Category: Special Occasions

15 Mother’s Day 2013 Gift & Activity Ideas

Posted on by Marketing Team

“A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” – Tenneva Jordan

happy mother's day baby and mother hugging

Every year your mom insists that she doesn’t want anything for Mother’s Day, but even if she is telling the truth and not just playing coy, don’t you think she deserves a little something nice?

Mother’s Day 2013 is Sunday, May 12. Check out our tips below for suggestions for what to get for Mother’s Day and what Mother’s Day activities to partake in.

TREAT HER TO A SPA DAY

After 18+ years of taking care of you, don’t you think Mom deserves some relaxation and pampering? Take her to this oft-tried and oft-enjoyed Mother’s Day activity at one of these spas in the Phoenix area:

  • Willow Stream Spa: 22 miles from Downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale’s newly redesigned Fairmont Scottsdale Resort Hotel has been going strong for 25 years. The resort’s Willow Stream Spa promises to relax, rejuvenate, and educate you and your mom with a “medically guided, personalized and full integrated wellness program.”
  • Body Beautiful Med Spa & Day Spa: Has your mom been complaining about getting older? We’d love to guide her to the fountain of youth, but until we find it, Body Beautiful Med Spa & Day Spa will have to do. This spa’s anti-aging experts and aestheticians provide Botox, lip augmentation, derma fillers, and laser procedures in addition to more common spa services like waxing and massages. They also offer a host of Gentlemen’s Spa Services, which is ideal for the sons who might typically feel left out of this Mother’s Day activity.
  • Dolce Salon & Spa: Dolce Salon & Spa is the largest full-service salon and day spa in North America and has three locations in Chandler, Scottsdale, and Peoria. Services include everything from manicures, massages, and waxing to spray tanning and event coordination for private parties.

ART CLASS

If your mom is the artsy type and won’t mind getting a little messy, enjoy this unique Mother’s Day activity with her.

  • The Brush Bar: At The Brush Bar, customers can enjoy a glass or bottle of wine before the class starts. Their Mother’s Day special classes are sold out, but you can call to be placed on the waiting list.
  • VanGo Pottery: VanGo Pottery brings the pottery studio to you. The company travels throughout the Metropolitan Phoenix area and will set up a pottery painting experience whenever and wherever you want them to.
  • As You Wish Pottery: If you’re a mom and would like to do something fun and creative with your toddler, check out As You Wish Poterry’s Mother’s Day Handpring Event. For just $25, you and your preschooler/toddler can work together to paint a Mother’s Day ceramic plate and enjoy some light refreshments.

BRUNCH

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but brunch has to be the most enjoyable. This Mother’s Day, treat your mother to a sweet and savory brunch at one of these local restaurants.

  • Rio Mirage Café: With locations in Surprise, AZ and El Mirage, AZ, this Mexican restaurant aims to provide “high quality, the freshest ingredients, and excellent service” to their customers. Since 1999, Rio Mirage Café has been making good on their promises, and, because of this, it was voted Best Mexican Food Restaurant in the West Valley. They also provide catering services.
  • Cork: This East Valley restaurant is run by husband-wife team Robert and Danielle Morris and Chef Brian Peterson. Cork boasts, a full bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and a 25-foot floor-to-ceiling wine wall. If for some reason that gigantic wine wall doesn’t impress you, maybe Cork’s accolades will: Every year since 2009, Cork has earned Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence and was awarded 4 ½ stars by the Arizona Republic in 2008.
  • Hillside Spot: Hillside Spot offers Ahwatukee residents “high quality food at a reasonable price” and is also dedicated to supporting local farms and producers including Cartel Coffee Labs, MJ’s Bakery, Maya’s Farms, Schreiner’s Sausage, Oak Creek, and Four Peaks Brewery.

GET HER SOMETHING AS SWEET AS SHE IS

If you have a Mother’s Day activity already planned but want to sweeten the pot a bit. Get cupcakes, cakes, chocolates, or other mouth-watering snacks from these bakeries.

