We just love it when are couples are featured in The Knot.   It lets them know that their vision was truly wonderful!

I’ve made you all wait FAR too long (sorry about that — it’s been a truly hectic couple of weeks!!) to enjoy Part 2 of the fabulous Red Dress Fashion Show that the American Heart Association put on on Eclatante’s and Beautiful Blooms’ our little piece of the planet as part of AHA’s 2010 Go Red for Women Campaign.

In Part 1, we introduced you to the event and the cast of amazing characters we had milling around here that day. Along with the gorgeous weather, more than 200 people were treated to a fantastic array of absolutely beautiful dresses designed and created by the extraordinarily talented women of the Philadelphia University’s fashion design program.   We were really blown away by their designs and their stories.

Thanks again to Heather Fowler for taking these great photos!

When we left off in Part 1, you saw the beautiful models lining up for the Fashion Show.   Bill Henley (of NBC10’s “the 10! Show”) was a great Master of Ceremonies.

From the very first dress, we were in love!

After the final walk, the judges deliberated on their choice for the runner up and the winner.

Heather took a great photo of all the models and the designers in the green room (a/k/a Heather's Studio) waiting for the judges' decisions

It was great anticipation, that the winners were announced

Third place went to this gorgeous dress:

Second place was awarded to this incredibly fun dress that I fell totally in love with:

And the winner is (drumroll, please)….

We had an absolutely wonderful time that night.   From the looks of it, so did everyone else.   I hope you enjoyed our first fashion show on our Walk (the first of many, I hope).

The Ladies of Eclatante and the Beautiful Blooms’ girls had WAY too much fun on this one.   I’m not sure we could really call it work!!!

L to R: Jeannie, Maggie, Sara, Kendall, Claire and Chrissy

L to R: Donna, Alicia, Lisa and Maggie

And be sure to check out The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign.  NOTHING is more important than a woman’s heart.

Eclatante and Beautiful Blooms were honored and excited to be asked by the American Heart Association to host their annual Go Red for Women Preview Party.

Heather Fowler agreed, not only to let her studio be turned into a dressing room, but to shoot this wonderful event.

The event showcased some of the most talented young women I have ever met.   Young fashion designers from Philadelphia University’s fashion design program competing at a drop-dead amazing fashion show on our Walk.   All the dresses were, of course, red.   But even more incredible, each designer was inspired by the story of a person close to them who had experienced heart disease in a very real way.   The stories were beautiful — just like the dresses that were exhibited that evening.

In attendance were about 200 women (well, mostly women) who have a heart for this incredible campaign.    As they arrived, they were treated to delicious treats from Max & Me Catering and served wonderful beverages.  And All Around Entertainment created the perfect musical atmosphere for the evening.

Of course, we added our own special touches everywhere!

Donna and I were thriled to introduce the participants

The emcees were Biil Henley and Lori Wilson, hosts of the daily NBC10 10! show.  The judges were Jenice Armstrong of the Philadelphia Daily News, Kristin Munro of Philadelphia Style Magazine and Tiffany Hill, B101 Radio.

While all that was going on, the models were getting ready on the next block in Heather Fowler’s studio.  Their hair and makeup was expertly accomplished by Phoenix Salon & Spa and Salon 201.

until it was time to line up for the fashion show

In Part 2, you’ll see the parade of these beautiful dresses and the winners of the 2010 Go Red For Women Red Dress Fashion Show.

In late April, we introduced you all to the upcoming charity event known as Date with A Plate.  The event took place on the 4th & 5th of May and was just incredible. All of the designers and collectors who provided an insight into their interpretation of a fabulous table or entertainment scenario absolutely brought their A-game.  I do hope that a lot of you were able to make it out to see the amazing work that thrilled all of the guests. It was truly a feast for the eyes!!!

This year, the charity, known as the IMAJNZ Foundation –  which is the very innovative charity created by Judi Goodman and Sharyn Berman to support selected area charities – supported The Noreen O’Neill Foundation for Melanoma Research. It was an honor to step up for this particular charity as there is a history there for us.

We teamed up Beautiful Blooms to design and create our own interpretation of what would be a great night out with close friends. The inspiration began with a simple photo out of the January issue of InStyle Magazine.

And then the vision grew. We LOVED this beautiful combination of Sangria and White and decided that what we really needed to do was create wine and cheese party under the stars using this incredible contrast of colors. When we finally concluded what we were out to accomplish, we found the perfect name for our dining adventure:  ”Private Escape.”

Next came the ruffles –  which, until this year, I’ve never really found a place for in my heart. Now, suddenly, I LOVE THEM!  But not your grandmother’s ruffles, as you will soon see.

