Love is in the Air

Saturday, January 17th. Nina and Angel's engagement party! 3 months of planning. Back and forth on restuarant decision. Too many restuarants. Too highly priced. Finally Sabor Latino in Edgewater, NJ is chosen for a lunch party. Invitations stalled. Sent a week and a half before! A number of guests traveling from out of state! Oh no - will they get the invite on time?! Phone calls made. Guestlist check. A week before the event - last minute decor decided on. Indecisive fiance to be. The day arrives. The honoree is swept away early in the am for the surprise propsoal. The Boathouse for breakfast. Top of the Rock for the proposal. Hours seem to take forever as guests await in anticipation at the lunch location. A surprise to the (crossing fingers) bride to be. Let's just say - thank goodness the answer was yes! Can you just imagine if it would have been no with a planned surprise party to follow the proposal and family members flown in from California to Puerto Rico?! The look on Nina's face as she walks up the stairs to the restaurant's 2nd floor space to what she believes is an aunt's birthday lunch - shock maybe? To suddenly see her mother, father and sisters here from California. Shock to look around and see the congratulations sign hanging from the wall. The white and gold balloons all about. The teeny jordan almond filled plastic wine glasses wrapped with an inscribed ribbon reading - Nina and Angel, at each place setting. The tables covered with white rose petals. "Everyone knew?!" After many hugs and tears of joy (and 100 camera snaps) the group enjoyed garlic shrimp with cilantro rice, arroz con pollo and masitas de puerco followed by a 40 minute mimosa toast - every family member had to say something! A peaceful and delightful conclusion of coffee and flan and the soon to be bride and groom thank their guests for coming. An event 3 months in the making. Successfully completed. Location = perfect for the occasion. From the event planner's perspective - a truly beautiful finale!

Nolcha Networking Event

Thursday, May 15th. The first Nolcha (www.nolcha.com) and Fadmashion collaborated fashion industry networking event to take place monthly at an independent, intimate boutique in New York City. The concept for this event is to promote, support and encourage emerging designers and retailers and provide a platform for them to connect. A great night of cocktails, shopping and exchanging business cards at Tikabou Boutique (1209 1st Ave btw 65th & 66th Streets). As the event planner - an easy yet successful event. Whew.

Miss Puerto Rico-NPRP 2008 Cultural Pageant

Saturday, May 17th. A rush. With any show or performance the amount of stress involved is sky high all through out the planning process. After 5 months of intensive organizing, coordinating, follow up and etc. The day for the Miss Puerto Rico-2008 Cultural Pageant was here. With music and script changes the night before I was running on fumes having slept only 2 hours. Dress rehearsal. Stage is a lot smaller than stage practiced with. Who's next for make-up? Set designer prepping stage. Are the beach balls to be placed on stage sprayed with anti-flamatory spray? What? Technical Director checking sounds and lighting. No more food backstage for the participants! Send someone on a food run. Mistress of Ceremony prepping in dressing room 2 - whew. Judges in green room reviewing notes. Where is our Special Guest?! Car service call - what do you mean the passenger changed the pick up time?! 30 minutes to showtime. Guests arriving. Contestants dressing. Special celebrity guest arrives. 10 minutes past anticpated show time. Why are we not ready to go?! Contestants still dressing. Music quequing. Where is the MC?! And finally 20 minutes after the expected show time the show begins. Sigh. With beautiful, intelligent, cultured women performing to Puerto Rican folklore music, modern day bomba y plena, a parade of classy swim suits and elegant evening gowns followed by a q&a from the judges AND the winner of Miss Puerto Rico-NPRP 2008 is announced...Jenice Marie Diaz! The event is over. 5 stressful months and 8 hectic hours later and --- the curtains have closed. Guests are satisfied with the show. Contestants are pleased with their experience. MC and Special Guests are glad to have been a part of such a cultural event. As one of the event planners - I am relieved it is all over.

Congratulations to Ms. Jenice Marie Diaz - Miss Puerto Rico-NPRP 2008. We will see her on very own float at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 8th along 5th Avenue.

Grandpa's 70th Birthday Party

Friday, May 23rd. Grandpa's 70th birthday party. An event I had been planning since January. Not alone of course but as the head planner/organizer of the event I must say this was A LOT of work! Since this was a surprise party the basics, like getting the guestlist together, determining the menu and entertainment took more work than most events and with a handful of us holding decision and brainstorming discussions regularly every detail was consuming. (Let's just say family members tend to be a lot more opinionated and argumentative than my regular clients. Yikes.) But all in all, obstacles and disagreements aside, this was a wonderful event and grandpa was extremely surprised and pleased. A themed party - Puerto Rico in the 50's - men in traditional guayaberas, women in flowly sundresses. Coqui lapel souvenirs with Julio Rafael Rodriguez inscripted on the green paper leaves the coqui sits on. Tropical tree table toppers. Yuca frita, bacalaitos and platanos passed around by the waitstaff. Coconut mojitos and sangria at the bar. Charo impersonator mingling with the crowd. Dinner commences with a speech and photo presentation of Grandpa in his 20's, 30's, 40's and present day as the salsa band sings "El Jibarito" acapella. After a dinner of paella, pernil and roasted chicken a dance group performs to West Side Story leading us into dessert - tres leches cake, flan, chocolate mousse and finally on to dancing as the salsa band gets busy. The venue lay out, staff and entertainers - all on point. We leave at 1a with a very emotional and now very tipsy grandpa.

(Querido Abuelo - you are my hero. Thank you for being the amazing, thoughtful, family man that you are. You are loved by everyone.)