OMG... Someone at SoleMates answered my prayers..

I love my high heels! I wear them everyday of the week. The worst thing for me, is when I hunt hunt hunt and then finally find the most fabulous heels. Then I wear them out, and two seconds later I scuff the heels in a sidewalk crack or sink into mud. HOW FRUSTRATING!

The same things applies to Brides and their Bridesmaids. They pay all this money for this great shoes and then they get ruined while trying to get pictures.

SoleMates came out with this ingenious invention... They are called "High Heelers". The SoleMates High Heeler is a high heel accessory that prevents heels from sinking into grass and from falling into cracks on sidewalks, grates, cobblestones, bricks, wooden decks, and more! Born out of personal necessity after years of ruined heels, the SoleMates High Heeler is ideal for weddings, outdoor events, and everyday wear!

The SoleMates High Heeler is currently available in Classic Black and Classic Clear, both meant to fit on most classically styled heels (ranging from Nine West through Manolo Blahnik, kitten heels through stilettos). They will be rolling out "Mini" versions of the High Heeler in the coming months, which is designed to fit on ultra-skinny stiletto heels. They are currently sold on their website (www.thesolemates.com) for $11.95 per pair, as well as in various boutiques throughout the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

So if you are looking for something to add to your Bridesmaids goodie bags.. these are a necessity!

Happy Valentine's Day...

On Valentine's Day we think of those
Who make our lives worthwhile,
Those gracious, friendly people who
We think of with a smile.

I am fortunate to have many wonderful people in my life. I hope each of you take a moment to tell those special people in your lives that you love them.

Happy Valentine's Day!

As the show season wraps up...

As the winter Bridal Show season comes to end we were at Windows off Washington yesterday for the St Louis Bride Magazine show. Frigid tempatures, and snow didn't seem to deter the Brides from coming out. This show was a little unique, I teamed up with another planner and fellow ABC member, Lisa Zweifel. We worked as a team, and I think it turned out great. I chose royal purples, and hot fuschias as my main color. In true Lacy Branch form it was larger then life!


I am so lucky that I have such great vendors to work with that allow me to bring my designs to life!

Sisters Flowers did an amazing job on the tables centerpiece, as they humored yet another "big idea" of mine. I could not be more happy with results, it was stunning! Those indeed are real rose petals on the vase, that we ( I mean Lisa) glued one by one onsite!!



Two Blue Doors provided the striking menus, table number, and place cards.


I wanted to do something different than my last show, so I envisioned adding a lounge area for weary brides to sit and rest their feet. Our friends at Exclusive Events, Inc. came through as always with fantastic lounge furniture, a light up table (which seemed to be a hit), pink uplighting, and stunning silver fabric for the backdrop.



When I was out in California in November I fell in love with these adorable chair covers, so I had to feature them in the show. They are so whimsical and fun!


My goal when doing a display like this is to tell Brides that it is ok, to think outside the box. You do not have to have cookie cutter décor. If you want bold colors, use bold colors. If you want a lounge do a lounge. This is YOUR day and it should reflect whatever you want it to reflect.

Wedding Planner vs Catering Manager/Coordinator..What's the difference?

At our lunch this week Sabrina, Alison, and I discussed a question that seems to be arising more and more lately. The question is.. What is the difference between what we provide as Wedding Planners/Coordinators and what is provided by the Catering Manager/Coordinator? I thought back to a wonderful article I have read that was written by someone I admire, Mary Dann-McNamee.

I hope this information will help clarify the differences between the two roles.
Just because you have a beautiful hotel, country club or home chosen for your wedding doesn’t mean that the venue catering manager or the caterer’s event coordinator will be a professional wedding planner. A catering manager is employed by the venue and primarily specializes in food and beverage sales for the venue. They are usually there on your wedding day, but often depart after the first course is served. A wedding planner is your personal consultant that interfaces with ALL aspects of the planning process and, without hesitations, will mediate, negotiate and co-create with you and for you. Bottom line: you employ the wedding planner and you do not employ the catering manager. Knowing who will provide you with each of these services throughout the planning process will ensure no last minute surprises, and keep you “duty free.”

Typical Catering Manager/ Coordinator Duties*
• Provide a personalized tour of the venue
• Act as a menu consultant for all food and beverage selections
• Detail your banquet event order or catering contract, outlining all of your event specifics, and ensure that it is communicated flawlessly to the operational team of the venue
• Create a floor plan of your function space in order for you to provide seating arrangements
• Arrange and attend your menu tasting
• Oversee the ceremony and reception room(s) set up, food preparation and other venue operations
• Act as the on-site liaison between your wedding planner and venue operations staff
• Ensure a seamless transition to the venue’s banquet captain once the grand entrance has occurred (typically this is when the catering manager leaves the reception)
• Review your banquet checks for accuracy, prior to the completion of the final bill


