Let's Re-Cap: Bridal Fashion Week!

Last week was so exciting with all the amazing bridal fashion from world-famous wedding dress designers.

Short skirts, dramatic backs, appliques, peplums, capes and wraps, oh my!!

Let's do a re-cap, as we have been dying to share our faves with you all.

{Reem Acra}

 

{Rivini}

 

{Monique Lhuillier}

 

                         

{Oscar de la Renta}                          {Vera Wang}

  

 

{Carolina Herrera}

 

{Monique Lhullier}

 

 

Monique, Oscar, Vera, Carolina, Reem, Rivini were all amazing at this year's show!

 

With the huge Gatsby theme trend this summer, you can see that they knew how to add a more vintage, old Hollywood kind of glam to their gowns, by using different fabrics, appliques, head pieces, capes. Wonderful!

 

What do you think? Who's your fave?

 

Lots of Love,

Susan

 

PS- In our opinion, Reem Acra really hit the nail on the head with the Gatsby feel. Check out the entire 2014 collection when you get a chance!

 

The Tech-Savvy Bride

Hello!

Today we would like to write a little bit about today's bride. You are smart, successful, beautiful, and you, my dear, are tech-savvy.

Let's face it, whether you like it or not, we are in a world led by technology. And, needless to say, apps are now playing a huge role in weddings, just as they play a role in other aspects of your life.

Therefore, today we will bring you up to speed by introducing you to some awesome wedding-related apps.

Let's start with our favorite, Wedding Snap.
Wedding Snap is AHHH-MAZING. It basically allows for you to see your wedding (as well as engagement party, bridal shower, etc) from your guests' perspective. Nothing is the same as the photos your guests take. Sure you want the perfect, professional photos, but who wouldn't want the photos taken amidst the fun of it all? Well, Wedding Snap allows you to instantly collect and access all of your guests' photos/videos in one collective online album. Oh, and the best part is that you can project the images on Wedding Snap onto a big screen and share in real time during your reception! Same-day footage? Yes, please!

Another great app is Gift Registry 360.
We love this app because it allows you to easily register for gifts with the easy scan of a barcode by your iPhone. Yup, it's that easy. Gift Registry 360 is updated with purchases from your registry, so it provides you with accuracy as well as ease when it comes to registry. Ooooh, and also, there are many of our fave stores for registry on there, such as Macy's, Bloomingdales, Sur La Table, Crate & Barrel, etc. so it's really appealing to use this app when you can do your registry at any store visit, as long as you have your phone (and you know that's always with you!).

Lastly, we would like to introduce you to Bespoke .
So, you take a photo, you pin a photo, you 'like' a photo. There's tons of inspiration you have collected in every social media you use, along with an infinite amount of photos in your phone gallery. So, do you ever ask yourself, "Why did I save this?" Well, Bespoke gathers all your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, blogs, etc) all in one convenient location. You have an inspiration stream, which pulls in all the networks, and you have inspiration books, which allow you to add personal notes to favorite photos so you remember why you saved it when you look at it again waaaay later. You have the option to share with your buddies, or to keep it private, like your own personal wedding inspiration diary!

Ladies, basically, your up to speed with everything else, get these apps and be the tech-savvy bride that YOU ARE!

Lots of Love,
Susan
Especially For You Event Consulting Services

Leo + Annie = My Cousin + Friend For Life

Today I was doing some much needed organizing. I stumbled upon a wedding I had worked on a while ago, but I couldn't help but look at all of this wedding's photos. My team and I just loved working on this wedding.

A little background: The groom is my {first} cousin. I was introduced to his {now} wife before he popped the question. It was instant friendship for me and Annie.

Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, she's also fabulous!

So, they got engaged, and of course, enter Susan.

It was so fun to experience their journey to the altar with them, as a family member and as a professional.

Okay, fast forward to the wedding day.

Here's Annie looking like a dream:

 

Here's Leo looking top-hat formal:

 

So after Annie got glammed up, Leo and his family joined her at her house and had traditional pre-ceremony festivities. This is also when a majority of the family photos were taken.

After the organized chaos, Leo, Annie and the bridal party left for pre-ceremony photos at the Westlake Village Inn {amazing photo location}.

Now it is time for ceremony:

 

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Now they are Mr. and Mrs.!

 

Let's get this party started...

It was an extra special day that day {oh, don't worry, my amazing colleague Nadia ran the show that day...I was a guest}

Here are a few detail shots for you!

 



 

 

It was such a great wedding. The love, décor, family, friends, entertainment. It had it all. It was extra memorable for me.

