Brilliant Baby Shower Gift - DIAPER CAKE!

Yes, this gift is brilliantly beautiful because not only is it made of useful pieces, it's totally fun & pretty to look at. It can even double as a centerpiece! One of our friends is about to pop and having her baby shower this weekend, so Helen & I got together and created this! There are lots of online videos/tutorials, so just google this DIY project and personalize it to your friend's shower.

We used about 70 infant/newborn diapers, used a paper towel roll's cardboard center as the anchor for the middle of the cake and accessorized the cake with ribbon to match the shower's theme, little booty socks, and pacifiers. We topped it with a Teddy Bear burp cloth (but you use a big fancy poofy bow for the top)! This was definitely a fun project & we'll be making more of these. (I guess our preggo friends know what they're getting for their shower - hehe.)

To Tip or Not to Tip?...That is a very important question.

According to the Merriam-Weber Dictionary, a "tip" is "a gift or sum of money tendered for service given or anticipated." The tipping etiquette in the event planning world is confusing. I think it is confusing because there is really no general consensus or "rule" on tipping vendors. After researching and talking many, I found these two websites that sum it up the best. Have a look and decided for yourself how you want to tip.

1. From Frugal Bride website, click here.
2. From Martha Stewart Wedding website, click here.

In the end, though, it's all about how good of a job you think your vendor did for you. Did they make your event brilliantly beautiful? Did they help make your day one of your best days ever? The same Merriam-Weber dictionary defines "gratuity" as "something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service." Thus, your tip is an optional payment to show the vendor your appreciation of their excellent service, if they indeed did give you excellent service - so you decide!

E & D's Wedding - by BB Events (TEASER)

From vacation right back into weddings - LOVE IT! Yes, I just got back from vacation last week.

We had a gorgeous weekend in Monterey for E & D's wedding! The bride and groom chose a brilliantly beautiful color combo of cranberry and lemon...so cheerfully elegant. The ceremony was at the First Presbyterian Church in Monterey, followed by a reception at Club Del Monte on the naval academy campus. Here are some non-pro teasers (ie. from my humble camera)! Stay tune for more...

The three floral pieces featured in the photos above were made and designed by BBE to decorate the reception area.

Wedding cake by Patisserie Bechler

Center pieces by Fleurish Floral Designs

photos by chi

Inspiration: Brilliant Summer Wedding in Carmel Valley

I came across this gorgeous wedding posted on StyleMePretty by Anna Kuperberg Photography and Mints Designs. I was immediately drawn to the colors and details that just made me smile! Love the perfectly rounded yellow balloons, with the pinks, greens and oranges. The bridal party looked absolutely smashing - the groom and groomsmen in their bow ties was such a fun detail! And the bride and bridesmaids in their light pink and yellows were a perfect match.

Source: HERE

K & J's Wedding - by BB Events

We finally got the professional pictures for K & J's wedding by Noah Hawthorne and they are amazing! We posted teasers from our own humble camera back in May, but here they are. To recap, the couple started their day off with a gorgeous ceremony at the Skyline Community Church, with an intergrated Hawaiian lei ceremony to honor the groom's traditions. After the photo session, the couple rushed back to the hotel, where they did a Chinese Tea Ceremony to show their respect for the bride's cultural traditions. Finally, it was on the reception at the Oakland Asian Community Center, where they kicked off their evening with Storm Troopers, followed by lion dancers. And that's not it - the groom surprised his parents with a Taiko performance in the middle of the evening. This was the first time his parents had ever seen him perform! This was one energy-packed wedding day...and a very joyous one, for sure!

Congrats again, K & J! And thanks for allowing us to be part of your special day!

Ceremony Venue: Skyline Community Church, Oakland

Reception Venue: Oakland Asian Community Center

Florist: Katharina Stewart Floral Art & Design

Cake: A Sweet Side, by Karl Fong

Photography: Noah Hawthorne Photography

Real Birthdays: Whimsical Colors of Brilliance - by BB Events

What a beautifully sunny and bright day for BB Events!

We helped a little girl fill her 1st birthday party with whimsical fun and brilliant sweetness. Her mom asked BB Events to create favors and design, as well as set up a dessert-candy buffet for her daughter's 1st birthday party - guest count: approximately 100 adults and 30 children! Wow - what a popular little girl! We were determined to make her day beautifully memorable with vibrantly colorful butterflies, flowers, pinwheels and savory sweet confections.

The banquet room decor was coordinated by the mother of child with Copenhagen Balloons - see vendor list below. There as also a Fairy who did face painting, games and other activities with the children. Another special guest was ELMO, who danced with the kids and help the birthday girl cut her cake! What a lucky girl!

Venue: Pacific Athletic Club, Redwood City, CA

Balloon centerpieces and decor: Copenhagen Ballons, Redwood City, CA

Birthday cake and red velvet mini cupcakes: Sweet Dreams Bakery, Colma, CA

Mini-desserts for dessert buffet: Sweet Tooth Confections, Alviso, CA

Favors and candy-dessert buffet design & set-up: Brilliantly Beautiful Events

photos by Chi

Brilliant DIY: Sweet Favors for a Birthday Girl & her Special Guests

For this weekend BB Events will be creating brilliantly whimsical party favors and setting up a deliciously sweet dessert-candy buffet for a very special 1 year-old girl's birthday party. Her 130+ person birthday party will be fairy-themed and filled with fun entertainment for the her and her friends.

Here is a sneak peak at our party favors in the making. Inspired by Martha Stewart's flower power design, we came up with 3 slightly different favors filled with sweetness. With the help of some of friends, we started putting the pieces together.

L to R: 1) twinkle lollipop with flower tootsie pop, 2) pixie stix pinwheel (yes - it SPINS!) with flower tootsie pop, 3) see's candy stick with flower tootsie pop. The perfectly cute pails were ordered from Oriental Trading Company and filled with colorful Skittles and Starbursts candies.

Come back soon to see the Real Birthday by BB Events!