Archive for July, 2011
Guest Blog: Mary Dann – Wedding and Party Coordinators
My staff and I love coordinating weddings at The Langham! From the moment you step into the lobby and notice the aroma of their signature ginger flower scent, to the amazing and unforgettable grounds of the hotel, to the warm and personal service from their staff, we love partnering with The Langham to provide long-lasting memories for our couples!
Jill invited us to be special guest bloggers so Carrie and I thought we’d share some of our ideas to personalize and brand your own wedding!
We love the idea of designing your own cake stand to match your event. Kathy Jo Peterson’s Raise the Cake has been creating wonderful custom designs since 2009. From Glitzy & Glam or Fun & Funky to Sleek & Mod, there is a cake stand for you. Visit http://www.raisethecake.com to pick your favorite stand and add a special touch to your already gorgeous wedding cake.
Here’s a custom cake stand from a wedding held at The Langham:
Another way to add a personal and ahhhhh-inspiring touch to your wedding cake is by having a custom edible cake topper. Kimberly Bailey from The Butter End Cakery is a true artist and can create a beautiful and delicious cake topper using chocolate and fondant. Simply provide a picture of what you would like, for example of your special pet, the spot where your fiancée proposed or your wedding logo! Kimberly is extremely talented. Visit the Butter End Cakery at http://www.thebutterend.com.
Here are a few fun cake topper’s from The Butter End Cakery:
You can also brand your event and keep your guests hydrated after a long evening of dancing by creating customized water bottles and water bottle labels from Bottle Your Brand. Their state of the art design tool allows you to customize your label online and you can either have the labels sent to you for an easy DIY project or for a bit more, you can have the water bottles pre-labeled and shipped in cases.
Here are some creative custom labels that were designed to match the wedding themes:
These are just a few ideas to brand your wedding and make a truly customized and unforgettable day for you and your family. And what a beautiful day it will be at the luxurious Langham Huntington in Pasadena!
- Mary Dann & Carrie Goldberg
First Looks
The First Look – some couples love the idea, while others would never dare to break tradition.
As a wedding professional, I think it’s a brilliant idea! You get that private, intimate moment where you see your bride or groom for the first time on your wedding day and are able to hug, kiss, cry and whisper sweet nothings, all of which can be hard to do in front of your hundreds of guests. Plus, it allows for you to be much more relaxed during your walk down the aisle and allows for your photographer to get tons more photos of the ceremony, sans the tears and smeared make-up!
Allowing for a first look also solves timing issues which may arise around available sunlight and gives you an opportunity to take photographs together, which in turn lets you join your guests and mingle earlier at your reception!
Here are a few of my favorite First Looks that have taken place here at The Langham:
- Jill
Great Summer Cocktails
Reading Jill’s post about great summer mocktails got me thinking about great summer cocktails! The most popular specialty drink we’re seeing this summer is the mojito, with its cool and refreshing taste. Brides have been customizing the mojitos by adding their favorite fruits (think strawberries or pomegranates) or color-coordinating syrups.
Here’s my favorite classic mojito recipe – treat yourself to one on a hot summer afternoon!
- ½ Cup Water
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Packed Mint Leaves plus 1 Mint Sprig
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- Ice
- ¼ Cup plus 1 Tablespoon Light Rum
- 2 Tablespoons Chilled Club Soda
- In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and stir ove moderate heat just until the sugar is dissolved.
- Reserve 15 of the mint leaves. Add the remaining mint leaves to the syrup and let steep until cool, then strain and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the 15 reserved mint leaves with the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of the mint syrup. Add ice and the rum and shake well.
- Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the drink through a fine strainer into the glass.
- Garnish the drink with mint sprig and enjoy!
- Christie
Your Something Blue
Last week I was talking with a bride who was having a hard time finding her “something blue.” She didn’t want to do the typical blue garter or undergarment, but wanted something a little more luxurious and unique. We came up with a few creative ideas, which I thought would be fun to share!
- Splash some color into your white dress by adding a blue sash
- Add a little glamour by wearing strands of blue crystal and mother of pearl beads around your neck
- A blue silk-chiffon handbag or blue shoes are wonderful accompaniments to a white dress
- A blue veil on your head or a blue petticoat underneath it can really renovate the style for a more modern bride
- Don a blue silk rose or some little blue buds (Hyacinths, Delphiniums, Statice, Sea Holly or Veronica) in your hair to add just the right amount of blue
Did you have a fun and unique “something blue” in mind? I’d love to hear what other people have worn or plan to wear at their wedding! Please share with me below in the comments.
