Out of Office (Maternity Leave)

Shhh...Baby is Sleeping! This blog will stay silent for a while until I fully recover! ;)

Noah Kim finally arrived on March 23rd weighing in at 6lbs 12oz and 21" (he was 4 days late!) I had relatively a smooth pregnancy until we found out at week 35 that the baby was measuring really small. The doctor put me a mandatory bedrest until I give birth so it was pretty miserable not to do anything but to stay home. I had anticipated baby #2 would arrive sooner but I finally had to induce him out on Friday morning and took me nearly 11 hrs for my cervix to open up!

Now that I'm a mom of two boys, my mission on earth is complete! yes, no more babies although I'd be extremely tempted to have a girl. ;) Seriously.. if I looked this HOT nursing my own child, I'd be so willing to pop out 3 more! lol!

  Please remain patient with us and we'll be back shortly! :)

I can tell it's gonna be a good day...

Can't believe it's already first week of February! At this rate, I'll be popping out the baby in no time! I was supposed to be on a maternity leave after our last Oct. wedding but that hasn't happened quite yet since we've been busy booking 2012 weddings and currently working on a side project which we'll launch shortly. I'll reveal the big news sometime in Feb, hopefully!

As we look back 2011, it has been such a blessing & successful year for MBS and we're so grateful for our amazing clients who have trusted us from the start. I asked anything & everything productions to put together a sweet video from some of the 2011 weddings we worked on together. The bride gave us a thank you speech to our team during the wedding and so glad they were able to capture it! :)  We also want to thank our wonderful clients who posted glowing testimonials from Project Wedding & Wedding Wire  and we have been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Wedding Planning.  It means so much that our previous clients think highly of our services and we'll be sure to work with the same attitude & passion for 2012 events.
Hope this video will also make you want to have a good day with us. ;) I fell in love with Priscilla Ahn after going to her concert back in 2009 and have been a huge fan of her music ever since. I think this song depicts the reason why we do the things we do.  As cliche as it may sound, our desire is simply for our brides to have a good day and leave all the worries to us.
Have a good day, everyone!


My Bride Story Weddings & Events from Anything&Everything Productions on Vimeo.

Umm.. Is Esther still alive?

So, I bet you are wondering where I've been these days. I can't believe its been about two months since my last post! Yikes! Well, wedding season is in full swing and we've been extremely busy since the beginning of the wedding season. Very grateful but we definitely have a ton of work to do, finalizing details and such.

A whole bunch has happened since my last post. But here are a couple quick updates before I really forget that I have a blog and lose all my loyal readers. ;)

1) My in laws are visiting from Korea for 6 months. yes, for 6 MONTHS! We have nothing in common except to talk about Grant during our conversations but it's all good.  I'm now really good at whipping up a quick meal for all of us and pretend to act like I really enjoy their company. (Hope my MIL is not reading this!lol) But I still respect them for who they are and very grateful for their sacrifice, love and faith.

2) I'm sure all of you have read about my journey of getting back to my old self. and as of today, I finally lost a little over 25 lbs since Jan. 3rd! I won't lie. It took a lot of self control, discipline, investment to build a healthy lifestyle, but it totally paid off. Thanks to WW, bootcamp, Jillian's DVD workout, cooking blogs and my dear husband who watches Grant while I go for a jog at night.  I'll share about ALL the nitty gritty details of what worked and how I did it so be on the look out for my very personal & special post! I promise, I'll post a before & after pic. Hopefully, it'll be inspiring enough to change your eating habit and I hope to be reminded everyday to maintain & live this kind of lifestyle. *crossing fingers*

3) we now have 3 associate coordinators, they have been handling most of month-of coordinations and so far, it has worked out great! I'm extremely grateful for these ladies and glad that they still don't hate me. :) The best business move I made was to hire my coordinators and I couldn't be thankful for all their encouragements and support.

I bet you are wondering, will I ever see MBS clients' beautiful wedding photos & the details we designed? of course.. but please be patient as I'm going through the images & selecting which weddings to share. I might be blogging away two posts in one day, maybe! or you might see them in the blog world. 

see you all very soon!

Meet our coordinators!

