Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Wedding Season Has Begun at SO

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

We just got back from another beautiful wedding that we produced in Playa Del Carmen . . . the Mayan Riviera is really starting to be our home away from home! We hope you enjoy some of our snapshots.

The Wedding Fiesta Weekend took place at Hotel Le Reve & Spa which had amazing tile work –unique to each and every room. We heart these mosaics!

The bride and groom love their three dogs and since they couldn’t join them in Mexico, they made sure they were there in spirit. They created this adorable logo that we incorporated into the Welcome Gift Tequila Set.

In fact, we loved it so much that we surprised them with monogrammed robes with the logo embroidered on the back!

During our site visit, the bride mentioned that she would love to have a monkey at the wedding…so we surprised her with two squirrel monkeys the night before the wedding! They were adorable and all the guests loved them too. Being the animal lovers that we are, we asked the owner where they sleep and he said that they have their own room in the house with bunk beds!

Once the reception was well underway, we even tried out our DJ skills!

All in all, it was an amazing weekend . . . we miss Playa already! Stay tuned for the official images of the whole weekend!

Posted in Destination Events, Travel, Weddings | No Comments »

Ringing in the New Year with the Dawa!

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Many of you may have noticed by now, that my design and entertaining inspirations often come from my travels. This Saturday evening, friends and family at my New Year’s party will toast to 2012 with a signature drink  – the Dawa Cocktail! I recently sipped the Dawa in Quebec City, Canada; although the cocktail originates from Africa and is based on a Brazilian recipe. The uniquely delicious combination of vodka, brown sugar and honey is truly international!

Special Occasions wishes you a safe New Year’s celebration! See y’all in 2012!

Ingredients

•  1¾ oz (50 ml) Finlandia Vodka

•  2 bar spoons Brown Sugar

•  1 lime, cubed

•  Honey-coated stir stick (garnish)

Preparation

•  Place cubed limes and brown sugar into an Old Fashioned glass

•  Crush limes, add crushed ice and pour in the Finlandia Vodka

•  Twist a “Dawa” or honey stick into honey and add to the drink

•  Muddle limes with Dawa or honey stick

Posted in Entertaining, Recipes, Travel | No Comments »

Happy Holidays from the Big Apple

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

During my annual winter trip to New York City, I noticed that there was a common theme in the streets of NYC that fit its nickname, “ The Big Apple”, perfectly.  The  décor elements were common holiday items, but BIG!  Just imagine a holiday version of  “Honey I Shrunk the Kids”. It’s amazing how something as simple as an oversized Christmas light could be so impressive and really grab everyone’s attention.

There were so many people that wanted their photo taken in front of the giant Christmas tree lights that I had to wait my turn!

The reflection of the ornaments in the water at night was simple, yet very festive.

Slinkys still have a way of bringing out the kid in everyone!

Not exactly a toy soldier when it is more than twice your size!

Cartier’s signature wrapping . . . across the entire building!

Santa will be able to read these letters without his glasses.

Hmmm . . . I wonder if these candy canes smell like peppermint :)

We wish you a safe and fun holiday celebration with your family and friends! Celebrate BIG!

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Three Lessons From Mr. Hearst

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

For some time now, I had been wanting to experience the famous California coast. I finally had a chance to sneak away and make the drive!

Along our drive we stopped at Hearst Castle.  I loved three things about Mr. Hearst’s main dining room.  First, the table was intentionally made narrow to encourage conversations.  Often times in events we want wider tables to allow more room for table top decor; yet we forget about the importance of conversation.

Second, he always used paper napkins, never cloth.  He felt this would make all of his guests, no matter their background, feel more comfortable.  A great host always considers the comfort of their invited guests.

Lastly, I loved how he fell in love with wooden wall panels that ended up being too short for the walls, but that didn’t stop him from using them…he put them on the ceiling!!

Posted in Corporate Events, Design Inspiration, Destination Events, Entertaining, Social Events, Travel, Weddings | No Comments »

More from my Cabo trip . . . Lighting!

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

Sorry for the blog absence! Between our event on Monday and another event last week, which we had one week to coordinate . . .  let’s just say, my office was pretty busy!! But we’re back and I want to continue to share more of my Cabo trip.

