Holiday break....

From my family to yours...Happy Holidays! What a blur 2008 has been, as it just flew by. I hope you are taking this time to relax and reflect on all of your blessings. I wish I could say that I was relaxing. I am sorry I wont be posting for a few days. As we speak I am sitting in my pajamas working on my new website. I have also been working with an amazing graphic designer named Fee McCaskill. Fee is so talented and one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She is recreating my logo. I also have a bridal show this Sunday 1/4/09.

Hopefully by this weekend my new site will be up. The address will be the same www.lacybranchevents.com just the look and feel will have changed. I hope you all will like it.

Please have a wonderful safe and Happy New Year!

Showers too...

At Lacy Branch Events, we do more then just Weddings. Some of our favorite events are showers. Recently we were contacted to do a large couples baby shower. Love it!! It gets even better... the shower is being thrown by the couple's sister Robin. I can honestly say it is a pleasure to meet a sister so loving and committed. She is just adorable and so excited about the shower. The shower is going to be at Stonewolf Golf Club in Fairview Heights on January 31st. It is a large shower with a whopping 75 anticipated guests! Be sure to check back in February for the follow up post.

All that "Glimmers"...

So if you are familiar at all with my posts, by now you may know, I love all things "blingy" . Recently, I was in Newport Beach, CA, attending the annual Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) conference. While I was attending the trade show I was lucky enough to meet Jill Flynn, President of Glimmers. She was such a riot to meet and so excited about her products! So I wasn't even back from the conference a week when I had a party where we could utilize her Light Up Star Placeholders and the waterproof Starlites. They were a huge hit. I swear we used them everywhere we could from centerpieces, to place holders, to arrangements.

Here are the Light Up Star Placeholders. You can't tell from this but this little star blinks.


We used the star lights on rods with our tree arrangement.



If you are ever in need of these type of fun decor, be sure to contact Glimmers.

Winter Wonderland....

I am sorry for the delay in the post but there were so many great images to go through I wanted to be selective. This event was so fabulously fun to plan. The party was for a Company here in St Louis that is near and dear to my heart. When I was asked to create a "Winter Wonderland" Event I was happy to assist.

We started by selecting the Randall Gallery in St Louis, where Mark Widmann was amazing as usual. The space is huge and the art is so fun, that it made for a great backdrop.

Next stop on the planning stages we were sure to secure Browers Studio B! for fun and always entertaining photos. This allowed the guests to take some silly and not so silly pictures. The pictures were then displayed in two places in the gallery where heads where turning all night. The laughs never stopped! It was money well spent. Not to mention Michael and Lajuanna Browers are adorable to work with.

I knew that Lacy Branch Events could handle the design of decor (ie..centerpieces, etc) but enlisted the assistance for lighting and fabric/props from Erin Schulte with Exclusive Events, Inc. She went above and beyond for us with the large fabric snowflakes hanging, to the snowflakes projected on the wall and ceiling. Guests were oooohing and awwwwing as they came into the "winter wonderland".



To achieve the true wintery colors we used ice blues, and silvers on the main level.









Then upstairs we used silvers and blacks to enhance city skyline and the gorgeous artwork in the room. We kept with the snowflake theme throughout. The food was amazing, and piping hot. The Randall Gallery prepares all of their own food on the premises.







After dinner, the guests returned to the main floor where Millenium Music rocked the music and karaoke all night long.

We had such a great time I didn't want this night to end... But as they say all good things must come to end. Hopefully next year they will ask me to do their Holiday Event.

These pictures are courtesy of Brower's Photography and Brower's Studio B! Picture of Mark Widmann from Randall Gallery and myself after a fun night

Winter Wonderland Holiday Event....

Wow, last night was such a great event at the Randall Gallery in downtown St. Louis! I am still exhausted but it was totally worth it. Between Exclusive Events, Inc wonderful lighting display, and Studio B's always hysterical photos it will take me a bit longer to post everything. Check back for pictures, I hope to have them up soon.

So excited..

I just returned from beautiful sunny Newport Beach, California. Although I wished I could have stayed at beach all day, I was actually there for this years Annual Association of Bridal Consultants conference. I reconnected with many other planners from around the world, and got to see some new trends in decor. I think my favorite part of the conference was when I got to meet two very very successful people in our industry. The first one was Barbara Wallace, author of Wedding Vendor Handbook. She was also featured on the Real Housewives of Orange County when she did Lauri and George's wedding.



