Directly from Texas and manufacture by hand it’s perfect for the buffet tables and service stations, the Fiesta Hotplate will give a Tex-Mex look to any of your recipes.

Available in 16 “, 24″ and 30 “(40cm, 60cm and 76cm??) the top plate is made ??entirely of metal and can reach temperatures of 200°F (93°C) and up to 300°F (148°C ) in the central cup, you can simply keep your food warm or even cook directly on the unit depending on what you need from it, these units may accompany or even replace traditional chafers. Since the griddle requires no electricity it is possible to use right at the center of the table for hors-d’oeuvres, but also outside next to your BBQ.
We fell in love with the plate Fiesta and we know you will use it wisely.

For those of us in the events industry, or in any industry for that matter, we know the importance of having good, reliable contacts. This is why the Bravo blog will be featuring its “Friends of Bravo” segment to help you, the customer, choose the vendors who will make your event unforgettable, flawless and full of wonderful memories.

Friends of Bravo – Sens Fleuriste www. fleuristesens.com

Sens Fleuriste was founded in 2008 by trained and experienced floral designers Joan Hendy and Dominique Hébert. These lovely ladies studied together at le Centre Horticole de Laval and bonded once they realized how determined and creative each other was.

Starting out as entrepreneurs was not easy. The expenses, the competition, the unexpected surprises…

“We once had an event with topiary trees and found out that summer that our Quebec roads are not always the best with the bumps and cracks, but we managed to get them there in once piece.”

Joan and Dominique still feel that despite all of its challenges, the benefits of the floral design industry definitely outweigh the little hiccups you encounter every once in a while.

“Floral design is a very fulfilling thing to do. Working with flowers makes any day brighter. Flowers are so beautiful, they have a great smell, they bring smiles to people’s faces. When their faces light up when you show them a bouquet or a bride on her wedding day who’s breathless and overjoyed about her flowers, that makes everything worthwhile.”

Becoming a floral designer takes a lot of hard work, a lot of creativity, a lot of passion and drive. “A lot of people don’t realize how much technique goes into making an arrangement.” But, if you’re willing to take on the challenge Joan has some words of wisdom,

“My advice to anyone who wishes to go into business for themselves is go for it and don’t let anyone or anything get in your way. There’s room for everyone.”

Bravo would like to thank Joan and Dominique from Sens Fleuriste for their time all their help in the past. Good luck with the upcoming wedding season, we wish you lots of inspiration and beautiful blooms!

Following our major move in spring of 2011 we have been nominated as finalists for the award during the international convention “The Rental Show” being held in New-Orleans, Louisianna. Bravo is proud to have come ahead and has been chosen for this prestigious award for the region of Canada.

Andrew Paquette, President of Bravo Rental was mentioning that “I want every customer entering Bravo to feel like they are a guest in our home” and it couldn’t be closer from the truth. Our new showroom is equipped with 2 customer meeting rooms with test tables, a large glass 12 people meeting room and even a coffee bar equipped with Lavazza and Van Houtte quality coffees. Our warehouse was streamlined to make our teams even more effective. We are still in in tweaking mode and making sure we can improve on a daily basis.

Our Showroom

Conference Room

We are proud to have been awarded this price voted by our peers from the industry. But a judge from Illinois is not our targeted customer. The customers we need to please are event planners from Montreal, caterers from Quebec city, venues in Gatineau, restaurants from Sherbrooke and residential customers from all of eastern Canada and at the end of the day, serving them is what we are proud of.

Our warehouse

Article published in the Rental management Magazine, March 2012 (PDF)

The earth takes 365 days and 6 hours to complete an orbit around the sun. The extra day we are given every 4 years is meant to balance out the calendar by incorporating the extra 6 hours per year for 4 years into February 29th.

In the Irish tradition, February 29th is the day when women, rendered impatient by their man’s fear of forever, can get down on one knee and take matters into their own hands. On a leap year, women can propose to their significant other.

This tradition dates back thousands of years when the Irish refused to accept this 366th day of the year and simply “lept” over it. Many people felt that this day had no legal status and consequently on this day traditions had no status either. Therefore on February 29th, women longing to be brides were allowed to break the popular custom of men being the only ones allowed to propose to their women and pop the question themselves.

