WEDDING PLANNING & EVENT MANAGEMENT


Showing posts with label professionals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label professionals. Show all posts

August 25, 2012

Have you met the experts?



We have an amazing lineup of talented wedding experts for our Fall 2012 Wedding Planning Bootcamp. They are so great that we have devoted an entire blog series to them. Check it out and then sign up for you and a guest to attend the LIVE event on November 3. (Early Bird discount ends 9/3/12)

Why should you attend the Wedding Planning Bootcamp?

  • You are newly engaged 
  • You don't know where to start with your wedding plans
  • You are overwhelmed by all of the unsolicited opinions from friends & family
  • You have no idea how much you should be spending on your wedding
  • We will give you insider secrets 
  • We will feed you, entertain you, and educate you. 


February 29, 2012

Wedding Planning Bootcamp


MARCH 31, 2012
PHILADELPHIA

Ladies, I know you need some guidance. I also know wedding planning can drive you crazy if given enough time and opportunity. Don't let it happen to you! 

Come to our Wedding Planning Bootcamp to get your questions answered by industry experts and learn how to make wedding planning stress free so you can enjoy the wedding of your dreams. 
Each bride will take home a fabulous swag bag PLUS a resource guide full of valuable information that will save your time, money, and sanity!
You MUST pre-register for this event. Space is limited so sign up today!
Sponsors & Presenters: 








PLUS: Aubert Films, Kremp Florist, and C'est Chic Vacations

January 09, 2012

Real Wedding: Kelli + Jason 10.8.11

(Imagine this being said by the guy who does all the movie trailer voice-overs)

On a beautiful autumn afternoon... 
In and around the Independence Seaport Museum...
At the Philadelphia waterfront known as Penn's Landing...
2 families blended as Kelli and Jason said "I Do". 


My first meeting with Kelli and Jason actually took place on a park bench at Rittenhouse Square. I later found out that Kelli purposely had us sit where she and Jason met for the first time. They are an adorable couple. Although Kelli is a doctor, she doesn't carry herself with a sense of superiority. She is very earthy and bohemian. Jason is also a casual, laid back guy. The most important aspects of this wedding were food and fun.  

I was hired to help with the design and day of wedding coordination. Kelli and Jason found the venue and most of the professionals on her own. Based on Kelli's style and personality, I recommended Necoh at Royal Design Flowers & Events. It turned out that Kelli and Necoh share an affinity for Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters, like Chococat. Necoh surprised Kelli on her wedding day with a bonus bouquet. 


The ceremony was set to take place on the museum's outdoor rotunda which overlooks the river. To take advantage of the circular structure, we created an intimate seating area with the wedding party and minister in the center. 


Kelli wanted to use a lot of fall colors for her wedding: chocolate, green apple, wine, burnt orange, and ivory. The bridesmaids wore chocolate brown dresses. We dressed the outdoor cocktail tables and food stations in apple green. The reception tables were set with chocolate brown table linens and apple green napkins. We used ivory chairs to keep the space from appearing too dark. Necoh created centerpieces which incorporated flowers in orange and wine, plus an essential feature in the wedding decor, green apples. (The apples represented Jason. His nieces and nephews call him "Uncle Apple".) She also carried this concept over to the cake. 



The DJ made sure there was fun. Brulee Catering (the exclusive caterer for Independence Seaport Museum)  made sure there were plenty of tasty morsels for Kelli and Jason's family and friends. I even heard one of the guests say "There's still more food coming?" 

During one of our meetings with the catering sales staff, Kelli and Jason mentioned that they wanted to get funnel cake before they left Penn's Landing. Unfortunately, they didn't find any. On the wedding day, we made sure they found the truck. 


The mother/daughter photography team of Joyce & Jess at Casual Candids Photography did an amazing job capturing the details and fun of this wedding. 

From jumping the broom...


... to boys being boys



(I love that picture.)

We wish Kelli and Jason a long and FABULOUS marriage. 

To see more photos from this wedding, visit the gallery on our website. 

Muchos Smooches!

January 06, 2012

Wedding Cake Design Trends for 2012

Guest blogger, Rafael Logrono

...couture continues...
In 2011, there was a huge increase in fashion inspired wedding cakes; let it be lace, drapes or brooches, this popular trend will continue in 2012. Brides love to see the embroidery and fabric designs of their gowns, transformed into a confectionary work of art on to their wedding cakes.





...blissfully bold bows...
Dressing a cake with bows hand crafted out of sugar, not only makes a dramatic statement, but the elegant look is a much more affordable alternative to a sugar flower studded wedding cake. Bows have been a part of weddings for a long time; seen in chair coverings and on the bride's gown, the dainty embellishment will be seen more often on wedding cakes in 2012.





