I LOVE Southern Weddings Magazine! Win Your Copy TODAY!

 
I think that the girls over at Southern Weddings Magazines create one of the most swoon-worthy magazines in weddings today.  Lara Casey and her crew continually drive relavant and amazingly beautiful inspiration and we're so excited that we have THREE (3) copies to give away! 

THREE COPIES!  Free to you!!  I promise you won't want to put your copy down!

All you have to do is post a comment here about the cover above.  Tell me how it makes you feel, how you find it inspiring or anything else.  Winners will be selected at random via random.org. 

I'll start!  I find the cover above to be surreal, the model is beyond stunning, I love how her red hair makes her eyes just pop off the page.  I love the fonts!!  I could go on!

Congrats again to the girls at Southern Weddings!  I can't wait to get the next issue now!

Guest Post: Antonia Christianson - "Mom Is Not A Florist"

Today's post is by Antonia Christianson of Antonia Christianson Events in Virginia Beach, Virginia who has an amazing blog & series called..."Your Mom is Not A..." and I'm thrilled that she shared this post exclusively with Sparkliatti!  I know Antonia through Twitter where you can follow her as @acevents. 

http://www.scotthaynephotography.com/

Coming from the East Coast I am always curious if planners and wedding vendors across the nation have the same trials and tribulations while dealing with clients and the wedding planning process as I do...and through the magic of Social Networking I am able to talk to vendors all over the U.S. that answer this query easily..YES! We all deal with similar situations and of course we come across some issues that are region specific but for the most part, we all have the same ups and downs. With that said…I’ll give you a little background into the series I call “Your Mom Is Not A…” Most recently, we posted your “Mom is not a Wedding Planner” on our own business blog but after speaking with Sasha I thought a great topic no matter where you lived would be “Your Mom is not a Florist.” Unless of course, she is. {Ed Note:  Then LUCKY you!}

We find that many clients hire a Wedding Planner for three main reasons. One, they don’t know where to begin…they don’t know how to make those little girl dreams come to fruition and they need the help of a wedding professional. Two, because they feel as though they can handle the wedding planning process but need our help orchestrating the biggest production of their lives thus far. OR Three, because while they love their parents, they would like a mediator to help make sure their dream day is what the bride and groom wants not Mom and dad…well, Mostly Mom. Knowing those three main reasons the sad but true issue is that we are hired very often for the latter of the three reasons.

I bring up these three trends for one reason…why, if we are hired to keep peace amongst mother/daughter  would you “hire your mom” to make one of the most important items on your wedding day… Your Bridal Bouquet? Why would you hire her to make your floral centerpieces? I could ask a million questions, but instead, I’d like to give a little insight. First, imagine your mom on your wedding day or the days leading up to the big day? She will be stressed enough about the million and one duties and emotions that are overwhelming her with having only one job…being your Mother or the MOB. That stress alone is likely to drive a woman insane, then you’d ask her to create your bouquet, your bridal party bouquets, boutonnières, altar pieces, centerpieces (would you like for me to go on?). In a time when money is an everyday topic and mentioning the economy is almost as bad as a four letter word many brides are trying to figure out how they can save money on their wedding expenses and many usually turn to the fun world of “DIY projects.” And while the thought of turning your wedding into a DIY affair might be glorious… realism should fit somewhere into the equation. So let’s go over a few pros and cons:

Pro:

You could save money by not paying labor charges.  

Con:

Your stressed out mom  will waste money by buying more flowers than she needs (does your mom really know exactly how many stems she needs for 4 bouquets, a bridal bouquet, 5 boutonnières  and 10 centerpieces?).

Pro:

You will save money by not paying a florist to deliver your floral items.

Con:

You will waste money buy paying more per stem for flower (florists get great discounts through their floral wholesaler)

Con:

You will waste money buy paying more for ribbon for your bouquets (again florists get great discounts on floral accents {including ribbon} through their floral wholesaler)

Con:

Your mom will waste her energy from the hours and hours of work that she will have to do alone when a professional florist could easily spread out the duties of your wedding to their entire staff.

Con:

The beautiful perfectly symmetrical spherical masterpiece that you had always envisioned is an oblong somewhat cascading far cry from your dream bouquet was supposed to be…

 Let’s be realistic…Does the thought of you overwhelming your mother on the most important day of your life really sound so dreamlike now?

{Ed Note:  Another point is that refrigerators are not for keeping your flowers cool, they are for keeping your food cold - most flowers prefer cooler conditions but putting them in the refrigerator - which most people doing flowers at home WILL do is a HUGE mistake.  It will burn the flowers, most likely ruining them...just something to keep in mind when you are at the flower market buying 100 stems of red roses for your centerpieces}

About Antonia:  For over ten years, Antonia Christianson has transformed her pension for planning into a career of creating breathtaking events. From her youth when she would eagerly accompany her grandmother to special banquets and conferences, Antonia developed an appreciation for beautifully designed and seamlessly executed events. Antonia experienced her first professional taste of event planning in college when she worked in radio promotions, helping set up and oversee all of the details for promotional events for business clients.  After creating experiences that promoted her clients' businesses, Antonia saw first-hand the impact special events could have. In 2005, while planning her own wedding with the help of her then fiance, James, the dream of Antonia Christianson Events was born.

Guest Post: Daniela of Bella Signature Design - Inspiration: Fashion

Please welcome back Daniela from Bella Signature Design back to the blog!  She's brought you such a lovely wedding and amazing inspiration through the eye of the designer!  I hope you enjoy it. 