Also, on the second night of the conference we attended an all White party (La Couleur Blanche). At this party I was kind of a renegade and wore black with my white, and low and behold I was lucky enough to meet world-renowned event designer and lifestyle expert Colin Cowie! The better part was that we dressed just alike. I told him we both had the same style, and he had a great laugh! What a good humored person Colin is.



It was so great to see how these and many other planners do weddings all over the world!

"Falloween" Wedding Reception 11/01/08

One of my favorite parts of being an wedding planner is being able to share my work with so many people. Recently I was lucky enough to be asked to plan a "Falloween" Wedding Reception for a dear friend of mine. Warning...This posting might be a little longer than normal but I am overly excited.

I remember the first time Keri, Brian, and I sat down to discuss their reception. This was somewhat of a typical meeting in respect that Brian was not very interested in picking out colors or decor, and Keri was concerned about the formality. Quickly during the meeting it became abundantly clear what they were looking for....CASUAL, FUN, and SIMPLE. So I immediately became elated, because this was such a different request then any other weddings we have done!! Everyone knows I love a design challenge.

We did have many challenges. First was that the couple wanted the reception to be on Saturday 11/1/08. Ok so that's Halloween weekend, which as we all know in St Louis could be very very cold. So keeping that in mind, the couple wanted the reception to be held in their big beautiful backyard. The last request was that it would not be your typical formal dress up type of reception. Instead they wanted their guests to feel relaxed. They said "it had to be casual, and simple, and incorporate halloween and fall."

We watched the weather religiously that week. I kept telling them to think positive. Boy did we luck out. It was almost hot that day. The weather was clear and 75 during the day and 50 in the evening.

The reception started at 5pm and went on late into the night. I believe all the guests were amazed by the transformation of the backyard. Keri and Brian have such a beautiful home, and backyard. We simply played up on the fall foliage that was already there.

The couple had approximately 65 people. Because the weather was so cooperative we were able to have cocktails and prefunction throughout the yard.


There were tons and tons of illuminated jack o'lanterns that Keri's friends had carved. The jack o'lanterns and lighting we put in the trees throughout the yard, made for a romantic feel.


Lanterns

Prefunction tables

Inside the tent area we used candles, and lanterns, and simple lighting to achieve ultimate romance. However, I did sprinkle in just enough of my signature "sparkle/bling" in the centerpieces.


Centerpieces
The cake
Thank you to Keri and Brian for being so adorable and absolutely a delight to work with!
Keri & Brian
Keri with me
Photos courtesy of a Juan Alvarez a budding photographer from Chicago.

Ice Bars/Luges

At recent events I have seen a trend forming of some really "cool" Ice Bars/Luges. Ok so that was my attempt at a joke. Anyway, as with most of my couples, everyone wants to know how they could make their reception a little more personalized or fun. These Luges have been crafted so that beverages can be run through or across it and served ice cold. It also allows guests some interaction while waiting at the bar. They can order a drink and watch it being poured down this intricate carved Luge. At the end of the Luge they receive an ICE cold beverage in their glass. These Luges can have the couples name, monogram, or I have even seen pictures frozen inside. The sky is the limit, and the couples can have just one more unique item to wow their guests!!

Winter wonderland couple....

I have been very fortunate to have gotten to work with such amazing couples in my career. The latest couple that selected us to be their Wedding Consultants are no exception. Sierra and Lamont are such an adorable couple!! I met with them a little over two weeks ago and they told me about their visions for their upcoming December 19,2009 wedding. I immediately became so excited at all of the possibilities that are available to them. We cannot wait to begin working with them to make this the Winter Wonderland of their dreams!!! Congratulations Sierra & Lamont and from the LBE family thanks for letting us be a part of your planning...

"Frosting" for your cake in the non-traditional way...

As you may know I love all things sparkly and you oftern hear the term "frosting" for diamonds so I thought it was fitting to show you a beautiful alternative to the traditional flowers or ribbons on a wedding cake. Couture Cake Jewelry has some really unique things. We have all seen the crystal monogram cake toppers but this is a nice addition. You can check out their gallery of monograms

Want to share pictures from Karol & Tyler...

