Ring in the new year!

Blog FAIL!

I haven't been updating this blog and also failed to mention this fabulous New Year's Eve party I'm hosting with Skybox Event Productions, Platinum Peaks Entertainment, and The Flower Tray.

Party for a cause and at a great price!

http://midnightattheloft2010.eventbrite.com/

Come ring in the new year with all of us! It'll be a great time of drinking, dancing, desserts, and much much more!

Tweet!

I am now on Twitter (thanks to the NEW palm pre)! Follow me @Shana_EWEP!

Still working on a T-schedule for fundraising and non-profit events. Coming soon!

Downtime

Random Musing....

I know I've been following up on wedding blogs/sites WAYYYY too much when I went to Knot.com last night only to find that it was down for a scheduled maintenance. And then had to go check again immediately this morning to see if it was back up.

Well, it IS back up! On to research more photographers! =)

Cost Saving Tips for Fundraisers, Benefits, or Cause Events

Oops, I apologize for my 3 week hiatus. Been busy attending many networking functions and bridal shows!

As promised, I am now going to divulge cost saving tips for fundraisers, benefits, or cause related events!

I am such a penny pincher when it comes to these types of events, since the ultimate goal is to raise awareness and $$, it would defeat the purpose if excessive spending were involved.

I pride in my efforts on putting on quality events on a budget so I will still spend the money when necessary, but if I can do it for less or FREE, I will! In this economy, saving money is always good for you and your organization right?

Some key areas to cut costs:

1) Marketing
2) Decor
3) Entertainment
4) Staff
5) Food & Drinks


1) Marketing

• Unless you are living under a rock, you must have heard of social networking. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are all great ones to market your event for zero cost. The medium depends on who your target audience are: Facebook for your close networks, Twitter for cause/topic related followers, and Myspace for a wider (and younger) audience. You can even create invites to distribute widely to your networks or fan pages for people to join. Best of all, things that are posted on social networking sites spread like wildfire - make sure your event or cause stands out and other people will do the marketing for you!
• If you need to get an accurate count of who and how many people will be attending your event, you can use Evite or the event invites on the networking sites mentioned above.
• Be green and forego the event flyers and rave cards. Create an eye-catching softcopy flyer or postcard and send out via the networking sites and email. Post on your blog or website and ask friends to too. Who really holds on to paper flyers anyways? They just get tossed out immediately. You will save money and trees!

e-flyer from last year's OneHeart event at UCI

2) Decor

• I'm not afraid to admit - I heart Dollar Tree! Out of all the various 99 cent or dollar stores you can choose from, I've found the Dollar Tree to have the best selection and least tacky items. You can find table cloths, catering serveware, balloons, and thousands of decor items. I have decorated several Christmas trees using ONLY Dollar Tree items around the holidays.
  
• Check out the LA Flower District (in Downtown) or the OC Flower Mart in Santa Ana. You can get cheap flowers for $1 or less each, depending on what flowers you are looking for. Buy a bunch, cut, arrange nicely in a glass vase and VOILA! - you have an affordable and easy decor piece. You can also use loose petals to decorate tables.
  
• Your house is a hidden treasure chest! I'm sure you can find so many things laying around your house that you can use for event decor - baskets, vases, teapots (also great to display flowers in), doilies, lanterns/lamps, art pieces, random trinkets. Don't be afraid to be creative!

basket filled with tulips

3) Entertaiment

• Hiring entertainment can get costly - do you really have hundreds of dollars to spend on a DJ or live band? If not, try approaching local college and high school art and music programs. There are talented students out there waiting for any opportunity to showcase their skills.
• Through several years of planning events and networking, I've met many accomplished professionals and even people who just do their hobbies on the side - such as painting or photography. A lot of them belong to community clubs and organizations who share the same interests as them. A great way to recruit talent is to contact a local jazz organization, photo club, or artist community. Many of the fundraising and awareness events I've helped coordinate have involved local pro-bono talent! Most people would love to contribute to a good cause.

los angeles photo club (taken from the facebook group)

4) Staff

• Churches and religious organizations are almost always the first to jump at volunteer opportunities and supporting a good cause. My church has always been super supportive of events I've coordinated.
  
