This is truly amazing.   The Beautiful Blooms team knocked it out the park big time at the Philadelphia Flower Show.  Some think (as do I) that it was the most innovative and exciting exhibit at the Flower Show this year.   Maya came up with the original concept of creating a topographical map of a sea to glacier terrain out of hanging glass vases filled with colored water and perfectly chosen flowers.   From that freaky concept, the Beautiful Blooms team designed and planned a truly stop-in-your-tracks stunning exhibit.   Every time I walked by, there were people lined up, taking photos and talking about how amazing it is.

Here are some great photos by David Mielcarek of CINEMATICbyDavidM.

Small wonder Beautiful Blooms won the Flower Show’s “Award of Excellence,” eh?

Here are the initial drawings — I thought you might find this interesting:

We introduced you to Faye & Matt in an earlier post.   They are the amazing couple that won the Love of a Lifetime wedding at the incredible Independence Seaport Museum on May 23rd.

Here is your opportunity to vote for the invitations designed by Two Paper Dolls that will be going out shortly.  Both are beautiful!

Here’s how it goes.   Each element of the wedding will be voted on by the public on the website hosted by Philly.com.  So far, the perfect menu and food service from Culinary Concepts has been chosen.  (YUM! – Philadelphians have great taste in food!).  Now it’s up to you to choose between the two amazing invitations created by Two Paper Dolls.   Here they are.

Hurry up and cast your vote for either one of these.   I have my favorite, but that hardly matters!

After the invitations comes the two totally custom-made wedding gowns from Janice Martin.   We’ve been going to the fittings and I’m sure you will adore what’s being created for Faye.   Deciding between the two might be a problem though.

Sometimes people create things that I love and just have to share.   My latest obsession are these great letterpress neighborhood cards created by the girl wonders at Two Paper Dolls.   I LOVE THESE.   But I need them to do one of Northern Liberties, yes?

You can get these from Two Paper Dolls at the place in Wayne or Pressed55 right here in the Piazza.   Or from their cool Etsy shop.

We are so excited about the first time an Eclatante event gets published in an international magazine.   And in Ireland, no less – a country rich in beauty with the most wonderful people I’ve ever met.

B Weddings Magazine, which is published in Dublin, Ireland caught wind of this gorgeous event we designed and planned at the Independent Seaport Museum which took place last April.  The client wanted to take their guests to the most beautiful cities of the world, so we set about to create a look, taste and feel of an around the world adventure for each of their amazed and delighted guests.

The team at Beautiful Blooms did an incredible job with the florals – Donna has traveled and lived in different parts of the world so she brought first-hand, true floral representation to the different table floral pieces.  You can see from the magazine’s pictorials that we executed a plan where the tables came from all over the world.   Even the table numbers reflected the style of the specific city we were representing on any particular table.   We did the same thing with the food, the entertainment and many of the amenities throughout the entire event.

We even had old European-style street performer that thrilled the guests to no end as they walked into the doors.   People are still talking about this extraordinary celebration – one of my favorites of all time!

Of course, for the international world to take notice of this incredible party, we had to have a great photographer, so we brought the fabulous Marie Labbancz along to capture every amazing moment.

Congratulations Matt and Fay e- winners of the “Love of a Lifetime” wedding!

Photo by Kevin York

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Last weekend, Eclatante was honored to play a role in planning one of the sweetest proposals we have ever heard of.

The story goes like this:   We were contacted by Tamar, the sister of Tali, the unsuspecting bride-to-be to help pull off an incredibly romantic surprise proposal.   Yoni, the ever-so-handsome young man doing the proposing was far away, in Israel, where he had been for quite some time.   Yani, the beautiful bride-to-be, didn’t expect to see him until next month.

But Yoni had gone to great lengths to surprise the love of his life.   Unbeknownst to Tali, Yoni created a wonderful photo montage to be shown on the Piazza’s 30′ screen. sent it here, then boarded a plane to Philadelphia.

Yoni arrived from Israel just in time to build a wonderful snowman on the Piazza stage then make himself scarce for the big reveal.   Under a great pretext, Tamar brought her sister to the Piazza where Tali saw the montage and believed that her amazingly romantic boyfriend had arranged for the best Valentine’s Day gift ever – the display of that montage.    Here it is:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJFXvo8L6iA

Man!  Tali was stunned beyond words when her Yoni stepped before her and got down on one knee   Honestly, I don’t think there has ever been anyone so surprised in the history of proposals!   Of course, she said YES!

We arranged to have the wonderful Heather Fowler on board to shoot the scene as it unfolded.   It really doesn’t get any more romantic than this!

The Philadelphia Inquirer picked right up on this story, as did 6ABC.

I can’t wait to see this wedding happen!

Photo by Cliff Mautner

Photo by Amy Deputy

Photo by Tania Lezak

Photo by Tania Lezak

Photo by Laura Novak

Photo by Sandor Welsh

Photo by Therese Marie Wagner

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Maggie Wallace Cullun

Photo by Tania Lezak

Photos by Alison Conklin

We have a tone of these amazing photos of kids at our weddings.   We might do this again someday!

Eclatante Boutique and some of the other very cool shops here on Liberties Walk have joined up to give you a Valentine’s Day shopping experience like none other. Every day from February 8th through Valentine’s Day (which is Sunday, February 14th), each of our friends is offering you something a little different.

This postcard and poster will give you the details about what we’re all doing!

For our part, Eclatante Boutique will be offering free, beautiful Valentine’s Day cards and wrapping paper with every $15 purchase made every day during the Romancing The Walk event.  Plus, we’ll be offering fun chocolate stuff and yummy bubbly all along the way.

And a really great part of this is that every participating shop will offering you the opportunity to enter a great raffle to benefit the American Heart Association’s GO RED FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN.  (it is HEART month y, know!)

Your raffle ticket only costs $5 (which you can get that back when you shop at Eclatante Boutique or at any of our friend’s shops).   You will not only be contributing to the American Heart Association – a great organization that has done so much to educate women about taking care of themselves and protecting their hearts – you will have a chance to win a grand prize which includes some pretty incredible gifts from our friends’ shops AND a romantic night’s stay at the very very chic new boutique hotel,  the Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia. All for $5 which you can get back!   How amazing is that?

If you haven’t made it down to Liberties Walk yet, this is the perfect reason to come down.   Talk about falling in love!!!!

Eclatante was honored to be asked by the amazing Sarah Lockard of AroundMainLine.com to design and help plan AML’s annual sensational and sophisticated Valentine’s-themed party.  AroundMainline.com is the SUPER successful and culturally rich online magazine that addresses all things hip around the Philadelphia area, so we were thrilled Sarah thought of us to help her put this great party together!

More importantly, this party will be nothing short of fabulous!   And, although it may very well be be the greatest thing this winter for mingling and having a great time, the best part is that it benefits Philadoptables (philadoptables.org) a wonderful, hardworking charity that addresses the overwhelming needs of Philadelphia Animal Control.  Philadoptables’ goal is to bring awareness and funding for the 34,000 animals a year who are brought to Philadelphia Animal Control.

This is going to be a great party — We really hope to see you!

Here are the specifics:

Place

Spamps Restaurant, Conshohocken, 16 East First Avenue (spampsrestaurant.com)

Date and Time

Thursday, February 4, 2010 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Yummies

Weyerbacher Brewery is the official craft beer sponsor of Be Mine. Spamps will be offering specials on bottles of Merry Monks’ and Hops Infusion, two of Weyerbacher’s most popular ales. In addition, fun and delicious champagne cocktails will be served with Verdi Spumante sparkling champagne, a major event sponsor

Spamps will be offering a special discounted menu for all guests. A complimentary gourmet cupcake table will be there for you to enjoy courtesy of Cakes & Candies by MaryEllen.

At the Door

RSVP

While not required, your RSVP is certainly encourage.   We’d so love to see you there – shoot a quick email to rsvp@aroundmainline.com.

If you’d like even more information about this great party, please read Sarah’s article.

Oh, by the way — I just ADORE the logo Two Paper Dolls created for this party, don’t you?   Absolutely perfect — as usual!!!

The Golden Rule of Timing a Great Party

Part 2)   An amazing party.

If you read Part 1 of this little series, which included Rules #1 – #3, you know it’s all about the critical, albeit invisible, element of timing.

Rule #4:  Let the opening of the doors to the reception signal the beginning of your great celebration.

After an hour and a half of  mingling with old friends, drinking wonderful beverages and eating scrumptious and creative hors d’oeuvres and short plates, your guests should be feeling the anticipation of the great party in store for them. When you open the doors, they should be stepping into something new —   the music goes up several notches, the lighting moves to a whole different level and the decor gives them all that they’ve been waiting for.   What your guests see and hear should reflect your unique style and vision. Creating this new enthusiasm will inspire your guests to have a great time.

Photo by Mike Kehr

Photo by Sarah DiCicco

Photo by Cliff Mautner

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Rule #5)  Once your guests enter the reception, standing around is not an option.