 

I wish Leo and Annie a life full of love and laughter, because he is my cousin and she is a friend for life!

 

 

Lot of Love,

Susan

 

 

Vendor Love:

Venue/Caterer: Renaissance Banquet Hall

Florals: Tic-Tock Couture Florals

Photographer: Sakosan Photography

Videographer: Essence Video

Entertainment: Heartbeat DJ and  Ara Martirosyan

Rentals: White Night Design

Cake: Cake Studio

Décor for Champagne bottle and gift box: Angela's Fantasy Creations

Coordination: Especially For You Event Consulting Services

 





Choosing A Venue For The Big Day

Today we would like to discuss the WHERE of your wedding.

The most important, the WHO, and the WHAT, is obvious :)

But where will all this magic take place? Where will fit your guest count and provide the atmosphere you want for this important day in your lives?

Aside from finding the wedding gown, the venue is the only other element of the wedding that may take long and may, in many cases, be discouraging for a couple.

The first thing to think about (after setting your overall wedding budget range) before searching for a venue is create a preliminary guest list, so you figure out the approximate guest count you expect to have at your wedding. You have a 'must-invite' list, and a 'maybe-invite' list. Once a range is decided, the next thing to think about is what kind of a venue you like. For example, outdoor, indoor, banquet hall, rooftop, hotel ballroom, private estate,  country club, museum, warehouse, garden, ocean view, city view, on the beach, etc.

At this point, you can start the search. Try to think of places that you attended weddings as a guest that really stood out for you. Somewhere where you can imagine making it your own there. Also, start searching online. There are websites like www.herecomestheguide.com or our favorite, www.eventup.com that can provide search results based on guest count, city, type of venue, and so on. If you have hired a planner, your planner will hand pick venues for you that best meet your needs.

After seeing a few options that are worth checking out in person, make appointments with the site's coordinator to get information about the venue, as well as a personal tour of the entire property.

Be observant during this meeting. Can you have both the ceremony and reception on site? Does it have a large enough cocktail hour space? Does it meet your expectations from what you saw online? Does the pricing include catering and bar? Can you bring in your own caterer or alcohol? Does that city have noise restrictions that the venue enforces? If it's an outdoor area, are there options to bring the event indoors in the event of bad weather? Is that something you would want? What fees and service charges are included? What rental items are included (chairs- what kind, tables...) The list of questions can really go on forever.

Once you have your answers, you may be ready to book, discard the idea of having the wedding there, or keep it open as an option.

If the below is you, as you are ready to book...

DO NOT BOOK right away!

If you are interested in a venue you see in person, ask to be provided an estimate and find out the available dates for the month and year you wish to get married. The worst feeling for a bride-to-be is falling in love with a place that is way out of budget (so screen this information to a certain extent prior to booking a tour), or to fall in love with a place that is not available for the time period the wedding has been decided for. Don't do this to yourself!

Have a discussion after seeing each place. Did you both like it? Is the pricing provided within your budget? Does the ballroom allow for creative design to make it your own space?

After a few venue visits, you will know exactly what you are looking for and what you want to stay away from.

Once you are fully confident that you can see that a particular venue is where you can envision yourself getting married, that's when you can go ahead and book it.

Now you can do your happy dance:

You can get married anywhere your heart desires, but to find it is not an easy and quick process. All we can say it is well worth the wait!

Lots of Love,
Susan









images via Google

You're Blessed, Don't stress

Happy Monday!

Today we are writing about something that is all too familiar for engaged couples...STRESS!

Here's the scenario:

The love of your life, man of your dreams, pops the big question. Yes, score! You are blessed to have found your true partner in life. Someone to share all the adventures that is life with.

And so the planning begins. Insert STRESS here.

 

From the figuring out of the budget, to finding vendors that you love AND that are within your budget, to finding a venue, dress, figuring out the bridal party members, listening to the endless (and unsolicited) advice of family and friends, trying your best to isolate the social pressures of having a certain type of wedding, to having a fiance that is M.I.A. when you need him and all nit-picky when you don't need him, etc., etc., etc.

 

It is a trying time.

 

You have your work, your school, other responsibilities, and everything in between, and NOW you have to plan a wedding. Not just any wedding, but YOUR wedding!

 

You easily go from this:

 

 

 

To this:

 

 

 

To this:

 

 

Very fast. Your relationship can be a rollercoaster of emotions. And it can spiral downwards faster than you can imagine.

 

We have seen it all with our clients. Even the most loving couples tend to get at each other's throats at one point or another because it's JUST TOO MUCH!

