Vera Wang Bridal and Bridesmaids sample sale

You might have already seen this in today's Daily Candy but just in case you missed it I wanted to point it out.

What: Vera Wang Bridal and Bridesmaids
Why: One-of-a-kind samples — plus a ton of overstock — 35-75 percent off retail. Bridesmaid dresses, too.
When: Dec. 13. Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: The New Yorker Hotel, 481 Eighth Ave., at 34th St.

Carey and Jason - Wolffer Estate Vineyard, Hamptons

All my clients are in love but I have to say Carey and Jason, their connection is one to envy. Jason looks at Carey like Nicolas Cage did at Meg Ryan in City of Angels, silly reference but if you've seen the movie you know what I mean.

The beautiful Wolffer Estate Vineyards

French Blue shutters that inspired their color story

I loved the detail on her dress. There was a certain fragile and vintage feel to it that just added to the sweetness of their wedding.

Ketubah signing in the wine cellar

BORROW THIS IDEA: We wanted to tie in the vineyard theme without being too kitchy so for the guestbook, I suggested they create wine labels that read "Happy Anniversary" and put them in a Kolo album. Guests were encouraged to sign directly onto each label and then we transferred the labels onto bottles of Wolffer Estate Wine. Now for every anniversary, Carey and Jason can open up one of their very special wedding wines and read the warm wishes their friends and family wrote to them on their wedding day.

Love when cherry blossoms are in bloom!

French blue napkins custom dyed to match the estate shutters.

Long tables complimented the long rows of vines (though still barren)

BORROW THIS IDEA: Save yourselves a seat! It doesn't have to necessarily be an elaborate chair sign but just something to make sure you save the best seat in the house for the bride and groom.

HELPFUL TIP: When selecting your seat, please keep a few things in mind: 1) Make sure you have the best view of the room 2) Try to keep your backs to as few of your guests as possible 3) Try to be central so that none of your guests feel too isolated 4) Look behind you and make sure your backdrop is a pretty one - think of your photos!

candles, candles, candles

....and they lived happily ever after.

Bowery Hotel - preferred vendor list!

I'm excited to announce that Daughter of Design has been added to the Bowery Hotel recommended vendor list! I look forward to planning many amazing events there in the future. It is truly one of my favorite event spaces in New York City and I'm honored that they included me in their list.

The New Newlywed Gameshow - looking for contestants

Hello my newlywed and almost newlywed couples,

I was contacted today by Embassy Row Productions about casting newlywed couples of all ages in the North East for the revived The Newlywed Game on the Game Show Network. Anyone about to get married or who has just gotten married within the last 2 years is eligible. The show tapes in Manhattan and contestants will compete for cash prizes! If you never watched the original show, basically you compete against other newlywed couples to see which couple knows his/her spouse better. Fun!

If you are interested in being a contestant on the show, go to http://www.embassyrow.com/ and click on casting and apply online. If chosen you will be called in for an audition.

Embassy Row Productions also produces shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Ellen's Really Big Show and Power of 10.

Good luck!

Chetna and Matt - Gotham Hall, NYC

You are invited to view the pictures from Chetna and Matt's NYC wedding at Gotham Hall!

Beautiful red draping and amber lighting helped create a dramatic reception

Guest book with a NICE pen
(My biggest pet peeve is BIC, Papermate, Sharpies or other office pens for the guest book, ketubah...Please get something that looks nice, doesn't have to be pricey. Think of your photos!)

the Indian wedding ceremony

BORROW THIS IDEA: For the two escort card tables in the entry way, I brought in pounds and pounds of lentils, beans, basmati rice and other grains and poured it directly onto the table in neat colorful rows. We then stuck the escort cards directly into the grains and they were great for holding the cards in place. Guests loved the tables and especially the Indian guests were very amused to see everyday food items turned into couture decor. (I'm still looking for the bandit who messed up my beautiful rows I worked so hard to protect all night)

tablecloths were custom made from sari dress fabric in India
large james story orchid and curly willow branches centerpiece with hanging votives
gold charger plates with gold napkin tassels

long rectangular tables with ornate gold candelabras
square gold vases with red peonies and roses + eggplant calla lilies (recognize it from the guest book table? Reuse, recycle, reduce...your budget)
hurricane and votive candles wrapped in decorative Indian trim

Dinner tables accented with Indian artifacts

Quick Fixes - Windblocker

No matter how well a wedding is organized and thought out, you can pretty much count on at least one thing going not as planned. Some are minor issues and go unnoticed but others require immediate attention and some creativity! Beyond the broken bustle that can be fixed with a safety pin or a spot on the dress that a nice little Shout Wipes can remove, sometimes we're faced with much more urgent and upsetting issue. But there is a solution to every problem; it just requires some quick thinking and resourcefulness on the part of your wedding planner.

