Sunny San Juan Capistrano... in November!!!

When I first booked this event with Megan and Eli, I have to admit, I was a little worried about an "outdoor" wedding in November!!! I was thinking "Brrrrr".... but NOOOOO!!!! It was a BEAUTIFUL, bright, sunny day... the weather was in the high 70's for the afternoon nuptials. (This is one of the reasons why I LOVE Southern California!) The bride was even more beautiful and radiant... a ray of sunshine, in fact. The setting was Rancho Capistrano in historic San Juan Capistrano! http://www.ranchocapistrano.org/. Yellow mums and roses brightened up the ceremony and reception plaza like a summer day... it was spectacular by all accounts. The grand fountain in the center sparkled and drew birds to splash and bathe. As the sun set over the San Juan Capistrano hills, the plaza began to glow and take on a whole new life, the setting couldn't have been more intimate or perfect. The heavy Spanish influence structures transported us back perhaps a century... it felt rustic, old and charming.

All of the staff at Rancho Capistrano, from Mary Jane Humphreys and the banquet captain, Jose, to the bartenders and food servers are seasoned and professional. You can tell it was second nature to these people... they've been doing this for a while, and are good at what they do, folks!

Orchestrating the ENTIRE elegant affair with care and effortless precision, was the incomparable Lindsay Longacre of LVL Events. http://www.lvlevents.com/. If you ever have the wonderful opportunity to hire and work with Lindsay, I say DO IT!!! She is remarkable at what she does! Check out her website... Lindsay's work speaks for itself! I look forward to many more events together.

We, at Candee By Sandee, had a great time bringing a little sunshine of our own into the plaza with the candy table. Megan and Eli requested chocolates, caramels, wrapped candy bars... pale yellows... Well, they got it! Family and friends were taking pictures with the table like it was a celebrity... I was so flattered. I LOVE how "tickled" the guests get over the sight of our tables. What a great job I have... I'm one lucky girl!!! :) Life really is SWEET!!!

ABC-OC's "Monster Mash" Meeting

Natalie Vishny of Swellegant Events http://www.aswellparty.com/ and Marcy Hail of the Wyndham Hotel Costa Mesa http://www.wyndhamorangcountycom/ put together one heck of a Spooktacular event for the Association of Bridal Consultants, Orange County Chapter meeting on Monday, October 19, 2009. The theme, of course... "Monster Mash". I was pleasantly surprised that almost everyone was in costume! (Can I mention I won a beautiful hand crafted necklace and earring set by Margarette Herrera http://www.jewelrydesignsbymh.com/ for "funniest costume"!?!) Sorry, you had to see the whole costume to get the entire effect! But here's a picture of me and Paul (on the microphone) on stage... kind of hamming it up! I was really impressed with the level of creativity demonstrated by everyone!!! Patrick from Photo Booth Pro http://www.photoboothpro.com/ provided two awesome photobooths that could fit your entire posse! Some of the best moments of the night took place in those photo booths. :P "REAL" photos were taken by Joel Eckman Maus Photography. Photos posted here were taken by Joel, except (I don't want him to have to be blamed for the bad shot from my pocket camera!) for the one of Joel and me together... I figure he's always "behind" the camera, so I wanted one of us together, where you can see his cute, smiling face. Very cool guy... great photographer! Check out his fantastic work at http://www.studioemp.com/.

We were treated to a live show of musical song and dance numbers by Stargazer Productions http://www.stargazerproductions.com/. Very fun and entertaining! Rounding out the night was the costume contest and then dancing to music, DJ'd by Joe Paxton from Atmosphere Entertainment http://www.atmospheredj.com/.

The candy table featured gummi, blood dripping dracula "fangs", sour night crawlers, pumpkin twinkle pops, Reeses Pieces, candy skull & pumpkin mix... and the surprise hit... giant gummy candy corn! Everyone said those tasted like a cross between candy corn and "Peeps"! Call me next year in September to buy them from me in 3 pound bags! All was displayed on a beautiful irredescent teal and purple tablecloth provided by Kimberly Currin of BBJ Linens http://www.bbjlinen.com/. Lovely!