Another popular legend is that St-Bridget struck a deal with St-Patrick to allow women, on a day that is meant to balance the calendar, to balance the one-sided and unjust tradition of the wedding proposal. But what if he says no? It is believed in many European countries that if a man refuses a woman’s proposal on a leap year, he has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves to help her hide the shame of not having an engagement ring on her finger.

So ladies, if he says no, at least your hands will be warm for the rest of the winter!

First things first: How many bars do you need? We’ve all been to those parties where we’ve had to stand in line a good 15-20 minutes to get a glass of wine. Considering parties are more often than not held for the people attending, making them spend half their night waiting kind of defeats the purpose of throwing a party in the first place. A good guideline is having 1 bar per 75-100 guests. If you are closer to the 100 mark, make sure it is a longer bar than usual (most bars are average 5’ long.) Another option would be to create specialty bars. Having a wine bar or a martini mixing station can add funk and flare to your evening. You can also make a bar configuration which becomes a focal point of the room. U –bars, doughnut bars or square bars are all great options for larger gatherings. (Check out the U-bar we created for the Guerlain party.)

Bar en U

Another popular question people ask is how many glasses will you need to stock your bar. Several factors contribute to this answer: What type of alcohol will you be serving? What type of alcohol is most popular with your guests? How many drinkers will be attending? Do you have access to a dishwasher?

A general rule of thumb is to have 3 types of every glass available for every guest. So, let’s just say you will be using wine glasses, highballs and lowballs and are expecting 100 guests; you will need to have 300 wine glasses, 300 highballs and 300 lowballs. Sounds like a lot right? One way of cutting down not only on the cost of glass rentals but on the cost of your bar in general would be to limit the type of alcohol being served. You can only serve wine and bottled beer at your bar, in which case you would only need to order 300 wine glasses (maybe 400 to be safe). You can also choose to serve a signature cocktail and then wine at the guests’ tables. That would mean you only need as many wine glasses as you have guests and 3 or 4 of the glasses you will be needing for your cocktail per person. Ordering an extra rack or two, regardless of the situation, is always recommended. You never know when you will run into a clumsy waiter or a faulty dishwasher.

Tables Arrières

So now you have the bar, you have the glasses…don’t even start to think you’re done! Depending on whether you chose a bar with shelving or not, you may need some extra racking for your back-bar. A cheaper option would be to simply add an extra table behind your bar on which you would store your bottles and glasses. You also need your bar tools. Martinis, mojitos and marguaritas don’t make themselves! You will need some shakers, strainers, pilons, zesters, bottle openers, bar mats, jiggers, cutting boards, knives, pitchers, buckets, ice tubs, blenders, bar trays etc… Obviously the tools you will be needing depend on the drink options you will be serving. You don’t need a blender or a pilon in a wine bar; you will however need bottles openers and buckets. You may also want to think of putting a small fridge behind your bar if ice is not readily available. Try anticipating your guests’ needs so that once the event is underway you won’t find yourself missing anything. It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Hiring a professional bar service, seeking advice from a wedding planner or a well-trained rental consultant may help to ensure peace-of-mind when stocking your bar because, as you can clearly see from this article, there are a million and one things to consider… and this is just for the bar!

Cheers!

Bar Spandex et Inox

Why am I mentioning this event here, in our blog? Simply put, both of our universes are linked on many level. We treat our tables like models and our tablecloth like the latest trends and it has never been more obvious than this year. The “in” colours are often requested and whether fads are vintage, modern or the next post-something will affect what our event organisers and wedding planners will be asking out of us. The “prêt-à-porter” and tabletop design are often related.

After seeing the fashion shows of this years first day, it was without a doubt that yellow and black were full force this season. T&M, Muse and Saint-Pierre all used these shades to different degrees, exactly like we had done… last spring. Are we visionaries, maybe we are the inspiration after all? Not really, just like fashion designers, our own designers make sure to be alert of the latest trends and give you exactly what you will demand from us.

Marie Saint-Pierre et Bravo

Muse et Tavan & Mitto

FWM images by Jimmy Hamelin.

