When your parents get crazy....

...and you want to disown them, watch this scene. Chances are they're going through some pretty heavy stuff also.



“Who presents this woman” … this woman …. But she is not a woman she is just a kid and she is leaving us…. I realize to that moment that I was never going to come home again and see Annie at the top of the stairs, never going to see her again in our breakfast table and in her nightgown and socks. I suddenly realize what was happening, Annie was all grownup and leaving us... And something inside began to hurt" ~George Banks

Sympathetically,

Pretty Pictures- A Vibrant Home

This photo shocked my system, when I first saw it. This had to be photo shopped right?
No, This is actually a place and it actually does look like this at sunset. What a sight to enjoy!
Robert Crum is the photographer of this shot, and next time he travels, I might ask him to come along.


Manarola, Italy is the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre and seems to have such a charming quality to it. If the homes are this vibrant, I imagine the people must be too. 
I would love to visit one of their restaurants and talk to the locals.
Better yet, have your wedding here and invite everyone in town.

Note from Amber: my husband and I rented apartment in Manarola in Cinque Terre in 2006 and fell in love with it. It truly is that magical! We spent one entire day hiking 4 of the villages and kayaking to the 5th. A bottle of wine and dinner on our rooftop back in Manarola ended the day.

My New Business Cards...

...are mullets: business in the front and party in the back. Fierce!

Sparkly,

Home Weddings

After having a break from them over the past few years, in the past few months, I've done two weddings at homes. Not a private residence that is rented out for events: but the home of the bride or groom's family or a close friend. If rented venues are tough, home weddings are three times harder than a normal wedding. It takes a wedding ninja and a team of martial artist vendors to make it all come together smoothly. To pull off a home wedding properly, not only do all of the normal things (Music! Flowers! Invitation! Decor!) have to be dealt with, but all of the items listed below.


Pre-Prep of the Property
Unlike rented spaces, many homes don't have full time landscapers, painters, electricians, and plumbers to make sure that everything is up to par, so everything has to be checked prior to the wedding. Pianos have to be tuned, ovens have to be serviced, drains have to be snaked, AC units tuned and filters changed. Then you have the organizing around the house has has to be taken care of: furniture that has to be moved out in order to allow 100ish guests in your living room. After all of that above? Then comes the deep cleaning: the window washing, carpet shampooing, molding dusting hell.




Parking


Where are your guests going to park? Do you have to bring in valet? Should they be shuttled from the hotel? Is there a parking lot nearby you can rent? All of these questions have to be asked. 


Neighborhood
Where you live determines how late you can party or the cops will be on your doorstep in .02 seconds. If you send your invitations out for 7:00 PM but live in Beverly Hills that has a 10:00 PM sound ordinance you're in for some trouble. Also, if you live in an area like Beverly Hills and put up a tent or a generator, you have to get a permit or risk your party being shut down.  And then we have neighbors. If you don't want your neighbors to have the cops show up at 9:00 PM you better give them a goodie basket with a note and some booze. It's recommended to invite them, ESPECIALLY the crazy lady that you can't stand. Every neighborhood has one.




Power
Most of the time homes don't have perfect nightscaping built for entertaining, so if you're having any sort of lighting, you will more than likely need a generator or you risk tripping the circuits when the caterers plug in the coffee pot at 9:30 PM.


Flow
Good flow is key. Where will the guests enter? Where will they go? Where are the bottlenecks going to happen? Are they going to be cool or warm enough? Will there be enough chairs to sit on? Where will the bars be placed? The dance-floor? If the ceremony and reception are happening in the same space, are the tables going to be pre-set and brought out during cocktail hour? If not, you better have a darn comfortable space for guests to hang for over an hour.


