Love the Interlude

John Mayer plays the interlude to Justin Timberlake's Love Stoned. Magic fingers McGee!

Haven't done this in a while!

Is it wrong that my BFF and I think this former child actor is a cutie? I can't wait for the next Indiana Jones movie, and it's not because I really want to go see an action/adventure, if you know what I mean...

Lol, yes, the photo is from www.shiafan.com

Baroque-back

A room in the Hermitage Museum

Russia... a very mysterious place to me, but luckily my brother-in-law is very knowledgeable in this area. He lived and studied there for a while and gave me a few tips that would help me design an event that evokes Imperial Russia, but would allow room for a contemporary twist. For example, there was a heavy baroque influence in the architecture and design of the Russian city of St. Petersburg and we've all seen the many baroque-inspired whimsical design elements in decor that can have a huge visual impact on a party.

I chose red and black because I love how they feel a little bit enigmatic (like the KGB or something) when paired together. I found these red lucite candelabras, above, at everythingart.com and they provide quite a striking silhouette.




Left is a big, bold patterned linen made by Isle Design.

Below is a yummy mirror that would look Очень (very) cool with an Aleksandr Pushkin poem or quote written on the glass since literature is such a huge part of the culture.

"The illusion which exalts us is dearer to us than ten thousand truths."

or if you're feelin' sassy,

"Иллюзия которая возвеличивает нас, для нас дороже, чем десять тысяч истин"

And because in a perfect event planning world, we would be able to rent any and all types of chairs for a reasonable price, so here are some fantasy chair rentals, first in red from etsy.com (friggin' $1,800).

In black from a really neat antique reproduction website.

Finally, some other essential elements of this theortical Russian soiree would be, of course, vodka and caviar. To feel like a Tsarina yourself, serve up a Black Russian with Stolichnaya Elit, and make some caviar moons, if for no other reason than to say you did.

On the VIP list: "The Russian" Lord of the Dance, Mikhail Baryshnikov

I'm a liar

... this post is taking longer than I thought, it will be up tomorrow~!

Site Selection!

Woooooohoooooo! I am feeling really good for the second week of January, not only is the weather insane (-ly awesome), but I am getting my brand identity together and couldn't be more excited. My logo finally came together and my website is up, just a couple more days on the rest of the picture gallery, but otherwise I'm stoked. Okay, just a peek and I'll do my regular post in a minute.

New Post this afternoon!

I think it's gonna be a cool one, stay tuned.

Save this

Surfing around on Brooklyn Bride I saw the coolest hand made STDs (lol, I SO have a juvenile sense of humor). Check 'em.

photos: bklynbride.blogspot.com

August will be hot, in more ways than one

Okay, I was never the girl with the romantic idea of a Cinderella wedding, never paid much attention to flowers and wouldn't describe myself as über-crafty. So as I continue to expand my horizons, I'm having so much fun coming up with detailed design ideas for all these brides' different personalities. I'm loving planning a perfectly personalized party whether it's for the fairytale princess, the green goddess, or the flower child.

My friend Eliza's wedding is coming up in August and I would describe her and Dan (and the soon-to-be-introduced Lila Quinn) as "organic/rock-n-roll " - if you can gather that from their photo taken at my wedding. Here is the beginning of my design file for their wedding:

photos: TheKnot.com

Great in 2008 (we'll hear this all year!)

Here are some photos of Club NY at the Gaillard. PDA, Duvall and Obviouslee Marketing put on quite a show! You can check all of them on CharlestonPictureCompany.com's website HERE.

I'll leave with a couple of New Year's resolutions event professionals should heed, according to Ted Kruckel a writer for BizBash, here are a couple of my faves:

"Resolve to: Stop serving mini hamburgers, and also please stop calling them “sliders.” They are hard to eat, stick in your throat, and make you feel fat and guilty after the fact. Also, they are no longer new, which counts for something.

Resolve to: Never use plastic cups with a cheap rough edge. They make everything taste bad. Have you noticed these glasses get the most play at high-society stuff? "

Hmm.... what's mine? Professionally I think it's to be a little more detail-oriented. Working on a nonprofit event budget, it was easy to overlook or pass on the small details to get "more bang for my buck" in the essential areas. So this year I'll study up on the little things that make a party one to remember.

Photos: CharlestonPictureCompany.com

Ooh! yeah

Woohoo, I'm back baby! Hope everyone's New Years Eve was a safe and fun one, mine consisted of getting introduced and quickly hooked on Guitar Hero III, eating pickles and cream cheese wrapped in ham (prepared by a dude), and going to bed at 12:30 because of a pickle-crm chz-ham tummy ache! I was going to go to Club NY but started a little too early and didn't want to drive, so Guitar Hero it was...

Anyway, went over to see Michelle at Ooh! Events and saw their amazing selection of unique decor, here are some cool lighting options I have my eye on for some upcoming weddings I'm planning: