Saturday, February 7, 2009

June Wedding at The Park Restaurant, New York

Check out this enchanting midsummer night dream wedding we recently did with our dear friends at Hatch Creative Studio! Yet another outstanding job with decor!

The Park Restaurant was a perfect venue with great backdrops for photos


how cute is this flower girl?

Wicker fans were placed on each seat to keep guests cool in the non-air conditioned garden on that warm June evening

Guests were also passed lemonade and ice tea with these super cute I do! stirrers

The guest book table was breathtaking, very natural/organic, classic and contemporary all at once

BORROW THIS IDEA: Kiss for the camera! While looking through family photos, the Bride and Groom discovered identical pictures of their parents kissing on their wedding days. We framed these photos and as couples arrived to the ceremony they were asked to "kiss for the camera" just as their parents had on their wedding day!


beautiful. elegant. simple. bouquet of Casablanca lilies ad a locket with a picture of the Bride''s grandparents on her parents' wedding day

HELPFUL TIP: To keep the event private from all the passerbyers who could peer into the street-level windows, we hung up very inexpensive muslin fabric which was literally like a $1 per yard and which went very well with the earthy tone of their decor.

BORROW THIS IDEA: To create that grand entrance into the ceremony without having our staff get caught in the pictures (I'm super photo conscious) we pinned a long ribbon to the entrace fabric and simply synchronized drawing back the fabric to create the perfect entrance for the bride and her father. It's all in the theatrics!

The groom's grandfather's prayer shawl was tied to the canopying tree branches to create a natural and meaningful chuppah


Guests walked through the beautiful atrium to pick up their escort cards and return to the garden which had been flipped from ceremony space to dinner...

and what a conversion it was!


We used a variation of round and long rectangular tables to best utilize the space and add a little variety to the look of the room. Long taper candles, spanish moss, lisianthus, casablanca lilies were ingredients we used to create this very warm and romantic ambiance.

HELPFUL TIP: We rented specialty napkins very loosely tied with long olive ribbon to create a little more texture and dimension to the table and it is a very cost effective way to add decor to the table.

BORROW THIS IDEA: As part of their wedding ceremony, the couple shared wine dipped with rosemary since the herb rosemary is the symbol of remembrance and fidelity and has been used for centuries in weddings. Guests found at each place setting a small jar of rosemary salt to tie in with the rosemary symbolism from their ceremony. During the middle ages all elegant weddings used rosemary as a favor for the wedding guests. Sprigs were dipped in gold, tied with a ribbon and presented to guests. It symbolized that although the bride and groom were leaving their friends and family to start a new life, they would never forget their loved ones.



Butterfly Clips - a variety of butterfly clips that the Bride had collected were nestled in the centerpieces moss as an accent and represented the butterfly garden the couple had visited on a special trip to Amsterdam


BORROW THIS IDEA: This seat is reserved. Guests were not assigned specific seats at their tables but only chairs for the couple and their parents were reserved with signs on the back of their chairs. For the groom's parents the signs read "Ima" and "Aba" which are Hebrew for mother and father.


Cake - by Ron Ben Israel was a 3-tiered chocolate w/hazlenut crunch filling cake. The "silver and bling" design mirrored the swag of jewels on their invitations. The cake topper was a large sugar casablanca lily similar to the one on their invitation and as the bride's bouquet

The bride had a surprise gift for her new husband, the Vespa he had been wanting to get. Guests showered them in streamers as they exited and the couple wore helmets labeled "Mr. F" and "Mrs. F" before riding off to the Gansevoort hotel in the Meatpacking district with cans trailing behind them.