...tall confections...
A trend that has been highly popular in 2011 will continue to grace the weddings of hundreds of couples in 2012. Tall wedding cakes are show stopping! Bakers can use one or two tiers of styrofoam pieces and decorate them for a grand 5 tier wedding cake. The trend of tall wedding cakes also includes tiers of varying heights. Much more attention is brought to a wedding cake with tiers ranging in heights.




...white canvas and black elements...
White and lackluster wedding cakes are so 1990's; this year, the color white will serve as a clean canvas for cake designers to portray color filled designs, let it be hand painting, sugar flowers or embroidery. Black at a wedding? Yes! Splashes of the color black are very edgy and avant garde and set apart any wedding cake from the rest.





Remember, your wedding cake is the one dessert you'll always remember for the rest of your life, so choose the right baker to make it a memorable one!

To book a wedding cake consultation e-mail Rafael at info@RafaelLogrono.com or you can visit his website RafaelLogrono.com for more information. Follow Rafael Logrono on Facebook at Facebook.com/RafaelLogronoCakeDesign


All photos courtesy of Rafael Logrono

December 29, 2011

Lighting Trends for 2012

Guest blogger, Jason Weldon, Synergetic Sound & Lighting, Inc.



The beauty with lighting is that we can set the trend with each event we do. We are always trying to do something a little different from the last event we did. So we are always looking to set the new trend or come up with a hot new way to light an area. Many of the changes happen in the technology we use. And the technology in L.E.D. lighting is getting really good; however the cost of the fixtures is still pretty high. So 2012 will see more and more of the higher end events using more and more of the newest L.E.D. fixtures.

Whenever we talk about lighting trends, color is always the first thing that has to be brought up. For 2012, Tangerine Tango is the color to have! You are going to see this in up lighting, gobo projections and area lighting. Compliment that with a gold or purple and the room will just look brilliant.


Digital lighting is a trend that will be brought into more proposals that we put together for 2012. Instead of using the traditional lighting fixtures, projectors are used to create endless possibilities on the dance floor, walls or even the outside of a building. Digital light is still rather expensive, so the trick for us is to find a way to make it affordable, but still give the effect we are looking for.

And I say this every year, but I think 2012 will be another big year for Intelligent lighting. We did more Intelligent lighting events last year than any year previous and I think more and more clients see how much it adds to the design and feel of a room. It also helps that our clients and prospects can come in and get a demonstration of what it looks like, this way they are educated and can “see” exactly what it is.


Set design is going to be big this year as well. Draped out sweet heart tables, trussing around the dance floor, cabanas set up for lounge areas: these will all start to come into play to jazz up a room physically and allow us the chance to light them properly to show off the client’s personality. After all, that is the end result, to make the party a reflection of you!

We also started to see a push in monogram sales towards the end of last year and I think it may last for most of 2012. But not just the typical initials next to each other with the date underneath. I am talking about custom designed monograms that are truly breathtaking. We are getting monogram designs from more calligraphy artists than ever before and we love it!


And last but not least, sometimes it is the simple things that look the best. We love the look of the old style, Italian string lights and we think this is something that can be incorporated in many of the events we design. The look of these lights is different, but traditional enough that it brings a feel to the room that typical up lighting or dance floor lighting just can’t do. We have been showing this off in our DreamSpace (our lighting demo area) for months now and clients have been really excited about it.

2012 is going to allow us to get very creative with lighting and we are excited about our DreamSpace to show it all off in! We look forward to working with our trusted partners like Always Fabulous Events and hope that you will come over to our offices with Randi to design your wedding!

All photos courtesy of Synergetic Sound & Lighting. 

July 18, 2011

Hey Stranger! Long time no see

Isn't that what you say to someone you used to see all the time who suddenly disappeared for a while and is now back on the scene? Wondering what I've been up to?

PLANNING WEDDINGS & EVENTS! Did you really expect me to say something else? LOL

Since the last time I updated the blog, we executed the pretty purple wedding of Valerie & Heath @ The Brossman Center on June 25. Photographer D'Mont Reese is busy at work editing his pro shots but here's one I took of the fabulous wedding cake by Bredenbecks. Sound and lighting was provided by DJ's Available (DJ Clinton McBean rocked the house).


I couldn't post a pic of the cake and not show you the gorgeous centerpieces by Kremp Florists in Willow Grove.