• College and high school students are the voice of this generation. Get one person between the age of 16-22 on fire for something and you'll get dozens more. Refer back to point #1 on Marketing.
  
• This is a no brainer - friends and family are your biggest allies!
  

newsong church - a third culture community

5) Food & Drinks

• For the most part, a big chunk of your event budget will go towards food and drinks. However, some or all of your food and drinks may be donated by local businesses if you just ask. Be prepared with a sponsorship letter explaining the purpose of your event, kind of audience, how many reached, and why supporting your event would benefit their business. Some businesses may also require a tax ID for sponsorship. I've had businesses like Whole Foods, Fresh & Easy, Lollicup Coffee & Tea, and Starbucks donate food and drink items for my events in the past. The idea of corporate responsibility to the surrounding community is a BIG issue these days. *NOTE: Sponsorships and donations are on a case by case basis. The businesses listed here are NOT guaranteed to donate to your event.
  
• In lieu of admission, you could ask guests to bring a dish or dessert and have a festive potluck for the event! If your event is theme based - for example: a sustainable "green" event - suggest that attendees bring all green or organic foods. Have fun with it!
  

potluck time!

Cost Saving Tips for Weddings

My dear friends Judy and Zak Zajac launched their new podcast today - Zajacs at Large. From their own words - "The audiocast features a range of interesting topics… some things will make you feel angry, happy, relief, or impartial. The main idea is that we get everyone talking and speaking their minds!"

Guess what the topic of their first episode is? - WEDDINGS! Yes, weddings - almost my favorite topic. (Although I enjoy planning and talking about weddings, I wouldn't say that is my top interest in the event world. I actually enjoy planning fundraisers and benefit parties even more because everyone is united by a similar cause.)

Anyways, in the podcast, Judy and Zak share how costly weddings really are (average wedding in the U.S. costs $28,000) - which turned them away from having a traditional wedding. They opted to do a Vegas wedding instead, which only cost them $4,000.


There are definitely ways to cut costs on your wedding, and it really just depends on where your priorities lie. Spend more on those non-negotiables and maybe cut things out that are frivolous.


Here are some cost-saving tips (in no particular order):

• Destination Wedding! It's nice to extend invitations to family and friends for your destination wedding, in let's say, Hawaii. But not very many will be able to go, which can be good since it would substantially cut down the RSVP list as well as costs! Which brings me to my next point....
  
• Smaller Guest List: If you don't want to spend a lot on your wedding, cut down your guest list! 60% of wedding costs are from the venue and food & beverage expenses. Less people means less money spent on catering costs!


• Stay away from Saturdays: The most expensive days for weddings are Saturdays. Most venues offer discounted rental fees or packages for Fridays and Sundays - even more so on Monday - Thursdays! The best idea I've heard was a recent bride who chose to have her wedding on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That probably saved her thousands on the venue! Genius!
  
• Ask Friends: I'm sure we all have talented friends in various fields. Why not ask them to help out? Whether it be your cousin who is a hair stylist or a family friend who enjoys creating invitations or a coworker who puts together amazing slideshows, these people would probably be more than happy to help you in your wedding planning. It is definitely nice to offer compensation and at the very least, offer to pay for all materials. But if they don't accept or this is completely out of your budget, let them know that they can use their services as their wedding gift to you. Be sure to thank them and emphasize your appreciation! Note: One thing that I would not skimp on is photography. You can read my earlier post on that HERE.


• Rentals: Instead of spending tons of money on a designer wedding dress you'll wear for 1 day and then leave in your closet forever, why not rent a wedding dress instead? You can rent a designer dress for 1/3 of the cost and never have to worry about it again! Sure, you knew about dress rentals, but I bet you didn't know about cake rentals! Shippable faux cakes that look like cakes from Ace of Cakes and extravagant cake competitions on the Food Network start at $175 on http://www.cakerental.com/. There's even an edible cake portion placed in a hidden compartment in the back of the bottom layer of the cake - for photography and cake cutting ceremony purposes. Guests can't eat the faux cake since it's made out of styrofoam, but you can buy sheet cakes at Costco for $16 a sheet (feeds 50) to serve guests. Just exchange the faux cake with cut up sheet cake and guests will never know the difference!