Amenities
Can your kitchen handle cooking for 100+ people? Where can the caterers set up their prep & scullery area? Can they use your refrigerator or will a rented one have to come in?
Then there are bathrooms. This is one of the most important aspects that people overlook. People need 1 restroom for every 50 people. This includes staff. If you have 100 guests in your home, you'll have 20 vendors working it. That means you need more than 2 bathrooms or you're going to have problems. And your plumbing had better be GOOD or your problems are going to be even bigger. A bathroom blowout will kill a party faster than anything.


Often overlooked Logistics
Who is going to be cleaning up the house on the day of the wedding? You need one person dedicated to refilling toilet paper in the bathrooms and making sure that there is still soap.


Who is going to deep clean the property once 120 people have trampled the grass, soiled the carpet, and stained the couch? All of the vendors will take out what they brought in, but they're not responsible for deep cleaning your house.


On the day 
Unless you want a disaster, your caterers had better specialize in coming into homes and cooking with ovens they aren't used to. And you need a wedding planner who knows all of the above and gets a sick thrill out of the most difficult logistics imaginable in the wedding world.


Enjoy this oh so true to life scene from Steve Martin's "Father of the Bride"



Best line: "oh it's vera nice! Ve change it all though, come let's go..."

Your Wedding Ninja,

Annie & Darin's Wedding: Team Member POV

 Amber Events Team Member

 Post Wedding Questionnaire

Rozie took some time from her busy schedule (working for Truly Yours Catering and raising a family) to fill out this post wedding questionnaire. 

Thank you Rozie, it was a pleasure working with you for Annie & Darin's wedding on July 16th, 2011.

Q. How did you learn about Interning or Assisting for Amber Events? 

A. I was working an event for Truly Yours Catering. Amber was the coordinator for the wedding that day, and had the pleasure of meeting her. I asked her for the opportunity to be part of Amber Events because I love being part of an event, especially weddings.

Q. Tell us about yourself and how it relates to the wedding industry. 

A. I am a people’s person, and consider myself energetic, fun, and organized. I enjoy working weddings because it really challenges me to bring out my creativity and abilities to make things happen.

Q. What tasks did you complete for this wedding? 

A. As a team player that day, I was able to complete all tasks given to me, such as, making sure all tables were in order for guest’s, and seating arrangements. I also made sure everybody signed, the “memory book” for bride and groom, and directed everybody to the ceremony area once people arrived.

Q. What surprised you?     

  

A. I was very surprised on how quick we were able to finish somewhat of a challenging task, for me that is!  A crown made of beautiful flowers, and it was my first time!

(Note from Amber: the crown of flowers was made last minute per the request of the groom's Aunt.  In the Jewish faith, when a parent marries off their last child they are crowned with flowers, sat on a chair on the dance floor, and the family & guests dance around them)

Q. What is your favorite part of this wedding? 

A. My favorite part of this wedding was that it was very traditional. I never experienced a traditional Jewish wedding. I also liked the fact that it had a country, warm home touch, with lots of flowers, and colorful arrangements. Location and weather were also a great part of this special day.

Q. What shoes did you wear?

A. I wore black flat shoes.

Q. The uniform for the Amber Events staff is a black button down shirt and slacks. What did you do to Jazz up your look?  

A. I wore a silver chain belt with the same kind of necklace.

Q. What is your favorite wedding scene from a movie? 

A. Oh my God! There are sooo many favorite wedding scenes that I can watch over and over and consider all, my favorite!!! 

Q. Do you have any words for anyone wanting to join the wedding industry? 

A. I feel that if you would like to get into the wedding industry, you have to enjoy what you do, challenge yourself to have the imagination and be creative to make every “fairy tale” a special one!

Final Comments: So far, I have worked 2 events with Amber Events, and I have to say that it has been a great experience. Just to see all guests, especially bride and groom enjoy themselves, gives you a great satisfaction that you are doing a great job, and making the bride, groom and family happy and smile at the end of the day… is priceless! Thank you for the opportunity of working with such an awesome team!

Note from Amber: the books on the bookshelf were not only a guest favor, but also the seating assignments as each guest's name was written on the spine and the table assignment on the cover.