Tomorrow is the Bridal Bazaar at the San Diego Convention Center, and is a great opportunity to see all things bridal!
If you’re just starting on your wedding plans, this is a great time to get new ideas and discover what you may still need to polish off your wedding plans!  Caterers will be present giving samples of their delicious food, bakeries will be there will cake samples, and florists with brilliant ideas will have samples on display.  Bring your camera to capture what inspires you!

Fashion Shows will be 11:30am, 1:00pm and 2:45pm.

Go to the Bridal Bazaar website to purchase your tickets or download a coupon.

Concession stands will be open selling soft drinks and snacks, but if you prefer to stroll through the booths with a glass of champagne then cruise over to the fashion show stage.  There is typically a bar setup there selling bubbly!

Bridal Bazaar
San Diego Convention Center, Hall H
111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA

I will be helping out at the Association of Bridal Consultants Booth (#908).  Stop by and say hi!

Julia Ormand did a remake in 1995, but the original Sabrina was Audrey Hepburn in 1954. Starring alongside Humphrey Bogart and William Holden, Audrey’s turn in Sabrina was the vehicle that created a lifelong friendship between Hepburn and French Designer Hubert de Givenchy.  THE dress (pictured below in left-side photo) was a creation by Givenchy that nearly any woman would love to own!

Photos Courtesy of Collider.com

My Sabrina inspired wedding incorporates bits of France & Paris…where the character of Sabrina found her inspiration!

Paris Inspired Sabrina!

From Top Left And Across
The Favors: Its all about the food but more specifically the dessert. So let’s make the favor a sweet treat and Parisian favorite! Macaroons come in several flavors and you can package a trio of flavors for each guest! Photo Courtesy of Opera Patisserie, San Diego, Ca

The Bridesmaids: Its not just about the silhouette, but also the neckline!  A Bateau Neckline (which is also referred to as a Boat Neck or Sabrina Neckline) is the best choice.  Its so Audrey and so Sabrina!  Photo Courtesy of Brides.com - Aria Gown

The Bride: Nothing can compare to the original…unless you’re doing a direct copy and if you are can I have one too!  But I must say that this evokes the spirit of the gown and is a lovely interpretation.  Photo Courtesy of TheKnot.com - Sposa Pucchi Gown

The Bouquet: We’re going French Countryside here.  The loose, just-picked style is very French and very modern.  Love it!  Photo Found on Style Me Pretty - Bouquet by Interieurs et Fleurs - Photo by Kate Headley

The Cake: The traditional French Wedding Cake is actually a Croquembouche; which is a tower of cream puffs!  The French sure do know how to do dessert!  Photo Courtesy of Patisserie du Soleil, San Diego CA

The Invitations: Simplicity is key.  Accents are what define this French-Inspired set of wedding stationery.  Photo Courtesy of Wedding Paper Divas

The Venue: Not quite Parisian or French, but the final scene of Sabrina takes place on a ship as Sabrina sales back to Paris.  So why not host your festivities on a yacht!  Photo Courtesty of San Diego Harbor Excursions - The California Spirit

Poolside at Se San Diego

Back in January I wrote a little piece on Se San Diego, which is a new Luxury Hotel in Downtown.  At that time the place was not entirely finished (pool bar and lounge, penthouse, and a few other elements).

Well its finished now!  I was invited to their Opening Reception last night and its fantastic!  The Pool Bar and cabanas are very chic and the lounge furniture is super comfortable.  I was having visions of myself lounging by the pool this coming summer!  There is also a lounge immediately off the pool which would make an awesome space for a cocktail party.

I have not even gotten to the food and drinks!  Don’t know the name of it but I had a sparkling wine and elderflower liqueur concoction…yummy!  The most popular drink of the evening was a blueberry, acai berry and vodka beverage.  Crab Cakes with Avocado Aioli, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Cantaloupe and Lobster Mini Salad, Steak Canapes with Teriyaki Glaze….every bite was delicious!

