Recap of the Ralston Hall Bridal Faire - An Afternoon of Elegance

Today was the Ralston Hall Bridal Faire event that I participated in. Let's just say, it was raining and dreary but lots of couples, brides, bridesmaids, parents of the bride and groom came out to see what the Ralston Hall Bridal Faire had to offer. I arrived at 11:00 to set up and everyone was pretty much already there getting their displays ready for the show.

(Image courtesy of Jean Marks Weddings)

Although I feared that I wouldn't have enough to display, it turns out I actually only used 95% of what I had! Most florists who came brought a handful of bouquets and some gorgeous centerpieces. I am always amazed at what floral designers can do and all the latest embellishments that are being used. Because clay flowers are new to most people, I wanted to give a vast array of possibilities to showcase the clay flowers. I had everything from little centerpiece arrangements, bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, hair flowers, favors, etc. I didn't showcase my invitation line because there simply was not enough space on the table. Plus my passion truly is the art of clay flowers. I met some wonderful vendors today and some of whom I think I have an opportunity to work with. Everyone was so kind and blown away by what I do. I think that's one thing I find in the wedding industry, everyone is so positive and encouraging and although it is a competitive market, you really feel like its a community of professionals.

The Ralston Hall is a BEAUTIFUL location for weddings and events. The ballroom is gorgeous. I honestly have not been there since my brother got married there over 10 years ago. Lovely chandeliers and old world charm. The architecture inside is stunning.They had a bridal fashion show with dresses galore. I think they literally had over 40 dresses shown. Bridal gowns, bridesmaids and flower girl dresses and mother of the bride fashions from Papers and Petals Bridal Salon in Burlingame. These are some of the shots I was able to get it of the various models with my flowers. I love the fact that they showcased different models of different shapes and sizes, because we're not all a size 0! LOL. They all looked gorgeous. I saw some gowns and wished I was getting married again just so I could wear one again. LOL.

I have to thank Denise Winkelstein at the Ralston Hall who invited me to participate. She's been asking me for 2 years and I finally could say "yes". What a great opportunity for me and I sincerely appreciate her asking me to be part of a wonderful event. I also want to thank my wonderful friend Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide. She was so gracious enough to come out in this nasty winter weather to help me at the show. She was a great marketer of my work. She'll have better pictures to share with you since she was like the roving blog reporter! Thank you also to Jean Marks who came out to support her friends in the industry. Check out her wonderful blog post at www.jeanmarksweddings.blogspot.com!

An Amazing Singer... Pasquale Esposito!

(Image courtesy of The Flirty Guide Blog)

My friend Stacie Tamaki of The Flirty Guide asked me the day she gave me my prize for winning the Crafter's Throwdown if I would be interested in seeing someone in concert. She told me that she's a big fan of Pasquale Esposito. I was like "who"? She had done a blog post the previous day and I wondered who he was. I told her I would love to go as I trusted her taste in music. After all, I never get a chance to go out so I cleared it with my husband so he could take care of our son and agreed to go. Tonight was the night and although it was a miserable day weather wise, I'm so glad I went.

Pasquale is known for his Italian opera tenor, but he just released his own CD with his original music! He still sings familiar Italian songs and cover tunes, but OMG, his voice range is ABSOLUTELY phenomenal. He gave me chicken skin.


Come to find out, he sang at Stacie's wedding and she actually is friends with him! He has a great sense of humor and is so humble and he has the most infectious smile. Not to mention he's a good looking Italian! :) Half the songs he sang were in Italian but regardless the music moved me. He even came out to sign his new CD for anyone who wanted to get his autograph. Turns out he lives in the Bay Area when he's not touring or visiting his home in Naples, Italy.

He does weddings and events so if you're looking for an awesome singer to WOW and captivate your guests, look no further. Visit http://www.italianmusicman.com/ to find out more about this AMAZING Italian tenor! I'll definitely be getting tickets to go the show the next time he's in San Jose! Thank you to Stacie for inviting me. I truly enjoyed the evening with a good friend and seeing this amazing singer live! Stacie will have a better post because she has a picture with him at her wedding! I did get to shake his hand though. LOL. :)