A wedding inspiration board i put together using some our favorite vendors, and most of these photos our from our own weddings!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Distinctive Wedding Receptions
After meeting with almost 50 couples for 2010 weddings, I am finding that brides and grooms want their wedding day to be more of an EXPERIENCE then a memory. I have researched and found five fun and different activities that will prove to be a hit with your guests during your wedding reception. My only suggestion would be to refrain from using all of them in one night – it still needs to feel like a wedding, not a circus.
Photo booths
Photo booths have always been a hit at special events, but more companies are identifying the specific factors that make them more popular for weddings. Mobile Photo Booth of San Diego not only allows room at the bottom of the photo strip for a custom message, text or initial; they also print two strips. Your guests get to take home a classic memory, and you get one in your photo booth guest book. Weddings can be such a busy night, this is a creative way to recall all the fun your guests had days later. Fire pits
Cigar Rolling
This is another finishing touch you can add towards the end of the evening if your venue has an outdoor patio or terrace. A cigar caterer can offer a master cigar roller to join your event providing intimate touch on the fine art of rolling and smoking a cigar. Custom cigar bands can also be added with the bride and grooms name, date, or maybe a special quote. This would also be a good time to bring back the classic custom match boxes, or maybe an updated look with
Magician
Kevin Viner, Magician & Mentalist, points out that when people plan their weddings they often put the least thought into their cocktail hour. “Along with fostering conversation and introducing your guests to one another, a close-up magician can provide something for your guests to enjoy while you are busy taking pictures with the photographer.” While performing sleight-of-hand magic and interacting your friends and family, a magician helps you create a more enjoyable atmosphere for your guests. Magic can help create introductions between guests who may be meeting each other for the first time.
Wii
I noticed a lot of corporate holiday parties offered a variety of video games like Rock band, Guitar hero, and various Wii Sports games the past couple of holiday seasons. It must have made a lasting impression, because has come up with several brides and grooms this year who all remember it being such a hit with their co-workers. This is another activity that allows introductions between guests and offers opportunities to connect and create an experience. Everyone usually knows someone with a Wii and games, so you don’t have to break the bank either. You may only need some simple audio visual rentals to project onto a big screen. If you have a ballroom with white walls, leave out the screen all together!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Meet Our Chef's
Chef Steven Patrick
Executive Chef, Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa
Chef Steven Patrick is Executive Chef for Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa. He is responsible for all food and kitchen operations of the resort. Chef Patrick is an accomplished chef, author and restaurateur, who began his culinary training at the young age of eight helping in his grandmothers’ kitchen at the restaurants his parents owned in Southern California. His passion for fresh, natural ingredients later flourished as he cultivated organic farming.
Chef Patrick brings his love for locally produced products and fresh, vineyard inspired flavors to all the food at the Sheraton. He can sometimes be seen at the grill on the Terrace of the resort preparing food for client banquet events and resort occasions – as even with his multi-level responsibilities -- he still loves to cook and talk food with guests.
Chef Patrick has an extensive background in wine country resorts and restaurants and has cooked in the finest resort dining rooms including the five-star restaurant El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, the popular Italian BONO restaurant opened by the late Sonny Bono in Palm Springs, Temecula Creek Inn and The Vineyard Terrace at the Callaway Winery in Temecula. He is also author of The Fire Magic BBQ Cookbook, a popular 75-page cookbook filled with innovative grilling recipes.
Reed Anderson
Executive Sous Chef, Twenty/20 Grill & Wine Bar
Chef Reed Anderson is a native of Virginia and was inspired at an early age by the southern cooking of his grandmother. His first restaurant job was at age 13, and as he continued on he soon was a Graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. After several internships with noted East Coast chefs, Chef Reed moved to San Francisco, where he worked under celebrated chefs Jody Denton of the popular Lulu restaurant and Hubert Keller at the award winning Fleur de Lys.
Chef Reed then returned to his roots and moved to Charlottesville, VA to lead the team at the newly opened Blue Light Grill & Raw Bar. From there he seized every opportunity to travel to other parts of the world, experiencing the foods of his visits and landing in Sienna, Italy where he spent a year cooking in three well-respected restaurants.
Ocean Pearl Weddings
Twenty/20 Grill & Wine Bar
Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Twenty/10 Wedding Trends
The past couple of years we have seen a lot of white with colored accents. This year, forget the white. Choose two or three main colors (or even one) and use all types of tints, tones and shades of each color ~ monochromatic colors. Use big, bright tones. Spring will see a lot or oranges and pinks, while fall will have more reds, teals, and blues. Amidst all the bright colors in 2010, you will also see a lot of grey – again in all types of tints and shades. Grey has been extremely popular on the runways, and will definitely be making way through wedding color palettes.