  • Barbs Bakery: This family-owned business has been in business for more than 30 years. During its almost four decades in business, Barb’s Bakery has been repeatedly voted “Best of Phoenix.” They make everything from traditional wedding cakes to Barbie-inspired birthday cakes and butterfly-shaped cookies.
  • Essence Bakery: Essence Bakery in Tempe, AZ operates under the motto “Buy Locally. Eat Well. Preserve the Planet.” The environmentally friendly café offers delicious macaroons, croissants, and truffle cookies, among other pastries, and earned a 4 ½ star rating from the Arizona Republic.
  • Something Sweet: This bakery in the Ahwatukee and Chandler area was actually inspired by a mom. On the website, the owner write, “I grew up in a wonderful Italian family of eleven. From the time I was little, I would watch my mom as she would spend hours in the kitchen making dinner to feed her very full table, but always saved time to make dessert. I learned back then that dessert wasn’t just something delicious to fill your tummy, it was like a big kiss from mom!”

FLOWERS

If your mom really isn’t big on Mother’s Day, keep it simple and grab her a bouquet of flowers from these florists.

  • McDonald Floral And Gift, Inc: McDonald Floral And Gifts, Inc. has been serving the Valley since 1917 and has floral arrangement for every occasion and for every budget. Just remember that they’re closed on Sundays, so you’ll have to pick up your Mother’s Day flowers the day before.
  • PJ’s Flowers & Events: This award-winning Phoenix florist will craft the finest floral arrangements and gifts for your mom and deliver it to you as well. If money’s a little tight, check out how you can win free flowers from them here.
  • Road Runner Florist & Basket Express: Pamela Smith founded Roadrunner Florist in Phoenix in 1979. In 2006, she received a plaque from the Society of American Florists to celebrate her 40+ years of service in the floral industry. Check out their suggestions for bouquets for mom here.

Need help getting to and from your Mother’s Day activities? Contact us.

Wedding To-Do List: 5 Must-Haves

Posted on by Marketing Team

Your significant other popped the big question, you said “yes,” but now what? With this AZ LIMO wedding guide, go from saying “yes” to saying “I do” without missing a beat.

wedding to do list for your arizona wedding

MUST-HAVE #1: A Wedding To-Do List

Yes, the first must-have for your wedding to-do list is…well, a to-do list. It’s easy to forget all the little things that go into making your big day special and stress-free. A wedding to-do list will ensure that your Arizona wedding has all the bells and whistles you’ve dreamed about. Here are some great examples of wedding to-do lists we’ve found for you on the web:

Outdoor nighttime wedding at Saguaro Buttes
Outdoor wedding at Saguaro Buttes via tusconweddingsite.com

MUST-HAVE #2: Wedding Venue

Arizona is among the most scenic states in the U.S., and that means there are a ton of beautiful options for wedding venues. Whether you want an outdoor wedding or a more traditional ceremony in a local ballroom, the Grand Canyon State has something for your taste. Here’s a quick list of 6 of the most beautiful venues we’ve come across for Arizona weddings.

Groom's Reaction to seeing bride in her dress for the first time
Groom reacting to seeing his bride in her dress for the first time via buzzfeed.com

MUST-HAVE #3: A Killer Wedding Dress

Have you seen buzzfeed.com’s collection of photos capturing the moment 24 grooms saw their brides in her wedding dress for the first time? The image above is from the collection, and it highlights the importance of a great wedding dress: A killer dress doesn’t just make you feel and look great on your big day; it reminds your husband-to-be just how lucky he is to have you.

Here is a list of 5 dress retailers in Arizona that will ensure that you leave your hubby and your guests in awe.

 

Bachelorette party pink, brown, and white invitiation
via celebrateexpress.com

MUST-HAVE #4: Bachelorette Party

Do you want to spend the last night out with your girls out on the town? We’ve got vehicles to cater to all of your bachelorette party needs.

  • Party bus: AZ LIMO’s party buses can hold up to 30 passengers and include a jaw-dropping list of amenities like a 42” Plasma TV, stocked wet bar, a dancer pole, an iPod-ready sound system, and much more.
  • Limos: AZ LIMO’s fleet includes Stretch Hummer H2 Limos, Chrysler 300 Stretch Limos, and Lincoln Stretch Limos that all feature stocked wet bars (optional), LCD TV screens, and other amenities upon request. These vehicles are perfect and convenient for spending a wild night on the town with friends and getting home safely afterward.
Just Married Car
via hobnobweddings.co.uk

MUST-HAVE #5: Wedding Car

There are so many little things you worry about on your big day, getting to and from your ceremony shouldn’t be one of them. AZ LIMO has a host of limousines to get you, your groom, and all the bridesmaids and groomsmen to the wedding venue on time and in style. At the end of the day, when you have electric slide-d the day away and the reception has finally ended, rely on AZ LIMO’s smaller and cozier vehicles to whisk you and your husband off to wherever your hearts desire.

