Vendor Spotlight-Sid Sawhney

Sid Sawhney with Modern Event Rentals and Precision Sound and Lighting

Super fun illuminated bar created by Sid and his team

Looking to stay current and offering their clients what they are looking for Sid and his team are constantly creating new pieces to add to their rental line.

Founded in 2009, Modern Event Rental (MER) opened offices in Chicago and Atlanta. 

With over 15 years of experience in the event industry, the creators of MER recognized a need for alternatives to the cookie-cutter designs of typical outsourced rental furniture.

The in-house MER designer furniture line was created to offer clients original, affordable, quality- made items suitable for any size event. We proudly design and manufacture every MER item in-house. We’re also happy to create custom-fabricated pieces for a specific event at the client’s request.

Our dedication to quality extends through our entire company, including quality customer service.

We fabricate, deliver, set up and remove pieces in a timely manner and provide a 24-hour emergency number for our clients.

Modern Event Rental has taken the time to listen to industry professionals and understands the need for a variety of designer pieces without designer prices. 

We are proud to provide affordable, in-house MER designer furniture for events of all sizes.

http://www.facebook.com/ModernEventRental find them and give them a "Like"

An item that Sid added to his decor last year is the light up dance floor, what a great idea for our mitvah clients. Precision Sound and Lighting has all sorts of vinyl dance floors to enhance your boogie down time.

LED Dance Floor
Light up your event with the cutting edge LED light up dance floor!!! 1000 LEDs in each dance floor panel. The dance floor is fully programmable to any color and movement. We are the only company in Chicago/Atlanta to owns a LED light up dance floor.

Most of the time on site you will see Sid in a position similar to this, setting up for a great event!

Chicago Style Weddings Designer Challenge 2012 Steam Punk

EMAIL INFO@PRECISIONSL.COM    

PHONE   ATLANTA (404) 348-0115    CHICAGO (773) 457-3544

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Valentine, Valentine...who is yours?

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. Today Valentine's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, mostly in the West, although it remains a working day in all of them.

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry, and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius and before his execution, according to the legendary account, he wrote, "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

The day's association with romantic LOVE grew in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").

Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Who is your Valentine this year?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You won't be SINGLE for long....PASTA

YOU WON'T BE SINGLE FOR LONG VODKA CREAM PASTA

This recipe will make enough for two couples. If you plan a romantic evening where more than two's a crowd, reserve half the sauce to freeze for another supper before the addition of basil, and only cook 1/2 to 2/3 pound of penne.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
1 pound pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Crusty bread, for passing
Serves 4
PREPARATION

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the EVOO, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté the shallots for 3-5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add the vodka to the pan – three turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce the vodka by half, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a bubble and reduce the heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until it's cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While the pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir the cream into the sauce. When the sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from the heat. Drain the pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce and the basil leaves. Pass the pasta with crusty bread.

by Rachael Ray
http://www.rachaelray.com/food_search.php
on 09/06/07

Be my Valentine...

Okay so "I" am, the "stationery girl" BUT there is nothing better than some of these vintage Valentine cards when it comes to asking...will you be my Valentine?..and a box of chocolates of course!

Don't forget the ROSES too-

YOUR "Downtown Abbey" wedding style...

Now that Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley have finally said "I do", brides-to-be are sure to turn to the "Downton Abbey" couple's big day for ideas for their very own 1920s-inspired weddings. While most of the "Downton" reception details were not shown on air, there were still plenty of fashion, beauty and decor ideas that you can replicate.

The Dress

The show's costume designer Caroline McCall, told Grazia UK that Lady Mary's wedding gown cost over $6,000 to create. "It's a silver lace tabard fabric that goes into a train at the back, and underneath is a silk dress with silk sleeves. The lace goes into a 'V' at the back with tiny buttons and it's completely edged with tiny rice pearls and Swarovski crystal."

At Bridal Market this past October, a number of designers featured Art Deco wedding gowns and veils that are similar in silhouette and detailing to Lady Mary's gown. The wedding dress was designed by British designers Jenny Packham and Temperley London, and will be in salons in 2013.

