Upcoming TV Shows

GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK... On Monday, we taped a piece for Fox News Channel on Green Weddings...it may or may not air on Earth Day (this Sunday) because of the tragedy in Virginia and I hope they don't choose to air a fluff piece just because of the day, so I wouldn't mind if it were delayed. But if you're not learning more about how to help the environment through your weddings, you should. The amount of waste at weddings & events is huge! My first wedding 12 years ago had elements of "being green" including an all organic menu... I also think it's the wave of our future and while we've had probably a wedding or two per year that we always called "Organic" we are happy now to have no problem talking to our clients about the benefits of caterers that use sustainable farms, organic produce & meat as well as full recycling programs. GET MARRIED ON WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT... Some months ago, we taped a piece for a new show called Get Married (Airing on WE, Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m.) We taped enough for three shows, including a sitdown interview & 2 pods (a short 1 - 2 minute piece with an idea or trend). Our first one is coming up! Epsiode 3: 4/29/2007, 9:30am on WE tv Mark Badgley and James Mischka show their elegant "old Hollywood glamour" wedding gowns, and David Tutera and Preston Bailey fill you in on some of the latest trends in bridal bouquets. Celebrity even designer Sasha Souza shows how to use color in your wedding, and learn how charity can be a part of your wedding. Edwin McCain performs his hit wedding song, "I'll Be" and dishes on his own wedding day, and our makeover bride Kelly starts getting in shape with her first day at the gym. Also, see how incredible Royal resorts in Mexico is for a destination wedding or honeymoon and even book it for your own getaway Very exiting stuff! Thanks for reading!! S

Exceptional News!

We were just notified that we have been nominated for FIVE International Special Event Society (ISES) WESTIE Awards -- the award show is in Denver, Colorado on November 2nd. In 1997, the Board Members of the ISES Los Angeles Chapter decided to produce a gala and awards show honoring special event industry professionals. This is such a huge honor, we couldn't wait to share it with you. There's so much talent in the categories for this award, our ISES Chapter alone has 9 nominations! Kudos to all who submitted and are nominated for their events.

We submitted the following weddings for consideration & are pleased to be nominated as follows:

Best Dining Tabletop

FIRE & ICE WEDDING: This wedding for 80 guests held in a wine cave utilized tones of grey & red for the wedding. The table was covered in copper colored mirror and had more than 10,000 carnations & roses and an arbor suspended inside the cave made of moss & florals.

Best Wedding - 2 Nominations!

WINE COUNTRY WEDDING: A wedding for 30 guests traveling from the midwest to Napa Valley created a unique opportunity to showcase a variety of beautiful tones such as apricot, copper & burgundy. The entire structure was covered in moss & dogwood branches, featured 7 hanging floral chandeliers & hundreds of yard of garland.

FIRE & ICE WEDDING: A wedding where the bride wore red created an amazing winter wedding in California Napa Valley for 80 guests. The ceremony was held in a tent & dinner in a cave which featured such fantastic decor touches as a flaming ice bar, miniature chip & dip hors d'oeuvres and an incredible dining table made from bronze mirror and hundreds of blooms.

Best Social Event (non wedding)

RECEPTION d'ART A unique barrel room was the foundation for a unique dinner reception for 60 guests in December 2005. When the couple was married in a private Scottish castle only months before, they chose to host a three day extravaganza weekend for their guests in the Sonoma Valley -- food & wine reigned the evening -- until the finale, an hour long private performance from Tony Bennett.

Best Floral Design NOCHE DEL FUEGO:

We first submitted this one of a kind table consideration as a nominee for Best Dining Tabletop, but it was transferred to the Best Floral Design category -- but that's fantastic also! This 60; long table was the main event for a wedding dinner held in Mexico and has fast become one of our signature events garnering the Best Dining Tabletop for The Special Event Show 2006.

Thanks so much for the nominations!!

Cheers!