Recently, we did something very fun.  Instead of introducing the bride and groom in the typical way, the bride and groom were dancing (perfectly lit, of course) when the doors were opened.  All the guests surrounded the dance floor. After a short time, the guests were invited to join the bride and groom at which point, they instantly became part of the party. That’s the goal.  You want to engage your guests into your party as soon as they walk in the door.

To accomplish that, remember this:  If nothing is happening, then your guests will do nothing.  But if there’s something to be paid attention to, they will. Nothing will deflate the enthusiasm for your party like downtime.  If that means you need to line up your wedding party for introductions right away, then make sure your wedding party isn’t hanging out in the bathroom.

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Rule #6)  Do not front load your party with a succession of  toasts and speeches.

Honestly, just don’t do it.   Almost no one is entertaining enough to keep your guests interested for more than three minutes.  ”Leave them wanting more” will never be more true than it is here.  If you must have several toasts, then space them out throughout your party.

Rule #7) Do something fun and different at some point in your party.

This can take on several forms, and should take not up a lot of time (do you see a theme here?).    Here are just a few suggestions.

Photo by Amy Deputy

Photo by Mike Kehr

Photo by Amy Deputy

Rule #8) The bandleader or DJ is not the final word on how your party should flow.

Don’t get me wrong, a good bandleader or DJ will know how to keep your party moving and energized. And will do everything possible to make sure it all happens right.  We know and work with some of the best musicians and DJ’s around, and they will take the flow of your party very seriously.  But there are some things they just don’t know because they’re not you and they’re not your planner (don’t get me started on band agencies that claim to be planners).   Furthermore, it’s perfectly okay to want a different kind of party than what that particular band is used to playing. For instance, most bandleaders don’t know when the photographer has left the room and wouldn’t think to delay the cake cutting until the photographer returns. (And yes, this is an extremely good reason to have a good, experienced planner on board).

Photos by Marie Labbancz

Rule #9) Be flexible.

Sometimes things just happen that are completely unexpected, which may require that things get moved around a little.  Do not let this upset you; some of the best experiences are borne from game day decisions made in the face of some unforeseeable happenstance.

Rule #10)  Leave them wanting more (the Golden Rule).

No more than four hours after the cocktail hour (or so) began, you should be saying your goodbyes.

Okay, that’s it.  Have an EXTRAORDINARY party!!!

The holidays can bring out the best in us.   It’s the perfect time to step just a little outside of the box and give people unique gifts that they may not be expecting.

One of the great advantages to having a little boutique is that we only have the items that we really love.   Chances are, you wouldn’t be able to find them anywhere else.

Take, for instance, this gorgeous back and white 5 x 7 frame ($35.95).   And one of our new favorite things in the Boutique is the Lotus hands tealight holders ($20).   They are really beautiful.

For stocking stuffers, we have totally fallen for these handmade flower brooches.   Everyone who sees them loves them.   People walk in the Boutique and buy them immediately — at $20, they are pretty irresistible.

And how cool is this?  It’s a fruit pyramid (ornaments look pretty amazing in it, too!).   It’s a great, chrome-platted spacesaver and  looks very chic on a counter or a table.   $24

These rose tealight holders are absolutely lovely. We have theme in light creme and bronze.   People are buying them up at $16.   Small wonder – they’re stunning.

As a truly elegant gift, we recommend this stunning Peacock Tray from Fringe ($55).  For your people that truly appreciate beautiful things, this tray will absolutely thrill them.  Likewise, the mercury glass gold apothecary jars are just gorgeous.  We have them in two sizes, 13″ ($33) and 16″ ($43).

Here’s another fun stocking stuffer – these little scottie salt and pepper shakers are adorable, and incredibly priced at $10 for the pair.

Finally — our latest obsession — Totally organic, 100% bamboo robes.   Not a synthetic thread to be found. So incredibly plush, you won’t want to take it off!   They feature a detailed shawl collar, cuffed long sleeves, two front patch pockets and they’re extremely durable.  You’ll also find them in luxury hotels and resorts. We couldn’t resist putting a few in the Boutique for the holidays!   A truly wonderful price at $70.

We have them in white and in chocolate brown.  

Of course, these are just a few of our favorite things.   We have so many more unique, fun and beautiful things at the Boutique.   You should come visit us and see it all!   We located at 1031 North 3rd Street on Liberties Walk, right next to the Piazza.  Parking is a piece of cake.  Of course, if you already know you want something, just give us a buzz at 215.925.9911 or email us at celebrate@eclatantedesign.com, and we’ll send it out to you.

Oh, and don’t forget to come down for the Holiday Shopping Crawl here in Northern Liberties on December 19th from 11 am to 8 pm. Just about all the shops are doing something really special for you, including offering some interesting incentives that you definitely make you very very jolly!   Our Boutique is going all out — as usual.   We’d love to see you!

