f. Duncan Reyes Events by Design bio picture

  • ABOUT DUNCAN

    His successful career all began as a Corporate Event Planner until his tenure as Catering Manager for luxury hotels such as The Portman Hotel and The Pan Pacific Hotel San Francisco, The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco & Chicago, General Manager and Director of Events at The Julia Morgan Ballroom at the Merchants Exchange Building, and at the historic Westin St. Francis Hotel San Francisco as their Catering Manager for Weddings and Social Events.

    His impressive accolades have given him credentials to recognize him as an Independent Food Editor, Restaurant Critic and a Contributing Writer for San Francisco, Chicago and New York media publications. Spanning over 30 years in Wedding, Corporate and Social Event Planning, his passion has taken him to new career heights that led him to create F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design and is renowned as the Event Industry’s most Premiere Wedding and Event Planner Extraordinnaire. In January 2009, he was honored by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Top 100 New Businesses for 2009 and as published in their “Book of Lists 2009”. Duncan is a member of the National Association of Catered Events both for the San Francisco and Silicon Valley Chapters, and was voted in April 2010 as NACE’S “Member of the Year”. And just recently in January 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, was recognized by WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards for Wedding Planning. Committed to creating special events that are as distinctive as his clientele, he creates and executes flawless affairs with sophistication and panache yet with a personable approach that represent your own unique style, exceeding expectations for the planning and design experience. The myriad of Weddings, Corporate and Social Events accommodate all requests large and small with a touch of class. With years of experience conceptualizing ideas, themes and budgets for all events, his capabilities and resources are endless in an effort to create memories that will last a lifetime.

    . . . . Hundreds of Dreams . . . Thousands of Details . . . Millions of Memories

    Contact F. Duncan Reyes Events by Design

Once again, F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design created another fabulous “Game of Thrones”-inspired Holiday Party for a very prominent corporate clientele showcasing the latest season’s fantasy drama taking it from the screen to the spectacular Redwood Room and the Velvet Room at The Clift Hotel in San Francisco.  The penultimate season focuses primarily on the convergence of the show’s main plotlines, featuring major events such as Daenerys Targaryen arriving in Westeros with her army and three dragons, Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion waging war against the Lannisters;  Jon Snow forging an alliance with Daenarys in an attempt to unite their forces against the White Walker army;  Arya and Bran returning to Winterfell and reuniting with their sister, Sansa;  and the army of the dead breaching The Wall, entering the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

With this in mind, we transformed the Redwood and Velvet Rooms to this magnificent era replete with a Weirwood Tree (for Escort Cards), which is a species of deciduous tree found all over Westeros, that has a white bark with five-pointed, blood-red leaves and sap.  The focal point of the event was the Iron Throne, a metonym referring to the monarchy that rules the Seven Kingdoms, and the authority of the monarchy.

Special KUDOS to my incredible team of “Fantasy Makers” for helping me create the Client’s holiday vision, bringing the “Game of Thrones” from reality to life!

Event Planning & Design:  Duncan Reyes and Alex Barranco, F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design

Event Photography:  Brian MacStay and Michelle Greenlee-Davis, Brian MacStay Photography

Catering, Hotel Accommodations and Venue:  Al Smyth, The Clift Hotel San Francisco

DJ Entertainment:  Jason Mitchell and DJ Rikki Aldridge, Gatsby Entertainment

Event Rentals & Tablescape Design:  Mindy Roark-Aldridge and Noelle Pashby, Classic Party Rentals

Floral, Props & Decor, Tablescape & Event Design:  Jonathan Gomez, Linnae Asiel Gomez and Meg Ethridge, Asiel Design

Lighting Design:  Stefania Contreras, Danny Kimzey and Curtis Laipple, Atmosphere Lights

