The Inaugural Wedding University--Part II.

At 10am, we (The Deans) were brought upstairs to the suite for an interview with KMTP, a new local 24/7 Wedding Television network airing on Channel 32. I was a bit nervous, but Christina, the host and producer of the show, was extremely easy going as she interviewed us which put us all at ease. I actually enjoyed it!!
After the interview, we went back downstairs and was delightfully surprised to see that a few students had arrived already even though it was not 11am yet. They admitted that they wanted to come early, because they were so excited about the event! We arranged a warm welcoming for all the students, with our modeling brides and grooms as greeters, passed champagne, and the beautiful tune of a harp. Our registration table was ready to go, filled with smiling volunteers to help students find their name tags and student folders.
During the first 40 minutes, students enjoyed sampling fine culinary creations from the Four Seasons, including a prime rib action station that was the most popular. They also relaxed with hand massages from the Four Seasons spa, and got inspired by the different tablescapes in our design and decor room.
At 11:45am, all the students were seated in Ballroom A. Kelly Nelson, Director of Marketing at Four Seasons Silicon Valley (and also one of our Deans for TWU) gave a warm welcoming before Jean and I went into our presentation on Planning + Logistics. Following that was the presentation on Menu Planning by Julie Kiendra, Catering Manager at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley.
After the first hour, students were separated into 3 groups, based on the colors of their name tags and student folders that we had preassigned them. Each group had one of our volunteers as their 'group monitor', to guide them and to answer any questions that they may have throughout the day. There would be 3 different presentations going on at all times:

MUSIC + ENTERTAINMENT

(Professors: Carl Mindling + Peter Rudolfi + Ron Grandia + Cynthia Glinka)

Cynthia was her usual enthusiastic self, bringing so much laughter and excitement in the room as she taught students how fun dancing can be. At the end of each class, she even asked all the students to get up and do a few moves together. Everybody had a great time.

DESIGN + DECOR
(Professors: Gloria Wong Tritasavit, Nancy Liu Chin, John Woods, Viola Sutante)

PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOGRAPHY
(Professors: Lara White, Kevin Chin, Chuck & Jewel Savadelis)

As students transitioned between each class, they were surprised with new food stations set up for them. These included sushi and a variety of small plates, fruit, candy, and an awesome dessert bar.
For the last hour of the day, all the students joined together in one group again in Ballroom A and listened to the final presentation on beauty and attire by Armando and Gabrielle. The models were asked to do a small fashion show as Gabrielle described the various wedding gowns that they were wearing and Armando picked a student to do a live updo demonstration. During this hour, all the grooms were asked to follow Bennie of Eli Thomas to a separate room to learn about trends in tuxedos and suits.
We ended the day with the much anticipated drawing--first for the 3 night stay at one of 3 Four Seasons Resort including Lanai, Bora Bora, and Whistler. The second prize was a complimentary engagement session from the fabulous Kevin Chin. The two lucky winners sure left with big smiles on their faces, but every student got to leave with a goody bag that included special gifts and never-before discounts from some of the top event professionals in Northern California!
All photos above by Janae Shields

The Inaugural Wedding University--Part I.

Previously on my own blog, I posted some tidbits on the night before our big event--the inaugural Wedding University. Now, I am ready to start blogging a series about the day of, providing you some behind the scenes exclusives!

The morning started off early for many of us--6am! Ofcourse, John Woods and his crew were the exceptions--they were up the entire night installing the drapery and lighting! The whole design team and our volunteers were hard at work at the crack of dawn, setting up the various tables in their different themes.

The Deans--Jean, Julie, Kelly, and myself, took on a role that we were not quite familiar with. Rather than having our sleeves rolled up like we normally do at an event, we were instead taking turns having our makeup and hair professional done by the fabulous Armando of Get Your Do Up and his lovely assistant of the day Joey. I have to admit...I loved every minute of it!

At 9am sharp, all the Deans, Professors, and Volunteers met in the Conference Room for our 'Staff Meeting'. The Four Seasons provided coffee and pastries to bring everyone's energy up as we went over the timing and logistics of the day together. I could sense the excitement, anticipation, and enthusiasm in the room!

Janece was our very competent leader for the registration process, which was crucial to the success of our event. She delegated various tasks to our many volunteers that day, making sure that each of them understood their roles and responsibilities clearly.

My fabulous Production Lead Amanda was our 'day-of coordinator', making sure that we were on schedule, and being the go-to person for questions and support. While she was managing the final set up in the various rooms downstairs, Armando and Joey continued working their magic upstairs in the spacious suite--this time on the models that we had casted for this special event.
Gabrielle of Gabrielle's Bridal Atelier was also there to help style each model, as they got dressed in her beautiful gowns.

With less than one hour before the students were due to arrive, the professors began doing one last 'practice' run with their presentations. We were ready to rock!!

All the above photos by the fabulous Janae Shields, who was present from 8am-6pm to document the entire event for us from beginning to end.

Stay tuned for Part II...for our television interview and the arrival of TWU students!

Meeting of the Minds Again

Yesterday, Jean and I met with the Bridal Beauty and Attire Group, which included Armando of Get Your Do Up, Gabby of Gabrielle's Bridal Salon, and Dan of Eli Thomas. We met at Gabby's beautiful salon in downtown Los Gatos and brainstormed on ways to deliver the most valuable information on beauty and attire to the students of the Wedding University on February 8th.

After an hour and a half of discussion, we came up with a lot of fun and brilliant concepts which ofcourse I cannot reveal here but I promise students of TWU that you will learn SO much from these experts!

Some topics that will be presented in a creative way:

1. How do you select a wedding dress that best suits your body type and your wedding venue?
2. How do you choose the right hairstyle to fit your facial features and wedding gown?
3. What are all the attire options for the guys? How important is it that their choice of attire matches the girls' dresses?

That's all that I can reveal for now but you will not be disappointed at the valuable information this dynamic group has to offer on February 8th!

We are currently doing a casting call for models to wear some of Gabby's beautiful gowns and Eli Thomas' suits and tuxedos, featuring trends for 2009. More to come in a later post two weeks from now!

Ta-da!

I'm so excited to show off this beautiful postcard for The Wedding University, designed by Viola Sutanto of Chewing the Cud! The amazing photograph is from Geoff White. Be prepared to see this at bridal salons, jewelry stores, and other places around the Bay Area. Remember to RSVP early because space is indeed very limited (we're not just saying that to lure you in!)

Faculty Orientation Day!

December 8th was the 2 month mark before our inaugural Wedding University and it was our first official Faculty Orientation! What a big day for us indeed! The orientation began bright and early at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley, where I started out by introducing the goals and visions behind WU. Kelly from the Four Seasons followed with a discussion of the marketing efforts, and Jean gave all the participants a rundown of the course schedule. We then broke into our individual presentation groups and had the opportunity to brainstorm on our topics. After 3 productive hours together the meeting concluded and we enjoyed a nice luncheon together at Quattro's.

We are all so excited about this event!!

There's me presenting the WU concept to the group

Jewel Savadelis and Ron Grandia getting their morning coffee!

Touring the spaces of the Four Seasons Silicon Valley

Here's the Design Team going through all of their brilliant concepts

Two of our music and entertainment professors--Cynthia Glinka and Carl Mindling

Jean Marks, John Woods, and Kevin Chin enjoying the lunch at Quattro