Food

Blog…what’s a blog? No, I’m not that daft! But I never in a million years thought I would be doing one! Although, I have always thought my career path was quite fascinating! Bright eyed young (and old) things are always asking about details in wedding/event design and planning. Are there really bridezillas? (YES)…What’s the craziest wedding you’ve had? (Bikini Bride with full train say’s “I DO” and walks down the aisle with her new husband straight into the pool surrounded by life size lobsters & Rio girls!!). I have literally been told at least once a week that I should write a book on my career and the past of the famous facility I now run! But books are so old school…welcome to the future!
My family has owned the Secret Garden at the famous Las Vegas Racquet Club since 1962. I am 4th generation and initially wanted nothing to do with the business! I graduated with honors in 1995 and went to BYU in hopes of becoming a famous plastic surgeon…yeah, that didn’t happen! I worked at a bridal dress shop during college and fell back in love with the magic of weddings! So I grabbed my husband of 8 months and high-tailed it back to Vegas! I’ve worn every hat there is in event planning and design, so I will proceed to tell you the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truth…

So in addition to running a busy wedding facility, a household consisting of a cool, but eye-rolling husband, two kids almost a decade apart, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a fish; my new “blog job” is to entertain the masses with my outrageous wedding stories, give solid advice for your personal events, and tidbits of personal insight to my everyday existence. I hope you are ready for the roller coaster I call normal!

Erin

I have been all a flutter, dreaming of dessert tables.  I see a cool architectural element and start envisioning the possibilities. I was laying in bed last night and started thinking about some pictures that I took while in Paris last year and thought they would be great inspiration for a table. 

Your job: decide which photo will be the best inspiration for a dessert table.  Leave a comment and let Whit and I know what you would like to see and we will create it! 

Heather

In an effort to give my sister a taste of what I love to do in life, we created a mini-dessert table together.  She made a comment about half-way through our escapade that it was a lot more work than what she expected, and the woman speaks the truth.  Dessert tables are time consuming, but for me, the reward far outweighs the work.

The color choices were inspired by Glory of Glorious Treats.  I think these colors are so very summery.  They make me want to sip a lemonade while wearing a floppy sun hat. 

 

Stay tuned for a tutorial on the paper garland next week!

Whitney

This is, hands down, my family’s favorite chicken recipe! I love how simple it is to make, and it pairs with a tasty garden salad like a dream!  The more you get to know me, you will find I love balsamic vinegar and will use almost any excuse to add it to my plate.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken

4  Boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 c  Olive Oil

1 c  Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbsp  Agave

1 tsp  Dried oregano

1 tsp  Dried basil

Salt and Pepper to taste

An hour or two before you are ready to grill, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, agave, oregano, basil, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag.  Add the chicken and marinade for up to, but no more than 4 hours.  Place chicken on the grill and cook until it reaches 165 degrees.

Heather

I’ve been a cake decorator for a couple of years now.  I approached the art of caking like I do most things I want to learn about in life, I just started.  I made a lot of mistakes.  My first few cakes looked like they had boils beneath their fondant skin and I quickly learned that cake mixes make a cake too fluffy to bear the weight of fondant.   So I had sagging, pimply cakes.   But I didn’t give up! I kept trying new techniques and I eventually got to the point where I started selling my cakes.  I loved making cakes, and I felt like I was satiating my creative passion.  

Then I was introduced to the world of dessert tables. 

I just had to try one to see if it was as fun to create as it was beautiful to look at.  I started pouring over dessert tables designed by Amy Atlas, Kim at TomKat Studio, Sharnel at My Life, My Loves, and the list goes on.  I found the perfect opportunity by asking my friend if I could throw a baby shower for her.  We talked about themes and decided to go with “A Pea in the Pod”.  The shower turned out beautifully and I had great help from so many friends.  Heather took gorgeous photographs and we all enjoyed a fabulous evening.

 

 

The following week, I submitted my table to Amy Atlas and she featured it on her website.  I really couldn’t believe that my first attempt at a dessert table was featured by the most famous dessert stylist I knew. 

Needless to say, I have found a new passion, and I’m so excited to do more.

Whitney