Victorian Style, But Jamaican Hospitality December 28, 2009

Through the years, we have suggested some of the most amazing places for brides to host various events while planning their nuptials.   From grand spaces such as the Plaza Hotel, The May Fair Hotel in London, to Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn New York ,The Victorian.

We had the honor of sharing a meal with the owner Claudia Moran, and the one and only Marc Baptiste joined us as we toured this amazing space.  It felt just right.  The energy, the home away from home feeling that your grandmother made you feel as you sat down in her kitchen as she cooked your favorite dish. 

It was warm watching the legendary Marc Baptiste converse with this elegant lady of style.  Claudia Moran, shared with the wonderful history of this 120 year old mansion that she took on with love.  This old Victorian decorated  mansion was fully furnished with furniture from her antique boutique that she once owned, filled with treasures of everyone’s great grandmothers soulful spirit.

As we awaited her company a guest rang the bell to book this lovely space to celebrate life, love and great company.  Love is definitely in the air of this amazing space.

Breafast Inn Bed November 29, 2009

Edible Flower Breakfasts
by Vivian Perez
 
        Many bed and breakfast innkeepers/chefs create edible flower breakfast signature dishes by experimentation.These specialty recipes are uniquely made with edible flowers such as cherry blossoms, marigolds, calendula, sunflowers, and chive blossoms. Innkeepers have a desire to create a new recipe that is different than other inn recipes and the ingredients will vary from dish to dish.The AppleBlossom Inn in Ahwahnee, California has a beautiful apple orchard with 90 apple trees. Once the apples fall from the trees, Candy Apple Arthur gathers them and proceeds to make the apple recipes throughout the year. When Candy serves the Apple Blossom Pancakes with bacon bits. Customers say,”Candy, this is the best meal of my entire life.” Candy said “Everyone, especially the children love the flower shaped pancakes.” Apple blossoms have a floral flavor and aroma with a touch of sweetness plus they are rich in antioxidants. 
     When Candice Anne Arthur bought the Apple Blossom Inn, she wanted to set herself apart from the other inns by serving a unique breakfast featuring the inn’s name and theme. It was a natural progression for Candy to experiment with many recipes before creating the best ones. The most popular breakfasts served at the Apple Blossom Inn are the Apple Blossom Pancakes, Candy Apple French Toast, Banana Blossom Waffles, and Candy Apple French Toast Bake. Candy finds the simple pleasures of life when she introduces a new breakfast recipe. As a child, Candy didn’t want an Easy Bake Oven, she wanted real cooking utensils instead. She loved the Betty Crocker books which gave Candy her start in the kitchen. The Apple Blossom Inn guest rooms are called the Blossom Room, Granny Smith Room, and the Red Delicious Room Suite is located in the Carriage House. The Carriage House has two bedrooms, a VCR and television, and full beds and it can accomodate small families.
 
 
       During the spring time, the orange blossoms begin to bloom in the State of Virginia displaying a spectacular beauty.  
 Eating breakfast at the L’Auberge Provencale Bed and Breakfast Country Inn and Restaurant is a delicious experience. Executive Chef Alain Borel prepares a wonderful Orange Blossom Waffles with mangos and nutmeg cream recipe. Guests think it is a true delight to taste the orange blossoms. The Orange Blossom Waffles are made with real orange blossom water. Customers say,”This is an unbelievable breakfast. It is full of flavor!” Celeste Borel is the innkeeper at the L’Auberge Provencale Bed and Breakfast who sees to the guests and the operation of the inn. ”We also grow hyssop at theinn for our hyssop sorbet.”says Celeste Borel. Hyssop is a herb with a minty taste used in culinary purposes and it is known as the holy herb used in ancient times. A few benefits to eating hyssop is it helps regulate blood pressure and it reduces indigestion too. The 11 rooms at the inn have special theme names in French with a English translation. For instance, the La Suite Enchanteuse (The Enchanting Suite) is a charming French Country style room and the La Chambre Accueillante (The Welcoming Suite) is decorated with a bright soothing color displaying the natural hues of spring. 
 
