Friday Favorites: The Butter End Cakery Giveaway!

Hey Ya’ll,

Good news! The weekend is finally here and today, I’m featuring a super sweet giveaway from The Butter End Cakery!

Artists and Epicures come together at The Butter End Cakery, where the finest cake just happens to be the canvas for incredibly unique works of art.

Millennium Falcon Cake

Born after owner Kimberly Bailey’s battle with cancer, The Butter End Cakery has become a place of joy, creativity and inspiration.

Using only local cage-free eggs, organic milk, hormone-free butter and rolled chocolate instead of fondant, makes The Butter End Cakery stand out in the cake shop crowd.

Ganesh Cake Photo Credit: Brian Leahy

The Butter End Cakery is highly sought after by celebrities, five star hotels and anyone wanting to make their special occasion one to remember. And while they don’t have a bakery case with ready-made desserts, their lofty bright shop in Santa Monica, CA is open to the public with an expo kitchen where it’s fun to watch the team hard at work. You might even get lucky and score a free cake sample while you’re there! ; )

So… I bet you’re wondering how these gorgeous cakes really taste? Well, thanks to reality TV the art of cake making and decorating has become very popular! And while many of the new cake companies either make delicious tasting cake or beautifully decorated cake, The Butter End Cakery does both in a style that’s all their own. They also happen to keep a quote-wall in the kitchen of fun customer comments, including one bride who said, “That’s so good I think I just peed a little!” Which, if you ask me, is one of the best endorsements I’ve ever heard.

GIVEAWAY ALERT:
If you live in the Los Angeles area and would like to win an 8″ hand painted cake (feeds 10) from The Butter End Cakery, simply do the following:

1. FOLLOW them on FACEBOOK (https://www.facebook.com/TheButterEndCakery) and/or TWITTER (https://twitter.com/thebutterend).

2. LEAVE A COMMENT on this blog post, telling us what you’d like your cake to look like and what special event or person you’d like to win the cake for!

That’s it! Follow @TheButterEnd on Twitter or Facebook, then leave a comment below and you could win a piece of edible art from this sweet California cake shop! Good luck!
-Brian

***ELIGIBILITY/TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The cake order must be placed 2 weeks in advance and picked up at The Butter End Cakery shop located in Santa Monica, CA during business hours Monday – Friday. Contest ends at midnight on Thursday 8/9/12.***

Love This: My New Fav Resort and Spa!

Hey Ya’ll,

Today I’m introducing a new blog feature that I like to call, “Love This”, which will be dedicated to anything new, cool or interesting that I want to share with you…. be it a product, piece of fabric, a store, a place or even a song! I hope that you’ll share your new discoveries and favorites with me as well.

With that said, I want to introduce you to Solage, one of the most charming resorts I have ever been to, located in Calistoga, CA.

If you are looking for an amazing wedding location, a girls weekend get-a-way, a corporate retreat or just a weekend out of town, I highly suggest the Solage. I recently had the pleasure of designing and producing a rehearsal dinner here for the Food Network star and host of Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and his new wife Gail Kim, the reigning titleholder of the TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Women’s Knockout Championship.

The event took place around the pool at Solbar and with the help of Morgan and Joe in the resort’s events department, we put on an amazing dinner around the pool. However, because the rehearsal dinner and wedding were filmed for an upcoming special that will air on the Food Network, I’ll have to follow up with some pictures of the design when the show airs, so as not to spoil the surprise!

During my stay, I also had a little free time to indulge in the spa with their signature Mudslide and one of the best massages I have ever had. Beyond this, the food is fantastic and the property is stunning, nestled in the middle of the mountain ranges and vineyards.

Solage also has an enormous pool with plenty of comfortable lounge chairs, which is rare when it comes to resorts. It seems like there are always small pools with only a few chairs—forcing you to get there first thing in the morning to reserve your spot or wait and hope that someone leaves so you can catch some rays too! Whereas at the Solage pool, it felt like they had a lounge chair for almost every guest staying on the property.

So, if you are looking for the perfect wedding location, contact Alycia Krause for details! In the meantime, here are some of their noteworthy, fun items and things they do for brides and grooms at Solage:

1. “Just Married” license plates on the bride and groom’s room beach cruiser bikes.
2. Pet friendly – dogs in wedding ceremonies, dog beds/bowls/treats in guest rooms.
3. We include a menu tasting for the bride and groom and two guests about one to two months prior to the wedding.
4. Things like s’mores and late-night snacks (think petite blt’s, sliders, fries, etc.) are a fun addition to the fire pit and lounge area well into the evening.
5. We offer our brides and grooms a gift certificate for a complimentary one-night stay to enjoy on their one-year anniversary.

Fun, right? You can check out their website at www.solagecalistoga.com.

Alycia Krause
Weddings & Events Manager
755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga CA 94515
Phone: 707.226.0813 | 707.226.0809 [cell]

What are some of your favorite resorts for a wedding? How about for relaxing? Let me know in the comment section below.
-Brian

California Coastal: Design No. 6 from My Hotel Del Coronado Photo Shoot

Hey Ya’ll,

We’re nearing the end of my wedding design series inspired by the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado. Today, I’m shining the spotlight on our beach wedding design: California Coastal!

The Hotel Del Coronado is situated on one of the most pristine beaches in Southern California so it was only fitting to take advantage of their good fortune and create a wedding that allowed guests to partake in the priceless views, experience the sand between their toes.

This design combines the beauty of the ocean with a stunning sunset.

Wildflower Linen’s Homestead Bahama Blue linen brought the softness of the water to the beach. Alternating Organic Ivory Twirl Chair Caps and Bahama Blue Chair Sleeves with Ivory and Khaki Panels and a Seashell accent were the perfect compliment to the traditional beach wedding.

We created centerpieces as organic as the the beach itself by using succulents, drift wood, coral, seashells, white hydrangea, and blue thistle. These lovely arrangements produced just the right amount of spin to give this otherwise natural reception space a current and fashionable flair.

What do you think of the beach wedding we created? Let me know in the comment section below.
-Brian

Credits:
Design: YourBASH!  (www.your-bash.com)
Linens: Wildflower Linens (www.wildflowerlinens.com)
Menus/Name Cards: Jennifer Sbranti for Hostess with the Mostess (www.hwtm.com)
Florals: Dawn Stone (www.embellishmint.com)
Chairs and Chargers: Raphael’s (www.raphaels.com)
Stylist: Keylee Sanders (www.keyleesanders.com)
Dress: Ines Di Santos
Jewelry & Veil: Haute Bride
Decor photography: SeanTwomey (www.2mestudios.com)
Fashion photography: Anthony Elgort  (www.AEweddings.com)
Hair and Make-up: Lisa G (www.lisagartistry.com)