009 WeddingWire Bride's Choice Award for "Wedding Planning" in the Hawaii region!

The Bride's Choice Awards recognizes vendors in the top 3% of the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride's Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through surveys and reviews. The winning vendors have set the bar high for this competition, demonstrating excellent service and expertise in their industry.

Mahalo to all who voted for me! Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated!

Vera Wang gowns

The other day, I passed by the Vera Wang boutique on Avenue Road and Bloor Street West here in Toronto. They had the most beautiful gowns displayed. I saw a lot of them with ribbons, ruffles and bows, which seems to be the trend for 2009. The fabric's also very flowy and light.

I wasn't a huge fan of Vera's gowns until one of my 2008 brides wore one on her wedding day. It was the most beautiful and romantic gown I'd seen so far. If I ever have a vow renewal someday, I will definitely check out some of Vera's new gowns! :)

Photo Credit: WedLuxe

Bloggers GTG - Toronto, Canada

I had the pleasure of meeting Holly Hatam of Teardrop Weddings today in downtown Toronto. It was a really cold day too (minus 12 degrees Celsius = 11 degrees Fahrenheit), perfect weather for a cup of hot green tea at Starbucks inside the Indigo bookstore.

Holly and I have been reading each other's blogs for months now, and I have always loved her illustrations and her wedding invitations design. In fact, I did a post on her last September on some note cards she did for Events by Evonne.

If you are looking for cute invitations that reflect your personality, make sure you check out Holly's website above and her blog here.

It was great meeting up with you, Holly. Hopefully you and Steve will make it to Mau`i one of these days... but if not, I will be back in Toronto soon. Congrats on your upcoming destination wedding!

WEDLUXE

I fell in love with WEDLUXE a few months ago when my dad sent me a copy of it from Toronto. It's Canada's luxury wedding magazine, very similar to the Pacific WEDDINGS magazine that we have here in Hawai`i. They actually have 2 different editions - one for Toronto and Eastern Canada, and another one for Vancouver and Western Canada.

Of course when I first arrived in Toronto last week, I had to get the latest Winter/Spring 2009 copy! It's full of wonderful articles, beautiful Real Weddings and lots of great ideas and inspirations. If you are ever in Canada, make sure you pick up a copy of this awesome magazine!

Featured Wedding - Jaime and Peter

I had a wonderful time planning the wedding with my Canadian couple, Jaime and Peter. They are such a fun and laid back couple. When Jaime told me that her New Year's Eve wedding was going to be all black and white, I got really excited because I have always wanted to do a black and white wedding on Mau`i.


FLORALS: Bella Bloom. LINENS & LIGHTING: Pacific Event Group. PHOTOS: Bill Stockwell. RENTALS: Pacific Isle Rentals.

Jaime's parents spend 6 months out of a year here on the island. There was no better place to have this lovely wedding than at the lawn and pool deck of their house in Wailea. They are such a wonderful family. Jaime wore a beautiful Vera Wang gown and Peter was in his stunning Georgio Armani suit. Everything was perfect from the flowers to the decor to even the weather. It was still pouring even the night before the wedding!

Congratulations, Jaime and Peter! All the best to both of you and hope to see you again here in Hawai`i or in Vancouver!

The Couture Couple Contest

I just received a press release from my wonderful friends in the bay area - Maria Chang of Professional Makeup Artistry, and Jennifer Skog of Jennifer Skog Photography. They are offering a Valentine's Day giveaway for couples in any market nationwide. Here are the details:

DETAILS

A full-day stylized photo shoot with Jennifer Skog and hair and makeup design by Maria Chang of Professional Makeup Artistry. The Shoot includes up to 3 different looks and an opportunity for a Couple Boudoir in the bedroom.

REQUIREMENTS

In about 1,000 words share your love story. The most romantic story will be the winner and will be announced on Friday, February 20th. Jennifer Skog Photography will not actually be picking the winner; a carefully chosen panel of colleagues will judge the stories.

WHO CAN ENTER

Everyone! This contest is not limited to California residents – they will actually go to any location nationwide to do the shoot!

HOW TO ENTER
Email submissions to: seduction@jenniferskog.com
Please include 1 or 2 of your favorite photos together (1000 px max).
As well as your name, city, state and email address.

CONTEST DEADLINE
Valentine's Day (February 14th) at 12:00 Midnight!

Best of luck to everyone!

"Gung Hei Fat Choi"!

I am very excited to celebrate the Year of the Ox with my family in Toronto this year. I haven't seen them for over a year now and it's been ages since I have spent the Chinese New Year holiday with them, plus my brother (who lives and works in Hong Kong) will also be there. I am beyond thrilled and I can't wait to eat some GREAT Chinese food! :)

With that said, I am flying out to Winter Wonderland today and will be there till February 8th. I will have limited access to emails and hopefully will have some time to update this blog while I am all bundled up!

