Tammy and Val's Central Park Wedding

As 2011 comes to a close I was reviewing my blog posts and noticed that there are so many great weddings and events with wonderful clients that have not yet been shared on the blog.  It is time to fix this and I want to start with an amazing couple whose wedding took place last September.

I love planning weddings where the Bride and Groom come from very different backgrounds.  The challenge of combining cultures is one I happily accept because the result is always a beautiful and unique experience for the couple and their guests.  The wedding of Tammy and Val, that took place at the Boathouse in Central Park, was such a challenge with Tammy being from South Africa and Val being from Bulgaria.  I had so much fun planning the wedding with Tammy and her mother Patsy.

The wedding day got off to a great start with Tammy, her mother, sister and bridesmaids getting ready in their Suite at the Plaza Hotel.  As always, Stacey Lyn and her staff at Once Upon a Bride did an amazing job on Tammy's hair and make-up.

Of course, Central Park is the setting for many a fairytale New York Wedding and it certainly did not disappoint for Tammy and Val.  The beautiful weather and lush greenery created the perfect backdrop for their wedding.

Tammy was absolutely stunning in her Vera Wang gown.  The simple black sash and a bouquet of white ranunculus and anenomes with black centers added the perfect touch, maintaining the beautiful, classic look Tammy wanted.  A simple white orchid was used for Val's boutonniere to coordinate with the Bride's bouquet.

 

Simplicity and elegance were the key words in designing the ceremony and reception for Tammy and Val.  The ceremony took place in the main room of the Central Park Boathouse.  Glass vases filled with white Cymbidium Orchids and topped by a floating candle lined the aisle.  The Chuppa was also simple and elegant.  White satin fabric was tied in the corners with a black ribbon to coordinate with the Brides's dress.  The corners were then accented with simple white Phalaenopsis Orchids

Following the Ceremony guests were escorted to the outdoor patio for a lovely cocktail reception while my staff quickly worked to turn the main Ballroom into a fantasy setting for Tammy and Val's reception.  The room looked spectacular with each table having a glass cylinder bursting with Bamboo.  The centerpieces were then accented with white orchids, anenomes, antherium, roses and calla lilies.  We were fortunate to have everything captured on film by Lindsay Flanagan Photography and also to have the video services of Steve Young Productions.

 

Continuing with the simple elegance theme, Elizabeth Hodes designed a classic wedding cake with a black band around each layer and anenomes with black centers on the corners, all tying into the Bride's dress and bouquet.

 

Of course, no wedding is complete without great entertainment.  For their wedding, Tammy and Val chose to use "Synergy" from On the Move Entertainment.  By combining a DJ with live performers, Synergy really gets the crowd going and this wedding was no exception.   The happy couple and their guests danced the night away and everyone had an amazing time.  

Of course, the true measure of any events' success is the happiness of the couple and their guests.  Judging by the happiness on the face of Tammy's proud Father, I would say this was a job well done.

Best to Tammy and Val and to all of you for a great New Year!

Cheers,

Shawn

Repurposing Holiday Decor for New Year's Entertaining

I had the honor of appearing on FOX News Live online today and it was so much fun interacting with Jonathan…he really gets into the segments and makes them so much fun!

Today's segment was all about repurposing your holiday décor for New Years entertaining.  With everyone's crazy schedules and tighter wallets who wants to spend the time or money decorating twice during the holiday season?

Therefore I have a few tips to help you change and spruce up your décor for your New Years Eve party!

First - start with the invite:

FineStationary.com has some amazing invites and if you haven't sent out those holiday greeting cards yet take a look at their site.  They have hundreds of amazingly affordable cards, invites, gifts and more!

Here we have a bright and festive invite that counts you down to New Years and the placemat that can be monogrammed with your initials all from FineStationary.com.  These simple touches can go a long way when decorating for the holidays and the best part is the placemat can be reused for other holidays!

I don't know about you, but when I decorate for the holiday I want my décor to reflect both holidays and a great way to do this is to take a wreath (I purchased it from 1-800-Flowers.com) and transition it from Christmas to New Years.  I removed the Tartan ribbon, gold drums and berries and added my own silver and white ornaments I had left over from last year.  I then took baby's breath in clusters and added that to the wreath for a wintery feel.  With left over ribbon from gifts I received, I added an accent for hanging and voila I quickly, easily and with little money repurposed the wreath for New Years!  It's that easy!

I always have people asking for new and inventive ways to decorate…I took a variety of mismatched glasses from my cabinets and created candle holders.  And to add a little texture and "bling" I used my left over Christmas cookie decorating beads and sugar in the bottom of each glass.  Again, it's simple and easy and super budget friendly!

 

And finally instead of the typical red cosmo I used a white cosmo with silver sanding sugar.  It's different and fun and your guests will appreciate it!

Remember when entertaining this holiday is doesn't have to be stressful or complicated.  Keep it simple…create a list and a budget and you should do just fine.

Merry and Happy Everything!

Shawn

PS:  To see the full clip on Fox News click on the following link.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1315007527001/

The wines of Spain

First, my apologies for being MIA on the blog.  The past month has been a whirlwind with planning some great events, spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Madison, GA and taking our first site visit to El Ciego, Spain as we plan a destination wedding for a great couple next May.

With the Holidays approaching I know many of you will be buying and sharing great wines with family and friends.  Following our trip to the Marques de Riscal Winery in the Rioja region of Spain I have to share how impressed I was with the tremendous wines that we sampled on our trip.

First, I must say, if you ever have a chance to visit the Rioja wine region and to stay at the Hotel Marques de Riscal, jump at it.  This Frank Gehry designed hotel is absolutely stunning and the region itself is beautiful.

When in the region I also highly recommend a visit to the nearby Ysios Winery that was designed by renown Architect Santiago Calatrava.

I had the good fortune to visit the wine country of Spain in the Fall when all of the leaves on the vines were in their spectacular Autumn colors.  Between the character of the area's Medieval towns such as the walled cities of Laguardia and Briones, the beautiful scenery and the amazing wines, this is a great area to visit and will make a gorgeous setting for the wedding.

Going back to the reason for this post, the wines of Spain are definitely stellar.  We had the chance to sample many great wines, one of my personal favorites is the Reserva from the Marques de Riscal Winery.  It is a robust red with a very nice finish.  For lovers of white wine, the Limousin, also from Marques de Riscal will definitely appeal to palates favoring Chardonnay.


This is not to discount the numerous other great wines and wineries in Spain.  My recommendation is to experiment and find the wines that are most pleasing to you.  Everyone's palate is different so find your own favorite wine and have a great holiday!

Cheers!