Archive for the ‘Sugar & Spice Specialty Desserts’ Category
Featured Real Wedding: Maria & Eric Bardet
Another Featured Real Wedding from the Summer/Fall 2012 issue of Real Weddings Magazine loaded to the Real Weddings Magazine Web site…presenting Featured Real Wedding Couple Maria & Eric Bardet.
Congratulations to Featured Real Wedding Couple Maria & Eric Bardet who were married on July 16, 2011 at The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament with a reception that followed at Carvalho Family Winery at Old Sugar Mill.
Selected vendors include:
Photographer, Invitations and Wedding Stationery: The Goodness
Wedding Planner: Catrina Maria Event Planning & Design
Reception Site: Carvalho Family Winery at Old Sugar Mill
Bridal Attire: Enchanted Bridal & Tuxedo Shoppe
Catering: Jackson Catering & Events
Desserts: Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts
DJ/Entertainment: Premier Entertainment & Video
Table Linens: Mimi & Co.
Click here to read their story, see their slideshow of photos from The Goodness, meet their entire wedding dream team and more!
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Editor/Publisher Wendy Sipple.
Photos courtesy of The Goodness.
Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!
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Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts is NOW OPEN!!!
We are so thrilled that our great friend, Carissa Jones, has opened up a store front for Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts!
Go satisfy your sweet tooth…head over to 1201 F Street and check out Carissa’s new digs!
Congratulations Carissa! We can’t wait to check out the new home of Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts!
See more photos of Carissa’s new tasty shop on Facebook!
Photos courtesy of Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts.
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Featured Real Wedding Couple…Tracy & Timothy Lesher
Another real wedding loaded to our Real Weddings Magazine Web site!
Congratulations to Featured Real Wedding couple Tracy & Timothy Lesher who were married on September 5, 2009 at Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa.
Click here to read their story, see their slideshow of photos from Ford Family Photography, meet their wedding dream team and more!
Photo courtesy of Ford Family Photography.
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Real Weddings Magazine Inspiration Board: Presenting Kathy Hourmand and Jason Laneve
The Couple: Kathy Hourmand and Jason Laneve
Wedding Date: July 3, 2010
Photography by Shepard Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: We met 16 years ago and have been lucky enough to grow together as best friends and now as teammates. Marriage was never something that mattered because our commitment to one another was so strong. However, we couldn’t think of a good reason not to make it official. So when Jay popped the question on Christmas, it was an absolute yes from Kat! It’s been a wonderful new stage of our relationship ever since.
What was the most amazing part of your day? At the ceremony, seeing each other at the end of the aisle as well as the family style dinner where we shared lots of laughs and toasts! Also, having our maltese/child, Angel, as our ring bearer/flower girl…seeing her trot down the aisle all by herself and then later during the ceremony wander behind us to “take care of some business” was a real treat.
What else would you like to share about your big day? It was so wonderful to celebrate our love of many years in a beautiful vineyard setting with an intimate group of family and friends, it’s exactly what we wanted, and we’re so proud of being able to create something like that together. Since Jay is Italian and Kat is Iranian, we had an idea of a Mediterranean event and it was done so nicely that many of our guests said they felt like they were on a Tuscany hillside.
Ceremony Site: ParaVi Vineyards
Reception Venue: ParaVi Vineyards
Photographer: Shepard Photography
Cake: Assorted individual desserts by Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts
Flowers: Camino Flower Shop
Favors: Olive oil bottles prepared by the bride
Wedding Dress: Gabrielle’s Bridal Atelier
Hair: Talayeh Hourmand
Makeup: ConniMaree Catano
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
DJ/Entertainment, Lighting and Lounge Furniture: Sonny Gallardo of Exquisite Events & Entertainment
Honeymoon location: Mini-moon in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe
First Dance Song: ”Stand By Me” by Ben E. King
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? Know your vision going in and don’t let anyone deter you from that. If it’s important to you, take the time to explain exactly what you want but in the end don’t sweat the small details…no one will notice those things. In the end it’s a celebration of you and your partner and there’s nothing people love more than a good party!
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? Perhaps gotten a “day of” wedding planner. It’s tough to justify this when you’ve done all the work leading up to the special day but it might have been worth it to hand the final day off to someone else to worry about and to keep everything organized. Also, we were torn between two caterers who seemed equally as good in their tastings but price wise were far different. We decided to go with the cheaper caterer which turned out to be a mistake. While her samples were good, she clearly lacked the experience to produce an event like the one we wanted. In making wedding decisions, couples want to be as economical as possible without sacrificing quality so perhaps pick a couple areas where you are willing to spend more and in turn spend less in other areas that may not be as important to you.
