The Wedding Party

I attended a spectacular event hosted by by The Wedding Library and Elegant Bride magazine at the historic and very beautiful New York Palace. (Which has the best curb appeal in Manhattan in my opinion) The motto was to match the best brides with the best vendors. I enjoyed spa treatments, white wine, naked salmon, tuna tartar, red velvet cake, One Girl Cookies, excellent speakers (Colin Cowie!), great information, gorgeous flower arrangements, intelligent conversations, amazing table settings, a fabulous fashion show, perfect paper, invitation and graphic design. It was a great day to be an event planner!

Favors with Flavor

Looking for a traditional favor with a twist? You agree on everything except the flavor of chocolate. He prefers sweet and you like spice. Meet Heidi Cinicolo of Heidi and Arthur Chocolatiers. She will custom design chocolate to taste. Some flavors offered included: white Russians, peanut butter ganache and jelly in white chocolate, pina colada, green tea, pomegranate and chinese five spice truffle rolled in cystalized sugar. Your flavor isn't on her list, ask and she may be up for the challenge of creating a flavored chocolate specifically for you. The packing is ironically as rich and tasteful as the product.

Make a Wish!

Happy Birthday Mom and Beth!

I am wishing you both a great day filled with all the things that make you smile. Thank you for your love and support. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

Chimmi-Churri

Sheila Kurtz, of Graphology Consulting a handwriting analyst company, and I recently had an excellent meeting and brainstorming session to discuss how we can collaborate in the future. Do you know what your handwriting says to the world about you? Perhaps the guests at your rehearsal dinner or bridal shower would like to find out. This would be a beautiful table setting, place card or favor and an excellent way to get conversations started.

As I was leaving her office, she gave me a bottle of Gaucho Green Chimmi Churri Sauce. What is chimmi churri sauce? Good question!

Chimmi-Churri is the culinary soul-sauce of the grasslands of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and the cattle grazing territories of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Chimmi-Churri was developed by gauchos [cowboys] who used it to tenderize their lean, grass-fed beef. The natural enzymes in parsley and acidic qualities of vinegar give added flavor to all meats. Some call Chimmi-Churri the Catsup of Argentina — a bottle or bowl of it is on every table.

So when trying to come up with a menu for a small midweek dinner I hosted recently, I found inspiration in the bottle. I let the chicken breasts bath in the green sauce all afternoon, then just cooked them on the stove and served them with roasted potatoes, green beans and salad. My midweek dinner was a success!

The Glasshouses

This pristine loft space is one year old. The Glasshouses is all white with three walls of floor to ceiling windows. Located in Chelsea, it has amazing views of Manhattan. The lighting and sound systems are state of the art. This clean slate has 14 foot ceilings, a small terrace and Molton Brown products in the bathroom.

632 Hudson

632 Hudson grabbed me during a recent conversation with The Cleaver Company for an upcoming wedding. I was so intrigued by the website, that I immediately called to schedule a visit. The on-line photographs and decription painted a lovely picture but seeing it in person is worth the trip to the Meatpacking District. It is a mysterious, interesting and charm filled venue for an intimate gathering. It has a homey antique feel. This townhouse is complete with an outdoor rooftop space. It needs little decor and can easily accommodate a ceremony. It is rumored to being the house where Real World season 10 was filmed.

The President and The First Lady

President Obama and the First Lady were married on October 18, 1992. (My mom and dad's wedding anniversary!)



After the many discussions about what Michelle Obama wore on inauguration day, I thought I would share these photographs of the first family on their wedding day, looking classic and regal.

Picture Perfect

Thank you to everyone who complimented me on my photo in the purple sweater on the original post. Allow me to give credit though where it is due. My dear friend Heidi hired Tania Lezak a Philadelphia-based photographer, who had shot her friend's wedding, to follow us through the streets of Manhattan, in celebration of her birthday. It was a great day and the pictures prove it. Big thanks to Heidi and Tania for making the picture possible.

Luxury Wedding Business Summit

Engage! '09 Something Blue conference in Grand Cayman has an excellent program with amazing speakers. They are offering the attendance fee to one very deserving recipient.
Wish me luck, please!

The instructions: In 400 words or less, please tell us why you are most deserving of this opportunity, what you hope to gain, personally and professionally, by attending this event and what aspects of engage '09 appeal to you most.

My essay:
I am deeply committed to the success of my event planning company. By building awareness, generating interest, and attracting new clients I will achieve this goal. My systems are in place. My tools are tweaked. I am nurturing strong vendor relationships, securing my place in the industry, strengthening my role in the community all while respecting the environment.

Grateful for the ideal profession, I am making every effort to make this endeavor lucrative without compromising the personalized service and high standards I pride myself on.
As a new entrepreneur, I am conscious of my budget and careful of my spending. I see the tremendous value in Engage ‘09. Research for my website, led me to the sites of Michelle Rago, Marcy Blum and Alison Events. An opportunity to spend time with the most talented professionals in my industry would be phenomenal.

