Happy Holidays!

We'll be back after this short holiday break....
Happy Holidays!

Holiday DIY

With Christmas only a few DAYS away, it's crunch time! So in addition to our very handy Holiday Gourmet To-Go Menu we're also helping you out with a quick decor DIY for your holidays!
This  little center piece is very simple and quick. All you'll need is a cylinder vase, we got ours from the dollar tree, a little burlap, ribbon, and some holiday greens!

1. First you'll cut your burlap to size. You'll want it to be wide enough to overlap, so you can glue the material to itself. Place the burlap around the vase and glue it to itself. The length can be trimmed after it's adhered to the vase for the correct size. 

    2.  Now That you have your burlap covered vase, you can embellish it with ribbon! Simple enough, you just choose ribbon in whatever colors and textures you'd like.  Make sure to line up the seams of the ribbon with the seams on the of the burlap so everything is neat. 

3. You can then add fresh greens, branches from your yard, or even a candle, and voila you have some holiday decor in 20 minutes or less!

Vintage Bumble Bee Birthday

What's cuter than the idea of a vintage inspired bumble bee party? A vintage bumble bee party for an adorable 1 yr old that's what! A few weeks ago we teamed up with Stephanie from Exquisite Events Services to create a swoon worthy party for friends and family to celebrate Ishaan's 1st birthday. Enjoy these lovely photos!

 
 The dessert table featured deconstructed apple crumbles, chocolate covered honeycomb, pecan tassies, bumble bee cake pops and mini pumpkin whoopie pies!

 The savory buffet was filled with bruschetta, butternut squash soup shooters, curry chicken stuffed dates, and artisan cheeses with fresh bread from our chef.

 To top off the bumble bee theme we even had a honey tasting station!

A very Happy Birthday for this little boy!

Catering and Desserts - Colette's Events
Photography - LSB Photography
Decor, Favors and Planning - Exquisite Event Specialists
Cake -Provided by Client

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Hey everyone you can now follow your favorite caterer on instagram!! follow us @colettesevents

...and we have an adorable new icon for it too! 

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New Years Eve

New Years Eve is just around the corner... which means it's almost time for a fabulous party!

New years eve is our last hoorah before we embark on our resolutions for the new year. So why not indulge your guests with glittering macrons and croquembouche towers? And while we're at it whatever we can eat smothered in a rich cream sauce, or cheese! Actually both, give us something in a cheesy cream sauce with some extra cheese on top! Okay clearly we have a problem, but who doesn't love cheese? seriously? That's not possible... Anyway back to NYE.

In addition to fabulous food new years is a party where you just can not use enough glitter. Buy yourself some glitter hats, put edible glitter in the champagne, rent sequin linens, and hell throw some glitter on top of that too!

 We love celebrating New Years with the entire family.  Encourage a few family-friendly activities, such as “make your own midnight mix” where children and adults alike, create their own confetti pouch to toss when the clock strikes twelve. For the menu, offer sparkling cider in child-safe glasses for children and of course champagne for the adults.
And in honor of NYE add some pizzazz to your dessert table by crossing it with a celebration table! display party horns, hats and confetti along with your bubbly & cake. This is a fabulous way to display all of your gorgeous party decorations and attire.

2013 Wedding Trends No.9 Minimalistic

Continuing our countdown of 2013 wedding trends is number nine; the minimalistic trend. 

The minimalistic wedding where less is more...

If helvecta makes your heart pitter patter and graphic design is your "jam" then this may very well the wedding trend for you! Minimalism is any design or style in which the simplest and fewest elements are used to create the maximum effect. So in the case of weddings, it's reducing your reception to its necessary elements. It's pretty much the opposite of rustic/vintage weddings that have a million adorable nik naks everywhere. However if you're still totally obsessed with vintage as we are, this trend is a wonderful host to mid century mod components.

This trend fits perfectly in a gallery, a loft, or an industrial space. Simple lines, amazing graphics, and stunning pops of color make for an amazing minimalistic feast for the eyes.

Saarinen Series 71 Armchair from FormDecor

Saarinen Series 71 Armchair from FormDecor

Venue Spotlight - The Mission of San Juan Capistrano

The Mission of San Juan Capistrano has been deemed the jewel of the California missions, and it's no stretch to dub it as the ''jewel" of California venues as well.

One of the most beautiful, historic places we've ever catered at, or visited for that matter. This venue is rich with history and lush gardens. It lends itself to being one of  the most unique venues for meetings, social events and corporate events. Weddings are not permitted but brides can enjoy everything from engagement parties to rehearsal dinners at this beautiful property! 