• Cut Videography: This is really a personal opinion since I don't value videography as much as photography. For me, I wouldn't even hire a videographer for my wedding. As much as I would think I'd like to reminisce about my wedding day, I don't think I would take the time to sit down and watch hours of footage. However, when I get nostalgic, I can just flip through the photo albums. I actually saw a wedding video that was just a recording of everyone taking photos (with the family and table photos) - that was pretty lame. A slideshow of the photos is sufficient unless of course if there was a cool dance involved at the wedding that must be recorded.


• Seating Chart: Instead of having escort cards, create a fun seating chart instead and post up right outside of the reception site. You can even give printed copies of your guest/table list to your ushers and ask them to help escort or point guests to their tables. Here are some samples:
  
  

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on "Cost Saving Tips" for other types of events!

Side note: If you enjoyed the Zajacs at Large podcast, check out Judy and Zak's company website: Verudia, LLC for more.

Surprise!

Just read this post on 100 Layer Cake and had to share:

http://100layercake.com/blog/archives/1345

A surprise wedding for their guests put together in 7 days! How amazing is that!

So brides, no fret - if this couple can do it in 7 days, your 7 months is plenty of time!

P.S. - For those of you reading on Facebook, I know some of you are confused - why is she always talking about weddings??!!! This is actually a direct feed from my event planning blog located here: http://eastwesteventproductions.blogspot.com/

P.P.S. - I like postscripts.

It is not cheap...

...to be a wedding guest.

Allow me to explain. Although I do love attending weddings and feel honored for being included in a couple's momentous occasion, it is not friendly to the wallet.

For females, you have the bridal shower, then the bachelorette party, then the wedding (and for some, not too long after - the baby shower). How much do these really add up?

Check out the following post on Weddingbee in which one blogger details her expenses:
http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/08/26/the-cost-of-being-a-wedding-guest/

Shower:
Gift: $50 (made stationery)
Travel: $35 for rental car that day (I was in town anyway, but required a rental car that day to get from where I was staying to the shower)

Bachelorette Party:
Travel to (Oakland to Las Vegas flight): $260
Cab/Shuttle fares (various throughout the weekend): $100
Lodging/gift chip in/cabana chip in/bottle service at club chip in: $275
Food (including chip in for bride’s meals) 4 meals: $100

Wedding:
Gift: $125
Travel (gas to drive round trip to Southern California): $80
Lodging (2 nights): $250
Food for 2 people (Mr. Peng and me): $120

TOTAL: $1395

Wow that is a hefty number!

As much as the hosts of the weddings complain about how costly the functions are, the guests have it pretty rough too.

P.S. - For the wedding guest newbies - it's good ettiquette to give at least $100 (or close to) as a wedding gift. You're pretty much paying for your attendance and meal at the event. I've had someone say to me that he thought you didn't need to bring gifts to weddings. That weddings were a free event. Uh...wrong! I assure you that if you show up empty handed or with a cheapo gift, the couple is NOT going to be happy with you.

P.P.S. - Don't get me wrong. This is NOT a knock on weddings nor the engaged couples hosting them at all. I LOVE LOVE LOVE participating in weddings and find much joy in that weddings are a place where people are reconnected. Weddings are truly celebrations. Many THANKS to the couples who have allowed me to partake as a guest in their wedding festivities.

Just wanted to share from a guest's perspective.

Worth 1000 words

Pictures are worth 1000 words. Here are some photos from Jisun and Dan's wedding at the Grand Events Center in Long Beach.

Colors were black, white, and pink. Absolutely stunning!

Photos courtesy of Vince & Carla. (Also - congratulations on the recent addition to their family - a new baby boy!)