Officially Fall

___________________________________________________________ Listen Up! Coming this month to CBS Sunday Morning, we were interviewed for a story on High End Events & had the pleasure of having a crew follow us for a day and a half while we produced the wedding of boxer Fernando Vargas & Martha Lopez in Los Angeles, CA. The wedding was anything but typical and definitely over the edge, but don't miss the show coming soon! Martha & Fernando chose to have a very regal, almost royal wedding with amazing technological touches such as illuminated dance floor and all intelligent, color changing lighting. It was as fun to produce as it was for the guests to enjoy that night. Often, our event days run around 13 hours, but for this event, my team & I were on site for 20 hours (3 a.m. felt the same as 6 a.m. the previous morning, that's for sure!). Check out these preview photos of the upcoming show and coming soon to a magazine rack near you! ________________________________________________________ Love it! Now that Fall is here...it's time to start incorporating these items into your events. What I love about fall is the crisp air and cooler temperatures. Take advantage of the time of year and celebrate it in your events. Things to consider for your upcoming events: Hot Apple Cider with Caramel served in Demitasse On a crisp fall day, serve this drink as guests arrive. This sweet, warm treat is like drinking a caramel apple. When topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon or embellished with a cinnamon stir stick it makes it extra special. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3... Hot Caramel Apple Cider 1 quart fresh apple cider 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar 3 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping 1 whipped cream Pour apple cider into a saucepan. Stir in dark brown sugar and caramel ice cream topping; simmer until hot and well blended. Pour into mugs and top each with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Upscale Fall Hors d'oeuvres to take away the chill... Warm Sips of Soup -- Who says that hors d'oeuves need to be served AFTER the wedding... what about before? These petite sips give guests a little something to look forward to at the cocktail hour. We've served everything from butternut squash soup to this Snap Pea Soup topped with a snap pea filled with Dungeness crab -- SUPERB! _______________________________________________________ Get the Picture! Some have said that I really dislike white for weddings... while that is somewhat true, I think that white can be a beautiful accent instead of the actual main color. In the photo which we produced a table for the TV show Eye on LA, we used white as a reverse negative. Meaning, the white is the accent to the grey and not the other way around. The table was elegant, interesting, sophisticated and innovative. By using black & white pheasant feathers mixed with protea balls, hanging purple crystals and purple privet berry as the main focal point the table feels warm & inviting against the cool tones of grey for the tablecloth & custom poured candles. ______________________________________________________ Upcoming! Registration is now open for The Special Event Show in Los Angeles. Mellysa and I are speaking, so come one... come all! It's a great seminar that we have done for the Conde Nast Wedding March and are now gearing it toward those in the industry! Tuesday, January 9, 2007 Color Couture: Fashioning the newest colors into the perfect party palate 1:30pm-2:30pm Session: D5 Are you tired of the boring white or crème wedding? Think weddings can’t be full of color and still be elegant? Taking the hottest trends in color from runway & home, Sasha will showcase four of the top new shades and demonstrate how to interpret them in your own events. 80% discussion & 20% Q&A, this seminar will up your understanding of how colors influence our lives & eager to use these tricks with your clients. Deliverables: 1. See how to interpret four hot new color combos. 2. Learn about what colors mean and say about the client. 3. See how Sasha interprets color requests for clients. 4. Get the newest info on hot colors for 2007. Register NOW! http://www.thespecialeventshow.com ______________________________________________________ Did You Hear?

This is a repeat of our last blog entry... if you didn't read it & you're in the special event industry...read on...

Do you know about the SEARCH Foundation? No? Shame on you! The SEARCH Foundation (Special Events Assistance & Resources with a Caring Heart) was created in 1997 with a single minded purpose: Find a way to help special event industry members who are confronted with catastrophic circumstances. They just gave their first cash donation to industry members damaged last year by Hurricane Katrina...a total of $25,000...100% going to those who are struggling to rebuild. What can be more beautiful than helping others in your industry? I know you're wanting to help make a difference, so here's how:

• Donate money directly to SEARCH
• Volunteer time to help industry members faced with catastrophic need
• Member of ISES? Get your chapter involved in dedicated fundraising efforts
• Looking to make a difference? Make donation a part of your business plan and join SEARCH today.

At Event Solutions Idea Factory in August, SEARCH raised approximately $40,000 in only one night -- If you want additional information on this very important cause, please email me at searchinfo@sashasouzaevents.com and I will make sure you get in touch with the right people. You will make a difference...

Until next time...