DC Metromix pictures of the Diamonds & Chocolate Soiree

DC Metromix has posted their pictures from my Diamonds & Chocolate Soiree event this past Wednesday. The wonderful professional pictures shot by Jason Weil Photography will be available in a week. In the meantime, DC Metromix has put up their pictures of the special event. Check it out!

Yep! That's me, Cristina Curcio of Cristina Maria Special Events on the left with my fellow hosts (from left to right) Jon Mervis of Mervis Diamond Importers, Hilary Bradley of The Chocolate Chick, and Joseph Choueike of MK Catering Inc.

Bling, bling! As I mentioned before, my family has been a big fan of Mervis Diamond Importers' diamonds and ring sets for years. Featured in this picture are the Mervis diamond rings of Hilary Bradley (The Chocolate Chick), my mother, and one of my younger sisters.

One lucky gentleman took advantage of the exclusive sale going on that one night only. What did he purchase you wonder? Yes! A diamond engagement ring!

He was not the only person to walk away with a beautiful piece of jewelry for such a great deal. We had several lucky ladies who purchased some absolutely outstanding pieces. Stay tuned to this blog, my page on Facebook, and the Mervis Diamond Importers page on Facebook to learn of other special events and exclusive sales.

Let me guess. You are thinking, "So mouthwatering!" They sure were. MK Catering Inc. provided us with absolutely delicious chocolate desserts. I would tell you my favorite if I had one. I didn't because I LOVED THEM ALL! Just ask anyone who was at the special event. They were so yummy. Check out DC Metro's pictures of the special event to see more of the tasty treats that were available to our guests.

In addition, they pleasured our palates with amazing passed hors d'ouevres that showcased the wonderful talent of Chef Patrick Moulet of MK Catering Inc. He never ceases to amaze me. He has always creates such exquisite food. They truly demonstrated their ability to prepare multi-cultural food yet it was all cohesive at the same time; While your taste buds went on an international tour of the world, you enjoyed the fun and dazzling jewels right here in the heart of DC at Mervis Diamond Importers. After all, Chef Moulet has traveled and studied nationally and internationally to France, Thailand, Europe, and South America to acquire his culinary experience.

In addition to diamonds and chocolate, one of the highlights of our special event was the complimentary signature drinks designed specifically for this event. Professional Bartenders & Servers was nice enough to mix us up some mighty tasty concoctions, if I have to say so myself.

Weren't there and want to know what the delicatable drinks of choice were or want to see pictures of the 1st ever diamond chocolate fountain? Were there and want to get your hands on the recipes? I will be featuring a few posts over the next couple of weeks on my blog regarding the special event - the professional pictures from Jason Weil Photography, announcement of the raffle winner, hors d'oeuvres menu, signature drink recipes, and more. Stay tuned!

Also Weddzilla (an outstanding wedding website) already posted some pictures on their blog. I thought you might like to see that too.

I am glad so many of you were able to come and have as much fun as I did planning the event! I couldn't done it without my friends at Mervis Diamond Importers and the tremendous service and product of MK Catering Inc., The Chocolate Chick, Professional Bartenders & Servers, Inc., Altronics Communications, Inc., and Jason Weil Photography.

Thanks again for coming!

Shine in your moment!

OneWed Announced the "POP your Platinum Proposal" contest winner!

OneWed's "POP your Platinum Proposal" contest winner was announced this morning! One lucky couple has been awarded his & hers hand-engraved platinum wedding bands designed by Kirk Kara valued at over $4,500. Check out the announcement on One Wed's bridal blog, Savvy Scoop, which includes the winning proposal story and other top contenders.

For those who are not familiar with the contest check out my previous posting "WIN His & Hers Hand-Engraved Platinum Wedding Bands!" announcing the contest.

Stay tuned to my blog for other fun contests, ways to save, and special events.

Shine in your moment!

Diamond Rings 101

For those who are getting started on the hunt for the perfect diamond engagement ring, check out this help video courtesy of my friends at Mervis Diamond Importers.



Shine in your moment!

1st EVER $100,000 CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!

I posed the question, "What's could possibly be yummier than diamonds and cupcakes?" in my recent blog posting. If you were like me last spring you thought there could be no better pairing that diamonds and cupcakes. But together Mervis Diamond Importers and I, Cristina Maria Special Events, are hosting a special event that will top the diamond encrusted cupcake... Diamonds & Chocolate Soiree. Yep, I said it ladies... CHOCOLATE!

