I love nothing more than a quiet and relaxing day, binging a fun reality show after a long day of shooting. "Bling Empire" has offered me that comfort and transformed me into a loyal fan over the last couple years. So, you can very well imagine my thrill and delight when Christine Chiu asked me to photograph a dinner party at her home which was to be featured in the last episode of season 3!
Being born and raised as a minority in Southern California and having dabbled in acting since I was a kid, I have observed the need for more diversity in the industry. It was an honor to be a part of an event from this very show which puts minorities in the limelight. As I'm writing down details from this amazing experience, I'm feeling just as excited as the day I received the invitation!
I was clearly dancing on air on my way to Christine’s place, where the dinner was organized. Upon arriving, I was invited in with a warm welcome by her. She was dressed in a sparkly, silver dress, something that also reflected the fancy decor for the evening. Talk about putting the "Bling" in the Bling Empire, am I right?
A glorious tablescape was placed for the party, with florals intricately woven with olive branches. The "olive branch" theme continued with the gifts Christine handed out after the party and also with the hand-delivered invitations. The olive theme mirrored her intent for this dinner party, which she herself described as “my olive branch to try to reconcile this Bling Empire group and to introduce a surprise guest."
These design elements were stunning and crafted by none other than Jorge Ortega, founder of Creative Floral Designs. I’ve had the pleasure to work with Jorge numerous times now, and I say with utmost sincerity that his work blows me away. Every. Single. Time.
That said, I was pleasantly surprised when another one of my wedding vendor friends, Moses Lin, walked in the door. I instinctively knew that the entertainment was about to be snazzed up a notch. A legit vibe-creator, confident, and highly talented are some of the adjectives that effortlessly fly when I think of him, and boy, did he live up to his reputation!
Throughout the dinner I was making mental notes to not step into the filming crew’s way. But, to my surprise, the crew reassured me that it was, in fact, okay for me to be on camera. It was pretty cool to see a bit of myself in the background of the episode!
All in all, Christine was such a gracious host! Despite the show casting her in a negative light sometimes, all I could see was a funny and friendly person with sizable glam and magnetic aura. It was so wonderful to be a part of this dinner and reality show. This day definitely goes down as one of my favorites.
VENDORS
Host: Christine Chiu
Design+Florals: Creative Floral Designs
Music: Moses Lin Music
Candles: Vogue Candles