Wedding scenes & Sarah's smile

Happy Monday, kids. Thought I'd share some smashing scenes from Michelle and Jeb's William Aiken House wedding. Photos by Squire Fox. Wedding coordination, design/decor, florals by Soiree by Tara Guerard. Cuisine by Fish.

How much do you LOVE those chairs?

In other news, say hello to the new Mrs. Sarah McSweeney Copeland, now honeymooning in Belize. She and Tommy weathered the Saturday storms in grand style and had one heckuva Lowndes Grove wedding (thanks to Luke Wilson Special Events!)

Catwalks, G Love, Wayne Newton & PP Nuptials!

(Photo courtesy of The Digitel's flickr.) Wow, what a week! So, Charleston Fashion Week has been lighting up King Street all week long and last night, Fish got its turn to shine as hosts of the After Party. Earlier in the evening, my partner in crime and I made it to the tents at Marion Square to see our pal Mary Norton, Saks, Pearl and Hampden Clothing on the runway. Much fun. P.S. G.Love walked ahead of us on the way there.

The DJ's bass was so loud you could feel it pulsating through your chest (I sincerely love that feeling), and the set design looked like Lite Brite meets disco ball. The models were an interesting mix of tough and demure. (I took special delight in the model who flipped the bird to the press as the crowd audibly gasped and recoiled in horror.)

Oh, and must tell you how much I admire the folks at The Digitel. They have/had their fingers on the pulse of all the CFW brouhaha: Twittering like mad, LIVE blogging, videos, the works. Great job, guys.

Friends from Blue Ion stopped by Fish for some moo shu this afternoon after seeing WAYNE NEWTON perform for the CFW MUSC Benefit. Check it out. He's still got it, people!

And last but certainly not least, one of own PP Event Manager ties the knot this weekend at Lowndes Grove, and we could not be more thrilled. Here's to many happy, healthy years Sarah and Tommy. Congratulations!

High-risk hospitality & fashion

Not sure if it’s Spring in the air or the collective athletic ability of the PP staff, but helmets and padded suits may soon be required attire for all event staff if we don't watch out. William Aiken House Event Manager Shannon Ilsley sprained her ankle playing arena soccer last night and Lowndes Grove Event Manager Laurel Prasch broke her shoulder while jogging. Get well soon, ladies! And, to the rest of the PP staff...walk carefully. (P.S. The hilarious FALL RISK bracelet comes courtesy of Shannon's trip to the hospital.)

When last we left Fish, we were launching the spring/printemps menu. Deelish! Tonight, Fish hosts the Charleston Fashion Week After Party. My trusty marketing sidekick and I are headed over to Marion Square later tonight to make sure we catch Saks and Mary Norton! Then it's back to Fish for cocktails and the sounds of DJ Todd Cadley. To get you in the catwalk mood, take a peek at one of our favorite flashbacks.

Charleston Chefs: Feed The Need

(Nico Romo, Charleston Grill's Michelle Weaver and FIG's Mike Lata)

Lots going on today. The Fish spring/printemps menu launches tonight! Holy escargot, kids. It is divine. It's also Pay It Forward Wednesday, so come on out and show your support to Louie's Kids, battling childhood obesity one child at a time.

This morning, Jodie, Nico, Randall and I met chefs and restaurateurs alike at the Riviera for the launch of Charleston Chef's: Feed The Need. This program and call-to-action comes courtesy of Charleston Grill General Manager Mickey Bakst. When you're talking about pulling people together, no one does it like Mickey. Mickey has gathered 52 local chefs who will produce more than 20,000 meals for Lowcountry residents in the coming year. Specifically, “Feed The Need” will provide meals to Crisis Ministries, Tricounty Ministries, East Cooper Meals on Wheels and Neighborhood House and will be organized through the Lowcountry Food Bank. During Mickey's speech this morning, he quoted Alice Waters so you know I was all in from there.

It's always amazing to gather together any community of folks in Charleston in one place. There's so much collective energy, it's palpable. It's one of the things I love most about the Holy City. Our speed and sincerity in pulling people together toward a common goal. A good day on King Street, and we can't wait to go to work. Thanks, Mickey.

Spring, birthdays, post-runway cocktails

We've just wrapped up the design of the Fish Spring/Printemps menu which launches for dinner service tomorrow. Super excited to taste some of the new petite plate additions: baked escargot, tuna tartare and a nam sod spring roll. Nico's also added a braised lamb shank to the large plates that is just incredible. Lots of seasonal, local produce to celebrate the taste of spring, too. Yum!
And, a big Happy Birthday to our friend Andra Watkins of Positus Consulting who's celebrating her big day with tonight at Fish.

And, for you fashionistas, remember that Fish is hosting the Charleston Fashion Week After Party on Thursday starting at 9:30 pm. Because you need a cocktail after ruling the runway. Everyone knows that.

Pigs & cafeteria stories

Everyone, this is Dallas Alice. She belongs to the bride and groom who got married at Lowndes Grove this weekend. She told me she had an excellent time and that you should book your next event there, too.

Back from The Mountain, kids and may I say? It was quite the productive and hilarious weekend. Yes, both at once. Fun fact about me: I never went to sleep away camp as a child. However, this weekend, I really feel like I did. The accommodations had exquisite views and were also, um, a bit on the rustic side. Think plywood, bunk beds and toilets you must pump. All part of the experience my friends. All to keep us focused on the task at hand: strategic planning.

The food was really good, which is so important for me as you might imagine. Armed with old-school cafeteria trays, we wound our way through the food choices and sat down together to eat at a long, wooden table.

That cafeteria tray plugged into all sorts of memories for me. I remember being young enough to think the tray was enormous and hard to carry. I remember the first time I was able to reach for my own bowl of pudding at Percy Brown's, a cafeteria-style restaurant in my Grandma's hometown. I even remember using a tray to careen down a snowy hill at breakneck speed when I was in college. I can tell you: a LOT of the food I have had that sat atop a cafeteria tray was really not good: processed, overcooked, what you might expect. But my memories of it are so good. Why? I think it might have something to do with the fine company waiting for my tray and me at so many tables over so many years. (It may also be that I'm mentally blocking scenes from junior high school, but stay with me.) Perhaps it's just plain goodness to gather over food with friends. Perhaps we need this time to sit, talk, laugh, eat and drink with those we love and admire. Perhaps it's good for one's digestion to linger over food, tell a story and break bread. It seems that some of my best moments have come cafeteria-style.

Strategic planning, San Francisco, Spring

Getting ready to head out for a strategic planning weekend with folks from AFFA, the Alliance for Full Acceptance. Before I go, couple of things.

Received some very cool company news. A perk, if you will. A show of appreciation, a pay it forward type thing. All PP salaried managers can now volunteer up to 20 hours per year (paid) for our favorite Tri-County 501c3 non-profit. This is cool for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is we get the opportunity to help out here in the Charleston area. Also, when you think of how employers are struggling to reward the employees they have during this economic downturn, I think programs like this are invaluable.

In other news, one of our PP staffers just got a back from a whirlwind trip to San Francisco. Have to share some of her awesome pics and you know, live vicariously through her.

I especially love the vintage sign. Always a sucker for the marketing. And hello, sea lions!

And finally, if you're in the market for a fun blog to peruse, stroll over to Style Court. Interesting art, interior and event designs too.

Just a reminder, Fish's Spring/Printemps menu launches late next week, so stay tuned. Bon weekend!