What To Do With the Flowers After Your Event

Flowers, flowers, flowers! They are definitely plentiful at a wedding. So after the music turns off, the lights turn on and the guests go back home, what happens to all those gorgeously designed arrangements? If you aren't planning for your guests to take the florals, then it would be smart to think about finding another home for them. Need a few tips to plan ahead?



1) See if the florist that you are working with will be willing to pick up the leftover centerpieces from the venue and deliver them to your location of choice. Some may charge you for your request, some may not. Otherwise, see if someone you know personally would be willing to take care of the delivery.

2) If you rented the vases in which the flowers are arranged, then be prepared to transfer the flowers into vases you don't mind giving away.

3) Be sure to contact the location receiving your florals ahead of time so they can prepare for your delivery. Nursing homes and hospitals are great places to send your arrangements to. And depending on the location, find out if certain flowers in the arrangements are going to be of concern due to allergies and strong fragrances.

I hope this was helpful in planning for your next event! Happy planning!

Image courtesy of Luminaire Images. Thank you for such a gorgeous shot of our work!

Baccarat Party Picture Details

By now, you've seen a bunch of pictures of this FAB event from Tuesday night at Baccarat in South Coast Plaza. And if you've been keeping up, you already know that the turn out was amazing with over 250 guests including some of Hollywood's own. I was lucky enough to have my friend Drexelle of D Park Photography come and snap some great photos to share with you. AND, Alexander Avina, the amazing photographer for The Examiner was kind enough to do the same! Thank you so much to both of you! Watermarked images by D Park Photography and non-watermarked Alexander Avina.

I'm a sucker for the details of any event so here they are in all its glory! Enjoy!


All floral designs were kept simple with Black Magic, Black Bacara and Hearts Roses in Baccarat crystal vases.









Champagne and wine were served in gorgeous Baccarat stemware.


The lovely Drexelle of D Park Photography:


A few of the gorgeous ladies of our planning committee:


Marisa Kenson and her team stylized me in one of her very own dresses. Love! A special thank you to Paul Mitchell for hair and make-up for us and our lovely models!


Of course, no outfit is complete without a little Baccarat crystal.


And just a little something for the wonderful women who I worked with to put this glittering evening together!



It was truly a night to remember!
Yours truly,
Joanna

Baccarat Launch Party at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA

The rumors are true!
Baccarat has a new line of jewelry called SO INSOMNIGHT and we are so honored to be a part of the celebrations.


Please join us for a glittering night on Tuesday December 14th, 2010 at Baccarat in South Coast Plaza from 6 PM t0 8:30 PM for hor d'oeuvres and cocktails in celebration of Baccarat's new jewelry line.

A portion of the evening's sales will benefit Working Wardrobes, an Orange County Charity Organization, dedicated to empowering men, women and young adults in crises to confidently enter the workforce through career development and wardrobe service.

Event sponsors of the night include Charles David, Marisa Kenson, Anqi and Floral Sense.

And some of our special guests include The Real Housewives of OC.

Kindly respond by December 11 to 714.435.9600 or email south.coast.plaza.store@baccarat.fr.

Hope to see you there!

Help! How do I pick a floral designer?!

Ah, music to my ears. How DO you find the perfect florist for your event? Whether its for an extravagant wedding or just a fun party you're throwing, there's more to a florist than their ability to throw some stems in a vase.

Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself:

What is my budget?
This is an important question because how much money you decide to set aside for the flowers will determine the number of pieces you can have and how extravagant you can make your arrangements. Every event is a budget event despite the amount of money you have or don't have. Just decide whether or not the flowers and decor are more important to you than other parts of your special day. Do you want some innovative designs or do you just need something to fill the center of your guest tables? Be realistic and you won't be dissappointed.

What kind of designs do I want?
A great indicator of a good match for you: take a look at their portfolio. If it has an "ooh, ahh" effect on you, you may have found the design style you're looking for. If not, keep looking.

I think I found my designer but I still don't know what I want.
Don't worry about this one so much because a good designer will be able to conjure up some great designs that work within your theme and budget. Again, be realistic. But personally, I love it when my clients hand over a bunch of pictures, fabrics and color samples to give me a sense of what ambiance they are going for. Often I find myself brainstorming together to create the perfect look for the event. What I hear frequently too is, "I didn't know this was what I wanted until I saw it."

What is their reputation?
This is important. You certainly don't want to hire someone who is seemingly awesome only for them to NOT show on the day of. That would be more of a nightmare than anything else. Yelp is a great resource. But referrals are even better. If your friends or family know their work and can vouch for them, its probably a good indication that you have a reliable designer to work with.

Just remember to have fun! Don't stress too much. You're paying someone else to do the stressing for you.

Happy planning!

Planning a Green Event - Part 10: The Trash

Ah, the final posting to our Planning a Green Event series ends in dealing with the trash. If you haven't noticed already, all the posts leading to this one has dealt with reducing unnecessary waste on each aspect of planning for your event. Often times, we do things in our daily lives without thinking about the consequences until the end and we have a pile of trash to deal with. I guess you could take that metaphorically too. But the reality is, in order to control the amount and type of waste we will have, we have to think about the effect our current decisions will make. Is it possible to have a 'zero-waste' event? I truly believe so but that decision lies within you. I hope that this little series has helped you in gaining some fun, creative ideas for your event planning.

