Well if teaching at a top university a Professional Wedding Planning course, being nominated for Event Solution’s “Event Planner of the Year” award, having a wedding featured upcoming on the WE’s Platinum Weddings, and Voted Best Event Planner by the Colorado Division of the Knot Magazine isn’t enough to fill a chastity belt, we have just added one more thing. Now you can ‘ask the experts’ - US! We just appeared on Get Married, a show on the lifetime channel that airs every morning at 7:30 a.m. EST, last Monday. This time we were interviewed by the well-known David Tutera, as he asked us our “expert” advice and several important planning tips. How about that for notch on our belt?!? If you go to the www.getmarried.com site you can search for episode 51 or you can catch the re-run on August 30th!
As our weddings continue to make their way into National press and media, we are honored to have a couple of our weddings featured on the SWS blog www.swsmag.net/blog .This blog is one of the most fabulous blogs we have come across in a long time.We are inspired by many of the weddings they feature and we love to see a good mix of styles, colors, and oh so many fabulous details!!Check out part 1 of Amy and Ryan, one of our favorite weddings, and one that will be featured on the show Platinum Weddings sometime early fall.
Also check out this fabulous wedding! We had one of our favorite “detail” weddings featured on the SWSblog as well. This couple shared a love of Jazz and the Art Deco era, especially since the groom is a professional trobonist as well as an affinity for yellow, black and orange (due to the bride’s love of THE WIZARD OF OZ), and they weren’t afraid to step out of the box to wow their guests with their attention to detail. With the bride as a Chef and the Groom as a Professional Trombonist, there were sure to be lots of fun things to incorporate into this affair. It is one of our fave use of colors and unique details…check it out on our gallery it will be added very soon!
Introductions are the first time you get a chance to show off you and your hubby’s favorite friends, the bridal party attendants, and give your guests a taste of what is come at your fabulous reception!As evolving as the music industry is, so are the popular “picks” for introduction songs.From the theme songs from Mission Impossible and the A-Team, to rap songs such as “let’s get it started” and “sexy back”, the sky is the limit on what you can choose. For some of our brides, that just wasn’t enough…they wanted something more clever and more unique.So instead of using the same song for introducing the parents, bridal party, and bride and groom, some couples opt to create custom mixes for each pair (a bridesmaid and a groomsman). So for your laid back pair that you frequented the local beach bars with back in the day, you may want to do a Jimmy Buffett or Bob Marley song, however for your single, bar hopping, club-doer pairs you can cut the oh-so famous song, “In da Club” by 50cent.If you really want your pal-pairs to get into it, before the wedding day inform the pair of your song selection and ask them to choreograph an entrance dance that will knock the guests’ socks off.Think…”Glamorous, Shorty Swing my Way, and Low” just imagine “Maneater” playing while one of your bridesmaids is dragging a groomsman down across the dance floor by his tuxedo tie.This can be one of the most entertaining events of the evening and will leave your guests surprised and talking about it for years to come!Thank you RJ Vida with www.advancingentertainment.com for all the custom mixes you have done for us!
FOR THE FIRST TIME, MR. & MRS…..
Now for the bride and groom, we have a little different concept for your “introduction”. We have told you all the cool, fun, love songs, and we are sure you have thought about choreographing a “dancing with the stars” song, and watched celebrity impersonators or even celebrities, sing the first dance song.But what if you hired an entertainer, dancer, or circ de sole performer to arouse the guests and heighten the anticipation of the entrance of new bride and groom?Just think if you were having an Italian style wedding, you could have an Italian opera singer work the room by singing a love song in Italian and as he hit the final note, the bride and groom made their grand entrance into the room.Or, if you want to add a bit of the Spanish culture, you could hire some flamenco dancers/singers to stomp and shake around the room to a powerful tune and get the guests ready for your grandiose entrance.Or you could do a short slide show or music video by renting an AV system and custom create your own introduction prior to your wedding.After the emcee announces the best man and MOH, the lights go down and this 2 minute video show appears on the big screen.After the video is over, the lights go on, and as the crowd serves a standing ovation, while the bride and groom enter the room and go right into the first dance.You can really get creative with this and customize your own personal introduction that people will always remember!