Other professionals involved in this wedding day include Catering by Bruno's and Michael Israel behind the video camera. Tiffany Hurst blessed us with her beautiful voice during the ceremony. Special thanks to my extra hands & feet for the day: Gina, Christian, Audra, and Cheriess.

Stay tuned for more about what I've been up to since my last post, including My First Jewish Wedding.

March 17, 2011

Say Yes to the DC Cupcakes Dress?

Photo courtesy of TLC

This Friday night (March 18) @ 10PM ET, TLC’s DC Cupcakes sisters Sophie and Katherine will push themselves to the limit to create a cupcake wedding dress for DC Fashion Week. There is always a twist, and this week the dynamic duo learns their dress not only has to look chic, but walk chic, and down the runway on a model no less.  Have the girls bitten off more than they can chew?



ABOUT GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE
Sophie and Katherine risked their life savings and traded high-powered careers in fashion and finance to pursue their passion for baking and their lifelong dream of opening a bakery. Armed with their grandmother's recipes and strong family support, the sisters opened Georgetown Cupcake on Valentine's Day 2008. To their surprise, the shop became an overnight sensation and now sells more than 5,000 cupcakes a day.

November 27, 2010

Burlesque

Last night, I went out with my girlfriends to see the new movie "Burlesque", starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. The movie made me think of the good old days when it was sexy to be sultry, not raunchy. Then I started thinking about a blog post from last year suggesting a Boudoir Photo Shoot as a bachelorette party idea. Great idea if I must say so myself.

Photo from EmpireMovies.com

It also got me thinking about boudoir photos as a wedding gift from the bride to her new husband. Or an anniversary/birthday gift 20 years later. How exciting it would be to see the look on his face as he unwraps your portrait!

Many Philadelphia-area wedding photographers do boudoir photography too.
Kimberly Noel Photography has a boudoir division called KNP Boudoir (Bucks Co). The images are "sexy, sophisticated, and sassy".


Dollface Studio also shoots boudoir portraits. "This is how you ROCK your man's jersey." Hands down, he'll LOVE this!


Another local wedding photographer known for her fabulous wedding images is Kamila Harris. Her boudoir section is called The Swanky Studio.



Its no coincidence that these are all female photographers. It is my personal opinion that women feel more comfortable taking steamy photos with another woman behind the lens.

Go out and be FABULOUS!

October 06, 2010

Wedding/Event Blogs I Like - 2010


A few years ago, I wrote a blog post called "Blogs I Like to Read". There have been some changes over the years so I thought I should update my list.
(in alphabetical order)

DIY Bride

Elite Bridal Concierge (formerly Dantzler Designs)

Parisian Party

planning... forever

Style Me Pretty

Wedding Bee

Wedding Chicks

Photo Source

September 18, 2010

Spotlight on Heirloom Occasions


Name: Kimberly Bensing

Occupation: Art Director/Designer

Business Name: Heirloom Occasions

Website/Blog:
site: http://www.heirloom-occasions.com/
blog: http://heirloomoccasions.wordpress.com/

Hometown: Hellertown, PA

Current City: Doylestown, PA

Relationship Status: happily married

Favorite local wedding venue: This isn't local but I just toured Rosecliff Mansion in Newport, RI. They host weddings, and to me that is just perfection - and I would travel for it.

Describe your ideal client: A client who says "please, be creative!" - and they actually mean it.

What do you wish more people knew about you? My work is inspired by the "Griffin and Sabine" series by Nick Bantock -it melts my heart and prepares me to build love stories.

August 31, 2010

Spotlight on Cutting Edge Entertainment


Name: Craig Sumsky

Occupation: DJ/Music Director

Business Name: Cutting Edge Entertainment

Website/Blog: http://www.cuttingedgedjs.com/

Hometown: Richboro, PA

Current City: Newtown, PA

Relationship Status: Single

Favorite local wedding venue: Too hard to choose, so many great ones

Describe your ideal client: Cool people

What do you wish more people knew about you? That I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain.

Cutting Edge Entertainment has a very well written blog. Check it out @ http://www.cuttingedgedjs.com/blog/

August 20, 2010

Spotlight on FlickFoto

Name: Sarah Wimberley

Occupation: photojournalistic event and environmental portrait photographer

Business Name: FlickFoto

Website/Blog: http://www.flickfoto.com/

Hometown: Saugerties/Kingston NY

Current City: Ambler PA

Relationship Status: married

Favorite local wedding venue: Phillies/Citizens Bank Stadium

Describe your ideal client: detail oriented, budget-conscious artsy bride that doesn't micro-manage her vendors and is truly in love with her fiance (it shows more than you think in the photographs)

What do you wish more people knew about you? I absolutely love being a photographer and I'm not in it for fame or fortune. I love taking photographs and the clients I work with are fabulously inspiring.