One June afternoon at lunch the idea of "diamonds and chocolate" was born. Jon Mervis clearly understands the way us women think. He came up with the absolutely genius idea and I brought it to life bringing by kick starting the event planning needed to bring this all together in a short period of time. When Jon talked to me about the exquisite combination two vendors immediately came to mind. I quickly brought on board both The Chocolate Chick and MK Catering that I knew could bring this heavenly concept to life with their delectable chocolate desserts and wonderful service.

Please view the invitation below for this exclusive luxurious event! I would like to invite my readers to be my guests at this special event in just 2 weeks!

On July 22nd you will get to taste from the first ever $100,000 chocolate fountain. You'll have to see it to believe it! This special treat is compliments of Mervis Diamond Importers and The Chocolate Chick. I've seen it and its gorgeous and not to mention DE-licious!

Doesn't that invitation just make your mouth water?! My friends at Altronics Communications, Inc. did such a wonderful job! Wait and see what they did with the drink menu. Your taste buds won't want to wait to enjoy one of our cocktails.

Don't worry. You will be able to satisfy your tasty buds soon enough. From the help of my friends at MK Catering, Inc. you also will be able to indulge yourself with some tasty chocolate desserts and passed h'or d'oeuvres. In addition, they will be providing the blue light glass bar and their top of the line servers. It is only the best for the clients, fans, and friends of Cristina Maria Special Events.

It doesn't stop there. Courtesy of Professional Bartenders & Servers, Inc. you will be able to enjoy 3 signature drinks created just for this special event!

And it keeps getting better... while enjoying all of these treats and so much more, you can try on wonderful diamond jewelry pieces and view Mervis Diamond Importers' wide selection of diamonds. They will be offering a special discount prices on all jewelry at the store only for this event. If you are in the market for jewelry or enjoy pretty things, you won't want to miss this! There is a reason afterall that all the women in my family have Mervis Diamond rings. Check out other featured jewelry from Mervis on this blog under the "Trunk Show" label.

I am honored to have my friends at Jason Weil Photography be a part of this extraordinary special event. I can't wait to see his photographs of the 1st ever diamond chocolate fountain! You will be able to access his photographs after the event.

Our special event will be featured in the Washington Life Magazine's September Issue. You might be in the magazine's pages amongst pictures of Hollywood's & DC's top celebrities at events here in the best city in the world, Washington D.C.!

In addition, DC Metromix of CBS WUSA Channel 9 will be present. You might be lucky enough to be featured in our special event in their photo gallery.

To be on the special event guest list, please make sure to RSVP by Monday, July 20th.

Please feel free to share this invitation with your friends.

On behalf of Cristina Maria Special Events and my wonderful event industry friends, who are some of the top wedding and event professionals in the DC area and have worked with me to put this extravagent special event together, we hope you will come and have fun on us! I know we will!

Shine in your moment!

The Diamond Encrusted cupcake makes an appearance again!

If you are familiar with my friends Mervis Diamond Importers and my blog than you already know about the birth of the first ever diamond encrusted cupcake in April 2009. Well back my popular demand they brought it back in May for the Martin Flyer Ring Trunk Show May 1-2, 2009!

I was able to check it out on May 2nd. Not only that but I got to indulge myself with one of the tasty cupcake treats. Yep! That absolutely delicious cupcake with the red flower was all mine! Can you tell I have a soft spot for sweets?

While enjoying the tasty treats I was able to check out some of the Martin Flyer FlyerFit collection and Martin Flyer Classic collection. I took some pictures of some of my favorites to share with you!

This first one I would like to share you caught my eye right away. It is of a total weight of .60 ct and its item number is 917309.

The one on the right is .45 ct (item 913309). The ring on the right is .55 ct (item # 910109).

Last but not least this beautiful, glimmering ring is .35 ct (item #

96509).

To see more of the Martin Flyer collections check them out at Mervis Diamond Importers. They are one of their select jewelry designers.

What's could possibly be yummier than diamonds and cupcakes?

Shine in your moment!

WIN His & Hers Hand-Engraved Platinum Wedding Bands!

I would love to help you get your platinum wedding bands for FREE so I have to share with you a contest going on courtesy of OneWed.com and Platinum Guild International.

OneWed will be awarding one lucky couple his & hers hand-engraved platinum wedding bands designed by Kirk Kara valued at over $4,500 in their "POP your Platinum Proposal" contest as a nod to the movie “The Proposal” that dropped last weekend. In “The Proposal” Sandra Bullock's character (Margaret Tate) "proposes" (if you have seen the movie or previews you understand why it is in quotes) to Ryan Reynolds' character (Andrew Paxton).

