Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Sweet and Sentimental: True Love even after all these years

We can't help but post these adorably sweet photographs captured by Michael Norwood from Lauren and Kyle's Wedding! The hopeless romantic will not be able to get enough of these precious pics!





Happy Moments!

Monday, June 29, 2009

My Fave Mondays: Raj Tents

If you want to take your wedding or event to the next level, Raj Tents is the company to help you accomplish that! We absolutely love adding these stylish tents to our designs and that is exactly why they are our favorite pick for this week!


Raj Tents has become the leading luxury tent rental company looking after discerning clients tenting and décor needs in California and nationwide from their offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. With an exclusive and unique inventory, Raj Tents fills the gap in high-end, detail oriented and just simply beautiful tenting to make weddings and events stand out from the crowd.


Raj Tents can provide tenting for a variety of themes, including Moroccan, Indian, eclectic modern, beach chic through to French provincial and the understated elegance of ivory and gold. Raj’s inventory ranges from smaller, immaculate Pergolas and Pavilions for lounges, food or bar service and that work wonderfully as focal points for ballrooms, all the way to large frame tent linings to transform standard white vinyl tents into palatial settings for your nuptial celebrations.


Our favorites are the Maharaja range of traditional pole tents – just about as romantic as you can get. We also love the Chandeliers, it is such a beautiful accent!


Check out the Raj Tents web site to view more of their stunning sensations. They are consistently written up in the press for their Oh So Chic and Glamorous designs. Raj Tents are definitely the company to call when you don’t want to compromise on style or quality. If you have questions you can always contact them at their main office in Los Angeles at (310) 320-6600


Happy Tenting!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Shoe Shot Sunday: Chelsea + Tec

We absolutely love this dainty and oh so sweet shoe shot! It's from the amazing Jose Villa of course! How great is it that her yellow shoes match the pinstripe in his socks!


Happy Feet!

Monday, June 22, 2009

My Fave Mondays: The Cappuccino Connection

This week my favorite Monday vendor pick is The Cappuccino Connection. They are located in Santa Barbara, but available to serve all of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Adding a bit of luxury to your event always proves successful when The Cappuccino Connection is serving your guests...



Established in 1989, The Cappuccino Connection is widely recognized as the premier West Coast espresso catering company. With brass domes, silver trays, samovar urns and fine decoratives, they always add to the ambiance of the occasion. Elegant in presentation, yet affordable in price, this trendsetting beverage service offers a wide selection of both hot and iced blended beverages for every season of the year.

They have a very extensive client list and in years past, participated with the Emmy's, Golden Globes and The Academy Awards. It is worth noting that at every venue, it is the guests themselves who appreciate the addition of the espresso bar as a wonderful moderating alternative to the alcoholic beverages, and compliment their participation as a great catering idea.



Here is a sneak peak of their Menu options.

Menu

Espresso

Macchiato

Cappuccino

Latte

Mocha (hot or iced blended)

Café Royale (embellished with fine flavors or liqueurs)

Hot Chocolate

Herbal and Black Teas

European Roast Coffee


Also available: Iced Chai Latte, Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Smoothies and Tropical Iced Teas.

Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail The Cappuccino Connection for a price quote and to book their espresso catering services.

Ken Cohen & Julie Russell
The Cappuccino Connection
1-800 270-0188

Happy Monday!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

Today is a very special yet hard day. For everyone out there with their Father still alive, I wish you a Happy Holiday and make sure you hug your father and tell him that you love him!


Here are a couple of my favorite poems and quotes!

"We may not shower him with praise
Nor mention his name in song,
And sometimes it seems that we forget
The joy he spreads as he goes along,
But it doesn’t mean that we don’t know
The wonderful role that he has had.
And away down deep in every heart
There’s a place that is just for Dad....."
- Author Unknown

A Dad is
"A Dad is respected because he gives his children leadership.
A Dad is appreciated because he gives his children care.
A Dad is valued because he gives his children time.
A Dad is loved because he gives his children the one thing they treasure most - himself."
- Author Unknown

F.A.T.H.E.R.S.
"F" aithful.
"A" lways there.
"T" rustworthy.
"H" onoring.
"E" ver-loving.
"R" ighteous.
"S" upportive.
- Author Unknown

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.
- Author Unknown

Happy Father's Day
"Happy Father's Day" means more than have a happy day.
Within those words lie lots of things we never get to say.
It means we love you first of all,
Then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to us,
And that we honor you.