The Headpiece

Any proper lady would wear a diamond tiara on her wedding day, and Lady Mary's was exquisite. The show's costume designer, Caroline McCall, collaborated with British jeweler Bentley & Skinner to create a yellow gold and silver Georgian tiara featuring 45 carats of pavé-set old-cut diamonds. The $200,000 tiara can be converted into a headband and brooch.

Flowers

Lady Mary carried a simple bouquet of several long-stemmed white Calla lilies with greenery, tied together with white ribbon and pearl-headed pins. Here is a past bouquet made of mini callas adorned with bling on the handle. How elegant this would look with the Art Deco theme-

Morning Suit

Matthew Crawley and his best man, Tom Branson, wore morning suits to the daytime wedding, the most formal attire for a wedding held before the sun sets. A morning suit consists of a black or grey coat with a single button and one broad tail at the back paired with striped trousers. A wing-collared dress shirt is accessorized with an ascot, or tie for a less formal style. The gentlemen in and attending the Crawley wedding also wore grey gloves and black top hats, but today's grooms don't have to dress up that much to look as handsome as the gents from "Downton."


Flower Girl Dress

As is the British tradition, Lady Mary and Matthew had several children make up their bridal party. The three adorable girls wore long pink dresses with sheer sleeves and carried pink flowers. In these less conservative times it's difficult to find a dress with long sleeves, but for those looking for a more modest style, a sleeveless dress can always be accessorized with a shrug or cardigan.

Wedding Cake

While the audience only gets a glimpse of Lady Mary and Matthew's wedding cake, we can see that it has many ivory tiers that are in an octagon shape. Each side looks like it's decorated with an image, presumably representing the family, county and country.

Carriage

Lady Mary and her father, Lord Grantham, arrive at the church by a covered black carriage lead by several horses. The village road from Downton Abbey to the church is lined with cheering townspeople waving flags at the bride and her Papa. While you may not have screaming fans lining the streets as you make your way to your wedding, you can still arrive in style with an open or covered carriage.

Vendors across the country rent a variety of carriage styles from Cinderella coaches to Vis-a-Vis carriages to Victoria Paetons. You can also rent wagonettes to transport guests to and from wedding festivities, just as the Downstairs staff were chauffeured from the house to the church.

Grand entrance by one of our past brides at Cuneo Mansion and Gardens.

Wedding Decor

The townspeople decorated Downton, the village not the house, with white bunting -- hanging it along the road and in the branches in the church courtyard. Couples can easily find bunting in a variety of colors and patterns that can be used to decorate entranceways, walls, ceilings and the edge of reception tables.

The Downstairs staff decorated the house with beautiful floral arrangements, including garlands that wrapped around the grand staircase. You can place them along the sides of your ceremony aisle, down the center of reception tables, or create smaller ones to drape on the back of the newlywed's chairs.



Read more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-chertoff/how-to-have-your-own-downton_b_2425700.html?ir=Weddings&ref=topbar#slide=1951453

6 Roses and their meanings... did you know?

Red: Love and Romance

One of the most universal of all symbols, the red rose represents true love. It has also appeared throughout history and across cultures as both a political and religious symbol.

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

Throughout history, yellow has been closely associated with the sun, making these roses excellent for cheering people up. Yellow roses send a message of appreciation and platonic love without the romantic subtext of other colors. The color represents feelings of joy and delight.

Pink: Love, Gratitude, Appreciation

Pink carries with it the connotation of grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. 
Dark pink roses are symbolic of gratitude and appreciation, and are a traditional way to say thanks. 
Light pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration, and can also be used as an expression of sympathy.

White: Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality

Early tradition used white roses as a symbol for true love, an association which would later become the hallmark of the red rose. Also known as the bridal rose, the white rose is a traditional wedding flower. In this sense, white represents unity, virtue, and the pureness of a new love. White roses are also associated with honor and reverence, which makes them a fitting memorial for a departed loved one.

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion

A literal mixture of yellow and red, orange roses were seen as a bridge between friendship symbolized by yellow roses and love represented by red roses. They can be an expression of fascination, or a gift to say 'I'm proud of you.'

Lavender: Enchantment, Majesty, Love at First Sight

The color purple has a traditional association with royalty. In this regard, shades of lavender roses suggest an air of regal majesty and splendor.