It’s a Wrap! Looking Back on 2014
2014 was a quite a unique year because Nikki traveled the globe either as a speaker or a guest along with planning weddings. Since Nikki’s goal is to expand Exquisite Events to an international market, it was a year full of discovery, fun, interest and a great learning experience. Exquisite Events was also busy with planning Exquisite weddings in Las Vegas, Northern California and, of course, Los Angeles, which is home for Exquisite Events.
Nikki and Madiha also sponsored and planned, designed and coordinated a fundraiser for a cause that is very near and dear to their hearts for the second year in a row. The organization‘s goal is to encourage female education so they can in turn empower the communities. In the last eleven plus years, they have opened hundreds of schools and their students have gone on to get a higher education. Luckily, the event was able to raise a lot of money for the cause which always brings insurmountable joy to her personally.
In April, Nikki flew to Athens for a destination wedding planners congress where she was invited as a guest, got to meet with suppliers from several countries and came back with a wealth of knowledge. Nikki and Madiha then flew to Miami for the ICE event that was planned by Sade Awe of Bridal Circle. They met up with some amazing industry peers and got to hear Jo Malone, Co-Owner of Gilt and some luxury properties from all around the globe to name a few. The event was spectacular in every aspect and kudos to Sade for putting that on.
November was a busy month at Exquisite Events when Nikki flew to Cancun to be a speaker at ISSE and then to Moscow, Russia where she was invited to speak at the invitation of Wedding Business Summit. The trip was informative, interesting and thought provoking.
As the year comes to an end, it is our goal to continue to serve our clients in the best way possible and continue to provide an unparalleled and unforgettable experience to all our clients.
We are looking forward to amazing partnerships in 2015, lots of travels and of course lots of “Exquisite weddings.???
Stay tuned!!!!
We wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!!!!
Nikki Speaks at ISS Experience in Cancun
Nikki was approached by ISSE to speak in Cancun in the beginning of November. The topic was "producing cross cultural weddings with ease." She was also part of a break out session with Sarah Haywood and Diann Valentine and talked about "connecting with luxury clientele." She got to Cancun on Monday evening and was able to meet the organizer, Stacie Francombe, and the speakers at the welcome reception.
The next day, Nikki spoke at 10 am which was received very well with a lot of Q and A at the end of the talk.
That night, a fabulous dinner was planned offsite in Playa Del Carmen. The setting was beautiful and several stations serving Mexican cuisine were spread throughout the dinner area.
A lovely band was playing music and the group was entertained by Mexican dancers. It was an enchanting night.
The following day, Stacie had planned several breakout sessions for attendees and Nikki was thrilled to be on the panel with her two friends, Diann Valentine and Sarah Haywood from UK. The session went very well with William Miller as a moderator.
There was a lovely lunch followed by the breakout session with a gala dinner at night.
Have an Exquisite day and we will see you next Wednesday! Happy Holidays!
Nikki’s Talk in Moscow
Early this year, we got a phone call from Russia. Someone from the other end wished to speak with Nikki and identified herself as Kate from Wedding Business Summit. This was regarding a conference they were putting together in Moscow in November and wanted Nikki to be one of the speakers.
There were three other speakers from the U.S that were invited to be part of this Summit. Once the agreement was signed and all the obligations were fulfilled, Nikki left Los Angeles on Nov 21st to go to Moscow not knowing what to expect. Youngsong from Wildflower Linens was her travel companion and also one of the speakers. They were greeted at the airport by a gentleman that was hired by the Summit. After checking in the hotel, they decided to freshen up and explore the city. The weather was cold and it was fun to walk around in layers of clothes. They had an early dinner and decided to call it a night.
The next day they were driven to the venue where the Summit was taking place. It was buzzing with the activity of enthusiastic planners eager to learn. Nikki was introduced to the attendees and presented her talk amidst thunderous applause each time décor shots were shown and the background of each shot was explained.
There were a ton of questions after the talk as well as a panel discussion.
At the end of the Summit, the speakers were each given a plaque for participation.
Since the talk was over, they decided to venture to the city with the car and driver that was provided by the Summit. Sergue, their guide, spoke perfect English and drove them around the city.
The next day, they decided to explore the city during daylight hours. It had started to snow on Monday morning and the air was crisp and fresh. The first stop was the Kremlin.
