Our brides and their moms agree – most of the time – on the vision for the look of their upcoming wedding.   But sometimes the very best looks are born when the two have ideas that don’t exactly “square” up.  Here, we’ve taken very traditional colors – gold and silver – and created a clean, modern celebration. This way, the traditional mom and the modern bride can each have their wish!

The color palette

The inspiration board

Our inspiration was the very interesting work of Piet Mondrian — a waaaaaayyy-ahead-of-his-time artist whose designs consisted of a grid of vertical and horizontal lines and the use of primary colors.  You might recognize this canvas he created:

We had a great team come together to implement the design for our story.    And here are the gorgeous results (as captured by our amazingly talented photographer & close friend, Marie Labbancz).

The F.U.E.L. House was truly the perfect blend of traditional and modern to host this very chic January wedding.    VU-Events hung all the drapery and gave us amazing lighting.  Total Table provided the gorgeous gold table runners and Party Rentals Ltd provided the perfect tables, chairs and place settings.

Beautiful Blooms‘ elegant etched candle holders sitting on the mantle of the fireplace is one of those perfect details that set a wedding apart from all others.  

And Two Paper Dolls created the perfect touch — menus and table numbers designed around Mondrian’s art.   

And now for the Yummy part!  Feastivities created a SCRUMPTIOUS dessert for our January story:  white and dark chocolate raspberry napoleon with raspberry coulis and pistachios.

Thanks go out to everyone who helped us put together this stunning January wedding.    Stay tuned for February’s color story – we have very cool surprises in store!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

EVERYONE! 

HERE’S TO A THOUSAND THINGS TO CELEBRATE IN 2009!

This holiday season, like none other, we are struck by what it means to care about other people.   Our industry is fun, energetic and all about celebrating the best days of people’s lives!   But we also recognize that all that merry-making can stand in stark contrast to the effect the economy is having on people who aren’t exactly partying their way through the holidays. 

Eclatante (and many others, we hear!) has come up with a whole set of ideas for how to care about others as we celebrate with our own…

Holiday open houses, company parties, even small dinner parties are the perfect opportunity to extend the spirit of giving.   Small hostess gifts and guest favors can, this year, be small donations to charities.   Guests can arrive with toys or canned goods to give to homeless shelters.   Even presents to adults in your family (who really have it all anyway!) can be much-needed donation to charities who are really suffering in this economic downturn.   Here are a few of our favorites:

Helpusadopt.org –  dedicated to people trying to overcome the seemingly insurmountable financial challenges associated with adoption and to the thousands of birth parents selfless enough to let loving people adopt their children. P.O. Box 20435 – New York, NY 1002  Phone:  917.684.5484

The Support Center for Child Advocates – is the country’s oldest and largest pro bono legal and social services agency for children. The Support Center’s mission is to advocate for abused and neglected children in Philadelphia, with the goal of securing a permanent, nurturing environment for every child.  1900 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 Phone:  267.546.9200 

The Philadelphia Council of Navy League – The Navy League is a civilian organization that supports active duty sailors, Marines and Coast Guard and their families.   We think there is no better time to reach out to the deployed and their family than over the holiday which can be so hard for them.   5344 Walden Way, Doylestown, PA 18901  Phone: 215.345.7596   

Or another great option is to give a charitable gift certificate at your company party gift exchange, as guest favors at your Holiday Open House or low-key dinner party or as a very sweet hostess gift.   Go to www.justgive.org where you can purchase a gift certificate for any amount and the receiver can choose their favorite charity.

just sayin’….

WISHING YOU AND YOURS AN EXTRAORDINARY HOLIDAY SEASON!   

We love the holidays!  So, rather than fight the wonderful colors of winter and gem stones that work perfectly in front of a fireplace, for DECEMBER’S COLOR STORY, we decided to play right into winter’s arms and create a gorgeous Sapphire and Silver party that would put a twinkle in everyone’s eyes!

The Color Palette

The Inspiration Board

The Stunning Results 

(as captured masterfully by Marie Labbancz)

Again, the F.U.E.L. House provided the perfect backdrop for December’s fantasy party.

VU-Events hung the gorgeous blue velvet drapes and set the enchantment with amazing lighting.  The scroll gobo projected against the bench wall was a great dramatic touch. Total Table provided the super-rich blue linens and Party Rentals Ltd provided the perfect glassware and gorgeous dupioni silk pillows. 

We LOVE Beautiful Blooms’ wonderful floral tie-backs made from ivory roses, peonies and navy cut crystals button accents for a regal accent.

The midnight magic was created by candles glowing from beautifully coordinated blue votive cuts and etched footed glass candleholders with sprinkled Swaroski crystals placed on mirrors.

Finally, Feastivites knew exactly what would warm our guests on a cold December night: Kir Royal (Champagne with Cassis), Accented with Golden Spun Shard Garnish on Glass

 CHEERS!!!

One of our favorite weddings this year was Caroline Tiger’s wedding at PAFA.   Her name may ring a bell. She is a prolific writer of all things weddings and relationships. She’s written several books and lots of articles which appear often in many wedding mags — including Philadelphia Weddings. She and Jon were a wonderful couple to work with!   Anyway, apparently, the New York Times was excited about her wedding, too, because they sent a reporter and photographer to cover the wedding. They seemed to think that the humorous banter between Caroline and me that day was noteworthy.   I don’t know about that, but it was a whole lot of fun!  

We’ll put up more images from her fantastic wedding soon!!