Supper Club Inspiration at The Waldorf Astoria, Orlando

This event was such an incredible joy to plan for me!

*Invitations, and Event Stationery by The 2u Collection* Working with my client,{the husband} this was a surprise celebration in honor of his 40th wedding anniversary, and truly no detail was spared! We even mailed a fake wedding invitation to his wife to get her to the Waldorf Astoria! {Tricksters we were!}

My inspiration was a supper club energy, much like you would have seen in the 1970's when they were married, and I became enamored with this look! I requested some original photos from their wedding to further inspire me, and had these wonderful replications of their wedding cake and her bridal bouquet displayed.

Adding to the nostalgia of the era, we also secretly commissioned none other than Tony Orlando himself to perform! {Now you KNOW I requested "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," right?!} Mr. Orlando was so incredibly gracious an utmost gentleman and charismatic performer. Yes, the crowd went wild!

I partnered with Raining Roses Productions with the floral and stage design, and everything from the stage set to the mirrored-top banquette tables were custom designed just for this inspiring and loving couple.

Ricky Sylvia with The Buzzcatz got the crowd in the perfect, celebratory mood and introduced Tony Orlando!

I even snuck in a dance at the end of the evening with the Mister!

*Images Courtesy of Sarah Bray Photography* Cheers! xx, LS

Real Weddings: Brittnie Holt and Jeff Faine at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

Hi, hello, hey there and, most importantly, I'M BAAAAACK!!!! Excuses, excuses, but the whirlwind of dizzyingly beautiful weddings, galas and events have had me, well, preoccupied. But, i really am back! This past weekend, I had the greatest time executing months of planning and design for Brittnie Holt and Jeff Faine. I'll let the imagery speak for itself, but here are some of my favorite highlights: * Those flower girls! Simply put: OMG!!! And such moxie they had, I adored them!

* I tore a page from Ellen while watching the Oscar's, and yep...I had 20 pizza pies delivered in the last hour, and if you wanted a piece you HAD to be on the dance floor. {We'll have to wait for the video to be done to see that!}

* I'll say it to my grave: Have a "Plan B that can rock your world. We were supposed to have an outdoor gazebo ceremony and dinner dancing under the stars with some extra glow with market lights. Florida weather had something else in store for us, and my goodness, did you see how GET LIT reworked the market lights? It was everything!

I'm so, so happy to be back! I missed "virtually" talking to all of you, and so tickled you came back to read too! xoxo

*Images Courtesy of Jensen Larson Photography* * Floral and Draping by Raining Roses Productions* * Lighting by Get Lit Productions* * Venue: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel* * Design: E Events by Lisa Stoner* {That's me!}

Real Wedding: Enchanting Tablescape

Enchanting floral and tablescape for the wedding of Jessica and Jim at The Ritz Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes! This just oozed style and romance with the boundless talent from Jesus Rodriguez and team at Raining Roses~ xoxo *Image Courtesy of Basia Mille Photography*

Real Weddings: Lisa and Mitch at The Shores Resort

Note to all budding wedding planners: This job can be very bitter-sweet! Having Lisa and Mitch enter our E- Events world was so sweet, they were an utter delight! To see them marry off and drift off to "happily ever after..." --admittedly sad, yet proud!
Lisa and Mitch live in Minneapolis, and when she called me about 7 months prior to her wedding with a "Clean Slate" my creative interest was peaked...
Lisa's challenge {did I hear someone say "challenge??!!"} was the ethnicity and authenticity that was paramount in being portrayed.
Lisa is half Filipino, half Indian and Mitch is African-American. Challenge? NO! A goal...YES! Recently, I have been chatting with loved ones about how well I respond to goals set forth before me...
First, we needed to find the ideal venue. With the couple's criteria in place we found that The Shores Resort in Daytona Beach Shores perfectly matched their specific wedding weekend goals and style. Next, a Catholic Church to accommodate Lisa's Filipino heritage. The Basilica of St. Paul could not have offered a more perfect backdrop to tradition and old-world opulence--
Onto our reception design--
Lisa repeatedly explained to me that her favorite part of living in her newly-transferred home of Minneapolis was it's downtown arts district which fostered her and Mitch's contemporary and metropolitan flair.
Note to self: Design a wedding reception that it is worthy of this aesthetic!
Raining Roses, Unique Option, BBJ Linen, Plumb Fun Photo Booth, Simply Cinematic and Garrett Nudd were all on hand to assure these elements were met in the moment and in the end with their treasured tangible memories.
Using a harmonious color palette of burnt orange and mahogany accents,the use of only 2 blooms for floral and the rectangular shaped dining tables to feed our 200+ guest list proved to be successful for this beautiful, yet odd-shaped ballroom. The tables were set on and angle with the dance floor in the middle of this ~L~ shaped ballroom "marrying" {ha!} the two sides of the room along with 4 carefully designed furniture groupings.
The result was a comfortable, sleek and chic room design worthy of this hip and trendy couple-
C'mon! Look at her Yves St. Laurent shoes--
The proof is in the stiletto!

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