Jennifer + Brandon Tie The Knot

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Stacy McCain Event Planning

In honor of the first week of Fall, we have the pleasure of sharing the wedding of Jennifer and Brandon. Their wedding was full of warm Fall colors, echoing the surrounding grape vines which were in the process of transitioning from shades of green to yellows, oranges and reds.

In the months following her wedding, we asked Jennifer to share the story of her relationship and wedding to Brandon. Here she shares their sweet story, as well as some helpful tips on making the most of your own special day:

There was a lot of history leading up to our big day. Brandon and I grew up together since elementary school, and share many mutual childhood friends. We even went to the high school prom together!

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We went our separate ways for college, but one day during summer break our paths crossed in our hometown Clayton, Ca. We hung out together almost every day that summer, even before we started dating.

We dated for about three years before Brandon proposed at one of our favorite picnic spots at Rutherford Hill winery. It was the most perfectly romantic proposal; just the two of us overlooking the valley. We then spent the weekend visiting other wineries across the valley.

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I always knew I wanted to find a venue in the wine country, so I asked our friends, the Sherwins, of Sherwin Family Vineyards, if they had any suggestions. They told me about Beaulieu Garden. After seeing Beaulieu firsthand, we knew immediately that this was the spot!

We were engaged for a year and four months before we got married. We had a lot of close friends getting married that same year, so we wanted to choose a date that gave enough space between all the different events. We also liked the idea of getting married in September, as the weather is usually mild and the vines are lush with grapes.

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When the wedding day finally arrived it was absolutely beautiful. The venue was gorgeous, and the flowers were absolutely amazing! It is so wonderful to see all the details come together and look more outstanding than I could have ever imagined. It was so special to have all of our friends and family coming together to celebrate our marriage and future lives together. I was so excited to see Brandon, to be with Brandon and to start our life together. It was so exciting that the day had finally arrived.

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On the day of the wedding, I was so happy and I felt so blessed that all I could do was smile. I watch my wedding video and I laugh because on my wedding day all you can see is teeth! I am smiling from ear to ear the whole time. Brandon and I had the most incredible time at our wedding. We enjoyed ourselves and had tons of fun! We danced with our friends and family and truly enjoyed our time together. It truly was an amazing day filled with so much love and a tremendous amount of happiness.

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The best advice I could give to other brides is to take a few moments to take it all in. For Brandon and me, our first opportunity to do so was after the formal dances and speeches. We went around the property with our photographer and took pictures of just the two of us. These were the moments during which we could view the reception and watch all of our guests dancing and having fun. It was so cool to see our wedding from a distance. It was also nice to have time for just the two of us to be alone and appreciate our special day.

It can be overwhelming when you are surrounded by all the guests. Part of you feels obligated to visit with people you haven’t seen in a long time or to thank people for coming. I think it is very important to step away with your husband for a short time to relax and take in all the special little moments. Otherwise it can seem like the day went by way too fast. So remember to have fun and enjoy every moment!

Happy Anniversary, Jennifer and Brandon!

Planning & Coordination: Stacy McCain Event Planning / Photography: Kate Webber Photography / Venue & Catering: Paula Le Duc Fine Catering / Venue: Beaulieu Garden / Flowers: Sharla Flock Designs / Lighting & Sound: Got Light / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals / Videography: Weddings On Film / Printed Pieces: Union Street Papery / Calligraphy: Michelle Papineau Calligraphy / Ceremony & Cocktail Music: Eloquence String Quartet / Band: Sage Music / Cake Maker: Sweet On Cake / Toasting Flutes: Kate Spade / Transportation: Pure Luxury / Getaway Car: Classic Convertible Wine Tours / Wedding Gown and Bridesmaids Dresses: Alvina Valenta / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade / Men’s Suits: Calvin Klein for Mens Warehouse

Rehearsal Dinner Style with BB Style

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Stacy McCain Event Planning

Welcome back to our style series featuring Brianne Binder with BB Style! Today, we have another exciting Wedding Style guide for those of you who have been thinking about what you’ll be wearing to your Rehearsal Dinner and/or are in panic mode to find the perfect something to wear on the eve of your big day.

Have no fear, Brianne has some great styles to inspire you and get you ready for your Rehearsal Dinner; whether it’s a Beach, Garden, Wine Country or City Wedding. This is the big kick off to your wedding celebration, and you’ll be surrounded by family and dear friends. Since you’ll be the talk of the party and glowing with excitement, you’ll want to look put together with all of the attention focused on you!

