Celebrate Romance, L.A. Style!

The DWH team at The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows

Wanted to share some details from our recent Celebrate Romance! media event in Beverly Hills, California. We had such fun at the NYC event in May that we took it to the West Coast last week. Host hotel was The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, which I completely loved — all pink, posh and oozing with Hollywood history. Our travel partners set up in the Rodeo ballroom, where top media and planners were invited to meet them and hear everything they’re planning for the upcoming wedding season. Good news for brides: Resorts are offering more package options, multiple venues for weddings of all sizes, and customization options for anyone who wants it, plus some of the best hotel rates we’ve seen in years.

Then, after an afternoon of networking, we opened the bar (complete with hand-passed hors d’ouvres, as well as Jet Setter cocktails created exclusively for us by the Beverly Hills Hotel). During our exciting panel discussion, Bridal Bar founder Harmony Walton, Napa-based planner extraordinaire Sasha Souza, virtual-planning pioneer Tara Soloway of Luxe Destination Weddings, and yours truly talked trends, tips and what to expect in 2010. (Big trends: longer receptions with multiple food offerings throughout the evening; dinner dishes served family-style; groom-inspired action, from cigar rollers to Rock Band; the continued prominence of signature cocktails; and a color palette of muted jewel tones that work beautifully in outdoor locales.) We ended the evening with amazing vanilla and red-velvet wedding cake, courtesy of pastry phenom NancyKay’s Confections. A great time was had by all, and we’ve already started planning for our spring 2010 event in NYC!

Our fantastic travel partners were:

Aston Hotels & Resorts, Hawaii
Barceló Maya Beach Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Grand Palladium Resorts, Mexico, Jamaica and Dominican Republic
Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort & Spa, Mexico
Gran Meliá Golf Resort, Puerto Rico
Hacienda Encantada Resort & Spa, Los Cabos, Mexico
Hilton Los Cabos Beach and Golf Resort, Mexico
Hotel El Cozumeleño Beach Resort, Cozumel, Mexico
Hotel Wailea, Maui
La Quinta Resort & PGA WEST, La Quinta, California
Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, Nevada
NH Riviera Cancun, Mexico
Presidente Intercontinental Cozumel Resort & Spa, Mexico
Real Resorts, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, a Wyndham Grand Resort, Puerto Rico
Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, Beverly Hills, California
The Grand Mayan Wyndham Alliance, Mexico

Special thanks to NancyKay’s Confections for our two wedding cakes, Bob Gail Special Events for the gorgeous flowers, Domaine Carneros for the parting gifts and, most of all, the fabulous Ali Kayhan and The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows for hosting our event. We heart you all!

Check out some pics below ...

L to R: DWH publisher Carol Johnson; Ali Kayhan, director of catering sales and conference services at The Beverly Hills Hotel; pastry artist NancyKay; me

NancyKay's other delicious creation

State of the Romance Market panel, L to R: Sasha Souza, me, Harmony Walton, Tara Soloway

A sweet centerpiece by Bob Gail Special Events

Jet Setter cocktails — yum!


The Beverly Hills Hotel's Rodeo room set up for a reception

Our parting gift