I'm back!

Quick blog post to say that I made it home safe, sound, and thankfully healthy (it was hit and miss at times!) and will at some point upload pictures and blog about it. It was a wild and crazy trip. 75% great....the other 25% has to be spoken about over a bottle of wine...

Currently taking care of my gracious and wonderful clients who were so patient with me for three weeks. I love you all!

Quick iPhone self-portrait snapped of hubby and I on Valentine's Day in Udaipur, the most romantic city in India. 

Amber goes to India

My husband and I consider ourselves travelers. We try to not sound like those pretentious people who start every story with something like "...when we were trekking in the hill-tribes near Chiang  Mai..." , but travel is extremely important to us and it's made us the people we are.  We're forever dreaming about the places we're going to go to next and reminiscing about the places we've been and the people we've met.


Being self employed has its pros and cons in that technically, we could travel as much as we could afford to, but when you're self employed, you're forever hustling to get business. Not only are you not getting paid for the time that you're gone, but you're also missing out on the jobs that you could be booking at that time. I consider it worth it though. Tomorrow I leave for India for three weeks. Three weeks!!! These three weeks of travel coming up took me six months of prepping for.  I had to block off an eight week window of time where I did not take any weddings during February or immediately after I return. But it's the price I'm willing to pay to get out of my little corner of the universe.


So I'm signing off as Amber Events for a while and going out to explore the exciting world out there!

Cicada Wedding: Sarah & Gino

I know I describe many of my clients as being funny, but Sarah and Gino are truly, truly hilarious people. Sarah’s dry wit was/is part of my favorite thing about them. Well, that and the fact that they were having a wedding at one of my favorite art-deco buildings in Los Angeles—Cicada Restaurant at the Oviatt Building. Cicada was once a men’s haberdashery: a store that sold ties, hats, and other male accoutrement back in the day when men dressed elegantly. The carved wood drawers that line the walls, the elaborately painted ceiling, and of course that insane chandelier in the middle of the room take you back to a different time—a time where all the men were handsome, all the women good looking, and the children above average (that’s a shout out to Garrison Keillor for any Prairie Home Companion fans out there)

Their ceremony was held at the bottom of the stairs with the bridal party lined up on the stairs above them and officiated by one of their friends. During cocktail hour, guests were taken upstairs to the smaller bar while the staff flipped the entire first floor for the reception. Random fact: a cocktail hour flip is a tricky logistical feat. Another random fact: we completed it perfectly in 54 minutes.

The reception was everything they hoped it would be: their guests danced and drank, Laughed and toasted, left messages on the video photobooth, and even won money with the lottery ticket favors they were given.

 

The team who made the magic:

Amber Events - wedding planning and coordination (with thanks to my assistants that day Sacha, Neusha, and Michelle!)
Cicada - venue
Callaway Gable - photography
Isabel Gonzalez - videography
Paul. F. Tompkins - officiant
DJ THC Electra - DJ 
Designs by David - floral
Fiore Beauty - bridal beauty
Vanilla Bake Shop - cake and cupcakes
Biltmore Hotel - wedding night and family photo location

Post Wedding Survey: Rachel and Jimmy

Rachel took a few moments to fill out my post wedding survey and the answers made me smile--since I was hired a mere three weeks prior to her wedding we accomplished a LOT in just a short amount of time. I didn't doctor these answers to make them so "Amber-centric", I promise!

photography by Lin and Jirsa

Q. What was the best part of your wedding day?
A. How seamless the execution of events went. Could not have happened without Amber and her staff!

Q. What do you feel was totally unnecessary?

A. Family drama 


Q. What would you change, if anything?

A. We should have hired a coordinator earlier in planning, Amber helped make different view points move along smoothly and in an unbiased way

Q. What was unexpected that you loved?

A. I think the entire event. It was beyond my expectations.


Q. What are your fondest memories of your wedding day?

A. The end of the ceremony!

Q. Is there anything you wish you had spent more time or money on?

A. Hiring Amber earlier

Q. Is there anything you wish you had spent less time or money on?

A. Dressing up the stage

Q. Were there any unexpected surprises or issues?

A.  No

Q. What's your number #1 tip for future engaged couples?  

A. Hire a coordinator, Amber preferably.

Q. How did you feel after the wedding? 
A. Amazing! Best day of my life.

Park Plaza Wedding: Rachel and Jimmy

I met Rachel and Jimmy exactly three weeks before their wedding when their florist, David Mark of Designs by David, told them about me. They realized that they needed some help pulling together the final details for their formal Jewish wedding for 200 guests and someone to send the 25 people in the processional down the aisle. Side note: this wedding is probably the closest thing that I have done in terms of "day of" coordinating (of which there is truly no such thing, in my opinion), and just as a glimpse of how much work goes into "just a day of" there are 280 emails in the in-box folder for this wedding.

Anyway, their wedding was being held on the 4th day of Chanukah at the Legendary Park Plaza and their ceremony was set up to be held "in the round" in the lobby at the foot of the grand staircase. By in the round I mean that all guests are seated around the ceremony spot and the bride and groom stand in the middle. I describe getting married like this as receiving a big hug from all of your guests at the same time. When guests arrived they were greeted with champagne and latkes, the potato pancakes traditionally served during Chanukah. When it was time for the ceremony to begin, a Shofar (rams horn) was blown, then a clip from the great Exodus from The Ten Commandments was played as the family members walked down in the professional. When Rachel's parents walked out in the professional I'm sure the guests were wondering where the bride was.

Her parents walked to the foot of the staircase and the Shofar blew again as a light came on at the top of the stairs. I had goose bumps as Rachel came down the stairs to the song  "I am that I am", also from the Ten Commandments played. The ceremony was gorgeous, sacred, joyous, and romantic and the live music performed by Dale Schatz and his musicians for the processional started the air of celebration that would continue for the rest of the evening.

   

 

 

 To say that the rest of the evening was a celebration would  be an understatement. Of all of different types of clients that I have, I have to say that the Jewish receptions are my favorite as no other group dances as much as the Jews do. When I walked into the ballroom the afternoon during set up I had my assistants push the tables as tight against the wall as possible in order to make a larger dance floor. For any other wedding it would have been sufficient, but not a Jewish wedding reception. They truly dance like there is no tomorrow.  Everyone young and old tore up the dance floor that night!

 

 

 

 

 

Venue – Park Plaza
Coordination – Amber Events (special thanks to my assistants that day Nira, Neusha, and Hae)
Rabbi – Rabbi Sherre Hirsch
Photographer – Lin and Jirsa Photography
Videographer – Tom Buckley
Catering – Summit Event Catering
Floral Design – Designs by David
Entertainment – Dale Schatz Music
Hair Stylist – Aline Cholakian
Makeup Artist – Rebecca Netzel
Cupcakes and Brownies – Babycakes
Transportation – CCC Tours
Guest Gifts – Poppies Dough