Feeding our Souls, Being a Mentor...and Having Fun!

I was honored to be involved with a swell event this past weekend.  I blogged about "Culinary Delicacies of Spain, a Tapas Party" two weeks ago.   Kudos to Valley High School School Inc. program in Santa Ana for breaking the mold in public education.   Because, in my busy days as an Event Planner, I always want to mentor those who are interested in food, events, and happiness.  :)

The fundraiser for High School Inc. was held on Friday, September 10, 2010 at the Hilton Anaheim.  Chef Messinga, Executive Chef at the Anaheim Hilton, was incredibly generous at every step of the way. With 150 attendees, over $8,000 was raised for our Extreme Kitchen Makeover.
Great for a grassroots effort !

The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Program at Valley High School in Santa Ana, is where tenth to twelfth grade students are being trained to enter the workforce and begin a career in the food and customer service industries in Southern California.The teenagers at Valley High inspire me. At your next event, if you happen to see someone who is with me who has very bright eyes, it will be one of the incredible Culinary Arts Students at Valley High, who is shadowing or mentoring me.


 LOVE LOVE LOVE the program and LOVE the kids at Valley High even more!  Have a couple of hours a week?  Come join me...call me at 714)473-9512.

If you would like more information or would like to support the cause, please contact Sharon Gomez at Sgomez@SantaAnaChamber.com or 714-541-5353

Cooking up the next event - Good Food that is Good for your Soul

JOIN ME IN HELPING OTHERS!  I am the High School Inc. Culinary Arts and Hospitality Champion.  As the chair of the Academy, I am the Emcee for "Culinary Delicacies of Spain, a Tapas Party" being held on Friday, September 10, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. at the Hilton Anaheim for the High School Inc. Culinary Arts & Hospitality Program. This is a first-time fundraiser to modernize the kitchen on the campus of Valley High School, home of High School Inc. Restaurateurs, executive chefs, and business owners have inspected the kitchen and have lent their support for an "Extreme Kitchen Makeover."

The High School program was adopted in a partnership with the Santa Ana Unified School District and the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce to blend education with work & college training in seven industries. The High School Inc. program has been a hit with students, but the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Program has a great need to upgrade its kitchen.

Please join me for this Swell evening. For $40 a person/$75 a couple, enjoy amazing Spanish Tapas and help our youth become passionate about building a career. Additional sponsorships are also still available. For more information, contact Sharon Gomez at Sgomez@SantaAnaChamber.com or 714-541-5353.

Megan and Tim: A Night to Remember

The perfect evening: beautiful sunset, a fairy tale castle upon a hill, and a gorgeous bride walking down the aisle. Swellegant Events loved the couple and their family.  Natalie and her team are always happy to help make the Bride and Groom's Vision become a reality!   The Carbon Canyon home was beautifully decorated with floral arrangements courtesy of Avante Gardens in hues of turquoise and  orange   Joel from http://www.emausphoto.com/ was amazing as usual... check out the pics in this blog... they're only a tiny picture of his talent.   The tables were sprinkled with flower petals swirling lightly in the wind, and the rock steps of the pool  were lined with beautiful bouquets. The pool was surrounded by Extreme DJ with a dance floor on one side and Red Carpet Photo Booth's fun display of costumes on the other for guest to embrace their inner selves. As the couple kicked off the dancing, the soundtrack to the night had many dancing for hours with a great blend of old and new favorites. With dinner from Jason's Catered Events, nothing short of perfection was present.  To wrap up the magical evening, a candy and cupcake display from Patty's Cakes and Desserts was arranged around the outdoor bar, exciting adults even more perhaps than the children as all filled their bags with sweets. With mini cupcakes,  who feels guilty eating three, maybe four when no one's watching? With the organized crew of PPS Parking running valet, traffic ran smoothly as guests arrived and left this special event. As all vendors worked together, the scene was a sea of smiles and laughter all night long. Totally cool favor idea... donations to The American Diabetes Association.   A dream wedding for all.

Serious Fun for Human Options... What a night!