(All photos by Bradley Hanson) (link http://www.bradleyhanson.com)

Inspiration:  Fashion

Today in the this mini-series of the process from “Inspiration to Design” I wanted to present a more literal example of how an inspiration (the color of the bridesmaid dress) created the design of an entire wedding.  

One of my brides this summer, Abby, reminded me of somehow of a surfer girl or one of those professional beach volleyball players. She was beautiful, blonde, tan, but in a very Santa Cruz natural way, versus at he more Hollywood trying hard way.  She was very fierce about some things and very laid back about others.   Abby’s original plan was to get married at this really cool, plain wooden clubhouse with a magnificent view, but when I made  site visit, It was very clear that it would only hold half her guests! So, the next step was to have her rehearsal in the clubhouse, and then crete a tent on the lawn below the clubhouse, right at the water’s edge.

Neither the bride or I was excited about the whiteness of a tent, but the budget didn’t allow for colored ceiling treatments, so our goal was to overcome that with a fabulous color pallet on the tables, and evening lighting that was pretty and subtle.

We met quite a few times to decide on a palette, and when she showed me the bridesmaid dress, which contained some of the colors we had been discussing, we knew we had found the perfect combination:

A robin’s egg blue, Coral, and chartreuse/pear green

The blues and greens were perfect for the location - a lush green hillside and grass (which of course turned brown during the summer) right at the water’s edge - we were on the tip Bainbridge Island, looking right across the cityscape of Seattle - absolutely stunning.

The dress not only inspired the color palette, but in combination with the location, inspired the look and feel of the whole event - pretty, but laid back, summery, fresh, not stuffy.  Better pictures of the dresses...

...and how the color scheme was carried out in casual yet pretty details.

We used the robins egg blue and pear green as the foundation (Fabulous linen tablecloths from La Tavola!), with the accent of coral colored napkins.  So fresh!

I designed the florals so that they would “pop” off the table, so green linen tables got blue hydrangea or creams and corals, while tables with blue linens received cream and coral blooms.  There was a nice mix of round and long tables.

Inspiration for design really can come from anything, so watch the client’s eyes as they talk about colors, dresses, their home, whatever - when her eyes light up, you know that’s the the right palette, concept, etc!  And if you are the bride (or groom), pay attention to what gets you all giddy and excited in terms of colors, shapes, concepts - then let your designer build it from there!

Thanks, Daniela!!!!  So excited to have such amazing bloggers this week. 

Guest Post: Daniela of Bella Signature Design - Becoming Inspired! Part 2

Welcome back!!!  In Part 2 of Daniela's Blog post, she is going to walk you through the creative process of designing a centerpiece for a client and finding her inspiration. 

I wanted to start with what may be the most esoteric way to find a point of inspiration, since it is often one that is overlooked: Emotions or feelings.  Stay with me here, it will get more objective, I promise!  

I was designing a piece a few months ago, with minimal direction or guidelines, but it had to be modern and something inspired.  A client of mine had just fallen in love, and was experiencing that heady “falling in love” feeling, which so inspired me, as it was such a powerful, acute emotional state - don't you remember that slightly off-balance, yet wonderful feeling of falling in love?

While I wanted the design to represent this strong feeling of love, I  didn’t want the design to be sacharin sweet, or overly lovey-dovey, and it had to be modern in style.  I really wanted to use these fabulous spherical vases I have, that are called “Orbit” and all of a sudden it all fell into place.  My fabulous assistant pointed out that “orbital Influence” meant  “the emotional experience of flying free and feeling closer at the same time - Like love at first sight”  and I started sketching away...

 My first thought was that I needed a big exclamation point, to show the  intensity of that love at first sight feeling, so I started with a big cylindrical vase with a giant exclamation point on top - (I wanted the exclamation point to be upside down, to again reflect that feeling of not knowing what side is up or down when you are crazy in love ) Ah, that feeling of utter love....sigh. 

For color I didn’t want the obvious red, and instead chose the clients favorite, a nice tangerine orange.  To imbibe the design with that “flying free yet being close” feeling, I added in the Orbit Vases, each one carrying a cymbidium orchid or two as their own little exclamation point, both inside and out of the main container. Each Orbit vase was tethered to each other and to the vase by wire, to literally orbit around the large container.

The end result:

What do you think?  The client loved it - it perfectly captured her emotional state to her, fit with her modern sense of style and used her favorite colors.  

It’s important to note that everyone’s idea of ‘love’ could be different - to someone it might mean the traditional red rose, to someone else, a pink fluffy peony...but in this case, it was a fabulous fit between the client’s state and a great point of inspiration!

Photography by Philip Meadows, against a black backdrop

More about Daniela:  Daniela's background includes years of floral design, invitation design and production, and working for various catering companies while completing her doctoral degree in Psychology in 1999. Although event planning and floral design were originally ways for Daniela to keep her creative side going and pay for her education, her company continued to grow to the success it is today, and she has never looked back. And what about that degree in psychology? Between mediating with brides and families, negotiating with vendors, listening to people's vision and keeping her clients calm and relaxed, it has certainly given her many tools that are priceless in this industry. 

Be sure to follow her blog & on twitter - shes' one talented girl!

Guest Post: Daniela of Bella Signature Design - Becoming Inspired!