Photos courtesy of Shepard Photography
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Real Weddings Partner Profiles: Sugar and Spice Speciality Desserts
Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles!
Today, we highlight the delightfully wonderful Carissa Jones from Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts. Frankly, the word YUM just doesn’t quite cover it with Carissa’s creations — they’re just aren’t enough superlatives available to use to accurately reflect the tastiness of her desserts. From wedding cakes to dessert bars, Carissa’s desserts are delish!
Take it away Carissa!
Sugar and Spice Specialty Desserts
Tell us a little about your company? Dessert is the last, best, and frequently most talked about part of the meal, why not make it a WOW!? We love making dessert bars that work as a centerpiece for events ranging from weddings to corporate. We not only design a beautiful display that coordinates with your event, but we also make everything from scratch and based on the flavors and desserts that YOU like… no menu here, just lots of creativity and flexibility!
When did you establish your business? We started out extremely slowly, in 2005, and after a couple of mis-starts we started picking up steam in 2008 with the creation of our Web site. (Keep an eye on us… we’ve got all sorts of excitement on the horizon!)
What sets you apart from your competition? Yes, we make cakes (wedding, birthday, sculpted and otherwise), but what we REALLY LOVE to make are all things mini. That is a huge differentiating factor, but another one is that our founder Carissa Jones didn’t start as a cake decorator (even though she’s amazing with the frosting!), she started out as a pastry chef. Everything is about the flavor… and not necessarily her favorites, it’s all about YOU and YOUR favorites!
Where do you find inspiration? EVERYWHERE! We know, everyone says this, but we always ask our clients to bring in paint swatches, pictures of their venue, invitations, logos or other details that can help provide inspiration. We also find it’s important to talk to our clients. You never know where inspiration may come from and we’ve had some fun results based on a off hand comment. (A perfect example is a client who loves sorbet and all things from their childhood. One of the desserts we’ll be serving at their wedding will be lemon-blueberry push-up pops. How cool is that!)
When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers? … and it still is! “Desserts as unique and special as you and your event.”
Do you have any hidden talents? hmmm, I’m a wiz at research. Any topic!
Photo by True Love Photo.
What trend do you see more and more of? ummm, dessert bars! (of course!) In all seriousness, my clients are just discovering that they don’t have to have a cake to make their event amazing. Trends in cakes, fondant is out. Buttercream is queen! Fondant decorations are still being used, but more as accents.
Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site? You betcha! Blogging is like an ongoing conversation with our clients. We’re able to update the blog so much more than the site, and it’s a more comfortable, and at times, more personal view into the business. Find our blog through our Web site: SugarAndSpice.me.
Photo by StellaSweet Photography.
What’s your favorite local restaurant? Sequoia in Placerville. The wine selection is great and the food is solid with crazy (dramatic!) old school menu options like Steak Dianne!
What’s your favorite local charity? Jr. Chef Central
What is your favorite fun thing to do locally? Kayaking on Lake Natoma, wine tasting with my husband… El Dorado Foothills, Amador, Napa, Santa Barbara… we love it all
Do you have secret vice or indulgence? What is it? ooohhh, sigh, cheese. Heaven on earth is made of gone off milk and bugs. I love it, cow, goat, sheep, water buffalo, it’s all good… even when it’s bad, it’s still good. Runny, bleu, hard… mmmmm, give me a good French loaf and a bottle of wine and don’t ask to share.
What are you most grateful for in life? My family (and this absolutely includes my husband!). I work long hours, nights, weekends and holidays and not only do the just roll with it, but they are always supportive and encouraging. Actually, my Dad and husband can’t wait to quit their day jobs and come work for me! (Can you say delivery driver, counter help and dishwasher?)
If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what elements would be most important to you? I was an “encore” bride just a couple of years agoand for us (and we’d do it again!) it was all about the food and wine. That being said, I did an event last year with Anna Hernandez of Whitebird Ceremonial Dove Releases and I SOOOO wish we’d incorporated the doves into our ceremony. It was so moving I almost cried… that hasn’t happened since the last amazing piece of cheese I ate!
What advice would you can give to brides and grooms getting married today? Sort out your priorities and pare down your guest list. You can do amazing, crazy details when you have 50 guests that just are out of the question when you have 150.
Anything else you’d like to share with Real Weddings Magazine’s brides? A new trend that I’m seeing that is helpful in keeping your vision on track (and defining your style) is to create an inspiration board. It’s a great way to have pictures of what you like in one place so your vendors can get an immediate feel for your vision and aesthetic.
Above photos by Sarah Maren Photography. Dessert signs by Stephanie J Designs .
Find out more about Carissa on her Web site: SugarAndSpice.me. Call her at 916-952-5253.
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