Filed in: CLIFT HOTEL | GAME OF THRONES | THEME PARTIES | THEMED EVENTS

I first met the “DIVA” 16 years ago when she was only 10 weeks old from a Shiba-Inu Breeder I had met through a mutual friend.  She was still nursing with her Mother and couldn’t pick her up until her 10th week.  I visited her Mother who was feeding a litter of 7 Shiba pups.  As soon as I arrived, Mother and puppies  all scattered about the room and hid . . . except for BELLA.  She came running towards me, grabbing my ankle and leg, frantically jumping and begging to be carried.   As soon as i picked her up, I knew she was the one.  You know it’s true when they say that you don’t choose your dogs . . . your dogs choose YOU!  At that time, the Breeder named her LEXI.  I said, “Oh hell no – you don’t look like a Lexi.  You’re definitely DIVA in every word – I will call you BELLA!” (which of course means “beautiful” in Italian).

With black button nose, little pricked ears and a curly tail, BELLA knows she is superior.  Whether with intrepid boldness, squinty-eyed cuteness or regal calm dignity, she is QUEEN!  She is aloof, alert, confident and courageous with a spirited boldness, good nature, and an unaffected forthrightness, which together yield dignity and natural beauty.  She has an independent nature, stubborn and willful, and is loyal and affectionate to those who earn her respect.  In a lot of ways, she and I share the same characteristics, which is why we are such a good match.  And if she could utter one word, it would probably be “MINE”.  She always regards herself as stronger-minded, and can become stubborn at times as she believes she needs to make up her own rules.  She’s a “stud muffin” with a butch attitude.

Owning a Shiba-Inu needs a lot of time and attention, but they repay the effort 10 times over in loyalty and affection.  And for me, it’s a way of life.  She is, after all, Daddy’s girl . . . my girl!

HAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY, BELLA-GIRL!!!!!

The Birthday Girl!!!

I love spoiling my girl

Lucia (10 weeks old) & Bella – their 1st time meeting, Bella took on her motherly instincts

Bella at 5 years old

Bella at 4 years old

Bella at 3 years old

Bella at 2 years old  |  Photo by Ann Hamilton Burgermyer

Bella at 2 years old

Bella at 2 years old  |  Photo by Ann Hamilton Burgermyer

Bella at 2 years old  |  Photo by Ann Hamilton Burgermyer

Bella at 2 years old  |  Photo by Ann Hamilton Burgermyer

Bella – 1 year oldBella at 10-Months old

Filed in: Shiba-Inu | Uncategorized

ADAM RAMIREZ AND CYNDI HICKS

WHEN ADAM MET CYNDI

Cyndi and Adam met almost 4 years ago while giving a popular dating app (Tinder!) a try. After talking and realizing they had many friends in common, they went on what would be their last, first date. Cyndi and Adam hit it off so well, they both took a day off of work later that very week to spend a day together exploring San Francisco. Fast forward a few years later and the two are happily living together and are proud puppy parents to their beloved Zoey.

THE PROPOSAL

Adam made Cyndi the happiest girl on earth when he proposed to Cyndi at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay in July 2016.  Zoey was in attendance and was so excited for her parents!

WITH GRATITUDE

“There aren’t enough great things to say about Duncan Reyes and the work he does. I found Duncan right after we got engaged by endlessly stalking San Francisco weddings on every website I could find. His weddings were featured many times and I instantly fell in love with his work. I knew I had to have him as our planner! We reached out and set up a meeting shortly after. Duncan met with myself, my fiancè and my Mom. We all fell in love with his warm personality, his organization and his ideas right off the bat for making my wedding spectacular.  After hiring Duncan, we went to our top two venues with him. We walked in to each venue and EVERYONE we encountered at the venues excitedly screamed “DUNCAN!!” and ran over to talk to us. It was clear Duncan was good at what he does and more importantly, that people genuinely enjoyed working with him. After deciding on our venue, Duncan immediately saved us a ton of money negotiating with our venue for us. After that, he used his (many) connections and saved us even more money on almost all of our vendors. Besides the financial aspect, Duncan truly made our wedding planning easy and stress free. He handled everything leading up to the wedding, and seamlessly handled our wedding day craziness. Somehow mine and my now husbands wedding bands were left at the hotel while we headed to the church for our ceremony. Duncan somehow got our bands from the hotel to the church in time for the ring exchange. I don’t know how in the world he did it, but he of course handled it with a smile on his face. I can’t thank Duncan enough for everything he did for us during our wedding planning and wedding, and I can’t recommend him enough!” — Cyndi Hicks Ramirez