The 3/50 Project

I've been meaning to blog about this, although it's not directly events related, but I think it's a great "project" to contribute to and make a part of your life routine. The boyfriend and I just started this last week; and plan on spending at least $50 in 3 independent stores or restaurants a month.

My first contribution was to the Sweet & Saucy Shop in Long Beach, CA for their Grand Opening. I bought 2 of their delicious cake lollipops! So many event vendors are considered independent (only if they have a storefront) - bakeries, restaurants that cater, gift boutiques, etc. Why not stop in and support all those indie business owners!

Recession Buster of the Week - The 3/50 Project

It’s time we own this recession and get busy rebuilding and supporting our communities and our country.

The 3/50 project was born out of the concept of buying local to build the economy.
How do you support your local business and stores when your pocket book is so slim?

1. Pick 3 independently owned businesses that you would miss if they disappeared. Stop in. Say hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases are what keeps those businesses around.

2. If half the employed population spent $50 each month in local independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue annually. Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed population did that!

3. For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain only $43 stay here.

4. The number of people it takes to start the trend…one….you!

Read more about the 3/50 project here http://www.the350project.net/media.html
*Idea taken from the BargainsLA.com Weekly Newsletter and the 3/50 Project.

Amazing!

The Party at 511 for Angela and Grace was AMAZING! I really cannot take any credit for the work that was put into this event - all I really had to do was show up!

The talent line up was a good mix of dance, music, and spoken word. The food was absolutely incredible! So many volunteers dedicated their time and resources to this event, that everything went so smoothly.

Some highlights:

1) Cajun Vic's mouth watering gumbo! My friends and I could not stop going back for seconds, thirds, fourths...
I am a fan of southern comfort food and this is by far the best southern dish I have tasted. Cajun Vic is a native of Louisiana and now has a catering business based out of Huntington Beach. He has an amazing story to tell too, you should read about him on his website - http://www.cajunvics.com/. Definitely a friendly and admirable guy!

2) Andy Windak - food blogger and photography extraordinaire! He also does animation! Such a multi-talented individual. He takes different foods that he has experienced and tries to recreate the recipes. One of his fave are caneles, which he brought out to share with us - chewy, sugary, delectable goodness. Don't know what they are? Check it out on his blog here: http://www.windattack.com/?p=109

3) Matt Shockley - up and coming musical artist! I really don't want to put him in a box and tie him down to one genre since he does have a very unique sound so you just have to hear him for youself. http://www.mattshockley.com/He has FREE shows all over Southern California so catch one in your area!

Mad props to Angela and Grace for putting this together and giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great event! I don't know the exact numbers yet but last I heard, over $1000 was collected at the door to give to PATH and over 100 people were present! AMAZING!

UPDATED NUMBERS: 200 guests were in attendance and $2000 was raised for PATH and 5Eleven. Read more here:
http://partyat511.blogspot.com/2009/08/2000-and-more.html


Picture time!



the guests of honor



the event space



me doing my thang



dessert table



pretty flowers



andy windak!

Me? Speak??!!!

I was recently invited by Nadia, the Program Coordinator for the Asian Pacific Islander Student Resource Center at Cal State LA to participate in a career workshop there. Me, being the student involvement advocate (I was in several organizations in college), of course I jumped on the opportunity. Plus, someone is actually inviting me to speak??!!! That is a great honor.

I can't say that I have my career all figured out, but I do know that event planning is something I want to do in the long haul. I'm happy to dish out guidance and advice to confused and curious college students - I was there once too.

So, if you're free and in the area, stop by for an hour and hear me speak about my experiences regarding my career and event planning!

API’s Work(in) It: Popular Industries among Asian and Asian American Students
Time and Date: 3:15pm to 4:30pm, Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Location: Los Angeles Room A, U-SU, CSULA
Concept:
Professionals in various fields will provide students suggestions on how to improve their skills and become marketable in their career search. This workshop features professionals in fields/industries that have had a typically high percentage of the Asian and Asian American population. Current professionals who identify as Asian Pacific Islander will be featured as panelists and participants will be able to participate in small groups to have a more intimate conversation with each professional affiliated with their field of interest. This event will also encourage students to bring their resumes as conversation starters!