Beautiful Blooms has these awesome arbors created from beautiful wood beams.  We just had to use them!  Then we went in search of sangria colored ruffles, and WHITE ruffled plates.   No easy task, but a fun one nontheless!  And of course, being the detail crazies are, we lined everything out from drawings and measurements to make sure that our little plan would work.

Then, on the day of installation, the Beautiful Blooms and Eclatante teams carefully taped out the dimesions of our space, laid the the carpet, built the arbor, and carefully placed the linens and all of the other beautiful elements.

And here are the results!  These stunning photos were taken by David Mielcarek of CinematicbyDavidM.   He graciously agreed to shoot our display and we couldn’t have been more pleased.  His photos are wonderful!!!

People ADORED the ruffled chair backs and ruffled placemats. And so did we!

The chandelier is a phenomenal custom piece created out of square wine glasses.  Beautiful Blooms laced flowers all through the glassware.  The result was STUNNING!!!

Two Paper Dolls created the carefully designed Wine Tasting piece that explained the specific wine and cheese pairings to each guest.   Of course, choosing just the perfect wines was definitely one of the fun parts.

At the corners of the arbor, there were lovely large teardrop glass vases hung containing Japanese sweet peas, Japanese white long stem gloriosa lilies and white peonies.  It was a perfect softening touch.

We were so pleased to have Starr Events work with us. They created a gorgeous cheese and fruit platter and Frank’s Union Wine Mart helped us choose the perfect wine!  The wine and cheese pairings were absolutely amazing.

Thanks also go to Moore Events for lighting our display with uplights and pinspots. It truly made the difference by having this lighting installed.

The guests were thrilled to discover that this incredible “Private Escape” could be their reality — if they bid high enough!  Apparently, there was quite a little bidding war over our Private Escape.  We don’t know who won, but we can’t wait  recreate this look on Liberties Walk for one lucky winner and their friends.  Starr Events will create a lovely wine tasting menu for 8 and Frank’s Union Wine Mart will provide the wine for the event. What could be more wonderful than dining under the stars with great friends in their own “Pefect Escape.”

Our parting shots are the team photo!

From left to right: Maya (BB), Donna (BB), Kendall (EED) and Sara (EED)

We’re very happy to share this post on the ultimate wedding blog –  Style Me Pretty – of one of our very favorite weddings in 2009.   We invite you to explore this very very pretty wedding (Part 1 and Part 2) and our favorite Maid of Honor toasts of all time,  Beautiful Blooms did an outrageous job with the florals. Gorgeous.   Marie Labbancz was thir photographer.

One of our favorite things is to discover and work at new venues. We’ve known about the Skybox at the 24/24 Studios for a while, but this is our first opportunity to work there.

As you can see from these great photos by Kevin York, the place is amazing!   It’s 6,200 square feet of open space with 30′ ceilings, skylights and gorgeous hardwood floors.  It sits within an incredible community of artists’ lofts and has an ambience of pure creativity.

Photo from the Skybox website

When Culinary Concepts asked us to design a photoshoot at the new Skybox, we jumped at the chance.  Together with Beautiful Blooms (whose stunning florals were perfect), we were able to create an amazing soiree that was perfectly suited for this amazing, cool loft-space very conveniently located in the City.

We chose beautiful aqua shimmer linens that inspired Beautiful Blooms to create coordinated florals of bamboo, dendrobium orchids and mokara orchids.  Other tables had three vibrant vases with tight bundles of roses, hydrangea and  spider mums. LOVE.

As you can see, the lighting was key to producing the dramatic effect we were looking to achieve.  Using LEDs projected across the room (rather than uplighting from the floor) we were able to achieve a stunning color the color saturation on the walls.

The cocktail area was created to reflect the ambiance of the whole room — the divine furniture from Busy Bee was perfect — I totally love their extraordinary furniture!

The bride’s room upstairs is a wonderful sanctuary for someone to collect themslves as their guests begin to arrive.  I <heart> this room. It’s so peaceful.

(See the gorgeous gown hanging on the wardrobe at the far end of the room.)

A ceremony in the round invokes a wonderful intimacy that works beautifully in this space.   We designed the ceremony area around a great wrought iron structure that Beautiful Blooms brought and adorned with lots and lots of ribbons and candles.

We’re very happy to introduce you to this fabulous new venue in Philadelphia.  I can’t wait to show you some of our events there!

In Part 1, we told you about how this wonderful couple overcame the snowy elements for a joyous pre-ceremony experience.   Now, Carolyn & Steven come in from the cold for their touching and beautiful ceremony at St Clements Episcopal Church in Philadelphia (as seen through the lens of Marie Labbancz’s magic camera).