One of the things I loved about the party was you still felt like you were in San Diego, but with a very hip luxe vibe.

Kudos to everyone at Se San Diego for not only throwing a fabulous party last night, but for being part of such a fantastic property!  Can’t wait to see more fab events there!

Very few Downtown San Diego locations are as hip and modern as the Hard Rock Hotel.  A complete event venue, the Hard Rock offers guests rooms (obviously), event space,  dining, and nightlife!
The guest rooms are sleek & sexy with flat screen TVs, snake-skin headboards, fun & funky furniture all of which just beckons you to have a fabulous time!

Image Courtesy of HardRockHotelSD.com

The event space is the killer part!  Most of the rooms have huge windows which allows for natural light to come streaming through.  And if you have ever spent an entire day in a meeting room with no windows…you know what a treat that is.  Legends ballroom can accommodate up to 500 guests and sports high ceilings which compensates for being the room without windows.  But, again, the high ceilings eliminate any sense of claustrophobia.  And the staff delivers great service!  For those who missed the visual recap of The Special Event Wedding Lunch, nearly 500 event planners flooded the Hard Rock Hotel.  The service was great and the food was delicious!

Mary Jane’s Coffee Shop is one of the dining options at the Hard Rock Hotel and has the retro vibe without being a time-warp to the ’50s.  The Hard Rock also features Nobu San Diego…need I say more!   Sweetwater Saloon and Moonstone Lounge are also part of the Hard Rock nightlife.  And all this put together means your guests are guaranteed a good time!  And we haven’t event left the hotel yet!

Image Courtesy of HardRockHotelSD.com

In the heart of the Gaslamp District, the Hard Rock Hotel is centrally located to nearly anything your guests would want to do or see in San Diego.
For whatever event you may be planning, the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego should definitely be on your list of places to check out!

Last week thousands of event industry folks descended upon Downtown San Diego for The Special Event 2009 industry conference.  This led me to take up the duty of finding a restaurant for several of my fellow event planners and I to have dinner and catch up.  I was looking for something that seemed very “San Diego” but that also served great food and was centrally located for everyone.  I happily came upon JSix during my decision making process and could not have been more pleased!

JSix is a restaurant on J Street and Sixth in the Gaslamp District of Downtown San Diego.  They serve up a California Cuisine that is terribly hard to resist!  I dined on the Duck Confit and the Lobster & Crab Cakes that evening.  The duck was so deliciously cooked it simply fell off the bone and had the perfect hint of pink to it.  It was served a perfectly paired sauce (the name of which escapes me) and a meyer lemon risotto that I could have eaten all evening!  And let’s not forget the Crab Cakes!  I typically have issue with crab cakes because they can be a bit too greasy or oily for me…not these!  They were crispy and delicious…end of story!

Between the eight of us that were there that evening we tried a good portion of the menu and we were all not only pleased with the food but delighted at how good it was!

JSix prides themselves on serving not only quality tasting food, but also with quality ingredients.  They make several trips to local farmer’s markets to get the freshest foods they can find.

And I have not even touched upon the restaurant itself!  Sleek and modern but with fantastic lighting, the restaurant invites you to stay and linger for a while.  Cozy up to the bar and have a cocktail while you wait, observe the action in the kitchen which is a nice open layout for the patrons to view, or sneak upstairs to the JSix Rooftop Bar for a decidedly different atmosphere but with the same great food and drinks.  And while you’re there don’t forget to have a Pear Flower Lemonade!

JSix is a great location for a smaller sized rehearsal dinner of maybe 15 people.  If you have a larger group or want a private room you can enjoy the quality food from the Hotel Solamar which is immediately adjacent to JSix.   And let’s not forget the JSix Rooftop Bar which can host private events as well.

I’m a sucker for great food and great ambiance and JSix certainly makes the cut!

JSix Restaurant
616 J Street (At the corner of 6th Avenue)
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel: 619.531.8744