The mission definitely creates an experience for your guests, with a large courtyard that can easily accommodate up to 800 and a small indoor area that can host intimate parties under 70. This is a venue that's beauty can easily inspire a whole menu! Can you imagine feasting on traditional Spanish tapas, sipping on sangria, all while gazing at the Spanish architecture (swoon)!

5 Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

After this weekend we will officially be in the Holiday Season. This is both a joyful and overwhelming time of year. It can get scary. Waking up at 4am to cook a turkey and then looking alive at midnight for black Friday sales (that are starting way too early... or late?). But it's okay we've got your back, and your sides! Here's our top five tips for surviving the holiday season without pulling all of your hair out.

 Keep Gatherings Small and Intimate - Get together with a few of your closest friends or relatives for the holidays. Choose to throw the big blowout parties at another time of the year, when you and your guests will have fewer commitments competing for your precious time.

 Be Ready to Attend Holiday Parties - Buy a small stock of hostess gifts in advance so you don't have to run around the day of each party you attend trying to find a gift amongst the masses. It's also helpful if you have a unannounced guest. Several jars of locally made preserves are good to have on hand, as are beautifully wrapped soaps and bottles of wine.

 Take Advantage of Timesavers - Order our creamy garlic mashed potatoes or the bakery’s pumpkin pie to complement your main course. "Adeline Rosemire, author of Christmas Shortcuts, once went one step further and hosted a holiday dinner in which everything—the appetizers, smoked turkey, bread and desserts—had been ordered from gourmet food catalogs and required little or no preparation" - WomansDay

 Stock the Bar - Take inventory of liquor-cabinet staples, including tonic water and other mixers, and restock those that are running low. Also chill a few bottles of Champagne, you never know when holiday guests may decide to drop in!

 Plan Ahead for your Holiday Party - Trying to get everything done at the last minute with guests knocking at your door can be very stressful.  If your cooking your holiday dinner yourself think about what you can prepare in advance and make a checklist of all the ingredients you need. When it comes time to shop, avoid the evening-weekday rush and weekend crowds. The day of, set the table in the morning so that unforeseen events -- a late meeting, a last-minute stop at the wine seller -- don't slow things down. Right before your guests arrive, dim the lights, light some candles, and pour yourself a glass of wine. 

And you can always make things easier by having it catered! 

Because after taking care of everyone else all day, it's nice to have someone take care of you.

2013 Wedding Trends No.10 Birch

We've been getting ready for the new year of wedding trends and styles. After researching online and hearing from our upcoming brides we've put together our list of the Top Ten Wedding Trends for 2013.

 Starting with this Wedding Wednesday we will be counting down the top ten trends for 2013, and this week we're revealing number 10: Birch.

We're loving these wooden touches at weddings! These whimsical wooden accents definitely add an amazing natural feel to a rustic wedding. From the table to the buffet, planks of wood make beautiful table runners, and tree stumps are fabulous cake stands!  And If you’ve always dreamed of an outdoor wedding, but find yourself with a great indoor venue instead – you can add some wooden accents to your big day to bring the outdoors inside.

 

Setting the Table

Thanksgiving is only a week away, and if your the one hosting the big event this year you might be beginning to panic. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday because it's really focused around a meal more then any other holiday, it's also one of the few times in the year when almost everyone pulls out the china and sets a gorgeous table! 

When it comes to setting the perfect holiday table everything from the centerpieces to the linen matters, it's all in the details. Your centerpieces are a great way to bring in color and texture to your table. You can also be creative with your centerpieceses and use fruits and sqaush, florals, leafs, feathers, sticks or even little nik naks from around the house. The color scheme you choose will really be impactful on the mood of your dinner as well. If you choose the colors in the bronze, gold, and burgundy family you'll create a very traditional feeling. Choosing unexpected color combos like aqua and brown are still earthy and appropriate for fall but are much more playful! For a simple and elegant feeling keep it contemporary with a monochromatic scheme.

 

Check out this handy diagram for setting your table properly for thanksgiving. This setting is for a formal meal that would involve multiple courses so if your eating family style with everything on the table at once don't worry about the salad plate/fork and you can get away with only one wine glass.

 As for the meal itself don't worry so much we've got you covered our chefs can make as much or as little as you want. Prepped and ready for pick up the night before. So you can sleep in, and enjoy your day with the family! With whole roasted turkeys, provolone potatoes, and fruity autumn salads who could ask for more.