Three Tips Thursday, Vol. 4: Amber & Vine Balloon Installations
We’re back to our regular weekly programming here with another #ThreeTipsThursday!
But first, a quick note on why we disappeared from your inboxes last week. After a year’s worth of planning, we finally celebrated the venue’s grand opening on Thursday. It was incredible.
We also had two weddings – at our capacity – on each Saturday surrounding the launch party. Needless to say, our plates were full.
More to come on all these festivities in our July newsletter (the first Thursday of July).
For this week’s #ThreeTipsThursday, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Dania, founder of Amber & Vine, a company that makes beautiful balloon installations for some of life’s most special celebrations.
Something that has piqued my interest about the business since I first discovered its Instagram handle is its name. Dania explained that “Amber & Vine” originally started as a floral company, but over time she transitioned to making stunning balloon installations.
“Vine” came from the floral portion of her business. Perhaps self-explanatory, vines are a type of plant (like flowers are), but they further symbolize connectedness and faith.
“Amber”, meanwhile, denotes warmth, richness, and quality. It’s the color of honey, which is sweet.
As a third-party observer of her beautiful installations, I feel “Amber & Vine” captures her work’s essence perfectly. She is filled with warmth, is an excellent communicator, and brings quality to each installation, all of which shine through in her business.
Photo Credit: Gardens of Weber Manor.
Three Tips
When I started this campaign of interviewing our vendor friends to learn more about them and their services, I knew Dania was someone I wanted to speak with because I was so intrigued by her creative setups.
How does she take an inquiry from a client and turn it into a work of art? How is she able to create these pieces that capture a theme so flawlessly and tie a whole look together? What can clients do to make this process easier so that they can ultimately bring their vision to life?
Dania answered these questions and offered three tips for party hosts who want a special decorative installation at their next celebration. Her suggestions are:
1. Find an inspiration picture
For some party hosts, a theme or color palette comes instantaneously. For others, it can be harder to narrow down a vision.
Dania suggests finding pictures from which to draw inspiration.
“I’ll tell [clients]…just start scrolling through, even if it’s on Pinterest, even if it’s just, like, my Instagram page. You can scroll through and see if you see any installations that for some reason stick out to you. Maybe it’s the shapes, maybe it’s the colors, maybe it’s the theme, maybe it’s because it’s outside…maybe it’s a particular style of backdrop, like, see if there’s anything, and then I will, you know, kind of like review what they pulled together and try to spot any similarities and work from there.”
And if you’re really stuck, include the person in the design process for whom the party is celebrating. For example, if it’s a birthday party for your three-year-old daughter and you’re stuck on design, ask her which pictures capture her attention.
2. Know the location
Or at least the type of location. Are you hosting your party at someone’s house? Is it going to be at a park? Perhaps a private venue? Inside or outside?
The logistics play a key role into what the overall design is going to be.
“I actually have a client who cannot decide what she wants to do for her daughter’s theme. And she’s trying to decide between a princess theme and an ice cream theme. And I can do both. But, I will say that depending on the overall design, I factor in a lot of things. For her particular situation…I’m even thinking of the location where it’s gonna be. Is it realistic for us to do this princess castle when we’re gonna have a limited time to set up at that venue that you have booked for her birthday? So more than likely, maybe we might go the ice cream route because at least that’s something I can make ahead of time, and I can deliver it. That’s not such a fun answer, but logistics play a role.”
3. Trust your stylist
As anybody who works in any kind of service field has likely experienced, some customers or clients worry more than others.
“Trusting your stylist goes in so many ways. Not just the overall styling of the balloons, but even sometimes they’ll show up and I’ll see the backdrop is in one spot. And I’m like, I really think it would be better over here for multiple reasons. Maybe there’s more shade, and it’s outside and we want to make sure that the balloons don’t pop in the sun. Or maybe it’s a better, like, visual aesthetically for pictures and like just overall, you know, like when the guests walk in and it’s more like eye-catching in this particular area or something like that.”
The process runs more smoothly, and the end result is much better when clients trust Dania’s eye for design and the quality she will deliver.
And when Dania suggests that pulling another element into the look is a good idea, like adding in a backdrop, sign, or flowers, trust that it will take your vision to the next level!
To connect with Dania, follow her on Instagram or connect with her via her website.
Thanks for tuning in!
-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor
Blog News: We love to connect with our clients and friends, and we publish a special newsletter every 1st Thursday of the month. We also provide a lot of wedding tips from our preferred vendors.
“You will find that most times you have a vision of what it is that you want to accomplish and that’s most important. It allows you to work backwards and make cuts and changes that will still reflect the overall outcome you wish to achieve. What good is splurging on one particular item if it doesn’t result in the overall outcome you were trying to create?
-Emily, Co-Founder, The Gardens of Weber Manor
Follow Us to See All the Magic
“ When I say that pictures and videos do not do this space justice, that is an understatement!! The Gardens of Weber Manor, in all of its whimsy and magic, is truly a perfect little nook in the heart of the Redlands. No matter what the vision or mood board, this venue and its versatility will allow you to transform it to match your wildest dreams. Add to that the fact that Mike & Emily are the absolute sweetest owners & venue managers, and there should be NOTHING holding you back from booking a tour and picking your wedding date that same day. It is clear that they have put their heart and souls into building up The Gardens from the ground up. So whether you’re planning a wedding, anniversary, birthday or corporate event, you need not look further. ”
– Alianne Valladares-Prieto
“ The Gardens of Weber Manor is a hidden gem. This venue is magical. I can’t express how amazing it was working with Emily and Mike. They answered every question I had and made me feel that they had everything under control at all times. The staff was awesome!!! The rooms looked beautiful!!! I want to give a special thanks to Emily it was an absolute pleasure working with you. Everything went smoothly, easily and successfully thanks to Emily and Mike and the rest of the team. We felt like family from the time we started to plan the wedding and especially on our wedding day. Thanks to the Gardens of Weber Manor for the wedding of our dreams! ”
– Fernanda Rodriguez
“ We cannot say enough good things about this venue and the owners, Emily & Mike! It is truly a hidden gem. The garden is absolutely gorgeous – you really don’t even need to decorate because the scenery has so much beauty all itself. There are so many spots throughout the venue that could be used for different parts of an event, and no matter where you turned it was a perfect photo backdrop. Our friends and family kept telling us how beautiful the venue was and wondering how we found it. ”