Rochelle & Jeff 06/26/2010

We met Rochelle and Jeff in January of this year. They are quite a unique couple, both are avid fitness buffs. During the planning of the wedding they took on another BIG task of opening a Cross Fit Gym. Needless, to say planning a wedding can be stressful enough but add opening a gym to the list and that's down right taxing. Lucky for the couple they decided early on that they needed assistance, and reached out to us.

They had already selected a reception venue in St Charles, and a photographer. However, shortly after we signed the couple we found out they had decided not to use their current photographer. In addition, the new reception venue would not be complete in time for the invites, etc. So we knowing their style we quickly put them in contact with our friends Coby & Diane at CMAX Photography who we could not believe were available, and the couple was extatic.

Next task, find them a venue, no easy task due to them insisting on staying in St Charles, and their wedding date was less then 3 months away. After interviewing them further we realized they had gotten engaged earlier that year at Ameristar! Ding, ding...I knew just who to call. Contacted Jodie at Ameristar and quickly the couple had a venue...but not just any venue..HOME Nightclub which is where they had gotten engaged! Can you say divine intervention? We can..

This story is a great example of why having a professional Wedding Coordinator on your team is key. We helped Rochelle & Jeff overcome what could have been a disasterous situation. But instead they were able to enjoy the benefits. Their guests were then able to continue to party down after the reception when HOME Nightclub opened to the public. (Special Thanks to Jodie & Jamie at Ameristar)



In the next few months we finalized the details, and got Sisters Flowers onboard to help the bride create her vintage yellow and black wedding.

Thanks to all of our vendors who sustained the 100+ degree heat to make this wedding a huge success.

Dream Team:
Photography: CMAX Photography
Floral Design: Sisters Flowers
Cake: The Cakery
DJ: Millennium Music
Reception Venue: HOME Nightclub at Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St Charles
Ceremony venue: The Chapel at New Town

Save the Date: The Blissful Wishes Ball & Wish Upon a Wedding

As most of you know, I am the President for Wish Upon a Wedding St Louis Chapter, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization started last year in the San Francisco Bay Area which by January 2011 will boast 25 chapters Nationwide. Wish Upon a Wedding provides weddings for couples faced with terminal illness regardless of sexual orientation at any of our National chapters. Each chapter has its own board of directors lead by the most trendsetting, committed, business minded people in the wedding industry. I'm proud to introduce to you an amazing way for you to give back to these courageous couples and allow healthy couples to secure your services for their own wedding.

Couples planning to be married can bid for wedding-related auction items online starting in October or at a Blissful Wishes Balls Nationwide in November, with all proceeds benefiting Wish Upon a Wedding . This new organization is the world's first nonprofit that provides weddings for individuals facing life-threatening illness.



Wish Upon a Wedding is currently seeking donated products or services in 46 cities, ranging from wedding gowns to tuxedos, invitations to cakes, and limousine services to honeymoons. It only takes a moment to register and make a difference in someone's life at

https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?auctionId=115386483 !
Be sure to add your item to the correct category (city), and don’t forget to include your company logo and URL. What a great advertising opportunity~ and you'll be making a positive difference in someone's life who truly deserves it!

Engage10 recap continued

The second part of my recap from my Engage!10 experience. One of the highlights to attending is to meet talented ( and talented is an understatement) industry leaders. This post would be far too lengthy if I listed and showed pictures of every person I met. So I am going to take the very wise advice of Liene Stevens – CEO Splendid Communications, and keep it short.

Some of the highlights of my experience were:

1) Getting to meet Sylvia Weinstock again. She is such an icon, and quite a good dancer. She told us that she never ever skimps on quality ingredients. The basis of what she was telling us was that although you can get things “cheaper” they are not all created equally. Fine, expensive ingredients, are just that fine, and expensive. You could find similar or lesser quality ingredients that would be less expensive, but be aware they are not the same. This was so important to me, as it relates to what I do, and the questions I field every day.

2) Hearing Colin Cowie speak I have heard him once before and met him once before. However, when he takes the stage and explains the events he creates, I am immediately speechless. Which being speechless does not often happen to me. In his South African accent he keeps us captivated with his passion for the industry.


