Holiday Cheers To You!

~ Holiday Cheers from my family to yours ~

Cheers To You, Jeanne & Miguel

There is a reason we live in Southern California, if nothing else, the weather! Saturdays wedding weather was nothing less than stellar. Jeanne and Miguel were so much fun to work with and their wedding resembled them in every way~ romantic, sweet, and full of love. They were married at an incredibly charming church in Laguna Beach that seemed like it was built just for them. St Francis By-The-Sea was built in 1933 with rubble salvaged from the Long Beach earthquake. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest Catholic church in the world, and only seats 42.

The reception was at the Surf & Sand Resort. Planning weddings with Shannon, the catering manager at Surf and Sand is always a pleasure. What a great person she is, she made sure that everything was perfect for the wedding even though it was HER birthday and she could have been out celebrating.

Jen K did the flowers and everyone talked about them all night. They were over the top beautiful, and Jen K is absolutely wonderful to work with. Yes, It's All About the Cake! Can you say German chocolate with coconut, vanilla with bavarian cream, fresh rasperries, and slices of white chocolate cake? Every piece had all of those, YUM! Invisible Touch DJs provided the lighting and music, and as always, they were on time, prepared, and full of contagious energy. I've been working with them for over 10 years, and they are consistently on top of their game. Fusion Linens once again outdid themselves by delivering and setting up the chiviari chairs and linens before even I stepped foot onto the Surf and Sand property, which was 4 hours prior to guest arrival. Talk about service! I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with my dream team ~ the amazing Marc & Mike from Ashley Video, and Jen from photojenic who is not only my friend and personal family photographer, but one of the most sincere and dedicated photographers I know. Check out these photos, just a sample of her talent. Working with this dream team truly make my job not really seem like work at all. Enjoy a few more pics...

Update on my assistant Val

Lots of you have been asking how my assistant and good friend Val is doing. I am happy to report that she is on her way to Las Vegas as I type this. She sent this email this morning:

I am finally checking in to say “hello” and to let you know I have not checked out! Since my last email I am now officially bald! It is very quick to get ready now, and I have a new appreciation for men with little or no hair. It’s cold! My wish for Christmas is that I would have a nice tan on my head, however, that may not happen until spring……..oh well. I’m jealous of Howie Mandell.

I have completed 2 chemo sessions, next week I will be on #3 of the 4 “every three week” sessions. After the fourth session, I will get 1 month off and no chemo. Then I will go into the “once a week” sessions for a total of 12 weeks with a different concoction. It has gone by pretty fast. I now know what days I will be feeling sort of tired and “hung over” and that has helped to prepare me for the days ahead.

I have some wonderful girlfriends who have been so sweet to bring my family dinner on my yucky days. This has been a blessing and the kids have had much fun anticipating the “mystery dinner” arrival on those nights. It has been great to see my dear friends as well.

Last month, we had a great Thanksgiving Day at my sister’s house. The following day I shaved my head, Brittany style. I used Cams razor, and had time to only do half, and then I put a hat on, ran the kids somewhere and finished at night. It was a family event, pretty funny. The kids thought I looked the same with no hair, compared to my short “Lindsey buzz.” I was glad to hear that as the shock of baldness did not really affect them, or me! It wasn’t that bad. Just WHITE! Good news, my head is round and I’m not a cone head. I am sending a picture as proof.

I went and bought a wig about a month ago and just had it trimmed up this Monday. My sister Diney and I went to the mall to do some things. I decided to wear the wig instead of the hat I wore in. A, It must look real though, because some vendor in the mall wanted to try his curling iron on it. Diney and I laughed as he would have burned a big chunk out of my synthetic hair.

I did consider pulling the wig off when the pushy vendor guy wanted me to try some lotion for my “dry hands and feet.” I was going to pull the wig off and ask him what he could do for my head……ha………

I am so thankful that I feel good; my blood cell counts were in the normal range today, and that I will be able to go on my trip to Vegas. I was not sure 3 months ago if I would be able to go. God is good. We return on Monday, and then on Wednesday I will have my 3^rd chemo treatment.

Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive to me these past few months. You have helped me to make this experience not so bad! I hope that for anyone who may be diagnosed with breast cancer, you will know that the word seems worse than the condition. Chemo looks worse (no hair) than it really is. If your spirits stay up, and you go with the flow, it’s not so bad. God has blessed me with good health (other than the cancer), good friends, the best family, and lots of laughter.

Our blessings are sent to all of you and your sweet families.

With much love,

Val

PS: Bald is beautiful!

Val, there will always be a position for you at Cheers To You. Bald or not, come back to us soon. We miss you!

So Long, Farewell, ....

Last night was the year end ABC-OC meeting. We had 235 attendees and what a night it was. The food and service at the Hyatt Irvine were perfect, the ab-so-fab Bernie, from aptly named Ab So Fab did a top notch job of decorating, and Vanity Fair kept us dancing until the very end of the night. I was in charge of the Spark of Love Toy Drive what a success that was! Thanks to our members, we collected a truck load of gifts, literally, a truck load. Cheers to the Santa Ana Fire Dept who came and loaded up their fire truck. They will take the gifts to the warehouse where the will be donated to under-served children throughout Orange County. It was a bittersweet night for me as it was my final meeting as the Orange County Membership Director for ABC. It was time for me to say goodbye to the committee, and of course I will still see them, but it won't be the same. For me, last night wasn't just an end of the year party, it was the end of an era event.

Three Cheers for the Three Waiters

All I can say is WOW! If you haven't had a chance to see The Three Waiters, you are missing out! Every year I plan a corporate party for the top managers of an aerospace company. The owner is so wonderful that he allows me complete creativity. He trusted me to put on this event without knowing anything about the entertainment, the venue, or what I had in mind for decor. How great is he?! Thanks to the unbelievable, indescribable, out of this world talent of The Three Waiters, the incredible food and impeccable service at one of my favorite Culinary Adventures restaurants, the owner and his lovely wife were not disappointed. Here's a photo of (lucky) me with the performers:Beautiful holiday florals were designed by my dear friend Shawni, owner of Shawn Eden Designs and the linens were provided by another great friend and all around good guy Angel Monaco of Fusion Linens. One of the comments I heard throughout the night was, "Marla, you've outdone yourself, there is no way you can top this next year!" They may be right, but I do love a challenge...

Farewell Dinner

Being on the Steering Committee (SC) for the Association of Bridal Consultants for the past several years has been an honor and an experience. It was a great run, and I am fortunate to have worked side by side with the best of the best. In addition to maintaining the database, helping redesign the ABC-OC website, and assisting in planning our monthly ABC meetings, I increased membership from 100 members to over 250. After three years I felt it was time to pass the torch to another wedding planner. As of January 1st, she will take over my position as Membership Director for the ABC-Orange County. Last night was our 2007 SC farewell dinner, we had a great evening, starting off with pomegranate champagne & appetizers, followed by an incredible dinner prepared by 24 Carrots Catering, lots of laughs, and an overall beautiful evening. Special thanks to the darling Lauren Hillary for taking this photo of us. Cheers to this incredible committee of wedding coordinators for their dedication, creativity, support, and their friendship.

Holiday Cheers To You!

I'm a big sister!

The call came today, it's official, I'm a big sister! No, my wonderful 70 year old parents did not have a baby ... I just received the call from the Big Brother/Big Sister program that I am now a sister! I am so excited I can hardly stand it! This is going to be so amazing, I can't wait to meet her. My daughter is thrilled too. We are so happy to be able to offer our time and to share our lives with her and hopefully add some joy and some new experiences to her life. What a great way to start the 2008. New hopes, new dreams, and ... a new sister!

Did you say 24 Karats?

What a great afternoon! The lovely ladies at Gioventu Spa just treated me to an incredible facial. Being a wedding planner is wonderful, but I have to admit, it was fun to be pampered, it was like being a bride! I am telling all my wonderful brides and grooms about my new favorite spa. Check out their website, and go for the 24 Karat Gold Facial. *WOW*!

