Gianna's Picks of the Week

Towards the end of summer, I start thinking about vacations (due to the nature of my business) and traveling. I found some cool ideas for travel at Saks Fifth Avenue.

leather passport cover

My passport looks like it has been through the clothes dryer! I think this cover is a great idea to protect your passport and it looks stylish .

personalized leather luggage tag

Available in different colors with your initial.

personalized ticket cover

This would make a great honeymoon gift.

personalized jewelry roll

Makes it convenient and the size seems perfect for travel.

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Also available in black and chianti (their name for red). Price is under $370. Love this bag.

Victoria and John were recently married at the Castle Green.  We are looking forward to the photos from their photographer Salvatore, but wanted you to have a sneak peak.  Victoria is a talented artist, who designed her wedding decor.  Victoria lives in Los Angeles with her new husband John and she designs jewelry and accessories. A few months back we wrote a blog about her designs.

The groom and his adorable daughter.

About a week ago I was overseeing a setup at an estate wedding and I thought about things that an event planner never wants to hear:

During the ceremony:

Does anyone know how to turn off the sprinklers?

&

Right before the ceremony:

 Has anyone seen the officiate?

All kidding aside, we make it part of our policy to confirm sprinklers are off 48 hours before the wedding and I got ordained just in case the officiate gets stuck in traffic and can't make it to the ceremony. 

Have a great week! 

How Estate Rental Costs Work

Recently, one of my favorite clients, who is a popular event planner in 
Los Angeles asked me to write a Blog about this subject.

  

There are two options when renting an estate.  Some homeowners prefer to rent their homes with outside only access while others allow inside and outside access.  The degree of inside access depends on the individual estate. Hours vary for setup, however most wedding and event professionals will want to start at 9 am. This saves our clients additional labor costs since they will have more time to setup.

Estates are not generally rented by the hour.

Homeowners understand that some vendors will need access the night before for the lighting installation which includes a lighting test (this usually takes 6-8 hours). 

For a special effect, tents can be rented at an additional cost. An additional setup day is required.

 

On an event day, the rental company will need access in the morning to place all of the rentals and then the other vendors will follow.

If the party or ceremony starts around 4 PM and ends around 10 PM or 11 PM, then the strike will occur the following day. This is to ensure that the surrounding neighbors are not disturbed.

A normal strike takes six or eight hours and it can take longer

for larger productions.

Having an estate wedding can cost 30-40% more since everything is a la carte.

However, if you do have a flexible budget and this is your dream - we can assist you.

Our company requires security and insurance at all of our events to ensure that our clients have a great experience and so does the homeowner.

In addition, to mansion rentals, we can produce events at private estates and venues in Southern California, the US and abroad.

Gianna's Pick of the Week - Dressing up for the Rehearsal Dinner

Aidan Mattox Cold Shoulder

$295

 Milly Strapless Rosette 

$695

I love to see our brides have fun and dress up for their rehearsal dinner. Every bride is different - some like dresses that are sophisticated (the dress on top) and some like flirty dresses, like the one above.

  

I am always trying to find cool wedding gifts for when my husband and I are invited to a wedding. My challenge is that by the time I go on the couple's registry to buy a gift, all the good gifts are gone, so I'm left with either knives (wrong message) or a $900 blender (I don't think so).  

I love this globe - if you are planning on spending a couple hundred dollars, this could be a very cool gift.

 

 Kosta Boda "Earth: Home" Decorative Globe

$200.00

Another option - if this is an important client or someone that you need something very special and the price tag is not a huge concern.

Christofle

Silver Story Vase/8"

 $450.00