by Vrej Sarkissian, CEO of L.A. Banquets “Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!” --Jay Gatsby, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby And who wouldn’t want to repeat the refined yet thrilling, high-living lifestyle of the Roaring 20’s? It’s certainly an era I would want to experience, which is why I can’t wait to immerse myself in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, due to hit theaters in a few weeks. Art Deco style plays as big a starring role in the film as headliner Leonardo DiCaprio. The period’s clean elegance and focus on fine details keeps the style looking relevant today, and between The Great Gatsby and BBC’s Downton Abbey, we’re in the middle of a 1920’s revival. So it’s no wonder to see it inspiring wedding and event design choices this season, in everything from fashion to drinks. With a few smart choices, you can inject Great Gatsby glamour into your own wedding or party. Spirited Celebrations It’s a good thing we’re only recreating the past, and not reliving it. Because of Prohibition, the boozy drinks Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan gulped down were bootlegged liquor. Fortunately, since Prohibition ended in 1933, you won’t need to know the name of your local rumrunner to include celebratory drinks at your nuptials. But you can still set the speakeasy scene with handcrafted cocktails, which became an art in the 1920’s since bartenders often needed to mask the taste of rough homebrewed liquor. Provide guests with a few signature drinks made with strong spirits (gin was a big favorite) infused with bitters, herbs and fresh fruit syrups. Or forgo a traditional champagne toast in favor of a French 75 or Gatsby’s favorite, the mint julep. You can’t go wrong, though: many of the classic cocktails we still love today, including Manhattans and martinis, were first shaken up in the 1920’s. Looking Dandy Sharp, exquisitely tailored suits defined men’s fashion in the 1920’s. To recreate this look, you can search secondhand shops for vintage dinner jackets with peaked lapels, or simply turn to the Brooks Brothers Great Gatsby collection. The black tux paired with the onyx and gold cufflinks is certainly a set I could see in my wardrobe, and an easy choice for a black-tie event. For the more sartorially adventurous, consider Jay Gatsby’s signature pink suit. Future grooms, I suggest deferring to your bride before selecting this one! As equally important as sharp suiting is extravagant jewelry for women. Think long strand pearls, diadems, feathers, and rhinestones. Tiffany & Co. has released a Jazz Age inspired collection, but for more budget-friendly pieces, seek out vintage costume jewelry on eBay or Etsy, or local flea markets. Setting the Scene Add authentic vintage appeal to your event by selecting a historic location. But with Los Angeles’ tendency to replace old structures with strip malls, this can prove a bit tricky. LA Banquets is lucky to have its own special connection to the Jazz Age. Our Brandview Ballroom spans the upper floors of Glendale’s historic Huntley-Evans building. The 1921 structure features original Art Deco era styling and was home for many years to the Famous Department Store. Today, a large spiral staircase, with filigree gold rails winds up from stained glass french doors, to the grand ballroom above. At the time of construction, the building was called Glendale’s most “pretentious” structure, owing to its ornate detailing, installation of the city’s first elevator, and $150K construction bill. The Huntley-Evans building evokes the true elegance of the era, and if the walls could talk, I’m sure they’d lend us a few more tips on recreating the spirit of the Roaring 20’s.
By: Vrej Sarkissian, CEO of L.A. Banquets It's the morning of your wedding. Even before you open your eyes, only one thought buzzes through your brain: Today is The Day — The Day you’ve spent months planning, The Day you’ve waited for your whole life. Your excitement and anticipation made sleep nearly impossible, but you lie in bed a few more minutes, thinking over all the details: Roses and lilies delivered — check! Handmade decorations in the reception hall — check! The construction of your five-tier passion fruit and dark chocolate mousse cake — check! Everything has come together just like you and your fiancé planned, but... Then you realize that something, everything could go awry. What about the band? Did they get the playlist? Did the photographer get the right address and start time? Has the champagne been chilled? You bolt out of bed, about to call every vendor to triple-check orders and... Stop. Before you let stress consume you on The Day, remind yourself that you’re already prepared. To help yourself relax, think back to your last run of sleepless nights filled with anxiety... Preparation Beats Perspiration Remember finals week in school? Think of your frazzled friend, cramming at the last minute. She was so stressed out, she couldn’t concentrate on even eating. Then think of your other friend who stumbled into the classroom in flip-flops, coffee cup in hand, looking like she just came from the beach. Both had studied and were equally prepared, but who usually scored better? The friend in flip-flops, of course. She knew she had prepared, and that exam day is too late to learn more, so why stress about it? Her calm confidence helped her more than any last-minute cramming would. On your wedding day, emulate your second friend. No, don't wear flip-flops down the aisle (unless tropical beach is your wedding theme). Just remind yourself that you’ve done all that you can in the months leading up to this date. Anything that doesn’t go according to plan is beyond your control. Florist deliver flowers in the wrong shade of pink? Ceremony run a few minutes late? Only you will notice, so let others think about them — your parents, your wedding planner, the professionals at your banquet facility. Instead focus on the life-changing event that matters: marrying the person you love. Here's another tip to keep you stress-free and confident in the days leading up to The Day: while planning your wedding, keep the details organized. Try the Ultimate Wedding Planning Checklist at Real Simple, and the wedding planning tools created by Google and the wedding experts at Style Me Pretty. Share the documents with your fiancé and anyone else helping you plan. Using these tools will help free your mind, so instead of sweating the details you're savoring every moment. And while you're getting your hair and make-up done, try on a pair of flip-flops – they'll remind you that everything will turn out better than even you expected.