This new series of entries will recap some of those Quick Fixes I've encountered.

The problem
A beautiful wedding at a Hampton's vineyard this past May was only disturbed by the nearly gale force winds gusting past the still empty grapevines and heading straight for the terrace where guests were about to be seated for dinner. Though we had a few heaters pumping in warm air and flaps to enclose the space, the tarp's panels were about a foot short of reaching the ground and the gap allowed for plenty of wind to rush in and chill the room.

The fix
Fill the gap and block the wind. But with what? There were no flower planters or any large objects really that could be moved to obstruct the wind's path and almost everything in the venue had to be brought in from a rental company so there weren't that many spare props to cover the entire perimeter of the terrace. The event manager threw his hands up but I kept thinking and looking around the venue for something, anything! Then it hit me, we're at a vineyard, they must have cases of wine. I had them bring up as many cases as they could and line them up around the outside of the tarp. When we ran out of cases I removed the linens from a service table in the kitchen and used some clear masking tape from my emergency kit to keep the fabric up. The room warmed up immediately and guests were invited to sit for dinner on schedule! Some guests still mentioned that it was a bit chilly for them and I could only think to myself, "Oh man if you think this is chilly, you have no idea what it was like in here about 10 minutes ago!"

Check out the white boxes around the terrace below. I was so happy the cases weren't an eye sore and didn't ruin the pictures either!

Gift Idea - USB drives and Karaoke

This post is the first of a series called "Gift Idea." This will be a personalized flask and monogrammed tote free zone.

Clients are always asking me for unique gift ideas for either their attendants, parents or even for each other so I thought I would start posting some cool and interesting gifts I've come across. You know your friends and family the best so ultimately you'll have to decide what they'd like as a gift but I'll do my best to post a wide spectrum of gifts from the humorous to sentimental, thrifty to extravagant so that there's a wide variety of options for you to choose from!

USB flash drives ($ - $$$$)
USB flash drive sound too technical and impersonal...and geeky? Well think again. $100 bucks, no make it $1000, says everyone in your wedding party has at least two computers between home and work and who can't use more memory! Though at first it may not seem like a sentimental gift it can be if you preload a few files onto the drive like a personal thank you note, that song that brings back memories of your Europe trip together the summer before college, pictures of when you two were kids at camp...scrap the scrapbook and put together a more modern keepsake.

And now for those who want to take it up 10 notches...Yes, cufflinks for the gents and necklaces for the girls, this has been done a plenty. But what if these accessories could hold 4GB of memory? German designer, Tonia Welter has come up with a line of jewelry that does just that and in a very stylish and shiny way. Make your wedding party feel like they're characters straight out of a secret-spy Bond movie with these dual purpose, futuristic fashion pieces.
Learn more at: http://www.toniawelter.de and http://www.dijitalfix.com






Karaoke from your iPod ($$)
We've all sung along to songs on our iPods but wait, now we can actually sing with the correct lyrics thanks to our friends at doPi Karaoke System. You simply download the video or audio format songs from itunes or www.dopikaraoke.com into your iPod, hook the iPod up to the doPi karaoke system, hook the doPi system to your TV or stereo and you've just converted your living room into a karaoke bar! It comes with two mics and everything. Your friends will thank you...their neighbors may hate you.
Learn more at: www.dopikaraoke.com

They're more than just your wedding guests, they're tourists.

Today's tip comes from one of my savvy bride, Amy B.

I had once told Amy about the time I thought it would be genius to put subway maps in a client's out of towner bags since they're free and all. BUT I wasn't aware they will only give you one or two maps at a time so let's just say collecting 60 maps took many trips to the subway station; One time they handed me five maps at once and I felt overly grateful.

For 70% of New York City weddings, I'd say you have a chunk if not at least a handful of guests coming in from out of town and though you'd love to hold each one's hand and walk them around the city, that week of the wedding can be busy. So why not tuck one of these Official NYC maps into each goodie bag and send them on their merry way. It lists major attractions, places to visit, subway stops, etc.

