Owners Rene and Niki Delacueva met as freshman at the University of Southern California and we now have completely irrelevant degrees in finance and kinesiology, respectively. Suffice it to say, neither of us ever considered that our careers would have us driving cargo vans or climbing ladders! But with a passion for parties, and all things FABulous, we began R. Jack Balthazar and are so proud to have been featured on Daily Candy, to have been named one of Bride’s Magazine “Fab Four Quirky and Creative Event Designers”; featured as an “of-the-moment expert” for table décor for Bon Appetit Magazine; seen on the NBC San Diego morning news, featured as host of “The Perfect Party” on the Fine Living Network, and as a “local expert” speaker for Wedding March 2005, hosted by Brides and Modern Bride Magazines. We get giddy upon seeing our work featured in magazines such as InStyle, Instyle Weddings, Inside Weddings, Town & Country, Bride’s, Modern Bride, Bon Appetit, Angeleno, Los Angeles Magazine and Brideworld! We're also thrilled to welcome Heidi Paulus as our Studio Manager, and Ashley Tearston as our Design Coordinator... integral additions to the R. Jack team!

Hmmm... that a question we get every day. It is, theorectically, the name of our first-born son; though, technically, we do not yet have a son. Unconventional? Indeed. Endearing? We hope so.

The "R" is a designation of "Rene", the Creative Director, and the "Jack" is just a classic cute boy name. "Balthazar" is the name of a 12-liter bottle of champagne, and, as if that's not sufficiently inspiring, it is also the name our favorite restaurant in New York. I'm sure it was there, after a couple bottles of champagne and midnight towers of fruits de mer, that we decided "R. Jack Balthazar" would be the perfect name for our son and, until then, for our company. And this was all long before Balthazar became the demon on Charmed, I swear!

Flowers... and branches, grasses, fun leaves and foliage, trees and succulents. Candlelight, fabulous fabrics, fancy ribbons, crystals and feathers, bubbling fountains and bubbley champagne, chocolate soufflés and Baked Alaska, warm cookies and cold milk, citrus trees in blossom, foggy mornings and starry evenings, cold mountain streams and calm alpine lakes, manicured espaliers and fields of wildflowers; butterflies and bumblebees, vintage books, vintage couture, little tools for funny things (like chestnut peelers and strawberry hullers), monograms (no matter whose they are), retro bar vessels and accoutrements, vintage china and time-loved linens, gorgeous silks that beg to be touched, big open spaces and innovatively designed small places... indulgence, extravagance, decadence, drama, luxury, novelty and innovation. And mostly, we LOVE parties!

Most people love a good party, right? For us, it's a love of the entire process. There's nothing more exciting than the rush of adrenaline at its inception, the moment when you realize that you have the perfect occasion to celebrate; whether for a lavish wedding, an intimate anniversary party or a gathering of friends to commemorate the summer solstice. The months of designing a personal "look" for the event and assembling the distinctive ingredients; the weeks of preparation and perfecting the details leading to the last moments before the guests' arrival, lighting the candles, straightening the linens and breathing in a deep feeling of contentment that this party will be fabulous!