Ladurée macarons have nothing less than a global cult following among the sophisticated social set.  The Parisian bakery first opened in 1862 and developed the iconic French cookie, which is made from two macaron shells filled with ganache.

Originally posted on Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas, this dessert table by Azar of Principal Planner in Montreal, was inspired by the signature celadon green and pale pink packaging of Ladurée.  To conjure up the feeling of a Parisian tea shop, Azar created an installation of gilded frames, glass jewelry boxes, distressed bound journals, vintage cake stands and gold rimmed tea cups.

The assortment of desserts – all in celadon, pale pink and cream – included a four tiered cake by The Caketress, cupcakes and macarons from Dolci Piu, cake balls from Three C Baking & Co and Turkish Delights, marshmallows and nougat cookies from Oh So Chic Sweets.

This pretty desserts table speaks to the little girl in all of us who grew up playing afternoon tea.  It would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower celebration.

See original post on Sweet Designs here.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Monique Simone Photography

For Ovando, flowers are the medium through which delicacy meets urban contemporary. We were therefore thrilled when approached by luxury crystal brand Swarovski to recreate the theatrical aesthetic of the recent film success, Black Swan starring Oscar Award winner Natalie Portman and directed by Darren Aronofsky. The goal would be to reproduce the dichotomy between pure beauty and stunning savagery.

The event took place in our client’s showroom so we needed to methodically integrate the chosen color scheme amongst the jewelry collections themselves. We chose black feathers paired with boldly feminine colors (hot pink & purple vanda orchids) to cultivate a bewitchingly dramatic look. In other instances, we employed an inverse color scheme, pairing pale pink feathers stylized amongst deep aubergine roses or callas lilies. This played upon the idea that the Black Swan was unpredictable, mostly good sometimes, mostly bad at other times.

To further draw the connection to Black Swan, Ovando situated mannequins throughout the space, fashioned in ballerina wear which boasted hyper feminine textures and cuts, yet fairly beguiling color schemes. And, of course, no backstage atmosphere would be complete without a proper dressing room, adorned with makeup and inspirational photos to motivate our muse before she takes the stage.

Dark carpet runners and tailored lighting were also incorporated throughout the space to further elaborate upon this theatrical yin and yang expanse. So, too, were ballet slippers and seductive floral bouquets strewn throughout.

No experience is truly complete without the perfect soundtrack, and certainly there was no reason for us to fuss with a good thing. A mix by The Chemical Brothers was indeed an unparalleled choice: sexy, calculated, cool.

The floral installation was a perfect paradigm for art meets nature, beauty meets beast. And it was also an excellent example of why we love what we do.

GUEST BLOG by Karine Bailly of Ovando

Ovando is a floral and design company founded by Sandra de Ovando in 2003.  The company has two retail locations in New York.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Courtesy of Photomuse

dvGreen, my sustainable event design and production company, recently partnered with L’Olivier Soirees & Galas, one of NYC’s favorite floral design houses.  L’Olivier was founded by South of France native Olivier Giugni, and my focus is high-end eco style, so a Sustainable South of France wedding was right up our alley.

A yellow and neutral color palate came naturally as we found ourselves focusing on sunflowers, herbs, cork and other elements native to the South of France and available here in NY.  The white and yellow toile linen gave us a soft, literal backdrop upon which we felt free to go more modern and clean with our designs, using masses of flowers designed in square vessels.  Our flowers were not only reminiscent of native France but were also seasonal and local here, so we were able to stay sustainable et tres chic.

French fare?  Summer bouillabaisse featuring local seafood presented in cork trays placed family style down the length of banquet tables combined with ceramic terrines of roasted seasonal vegetables with aioli make for the perfect Provencial menu.  Et a boire? Why, Pastis of course!  Adorable vintage and recycled glass pitchers of NY tap water accented the table and allowed guests to find the perfect h20-Pastis proportion to suit their individual taste.

So, with the right team and the season on our side, it is possible to bring a little sustainable South of France into the East of the United States!

Guest blog by Danielle Venokur

Danielle Venokur Greenberg is the founder of dvGreen, a sustainable event design and production firm.  She hosts The Green Party on MNN.com and has been featured in New York Magazine, Gotham, Vogue and Modern Bride as one of their 25 Trendsetters of 2008. Contact 646 872 7872 for more information.

