What Happens When Two Photographers Join Forces and Throw a Picture Perfect Party

Proving that two of a great thing really does lead to magic, photographers Shannen Norman and Emily Blake recently joined forces to launch their new company, Norman & Blake. Together these two have over 16 years of photography experience and a portfolio that's truly complementary. To launch their partnership and celebrate the coming together of their creative brains, the photo duo worked with the event planning and design extraordinaires of Bash Please to plan a beautiful dinner party that was fun, fun, fun and completely photo worthy.

The celebration took place at Parachute Home’s indoor-outdoor space in Venice Beach. What was on deck? A relaxed, California style dinner party with an Autumnal feel and delicious, late-summer eats by Whoa Nelly Catering. All that goodness was topped off with cocktails from Pharmacie LA. Sounds like quite the party, indeed.

Sunna Yassin of Bash Please gives us the scoop behind this gorgeous gathering in the jump below. 





What’s the back story behind this stunning gathering? 

It was a launch party to celebrate a new partnership of two photographers, Shannen Norman and Emily Blake. They have been in the industry a long time and decided they would be better together. 





Tell us about the venue! 

Parachute Home is a luxury bedding and bath company. To further showcase their brand and collaborate with like-minded brands they created an outdoor-indoor space in Venice Beach. The space has breathtaking views and incredible decor throughout. We knew it would be the perfect location to show the Norman and Blake x Bash Please relaxed and refined California vibe.





We are all about Autumn - Tell us about all of the seasonal design elements you incorporated into the evening! 

The idea was to bring earth elements into the design and to feel encompassed by nature. We brought in earth tones and dried plants and florals to make it feel authentic to California's minimal, beachy aesthetic. The vast landscapes of Utah and the rich colors the elements create were a huge inspiration to the theme. 





Tell us about the menu - What drinks & food were served?

The catering was done by Whoa Nelly Catering. We wanted to do something seasonal, and really just sit down with the best in the industry and break bread. 





Passed Appetizers

§  grilled fig toasts with tomales bay creamery’s teleeka, fig balsamic, spiced pepitas, mint

§  local rockfish ceviche tostadas with coconut milk, serrano, heirloom tomato, cucumber, toasted coconut, black sesame, lime (gf, vegan option available with avocado)

§  moroccan lamb burger slider on brioche buns with marinated feta, harissa aioli, spiced tomato jam





Family Style Dinner

§  late summer melons, heirloom tomatoes, and crushed persian cucumber with purslane, charred scallion crème fraîche, pickled fresno chili, mint, sesame dukkah

§  seared local white seabass with marinated shaved summer squash, summer chanterelles, toasted garlic breadcrumbs, tomato vinaigrette

§  grilled creekstone farms hanger steak with avocado crema, citrus pickled red onion, poblano rajas, steak jus (gf)

§  butternut squash gnocchi with preserved lemon, sage brown butter, pine nut pureé, pomegranate (gf, can be prepared vegan upon request)

§  ragout of haricots verts, yellow romano beans, fingerling potatoes, and sweet corn with corn pureé, toasted hazelnut aillade, basil pistou (gf, vegan)

§  roasted baby carrots and cauliflower with barbara’s greens and nicoise olive tapenade (gf, vegan)





Dessert

§  mini cakes and sweets

 

Drinks by Pharmacie LA

§ The Parisian Spritz: Lillet Blanc, apricot liqueur, peach bitters, sparkling wine

§ The Garden & Tonic: Gin (or vodka), celery seed shrub, tonic

 

Credits

Venue: Parachute Home | Photographers: Norman & Blake | Event Design: Bash Please | Catering: Whoa Nelly Catering | Cocktails: Pharmacie LA