Keepin' it Real

We are so blessed to be working on so many fabulous events this month...

here's a wedding collage of some our recent weddings = each picture with a different personality. Hail to the creative possibilities!

A Restaurant Without Walls

Its so rare to find vendors who truly care about the work that they do, but today we came across one- ROOM FORTY. You not only see a masterpiece but the passion and soul in the result. Today Ada and I had the pleasure of doing a tasting with Room Forty which took place at the Craven's Estate. We were greeted warmly by Matt and Steve followed by a quick tour around the property. Our senses were indulged in the evening as we tasted the various dishes. What a perfect way to end a long day at the office.

Here is their philosophy:
"A meal is the oldest form of fellowship in history. In every culture, where hospitality is extended a meal is served. Meals are more than a neutral consumption of food and drink, they are an experience, touching not just our palate, but nourishing all of our senses. We delight in considering how to access and nourish all of the senses. For the palate, our goal is to ensure our meals present an un-folding, inspiring and flawless journey of aroma and taste. For the eyes and ears, our goal is to ensure that every element of the evening, from plate to table, setting to sound is an experience of excellence. Knowing the soul has the longest memory of all the senses our goal is to ensure that the arms of hospitality have been extended and a distinct memory has been made."

For those of you looking for a cater for an upcoming event, private, wedding, special events, call Matt 626.487.0507.
Room Forty

Creating a Beautiful Wedding - Even with a Budget

Having to worry about the economy shouldn’t have to stress you out about your wedding. Brides and grooms can still plan tasteful, stylish and luxury weddings without having to sacrifice what’s important to them at the end of the day. Everyone hears this all the time, and it’s totally trite yet true – …It’s once in a lifetime – do it right the first time! It's about making good choices on what and where you spend on...

Here's some tips:

{{ keep the guest list intimate – they should ALL be VIPs!}}

- It’s about prioritizing what means the most to you for your wedding. For instance, instead of having that a massive 600 guest wedding, would it be more meaningful to invite your closest set of family and friends to share in the celebration? Keeping the guest list smaller may make for an equally exquisite and beautiful wedding as a large one, and yet it won’t break the bank.

- Parents or organizations you belong to, for example, might make you feel obligated to invite friends of friends or second cousins you don’t really know to the wedding. Sometimes, this comes up with our clients who are trying to keep the guest count intimate. Have conversations with them and be honest that the celebration will be smaller. Include these people in your wedding celebration in some other way. For example, doing an informal gathering to celebrate with them, pre or post the actual wedding. Or send them announcements and pictures. People will appreciate that. Or sometimes it might purely be a budget thing - if you're paying for the wedding, parents might be happy to chip in so that mom's three best friends can attend. Be honest, and be open.

{{focus on what really matters)}}

- If one must need to focus on budget, then allocate that budget according to what’s most important to you. We all splurge on things we just fall in love with, so why deny ourselves? For instance, if youve been dreaming about a dress since you were sixteen, prioritize that into the budget! The location might dictate the feel of the entire wedding and set the tone of the affair which may be very important to a lot of couples – if that’s the case, allocate a healthy chunk of budget to where the celebration will be held. And so forth.

{{Our favorite over-the-top splurge}}

Our over the top splurge/trend we love are individual mini-fondant cakes and an equally over the top candy and dessert stations. Totally decadent, but what guest doesn’t enjoy being considered and indulged and appreciated for sharing this moment at the wedding? A cute individual mini-fondant cake in the wedding theme and a bag of candy and desserts will truly leave a sweet taste in the guests’ mouths…

{{Creativity Don’t Cost a Thing}}

You don’t need to spend a dime extra, and yet you can infuse creative elements that really spell out that this is your wedding, not Jen and John’s. For instance we had a couple who were writers. Guests typed congratulatory wishes and advice for the couple on an old typewriter for the guestbook. Menus were actually printed from copies of love notes the couple had wrote to each other growing up. Guests loved these sweet gestures and that the couple so openly shared their hearts with everyone. These are delightful and personal touches and surprises that you incorporate into your wedding will get conversation flowing and make your wedding memorable – the one-of-a-kind wedding and tribute to your love.

Eye-Opening Invitations

Invitations make an impact. Guests get an impression about the event to come when they receive an invitation that has been thoughtfully crafted and intentionally designed. Since Fresh Events Company is always about what's hip, now, and (dare I say) fresh, I wanted to share some stationery trends with you.

