Brilliant Studios Nov 16 wedding at Grace Bay Club
November 16th, 2015 was an unusually pale and blustery day in Turks and Caicos. Melissa and Chris didn’t let the lack of sunshine put a damper on their big day! Sometimes a moody sky and sea allows for a most beautiful portrait, don’t you think? I love this Brilliant Studios capture of the newlyweds under our driftwood arch.
Last September Tropical Imaging and I teamed up to shoot a brand new villa by the name of Samsara. Andy Mann and I work together often to profile architect Ron Shaw’s designs, each one incredible in their own right. This sprawling house is beautifully located on Babalua Beach, as the aerial image below demonstrates it virtually has it’s own private 650′ long beach!
I am a big fan of cedar shingled roofs and native stone, Samsara features both in great quantity. It gives the large luxury property a down to earth feel.
I loved the little planters incorporated into the outdoor showers, nice to have nature at your feet and still offer privacy within the surrounding garden.
This staircase was superb any which way you looked at it. We photographed it from three different angles, this was my favorite perspective.
Can you believe that collection of roofs! Remarkable!
The woven wood cabinetry was remarkable as well. I have to hand it to our TC Millwork competitor, Island Stairworks, who did a fantastic job on these CNC machined doors.
Another tidbit for the woodworking fans, this tables pedestal was part of the original house which the owner wanted to salvage and showcase.
If you find yourself lucky enough to enter these gates, you will appreciate this home and all of it’s many facets all the more seeing it in person.
Well done Ron Shaw, very grateful Andy and I were selected for this project! Always look forward to what you will create next. This round dining room with one of your signature ceilings made my most impressive list. Bravo!
The Regent Palms October wine dinner was just a styling warm-up for the annual In the Pink fundraiser. I was thrilled Karen Whitt was keen on most of the ideas I presented in our brainstorming sessions. Like the 4′ tall cascading glitter THINK PINK signs we featured front and center from the balcony,
and the petal draped lanterns billowing from the courtyard trees,
and let’s not forget the gold and fuscia chevron painted cocktail tables!!!
The Regent Palms is such a stunning location for an event, an ideal backdrop where the imagination can run a bit wild. In typical fashion, I wanted to be fairly conservative in bringing in supplies and try to be resourceful with the decor the Palms already had in stock. We recycled wine and champagne bottles to make these beautiful glitter covered vases.
This was the sixth year running and the most successful event to date, from the local SUN:
“During an evening of shopping, dancing and socializing, Saturday, October 11th the organizers of In the Pink held their most successful event ever, reaching their target this year of raising $30,000 which will be donated to the National Cancer Society. This year’s event was hosted at Regent Palms Resort, and was coordinated by the organizing committee who have been involved with the event since its inception.
In the Pink, a powerful and inspiring event was created to honor breast cancer survivors, raise awareness about steps individuals can take to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer, and raise money to assist those persons locally who require additional assistance with extensive treatments.
“Meeting our target again was only possible because of the generous support of our patrons, donors, corporate sponsors and volunteers, who gave from the heart to make this event possible. We are so grateful for the outstanding support we continue to receive year after year.” said Karen Whitt, General Manager of the Regent Palms and Chairman of the Event. We are already talking about new ideas for next year’s event, and we are extremely excited to support such a worthy cause.”
Breast cancer is a widespread disease that universally impacts our society as a whole. Early detection is key to successfully treating the disease. We are so proud to partner with The National Cancer Society to help spread the word about prevention, and to provide much needed assistance for treatment to those persons afflicted with this terrible disease.”
The cotton candy pink limited edition Vespa was a donation from one of the patrons, part of the silent auction portion of the event.
It looked even more beautiful once the sun set, I must say fabulous job and many thanks to Paradise Photography for capturing these beautiful images.
Before, and after the guests began to arrive . . .
Big thanks to all who worked so hard to pull this years bigger and best yet event off; the Regent Palms staff, the organizers, the volunteers, and of course those that attended, shopped, and supported the cause!
Last summer I was thrilled when Karen Whitt asked me to style for seasonal events at the Regent Palms. The first event was the Kysela Wine Dinner at The Regent Palms Oct 2014.
