Tag: elle g photography

news :: september’s meeting at loews coronado resort

Loews Coronado

Images courtesy of Elle G Photography

Members enjoyed a delightful meeting at the Loew’s Coronado Bay Resort.  Our President, Ann Strobel, was busy coordinating a wedding in Northern California so our very capable Krista Murphy, acted as our Hostess/Emcee.

Krista introduced our guests: Jen Ragusa, Pink Star Design, Betty representing Concepts and Brent, the other half of Studio Carre’ Photographie.

Our showcasers were Shannon and Brent of Studio Carre’ Photographie.  Shannon explained the importance of building a relationship with their clients, customized packages, creative shooting, whether it be an intimate beach or large wedding.  They keep current with the trends and styles.  Not only do they shoot weddings, but also corporate business to boudoir photography.  They are talented and easy to work with and we are so proud to have Studio Carre’ in Weddings of Distinction.

We did a trivia test on Coronado and drew names of our drawing winners, Carmin (for 2 bottles of wine) and Andrea who won gift certificates to Vigiluccis and Truluck’s La Jolla.  Paula of Rae Florae provided beautiful florals and Lisa from Elle G captured our event through her talented lens.

The Loews Coronado is a beautiful resort, it’s pet friendly, has three ceremony sites, beautiful ballrooms and gondelas for a relaxing, romantic getaway around the bay. “Gordie” offered a tour of the property at the end of the meeting.

Next month, our hostess will be Carlie McVay from the Hilton Del Mar.  We are planning a fabulous open vendor panel to discuss educating vendors to educate clients, being a team player and ways to overcome obstacles in selling.  The focus will be on solutions and everyone will walk away with new knowledge and skills to improve their business!

real weddings :: john and tracey

images courtesy of elle.g photography

This was a destination wedding for John and Tracey who traveled all the way from Canada to celebrate their wedding San Diego style! They had their ceremony and reception at the world famous Prado in balboa Park.  John and Tracey decided to have a  “first look” where they see each other BEFORE the ceremony. This allowed them more time with their guests beacuse they were able to take all of the formal pictures before the ceremony. They were able to indulge in the cocktail hour and get some quality time in with the people who had traveled so far to see them get married. San Diego Weddings of Distinction member and wedding photographer Lisa ,of elle.g photography, was on hand to capture every smile, every tear and every kind of happy! Another satisfied San Diego Weddings of Distinction couple.

news :: inaugural bridal forum ~ a huge success!

images courtesy of kristina chartier photography

Our October luncheon meeting was little short of magnificent!  In the pleasant surroundings of the lovely Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club (858-756-1554; office@rsfgardenclub.org), we enjoyed a superb meal, attractively and cleverly presented, by Continental Catering.  Frankie Hartwell provided flowers from Hartworks Floral.  Photographer Kristina Chartier shot lots of photos. Andy Hagenah from DiscGoRound DJ & Video provided sound and mics.

A special bridal forum took place with five recent brides sharing their planning, shopping and event experiences very candidly. They fielded questions for nearly an hour from our moderator, DJ/Emcee Merrylin Brichmann from Artistic Productions and several of our members. A special shout out to the brides ~ Elaine, Sara, Kimberly, Tammy and Dawn for participating and really opening up with us. It was very insightful and informative!

A special thank you to Vice-President Ann Strobel from Ann’s Plans for organizing our special bridal forum and for all her hard work throughout the year planning all of the logistics and scheduling for our monthly luncheons. Ann ~ you’re an unsung hero for the group!

Everyone enjoyed networking and great food. It was super meeting the Board from The Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club and viewing their facility. We’ll see everyone on Nov. 23rd as two of our members take great care of us. Haydee Alderete’s Concepts Event Design facility hosts our November luncheon. Authentic Flavors Catering tantalizes us with a pre-Thanksgiving lunch.

The Weddings of Distinction 2010 Board:

President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans; Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons; Membership, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park; Secretary, Diane Wilson from Silverwood Music Ensemble. Committee Members: Marketing, Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre.

Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special events. They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities. The group’s goal is building professional relationships and networking to give clients the best advice and services to choose from.

news :: monthly luncheon at the hard rock hotel and resort

wedding photographerimages courtesy of theorie

San Diego’s longest running wedding networking group ~ Weddings of Distinction, rocks the San Diego Hard Rock Hotel & Resort!

Our Weddings of Distinction crew paid a delightful visit to the rockin’ Hard Rock Hotel San Diego this past month for our monthly luncheon meeting. Hats off to our Hard Rock hostesses ~ Barbara Berning, Rebecca Zweig and Lisa Bennun, Director of Catering, for a spectacular presentation of their hotel, service and food. What a fantastic luncheon and a great venue for special events and weddings!