Today's post is a series, something for you to think about over the weekend - to get into the mind of how a designer gets to the actual wedding pieces.  I love Daniela from Bella Signature Design in Washington state and her work is so stunning.  She's a talented event & floral designer and we're friends on Twitter where you can follow her as @belladesign

No matter what you are creating (fashion, buildings, events), as a designer you must find inspiration.  As an event designer, I often get part or most of my inspiration from my clients - after all, I am designing their event, not mine.  Yet true innovation comes from combining my point of inspiration with theirs, whether it is in helping select the color palette, creating a one-of a kind floral arrangement, or a unique design element that says “wow.” After all, I’m not just in the job or production, I am designing and creating something that did not exist before, and so I want to bring something new to the table as well.  I consider what I get to create as art, versus just production. 

So, not only do I try to help my clients find their own inspirations for what they want me to help create, but I use my daily inspirations so we can collaborate together.  Finding inspiration is easy for some, and quite difficult for others, so this mini-series will touch on a few different points of view from which to find inspiration.  I personally find inspiration from the most random situations - the way that my favorite chartreuse sweater looks when laying on my persimmon cushioned chair, the way the light filters in through the clouds on a typical Seattle sunshiny/hints of rain kind-of-day, or the amazing pinky-orange hue inside the shell my daughter just found on the beach.  Anything can inspire you, if you open your mind to it!

photo credit (Bradley Hanson)  www.bradleyhanson.com

...part 2, coming this afternoon.  Stay tuned!

See Inside Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings by Design

We're so excited that our new wedding design book Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings by Design will be on bookshelves shortly after Christmas!  We've updated our website with lots of new information, too!

You can see all the confirmed scheduled speaking engagements on our tour...if we're not coming to your city, but would like us to...please email pr {at} sashasouzaevents {dot} com to schedule a Souza-palooza event in your city!

You can see the buzz surrounding the book, the blogs are starting to talk about it and the excitement is building! 

We now have an short three page excerpt from the book on the site - just a little bit of the eye candy that will be in the printed version.

If you're interested in providing information on your blog or in print, please contact sasha {at} sparkliatti {dot} com.  We're thrilled to give you information to share with your readers. 

Some stats about the book & the website:

• The Signature Sasha website is the only place you can pre-order signed copies of the book! 
• You can now also pre-order online at Amazon, Borders & Barnes & Noble booksellers.  The book will be available at all of our upcoming speaking engagements also!  For the speaking events in November 2009, the book is available for pre-order.  
• The book is 9 x 12 and 256 pages with hardcover & a dust jacket - a gorgeous coffee table size
• Sasha wrote the entire book herself - and did not use a ghost writer...just a very patient editor.
• Sasha has a line of product available soon on the site including invitations & tools for planners.
• Team IDo is now linked to the Signature Sasha site, for information on our coaching program

She's Pretty {& Romantic}

Photo by Alisha + Brook Photography

Event Design by Sasha Souza Events

Are You Going???

 

Are you attending The Special Event Show in New Orleans in January?  You are?  Have you registered?  TODAY is the last day for stimulus pricing, so you'd better get on it before the prices go up, up, up!  This is looking to be one of the biggest shows in the 25 year history of TSE!  The January 2010 big event will be in the Big Easy! 

Stay on top of your game in 2010 and breeze through these tough economic times. Join the family of event professionals at the world’s largest tradeshow and conference for the event industry. Over 8,000 of your peers attend the world-recognized event education program, visit with 300+ vendors on the tradeshow floor and attend the fabulous showcasing events to pick up the very latest trends and ideas to use in your own events.

	The TSE Tradeshow Floor Meet over 300 Exhibitors Face-to-Face and Try Out Their Products Seeing, touching and testing is the most reliable way of determining whether a product will work in your events. The Special Event 2010 exhibit hall floor gives you the unique opportunity to experience all the event products and services you are considering in a hands-on environment. Plus, you’ll see thousands of new products that you haven’t already thought of… to make your events even more spectacular.  For a list of exhibiting companies on the exhibit hall floor, Click Here
	Event Education Your Most Important Asset This Year: Event Education at The Special Event In this economy, competition for clients is fiercer than ever. Your potential clients are looking to hire event professionals who have the most knowledge and are up-to-date on the latest event trends. The training and creative ideas that you gain from the professional event education courses at TSE will assure your business success throughout 2010. All sessions are hand-selected and taught by event superstars. There are a over 100 courses in 8 relevant event tracks to choose from. Click Here for detailed descriptions of each course.
	Showcasing Events TSE Showcasing Events in The Big Easy New Orleans excels at the art of special events and is the perfect venue for all the wonderful Showcasing Events at The Special Event 2010. Click Here to view a description of the Showcasing Events.
	TSE's Going Green The Special Event has had an extreme makeover and it’s not just skin deep. We’ve made major moves to protect the environment and simplify our messages to professionals like you. You’ll probably notice that our brochures are shorter and simpler. That’s because we have a goal of saving over 190 trees- this year alone-by printing fewer shorter pieces. We’d like to share with you some of the latest “Greening” information coming out of the event industry in 2009.

Not to miss Showcasing Event!

Wedding Lunch:  

Key Note Speaker: Darcy Miller, Martha Stewart Weddings

This year we will be hosting our renowned Wedding Lunch in the Grand Ballroom of The Hilton Hotel, New Orleans.  We have a talented group of Chairs leading our New Orleans team.  As always this lunch will be full ideas that you can take home and make you own.  The colors this year will include a wide palette of natural tones.  The lunch will also feature a variety of elements that maybe… you’ve never thought of.