Simple Florals
The day of tall, extravagant, jewel draped floral arrangements with random fruits and feathers peeping about are out this New Year. A variety of simple, monochromatic color flower arrangements in creative containers are in. Try different height square glass vases, surrounded by matching square glass votive candle holders. Or white flowers in fun colorful vases. You can make these simple colors pop by drowning them with water in tall (or short) glass containers. Tulips and orchids both look large and bold when displayed in a water filled vase.
The day of tall, extravagant, jewel draped floral arrangements with random fruits and feathers peeping about are out this New Year. A variety of simple, monochromatic color flower arrangements in creative containers are in. Try different height square glass vases, surrounded by matching square glass votive candle holders. Or white flowers in fun colorful vases. You can make these simple colors pop by drowning them with water in tall (or short) glass containers. Tulips and orchids both look large and bold when displayed in a water filled vase.
Mini Artisan Desserts
Cupcakes have been slowly replacing more and more tiered cakes at weddings. In 2010 try French inspired mini artisan desserts, decorated with colored icings, sugar flowers, and shaved chocolate chunks. These petite, creative sweets offer a fresh look for guests and are a fun photo instead of the traditional cake feeding shot. Use a large, tiered tower for display or set out small towers at each individual table at the end of dinner. Create an artisan cream puff “croche en bouche”, using a cake base tower covered with colorful iced puff pastries. Darin Fong PhotographyTextured Cakes
For those still dreaming of the traditional wedding cake, 2010 brings a new “feel”. No more flat, unappetizing fondant. Try textured butter cream or whipped cream peaks. Top your icing off with edibles, like covering every angle large shaved white chocolate slices. For a spring wedding try a clean line of fresh, round cherries across the top of every tier. Fall weddings, try placing pomegranate seeds in a damask design. It’s not only pleasing to the eye, but offers a fresh new taste. If you can’t live without the smooth fondant lines of un-edible “frosting”, then at least make sure it is in color. Try the same color but each tier in different tints and shades.
For those still dreaming of the traditional wedding cake, 2010 brings a new “feel”. No more flat, unappetizing fondant. Try textured butter cream or whipped cream peaks. Top your icing off with edibles, like covering every angle large shaved white chocolate slices. For a spring wedding try a clean line of fresh, round cherries across the top of every tier. Fall weddings, try placing pomegranate seeds in a damask design. It’s not only pleasing to the eye, but offers a fresh new taste. If you can’t live without the smooth fondant lines of un-edible “frosting”, then at least make sure it is in color. Try the same color but each tier in different tints and shades.
Destination – Home
Though 2010 forecasts our economy as looking brighter, asking guests to all partake in a destination wedding will still be a long shot. A traditional backyard wedding gives you the freedom to have every detail the way you dreamed, and does not limit your food and beverage choices. If planning every, single, minor detail scares you, (which it should unless you hire a wedding planner), try a hotel or resort destination within driving distance. If you live in Los Angeles, plan a wedding in San Diego, and vice versa. It is far enough to be considered a vacation, but close enough to drive down for a weekend of wedding planning and meeting with vendors. Your guests will enjoy “getting away” without airfare and multiple hotel nights.
Though 2010 forecasts our economy as looking brighter, asking guests to all partake in a destination wedding will still be a long shot. A traditional backyard wedding gives you the freedom to have every detail the way you dreamed, and does not limit your food and beverage choices. If planning every, single, minor detail scares you, (which it should unless you hire a wedding planner), try a hotel or resort destination within driving distance. If you live in Los Angeles, plan a wedding in San Diego, and vice versa. It is far enough to be considered a vacation, but close enough to drive down for a weekend of wedding planning and meeting with vendors. Your guests will enjoy “getting away” without airfare and multiple hotel nights.