 

Venue Fit for a Queen September 28, 2009

Location, location, location.  When planning your wedding it may not be easy to find the space, let alone the perfect space, that may be even more challenging.

But it doesn’t necessarily have to be if you take some of the following things into consideration:

Personality of both you and your beloved

The amount of guests expected

The theme of the wedding

Then of course budget

Due to the economy one might find it more practical to find a space that can accommodate everything, wedding ceremony and reception.  We went a step further and found a space that not only set the tone for some of the worlds most royal personalities but can be the most amazing quarters for your traveling guests.  The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT, United Kingdom.

It was during our visit to the UK to cover Fashion Week, our director of events recommended we host our International launch party to the European market.   We decided to visit this amazing structure of a place, which is not only breath taking from the lobby up, the ambiance is magnificent, the staff charming and the executives “Amazing”.  Hospitality, great customer service is “Priceless”.  Regardless of what direction the economy is going  no one should compromise courtesy, and proper etiquette.

Mayfair is an up-market, yet discreet location, in the heart of London’s West End. Often referred to as ‘London’s luxury quarter’, The May Fair 5 star luxury Hotel is moments from London’s chicest shopping areas, Bond Street, and just a few minutes’ walk from the equally famous Regent Street. Some of London’s most beautiful green spaces are also on your doorstep, with Green Park a two minute walk from the luxury hotel and Hyde Park, no more than a ten minute stroll.

As we shuffled down London’s tube to get to the May Fair Hotel from our modest hotel which was also charming in its own rights.  The lobby was breath taking as we walked into the modernly decorated sleek space.  The guests were just as beautiful as the space itself.   The mixed cultured staff were brilliant.  The decor breathtaking.  The art work fit for a museum. From their Crystal Ball Room, Casino, Spa, and “AMAZING” Bar Restaurant you won’t go wrong. The food, there are no words that can describe how we salivated over the menu, the table service was unbelievable. Drinks monumental -Mojito , mojito ahhhhh.  I guarantee it.

For brides living in the UK area it is imperative that the May Fair Hotel is on the top of your list of venues to consider.  With the various space that the Hotel has you won’t go wrong.

For further information and other May Fair property please visit www.themayfairhotel.co.uk/home.

Things We LOVE About New York: Jacques Torres Chocolate August 31, 2009

Strolling through the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, you’ll come across beautiful new structures, amazing art galleries and breath-taking architecture. Walking amount the cobble-stone road of Water Street you’ll also happen upon Jacques Torres Chocalate and Jacques Torres Ice Cream. Quaint in design and reminiscent of a vintage ice cream store, we tasted the best ice cream for miles. With waffle cones, brownies and scoops of vanilla on belgian waffles, we just couldn’t get enough. Look at one of the tasty treats we had, a chocolate brownie with chocolate rum ice cream that was so tasty we couldn’t wait until after the picture was taken to have a bite. 

 

Jacques Torres Chocolate

 

Your Wedding Location is Now a Destination…. August 31, 2009

 

The number of couples opting for destination weddings for some years now has been on a steady rise. Perhaps its because couples have come to the realization that getting away can actually save you a lot more money than staying put, not to mention there’s that immediate start to your honeymoon. Take a look at a few facts found in the Bridal Trend Repots.

In June 2004, the Conde Nast Bridal Group reported, nearly one in every 10 weddings was a destination wedding-making such a non- traditional nuptial venue the fastest-growing segment of the bridal industry, according to the New York Times in a subsequent article that same month. In 2005 Conde Nast Bridal Group reported that the number rose to 16% of weddings, pushing the number of away-from-home weddings closer to two in ten.