Once in a while, I take a night off... and have some serious fun while supporting a wonderful cause!  What a blast we all had being PINK LADIES at the Human Options Fundraiser at Balboa Bay Club.  Special thanks to my friend, Laura, who organized the evening.  An incredible worthy cause,  Human Options deserved all that the evening brought to the organization.

A quote from The Daily Pilot:  "An impressive $435,000 was raised at the "Serious Fun Party" produced by Human Options. The Balboa Bay Club & Resort, Newport Beach, was the setting for the 1950s "Happy Days"-themed event.

The crowd wore vintage clothes. Some women were in poodle skirts and saddle shoes and some men in lettermen's sweaters. Other ladies chose to show off a little upscale '50s attire, wearing vintage dresses accessorized with the mandatory choker of pearls and the upswept hair of the period. "

Giving back to Team Kids... one of the most awesome days of the year at Imagine 2010

A Swell Blog: Nicole and Mike... Inspired by San Francisco and Father of the Bride

A Swell Blog: Nicole and Mike... Inspired by San Francisco and Father of the Bride

Nicole and Mike... Inspired by San Francisco and Father of the Bride

Talk about awesome engagement shots!  These set the tone for what we have planned for an incredible June wedding.  A classic, sophisticated couple who will be having a "Father of the Bride" inspired wedding, in a beautiful backyard setting.  The backyard?  It is the new ballroom!

In order to accommodate 200+ guests, we've created the perfect evening... a pool cover, florals galore from Jenny B Floral Designs, catering from Jason's Catered Events, and photography from John Partridge, among others. The dream team of vendors. No shortcuts here. We're working hard to perfect all of the details. 

Artisan Chocolates in Orange County.... A Swell Idea... Oh Yeah

Hey Fellow Chocolate Lovers!
 You need to know Luisa.  She's one of a kind , and if you are lucky enough to have event favors from Luisa the Chocolatier, Yum-o. Delish. The O word.  (Oops.  That's not politically correct, but I had to toss it in.) The kind of chocolate your guests will savor, not toss out . I have this saying about event favors... the favor should be either edible or usable. Luisa's chocolates are BOTH. Enough of my digressions.
Let's chat about Luisa.  She's old school.  Only works by referral.  Doesn't know what a blog is.  That's one of the reasons I love her.  But, really.... her chocolate is enough to love her.

From my trusted colleague, Luisa..."Everything we make is made by hand. We don't have machines (I wish I had).  The shape items: crocodiles, hearts, ballerina slippers, pacifiers, baby carriages, wedding cakes, etc.
Everything is done by hand, by order. After we mold each item we clean it, brush it, paint it if requested and trim by hand either in cellophane or in a box. All this hand work is qualified as artisanal."
On this photo you will see some "hand dipped truffles" and some "hand molded" truffles. The top layer are hand dipped.

Very few chocolatiers hand dip truffles these days. We are one of the last houses that does this job on the West Coast.  Most of the chocolate stores buy little chocolate "balls" and they fill them with truffle. We don't do that. We pipe our centers by hand and then we hand dip them. These are our finest product.
I make my ganache using real cream and butter as I learned in school in France and as I did at the pastry and chocolate store I apprenticed. I don't make shortcuts. We don't buy pre-made truffle mix from any company.
My flavorings are real: we use real fruit purees for the fruit truffles,real ground nuts for the nutty , etc. etc.
I don't advertise. Do a good job and the people will do the marketing for you.
I work mainly by referral. It has work well for me for 15 years." 
~Luisa the Chocolaier

If truffles aren't your thing, call her!  She'll make you whatever you want.

If you'd like more information about Luisa, visit her at http://www.luisachocolatiere.com/  ... or, better yet, call me.  We'll go visit Luisa together.

To Video... or Not to Video... That is the question.

Wedding Clients often ask me, "Why do I need a video?" or... "I'm not sure I can afford a videographer.  What do you think?  And, so, I turn to one of my favorite videographers in Orange County, Tina Murphy of A Motion Video, recently shared her thoughts with me.  Better said from her!  Thanks so much, Tina. 

