Little Black Dress

13 Feburary 2010 ~ JW Marriott ~ Downtown
Photography by: Michael Buck

Every woman looks good wearing one and every women has one in her closet. It's not a handbag or a pair of jeans, it's a perfectly fitted little black dress. It's simple cut and often short skirt stands out in a crowd, so naturally, when it came to planning a party over Valentine's weekend we were not surprised that our favorite event planners at the JW Marriott decided to throw a party dedicated to celebrating the "Little Black Dress".

Socialites from all over the city flocked to the JW for the grand affair for people in love or looking for love. The diarist herself was styled by the one and only, Claudia Petrelli, in a stunning black dress and jewelry to match from Grand Rapids local clothing boutique Muse (see pictures of the dress fitting here). Another diarist paired her LDB with pale pink pumps for a little romantic Valentine's twist. The guys were equally decked out for the evening and complimented the ladies with bright ties, striped shirts and shiny shoes.

It wasn't only a Valentine's day celebration but the membership launch party of the upstart organization, Culture & Cocktails. The launch featured interpretive performances by the The Grand Rapids Symphony and The Broadway Theatre Guild. A singer from Opera Grand Rapids surprised the crowd and performed "All that Jazz" while stepping down the grand staircase. But the entertainment didn't stop there - the soundscape for the evening was delivered by local DJ Jim Thias and Todd Ernst.

Huntington's Culture and Cocktails is an effort to unite young professionals for fun, social events, networking opportunities and the chance to connect in our community. Memberships are limited and the Little Black Dress party was a great way to kick off the initiative. You can learn more about membership by checking out their website -- www.cultureandcocktails.com.

A big thanks to the JW Marriott for a great party. It's beginning to feel a little like home to us, only with lots more glitz and glam. Cheer's to you for another successful evening for everyone wanting enjoy the finer side to our great city of Grand Rapids.

Emily Horton works for Wondergem Consulting, and is a writer for the Grand Rapids Social Diary. You can follow her on twitter at @emhorton1

Check out the GALLERY!

Little Black Dress

13 Feburary 2010 ~ JW Marriott ~ Downtown

Photography by: Michael Buck

GALLERY

Grand Rapids Symphony
Emily Horton and Adam Schumacher
Eva Mallay & Tommy FitzGerald
Todd Ernst
(who are these people? email us)	Becky Ernst and Steve Mikulak
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Billy Vits	Angela Versluis, Sarah Ochsner and Nicole Johnson
Claudia Petrelli	(who are these people? email us)
Christina Hulstrand	Emily Richett, Laura Caprara and Julie Regan

Pete Brand, Jimmy Le, Jai Yung and George Aquino

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Lana Stojcic

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Julie Regan and

Anicia Latter

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(who are these people? email us)

Pete Brand, Eric & Jane Elzinga and Amanda Brand

Dan LaVoie

Jimmy Le, Jolon Hull, Ryan Slusarzyk

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Christina Hulstrand

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(who are these people? email us)	Andrea Byl (center)
(who are these people? email us)	(who are these people? email us)
(who are these people? email us)	RJ Regan
(who are these people? email us)	Anicia Latter
Michelle Hoexum (left)	Jai Yung, Angela Austin, and Melanie Bennett

Photography by: Michael Buck. All rights reserved. To inquire about images, please visit his website www.mbuckstudio.com