Private Estates – Important Tips

If you are thinking about having your wedding or special event at a private estate rather than a country club or hotel, please consider these tips before signing the bottom line.

Caterer:  Hiring an experienced caterer with a stellar reputation for off site catering is very important! Just because they have a great restaurant with amazing food and service or a slick catering brochure, does not mean they have mastered the art of catering.  Your caterer needs to understand how to flip an area from ceremony to dinner in an hour, wait staff coverage, trained and experienced captains, wait and kitchen staff and an understanding of  your timeline.   Many times we hear about a great dinner tasting for two or four people, but the dinner reception falls flat and the meal is dreadful. There are great caterers out there and we value them!

Budget:  Estate weddings can be beautiful and unique, but the costs can add up since there are many line items that need to be covered.  Have a budget outlined before you proceed with signing any contracts! A professional wedding or event coordinator can help you create one and guide you.  From time to time, we see mock up budgets online that are not realistic.

Insurance:  Make sure that you have a certificate of insurance for your wedding or event day that covers setup through the strike time.

Event planner:   Hiring an event planning company who has knowledge and plenty of experience will save you money, headaches and valuable time!

Weather:  Our office tracks weather beginning 10 days from your event. We understand that you and your guests need to be comfortable or the party will end early. In addition, we participate in walk through meetings on site with you and your vendors to outline a weather contingency plan.

Valet and Shuttle:  Before you decide on an estate, please make sure that you identify the parking rules, so you can add the costs into your budget. In addition, make sure that you have enough shuttles for your guests so your wedding or event does not start late.

Generator:  We recommend having a generator at all of our off site events. The estate you choose may not have enough circuits to cover your lighting, band, coffee makers, etc.  There is nothing worse than blowing a fuse and ending up in the dark at your event!

For additional tips, please feel free to call our office at 818.246.2288.

Christina and Andy’s Wedding in Pacific Palisades

Last month we were fortunate enough to work on Christina and Andy’s wedding at the Bel Air Bay Club.  I absolutely love the Bel Air Bay Club and everyone that works at this venue.  From the personnel to the beautiful architecture to the cuisne, it is an amazing place to have your wedding or special event.

Our client Christina had a vision of pale pink and green and our team of professionals were able to create her vision.

I would like to thank Images by Lighting for the chandeliers and lighting, Elliott at A Pipe Dream for the gorgeous champagne fabric at the back of the room, Janette at Elegant Design for the beautiful champagne satin table linens and of course Lisa at Ixora for all of the amazing floral designs and creative! In addition to the decor, the guests danced all night as Ian at Red Shoe LA rocked the music!

Miami and Great Gatsby Theme

Earlier this month, we produced a gorgeous wedding for Andrea and Robert at a private estate in Malibu.

Our client Andrea had a vision of Miami style and Great Gatsby themed wedding.  Florist and designer Lisa Cardella from Ixora Floral Studio did a great job interpreting her dream and making it into a reality. The long tables had white satin linens with black and white damask runners with touches of yellow to give each table a burst of color. Candles adorned the tables and white art deco furniture under a gorgeous white canopy with a black and white crystal chandelier.  Each of the trees that lined the dinner reception were decorated with crystal chandeliers from one of our favorite lighting companies Images by Lighting.

The food and service were outstanding.  Many thanks to Michael C. Events creative chef and owner Michael Compean! The guests were served a lobster and filet mignon duet with his famous macaroni and cheese on the side.

Great Gatsby Themed Wedding

One of my favorite estates is a historic property with a stunning ocean view that was once owned by actor Charles Laughton.  Last month, we produced a Great Gatsby themed wedding.   After dinner and the cake cutting, guests were invited to the screening room where they danced and enjoyed Kahlua milkshake shooters and mini sliders!   Themed weddings and parties are fun - the concept can start from the style of your invite that allows your guests to sample what is yet to come with the party design, which can include the wait staff’s attire! 

Afternoon Beverly Hills Wedding

Lauren and Josh’s wedding last month was recently posted on Style Me Pretty Bridal Inspirations - http://www.stylemepretty.com/2010/07/15/beverly-hills-wedding-by-meg-perotti/. 