3) Using a photobooth- I know this doesn’t sound exciting to many of you. You might even be thinking, photobooth? You could get that anywhere, and you would be right. My excitement was the “experience of the photobooth”. I loved watching everyone, who see these photobooths every weekend, step up and smile! Mustaches, big lips, poses, it was precious, Here are some of mine.
With my friends Kelly Karli owner of Frosted Pink Weddings, and Erin McDonald from Heffernan Morgan Stanley

I love this picture of us from Top Left: Kelli Karli, Shawn Leech - Rain Salon in Orlando, Anthony Luscia from Martha Stewart, and on bottom Rusty James. See I told you the photobooth was entertaining.

Me with Ali Phillips who is from Chicago and is owner of Engaging Events By Ali, Inc.


4) Experiencing the royal treatment we received from the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman. It’s funny but this kind of ties into Sylvia’s comments. I mean it was so refreshing to hear “it would be my pleasure”, or “good morning miss” EVERY single time a staff member passed me in the hallway. The customer service I received is nothing less than FABULOUS!

5) Getting to attend a fun evening event, and not having to worry about timelines, vendor arrivals, etc that I got to be a guest. The last night we were at Engage was bitter sweet. It was bitter sweet because we were leaving the next day, but fun because we really got to enjoy the fabulous party that was thrown for us.

6) Spending time with Randy Fenoli from the show Say Yes to the Dress. Randy has more energy than 4 people combined, and then some. However, hearing his insights on style was wonderful. Since we are Event Stylist, and Personal Stylist, this was invaluable to me.

6) I cannot even do these two justice but the fabulous and very inspiring Cindy Novotny, and Simon T. Bailey. Their energy and attitudes are contagious. If you ever are presented with a chance to hear them speak...DO!
Here I am with Simon

I am so happy that I got to share some of my highlights and images of Engage!10 with you. I got quite a few questions like “this looks like it was all celebration and no work”, or “how does going to paradise = working”. The images of more around the fun experiences but what I didn’t capture on film was the large amount of time we spent in educational, informational sessions. So there you go, although it was a lot of fun, it was work. Work that I would not trade for a second.

PS…sorry Liene this is 563 words… ( I tried)

Photobooth Images Courtesy of: Jennifer Domenick/Love Images

Wish Upon A Wedding St Louis is off the ground...

Photo Credit: Kelly Park Photography

On Wednesday June 16, 2010 we officially launched the St Louis Chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding! Wish Upon A Wedding is the world’s first non profit dedicated to granting wedding wishes to couples faced with terminal illness regardless of sexual orientation.

The launch party was held at the fabulous Lumen Private Event Space downtown St. Louis. Attendees were asked to dress in Caribbean Chic attire. Thanks to the amazing vendors we have in St Louis there was no shortage of food, drink, or entertainment.



Everyone was greeted as they walked in with a feeling of the Caribbean from the music, to the food stations, to the signature drink.



Picture of our St Louis Board

Once the evening was in full swing, and every one's bellies were full, I took the stage as chapter President to give my presentation. The intent of the presentation was to help raise awareness, and help the message get spread for Wish Upon A Wedding. When I got to the past Wish Recipients portion of the presentation, I got a little teary eyed. I was nervous at first, until I looked up and saw that so many of the audience was also teary eyed. At that moment, I knew I was surrounded by amazing, loving, caring, and giving St Louisans.


After the presentation, everyone continued to enjoy, all of the cuisine, desserts, and entertainment. I personally enjoyed the photobooth donated by Goodeye Photoshare. These are some pics from it.

Thank you St Louis, Thank you St Louis Wedding Industry, special thanks to the Shannon Family for all you did to help make our first event a glowing success!! I am blessed to live in such a generous community!

Special thanks goes out to our Event Planning Chair Rob Schaefer, and his entire committee! You all are rockstars. Also, thanks to the Board who dedicated countless hours over the course of 2 months!

List of our generous contributors:
Venue
Lumen Private Event Space

Food/Beverage & Desserts:
Catering Your Way By Lisa
Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate Co.
El Borracho
EnFab Catering
Four Seasons St. Louis
Gooey Louie
Lumen Private Event Space
Mike Shannon’s Steaks & Seafood
Mosaic Modern Fusion Restaurants
Orlando’s Catering & Special Event Design
Patty Long Catering
The Cakery
Beverage
Mandarin
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Red Bird Sports Café & Billiards
Nadoz Café - Steven Becker Fine Dining

Photography: Kelly Park Photography

Photobooth: Goodeye Photoshare

Videography: Gebbs Wedding Films

DJ: Millennium Productions

Props Entrance: Parties & Props, Ltd.