Getting married is a beautiful thing, and AZ LIMO would love to help make your big day a dream come true. Contact us.

Valentine’s Day Ideas: Romantic Restaurants

Posted on by Marketing Team

Valentine’s Day can be a bit of a drag if you don’t have anyone to celebrate with, but if you’re fortunate enough to have a significant other, your Valentine’s Day can be something like a fairytale. If you’re taken but running low on Valentine’s Day ideas, consider treating your special someone to a dinner at one of these romantic restaurants.

1. ORANGE SKY. Any list of Arizona’s most romantic restaurants that excludes Scottsdale’s Orange Sky cannot be trusted. Located atop the 15-floor hotel of the Talking Stick Resort, this fine-dining restaurant, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, gives diners a breathtaking 360-view of the surrounding landscape and the Valley’s famous orange sunset, which earned the venue azcentral.com’s title for 2012’s “Best Restaurant View at Dusk.” If you really want to knock your date’s socks off, Orange Sky gives patrons the opportunity to order a floral arrangement to be delivered to their table. The flowers, the view, and the award-winning wine list means Orange Sky NEEDS to be on your list of Valentine’s Day ideas. Make reservations at talkingstickresort.com.

2. QUIESSENCE. If dining atop a 15-floor hotel is a bit lofty for your taste, enjoy a romantic restaurant experience a little closer to the ground at Phoenix’s Quiessence restaurant. Quiessence is located at the Farm at South Mountain, a property packed with over 100 pecan trees and 12 acres of organic gardens. If you needed even more incentive to add this contemporary American restaurant to your list of Valentine’s Day ideas, check out the long list of kudos Quiessence has acquired over the years: It was named a Top 5 Valley Restaurant by the 2009 Zagat Guide, dubbed the best restaurant in Phoenix by Phoenix Magazine, made Food & Wine Magazine’s Food & Wine “Go List,” and the list goes on. Swing by Quiessence with the apple of your eye for a truly unique and romantic restaurant experience. Though walk-ins are accepted, reservations are recommended. Book your table online at quiessencerestaurant.com.

3. MELTING POT. The folks at the Melting Pot claim to be “by far one of the best Valentine’s Day restaurants around,” and from the looks of it, that may not be too far from the truth. This delicious fondue restaurant comes equipped with a drool-inducing menu that includes fresh salads, cheese fondues, specialty drinks, and chocolate fondues. The restaurant also offers gluten free menu options if your sweetie pie has any dietary restrictions, and they can even hook you up with a Floral Romance Package. Throw caution to the wind, forget that crazy resolution to lose weight, and have some sweets with your sweetheart at the Melting Pot on Valentine’s Day. Click here to make reservations for the Scottsdale location and here to make reservations for the Glendale location.

4. COUP DES TARTES. What’s a romantic dinner without foreign cuisine that you can only half-pronounce? If you like your romance with an exotic twist, head to Phoenix’s Coup Des Tartes for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. This bistro-style restaurant boasts a French-inspired seasonal menu and is Phoenix’s longest running BYOB. Like Quiessence, Coup Des Tartes has earned a lot of kudos over the years. In 2008, tripadvisor.com named Coup Des Tartes the #1 Rated Restaurant, and the same year, the Phoenix New Times dubbed it the “Best First Date” venue. But whether you’re going to Coup Des Tartes for your first date or your fortieth, this romantic restaurant is sure to set some sparks off between you and your boo. Make reservations at nicetartes.com.

Make your romantic night even more special by allowing AZ LIMO to chauffeur you and your significant other to and from your romantic restaurant destination. Relax in the backseat with your honey and let AZ LIMO worry about any traffic.

Contact us.

Images via talkingstickresort.com, Facebook.com/quiessencerestaurant, northjersey.com, Facebook.com/coupdestartes