But most of all, I guess it means that we are thinking of...
Your happiness on this, your day,
with pleasure and with love.
- Author Unknown

"My father died many years ago, and yet when something special happens to me, I talk to him secretly not really knowing whether he hears, but it makes me feel better to half believe it."
– Natasha Josefowitz


While my father is no longer with me, I know he is up above smiling down and so proud! For those of you that don't know, Sterling Engagements is named after him, so Father's Day is always really special around here.

And again... Happy Father's Day!

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Sterling Wins Second Place at The Angels of the Alliance Luncheon!

We are thrilled to showcase our gorgeous "Royal Opulence" tablescape that we designed for the 10th Annual Angels Luncheon yesterday at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. This amazing event benefits the Alliance for the Arts and helps raise funds to bring Preforming Arts into children's lives.

When we first learned of the event it was literally less than a week before the event. We quickly rushed together to come up with a concept and are so pleased with how fabulous it came out. Not only did the table look gorgeous, but we also were able to win an award for how beautiful it was and won 2nd place in the professional category.

The "Royal Opulence" concept came to play when we envisioned the ballroom at the Four Seasons, with such a regal ambiance, we knew we had to go big! After deciding to play off of the regal and royalty theme, we brainstormed to decipher what elements we wanted to incorporate. It was fairly easy to determine that this was a table that would incorporate a color palette of reds and maroons, golds, oranges and even purple. Flowers would be easy to design with such a vibrant group of colors and we go into detail about this further down in the post. The very next thing to come to mind was Linens! Immediately, we knew that this was a table that had to have the stunning designs of Wildflower Linens.

After selecting linens, the rest seemed to just fall into place. Classic Party Rentals was able to assist us with all of our china and rental needs. Between the chargers, glassware and amazing flatware the visual just continued to get better and better. Implementing the luxurious weaved baskets of fresh fruit was an addition that was a must. When we picture royalty and feasts, fruit just had to be on the table as part of the decor. Plus, the additional textures each type of fruit was able to add was great.

This table was all about extravagance. Each element of the design contributed something different. In addition to the overall table, it was important for us to highlight the individual seat as well. We chose to do this in two separate ways. The first was to add a small trio roses, which complimented the color scheme from the centerpiece in the middle, to each chair. This looked beautiful against the red satin chair covers and additionally enhanced the centerpiece by extending a small piece of it to each individual.
The second way was to add a sweet treat for each guest to feast on from our friends at Jamaica's Cakes. We described our tablescape to Jamaica and collaborated in designing mini cakes with royal designs on the exterior and rich delicious flavors inside. The cakes were a huge hit and ever so tasty as well!

Now, last but not least, we have the flowers! The flowers were our favorite aspect of this table. Together, with Stephanie and Kelly at Far East Wholesale Flowers, we designed a royal centerpiece using an array of Sumatra Lilies, Orchids and 4 different kinds of Roses. We used an array of two-toned crystals to drape from the centerpiece and glimmer as the light hit certain angles. Kelly took our inspiration and created an extraordinary piece exceeding our expectations.

We also incorporated gold candelabras that we utilized to bring different levels of height to the table. Each candelabra had a small accent of roses and crystals which were draped from them as well. We then placed smaller red crystal votives in pairs of two, down low at the base of the centerpiece.

There were over 300 guests in attendance and we were so excited to take part in this amazing boutique and luncheon. Less then 2 days prior to the event, we received a call from the committee co-chair who needed quite a bit of last minute help. Given our experience in last minute changes, we knew we had to help, we offered to assist the Angels in decorating an additional 4 tables, giving us 5 tables total. This was a huge challenge but somehow, we pulled it off and were quite pleased with the 48-hour turnaround. Look forward to Part 2 of this post where we highlight the other tables.

Happy Viewing!