Floral:
RW Designs Events & Wedding Specialists
Tina Barerra, The Special Events Florist

Linens: Sitting Pretty

AV: St. Louis Audio/Visual

Makeup/Hair: Tami Scott Salon, Cosmetics & Lounge

Engage10 Grand Cayman

I just returned from a life changing conference that was held in Grand Cayman. The name of the conference was Engage!10, and it was comprised of some of the most talented wedding professionals in the industry. The 3-day conference was held at the gorgeous Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman. From the time our plane touched down on the little island, I knew I was in for a treat, and the beaches weren't too shabby either.




The luxury wedding business summit as it is called, was definitely just that… luxury. No detail was left out, the team at Celebrations did an amazing job with the décor. Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce from Engaging Concepts greeted us personally at the door of the Ritz which immediately made us feel welcome. (kudos ladies on that personal touch)

This experience was unlike any I have ever had at a conference. I am not just talking about the all star lineup of speakers either (which let me tell you was unbelievable). I am talking about the attendees. The attendees are some of the most brilliant, warm, and talented people I have ever met.




When I sat down to write this blog post, I realized that my words were not going to do this justice as to the depth of what I learned and experienced. But I am hoping to try my best using pictures. In the next 3 blog posts I am going to break my experience up a little so that you can share my journey.

In addition, my friends at Avery House did an AMAZING job of capturing images. But hey they are pro's, so I highly recommend checking out their images on their blog

Halloween Chic Wedding at the City Museum - Jen & John

Not sure where the time has gone, and how it has gotten away from us. On Halloween night we were fortunate enough to have the most fabulous wedding! Halloween is my all time favorite holiday and this wedding was a dream come true.

Our clients had a few objectives for their All Hallow’s Eve Wedding.
Most important to them was to hold their wedding on the anniversary of their first date (Halloween night) in the town where the bride Jen attended law school. The ceremony was to be held at Graham Chapel at Washington University in St Louis. They insisted that the wedding offer fun at every turn, treating their 230 guests to a care-free array of flavors and amusement that required lots of creative planning and intricate transportation accommodations. Additionally, the couple and many of their guests were vegetarians with very sophisticated palates, so the culinary design had to meet expectations.

This was to be an unconventional Halloween fete with a nod to the theatrical and reflect their penchant for mystical movies…no typical jack-o-lanterns or orange décor would do! Multi-cultural rituals were to be added to the wedding ceremony, and the reception was to take place in one of the most interesting locations in the area…the City museum! However, the parents of both bride and groom wanted to maintain some aspects of tradition, and since they were writing the checks…everyone wanted to sprinkle “standard” in when and where possible.



We used multiple shades of purple, with accents of black and silver. This would still keep with the halloween feel but make it sophisticated and chic! The black and silver orleans damask from BBJ were perfect!

We reached out to our friends at Exclusive Events, Inc. to do the lighting design as well as the entry. They outdid themselves, by creating a spooky forest type feel. This included Bride of Frankenstein being played on a curtain!


The bride wore a beautiful Monique Lhuillier gown, and here deep purple cala lilies were the perfect color to create a pop, with a halloween flair. She wore this stunning dress for the ceremony and then changed into costume for the reception!!


John and Jen's wedding celebration was held over multiple days, as this was truly a St Louis Destination wedding. The couple reserved 90% of the newly constructed Moonrise Hotel in the Loop. This was such a throw back for the bride to be back in the area where she went to Law School. She wanted her guests to feel that too. The rehearsal dinner was nothing less then spectacular, the couple closed Pin-Up Bowl down to the public, and bowled and mingled the night away. Pin-Up Bowl is St. Louis' original bowling alley and martini lounge, and the guests loved it!!

Thank you Jen & John for allowing us to bring your vision to life! Thanks to the dream team that were truly dreams!!

Dream Team:
Event Production/Coordination: Lacy Branch Events
Floral Design: Sisters Flowers
Stationery: Two Blue Doors, Inc.
Linens: BBJ Linen
Lighting Design: Exclusive Events, Inc.
Transporation: JED Limousine

Post by the amazingly talented Sasha Souza

I thought we would share a post today that was created by the very talented Sasha Souza. The topic she writes about on her blog is near and dear to my heart. I feel like almost daily I am having to explain this exact topic. Sasha has done just that and the blog is definitely work a read. Check it out.. "Let me clarify you can always get something cheaper"

Thanks Sasha for a very insightful post!

LBE Photoshoot at the Arch in St. Louis

This past week we had the good fortune of doing a team photoshoot with the very talented Kelly Park. You can find the details on her Blog. We met at Landing, which if you are not from St Louis is also known as Laclede's Landing. This is the area near the base of the St Louis Arch, and next to the Mississippi River.

