In early March, I had the opportunity to again attend the Catersource/Event Solutions Conference in Las Vegas.  This joint event attracts approximately 5,000 attendees in the events and catering fields.  I have always enjoyed this conference, and this year was no exception

It’s a wonderful time to catch up with professional friends, make new connections and cram in lots of education!  This year I came away validated, enthused and certainly more knowledgeable than ever before.

With Cheryl Fish of Someone’s in the Kitchen and

Cheryl Fish and Associates – Powerful Proposals to “Seal the Deal”

With Therese Cole-Hubbs of Electric Karma

As a member of the WIPA Board of Directors, I attended our board meeting and participated in the WIPA info booth on the trade show floor.  Being there with WIPA friends gave us the opportunity to meet others in the wedding industry from every region of the USA as well as from other countries.  The interest in WIPA was explosive, and by the end of two days we had met event specialists from all over who are interested in starting Regional WIPA groups …. So exciting!

Wendy Dahl Marketing Director WIPA and Kevin Dennis of Fantasy Sound Services

Pauline Parry, Immediate Past President of WIPA and owner,
Good Gracious Events

Also at the tradeshow, there is a tabletop contest.  The tabletops are wonderful, have creative elements, and really make us think about new things we can do for our clients.  Here are just a couple of the wonderful creations

A highlight of the conference were the speakers.  Andrew Zimmern (TV host of Bizarre Foods of the World) not only spoke, but also gave a cooking demo at the trade show. Being a fan of the TV show, it was really a bonus for me.

Andrew Zimmern

Keynote speakers Preston Bailey and David Tutera were entertaining and informative and having a photo opp with David was priceless.

David Tutera and Me

This is a great conference to rejuvenate and energize your business…it is truly worth attending.

This beautiful wedding at the amazing Terranea took place on Labor Day Weekend, and it turned out to be one of those days that is a photographer’s dream. Our beautiful bride and groom began with “first sight” outside their bungalow on a windy overlook.  The ocean was blue-blue-blue and the sky was as clear as could be!

We love the detail shots from David (of David Michael Photography) .… the lovely ribbon tie on the bride’s bouquet by Nancy from Marks Garden; the fun bridal shoes; the guest book created from the engagement photos; the table seating cards… all wonderful!

The pre-sunset ceremony was graced with more blue sky and blue water…. A fitting backdrop for the beautiful bride.

Then…as the sun began to set during cocktails.…what an amazing view!

Everyone was thrilled with the beautiful sky and the gorgeous rainbow that appeared (there was never any rain … so, how does that happen?)   I must say, our photographer was just jumping with delight!  There were at least 20 wonderful images with the rainbow.   ps: none of these images are PhotoShopped…this is really how it looked!

Following outdoor cocktails, we opened the room … enjoyed the grand entrance, first dance and hora.  The evening’s sweet finish was the cake cutting and then cake pops by Leslie of Fantasy Frosting, which were tray-passed right on the dance floor.

Event Coordinator: Party Designs by Carol
Cake and Cake Pops: Fantasy Frosting
Venue: Terranea
Caterer: Terranea
Clergy: Stephen S. Wise Temple (Rabbi Eli Herscher / Cantor Nate Lam)
Decor: Jackson Shrub
Florist: Marks Garden
Lighting: The Lighter Side
Linens: Designer Linens
Hair: Sophia Tuttle
Makeup: Ashleigh Louer
Men’s Grooming: Barry Weiss
Music: DeBois Productions
Photography: David Michael Photography
Rehearsal Dinner: Blue Water Grill Redondo Beach
Rentals: Elegant Chiavari Chairs
Video: Vidicam

I’m thrilled to announce that Party Designs by Carol has won Wedding Wire‘s Bride’s Choice Awards 2012! The prestigious award is determined by reviews of our past clients and only the top five percent of local Wedding Professionals from the WeddingWire Network win this award. This means so much to me because my clients are what matter most and their approval is what I strive for every single day. So I’d like to send out a big, warm thank you to all my loyal clients!

Photo by JLG Photography
Floral Arrangement by Jonathan Ryan Floral Art

The Wish Upon a Wedding Gala at the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda was fabulous this year! The Blissful Wishes Ball managed to raise over twenty thousand dollars to provide vow renewals and weddings for couples facing serious life-altering circumstances. It’s an amazing charity and one that is close to my heart. I was so proud to be there, see so many of my friends and have a great time too! I hope you enjoy these beautiful photos by Troy Grover Photography.

On the day of her wedding, I received the highest compliment a bride can give! She said to me: “This is exactly the way I envisioned it!”

Saddlerock Ranch is a large venue, which we needed for 240 guests.  However, the challenge was to also make it intimate.  The ceremony was set under this beautiful tree using a meandering aisle to give it a bit of whimsy.  The unstructured chupah added just the right note of charm as the bride and groom were married by her cousin, a Judge.