“It’s the people surrounding me day in and day out at work who are my inspiration,” says Ani Keshishian, recipient of the 2013 Women in Business Award, presented by the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce. Ani is the Director of Human Resources for both L.A. Banquets & Anoush Catering, where she works to ensure that all of the company’s employees feel like members of the family. Putting together a close-knit team keeps the business operating smoothly and more importantly keeps her motivated. “Without a hardworking, loyal and dedicated team, I can never be successful.” Ani embraces her personal motto, “the best attitude is gratitude,” in several charities. She actively participates in the SAK Foundation, a charity established by her family to better the lives of impoverished children in Armenia. “When I see pictures of the children in Armenia, I can’t help but see my own kids reflected in their eyes and smiles. The instinct to help them is great and I’m so glad I can through SAK’s work.” Since the importance of giving back was instilled in her at a young age by her family, she is today involving her own children in charity projects. Ani recently bridged her charity work with her professional career by establishing the Charity Outreach Division at L.A. Banquets & Anoush Catering. “Anoush Catering and L.A. Banquets have been the backdrop for so many important events for the people in our community. Our Charity Outreach Division is a way of saying thank you to everyone for always letting us be part of their celebrations and gatherings.” With gratitude for the people around her and her successes, Ani recognizes that the joy in life is in the journey. “Building and creating lasting memories is the key ingredient. Between my two kids, my career, and an incredibly busy husband, it’s a constant juggling act to maintain a well-balanced and happy life. But being passionate, humble, and willing to learn has made this journey pleasant and rewarding.”
The quinceanera is a traditional event in Mexican and Central American culture that is held to celebrate a girl’s 15th birthday. The celebration usually includes a large party with music and dancing as well as a sumptuous banquet, beverages and sweets. The celebration might begin with a church service and then move to a banquet hall or party facility where dining, dancing and socializing can begin. Planning You will want to begin planning your quinceanera six months to a year in advance. If you plan to have a church service prior to the celebration in a reception hall, it will be necessary to coordinate church availability with open slots at banquet halls for quinceaneras that you are interested in renting. While most quinceaneras take place on Saturdays, you will likely find that planning your event on a Friday will have many advantages. It will be easier to get the date that you want if you are willing to book the reception hall on a weekday. It will also be easier to coordinate your church service with the reception hall festivities. Cost Not only are reception halls more readily available when you book on a Friday, you will discover that the rates on Friday are less than those on a weekend day. In addition, you may save even more if you book your hall during the daytime as opposed to an evening reservation. Attendees usually can adjust their schedules easily enough to accommodate a Friday gathering. In addition, if you choose a Friday rather than Saturday, it can be the start of a relaxing, three-day weekend that offers even more opportunities for socializing with friends and family. Safety Safety is always a concern whenever you arrange a party, especially one that will be attended by teens. A daytime ceremony will provide a safer time frame for the young people who will attend than an evening slot. Those attending your afternoon events won’t be faced with driving home late at night when the party is over. In addition, if you choose to hire a shuttle to transport guests, daytime rates are usually less than what you’d pay on a weekend night. You will also want to determine whether or not alcohol will be served – that is a decision that the guest of honor’s parents or guardian should decide. Convenience It’s typically easier to book a Deejay on a Friday afternoon than any time during a weekend, so you will have the convenience of choosing from a number of different music providers who will undoubtedly be eager to work on a Friday afternoon. The same goes for photographers, if you choose to hire a professional to record the day’s events. Daylight photography looks infinitely better than nighttime photography and will result in dazzling photos of you and your friends and family dressed in the fine clothes you select. By planning ahead and carefully considering choices, you can arrange a quinceaneras that everyone will remember for a lifetime.
