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Good Gracious! Events founder, Pauline Parry was selected by Voyage LA to be highlighted as a hidden gem around Los Angeles and we are thrilled!

“Good Gracious! Events is a full-service LIFESTYLE food and beverage event and wedding company. We are known as luxury and a company you can rely on to represent brands and culture through hospitality.

Professional event planners, private clients, and corporations – both nationally and internationally – seek us out for our innovative expertise and imaginative concepts in culinary and event design. GG! Events have a reputation for being a trendsetter in producing unique, quality and fabulous presentations in all aspects of culinary and design for weddings, social and corporate events.

I am proud of my team as you can not do it alone and that we are respected by our peers as being a leader in the industry. I am a founding member of WIPA (Wedding International Professional Association) and 10 years later we have opened 15 chapters – this I am proud about as our industry is young and through working with associations we are bringing strength and value to what we do. I have been president of a lot of industry associations as I believe education brings strength to the business.” - via Voyage LA

To read the full interview, click HERE!










Image Credit: Jasmine Star, Loreen Sarkis Studios, Claire Barrett Photography, Michael Segal, Yvette Roman, Marianne Lozano, Russell Harris Group

Our next creative in our “creatives that inspire” series, is Loreen Sarkis of Sarkis Studios! We caught up with her for a short interview where we got to know her favorite place to shoot and when she knew she wanted to pursue a career as a professional photographer!



1. 5 things in your fridge at all times? 

A bottle of rosé or prosecco, salsa, love me some fage yogurt with strawberries, and the basic eggs and milk. When you live alone, there's not much in your fridge.

2. Last concert you went to? 

It’s been a while since I have been to a concert. Although Andrea Bocelli and Beyonce & Jay Z are on my list for this year. I know two very different kind of music right?!

3. What is your guilty pleasure? 

Traveling. Give me a plane ticket anywhere and I’d take it. There's just something about sitting on a plane (window seat) and looking at the world from up above.

4. Your favorite location to shoot? 

Favorite location? That’s a tough one, there's just to many good places! If I had to choose one though, I would probably choose Greystone Mansion.

 5. What’s the favorite part about what you do? 

 Meeting new people everyday. Traveling is one of my most favorite things, and my job allows me to do just that while bringing new adventures and new places to see. The best part are the different stories I get to capture, each that are unique in every way. A simple quote I love to go by “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”.

 6. When did you first know you wanted to be a photographer? 

Well that’s a long story. Long story short I grew up in this field. My father Sam Sarkis a also a wedding photographer, which is who taught me everything I know today and blessed to say because of him I am where I am now. I first started working with my dad when I was at the young age of 14. At that time, I was just assisting and helping him carry all his gear. Slowly but surely I started picking up the camera. It then became nature that this is the career that is for me.

7. Where can we see more!? 

 Instagram is a big one for me right now. This is where my clients are, and where each vendor should be on. It is the biggest free platform to promote yourself right now, and most importantly engage in so many different ways with your audience. I joke around sometime and say that is a business card. I keep my Instagram very updated, so make sure to follow me there @loreensarkis Also on Facebook, and LinkedIn!

To see more of our work, click here. 

In this edition of Pauline's Points, we are diving into the entertainment portion of your event....Shall we dance? Your music choice absolutely sets the pace



1. Your music for the wedding absolutely sets the pace for the whole affair simply by the choices you make for music

2. Think about what music you want for the ceremony, followed by the cocktail hour and then the reception.

3. You might consider using your musicians from the ceremony or the reception band to play for the cocktail hour. This can be a little more cost effective than having three complete sets of musicians.

4. Make sure with outside receptions and ceremonies you have no noise regulations.

5. Only small weddings can get away with no amplifications so make sure you have adequate sound system.

6. The first Dance adds so much entertainment to your wedding so consider making it impactful. Consider having your first dance choreographed this will involve some dance lessons but these classes can help you to relieve some stress and connect during the planning stages.

7. Music that works quite well during cocktails would be a Latin quartet, jazz trio, a pianist or string quartet. You do not want your music to dominate during this time as guests are having conversations.

8. A wedding is all about the dancing. Your options are two fold a live “wedding” band or the DJ? I believe both are able to adjust the tempo and bring spontaneity to your event by the music they play. True a live band does have a richer sound. Determine what works best for your budget. You can add a couple of musicians if you determine the DJ is the direction you want to take that will help give a richer sound.

9. Make sure you discuss the timeline for the evening with the music director. Musicians by law do have to have a break every hour for fifteen minutes. Some will work with your as not to disrupt the tempo of the evening.

10. Make sure you have allowed enough hours that you have booked the musicians. Also be aware of what the costs will be should you decide that you would like the music to go into overtime.

Pauline Parry sat down with Inside Weddings and gave the scoop on need-to-know catering tips. Keep scrolling for her insight!

Nothing sets the tone of your celebration quite like an elegant, delicious menu. One of the most important choices you will make, as far as your guests’ enjoyment is concerned, is the cuisine you choose to offer at your fête. Whether you’re having a cake-and-punch reception with an offering of small bites and tasty treats, or you’re planning out a refined, three-course meal – you must have full confidence in your wedding caterer. We interviewed Pauline Parry, founder of Good Gracious! Events – a top-notch catering company – to help future brides and grooms better navigate the booking process when it comes to the perfect caterer. Read her answers below!

