Modern La Jolla Beach Wedding by Alchemy Fine Events, part 3 : the Ultimate Dessert Bar

La Jolla Luxe Asian Zen: Part III THE DESSERTS

The couple did not want a typical cake cutting ceremony, but the bride knowing of her husband’s sweet tooth, wanted to surprise him with amazing desserts.  So to really knock it out of the ballpark, we didn’t just create one dessert table, but an entire secret dessert room.  Closed off from all guests until later on in the evening, the grand revealing exposed a 16-foot dessert bar featuring five custom designed tiered cakes from Sweet and Saucy shop among an array of delicious miniature treats from puddings to custom cookies all arranged on lucite trays.  This was just the beginning of the sugar rush.  At one end of the room dozens of unexpected, but delectable flavored warm cookies from The Cravory tempted guests, while an old-fashioned copper cappuccino machine lured guests to the other end of the room for a hot beverage. Along the way, guests were greeted to bell jars filled with tons of Old-fashioned candies, from gummy bears to oversized gumballs. The sugar fix continued to the outdoor patio where Sweet Lucie’s ice cream cart dished out their best flavors and a warm donut station produced fresh pastries right in front of your eyes.  Silver Chinese take out boxes allowed guests to take these tasty treats with them to nibble on until the wee hours of the night.

The Ultimate Dessert Bar by Alchemy Fine Events & Sweet and Saucy Shop

Wedding Photography: Photography: Samuel Lippke Studios | Wedding Venue: Scripps Forum | Event Design, Planning & Stationery: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations| Floral Design: Isari Flower Studio | Catering: Urban Kitchen Catering | Furniture & Production: Hire Elegance | Draping, Lighting & Chuppah Production: Your Bash! | Furniture & Decor Rentals: Revelry Event Design | Tabletop Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & Casa de Perrin | Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray | Desserts: Sweet & Saucy Shop, The Cravory, Sweet Lucies, Images Printed on Chocolate, Cappuccino on Call | Entertainment: Elan Artists & Freeze Frame | Dress & Bridesmaids: Monique Lhuillier |Beauty: Fiore Beauty

Inspiration to Celebration: Colorful Summer Garden Party by Alchemy Fine Events

Colorful Summer Garden Party Ideas

With the weather warm, the days long and sunshine to burn, what’s a better way to appreciate the season then by taking your celebrations, or even dinners, out doors! Entertaining al fresco allows you to enjoy your hard earned gardens, enjoy the warm air or even just the view from the rooftops if you’re stuck in the city.  After seeing this adorable garden terrace at the home of Tory Burch designed by Jonathon Adler I was so inspired to throw together few ideas myself for your summer garden party.

Love chair, plates, carafe’s and stool by Jonathon Adler, invitation by Alchemy Fine Events, tulip table by Form Decor.

Here are my Top 5 Tips for your Summer Garden Party:

COLOR: Get playful by combining bright, bold colors. Get inspired by the flowers in season, the green grass, the warm sun and blue sky. Don’t be afraid to mix and match contrasting colors and patterns on dinnerware and textiles for an eclectic look.

REFRESHMENTS: Nothing says celebration like bubbles!!! And what’s better than bubbles than PINK BUBBLES!!?!?  Nothing! After guests are treated to some brut rose or other nip, don’t forget to hydrate them with some non-alcoholic options as well like cucumber-lime infused sparkling water or sparkling lemonade.

FLOWERS: Even if your affair is in a gorgeous outdoor setting, don’t neglect putting  few flowers on the table and catering tables themselves. Play with some more exotic looking flowers for a fun architectural punch such as fuchsias which have such an interesting shape to them!

FOOD: Whether it be a sit down affair or relaxed cocktail party, consider the service ahead of time. When al fresco, make dining simple for your guests such as pre-rolled up silverware and printed linens or create easily passed bites such some darling smoked salmon and cucumber tea sandwiches.

MUSIC: Nothing sets the mood of the affair like music so get playful and try out something fun like some French cafe tunes, Hotel Costes mixes or something else with some more character and style to it verses boring your guests with overplayed current hits.

Modern La Jolla Beach Wedding by Alchemy Fine Events, part 2.

Under the Sea Asian Zen La Jolla Beach Wedding: The Reception

With the vision of an ‘under the sea’ inspired Asian zen ocean, we created a magical setting to completely transform Scripps Forum into a  living aquarium where coral reefs were recreated onto each table and waves lapped above their heads on the waving ceiling. Lights sparkled all around them and danced about as the sequin and grey silk curtains brought a modern seaweed influence around them as they dine on canvas covered tables and danced on grey-washed floors.

An Under the Sea La Jolla Beach Wedding worthy of being held at Scripps Aquarium

As guests entered the reception they were greeted by over sized floating origami cranes that led them to a custom seating card table made out of rustic beach wood bases and layered lucite which housed hundreds of colorful flowers and succulents.  Guests were escorted to their seats by a miniature origami cranes with purple calligraphy by Kathryn Murray.