I am glad that the temperature has gone up a little. It was freezing there last week: -17C (1.4F) and -30C (-22F) with windchill. Brrrrrr.... For someone who's used to wearing tank tops and flip flops in the winter months, that's DEFINITELY more than I can handle! But I love snow in the winter, so I guess that's the sacrifice! I am sure it's beautiful there... will post some photos soon! :)

Photo Credit: Daily Dose of Imagery

Photo Credit: Events by Evonne

A Great Day

What a historical day... a man of color becomes the 44th President of the United States today, and it happens that yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr.'s Day. If Martin Luther King is still alive, he would be so happy and proud to see that his dream of racial equality finally comes true. And only 60 years ago, people of color — blacks, Hispanics, Asians — were still discriminated against in many ways.


Here in Hawai`i, we all love the Obama family. We are very excited to see new changes within our country and for the rest of the world. We know it's a tough time now for Barack to take office, but we are hopeful and we have faith in him and his administration that things will get better. It obviously won't happen overnight, but I know things have to get better and if we can all do just a little bit to help make this a better country and a better world, then hopefully there will be less violence and hatred. I am very proud to be an American. God Bless America!

Contest - Win 2 FREE tickets to the Movie-Me Seminar!

For all of you San Francisco bay area couples, today is your lucky day... well, actually for the next 2 weeks! Between January 19th and February 1st, you will have the opportunity to win 2 FREE tickets to the "Movie-Me" do-it-yourself wedding video seminar (valued at $98)! Please leave a comment on this blog post or send me an email and give a short explanation as to why I should select you as the winner of this contest. I will announce the winner here on this blog on February 2nd.

Here are the details of the seminar:

"Movie-Me" is presented by Chuck and Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films, an award-winning husband-and-wife team who are outstanding presenters with an engaging and lively style, who draw from their experience as wedding cinematographers and their long-time avocation as avid movie buffs.

Have you ever seen a really bad DIY wedding movie before with shakey footage, poor sound/audio quality with no editing whatsoever? This 4-hour informative, fun seminar will teach you how to DIY a wedding video the RIGHT way, in which a professional videographer will be filming a series of enactments of a ceremony, entrance into the reception, toasts, cake cutting and first dance. Attendees will see on a screen in real time what is being filmed, with narration of the right and wrong way to do it. There will also be a demonstration of how to edit.


This seminar is perfect for the brides and grooms and their friends who (1) will shoot and/or edit the wedding; or (2) are going to edit the wedding that a professional videographer shoots, or (3) will shoot and edit Fri and Sun activities (a professional videographer shoots the wedding).

Attendees will come away with: 5 common mistakes and how to avoid them, 5 ‘must have’ shots at the ceremony and 5 ways to make the video interesting. Easy tips and tricks will also be discussed, such as the single most important tip of how to frame an image, 4 ways to hold a camera steady, how to record sound and how to choose the best (unobtrusive) angles.

This is a great way to learn by seeing a professional do it than by reading a book, plus it will be a fun experience. What better way to spend a nice Sunday afternoon?! So what are you waiting for? Sign up now! For $49 per person, you cannot find a much better deal than that. On top of that, you can win a Flip video camera by entering the drawing online at www.movie-me.com. No purchase necessary and attendance is not required.

Again, here are the details:

WHERE: Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchants Exchange Club
465 California Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, CA
WHEN: Sunday, March 22, 2009 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
MORE INFO: www.movie-me.com
QUESTIONS: info@movie-me.com

Wedding Magazine Galore!

I love reading wedding books and magazines, and to be a good planner and designer, I need to keep up with the latest trends and designs. There are so many publications out there, but I am excited to say that I have added 2 more to my "favorite list"!

SAN FRANCISCO BRIDES
Thanks to my wonderful friend, Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films in San Francisco, I received a copy of the premiere issue of this magazine in the mail a few days ago. It is published by the same folks at the SAN FRANCISCO magazine (also one of my "must reads")! This magazine is chock-full of ideas for location, invitation, gifts, dresses, accessories... and it has an event calendar detailing all of the wedding-related events that are happening in the San Francisco bay area. An absolute beautiful magazine!

WEDDINGS UNVEILED

This magazine is geared toward Southern weddings. I absolutely love the colors, the look and feel and the decor of these romantic nuptials. All of the real weddings are very inspiring and it's very refreshing to see so many talented vendors in the Southern states - definitely an overall well put together magazine.

Casual Dining @ Matteo's

My clients always ask me for casual dining suggestions and recommendations during their wedding week here on Mau`i. Matteo's Pizzeria in Wailea is one of my favorites. They have a pretty extensive menu from appetizers to salads to pastas to pizzas to desserts...