Typical Wedding Planner/Coordinator Duties
• Recommend event professionals to provide wedding music, flowers, photography, invitations and more
• Assist with etiquette and protocol for invitations, family matters, ceremony and toasts
• Create a comprehensive timeline
• Organize and coordinate your ceremony rehearsal
• Remind the bridal party of all pertinent “call times” and “don’t forgets” on the wedding day
• Confirm “call times” and details with all vendors
• Be available to have conversations in the evenings and weekends, long after your catering manager has gone home
• Act as the liaison between your family, bridal party and other vendors to create a seamless operation
• Deliver and arrange ceremony programs, escort cards, place cards, favors and any other personal items
• Coordinate your actual ceremony (line up the bridal party, assist you with your gown)
• Coordinate your actual reception (grand entrance, first dance, toasts and cake cutting, etc)
• Collect any personal items you may have brought at the conclusion of the reception
• Review your banquet check for accuracy
• Establish room blocks at various hotels for guests
• Create a vendor payment schedule
• Review your catering contracts to ensure all of your requests are communicated to the catering manager
• Give a wide variety of professional referrals that fit with every kind of budget and taste

*Please note this is simply a guide for the “typical” roles and responsibilities for Catering managers and does not imply this is an all inclusive list.

Great things in 2009..

So far this year 2009 has started off in an amazing way! I am so excited about all of the fabulous couples that have chosen Lacy Branch Events (LBE) to be part of their big day.

However, my amazing couples are not the only thing I am pumped about. Some of you may know that I am actively involved in two great organizations ABC (Association of Bridal Consultants) and ISES (International Special Events Socienty). I have met some super talented people in the industry both nationwide and here in St Louis. It has really allowed me to provide an even more opportunities for servcies to my clients. Along those same lines I was just recently introduced to Sabrina Torti and Alison White two very talented Wedding Coordinators here in St Louis! It was so great to hear about all of their experiences, challenges, and successes. I know that this kind of networking is key to making 2009 even better.

Stay tuned for some topics that we hope will help dispell planning myths.....

'Tis the Season for Bridal Fashion Shows

Anyone involved in weddings knows that the time is upon us for fashion shows featuring wedding gowns. I personally adore that part of any bridal show. There is nothing better then looking up at the catwalk and seeing all the beautiful gowns. Sure gowns are beautiful in general but on a hanger it is hard to tell how they will sparkle and shine. When it is being modeled up and down the runway in all their glory, it makes me ooohhh and ahhhhh!

Last week I was at the Perfect Wedding Guide show and instead of the "traditional" model they used actual brides with all body types. These brides looked like you and me. These ladies in my opinion made the gowns so much more fabulous. I looked at them and said wow!

I found this piece in the New York Times and found it quite interesting.

So what are we going to see in 2009? Well one of my absolute favorite things is going to be big and I am very very thrilled! COLOR and lots of it!! We are no longer just seeing color in bridesmaid dresses it is now everywhere from the engagement ring to the bridal gown itself! This is so fabulous. Of course we will continue to have the traditional white gown. However, if you ever wanted a colored gown, now is the perfect year for you to embrace it!

Another popular trend that has carried over to 2009 is the one shouldered gown. This is another favorite of mine. It just makes a statement for those brides who want something just a little more modern and unique.

I am so excited about this coming year to see what all of our brides have chosen. This truly is a wonderful time to express your style on your big day. Enjoy making your gown selection, have fun, and don't rush it!

Amazing way to spend a Sunday

Happy New Year! Today was great and reminds me why I wanted to become a Wedding Planner in the first place. The Perfect Wedding Guide hosted today's Bridal Event at Orlando Gardens. I cannot tell you how many elated newly engaged women I met today. That happiness and the excitement they feel about planning their day never seems to get old to me.

When I was thinking about creating the decor for my booth I wanted it to really reflect my personality. Heck, I had to take my own advice right? I mean almost daily I am telling Brides To Be that they absolutely must make their Wedding reflect their own style!! So I wanted my booth to be over the top fabulous!


So my first stop was to meet with Emily and Shelly at Sister Flowers. When I met with them I told them of my idea for creating an over the top huge centerpiece. This centerpiece had to have it all. It had to be shiny, with crystals, and feathers, etc etc. Although Shelly was skeptical at first of the stability of the block vases, they agreed to help me. I could not have been more PLEASED!!! On Saturday when I went to pick up the floral, Shelly told me the vases were surprisingly stable. What true artists they are. Even though I wanted something so over the top, they were able to create it and then some.





I then thought well now we have the flowers, I have to create the elegance with some glam. So I used a ton of crystals, a lot of elbow grease, and vision. I can honestly say I was so happy with the results.



Of course no room (or booth for this purpose) is complete without lighting. Erin Schulte from Exclusive Events, Inc never ceases to amaze me. She used this crystal type backdrop and used pink lights to emphasis. It was stunning, and really helped tie my entire design together!




I hope that all of the Brides to Be I met today enjoyed the show as much as I did.

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.