Happy National Chardonnay Day!

Last week we helped out with an event called "Stars New York" for an organization called the Peter Michael Foundation. Sir Peter Michael started a winery in Sonoma County, CA in 1982 and the wines became wildly popular. He then established the foundation, which seeks to to discover and underwrite the most promising tools and techniques for the identification, treatment and management of prostate cancer. The fundraising event took place at Studio 450 and guests were treated to a gourmet dinner crafted by renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Each course was paired with a carefully selected Peter Michael wine. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening.

Instead of table numbers, we directed guests to their table using iconic NYC neighborhoods.

The best scallops we have ever eaten. Thanks Nobu!

Beautiful night, beautiful skyline.

We love any excuse for a celebration, and so when we found out that today is National Chardonnay Day, we immediately thought of Peter Michael wines. Peter Michael has six different Chardonnays that are each vineyard specific and have different tastes. We had the La Carriere at the event, which has the "leanest and most citrus like fruit profile" out of the six. We highly recommend it! Check out the others here.

We think you should celebrate National Chardonnay Day no matter what type of wine you like. So pour some red, pour some white and bottoms up!

To support The Peter Michael Foundation or learn more about upcoming events, click here.

5 Last Minute Gifts For Mom

We were just talking about how we seem to get our mothers the same thing each year for Mother's Day. And lets be honest, she would probably be thrilled with the card and flowers that you always order two days prior. But we came up with five fabulous last minute Mother's Day gifts if you are looking to get her something different this year...


1. Chocolate covered...anything

It seems like six or seven years ago, no one had Edible Arrangement type gifts on the radar. Now it seems like people are dipping almost everything in chocolate. But if you want to skip the sometimes lofty price tag for these treats, you can make your own at home. We found a great chocolate covered strawberries recipe here. 



2. Cocktail napkins (paired with her favorite cocktail of course)

youneedadrink.com

For the mom who loves to entertain we think that these are perfect for a bit of a giggle, especially if you pair them with her favorite drink!

3. An old photo in a new frame

Wave, New Canaan, CT 

Print out your favorite picture of you and your leading lady from when you were little and put it in a pretty frame. It will be sure to strike up some fun blasts from the past at the dinner table.

4. Statement necklace

She La La, New Canaan, CT 

Give your mom some credit in the fashion department. These big necklaces are seen everywhere these days, regardless of age. Everyone likes bright colors this time of year, and it will be sure to put some spring in her step.

5. Pretty place setting

camillestyles.com

Make your mom a yummy homemade brunch and present it to her with pretty new place settings, linens or teacups.


All of these gifts are sure to please, but don't forget that the one thing moms want most is to spend quality time with their children. With that thought, Mary is off this afternoon to help her mom plant a garden. It is a gorgeous day today so get out there and treat your mom to the thing that matters most this weekend- one on one time.

April Affairs

The month of April has been pretty busy around here, so we haven’t had much time to share our usual cool finds and event trends, but we thought we would give you a sneak peak into what we have been up to lately.  Spring gala season at MK has been defined by a little bit of this and a little bit of that. A pinch of science, a dash of dance and a lot of A-Listers...

As people who have chosen to go into the event industry, we cannot claim to be “sciency” individuals. But we have to say that we love to get our yearly science fix while working with The World Science Festival on their annual gala. This was our third year working with WSF, so we were looking for ways to keep things fresh. This year's program was different because it introduced the science of food. We brought in culinary innovators such as Homaro Cantu and Michael Cirino among others, all of whom have a passion for molecular gastronomy. They gave eye-catching demonstrations and produced tasty concoctions such as carbonated fruit and ice cream that looked like popcorn!

Creative genius Josh Tierney of Great Performances brought the atrium to life 

Birthday Cake for Honoree James Watson- brought to you by the Cake Boss

Homaro Cantu demonstrates how to make "carbonated fruit"

Dessert by Justin Hilbert of Gwynnett St.

Moving from science to celebs, we had the privilege of helping out Time Inc. with their VIP guests for the White House Correspondents Dinner. This is always one of the most exciting weekends for us each year. There is something about that April weekend in D.C. with the cherry blossoms out and the whole city buzzing with big names in movies, television, sports, and of course politics. Click here to look at some of the red carpet photos.

Ashley and Katie with their new BFF, Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas

MK Team at the People magazine pre-WHCD dinner

D.C. was so gorgeous this past weekend, we just had to snap a pic of the beautiful tulips

We have a few more events before the end of spring so keep checking in for more updates. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying the warm weather while we go take a snooze outside... 

Easter Entertaining

SucyPants.com

We love it on Easter morning when we get to wake up, put on our most colorful Sunday best, and dive into bright baskets full of jelly beans and Cadbury Creme eggs. Easter is the perfect spring holiday for event fanatics like us because we love to entertain. And not sure if you heard, but the great thing about holidays is that calories don't count. That's why we think you should really go for it this Sunday and make something savory and something sweet for Easter brunch. Not that we don't love the classic bacon and egg combo, because we do, but here are some recipes that will liven things up a bit. They are too mouth watering not to want to try:

French Toast Strada with Raspberries.

