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We are pleased to introduce John Goolsby and Mary Jo Gallegos as California’s new State Coordinators.

John Goolsby is the Director of Membership. He is the owner of Godfather Films and has produced more than 2,500 wedding films since 1986 while working in 23 different states and 12 countries.
He has the designation of Master Videographer and was named One of the Top 25 Event Filmmakers in the World. He is a published author, professional speaker and serves as Co-Director for ABC Orange County and Inland Empire. He is also an Honorary Life Member and Past-President of Professional Photographers of California. His role is to promote ABC, recruit members and to provide member services and support to the eight Local Networking Groups in California.

Mary Jo Gallegos is the Director of Education. She is the owner of An Affaire of the Heart. Mary Jo has attained the designation of Master Bridal Consultant from ABC in 2010 and teaches the course “Wedding Planning and Coordination” at the University of California in
Riverside. She was a founding Co-Director for Inland Empire ABC. Her role will be to offer educational classes and assistance for those members seeking more knowledge in the wedding industry.
John and Mary Jo are working closely together to gain momentum for 2012 in
growing the membership of ABC California and providing educational courses to
assist our members. Stay tuned for more exciting news including a California State Conference scheduled for February 2013.

Please contact them with your suggestions for ABC California and let them know how they may help you in your endeavors.

John Goolsby, Master Videographer - John@GodfatherFilms.com
Mary Jo Gallegos, Master Bridal Consultant™ - jmjgallegos@msn.com

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Since 1926, the Inn at the Park Hotel has enchanted visitors with soaring 1920′s architecture, gracious hospitality, and our fashionable, yet trendy urban setting alongside lush Balboa Park. Recently remodeled, this San Diego boutique hotel (a registered historic site) still has that refined charm of the 1920s with fine period touches including crystal chandeliers, coffered ceilings and antique furnishings.

The stunning Top of the Park Penthouse is a private rooftop terrace with breathtaking views of the San Diego skyline.
They can accommodate up to 150 guests in comfort and refinement or up to 350 for a stand-up cocktail style reception. Regionally inspired cuisine service can be customized to suit every taste, from elegant buffets to formal tableside plated dinners or custom theme and carving stations. They also proudly feature classically appointed suites for out of town guests.

Our exceptional speaker, Pierre Charmasson, talked about incredible event productions for exclusive clients and showed us images of the entire production from concept to finish.

Pierre Charmasson, CMP, a Broadcast Journalism graduate of Northern Arizona University, is currently the Director of Sales and Event Production Producer at Velocity Audio Visual Inc. as well as owner/operator of ArtisanVoice.com.  With an extensive background in the Hospitality industry, Pierre continues to be a strong advocate of continuing education.  Pierre serves as an instructor in the Extended Studies programs at San Diego State University and California State University San Marcos. He has been an active member of the San Diego Chapter of Meeting Professionals International for over a decade and currently serves as the Director of Social Media.  Pierre is a best known for his dulcet tones and witty public speaking style.  He is a seasoned public speaker, event moderator, professional auctioneer, and back stage voice over talent.

Thanks to our sponsors:
Venue – Bobby Fader, Inn At The Park
Bakery – Babycakes
Linens – Rosalynda Giannone, Signature Linens by Dreams Do Come True
DJ – Jay Brannan, Brannan Entertainment
Photo – Chana, Photo by Chana and Don

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As periodically I hear from planners that their couples are debating between asking a friend or family member to officiate their weddings vs. hiring a professional Officiant to do so, I thought I’d take a few minutes to explain the four different aspects to officiating a wedding.  Whether this makes them realize they are better off hiring a professional, or deciding they still want their friend or uncle to officiate, these are all important things for them to know.

Legal:  Honestly, this is the easiest aspect to officiating a wedding.  Some states make it tougher, but California makes it quite easy – you can either register as Deputy County Clerk for the Day, to officiate that day only, or you can get ordained online through one of about three organizations currently.  This is often the first thing I’ll hear from a couple thinking about having their friend do it – “they can get ordained online.”  Yep, they can, but there is much more to officiating your wedding, and making it a great and memorable experience for everyone, than just having the legal ability to sign your license.

Content aka Writing and Creating a Meaningful Ceremony:  Please remember that this is actually one of the key reasons many of your family members (and even some of your friends) are there – they want to see you celebrate your relationship.  Knowing how to put together a ceremony that is meaningful to you, respects your traditions and your relationship, and isn’t too short (or too long), is very important.  It is not a stand-up routine (I will hear from couples, “oh, my friend is so funny” – awesome, have them do a speech or toast at the reception, and not the ceremony, as this isn’t the place for that).  Humor is great, and completely appropriate, if your relationship is one where you laugh together often (and I hope it is).  But it isn’t the only thing, or the primary thing.  Celebrating your relationship is the key.  It also isn’t about the Officiant, but is about you – I saw an uncle once who included multiple paragraphs in the ceremony about himself and his relationship with the couple and stories he knew about them, and it was really not the place for that (again, that is perfect for a toast at the reception).  It’s also terrific when you can have lots of ideas and suggestions about content to include, in order to find what fits you and your relationship best – an experienced professional Officiant will have that all for you, so you don’t have to do the research on this yourself.