LightingDraping a ballroom in satin is not only old news, but costs an arm and a leg. Find a wedding venue with simple, light walls that can easily reflect color. This way any color scheme will do, and it’s easy to personalize your wedding. Single can lights with colored gels can usually be rented anywhere from $20 - $30 each, and if you want a lot of them you can usually negotiate a discounted lighting package. A little can go a surprisingly long way when it comes to lighting. Have different colors splashed on your long, white head table, providing a fun and bright focal point in your ballroom. Darin Fong Photography
Weddings are all about being personalized in 2010. Meet with your bar provider’s Mixologist to create a custom cocktail using both the bride and grooms favorites. The bride loves lemon drops, and the groom loves to be creative in the kitchen: try a lemon basil martini with specialty vodka and fresh herbs. Have a love for hot food and smooth drinks? Hot and Dirty Martini with hot sauce and olive juice. Or have coinciding drinks, each symbolizing the bride a groom. Lovebliss Lemonade of Chambord and vodka in martini glasses for the ladies, and tray passed Shandy’s in pilsner glasses for the guys (lager and top with ginger ale).
Fresh and New Cuisine
Every wedding has done a cheese and vegetable platter. BORING! Be different! Food and creative chefs are so popular right now, take advantage! Have tray passed appetizers of new, fun food. Instead of traditional coined smoked salmon, have fresh seared white fish on a wonton crisp with crème frâiche and herbs. No chewy beef skewers; mini romesco beef tostadas with savoy cabbage and cotija cheese. Can’t live without the cheese and vegetables – try small. tray passed portions. Bite size French brie puffs pastries and a raspberry chipotle dipping sauce. Have fresh vegetable sticks in small glass cups with dip pooled in the bottom, so people take a cup and have several sticks to enjoy why mingling.Theme
Having a subtle theme throughout your wedding is important to carry out through every aspect of your evening. Im not referring to a Luau or Western theme. If the groom is a musician, or the couple met at a concert, have minor references to musical influences like favorite lyrics quoted on the guest book, menu cars, and wedding favors. Musical notes can decorate the cake or ceremony pamphlet. If you are having a coastal wedding and love the beach, or maybe got engaged on a beach, try staying with a coastal color palate like blues, oranges, and beige. Have beach sand incorporated into your centerpieces, and serve local fish and seafood in your menu. The theme should be important to both bride and groom and your life together. Photo by http://www.willcoxphotography.com/ Basic Traditions
A lot of the 2010 wedding trends above tend to go against what we feel is “traditional” wedding style. Stay true to the basics: Have bridesmaids and grooms men, and put them all up on diplay during the reception at a head table. Designate ushers for show guests to there seats, and later seat guests of honor such as mothers and grandmothers. Write your own vows. Have an intimate and casual rehearsal dinner after your ceremony rehearsal two days before your wedding. Spend the day before (and night before) your wedding apart – with your bridal party. Guys, go golfing. Ladies, hit up the spa for last minute relaxation. Enjoy bachelor and bachelorette parties the night before the wedding, your last true night of being “single”. Have a ceremony program listing everyone involved in your wedding, and thanking those who made it possible. Be sure to visit each table during dinner and thank your guests for celebrating with you. It really does make a lasting impression. Make sure to have not only a first dance, but a father/daughter dance and mother/son dance. Have a traditional toast given by the best man, not an open mic night from all the college buddies. Offer a morning after brunch for out of town guests. Take pride in your wedding, your love, and your new life together.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
End of 2009 Wedding Season at Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa!
We had a beautiful ending to our 2009 Wedding Season here at Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa with the marriage of Jim and Olivia Diez! There ceremony was on our Pacific Lawn, and the Reception took place in the Sunset Ballroom and Terrace.
Jim himself is a member in the local San Diego band "Deadline Friday", so there reception was full of live music.
We are looking forward to our MANY 2010 Ocean Pearl Weddings!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sweet Endings
Candy bars and chocolate fountains can be a popular and interactive treat for your guests at a wedding. It’s become so popular that you might want to break the mold with one of these creative sweet endings, served during the last hour of your celebration!
http://www.oceanpearlweddings.com/
http://www.oceanpearlweddings.com/
Crème Brulee Burner
Have 2 – 3 different types of prepped crème brulee, like vanilla bean, chocolate and Grand Marnier. Then have a selection of flavored sugars that your guests select and have torched live by your chef, for a custom, crispy crust. You could also choose sugars that are dyed to match your wedding colors, or offer additional toppings like berry compote or crème fraiche.
The Big Dipper
The idea behind this late night snack is to have a selection of dip-able sweets like cookies, churros, plain mini ice cream bars, strawberries, and cheesecake lollipops (cheesecake balls on a stick). Next offer a selection of sauces available for dipping like dark chocolate sauce, white chocolate sauce, melba sauce (pureed and strained fruit) and vanilla bean sauce. Have fun with the presentation by offering the sauces in an espresso cup with saucer, so guests can easily carry their delightful dippers!