Special thanks to our two key showcasers on the day ~ Tiffany Arnaldo from Cali Cards and Shannon Henry from Studio Carre. Both gave excellent presentations of their services.

Congratulations to fellow member David Wasserman from Joes On The Nose Organic Espresso Catering on his newly found wedded bliss!

Loads of referrals were shared. Lots of networking was conducted. Raffle prizes were doled out. A good time was had by all. We’ll see you September 28th at member property Hilton San Diego Del Mar!

The Weddings of Distinction 2010 Board:

President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans; Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons,; Membership, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park; Secretary, Diane Wilson from Silverwood Music Ensemble; Committee Members: Markeing, Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre.

Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special event. They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities. The group’s goal is building professional relationships and networking to give clients the best advice and services to choose from.

real weddings :: troy and jessica

images courtesy of elle.g photography

Troy and Jessica’s wedding was an explosion of color and vibrance that we have absolutely fallen in love with. The June nuptials were a bright and lively celebration with plenty of good food and good times to go around. Held outdoors at Orfilia Winery, in Escondido, the couple’s main goal for the big day was to throw a kick butt party with friends and family. Weddings of Distinction member, Lisa, of elle.g photography was on hand to capture every heartfelt moment, joyous laughter and wild dancing. Also in attendance from Weddings of Distinction was Continental Catering. They provided the scrumptious food, giving the guests energy enough to dance all night long.

news :: wow the prado at balboa park shines!!

images by elle.g photography

Weddings of Distinction paid a visit to fellow group member The Prado at Balboa Park this June for their monthly luncheon and…in a word…WOW! Hats off to Catering Sales Manager Andrea Pena and her crew for greeting us in the Terrace Garden with champagne and sparkling cider and dazzling us with an incredible meal prepared by their fantastic new chefs. Seared scallops, a duet of steak and slipper lobster tail with a salad splash and a lemon cake dessert left no one wanting. Even our attending member caterers offered glowing praise.

To start our luncheon/meeting, Mary Noriega from Humphrey Florist was honored by the group in a touching farewell ceremony celebrating her 16 years of loyalty and support of Weddings of Distinction. An original group member, all of us will miss you Mary!

Showcasing members on the day were florist Lois Mathews and flamenco guitarist Anthony Garcia. Both gave impressive updates on their respective businesses and shown brightly with samples of their craft. A big thank you goes out to Lois for her beautiful centerpieces and to Anthony for entertaining us with his wonderful music as we did our meet & greet and during the luncheon.

Our beautiful day was embellished with loads of networking, sunshine, referrals shared and excellent camaraderie amongst San Diego wedding professionals. The Prado at Balboa Park provided quite the display and is an awesome venue option for wedding ceremonies and receptions, rehearsal dinners, corporate parties and family functions.

Board business was shared. New members officiant Patricia Coleman and invitation specialist Tiffany Lord Arnaldo with Cali Cards were welcomed into the group. Birthdays were acknowledged. Raffle prizes were awarded. A warm, beautiful day in Balboa Park was enjoyed by all!

The Weddings of Distinction 2010 Board:

President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans; Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons; Membership, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park; Secretary, Diane Wilson from Silverwood Music Ensemble; Committee Members: Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre.

Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special events. They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities. The group’s goal is building professional relationships and networking to give clients the best advice and services to choose from.

news :: weddings of distinction visits the westin gaslamp quarter

images courtesy of ABI photo

The Westin treated our members and guests to a fabulous luncheon meeting to close April. Kudos to Sheri Karpinski and her banquet staff for fantastic service and a delicious lunch. The Westin is a fabulous choice for your next business meeting, corporate holiday party or that perfect, rocking, urban wedding.

WoD drifted this month from its normal monthly meeting agenda. WoD staged an informative and highly group engaging forum focusing on marketing, creative advertising and, basically, ideas on what to do when the phone is not ringing as much as it should be. Keynote speakers were President Bob Brichmann & Treasurer Merrylin Brichmann, Artistic Productions, Vice-President Ann Strobel, Ann’s Plans, David Wasserman from Joes On The Nose, and photographer Kristina Chartier. Member participation was very spirited and creative advice was flying about the room. Everyone surely took home at least one good idea from this meeting to help themselves and their business.

Typical monthly Board business was shared. New member coordinator Krista Murphy from Definitive Events was welcomed into the group. Raffles prizes were awarded. New member brochures are ready to go to print. We’ll see you next month (5/25) at the Sheraton Carlsbad!

The Weddings of Distinction 2010 Board:

President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans; Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons; Membership, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park; Secretary, Diane Wilson from Silverwood Music Ensemble; 

Committee Members:
Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre.

Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special events. They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities. The group’s goal is building professional relationships and networking to give clients the best advice and services to choose from.

news:: monthly luncheon at Maderas Country Club

Images by Studio Carre' Photographie

images courtesy of studio carre’

Weddings of Distinction staged its final meeting of the year on November 24th at Maderas (www.maderasgolf.com). WoD member Susan Khania was our host and introduced us to her assistant and GM Bill O’Brien. They treated members to a fantastic lunch and showed off their beautiful property. Maderas, while being known as a first class golf course, hosts corporate and family functions and weddings throughout the year. Maderas stands out for its beauty, staff service and delicious menu offerings.

Special guests included: Sara Sergeant, Catering Manager from the Sheraton Carlsbad (www.sheratoncarlsbad.com), Lindsey Campbell, Senior Sales Associate from Plush Lounge (www.loungefurniturerental.com), photographer Mike Blomgren, husband of WoD member Ellie Blomgren from A New Twist Hair & Make-up (www.anewtwist4u.com), and new little baby Kailyn Grace Murphy, daughter of WoD member Krista Murphy, Catering Manager from the Manchester Grand Hyatt (www.manchestergrand.hyatt.com).

The luncheon meeting took a different turn this month as we tested an open forum format for the first time. Led by moderators President Bob Brichmann from Artistic Productions (www.artistic-productions.com) and Vice-President Ann Strobel from Ann’s Plans (www.annsplans.com), the goal of the meeting was to share marketing advice amongst all members to benefit both personal and business growth.

Four panelists covered several areas of modern marketing significance and shared their expertise on subjects ranging from web site/SEO and social media, industry thank you gifting, email campaigns, networking and giving back to the community. Panelists shared what they have done and what works for them and how each member might consider doing the same or some similar action to benefit their businesses. A lengthy question & answer session ensued and many, many ideas were shared.

Special thanks to all members who participated but especially to our panelists: photographer Lisa Gisczinski from Elle G Photography (www.ellegphotography.com), flamenco guitarist Anthony Garcia (www.agarciaguitar.com), coordinator Cynthia Zatkin Blase from Cynthia Zatkin Events (www.czevents.com), and DJ/Emcee Merrylin Brichmann from Artistic Productions (www.artistic-productions.com).

In addition to the format test being well received by those in attendance, upcoming holiday party news was shared, raffle prizes were doled out courtesy of florist Lois Mathews and our host Susan Khania from Maderas, birthdays were acknowledged and much networking and referrals was shared by all.

The Weddings of Distinction 2009 Board:
President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions (www.artistic-productions.com)
Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans (www.annsplans.com)
Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions (www.artistic-productions.com)
Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons, (www.romantichoneymoonsbysusan.com)
Membership, Carrie Esparza from San Diego Authentic Flavors Custom Catering (www.sdauthenticflavors.com)
Secretary, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park (www.balboaparkweddings.com)

Committee Members:
Marketing: Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre (www.studiocarre.com)

Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special events (www.sandiegoweddingsofdistinction.com). They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities.

real weddings :: patrick and mary

san diego wedding photographerimages courtesy of elle.g photography

Mary and Patrick are a uniquely strong willed and determined couple. Mary was a dolphin trainer for Sea World for several years. She is the type of person that sets goals, and achieves them. Patrick is much the same, dedicating himself to run for San Diego City Council. This unique couple was married in early October at the Bahia Resort. The Bahia sits right on the waters edge of beautiful Mission Bay. Their intimate ceremony was on the sand and the wedding reception took place in the Del Mar Ballroom. Since Mary is a former animal trainer, it was a given that their dog Lily would be the ring bearer. Lily executed her part perfectly by running down the isle with a flower in her mouth! San Diego Weddings of Distinction members, Lisa of elle.g photography and Shannon from Studio Carre‘, captured the day’s precious moments perfectly and French Gourmet created the beautiful and delicious wedding cake.

real weddings :: paul and korey

san diego wedding photographer elle.g photographyimages courtesy of elle.g photography

The San Diego summer is here and what wonderful way to kick it off with an outdoor wedding. Korey & Paul and their parents staged a gorgeous San Diego destination wedding and reception at The Paradise Point Resort. Lois Mathews, of Lois Mathews Design, provided stunning flowers and a bamboo ceremony arch set the tropical tone for the night. Starfish and orchids decorated the ceremony aisle. Their theme for the night was seashells, starfish, shades of butterscotch, soft blues and creamy yellows. The delicious wedding cake, designed by the French Gourmet, kept the theme going. Wedding planner Ann of Ann’s Plans assisted with every area of planning including design, venue search, vendor inquiries and negotiations. Everything was timed perfectly and Ann made it all flow smoothly for Korey & Paul.
Bob Brichmann, DJ and Emcee from Artistic Productions, kept the floor packed the entire night with a combination of retro and modern sounds that pleased everyone! A true San Diego Weddings of Distinction wedding and a really great party!