The weather was amazing, and there was not a cloud in the sky. We took pictures in the alley behind the Old Spaghetti Factory, then moved to the steps in front of the Arch. I think the images turned out fabulously!!

The purpose of the photoshoot was to welcome the newest LBE Team member, Ashley Wooden. (check back on the blog later this week for her formal welcome post). However, we quickly turned it into just a fun outing. Kelly Park put us at ease, and made us laugh. It was so nice for me to see and feel how my clients that are working with Kelly feel. It truly was a fun experience.

Thanks for capturing the essence our team Kelly!! Click here to see our shoot..

Fab Engagement Pictures at City Museum

I love to "marry" two things on my blog. Images of my lovely clients, and talented vendors. When we met Corryn & Chad earlier this year, they told us right away that they needed a photographer. We recommended the super talented Kelly Park. At the time we knew the couple and Kelly would be a great fit. If these images are any indicator... we were right on the money.

We work with so many talented/gifted photographers, however it is our job to really try to pair the clients up with the photographer that will fit their personality and style best. Great work Kelly and we can't wait for the big day in July!!

See more of the beautiful images of their engagement session at City Museum on Kelly's Blog..

Spring time decor.....

As many of our readers know we (Lacy Branch Events along with my ABC Local Networking Co-Director Lisa Zweifel) recently hosted a Regional Meeting for The Association of Bridal Consultants here in St Louis. The event was held at the newly renovated Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. From a design aspect, we had to design three very distinct rooms. The first was the welcome reception, which we posted last week. The second was breakfast, which is what we are going to show you today. The last was the luncheon, which we will showcase later in the week.

For the breakfast, we wanted to really showcase Spring! I think we really acheieved this. With the use of tables used in a unique T-Shape, it allowed attendees the ability to talk with others in a comfortable atmosphere. The T-shape also created quite the statement when attendees walked into the room.


Lisa Gallagher, from Belli Fiori really out did herself. When I sat down with her we discussed the various vases sizes, shapes, colors, etc. Then we both got very excited at the possibilities! I could not have been happier. She used tulips, peonies, Then in the middle of the table for a big statement she used forsythia branches in two large vases and had button mums on the outside of the vases. Stunning!


Next on the design trip was meeting with Beth from Two Blue Doors, Inc. We did not have charger plates in the budget for this meeting. But no worries, Beth suggested using the menus as a charger or placemat type. They were darling, and quite the conversation piece.


Connie Duglin donated the linen for the breakfast, after I feel in love with the "Cosmic Pink" pintuck. The linen was actually the inspiration for my design. We used monochromatic pink napkins. Then we used 4 different types of napkin rings, to really add to the eclectic theme.

The Hyatt provided an amazing breakfast that consisted of omelet, and oatmeal stations, as well as other continental fare.

I had so many favorites in this room, but one that I was EXTREMELY thrilled by, were the brand new to St Louis, crystal chiavari chairs! When I say brand new, I mean brand new. The chairs were provided by none other than The Aries Company. Many of my readers know that I am not personally a fan of chair covers (sorry guys) But especially with a design like this, with the impact being the center of the table. I did not want chair covers to detract from it. But these chairs were just the thing I needed to compliment the look while not taking away from it. You can rent them for your wedding at The Aries Company!


The place cards were provided by a fellow ABC Member placecards.com.

Thank you to all of our amazing vendors for a truly breathtaking and happy breakfast event!

Dream Team:
Room & Tabletop Decor: Lacy Branch Events
Lighting: Swank Audio/Visual
Venue: Hyatt Regency St Louis at the Arch
Stationery: Two Blue Doors, Inc.
Linens: Connie Duglin Linen
Chairs: The Aries Company
Floral: Belli Fiori
Photography: Signature Studio
Placecards: Placecards.com

Wish Upon A Wedding-America's only wedding wish granting organization comes to St Louis

I am very honored to share with with you information about a new organization I have been lucky enough to become a part of. It is called Wish Upon a Wedding and is America's only wedding wish granting organization. Wish Upon a Wedding produces weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States for individuals facing terminal illness. On February 14th, couples residing and wishing to get married within 300 miles of Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orlando and New York were eligible to apply for weddings. Since then more chapters have launched! Please check at the link here for information on how to apply.

The first Wedding Wish #1 was granted for Florence and Michael and was held on March 13, 2010. Wedding Wish #2 will happen April 15th at 1 Fort Mason, in San Francisco.

