All Posts Written By Leah Puccio

As the sun sets down, over beautiful Marina del Rey,
we rolled out the red carpet on a perfect August day.

Guests of all ages, colors, shape and size,
were welcomed aboard to a whimsical surprise!

A life-sized Cat in the Hat pointed this way and that,
head to the party deck and bar, or stay in the lounge for a chat.

“Dr. Seuss?” they all cried, “what a wonderful theme!”
as the cocktail cruise began in twinkle lit gleam.

Back to the dock for a grand entrance and dinner reservations,
we opened the yacht club doors to show off more Seuss decorations.

Tables were named after all those famous Seuss tales,
Green Eggs and Ham and even the Grinch dressed the tables!

Dancing and games with white gloves and black light,
friends and family alike will never forget this night.

She called honored guests up, group by group in rhyme,
lighting one of thirteen candles, each in their own time.

For her endless love and care, she thanked her mother most of all,
a very special bat mitzvah for Jessi, the sweetest girl of all.

Having the opportunity to coordinate many of the events here at FantaSea, I marvel at the creativity that I see making these special events so…well, special! From hand made invitations and place card holders, to heartfelt gift favors and rhyming speeches; our guests never cease to amaze me at how they put their thumbprint on their special event.

As I write this, I am reminded of my sister’s wedding three years ago.  She and her then fiancée chose to turn the very plain Veteran’s hall of Clovis, California, into an Italian themed reception to compliment our family’s heritage.  Complete with red checkered tablecloths, Chianti in baskets and faux grapes hanging from the ceiling.  When I walked in, my eyes went immediately to the Karaoke DJ in the corner and the ear plug guest favors at each place setting and thought…oh brother, how on earth are we related???  Well, with my tummy stuffed with antipasto, I joined the conga line dancing around the room, I ended up having the best time!  It was the most fun wedding my family has had in a long time and reflecting upon it now…it was so perfectly them!!!

It all starts with a date, a time and a place…and the ideas tend to just flow from there.  Some of our guests come in with a theme already, just looking for a venue to compliment.  Others will see our venues and let the ideas build from there.  We have turned the yacht club into everything from a European Bistro complete with working water fountain, to a Dr. Seuss inspired wonderland.  Our yachts have been transformed into pirate ships and cruising Hawaiian luau’s and just about everything in between.

Though these transformations are incredible, it’s really the little things, those extra special touches that I have seen along the way that I think set each event apart from one another.  Here are a few photos of some of my favorite things, there are almost too many to include!

The best events are the ones that reflect you. After all…it is your celebration, it should be about you!

Last month we had Jasmine (Jazzy’s) birthday aboard the RegentSea and it was one of the sweetest sweet 16’s that we have ever seen! With everything that Jasmine had going on, it would have been impossible to not have a happening party – 110 of her closest friends and family, a fun theme, candy station, music and an over-the-top surprise!

We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend and her favorite jeans are a close second, so when we found out that Jazzy’s theme was “Jeans N’ Bling” we knew that she was on to something. Jazzy’s mom, Jannie McKinney, handmade all the linens for the cocktail tables with denim material and stick on diamonds. The RegentSea always shines, but on this particular night she sparkled, as she was literally dripping in diamonds.

Pink and black made the perfect complimentary colors to the demin and were used throughout the party; arches of pink and black balloons, pink diamond centerpieces, pink confections and pink flowers. (Tip: If you’re thinking about having your own “Jeans N’ Bling”, or “Diamonds and Denim”, affair we suggest you pick up some edible diamonds from Beryl’s Cake Decorating and Pastry Supplies.)

Nobody could resist the cupcakes, cake, jellybeans and other pink sweets at the candy station. It looked great, tasted better and kept the partygoers dancing for hours!

There was tons of great music at this party, but nothing could beat the surprise performance of New Boyz who serenaded Jazzy with ‘Happy Birthday’ and performed their hit song ‘You’re a Jerk’ to a crowd of very happy teenagers.

We didn’t think Jazzy’s “Jeans N’ Bling” party on a beautiful yacht could get any better until she got her big gift – a shiny, brand new, white Lexus. From the friends and family, to the New Boyz performance, to the new car, we have a feeling that this was a birthday that Jazzy will cherish forever.