Some of the stellar destination weddings in 2005 were the nuptials of Donald Trump–the New York real-estate mogul-turned-TV star—to Slovenian model Melania Knauss in Palm Beach, Florida; New York Mets star Mike Piazza and stunning Alicia Rictar in Florida’s Fisher Island; superstar Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney in the Virgin Islands; Jennifer Garner and Hollywood hunk Ben Affleck at Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki in Lake Tahoe, California. In keeping with this huge and ever-growing trend, Lisa Light, the foremost authority on destination weddings, published her long-awaited and first book of its kind in 2006, Destination Bride: A Complete Guide to Planning Your Wedding Anywhere in the World (North Light Books; January 2006). Now, for the first time, couples have a comprehensive resource for planning their wedding in a memorable location away from home.

Want more tips on how to save for that special day + get-a-away? Try this!

$$$ Saving Tip:

Contact chosen resorts or the tourism board of the country of your choice and ask them if they have any packages for couples interested in a destination wedding or honeymoon. You’d be surprised what you can save when you just ask! Not to mention hotels are always happy to offer discounts and specials for large groups if you plan on accommodating guests and/or your wedding party.

 

 

 

 

Wonderful Day In The Neighborhood August 11, 2009

Artful Giving

Simply Jane work of art

Artist- Tiggy Ticenhurst

THE MET in NYC

Simply Jane Creator- Jane Wilson Marquis

Inspired by Art

As a child I grew up watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  What made this show both entertaining and educational was  how he introduced us to all he wonderful people, workers, professionals that made up the neighborhood.

Today I had the pleasure of going to one of my extended neighborhoods the Upper East Side in Manhattan.  I had a scheduled appointment with one our our favorite designer, Jane Wilson Marquis.  This British icon is truly a woman of many colors and well traveled.   Her colorful personality attracts the most simple personalities to the Royals of the Middle East.  She has designed dresses from the likes of the members of the Perdu Family, the royalties  of the Middle East, movie stars such as Helen Hunt, to one of our favorite actresses Victoria Rowell and Haitian charity givers Melky Jean.

In this economy everyone whether they have money or not want to be wise about spending it.  Jane has come up with one of the most genius idea this economy is calling for,  re-creating your most simple gowns such that you would buy from J. Crew and embellishing it with paint, crushed flowers, beading from India.  What may have cost you over $3,000.00 plus just a year ago will now be a fraction of the cost with this brilliant idea.  After going through some of her most amazing fabrics we walked the neighborhood to visit some of the great shops.   Just across the street from Jane Wilson Marquis quaint, lifestyle boutique, where you can buy your wedding attire, but that of your wedding party.  Bridesmaid, mother-of-the-bride and guests, and ties for the groom and his groomsmen; was the home of the late legendary performer Ertha Kitt, The Carlyle Hotel.  The amazing ambiance is definitely worth its  fine dining experience, entertaining your out of town guests and lodging.

Right around the corner on the famous Madison Avenue, the next block over stood the next Icon Vera Wang, in her window some of the most amazing gowns money can buy with a sign offering 60% off of ready to wear items.  Go figure.

Then we walked over to 5th Avenue to stroll down Central Park, which also is the home for some of the cities most talented street vendors.  We caught up with one and so happened to be a Brit, Tiggy Ticenhurst.  This warm personality not only was vibrant in spirit but his colorful personality can also be seen in his beautiful master pieces.

We walked further down towards the most famous structure by the Park the MET.  This amazing structure is the gateway to the most multi-culture talent ever to walk this earth.  The stepping stone to those tired and the seating for the street performers that showcase their great singing voices.  Once you have finished enjoying the strip with vendors selling items from paintings, photographs,  jewelry, ties, t-shirts and food.  You now can climb the steps to the MET, where art at its finest can either be your shade from the heat and sun for you in the summer or the warmth from the cold in the winter.

As I climbed the steps I could not help but see these two lovely ladies with their great hats, worn both for fashion and to shade the rays of sun from their lovely faces.  I reached the top and the massive structure must have been housing at least over 1,000 guests just in the lobby alone.  It is definitely a breath taking view.  In the first floor lobby alone you have seating and shops that retail books, jewelry (Russian pearls, Indian shawls ) are some of the items that can be purchased in their stores.