THE WEDDING DREAM MAKERS

Wedding Planning  |  Duncan Reyes, Amanda Peralta and Alex Barranco – F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design

Photography  |  Clane Gessel and Cari Courtright – Clane Gessel Photography

Bridal Gown  |  Allure Bridals (Wedding Gown Designer) at Trudy’s

Bridal Shoes  |  Jimmy Choo

Cake  |  Chef Bala Subrahmanyam – The Cakemaker

Candy Bar  |  Tamar Kodbachian – Sweets and Treats by Tamar

Catering, Hotel Accommodations, Post-Wedding Brunch (Laurel Court) and Reception Venue (Pavilion, Rooftop Garden and The Gold Room)  |  Jennifer Rowe – The Fairmont San Francisco

Ceremony Venue  |  Virginia Dilim and Victoria Wicklund – St. Patrick Church

Dessert (Specialty)  |  Berna Almero – It’s It Ice Cream Sandwiches

Engagement and Wedding Rings  |  Yadegar Diamonds

Entertainment  |  Mike McCall – Montara Music

Entertainment  |  Preston J. Turner – Pure Ecstasy (8-Piece Band)

Floral Design  |  Jeeryn Dang – Petite Floral Company

Flower Girl Dresses  |  Olivia Kate Couture

Gift Registries  |  Honeyfund, Macy’s and Pottery Barn

Golf Outing  |  Jeanne White – TPC Harding Park

Guest Officiant  |  Fr. Flavian Welstead – Our Lady Of Angels

Hair  |  Julie Eager – Le Reve Salon

Hotel Accommodations (Honeymoon)  |  Le Méridien Bora Bora and Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa

Hotel Accommodations (Overflow)  |  Mark Saladino – Intercontinenal Mark Hopkins

Ice Carving  |  Jeff Foley – Clear Memories

Lighting & Photo Booth  |  Jason Mitchell – Gatsby Entertainment

Make-Up  |  Martha Tafoya – My Beauty Innovations

Printing and Stationeries  |  Paper Caper

Rehearsal Dinner  |  Susan Richardson – McCormick and Kuleto’s

Rentals (Chirvari Chairs)  |  Frederick Sullivan and Jaime Botello – SnB Party Rentals

Rentals & Drapery  |  Pleasanton Event Rentals

Transportation (Motorized Cable Car)  |  Jonathan Adams – Hornblower Classic Cable Cars

Transportation (1947 Silver Wraith Rolls Royce)  |  Carl Payne – Carl Payne Rolls Royces

Travel Agency  |  Travel Leaders/Atlantic Pacific Travel

Tuxedo Rentals and Sales  |  Michael Davenport – Black Tie Tuxedos

Videography  |  Gusto Lopez – The Life In Digital Films

Wedding Favors (Chocolate Cable Cars)  |  Aida Opera Candies

Wedding Favors (Mini Champagne Bottles)  |  Korbel

Mini Highlight Video by Gusto Lopez of The Life In Digital Films 

Moments | Cyndi & Adam from Life in Digital Films on Vimeo.