Well if our resume wasn’t full enough…we just embarked on a whole new venture…TEACHING!!! We had the opportunity to co-teach a University of South Florida elective credit course: ‘Professional Wedding Planning’, with a good friend, Judy, from www.thedroom.com. This course was an elective courses you can take in addition to the required core courses in order to receive The Meeting and Event Planning Certificate issued by USF. This was an experience of a lifetime for us and to see 24 eager students in tuned to every word we spoke was one of the most rewarding feelings we have had. After hours and hours of preparation, we created an power point presentation to guide us through this self-written course, following a shorter power point presentation talking about the changing trends, then we ended with a slide show of a few of my favorite fabulous weddings. Now if any of you girls attending are reading this blog, I apologize for not sharing more of our fabulous weddings including themes, details, and decor. Next year we promise to show you more pictures ~ before and after, share more organization tools, and offer more knowledge about this ever so changing industry. For more information about this certification from USF, please check out their site www.outreach.usf.edu/conted/meeting
Who says your reception has to end at the end? Why dont you keep the night going with an after party serving late night martinis, carb-filled delectable, and a starbucks coffee station? We are always sad to see the night end but more, it’s the bride and groom - who are doing away with grand exits and dancing until we have to turn the lights on. So we got to thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to convert a separate room in the venue to a late night after party or if space is limited convert your cocktail hour spot into this loungy night club? Just think, white dance floor, white leather couches, colored mood lighting around the room, an awesome dj to spin your favorite club mixes, and let’s not forget the food and cocktails!!! Serve some cocktails with “energy”, such as espresso martini’s, red bull martini’s, and mountain dew martini’s and renting an approval starbucks coffee station…then you can hand pass or station your favorite late night foods that sobered you up in old days like miniature cheese burgers, french fries in a cone, mini tacos / burritos, or if we are talking wee hours in the morning you could do more breakfast type confections like mini bagels with cream cheese, miniature cinnamon buns, or park a krispy kreme doughnut truck right outside of the party! With 3 different events(cocktail hour, reception, and after party) in 1 night that reflects different colors, style, and moods, your guests will feel they have experienced a night they just cant forget.
What a week! This past weekend, we were lucky enough to have one of our weddings chosen to be featured on Platinum Weddings on WE TV! We aren’t sure when it will air yet, but we can’t wait. The wedding was unbelievable. Our best yet! Of course, having a budget of $300,000+ always helps too! It was on the water at a beautiful estate owned by the Bride’s family friend. The theme was that of “South Beach” meets “P-Diddy Bling”. The Production crew arrived on Tuesday and was there to shoot every element through Saturday. Their was a lot for them to cover as the wedding was basically built from the ground up. An 8,000 square foot white peaked tent was used. Add a Black Sub-floor, Custom Silver Diamond Hologram-ed dance floor, Custom Plexi/Crystal Chandeliers, Uplighting that changed colors throughout the night, Breakaways on the tents ceiling, Pin-Spotting on the $1,500.00 Centerpieces, Modern White Stretch Walls, Lounge Areas, as well as Contemporary Jetson Style Floor to Ceiling Statuettes . The ceremony was at Sunset just steps from the water and incorporated florals, crystals, and more crystals. Even the programs were held down by large faux diamonds. But the best part of all was when the ring bearer drove down the aisle in a 300SL Silver Motorized Convertible Mercedes. People were definitely blown away. The atmosphere for the evening was so fluid as people enjoyed a Cocktail made of Champagne and White Grape Juice with a Crystal Sugar Rim and the Food Stations ranged from Fresh Cut Sushi and Shrimp to Gourmet Pasta and a Banana’s Foster Station with Homemade Waffle Cone Bowls. This was right next to the 5 tier $3,000 Wedding Cake Covered in White & Silver accents with again, more BLING! It was positioned on a large Clear, Plexi-Glass cube that had crystals and orchids suspended inside of it. And, what made this “traditional” cake cutting moment even better was that when the Bride & Groom fed each other, then kissed, a 3-minute fireworks display started out in the water for the guests to enjoy! The guests also enjoyed the Photo Booth as it was brimming with people all night. Certainly no detail was spared in this “Platinum Wedding” and the Color Palette of Black, Silver and White with Crystal and Diamond accents EVERYWHERE certainly made you think you might have been in South Beach. Stay Tuned for the date and time of the episode to air. We would like to thank all of the vendors that were involved in this affair, but MAJOR Kudos go out to CONCEPT BAIT. The best Floral and Decor Company in Florida….and beyond!