Great food was provided by the Wyndham Hotel, Elegant Fondue http://www.elegantfondue.com/ (yummy caramel fountain!), Pacific Bakery http://www.pacificbakery.net/, Candee by Sandee http://www.candeebysandee.com/ (duh!), and my weakness of the night... The Fry Girl http://www.thefrygirl.com/ mini doughnuts fried in hot oil right before your eyes... sprinkled with a bit of sugar... pop them into your mouth still hot... HEAVENLY!

"Mopars at the Playboy Mansion"

Cars and candy... chicks and charity... what a great night at the infamous Playboy Mansion. It was a charity event like no other we've seen before. "Mopars at the Mansion" featured a car show and poker tournament to raise money for the Lili Claire Foundation. We were honored to be a part of the fun! The "nostalgic" candy table was decorated with a vintage gas pump and hub caps... and featured Candy Cigarettes, Bit-o-Honey, Sugar Daddy's, Candy Buttons (on the paper strips!), Bazooka Bubble Gum, Chic-o-Sticks, Necco Wafers... You gotta be old enough to appreciate those!!! Big thanks to Brian Olea and Chef Carter of the Mansion... event manager, Lisa Leathery and MCG Publishing! Holla to new BFF, DJ Roxanne Dawn!!! Candy cigarettes are the bomb! And VERY special thanks to our dear friend Dann Gibb, "Dann the Mann" and his lucky lady, Laura! Thanks for showing us the "floor bed"!!! We look forward to many more good times together!

"Cuisine in Casablanca" Event for Ceremony Magazine!

Jim & Amy Harrick of Ceremony Magazine pulled out all the stops at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa on October 20, 2009 for their annual event to thank their wedding industry advertisers. You MUST, MUST, MUST check out the fabulous (and useful!!!) California Wedding Wave website at www.californiaweddingwave.com/!!! The beautiful pictures were captured by 2 Rings and a Dress Photography... that team is amazing! www.tworingsandadress.com/ Candee by Sandee provided a beautifully decorated table of tasty candy themed after "Cuisine in Casablanca". I don't think our candy table ever looked better under a beautiful tent by Raj Tents www.rajtents.com/!!! Planning the event for Ceremony Magazine was the industry expert, Carolyn Chen of The Special Day www.thespecialday.net/. What a great night! Thanks Jim & Amy!

(I apoligze that the picture above is from my little pocket camera! Sorry, 2 Rings & a Dress!!! Please go to www.californiaweddingwave.com to see the REAL, professional pictures!!!) I just couldn't wait to get permission to use their photos to share with you all!!!

The Knot Network Event

Long overdue is our shout out to all the wonderful people we worked with on the Knot Magazine Network event at the Aquarium of the Pacific on September 23, 2009! Brandi Smith of High Society Wedding & Event Planning put together a "grand, high society event" for our gracious host, Shannon Ratcliffe of The Knot Magazine. The Long Beach shoreline, with the Queen Mary across the harbor, was a beautiful backdrop for this highly anticipated event. Capturing every moment, was Tracey Hanson of 2 Rings and a Dress Photography (http://www.tworingsandadress.com/)! Tracey's work is amazing... see more pictures from the event on Brandi Smith's blog http://www.highsocietyeventplanning.com/.

The Candee by Sandee candy bar was adorned with a gorgeous, towering floral creation by Jacks and Bellas. It was breathtaking and showcased our coordinating candies beautifully! Note to self... the jeweled almonds were a big hit!!!

Great food, great company... great fun! We certainly can't wait for the next one!

I've decided a "Blog Gap" is like a Black Hole

We apologize for the "blog gap"... all this new-fangled new age stuff... But we are really committed to regular posting! A LOT has happened in the 10 months we fell into the "blog gap"! We'll try to "recap" over the next few weeks and get caught up! Keep checking back... we have greast stuff coming up, too. Paul is REALLY looking forward to "Mopars at the Mansion"... PLAYBOY Mansion, that is!!! October 17th... stay tuned!