GUEST BLOG by Pauline Parry

About Pauline:

As I write this, Pauline Parry is jetting back from Singapore from a 10-day trip with her daughter and Chef de Cuisine, Joanne Purnell. The two were asked to travel to the country to take part in several conferences on catering and design. They couldn't have asked for better representatives of creative cuisine and food presentation. Pauline's company, Good Gracious! Events, always pushes the boundaries when it comes to menu creation and display. I have an immense amount of respect for Pauline and her team. It's no wonder she is considered royalty at Catersource and ICA and is held in such high regard with everyone in the catering industry around the country. And now we can all see her work in her new book, Food, Fun and Love: Party Styles. I can honestly say that I think Pauline has the best product in Los Angeles, hands down. In this post that she put together just before she left, she shares a day -- or rather, a weekend -- in her life.

David Merrell


What a Life!

By Pauline Parry

As event professionals, we don't always have a say as to how our weekends will go. Some roll out at a nice even pace, others are stop-start, or just stop, and still others have you running every which way. This was the case of a weekend last month as I prepared for my son's wedding.

The weddings of people in our own families have to be the most difficult of all events to plan -- or not to plan. It's so hard to not take over and do what we do every day. But as I planned a shower for my future daughter-in-law, I was pleasantly surprised as how easily it all came together.

As you may or may not know, the tagline for my company, Good Gracious! Events is "Food, Fun and Love." And, to those of you who do know me, you understand that to me this is not just a tagline but a way of life. Entertaining is my passion. I love to do professionally and personally so it was no problem to hold this shower at my home. And the concept was one I had been playing with for a while ... I wanted to give everyone my view of the world, because I have a tendency for better or worse to see everything through rose-colored glasses. Certainly a wedding shower is the perfect place for this!?

To ensure that everything came up roses, each guest received their very own set of rose-colored glasses!

If you notice the gift table in the background, you'll see that we even suggested to all the guests that they even wrap their gifts in pink.


The table was set in a variety of pink and red shades. The glassware was red as were the base plates.
And let the party begin!

FROM PRETTY IN PINK TO A SOPHISTICATED BEACH PARTY!
This same weekend we produced an event that was not only at the opposite end of the color spectrum but also setting, mood, tone and age-range. The weather was absolutely fabulous as we set up this elegant beach party.

The Amalfi Collection of rental furniture from Town and Country Event Rentals gave the look a rustic, natural feeling with a touch of glamour.
Fire pits from Rrivre Works surrounded by a variety of seating options was a popular spot to be.


A bar by Rrivre Works against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. How perfect is that?

Long tables are still a great look.

I love these clear view boxes for passed hors d'oeuvre!

As I come to the end of my post, I leave you with my favorite image of the weekend - the time when sun sets and everyone is in harmony. Here is the reason I love what I do ...

Thank you Dave and all the designdawgs for giving me this space to share with your readers a weekend in my life!

Pauline Parry

Pauline Parry, owner of Good Gracious! Events, an award-winning Los Angeles catering and event design firm, has produced, designed and catered hundreds of events and weddings. Named Caterer of the Year 2001 by Event Solutions Magazine, Parry’s forte is blending high-end, world cuisine with stylish and fun food presentation.

In her 14 years as owner of Good Gracious! Events, Parry has created many memorable events. Among them are a futuristic theme wedding in the Hollywood Hills; a 6,000-person event for Sony PlayStation; a private birthday celebration for Mel Gibson, a cutting-edge Day of the Dead celebration at the offices of L’Agencia (Los Angeles’ most powerful Latino public relations and adverting firm), and the largest private party in Beverly Hills for 1,300 guests at the home of the president of Herbalife which Parry duplicated for the same client in Monaco, France during an event at the World Music Awards.

This past year she published her first book, Food Fun Love: Party Styles by Pauline Parry featuring photos and recipes from a variety of unique events.

Parry credits her success to her personal motto with which she approaches every event, “It’s all about fun, food and love.”

The Four Seasons Part II: Fall and Winter

Autumn is here! As the days of this corporate program progressed at the Four Seasons, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the seasons in the hospitality lounge area changed. Sunflowers and fall leaves replaced the tulips of Spring.



And finally, winter sets in ...

The credenza transformed one last time -- great floral containers on this one!



This was the cocktail arrangement. A little fake flocking on juniper greens with a snow ball ornament dead center. I LOVED this look. . . simply and effective.

The Four Seasons Part I: Spring and Summer

In Los Angeles, we are constantly debating whether we actually have seasons. We may not have the types of seasons you find in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but we do both have The Four Seasons Hotel. And last month, AOO Events was there, at The Four Seasons in Jackson Hole producing a multi-day corporate program.

I love long programs because they give us the chance to really explore a theme. At this event, a hospitality suite was created where guests would have breakfast and lunch together every day. Our client wanted to play off the theme of four seasons so we changed the look each day creatively and affordably through the floral design.

Spring was well represented with this detail of a lady bug on driftwood branches flanked by yellow and pink tulips and by the photo above of butterflies on birch-covered vases on a credenza that was changed every day with a new look.

Outside the hospitality suite we created a lounge area and here too changed the floral and the pillows with the seasons.



And after spring ... summer! The pillow shams were changed to fabric in hot shades and arrangements of Gerbera daisies in glass cylinders were finished with sand and shells. Very fun look and again, very easy to do, very cost-effective.



And here is that credenza again with the hot colors of summer. Beach balls and sea shells drove home the visual point!



And what about fall and winter? They are coming soon. In fact, in Los Angeles we are even beginning to feel just a slight chill in the air. Could it be... a season? Tune in again to find out!