Love Notes: The Pacific Weddings Blog

Hawaii-Style Food Stations for Your Wedding

Wedding food stations are so of the moment right now, especially with bona fide foodies who consider the menu to be of utmost importance for the big day. If you are planning a destination wedding in Hawaii, your  menu can include all the delicacies of the Islands, from fresh fish to locally grown vegetables. Today I am posting a few links to some of my favorite stories we've produced with Hawaii's top chefs and caterers. Be forewarned, these images are guaranteed to make you hungry!

We love working with Honolulu chef, Michelle Nakaya, the creative force behind Ginniberries, a top catering company in Hawaii. Not only is Michelle fun to be around, but she can also whip up seriously tasty food! The key at these photo shoots is to work quickly so you can eat the "subjects" after:) I love this cheerful summer cocktail table Michelle created for a previous issue of Pacific Weddings. 

The photos above by Visionari were captured for a story called The Art of the Pupu, featuring Maui's premier chefs: Cameron Lewark, Chef de Cuisine of Spago at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, Bev Gannon of Haliimaile General Store,  award-winning chef James McDonald of Pacific'O, and husband/wife team Carol and Mark O’Leary of O'Leary's Catering. We ate quite well on this particular day!

 

Russell and Karolyn Stokes, owners of Kauai Cuisine, prepared a scrumptious menu for our story Serve Chilled, A Hawaii Reception. A variety of colorful dishes looked magnificent stacked atop large blocks of ice carved by Aloha Ice Sculpting.The image above by Visionari was taken at the shoot  prior to the big meltdown. Keep in mind, ice tends to go quickly on a hot Hawaiian day!

We recently shot a cool series of fun summer libations and after dinner drinks, but you'll have to wait for the Winter 2010 edition of Pacific Weddings to enjoy! In the meantime, if you are still longing for delicious wedding reception ideas, visit the PW website. Bon appetit, or as the local boys say, "Let's grind!" 
xo ~robyn

Candy Girl: Wedding Desserts by Amy Atlas, Part II

I am posting on the fly today due to computer challenges, but there is nothing like wedding candy to brighten up your day! Here are more beautiful wedding confections from Amy Atlas’s website. I wrote about Amy in a previous post, and couldn't resist this style sheet with photos by the talented Karen Mordechai. Like Amy, Karen is based in NYC, but she is available for travel worldwide, so check out her blog and portfolio. Thanks, Amy & Karen, for sharing your stunning work! You can follow Amy on Facebook and become a fan here.

Destination Maui: Nothing But Blue Sky Weddings

Today we are featuring a beautiful destination wedding and rehearsal dinner on the island of Maui. The events were designed by wedding planner, Gabrielle Longhi, the creative mind behind Blue Sky Weddings, who grew up surrounded by a family that appreciates fine food and art. The Longhi name is well known in Hawaii, and Gabrielle's father has passed on his legacy and knowledge of fine food, wine and etiquette. (Photos by the talented Robie Price and Joe D'Allessandro.)

 

As an event planner, Gabrielle could think of no person better suited to complement her creative vision than her sister, Carol O'Leary, who was featured as one of Maui's top chefs in a previous issue of Pacific Weddings. A master chef who attended the renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Carol was introduced to the culinary world at an early age.

After working as a chef in her family's restaurants in Hawaii, Carol moved on to launch her own catering company in 1995. Since then, the two sisters have dazzled their clients and guests with sophisticated cuisine and stylish service. For more Blue Sky Weddings, click here.

Wedding Catering Tips À la Wolfgang Puck

For those of us who think reservations are the best thing to make for dinner, planning a wedding menu can be a bit intimidating! We looked to Wolfgang Puck Catering for simple and inspired tips for making your reception distinctive. From serving a favorite custom cocktail and offering mini grilled cheese sandwiches which you shared on your first date, to saying farewell to guests with homemade cookies and hot chocolate, Wolfgang and his catering staff are masters at creating a signature menu that reflects a couple’s style.

Food stations are a popular trend in wedding receptions, setting the stage for guests to get out of their seats to mingle, dance and eat. Newlyweds can choose from menus reflecting traditional American fare to globally inspired cuisine.  A few favorite stations include the Tuscan buffet, offering pear & pecorino salad, branzino aqua pazza, and homemade bresaola with porcini & san marzano tomatoes; and the Tapas station, serving up bacon wrapped dates stuffed with parmesan, port glaze & arugula, and paella royale with shellfish, chorizo & saffron rice. (Hungry yet? We are!)

For brides and grooms who want to offer modern Southern Cuisine, this world renowned catering group can tailor a special menu complete with plenty of "comfort foods".  Tempt your guests with a mini chicken pot pie and macaroni and cheese bite or mini prime beef cheeseburgers and pigs in a blanket. For vegetarians and vegans (like us!), a special menu goes beyond tempeh and tofu, with the freshest natural vegetables and fruits that even omnivores will love—think crispy plantain with spicy avocado mousse and chilled soba noodle nest with crunchy vegetables & garlic yuzu vinaigrette.

Wolfgang Puck's Spago Maui is certainly one of our top choices for a wedding reception in Hawaii, particularly for those of you who consider yourselves part of the "foodie fraternity". If you are planning a unique menu, please comment with your ideas—we'd love to hear from you! And click here for more great tips from Maui's top chefs.

 

Oscar celebrations catered by Wolfgang Puck

Sweet Valentine's Gifts & Wedding Favors

If you are in search of the perfect Valentine's Day gift and can't bear the thought of a traditional (boring?!) heart-shaped box of chocolates, check out our friends at Williams-Sonoma. They have partnered with the finest chefs across the nation to deliver up the most scrumptious treats no matter where you live. Shaunna cast her vote for the sweetheart "whoopee pies" that reminded her of childhood days back in Boston. I adore the set of message cookies for the same homespun memories they conjure. Perhaps you prefer the more sophisticated Parisian Macaroons? Get back to us once you've had a chance to check out these mouth-watering confections! (Window shopping is calorie-free:o), and you may find one of these treats is the just perfect wedding favor you've been seeking.