Over the years I have become very familiar with Michael C Fina, a spectacular purveyor of high end tableware, crystal, flatware and home accessories in Manhattan.  I have purchased many a wedding gift (as they are the place to register), and worked extensively with them to put the finishing touches on various clients’ homes (in my former life as an interior designer…).  And this week, I had the pleasure of attending their debut of Project Runway finalist Carol Hannah Whitfield’s bridal collection, as well as jeweler Tacori’s 18K 925 collection.

I was thrilled to be invited, since this event encompassed an intersection of my creative design worlds.

Exhausted Alexis fresh off a redeye from California, and the fabulous Carol Hannah

Both professional models and real brides showcased 14 wedding gowns and 9 bridesmaid dresses, coordinated with Carol Hannah’s favorite Tacori pieces.

It was fantastic to see that her PR castmates Logan Neitzel and Rodney Epperson were also in attendance, supporting her endeavors.

Happy designer with her models

To end the evening, Carol Hannah proposed a toast: “I design with all of you in mind. Through fashion I am able to be a part of one of the most significant milestones in a woman’s life, and that’s what I love about what I do.”  Ditto–That’s what we love about what we do too!

We recently planned a 60th birthday party at a boat club here in San Francisco, and naturally decided to go with a nautical theme.  We had a relatively small budget for decor so Alexis and I did almost everything ourselves– we had a lot of fun!

Name tags were a requirement of the boat club so we made every guest a name tag “necklace” with rope instead of a chain.  The centerpieces, simple flowers studded with a nautical flag, served a dual purpose, in addition to centerpieces, every table had a different nautical flag which you were to match to the flag on the back of your name-tag .  We chose simple glass vases for the centerpieces and tied a rope around them with a nautical knot.  They were really cute!  We decorated the banquet tables with white table cloths, recycled fishing nets for runners and votives with white candles.  The round tables were topped with red and white checked table cloths and also had votives.  We used the nets as well as the same rope we used on the vases to decorate the buffet tables and cupcake table.

The menu was casual:  skewers of lamb and prawns, vegetables skewers, macaroni and cheese, potatoes with feta, artichoke and olives, spinach salad, and bread.  We also served a variety of passed and stationary appetizers including sliders and dungeness crab fondue.  For dessert, our client requested cupcakes and wondered if we could have something called a Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake made into cupcakes– Blum’s was formerly a bakery in San Francisco and made this coffee crunch cake that became famous with locals and is now made by a few SF bakeries.  We quickly found the recipe and a baker to convert the cake recipe into cupcakes– Pinkie’s Bakery of San Francisco did a wonderful job, and the coffee crunch cupcakes were real crowd pleasers!

One of our favorite saturday rituals (when not working an event, of course!) is shopping for farm fresh produce and meat at the Ferry Building Farmers Market, followed by lunch at Cane Rosso. Lucky for you, if you are planning a holiday party and you want to thrill your guests with deliectable bites made with the season’s best offerings of local ingredients, they can also cater your next event!

http://canerossosf.com