Weddings at the City Club De La Cruz & Oshima, 1.3.09

In our budget conscious economy, finding ways to stretch your dollar a little further is the key to planning a successful wedding. One of the best options to bring prices down is to consider moving your celebration to what are considered “off” times. Since Saturday evenings are the most desirable dates and times they are also the most costly. Why not consider hosting your event on a Friday or Sunday evening, where rental and vendor fees are sure to be lower? Or, do as Jim and Carmen did, and host your Wedding on a Saturday or Sunday Afternoon! They chose Saturday, January 3rd in the afternoon and it was truly a wonderful event.

Compared to the evening events, I felt like to focus of the afternoon was really on the couple and on the marriage. The ambiance was mellow and open and the Club had a fresh, bright feeling. On the budgetary side of things, for “lunch” they hosted a variety of different heavy appetizer stations including an Asian Station with Dim Sum as well as a Prime Rib and Salmon Carving Station along with a variety of passed hors d’ oeuvres. This option got them away for the per person full meal price but still offered enough food for their guests to enjoy a hearty afternoon nosh. They also saved on the beverage bill by choosing to host a variety of non-alcoholic beverages along with wine and beer.

A couple of other great ideas from this couple…
1) Higher a great coordinator, wait you are thinking, that costs money, but not when it’s Jessica Goldblatt with Dreams on a Dime, who specializes in working with budget conscious events.

2) Rather than the traditional tiered wedding cake, the couple purchased a sheet cake from Tartin and had them cut it down into smaller pieces. The smaller peices were then frosted on all sides and once strategically displayed it had the same great effect!

3) They used their family as a great resource for assistance. Cousins and other family members were responsible for floral, folding origami votive boxes and other décor.

I hope you will away at least one money saving tip from this couple that did it right! They had a wonderful wedding surrounded by friends and family and did it without breaking the bank.

Happy Planning!!

-Cassie Harris, Sales & Catering Manager

Seasonal Menus & Custom Planning

Together with our Chef Michael Munoz we have created sample menus and packages that are truly delicious.For those looking for a custom five course meal, a seasonal or all organic menu, or just a little ethnic flair, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Our Chef Michael Munoz is happy to work together with our Catering team to create special custom menus that are exciting and crowd pleasing.

Depending on the type of food and style of cuisine you request there may be an increase in expense, but if you are a true San Franciscan and enjoy good flavors and delightful cuisine, then your appreciation for food should be understood.

We recently hosted a Cuban Inspired event where we passed the following items:
Duck Confit Tamalitos with Cherry Glaze
Taquitos with Cuban Vieja Ropa
Spicy Shrimp & Potato Empanadas
Ceviche en Crispy Plantain

A sample all organic and vegetarian menu included the following:
Parsnip & Seckel Pear Soup with Truffled Crème Fraîche
Living Cress Salad with Local Citrus, Marcona Almonds and Citrus Vinaigrette
Wild Mushroom Strudel with Butternut Squash Gratin, Living Pea Shoots and Salsify Cream
Valrhona Chocolate Pot de Crème

We hope these menus sound tempting and show some of our various tastes and flavors.
Be sure to ask and from there our team and Chef will do our very best to accommodate.

Happy Planning!
Michelle Kimmins- Director of Sales & Catering

On Stands Now! 2009 San Francisco Brides

The City Club is pleased to have joined San Francisco Brides by the publishers of San Francisco Magazine. The Spring Summer 2009 edition has already hit stands, so get your copy now!

Whether you are a new bride, already a bride, a planner or someone who just loves Weddings, this is a great source to read through. I personally love the “Wed Dossier Now!” section. You can find helpful new tips and trends, resources from everything to jewelry, gifts, and flowers, to biographies of industry professionals. Of course if you are perusing this section, you may run across our City Club ad, which hopefully gives you the feeling and emotion of a City Club Wedding.

Don’t miss the calendar of events, where you will also see our 2nd Tuesday Wedding and Event Showcases, hosted every month. We feature at least three wonderful vendors in the industry, offer complimentary champagne and hors d’oeuvres, and set up the Club in style of a sample wedding ceremony and reception. You can also grab a complimentary copy of San Francisco Brides.

We hope to see you soon and if not you can read about us in San Francisco Brides. And remember, have fun learning more about the wonderful world of Weddings!

Happy Planning!

Michelle Kimmins- Director of Sales & Catering

Happy New Year!

Resolutions, Words of the Year (my favorite), new gym memberships, Weddings to plan, Clubs to join, Places to visit, Events to plan, Old friends to catch up with and New friends to meet. Don’t you love the beginning of a New Year?

The year ended well for us at The City Club. We appreciate all the business received from our Members and guests and look forward to what this year will bring us.

We have a few upcoming events that we want to share and remind you about:

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 from 5-7pm
City Club Wedding & Event Open Houses- scheduled for the first Tuesday of every month.
Complimentary Champagne and Hors d’oeuvres

Featured vendors: Sugarcoat It Studio cake tastings and Table Décor by Classic Party Rentals.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 from 6-9pm
Havana Nights- Dennis M Photography Showcase hosted by The City Club sponsored by f. Duncan Reyes events by design, one of San Francisco’s premier event planners.

The Café will be transformed into a Cuban Night! Join us for live music and entertainment, traditional food and flair, signature beverages and private reserve cigars. The night is sure to indulge your senses.
Please contact your Sales & Catering Manager for more information and to RSVP.