Its the quintessential Chinese wedding tradition: the tea ceremony. This time-honored exchange was created to show respect for the family. Historically the tea ceremonies took place at different times, the bride’s family in the morning before the nuptials and the groom’s side was during the ceremony after the vows. But we decide to shake it up “table 6″ style and put our own twist on it! This tea ceremony took place on the back patio of the historic Powel Crosley Estate on a fabulous February afternoon in sunny Florida. As the servers dressed in all black with red ties, the color of the red bean which was symbolic and appeared in the decor and the details, they served organic green tea with lotus seeds in authentic Chinese tea cups made in china. The family of the bride, eldest to youngest, was served first following the groom’s side in the same order. Each family member came up to the front, took a designated seat and shared tea with bride and groom. While handing them an envelope filled with money, they wished the couple happiness as they sipped the tea together. Traditionally, microphones are not used to insure the privacy of the people to whom the bride and groom are sipping tea with. Once the family shared their wishes, spoke words of wisdom, and gave advice, the bride and goom turned to the guests and invited the guests to drink the tea with them. The florals that adorned the famous stair well were created to resemble the bride and grooms personal taste. Just think elegant low square dishes with burnt red interiors and antique gold exterior, seeded eucalyptus and moss artfully wrapped lush red roses, then encircling a cluster of equisetum jetting upward. After the guests were more educated and cultured from the traditions of the Chinese tea ceremony, they danced the night away to swanky band, called the Venturas, under a cluster of unique shaped silk lanterns staggard from the ceiling inside a tent. The food was amazing! Just imagine chef attended stations serving up your favorite Chinese delectables, such as Seared Tuna on a Crispy Wonton, Iced Sake, Ginger Marinated Beef Tenderloin, Jasmine Thai crab cakes, Fried Rice, and Vegetable Tempura. While the guests cocktail-ed around the tent, they enjoyed the unique table decorations, colors, and detailed decor. Before exiting for the night the guests could “make a wish” and/or “take a wish” which was displayed in 2 separate apothecary jars. By making a wish, each guests signed a wish card and hung it on, what we referred to as, the “Wishing Tree”. This 10′ wrought iron structure provided a blank canvas for us to get creative by hanging over 3 dozen tea lights, adorning it with lush garlands of fresh greenery and orchid blossoms in butterscotch, burnt orange, and red. After each guest “made a wish”, they were humoured by the “take a wish”. These ancient Chinese fortune sticks left guests questioning their futures by pulling more than one wish out of the jar hoping for more positive wishes. Next time I will be sure to check the fortunes so we don’t have anyone thinking they due for some bad luck!
Sweets continue to become a focal point at all our events - from mini-blueberry cobblers and donut holes with shots of milk - brides are continuing to get more and more creative beyond the wedding cake. We recently found this great site called the Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory…YUM! Especially for your Florida brides, what could be better then offering your guests Frozen Key Lime Pie on a stick dipped in CHOCOLATE. Yum! They are worth every delectable calorie…check them out!
If you know us by now, you also know that their are only a few guest favors out there that we are big fans of - things you can eat and things you can drink. Things you can wear would be nice too but we havent met a bride yet who can afford to give her guests monogrammed cashmere throws…so back to eating and drinking! We aren’t into “trinkets” and dont like to watch our brides waste their money on things guests will leave behind. We always love the “favor buffet” but recently ran across a site that does fabulous “personalized” cookies beyond the Choco Chip. Think Whoopie Pies! And the packagining is adorable! And the cost is very reasonable - about $6/person. Check these girls out!
Well, we think our portfolio may just be complete after this lastest experience. While we were in ATL for the Special Events Trade Show, we had the opportunity to tape a few televion segments for a show called GET MARRIED, which airs on Lifetime at 7:30 a.m. every morning, and hosted by celebrity planner, David Tutera. We taped an “Ask the Experts” segment, a decor corner segment focused on creative place card displays, and a second decor corner that will feature creative ways to name or number your tables. We prepared for weeks and our ideas outweighed the amount of time we actually got to tape (only 2 minutes per segment) This was an amazing opportunity for us and we really enjoyed ourselves. We are hoping that they ask us back! We have been fortunate enough to have had a lot of magazine coverage featuring our weddings and ideas but this was our first televised presentation and we hope this is just the beginning for us…stay tuned…we will post the dates and times each of these segments will air.
Well we were fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Hilary Hopkins Photography for 3 fabulous events in a row! We love her and love her style…to view the weddings she shot you can check out our gallery! And to check her out visit www.HilaryHopkins.com.
We would also like to thank Concept Bait, for all their hard work and fabulous decor they provide. What would we do with out you guys! www.Conceptbait.com.
