On the Road with Amy Atlas Events

We just came back from an amazing event in Carmel Valley and I'm here today to show you some behind the scenes pictures from our sweet journey. Out of respect for the client, I am not showing event decor details of the wedding or the dessert table, but I know you all love the behind the scenes shots. Being on this trip was somewhat like a reality show. I was there with Lisa, Eric and Naomi, three members of my team. With all of our quirky personalities, there were many laugh-until-our-stomach-hurts moments and in hindsight I wish I had it on video to share with you.

We flew in to San Francisco and then rented a van to drive the three hour trip to Carmel Valley. Upon our arrival in Carmel, we settled into a lovely property called Holman Ranch, where we were greeted by horses, wild flowers, and an idyllic view of Carmel Valley. We met up with Laurie Arons, the mastermind behind the event, who was overseeing the ranch-style rehearsal dinner (lassos and all) for the wedding guests. Laurie enlisted the help of Kathleen Deery for florals and design, and together they created one of the most beautiful events I've ever seen.

The actual wedding took place on a picturesque property forty minutes into the mountains of Carmel Valley called Santa Lucia Preserve. This venue was absolutely breathtaking! The pictures below do not do it justice.

Here are the photos of our sweet journey...

Holman Ranch...


Eric and Naomi in our way overpacked van!


Lisa trying to navigate around the mountains of Carmel Valley...


We're not in NYC anymore!


View of Carmel mountains...


A beautiful deer making his way through wildflowers...


Gorgeous tree that we saw on our way up to Santa Lucia Preserve


Pretty horse on Santa Lucia Preserve...


Eric, Naomi and Lisa peeking in at the horses...


Eric and Naomi hanging out at the Santa Lucia Preserve...


Onto behind-the-scenes party decor...here is Laurie checking out the tent for one of the party areas...


This was the gorgeous raspberry and tangerine color palette that Laurie and Kathleen picked out!


Eric and Naomi covering boxes with fabric. It was wonderful getting ready for a party outdoors. We weren't cramped by a small NYC venue and we were able to enjoy the fresh air while getting ready.


Lisa spray painting clothespins...


Naomi doing some flower magic...


Eric getting ribbon happy...


Lisa and Eric working away...


Lisa and Eric getting tags ready...


Lisa scooping up the candy...


Naomi tying bows...


Lisa taking a break to call her daughter...


And then we were back in San Francisco...Of course, we had to make some sweet stops while we were there. We started off at Tartine Bakery for pastry...


We then headed to Miette Cakes for chocolate and carrot cake...delish!


The beautiful view inside Miette...


What's a trip to San Fran without visiting Paulette's Macarons?


A view of the macarons in her shop...


We had to stop by I Dream of Cake. Shinmin of I Dream of Cake created some beautiful desserts for us...


A view of some of Shinmin's gorgeous cakes...


Citizen Cake was closed so we'll be back there for our next trip to San Fran!

While we are talking desserts, I have to mention Sam from Perfect Endings, who owns a wonderful bakery in Napa, and created outrageous tasting desserts for the dessert table! If you're in the Napa area, you should definitely check them out!

We finished our day with lunch in Mission Park. We were so exhausted and soaked in some sun and people watching before jumping on a plane for NYC...


I hope you enjoyed a peek at our sweet journey!

Better Homes & Gardens May Woman of Style

We're just back today from an amazing event in Northern California, but I'm here to do a quick post to share my feature with Better Homes and Gardens. You may remember the behind the scenes post at the Better Homes and Gardens shoot back in December. Every month, Better Homes and Gardens showcases a stylish woman in the creative home, food, garden, entertaining industries. It is a huge honor to be the BHG May woman of style! Please see the article below and pick up a copy of this issue on newsstands now.

DIY Grocery Store Dessert Table Feature

We're headed to California today to create a dessert table for an event and I am currently blogging 35,000 feet in the air! This is a first! I was browsing my inbox in flight when I found an email from The Bride Scouts about a fantastic diy grocery dessert table they created. I often get emails about how to create diy dessert tables on a budget so I am so excited to share this post with my readers. You won't believe it, but this diy grocery dessert table was made using only $40! Below is the list of groceries used for the table. This is a perfect example of how you can indeed create a special dessert table on a budget without even having to open the oven. Awesome job, ladies!

Grocery list:

1. 1 bag of large marshmallows
2. 2 bags of heart shaped chocolates (on sale!)
3. 2 boxes of sugared doughnuts (on sale!)
4. 2 boxes of Oreo Cakesters (my immitation whoopie pies)
5. popsicle sticks
6. some mini yogurt pretzels (aka yotzels!)
7. Mini marshmallows
8. 6 dollar store jars (favors)
9. Pink Mints
10. Mini cupcake mix with frosting and cherries (FYI: my boyfriend made the cupcakes)
11. Mini Meringues
12. Heart shaped Cookies
13. Some Sparkling Water

Total Cost: 40.00$

Vintage Bike Guest Feature

How lovely is this vintage bike Mother's Day tea party from Victoria Hudgins of City Cradle? Inspired by her own childhood memories, Victoria created this charming design for a pre-mother's day brunch with her friends.

In Victoria's words..
"A rusty yellow bike reminds me of childhood more than any other item. The freedom of being able to ride for hours, and when the day was spent coming home to dinner, hugs and the loveliness of having a mom."

Each mom at the Mother’s Day tea received a yellow bicycle key chain attached to a thank you card for all their wonderfully important work. How sweet is that? I adore Victoria's dainty take on our favor board concept. I also love the diy stencil bike design for the cake which she used from this freezer stencil technique.

As a mom myself, I know I would swoon if someone made this for me on Mother's Day. Yes, indeed this is lovely! Well done, Victoria!

Guest Dessert Feature

We've been super busy at Amy Atlas Events. Our week started with a special project for InStyle and now we're packing up for a party in California. In the meantime, I thought I would share some gorgeous images that Beth Helmstetter sent over to me. Beth styled a shoot with Steve Steinhardt that will completely charm you. This little dessert soiree would be perfect for a spring party in your very own backyard or garden. Beth is definitely on my wish list of people to work with! Well done, Beth!

Behind the Scenes at Amy Atlas Events

We've been really busy getting ready for some events next week, but I thought I would leave you with some behind the scene shots of us getting ready. Have a wonderful weekend!