Kicking off the first wine dinner of season will be the double delights of Chef Lauren at the beautiful Regent Palms and Fran Kysela, Master Sommelier from Kysela Pere et Fils. This will be an around the world experience as Fran introduces us to a different country with each course of wines that he helped create over his last 30 years in the wine business in the USA.
Fran Kysela’s career spans three decades as a Master Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Master of Sake and sole owner of Kysela Pere et Fils, based in Virginia. Having met Fran at the start of my career in the wine industry, I have worked directly with Fran since the year 2000 and he is one of the great wine professionals and business men in the alcohol industry. It is my great pleasure and honor to have Fran on the island and treat him a little bit of REAL Southern hospitality like we do it in Provo.
We still have tickets available and the Palms is set for a beautiful evening. Take a look at the delectable seven course, wine paired meal for $125 (all in) that Chef Lauren has put together for us and realize that this is the dinner of the season.
After thoroughly enjoying Mr. Kysela’s bio information I wished every guest would take the time to learn a little about Mr. Kysela and his outlook on wine, life, and business success. I then had the idea to make sure every guest did. I made shadowboxes for every table which highlighted a different quote of Mr. Kysela’s:
“I was 25 years old and I just realized, wow, this is what I want to do. I had been experimenting with wine tasting, and I found some of the tastes so intriguing. And as soon as I came to understand wine, I began to grasp that there was a human and cultural component to it.”
-Fran Kysela on his start in the industry
“I am passionate about planning, building, and maintaining my business but I love wine in particular because of the history and culture surrounding it. This business has allowed me to travel all over the world and to expose myself to so many different peoples and places. When I’ve visited these countries, I’ve seen their cultural heritage, their various foods and wines that match, and the lay of the land. These are the most unique experiences of my life.”
-Fran Kysela on his passion
I reached a pinnacle in terms of my energy, experience and skills. When you’re 37 you’re ready to go out and do something. If you’re going to be self-made, you need to be ready to nail that down sometime between 32 and 42. You need the seasoning not to make the wrong moves, but you don’t want to start to late either. Some people tell me they want to go into the wine business and the first two things I ask are their age and their experience. In wine there is a sweet spot between vitality and experience.”
-Fran Kysela on starting Kysela Pere et Fils
“When you start out with your business for the first time you’re headstrong and you don’t take to other people’s opinions much. But as you get older you learn that you need to build consensus. That’s something you learn through trial and error. You’ve got to be able to change gears quickly.”
-Fran Kysela on self-discipline in the business world
“Our products are typically more artisanal-more hands-on, and more niche. We are generally the sole source for any wine that we purchase. We purchase wines that are unique and our selection is diverse. No one else has one thousand SKU’s of diversity.”
-Fran Kysela on Kysela Pere et Fils wines
“His advice was that there is always room in business for a good small company. I feel I have realised that advice.”
-Fran Kysela on Kysela Pere et Fils company size
“Find something you’re going to like right away and stick with it. If you start moving around a bunch, you’ll run out of time to get in on the ground floor of what you really want to do. You’ve only got so much time on this earth. Find your passion and stick with it.”
-Fran Kysela on finding your passion
“Always put everything I writing.”
-Fran Kysela advice on the objective reality of business
This event was great fun to style for. Coming from the northwest I always miss the change of season in the fall. I wanted to create a harvest tablescape which featured the fruit and spice notes within the featured wines. Plums, cinammon, oak, and more met the guests senses upon their arrival foreshadowing some of the flavors to come. Following the event I received a kind note from sponsor and wine distributor, Tina Williford of the IGA:
“Stacie,
Finally a breathing moment! I wanted to let you know how spectacular the table display was for Saturday night’s dinner at The Palms. I was touched and so was Mr. Kysela by the personal, creative and beautiful message delivered through the consideration and creativity given to your table setting…maybe just, blown away would be a better way to put it.”
Big thanks to Tina for the kind words and to Karen and all the staff at the Palms who worked so hard to make this event a success.
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
Image by Steve Passmore Provo Pictures