Tonight, my hubby and I went there for dinner and we ordered a 10-inch Meat-Lovers pizza and a Spaghetti Bolognese to share. They were delicious and we were so stuffed. Their prices were also very reasonable. It's definitely worth putting on your dining list!

SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
Spaghetti pasta, veal, pork, beef, tomato ragu, sans parmesan cheese

10" MEAT-LOVERS Pizza
Margherita pizza with ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, green peppers and black olives, sans cheese

Photo Credit: Events by Evonne

Christine and Jay's Scouting Trip

I had a fabulous couple of days with my San Francisco couple, Christine and Jay. They are so easy going, fun and we really had a great time together on their scouting trip. Christine and I have very similar personalities, so I know we are going to get along really well and have tons of fun planning the wedding together. And Jay is just super laid back and cool with a great sense of humor. They make such a great couple!

During one of our site visits, we were talking and I told them how much I love taking photos of food because I love to eat! That evening when they were at dinner, they took a photo of the pizza and wine that they had and they texted me the link to view the picture. They did the same thing the next night... how cute! :)

It was a very productive trip. We looked at most of the private estates, had a food tasting and a few cake tastings. Hopefully when they get home this weekend, they will have a much better idea on their location as well as their date. I am looking forward to their wedding this Fall!

Holiday cards from clients

I meant to post this at the beginning of the year but didn't get a chance to take the photo until now.

It's always a treat for me when I hear from my past clients, and it's especially nice to see their wedding photos gracing the cover of their holiday cards! I never get sick of looking at them! Hopefully this will give my 2009 clients the idea for their holiday cards this year!

Photo Credit: Events by Evonne

Welcome/Rehearsal Dinner @ Tommy Bahama Cafe

My hubby received a $50 gift card in the mail from Tommy Bahama a few months back, and the expiration date on the gift card was this past Saturday. So our plan was if he couldn't find anything he liked in the store, we would have lunch at the Cafe instead. We went to the one at Shops at Wailea. Now based on the pictures below, you know what we ended up using the gift card for! But the question of "Why would they send him a gift card?" remains a mystery.

His reasoning was because he spent quite a significant amount at their store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto 3-1/2 years ago for all of his groomsmen gifts. But that was 3-1/2 years ago. Why would they wait so long to send him a "Thank You" gift card? Hmmm... Maybe it took them this long to track us down and finally realize that we have relocated to Mau`i? :) Who knows?!

Mango Iced Tea

Sour Dough Bread

SOUTH SEAS SCALLOP SLIDERS
Two sauteed jumbo sea scallops served between mini buns with Asian slaw,
roma tomatoes, fresh basil, chipotle aioli all topped with crispy "Tobacco" onions

ARUBA ARUGULA SALAD
Caribbean cracker-meal seared jumbo shrimp and scallops on a bed of fresh baby arugula,
tossed with tamarind vinaigrette. Garnished with sliced papaya and chopped peanuts

SABA STEAK SALAD

Marinated and char-grilled tenderloin medallions, served over a bed of fresh mixed greens,
tossed with tamarind vinaigrette. Garnished with grilled potatoes, vine-ripened roma tomatoes, shiitake chips and garlic aioli

Photo Credit: Events by Evonne

Anyhow, the food at their Cafe was excellent. The service was wonderful and it's at a great location. If you are thinking of having a welcome dinner or a rehearsal dinner on the south side of Mau`i, you should definitely consider the Tommy Bahama Cafe. Or even if you want to do just a bridal party luncheon, it will be a great spot for that as well.

P.S. These pictures were taken with my new Canon lens 50mm f/1.4 USM!

2009 Internship Opportunities

Recently, we have been approached by a few college students asking about internship opportunities at Events by Evonne. As our 2009 wedding season is fast approaching, it's time to start the search and the interviews.

If you are interested in wedding/event management and have what it takes to work in a fast paced, high pressure environment, please email your cover letter and resume by February 28th to evonne@eventsbyevonne.com. We do not accept any applications by phone. Please see details below:

We are looking for two to three qualified candidates to assist us throughout our 2009 season. I will begin interviewing those who qualify starting in March.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain communication between team and vendors
• Assure effective coordination during the event
• Assist in set up, facilitate both ceremony and reception alongside a team member
  

EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS

• College junior or senior in a related field preferred
• Strong organizational and leadership skills
• Excellent interpersonal communication and phone skills
• Must be a dependable proactive team player who is able to multi-task and think on their feet
• Must be detail oriented and work well under pressure
• Must be energetic, fun, with a positive attitude
  
• Previous event experience a plus
  

COMPENSATION, HOURS & LOCATION

• This is a part time, non-paid internship
• Hours will vary by event (mostly on the weekends and some weekdays/weeknights)
• Most events are on Mau`i where we are based, but we travel throughout the Hawaiian islands (any costs relating to travel to the neighbor islands if necessary will be covered)