The Wedding Lunch Chairs and Committee are pleased to announce that our Keynote Speaker will be Darcy Miller.  Darcy Miller is the Senior Vice President and Weddings Editorial Director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MLSO). She is responsible for overseeing every aspect of the weddings brand across all of the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia business segments: publishing, broadcasting, merchandising, and Internet. She has been actively involved with Martha Stewart Weddings since the first issue in 1995.  It is currently published four times a year and each issue circulates to more than a million readers.

Designer Wedding Gallery:

We came up with a great idea…  We’re challenging FOUR top designers from various parts of the country to create the newest and exciting trends to hit the wedding industry.  We have invited David Beahm of David Beahm Design, New York City, Frank Andonoplas, MBC of Frank Event Design, Chicago, Janet Flowers of Janet Flowers Wedding and Event Design from the Washington DC area, and Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events, Napa, California, to show us what they could come up with when give the challenge of working with one element.  The elements are paper, wood, glass and metal.  This is TSE’s version of Iron Chef – we’ll be making history with what is produced.

Not to Miss Charity Event:

Join me, the Events Chair for the SEARCH Foundation, for a fun networking event!! 

SEARCH Fundraiser
Date/Venue	Thursday, 01/14/2010 9:00PM -10:00PM
Description	Description: Hilton New Orleans Riverside • Grand Ballroom A/B Come see the always talked about Annual SEARCH Fundraiser. Entertainment, Live Auction and roaring crowd – be part of something BIG. This wonderful evening raises money for the SEARCH Foundation – the first organization to come to the aid of our own special event professionals. Buy your ticket today to support SEARCH!

Register now to save yourself $$$ off the education package price!

Are you new to the industry?  Want to get some "behind the scenes" insider information?  Join Hands on Hundred and save event more $$$ off your education package!

Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings by Design - Exciting News!

For quite a while we've been working on a design book which will debut in January 2010. 

The wedding design book Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings by Design is a stunning, hard cover wedding design book featuring beautiful photography of all aspects of wedding design including never before seen Weddings by Sasha Souza Events.  The book will have a cover price of $50.

The four color, hard bound book will be available at all major bookstores and online through our website:  http://www.signaturesasha.com  Which will feature the most up to date information about the book release, speaking engagements and book signings and information about our line of products including the Team I Do Business Coaching program. 

As the release gets closer, we'll share on the site information from the inside of the book and probably even a sample chapter!  Keep an eye out for these updates by following us on Twitter & becoming a fan on Facebook! 

My Love It / Hate It Relationship with Photoshop

{image}

As an event designer, I love Photoshop. 

As an event designer, I hate Photoshop. 

Let me explain....

What I love:  that photographers I can fix...adjust...tweak images.  Make it more romantic, give it depth and feeling.  Fix a myriad of sins.  Make greens greener and blues bluer. 

What I hate: that photographers can fix...adjust...tweak images.  Make colors not what they really were in real life. 

A tough conundrum to have because when a couple shows an image of roses and they want THAT EXACT color.  I sometimes have to tell them that the color does not and never could exist.  It's in the lighting and in the tweaking and the adjustments or actions that made it look that way in the image. 

Are they disappointed?  Most often, yes.  Do they argue with me as to WHY??  Sometimes, yes.  

I've arrived at a point in my career where I can almost always look at an image and pick out those that are not true to color or nature.  I say MOST of the time because Photoshop is great with a light hand but more often than not it's not done lightly. 

There are many times when I review images and see the adjusting on the images that I have painstakingly put our design touch on.  The green just slightly more teal.  The orange has a hint of red.  Do I like it?  Sometimes yes but more often I have lost sleep over whether or not that charger was the RIGHT thing to do.  To see it not true, makes me kind of sad.  I'd love to have my cake and eat it too.  To see the images in their raw form and then again with the photographer's idea of a more beautiful event.  

When we do a consultation with a couple and view their inspiration, Leah, my lead floral designer, and I will look at the images - turning them this way and that - trying to figure out *maybe* what the true color was of that orchid, the name of that rose.  It's almost funny to watch to an outsider.  It's taken me a lot of years to have such an extensive knowledge of flowers, colors and availability which has helped me understand images that are presented and process the information to best advise our couples. 

So for the brides reading this - go easy on the tones of your flowers and how exactly you must have the rose match the bridesmaids shawls... 

For event planners - sometimes the picture isn't exactly as it was...

For photographers - can you give me the option of seeing the real images, please?  I'd love to see how my original vision turned out. 

How Much Is That? Brilliance from the Brown Bag Blog by Nancy Liu Chin

 

{image source} & how to make a $ rose

Ihave been an avid reader of the very talented Nancy Liu Chin'sBlog | The Brown Bagfor a very long time and when I saw this post yesterday, I knew I had to "borrow" it with her permission.  I think it brilliantly outlines the differences between a florist shop and a floral designer.  Because THERE ARE DIFFERENCES.  Good Job Nancy!!!  Thanks for letting me share this info!

The Price Is Right

This entry is a response to many of our potential clients and vendors who ask the proverbial question...

{"Can you give me a price list for flowers for my wedding?"}

Or….

{"What should I budget for wedding flowers?"}

These are the most frequently asked questions and I'm not at all surprised because information is not as easy to find as you might think.

-          Why aren't many wedding floral designers and florist able to provide a price sheet on their website?

-          Why is it so hard to determine how to budget for wedding flowers?

The answer is not so simple as we discovery. As consumers, we are accustomed to seeing flowers at our local grocery stores like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or Safeways(Vons). We often see "bucket shops" with pre-made flowers with clear pricing. We can buy flowers at BULK warehouses like Costco. However, in those instances, flowers are sold as COMMODITIES or PRODUCTs not as a custom designed ARRANGEMENT.  A floral arrangement is a hand crafted, custom product and it varies in price.