I have waited almost two years to write this special blog post. It's somewhat easy to find interns and assistants (I receive inquires from interns as often as I receive inquires from brides to be!), but it's not easy to entrust our clients' most special day to another individual completely, nor is it easy to train and develop one's talent. I'll be completely honest. When it comes to weddings, I'm a bit of a control freak, and it took me two years to finally figure out how to let go. I've had numerous girls assisting me but these two definitely stand out in their work ethics, attitude and passion. However, as I observed how they not only had interest in the industry, but also in growing MBS TOGETHER, I was inspired to grow together with them.

Christine & Leena have been working with me as my assistant for the past year and a half and now, they're fully ready to take on weddings of their own. As we move into the year of 2011, the two ladies are handling most of MBS' month-of coordinations (Simple Story), while I am focusing mainly on full planning services (Elaborate and Exquisite), with a few exceptions.
I am incredibly thankful that MBS is slowly transiting from a wedding design & coordination company of Me, Myself & Esther, to a team of three planners/coordinators who are ready to take on this wedding industry! They have already booked some amazing weddings next year and I'm SO excited for them!

There were two main reasons for my decision to welcome these exciting changes:

1) I realized that strictly coordinating an event did not meet my personal desire to exercise my creativity. I found that my work is best when I am given the opportunity to be personally involved in choosing vendors and developing ideas, and the end result is an amazing collaboration between the clients and myself. Bottom line, I like getting to know my couples on a deeper level. Really.

2) Now that Grant is a toddler and requires more attention & care (who knew playing with a toddler can be so exhausting?), I decided to only manage 18-20 weddings which excite, challenge and move me, and hope to still manage to have playdates with other moms & babies! ;) or who knows I might pop out another one next yr! lol

Christine and Leena are extremely talented and incredibly smart, and are very passionate about their work. Bottom line, they're lovely, down to earth ladies and I really hope that future clients of MBS will have a chance to work with them! After much careful planning and thought, I now fully endorse them in the year of 2011 as the new faces of MBS.


Please visit our website and check out their bio!

Things that make me all warm & fuzzy

I usually keep all the thank you letters & gifts to myself but I wanted to share these two reviews that past brides have sent me. These letters were not about how organized, professional or helpful I was on their wedding day, but rather, they both expressed the love & passion that I have for my clients. Building these wonderful relationships with clients & vendors is without a doubt what excites me most about this job, and it is always encouraging when clients are somehow affected by this passion.

Here are two recent reviews that almost made me tear up:

...When I first heard of you and your business, it had a sense of warmth and love behind all of your work and I think that's what really drew me to you. Little did I know that not only do you love your work but you love your clients as well. I feel so undeserving for all you've done for me including giving me wise advice about work, God and life & marriage and it really reflected a bit of God's grace. Thank you for helping me get ready for this new journey together with my now-husband!..."
-Angela

We cannot begin to express our gratitude to Esther for making all of our hopes and dreams for our wedding come to life. Esther is truly dedicated to her work and is passionate about making all things beautiful. She really took the time to understand our style/personalities and was so great about sending us new ideas and inspirations. We could not have asked for a more beautiful wedding and most importantly, our guests loved the experience. Being a bride can be really stressful and Esther made the experience so much easier by having wonderful relationships with quality vendors, paying attention to every detail and executing magazine-worthy designs with her impeccable style. Her staff is absolutely wonderful and if there were any hiccups on our wedding day, I certainly didn’t notice! I would have to say that the best part about working with Esther is that she became my friend and just by watching her, I learned so much about family and love and that a job can be so much more than a just a job.
-Susie

We're in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book!

I’m so delighted to share that My Bride Story have been chosen to be a part of Style Me Pretty’s exclusive Little Black Book. The Little Black Book is thoughtfully edited listing of only top quality vendors that exhibit exceptional aesthetic and ability, the “best of the best,” as they put it. I’m so flattered and honored to be a part of this exclusive group and thrilled that we're the first planner they contacted as soon as they launched the Malibu region.


I cannot thank enough for our wonderful clients who have trusted us completely, our staff who are nothing but 100% supportive and reliable and all the fab vendors who have collaborated with me and shared their passion. Without them, we wouldn't have come this far.
You can go check out our showcase here.

My Bride Story Gives Back!

As of now, My Bride Story has been donating 10%-15% of our total monthly income to non-profit organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ, World Vision and Frontiers. While this has been a tremendous blessing for us and the organizations (specifically for the staff who are working diligently to spread the Gospel), we decided to take a different approach to our giving.