After moving through the crowds, I stood up high and looked down to the crowed that I towered over and to my amazement the chariots await me.  Yes ladies and gentlemen, you too can have chariot ride, being pedaled by cyclist.  The rates are based on your destination like the typical taxi ride but just more open.

Simply Jane- A Work of Art

I then took the short walk back to 76 Streets to pick up my automobile but this time I walked down Madison Avenue to see what other neighbors I could visit and there they were my to favorite consignment stores La Boutique Resale and Michael’s.  Designers from Chloe, Chanel, Prada, Fendi and Gucci.  Great place for that designer cocktail dress that probably was someones’ lust  and they wore it once or twice just to clean there closet and make room for next seasons lust.

So there you have it the most neighborhood can be right in your own backyard you just have to go out and explore.  While your supporting the economy you can also be keeping your neighborhood alive.

Recession Prices

Steps of the MET

In the MET

My Fair Ladies

Vera Wang

La Boutique Resale and Michael's Consignment

Our Chariot Awaits

A Gift to Cherish August 10, 2009

Wedding can be both fun and financially taxing, especially in this economy.  But it doesn’t have to be if you plan correctly.   WBM took the liberty of tracking some of our favorite companies and some of their greatest products they have to offer as gifts to your wedding party.

Giving should not be a burden nor a financial strain on your pocket.  But giving should not be done half heartily either.   A gift should be something useful to its recipients.  How many toasters can one get, or vases, dish sets, and so on.   But personal items given like perfume should also be given with care as each person has a difference scent of smell and style.

The internet is a powerful tool when it comes to getting great ideas and products.   Some finds that we have used and would highly recommend as gifts.

Dermona,  beautifully packaged gold gift box filled with the secrets of traditional Korean herbal medicine.  Skin Vitalizer, Essence Nutrition, Herbal Cream, and Wrinkle & White Cream.   This beau amazing set of products not only work well for my sensitive skin but  are small enough to pass through custom when traveling I found.  www.worldica.com or www.worldcamail.com.

Champagne Key, what a practical gift.  This great household item is great for exactly what it says opening up your Champagne bottle.  No more threat of taking your eye or one of your guests.  This elegant piece of hardware is quite beautiful and very well packaged.  www.cheftools.comor www.rsvp-intl.com

Party Survival Kit, this mini kit is great for brides who are preparing gift bags for their traveling guests.  It comes fully equipped with basic essentials shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. On their site you can be selective of the kind of gift set you want to purchase.  www.korress.com

Choclatique- Chocolates out of the box, make great wedding favors for those who are lovers of Chocolate.  This small treat designed in a small replica of a wedding cake is a big hit to satisfy your sweat tooth.

Closetry- this company is headed by the ever so fabulous Mark-Alan Harmon, visit www.closetry.com and see so many great gift  ideas from closet hangers, paper, shoe stuffers  to suit your every needs.

There is really happiness in both giving and receiving with those great finds and you don’t have to break your bank to do so.

Champagne Key

Draw sachets by Closetry

Choclatique

Party Survival Kit

Dermona

Home Beauty Picks- Spa -At- Home August 5, 2009

In this state of the economy it may not be possible for one to go to a spa and get the full treatment. But there are things that can be done at home that can be a great substitute.

The concept behind the spa retreat is to provide a relaxing environment that rejuvenate in a stress free environment.

Carrie Reinagel, Spa Director at the Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard, a favorite retreat for celebrities, offers her “Spa-at-Home” suggestions for simple things that anyone can do to create a healthier and calming spa-like environment at home.

Carrie’s Top 10 Tips on How to Bring the Spa Home:

* Create a sacred altar space that speaks to you with items you find lovely—candles, bamboo, images of people you love, stones, shells, crystals, flowers.

* Store a foot massager and microwavable neck wrap under the coffee table—pull them out when you are watching TV.

* Working with the earth and seeing plants grow grounds you and reconnects you to the cyclical nature of life. Plant a windowsill herb garden, or a few vegetables.

* Learn and do simple self massage of hands, arms, and neck while you watch TV or stand in line.

* Go for a short walk each day or participate in a 10 minute workout tape or yoga tape.

