Dessert bar | Asian Dessert Bar

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Dessert Bar

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about the Asian dessert bar we created for Tiffany & Josh’s wedding… so here is “how to make your dessert table stand out” for those of you who wanted to know.

First, we begin by choosing a theme which should be easy based on your overall wedding theme. Then we want to make sure that we have a variety of desserts so we can please as many guests as possible, add the colors that match the wedding color scheme and accentuate bride & groom’s favorite dessert to make it personal and fun. Lastly, we spice up with some creative elements such as signs or a little notes explaining why the couple chose these sweets, props and linen, etc… then the rest will be history.  I’m sure if you follow this recipe, your dessert bar will stand out and excite your guests.

- Variety Japanese rice cookies (Easily found at any Asian market such as Mitsuwa)

- Mini fondant cakes “The Nigiri Set” (We custom ordered)

- Monaka (Red bean cookies) – Individually wrapped with our stationery paper

- Green tea cupcakes

- Japanese Mochi & Korean rice cakes

- Props to enhance the look

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A Midnight Snack

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After the delicious dinner, and hours of dancing and celebrating, you guests will start to get hungry again! A big trend among brides right now is to serve a “midnight snack” as the party winds down. Tie in you and your fiance’s favorite late night treat, whether it is burgers or donuts and serve your guests in style!

Consider ordering out to a restaurant in the area such as nacho bar from Taco Bell, mini sliders from Umami burgers, or donuts from Krispy Kremes. Provide doggy bags for your guests to grab and go in case they are on their way out. No matter what you decide, your guests will love the gesture and chow down on the food on their way home!

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* Milk shooters + Cookies

Treat your Wedding Guests with Milk, Coffee, and Sweets!

* Mini hot dogs + French fries

* Tacos

* Beef Sliders

* Fruity Crepes

* McDonald’s Cheeseburger

* Milk + Donuts

midnight snack

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Photos: Evrim Icoz Photography, Martha Stewart, Allegro Photography, Wedding Bee, flickr

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Tiffany + Joshua | Malibu Calamigos Wedding

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May 2nd, 2010

Today we wanted to share one of our favorite weddings from a couple very near and dear to us. Tiffany & Joshua wedded last May at Calamigos in Malibu and their wedding was anything but ordinary. For starters, they are both sheriffs and they were so calm and relaxed throughout the whole wedding.  I’d give them 10 out of 10 for being one of the most relaxed and cool couples of all my wedding planning history! Tiffany still jokes around that she could go through the whole process all over again and get married again. That’s how much we loved and enjoyed every step of our wedding planning and all the fun details.

Honoring the Japaneses/Hawaiian and Korean background from the couple, we incorporated some of the cultural elements to our wedding.

Since the bride’s family was from Hawaii, both parents accentuated with the Hawaiian leis during the ceremony.  Also, her father had a wonderful voice and sang a Hawaiian love song for the guests during his welcome speech, which was just phenomenal. We also used smooth river rocks to put all the guest names which served as a place card.  All of our lovely stationery was produced with a traditional Japanese paper to add a flavor as well. The biggest hit was our Asian  dessert bar. Our very own pastry chef, Amber, baked yummy green tea cupcakes, Korean sweet rice cakes, cake pops using our theme color (sage green, blush pink & ivory), monakas wrapped with Asian paper, Japanese mochis and a real sushi fondant cake which looked so real that everyone had to feel it.

Congrats again to the happy couple and all of us at Bella Destinee wish them all the best!

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Inspiration Board | sweet summer berries

Hello Summer & Sweet berries~

Color Scheme: red+ orange+ green

photo credit: 1+3+5+6 Country Living 2+4+7 Martha Stewart Weddings

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Inspiration Board | yellow & gray

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Colors: Yellow and Metallic Gray

Today’s inspiration board is in honor of our recent days of “pretty nice” weather. We like pairing a bright, bold color like yellow with a mild and understated color like gray because it reminds of the party cloudy skies with a chance of sunbreaks that we often hear forecasted on the morning news. Plus it reminds us that summer, our long lost friend, is just around the corner.

Inspiration credit: banquet event

yellow and grey wedding board

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Top Row: Florals by Lewis Miller of LMD featured on Brides; Silver bracelet by Foxy Originals featured onBrides; Gray Bloom and Yellow Dupioni Silk Ring Pillow by 5eizen
Second Row: Sunburst wedding invitation from Invitations 4 Less; Adrianna Papell Crisscross Weave Dress with Bolero Jacket available at Nordstrom; Accessories from Martha Stewart
Third Row: David Donahue Silk Tie available at Nordstrom; Cake from Real SimpleMartha Stewart fine chinaDaisy pattern
Bottom Row: Supersoft duofold short robe from Victoria’s Secret; Houston Silver clutch from Perfect Details; Bridesmaid dress from Lela Rose

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What’s your yummy favor?