Dearest Natalie,
First of all, let me say how much I enjoy working with you. I look forward to our next event.
I have wanted to share a few thoughts for some time now regarding my industry, wedding videos. One of the most common comments I hear is from clients is "Our wedding day came and went by so fast, we hardly ever saw you, and we are so glad that you captured so many great moments."

By having a wedding videographer, he or she may capture moments that you may not have seen. Videographers also have a unique way of telling your story. Your wedding video will help you remember how you felt when getting ready, show you and your husband reciting your wedding vows during the ceremony, and give you another glance at your friends and family as they enjoy the wedding reception. The biggest difference video has from the still photos is the sound and motion. Together the expressions, voices and music bring back the moment like nothing else.

It is a beautiful thing to be able to bring "life" back into the beautiful images of the day.

Here are a couple testimonies on You Tube that say it all.

Public Service Videos for the Industry of Wedding Videography

Our Regret from Our Wedding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP0UHCVyvtU

10 years with a wedding video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iujIQgPv-Ok&feature=related

Again, I love working with you Natalie and I hope that I have the privilege of working with you a lot more in the future. I would love to be able to create many more timeless memories for your clients families for years to come.

Tina Murphy http://www.amotionvideo.com/  949.933.8337 tmteachtv@gmail.com

Natalie Vishny on Get Married this Weekend!

For those of you who love Get Married (WE TV daily TV Show), take a look at me this Saturday morning, 1/23/10, at 9:30 AM.  For those of you who haven't ever heard of Get Married TV Show, check it out.  It's the most realistic of all wedding shows...No.  It's not Platinum Weddings (great inpirations!) or Bridezillas (thank goodness!) .  It's a realistic show that give great advice on realistic wedding topics.  I was interviewed months ago, and I'm thinking...hmmm... what will I look like on TV?  The show airs Saturday, 1/23/10 at 9:30 AM.  If you can't catch it then, then visit http://www.getmarried.com/  to see the show any time.

Until then,

Katie + Brian = A Creative, Fun-Loving Couple ready to Tie the Knot!

Here is one of my very favorite couples.... Katie and Brian (of the esteemed graphic design company, Dutchess Paper) with their incredible engagement photos shot by the uber talented Jack  Randall.  http://www.jackrandall.com/.  It's amazing that, in Orange County, there are such beautiful preserved sites...As you drive down the 5 freeway,  I bet you've passed Rancho Capistrano over and over again... It's a place that We're going to have such a wonderful time planning and creating their dream come true at the beautiful Rancho Capistrano.

Event Advice for 2010....Choosing an Event Planner? Go beyond blogs and the Internet

TIME TESTED SWELL ADVICE HERE! 
 A TOAST TO 2010.

So...you're planning your big day!... and it should be easy.
On the internet, it feels simple to find someone who has a great blog... who seems sweet on the phone... someone who looks just great for your wedding, social or corporate event.  No doubt, there are incredible coordinators of every type out there.
However, here are my top 10 questions to ask every coordinator before you book them:
10.  How long have you been in business and why do I need you for my event?
9.  What Associations to you belong to in your field? (  I realized that I have learned incredible things from the ABC... and other organizations. I've had the pleasure of learning from very talented men and women.   Training is important!)
8. Where can I get plastic surgery and do you like Ellen Degeneres?
 (OK. You're actually reading!  I LOVE that.)
7.  Can you provide a TRUSTED vendor list to help me? A satisfied client list?  People that you've worked with that you would hang your hat on?
6.  Do you provide various levels of service?  Can I change my mind along the way?
5.  Do you have proper liability Event Coordination insurance?  What type of  event insurance do you recommend for me?
4. Do people like to work with you?  If people like to work with you, I know my event will be a happy      one..everything I've ever imagined.
3.  How will you handle it if something goes wrong on my big day?
2.  What is YOUR specialty?
1.  Do you LOVE what you do?  

For 7+ years, I've worked exclusively by referral...my best advertising.  I look forward to hearing from you... and creating your Swell and Elegant Event.   Call me for anything you need.  Always happy to answer any questions that you may have. Until we meet one another,