The little flower girls were absolutely adorable — and beautifully accessorized by these flower purses created by Beautiful Blooms.

Don't you just love how this little girl has learned to admonish the little boy to shhhhhh!

After the ceremony, the celebration commenced at the historic Franklin Institute.   The lighting and decor plan came together beautifully.   Beautiful Bloom’ did an amazing job on the floral centerpieces.

And the dancing went on all night long.   Everyone had a fantastic time — especially the bride and groom!

All’s well that end’s well.   In spite of the wintery weather, this was a beautiful and joyous wedding we always remember!

This winter was one for the record books — not just for the record snowstorms, but the amazing weddings we were honored to be a part of.    Carolyn & Steven’s wedding happened during one of those famous snowstorms, but nothing put a damper on their incredibly wedding day!  The photographs by Marie Labbancz truly show you how wonderful that day was — in spite of the weather!

Their engagement photos showed no sign of the crazy weather in store.

But when their wedding day arrived, Mother Nature gave them a truly romantic snowy day.  As it turns out, this special winter bride secretly wished for snow on her wedding day. She said that the lace on her gown reminded her of snowflakes, which was why she chose it.

Carolyn was beautifully prepared with this pair of amazing snow boots!

Carolyn and her girls got ready at The Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia.  Claudia Seyler did a beautiful job on everyone’s hair and makeup.

b

The beautiful bouquet created by Beautiful Blooms was all about Carolyn.  It was perfect for her!

The couple met in the lobby of the Four Seasons for their romantic moment before heading off to Waterworks on the Schuylkill River.

Thank goodness Claudia was able to stay throughout the day so that Carolyn could be touched up after bracing the elements.   Of course, part of the romance of the day was the warmth the couple gave each other throughout the pre-ceremony photo session!

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Carolyn and Steven com ein from the cold for their beautiful ceremony at St. Clements Episcopal Church and fabulous reception at the Franklin Institute.

Along with cherry blossoms (from my DC roots). among my favorite things about this time of year is the emergence of tulips.   I just adore them. According to Persian legend, the first tulips sprang up from the drops of blood shed by a lover and for a long time the tulip was the symbol of avowed love.

So, while thinking about doing a “one of my favorite things” blog post, the first thing that popped into my mind was the glorious onslaught of spring tulips.   I really don’t have to say much about them   Their beautiful faces pretty much say it all.

Tulips are one of the few flowers that I think translate well directly from their natural setting to a vase.

These amazing photos were taken by and are courtesy of Bill Schodowski from Delaware Valley Wholesale Flowers.  Right now, all beautiful tulips are waiting here in these incredible fields in Holland.   Aren’t these colorful rows of tulips incredible?

The floral designs and bouquets are, of course, from the team at Beautiful Blooms.

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Tracey Williams

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Maggie Wallace Cullen

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Scott Lewis

Photo by Marie Labbancz

Photo by Jason Varney

So, welcome to Spring 2010.   I hope it’s filled with tulips!

When we last talked about the planning of Faye & Matt’s wedding, you were asked to chime in on the difficult choice between two wedding gowns that were beautifully designed and custom created for Faye by Janice Martin Couture. Here is the stunning winner:

Now is your chance to decide between two really beautiful  floral centerpieces created by the incredible team at Beautiful Blooms.   You can vote on Philly.com for either of the two beautiful pieces below.  Faye and Matt love both, so it really is up to you.

By the way, these photos were taken by Kevin York.  Faye and Matt are extremely lucky to have Kevin as their wedding photographer – it’s a certainty that their photos will be AMAZING!

Design#1  (“Organic Chic”) is created from an organic mix of hydrangea, protea, frog’s eye euphorbia, stock, hypericum berries and curly willow.  I just love how the colors compliment each other in the shades of apple green, purply blue and yellow. It will look stunning on the square tables dressed in a great purple pintuck linen with accents of yellow.

Design #2 (“Fishbowl Fashion”) has a more modern feel and was created in a large fishbowl. This arrangement is a combination of plum calla, yellow protea placed on a base of green split peas.   This centerpiece will look equally beautiful on the purple linens.

Hurry.  You only have until Tuesday night to vote for either of these gorgeous pieces.

After the centerpieces are decided, you’ll get to vote for the beautiful wedding rings from Safian & Rudolph.

In Part 1 of Brierley & Andy’s story, we told you about how much we love these guys and how the amazing craft of sailing played a signtificant and beautiful role in their wedding.   The very talented Sarah & Tony DiCicco were absolutely masterful at capturing this beautiful day.