Donut Bakery
Even though donuts are traditionally served for breakfast, they make a wonderful evening treat! Take fresh cake donuts and donut holes, and offer a choice of vanilla and chocolate icings for custom glazing. Have guests top it off with chopped nuts, assorted sprinkles, shaved chocolate, crumbled candy bars, grated coconut, and fresh seasonal berries. Or you could hire a mini donut vendor, who can make fresh mini cake donuts to be handed out in custom made thank you bags as your guests leave.
Build Your Own Coffee Bar
This is a signature service to any Ocean Pearl Wedding Package at the Sheraton Carlsbad! Guests love topping off our fresh brewed Starbucks Coffee and Hot Chocolate with whip cream, mini marshmallows, cinnamon, nutmeg dust, chocolate shavings and orange zest caramel! It can be a simple add on to any coffee station. For an upgraded caffeine kick, try adding an espresso bar to your evening. Joes on the Nose Organic Espresso Bars are a popular choice here in San Diego, offering an artisan organic espresso experience for you and your guests. Joes also offers a unique hot chocolate bar, with flavored whipped cream and organic ground chocolate.
Popped Corn
Ok, so this isn’t all sweet. Offer different types of pop corn in big bowls that can be scooped into custom popcorn bags. Try dusted parmesan, spicy chili powder, cinnamon & sugar, cocoa powder, and even popcorn tossed with dried fruit and nuts.
Photo Credit: Aaron Willcox Photography
References: Joes on the Nose
Thursday, November 12, 2009
5 Simple Steps to a Greener Wedding
It is amazing to me how the popular concept of being “green” has rapidly emerged in spite of our country’s current recession. It seems the economic state of our country has reminded us to cherish the simple things in life, , while revealing just how precious our community and planet earth is. Most brides’ impressions of the term “green wedding” are that it means “more expensive,” but I have outlined some simple steps below that will actually SAVE you money, and will help your wedding to be a little more eco-friendly!
http://www.oceanpearlweddings.com/
http://www.oceanpearlweddings.com/
1) Use Local Vendors ~ Now I am not suggesting that if your wedding is in the county of San Diego you should use a vendor in the county of San Diego, but rather if your wedding is in CARLSBAD, try and find vendors in CARLSBAD, or within the north coastal community! This might not work for every vendor; however, the more local vendors you use, the less gas is used during delivery and pick-up. This can also help YOU with delivery costs. Many rental companies charge delivery fees based on the amount of travel needed to get to your wedding venue. With this in mind, try utilizing one vendor for multiple needs. A local party rental company can provide linen and chair covers in addition to tables and chairs! Many florists can provide an arch for your ceremony in addition to floral arrangements. This prevents having each rental company make a delivery with one item. Additionally, hotels and resorts tend to already have all these items in-house, so there is no need to coordinate multiple deliveries!
2) Use Locally Grown And Seasonal Flowers ~ This step is similar to above, but may be impacted by the time of year you have your wedding. Love Tulips? Then you are going to want a spring wedding. Hydrangeas are in season from late summer to early fall. Although you can get most flowers at anytime, if they are not in season on the west coast, you are going to pay the price (in both dollars and carbon footprint). The good news is most roses are in season year round, as are tropical flowers. Still try and find a local grower for these flowers, such as orchids from Cal Pacific Orchid Farm in Encinitas, to ensure a short transport of the flower. The closer you are to your flower, the less pollution its travels will produce. Ask your florist what the best choices are for local and seasonal selections during your consultation, and let them know that this is important to you.
3) E-Vites or Recycled Invitations ~ A large part of being green is limiting the impact that your wedding will have on this earth. The amount of waste produced by your wedding starts with the very first step – the wedding announcement and invites. Not everyone is a fan of e-vites when it comes to weddings. Most grandmas don’t have an email, let alone a computer! Expecting them to receive your wedding invite via the internet might not work. But with the exception of grandmas, most of your wedding guests are computer savvy. Using sites such as Evite.com is simple and FREE! If you find a wedding invite for $1.50 each (a great deal), add on a stamp @ .42 and you are looking at $288.00 for 150 invites. The simple things seem to add up the fastest. For those of your guests that are technically challenged, or for the brides who want the traditionally mailed announcement and invite, try using an eco-friendly printer and remember to STAY LOCAL! Green Field Paper Company is a San Diego based printer that uses all earth friendly products and can even print your invitation or announcement on a seed embedded paper, which can be planted by your guests and bloom into wildflowers. Pink Star Design in San Diego offers a green line of custom made wedding invitations. If you have a particular printer or calligrapher in mind, ask if they can use recycled paper for the final product.