Here’s a few suggestions on finding the right look that fits your style and event:

– It’s always fun to wear white or cream, to feel very bridal. Brianne suggests adding some fun colorful jewelry or striking shoes. (glitter is always fun).

– Try a different silhouette than you would normally wear or a bold pattern that stands out.

– If you have a wedding theme, say, for example, Great Gatsby inspired, wear a dress that also goes along with the theme to get everyone excited for the details to come on the big day.

– Don’t be afraid to sparkle! Wear a dressy sequin dress in a flattering silhouette.

– You can’t go wrong with lace in any color! (Check out a couple of cute options here and here).

– Order options online so you can try them on at home and feel really good about your final decision. If you feel confident you will shine even brighter.

Have fun with it and try not to stress; everything will come together!

Rehearsal Dinner Style Board 2 _ BB Style

Beach Outfit– Milly Chiffon Halter in Coral | Kate Spade Pearl Studs | Zara Clutch | J. Crew Nude Wedge

Wine Country Outfit– Notte by Marchesa One Shoulder Dress | LuLu Frost by J. Crew cuff | Anthropologie Clutch | Kate Spade Sequin Bow Heels

Garden Outfit– J. Crew Lace Dress | Kate Spade Bridal Statement Necklace | Jeweled Cuff | Tory Burch Gold Clutch | J. Crew Pave Chain Link Flats Gold

City Outfit– Mango Sequin Dress | LuLu Frost for J. Crew Star Earrings | DVF Clutch | Kate Spade Heels

Find all styles on BB Style’s Pinterest board here.

Click here in case you missed our last installment with BB Style, featuring tips on Bridal Shower Style!

Introducing Our New Wedding Styling Series with Brianne Binder of BB Style!

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Stacy McCain Event Planning

We’re beyond thrilled to announce our collaboration with Brianne Binder of BB Style, who will be sharing her tips for the bride in search of the perfect outfit for all her events surrounding ‘the big day’. In the next couple of months, Brianne will share some of her favorite looks for events taking place in the City, at the Beach, in the Garden or in Wine Country. Our goal is to help guide you through the process of choosing the perfect outfit while taking the celebration, venue and locale into consideration. We hope you enjoy getting to know Brianne, her creative services, and her super talented ways as much as we have!

Meet Brianne : Photo by Matt Edge Photography

Let’s start with an introduction to Brianne’s company, BB Style:

BB Style is full service fashion and personal styling service in the Bay Area founded by Brianne Binder. After almost 10 years working in Fashion Merchandising and Buying, she ventured out on her own to start BB Style. She is passionate about fashion and style and is a retail expert, which made the move to personal styling a natural one. She also curates a style Blog that showcases her personal style, posts behind the scenes depictions of creative projects she’s working on, and shares trends, tips and tricks, sale alerts and seasonal inspirations.

She has loved being able to work directly with clients to solve their style needs and help create the perfect style for their lifestyle, event or identity. Services are tailored to individual client needs, including wardrobe styling, personal styling, wedding & special event styling, and personal shopping. After all, everyone is different and has their own unique styling needs.

Photo by Matt Edge Photography

Wedding styling is particularly dear to her, having planned her own wedding last year (which was recently published on Style Me Pretty). She fell in love with styling by way of creating bridal looks for her wedding party and almost all of her family, for both the wedding and weekend activities. Currently, she offers styling assistance for finding the perfect dress, completing your bridal look from head to toe, guiding beauty inspiration to compliment your bridal style and packages for styling for wedding party, groom and family.

BB Style strives to become your go-to styling resource, helping to overcome the roadblocks you are experiencing with your closet, shopping, or finding the perfect wardrobe for your wedding or event. She is always inspired by her clients, and feels tremendous reward in seeing them look and feel their best.

And now on to part 1 of our Wedding Style Series!

I am so excited to collaborate on this fun style series for Stacy McCain Event Planning! With wedding season in high gear, we thought it was the perfect time to talk wedding style. Not just bridal style, but style for all of the events you have to celebrate leading up to the big day! All of those special events also require outfits. You want to celebrate in style, but what do you wear?!

Today, I share with you my picks for what to wear to your Bridal Shower, giving you style advice on outfits you can wear to a shower taking place in the City, at the Beach, in the Garden or in Wine Country. Finding the perfect outfit takes time and with a million other to do’s on your list, it can help to have some inspiration and tips for where you can find it.