Being inspired by Brandon Kidd Photography, the amazingly talented husband/wife duo photographers, MBS will now give back 10% of the package to one or multiple organizations on behalf of our clients. Our clients will have the liberty of choosing which organization they would like to support and that 10% will be sent out in check form from MBS on behalf of our clients' names.

Our effort is not only for us to give back but we also want to include our clients in the inexpressibly joy that comes from giving. This also gives us a chance to get to know more organizations/charities that are doing wonderful things around the world. We hope and believe this small act will open a door to some great conversations with our clients. We want to engage in conversations (not merely wedding planning discussions) and sharing the true meaning of giving and love to those who are around us.

NOTE: 'MBS Giving Back' will start immediately in October so please email/share with us any organizations you think would benefit from our giving. We hope to do a mission spotlight once in a while to feature their work for our readers to be inspired and challenged. Let's take a break from wedding planning and start off on a positive foot, making an impact in the lives of others as you yourselves start your journey together as husband and wife!
Sincerely,
MBS Staff

'Summer Mentorship Program' is HERE!

본격적인 웨딩 시즌이 다가오면서 인턴쉽에 대한 문의가 많습니다. 현재 직원을 뽑고 있지는 않으나 6월부터 8월까지 웨딩플래너에 대해 관심있으신 분들을 위한 ‘Mentorship Program’이 준비되었습니다. 올 여름 남가주의 정말 아름다운 현장에서 훌륭한 벤더들과 함께 웨딩 플래너를 체험해볼 수 있는 기회를 놓치지 마시기 바랍니다.

등록문의는 Esther@mybridestory.com으로 메일 보내주세요!

When asking questions.. please note!

A good friend of mine, who is also an avid MBS blog follower recently, told me that I was spilling out too much information about my vendors and other wedding resources. My response, “That’s exactly what I want to do!” There may be some wedding professionals in the industry who like to keep all their resources to themselves- but I’m going to have to disagree with this approach to business for many reasons. Btw, here are some helpful tips to increase your blog readership.

1) Readers come back for content. The more information (not just inspirations) and practical tips you provide, most likely they will bookmark the site and come back to see if you have new posts. (I'm feeling a bit guilty since I haven't been blogging much lately. ;)

2) Readers want to know who you are working with and networking with.

3) We (MBS) update our blog with the hopes that our insight and experience will help brides, whether they hire us or not.

4) Information is meant to be shared. The more you share, the more feedback you get and become that much closer in being an expert at what you do.

5) Giving out vendor referrals is not our main job. Wedding planners are not just hired databases with list of vendors.

6) Surprisingly enough, readers are interested in your personal life.

Ok, now on the flip-side. Yes, I do love giving out information (I really do!), please also note that there are some fine lines that should not be crossed. For instance, I get constant e-mails/phone calls/ FB messages asking for some tips/recommendations for possible venues and churches- to the brides out there: Honestly without knowing your style, budget, size, and location preference, it is really hard to recommend venues/churches. I don’t mind telling you where my favorite locations are and the vendors that I love working with but I don't have 100+ locations on top of my head to give you answers right off the bat.
Now that the blog world is so open to sharing resources, some brides think that we can answer all their questions without hiring us for our services. FYI, I do charge hourly for consultations for those who may need some ideas/recommendations during the planning process. Yes, you can pick my brain, but please be courteous. I try to respond to each email I receive within 24 hours, but it would be nice to email me back to at least say thank you or honestly let me know your updates. Below, is an example of e-mails that I get from brides that throw me off a bit….

"Dear Esther,

Although I would love to hire you as our planner, we're on a very tight budget. But do you mind giving me some vendor referrals & possible venue options?"

Ummm….This is a perfect example of the line that shouldn’t be crossed. Or some brides write me the sweetest emails and express how much they would have loved to hire me as their planner if budget wasn't an issue. Let's be frank: You appreciate my tips & knowledge but not enough to 'pay' for my services.

All of my clients are on a tight budget but nonetheless, they hire us because they want us to deliver a one of a kind and unique wedding that is planned to their specific needs. We're so honored and thankful because our clients squeeze us into their tight budget with the confidence that we will provide industry knowledge, experience, and collaborate with the best vendors. So, it really wouldn’t be right to share ALL the information with random brides, when our clients are paying for these services. And it really wouldn't be right to come to the rescue and offer 'unlimited' help when our clients are paying for these services.