I am currently planning four very different weddings. There is a formal Korean wedding at a country club on Long Island. The next couple is either getting married in Montauk at sunrise or in Costa Rica. Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin is the home to an autumn wedding. Clients from Frankfurt, Germany plan to wed in a modern Manhattan loft space.

Happy with these opportunities to exercise my enthusiasm and showcase my talent, the chance to develop my skills and knowledge furthers at Engage ’09 simultaneously would compliment these experiences perfectly. This program will add to my skill set, thus enabling me to operate my business more effectively. I believe in surrounding myself with good people. I am fortunate to be in a city that sets high expectations but with that comes fierce competition. I must take every opportunity to better myself, and improve my business. I value education and never want to stop learning.

Social Networking has been a key component in the marketing of my business. Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are excellent vehicles to discuss projects, explore ideas, strengthen relationships and report progress. Networking and blogging have also played significant roles in the launch of my company.

Volunteering for City Harvest enables me participate in diverse programs and events to feed hungry New Yorkers. I am also assisting in a benefit for a start up organization dedicated to bringing more healthy resources to New York City.

I love designing invitations, creating original goodie bags, planning birthday parties, baby and bridal showers.

Rob Rocks the 70's, 80's,90's and Today!

Happy 40th Birthday Rob! I am so glad to hear the party was a huge success. What a great group shot! Glad I could help Denise make your celebration special!

Spanakopita

How good does this sound: Spanakopita (IPA: /ˌspænəˈkɔpədə/; Greek σπανάκι 'spinach' + πίτα 'pie') is a Greek pastry with a filling of spinach, feta cheese (sometimes in combination with ricotta cheese for value), onions or green onions, egg, and seasoning. The filling is wrapped in layers of phyllo pastry with butter and/or olive oil, either in a large pan from which individual servings are cut, or rolled into individual triangular servings (see burek). Spanakopita is golden in color when baked.

A friend and I were exchanging instant messages via g-chat today and she mentioned that the baby shower she attended served excellent spanakopia and not exactly sure what it was I consulted my friend google and found the definition.

Let's try it:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 8 sheets phyllo dough
• 1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Excellent ingredients and a delicious recipe to prepare for the vegetarians in our lives.

Four weddings and a .....

1.) Formal Korean American Wedding at Crest Hollow Country Club www.cresthollow.com in Woodbury, New York in July.

2.) A possible sunrise ceremony in Montauk or Costa Rica.

3.) German couple to wed in a Manhattan loft space.

4.) An October wedding at Olbrich Bontanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.

They are all so different but equally as exciting. Fortunate to have great brides (and couples, actually) to be working with, these wedding all offer unique and interesting elements which I welcome.

Unfortunately the weddings are shadowed by sadness. The death of a former colleague was remembered and a tragic passing of a dear friend's dear friend was acknowledged. Their families and friends are in my heart.

The Old Stone House

Preparation for a client meeting led me to Brooklyn. I was looking for a unique, interesting and recession friendly space to hold a small wedding. The Old Stone House in Park Slope is a short walk from the Union Street stop on the R train. Located close to original shops, restaurants and bars on popular 5th Avenue, this historical building is simple but has much potential. It's a reasonable and realistic alternative to traditional wedding venues in Manhattan. They are hospitable, accommodating and open to using outside caterers. They describe it as a farmhouse, but for the right couple, with a little love it could be a masterpiece.

Cross Country Consulting

A return client is planning her husband's 40th birthday party.
I already had an event booked that night, so won't be there in person, but I have been coaching her through the preparations of this midlife milestone event in the Midwest. She's planning to celebrate his four decades with music and photos from the 70s,80s,90s and today. Through e-mail exchanges and numerous telephone calls I contributed to the invitation, edited the slide show, consulted on play lists, reviewed the menu and offered her time and money saving strategies, organizational tips and serving suggestions.

Her menu included Rumaki. Rumaki is a word that is not used enough.
It is an hors d'oeuvre of Hawaiian origin. Its ingredients and method of preparation vary, but usually it consists of water chestnuts and pieces of chicken liver wrapped in bacon and marinated in soy sauce and either ginger or brown sugar.

My client got this simple recipe from her neighbor who warned her, that making this is a curse. Make it once, and moving forward people will expect and request her to make it always.

Here is the recipe in shorthand:

Rumaki
Cut Bacon slices in half. Wrap bacon around water chestnut and bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Drain fat half way through.

Then spread the sauce over and recook or put in a crock pot.

Sauce
1/4 mayo
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c chili sauce is the sauce

I look forward to trying this recipe and may add fresh garlic, ginger and soy or tamarind sauce to mine.

Happy New Year!

As an event planner in New York City, I sincerely appreciate your interest. While I am busy building my business, in doing so, I taste delicious food, am impressed by stylish decor and creative ideas, meet talented professionals, read about new trends and visit unique venues. I am thrilled to share my experiences, ideas and inspirations with you.

I look forward to sharing: places I see, trade shows I attend, recipes I try, events I plan, clients I work with, restaurants I dine in, articles I read, stores I shop at, vendors I recommend, websites that impress me, city adventures and anything else I decide to write about.

Thank you for joining me in this journey!