Back from San Francisco

What a fun trip I just went on! I went with another wedding planner and two of my assistant coordinators to San Francisco. We checked out a couple wedding reception venues, shopped a little (okay, a lot), and ate a little (okay, a lot) and no trip to SF is complete without having a Nutty Irishman... the coffee drink.

Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving! It's so cliche to say that I am thankful for my family and friends, but it's true, I am! This Thanksgiving was extra special to me. It's my family's annual tradition to do the Turkey Trot in Dana Point, and we were there bright and early, but this year I didn't run with my husband and daughter, I walked with my friend Val.

For those of you who don't know, my wonderful friend and long time wedding assistant Val found out she had breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy just a month ago. In early October, Val was at my house, told me about a suspicious lump, and that she was going to see a doctor for a routine check up.

Fast forward three weeks, my friend, my assistant, and now my hero, Val had a double mastectomy. She just started 6 months of chemo. What touched me the most is that Val considers herself one of the lucky ones.

What an inspiration she is.

I hope that you are fortunate enough to meet her at your wedding if you haven't already crossed paths with her. You will love her, you can't not love her. She's Val. She's amazing. She brings to the table what we all should ... love, hope, faith, trust, and have I mentioned the best medicine, laughter.

Before I posted this I asked her if I could share her story with my friends and family. She, of course, (because she's Val) said yes. So better than writing it myself , here you have it...straight from the heart, unedited, untouched, from me to you, please meet Val, my inspiration and my friend: Val's "Hat party", two weeks ago

Hi Everybody,

Sorry to not have emailed in a while. I’ve been living life as normal. I have been feeling pretty good and able to do the things I normally do with the kids. I was able to go to Lindsey’s first cheer competition last week, watch Lauren play a tennis match (she won her first match), and walk the golf course with Brandon (always fun).

About a week ago I walked with Marla over 3 miles! After we were done being sore, we did it again about 4 days later. Then this week I walked the 5K Turkey Trot with Marla. The kids and Marla’s husband Bill ran (we did not envy them).

It was great, and WE WERE NOT LAST ~ VICTORY!! This was my first time doing the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, usually I watch the kids. It was pretty fun!

Now, 3 days later, it seems my hair is coming out more frequently. So today, I’m going to the barber shop to get the famous “Britney Buzz.” Each haircut has been a great transition for myself and the family. I have been buying some darling hats; the girls have helped me with that. We are going to the fabric store and I’m going to sew up some scarves. We’ll pick the fabric. I’m ready to be bald for awhile!

It’s very quick to get ready now! When I say, “give me 5 minutes,” I’m not kidding!

On Wednesday I have my 2^nd chemo treatment. My spirits are still way UP as I am so blessed by your prayers, love and friendship. Thank you so much. Blessing to all of you and your families.

Love, Val

In honor of Val, I am happily discounting any full service wedding package $150 and donating an additional $50.00 to breast cancer awareness for each new wedding coordination service booked in 2007. It's the least I can do to honor my friend Val who will be a each a survivor, my incredible grandmother who wasn't so fortunate, and for my beautiful daughter, who I hope will never deal with this disease.

Thank you for the time you took to read this, and for the opportunity to work together. Please tell your mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, daughters, and friends to have their mammograms. And get one for yourself too. It does save lives.

Thankfully Yours, Marla Cheers To You, Val!! We <3 You!!

The Pumpkin Martini

also known as the Marla Martini....

Pumpkin Pie Martini

Ice cubes 2 ounces (1/4 cup) vanilla vodka 2 ounces (1/4 cup) crème de cacao

1/4 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Whipped cream, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the vanilla vodka, crème de cacao, heavy cream and pumpkin pie spice and shake well. 2. Dip the rims of 2 martini glasses into a bowl of whipped cream. Strain the cocktail into the glasses.

Cheers To You!

My first blog

it's so exciting ... Cheers To Me!