Of course, brides can do research and find vendors on their own, but planners collaborate with the couple to hand select the vendors whose services will bring the ideas and wedding details alive the day of the ceremony. Our experience in the industry sets us apart from the newbie brides who are trying to throw a wedding together even if they have been dreaming & planning their wedding since 5 years old.

On behalf of other wedding planners/designers/florists and other creative business owners out there, I think it is safe to say, please do not take advantage of us and our industry knowledge. Yes, we are here to help but I hope you would value our time & talent. Please respect our boundaries before calling or filling our inboxes with your questions. We love our job so much that we don’t mind sharing, but don’t take our experience and expertise for granted.

Sincerely,

Esther

Fun Features!

It’s been a little over a year and a half now since I moved down from Nor-Cal to sunny Southern California. Not only did my family decide to move but I also made a personal career decision and decided to transition into being a full time wedding planner. I definitely had and still have doubts about my abilities and realized relocating to a different area was just as difficult as starting up a new business, I had no idea where to start. As I was making this transition in life I realized that there are two things that don’t come to me naturally: moving to a new area and settling down in a new environment and networking. I think many wedding professionals would agree that this industry is all about networking. You may have the experience and talent but you still need to network and meet the right people who you can trust and collaborate ideas with.

Let’s fast forward to now; being in LA/OC this past year has been amazing- the opportunities, the support, the encouragements, and the friendships. I met some amazing brides and wedding professionals who helped me build up this small home based event planning company. I really don’t and can’t take any credit because it was my clients who reached out to me first. My clients are the ones who took a chance with me and make “My Bride Story” become a real story. I couldn't be thankful for their genuine kindness and support because without them I would not have gotten this far.

I recently found out that our work has been featured in some awesome blogs! I post these type of features not to show off, but it is such a great encouragement and it means so much to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

First,

Our son's birthday party was featured on Hostess with the Mostess today! This is one of my favorite blogs and I am incredibly honored to be featured! Head over to the Hostess with the Mostess blog now and send me some love! Huge thanks to Angela for submitting the photos and Don for taking the awesome pictures!

Do you recognize this fashionable MyBrideStory bride? It is SYLVIA!?! Well, she now lives in China but when I found was featured on the Knot magazine under the trendsetter’s page I was so happy for her! Sylvia’s wedding photos were also featured on Wedding Chicks and Sienna Wedding. I’m sending her a copy of the magazine this week! I know she’s going to frame it and put it up in her bathroom, closet, or somewhere. LOL

Sharon and Jim’s wedding was also featured on Green Wedding Shoes, another one of my favorite wedding blogs next to Style Me Pretty! When I heard that Sharon’s favorite part of the wedding was the pae bek ceremony my heart fluttered. Not only do I get to help my brides with the celebration but I also get to help them incorporate their culture and tradition.

Our Pae bek site has also been featured at The Relentless Bride as well.

Finally, I was beyond thrilled when the editors at Serendipity Magazine contacted me wanting me to design a tablescape for their upcoming Spring/Summer issue. For those who are not familiar with the magazine, it is a premier Asian wedding magazine and is published twice a year for Southern California brides. Can’t let you in on all the details yet, but we are getting inspiration from the popular movie “500 days of Summer”and guess who's joining to style the shoot? Jen from Green Wedding Shoes!! Enough said, right?

inspiration board made by Jen of Green Wedding Shoes

Make sure to pick up a copy of the magazine when it hits the stands!

I now leave you with a picture of my lovely assistants and other wedding professionals I dearly love and admire.

(Photo: The editors of the Utterly Engaged, Lucia, Henny and Eva from Red Velvet Occasions, Katie from Bella Destinee, Ken from Adagio Weddings, Nancy from So Happy Together and yours truly)
Be sure to check out Utterly Engaged, issue #8- there's so much eye candy, inspirations, and different tablescape designs that took my breath away. Huge props to Nancy from So Happi Together for rocking the photoshoot!

Thank you Elisa, Angela and Christine (who wasn't able to attend the party) for your continuous support and ideas when I'm busy running around taking care of my little one & upcoming weddings. It has been an incredible journey for us and I cannot begin to tell you how amazing 2010 will be as well! Thank you to all my wonderful brides and wedding professionals who I can now call my FRIENDS!