Guides can be ordered in bulks of 25 for as little as $4. I know, right?! These guides are seasonal so check to see when would be the best time to get yours ordered.

Check it out: http://nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=11

Everyone say, thank you, Amy B.

Btw, Amy B. is marrying Sam S. and well...all monograms don't work for invitations but hidden underneath your duvet cover, yes.

Etymology of "Daughter of Design"

Every time I see the fabulous Mr. Ron Ben-Israel he likes to say, "Hello, Daughter of Design, I am the Son of Cakes." (what's really interesting is that his last name actually means "Son of Israel" - sorry tangent).

I do get asked quite frequently how I came up with the name of my company and if there's a meaning behind it...and there is! I'm actually the daughter of a designer. My mother is one of the leading interior designers in LA so as far back as I can remember I've been surrounded by fabric, tassels, throw pillows, wallpaper, etc. Some little girls picked up Barbie's wedding dress from the nearest Toys R' Us while I used scraps of fabric and lace trim pilfered from my mom's warehouse to create Barbie's dream dress. I might have made little girl-sized wedding outfits too...and then forced my neighbors to play "wedding" with me daily (Roy and Eric, if you stumble upon this entry, thanks for being such great sports).

Actually I come from a whole family of designers, big sis' Kahi Lee is the ultra-talented interior designer on HGTV's Design on a Dime. Check out her site: www.kahilee.com.

So that's how I came up with the name and though I less fancy myself a designer and more of a planner, it's all relative. It is in my blood and my clients definitely benefit from my design heritage!

Why buy when you can rent?

I have this one girlfriend whose family has ridiculous heirloom jewelry and I can only wonder, "Hmm...think she'll let me borrow that sometime ?"(how about it R.K.??)

For those of us who aren't quite as fortunate enough to have a vault full of jewels to dip into or a personal jeweler to lend us a little something sparkly for a special occassion, there's a new solution: AdornBrides.com.

Adorn Brides allows brides, and for that matter mothers, bridesmaids...., to rent exquisite earrings, necklaces, and bracelets worth THOUSANDS for a small fraction of the cost. Often referred to as the Netflix of jewelry, in theory it's similar to Bag Borrow or Steal where you go online, pick the pieces you'd like and then go camp out by your mailbox and anxiously await for it to arrive.

Enter this discount code and get 10% off you order: daughterofdesign
(Allow 14 days for processing and shipping)

You'll feel special on your wedding day regardless but sprinkle a $70,000 diamond necklace around your neck and I have a feeling you might feel a smidgen special-er.

"I Do" - Coming to a Theater Near You

Don't be afraid to ditch the traditional wedding venues. If you're open to using a more unorthodox wedding location, you'd be amazed at the possibilities.

Nicole and Craig chose Tribeca Cinemas in New York City for their premiere as husband and wife. The two played themselves in the romantic comedy, "I Do!"

As guests entered they walked the red carpet, had their photos taken by paparazzi, and were handed some freshly popped popcorn and soda before they made their way into the theater. Theater cupholders were filled with flower arrangements in custom soda cups, straw and all.

While guests waited for the movie to start, trivia questions about the couple flashed on the screen until the lights went dim for the start of the film.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn your cellphones and pagers off:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuELartkw9k

BORROW THIS IDEA: After the movie ended Craig and Nicole walked down the aisle, theater aisle that is, and were wed under a starry night projected onto the screen. As the two walked out, guests showered them with ticket stubs. It was just like in the movies.


The End

Daughter of Design is voted # 1 in NYC

To be honest, I don't know what www.bizvotes.com is but all I know is that according to them Daughter of Design is voted # 1 in NYC currently and that makes them okay in my book. Forget that only a total of like 10 people have voted so far, it's only important that most of those 10 voted for little ol' me! And I swear I wasn't the one who casted all the votes (okay well maybe one but that was just to see how to vote - purely research). Click here to see for yourself:

http://www.bizvotes.com/ny/new-york/wedding-planners.html

Daughter of Design Blog!

I'm thrilled to be launching Daughter of Design's Blog today after threatening to do it for some time now. I'm looking forward to posting great stories, pictures and ideas so come visit me often!

Best,

Annie Lee
Principal Planner
Daughter of Design