Known for his original event and wedding design, Olivier Giugni is the creative force behind L’Olivier floral atelier which has studios both uptown and downtown New York.  Contact 212 255 2828 for more information.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Courtesy of dvGreen and L’Olivier

For this special event, my company Sofia Crokos Events collaborated with a group of my colleagues to host a cocktail party to start off the new year.  Nothing excited me more than to incorporate my favorite color into the overall event design.  I have always been drawn to the color blue – primarily turquoise – from my travels to exotic destinations with crystal like turquoise waters.  Being of Greek descent, I have spent many summers in Mykonos and Santorini, two islands in the Cyclades that have white washed architecture and various shades of blue that are just dreamy!

Our event was held at The Glass Houses, a very modern venue surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows with spectacular views of the west side of Manhattan.  When you have an empty canvas like this venue, its always easy to bring a design together. It’s simple and clean so you can begin your “painting.”

One of my favorite floral designers, Lewis Miller from LMD, created arrangements in the front of the room that guests first saw upon arrival.  Turquoise vases were filled with gorgeous white parrot tulips, purple anemones, hyacinth and campanulas.  For the table setting,  Lewis gave it an eclectic feel by mixing glazed white and turquoise vases with Mexican stone plaques.  We placed these on a white lacquer table with a dark turquoise/teal silk runner.

In the restrooms, we paired the popular 4711 German cologne water that has been around for over 200 years with a beautiful antique turquoise vase set on a glass mirror tray. The details of our turquoise event theme followed through even to the restrooms – very important!

Remembering that too much of a good thing can turn into an eyesore, we used the turquoise color sparingly, as an accent only, to give the room some pop.  We mixed in colors like purple, soft greens, whites and creams along with some silver touches to break it up.

Other décor elements included a white osorom bench was decorated with lush dark turquoise silk dupioni pillows and a large fabric panel that we made into wall art.  We used two types of blue dupioni fabrics and silk ribbons to make a grid pattern to give the room some texture.  The modern furniture rentals from Your Green Room included a lush tufted pale turquoise Chester sofa, Sklar floor lamps, Ashton wing chairs, a white square coffee table, side ottomons and an eclectic side round table called the Ari.

And, just for our guests, even the sky above the Hudson River that night was a sexy powdery blue, which we had planned for…of course!

GUEST BLOG by Sofia Crokos of Sofia Crokos Events

Sofia Crokos Events is a highly sought-after event planning and design firm which offers a variety of services to meet a client’s needs. The company works with vendors worldwide to create and produce memorable and exceptional events in New York and destinations around the globe.  Contact 212-929-1076 or email for more information.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Courtesy of Abby Ross Weddings

For their 150th Anniversary, Chopard retained Ron Wendt Design to create an event environment around the theme of Animal World. The black-tie event would launch the fine jeweler’s newest collection, which featured 150 one-of-a-kind designs that were inspired by fauna from around the globe such as a koala shaped diamond ring and cognac diamond monkeys swinging from a gemstone-laden vine.

Without hesitation we knew The Garden Court at The Frick Museum would be the perfect backdrop for their VIP celebration because of its old world setting. For the event décor, we played on the concept of the Garden of Eden and replicated the various habitats of the animals featured in the jewelry. We fabricated custom rectangular dining tables with burlwood framed mirrored tops.  The tablescapes were collections of woodland tree stumps which served as vases that held exotic lady slipper orchids, fern shoots, ivy, succulents and water lilies.

We created jewelry vitrines on oval columns, which showcased the Chopard pieces, to represent trees in a forest with vines growing around them.  Topped with the clear acrylic bonnets, each jewelry suite  presented an organic tableau inspired by nature with real organic tree stumps or stones to support the jewelry. In the case of the “arctic” collection, shells, white coral and molten glass rock chucks were used to simulate glacial environments. In place of a “red carpet,” we custom dyed a moss green carpet runner leading in to the Garden Court.

For the after party, we wanted a departure from the dinner and the exhibition of jewels so we gave the music room a face lift by creating a cool and sexy environment for a performance by John Legend and the hip music of DJ Mia Moretti. The existing decor of the museum had a very heavy Edwardian mood. We modernized it by doing wall to wall white carpet, bringing in white banquettes Philippe Stark Ghost chairs and coffee tables. White anemones accented the tables and two large Palm arrangements flanked the piano where Mr. Legend performed. The room was flooded with lavender light by Frost Lighting.