- Christie
Photo Booths
As we all know the photo booth trend is extremely popular this year. Incorporating a photo booth into the wedding day is a great interactive element that guests of all ages will enjoy! This element is definitely a highlight of any evening, not to mention you will probably end up with some extremely funny photos!
Companies such as Cheesy Photo Booths can provide you with a traditional photo booth to add to your special day. These booths add an element of fun, while still upholding that level of elegance that you may be looking for.
We are also seeing those couples who love the concept of the photo booth, but want something a little different, which is where companies such as Mobile Photo Lounge are becoming popular. They can provide more of a lounge setting, with the fun and interactive aspects of the traditional photo booth. They can also offer customization of the lounge color and overall décor and will work with the client to create a setting that ties in perfectly to the rest of the wedding scheme.
The newest trend that we are seeing is couples who are trying to stray away from the idea of a traditional “booth” and branching out more into a photo-op type setting. This is such a cute idea and really lends to incorporating the couples personality into the wedding!
The below photo op was created by a bride and wedding planner Sasha Souza and is simply adorable!
This custom backdrop includes framed family photos along with large open frames where wedding guests can poke their heads through and have their photo snapped. What an adorable way to incorporate old family photos along with new wedding memories!
- Amanda
Italian-Made Wedding Albums
Albert Postel from Art of Photography, one of our vendor partners, stopped a few weeks ago bearing chocolate chip cookies and to tell us about his new line of Italian-made wedding albums!
Albert‘s working with an Italian graphic designer who has a fine art bookmaking background and can create customized wedding albums made of materials ranging from fine Italian leather or elegant soft silk, to edgy metallic and transparent covers.
Also available are Image Presentation boxes, which is another stylish way to preserve and display your wedding memories!
And since we are on the topic of Art of Photography, I thought it would be fun to share some of Albert’s photographs from a recent wedding, where the ceremony was held in the Georgian Ballroom – they’re breathtaking!
- Jill
Real Wedding: Fiona & Philip
I once again had the pleasure of working with Kelley Lee Gin of Picture Perfect Event and Chenin Boutwell of Boutwell Studios in creating another flawless Wedding Celebration!
From the moment I met the happy couple, Fiona and Philip, I knew that it would truly be an amazing experience to be a part of their memories. They are such a wonderful couple and I am so happy that their wedding day was everything that they had hoped for and more!
Fiona and Philip incorporated a lot of incredible elements into their wedding so I wanted to share a few photos with you. Enjoy!
For the ceremony in the Horseshoe Garden they brought in a stunning wrought iron gate which was placed at the entrance of the aisle; as well as a white gazebo which was adorned with florals and crystals for the actual ceremony.
Like so many of our couples they also decided to include their furry family members into the ceremony!!
The couple also put a twist on the standard escort card table by creating an entire display which looked amazing!
To say that the ballroom was stunning would be a huge understatement!
From the beautiful centerpieces…
To the fabric draping, specialty lighting and lounge furniture…
To the custom bars…
To the monogrammed white dance floor
To the gorgeous backdrop for their cake table!
It was clear that no element was overlooked, and that a lot of time and effort went into ensuring that each and every element was special to the couple and simply amazing!
The wedding party had a surprise dance in store for the attendees which was definitely one of the highlights of the night!
Towards the end of the evening the guests snacked on a custom dessert table, as well as midnight snacks such as mini hot dogs and fries!
It is always wonderful to see new and creative ways that our couples are incorporating their personalities into their special day! Fiona and Philip’s wedding was truly a beautiful celebration and we wish them a lifetime of happiness ahead!
- Amanda
Summer Wedding Mocktails
Summer weddings offer such a great opportunity to do something fun with your non-alcoholic beverage selections. Referred to as “mocktails”, they have all the sizzle of celebration, but without the alcohol. When you’re designing your signature cocktail, be considerate about your guests who may prefer a non-alcoholic option and serve them something thought-felt and unique as well!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons colored sanding sugar
- 1 lime
- 6 teaspoons pomegranate syrup or grenadine
- 1 1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
Directions:
- Place sanding sugar in a shallow dish or plate. Slice six thin rounds from the middle of lime; set aside. Rub lime wedge around rims of six glasses; dip each rim in sugar to coat. Pour 1 teaspoon pomegranate syrup into bottom of each glass.