Anyone can send invitations made with paper. We do it all the time. But when a little something extra is required, we love to work with out-of-the-box materials. Here are three options that are hot now.

No. 1
Plexiglass can wow guests at the first look. Whether clear, colored, or layered, it is an unexpected material. Ink silk-screened on both sides of a clear piece can give a design depth and a unique quality you just can't achieve with paper. These invitations use plexiglass on its own, plex layered on paper backers, and plexiglass as a window to a feather medallion.



No. 2
When an invitation engraved on steel arrives in the mail, you know this won't be an ordinary event. Layering it on silk-wrapped backers or enclosing it in a custom box can add an extra special touch.



No. 3
We can't talk about what is hot in invitations without mentioning thermal paper. The paper changes like a mood ring when invitees touch it.




Get creative when thinking about how to invite your guest to your event. The invitation sets the tone. Use it as an opportunity to build anticipation. Begin the experience of your event the moment the invitation arrives.

All these unique and out-of-the box invitations was designed by The Innovation Companies.
Ask for the creative Allison Howell (714.888.4566). She will make sure your invitation makes an immediate and lasting impression.

The Huntington Library opens grounds for weddings

Known for our beautiful and fabulous weddings, we are happy to announce that we have been named one of the three exclusive planners to work with The Huntington Library who recently opened its doors for weddings.


We couldn’t be more excited about helping these very special couples celebrate their nuptials in this phenomenal space that is only now available for weddings. The Huntington Library has so many botanical gardens, collections, and historically significant settings to experience a truly unique wedding. There is so much room for creativity.

The Huntington has been chosen for decades as a movie location for weddings. Whether one envisions a wedding to be “A Cinderella Story” or prepares to battle out the wedding details with a “Monster In Law” (to name just two of the hundreds of projects that have been filmed on the grounds), the potential of a real wedding produced on its premises outshines anything seen in the movies.

However, renting this exquisite venue comes with an exclusive price: For $100,000, one can have the privilege of saying “I do” surrounded by such beauty. Despite the price tag, interest for weddings at The Huntington is high. Having a wedding at The Huntington is magical. It’s like having an exclusive, destination wedding in its one-of-a-kind gardens and collections, and comes with personalized attention. Brides and grooms understand how incredibly special that is, as will their guests.

What to do at the first sign of a sniffle

1. Wash your hands obsessively.
2. Drink plenty of fluids-like water and hot tea-to keep yourself hydrated.
3. Consume more vitamin C (red berries, bell peppers, broccoli) and protein (lean meats, fish, tofu) to fortify your immune system.
4. Get lots of shut-eye (strive for eight hours).
5. Ask your dictor about zinc lozenges and other over the counter (OTC) remedies.

Source: Modern Bride magazine Aug/Sept 2009

Beach Wedding

Congratulations to our happy couple Dione and Jeff. They had a beautiful beach wedding on a private beach in Redondo Beach back in May followed by a festive reception. The weather channel predict it was suppose to rain that Saturday so Fresh Events Company had prepared a contingency plan if we were visited by the rain. Luckily, it did not rain and instead the weather was absolutely gorgeous! We were so happy for the client. I can frankly say when we assist our clients with their wedding, we put ourselves in their shoes. We ensure that each detail is well orchestrated and managed. And most importantly they truly get to enjoy the wedding. So when it was bright and sunny that Saturday morning, we couldn't be happier. Congrats again Dione and Jeff!

Photo by: Denice Woyski

Yes, The Grand Event was Quite Grand!

Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending The Grand Event at the SLS hotel, a very happening industry event. First of all, if you haven't been to the SLS hotel, it's a very different breed of hotel - very eclectic, fun, modern, and definitely edgy.

We were greeted by stilt walkers, aerialists and contortionists. whoa.

The modern shades in this ballroom were so cool. the room was dramatically uplit in pink. Loved it! The food was exceptional. There was paella, primerib with cilantro and a red pepper sauce, plenty of antipasti, and yummy desserts. Oh, did we mention cocktails? I guess there is a perk to being in this industry!

Renee Strauss had models showcasing beautiful one of a kind wedding dresses walking the floor. Yes, we touched, oohed and aaahhed. Excited because we may be working on a future project with her and the talented floral art designer, Miss Alison Franchi at Le Petit Gardenia.