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Edible favors that your guests will drool over….!

Ice Creams – Ice Cream

Ice Cream Bars & Dessert bars are ever popluar but have become redundant at receptions.  Instead, serve up ice cream a la an old fashioned parlor with all the trimmings to choose from.  For the not-so budget friendly addition, eCreamery creates custom cartons and flavors for guests to enjoy and the newlyweds to share their personal favorites.

ice cream

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Bring on the Glitter & Bedazzle my Bonbons!

The bonbons are individually hand-dipped and coated in a delicious and edible dusting of glitter and cocoa-powder, which creates the “bedazzling” effect.

Bedazzle My Bonbons Dazzle Pops

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Gourmet Marshmallows

How about these cute gourmet marshmallows with a hip packaging from plush puffs?

OR go for the S’more bar station

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But, point is, if you can bring elements into your wedding that evoke positive memories for you and your guests a YEAR later, then you definitely will have planned and invested well in a successful event.

Happy Wedding from bella destinee~


DIY Weddings – Purple Picnic

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This DIY lunch idea from Project Wedding is absolutely gorgeous!  I love the customization of the lunch. Next to the actual ceremony, nothing puts us over the moon like all the little details of a wedding. Making details and “branding” the wedding can actually be done on-the-cheap. I think this idea would also be wonderful for a relaxed midday wedding that is held outside. Everyone could enjoy a beautiful picnic together. For complete details to create this beautiful lunch simply visit Project Wedding.

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picnic

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Destination Wedding {Palmila Los Cabos}

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I often get asked where I would want to get married. As a wedding planner, I should have an answer. Wrong! To be honest, I have too many favorite places and I’m kind of shame to be indecisive.

This gorgeous wedding was featured in bridalbar and it totally swept me away. This will be a dream destination wedding and I thought I should share this with you.

The couple wed at the famed One & Only Palmilla Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico.  The invitation suite was designed and created by the uber talented Laura Hooper of Laura Hooper Calligraphy.  Talk about setting the tone, this invitation covered everything wedding guests could possibly want to know.  From a weather card informing guests of the highs and lows expected during their travel to a postcard rsvp with multiple events described so that guests could reply to each – no element was overlooked by this adventurous couple.  Laura even printed instructions for guests in both English and Spanish so no one was left in the dark.

Dining beachside was more than just an impromptu bbq, the interactive stations and delectable fresh fruit and desserts gave guests the chance to indulge and kick back and enjoy the setting at the same time.

Congrats to the happy couple!  This wedding is truly magical (wish we had been there with you!)  Special thanks to Victor Sizemore of Victor Sizemore Photography for sharing his amazing photos!

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Party Idea | How about some cooking class?

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Theme Parties: Cooking Class Parties

Organize a cooking class party, a fun and educational event for anyone with real professionally trained chefs who will teach you and your guests how to cook a variety of fun and healthy foods.


Great Idea For:


  • Bachelorette Parties
  • Girls Night Out
  • Monday Night Football Alternative
  • Small Family Gatherings
  • Client Bonding
  • Corporate Team Building
  • Office Holiday Party

The two and so hours I spent during my class (Sushi 101) was probably the happiest two hours I spent. We covered the fundamentals of sake, sashimi, and sushi rolls. Not only, do you get to eat and make your own food, but you learn how simple it is to cook! This is a fun alternative to the eating out and a good place to check out some fun things LA has to offer.  I’m not the best cook but I definitely enjoyed making them and eating them. =)

So how about it for your next party?

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Hannah + Thomas | Huntington Hyatt Wedding

March 20th, 2010

So excited to be sharing this wedding with you, as Hannah and Thomas wed last March at Huntington Hyatt regency which was absolutely gorgeous. They wanted something timeless but fun and modern. Enlisted the talented Cesar Haro to put together the fun color combination of ocean blue, platinum, baby blue and ivory. Adding in the embellishments in the three different styles of center pieces and the perfect invitation set with multiple graphic elements came out just perfect. Thanks Hannah and Thomas for allowing us to have creative freedom, which all of us (vendors) appreciated and in the end, felt prideful and personal with the end result. And big applause to Kevin who knows how to capture it all!

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Special Thanks to:

Venue: Huntington Hyatt Resort – Cheryl Martin

Photographer: Kevin Lee

Florist: Cesar Haro

Stationery: Lani Blue Stationery

Ceremony Music: Blue Note Entertainment

Videography: Cloud 9 Cinematography

Cake: Rossmore Bakery

Lighting & Linens: Flowers on Mars

Dj: James Baek

Furniture Rental: elm Concierge

Wedding Planning & Coordination: Bella Destinee