food stall

By Pauline Parry The wedding was on a Tuesday, December 22, twenty nine years ago and the night before the temperatures were 22 below and it was the first SNOW fall of the season! We woke up wedding day to a perfect blanket of snow the sun shone through and temperatures rose. At Bristol, England Magistrates Office Dennis and I married at eleven o�clock in the morning. It was a second marriage for me and Dennis his first I had two children so the wedding was family and a few friends. It was a marriage that was not going to last they said! No wedding gown for me this time! The dress and hat were made by a little known designer (can�t remember the name) and the shoes were Kurt Geiger. As you can see the tradition in England is signing that registry! My smile was nervousness. We are showered with colorful confetti as we left the Registry. This is a tradition that is still used to this day. How to embarrass our children Joanne and Ross � they are the ones on the right and Eva and Ryan are t...

By Pauline Parry We love doing personal events, and it doesn't get more personal than this! When my husband turned 60 it was time to really show him how much he's appreciated. We brought together all the things he loves and even branded his event with a palm tree that was perfect for this vintage theme. This is where being a professional really comes in handy. We held the event at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles where Good Gracious! Events is a preferred vendor. We love this location. The site is a shining example of Art Deco architecture and embellishments so we went with that. Guests were told to come dressed "cocktail fabulous" and they really embraced the chance to dress up! The event took place in the station's Harvey Restaurant where you can't go wrong with any color. We used linen in Satin Emerald Green topped with paves of white carnations in black vases to go with the era. Dennis even wore a white tux. He looked very dashing. Love that! Since es...

Wedding Styles Posted by Desire� Just recently a new venue has opened in San Juan Capistrano... Serra Plaza . Tucked away near the Historic Los Rios District and just minutes away from The Mission San Juan Capistrano. Serra Plaza 's courtyard has an old world Spanish charm that is ideal backdrop for your special day. This month on a Sunday afternoon, Serra Plaza hosted a grand opening wedding industry bruncheon, showcasing some of their preferred creative partners. Guests walked into the courtyard where long feasting tables and market umbrellas welcomed them to pick their seat. Framing the tables in the shaded arches were various food stations. Each caterer showcasing tastes of brunch. As weddings become more popular during the middle of the day and mornings, what better to serve than some traditional breakfast favorites?! Inspired our Chef created The Cocktail Brunch . After all, what is brunch without cocktails? Pork Apple Sausage Burger caramelized apple pork sausage patti...

In her first stand-alone boutique in Los Angeles, designer Vera Wang has created a 3,500-square-foot space that flows between two areas. The front space, decorated in dark purple, showcases Wang's ready-to-wear designs. In the rear of the store, Wang, who collaborated with the architecture firm, RNA Associates, created a sunny and modern bridal salon. The two areas are separated by a mirrored fireplace. Feng shui elements such as water features, stone fixtures that represent earth, an airy space, and an outdoor fireplace makes guests feel instantly at home. And as we would for any guest in our home, we offered them a drink to begin the evening... Working with the event planning firm of Details Details , our goal was to create a menu that matched the beauty, simplicity and elegance of Wang's designs and the space. You could say a fashion event is certainly a time when good taste matters. Certainly this Burger Lollipop Cone represented culinary couture of the most satisfying kin...

Tales of Food Origins by Pauline Parry Thanks to chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey, traditional British cooking has certainly been elevated to new heights. And yet, there remains the stigma. For instance, when Top Chef Masters did an episode where the chefs had to make pub food one of them remarked that he was certain pub food had been invented on a dare! I get that, but there�s a reason, and a story, behind this food. A lot of this type of rough and ready fare (think kidney pie) was a necessity. Our little island was besieged by war for years and certain resources became very scarce. The British learned to be very resourceful on a budget. So you could say that our food heritage is a lot like us � hearty, colorful, and enduring. Yet still, what about those names?! When a new book came out called What Caesar Did for My Salad by Albert Jack, even I learned some new things about our most well-known food. I share it with you here! PLOUGHMAN�S LUNCH Doesn�t the name of this lunch co...

By Pauline Parry Playa del Carmen I met Susan De Lima through a mutual friend and a few months ago she visited us here in Los Angeles. Susan is originally from Canada but six years ago, wanting to change her life and reinvent herself, she moved to Playa del Carmen, a gorgeous destination in Mexico about 45 minutes south of Cancun. Susan has the perfect disposition and fabulous outgoing personality which is great for her business -- Latido de Mexico Vacation Service , a division of Playa Carmen Rentals and Property Management . Susan is the �go to� person to find clients houses, villas, condos, and apartments. Her services go a step further and she becomes a personal concierge for her clients before they get there � setting up the house and stocking it with the food they love, then creating a complete itinerary for them during there stay. Inevitably, Susan found herself involved with couples who wanted to get married in the area and began helping with wedding planning as well. Here in L...

By Jean Campbell How did we get from this... To this? --> Our inspiration comes from so many different places -- art direction and costumes from feature films, fashion magazines, museums, nature or just a fabulous color. We are always on the lookout for great ideas and they can come anytime, anywhere. That was exactly what happened as we were all brainstorming on a tabletop for a bridal event produced by the magazine, Your Wedding Day . After an initial meeting at the office, I was thumbing through a fashion magazine and came across the ad for Dior that you saw at the start of this blog post. The next day I brought it to the team and we instantly knew what do. We all loved the color and saw the tailored pleats of the dress re-imagined as a tabletop. And here are the results... The event was outside and each tabletop was created within an area. We framed our creation with a black-and-white-striped canopy which allowed us to hang a chandelier of mirrors. From there we built on the th...