A Cuban Infused Celebration at the City Club SF

When Event Designer Duncan Reyes throws a party you can be certain of one thing: It will be a memorable evening. I'd never been to the City Club of San Francisco before. The art deco design of the venue proved to be a perfect backdrop for the Cuban infused theme for the showcase Duncan hosted for his friend Dennis Menendez.

I have only ever had respect for Duncan Reyes. And that respect grew even deeper this week when he explained that having reached a level of stature in this industry he now enjoys the opportunity to "give back" and basically pay it forward by nurturing exceptionally talented, up and coming, wedding professionals.

Duncan Reyes

That's Dennis with Amber Solomon of Hartmann Studios

Dennis and I actually became friends after I first ignored his request when he attempted to friend me on Facebook because I thought I didn't know him. LOL when I met him a few weeks later at the Artique opening in Los Gatos he busted my chops a bit because it turns out we had met and even chatted at the Martini Madness event at MIST but I'd forgotten I'd met him. *blush* But I feel that initial rejection seems to have brought us closer together faster in the end so perhaps it was all for the best :P

Here's the thing, Dennis' work really speaks for itself. We were WOW'ed by this fab video featuring Dennis and his images that debuted at the launch party. Click the video player below to see for yourself!

The video was made by Burkart Video Production. That's James Burkart on the left and his colleague and second shooter Matthieu Meynier of MvideoM Productions on the right.

James' shooting and editing are phenomenal!

I want to share a tip with you: One thing I've learned about videography? When it comes to a great video it's not just one's ability to shoot well, it's equally important that the post production editing process is given just as much care and attention to detail as the filming to create a video of high quality.

Woo Hoo and fun was had by all! Here I caught Andrew Hsu of Studio MSV Videography trying to get a leg up on some of our industry friends and colleagues. From left to right: Andrew Hsu, Nicole Lisanne, Armando Sarabia of get your DO up!, Crystal LeQuang and Gabrielle Contreras.

I was fascinated by these centerpieces. Amy Burke Designs gave a new and elegant translation to the term "Fur Ball."

That's James Burkart and his wife Amy to my left and Armando of get your DO up! and Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films to my right.

The live Latin music really enhanced the evening's Cuban inspired atmosphere. If you're throwing a Latin inspired party check out OYÉ Productions!

To my right is Lea McIntosh and musician, event producer and president of OYÉ Productions Patricio Angulo posing for a quick pic.

When it comes to creating an environment for your event the furnishings you choose can really set the tone. Here the gorgeous lit table and clear lucite bar stools from Hartmann Studios and the lighting by Impact Lighting and Productions came together to create the super swanky look you see here!

Here I spotted wedding coordinator Jean Marks and Armando Sarabia chatting the night away. Both are part of the upcoming Wedding University at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto. Maybe they were talking about that super cool honeymoon stay to Bora Bora or Lanai a lucky attendee is going to win at the seminar.

I love meeting new people and had so much fun chatting with Dennis' friends Hugo and Mayra towards the end of the evening.

And of course it wouldn't be a party without cake! Provided by Butterfly Cakes this little slice of chocolate wonderfulness was a great finish to a fabulous party!