Luna, who was gracious to showcase their amazing talents showcased some to-die-for decor items that would be talk of any party. Super cool was a tree made of crystal, dripping with crystal. Now that is what the next 2010 platinum bride needs! And then to top it all off, we saw lovely old friends, and AB Elements whose lounge furniture is always a hit. We got a sneak, sneak preview of the latest tabletops - which inspired many ideas. I think our clients are going to like some new stuff we're going to show them.

It was so wonderful to catch up with good company and meet new people too. What a great way to start off the weekend.

Gifts for Your Guests

Another great gift idea for your wedding guests.

The Yoku Moku Cinq Delices tin offers some of Yoku Moku's finest confections. Yoku Moku produces some of the finest all natural butter cookies developed in Tokyo with no additives, preservatives or any chemicals of any kind. Yoku Moku was recently featured in Newsweek magazine as America's Test Kitchen's #1 choice.

The name Yoku Moku comes from JOKK MOKK, a quaint village on the Arctic Circle, 500 miles North of Stockholm, Sweden. The founder, Noriichi Fujinawa was so impressed with the beauty of the village and the heart of the people, he borrowed the name for his company. Yoku Moku is one of the most popular gift items in Japan.

Assortment of five different types of confections: Cigare, Double chocolat au lait, Bateau de macadamia, thin butter-vanilla based confections doubled over with slivered almonds on top, and shortbread-style confections. 52 great Yoku Moku Cookies per tin.

If you would like to order these for your wedding, let us know and we can direct you to the respective vendor.

Got Sweets?

Just looking at this collage makes me smile. We love creative ways to bring events alive. Sweets are a remarkable treat for your guests. Look at the middle image, how big their guests smiled! From candy station to dessert station to cupcake stations. Show us your sweet station pictures!

When it comes to presentation, its the outside that counts.

Saw a special on TV over the weekend. They set up a restaurant and first round of group of people were served in plain plates and plastic cups, overall the set up of the restaurant was mediocre. Before the second round of group of people came into the restaurant they change the look by adding some flowers on the table, nice linens, nice modern plates and real glassware. The ambiance of the restaurant was immediately different. And the result? Both groups were served the same food yet the second group said they would pay $30+ for their meal vs. the $10 per the first group. The lesson here is.. a little dress up can increase the value of your event. Go from a plain table linen to a texture table linen. Talk to one of our consultations and see how we can increase the value of your event. Sometimes a little extra money can go a long way.

Tote-ally Fabulous!

Recently I was looking for unique save-the-date ideas for a client and came across this canvas tote with silk screened maps. My client has a lot of out of town guests which makes this bag a perfect match. We plan to send these totes out as save-the-dates.

The King and Queen ...of Hearts that is

We're doing a Ports of Call International hotel opening next month. The invitation is super cute and looks like a passport outfit in all the right themed colors, and since we're mailing them on behalf of a client, I was looking for the perfect stamp to match the fun travel / nautical theme.

Which led me to this beauty of a stamp! How cute is this new King and Queen stamp which just came out last month! It makes me want to send a wedding invitation so I can slap on this adorable stamp.

Happy July 4th!

Happy July 4th! Here's a dinner setting we created last year - patriotic, minimal and classy! A perfect setting for July 4th.

Hope yours is filled with fireworks, good company, yummy BBQ and simply a GREAT party!

Signature Drinks

I was gathering some ideas for an upcoming wedding that I am working on this summer and came across these wonderful signature drink recipes (click on the image and it will enlarge). Signature drinks has been a long time favorite of many of our clients. We recommend our clients to incorporate this into their wedding. Signature drinks are a great way to incorporate your wedding theme colors. See the pictures for some recipe ideas! Get creative and add a little lemon curl, small Asian umbrella to give it that extra wow factor.

Source: Brides/Southern California Magazine

the knot - Pasadena Style!

The new niche site created by the knot for Pasadena weddings.

It is only natural that we are experts of Pasadena since our studio is based in this lovely area. This city has so much to offer. From unique venues to great rehearsal dinner locations to a wide selection of cupcake stores. Yes, I said cupcakes. So if you are thinking about getting married in Pasadena, give us a ring and come in for a complimentary consultation. We will share the expert secrets with you as to where some of the best locations are for your upcoming wedding.