August 10, 2010

Spotlight on Papertini


Not only one of my favorite Philadelphia-area wedding professionals, but one of my favorite people EVER!

Name: Tanti Lina

Occupation: Floral Designer

Business Name: Papertini

Website/Blog: http://www.papertini.com/

Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia

Current City: Philadelphia, PA

Relationship Status: Married

Favorite local wedding venue: TOO MANY!!

Describe your ideal client: Individuals who are open minded, adventurous and flexible. ^_^ Which I have been really fortunate to get!

What do you wish more people knew about you? Hmmmm... good question... I actually sorta kinda enjoy living "under the radar". Hehehehehehe..... I guess if I have to pick one thing at this point in time, it would be that I am bilingual (English/Indonesian) but I also comprehend Mandarin Chinese (reading/listening, speaking is a little rough) and know basic Korean. ^__^ Language is actually my true passion. Hehehehehe.... ^__^

Tanti teaches a DIY Bridal Flowers class this fall in Philadelphia. It is very hands-on and informative. I recommend it to brides, aspiring floral designers, and wedding planners.

August 04, 2010

Cake & Pictures

Photo by Shea Roggio

Cake and Pictures is an exclusive directory of wedding photographers designed to connect discerning brides with the most talented wedding photographers in the business. The company, based just outside of Philadelphia, is the by-product of the hugely successful Wonderful Machine, a web-marketing portal for commercial photographers.


Unlike other websites, Cake and Pictures presents only a limited number of photographers in each location, allowing the work of all of its members to stand out and making it easy for brides to find what they are looking for. The Cake and Pictures web interface is simple and intuitive, so brides can browse photographers from around the world quickly and without the distraction of banner ads or pop-up windows. Cake and Pictures hand-selects the photographers that appear on the site specifically to appeal to brides for whom photography is a priority.

Cake and Pictures is the new, one-stop shop for high-end wedding photography – baked goods not included. All Cake and Pictures photographers handle their own scheduling and pricing and can be contacted directly for rates and availability.
 
For more information, please contact Jean Murin at (610) 260-0234 or jean@cakeandpictures.com.

January 03, 2010

Get it in writing

Make sure you have signed contracts from all your hired professionals. Read the fine print and get your questions answered.

December 05, 2008

Herb Scott's Catering

I visited Herb Scott's Catering for a tasting with my clients for June 7, 2009. The bride is a self-proclaimed "foodie" so the appearance of her menu is just as important as the taste. Herb Scott personally served all of the courses for this tasting. Everything had a beautiful presentation and he described the contents of each plate as it was placed in front of us. I was impressed by the main course so I took a picture (so it will last longer). Just look at this potato, which was perfectly seasoned between each slice. The meats are salmon and chicken. Every bite was delicious. I was stuffed by the time I left. Good thing we didn't schedule a cake tasting to follow immediately after.

Herb Scott's Catering is located on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia.
215-842-1609 • FAX 215-842-1619 herbscott@Herbscott.com

September 07, 2008

Frozen Drinks for Tropical Themed Party


Daiquiri Daddy rents frozen drink machines for parties and special events. Forget the noise of the blender. No worries about running out of ice. Make your favorite flavored margaritas or virgin drinks for the kids.

DD will deliver, set up, clean and pick up the machine. There is really nothing for you to do but have a great time at your own party. Sa-WEET!

NOTE: Delivery is free in the Philadelphia area.

May 20, 2008

Bridal Body


Holistic Fitness for Brides

Show me a bride who doesn't want to look FABULOUS on her wedding day and I'll show you a woman who doesn't want to get married.

Bridal Body is a premium, in-home service guaranteed to transform and sculpt your body, allowing you to look great, glow and feel fantastic from the inside out. Using their uniquely holistic approach, they work with every client to ensure that you look your very best and achieve balance, on your wedding day and beyond.

Schedule a free consultation today!

February 18, 2008

Tip in Style


Tipping your wedding professionals is very important and shows your appreciation for their efforts to make your wedding a special day. Putting cash in a plain white envelope diminishes the sentiment. Why not add a little extra something to your gratuities by using these cute and classy envelopes from Jean M?

January 08, 2008

Glass Slipper Productions

I met Rob and Natalie Neal of Glass Slipper Productions tonight at a networking event for the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC). I was so impressed with their work that I rushed home to tell you all about Glass Slipper. Here is a sample of their creative excellence.