Personal note: So interesting how Nadia found me. She is a follower of the Angry Asian Man blog, who posted about Grace and Angela's party this Saturday. Then she went to their party blog and saw that I was coordinating and then contacted me via my EWEP website! Very cool!

Oh the power of social networking! This business has truly been blessed because of how supportive everyone has been. I do virtually NO advertising except for my blog and website, but there are still people out there who find me...and it's mostly via word of mouth referrals. It's been great meeting the various clients and vendors that people have connected me to.

So THANK YOU - readers, friends, family for your encouragement and support. Know that words cannot express how grateful and appreciative I am. Cheeeeese.

Left my heart in San Francisco...

or was it my stomach? Anyways, I heart SF! Especially all the yummy food!

This past weekend took an amazing trip with the boyfriend to see some friends in San Francisco. And lightbulbs in my head popped up everywhere we went!

San Francisco is such an eclectic city full of surprises in every corner. Inspirations for wedding/event decor and food can be found in so many places!

How about an engagement photo shoot with a SF cable car?

Photo courtesy of Geoff White Photography. You can see the complete engagement photo session on their blog. Fabulous!

OR

Desserts you found at a farmer's market?

Kingdom Cakes at the Island Farmers Market in the Metreon. With yummy and unique cupcake flavors like "Pancakes n Bacon", "Basil Lemon Blueberry" (pictured above), "Strawberries & Champagne" - how can you resist?

OR

Favor ideas from the many chocolatiers in the city?



This is a cute gift box from Teuscher in Union Square. You can find various whimsical candy boxes on their website.

If you're native to SF, I would suggest exploring the city even more for inspiration for your event or wedding - you never know where you'll see something creative and awe-inspiring! And for the non-SF folks, it doesn't hurt to make a trip up there! You'll fall in love with SF just like I did!

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Party at 511!

I was recently contacted by Angela from Newsong Church to participate in a party that she's putting together with her friend Grace. This celebration will be a benefit party - where the arts, culture and social justice come together. It will also be to celebrate Angela's 29th birthday and Grace's going away. How cool is that? They are turning a celebration which could've been only for exclusive and self-involved reasons, but instead, they chose this to be a public event benefitting some great organizations!

See below for the event announcement:

Bye-Bye Grace… Hello 29! – August 15 (4pm-10pm)

A benefit party: where the arts, culture and social justice come together. Come for food, live artists, great music and fun community!

Proceeds will go towards organizations that Grace Yi and Angela Park love:
PATH (http://epath.org/) and 5Eleven (http://511.urbanartsoutreach.org/)

Date:
Saturday, August 15, 2009

Time:
4pm - 10pm

Location:
5Eleven – Santa Ana’s Creative Space
511 E. Santa Ana Blvd.
Santa Ana, CA 92701

This event is open to the public. Bring your friends and family!
For updates and details: http://partyat511.blogspot.com/ (schedule of events to be posted soon)

I will be onsite to coordinate. Please come support these organizations and enjoy yourselves with some good food and entertainment!

Umbrella - ella - ella!

One of my clients is having an outdoor ceremony in October with 350 guests. It's an open, grassy field so we can pretty much do whatever we'd like with the space. One caveat is that there's almost NO trees for shade - and as the SoCal folks know, the afternoon sun can get hot! But the wedding is in the middle of Fall, so I'm not too worried.

The bride is concerned about the lack of shade because her side of the family and friends do not like being out in the direct sun. I quickly called around for some estimates on a large canopy, which will fit 350 guests underneath (Ceremony rows only, no tables - reception will be indoors).

Canopies do not come cheap, especially for a 40' x 80' one! Average price quoted was around $1200. Yikes!

So I got to thinking...how about sun umbrellas (aka parasols) instead? They would become part of the ceremony decor - and add color to an otherwise empty grassy field. I would imagine that it would look pretty nice in photos. As guests come in, ushers can hand out the parasols to the female guests or those who wish to use them. There can even be a pretty basket to hold the parasols.