- Place grapefruit juice and 2 cups ice cubes in a blender. Process on high speed until ice is crushed. Pour frozen mixture into glasses, and stir to combine with syrup. Garnish with reserved lime rounds, and serve immediately.
Watermelon Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1/2 medium seedless watermelon (about 9 pounds), rind removed, flesh cut into chunks
Directions:
- Squeeze lemons into a large pitcher; add squeezed lemon quarters. Add mint and sugar; mash with a wooden spoon until mint is bruised and sugar is dissolved.
- In a blender, puree watermelon in batches until smooth; pour through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher (you should have about 8 cups of juice). Stir to combine. (Refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days.) Add vodka, if using; serve over ice.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Ginger Syrup
- 4 1/2 cups sparkling apple cider
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 6 pieces crystallized ginger
Directions:
- Place 2 tablespoons ginger syrup in each of six glasses. Fill glasses with ice cubes, pour in cider, and stir to combine. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger, and serve.
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts fresh apple juice (from 16 red apples, cored but not peeled) plus 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 6 lemons) plus 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 quart fresh orange juice (from 10 oranges) plus 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 1 bottle (24 1/2 ounces) sparkling white-grape juice chilled
Directions:
- In a pitcher, combine the apple and lemon juices immediately after juicing to keep the apple juice pink. Stir in orange juice; cover, and chill. Just before serving, add grape juice and sliced fruit.
Recipes and photos from MarthaStewart.com
Nowhere is it written that you need to serve your guests ordinary soft drinks that are available at any super market either! Have some fun with your selection and kick it up a notch.
A&W Root Beer ● Americana Honey Lime Ginger Ale ● Classic Coca-Cola ● Orange Crush
Columbiana La Nuestra Kola Champagne ● Dandelion & Burdock ● Jones Berry Lemonade
We’ve had several requests for the recipe for the Hibiscus Sparkler served at our recent Tea with E event so I thought I’d post the recipe…
Hibiscus Sparkler
Recipe by Antonio Quaresma, The Langham Huntington, Pasadena Banquet Beverage Captain
Ingredients:
- ¼ oz. of Wild Hibiscus Syrup, imported from Australia (more can be used according to the dryness of the sparkling wine used)
- Ariel (non-alcoholic) Sparkling Wine
Directions:
- Drop a hibiscus flower from the Wild Hibiscus Syrup into a champagne flute
- Fill champagne flute with Ariel Sparkling Wine
- Top with Wild Hibiscus Syrup
Enjoy!
- Jill
Giving Back
Giving back to those in need is one wedding trend that will hopefully continue to gain momentum and never diminish. This has become a great way for a happy couple to raise awareness and support for a cause that is close to their hearts.
We often have couples who decide to incorporate their favorite charity into their special day. One of our past couples, Emi and Shingo, decided to incorporate their favorite animal rescue into their wedding day.
The couple named each table after a dog at the rescue that was in current need of adoption. The table names included a photo of the dog as well as information on the organization. A donation was also made by the couple in lieu of a wedding favor.
This is a growing trend that really can make a difference to those that are less fortunate. Recently the LA Times wrote an article on this popular wedding trend featuring Emi and Shingo, as well as our Director of Public Relations Elsa Schelin.
“There are myriad charitable options for any cause a couple cares deeply about, said Elsa Schelin, director of public relations for the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena.
Absolutely everything you can imagine, she said, from animal rescue shelters to breast cancer research.”
Click here to read the full article on latimes.com
When planning the most important day of your life, you might want to stop for a moment and consider the possibility of incorporating this element into your day. There really is no greater feeling then helping those in need.
- Amanda
Something old, something new…
Have you ever wondered where the “something old, something new” saying came from? It originated from an old English poem, which read:
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
Each item in the poem represents a good luck charm for the bride. Legend says, if she carries all four items with her on her wedding day, her marriage will be filled with happiness!
The something old item is said to represent continuity in your new marriage with your family and your past. The something new item is said to represent optimism and hope for your new life ahead. The something borrowed item should come from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to your new marriage. The something blue item, which is in reference to the late 19th century where blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, symbolizes love, modesty, and fidelity for your new marriage.
Have you thought about which items you are going to take down the aisle with you? Or did you carry any interesting items on your wedding day? I’d love to hear about them!
- Janet
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