Inside Weddings: Is there one thing you love most about being in the catering business?
Pauline Parry: I LOVE that we have the opportunity to prepare all sorts of cuisines in so many different event locations!

IW: What kinds of cuisine does Good Gracious! specialize in? Certain influences?
PP: We definitely specialize in California Cuisine, but we can prepare, interpret, or fuse multiple cuisines like Japanese, Chinese, Peruvian, Mexican, Spanish as well as French and Italian.

IW: For an engaged couple, when is the best time to book the caterer?
PP: Once a location has been decided on.

IW: What should couples be looking for in their caterer?
PP: Two things that stand out most to me are, if the caterer has experience working at your event location and if they actually maintain a permitted and certified commercial kitchen.

IW: What are some of the most important questions to ask a potential caterer?
PP: Here are a few major questions one should ask:
- Ask if you can choose a menu that reflects your tastes, but is not too extreme for your guests’ tastes. This is the first time that you’ll be hosting as a married couple, so make considerations for your guests when planning the menu.
- Ask whether the caterer offers tastings. Most venues with on-site catering will provide a tasting once a deposit has been secured. Some may charge for a tasting, but if you secure their services, they will normally credit the monies toward your wedding.
- Ask the caterer how many bites or portions of appetizers are recommended during the cocktail hour. In my world, I would rather you have more than less. For example, I would recommend 8-10 bites or portions per guest, as your guests have generally traveled to get to your celebration and are usually quite hungry.
- Ask for a balanced selection of food items, both for tray-passed appetizers and for the dinner so that everyone’s tastes and dietary needs are met.
- If you’re going to serve a plated dinner, ask if you can give guests a choice between fish, meat, or chicken and a vegetarian option. Knowing actual guest counts can be more cost effective to your caterer and be appreciated.
- If you decide to serve meat to all guests, I’d ask if a vegetarian plate is possible (for a specific number of guests) or if the caterer can accommodate known food allergies. A simpler vegetarian alternative would be to serve the sides from the main plate minus the meat if cost is an issue.
- Discuss service styles with your caterer, such as if you would like a left-right serve, to serve ladies first, or find a point person at each table. Also let the caterer know if you would like finished plates to be picked up as each guest finishes or wait until the whole table finishes. This normally will be dependent upon the overall program and time constraints of reception.
- A plated meal and a buffet dinner usually work out to be the same price point. For a plated meal, more servers are required, but the number of hours they’re needed can be reduced. The chef can also determine exact quantities of food since everything would be portioned out.
- A buffet requires more food because there’s no way to determine how much guests will indulge. Buffets also need to be set up and broken down in addition to guests tables. Plus, there’s the added expense of chafers, platters, additional flowers and/or table décor, linens, etc.
- Always have one menu card at each table or one at each place setting so guests can familiarize themselves with the menu and thus, alert the caterer with any food issues they may have.

IW: How do you go about designing a wedding menu? Can a caterer typically get a sense of the couples' taste and make suggestions?
PP: Yes, we do get a sense of the couple’s taste and make suggestions. We ask what restaurants they like, how they like to entertain, etc. We also ask what foods they would NOT like to see on a menu and what food or specific dish they LOVE, and then we develop from there.

IW: How often do brides and grooms have a very specific menu picked out before coming in?
PP: Not very often. I think in my 30 fresh years of catering, it's happened one time. Quite a lot of couples do have an item or two they must have... it's ususally indicative of a childhood memory, a family favorite, or a food they shared and experienced together for the first time while dating.

IW: Do you have any particularly memorable weddings that Good Gracious! has catered? Any highlights or difficult situations?
PP: A big question! As caterers, we tend to take the bull by the horns in facing any challenges on the job. That said, drunkeness can sometimes be a difficult situation, but overall, we’ve been so very lucky. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting some truly FABULOUS couples and families who’ve left US with beautiful memories. We just forget the bad experiences.

IW: If there is one piece of advice you could offer couples hiring a caterer, what would it be?
PP: I’d say, make sure you feel absolutely comfortable with whomever you chose, and that you have a high level of trust in them.
See beautiful cuisine designs for your reception, read up on some of our expert catering tips to maximize your food's impact, and discover how a catering manager is different from a consultant!

To see more of our work, head to our website!

Creativity for our work comes to us in every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s the gloomy weather, a location, a season or a trip to the farmer’s market, every day life “happening’s” inspire us. In our newest blog series, we are highlighting creatives that inspire us!

 Our first creative is Inna of Butterfly Floral! You may have seen her work in The Hollywood Reporter, California Wedding Day or Life & Style Magazine, but we sat down with her for a quick five minute interview so that we could get to know her a little better!


1. Five things in your fridge at all times?
I always try to keep healthy options in the fridge. You will usually find eggs and seasonal vegetables, so definitely some celery and peppers now. You can also probably find ingredients, like beets and cabbage, to make a yummy Borscht(Ukrainian soup).

2. What song can you not get out of your head…?
Don’t laugh…. I’m Ukrainian, so one day it maybe Ukrainian song, some days Havana-na na… or my old time favorite The Climb: I can almost see it, That dream I'm dreaming…

3.  What is your guilty pleasure? 
That’s easy, everyone knows it, its white wine.. ha!

4. What’s your favorite flower? Or flowers? 
Right now garden roses, but it changes every month, last month was tulips, I feel my liking is seasonal

5. Where can we see more of your work?
Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest

To see more of our work, click HERE!