This site has an excellent selection of parasols in various colors, styles, and sizes: http://www.lunabazaar.com/

If one buys in bulk, each parasol is $5.50. In my clients' case, let's say half will use parasols. I'm thinking the men will be fine without one. That would be $962.50. They will be saving close to $300 and guests can take the parasols home as wedding mementos. One vendor even suggested that if we were to rent a canopy of that size, to rent portable fans as well, since it may be stuffy with so many people. There you have it, with this idea, no fans are needed either!

Alright, now I'm going to pitch this idea to my client. Wish me luck!

Friends and DSLR Cameras

Have you noticed that everyone nowadays has a DSLR camera? Well, I can't blame them - the quality of the cameras are definitely better than the point and shoot ones and at the prices nowadays, the DSLR's are great investments! I'd get one too if I wasn't so forgetful about taking photos. I rely on my friends to remember. (There's usually at least 5 different cameras in a large party.)

I understand people like taking photos, and clear, high definition photos at that, but one gripe I have is when an Average Joe has a DSLR and is confident that they can break into the professional photography business.

When I first launched EWEP, I had many friends try to refer me to various photographer friends. Some whom I met were the actual professional ones, who've took classes and trained in the art of photography. But then some were simply a friend of a friend who owns a DSLR and wants to do wedding/event photography for fun or for low fees.

Photography is a HUGE priority on my list for wedding MUST HAVES. So I don't take photography lightly. Photos serve as memories, and if you don't have quality photos, how are you going to recollect every detail of your special day?

Anyways, Mrs. Avocado said it best in her post on Weddingbee here: http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/29/my-friend-has-a-camera-he-can-do-my-photos-right/

"My Friend Has a Camera, He Can Do My Photos. Right?"

WRONG!

Professional photographers are professionals - they have spent years and money on education, equipment, and experience. They will get the best shots and have the creative juices as opposed to your Average Joe.

If your budget is your main concern, there are professional photographers out there that vary in price ranges and sometimes even do complimentary shots or discounted packages. Professional photography does NOT have to be sacrificed due to budget! I promise you that!

Here is a small list of some of my fave professional photographers!

http://www.table4photography.com/
http://www.vinceandcarla.com/
http://www.harrisonlongphotography.com/

Inspired!

I've been following various event/wedding blogs as of late and have decided that some revamping is in order for my EWEP blog.

I've really only been using this blog as a document of events I've coordinated, but I don't think that's enough. And by the time I come around to updating this thing, months have passed since the event occurred! That's just not acceptable for a self proclaimed perfectionist!

With that said, I am now striving to use this blog as a journal of thoughts, ideas, happenings, links to other relevant blog articles, etc in my event planning world.

First topic - friends and DSLR cameras.

Recap: 4th Annual Talent 1 Media Film Festival

As I stated in my previous post, the last 3 months I've been assisting Talent 1 Media in putting together their annual film festival in Little Tokyo. This is their 4th year putting this festival on and it just gets bigger and better each year.

A little bit about Talent 1 Media...

Talent 1 Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping emerging filmmakers and artists use their creative talents for the purpose of causing change through raising awareness of social injustices. They offer wonderful and entertaining films, seminars and workshops, and live entertainment throughout their annual film festival, and best of all, the event is FREE! You can find out more information on their website at http://www.talent1media.org.

I had the pleasure of working closely with Sun Kim, Founder of T1M; Johnny Lee, Director of T1M; and an awesome planning team all made up of volunteers. As this is a completely free event for the general public, we had to rely on donations and pro bono work from volunteers. Thanks goes out to generous donors like Whole Foods, Platt Designs, Blossom Hill Florists, Wet Ink Printing, and many many individual donors who contributed cash and in-kind donations for the festival. Because of their kind donations and all the hard working people behind the scenes, we were able to provide food and entertainment for over 900 people, as well as spread awareness on human trafficking to the residents of Southern California and beyond.

