catering

Weddings on a Budget!

I caught the tale-end of the evening news this week and the topic was "Weddings on a budget".  As I listened to the news commentator and heard the interviews of the brides it brought back the memory of how we got started in the wedding industry.  I just wish I had the photos to show you, but that was prior to technology, and since the receptions were truly on a budget, I'm not sure my brides even had professional photographers!!

Our first event ever was the Vance Wedding (brave of me wasn't it!).  Dear Leslie came to us and asked if we could work with her limited budget to pull off the wedding of her dreams, I still remember the feeling that we were helping a young couple start their marriage off on the right foot, without debt incurred from a wedding that they could not afford.  It was a challenge for all of us, one that I am proud to say worked and is still working after many years!

Our second event was the Pattison Wedding, a Renaissance style event, in period costumes.  I hired (sort-of, does feeding them count?) my best friends as serving girls and dressed my husband in a royal blue tunic, tights and leather boots with a handsome blue hat perched atop his head and a large white feather tucked into it.  We provided a turkey carving station, an abundant display of fruits, cheeses, vegetables, and 100 Earl-Gray Tea soaked eggs which is a traditional gesture of fertility for the marriage.  I guess it worked, since Dakota was born early on in their marriage, another success story.

Today we still cater many wedding receptions and still take into account all levels of budgets and needs.  One of the biggest mistakes that a young couple can make is to overextend themselves for their wedding day.  Their are so many possibilities to consider that can make your budget work and produce a "day to remember".  My heart still beats a little quicker when I'm presented with a challenge, whether it is a themed event, or a limited budget.  Remember, your wedding day should be one that starts an incredible journey, not one that causes your checkbook to do somersaults! 

Take a look at "Sample menus - 2008/2009" for some menu ideas and give me a call to set up a consultation.

Diana

JESPY Awards - William Jessup University Fund Dinner 2008

  I had the privilege, once again,  of designing the 4th Annual WJU Scholorship Fund Dinner this past weekend.  What a whirlwind of activity and an outstanding event!  Kathleen Tucker from WJU again pulled off a successful fundraiser for the scholarship program at William Jessup University, and our planning team, Faith, Deb, Kathleen,Ed, Matt, Taylor, Rob, our Bayside Friends and myself pulled together to shock and awe the guests who arrived in style on the red carpet.  This years service award was given to Ray Johnston, Senior Pastor of Bayside Church.  What a fabulous night we had!

Holiday Menus with Lots of Cheer

Hello my friends.  Can you picture the mistletoe hanging, or is that stockings, I can't remember.......mistletoe would be nice!  The holiday season is fast approaching, are you prepared to ring it in with cheer?  I know that the economy has everyone a little timid, but don't let that keep you from gathering with friends and family to celebrate life.  When I picture family gatherings it is usually around our large dining room table, or many tables spread throughout the house.  Each year I find myself planning the next years holiday decor, crazy isn't it.  I love this season!  Last year my house was decorated to celebrate the Christmas season, as well as my son, Aaron's 30th birthday bash.  Since his favorite color is blue, I chose a combination of ice blue and chocolate brown colors with icy sparkle to ring in the season.  This year it is all about the red and green..... lime green and fire engine red that is!  However you choose to celebrate, surround yourself with friends and family, invite new friends, eat lots of yummy food, drink great wines, indulge in too many sweets (are there every really too many), but most importantly, create a lasting memory that you will love to return to year after year.

Blessings to you & yours,

Diana

Autumn Catering is Upon Us

Can you feel the crispness in the air!  This is the time of year that my senses get invigorated, and I definitely have fall fever in a higher dose than spring.  The colors, smells and tastes of Autumn bring my large stockpots out of the pantry and the cookie sheets and roasting pans front and center in my cabinet - or perched on my stove top.  Last night kicked off the first series of autumn events, a beautiful outdoor wedding and the Placer Nevada Medical Society dinner at the Miner's Foundry in Nevada City.   Our beautiful hostess, Cheryl Brandwood, along with her assistant and friend, made the evening extra special.  Our table decor, provided by Celebrations Party Rentals accentuated the rustic stone walls of the foundry, and the food..........I wish you had been there to taste it!  Wine marinated tri-tip of beef, pepper seared &  roasted chicken breast, portobello mushroom ravioli in a basil cream sauce.  It was all so yummy, but what would autumn be without apple pie, and not just any apple pie, but caramel-apple and walnut pie to top off the evening! Well, you too can have this experience.  Get out your roasting pans, stockpots and pie tins, fire up the oven and invite the guests.  Or, better yet, give us a call and let us make your evening spectacular and worry free.    