Ladies Home Journal

The Kitchn's Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole. 

The Kitchn

We've also been all about the mixology lately here at MK. We have an event next week which feature professional mixologists who will show guests how to make some out of this world science-inspired concoctions. With drinks on the brain, we stumbled upon this Hibiscus-Mint Iced Tea recipe from Martha Stewart. It's so refreshing and we feel like sipping on a glass of this might just make the warm spring weather come a little sooner.

We talked in one of our previous blog posts about the beauty of printable party accessories. They are so easy and can add much needed detail to any get together. We found these vintage inspired Easter printables from a great lifestyle website called Saucy Pants (we love the name). The drink flags are always a favorite.

SucyPants

Goodbye for now and hope you have a bright and delicious Easter!

Emerald Green in Twenty Thirteen

In the spirit of St. Patty's day, we thought we would pay homage to the color that invaded cities all over America this past weekend. Emerald green has been named the Pantone Color of 2013, taking the place of 2012's Tangerine. After days of tough deliberation, presentations and meetings in a top secret European City (as is tradition), Pantone decided on the color it says is, "Lively, radiant and lush....A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony." We love this color for events because of it's abundant in nature. The use of leaves, grass and fruit is such an elegant way to style an event and evokes effortless inspiration for outdoor celebrations.

Pantone always tries it's best to pick a color that represents "the spirit of the time," so we hope your twenty thirteen is lively, radiant and lush like emerald green!

And the Oscar goes to...

Last night, while many people questioned Seth MacFarlane's bold sense of humor, there was no questioning Hollywood's taste in fashion. With the exception of the "star" of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills series Brandi Granville, (why oh why was she even there?) most of the celebs who hit the red carpet looked absolutely fantastic. Take a look at our picks for the 2013 Oscar's best dressed:

Mary's Pick: Charlize Theron. She was an absolute vision in that peplum Dior haute couture gown. We love that she rocks the pixie cut, a bold haircut which most people are terrified of. Let's also take a minute to reflect on her dance duet with Channing Tatum. What a hideous pair..

Katie's Pick: Amy Adams. The supporting actress nominee ("The Master") looked amazing in this Oscar de la Renta princess ball gown. In previous years, she has always gone for a more sleek look, but we love how this year she channeled her inner Giselle from Enchanted. 

Ashley's Pick: Jennifer Lawrence. We are so obsessed with her that she really could be wearing a paper bag and we would still be talking about how much we want to be her. Fortunately, instead of a paper bag she showed up in a stunning Dior gown that caused her fall on the way up to the stage. When asked what happened, JLaw replied, "What do you mean what happened? Look at this dress!"


Who do YOU think was best dressed? You can vote here are E! Online's "Pose Off."

Ghastly & Glam at the Grammys

The 55th Grammy Awards were last night and we could talk all day about how fabulous Carrie Underwood's Blown Away performance was, how Adam Levine and Alicia Keys need to record an entire album together and how irrelevant LL Cool J has become. But, as usual, we are going to focus on fashion. For the Golden Globes we seemed to agree that no one horribly missed the mark, so here's to you, Hollywood. Cheers. But there were so many catastrophes going on in the world of music last night, that we simply had to throw in a "Worst Dressed" category this time:

Katie's Worst Dressed Pick: J Lo. There is absolutely no aspect of this look that is flattering. J Lo is a gorgeous woman, but her Grammy looks in recent history have frankly lacked some class. What is the thing on top of her head? Also, this look is such a rip-off of Angelina Jolie's leg pop at last year's Oscars, so we can't even give her pity points for creativity.

Ashley's Worst Dressed Pick: I hate to do it, because I think Adele's music is a gift to all single ladies worldwide, but WHAT is this? Is it my grandmother's table cloth? She does get some points simply for being British and for not ever apologizing for her vivacious curves, even if she should make a public apology for the dress.

Worst Dressed Runners Up: Katy Perry (too tight, too green), Frank Ocean (who are you exactly?) and Florence Welch (clearly going for the reptilian look).

Katie's Best Dressed Pick: Natasha Bedingfield. Although she wasn't up for any awards, nor was she presenting, this look deserves a big shout out. Natasha wore Emerson by Jackie Fraser-Swans, and accessories by our girl Marina B.

Ashley's Best Dressed Pick: While we won't comment on her dating preferences, nor will you hear us really praise her music, Rihanna looked good. She went for a romantic red Azzedine Alaia dress that gown showed off her toned figure and bronzed skin (and ombre hair...had to say it).

Best Dressed Runners Up: Carrie Underwood (great detail in the dress), T Swift (just lose the bangs), and Allison Williams ("Hi JLo at the Grammy's"-Girls).