sidelined by the stomach (not swine, thanks) flu in los angeles over memorial weekend interrupted some, but not all, of my excursions. still, as promised, i got my picture next to mike’s star (wow, did that make me feel like a tourist or what? all in the name of my blog, wink wink.)


so, later that day i ended up in santa monica. and at the ritz. I worked for the ritz-carlton hotel chain in sobe and love, love all they stand for. as a guest and as an employee. i just strolled in and made myself at home, and at the ritz, this is allowable. act like you own the place and no one says a word. ha.


i think i've mentioned before that YELLOW is the “it” color this season. if i haven’t, i'm sure you already know. yellow is hot for clothes, jewelry, handbags, flowers, stationery, events. (basically everything but cars).

so…what did i find while snooping through SM? a yellow event (wedding) AT the ritz. (yes, i was in the ballroom). it was in the very preliminary stages of being set but I snapped what I could. how nicely it tied in with the yellow and gold touches within the hotel itself, such as the hand-blown amber glass fixtures and antique mirrors.

which leads me to my #1 event philosophy: WORK WITH THE SPACE, NOT AGAINST IT. im talking color, style, theme. this will save you time and money and will make your event feel “right”. a rock and roll party at your parents' country club? not gonna feel as good as it could. with some work, it could eventualllllly but think about all you would have to bring in by way of props and décor. why not go straight to the heart of rock and roll? find an old warehouse or kick a** bar that embodies that style.


an all-white princess wedding? I would recommend a more traditional venue where the elements are built in through architecture versus the contemporary, urban hotel. and keep in mind…if a hotel or venue is modern or contemporary in its architecture, its standard linens, chairs and serve-ware will be too. which means YOU will need to supply the ones that go with your look. all of those things should exude your overall theme and if they don’t, there will be a disconnect. ($30 chair cover x 300 chairs = find a venue where the chairs fit your look and you can spend this $ somewhere else, like on a planner to tell you that!)


so, the moral of the los angeles story? YELLOW works at the RITZ. and i heart both.



regards, lindsay piram event planner & producer