As always, Happy Planning!

Invisible Touch Events in Irvine, CA

Meet Invisible Touch Events, a leader in Orange County's event industry providing a plethora of services including DJ, Emcee, Live Entertainment and Lighting.

But the truth is, if you're familiar with the event scene around here, you've probably already heard of them. And you probably already know of how great they area. In fact, here are some of my favorite snapshots of their gorgeous work.




However, after chatting with Robert Arthur, the owner of Invisible Touch, I was pleasantly surprised to learn a few new interesting factoids about them:

1) Robert offers a DJ/Emcee school for aspiring DJ's and Emcees at their corporate office in Irvine. The course is for 3 months, offered once a year, and students have the opportunity to learn directly from top professionals off-site and on-site at actual events. For those who want to start on this career path, what better way than to learn from the best!

2) Robert is very involved in an exclusive "think tank" business group of the top 40 entertainment companies in America. In fact, this past July, Robert and his colleagues met in South Beach Miami, Florida for their annual meeting involving business discussions and product reviews. And the best part? "Its a business sharing group but also a family." Robert tells me this after giving me the best story of how his sons came along on the trip and joined in on a karaoke night singing Michael Buble. And of course, the boys' singing act was followed by a roaring applause!

Here's a little food for thought that Robert took away and brought back to share:
"Every human being has the same amount of time in a day as Gandhi, Dr Martin Luther King, Edison and Einstein. What will you do with your time?"

Chew on that for a while! Cheers!

ISES Orange County Chapter Event at Jay's Catering in Garden Grove, CA

ISES's Orange County Chapter held an event last Thursday at Jay's Catering in Garden Grove, CA. We were in for a treat. Not only was the event sponsored beautifully by some great vendors, we had the opportunity for a Back of the House tour of Jay's Catering.

The pretty linens and accents were provided by GBS Linens in Anaheim, CA.






And the beautiful florals were provided by the lovely Susanna of French Buckets.




And of course, Jay's Catering provided some signature drinks including a sweetly sophisticated Pomegranate Martini.


And this is the main entree! Here's the menu description:
Grilled Halibut with Lemon Beurre Blanc and Avocado Pearls
Artichoke Mashed Potatoes
Orange Glazed Butternut Squash
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
French Baguette with Herbed Butter
Drooling yet?


ISES also introduced their new board members for the year.


After the celebrations, we moved through the grounds of Jay's Catering with dessert stations hidden throughout the location. So fun!

This is the Torched S'more station.


Assorted Dessert Shots:


Torched Banana Cream Pie Cones:


Key Lime Pie Tarts:


These rice crispy treats on sticks were just on display but I loved 'em so much I just had to take a picture to show you!


The facility is pretty amazing and immaculately clean. Just to show you a bit of the massive work that goes into preparing one dish, here's a snap of the broccoli salad prep in action. I don't think I have ever seen a bigger bowl.


Here's an unexpected element on display that is so eye catching and very useful: 3 boards of fabrics in different colors and textures.


Thank you ISES-OCC and Jay's Catering for a wonderful event!

Floral Centerpeices - Manzanita Branches

I am amazed at the versatility of manzanita branches. And the popularity of these simple pieces just seems to keep on chuggin'. Just a few variations to this centerpiece can completely change the look and feel. Just take a look at the next 4 pictures. The first three were Floral Sense events and the fourth is by Nancy Liu Chin for the San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway.




All four pieces have the same basic structure. But you change the container, base decor, flowers and/or setting and the entire ambiance is so different.

Another variation that I love is when the branches are accented with colorful pomander balls, draping jewels and hanging tea lights. Here's a great picture of the pomander idea (www.marigoldevents.com).


Manzanita branches seem to making their way into home and office decor too. Its a great idea because there is no maintenance involved and looks great!


These manzanita renditions were created by The Juicy Leaf in Santa Monica, CA.

You know what else? These can be Green solutions to your events since they can be reused in home decor. As for me, I've decided to turn one into my jewelry organizer on which I hang all earrings and necklaces. Works like a charm! Next time you're at an event and the centerpiece is one of these branching beauties, see if you can snag one to take home. Better yet, go out and buy a branch and see what creative masterpiece you conjure up.

Happy decorating!

Planning a Green Event - Part 5: The Food

Food! Who doesn't love great food? And what if the food you served at your party was not only delicious but organic?

While I admit I haven't yet sampled their food, I've heard great reviews about Avanti Natural in Costa Mesa. They use local, organic ingredients for their menu items. And they have received quite a bit of press. I mean, just look at the pictures of their food!


Looking for some tasty organic treats?
Meet Luscious Organic Dessert. They use all natural and organic ingredients with cupcakes that are to die for!


The cookies-n-cream is my favorite!

Doesn't that look delish?
And if you're vegan, this is a great fit for you. If you're not (like me), you can't even tell its vegan.

Now, if you want a bit of a fresh twist to your event, you might want to consider The Pop Shop.

They make ice pops in the most incredible flavors.

You might recall me blogging about them a while back at the You Are What You Eat expo. But just in case you missed it, they use all natural ingredients and even use compostable wrappers. Seriously, what isn't there to love?

Now that I'm hungry, I'll be off in search of something yummy.

Happy planning!