Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel Showcase

What a great showcase we participated in yesterday at the Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto! The DIY Panel I moderated went off without a hitch, it was my first time moderating a panel discussion. I'll do a blog post later this week following up with some of the great suggestions our experts shared with the audience.

Stunning. That's the only word to use to describe the tables that Floral Designer Nicole Ha created for the show. Nicole is a floral designer, her talents also include both event design. She created the following table and room settings just for the show.

If you've ever tried to do it you know that table top design isn't as easy as it looks. From designing the florals to choosing the place settings, linens and chairs.... This "Green" design was really stunning. The super cool "Fusion" chairs were by provided by CORT Event Furnishings.

This peacock and red table was my favorite. I really loved the richness of the colors.

And guess who showed up to photograph Nicole's gorgeous tables? Photographer Chung Li. Chung and I have been friends for a while now. He's a great blogger and a really talented photographer.

Robbie Schlosser and the Magnolia Jazz Band were there to greet the guests as they entered the show. They were just next to the registration table so if you were there but didn't get their card, now you know who they are!

North American Theatre Technology was there right next to our Flirty Guide booth. That's Natti on the right, who is in the process of becoming a Flirty Guide Professional. YAY! I kept watching the color of the lighting on the curtain behind her change throughout the day so I popped over to see how they do it.

So here you see the lighting fixture that can be controlled with a tiny, hand held, remote control to create the colors you see here. It also makes yellow and green light. Really gorgeous!

And this gorgeous cake was displayed by Satura Cakes. I loved the delicacy of the sugar flowers.

Red Velvet must be the hot new flavor this year. The cake samples above were by Satura Cakes. I love their Red Velvet! It's so moist, and the cream cheese frosting has a tiny bit of berry mixed into the layer between the two layers of cake.

And the super cute, mini red velvet cupcake was by Jen's Cakes. It tasted as good as it looked!

This was the set up where we presented the DIY Panel Discussion. Unfortunately I was a bad blogger and forgot to take my camera onstage to grab a picture of the goings on for all of you :(

The bridal fashion show by Nouvelle Bridal followed, and was a huge hit.

Here is Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films and Movie-Me, and Sabrina Moyle of Hello Lucky. Both participated in the panel discussion sharing their expertise and knowledge about DIY Wedding Videography and Invitations. Public speaking can be so nerve wracking but everyone on the panel did a really great job!

Mr. Duncan Reyes snapped this photo of wedding videographer David Ethridge of A Video Reflection and I after the show was over. I hung out with David for a bit after the show just catching up. That's one of the other cool things about showcases, we get to meet new people and visit with friends we haven't talked to in a while.

And I was so happy to see Jacques Okansian from Hyegraph Invitations there. I'm so thrilled that Hyegraph is our newest member of The Flirty Guide.

Thank you to Chung Li for sharing this photo with me!

With the gang... Chung Li, Nicole Ha and Duncan Reyes. LOL I'll be doing a special post all about Duncan in the near future... His emails make me LMAO. Soon you'll see why :P

And just a few booths down from us was Beverly Yip of Especially Yours chair covers.

And yesterday was my first opportunity to meet Janet Weisberg, Owner of Ladies who Lunch. She was so fun to chat with, and her food was really delicious.

The little yellow tiered bites on the top right wereTruffle Scented Pain Perdue with San Marzano Tomato "Jam." Oh my gosh they were SO GOOD!

The spoon on the right was Slow Roasted Pepper and Horseradish Crab Salad atop Creamy Heirloom Grits... Their staff kindly put together a vegetarian version for me since I'm allergic to crab. Even without it, it was really good! I'd never tried grits before and was surprised by how yummy they are! I think I like them even more then polenta.

The other two dishes were House Made Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi, Sautéed Honshimeji Mushrooms, Savory Herbs, and Sherry Vinegar Beurre Monte in the top left corner and the bottom two photos were a tasting sample and large plate of Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb with Glazed Pearl Onions, Asparagus Tips, and Sour Cherry Cous-Cous.

And our other DIY Panelists was Sachi Yamazaki from Fleurty Floral Design Studio in Mountain View. Their designs are very artful and not only utilize the flowers themselves but other small details like the bent stems and binding at the base of this arrangement.

Showcasing one of their centerpiece arrangements that is far from typical. Sachi and her sister Tina are the lead designers at Fleurty. Their business shows there's more then one way to be "Flirty."

Thanks to Diana Wittenbrock and the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel for inviting The Flirty Guide to participate in their bridal showcase. I hope all of the guests had as much fun as I did yesterday.

Thanks also to my friend Vicki who came and helped me at my booth yesterday. I was everywhere and she did a great job holding down the flirty fort for me!