My role was the Reception Coordinator, so I was in charge of coordinating all aspects of the evening reception. This included getting the red carpet and step & repeat set up, arranging DJ and music, coordinating catering, and laying out the decor. It was a lot of running around on the day of, but well worth the turn out! I definitely felt blessed to be a part of this amazing event and experience.

Pictures speak thousands of words so I'll just let these pictures do the talking...

























Photos courtesy of Ed D. Chu and Frederick Chung

Sneak Peeks: Jisun & Dan's Wedding and T1M Film Festival

I am the WORST blogger EVER. I am so sorry for the incredibly long lagtime between posts. EWEP has been quite busy these last few months!

I've been working with one of the most amazing couples the last couple of months - Jisun & Dan. They were mucho organized and detail oriented, which made my job so much easier! Their wedding was at the end of May at the Grand Events Center in Long Beach. It turned out fabulous! I will post up a event summary and photos soon.

Another event I've been working on was the 4th Annual Talent 1 Media Film Festival that took place just this past weekend at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo. Being the Reception and Marketing Coordinator, there were a lot of moving parts involved. But with the help of an awesome planning team and 40 volunteers, the event pulled off effortlessly! Photos and summary to come shortly!

Ta-ta for now!

EWEP Website!

YAY! It is up! After 3 months of prepwork, the EWEP website is officially LIVE! Please do check it out at www.eastwesteventproductions.com and use the contact form for any questions, comments, or feedback. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Special thanks to Heather Feather Design who worked efficiently and expertly in creating a beautiful site, as well as to Steven Nguyen and Table 4 Photography for providing amazing photos. The website could not have been possible without your help!

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day!

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day!

Some action items you can do: report suspicious behavior to your local law enforcement agency, learn more about the issue and get involved in combating human trafficking via www.ochumantrafficking.org, JustOne, Polaris Project, Not for Sale Campaign, and other cause organizations, buy fair trade products. So many things we can do! It really does happen in our own backyards, but most of the time, we aren't even aware of it or choose to ignore it.

Anyways, as I'm typing this entry, I'm also writing thank you emails to all the people who supported and participated in the OneHeart OC event this past Friday at UCI. Let me just say that it was so awesome to see so many people come together for the cause and do whatever it takes to spread awareness for human trafficking. We were able to raise approximately $1000 to donate to OC Human Trafficking Victim Services - this money will help victims in OC get reacquainted with society. There were 207 people in attendance, 10 community organizations represented, 10 artists and photographers displaying their pieces, 6 performances (music, comedy, and spoken word), 2 films, and a keynote speech.

There were some setbacks such as technical difficulties (hey, it happens, right?) , but overall, the feedback that I received was that it was a great night of education and entertainment around the important issue of human trafficking and modern day slavery.

Thank you to everyone that participated in and attended the event! Special thanks to UCI Chi Alpha, OC Human Trafficking Task Force, and Talent One Media for being amazing partner organizations to work with!

Happy 2009!

Hello readers! Happy 2009!

I'm hopeful that it will be another great year - but 2008 is a little hard to beat for me, considering it was such an eventful year! Promotion, new relationship, moving, starting East West Event Productions, what more could a girl ask for??!!

Updates:

• T-2 days until OneHeart OC! THANK YOU to all the artists, photographers, performers, speakers, partner organizations, supporters, volunteers, etc. Everyone has been so supportive and pleasant to work with! This event could not be possible without each and every one of you! Looking forward to an awesome event on Friday!
• Booked 2 weddings - one in May and one in November - very exciting! I really love helping couples make their dream wedding a reality. Thanks to those of you spreading the word about my new business. Referrals are so powerful!
• Found out I will be attending a couple weddings as a guest this year. Weddings are so much fun - especially seeing people I haven't seen in ages! 2008 was the year of engagements, 2009 is the year of weddings and babies!
• Going to sit on the advisory board of a very dear friend of mine's non profit medical organization. He's trying to develop a children's hospital in rural China. Very cool!
• The East West Event Productions website is still underway. Website creation and design is not an easy task!