After spending a few hours there, they spotted the Four Seasons Hotel and decided to check it out.
As luck would have it, the manager at the hotel had worked at Beverly Wilshire and was thrilled to show us around as well as treat us to a decadent afternoon tea. What a small world! He also remembered Nikki’s event at the Rodeo Terrace with tents and canopies and a fashion show. It was great to be indoors sipping the hot tea and chatting with the staff.
The hotel was officially going to open in three weeks but we fell in love with the Art Deco Interior and took some photos.
After that it was a few more sights and back to the hotel.
Stay tuned for Nikki and Young’s visit to Cancun next Wednesday! Have an Exquisite day!
Curious Zayn goes to the Zoo
This weekend we took a family trip to the Santa Barbara zoo. We have been bringing Zayn here since he was 8 months old and now that he is almost 3, he is much more aware of all the animals that he reads about in his books. This is one of the most beautiful, well maintained zoos with the most lush floral and fauna and it is perfect to get there at lunch time and have a picnic on the grassy hill overlooking the beach. I highly recommend a visit to the Santa Barbara zoo!
Zayn was so excited for the reptile and insect display-Eeeww is right!
8 foot long snake
Imitation is flattery :)
Mama had to participate too
The giraffes have an unfair advantage of the ocean view
Gorgeous greenery all around the property
Zayn's reaction to the vultures
The gorilla was not interested in visitors
Monkeys hangin out
The porcupine raised its quills right when we got there
After running around at the zoo, we headed over to the pier to catch the sunset. We lucked out with such a beautiful day!
Hope you enjoy and have an Exquisite Day!
XOXO
Madiha
Cool as ICE!
We had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Inner Circle Experience (ICE) this year, a conference held at the St Regis Bal Harbour Resrot in Miami! Sade Awe, the founder of the Bridal Circle, invited 50 influential people in the event planning world to the first Inner Circle Experience and we were so happy to be included!
The first day we had a meet and greet in the morning with Alexis Maybank, co-founder of Gilt (which we shop on quite often). The day was then full of sessions from social media experts, to strategic visionaries for luxury brands.
Sade welcoming everyone to the Inner Circle Experience
Lunch was served at the J&G Grill where we were able to mingle and get to know the attendees over a delicious meal served family style by the restaurant
Since the event is called The Inner Circle Experience, Jose Graterol created these sphere structures that were reminiscent of circles-very creative!
After our afternoon sessions, we had the chance to go up to our rooms, relax, and get ready for the welcome dinner that was in the pool area. It was such a beautiful night with the breeze blowing and the full moon's reflection over the ocean right in front of us. The St Regis really outdid themselves on the food the entire stay. I loved the little gold faberge egg caviar cups-so thoughtful considering Geza von Habsburg was going to be speaking about the reign of Faberge the next day.
The next morning day was packed with sessions from Geza von Habsburg, the specialist in Faberge, to Chris Austin who is the VP of Global Luxury for Starwood Properties to Shaun Rowan, Director of Education for Jo Malone London
Another incredible lunch at the Atlantico Dining Room followed the morning sessions. Loved the linen provided by Nuage Designs!
The finale night was so fun! After our sessions, we had the opportunity to get pampered and glammed by Blushing Beauty for the evening Fete.
Photo Credit:Stephanie Cross[/caption]
The room looked absolutely spectacular! It was as if we stepped into a modern day Gold and Mirror Gatsby party. As Sade mentioned, it is hard to "WOW" these attendees but we were all blown away! Hats off to Jose Graterol Designs, Redbliss, and Nuage Designs for making it all come together so beautifully.
Stunning florals by Jose Graterol Designs!
Gorgeous mirrored menus created by the talented Christine Traulich of Redbliss Design-such a great memento!
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Photo Credit: Stephanie Cross[/caption]
Rock With U Entertainment managed to keep all of us on our feet the entire night! They were an incredible band and so unique...really looking forward to working with them
Such a great experience meeting new friends and seeing old ones! Can't wait for the Inner Circle Experience 2015 in Puerto Rico!
Photography Credit: Allan Zepeda
Photography Credit: Kismis Ink Photography
Thank you Stephanie Cross for some amazing shots on the Fete evening!
