New Name, New Website!

There are a lot of new things happening here at Catrina Maria Designs.  We just opened up our new space with Garden of Weedon and Jenn  Bartell, we nixed the name Arcularius Events in favor of something slightly easier to pronounce and remember, and we just completed our shiny new website!  Whew, we’ve been busy!  We are just lovin’ our new site and we hope you do too – there are lots of galleries to check out and information on “Green with Envy," our new focus on green wedding planning.  So, take a look at our new site and let us know if you think it’s as fabulous as we do!

Also, please take a look at our new blog - we're going to stop using this one pretty soon so make sure to bookmark the new one!

Grand Opening Recap

We had such a great time at the grand opening parties for our new studio space in downtown Sacramento!  We celebrated on Thursday night and on Second Saturday with great food from Tres Hermanas (get it? tres hermanas...three sisters), delicious homemade sangria, and lots of fabulous company!!  We were so happy that so many people came to check out our new space and celebrate with us – check out all of our photos from the events below.

 Our new space!

Catrina and the lovely ladies of 2Chic Events

The three sisters - Mairead, Catrina, and Marianna

Thank you to everyone who came out to support us, we can't wait to really begin using this fantastic space!

Grand Opening Celebration

This Thursday the three sisters here at Arcularius Events will be busy celebrating the grand opening of our new studio space in downtown Sacramento.  We're sharing the space with Garden of Weedon Boutique Floral Design and Instruction and Jenn Bartell Photography and Design, which means our new space will practically be wedding planning heaven!  Moreover, Arcularius Events is undergoing a name change and will soon become Catrina Maria Event Planning & Design.  What better way to celebrate a new space and a new name than with a party?  The studio is at 2418 K Street in Sacramento, so feel free to stop by anytime between 5 and 10 PM to check out our new digs.  For those who can't make it on Thursday our doors will be open for Second Saturday as well...that means there's no excuse not to come!!

We hope to see you all there!!!
-Catrina, Marianna, and Mairead

The Knot Networking Bash, SF

The Knot: what bride-to-be doesn't love it?  We totally love the Knot, too, and were ridiculously excited when we were picked as one of The Knot's 2010 Best of Weddings vendors.  Besides all the warm fuzzies that we got from receiving this award, we also got to attend the 2010 Knot Networking Bash in what may be San Francisco's coolest venue, the California Academy of Sciences.  We got to meet tons of wedding professionals from Northern California and learn all about what The Knot is up to, all while surrounded by the Academy's gorgeous exhibits.  It was definitely a party to remember - check out all our pics from the event below!

The Academy was given a modern nightclub feel with chic lounge areas scattered around the building

We fell in love with the earthy centerpieces, which included lots of succulents and biodegradable pots, and which perfectly complemented the safari feel of the decorations

 BBC did a fantastic job catering the event, offering fun specialty cocktails, delicious fresh finger food, and yummy cupcakes

All in all we had a wonderful time, met great people, and fell in love with The Knot even more!  Thanks again to all who nominated us for the 2010 Knot Best of Weddings!

A-List Top Three!!

We're a little slow in getting around to posting this, but we just have to share how ecstatic we are that we earned a spot in in the top three of the KCRA A-List!!  We know that there were a lot of wedding planners nominated this year, so we feel extremely grateful to have made it to the top!  Thanks so much to everyone who voted for us and wrote such lovely reviews - we couldn't have done it without you!!

A Tour of Napa Valey - Merryvale Vineyards

The last site on our tour is Merryvale Vineyards where we got to have lunch in the Cask Room, which has got to be one of the most romantic places on earth to hold a reception.  Wrought iron gates open up to admit guests into a long, atmospheric space with wine casks stacked to the ceiling on either side.  We're not sure that our description can really do the space justice; just check out the picture below for an idea of what it's really like.

On our visit, we got to sit down in the gorgeous Cask Room for a great family style lunch provided by Wine Valley Catering.  Wine Valley's Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Spanish Romesco Sauce and their Penne Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, and Grilled Eggplant were scrumptious, as was the wine provided by Merryvale.  For more info on Merryvale, contact Kelly Craig at kcraig@merrvale.com.

Well, that does it for our little tour of Napa Valley wedding venues!  We loved each venue we got to visit and had such a great time with all of the other planners on the tour.  We would like to thank La Tavola Fine Linen for putting the tour together, Pure Luxury Wine Tours for making sure that we got to and from each site safely and comfortably, and Wine Valley Catering and Merrvale Vineyards for providing and hosting lunch.  Hopefully we'll get a chance to check out more incredible venues soon!  In the meantime, happy hunting!

A Tour of Napa Valley - Charles Krug

Our next (and very different) site is Charles Krug Winery, owned and operated by the Peter Mondavi Family.  The winery has several acres of park-like grounds, so you have tons of options for ceremony and reception locations.  And since the grounds include a large, covered barbecue pit, couples who prefer something casual can grill up ribs or hamburgers for a homey, laid back rehearsal or reception.

The grounds aren't the only exciting thing about this venue; the part we've really fallen in love with is the Carriage House.  The Carriage House is a two-story event space with a capacity of over two hundred.  Guests would enter past the fountain on the first floor, where a cocktail hour could be held amongst stacks of wine barrels.  The reception would then be held on the stunning second floor, where high vaulted wood ceilings and clerestory windows make this space light, airy, and dramatic.  With pristine wood floors and huge chandeliers, this space exudes a sort of earthy elegance and would make for an absolutely unforgettable reception. 

For more information on Charles Krug Winery, contact Patty Grantham at pgrantham@pmondavi.com or go visit them a do a bit of wine tasting!  Next time, we'll visit one of the most romantic reception sites we've ever seen...