We are now at the stunning ceremony, which took place at the Student Gallery of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. I LOVE it when a couple decides to have their ceremony there.

After the ceremony, the guests were guided to the magnificent seating card table.  They were thrilled by the origami sailboats the whole family made to serve as seating cards. And just take a look at the gorgeous floral design executed by Beautiful Blooms.   LOVE!

PAFA is a great, GREAT place for photos. Such amazing artwork!

The guests were guided up PAFA's magnificent staircase into the beautiful cocktail area.

I love this photo of Brierley & Andy on that incredible staircase.

After the yummy cocktail hour (where guests were treated to, among other things, a very tasty cheese spread from the couple’s home state of Vermont), the guests were invited into the stunning reception. It was simply gorgeous. Beautiful Blooms did a fabulous job of creating the perfect look right out of Brierley’s head.   Brierley is not an extravagant young woman.   She has a very sleek, but warm style and appreciates details that are organic, rather than manufactured.    We managed to create a look for her tables that was simply lovely, just like Brierley herself!

Their guests had a truly great time.

The food was absolutely incredible.  It was a major priority to Brierely that her guests be served amazing food.   She is an editor at ” Eating Well Magazine” so we classify her as a world-class foodie, and as such, she had very specific, truly unique and wonderful ideas about what and how to serve her guests.   Jimmy Duffy’s was absolutely on board to make all her food wishes come true.  (Little fun fact:   Brierley’s parents used Duffy’s for their rehearsal dinner in the 80’s.)   The guests raved about dinner.   Then dessert arrived and they were totally stunned.    Duffy’s pastry chef created gorgeous red sugar apples and filled them with to-die-for ganache.

And the cake was PERFECT!   Simply and beautifully decorated with perfect red raspberries.

And O.M.G., the dancing!  It went on all night long.  The Sultans of Swing kept this very very happy crowd on that dance floor having the time of their lives.   AMAZING music came pouring out of these guys!!!   They are incredible and we love them!

Finally, there comes a time when we all must just take our shoes off.

As the parting shot, I literally fell in love with this mother-daughter photo.  It is a beautiful photo of this duo who truly love and respect each other.  It was pure joy being around them — we’ll certainly never forget them!

Again, thank you so much, Sarah & Tony.   Your photos really captured the essence of this wedding and we love you for that!

Lucky Faye!   Her wedding gown will be custom-designed and created  by the famous couture dress designer and dressmaker,  Janice Martin. The gown is now down to two stunning designs.   And you get to choose which one Faye will wear on her wedding day!

When we last talked about the planning of Faye & Matt’s wedding, you were asked to vote on the invitation by Two Paper Dolls.   And the winner is:

Now, we’re on the wedding gown, and so far, the voting has been unbelievable.   The dam has opened and votes are pouring in.

At their first meeting, Faye and Janice got to know each other so that Janice could design the dress to not only to suit Faye’s beauty and style, but her personality as well.  Eclatante was there for the fittings of the muslin versions of each evolution of Janice’s designs. We were so impressed by Janice’s compassion and ability to figure out exactly where to begin and how to make Faye feel completely at ease with the process.  By the time Faye’s gown is complete, there is absolutely no doubt that it will be a one-of-kind couture wedding gown that was made to fit and suit Faye absolutely perfectly.

These two drawings depict the two designs by Janice that were created for Faye.

GOWN #1

This is a halter style fitted gown with a layered train. The fabric will be a cotton/silk blend and the gown will have a slight blue cast to it. The train starts higher in the front, lower in the back. The dress may have small covered buttons down back of gown. The train is of layers of chiffon or organza, so that each layer will “flow” or “float” evoking waves. The gown may also have a blue sash at waist to complement the bridesmaids dresses. Blue was chosen for two reasons:  First, Faye’s amazing eyes; and, second,  because the ceremony will take place at  the rotunda that juts out onto the water outside the Independent Seaport Museum.   The effect of this gown is “light and airy”. The halter style gives Faye’s figure support and her shoulders more definition.

Gown #2:

Same silhouette as Gown #1, but is a strapless fitted gown of shirred silk satin. This is a much more “formal” fabric. The train is layered with a “bubble” type effect, so that overall the gown would be more sculptural and elegant.  Both gowns are very “body conscious” so either will show off Faye’s lovely curves. Both gowns will feature blue in the construction to give depth and richness to the gown and flatter Faye’s skin tone and eyes!

So, just like you did with the invitations (thank you!), please log onto Philly.com/weddings to cast your vote for either Gown #1 or Gown #2.   Hurry, though.   Faye is very anxious to find out which gown is hers!!

Next time, you’ll be asked to choose between two amazing centerpieces from Beautiful Blooms.