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. 23^rd 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; Marketing, Lisa Gisczinski, Elle G Photography. 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.

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 28^th 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; Marketing, Lisa Gisczinski, Elle G Photography. 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.

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; Marketing, Lisa Gisczinski, Elle G Photography. 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.

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