CLOUD BANTER

Curating Moments That Matter. A Bay Area Event Blog.

From a Wedding Planner: What questions to ask your Wedding Venue?

I’m so excited to be starting a new blog series at Make it Mariko called “From a Wedding Planner” where we’ll give you tips and tricks to planning your wedding, from the perspective of a Wedding Planner!

Today’s feature:

What questions should I ask
my potential Wedding Venue?

See below for our list of typical questions that we’d ask of any Event Venue that we talk to. Hope it is helpful!

-Gina MarikoRead More

UNDISCOVERED SF – Launching a New Creative Night Market for SF

When I was introduced to the movement around SOMA Pilipinas by my friend Desi Danganan about a year ago, I knew I had to get involved. I had just launched Make it Mariko a few months back, and was ready to get back involved with the community especially rallying around Filipino entrepreneurs. So I offered to help produce a “launch party” for SOMA Pilipinas as a way to help spread the word about the district and get people excited and proud. I knew I’d be in for some work, but had no idea how much work…

We eventually came up with the idea for the Creative Night Market based on the vibrant night markets in Asia and we started to see this beautiful concept coming to life, with an amazing team of Filipino entrepreneurs and #Entrepinays. We worked hard for the next year on the concept: raising money, finding sponsors, getting permits, and making it real.

On Friday August 18th, we officially launched UNDISCOVERED SF: A Creative Night Market for the Bay Area, and the Filipino community responded.

Shay & Oliver’s Colorful Buddhist Wedding in San Francisco

Shay and Oliver were such a kind and beautiful couple with a unique vision for their wedding. They were set on having a small, intimate wedding with less than 50 people. Shay was living in Florida, and Oliver in Vallejo. This would be the first time that their families would meet, and they wanted it to be a personal experience where everyone would have time to get to know each other.Read More

CAMP: A Creative Business Conference Like No Other

A few weeks ago I attended back to back conferences, both of which could not be more different from each other. I’ll post a separate blog about conference #2, but first off, CAMP, aka The Unique CAMP. This is not your typical business conference. Imagine yourself in the woods of Big Bear, CA, with 200 other business owners, entrepreneurs, and creatives, camping in YMCA bunks, making up chants, taking workshops, doing archery, with no access to cell phones or laptops. I have to say, it was a beautiful thing full of beautiful people. Read More

Tips on Hosting a Backyard Wedding with Trulia

I’ve always loved writing, so recently have made a valiant effort to start blogging more. I’m excited to have recently partnered with Trulia, the online residential real estate company, on a blog with tips on planning a backyard wedding at your home!

Of course, we all know that most San Franciscans can’t afford backyards at the moment (present company included), but you know, others in the Bay Area may find this useful 🙂

Check out the blog here.

Enjoy!

-Gina

Hiring a NEW Event Coordinator!

Well, it’s been about a year and a half owning my own business, and it’s definitely been a roller coaster ride (the awesome scary kind). I’m the kind of person that is used to doing things my own way, so bringing on new team members was a little scary. But I did it, and hired two interns this past year who have been amazing helpers and taught me a lot about what it takes to be a great manager (shout out Megan and Monica!).

But it’s time — time to expand the team, and let go of some duties, and bring in some fresh new ideas. Because if I’m not growing, I’m staying the same, and the same is boring.

So I’m excited to announce that I’ll be hiring the FIRST part-time addition to our team – a new Event Coordinator! My business is my baby, and I care about it a lot. But as my mom always says, I need to build and grow. So I’m ready. If this job description sounds like something you’re interested in, please apply. I promise it’ll be a roller coaster ride of awesomeness, and who knows what surprises will be at the end 🙂

Please pass this along to anyone you know would be interested!

– Gina Mariko

#PastaMeetsPancit: A Filpino-Italian Wedding in Italy

Recently I had the extreme pleasure of traveling to Northern Italy to attend and participate in my cousin, Zuwenah’s wedding to her fiance, Roberto (aka Roby). Zuwenah is Filipino and Roby is Italian. They met while traveling in Kathmandu, Nepal, and went on their first date. Apparently it went well because Roby ended up skipping his next travel itinerary and instead spent two months traveling Thailand and Cambodia with Zuwenah!

After that the two were inseparable, meeting up in Italy for 3 months, doing long distance for a while, then traveling to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and India together. They finally decided to settle down in Italy so that Roby could continue the family business of running his own gelateria (true story).

Roby’s family owns and operates a traditional Italian gelateria called Gelateria La Via Lattea, in a small northern Italian town called Gozzano, and have been in the same location for 25 years. Needless to say, it’s THE BEST gelato in town (and the best that I’ve ever tasted personally) and everyone in Gozzano (and beyond) knows them. It was so humbling to meet Roby’s parents and I feel like I now have a new extended Italian family 🙂

His parents didn’t speak much English, but language barriers are irrelevant when you have love. Enjoy the photos from my trip also playing around with my new Sony Alpha a6 camera!

-GinaRead More

Couple’s Wedding Trivia Template!

I’m all about the wedding activities. Weddings are supposed to be fun, and focused on the couple. Anytime my couples are down for fun activities and doing more interactive things, I always suggest COUPLE’S TRIVIA!

#1: I love trivia.
#2: I love the idea of getting to know a couple more at their wedding.

Couple’s trivia is a great activity to do during dinner in between courses especially if you’re doing a buffet since it gives guests something to do while they wait. Right before dinner ends, have everyone check their answers (honor system), and have your Emcee read off the answers aloud. It’s super fun and everyone always learns something new and fun about the couple.

Buy fun prizes for the winner!

For our wedding, I designed custom t-shirts based on our theme ‘California Love’ for the winners. We printed a few extras and gave them out to guests throughout the night. We also wore them the day after the wedding.

FUN FACT: The team that actually won trivia at our wedding, was our TRIVIA TEAM that we used to play with every week! I guess the practice paid off.

Download the template below, and share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Ready to play?

Click here

34th Annual Leap Sandcastle Classic at Ocean Beach!

Every year, San Franciscans flock to Ocean Beach to witness amazing sandcastle being built at the Leap Sandcastle Classic. This year, Make it Mariko was excited to be chosen as the new event producer to help the local nonprofit organization, Leap Arts in Education raise critical funds for high quality Bay Area youth arts education.Read More

Grace & Colby – A Nature Inspired Berkeley Wildflower Wedding

It’s always a joy when my clients take me back to my alma mater, UC Berkeley. As a Berkeley alum, I’m excited to now be one of the preferred planners for their onsite wedding & event venue, The Faculty Club. Funny story, I actually graduated on the Faculty Club lawn from the Philosophy Department back in the day!

An eco-conscious couple, Grace & Colby were inspired by all the beautiful trees and nature surrounding the Faculty Club and wanted wildflower-inspired florals that looked like they were freshly foraged. We incorporated natural elements into all their decor from dried flowers on the signage, wooden frames, green leaves as escort cards, and the beautiful (and giant) hanging wreath designed by Juna Alinea.Read More

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