The Big Easy

Nawlins. The city, the people, the food...and the music! Lindsay and I were lucky enough to experience The Special Event in New Orleans this month and we came back energized and excited (and full). I don’t think it is possible to eat healthy in that town. Not that I am complaining... We kicked off the week with an amazing meal at Restaurant August. Our sommelier, Crawford (not to be confused with the city’s amazing crawfish) guided us through an evening of laughter and libations all the while dining on some of the best food either of us have tasted in quite some time.

The days that followed included some informative and educational seminars that taught us about European, Middle Eastern and Asian event trends from Vok Dams, the people responsible for the launch parties of Puma and Volkswagen to name a few. One of the highlights of our educational journey was when we took part in what we were hoping was going to be groundbreaking information on the latest and greatest trends in party decor. What we walked away with, however, was the most unexpected information we could have hoped to learn...are you ready? Here it is...COFFEE IS HOT at events currently. No joke. The lady actually said that COFFEE IS HOT right now. She went on to say that Key Lime Pie seems to be a new trend. What planet does she work on? Who are her clients? While the temperature of coffee may be hot, having coffee at your event is by no means a new trend. At that point, Lindsay and I knew WE could be leading the seminars. Maybe next year we will.

At The Wedding Luncheon, we saw some pretty cool tablescapes that inspired us to think out of the “box” as much as possible. I was amazed that this tablescape was made entirely from corrugated paper -- the table, the chairs, the vases ... incredible!

Darcy Miller, Editor-in-Chief of Martha Stewart Weddings, filled us in on how we can get you all in print. For real. Just hire us to plan your wedding and we will be damned if we don’t get you in that publication (okay, we can’t guarantee it, but wouldn’t it be awesome?). We suggested that she start a new publication called Martha Stewart Mitzvahs. Lindsay and I feel truly qualified to be her associate editors. To all of our Mitzvah clients, don’t you agree?

Our evenings were filled with strolls in the French Quarter, feasts of fried green tomatoes at Jaques-Imos and fried chicken at Coop’s and the best brass bands we have ever heard. The Rebirth Brass Band is our new favorite group. We want to bring them in for an event as soon as possible. They would truly rock the house in a way it has not been rocked before. This was one of the trumpet players. They know how to use their horns. Check out the celebs Lindsay bumped elbows with including Johnny Depp (or so we thought) and the one of the most famous high school brass band leaders we have ever met (actually, the only one we have ever met). As event planners, we were somewhat disturbed by the exposed cords that were so blatantly exposed right where we were standing. Yikes! Who is in charge of that venue?

Special thanks to Michael Schachtman for taking us all over the Nawlins most tourists don’t see. Without him, our trip would most certainly not have been as much fun as it was. There is so much more to say and next week Lindsay will bring you the latest and greatest trends from Europe. The Big Easy was just that...easy for us to enjoy and making us long for more.

AZ