Spotted in SF: Verunica

Okay, so for those of you who don't know me, I'm pretty much a vintage clothing and jewelry junkie. I loooove old weird costume pieces and see the story each one holds. Anyway, when our clients are looking for the best vintage accessories, I usually suggest Verunica in Hayes Valley. They have totally awesome stuff and the inventory is always changing. I've found everything from shoes to shawls there and the girls in the shop are super friendly and knowledgable about what they sell. They occasionally have wedding dresses and cute dresses for bridesmaids if you don't want everyone to match. But the best thing of all is their insane accessories collection. And just when you think you've dug through it all, make sure you pop over to the other shop across the street for more goodies.


xo.
a.b.

New Press: SF Wedding at the Flood Mansion in Brides

Check out our Flood Mansion wedding in SF that was recently featured in Brides Northern California! This was a gorgeous wedding in February that we did with Kathleen Deery, Lisa Lefkowitz, Perfect Endings, DJ Sol, and Paula Le Duc Fine Catering. We loved how classic and elegant the evening turned out to be. It was just stunning and Liz was such a beautiful bride and a delight to work with. Enjoy the photos!

New Wedding: De Young Museum SF

Late August is the perfect time of year to get married in San Francisco. Most people don't understand the weather patterns in SF (self included), but summer really doesn't start here until late August, and even then it's still pretty breezy, but at least it's not perpetually foggy. This year, we hosted a beautiful wedding at the De Young Museum during the last week of August and it was a gorgeous day!

As the De Young is a very modern, clean and white space, the bride really wanted to bring in some bursts of color, but nothing too loud. So, she selected a very textural, heavy white linen drape for the dinner tables with turquoise runners and grey napkins. She loved the look of a black chivari chair, which created a great contrast with all the white in the room and also complemented the pattern of the famous Gerhard Richter artwork that flanks the main wall of Wilsey Court. Because the bride enjoys a bit of whimsy, she decided to hire Violetta Flowers, a florist who did a great job intertwining modern and wild throughout.

The event was catered by Betty Zlatchin Catering, who put together a sophisticated, yet comfy menu and served a delicious dinner family style. Their crew did an absolutely fantastic job!! Also amazing, was the music. The groom's friends put together a small band for the ceremony and cocktail hour, even including a second line from the ceremony in the outdoor sculpture garden all the way to the Hamon Tower, which overlooks a 360 view of San Francisco. For dinner and dancing, DJ Harry Duncan spun all 1960's soul music, which set a wonderfully timeless tone for rest of the night.

This wedding was the epitome of San Francisco style and such a delight to be a part of!








Photos by Jesse Leake Photography.

New Press: Martha Stewart Weddings!!

Tomorrow morning we go live on Martha Stewart Weddings with one of our all time favorite weddings. Look forward to a palette of buttery yellows, creams and greys in a modern California setting. You can check out our work with the fantastic Jenny Pennywood, Olive-Route and Brooke Duthie tomorrow!!

We had such a blast volunteering at the San Francisco Street Food Festival this past weekend!! It's amazing what a team goes into making this great event happen and La Cocina did a fantastic job of coordinating all the details. There was such a great sense of community across the board and it seems like everyone had a blast. Here are a few peeks at how our day went.









Mmm... s'mores...

Street Food!

Come hang out with us at the SF Street Food Festival this weekend!! We'll be volunteering, so keep your eyes peeled to find us.




WHAT: Foodie feast brought to you by La Cocina + other fun stuff including cart crawls, contests, auctions and more
WHEN: Saturday, August 21st 11am-6pm
WHERE: The Mission [[Folsom St. from 24th to 26th, 25th from Treat St. to Shotwell St., and Treat St. along Garfield Park]]
WHY: Cus that's how we roll... and because we love that La Cocina is bringing awareness to the need for formal regulations for mobile food vendors... and because we think La Cocina is just rad in general.
WHO: Only the most elite of food vendors in SF, in no particular order