Friday, January 23, 2009 from 6-9pm
Urban Winemaker Dinner

$85 inclusive members and hosted member guests
$100 non-members
Featuring:
Connor Brennan, who will share about his Pinot Noir, recognized by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the top 5 wines in the country.
Matt Reidy, of ConnonBrennon Cellars will share about his wine philosophy.
Kian Tavakoli of Keon Wines and a consulting winemaker at Crushpad will share about small lot wineries.

January 29th, 2009 from 7:45 -9: 30 a.m.
Cleopatra Vaughns Non-Profit Leadership Breakfast

Complimentary with reservation
reservations@cityclubsf.com
Featuring:
Michael O'Neill, Ph.D., Professor of Non-Profit Management, University of San Francisco
"Is there really a crisis of confidence in charities?"
This event graciously hosted by The City Club of San Francisco & Board of Governors.

*In Memoriam of Cleopatra Vaughns, Former City Club Board Chair and true community servant.

January 30, 2009 from 6-9pm
City Club Cigar Night

$85 inclusive members and hosted member guests
$100 non-members
Join us for our signature cocktails, and selection of fine cigars.
Menu will include barbecued beef brisket and fixings.



Hope to see you soon!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Michelle Kimmins- Director of Sales & Catering

Bridechilla

As the Club Director at The City Club, I’m surrounded by events day to day, week to week, year after year. In other words, inspiration is around us all the time and we have the luxury of building some really wonderful events in this gem of a place. We’re lucky, and we know it.

When I got engaged in April, it would have made perfect sense to get married at The City Club – after all, I’d seen plenty of weddings over my tenure and I knew that I’d be in the wonderfully creative hands of our fabulous Catering team. However, given that my then-fiance/now-husband and I had over 400 people on our “A List” (did I mention he’s the youngest of 10 children??), we decided that we need a wide open space for our festive affair…a large open pasture to be exact. That being decided, I vowed to myself and to my better half that planning a wedding in 6 short months would not get the best of me, nor sabotage our relationship.

I won’t go into detail about all the trials and tribulations of planning a wedding in a pasture that was not exactly equipped for the party that we were dreaming up – some might say that sounds like heaven for a creative genius (and at times it was!) but time and efficiency was of the essence. What I will share with you are my tips on how to get through the wedding planning process with ease, however much time you have to plan, and the resources that I found to be most helpful and inspiring:

1. Hire a coordinator. Our coordinator, Ryann, was truly our saving grace. Not only was she in command of every detail, but she was a neutral voice throughout the process, offering insight and recommendations, and kept us on track throughout. If you don’t have the budget or feel the need to have a coordinator throughout the planning process, I highly recommend you consider a Day-of coordinator – someone who will corral your vendors and coordinate everything onsite so that it’s the farthest thing from your mind the day of!

2. Blogs, blogs, blogs. As much as I wished I’d had the time to read every bridal magazine cover to cover, make collages of my dream wedding (i.e. inspiration board), etc….time did not allow whatsoever. I found blogs to be particularly helpful in giving me a daily dose of inspiration and since they are updated everyday, there was always something new to check out. Here are a few of my favorite blogs and planning websites:
a. Style Me Pretty – for the style-obsessed bride…what’s not to love about that tagline? And it’s pretty safe to say that I did become obsessed with this site. I started my planning days with a cup of coffee and Style me Pretty. The “vintage chic” section of their real weddings and I became the best of friends.
b. Snippet and Ink – similar to SMP and a real treat for your eyes. I particularly loved the guest bloggers that they would feature from time to time. Lots of style and creativity throughout.
c. Etsy – SMP turned me on to Etsy and again, I became obsessed! I ordered that fabulous ring dish from an artist that I found on Etsy. And the inner-artist was all about supporting those out there who are doing some really creative things.
d. Alison Events blog- Alison Events is a local SF-based event planning company that specializes in fabulous destination weddings – and we’re talking fabulous! As much as I liked to think that my pasture-chic wedding in Chico was a “destination wedding,” I couldn’t hold a candle to what these talented ladies do but I did have some fun perusing their blog from time to time for some very helpful tips.

3. Take a Marriage Prep course. If you are not getting married in a Church that requires a pre-marriage course or retreat, a non-denominational marriage prep course may be something to consider. My then-fiance/now-husband and I took a course in San Francisco called Marriage Prep 101 and found it to be the BEST money spent towards planning the wedding, hands down. It’s taught by a husband-wife team of psychologists/couples therapists – click here to check out their website.

4. Use your Wedding Party. I mean that in the most sincere of ways! It’s an honor to be a part of a couple’s most special day and the people that you select to stand up for you are those who are most important to you – and most likely would do anything for you. So put them to work! Delegate tasks, errands, DIY projects - anything that does not absolutely need to be managed by you. Planning a wedding is a true labor of love in many respects, and most people are more than happy to contribute a helping hand.

5. Keep it all in perspective. Remember why you’re planning this great big event after all. The end result is far more important than any drama along the way. Remind yourself that everything will come together beautifully and most importantly, stay present in each moment. You’ll enjoy and remember the journey that much more.

6. Do the Hustle. When all is said and done and your wedding day arrives, get out on the dance floor with your people, queue up "The Hustle" on your setlist, and have fun.

Go with the flow, take it all in stride, and you too, can be the “Bridechilla” that you want to be. It’s far more pleasant than the alternative.

I’ve included some photos from my big day…just for fun!

Happy Planning to you!

-Victoria Welch (Piluso)