Tablescapes and Trends : August 4, 2011

As Seen in Brides of North Texas

Super Bowl 45

City Club's very own Catering Department staff members, Sarah and Amy, were invited to manage NFL On Location Events at Super Bowl 45 for Legends Hospitality Group. Sarah and Amy worked for days on the events and really experienced a legendary event. Here are some pictures that were taken with a blackberry (pardon the low resolution) during their experience. Congrats to City Club and the ladies for being considered to participate in such an event!

The field was transformed for Super Bowl

Day 1 of Training and Set-Up

This is the day before the game, Half Time Show Rehearsal

Stadium at 6a.m. Game Day

Game Day: NFL On Location Super Bowl 45

The Champions are Named

Champions Celebration: The aftermath

Tablescapes and Trends Date Announced

Would you invite your college mascot to your wedding?

Well, yes, I would!

One of the perks of an alum living in a college town like Fort Worth, home of the TCU Horned Frogs, is that your college mascot might just be available to help you celebrate your nuptials with your college sweetheart. TCU's Superfrog was invited by this beautiful bride and her beaux and was a suprise to their parents and friends. He made a great addition to this already festive celebration.

The funny thing about this story is that the bride's mom and dad had their own surprise up their sleeve: Mr. and Mrs. Claus in PURPLE! This sweet couple named themselves the TCU Mr. and Mrs. Claus years ago. The newly married Sloans were so surprised as they were greeted by them.

I love wedding surprises and these 2 were especially dear to my purple heart! Congrats to the TCU Horned Frogs for their Mountain West Championship! Good Luck on the Rose Bowl!

Pictures by Tracy Autem Photography

Haute Pink Wedding

Guest Writer: Tami Winn of Tami Winn Events & leFleur Couture, chic floral design & event planning

The elements of a perfect marriage are pretty simple. Love, honesty, laughter. And the elements of a perfect wedding are just as simple. Pair a great wedding venue with a creative event design team, and the results are often magical. That’s how we feel whenever we work with the team at City Club Fort Worth.

For the July 24, 2010 wedding of Cole and Brooke Ortowski, City Club offered the perfect space and atmosphere for a Haute Pink wedding. While Cole and Brooke were the most beautiful couple, we worked exclusively with the Mother of the Groom, Dorian. Her dedication and attention to detail was unparalled. Dorian was involved in every single detail of this reception from the custom chargers, candle holders and candles to the hand beaded linens at the sign in, cake and head tables. She had every surface brought in re-finished to be the perfect shade of antique gold to compliment the varying shades of pink throughout City Club's Ballroom.

Dorian’s vision could not have come true at a more perfect location. Every time we work at City Club, the event comes together flawlessly from the food to the friendly staff. It is truly a pleasure to work with Amy, Sarah and the City Club crew. The food is delicious and the service that you receive will let you relax and just enjoy your evening.

Everything we have ever eaten from City Club’s kitchen has been a symphony to our taste buds. Cole and Brooke wanted to appease their Southern guests’ appetites by providing an array of delectable cuisine. The guests were greeted with chilled seafood, chicken, beef carvings, salmon, antipasti stations, fresh fruits and cheeses and every side you could possibly think of.

The Emerald City Band’s thirteen piece ensemble was enlisted to get everyone on the dance floor. As the evening progressed, City Club hand-passed late night snacks including sweet potato fries, mini corn dogs and sliders along with strawberry milkshakes and Brandy Alexanders with chocolate straws.

To keep their guests hydrated, the Ortowskis served Pink champagne, and a specialty cocktail, created just for their wedding: The Ortowski-tini, a blood orange martini.

With the room washed in hot pink lighting, our floral pieces were showcased beyond measure. Most of the centerpieces were very structured, but some of them had a few whimsical elements to give the pieces a more feminine feel. The Ortowskis wanted drama, and we accomplished this by setting each of the 19 tables with a tall antique gold stand and a large pave of roses, hydrangea and carnations, all in varying shades of pink. The tallest centerpiece topped over five feet tall.

Other vendors that made the day possible were:

Rentals- Posh Couture (china, flatware, stemware) http://www.poshcouturerentals.com/
Lighting- Beyond http://www.beyondld.com/
Band- Emerald City http://www.emeraldcityband.com/
Bakery- Sublime http://www.sublimebakery.com/
Photobooth- Randal Stout http://www.randalstout.com/
Stationary- Simply Personal http://www.simplypersonal.com/
Photography- Your Candid Memories http://www.yourcandidmemories.com/
Ice Carving- James Pappas/Dallas Ice http://www.dallasicesculptures.com/
Chaircovers- Wild Flower Linens http://www.wildflowerlinens.com/
Rentals- Celebration Rentals (linens, chair pads and white dance floor) http://www.celebrationeventrental.com/
Ceremony Venue- Marty Leonard Chapel http://www.lenapopehome.org/

One last big thank you to City Club and their amazing staff for playing such an integral role in this Haute Pink wedding! And congratulations to Cole and Brooke!