What are the components in pricing wedding flowers?

-          Creativity

-          Quantity and Quality

-          Seasonality of flowers

-          Color of the flowers

-          Holidays - supply of certain flowers during peak holidays increase

-          Fixed Costs of a Business

-          Labor and Design Costs

-          Delivery and Setup

-          Materials

-          Props, Rentals, Containers, Supplies

-          - Customer Service

-          - Exclusivity of a Designer

-          - Travel Costs

-          - Location

I'm sure I've missed a few but in general you get the message...right?

What is the salesperson at a floral shop thinking when you ask how much wedding flowers costs?

1)     When is the wedding? i.e. Weekday? Holidays weekend?

2)     What color is the wedding?

3)     How many floral pieces do they need? i.e. Ceremony? Reception? Bouquets? Boutonnieres? Food Stations?

4)     What containers? What props? What rental items do they need?

5)     What is their style? i.e. Modern? Simple relaxed? Country rustic? Formal, Black Tie?

6)     Is this a complex setup? How many floral installers will it take? What is the distance between ceremony site and reception site?

7)     What flowers do they like? Is there additional cost to import? Can we source locally?

8)     When is the breakdown of this event?

9)     How much lead time will we have to create this wedding?

 

Do you see why it's a very difficult question to ask any floral designer or florist

about pricing? It is almost as general as asking how much is a car? (Do you want a

sports car? A sedan? What are the options? A/C, navigation, leather seats? Do you

want a luxury brand? Is it a 2 door, 4 door? What year? What make?)

BOTTOM LINE: There are many options for wedding flowers. What is important is to do some INDEPENDENT research. We are so lucky that we have great online floral delivery services at our finger tips.

Websites like bbrooks.com, ftd.com,1800flowers.com, teleflora.com can give us GENERIC pricing on a range of pre-made, pre-designed flowers. If you have designer tastes, you know that you will have to pay above such prices.

There are many quality vendors who do show pricing on floral arrangements through their websites. One of the best in LA is Eric Buterbaugh who has a fabulous collection of flowers.

Remember, when you research, these are single arrangement and all floral have added delivery costs so DO NOT be surprised that for wedding flowers, you too should also expect DELIVERY, SETUP, BREAKDOWN, DESIGN costs. This is industry standards and completely justified.

- DO YOUR HOMEWORK - research is important.

-          Be Specific with your questions. AVOID sending lengthy emails. If you ask a generic question, you will probably get a very general answer back

-          Pick up the phone. Make a floral consultation. Make a connection.

-          Review the vendor's website and see if they address your questions.

-          Go to wedding related websites for general PRICING answers but do not expect that it will fit to your wedding needs.

-          Ask if your vendors have a minimum.

 

 

How'd They Do That? The Art of the Photo Shoot...

**WARNING...THIS POST IS LARGE IMAGE HEAVY**  EXTRA DOWNLOAD TIME MAY BE NECESSARY

UPDATE:  There's been some *controversy* over this post...not sure why...but just to clarify, most of the time a lot of the product & time of the vendors working is donated for these shoots and they do not necessarily affect the overall cost of your magazine, they are not shot to be deceptive...it's actuallyl in order to bring you very high quality inspiration for your wedding...something not seen before and unique.  So, just enjoy the images instead of trying to disseminate it as anything other than what it actually is...beautiful work created with love.

Pretty often when I'm stalking surfing my favorite websites and blogs, I come across some of our past work and maybe a few comments about it, where the wedding was and different design elements -- I love to see our work on blogs and websites (as long as it's not claimed as another event planner's work - but that's another rant).  But I have to say that the one that has probably received the most attention is actually a photo shoot for Better Homes & Gardens Weddings.  And boy, does it have legs.  It was shot in 2003 and was first published in 2004 and they have reprinted it probably 4 or 5 times since it first ran -- and I even saw a copy of it in Chinese Better Homes & Gardens.  *completely on accident, I don't stalk Chinese wedding blogs*

Photo shoots are one of my very favorite things to do and we're lucky to have been selected to do a number of them for magazines.  We have a very exciting one coming up in September (but I don't think I can tell you who it's for...you'll love it though!).  Just like when we are designing a wedding, we act as the stylist and photography right hand in getting the image as beautiful as possible.

But what I wanted to give you was some insight into the art of the wedding photo shoot.  This was NOT a Real Wedding although it reads as if it were...instead, each photo was painstakingly styled, in some cases taking an hour or more for each individual shot.  The photographer & stylist have to be a perfectionists checking and rechecking lighting, moving chairs even the tiniest fraction of a millimeter to make sure it looks like perfection, adding and removing props to garner the most amazing image.  It doesn't happen easily but the results are amazing.  Seeing the daily film previews was so much fun. 

Better Homes & Gardens Simply Creative Weddings is the magazine and I think they have ceased original publication and are now in re-run mode...which is fine by me :)

The ceremony was actually a driveway and there were about 1500 roses used in the gate pave arrangement - and every single flower we use in our shoots is 100% real.  See the light on the top pillar arrangement?  We waited an hour for that to illuminate.

Sometimes the vendors who provide the product don't get their full credit.  The escort card designer, Artistic Addressing, did not get credit and she did an AMAZING job. 

