I am so excited.  I have been counting the months…the weeks…the days…

Our gorgeous, romantic, elegant, delicious French Patisserie petite sweets story for CSBrides is hot off the press in the new spring issue.

Grab a copy, and flip immediately to page 132.

I had just returned from a month in Paris when they called me to concept the story.

I literally had daydreamed for hours at Laduree on Rue Bonaparte on the left, and at Rue Royale on the right, and pretty much every patisserie in between daily for over thirty days straight.  Isn’t it is just the loveliest little bit of Paris?  So civilized, so beautiful – relaxing under the turn of the century canopy painted ceiling sipping my favorite The Rose while munching on petite macarons – or even just peering in the decadent windows from the sidewalk.

I L-O-V-E it!  I am so enchanted.  I think these “teacup”cakes with demi spoon sugarplums are my favorite.

I ate, slept, and dreamed this story and shoot for WEEKS before pulling it all together at The Elysian Hotel, in the magnificent and inspiring Hemingway Room.

I thought long and hard about whom to feature on the table…who was new to the scene, newsworthy, petite and pretty, while tasting every bit scrumptuous to boot.

We designed custom monograms, silhouettes, labels, tags, ribbon treatments…

Custom acrylic jars, miniature paper cones, beribboned canning jars with petite wooden tasting spoons…

Tried this color palette, with that linen pairing…then with this linen pairing…then yet another color palette option…

Mocked up the table with this platter topped with that set of demi cups and spoons, unpacked all of my suitcases and boxes from les brocantes – which were just BRIMMING with treasures to be used, designed and styled.  The French kitchen canisters I had just found at Le Marche aux Puces de Vanves, the colored glass Morroccan teacups from Kusmi Tea on Rue de Seine, the faux bois vase from Les Bouquenistes along The Seine, and of course the Eiffel Tower shaped sugar cubes from La Grande Epicerie.

And now it is here – in print (my favorite…long live the magazine!) and digital form for us to sit…

and stare…

and smile at…

just like we do lovely Laduree in Paris.

Thank you to all of our fabulous petite sweets partners – whom I will blog more about next post.  We couldn’t have done it without you of course.

I have to rise at 3 am for the holiday tablesetting ABC morning news segment…or I would wax poetic right now.  Need just a wee bit of sleep, I think.

Doux reves – sweet dreams!

Debi Lilly, aperfectevent.com