Tis not the season of blizzards. Tis not the season of pink cheeks. Tis the season however to start planning for this aforementioned season. No no, We are not telling you to go out and put your winter tires on or to get the shovels and ice scrapers out. However, We are strongly suggesting that you start planning for your holiday parties because it’s never too early for that holiday cheer.

This year as an incentive for those early birds who want to gain a head start, Bravo is offering 50% off any linen that is $25.00+ for those who reserve before November 17th, 2011 for their holiday party. A minimum order of $500.00 (before tax) is required to qualify for this amazing deal and the party must be held on or prior to January 1st, 2012.

So get in gear and give us a call, it’s never too early to be proactive and to take advantage of this fantastic deal!

Autumn bronze

Purple Lavish

Sea Breeze

Without gas and without heating elements, the induction stoves will offer a uniform and fast cooking surface without the obvious open flame issues. In rental, you will still encounter the butane or propane burner used by caterers, but what is the alternative when more and more venues refuses the use of open flame stove top ?

How does it work ? The heat is formed by the frying pan or pot, not by the burner itself. A alternative current flows through a copper coil under the surface of the ceramic burner and produces a magnetic field. This field induces an electric current directly to the pan which is heated to allows for a cooking surface.

The obvious benefit of induction cooking is its security, no need to use butanes cans that in addition to cost extra, offers a degree of insecurity, butane is after all, a flammable gas. There is no flame and the surface of the unit stay fairly cold. A few seconds after removing your pot, it’s possible to touch the cooking surface without fear ofgetting burned. Special event are also a place where beauty is very important, the unit itself offers more aesthetics to your buffet table than the regulat butane burner. This type of heat source will also allow you to not worry about running out of fuel.

Induction cooking is not something new (about 1950) and yet, wehn we offer this alternative, it still happens often that we need to re-explain the advantages of the latter. At Bravo, where I garantee the largest inventory of induction equipment, you will also find everything you need for this type of cooking. We offer 7, 10 and 12 inch frying pans, 2, 4 and 8 liters pots and 12 inches diameter braziers.

During your next event, when you have a invited chef or you simply need cooking on site, instead of returning to the traditioal butane burner, consider this not so new technology that allows you to be more efficient, safer and more professional.

As a wedding and event designer, I first hand know the importance of having an event rental company you can rely on and turn to make your vision and design a reality!!! My imagination at times takes me to levels that only my imagination can go… however if I can’t find the items I am looking for to materialize what I have in mind, then my events and weddings won’t be near what they have been visually in the past!!! For that I have event rental companies to thank.

Through years of experience, I have learnt that it is not just about the variety that is being offered at rental companies, but it is also about Quality and Service!!! There have been many cases in the past where I have had scratched charger plates, and faded dinner plates be delivered to my event by other companies… and I can say that I have never had that problem with Bravo. Their friendly staff is available on Saturdays for me to call them in case of emergencies and believe it or not, whatever the situation, they have always catered to all my needs and beyond!!! There are numerous catering companies that I work with, that feel the same way!!! Of course like any other industry, after working with the same people for many years, the relationship evolves and you become friends, and that is what I consider Bravo Rentals… my friends!!! I love everyone that works there… specially Louise, since my interactions are mostly with her.

As a planner, you of course can not limit your self to working with just one company, since every couple has different taste, budget and likes. To all you brides out there planning your wedding on your own, do visit rental showroomm, you will be inspired and you will realize that the experienced staff will be able to consult you and help your vision come to reality!

Wishing the Bravo Team all the best in the coming years… and I look forward to many more years of working relationship with Bravo and to having the Bravo Team for the third year be part of the Bridal Boudoir Affair coming up on March 11, 2012 at the Hyatt Downtown !

Below are links of some events that Maddy K Team has worked with Bravo on.
Noushig + Chahe – October 2009
Mel + Alex, July 2010
Rachel + Ryan, July 2009
Don + Mel, August 2010
Lean + Seb, August 2009

Madelaine Kojakian
Maddy K Weddings & Events Atelier
maddyk.com

Bridal Boudoir Affair
march 12, 2012
Hyatt Centre-Ville