Night of the Dancing Flamingos - Land Architecture

What a night!... and day....and night...and hours....and weeks.....of PURE FUN!  Have you ever had the privilege of working with an incredibly creative group of people.   Well, in this line of work it does happen, but, even in this line of work it is unusual to have the clients be three incredibly creative men. 

I recently had the privilege of planning the Party of the Year for Land Architecture of Roseville.  They celebrated their 10th year anniversary with style, elegance and a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun.  The party was themed "Night of the Dancing Flamingo".  What a name, but when you are landscape architects, flamingos can be the worst nightmarish request from a client.  Well, not these flamingos, who were acquisitioned from the Meredith Family on the 5th Green at Sunset Whitney Golf Course.  They had their night in lights, lining the red carpet from Land Architecture's beautifully renovated Vernon Street building to the main venue at the Magic Circle Theater of Roseville.   The evening included music from a jazz duo

& stunning floral treatment from Blooms by Martha Andrews,    a variety of scrumptious bites, a beef tenderloin carving station,   as well as a fun and delicious "Martini Glass Mash Potato Bar".   The icing on the cake....or I should say cookies.....were beautiful guest favors prepared by The Cookie Lady.  

Gentlemen, thank you for the honor of planning the bash, I look forward to the next celebration of success, and the opportunity to view your creative work in our surrounding communities!

True Heroes and Survivors

What an incredible summer!  Let me tell a short tale about two friends, Pam and Bruce Miller, owners of PBM Construction.  Last year Bruce contacted me and asked me to help distract his lovely wife Pam for the day so that he could prepare for a BBQ and birthday celebration.  I did my best to be sneaky and what better way then to ask Pam to help cater an event with me - yes I made the girl work very hard on her special day!! And what a day when she found out what was up.....she was "madder than a wet hen", as my momma would say, and that gorgeous blond was more colorful with her vocabulary then Paula Deen when one of her recipes flops!  Well, not to be outdone, Ms. Pamela Miller delayed her husbands 50th party several months to let him think she didn't care, and then planned the event around friends from Texas' visit in August, he didn't know what hit him.  One important detail for you to know about the Miller's is that Bruce is a cancer survivor, which makes Pam one also.  Being able to celebrate this special event means so much more when you have walked through a tough battle.  The guest list was made up of childhood friends, friends from the business world and their cancer support group survivors who shared in the victory of another birthday.  I am proud to be able to share these images and I would encourage everyone to embrace life with a flurry of celebrations, like my friends the Millers.  Life is too short to not have fun!View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo

Birthday Parties and New Friends

The last couple of weeks have passed in a whirlwind of celebrations.  I didn't want the summer to end without sharing a few of my favorites (more still to come, but they are surprises - I'll share them later).  August is a wonderful month for many of my friends and family members, we share a special birthday month together, but I want to share some new friends with you.  The fabulous Nancy Rich turned 60 this year and it did not go by without a birthday bash in her honor.  Her husband, Dave, contacted me and placed his trust in our experience to guide him through the process.  What a incredible host he was, and what a wonderful evening it turned into. Download DSCF0852.JPG Nancy was instrumental in selecting a summer menu that would compliment the seasonal produce and a warm evening.View this photo An heirloom tomato salad with crumbled gorgonzola, a fresh arugula salad with sweet strawberries and mizithra cheese, wine and herb marinated tri-tip and a lemon herb chicken breast, along with a variety of desserts and fresh fruit to finish off the meal.  The guests relaxed throughout the beautiful backyardView this photo and enjoyed the wonderful harp music provided by Pamela Pamperin www.harplady.com, but the true surprise came when Pamela got out her accordion and played "Happy Birthday" to the surprise vocalist, Dave Rich! View this photoWhat a treat for everyone.  Thank you for the fabulous memory on a warm August night, and Happy Birthday Nancy, you're incredible.

