i often have the opportunity to work with out-of-state brides in planning their california weddings. in this case, the bride and groom live in chicago. last year, the bride’s parents interviewd me on the couple’s behalf and i was hired! it was months later that i had the pleasure of meeting the fabulous bride with whom i’d already been corresponding via email and phone. she is a DOLL… seriously. i have been so blessed in the process of working with her. she is brimming with joy for the beautiful wedding day *and* the prospect of marrying her love. every email she sends me puts a smile on my face. so M– THANK you for that!! you make my job such a joy.

last week, m&h were in town taking care of some wedding business. i had the pleasure of accompanying them to a centerpiece mockup as well as a decadent tasting. here is a look at what we did!

our first stop was city of commerce flowers for a centerpiece mockup. i’ve worked with eddie & the commerce flowers team on numerous occasions and they always put together beautiful work. for this wedding, we are utilizing a warm and rich palette that includes burgundy and fuschias. the result?

a tall centerpiece featuring roses, dahlias, gloriosa lillies, rust-colored hydrangea and pink hanging amaranthus.

after this visit, we headed to the intercontinental hotel – century city for a walkthrough and tasting!

m&h are of indian and pakistani descent, so we wanted to create a menu that reflected a bit of their cultures. we focused on asian flavors, bold spices, and intriguing taste combinations in brainstorming ideas to present to the chef. the result? we came away with a customized menu that is truly show-stopping. everything we tasted was deeeelish, and i know the final selections are going to wow their guests in a few months! i had a FABULOUS time helping with this aspect of the planning. as a self-proclaimed foodie, it doesn’t get much better than concocting dishes you’d want to try, having a chef interpret them, and getting to taste them!

a big favorite of the evening: caribbean-spiced sea bass with a pineapple-cucumber relish, served atop a bed of sautéed onions and peppers + banana leaf garnish, then finished with a citrus cream sauce. perfectly moist, and the delicate flavors came through beautifully.

a trusty filet mignon, served medium, accompanied by the MOST delicious pumpkin ravioli.

a dark shot… but a tempting look at the three desserts that were tasted: a perfect tiramisu served in a martini glass, a rich chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and fresh berries, and a banana cream “pie,” with macadamia nuts and toasted coconut, baked into an individual crust.

i cannot adequately explain how delicious this banana cream “pie” was…. i had a mini-freak out after one bite. AMAZING!

other dishes we tried that night were a pistachio-crusted paillard of chicken topped with mango salsa and a creamy side of coconut rice *AND* a chicken breast rubbed with Indian spices, accompanied by malaysian rice and a carrot coulis. we all left excited about the chef’s execution of our ideas, and in anticipation of the ultimate reveal on the wedding menu!

i leave you with this cute pic of me & M; love it!

m&h — thanks again for a fabulous time! i CAN’T WAIT for your wedding!!!

everyone else~ have a fabulous week! i have some sneak peek photos from saturday’s wedding and a fab find post in production. check in again soon. xoxo, angel