Very Velo Vendors

Sunday I saw a long time wish come true when I finally got to hit the road with some of my favorite fellow wedding folks. Human nature so often surfaces when you toss out the invitations. Everybody says let's get together and ride but when reality sets in family/events/clients and other distractions take hold the rides seldom come to fruition.

However, this time I had a winner route map and a very cooperating Mother Nature so rounding up the cast of characters was a snap.

This first picture was my team. On the far left is the Rev. Ed Holt. In the middle position is Ron Grandia and batting cleanup on the right is David Ethridge.

Rev. Ed Holt and I have been getting in lots of rides both near his hometown of San Carlos and in Santa Cruz as well. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to work with Ed he is the greatest wedding officiant going. His passion for delivering personalized ceremonies just shines through.

Dave Ethridge and I go way back to his humble beginnings of wedding videography. He is truly one of the originals and just celebrated his first year of full-time wedding videography. Just check out his beautiful website at www.avideoreflection.net

Ron Grandia is a fellow DJ and one who really gets it. Ron calls himself "a different kind of DJ" and it doesn't take too close of a look for one to realize that title is well deserved.

This shot of Ron & Dave is a bit of a self-portrait with my camera. The silliness here is a combination of fatigue and endorphin rush. However, neither of these gentlemen are known for being particularly shy nor reserved.

Our ride began right on the beach at Highway 1 near Pescadero Road. We road into the beautiful hills overlooking the ocean and down to San Gregorio. Our first stop was at the famous San Gregorio Store. This place is an exercise in eclectic. The one building houses the post office, only store and a rest stop for hundreds of cyclist, bikers and anyone else enjoying these back roads. On the weekends the store also boasts live bluegrass bands. What's not to love about San Gregorio.

We concluded our ride with an amazing meal at the legendary Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero. They were kind enough to let us stow our bikes in their huge pantry for safe keeping while we dined. I had recently seen Duarte's featured on The Food Network so I was eager to taste its local color. I was a bit surprised not to see a framed photo on the wall of Guy Fieri who hosts The Food Network segment but I guess the Duarte's folks just remain unaffected by the national attention. You must go there and try their famous artichoke soup. The food is every thing they rave about and more but served where unpretentious is the word. About the only thing that stood out in this place was the four hungry cats in their wild cycling outfits.

We hope that our little trek through the hills above Highway 1 is just a precursor to many more rides with wedding folks. If you share our passion for riding, please let me know and we'll include you in our next outing. Ron says "cycling is the new business golf." Although no million dollar deals were struck we had an amazing day of comradery and a great workout too with about 45 miles under our belts.

Of Promises & Pearls

Just in time for me to start blogging again was one of the industry's finest events. Wednesday night at the Design Center we were treated to Promises & Pearls. I was a bit skeptical that this year's event could live up to its predecessor at the Asian Art Museum. But with Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini at the wheel there was no chance for disappointment.

Michelle, most often affectionately known as MB, is one of the Bay Area's hottest names in wedding designers MB Wedding Designs. MB is just everywhere. If there is an industry event happening you won't have to look hard to find Michelle around. But Promises and Pearls is her baby. It is also quite unique as industry events go because the attendees are a mix of wedding couples-to-be and wedding professionals.

Wednesday evening the stunning Design Center Galleria was all the buzz with 200 beautiful 2008 brides. It was a magical evening of food by Nico Martin Presents, entertainment by Elle Music & Events and beverages by Best Beverage Catering. The whole vibe just worked as Spring has arrived and everyone is really in the mood to usher in the 2008 wedding season.

To see the full list of this year's participants just go to Promises And Pearls

Not a promise was broken and the whole evening just shined like a brand new strand of Mikimotos.

Back In The Blogging Saddle Again

Okay, I have been hounded enough by friends and family to start blogging again. It's not that I don't enjoy it but more that I don't make time for it. Considering how much time I put into elongated e-mails sometimes it would make more sense to tell the story once as a blog and send all my friends to it.

I do admit to finding this photo a bit amusing. I snapped it of a young girl one sunny summer day. As cynical as her t-shirt appears the message sometimes rings true. If you ever find yourself drenched in indifference while reading my blogs, PLEASE let me know. I love to tell stories so I hope you'll find them equally enjoyable to read. To have an audience is simply a DJ thing. It is in the DNA of every entertainer.

Paul Simon has a song called "Rene And Georgette Magrite With Their Dog After The War" which always reminds me of watching someone's home movies or slide show. It paints a picture but is so often beautiful only in the eye of most immediate beholder. I never want my blogs to be so personal you need to be part of my gene pool to enjoy them.

I am sorry that I did not catch this young lady's name. She was eager to pose and my immediate intentions were certainly not to toss her shiny face up on the whole world wide web. I often wonder why they didn't call it that in the first place. I guess that wwww is just too many w's.

So get ready for lots more from me. As our glorious California spring/summer weather beckons here I am ready to get out, move, shake and blog about it. So hopefully reading my blogs won't become a cheap substitute for your Ambien or Lunesta perscription.

As John Sebastian once sang, Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back!