 

You lose sight of the goal of all this: to marry the one person that is your perfect match.

 

It's not so much a relationship problem as it is an individual's struggle in learning to make joint decisions. The beginning of a life full of joint decision making.

 

It's almost never what is being said as much as it is what's not being said, or how something is said. In a nutshell, communication.

 

Communication is key. It is the key during the planning process, and it is the key in a successful marriage.

 

Our tip for you is separate your emotional tie to the planning process. Use logic, common sense, and politics.

 

In this case, we can confidently say that it is not about the journey, it is about the destination. The complete opposite of the correct approach to life. But then again, keep in mind that is not life. This is a wedding. The marriage is the life part.

 

So, everyone, keep calm and remind yourselves as many times as you have to, that you are marrying the person that you yourself have decided is the perfect match for you.

 

All else will fall into place. And if it doesn't, hire us (professionals) to help alleviate the stress for you. Focus on what is most important: your mental and emotional health, your relationship with your fiancé, your families and friends, and the responsibilities you have to keep up with whether there's a wedding or not.

 

Balance:

 



 

 

After all, each element in your life, all that causes pleasure and stress, are part of you. Not one thing is the complete you. Don't let one thing consume you!

 

 

In no time, you will be here:

 

And, later, being a pro at making joint decisions and balancing life at the most crucial times in life, you will one day be here:

 

After all, you're blessed, don't stress!

 

Lots of Love,

Susan

 

 

 

all images via Yahoo!



Stunning Shelly, Sweet as Pie

{Ladies, this is the same post as posted on April 2nd. HOWEVER, I can't believe I forgot to mention and link to the amaze DJ that Shelly and Kfir had on their amaze wedding! DJ Eliran = awesome entertainment!!!}



We are so happy to feature Shelly and Kfir's wedding today!

Shelly is stunning (and sweet as pie), and Kfir was such a pleasure to work with.

Here's our gorgeous couple on their big day:

Starting her day at Westlake Village Inn, Shelly was a nervous wreck. When we went to visit her during hair and makeup, we sensed the relief she felt as soon as we walked in (That's what we are there for).

We knew that she knew that we knew, that there was nothing to worry about! But alas, those nerves come with all that is 'the wedding day'.

We made sure all was going well, and headed to the venue to setup and prepare for ceremony and reception.

To say the least, as usual, there were a few hiccups that morning during setup, but then our job wouldn't be as exciting as it is. Hiccups consisted of an injury (sending away the paramedics after they arrived), and some rentals problems, among a few other things.

After we perfected the floor plan, setup and décor (by the way, this venue's staff is phenomenal), we were ready to greet our bride and groom when they arrived.

Guests started to trickle in, and we were ready for them, with a violinist playing for cocktail hour, open bar and hors d'oeuvres galore. Our stunning Shelly, Kfir, and close family were signing the ketubah at this time.

After the guests enjoyed some eating, drinking and mingling, we escorted them to be seated for the Chuppa ceremony.

The ceremony was traditional. The ceremony was beautiful. Um, well, you know that our clients always kick it up a notch, and we wouldn't expect anything less than authentic horn-blowers for the ceremony!

After the ceremony, we had a quick post-ceremony cocktail session as we flipped the room to reception space. During this time, the guests were ready to party, our bride was having touch-up for hair and make-up, and I decided to get horribly burned as I grabbed the curling iron from the wrong end (yes, I'm clumsy too on top of everything, and no, the injury earlier that day was not me).

Now, time to party! Obviously, Shelly and Kfir had authentic instruments for their grand entrance for the reception as well:

(Aren't these first dance photos priceless?!)

The party consisted of non-stop dancing with none other than famous Eli Buzaglo.

Our stunning Shelly also dedicated a beautiful song that she danced to, with her mom and grandmother. Every one (including me) was in tears...



Oh, let's not forget the cake cutting!

Here are some more photos of this great wedding!



It was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful night. We can say that the party would have never stopped, until our stunning Shelly couldn't take any more dancing. And so, the Mr. and Mrs. called it a night!

It was such a pleasure working with this great couple and in the process, making a friend, since Shelly is stunning on the outside and sweet as pie on the inside.

We wish Shelly and Kfir eternal happiness!

Lots of Love,

Susan

Vendor Love:

Venue: Anoush

Caterer: Balabusta Catering

Florals: McCann Florist

Entertainment: Eli Buzaglo Entertainment 

Entertainment: DJ Eliran

Photographer: Signature Exposure

Videographer: Studio Effects

Cake: Delice Bakery

Coordination: Especially For You Event Consulting Services