Okay must tell one story about their celebrity wedding crasher before I end this entry. During the Horah, I spotted a man wearing jeans cheerfully clapping his hands near the dance floor and thought who is this wedding crasher! As I walked toward this mystery crasher I realized it was John Corbett. Sorry John, wrong wedding. This was not a big fat Greek wedding! He had been walking by The Park and was drawn in by the decor and came in to check it out but ran off when he was spotted! To this day I am still jealous of my assistant, Meaghan who he said "Hey kid, what's up" to. John, you didn't have to run off we would have loved to have you stay and join the festivities!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Rene Caovilla Shoe Sale

Recently I was on a search for the perfect bridal shoe for a client and stumbled upon a huge sale of Rene Caovilla Shoes! Check out www.renecaovilla.us to see some fabulous sandals and pumps for your wedding. Almost everything in the store is 50% off and best part is shipping is free and if you don't live in the same state as the pair you need then there's no tax either. I saw the same shoes at Neiman and Saks for their full price!

Being the dedicated planner I am who wouldn't want to recommend a product I haven't tried first hand I very unselfishly purchased a pair for myself and they have my full approval. Six hours on my feet yesterday at an engagement party and my feet were fine the entire night. Fashionable and comfortable, could it be?

To inquire about a particular shoe feel free to contact the lovely store managers below. Mention you were referred by Daughter of Design!

Eliza Tizabgar
150 Worth Avenue, Sutie 115B
Palm Beach, FL 33480
516 459 1712
eliza@renecaovilla-usa.com

Iya Ritchie
242 N. Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310 385 0879
iya@renecaovilla-usa.com






(I got this one in black :)

Check out one of my other brides who also wore Rene Caovilla!




Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Swank Sample Sale

Swank Productions is having a sample sale on a whole bunch of decor items. For those of you looking to pick up a few budget friendly decor items here's your chance!

What: Swank Productions
Why: The event and design production firm has nowhere to store their old party stuff — so they're selling it. Find crystal chandeliers, pillows, candles, and tons more on the cheap.
When: Feb. 6. Fri., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Where: Union Square Ballroom, 27 Union Square W., b/t 15th & 16th Sts. (212-645-1802). Cash only.

And yes, this is totally clipped out from today's Daily Candy.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Jessalyn and Michael - Paradise Cove, Malibu


Welcome to the wedding of Jessalyn and Michael who were married on 8/8/08 at the beautiful Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and there was unbelievably no traffic on Pacific Coast Highway on a Friday at rush hour! This couple truly has good fortune!

The ceremony was held up on a bluff overlooking the beach and pier.

HELPFUL TIP: Don't even think about a unity candle at a beach wedding! That flame will not stay lit. Try something more beach appropriate like a sand ceremony where your mothers/representatives of your family first pour the sand in the big urn and then the bride and groom follow to symbolize all the family coming together as one. You can do this with colored sand if you wished but we kept it natural for Jessalyn and Michael. You can keep this urn on your mantle at home afterwards too!

BORROW THIS IDEA: You're starting to see a trend I'm sure with the rice & grains from Chetna's wedding and now the sand. But yes, sand, sand everywhere! It's a great and easy way to add a twist to your escort card table. Pour sand onto the tables, either all over the table or in neat rows and stick the cards right into the sand.

HELPFUL TIP: Two great things about this, it helps to keep the escort cards from flying away when you're outside and also sand is free! Heavy to carry up from the beach but free :)

BORROW THIS IDEA: This lovely escort table arrangement cost no more than $25 and took about 10 minutes to put together! Ingredients: 1) small cake stand with lid 2) sand 3) moss 4) seashells 5) Hydrangea cluster 6) ribbon. Es todo!

Colbie Caillat, singer-songwriter of hits like "Bubbly" and "Realize" and dear friend of the bride sang the couple's favorite song "Magic." Colbie was accompanied by musician Jason Reeves.

I loved this cake. It was so 1986-chic!

Strings of globe light bulbs really added a charming touch to this outdoor reception.

The bridesmaids dresses were custom made in a teal satin. I also was in love with that guest's grey and black dress. And yes, she did catch it.

Oh, what a beautiful night to have an outdoor beach wedding!

Photos courtesy of Joanna Wilson Photography