Summer 2016 | Part III. – Globetrotting Family

Over the course of the summer, we gave a big project for Brianne and Bridgette to manage. They were to plan the red egg & ginger party for Brady! Since the girls have long been fascinated with my work as a wedding and party planner, we thought this would be a good opportunity for them to experience first hand what goes on behind the scenes in planning a successful party.

I was available to guide them, but really encouraged them to be the ones to put thought into the whole process. Because of my relationship with certain vendors, they did get some special perks, like getting to do a full cake tasting even though they were just going to order 2 dozen cupcakes. 🙂

Took the girls to one of my favorite linen rental shops--La Tavola — Took the girls to one of my favorite linen rental shops–La Tavola

The girls were bewildered at the endless colors and styles available for linens and napkins.

I was so impressed with the questions that the girls asked my sales rep, and how they jotted down notes to make sure they wouldn't forget anything. — I was so impressed with the questions that the girls asked my sales rep, and how they jotted down notes to make sure they wouldn’t forget anything.

Next step, CAKE TASTING!!!!! — Next stop, CAKE TASTING!!!!!

The girls were certainly in for a treat with the cake tasting. I took them to Jasmine Rae Cakes, one of the absolute best cake designers in the country. I work with Jasmine on nearly all my weddings, and love her immensely. When I told Jasmine about this project for the girls, she was very supportive in being a part of their learning process. She invited them in for a tasting of different cake flavors, and was very patient in answering all of their questions. She treated them with an equal amount of respect as she does for all other clients, even though they only had a budget of $300. Jasmine was incredibly generous and wanted to give them a price break, but I told her it was important that they learned about the real costs of everything. In the end, she compromised by waiving some of the rental fees for the cake stands that they chose, but charged them full price for everything else.

This was definitely their favorite part of the whole party planning process :) — This was definitely their favorite part of the whole party planning process 🙂

Next stop, visiting the venue--Crystal Jade, to get a sense of the room size, color palette, etc. — Next stop, visiting the venue–Crystal Jade, to get a sense of the room size, color palette, etc.

In the end, I think the girls did learn a number of things, such as design, budget management, logistics, etc. and they did so not only by going through the process but also by making mistakes along the way. For example, the invitations went to print with the wrong RSVP phone number of them, so they learned the importance of proofreading content prior to printing.

The party was a great success. The food exceeded everyone’s expectations, the decor was beautiful, and the girls were wonderful hostesses. Most importantly, everyone was elated to meet the new healthy, lovely member of our family–Brady Boo. 🙂

Sweet and dainty cupcake table designed by the girls

One of the reasons we picked Crystal Jade was for this awesome view of the Embarcadero and Ferry Building.

After Brady’s party, we only had about a week left before Mimi, Brianne, and Brady went back to Hong Kong. We cherished every moment together, and I got to take the girls to a few last outings!