Real Weddings: "The Mom Edition"

Love my MOB's! I love how that, in these two images, there is a room full of people, activity and conversation. To which person are each of my brides looking at ...? MOM. xoxo *Images Courtesy of Garrett Nudd and Damon Tucci*

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words..." Wedding Moments in Time

I've recently been flooded by fond memories of working, planning and playing with Kate Gissy-Saft recently...

It's been coming in fun waves from remembering the first time I met her and Jared in her office, to fun floral meetings, an NYC dress-sopping trip with all the ladies in her family and, of course, our "Friday" chats.

I couldn't just pick one photo this time...I absolutely adored the female dynamic in this family: there is such an incredible bond between her and her sister, Greta and between her mother Brenda with her own mother and her sisters. {Yes, we were all in NYC shopping!} Now, Kate also has the delightful addition of Jared's sister Marisa and mother Ellen to this incredible female roster.I love the image that has Kate. Brenda and Greta primping just before we made our way to the ceremony...

The second image I love because Kate's father delivered a speech that was perfectly balanced with sentiment and humor...This was Kate's reaction applauding as she leaped to her feet in gratitude.

*Thank you to Damon Tucci for these images!*

Real Weddings: Kate and Jared Saft

What and exhilarating weekend we had last week--

We were offered the opportunity to experience and style a memorable wedding for the delightful, lovely and charming Kate {then Gissy!} and Jared Saft.

Jared jokingly repeated throughout the weekend that he "just showed up," but Kate and I worked side by side thoughtfully and creatively planning a weekend and a wedding to remember for a lifetime.

Working with Bonnie Garfield, as ever, proved to be a fine endeavor. Her guidance with the family throughout the process was invaluable, and her banquets team is bar none.

The team on hand made all proposed plans effortless and as well as a fine-tuned party!

Kate and Jared's refined style shone through in all elements of decor, food and beverage--

The band kept the dancing going and going {even through dinner!!} and we can't forget Kate's planned surprise for Jared which was having him picked up in a DeLorean!

Thanks to my "Cast of Characters:"

Bonnie Garfield- The Portofino Bay Hotel

Solutions Bridal

Damon Tucci Photography

Tommy Murphy- Greenery Productions

Shannon Caine- Beautiful Music

Bob Schilling- Fifth Avenue Band

Corona Cigars

Plumb Fun Photo Booth

Sarah Hanna Calligraphy

Simply Cinematic

Showorks

American Audio Visual

Simone Rosas-Makeover Station

Kate and Jared, Mr. & Mrs. Gissy and Ms Ellen Saft:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me with the most important day in your childrens' lives and for so sincerely and sweetly opening your hearts and family to me. This is not the end; simply the beginning!

Wedding Window: Preview to Kate and Jared's Wedding

This week has been a flurry of activity with all things Kate Gissy and Jared Saft...

I have been so fortunate to work with Kate for the past year with the intricate details of what will be a most glorious, visually stunning and fun-filled wedding day at the exquisite Portofino Bay Hotel.

It is such a feeling of calm and peace when I wake up on a Saturday morning to check on my bride and I am welcomed with a bubbly "Good Morning!" on the other end of the line.

She and I feel so confident that with the benefit of such a confident and capable team of wedding professionals and the leadership of Bonnie Garfield with The Portofino; we humbly acknowledge we are on "auto-pilot!"

Here, you see this fantastic couple during their engagement shoot with Damon Tucci.

Just wait...their wedding images will be equally as gorgeous!

Inspired Wedding Tabletop Decor: "Big Sur"

A question I often ask my clients, vendor partners and even myself is "What inspires you?" I find that if thought our carefully, it can open the door to many creative opportunities and experiences.

Several months ago, I had the distinct pleasure of having been asked to participate in an evening to assist The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes to "Impress, Indulge and Inspire." Guests that already had their special date on the books grew increasingly excited over the designs created by our area's top wedding and event planners, floral designers, furniture rental ingenues and the like. Prospective clients invited could not get their dates on the books quickly enough after the stellar evening.

Enlisting a team that I was extremely compatible with was my first priority. With that in mind, I immediately called Tommy Murphy with Greenery Productions and Awny Kashoggi, owner of Unique Option. As I have come to delightfully expect, an initial pow-wow between us sparked such enthusiastic creativity and inspiration. Getting in a room with these gentlemen is exhilarating and I left the table dizzy with the anticipation of seeing our collective ideas brought to life.

Indeed, the reality far exceeded my expectations!

Our first table we labeled ,"Big Sur" as this same team was inspired by a recent couple, {and recent blog post} Christie and Harvey Heller.

Organic, earthy, natural and hearty with a splash of "over the top," the table was presented with the use of camphor vines with cymbidium orchids wired woven amongst the branches, a natural stone overlay over moss green velvet and shantung linen provided by Wildflower Linen. Awny's water walls surrounded by candles in varying heights carried our imaginations to what we had dreamed the ideal rustic yet glamorous environment would be out west.

To tell our story from beginning to end, we had invitations, escort cards, and menus designed with organic paper, real leaves and stones by the innovative Amy Morelli of the 2u Collection.

I was fortunate enough to have the gracious offer from Damon Tucci to capture my table images and the rest are from Tommy's trusty camera.

What inspires you...?

Real Weddings: Monique and Ryan

Elegant, ethereal, romantic...

Looking back over Monique Levy and Ryan Judge's wedding day all of those words come to mind.