Our food stylist spent a few hours straightening each and every chive to point the exact same way.  The shrimp was painted with olive oil to give it the right sheen and toothpicks were used to make them stand up properly.  It's all smoke & mirrors, baby.  The table is made of 100% pure ice so we had to get it right within the first hour or two of delivery.

The most common photo I see is the one on the left of the dining table under the rose arbor. Originally it's part of a two page spread, but it's hard to get them to match up for this post...so I chose just the first half.   I personally painted each of those orange lanterns -- I looked like an oompa-loompa for a week from spray paint.  Note:  You CANNOT buy those lanterns, we do not sell them, I do not know anybody who does them...but every time they publish this magazine, I receive about a dozen phone calls about the lanterns. 

The second most common photo is the middle image.  The square glass pieces can be found at almost any craft store, flower market or online seller of glass vases.  The green foam is made by Oasis products and you can cut it to order.  The chilled soup took 45 minutes to place the final dollop of creme fraiche on top and don't eat those tomatoes...they have motor oil and bug spray on them to keep the yellow jackets at bay & make them pretty.

You may recognize the gate from the previous day's shoot. It's formerly the ceremony area.  And who is in the back of the car?  It's me with a veil I happened to have with my from my wedding the previous weekend and the owner of the catering company with my sweater over his shoulders to look like a tux jacket. 

Essentially what I'm getting at here is that these shoots are lovingly crafted and painstakingly photographed to bring you the most beautiful, lasting imagery and inspiration for your wedding.  Enjoy them, use them in your inspiration boards and when you look at them, realize that those who do the work for it really want you to love it as much as they do.

When The Events Industry Shows Off...

...they do it in grand style, make no mistake -- we give good party!

A friend of mine, Karl Heitz who is a DMC with the Arrangers in Denver and who is also the ISES Denver Past President forwarded images of a showcase event that his ISES chapter did with their members. 

They called it ISES in Wonderland and it was held at the Denver Ritz Carlton hotel.  I was blown over by the creativity of the members in the tabletops they put together.  I had to share them with everybody in the world who reads our blog.  So, enjoy!  This type of an event is what I call "taking it to the promised land" Good job!! 

And if you're an event planner and not a member of ISES - tisk tisk on you...there's great ideas to be found by networking with your peers.

All images by Frances Marron Photography

I had to showcase many of my favorite tables from the slideshow..check these beauties out

Top Row:  Dramatic Events & Bella Fiore, Catering by Design, Dramatic Events & Bella Fiore

Second Row:  Decor N More, Dramatic Events & Bella Fiore

The curved table with glass block and succulents and ferns is whimsical and gorgous. 

Delilah's and Table Six Productions

Probably my most favorite table for use of theme was the one below.  I love the drum shade with the old fashioned Alice in Wonderland images on the inside. 

Table design by The Perfect Petal.  Don't you *LOVE* the flatware in the julep glass?  LOVE IT!

Not only do the desserts look divine, I love how they incorporated the "Drink Me" tags on the jars.

This is exactly what happens when you give talented event professionals a theme and ask them to run with it... you get amazing creativity and attention to detail.  So inspired!!   

Say I Do with Allison & Steve (Destination Bahamas)

Allison & Steve were married on the tiny Bahamian island of Harbour Island.  It takes at least two planes and a five minute boat ride to find this little enclave of beautiful pink sand beaches, cracked conch and friendly people.  Known as "Briland" to the locals, there's not much there except for golf carts (cars are VERY expensive) and chickens/roosters to wake you in the morning.  The entire island is 2 miles long by about 1/2 mile wide.  Not a lot of real estate, but what they do have they pack full of beauty. 

The couple rented two amazing homes which were the base of operations (read: drinking Kalik beer). They also brought their red Labrador, Kai.  The flower girl's ball was made by our designers to replicate a sailor's valentine.  We used miniature shells and coral in all the arrangements and the groom's boutonniere. 

The wedding was held on the ocean side of the island behind a little luncheonette - the Sip Sip -  and the reception was on the bay side of the island at the famous Rock House.  Allie walked the 200 yards from her house to the ceremony where we had built a structure on the beach and draped in coral toned scrim, handmade shell wind chimes and beaded tassels.  Guests were escorted on golf carts from the ceremony to the Rock House by a local band.   

At the Rock House scrumptious drinks like the Bellini were served.  This wasn't just any ordinary Bellini -- heck no...it was vodka and OJ and a bunch of other stuff that knocked your socks off! 

The colors of the wedding were mocha and coral/watermelon.  We put clear Plexiglas over the pool and then hand sewed pieces of straw mats to cover the water.  Dining table sat on the mats and were graced with bamboo chairs and darling centerpieces of peony, coral, orchids and tropical leaves.  We had huge bamboo boxes filled with flowers hanging from the clear top tent (covered with tarp during the day to keep cool) and lit with golden light.  Guests danced to outrageous tunes -- some even on the tabletops until 3 a.m.!

The chargers were purchased by me and shipped over for the event.  The Rock House now owns them -- they bought them off me and I was glad not to have to ship them back home :)

We always travel with our floral design & decor team but this time we took 21 vendors including tenting, lighting, flowers and decor, event planners and even paramedics. Why paramedics?  The last time the couple was on the island there was a golf cart accident and it took a number of hours to evacuate the injured, so she wanted to make sure her guests were taken care of  -- she figured there would be a lot of drinking :)  -- she was right.  The paramedics were used for an injured ankle, somebody tripped on the sand in a drunken stooper and needed assistance -- they were there to help and the person didn't need to get additional assistance until they were home.  We all also shared a house and a chef and it was magical! 