Karol & Tyler.... 8/9/08

Gosh what a fantastic couple, I don't even know where to start.. Well for starters I have worked with them for almost a year now. The Bride is originally from Brazil and the Groom is originally from the Peoria, Illinois area. Both of them now live in Chicago and work very busy schedules. We had our challenges logistically and with time trying to get them into town to meet with vendors! However, we were able to get it done, and friends and family from all over came to attend this special day.

Their Wedding Ceremony was in Peoria, Illinois (my hometown) at the beautiful St Mary's Cathedral. The reception was at the Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria, Illinois.


We wanted to give them the Wedding and Reception that they were envisioning in their heads. This couple really went out of their comfort zone a couple of times when it came to decor. As you can see below, Karol & Tyler chose some very bold colors and I think it paid off. They wanted a fun reception that was less stuffy and more like a party.

So what did we do to make this already beautiful ballroom into Karol & Tylers own style? We enlisted the help of some very talented local vendors. Over the next few days I am going to post some thoughts about Lighting and Linens but for now we are just talking about this couple. The lighting was done by Scott Fort from Sound and Light Creations. He was truly and artist. He provided the lighting and the Gobo (that is the monogram or name you see on the wall. The couple got so many oohs and ahhhhs from the lighting. The lighting truely made their reception unique and fun.

The couple chose a fantastic photographer (and good friend of mine) Pam Cooley of Pam Cooley Photography The pictures you see on my Blog and such are compliments of this talented lady. She even went with me to take pictures of the Honeymoon suite that Tamico and I had decorated with rose petals and candles.

We just had a wonderful weekend and I am glad that I was able to be part of it. Thanks Karol & Tyler.

Keri & Brian...

We are so excited to be working with Keri & Brian. I have known Keri for a little over a year. She is one laid back bride! I love it... Also Brian is great too. Everyone knows that I love Halloween, I go all out. Well when Keri and Brian came to me and said they wanted me to plan their Halloween wedding I was over the moon!! I could not wait to call Tamico and tell her.We are going to incorporate Fall & Halloween together. I like to call it FALLOWEEN...

So we are feverishly working to give them the intimate Falloween Celenbration. I cannot wait to share pics of this day with you in November..

Congrats Keri & Brian..

New LBE Website coming soon...

I am busily working on updating my current website www.lacybranchevents.com So check back ...I hope to have it up and running in the next few weeks.

Lacy was MIA....

I am so sorry for my absence from the Blogging scene. For those of you that read this frequently I have been neglecting you. But I am back on track with the blog. Accept my apologies :-)

Place Cards vs. Escort Cards

Is there a difference? Some people use these terms interchangeably. In actuality they are two separate things entirely that serve two different purposes.

Escort Cards are placed at the point of entry to your reception. They have the guests name and table number or name on it. These cards direct your guests as to wha table they will be seated at. A seating chart can take the place of an escort card display.

Place Cards are used if you are assigning your guests to particular seats. There are many ways to display these cards from a simple tented card to a more elaborate card or design.

Do linens really make a difference?

We get asked this question frequently. This is one of those questions that is somewhat tricky to answer. I have seen many beautiful, fabulous weddings that did not use specialty linens! However, if a couple is looking to amp up their reception or take it to the next level, then by all means use them. The sky is the limit with the colors, textures, patterns, etc. Specialty linens can make the same venue look entirely different.

The good news is that your wedding planner should have a local rental company who carries them. By renting the linens, you gain the benefit of having them without the cost of buying them.

Did you know?

Did you know that February is National Weddings Month?

February is a GREAT time to plan out your wedding’s details.

Remember that all of us in the wedding service business – Wedding Planners, Photographers, Venues, and DJ’s can all book anywhere from 6 months to two years in advance!

So it’s never too early to get together and go over your plans!

More talented photographers..

I recently had the pleasure of meeting some very talented photographers. They are a husband and wife duo. Stephanie & Peter Zettl www.zettlphoto.com . I really enjoyed hearing about their ideas and visions. I also saw some of their albums and they are really great!

Much needed R&R....

It is that time of year again...I will be on vacation getting some much needed R & R before the busy weddding season is in full swing. I will be checking emails a couple of times a day. Tamico will still be holding down the fort in my absence. Take care....

Marie & Charles

These two are a really adorable couple from Ireland. They will be getting married here in the States in May. Congrats to them!