Anoush Catering’s CEO Vrej Sarkissian, Covers The Often Overlooked Details Many vendors come together to create an event that reflects your personal taste and style. Some of them are “behind the scenes,” such as the florist and interior decorator, while others interact directly with your guests. This face-to-face contact means that keeping these on-site vendors comfortable and happy is incredibly important to the success of your celebration. Why With most vendors any errors can be corrected easily. Table cloths can be swapped, and entree selection can be adjusted days or weeks in advance. However, the music that’s played and video and photographs that are captured happen only during your event, and therefore leave no room for error. Vendors who control these aspects play a central role in the impression your guests form, and the memories your event creates. A little extra effort taken to make them happy can have a huge impact in how happy your guests are. Who When it comes to your guests’ experience, the most important vendors are the ones who will be present at your event for most or all of its duration. This includes your videographer, photographer, and any band or DJ. These vendors are such key players that their energy and enthusiasm has the power to shape your entire event. A happier DJ or band will inspire more dancing, and a happier photographer and videographer will inspire more smiles and more animated facial expressions and physical gestures. Seating While it’s necessary for your on-site vendors to be on their feet a lot of the time to perform their duties, they do experience downtime. Set aside comfortable, private seating for this downtime so your key vendors can fully relax and recoup. They will be noticeably more energetic when they’re back on their feet as a result. Also provide a safe and secure area for on-site vendors to store personal belongings. Food Remember that your vendors are not immune to the effect of being grumpy due to hunger. As a host, you must ensure their bellies are satisfied, and food they eat that’s supposed to be warm food is actually warm. Accomplish both tasks by serving vendors before guests. This simple gesture demonstrates to your key vendors that you prioritize them, and they will respond by providing the most outstanding service possible. Anoush Founded in 1986, Anoush has a long history of ensuring first class service both to our hosts, and the vendors who serve them. By booking your event through Anoush, you can rest assured that your key on-site vendors will be pampered and taken care of. We recognize the massive impact of vendor satisfaction, and take care of this for you so your vendors take care of you. This is something we do automatically, every time, because we want your special event to be all it can be.
Weddings and other religious ceremonies traditionally take place in a house of worship, and the reception afterwards is held in a different location, sometimes miles away from the service. However, it is becoming increasingly popular to plan a reception in the same location as the service. That means that your wedding or other event can take place in one area of a reception hall or hotel facility, and the reception is held in another area of the same building or outdoor facility. There are many benefits to planning your ceremony and reception in the same location, and those who do enjoy advantages that include greater convenience, lower cost and a more relaxed atmosphere. Planning If you are in the process of planning a ceremony and reception, you’ve probably already discovered that it can be difficult to coordinate your ceremony and reception. Often times when the house of worship is available, the reception facility is booked up, so you are forced to try to shuffle your schedule to make venue arrangements work. Scheduling-wise, it can be a good deal easier to simply plan your ceremony for the same facility in which you plan to hold the reception. You’ll avoid stress and ease the planning process if you locate a facility where both can be coordinated on-site. Transportation Transporting yourself and all of your guests from the ceremony to the reception can be a hassle. Not only that, if the reception is far away from the service then there is ample opportunity for guests to get lost trying to find the correct location. That’s especially true if you have a number of out-of-town guests who are unfamiliar with the area in which they are traveling. Avoid undue frustration from arranging parking for your guests when they arrive at the reception hall by having an on-site ceremony. This also eliminates the need to coordinate the time that will elapse between the end of the ceremony and the start of the reception. Convenience When you have an on-site reception, you can streamline the process of getting from one place to another and eliminate the inconvenience of navigating from one location to another. In addition, you can easily reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town visitors and hire a shuttle to transport them from the hotel to the ceremony and reception. With coordinated efforts you can better ensure that the ceremony and reception will begin on time, and that your guests will have more time to enjoy themselves. This will make the entire experience carefree and pleasant for all who attend. Cost The benefits of arranging on-site catering include not only convenience and simplified transportation solution, but cost savings, as well. Frequently, you will find that holding the ceremony and reception at the same location is more affordable than paying for the use of two different facilities. As an example, your florist can readily move flower arrangements from the ceremony area to the reception to decorate the space where the festivities will take place. In all, for the convenience, lack of stress and smaller price tag you’ll want to consider planning your event at a single location. It will make your special day that much more special.