A couple of years ago I saw a photo in a travel magazine of a lantern design that inspired me. I actually re-created it for an event we did last year, so I had to make it a point to visit the source of inspiration in person!

(Lanterns in Cabo)

(Lanterns at an event produced by Special Occasions)

We really do believe in details. Take a look at the details in the landscape lighting at this resort. Such a small element can have a big effect on the environment you are creating.

Posted in Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Corporate Events, Design Inspiration, Destination Events, Entertaining, Social Events, Travel, Weddings | No Comments »

Hola from Cabo!

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Believe it or not – this is my first time in Cabo! I am here on a site visit for a client’s upcoming birthday party at Las Ventanas al Paraiso.  We started the trip on the right track – with a drink tasting! Look at some of the amazing drinks created by our personal bartender, Gerson!

In between drinks, they made us delicious shrimp tacos and wood-fired pizzas in this gorgeous outdoor wood-fired oven. I love the detailed tile work!

This is just the beginning! Much more to come!  Stay tuned…

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A Night at Grand Del Mar

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Last week, Paige Levy and Charles Stuart from the amazing Grand Del Mar Resort, hosted their annual industry “Wedding Experience”. I entered my beautifully appointed room to find a stylish, eco-friendly laptop bag as a welcome gift. Great find Paige! I will definitely suggest these as a perfect welcome gift for a client’s corporate sales retreat.

Another highlight was a cooking demonstration hosted by 5 top San Diego chefs followed by a gourmet lunch. I loved the interactive mozzarella station combined with the wood burning pizza oven! Can’t wait to have a mozzarella station at one of our events . . .Yummy!

My favorite dish was a mushroom truffle soup. I had to go back for a second sample and would have had a third if I had the opportunity! Stay tuned next week for the recipe!

To top it all off there was also made-to-order sweet and savory cotton candy. I loved the savory twist on cotton candy!

Thank you Paige and Charles for a perfect and inspiring getaway!

Posted in Corporate Events, Design Inspiration, Destination Events, Entertaining, Recipes, Social Events, Travel, Weddings | No Comments »

We are flipping out!

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

We recently produced a wedding in which we placed a Flip camera at each table and it was a huge hit! Guests were encouraged to record their personal speeches and wishes as well as record candid footage of the entire event. We collected the flip cams at the end of the evening and gave them to the videographer to edit the footage.  The final video was super cute! The cameras were then donated to various non-profit organizations that are involved with Youth Arts & Media.

Having flip cams at an event is a great modern rendition of the “traditional” still cameras. You can also personalize them with your own photo or custom graphic!

They also make for the perfect welcoming gift for a destination wedding. Just drop them in the welcome bag upon guest’s arrival so they can record the entire weekend and festivities.

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The cutest restaurant in Quito!

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

While traveling through the Amazon in Ecuador we met a local who gave us a tip for a fun restaurant in Quito which was our next stop. We made it a point to have dinner there and we loved it.  The designer had an amazing eye for detail! Everything from the wallpaper, light fixtures, floor treatment,  combination of different tables and chairs, to the unique glassware for each specialty drink – everything was thought out with a lot of imagination!

Restaurant interior with a colorful combination of tables and chairs. Check out the wallpaper on the ceiling!

Cool wall sconces and chandeliers.

What a creative use of birdcages!

To make it even better, the menu was as thoughtfully inspired as the décor! Check out the tree growing through the middle of the restaurant . . . love it! I definitely found some inspiration during this dining experience that I hope to use back home.

A real tree! I'm glad the owner decided to keep it and make it a part of the eclectic decor.

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Stop and smell the roses – in Ecuador!

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

I love traveling!  No matter how busy I am I try to treat myself to a “BIG” trip once a year.  This year it was Machu Picchu and Galapagos Islands (anyone thinking of going call me and I will give you the inside scoop)- an amazing trip!

While I was traveling through the Highlands of Ecuador I stopped at a rose farm and begged my way in. Getting in is not easy, each farm keeps everything top secret so their neighboring competition cannot copy their latest invention.  Look at these colorful roses going to Indonesia!

I will never look at roses in a centerpiece the same  . . . the process to produce one single rose is so intricate and amazing!

Some fun facts:

  • An average rose farm produces 20,000 roses a day for shipment.
  • 50% of the roses shipped are red roses.
  • The United States and Russia are the largest importers of Ecuadorian roses.

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