* Once a week, allow one hour for an uninterrupted bath, full body dry brushing (keeps skin soft without lotion), hair mask, face mask, foot scrub, and nail polish change.

* Take time to do whatever you need to feel sexy and beautiful. If your hair is oily, sprinkle some baby powder on the roots which absorbs oil and make hair feel new. Spritz body with a toner or perfume.

* Make bedtime a ritual for nurturing your spirit. This is a great opportunity to re-center with self affirming rituals and comforting personal items such as silky pajamas, a good pillow and pillow spray.

* Keep baby wipes and homemade peppermint foot lotion by your bed so you can clean and massage your feet. Then, elevate your legs on a pillow while you read a soothing novel or meditate.

* Use a guided visualization or meditation tape to clear and focus the mind.

For more of Carrie’s tips go to: http://www.luxehotelsunsetblvd.com/spa.php
*Luxe Spa is managed by Be Well, Inc. www.thankyouandbewell.com

But for those who don’t mind spending the cash please don’t hesitate about indulging at Luxe Spa.

ABOUT THE LUXE HOTEL SUNSET BOULEVARD
The Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard, a member of Luxe Worldwide Hotels, is an urban retreat located on seven acres of lush, pristine property perfectly perched at the intersection of Brentwood and Bel Air. With 160 spacious non-smoking guest rooms and suites, complimentary wireless Internet, an outdoor heated swimming pool, tennis court, fitness suite, Zen-inspired Spa, On Sunset Restaurant, and the Luxe Lounge, this pet-friendly hotel is just 12 miles from LAX Airport and the perfect choice for business or pleasure stays in Los Angeles.

Luxe Hotel Sunset Blvd. is located at 11461 Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles.
For reservations or additional information call (310) 476-6571, e-mail: sunset@luxehotels.com, or visit the website: www.luxehotelsunsetblvd.co

Above we found some of our own at home products we love and want to suggest you through in your beauty bags. Shampoo and deep conditioner by Mixed Chicks’, Body wash by Georgianne’ Skin Treats International, Face cleanser Enchant- MF Mild Foam Cleanser by ICA, or you may want to try Avene Soap-free facial gel cleanser, Mask with Ren Clean Skincare-Multi-Mineral Detoxifying Facial Mask, after you step out of your shower finalize your routine moisturize your skin with Malie Kauai body cream. Now your ready for your hair regine, pull out your ConAir Blow dry and brush, we like to give the hair a little help with regaining its shine by using Rusk- Gleam, for that extra dry hair Palmers makes Olive Oil Formula with Vitamin E, Sheen Spray.  No spa service won’t be complete without a manicure and one of our leading products is Sally Hanson.

A Piece of the City: Miso Restaurant in DUMBO, Brooklyn August 4, 2009

We love finding new sights, sounds and seasonings around the city, the state, the country and beyond. Today we wandered into DUMBO, which for non-newyorkers stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, a quaint little piece of the Brooklyn borough filled with art, architecture and luxury. Upon our many sightings was a small sushi restaurant tucked beneath an eye-catching yellow structure. We just had to go inside and boy were our taste buds glad we did.

 

We were far to hungry to think to photograph the adorable presentation that came to our table but thankfully after taking a bite of just a few rolls we were able to get this picture of our light dinner. The menu was moderately priced, the ambiance soothing and the service impeccable (I believe I’ve found my new fave sushi restaurant). We’d recommend Miso as a great place to grab lunch or a light dinner. Its conveniently located right next to Starbucks allowing for a nice coffee to top of your meal. Our total for two California rolls and an order of Miso soup came to just over $10, I think we might be on to something

World Bride loves World Barbie: Vogue Italia July 30, 2009

Just about every bride planned out her wedding with her favorite doll and now that favorite doll takes her place on the cover of Vogue, say hello to World Barbie…

 

 

Editor-In-Chief Frank Sozzani says:

“Barbie has been an icon for whole generations which is why I really wanted to give a strong sign in step with the times, and dedicate the anniversary issue to Black Barbie.”