It was an incredible celebrity-filled evening with attendees including Gwenyth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Natalie Cole, Georgina Chapman, Claire Danes and socialite Fernanda Niven, decked out glamorously in Chopard jewels, of course!

GUEST BLOG by Ron Wendt and Philip MacGregor of Ron Wendt Design

For over a decade, Ron Wendt and partner Philip MacGregor have worked with high end luxury and fashion companies and private clients to create tasteful, memorable and beautiful events.  To contact Ron Wendt Design, contact 212-290-2428.

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Ron Wendt Design

This wedding photo shoot was inspired by the Victorian Naturalists, a movement from the 18th century which was obsessed with observing, cataloging and categorizing nature. Juliet Totten and Sierra Yaun of Poppies & Posies developed the original concept and sent a mood board to each of the participating vendors, including us at Stuart and Welch Catering and Events. The collaboration was planned to give a bunch of small, local vendors an opportunity to show off their individual talents while coming together to produce a complete wedding scene with décor, invitations, food, photography and more.

To achieve their “naturalist” tablescape, Poppies & Posies built terrariums out of vintage apothecary jars, some with their own original labels, and filled them with unexpected elements such as yellow oyster mushrooms and airplants. The terrariums rested on a delicate bed of moss, lily of the valley and maidenhair fern that were arranged to look like it was growing from the table itself. Tiny blue quail eggs were placed in miniature nests and tied with strips of blue silk ribbon for place settings. Candles covered in birch bark and vintage inspired plates finished the tabletop’s naturalist inspired aesthetic.

As the first course, Stuart & Welch decided to create a spring sweet pea risotto with yellow oyster mushrooms topped with sunny side up quail egg.  It was a nice little twist to have risotto with a bright yellow yolk to match the yellow oyster mushrooms in the terrarium. A sweet pea puree was added to give the risotto a vibrant green hue which complemented the light gray plates from Anthropolgie and the dark wood table from Something Different Party Rental who provided the glassware, silverware and linens for the place settings.

Merci New York’s custom dessert and gift table introduced botanical illustrations, terrariums and other naturalist elements to a environment where food and sweets are normally the main focus. Vintage-inspired paper designs, moss and a decorated birdcage centerpiece were surrounded by a variety of neutrally colored gourmet food items such as pretzels dipped in white and milk chocolate, old fashioned swirl root beer flavored lollipops, almond biscotti with vanilla icing and caramel popcorn wrapped in faux bois paper cones. Chilled bottles of seltzer with vintage inspired labels and ribbon candies custom wrapped in cornflower blue ribbon echoed the color palette of the table settings.

Poppies & Posies also designed all of the personal flowers for the photo shoot. They used unusual botanical elements such as gloriosa, succulents, heleborus and mosses to create bouquets and boutonnieres that were in keeping with the naturalist inspiration.  Maria Cerff of Lela New York carried the botanical motif through to the paper goods and created a custom print for the invitations and stationery.

Other wedding elements included a handmade ring pillow by Llubav and models, made up by Lauren Napier, wearing bridemaid dresses by 57Grand and Two Bird Bridesmaids. Shoe and handbag designer, Janelle Sing created an evening clutch with silk dupioni that she hand painted herself.

After all of the hard work that went into creating every detail of this wedding event, Whitney and Dustin, the husband and wife team of Oh Darling Photography, arrived at our transformed venue, The Xchange, to capture each beautiful moment.  To celebrate our collaboration, we all settled in and treated ourselves to a cupcake from Tully’s Bakery which were gluten-free (her specialty) and delicious!

GUEST BLOG by Michael Steifman of Stuart & Welch

Stuart & Welch Catering & Events is a new venture focusing on local, seasonal products, fresh food, natural elements, and the highest quality service.  For more information contact them via email or at 718-467-1010.

Poppies and Posies is a floral and event design company based in New York.  For more information, contact 646-386-7247.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Courtesy of Oh, Darling Photography

We created Silkstone, our boutique events and catering company in New York, on the belief that there are two essential ingredients to the service industry: the stone which represents the intensive labor, integrity and commitment; and, the silk that reflects the creativity, innovation and elegance in which this is presented.