With Margaret's proposal to Andrew in mind, OneWed thought it’d be fun to ask brides how they would have popped (or did pop) the question to their hubbies-to-be (had they been in their fiance’s shoes). If you are anything like me and most ladies out there, you have given some thought to how you would like to be proposed to or how you would have liked to be proposed to. Here's your chance to use those ideas to win wedding bands!!!!!

To enter, you brides-to-be must tell OneWed in 200 in words or less how you did or would "POP your Platinum Proposal" (in other words how you did or will propose to the love of their life). They are accepting platinum proposal stories from both brides and grooms. Just send in your entry (including your OneWed username) to savvyscoop@onewed.com before midnight on July 15th, and you'll be entered to win these Kirk Kara platinum wedding bands!

Don't forget, you must register on OneWed.com first, and provide your OneWed username along with your Platinum Proposal story! For full contest details, rules, and guidelines, click HERE!

For those of you who are interested in looking at various rings to get an idea of styles and settings check out OneWed's wedding and engagement ring gallery. You can also purchase rings from the site.

Winning this contest... what a way to save! Good luck!

Shine in your moment!

Verragio & Diana Diamond Ring Trunkshow this weekend!

Recently engaged, soon-to-be engaged, or just like me you just like to look at pretty things? Then don't forget to swing by and visit my friends at Mervis Diamond Importers Verragio Ring Trunk Show this weekend, Saturday & Sunday, June 13-14. There is a reason the Casanova-Curcio women in my family all wear Mervis diamonds. See for yourself.

They will be showcasing Diana and Verragio. These two designers will be flying in with their entire collections and offering special discounts for the day! They'll be showing hundreds of different styles in both platinum and gold, for both men and women.

**TIP** Visiting Ring Trunk Shows is a great way to get an idea of your style and that of your partners for engagement and wedding bands. The associates at Mervis Diamond are so helpful in answering all your questions. I speak from experience. This comes unsolicited. They really are great. Learn from their expertise. Please feel free to contact me as well (info@cristinamariaevents.com) as I am happy to answers your questions as you learn about diamonds and rings styles. Maybe you already know what you like but are having trouble finding it. I am sure both Mervis Diamond and I can help you with all your questions.

Here's the 411 on the Ring Trunk Show:

Where:

• Tysons Headquarters location --1900 Mervis Way, Tysons Corner, VA 22182
• Rockville Store location -- 1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville MD 20852

When:

• Saturday, June 13, 10-6
• Sunday, June 14, 12-5

Hope to see you there!

Shine in your moment!

Cupcakes with bling!

I love diamonds. I love cupcakes. What is better than putting the two of them together?! Jonathan Mervis of Mervis Diamond was thinking the same thing when designing their $30,000 diamond encrusted cupcake with Classic Bakery for the April 3-4 Wedding Ring Trunk Show at their Tysons Corner location. Check out the gorgeous pictures taken by Labor of Love at the Mervis Diamond Blog.

This one below has eight round brilliant diamonds surrounding one 2-carat asscher cut to top it off like a cherry on top except even better!

I attended the April Trunk Show and it was great! Designers JBStar and Frederick Goldman exhibited their collection.

I tried on this amazing cushion cut yellow sapphire platinum diamond ring. My hand was shaking because it was so beautiful. I felt like the luckiest woman in the whole world.

Please enjoy some of the pictures I took of the wonderful rings they presented.

And it just gets better...

Don't worry if you missed seeing the debut of their diamond encrusted cupcake. They are bringing it back for this weekend's Wedding Ring Trunk Show! You're not going to want to miss it. This Friday and Saturday, May 1-2 Mervis Diamond's Wedding Ring Trunk Show will showcase the entire collections of designers Martin Flyer and Coast. They are flying it all in just for this event! You'll want to come and check them out if for no other reason than the fact that there will be a yummy diamond cupcake and the designers are offering special discounts for this event only. They'll be showing hundreds of different styles in both platinum and gold, for both men and women.

Of course for the women like me and wondering, "will I just have to look at the bling cupcakes but not get a chance to taste their yumminess?" don't fret because Classic Bakery will have complimentary cupcakes for you to enjoy!

Here are the details for this weekend's events:

Where:

1900 Mervis Way, Tysons Corner, VA 22182 (For Martin Flyer)

1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville MD 20852 (For Martin Flyer)

5480 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 (For Coast)

When:

Friday, May 1, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 2, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

If you stop by the Rockville location, ask for Marilyn. Let her know I sent you. She's great and she'll take care of you.

I hope to see you there!