Amy and Manish's Wedding, a Bollywood Chic Supper Club

Guest Writer: Travis-Lee Moore, CPCE, The Functions Event Group

In the months leading up to September 28^th, City Club and I had the pleasure of working with a truly amazing couple – Amy Chappell and Manish Kotecha. Manish is a partner at Radiology Associates of Tarrant County and Amy, after having a great career as a professional country singer in Nashville, culminating in a stint on Nashville Star, is a new student in the School of Nursing at TCU. They’ve known each other since they were three, worked at Dairy Queen together in high school and some years later Manish proposed using an Oreo Cookie Blizzard as the presentation vehicle for the ring. The blending of their Christian and Hindu family’s cultures and customs made for a brilliant demonstration of the beauty of interfaith proceedings and provided a wonderful colorful, eclectic palette of elements with which to design.

Monday’s floral delivery included over 5,000 stems of red and orange organics – fragrant gardenias, cherry love and orange unique roses, deep red cocks comb, mango calla lilies, ginger blossoms, golden orchids, dahlias and tons of exotic greens to be woven into yards and yards of lush garlands for use on the Mandap.

Starting with a casual, whimsical Mendi Party on Thursday, Mehnaz Ranmal arrived early in the day to apply Amy’s henna. Then, as the guests began to arrive from all manner of sophisticated destinations – London, India, of course from all over the US – they stopped at Amy and Manish’s wonderful downtown Fort Worth loft apartment in the Sanger Lofts Building for a casual reunion, glass of wine and to also have their own henna applied if they chose.

Friday was a whirlwind of deliveries to the Club and ensuring that the Hindu ceremony was set for the next day, the items for the turn of the room for the reception staged in an adjacent piece of the ballroom and pulling together all of the personal flowers. Amy, Manish and entourage arrived for rehearsal and instruction about the next days activities and were then off to Joe T. Garcias for some great Mexican and margaritas!

Saturday, game day, the Club’s set is finished. The Oak Room is set for the Christian ceremony making use of the gorgeous glass paneled screens that reside there. Ready rooms are standing by for hair, make up touch up, suit changes and the whirl wind of activity that will ensue when attire is changed between the two ceremonies.

Manish is met by a crowd of wedding goers under the portacachet at the Worthington Hotel, where he climbs onto a white steed. The Barrat Processional is lead by a Bentley blaring hip Indian tunes, followed by Jolly Singh the BEST dohl player, the crowd of attendees and finished with a grinning Manish waving to the crowd and gaining revelers as they process down 2^nd street.

The remainder of the guests are waiting at the Club and Amy can see the whole scene from her changing room four stories up. Guests and bridal party make their way to the Hindu ceremony upstairs which was a moving commitment ceremony including Jaimala - Exchange of Garlands, Vivah Havan - Lighting of the Sacred Fire, Mangal Phera - Circling the Sacred Fire to symbolize commitment to respect for each other, caring for each other, patience for each other, honesty and faithfulness to each other, building a happy and strong family together, traveling the journey of life together with harmony and love and remaining lifelong friends.

After the couple is showered with petals by their parents, guests adjourned to the Terrace Lounge for wine and champagne while the bridal party, after a few quick photos at the altar, rushes off to make the change from their traditional Hindu garb to beautiful Christian attire and the entire bridal party is transformed and back for the Christian ceremony in the Oak Room within forty five minutes.

While all of this is going on, the ballroom is being changed from ‘gorgeous Hindu ceremony’ to ‘amazing fusion supper club’ – no small task, but with the continued, never-ending energy they’d already brought to every other preparation, the team including four floral designers, two production assistants, M&M Staff, City Club Service and Culinary staffs, myself and Ricardo – the reset is completed with minutes to spare and with spectacular results. Amy and Manish spend a few minutes alone in the gorgeously appointed ballroom before guests are welcomed back into the Bollywood chic, supper club setting and are met with spicy specialty drinks and a great collection of passed hors d’oeuvres including Shots Of Mulligatawny and Spoons Of Shrimp Tikka On Mango Chutney. The bridal party is presented to the room followed by an amazing Bollywood dance troupe, Blue Flame, performing for the crowd and dinner is served by the bite. A series of specialty stations scattered throughout the room offer miniature entrees assembled by efficient culinarians who’s orchestrations are over seen by Chef Gilbert’s genius.

After toasts are made and the stunning, orange spice wedding cake by Delicious Cakes was cut and served, it seemed like fifteen waiters filed out of the kitchen with silver trays of Oreo Cookie Blizzards tagged with “Marry Me!” and toy engagement rings. Amy snuck away and changed back into that beautiful lehenga for the rest of the evening. Limo Zilla arrived and guests showered our couple with gold mylar streamers as they ran for the getaway.

Amy and Manish couldn’t have been more gracious and great to work with – I can’t wait for their anniversary celebrations!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMAGES

Thanks to everyone involved!:

Ricardo Tomas :: Ricardo Tomas Weddings

Dianne Hughes :: The Worthington Hotel

Paul Dyer :: Vim Studios

Butch Stivers :: Delicious Cakes

Anita Harr :: Elan Makeup Studio

Harpreet "Happy" Singh :: DJ Jazz

Nirmita Shukla :: Blue Flame

Mehnaz Ranmal :: Henna Artist

M&M Event Rental

Celebration Event Rental

Cloth Connection

Gala Cloths by Dulany