If you are a vendor and would like to be part of the exciting team of Wish Granters across the United States, please submit a Wish Granter application. For more information on how to make a contribution to this cause please visit the Web site contribution page. I will be serving on the Board for the St Louis Wish Upon a Wedding Chapter as the President and we will soon be releasing the Launch Party date for the St. Louis Chapter. I am so eager to get people involved here in the St Louis area so that we can shortly begin granting wishes. I know what big hearts St Louis people have, and how much love they continue to show. So I know that our chapter here is going to be top notch.
Look for more posts coming soon….

Stationery advice...

As planners we often get asked all types of questions surrounding what is "acceptable" vs "unacceptable". Who better to discuss invites/stationery then the amazing Two Blue Doors, Inc. This is a great post and when I came across it I had to share! Happy Reading

Envelopes inner and outer or just outer?

So what's the deal with evenings and weekends?

So you are engaged and you are starting to realize all the vendors that are involved in making your big day perfect. However, the one thing I have realized over the past few years of doing this, is that they don't know just how many appointments they are going to have or what exactly it means.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind. Some of this may seem pretty blunt, but someone has to help brides and grooms have realistic expecations.

Hire a Wedding Planner (sorry shamless plug, but no less truthful) A Wedding Planner/Coordinator have a rapport with other wedding vendors and can make the appointments for you, therefore freeing you up to do other things.

Identify what vendors you are going to need for what. (For example, florist, photographer, caterers, etc.)

Work with your planner to create a timeline for selecting these vendors In other words, not all vendors have to be met with and selected the first week you get engaged.

Schedule the appointments with these vendors. This one is extremely important. Please be prepared to be flexible. The majority of all brides and grooms work during the day, so EVERYONE wants an evening appointment. The same thing goes for weekend appointments. Weddings happen on weekends, so most wedding vendors are going to be booked on weekends. They may not be booked every weekend but the chances of getting them will be far less then let's say an 11:30am on a Tuesday.

We cannot stress enough that when you begin your planning you should be prepared to take some longer lunches, or vacation hours to meet with vendors. Flexibilty is key.

Be punctual for your appointments! Yes wedding vendors are working for you in many cases, but it is not ok to be late or cancel appointments at the last second. We know that things come up, but some vendors book up months in advance so limiting your missed appointments will help ensure you get the meeting times that are optimal.

Wedding Vendors are in the Service Industry but are not 24/7 Lately it seems far too many brides and grooms become frustrated when vendors cannot "work around their schedules". Or they expect calls back late into the evening or on weekend days. Just keep in mind, your wedding is probably going to be on a weekend day so would you not expect that your vendors are tied up in meetings, or on phone calls with other clients when they should be focusing on your wedding right?

I can tell you that almost every wedding vendor I know LOVES what they do, and they give 110%. So please remember that the vendors also have families and are people just like you and deserve to have their personal time respected. It is not because we don't want to be available, but it is because there are limited evening hours, and limited weekend days we don't already have weddings.

Here is something to think about.. If you decide to purchase a car, you know that the dealership is only open certain hours. Would you call the dealership after hours and expect them to be open? Would you ask the dealership to come in on days when they are closed, because that is what is best for your schedule?

If you need to have your hair cut or colored.. do you call or text your hair stylist at all hours? Do you ask them to stay late after they have worked all day?

I know that the wedding planning is slightly different, so many of the vendors try to be flexible, but it is not always possible.

If you follow these points when you first start planning, we are sure it will help you be far less disappointed when you realize that the best vendors are not always available to work around every schedule.

Your planning time is a special time and will not last forever, so proper time management will make it so much more enjoyable.

Happy Planning

Looking for something to make your cake table WOW people?

By now you all know that I love anything "different". I am always on the hunt for the latest and newest things to provide to my clients. I recently came across something that I absolutely was THRILLED by. A way to create a truly custom cake stand!! How fab is that? Custom Cake Stands by Raise the Cake

I know you are probably saying..."what difference does it make?" Well it isn't for everyone, but definitely for those brides that care about the "details". There are many nice cake stands out there that you can rent. However, some of them can be quite costly. This is a unique alternative to renting. You an choose one of their unique stands in the gallery, or you can design your own custom stand. Whatever your taste is you are sure to find it there.

Tip: Don't under estimate the cake table. The table as an overall decor element will be photographed by many many people. So don't forget to pay attention to candles, flowers, toppers, linen, and things like cake stands.