…is easily accomplished if you have the right things at your fingertips.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive and drawn out ordeal to create a great holiday table when you’ve got friends and family coming over for dinner.   Just a few interesting elements on your table will give you all the charm you need.    Marie Labbancz brought a camera to our little Boutique on her last visit.  She loved the table we set up for the holidays, which we’d created from some of our favorite little items we have in our Boutique, so we thought we’d share the photos with you.

First, we love these very cool red lace cutout placemats!   They’re actually made out of thick felt and they look amazing on a simple white tablecloth.  And they’re only $9 each (or four for $30).    We also have fun white lace beverage coasters — four for $6.00.

I think placing monogrammed candles at each placesetting, then giving them as gifts to your guests is a really thoughtful and memorable thing to do.  Plus, they smell wonderful!   They’re $12.00 each and people just love them!

Again, we love to show off our napkin rings.   We have a large variety to choose from. For this particular table, we’re using the Bay Leaf Napkin Rings because they’re perfect for the holidays.   $44 for a set of four.

We have a really fun, beautiful and inexpensive way of displaying votives on your table or all over your home.   Our gold lace votive holders are just perfect.   They also come in silver, if that suits your decor better.   They’re only $7.50 each and will stay in shape year after year.

One of my very favorite things in the Boutique right now is this set of Dove salt and pepper shakers.  They are absolutely beautiful!   And extremely well priced at $30 for the pair.    They would also make a fantastic hostess gift or holiday present or housewarming gift.

Another absolutely beautiful way to display a simple tealight candle is within one of our rose tealight holders.   We’re displaying the creme colored one on our holiday table now, but we’re also in love with the copper rose tealight holder, which we used for Thanksgiving.

If you’d like a different way of identifying seats for your guests, we suggest these adorable paper snowflakes that slip right onto your glassware. A set of six is only $9! (We have butterflies, too, for an adorable springtime table.)

Personally, I really like almost any alternative to the traditional large centerpiece. For our display holiday table we chose these mini-handblown vases and placed little cuttings from a berry bush inside each one. I think it’s lovely, personal and takes up very little room.  A set of five mini-handblown vases is only $25.00.

Isn’t it nice when your guests bring wine?   And it’s even nicer when it arrives in a Gold Hatch Wine bag that you can use over and over when you go out to your favorite BYOB.   Include a lovely resin orchid bottle stopper and you have a really perfect hostess gift. The wine bag is $10 and the winestopper is only $13.50 and come in an array of different colors and flowers. There’s not a hostess in the world who wouldn’t love it.

And, as always, we LOVE our Ana candles.  A pair of red striped tapers is only $20. We placed them inside two of our colored glass bud vases —  a set of five is only $25.00.

So, there you have it.  An unusual, tasteful and fun holiday table that everyone will rave about and won’t dip into your holiday present budget!

We have lots of other things for decorating or gifts of course.   if you see something here you want us to send to you, just call 215.925.9911 or email celebrate@eclatantedesign.com, and we’ll get it right out to you.   Or feel free to come down to the Boutique.   We’re located at the amazing Liberties Walk at 1031 North 3rd Street – parking is a breeze.  We’ve been having such a great time finding things you might just love to give as gifts or take home for yourself.

Have a great time everyone!

The dream child of three amazing women who individually have spent years and years in the beauty industry, Tu Belleza Studio gives women a place to come where walking in the door is a relaxing experience.  Claudia, Tiffany and Kim have created a truly unique environment where it feels more like you’re drinking wine in your best friend’s living room than having an appointment at a salon. Together, they share an artistry, passion and talent for bringing out the beauty in each woman that walks in their very warm and entreating studio.

You’ll be happy to know Tu Belleza carries  Cass Luxury Shapewear, Aveda, and Sebastian and an amazing array of accessories you won’t find anywhere else.

And here are the ladies of Tu Belleza: Tiffany Lahn (hair extension maven), Kim Lancashire (Eye Lash Extension Diva) and Claudia Seyler (a magician with hair and makeup)

And lucky us!  They are right across the Walk from us in our own little block of Liberties Walk.   We couldn’t be happier.   More and more and more, I’m really happy we moved here!

Although we absolutely love them, Eclatante’s mission is not just about the major life events like weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs.   We grab every chance we can get to help people have wonderful, memorable and stressfree celebrations, small and large –from dinner parties to birthday parties to neighborhood supper clubs.   So, here’s our first Celebrating in Style Event at Two Paper Dolls Studio in Wayne, PA.   You should come!