To completely transform the room from an auditorium to WOW we re-carpeted the entire room in a soft gray and created a gray-washed wood dance floor to follow the curvature of the room which we draped in a custom designed grey and white drapery with a splash of silver sequins to create the ‘under the sea’ feeling. In lieu of traditional tables and linens we custom wrapped square tables in white canvas and grey silk bases for an ultra clean and zen vibe and then paired them with canvas benches and sleek leather chairs. For a completely unique centerpiece idea wanted to replicate the ocean floor by designing flowers that would emulate gorgeous coral and sea life on a reef. To do so and also stay in line with the recurring square theme (square table, plates, centerpiece, menus) on the table I custom designed square lucite trays which overlapped each other in a cantilever position which boasted the bright blooms and succulents Isari Flower Studio so impressively created. White matte sea urchin votives, white coral and nautilus shells created a textural ambiance and accented the purple coral napkins we also had custom designed which presented a polished abalone shell for each guest and a letterpressed menu.

For just a touch of vintage guests dined on their 5 course meal including a bread cart, 2 salad choices, sorbet intermezzo served on Chinese soup spoons and cornish game hens on heritage silverware as well.  Guests danced to the R&B sounds of Ground Control and then were surprised by the groom’s pick of Freeze Frame, an awesome 80’s band that took over later in the evening.

  Wedding Photography: Photography: Samuel Lippke Studios | Wedding Venue: Scripps Forum | Event Design, Planning & Stationery: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations| Floral Design: Isari Flower Studio | Catering: Urban Kitchen Catering | Furniture & Production: Hire Elegance | Draping, Lighting & Chuppah Production: Your Bash! | Furniture & Decor Rentals: Revelry Event Design | Tabletop Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & Casa de Perrin | Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray | Desserts: Sweet & Saucy Shop, The Cravory, Sweet Lucies, Images Printed on Chocolate, Cappuccino on Call | Entertainment: Elan Artists & Freeze Frame | Dress & Bridesmaids: Monique Lhuillier |Beauty: Fiore Beauty

Modern Luxe La Jolla Beach Wedding by Alchemy Fine Events, part 1

California meets Asian Zen La Jolla Beach Wedding at Scripps Forum: the Ceremony & Cocktail Hour

When a  Manhattan based client approached me for a four-day destination wedding weekend in San Diego, although she had never even visited America’s Finest City and basically gave me free reign design wise, I knew this would be fun!  From an Old Town Mexican rehearsal fiesta, sailing day on a 150 ft antique sailboat, golf at Torrey Pines and a post-wedding brunch on the sand in La Jolla, this was quite an unforgettable affair! For this La Jolla Beach wedding I wanted to create a look that was still very chic and sophisticated with beachy and zen undertones, so with understated Asian and oceanic influences we did just that. I wanted to make these mainly East Coast based, out-of-town guests feel as if they were under the ocean in a not so classic California beach inspired seaside setting.

THE CEREMONY: As guests entered onto the seaside grassy setting they were offered guava cocktails in vintage champagne coupes sprinkled with flower petals as well as a tasty little chicken mousse cornetts. For the ceremony we wanted to create an organic, natural feeling beachy vibe so we designed a custom driftwood chuppah to be constructed, which we then layered on a ton of various shaped origami for a fun Asian element. In lieu of a traditional white aisle I wanted a more fluid, natural feel that would flow with the color of the grey sand on the beach so we constructed a custom grey-washed wood aisle built on site for the bride to walk down. Flanking the aisle was rustic wood podiums topped with seashell vases overflowing with big blooms and greenery to emulate the wildness of underwater plantlife on the seafloor. A pianist played Cannon in D on a white baby grand piano as the bride clad in Monique Lhullier was escorted down the aisle by her parents.

At the beginning of the aisle stood rustic wood pillars with mother of pearl vases boasting underwater inspired flowers including pink peonies, orchids, wild greenery and other textures emulating an underwater wild coral reef.

 For this modern La Jolla Beach wedding we created a custom designed driftwood chuppah with colorful origami that stood atop a platform at the end of a custom build light grey washed aisle for a natural and organic feeling.

 THE COCKTAIL HOUR: After the ceremony guests were treated to jazz music flowing through the air as they nibbled on hors d’oeuvres and relaxed in the outdoor living room style lounges which featured California modern style of furniture blended with modern marble pieces which made a recurring appearance throughout the food styling. The cozy upstairs lounge designed with white velvet couches, marble coffee tables and a modern mirrored bar to reflect the sunset behind them also featured a Japanese sun ice sculpture glowing among the raw bar stocked full with Dungeness crab, oysters and shrimp.  Marble slabs featuring a variety of California cheeses greeted guests as they sipped on California wines paired with them.

Guests were treated to a downstairs bar and lounges as well as an upstairs lounge full of white velvet couches and ottomans, sleek chrome belly bars anda raw bar with a Japanese Sun ice sculpture.

Stay tuned for more blog posts of the reception, the food and the over the top dessert extravaganza from this La Jolla Beach Wedding!! The details were just too over the top to not share!

Wedding Photography: Photography: Samuel Lippke Studios | Wedding Venue: Scripps Forum | Event Design, Planning & Stationery: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations| Floral Design: Isari Flower Studio | Catering: Urban Kitchen Catering | Furniture & Production: Hire Elegance | Draping, Lighting & Chuppah Production: Your Bash! | Furniture & Decor Rentals: Revelry Event Design | Tabletop Rentals: Classic Party Rentals & Casa de Perrin | Calligraphy: Kathryn Murray | Desserts: Sweet & Saucy Shop, The Cravory, Sweet Lucies, Images Printed on Chocolate, Cappuccino on Call | Entertainment: Elan Artists & Freeze Frame | Dress & Bridesmaids: Monique Lhuillier |Beauty: Fiore Beauty