Noah's Red Egg and Ginger Party!

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Grace to plan and coordinate a Red Egg and Ginger party for her new baby. Her son, Noah, turned one month old this past Saturday, and around 50 guests came over to her home to celebrate!

In Chinese culture, red egg and ginger parties are held on the baby's first month birthday. Parents introduce their baby to friends and family and also the baby's name is usually announced. Traditionally, red-dyed eggs are given out to guests, symbolizing happiness and the renewal of life. Also, a broth is usually offered to guests made of ginger, pig's feet, eggs, and vinegar. The "one month" mark has its origin in ancient Chinese culture. Infant mortality rates were quite high in China prior to the advances of medicine, so babies who reached their one month birthday were likely to survive, and the event was celebrated. (Source)

This party had all of the traditional elements, plus more! Lunch was catered by China Pearl, with all the food set up in buffet stations with warming trays so the food stayed hot for the entire party. The menu included the following: Dim Sum Sampler, Jumbo Shrimp Combination (Spicy Garlic Salt and Walnut Flavored), Silverback Fish with Chinese Mixed Vegetables, Stir Fried Noodles, Sticky Rice with Pork and Vegetables, and Red Bean Soup. In addition to the catered food, three whole chickens were served, along with red-dyed eggs and ginger soup.

Red linens covered all of the tables, and a huge fruit display from Edible Arrangements brightened up the room, with daisy cut pineapples, chocolate covered strawberries, canteloupe, honeydew, and grapes. Red and gold balloons adorned the front of the house as well as the guestbook table. Grace's friend created a painting of an ox, symbolizing the 2009 "year of the ox", which was placed on the fireplace mantle. I wrote Noah's Chinese name on both sides of large pieces of metallic gold and red paper, which were strung on fishing line in the doorway along with two red lanterns. Mini bottles of Rémy Martin V.S.O.P. were given out to guests as favors, and they also enjoyed a lion dance performance at the beginning of the party. Here are photos of some of the details!

The party was a lot of fun, and guests were stuffed from all of the food! Thank you, Grace, for allowing me to be part of this special celebration!

~Emilie

Photos of Kristin and Anand's Wedding from Eric Limón Photography

Fiona and I were the day-of coordinators for Kristin and Anand's wedding back in September, and we blogged about the details in a previous post here. Now, we finally have the professional photos back from Eric Limón Photography, and we are so excited to show them to you!

This gorgeous outdoor wedding was held at the bride's family home. The ceremony was in the beautifully landscaped garden, and the reception was in a Sperry tent just around the other side of the house.

We were so happy to be part of this wedding. I love how the tent is so illuminated at night! If you're looking for a day-of coordinator for your wedding, contact us at info@pinkorchidweddings.com!

~Emilie

A guest blogger for Big Fat Cake!

photo from Big Fat Cake

Today, I was a guest blogger for Big Fat Cake, a site dedicated to educating and helping brides and grooms plan their wedding with less time and worry. In my post, I distinguish the differences between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator. If you're interested, check out my post here!

~Emilie

Bilingual Thank You Cards

After designing their wedding invitations, Nicole and Gary asked that I create "thank you" cards in a similar theme and style. I created a few samples for them to see, and they ended up choosing two different styles. One was a bilingual thank you card, in both Chinese and English, with their names in the lower right hand corner. The other had a branch of flower blossoms that matched their wedding invitation, with the words "thank you".

I love the bilingual thank you card, because with the Chinese characters on it, it's modern, simple, and a nice way to embrace the Chinese culture. The two sets of cards were made of a pearlescent white metallic cardstock, and were paired with silver metallic envelopes.

If you're interested in these thank you cards, or a custom design, feel free to email me at info@pinkorchiddesigns.com.

~Emilie

Modern Double Happiness Wedding Invitations

Going all the way back to December of 2008, I was contacted by Nicole, a San Francisco bride, about creating invitations and stationery for her Lake Las Vegas destination wedding. She wanted something "simple, classic, and slightly exotic" for her Asian-inspired wedding. Double happiness Chinese characters were incorporated into her design, along with some decorative flower blossoms and branches. The red and silver elements of her color theme were present in the double cardstock backing for the invitation, and in the silver envelopes for both the main invitation and the response card.

A custom map was created for Nicole, showing Lake Las Vegas in relation to the Vegas Strip and the LAX Airport. This was displayed alongside the wedding weekend itinerary which included a golf tournament and a welcome party. All cards were made of a pearlescent white metallic cardstock.

After a fun ten months of working with Nicole, she just got married this past weekend! Nicole and Gary, congratulations!! I'll be sharing her other wedding stationery elements soon. If you're interested in this invitation for your upcoming wedding or special event, email me at info@pinkorchiddesigns.com.

~Emilie

Unique lettering for envelopes and more!

Ever since I was young, I have really loved lettering. I started doing traditional calligraphy in the fourth grade, and learned the importance of spacing. I practiced my signature all of the time, and would even get asked by classmates to write their name "as a signature" so they could see what it would look like. I made huge banners in block letters for homecoming and spirit week in high school, and continued to do banners in college at Carnegie Mellon.

More recently, I've been doing lettering on envelopes. Taking the time to write out someone's name in style is a way to give a great first impression. For every card I send out, whether it's a thank you, bithday, or wedding, I always spend a little time to make it extra special. Below are some photos of lettering examples.

Block lettering: clean and modern

Cursive lettering: whimsical and fresh

This lettering is great for envelopes, but would also work well if you're looking for a unique style for tags, place cards, signs, or anything else. My lettering services are available through Pink Orchid Designs. Please email me at info@pinkorchiddesigns.com for pricing!

~Emilie

Edible Arrangements: Tasty and Beautiful

If you are ever in need for a practical gift that is both beautiful and tasty, Edible Arrangements has some really gorgeous treats. Their displays of fruit will brighten up any room and would be perfect for a bridal shower, or an afternoon engagement party.

photo from Edible Arrangements

If you want to try some fruit from Edible Arrangements, they are actually giving out free boxes of chocolate dipped fruit here. The promotion ends on 11/16/09 and is limited to the first 100,000 participants. Delivery costs are not included. I absolutely love chocolate covered fruit, and want to make sure everyone can take advantage of this amazing offer!

~Emilie