For some time now, I had been wanting to experience the famous California coast. I finally had a chance to sneak away and make the drive!

Along our drive we stopped at Hearst Castle.  I loved three things about Mr. Hearst’s main dining room.  First, the table was intentionally made narrow to encourage conversations.  Often times in events we want wider tables to allow more room for table top decor; yet we forget about the importance of conversation.

Second, he always used paper napkins, never cloth.  He felt this would make all of his guests, no matter their background, feel more comfortable.  A great host always considers the comfort of their invited guests.

Lastly, I loved how he fell in love with wooden wall panels that ended up being too short for the walls, but that didn’t stop him from using them…he put them on the ceiling!!

We recently produced a wedding in which we placed a Flip camera at each table and it was a huge hit! Guests were encouraged to record their personal speeches and wishes as well as record candid footage of the entire event. We collected the flip cams at the end of the evening and gave them to the videographer to edit the footage.  The final video was super cute! The cameras were then donated to various non-profit organizations that are involved with Youth Arts & Media.

Having flip cams at an event is a great modern rendition of the “traditional” still cameras. You can also personalize them with your own photo or custom graphic!

They also make for the perfect welcoming gift for a destination wedding. Just drop them in the welcome bag upon guest’s arrival so they can record the entire weekend and festivities.