06 Aug The Hubbs #WeddingDay Story
La Jolla in Spanish means “The Jewel”. It is the Jewel of America’s finest city, San Diego. La Jolla is located 15 minutes from downtown San Diego. It has wonderful beaches, cultural activities and fine restaurants. La Jolla is an exquisite combination of a southern European resort and southern California fun. If you haven’t had a chance to stop and look at the La Jolla Cove Suites, you should do so. It is an incredible space to have any event, especially for a wedding with the beautiful back drop of the La Jolla Shores to the Pacific Ocean.
I can say that I have recently had the pleasure to captain an event there for the Hubbs. The Hubbs are from out of town and that is where a great captain has challenges for him. My initial contact with them proved to be ever so welcoming that I knew that this wedding was very special and that strong bonds were going to be made. First of all, I called them almost 3 months prior to their arrival because challenges will always be present when a client lives out of town and in a different time zone. From the moment that Ginger, the bride and Gaynell, the mother of the bride, and I spoke a bond was made. They key is a self assuring introduction and a calmness and to listen to the client. A great captain and coordinator will always listen to the client and their thoughts and ideas and our job is to make that picture board come to life. We listen to all their ideas and then we mold that unfinished sculpture to a polished finished product.
The Abbey Catering and Event Design has given me the tools to become a great coordinator and captain and I am ready to tackle any event that comes my way. I believe that every wedding has challenges that we must solve uniquely for every client. The La Jolla Cove Suites is a beautiful venue without a doubt; but it certainly has its challenges. Time is always a factor there because there is only one elevator for all the vendors and that elevator is also shared with the guests there. Another factor is that once you arrive at the roof top there is no behind the scenes, you could say. You have to be ready by a certain time because the entire guest will see everything from the set up, prep work, to the finished product. Then let’s talk about the wind. There is no shelter there from the elements. It is an enormous roof top and that is why it is sought out by clients for parties. It has a magnificent 180 degree view with no obstructions. Then there are the sea gulls so food preparation and service must be done very carefully to avoid the birds. However, The Abbey Catering is prepared for all this with very experienced captains and coordinators and being at this venue elements continuously change for every event and we know how to overcome all these factors on each and every event.
This traditional southern elegance style wedding with a twist of southern California cuisine pleased all the guests by our superior service, outstanding gourmet food, and mannerisms. This wedding was like a piece of the wedding from “Steel Magnolias” that came to life. Over the 2 months I became very close to these families that joined in union. They couldn’t stop talking about the food that we had provided for them. The southern California twist came from our mouth watering appetizers of golden coconut shrimp drizzled with a Thai chili sauce, our juicy chicken satay skewers with a Thai peanut sauce, New England crab cakes, and a beautiful spread of a gourmet cheese and organic cracker platter. Then was the dinner service where the Hubbs wanted a whole experience for the guests. They selected to have 3 food stations for the guest to choose from and where our Abbey staff was there to serve them the gourmet food. We offered the guests a “Shaken… not stirred”, salad shaker station where each salad was individually created for each guests. They could choose from an abundance of toppings from different cheeses, bright vibrant vegetables, dried cranberries and more and different choice of homemade salad dressings such as e reduction of balsamic vinegar and a ginger sesame. Then there was the “Glamorous Slider Bar” where our chef created mini double-decker hamburgers made from natural Angus on homemade buns to be topped with any combination to toppings that included Vermont cheddar, homemade onion marmalade, vine ripened tomatoes, three pickle relish, and all this to accompanied by house-made parmesan potato crisps with garlic, sea salt and parsley. The last station was the ever so present “Abbey’s Signature Mac n Cheese Bar”. Everybody’s favorite! This comfort food station is adorned with all of your favorite accoutrements like bacon, sautéed mushrooms, chives, jalapenos and roasted garlic.
The evening concluded with the traditional cake celebration and of course a true southern wedding wouldn’t be one without a parting gift of a piece of cake that had been boxed up for the guests. Then, of course there was the grand exit like “Steel Magnolias” where the guests lined up outside, where the getaway car was awaiting them, decorated. The guests lined up on two sides to create a pathway so as they walked between Robert and Ginger had a streamer send-off for the evening. This small intimate wedding was an absolute pleasure for me and I have made lifelong friends. I will be seeing them in South Carolina this fall for the annual BBQ.
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