French Wedding Favors | parisian party

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the paris wedding: diy french favors and top 5 tips for planning a paris wedding

The Paris Wedding Autour du Monde Blog Tour kicks off today in the U.S. and in France. First stop: DIY Bride, the American mecca for handy brides-and-grooms to be, with a glowing (!) book review and a simple, French-inspired DIY favor idea from the book that’s perfect for a summer celebration. I’m especially thrilled to start the tour with Khris Cochran (the crafty genius at the helm of DIY Bride) because she’s currently celebrating 10 YEARS of sharing her crafty wisdom with the wedding world through her lovely blog.

Next comes a hop across the ocean to Lost in Cheeseland, the Paris lifestyle blog by Philadelphia native, Lindsey Tramuta. I shared my Top 5 Tips for Planning a Paris Wedding with Lindsey, as well as dropped off a copy of my book for her to give-away on her blog. Check out my tips here, and be sure to enter the give-away at the end of the post. Mille Mercis for your hospitality, Khris and Lindsey, and félicitations, DIY Bride!

Remember, The Paris Wedding Autour du Monde Blog Tour runs through Monday, April 15. Check out the rest of the stops here.

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girl’s week-end in paris - jewelry atelier

Laurie from The Paris Blog was here in Paris this past spring, looking to add some French techniques to her jewelry-making skills. She was surprised to find that one-day workshops or short-duration jewelry making classes are pretty hard to come by- until she found her way to La Petite Manufacture in the 11th arrondissement. I saw this and thought that this funky little atelier would make such a cool addition to a bachelorette weekend in Paris. A great way to occupy the girls- at least until the sun goes down. Here’s an excerpt from Laurie’s post:

I finally landed on La Petite Manufacture, a jewelry boutique in the 11^th arrondissement with a sizable studio in back. The owner, Marie, gives courses on Fridays and Saturdays when not tending to the store and making her own creations. A look around the place and you know you’re in capable hands: besides Marie’s own jewelry, which is whimsical and well made, there’s a kiln; a wall of drawers for materials from stamps to glues to silver metal paste; and, on the large wood workbench, jars of scissors, colored pencils, and dentist tools.

The 3-hour, one-off classes cost 45 to 60 euros and range in subject from beading to metal paste to Murano-style glass-making. Students are provided with all the materials they need, and can also select from the boutique in front. In yesterday’s beading course, for instance, I “shopped” for ribbon, clasps, beads, wire, and fancy embroidery thread.

The real value of the class is in Marie. Patient and encouraging, she leaves the students enough free range to find their own way after ample instruction. She speaks English, in case your French is a little shaky and you need a few words translated (“melaxer” means “squish,” I learned).

Check out the rest of Laurie’s post on The Paris Blog to find out more about this hidden Parisian treasure.

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my love affair with laduree

For the unfortunate few who still don’t know about the magic of the French macaron (as opposed to the American macaroon), let me explain it to you: Macarons are 2 small, airy, almond-based cookies held together by either a ganache, butter cream or jam filling. Originally a simple almond cookie, it wasn’t until the 1900’s that it became the colorful, Frenchy treat that everyone is talking about. That was when Pierre Desfontaines had the brilliant idea to color, flavor and sandwich macarons, then sell them in his little Parisian salon de thé called Ladurée.

Ah, Ladurée: for lovers of Paris, lovers of macarons, for lovers of LOVE around the world- Ladurée is Shangri-La. Like her first pair of heels or her first kiss- a girl never forgets her first visit to Ladurée. Mine was during an early trip to Paris- I was walking along the Champs Elysées, and noticed a long line of people weaving out from the entrance of a gilded gold and pistachio-colored storefront. At that moment, it was as if fate took over. Wherever I was heading that day dropped out of my mind as my soul got in line to enter Ladurée, my body instinctively dragged along.

From the first crispy crunch to the cool, creamy finale- only 2 bites – (15 seconds!) of that Pétales de Rose macaron, I knew that my life was changed forever. Since then I’ve been a fidèle maîtresse to Ladurée macarons, tempted by the likes of Pierre Hermé and Dalloyau, but never rarely straying.

As a wedding planner in Paris, I’ve lovingly guided clients through the assortment of flavors for Ladurée’s famous pièce montée- the tall, conical tower of multi-colored macarons first invented by Ladurée for weddings and celebrations; through cassis, violette , fleur d’oranger, caramel au beurre salé and beyond. I’ve choked back tears of pride as Ladurée has expanded to the four corners of the globe, creating custom macaron flavors along the way, like cinnamon-raisin for the New York market, or coffee-cardamom for Beirut.

Sometimes I wonder what I’d do if I ever lost my lovely Ladurée. I guess if that day ever came, I’d pick myself up and find some other way to “get my macaron on”. Lucky for me the macaron craze has spread around the world, and can now be found in most major cities from Tokyo to Oslo. Of course, Ladurée will forever be my one true love, but as my grandma used to say- a girl’s always got to have a Plan B!