Presentation aka Delivering the Ceremony Professionally and Well:  Realize that public speaking is actually the thing most people fear the most, and is something that not everyone is great at doing.  I have actually been hired a few times by couples whose friend got cold feet at the last minute – realizing they couldn’t get up in front of 100 people and speak well.  And, yes, the friend felt badly and paid my fee!  Presenting a wedding is different than a typical public speech in that you have a mixture of audiences, each of whom needs a different focus.  The first audience is the couple.  The two of you are right there, and this is about you.  There are times during the ceremony that feel like it is just the three of us there, and that’s how it should feel.  Then there is the family (and the bridal party).  These are the folks closest to you, and you want them to feel involved or acknowledged or respected during the ceremony (all depending on your relationships with them, of course).  They are naturally going to be more “into it” than the general guest, and you want them to feel like they matter.  Lastly there are the rest of the guests, some of whom might be your boss or co-workers, some longer-term friends, some more recent friends, and some more distant family who don’t know you as well.  All of them should feel like they know you and your relationship after the ceremony, in my opinion, and should feel like they are now your cheerleaders and supporters in your relationship.  There’s a reason you chose to invite those people, so they should feel that their presence matters.  Making everyone feel included is partially through the content of the ceremony itself, and part of it is from the presentation, including eye contact and gestures and voice usage.

Wedding Details aka Being the Ceremony Director:  What about all of the logistics within that 20 minute ceremony, like what to do with the flowers, how to handle the rings, how to handle their vows (if they want to read them), how can they be heard, involving the readers or others being included, and how do they get the flowers back before the walk back down that aisle?  All of those things matter too, and often aren’t thought about ahead of time – and someone who doesn’t do weddings regularly might not think about them at all.  A great planner will be able to get the procession to function properly, the bridal party standing in the right place, and for everyone to know how to walk out afterward.  But, once they are all there, it is the Officiant’s job to direct it all.  How about will the Officiant do the considerate thing and get out of the way of the first kiss?  To be honest, I’m very aware that I am going to be so many of the ceremony pictures already – the couple really doesn’t need me in the middle of the kiss shot too!  In my mind, that should be an awesome picture of the two of them enjoying that first kiss as husband and wife, and they really don’t need my smiling face in the middle of it.  And, how about the biggest rookie mistake I heard about regularly – forgetting to tell the guests to be seated after the procession is done and you are starting the ceremony itself?

All of these four aspects come together to make the ceremony successful, meaningful, and remembered in a positive way.  Every wedding professional can tell a story of a ceremony that wasn’t done well, and, unfortunately, we know that it often becomes one of the big topics of conversation by the families and guests at the reception to follow.  Instead, I’d rather send everyone into the party with such a great sense of who the couple really is together, where they are going in their life together, and for everyone to feel the love and affection – this will permeate the rest of the event!

I hope this gives you some good ideas of how Wedding Planners can talk about it with their couples when they are debating which way to go with their weddings…

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Be inspired by one of the most exceptional settings in Southern California.  Atop the bluffs of La Jolla and overlooking the legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course, site of the 2008 US Open and San Diego’s annual PGA Tour event, sits the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.  With nearly 60,000 square feet of event and meeting space, the hotel provides a setting to inspire and entertain attendees. Elegant Ballrooms and expansive, manicured gardens accommodate intimate weddings or galas up to 1,500 guests.

We were honored to have an extraordinary speaker for this seminar, Alan Berg! With more than 20 years in wedding related sales and marketing, Alan Berg is uniquely qualified to help local wedding businesses achieve their goals. Alan spent 11 years at The Knot, the leading lifestage media company, most of them as vice president, overseeing the sales, education and training of the local sales team and local wedding pros around the country.

He is the founder of The Wedding Industry Leaders Conference, an organization dedicated to the educating and consulting of highly motivated individuals and businesses.

Alan is also the author of the new book “If your website was an employee, would you fire it?”, published by his company Left of Center Marketing & Publishing.

Thank you to our sponsors:
Venue – Cheri Walter, Hilton Torrey Pines
Bakery (Sweets) – Elaine Ardizzone, Sweet Cheeks Baking Co.
Bakery (Baklava) – Naji Chaya, Nora’s Baklava
Coffee Service – Melissa Darisay-Thorpe, Euro Bar Espresso
Flowers – Rheana Coon, White Lotus Productions
Linens – Maria Garcia, APR Fine Linens
Lounge Furniture – Caitlin Sakacs, Lounge Appeal
Audio Visual Services – Toby Russell, EventAVision
Photography – Xavier Bailey, Xavier Bailey Photography
Photo Booth – Neil Torr, ePod Photo Booth
Videography – Mark Boyd, Storyteller Productions

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The elegant but comfortable Crosby Clubhouse designed by Oz Architects of Scottsdale, Arizona offers broad views of the course and the hills that surround it, while providing the highest level of service and amenities for club members and their guests. The Crosby Sports Center’s Tennis Garden is devoted to the game, with a sunken stadium court, surrounding hard courts and an elegant veranda. The Sports Center also includes a junior-Olympic swimming pool and a full range of strength-training and aerobic facilities. The Club also provides ideal opportunities for dining and entertaining, its architectural excellence matched by impeccable service and attention to detail.