A few tips from BB Style on styling your Bridal Shower outfit:

* It’s never too early to start looking for outfit options. If you see something you love, grab it! You can find the perfect shoes and accessories to compliment it at a later date.

* Wear something that has your wedding color (or an accent of your wedding color) to get you excited. Don’t be afraid to wear color.

* It’s your day to shine and be showered, so wear something that makes you feel great. Whether that something is heels and a cute dress or a flirty skirt and fun flats ~ have some fun with it!

* Details, details details… it’s all in the details! Adding great accessories completes an outfit and makes you stand out.

* Wearing something white or cream-colored is always fun as a bride because you stand out and it gets you excited to wear white on your big day.

Check out my inspiration board for the Garden, the Beach, Wine Country and the City:

Bridal Shower Style _ BB Style

Garden Outfit: Madewell Floral Dress | Kate Spade Floral Stud Earrings | Kate Spade Pave Bow Bangle | J. Crew Clutch | J. Crew Metallic Sandals

Beach Outfit: Joie Lace Dress | J. Crew Tassel Necklace | Kate Spade Bangle | Coach Clutch | Zara Sandals

Wine Country Outfit: J. Crew Peplum Top | Saturday Skirt | Kate Spade Statement Necklace | Zara Metallic Clutch | Kate Spade Striped Wedge

Find all the styles and looks from my Wedding Style series on Pinerest!

Be sure to check back in a few weeks for another feature in our Wedding Style series fearing Brianne and BB Style!

Kate and Rob Tie the Knot

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Stacy McCain Event Planning

Welcome back for part two of our blog post dedicated to Kate and Rob tying the knot. If you missed our last post of their rehearsal dinner at The CIA at Greystone, check it out here.

For Kate and Rob, Beaulieu Garden served as the perfect setting for them to exchange vows, becoming man and wife amongst their loved ones. With the sun shining bright, their ceremony took place in the Sunken Garden. After sneaking away for a private moment in the surrounding vineyards, they celebrated with delicious food and wine below the terrace and then danced the night away under the stars.

The florals for this wedding were a perfect combination of modern and romantic. We were particularly fond of the bright color palette they chose for their bridesmaids’ bouquets and the long stem tulip bouquet Radeff Design Studios designed for the bride herself. Chandeliers combined with green and pastel colored floral arrangements created a picturesque setting for dinner and toasts. Additionally, freestanding ivy-adorned topiaries and orbs flanked pathways and aisles, luring guests towards the terrace and fireplace lounge. Kate and Rob most definitely tied the knot in style!

Photo by Michelle Pattee

Photography: Michelle Pattee / Planning & Coordination: Stacy McCain Event Planning / Venue: Beaulieu Garden / Caterer: Paula Le Duc Fine Catering / Flowers: Radeff Design Studios / Videographer: David Waldorf / Band: Blacklist Band / Cocktail Music: Eloquence String Quartet / Cake: Perfect Endings / Rentals: Wine Country Party Rentals / Lighting/Sound: Got Light. / Print Pieces: Ceci New York

2013 Trends: Wedding Cuisine

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Stacy McCain Event Planning

Welcome back for our second installment of 2013 Trends! (Here is last month’s trend feature on wedding gowns in case you missed it!)

Our February 2013 Trends post features an interview with the fun and fabulous Jessica Haro of Global Gourmet Catering. We had the pleasure of enjoying a tasting with Global Gourmet in January and were dazzled and delighted by everything we were served.

A snapshot of our tasting with Global Gourmet Catering (clockwise from top left): Inside Out BLT; Pan-Seared California White Sea Bass with sauteed Northern Lights chard and lemon horseradish-carrot puree; Kalua Pork and Taro Root Taco; Roasted Eggplant, Quinoa and Minted Burrata Wrapped in Phyllo Pastry

Based out of San Francisco, Global Gourmet prides it’self on being able to deliver restaurant-caliber food, impeccable service, and trend-setting design while paying close attention to detail. In addition to offering seasonal, sustainably farmed organic cuisine sourced primarily from the Bay Area, this truly green caterer commits to incorporating environmentally friendly practices in their event production as well as their day-to-day operations. We caught up with Jessica to discuss and forecast the newest trends in wedding cuisine for 2013:

Q: What do you think will be different this year in terms of food trends in 2012 versus 2013?

A: Being in the Bay Area, fresh seasonal food will always be what’s in style. During the last couple of years, rustic foods have been a trend and while I feel we will still see this at some weddings, I think it’s more of a shift to upscale, “comfort” food that allows guests to enjoy themselves while not feeling stuffy.