Anyway -- hope you enjoyed Allie & Steve's wedding.  Below is a video by Bliss Video Productions.  What a great trip we had with all of our vendors.  Images by Alisha & Brook. 

Bahama Bliss from bliss productions on Vimeo.

Chuppah - Huppah - Chuppa

However you spell it...everybody has a different idea.  I, personally, like Chuppah.  That's how we spell it in our office.  This is probably the most common tradition from Jewish weddings to have taken hold across the board on all weddings.  The idea of the four posted structure for the bride & groom to get married under.  For a non-Jewish wedding it doesn't have to have a cloth top, but can be draped, bedecked in flowers, have candles on top, simple wrought iron and vines -- etc, etc.  If your mind can dream it, there's an event production company that can build it.

Below are some fabu CHUPPAH-esque structures for your wedding ceremony.    What I *LOVE* about ceremony structures is the fact that they are then the focal point of the ceremony -- a place to draw the guests eye while the exchange of vows and rings takes place.  No matter how elaborate or breathtaking, the CHUPPAH is always the frame for the ceremony -- not the main photograph.  Remember that no matter how "beautiful the garden is in June" -- it can always use a little bit 'o CHUPPAH love. 

the bloomerie

Looking for beautiful florals and linens for your wedding?  Check out the bloomerie.com -- it's design lite for brides getting married in the Northern California Wine Country.

the bloomerie will provide florals dropped off at your location for a reduced rate as well as rental linens and other decor items such as candles. 

Check it out!  5% off booking fee for weddings from November 2008 through March 2009

Eleven Most Useful Wedding Books - EVER!

We all know that there's a million and one wedding books out there...but what are the books that the event planners use?  Well, I'm here to tell ya...we have a lot of books -- probably more than 250 in our office -- everything about weddings, decor, home, food and anything else I can get my hands on.  I couldn't pick just TEN books... so I'm giving you eleven. 

These are the books we refer to time and again, some are brand new and fabulous like Style your Dream Wedding & the Modern Bride Suvival Guide (by Antonia van der Meer - love her) below.  Others have been around a while but don't seem to get stale and  have lots of ideas that can be updated for your event. 

Take a look around, you may find your inspiration...

Say I Do with Sarah & Patrick

Sarah & Patrick were married at her family estate in Sacramento, CA.  What I loved about Sarah & Patrick's wedding was that she wanted to combine the rustic beauty of the redwood grove behind the house, have a French market style cocktail party, lounge on hay bails and have an elegant family style meal and dancing with a 14 piece band.  Talk about eclectic taste...  I know you're scratching your head and wondering how we pulled this one off.  Well, the photos are below - see for yourself. 

The bride wore a custom designed Jin Wang gown and carried a bouquet of hydrangea, sweet pea, orchid and calla lily.  The bridesmaids wore very light tones of pink and carried apricot and green toned bouquets of roses, hydrangea, Camellia leaf and lambs ear.

Upon arrival, guests were escorted through the wrought iron gates decorated with floral wreaths.  Escort cards in wheat grass and fastened with lavender bunches for the cocktail party.  Letterpress escort cards by Dauphine Press.

The ceremony set in the redwood grove provided a shady area for the ceremony.  Very light tones of pink and white and cream were used for the red dogwood arbor and ceremony flowers.  Copper entry pieces greeted the guests and provided an interesting contrast to the wrought iron chairs and rose toned pads.

The French country marketplace featured a hay bail lounge covered in blue and yellow fabric, his & hers food stations, and linen in coordinating tones with yellow and green flowers. 

Although Sarah wanted the look of a French country marketplace...the hors d'oeuvres reflected their favorite things including Duck Confit wontons, sushi, pancetta wrapped chicken skewers, and chilled soup.

Dinner in the tent featured coral toned carpeting and linens in three tones of pink ranging from sunrise to watermelon.  Flowers in a variety of containers graced the tables with tulips, peony, hydrangea, orchids and dogwood.  Square, round and long tables were utilized for guest seating.   The brides' head table featured custom made candlesticks and candles were coordinated to the event's linen. 

The table place setting for the three course family style meal featured letterpress menu cards by Dauphine Press and taupe colored charger plates. 

Got Light?  The cake by Fleur De Lisa Cakes was a modified gift style in fondant and handmade white chocolate roses. 

The 60x100 pole tent set on the front lawn of the estate was lit both inside and out by

The dancing was followed by late night sliders and fries. 

all photos are (c) Sherman Chu Photography

Say I Do with Becca and Drew

I have to say that I really enjoy the clients who hire us to plan their weddings and Becca and Drew were no exception.  As far as I was concerned, they were about as perfect a client as I could have had.  They trusted, they had a great time planning their wedding and they were full of energy. 

BEAUTY:

The gown was made by Amy Kuschel in San Francisco and she did everything right -- it was well made, beautifully simple and very Becca.  She's made several of our bride's gowns now and I just think she takes the right amount of time learning about what the bride loves to create the perfect dress for her. 

Becca's bouquet was joyous and what I loved about it most (aside from the colors) was the huge red peony focal point.  I love the spring for all the flowers that we can get which aren't available the rest of the year and Becca was married at the right time of the year for gorgeous brightly colored flowers. 

Becca and Drew were married on a day in May at a Northern California Organic Farm. When guests arrived at the location, they were greeted by a memory lane -- guests walked down a long row of apple trees through the orchard where photos, which included pictures of the couple's childhood and photos of them with the guests, were strung from ribbons while the trees were strung with dozens of wind chimes.