Good-Bye to 2009

Now that I’m getting ready to say good-bye to 2009, I have to admit that it has been a year filled with joy, love and gratitude with many rewards, but it has had its fair share of challenges. If I am to describe this year in one word it would be “being stretched.”

1) Being stretched while giving birth to our baby boy. Stretching my legs and every muscle in my body to pop him out. (sorry, if this giving you visual images in your head! lol) and can’t leave out the horrible stretch mark. :)

2) Being stretched and learning how to manage my time and to multi-task with a gazillion things on my to do list.

3) Being stretched to move out of my comfort zone and the life that I was used to a long time ago. All I wanted for Christmas was to sleep for 12 hours straight, with no interruptions. I miss the good old college days where I slept till noon.

4) Being stretched in patience and love. To learn to understand and take care of the little guy and the big guy of the house. Having this little guy taught me a GREAT lesson: to respect & appreciate my husband so much more. Yes.. he is my better half.

5) Learning and stretching my inter-personal skills, being able to quickly understand and figure out what my clients need from me.

I won’t lie. I have had my fair share of melt downs, and on occasion I sobbed like a baby for hours. (I blame my messed up hormones after pregnancy! lol) But, there were also many times I felt I had everything under control and gave myself a pat on the back for giving 100%, and doing the best I can.

At the end of the day, I learned that I don’t and I can’t have control over everything and I have definitely been stretched to my limits this past year. I know that along the way I may have disappointed people, I’m not saying this to justify my shortcomings, but one thing I learned was how to say “No.” and knowing what I can and can't do. However, saying “No” made me prioritize what's important which I am very grateful.

As I welcome 2010, I have decided to go against a tradition of writing down a list of New Year’s resolutions. I feel like a list of resolutions can only prove that you are a good-enough person by keeping to your list, or a failure by not keeping your word. I already have my to-do lists on a daily basis I don’t want yet another list of resolutions to dictate who I am as a person and what I am capable of doing as a person.

However, I do want to hold on to this verse and I want it to be a daily reminder to me throughout 2010.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" 2 Corinthians 12:9

Let's welcome the New Year with gratitude and hope, with a little room to grow.

Happy New Year!

Yours Truly,

Esther

A huge shout out!

As you may have noticed, our new website & blog for the year of 2010 is finally up!
A huge shout out to Ellie over at Rainy Day Templates for being absolutely wonderful to work with. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to freshen up their site for a very reasonable cost. Thank you Ellie for being so patient, quick, and sweet!

Have you also noticed our clean, fresh logo? I cannot thank Yooli Lee Designs enough for her professionalism, talent and going the extra mile to come up with the new logo just in three days. She's also putting together my letterpress business cards & custom envelopes and I am so ready to pass them around!! If you're a small business owner looking for a fresh logo, I would definitely contact her NOW!! Very affordable for the amount of time & effort she puts into her work and I would also highly recommend her to any brides who are looking for custom invitations.
I'd also like to thank Christine & Angela, my dear assistants for revising our website content and for their ever-ready assistance. And last but not least, my good friend, Wan for answering all my technical support questions about hosting, email issues & all that stressful stuff I wouldn't want to go near, thank you!!!
We also created a Fan Page on Facebook & finally joined Twitter so please follow us around for updates.

Announcements!

Hello readers,

I have some exciting news to share with you!

Its been almost two years since I started this blog back in January 2008 and I have pretty much been the only one putting together these entries . But starting from this month I’m going to have 2 regular bloggers! Yay! They are coming on board the My Bride Story team to join me in feeding your wedding inspiration needs. I’m hoping this will attract a broader audience of readers and I think having these girls will definitely bring different and fresh new ideas to the blog site. You’ll be able to hear from a non-wedding planner’s perspective. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop blogging. I’ll still be blogging once or twice a week with real weddings from our clients, vendor spotlights and advice and tips as a wedding planner, and sharing a bit of what is going on in my personal life too. I’m hoping to give our blog a new face lift by the end of this year and focusing more on upcoming weddings we're currently working on. I want to kick off the 2010 wedding season by introducing our MBS team who have been faithfully helping me as we gradually expand our company. We still have a few more weddings and projects lined up before the end of 2009 and getting ready to kick off 2010 in FULL GEAR!

From now on, be look out for the names of our different bloggers.