Seaside elegance characterized this summer event by Mi Chicas Celebrations
By Sara Perez Webber
EVENT PLANNER:
Mi Chicas Celebrations
VENUE:
Lighthouse Point Park, New Haven, Conn.
EVENT DETAILS: Mother-and-daughter team Davii Mandel and Chany Kleinberger from Mi Chicas Celebrations in Spring Valley, N.Y., planned, designed and coordinated vendors for this June 2016 vow renewal. The ceremony took place outside on the beach underneath a chuppah, while the dinner and after-party took place inside the venue’s beach house—which features an old-fashioned carousel, built in 1916, that the guests could ride on.
In keeping with the light and breezy venue, Mi Chicas decorated with gauzy drapery, string lights, and a gray-and-white color scheme. Set-up took about eight hours (the chair-draping alone took two), and assembling the stunning chuppah by Monsey, N.Y.-based Quixotic Events (which also created the florals) proved to be challenging on the windy day. “It came tumbling down a couple of times before they could make it sturdy enough,” says Mandel.
Guests commented that the event was “delightfully out of the box, romantic and super fun,” says Mandel. “The carousel was a perfect touch of whimsical, and everyone had so much fun revisiting their childhood on it!”
MENU HIGHLIGHTS: Events by Tee, an upscale, kosher caterer based in Brooklyn, N.Y., catered the event, where guests were greeted with champagne with berries. After a salad course of poached pear fanned over spring mix salad with candied nuts and balsamic vinaigrette, guests dined on the main course—duet of tender Delmonico steak and baby grilled chicken garnished with frizzled Spanish onions, Yukon Gold hash, and white asparagus with minced garlic and olive oil. Dessert included the cake and a sorbet trio. The after-party featured such passed hors d’oeuvres as mini beef sliders, beef empanadas, lamb cigars, mini meat pizzas and fresh mango soup shooters.
THE BEST-LAID PLANS: “In order to save money on delivery, we volunteered to deliver the wedding cake ourselves,” says Mandel. “Never do that!” The vanilla cake with piña colada icing and chocolate fudge filling, ordered from Lil’ Miss Cakes, “partially fell apart on the long trip to New Haven, and needed some specialty work done on it to make it presentable,” says Mandel. With the help of flowers and a sharp knife, Mandel repaired the cake, “but it wasn’t as beautiful as it was when created.”
Have a good candidate for Event Spotlight? Send details to Catering’s editor, Sara Webber (sara@www.cateringmagazine.com).
