A Beachfront Catholic Ceremony in Los Cabos (Blog 2 of 5)

The next day, Friday ended up being a very windy day and posed multiple challenges to work on outdoor spaces. We had two outdoor events planned, the Catholic ceremony on the beach and the dinner reception at the Agua Pool Deck with fireworks and then moving on to the Agua Bar for an afterparty. Access to the beach was 11 am and our partners set to work right at that hour. Our color for the ceremony was all white with hints of blush to compliment the bridesmaids gowns. A simple and elegant structure was erected and embellished by Elena Damy. The adjoining cocktail area had all white furniture and existing cabanas were dressed in blush and white drapes. Each cabana had a sitting area of white lounge vignette. There were tons of white candles atop tables and steps were lined with white ceramic lanterns in different sizes. Lighting had been installed the night before to ensure smooth transition to the reception site as well as create a lovely mood. The guests were welcomed by an acoustic guitarist playing lovely tunes. A large mirror in white frame bearing ceremony program in hand calligraphy was the first visual as guests entered the ceremony space. They were also offered to slip out of their shoes and don flip flops. Parasols were provided for the ones who preferred shade. The bride had also provided lovely ribbons in blush to use at recessional. Each sign was hand painted in blush on white board to create a cohesive look. After the ceremony, guests moved to the cocktail area where a quartet entertained them and they were served a blush Mexican drink. The couple had opted to take this time to take some photos. The guestbook sat atop a table with small envelopes and cards for guests to write special messages for the couple. Lot of guests decided to take a stroll on the beach while others enjoyed delectable hors d' oeuvres that were continuously tray passed with a bar offering all delicious libations. Needless to say, a spectacular sunset was enjoyed by all before they transitioned to the Agua Bar. A dedicated golf cart for the couple bearing the sign "Just Married" in white and blush waited close to Turtle Beach for their grand entrance. Thank you to our Partners: Venue: One and Only Palmilla Flowers: Elena Damy Rentals: Del Cabo Production: Victor Valdes Guitarist: Alonso Jazz quartet Reverend: Rodrigo Photo/video:  Alec & T Planning and design: Nikki & Madiha Khan Exquisite Events Stay tuned for the reception and after party in the upcoming Friday!

Feature in Hello Pakistan November 2015

Thank you for the feature, Hello! Pakistan

One and Only Palmilla Mehndi (Blog 1 of 5)

This young couple who lives in NY approached us for their wedding last year.  They wanted a destination wedding in a resort on the beach and wanted either LA or Cabo.  Because of noise ordinance in LA/OC, we were able to suggest a few venues in Cabo.  Once the couple informed us of their plans to visit Cabo for site visits, appointments were made at five venues.  The couple's top choices were Palmilla and Las Ventanas and ultimately Palmilla was chosen as their wedding venue.  It was the couple's desire to provide an ultimate and unique experience for all their guests and families. After going back and forth with the venue, the date of the wedding weekend was set from February 4th to 7th.  The contract was signed in April 2015 and Nikki and Madiha made a trip to Cabo in October for a complete design walk through.  Three days were spent in comprehensive design and planning meetings as it was our ultimate wish to work with local partners wherever we could.  In the three days, we met with the production and rental company and ultimately decided on a florist which was Elena Damy after interviewing three different florists.  We felt they were best qualified to bring our vision to life. The design meetings were very beneficial and on point. After reaching back to LA, there were multiple phone calls with the local partners on a regular basis.  The client had expressed a desire to hold a colorful welcome dinner/mehndi on Thursday, February 4th in the Bahia courtyard.  The mehndi artist and DJ were flown from LA. A memorable night was created complimenting the architecture of the space. The guests' first visual was a carriage which was brought out from the space and was decorated with fresh flowers.  The entrance to the space was lined with colorful lanterns in different sizes.  Upon entrance, guests were treated to a lovely mariachi band that sang enthralling Mexican songs and tunes.  The client had secured a local vendor to provide each guest with a hand painted one of a kind Mexican plate with the couple's name and wedding date as a welcome gift. The fireplace was burning and hundreds of candles and lanterns cast magical shadows creating an ambiance that was spectacular.   Guests were served a specialty drink with distinct Mexican flavors. Ladies were excited to get henna and guests were encouraged to try food that paid homage to the bride's Peruvian/American and groom's Indian descent.  There were an array of Mexican dishes to further enhance the variety.  The event had amazing energy and movement and everyone seemed to be having a great time. At 8 pm, guests were treated to a fire dancers troupe that opened the dance floor and entertained guests thoroughly.  There was a photo booth onsite which added another component of entertainment.  Following fire dancers performance, the dance floor was opened with DJ playing upbeat Bollywood music and before long most guests were on the dance floor.  We had booked the space until 10 pm with spa buyout that was next to the courtyard from 8-10 pm but upon the clients request, the time was extended to midnight.  The kickoff event ended on a high note with guests' anticipation for the next few days. Thank you to our Partners: Venue: One and Only Palmilla Photo/video:  Alec & T Flowers: Elena Damy Rentals: Del Cabo Production: Victor Valdes DJ: Ajay from Special Occasions Mehndi: Lishma Patel Fire dancers Mariachi band Planning and design: Nikki & Madiha Khan Exquisite Events Thank you for reading. Be sure to stop by next week to read about the wedding ceremony! Have an Exquisite weekend. ?EE