Our cocktail area looked fabulous with Amalfi lounge furniture from Town and Country Event Rentals.  The guests loved the lemonade in mason jars and root beer floats; and had fun finding their table seating cards on a clothesline.  The old fashioned photo booth and scrapbooking added another fun element.

Another area, under big beautiful trees, became the dining and dancing spot for the evening.  The wonderful wood banquet tables carried through the rustic feeling of the space; and the family-style dinner service by Great Taste Catering also added to the casual elegance of the setting.   Enhanced by candles and wonderful lighting (Images by Lighting) the entire area became a magical fairy-land as the sun set.  Jonathan Ryan Floral Art made each table special, and our band from deBois Entertainment, really rocked the party until the end.

We are thrilled to have this wonderful recommendation from the mom:

The bride’s mother wrote: “Carol was amazing. Everything was done with perfect professionalism. Our daughter said on the evening of her wedding “everything is EXACTLY as I wanted it. Carol is energetic and a delight to work with. She was always available and provided us with tremendous care. I was totally present at our daughter’s wedding because I had no worries…Carol had it all under control.”

Venue: Saddlerock Ranch
Event Coordinator: Party Designs by Carol
Cake: Sweet Lady Jane
Caterer: Great Taste Catering
Entertainment: Classic Photo Booth
Florist: Jonathan Ryan Floral Art
Hair: Angela Oritz
Lighting: Images by Lighting
Linens: Town and Country
Music: DeBois Entertainment
Photography: Jay Lawrence Goldman Photography
Security: Sandman Security
Transportation: Corporate Coach
Videographer: Vidicam

When I first met with Kaley’s parents to discuss her Bat Mitzvah, they communicated that they did not want her party to look over the top; but at the same time, they wanted to make sure her party was fun and youthful, but also sophisticated enough for their adult guests.

They also wanted the party to be arranged to accommodate both adults and young adults, with a casual area for Kaley and her friends to hang out. The Bat Mitzvah was held at the family’s synagogue, and our goal was to transform the social hall so that it didn’t look like the social hall, where so many school and religious events had been held over the years. The family wanted it to have an entirely different atmosphere.

Our discussions with Kaley revealed that she had been thinking about her party for some time.  She had a color scheme in mind; and we looked at many photos of things that appealed to her.  We discussed her activities and hobbies and determined that she was not into  having a theme; but rather wanted a clean, easy look incorporating her color scheme.

The social hall was set for the adults with a table layout that was unusual for the space.  We arranged banquet tables at right angles to the rectangular dance floor.  Many of the guests had attended events in that same social hall over the years; and all commented that they had never seen the space look so different and so wonderful!

I’d like to extend a warm thank you to all of our fabulous vendors who helped make this Bat Mitzvah something really special!

Venue: Stephen S. Wise Temple

Event Coordinator: Party Designs by Carol

Photography: Jeffrey Bullied Photography

Videography: GLI Video

Caterer: Casiano Catering

Dance Floor: Eventworks

Decor / Florist: Eventworks

Linens and Chairs: Designer Specialty Linens

Music: The Dream Team

Entertainment: Wacky Wax, Etch-A-Sketch, and ePod

Well…we loved our trip to Spain, and we came home with a few more photos to share.  I am totally ready for a destination wedding in any of 8 different cities. Just give me the client and the word, and I’ll be on that plane!

In Barcelona, we discovered the all-time snack; a very thick hot chocolate that is rich enough to use as a dip. They make the most wonderful crispy churros (donuts) for dipping. Wouldn’t this be fun at the end of a party?

Here we have a store window in Barcelona with wedding dresses. Not so different than what we would find here.

And another shop…this couturier makes gowns to order.

In Marbella, on the coast of Spain, in the Puerto Banus area, brides come from around the world for destination weddings. Here is a photo shoot next to the small (50-75 foot) yachts.  Check out the two videographers… did you ever?

[p.s.  The big yachts were further along the promenade. Loved the big yachts like the 173 ft. Shaf, out of London.]

Also in Marbella, (remember, this is a playground for the rich and famous) look what you see in the parking garage. A breath-a-lizer machine!!  Put in your euro, and get a reading in the red circle. Smiley face, straight face or a frown!  What a great idea.

In San Sebastian, (Basque Country) in the north of Spain, they are known for their cider.  The cider house serves “menu typica” at long community tables, and you take your glass into the cider room for refills as often as you like.  This place was packed with happy folks eating, drinking and hanging out in the cider room. Bachelor party place for sure!

In Gibralter, we saw the world famous Barbary Apes and did a little shopping.  Outside many of the stores, they have signs for “Wedding Lists” (notice at the bottom of the sign). The stores carry a variety of merchandise, much of which we would not consider for weddings; and, in the back, they have a small selection of things for the wedding list.