As Ryan was studying and training out of state, I naturally worked very closely with Monique. On very fortunate occasions, for me anyways, her mother Michelle tagged along for the planning ride. What a beautiful and special relationship they have. It was plainly clear to me where Monique gets her drive, her beauty and her confidence. Michelle Levy is such a strong and dedicated woman and mother.

Monique has such a beautiful soul. Terri and I constantly talked about her, almost in awe, at her demeanor.

To start, she's brilliant! We think she will single-handedly find the cure for Alzheimer's. She is so dedicated and talented with her work, we felt so humbled to work side by side with her.

Because her work schedule was so demanding, coupled by the fact that she lived in Lakeland, meetings and appointments became wedding planning missions.

We would ask for a day--she would give us a day. A full day later, we were beginning to build a very formidable vendor team.

The wedding was held at the grand Rosen's Shingle Creek. Look at the amazing architecture!

When my clients are natural beauties, I grow concerned over the intended wedding-day makeup. Natalie with Knockout Artistry simply *knocked* this one out of the park. Monique looked incredibly stunning; just look at those eyes!!!

Responsible for that ethereal and elegant look was the one and only Jesus Rodriguez and Chris Guglio with Raining Roses.

Damon Tucci, as I have grown quite accustomed to, captured these wonderful images of Monique and Ryan's day. My particular favorites: that close-up of Monique and the way Ryan is looking at her during their first dance which was played by their DJ, Michael Fabbiani with Above and Beyond Entertainment.

The couple have since relocated and started their married lives...

Dear Monique and Ryan,

Good luck and good love!

xoxoxo

Celebrating With Friends!

Just a quick note today to highlight how our friends and business partners have been embracing our move and showing their support with our new move...

We received this lovely arrangement {the colors are so apropos!!} from our new friend and fab floral designer Jay Casiano with Flowers of Winter Park.

Just after receiving this gorgeous floral piece, photographer Damon Tucci and Studio Manager Rosy Usmani stopped by to take a peek at our progress and pass along their well-wishes. They were gracious enough to bring over a bottle of Moet and we toasted to...WEDDINGS!

Jessy had to play photographer in this picture, and I apologize for it being fuzzy, but it was taken with my Blackberry...or was it the champagne?!? :)

Friday's Chic Style Sheet: February 1st

Scenting!

It's my latest event design obsession!

I have had some underlying desires about wanting to "scent" the weddings and events I produce, but adnittedly was not as experienced or informed as I would have liked.

Already slated for a wedding reception we are producing in March, I was hoping to find out first hand how this really worked.

The perfect opportunity presented itself when Rosy, creative director for Damon Tucci Photography and I were speakers at The Special Event Show in Atlanta last month. Our session touched on styling your environment amongst others, and part of styling your environment includes a lot more than the visual.

I became in touch with Scott Roeb at Scent Events regarding our session, "Pillow Talk." He was eager to help us, and what we received (in addition to lovely praise and positive feedback!) was the uplifting scent of fresh, green mango delicately balanced throughout the 1 hour presentation. Maybe Scott will hook me up at home?!? :)

I encourage you to consider this as a design element to your wedding! It is another "layer" to your design that can truly make your fete as disticnt at you are.

Scentevents offers you a fun, environmentally safe and easy to use system to bring that special scent to your event. You may choose from their library of wonderful scents or they can create a custom scent for your particular need. Their variety of Scents is limited only by your imagination.

Perfection at The Portofino

Creating an environment worthy of the "party" that Laura and Joe Cavallero wanted was an assignment I took very seriously (and happily!).
Laura and I met in my office months before her wedding and hit it off immediately. She was a "transplant" from Maryland and very unfamiliar to Orlando. You know the "mommy" in me just wanted to take care of her! :)
We hit the ground running, and she was certainly up for the task...
Laura came to me from the fabulous Lindsey Luxa so I knew she was all set with paper. Although she had a dress, I felt she should check out the dresses and have a little fun with my gals over at Solutions. Smart move: Look at that Rivini gown on her!
We had to progress further with a line-up of top professionals all to include Damon Tucci, Flourish, Bonnie Garfield with The Portofino, Wings of Sound, DJ Carl, Bake Me A Cake and Dale Dees.
As if planning with these 2 often included many laughs, jokes, a little wine and some sushi from time to time wasn't enough of a good time; the actual execution of the day was the perfect ending.
Laura started her day in the plush Presidential Suite with her bridesmaids getting pampered and all glam with Dale. The beautiful flowers were delivered, and the rest of the day was a seamless series of events, despite the rain call to move our ceremony inside. (Bonnie really hooked us up with an amazing Plan"B"!) Dreamy, classical prelude and ceremony music was the anticipated top-notch performance from Shannon Caine and her musicians with Beautiful Music. Shannon even had a fabulous saxophone player for the cocktail hour which truly set the tone for the party that waited behind those ballroom doors...
The food and service was top notch and the compliments were flowing--as was the martinis via the martini ice sculpture luge. Nice!
Looking over these images, seeing how gorgeous and handsome they looked from the inside out and remembering the fun we had through this process has made me so nostalgic to meet up again with Laura and Joe, and we did make that promise to stay in touch. Falling out of touch is NOT an option, right Laura??!? "YOU BETTA' DON'T!!" (Inside joke!)

Party + Posh = PERFECTION! That's my favorite kind of math!