Crimson Watermelon and Gold Heirloom Tomato Napoleon with a Fino Verde Basil Emulsion, Burrata, Arugula and Balsamic Reduction.
Photo Credit Sasha Gulish

Q: What’s new in the Global Gourmet kitchens this year?

A: Our executive chef, Eric Magnani, is always working on new dishes. Something he’s excited about this year is going back to basics. Working with our core staff on producing products from scratch, for example, since the start of January, Eric has been hosting weekly seminars with his staff on how to create dishes such as tofu straight from soy beans, or pickling and fermentation. Next week’s seminar is on sourdough bread making and an upcoming seminar is on mozzarella fresca and burrata (you can bet I’ll be sneaking into the kitchen that week!).

Q: What kind of service will we be seeing more of in 2013 (family style, Russian etc.)?

A: Traditional seated meals at weddings will always be the frontrunners because there’s something to be said for serving guests so they can relax and enjoy themselves with family and friends and have breaks for speeches. The tables have changed a lot: shifting from the usual 60-inch rounds to square tables and long kings tables. With the long tables, couples tend to prefer family style,but at Global Gourmet we provide a mix of Russian style (servers walking with platters and serving individually) with the proteins, and family style with the sides, so no one drops a juicy short rib on their dress while trying to serve themselves :). We have been seeing a spike in station service for weddings lately (not buffet, but rather stations scattered around the room) to allow guests to try different types of food and mingle.

Photo Credit Sasha Gulish

Q: What’s your most popular entree request thus far?

A: Global Gourmet Catering is known for all of our short rib dishes because our chef braises them for four hours in various, local wines depending on the season and clients preference (Chardonnay for Spring, Pinot Noir for Summer and Cabernet for Fall/Winter). Short ribs are a wonderful protein to offer guests at weddings because the couple doesn’t need to be concerned with how their guests prefer their meat cooked, and when the meat is so tender it doesn’t need a knife, women can enjoy them without it splattering on their dress.

Q: Have you had many unique fusion requests for 2013?

A: Our chef’s favorite saying is, “Fusion leads to confusion,” so I’ll have to say we haven’t had any “fusion” requests, but rather world flavor inspirations with California sensibility. My favorite last year was Japanese and Hispanic and we combined a miso wrap with jalapeño peppers. We’re currently working on a menu that is Indian and Persian and another one that will combine Indian and Scottish flavors. Our chef and team are always very excited when we have couples that ask us to create custom menus combining their cultures and allowing us to further expand our menu.

A Duet of Salads and Mini Mug of Curried Cauliflower Bisque, topped with a Red Pepper and Hot Lime Samosa.
Photo Credit Cliff Brunk

Q: What will we be seeing more of for first courses in 2013?

A: Global Gourmet will be focusing smaller plates with larger flavors featuring local productions from the nine Bay Area counties. For example, a local snapper crudo from the Farallons on shaved baby artichoke salad with beet emulsion.

Q: What 2012 trend are you happy to be seeing less of in 2013?

A: Honestly, while I love the concept of family style service, I prefer plated because it allows us to highlight the beautiful presentation of our dishes. With family style, if you’re the second or third person receiving the platter, while it still tastes phenomenal, you loose the beauty that the chef has put into setting up the dish. It’s also more costly for brides because more food needs to be prepared when guests serve themselves, and oftentimes, they over serve themselves and the food can go to waste.

A Variety of Hors d’Oeuvres including the famous Kālua Pork and Taro Root Taco with Green Onion Slaw, and the Twice Baked Potato Cup with Truffled Brie and Fresh Chives.
Photo Credit: Sasha Gulish

Q: If you could dream up your perfect meal, what would it consist of?

A: My perfect meal would start with Global Gourmet’s watermelon, heirloom tomato, burrata and arugula salad. Then I would have one of our sea bass dishes with a seasonal puree, and end with a dessert from our amazing pastry chef, James McCann, which would either be a fresh strawberry shortcake or a pana cotta. Oh, and I would have a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy through the entire meal.

One of James McCann’s Famous Panna Cottas with a White Chocolate Stick.
Photo Credit: Andrew Weeks Photography

And finally, are you able to share a recipe with us?

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A huge thank you goes out to Jessica Haro from all of us at SMEP! We’re excited to see all of the wonderful menus you continue to create in 2013!