photos courtesy of studiocarre.com

Members had a great time at the University Club atop the Symphony Towers last month.  Ed Westfield told us about the awesome renovations recently completed…they love to book weddings and were very excited to host WoD and share the beautiful new changes!

Our guest was Darrin Dietz, representing AFR and our Showcaser was Paula of Rae Florae, who is celebrating five successful years and growing to six assistants/designers. What’s big in florals?  Succulents, painted and lots of greens.  Her designs are simplicity created and expressed in a new way.  Her expertise is reflected in her level of detail and excellent service!  And, she’s really, really sweet!

We did a little ice-breaker game ~ “two truths and a lie” and tried to guess who did what.  It was hilarious ~ we have some very creative people in our group and learned lots about each other!

Kimmy from Sensation Show Band told us about her new band, 80’s Beta Max.  Kimmy will be playing at the Del Mar Powerhouse concert in the park on 9/18.  A bunch of us rocked out at Viejas with her too ~ it was a disco inferno! Her bands are jamming!

Lunch was delicious, champagne flowed and raffle prizes were drawn.  Everyone was very busy networking, excited about the busy summer months and our meeting next month at Loew’s Coronado!

images courtesy of Studio Carré Photographie

Ross + Katie were married at the beautiful Ponte Estate Winery in Temecula. Originally from the east coast, they wanted to wine and dine their families and friends and show them a unique southern California winery experience. Their wedding was photographed by Weddings of Distinction member Studio Carré Photographie, and officiated by Patricia Coleman. With LOVE as their theme, each colorful detail and special moments were a highlighted and everyone danced the night away!

images courtesy of studio carre’ photographie

Our first meeting of the year was filled with enthusiasm, inspirational ideas, positive feedback and lots of referrals. We had a delightful lunch at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse and were welcomed by Stephany Phenny, Catering Manager.

WoD’s 2011 dedicated Board Members are President Ann Strobel of Ann’s Plans, Vice President Krista Murphy of Definitive Events, Treasurer, Andrea Pena Catering Manager at the Prado, Membership Chairlady is Paula Anderson of Rae Florae, Marketing Chairlady Shannon Henry of Studio Carre, and Secretary Merrylin Brichmann of Artistic Productions DJ’s.

We shared fabulous ideas for programs in “This Year I Would like to See” and the team icebreaker cracked us up in “Your Plane has Crashed ~10 items you need to survive?”. Everyone got super creative with this one!

Raffle prize winners were Merrylin (Certificate from Silverwood & fab bag from Betwixt), Cynthia Zatkin won a beautiful bouquet from Lois Mathews Design and the healthy bag of home-grown goodies will be enjoyed by Lisa of Elle G Photography.

We look forward to networking and sharing another great meeting in February!

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.

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; 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.

Brad and Elisabeth met on E-Harmony in 2007 and felt an immediate connection!  Their wedding at the Powerhouse in Del Mar showed off the gorgeous Pacific Ocean to the many out of town friends and family who joined them from New York and Washington.

Here is part of their beautiful story from Elisabeth:

“Brad proposed on the night before a big trip to Italy (he was going to do it in Italy but was nervous about carrying the ring around).  I was completely surprised, and it made an already romantic trip to Italy feel like a honeymoon!  I am from Syracuse, New York and Brad is from Tacoma, Washington, so San Diego really felt like a vacation wedding to our guests.  All of our vendors did such a great job and EVERYTHING was perfect – including an amazing sunset over the Pacific.  I can honestly say that our wedding was the best day of my life.  We are now so excited to be married and feel closer than ever.  It’s amazing to know that we each get to spend our future with our best friend.”

Some of the fine Weddings of Distinction members shared in this gorgeous day: Studio Carre’ Photographie took some fantastic photos, seen here – all shot by Shannon Henry. Concepts Event Design created an indoor oceanic landscape with beautiful silk linens in shades of aqua and teal.  Sweet Cheeks Baking Company created an ocean-inspired cake of this delicious combination:  blackout chocolate cake filled with peanut butter mousse and Belgian chocolate whipped cream, tiered with red velvet cake with cream cheese filling, all frosted with Italian Butter Cream under the final layer of fondant, sugar bubbles, and white chocolate shells.

Now, based in San Diego for about 7 years, she is able to share her passion for photography (in many aspects), and meet great people who entrust her to capture the sweetest of moments in their lives. Shannon believes that photography is not just an art form, but an extension of herself and her interpretation of the relationship and experience together with the client(s). Her style could be described as modern, eclectic, distinctive, feminine, stylish, yet simple and timeless.

Feel free to check out her website at www.studiocarre.com or give her a call at 619.670.6183 to chat about your event!

Who would have thought a loft-like experience existed up the I-5 in cozy Del Mar. Shannon Henry hosted our July Weddings of Distinction luncheon/meeting at her Studio Carre in the heart of Del Mar.

Fulfilling the ambiance for the day was WoD catering member Renee Hirsh and The French Gourmet. Renee and crew were totally on top of it with Mimosa’s, iced water and iced tea, scrumptious tray passed appetizers and a filling, family style served assortment of salads. Everyone left healthy and no one left hungry!

President Bob Brichmann, DJ and Emcee from Artistic Productions, greeted everyone to start the luncheon. Bob welcomed Gloria Paris’ guest Norman Phillips, a good friend, and Matthew Flint, Operations Manager for Plush Lounge, a guest of Karen Kluchonic’s from Plush.

Our showcasers on the day were obvious choices, our host Shannon Henry of Studio Carre and caterer Renee Hirsh from The French Gourmet.

Shannon shares studio loft-like space with other coastal photographers. The feel of Studio Carre is both warm, modern and cool. Shannon offers wedding, lifestyle and intimate/boudoir photography services. Shannon displays a definite passion for her craft through her work. Her demo slideshow was fantastic. Shannon’s clients love both her and how she makes them “pop” on film. Shannon is a very valued member of WoD and serves as co-marketing director for the group.

The French Gourmet almost needs no introduction, but definitely mega-kudos for the quality of their service and food they present. Renee Hirsh has been with them for years and doubles as an event/wedding coordinator. Their reputation is excellent as social and wedding event caterers. Our luncheon featured incredible couscous salad, Dijon mustard green bean salad, a Mediterranean green salad, chicken satay and more and a finishing touch of custard topped with fresh seasonal berries. French Gourmet also crafts exquisite wedding cakes, pastries and desserts.

General group business was handled accordingly and, most importantly, our new web site was officially unveiled for the group members and launched to the world (www.sandiegoweddingsofdistinction.com). Other marketing ideas were shared, Real Wedding testimonials with fellow members were offered up and raffle prizes were doled out to the lucky few.

We’ll see you next August 25th! Stay tuned for the location!

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: Lisa Gisczinski, photographer from Elle G Photography (www.ellegphotography.com); Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre (www.studiocarre.com)

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.