All Posts From 2009

Ever since I put on my first pink flower girl dress at the age of 4, my obsession–yes I used the word obsession– with weddings came to be.  Every part of it, the beautiful dresses, the array of flowers, men dressed in tuxedos, women at their most beautiful, the excitement in the air, the joining together of two people, two lives…it is all so hopelessly romantic.

As a wedding coordinator today, even after almost 600 weddings, I still get teary-eyed as I watch the groom looking at his bride walking down the aisle.  i love to bustle the wedding dress of a bride and I love to hand her that bouquet to toss to the next bride-to-be.  Coordinating all of these weddings and being a part of this special day for each bride and groom is absolute bliss to me.

However, nothing has given me more joy than being a part of this special day for the FantaSea family.  It all began with the great pleasure and responsibility of coordinating the wedding of our owners, Daniel and Stephanie Ginzburg.  It was a most enchanted evening that was truly special and unforgettable for everyone involved and in attendance.  it was from that day that it was my absolute goal to coordinate a special wedding for everyone here at FantaSea.

This past year, we had two such FantaSea weddings.  Our bartender of 10 years, Marco Aispuro and 8 year Event Manager, Geoff Caffell.  Over the years, getting to know them and watching them fall in love and seeing how that love can make such a positive influence was a delight to see.  As their wedding coordinator, I wanted to make sure that their wedding day was perfect.  And as I watched them walk down the aisle and to see their eyes sparkling and smiles bigger than I’ve ever seen before, I felt a sense of pride and joy.  I wish them both a lifetime of love and happiness.

It is also a great pleasure to know that even though they spend so many working hours here, they chose to celebrate their special day with their FantaSea family – it means so much to all of us.  Next year, we look forward to another FantaSea wedding and a quinceañera!

What a night! It was a clear view all the way to the break-wall from the sky deck of our largest yacht, FantaSea One.  We had a perfect view of the fireworks that went off right at 5:55pm to kick off the parade.

This years theme was ‘Christmas in Paradise’, and the participants did not disappoint. Boats of all sizes were decked in their best holiday décor, from 15 foot tall pink cocktails and real palm trees to surfing Santa’s and Mrs. Claus in a hula skirt…even the Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol got in the spirit!

What a great night out on the water, can’t wait until next year!

“Mate, that’s not a knife…THIS is a knife”.   “Dude! Where’s my car??”  These two quotes are synonymous in film history, but what do they actually mean by ‘Mate’ and ‘Dude’?

Well, having spent most of my life in Australis, the word ‘Mate’ is used in what could be described as a friendly gesture of “I don’t really know your name, but hey there…” It can also be referred to your friend as being your ‘Mate’ or buddy, a way Australians in general like to address each other.  Its origin, like a lot of Australian language and culture, has been derived from the British, especially the sailors and convicts who were sent to OZ during the colonization.  These men and women often spoke in rhyming slang and a friend would be referred to as your ‘China Plate’ or ‘Mate’.

Personally, I think we use the word ‘Mate’ all too often with most people greeting each other with ‘G’day Mate’.  If you think about it, it can be quite presumptuous to say this all the time as you are suggesting that most people you meet are your friend, which isn’t always the case.  It really is a cultural thing and is widely accepted and even revered as our tradition of ‘Mate-Ship’ goes way back to early war days where your ‘Mates’ had your back and would never let you down.

In fact, it was only up until the early 1970’s that women were able to go into what was called ‘The Public Bar’ in Australian Pubs, as the men congregated with their ‘Mates’ and women were relegated to the lounge area or commonly called ‘The Ladies Lounge’ and they had to be accompanied to the bar to buy a drink.  These were the days of ‘The 6 o’clock Swill’ where the pubs were shut at 6pm sharp and men and their ‘Mates’ would rush from work to drink as many beers as they could before closing time.  This often led to binge drinking and so eventually the closing hours were extended.

When I think of ‘Dude’ having only really heard of this being used in American film I immediately think of the surfing culture well reprsented by Sean Penn’s portrayal of ‘Spicoli’ in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and of course ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘Dude! Where’s My Car?’.

If you’re referred to as a ‘Dude’ it usually means you are cool or…you have it together.  A gesture very similar to ‘Mate’ although its origins came from the 1800’s where city dwellers vacationing on a Ranch in the west, were often called ‘Cool Dudes’ as they were fastidiously dressed.  That connotation has probably morphed over the years and now especially in LA a ‘Dude’ could be anyone, however, not necessarily a friend.

So “Mate that’s not a knife…but…Dude! Where’s my car??’.