Red Hot Weddings!

Weddings in red are the hot trend this summer.  So far I have quite a few brides using the shade, but each has their own unique twist incorporated into their day.  Stay tuned as I publish each brides style throughout the summer and early fall.  These photos were captured by my friend, photographer Rhonda Campbell.  You can contact Rhonda at irhonda@sbcglobal.net View this photo View this photo The Tomicich wedding even included an unexpected guest early the next morning.  This one was preparing for a "Dog Day Afternoon"!View this photo

Where do the Menus Come From?

I am frequently asked if we are flexible in designing menus to suit your specific needs.  The answer is, most definitely, yes!!  As we began the catering business we started by offering our family favorites to clients, it helped to have a starting point, which is where "Mom's Christmas Brunch" and some of our more popular menus came from.  As the years progressed we added a few of your menus to our offering, the ones that you designed with your families favorites in mind.  I want to share one of those special menus, and the story behind it that touches my heart whenever I see them. 

The story begins with a wedding 14 years ago this summer.  A young couple, the son of our dear friends Dan & Penny McGrew, was planning his wedding.  Billy & Tricia McGrew were married and celebrated with a large gathering of family and friends joining the event.  We were privileged to cater the wonderful reception and participate in the start of their journey, but there was in fact a "party-after-the-party" that close relatives were invited to so that they could unwind and continue the family gathering in a relaxed atmosphere.  That celebration took place around Penny and her sister Lynn's parents pool in Sacramento.  The menu that they designed for the day was centered around their family favorites, cold meat selections, deviled eggs, salads, great breads and some summer sweets.  In fact, that menu is "The Family Pool Party" that we use today.

Twelve years go by and many "life" events take place.  We receive a call from Lynn Estabrook and her husband Kent.  They are in to process of planning their daughter Michelle's fall wedding.  I send a set of sample menus to Lynn and we start the process of planning the event.  Michelle looks over the menus and selects a menu that fits her family perfectly.  I pulled up to a beautiful, newly landscaped, house in Sacramento, proceeding into the newly remodeled home and sit down with the family to finalize details, and a moment of de ja vu hits me.  You see, I cater hundreds of events each year, in many locations, with many faces and a wide variety of food, the house was not completely familiar, but as we were going over the menu I realized that I had been their before.  Same home, same menu, different occasion!  A wave of emotion hit me and I had to explain to my guests what was happening.  You see, they didn't know that I had named a menu after their family gathering years prior, they just knew that it was perfect for their upcoming gathering.  They had in fact selected the exact menu that Lynn's sister Penny had picked for her son's "after party"!!  Well, the menu continues to circulate through this wonderful family and I finally captured a few pictures of them to share with you.  Yesterday, we had the privilege of catering a gathering at a beautiful home off Crocker Road.  Lynn and Kent shared their favorite menu with friends and allowed us the privilege of serving them once again with "The Family Pool Party".  Here is a picture of our wonderful hosts, their buffet and the colorful table settings that complimented the night.View this photo View this photo View this photo  I look forward to the next opportunity to serve this wonderful family, and I look forward to helping create a family tradition for you!

Inspiration from My Surroundings

I'm not sure what inspires you to be creative, but I was reminded this week that my creativity wells up when I am surrounded by beauty and color and life.  I have been struggling to get the creative juices flowing and then I encountered a day of looking at place settings and table linens, brides and outdoor garden settings.  It was a launching pad for my mind to grasp new foods and event ideas.  One of my favorite weddings took place in the heat of July, outdoors under a grove of oak trees.  The evening was magical and the inspiration for the menu arrived from the color of a natural pale leaf green.  All of the menu items comlimented the setting, including the floral arrangements with fresh limes and banana leaves.  The gazpacho soup sips in cucumber cups and the shot glass prawns displayed in crushed ice.  To make the event even more magical was the union in marriage of a beautiful bride, Ami, to her handsome love, Shaun.  Peek in and share the freshness of this summer night!View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo View this photo