SABORES DEL SUR EL BUEN COMER
LOS CILANTROS PURPLE HIBISCUS AZALINA’S MALAYSIAN ESTRELLITA’S SNACKS ZELLA’S SOULFUL KITCHEN CHEZ PAPA RESTO AZIZA BI-RITE CREAMERY EL HUARACHE LOCO 4505 MEATS CHAAC MOOL ANDA PIROSHKI ONIGILLY THE SLANTED DOOR DELFINA NOMBE KASA LA MAR CEBICHERIA 15 ROMOLO FLOUR + WATER NAMU KITCHENETTE SF HAPA RAMEN ENDLESS SUMMER SWEETS LET’S BE FRANK EL PORTEÑO EMPANADAS THREE TWINS ICE CREAM KIKA’S TREATS CLAIRESQUARES DELICIAS SALVADORENAS SWEET COLLECTION NEOCOCOA LOVE AND HUMMUS COMPANY CMBSWEETS LIBA FALAFEL EL TONAYENSE KUNG FU TACOS GLOBAL SOUL CURRY UP NOW ROLI ROTI SAJEN BERETTA CREME BRULEE CART WHOLESOME BAKERY GOBBA GOBBA HEY DEZY’S DRINKS SWEET REVOLUTION THE WHOLE TORTILLA ADOBO HOBO BRASS KNUCKLE RYE ON THE ROAD THE ALEMBIC

Simple City Chic Wedding

A few months ago, some dear friends of ours tied the knot and we had the absolute delight of hand holding them through the process. Lynn and Simon got married cliffside at Sutro Heights Park in San Francisco. These beautiful photos were shot by Michael O'Neal, a close friend of the couple (and us). To make the ceremony extra sweet, the bridal party waltzed in arm-in-arm.





Following the ceremony, guests were invited to an intimate (and delicious) dinner party at a private loft in downtown SF. Nopalito catered, serving staples like chips and guac alongside a beautiful citrus salad topped with queso fresco, and drool-worthy carnitas.





The Welsh groom had every say in the floral decor. Bright yellow daffodils in simple mason jars provided a lovely splash of color on the beautiful Zephyr wooden farm tables.






For dessert, a friend of the bride and groom baked fresh cupcakes and the Nopalito staff served homemade paleta (a.k.a. the best popsicles ever).



Tres chic, no?

New Wedding: SF Ferry Building

We produced a lovely wedding at the Ferry Building in San Francisco this past January. The couple chose to get married at the Ferry Building because they wanted their wedding to capture the spirit of San Francisco and have the feel of an upscale urban dinner. Truly getting into the spirit of SF, they had Mayor Gavin Newsome act as the officiant for their ceremony.




The ceremony took place on the seal in the middle of the Ferry Building, with guests seated in a circle around the couple. We loved the idea of having the couple literally surrounded by the people they love as they tied the knot. There were also about 30 kids in that crowd, who stayed throughout the night and had a blast in the kid's entertainment room manned by Sophie's Stress Free Soirees.



Since the wedding took place in a very official space in the middle of winter, we felt it was important to create a warmer atmosphere. Breaking up the space with drapery really helped to achieve some of that warmth, as did the color palette of crisp greens, whites and ivory. Spring blossoms also created a more organic, natural feel. Floral arrangements were designed by Radeff Design Studios.






Paula Le Duc Fine Catering provided all of the delicious food and this gorgeous cake was made by our favorite, Perfect Endings.




A San Francisco style wedding simply wouldn't be complete without great music, so the couple hired a soul band called Pride and Joy to play after dinner. They were amazing and had the whole crowd on their feet dancing and laughing.



Following the wedding, the couple and their guests headed back to Hotel Vitale, where they had some adorable and tasty Miette macarons awaiting them.

New Venue: The Hanger

We did a walkthrough of this rad new venue called "The Hanger" this week. It's a hipster loft with amazing windows and light, located in the SOMA area of San Francisco. Boasting 9,000 square feet of open space, this venue would be a great location for a big city wedding or even just for throwing a great party. Cindi Osborn of Mint Locations represents the property, so you can contact her for more information, but check out these great photos of the raw space...