The afternoon wedding was held at The Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.  Every detail was well thought out by Lauren, her mother and aunt – from the vintage postcards that the guests filled out to the beautiful color palette!

After the wedding ended, the guests were invited to an after party on the roof top at the London Hotel in West Hollywood. 

Lauren was a joy to have as a client and I wish her and Josh all the happiness in the world.

Snow in Brentwood, CA

Recently, our company was hired to produce a white winter 18th birthday party for one of our dearest clients.  We had so much fun watching the huge ice trucks from Union Ice make 30 tons of snow in preparation for the party.  The guests were greeted with trays of hot white chocolate and apple cider and the menu included white truffle oil popcorn, hot dogs with all the works, sliders and fries, plus perfect mac and cheese balls!  For dessert, the caterer tray passed root beer floats and ice cream cones in our client’s favorite flavors!  The DJ was great and the music was cool! Crystal chandeliers were hung from the palm trees over the buffet and ice blue lighting made the snow look cold.  The guests lounged on white couches next to working fire pits which kept everyone warm and cozy while they enjoyed the evening.  Watching the guest of honor and her friends (there were

120 of them) sled and have snow fights was so much fun.  Attached are cool photos from www.es-photo.net  Enjoy! Gianna

Budgets from Gianna & Company

We are working on a soon to be gorgeous wedding. Our Clients are like most Clients, planning a wedding for the first time.  The tastings, floral mock ups and rental company visits can be great since there is so much to choose from in today’s market.  For first time couples, please allow your planner to get the proposal first with all the things you like from the vendor or vendors.  At first you will be surprised or a little shocked at the cost, but then allow yourself to go through it with your planner and rate what is most important.   A good coordinator wants her Clients to see everything that they like, then make their decision or we can advise them.  Plus, we are really great with the scalpel and trimming the excess fluff.  We take pride in our relationships with some of the most amazing vendors who will do anything for us with the exception of going broke.   Once we know what the Client wants, we work hard to make it happen for them as long as it is realistic.  Thank you!  Sincerely, Gianna Provenzano

Santa Barbara Wedding – Gianna and Company

For the past year, our company has been fortunate to be on the production team for Colleen and Chris’ wedding at the Santa Barbara Four Seasons/Biltmore Hotel.  Joni at Hearts a Bloom did an amazing job on the floral design and Jeff at Off the Record kept everyone dancing all night long.  The reception was absolutely gorgeous – the black and white Spanish Paisley linens were provided by Wildflower Linens. The pictures were captured by Evan Guston who has a great eye!  Our support team – Alexis, Dana and Jennifer were wonderful and handled every detail to perfection.  The cocktail music was Luna Gitana – they were great.  Kellie, the staff and our captain Gregario at the hotel worked hard to make this event successful. Thank you all! Yours truly, Gianna Provenzano, Gianna and Company

Drinking on Your Wedding Day

Not too long ago, our company rented a gorgeous venue for a wedding.  Everything was amazing – the decor, floral, linens, lighting, band, cake, food – you name it – basically a fairy tale wedding with a beautiful bride and handsome groom.  Well…after the cake was cut and the party was in full swing, I bumped into the bride and she was hammered, crying and not making much sense.  If you are a bride or mother of the bride and you are reading this blog, please remember to make sure that the bride eats on her wedding day.  Most brides are running without much sleep, dieting and it is easy to get drunk but it is not easy to repair the consequences.  Respectfully, Gianna Provenzano  PS – this advice also applies to the groom.

Video or No Video – Gianna and Company

Clients ask me all the time if they should hire a professional videographer.  The more weddings we produce, I feel that it is a definite expense to consider and here is why.  A wedding is one of the major times in your life when you are surrounded by all of your friends and family.  Pictures are wonderful, but a funny or sentimental toast, or a family dog acting as the ring bearer is priceless.  Last night, my neighbors invited me to watch their 18 year old wedding video (not the entire video but just parts of the reception and they are funny so I knew it would be entertaining).    The bride’s mother recently passed away and I could see that the bride (my neighbor) was so happy to see her mother dancing and laughing – and this is captured forever. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know! Sincerely, Gianna Provenzano