CEREMONY STYLE:

The ceremony was in the round and we created a structure which made the guests feel "enveloped" and a crucial part of the ceremony.  One by one, guests came forward to tell stories, read poems and participate in the wedding.  The colors were taken from Indian Sari's -- in vivid hues of turquoise, cantaloupe and moss green. 

Chairs circled around the center ceremony riser where the bride & groom exchanged wedding vows.

What was so wonderful about this wedding?  For me, it was the unique aspects of the ceremony design & flow.  There were two aisles guests could seat from and there were fantastic views of the ceremony from every angle.  The 10 foot tall structure & draping was topped with flowers, which didn't detract from the intention of the ceremony but added to the design.

YUMMM....
Anybody who knows me can tell you that the hors d'oeuvres are my favorite part of the event.  Little bites with big flavor.  It's too bad that the cocktail party is only an hour... :)  It's also a perfect place to put a little bit of personality into your meal.  The caterer did a fantastic job doing just that for Becca & Drew.  Mini shots of chilled pea soup with a crab stuffed pea pod, a variety of house made sushi rolls with soy ginger dipping sauce, deep fried calamari shooters with spicy Sciracca and my personal favorite -- won tons of cheve and chicken with a yogurt dip.  Anything I can dip makes me happy and we had a great time coming up with their favorite foods.

Party Time:

I learn a few things about every couple, but I can definitely tell you this... Becca does not like cake and Drew does not like colored glassware (which also came as a surprise to his bride).  Well, Becca got her way and we did a sumptuous pie and ding dong/cupcake buffet -- which could have been on any old table -- but use an old truck bed on wooden stumps for the display -- it was really cool and fit with the organic farm "scene" -- Drew wasn't as fortunate as we did sneak a light blue water glass on the table. 

The tabletop design for me is the most fun I get to have.  Mixing color, texture, metal, glass, paper, flowers and cloth becomes a symphony in my head.   This one was no exception for me.  The tabletop was a copper charger  mixed with a whimsical wrought iron flatware, crystal stemware and fabric in tones of ocean, sea spray and dark walnut chairs.

Keeping flowers low to the table when outside is imperative in case of wind.  I've broken enough Reidel crystal glassware to know now -- it needs to be under 24" at the base.  Since we make all of our own candles in house they were all coordinated to the tones of the wedding and really finished the look of the event. 

Looking back at this event, I can't pick one thing that I would have changed and would invite Becca and Drew to let me know if they ever need to have another party -- I'd love to work with them again.   

Inspiration - It's Closer Than You Think

Every time I have the opportunity to speak to event planners and brides, the number one question they ask me is “where do you get your inspiration?”  The answer for me is always the same – “everywhere” — I find it in supermarkets, email, magazine covers, books, catalogs, in the bride’s wedding gown, in the scarf she’s wearing…we find it in the linen for the tables or a simple piece of jewelry.  In essence, that is the basis for the Sparkliatti blog & brand…it’s all about inspiration, where to find it and how to define your style. 

We’ve had brides who have described their design style as “Glamarustic” and others who are “Vintage Nouveau” or even “Bling it On”.  Sometimes it’s shiny, sometimes it’s sleek but it always leads us down a interesting path — one that we relish because of its’ challenges and it also helps my ADD. 

We invite you to open your eyes and find your own inspiration for use in your everyday life and create your own “brand” — this leads me to today’s Behind the Scenes. 

Today’s Inspiration Palette comes from our most recent event at Calistoga Ranch.  Juliana & Alex wanted a chic, stylish and couture style wedding mixing in little bits of fun & surprise.  With three different venues, it was easy for us to create different event styles for each area. 

The palette for the wedding was rose gold, jute, peacock, burgundy and copper

Ceremony was overlooking a lake with the mountains & trees in the background juxtapositioned against the light and airy dogwood & apple blossom branches for the ceremony chuppah.  Vases of orchids submerged in water lined the pathway to the ceremony which took place after dark.  The bride carried a light and airy bouquet in tones of pink & deep burgundy including orchid, roses and calla lilies.  We found inspiration for the ceremony in the brides’ Christian Laboutin sequined shoes…they were DIVINE (see them on the dance floor below). 

Dinner was in a rustic Arts & Crafts style restaurant on the property and featured two long kings’ tables seating 86 guests with peacock feather accents & sleek arrangements lining the length of the 36” wide table.  Each arrangement featured copper colored orchids, red peony, roses, leaves and calla lilies all in glass containers.  Candles were custom poured in simiar colors to the linens and the chiar pads popped off the copper colored Chiavaris – the linen was custom made by Classic Party Rentals.  The table for the escort cards was mossed and planted with wheat grass and long peacock feathers for each card.  What I loved most was the neutral tones of linen mixed with the bold tones of peacock feather & metallic sparkle of the copper chairs.  The inspiration for the dinner came from the menu cards and invitations which featured rose gold colored monograms and handpainted edges.

   

Dancing & After Party was in a cave dug out of the side of a mountain complete with white leather couches, a photo booth and illuminated bar, chocolate table and dessert buffet.  Even topping it off with miniature bundt cakes set on chocolate chip cookies (the bride’s favorite). Dancing to a DJ was secondary to the noshing and libations — along with the super fun photobooth by Red Cheese.  Guests simply lounged, chatted and enjoyed the change of scenery until the wee hours of the morning. 

Here's to hoping that all your days are inspired!  See you tomorrow...

All photos above are by Sherman Chu

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