4) Conscious Beverage Service ~ Again, our focus is to minimize the impact of your wedding on the earth. Another simple way that you can achieve this is by making sure your beverage provider DOES NOT USE PLASTIC CUPS! I know what you are thinking, “who would serve beverages in plastic cups at a wedding?? It’s so tacky!” But they do! Some venues whose main focus is not weddings (such as golf courses, community centers, etc) do not own sufficient amounts of glassware for an event such as a wedding. So make sure to confirm you will have GLASSware at your wedding! (Might as well confirm the flatware and china in the same conversation). Bottled water should be avoided as well. I know it is tempting to plaster you and your fiancé’s faces onto a plastic bottle with the wedding date and hand them out as favors at the end of the night, but please do avoid this. Those plastic bottles can last decades in a landfill. Instead, make sure your caterer provides water service, (pitchers of ice water either on the tables with glasses or full ice water glasses) either at the dinner table or at the bar. Again this seems like a given, but not all off-property caterers or beverage caterers will provide water service if not requested, so be sure to confirm this with them. For some outdoor wedding venues, having glassware is not an option. Try using a product such as Greenware Drink Cups, which is an entirely natural and renewable resource product. Having water upon request is popular at some restaurants and catered functions lately. The idea behind this is to avoid wasting water and washing glasses that may have never been used. However, in my opinion, weddings tend to be an occasion in which consuming alcohol is popular with attendees, and for that reason I always like to make sure that water service is readily available. Another suggestion for your bar is to have kegs of beer as opposed to bottled beer, again to avoid waste. Most properties would pour the bottled beer into a glass anyways. One keg of beer should equate to about 130 - 150 bottles of beer. When the price is compared, that keg will save you money! Some of you might have nightmares of red party cups and fear that the sight of a keg at a wedding may be tacky. You’ll want to be sure that the bartender has an appropriate cover on the “jockey box,” which provides the tap connected to the keg. Sometimes simply wrapping the box in linen works fine. You can take your wedding one step closer to being green by using organic and sustainable products at your bar. It is hard for wineries to be certified as “organic” but there are some out there such as Tablas Creek and Arrowood Winery. You can be sustainable by using wine from local wineries, such as Orfila Vineyards located in the San Pasqual Valley, an agricultural preserve. Purchasing wine direct from the wineries will also save you money. Stone Brewery is a favorite for local beer and is easily accessible though most wedding venues and beverage providers. You can also try asking for a list of organic spirits your bartender may have access to, like Rain Vodka. But be prepared to pay a pretty penny for organic spirits! The pricing on these products are still quite high.
5) Serve a Sustainable Menu ~ It can’t be avoided that organic food products are more expensive. It can be a challenging process to raise produce and animals without pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides in our vastly changing world. But serving a sustainable menu is becoming more and more popular. I choose the term “sustainable” to encompass the concept of being as earth friendly as you can with your menu. Find a caterer that uses local farms whenever possible for produce. When reading a menu, look for references such as “Valdivia Farms tomato and sweet red onion salad” or “Local growers seasonal vegetable Jardinières.” You’ll also want to pay attention to where your protein comes from. What type of fish and where it comes from is extremely important when it comes to protecting our ocean’s ecosystem. One of my favorite resources is Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has a Seafood Watch program updated throughout the year. You can visit the website and download a list of fish and seafood that are abundant, well-managed, and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly way in your specific region. They will also provide you with a list of what to avoid. Requesting all natural, grain fed beef, such as Brandt Farms Beef raised here in California, is another step you can take with your caterer. All natural and grain fed California poultry can be requested too. Of course you can serve an organic menu to really go the extra effort. This can get a little more expensive though as I mentioned. I suggest focusing on being SUSTAINABLE, using local ingredients to cut down on travel pollution, and supporting your local community, if having an organic menu is out of your price range.
Trying to be green while planning such a momentous occasion as a wedding may sound like more work then it really is. Hopefully these 5 simple steps I have outlined have changed your opinion about whether or not having a more earth friendly wedding is possible. If we all make small smart decisions, we can make a difference! (and save some money in the long run!)
Cheers!
Photo Credit: Aaron Willcox Photography
References:
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