Filed in: California Weddings | Duncan Reyes Weddings | Elegant Weddings | Fairmont Hotel Weddings | Glamorous Weddings | Golden Gate Bridge | Luxury Weddings | Northern California Planner | Northern California Wedding Planner | Northern California Weddings | San Francisco Wedding Planner | The Fairmont San Francisco | Uncategorized

BRIAN BYRDSONG and NEIL ROGERS

CONGRATULATIONS, Brian and Neil – you finally tied the knot!  I’ve known them both for about 15 years when I first met Brian at the Stop AIDS Project where he was Development Director and I was a Board Member and VP of Fund Development creatively assisting him with raising money and planning fundraisers for the agency.  Since then, we’ve become very close friends over the years, and it was also the same time he had just met Neil during a business trip to San Francisco.  Neil lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland and travels extensively around the world.  Both have never been apart since the day they first met, traveling between San Francisco and Geneva, and all parts of the globe where Neil’s job takes him (I want their mileage points!).  This perfectly matched couple celebrated their nuptials last August 12th at The University Club of San Francisco, San Francisco’s most elegant and elite historic clubhouse located atop Nob Hill.  With the help of my “Dream Team” of wedding professionals, here’s a peek at the fruits of our labor.

Congratulations again, Brian & Neil . . . you’re wedding was as spectacular and fabulous as you!

Wedding Planning and Event Design  |  Duncan Reyes with Alex Barranco – F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design

Photography  |  Dario Leventini with Robyn Navarro – F3 Studios Photographers

Cake  |  Chef Bala Subrahmanyam – The Cakemaker

Catering, Ceremony and Reception Venue  |  Julia Nguyen – The University Club of San Francisco

DJ Entertainment, Ceremony Sound, Lighting and Photobooth  |  Jason Mitchell with JaDonna Lewis – Gatsby Entertainment

Floral Design  |  Jeeryn Dang – Petite Floral Company

Hotel Accommodations  |  Maria Vollenweider-Diaz and Dustin Cousey – The Westin St. Francis Hotel

Officiant  |  Peter Goetze (Friend of the Grooms)

Printing  |  Jacques Oskanian and Munnie Tran – Hyegraph

Rentals  |  Irving Gonzalez – Abbey Party Rentals

Welcome Reception Venue  |  Jasmine Tomelden – Hotel Vitale

Filed in: California Weddings | Duncan Reyes Weddings | Elegant Weddings | Gay Weddings | Glamorous Weddings | Luxury Weddings | Northern California Planner | Northern California Wedding Photographers | Northern California Wedding Planner | Northern California Weddings | Same Sex Weddings | San Francisco Wedding Planner | San Francisco Weddings | University Club Weddings | Weddings

When days grow short and nights get cold
And autumn trees turn red and gold,
Move, we may, through sun drenched days
‘Midst leaves and berries and bales of hay.

In our hearts we feel the lure
Toward darkness, shivers, and things not pure,
While ghostly shadows creep slowly by,
Spying on witches and brooms that fly.

Icy fingers that grab their prey
And do bad things ’til night turns to day.
Heed this plea to stay inside.
Find covers and blankets and sheets to hide.

Slowly this night will fade to day
And fiends and monsters will crawl away.
Once a year, on this dank night,
We’ll shake and shiver ’til morning light.

Special Thanks to the Little Family for giving us this wonderful opportunity to give them a Halloween Party they will long remember . . . . . . Merci!

EVENT PRODUCTION  |  Duncan Reyes, Alex Barranco and Claudia Chao – F. Duncan Reyes Events By Design

DECOR & FLORALS  |  Jonathan Gomez, Linnae Asiel & Meg Ethridge – Asiel Design

PHOTOGRAPHY  |  Brian MacStay – Brian MacStay Photography

CATERING  |  Danielle Sommers – Fraiche Catering

ENTERTAINMENT  |  Jason Mitchell – Gatsby Entertainment

LIGHTING DESIGN AND SPECIAL EFFECTS  |  John and Megan Woods and Crystal Howell – Enhanced Lighting and Sound

MAKE-UP  |  Sarah MacStay

PRINTING & STATIONERY  |  Mimi Renfro-Rodriguez – Creative Designs By Mimi

RENTALS  |  Mindy Roark-Aldridge – Classic Party Rentals

 

Filed in: Halloween Party | Special Events | THEME PARTIES | THEMED EVENTS

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