The Finishing Touch — Weddings, Events, Design, Paperie

Recently I had the great pleasure
of planning a big family party at the house, honoring my father’s 60^th
birthday. We typically host his birthday party every year, however this year we
wanted to make our traditional party a little more special and add some
twists.  Every year we do a potluck
party and all our friends bring their favorite dishes.  This year, while it was difficult to
give up the foods we look forward to every winter, we decided to hire a
chef.  A friend of mine had hired
Michael Lewis for a brunch the day after her wedding and he was a big
success. 

Michael’s
menu was so diverse and customizable, with such reasonable pricing; we decided
we couldn’t pass up this opportunity to surprise my dad.  Due to our appetizer style parties every
year, I decided to keep the theme and serve strictly hors d’oeuvres.  The choices were endless on Michael’s
menu but we finally narrowed it down to about 15 different items.  We set up a tasting so my mother and
sister could meet him and also to make sure the food was what we were really
looking for.  The tasting went
amazing and we knew right away we had book him.

With
a few small decorations and some balloons, the real surprise for my father was
the catered menu.  Michael arrived
at our home with coolers of food, platters, garnishes and much more! What made
this experience so unique was that it wasn’t a caterer dropping off some
food.  Michael stayed to cook the
food and prepare all the platters in such beautiful and elegant ways.  We had so much to choose from:  mini crab cakes, seared tuna, coconut
shrimp, fried wontons, a Southwestern 7-layer dip, baked brie, and stuffed
mushrooms…to name a few things. 
Our guests were truly indulging and enjoying everything.  What made it more fun was that Michael
interacted with the guests and he brought a wonderful server, Julie who
interacted as well and took care of serving drinks and cleaning
everything!  What a treat for us!

We
ended the evening with a toast in personalized champagne glasses that each
guest also got to take home with them as a favor.  And of course for dessert we had Michael make homemade
crepes and bananas foster!!  
The best part… all the leftovers we got to eat for a few days!

Happy Planning,

Leah

The New Year is off to a great start, and Candice Benson and the team at The Finishing Touch have been featured in some of the most popular magazines in the tri-state area, along with some of our fabulous couples!

Take a look at some of our fun coverage!

In NJ Bride, Candice reveals great ways to make your wedding day truly unique, and our bride Tiffany is featured for the sweet surprise she planned for her groom Howie.

  
Watch for more coverage to be shared soon and be sure to catch Candice on Lifetime's "Get Married" at 7:30 AM on February 19th and 26th, March 26th and April 21st.

The Team at The Finishing Touch

Candice was recently interviewed for Get Married on Lifetime hosted by Colin Cowie and Deanna Pappas about creating the perfect table design for your wedding.  To watch the episode, click here.

Last week, Candice, Priscilla & I headed into the cold of New York City to attend the annual New York International Gift Fair held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The event draws in large volumes of a variety of industry workers, from wedding planners to department store buyers. For those who may be unaware of what a gift fair consists of, thousands of international vendors rent out "booths" to market and sell their various products and services, typically at wholesale price in bulk quantities. Booth categories range from Homemade Crafts to Bath & Bedding to General Gifts. This year, the Javits Center housed over 3,000 exhibitors which were handpicked to serve more than 36,000 buyers.

www.bombayduck.co.uk

As event planners, our primary focus was in the General Gifts section as we searched for fun trends in favors, gifts and décor items for our current and future clients. From 9:30am to 4:00pm, the three of us trekked down aisle after aisle, searching for ideas and meeting with some wonderful vendors. For an upcoming wedding, we researched straw baskets and fans, as well as some very cute table centerpiece umbrellas.  For another wedding, we found the perfect table lamps to add to our centerpiece design!

www.culturalintrigue.com

We also of course browsed stationery booths for fabric, ribbon and specialty paper to add to our new design division inventory.  We found some beautiful new papers that are sure to add a touch of personality to our clients invitations and decor pieces.

Of course as Candice is a crazy purse lover, we must admit that we also scoped out some personal goodies for ourselves and some amazing prices!

http://www.ebigbuddha.com/       

We found the gift fair to be a great place to spark design and décor ideas. The fair was full of unique and fun items that you may have never even thought of to incorporate in your event. We must have exclaimed 'oh we should do this!' or 'let's show (bride) this idea!'  over and over again. Thankfully we had our notepads and cameras handy.

After a tiring but fun day, we headed home to start sharing some of the awesome new design trends and favor ideas we had found with the team and our clients.

To learn more about the gift show you can visit their website:  www.nyigf.com.

Happy Planning!!!

Nicole

On Sunday, January 25, 2009 I took a morning class at Nalini Method in NYC.  I must admit that I was pretty nervous.  I had done my research online, so I had an idea of what I was in for, but having not participated in a Pilates class before, I was concerned that it would be difficult to keep up.  I made sure I didn’t make any plans for Saturday night, as I wanted to be very well rested.

Upon entering the studio, I tried to put myself at ease.  I was greeted by an extremely friendly Rupa Mehta, the owner and instructor.  As I signed in, she asked me my name, welcomed me, and warned me that she would be calling my name throughout the class.  She told me that even though it was my first class with her, she wouldn’t be taking it easy on me.  She wasn’t kidding!

The class had about a dozen women, and as we all gathered our equipment, I surveyed the room.  We would be using a mat, hand weights (3, 4 and 5 pounds), a resistance band, rubber ball, blocks, and a sturdy strap attached to the ballet bar. 

As soon as we got started, I knew I was in for a tough workout.  We started down on the floor doing sets of modified push-ups and then bicep curls.  As my arms are the weakest part of my body, it was a struggle to push through.  True to her word, however, Rupa called out my name occasionally and kept me motivated by urging me to “find the strength, even if I didn’t think I had it.” 

Then it was off to work on our legs.  We did leg exercises at the ballet bar, and ended things with an intense ab workout. I must admit that I took a few short breaks, but I kept up through most of the hour.  Throughout the class, Rupa gave personal attention to each student, and each time she assisted me, I felt the difference in how I was executing the positions.  I also found the stretching at the end very rewarding, as this helped me to relax.

Needless to say, at the end of the class I was exhausted, but I was never bored during the hour.  It flew by and I realized that I had worked muscle groups that I had forgotten about.  I also enjoyed the music in the class.  Moving to everything from Britney’s “Womanizer” to Christina’s “Keeps Getting’ Better” kept me pumped.

The next day my arms were really sore, but I was motivated to keep up with my exercise plans.  I am looking forward to taking the class again.  This is my year to get in better shape!

If you are interested in getting in great shape, we have worked out a special for our brides…… just contact Nalini Method and ask for "The Finishing Touch Three Month Turn Around Package."

Take 15 classes in five weeks and you will receive:

Guest passes for your new husband and for two bridesmaids, and a 20% discount on a 20 class package (a $208 savings) for you and your husband after your honeymoon. This way you can keep your body long and lean, and keep your husband from post-wedding weight gain.

Happy Training!

Soroya