Madiha’s Masquerade Birthday Bash

I love a theme party, and I've wanted to do a party with a masquerade theme for a long time so we used my recent birthday as an excuse. My inspiration was a combination of the movies Phantom of the Opera, Labyrinth and Eyes Wide Shut. The colors were black and gold, and I wanted the space to have a romantic glow with lighting and tons of candles. As guests walked the black carpet, they were greeted with a glass of champagne and scenes from various masquerade movies projected on the entrance wall. The decor was all black and gold outside with 3 stunning tents from Raj Tents and gold furniture to compliment them. We had a professional couple do the Waltz to "Second Waltz" to get everyone in the spirit while hors d'ouevres were being passed and cocktails served. It was a great evening celebrating with friends and family! Thank you to my awesome hosts, my hubby Osman, and sister and brother in law, Nadia and Anish as well as my parents for making it a very special weekend. A special thank you to Raj Tents, Luna Party Rentals, Hidden Garden Flowers, Argyle Event Staffing, Special Occasions LA, Karmagraphy, Amanda Sweikow Photography, Design Visage and Chef Ammar. Couldn't have done it without you!! Thanks for stopping by! Have an Exquisite weekend, and we'll see you here next Friday! ? Madiha

Up Close and Personal with Youngsong Martin of Wildflower Linens

This is our third blog on people in the industry we continue to draw inspiration from (#1 Radha Arora and #2 Grace Ormonde). Today, we are featuring Youngsong Martin, founder of Wildflower Linens. Nikki and Young have been friends for many years and it is our honor to feature Nikki's friend and someone she draws inspiration from on our blog.

Youngsong Martin is the dynamic fashion designer and entrepreneur who propelled her high-style rental firm Wildflower Linen into prominence in the domestic and international special-event industries. Her full-service rental company has since redefined the special-event linen field in terms of style, glamour and customer care while becoming a prestigious provider to clients nationwide and abroad, for functions of all sizes, budgets and occasions.

Today, Wildflower table linens and chair covers are sought after by everyone from discriminating brides and noted event planners to acclaimed designers and celebrities — by any party producer looking to add the utmost in style and elegance to a function’s tabletops and place settings.

EE: How did you get started with Wildflower Linen?

YM: It was an accident really. With my textile and fashion design background, my niece asked me to help with her wedding. When I started looking for fashionable linens to design her wedding or lack of, I realized I needed to create something myself. Seeing the need for a niche market, I decided to leave the apparel world and start a designer table linen and chair cover rental company. After 16 years, here we are today!

EE: What did your first big event look like?

YM: I helped design and throw a huge party for an Orange County socialite. We brought out Placido Domingo for it too. From lighting and drapery to amazing florals and food, it was just so wonderful to be able to produce something of that magnitude for my friends and peers.

EE: What does a typical work day look like for you?

YM: There's really no typical work day for me. It's always unpredictable and there's always something going on. If I’m not at a meeting with a client or industry partner, I’ll start the day in company meetings with my different departments to discuss current projects, overall goals, etc. If there's one thing that's consistent, it's that I open social media in the morning to read about how the world is doing today. Russia, Korea, England, it's such a small world now.

EE: If you had to choose, what would you say is your favorite table linen set right now (including chair covers, napkins, and table drape)? YM: I'm working on an event with Nikki (Exquisite Events) and I'm really excited about the look for this project right now. I would say that the art deco period vintage look is one of my favorites at the moment. I’ve created these chair cover backs and chair slips that enhance the look of the chairs. They create this art deco feel and look amazing in different settings. EE: From where do you draw inspiration? YM: Everywhere and everything. It can be something in nature or seeing something on my trip to Italy. The client's vision is also a source of inspiration. When I hear it and see it, I'm definitely inspired by their vision. EE: What advice do you have for anyone planning a wedding? YM: I'm a designer and not a wedding planner so that's hard to say. But I'd say that it's always good to allocate budget accordingly and to balance their spending.   They need to decide what is more important to them and then work through the budget to achieve that. Regarding design, I would say that a bride shouldn’t be afraid to think outside the box and do something she really loves vs just following the norm or current trend if that’s not her passion. EE: What are some wedding day “no-nos??? when it comes to design? YM: A cohesive look is very important so don’t try to do so much where your vision and style end up getting lost. Social media is a fabulous tool for inspiration but it also causes a false reality that you can obtain so many different looks for your wedding. You have to narrow down what you truly like and want for your wedding, not what you think is pretty. EE: What style advice do you have for brides and planners? YM: I don't actually have specific advice because most brides nowadays know exactly what they want. Wedding planners also are great designers themselves. I'm their sounding board and their editor for their ideas. With the world of Pinterest and Instagram, my job is to carefully edit so that they don't lose focus. EE: What’s are some of best event designs you have seen? Some of the worst? YM: I've seen some events on both ends of the spectrum. One of the best event designs I've worked on was a tented wedding, hosted at a private home. It was one of the most opulent and tasteful weddings I've seen. I actually designed the first Diana bustled dress chair covers for them. I can’t say any event design is terrible or the worse; event design is very subjective and some people may like something while others don’t. I don’t like to judge others works but I do know what I think to be beautiful and hope that others find my style and creativity beautiful as well. EE: What do you love the most about your job? What’s the biggest challenge? YM: I love being in the designing room and creating my designs. That's the only time really that there's no stress because I get to focus on creating something beautiful. The biggest challenge would be maintaining and managing the business. Government regulations, employee safety, raising revenue. Those things are constantly changing. EE: If you had to pick only one image from your career to describe you best, which image would you choose? YM: I see myself visually as a carefree, absent minded professor, who also happens to be kind of a hippie. I don’t think any of my actual photos show this type of crazy! EE: What does 2016 look like for you?  YM: It's looking like a very busy year! I remember how the whole economy suffered 2008 and 2009 was so it's a blessing that we are doing far better for 2016. Thank you for stopping by and reading our blog! Have an Exquisite weekend, and we'll see you next week! ?EE