So when a client approached us to throw a lavish birthday party with the inspiration, “The Rat Pack,” we relished in the challenge to create a unique event around a popular theme and to avoid the cliché perceptions of that time.  Instead, we concentrated on the sights, smells, sounds and tastes which defined that era rather than the glossy Hollywood version.

With every event the journey for the guests begins with the invitation. We took a copy of a famous Frank Sinatra vinyl and swapped in an image of our client, added event details and created a custom CD with iconic music from the genre to give guests some inspiration.  A dress code advised, “Gentlemen to sport Rat Pack attire, classy suits with silk pocket squares, tuxedo shirts and maybe even a gangster fedora. The ladies should exhibit the styles of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O and the Hitchcock leading blonds.”

On the night of the event guests walked down a dark, cobblestone alley to a concealed speakeasy door.  The sounds of a trumpeter and the heckles and shouts of acting prostitutes filled the smoky street. Burly bouncers ushered guests through a dimly lit corridor into a Chinese launderette – the stage for our coat check. Guests were forced to weave through a thousand pounds of vintage clothes in laundry carts and hanging bags, bamboo clad walls, chirping caged birds and barely audible Chinese music.  An elderly Chinese man summoned guests behind the launderette through a heavy burlap corridor to reveal a scene straight from a 1950’s speakeasy. Pre-dinner cocktails were served in tea cups from the barrel built bar.

To actively engage our guests and create a energetic atmosphere we had bookies taking odds on the blackboard wall.  Cocktail hour concluded with a bang with a drunk (actor) who smashed through the bar and pulled down the burlap material wall to reveal a glitzy, glamorous Vegas-style ballroom. Glass chandeliers, tall palm trees and light projections created ambiance.

Cigarette girls circled the room and cabaret performers put on a lavish show reminiscent of the New York underground world.  A swing band played classic tunes (that were featured on the CD) such as, Fly Me to the Moon and New York, New York by Frank Sinatra; Mr. Bojangels by Sammy Davis, Jr; L.O.V.E. By Nat King Cole and Ain’t That a Kick in the Head by Dean Martin.

A bespoke dinner, inspired by The Rat Pack’s last meal at The Sands, created the perfect set for a true 1950’s experience. The menu featured canapés of Stuffed Crimini Mushrooms and Deviled Quail Eggs with Truffle Paddlefish Caviar and, for dessert, the Chocolate Knickerbocker Glory with Raspberries and Hazelnut Custard.

As a final surprise, while the guests were having dinner, the Speakeasy room was transformed into an extravagant hotel bar, clad with feathered arrangements and over-sized white booths for guests to relax and take a break from the dancing.

GUEST BLOG by Clemmie Browne of Silkstone

Silkstone is committed to delivering creative, innovative and sustainable food, lifestyle and design concepts. Led by dynamic duo Philip Winser and Benjamin Towill, the company has quickly established a stellar reputation  for delivering world-class events with particular flair for creativity and resourcefulness, building an impressive list of clients that include Rodarte, Aveda, Hugo Boss and Terry Richardson.

For more information on Silkstone Events and Catering, visit  www.silkstonenyc.com or contact via email or at 646 861 1545.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Stephanie Kessell and Nicholas Routzen

Despite the annual deluge of tacky costumes and kitschy decor, we found ourselves inspired by Halloween and its celebration of the living dead.  Our interpretation of this haunted holiday can be brought to life with these exquisite items below…

From the parlour of Douglas Little of D.L. & Company, the “purveyor of curious goods,” comes two incredible candles that would surely set a mysterious mood for Halloween – Vena Amoris ($150) or “vein of love,” an effigy wax scuplture of a hand and, from the Momento Mori collection, Skull with Snake ($85).

Vintage inspired black goblets from Eden & Eden ($65 for a pair) and gold beaded napkin rings in the shape of spiders ($56) by Kim Seybert would give your dining table an opulent look.  Serve guests candied apples made with red wine caramel which taste as decadent as they look.

Lace masks, leather gloves and boudoir inspired apparel from Kiki De Montparnasse would allow you to dress to impress in less for your night on the town.

And, if mingling with the masses at the Halloween parade isn’t your style, spend some time at Purgatorio, the new erotic nightmare fantasy show created by Simon Hammerstein of the infamous supper club, The Box, which opens on October 15th, 2009 and runs through the 31st.

PHOTO CREDIT:  D.L. & Company, Kiki de Montparnasse, Epicurious, Neiman Marcus