And then, of course, the funny T-shirt that we eventually saw in many places.

Granada, Spain is a very cosmopolitan town. There’s lots to see (especially the world-famous Alhambra.)

And, on the street we ran into a group of guys having their bachelor party. They loved posing for us!

I will end with a fabulous photo of the Alhambra, taken at night from a hilltop plaza across the valley.  What a spectacular sight and an incredible architectural masterpiece.  We loved the trip, had a ball, and as always we are happy to be home with our family and friends.

Adios from Spain …. Hello, LA !

My husband and I have the good fortune to be traveling in Spain! So far, we’ve visited Madrid, Toledo and Cordoba.  We’ve taken every opportunity to immerse ourselves in Spanish culture; and enjoy the beautiful architecture, green rolling countryside and WINE. We’ve also had a chance to experience some first-hand wedding traditions.

In Madrid, I was delighted to meet with Marina de Herrera from A-Tipica, the preeminent wedding planners in Madrid.   A-Tipica plans weddings exclusively. I originally met Marina and her partner Paola in Las Vegas at Catersource. When I realized they were from Madrid, I asked if I could visit them when we traveled to Spain.

Marina de Herrera and Carol Rosen

While A-Tipica did not have a wedding the week we were there; we did get a chance to see their offices and discover how they work.  The ladies are quite ambitious and work with high-end, luxury clients.  A-Tipica owns their tents for weddings of  500-700 guests; and interestingly, the installers for the tents are French crews; because “they are the best”.  They are a full-service planning company, and offer their clients all the goodies, including wedding gift registry for the couples with no time to shop.  While their business has been hit by the world-wide recession (like all of us); their clientele are coming back.  And, as is often the case, the brides have high budgets, but do not want to appear as if they spent too much, as a mark of respect for those who may not be so fortunate.

Walking the streets of Madrid, we saw beautiful shops; more devoted to men’s wear than we normally see in Los Angeles; and gorgeous wedding gowns on display.

Madrid Wedding Dress

Our next stop on the trip was Toledo, where we had an opportunity to visit the Synagogue.  It was turned into a church in 1492 when the Jews were expelled from Spain.  However, in the early part of the 20^th Century, the government declared the synagogue to be a cultural treasure and began restoration.  Today it is a museum.

In the museum, along with the artifacts, they had a video loop running with scenes from contemporary Jewish life.  One of the scenes showed a wedding, and it was interesting to see the similarities and differences to what we do in LA in that short 30 second blurb.

Spanish Fan

Our next stop was Cordoba where we wandered the narrow streets of the old town.  In one of the shops we came across the most beautiful wedding fans, mantillas and mantilla combs! The owner only allowed one photo; so here we have one of the wedding fans with the young lady who works in the shop.  The displays of wedding accessories were just lovely!  Unfortunately they do not have a complete website to look at…what a pity.

Gardens, Cordoba, Spain

Stay tuned for more wedding news from our trip. We are always on the look out for new wedding inspiration!

Adios from Spain….

Carol

As many of you know, aside from loving to plan fabulous events for people, I also love my events organizations.

The end of January gave me the opportunity to spend a full week with event professionals from all over the world; to learn from them; to help educate them; and to create new friendships.  What a delight!  We all gathered in Phoenix for The Special Event …. an annual gathering of event people and companies.  Many of them are members of ISES … International Special Events Society (I am a past president of the Los Angeles Chapter).

We participated in educational sessions, a trade show where companies exhibit the latest and greatest (from entertainment to confetti, and anything else you can think of!), and wonderful parties that showcased the Phoenix area and their fabulous venues.  “Party people”, when not creating for a client, love to party themselves.

I was honored to be accepted as a speaker this year.  I presented a seminar on “Contemporary Jewish Weddings – Oy Vey!”  What fun putting together the power point (with the expert production of my PR helper .. Rhonda from Raye C Marketing )

We wowed them with lots of solid information on the traditions involved in a Jewish Wedding, and important “how to” tips.

Kudos to Classic Party Rentals, Phoenix, Classic Party Rentals | Phoenix for creating the chupah for us…. I used my family canopy, and they made the whole thing look great for our little demo area.  They were sooo accommodating.  Many thanks to Rachel Sweeney from Los Angeles and Deborah Beggs from Phoenix for making it happen.

We invited audience members to participate as parents, bride, groom, best man, and maid of honor etc.   We had a mock processional, and everyone had a chance to see how the wedding party groups up under the chupah.  Our “groom” even broke a glass, and the audience called out “mazel tov!”  What fun!

I can’t wait to create another talk to present at TSE next year …..   below, some photos of a wonderful time.