Phew!!!

WELL…we’ve had a whirlwhind of events in the last month! It’s nearly impossible for me to keep up with them all on the blog, so please, fabulous blog readers, don’t give up hope and keep on reading! I will keep-a-posting! I just wanted to take a second and thank my absolutely fabulous team of Lavish divas for all of their hard work! It’s already been the most jam-packed season ever and we’ve definitely had our work cut out for us!

Congratulations to the newest Lavish couples…

Erica & Steve…7/4/2009 New York City, New York
LouKim & Brian….7/4/2009 Honolulu, HI
Kayla & Richard…7/4/2009 Chicago, IL
Nadia & Charles….7/11/2009 Manhattan, New York
Amanda & Jeffrey…7/11/2009 Honolulu, HI

Congratulations Jessie & Nathan!

I know it's been hard for me to keep up with blogs for all these amazing weddings, but THIS one was definitely noteworthy! One of my all-time favorite clients, Jessie and Nate were married Saturday in Lakewood NY after 7 months of working with Lavish. The ceremony was at Sacred Heart, and the reception was at Jessie's mother's beautiful home in Lakewood. (ALSO a warning, these photos were taken by the Lavish team, they aren't the professional images. Those will be soon to come!)

BEFORE the wedding:

I have been working with Jessie and Nate since early December making sure that all their "ducks" were in a row (you'll get that later on...). All the planning led up to the weekend of the event. I had a fabulous team of 6 planners assist me on a large scale, outdoor, tented set-up for 2 full days!

The Reception:

Looked fabulous...if I do say so myself! Two large pole tents were filled with beautiful chocolate brown, tiffany blue, and apple green linens, as well as tissue paper pom poms and paper lanterns lining the reception tables. There was a nice little lounge area for guests to kick up their feet near the bar (where it was most needed!), also a large dance floor fit to party on surrounded with hi-boy tables.

The Entertainment:

A 16 piece swing band kicked off cocktail hour in time for Julie and Mark Solinger to take over with their DJ skills!

The Goodies:

Per the groom's request, we had a fabulous cigar bar/smoking patio for the guests to sample cigars and Grand Marnier. And WOW does this couple love their food! During cocktail hour, guests helped themselves to a smorgasbord of upscale barbecue hors d'oeuvres, then strawberry salads were served, followed by an unbelievable menu of prime rib, chicken with fruit salsa, fresh haddock, green beans and summer squash, and tons of other delicious fixin's! All of that was followed up with a huge candy and cookie buffet, and an absolutely beautiful and delicious cake by Joyce and Peggy of Fredonia. THE BAR was the most booming part of the wedding! The caterer (Andriaccio's--fabulous by the way!) said she'd never gone through so much booze at one event! These people knew how to party! You'd think that would have been enough to satisfy their appetites but later in the evening mini fruit tarts and chocolate desserts were served!

The Duckies:

There was a very subtle and suprise theme at this wedding of rubber duckies. You see, the groom...leaving out some details...proposed with a ring around a rubber duckie's neck!!! So in honor of that, Lavish created a signature drink of a "Duckie-Tini" which consisted of vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine. There were also two little bride and groom duckies on either side of the cake!

The most important part....

The couple! Jessie and Nathan were absolutely amazing through the whole process. They were easy going and trusted us to do our job! They remained completely calm and stress free, and had a fabulous time at their wedding. They made me feel a part of their family, even invited my assistant Jamie and I to their rehearsal dinner to relax a bit before the wedding festivities. Barbara (M.O.B) was an extremely gracious host allowing for this large scale event to take place in her BACK YARD, all while giving away her little girl! Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Vahling!!!!

...also a huge thank you to my Lavish assistants Jamie, Stephanie, Steff, Amanda, and Kelly for their help! I definitely needed all the hands I could get for this one!

Ribbons, Ribbons everywhere!

I am definitely up to my eyeballs in ribbons this morning as I attempt to wrap up the prep work for a long-time coming wedding next weekend. One of my favorite clients, Jessie, who booked me way back in December, will be getting married to Nathan in a sea of chocolate brown, chartreuse green, and tiffany blue on Saturday! This week I'll be finishing up her programs, pom-poms, and seating chart, and making hundreds of phone calls to make sure the vendors are all on the same page!

Yesterday one of my other favorites, Mia was married on a beautiful yacht! Guests were served a yummy surf and turf menu, and a ton of fabulous mini-deserts! Congratulations to Mia and her new hubby! They will be honeymooning in Napal!

Although this wedding season is still just taking off, I'm already so sad that some of this year's weddings are past! I swear, I've got the best batch of brides and grooms this season, they're hard to say goodbye too. Just remember, guys, that I also plan baby showers and anniversary parties!

Baby showers and birthdays and weddings, oh my!

Well it's been an INSANELY BUSY few weeks for the Lavish teams all over the US! Last weekend Lavish Honolulu had 2 weddings and a baby shower, Lavish Chicago had 1 wedding and a bachelorette party, and Lavish NYC had a birthday bash and a wedding! This weekend is another quadruple packed week for our nationwide entourage! I'll try to keep up with the blog as much as possible, but promise you I'll be able to post blips from each event once I catch up! I myself took the week off to take a much-needed 4 day vacation to Vegas, for all play, no work! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to stay sane in this insane season!

Lavish NYC: Our Lavish NYC guru Trendi put on the ultimate in intimate wedding receptions for Tyler and Angela. I must say this couple has been so much fun to work with! I truly wish I was able to make it to their wedding. But Trendi handled everything beautifully. Check out the image below of the fab table decor she arranged. It consisted of ornate English tea cups graced with HOMEMADE cupcakes. These cupcakes look to-die-for! They were also hand decorated by the groom's mother. Talk about talent! Trendi did the floral design which was so romantic! This afternoon tea reception was just so lovely! Congratulations to Angela and Tyler!!!

Lavish Honolulu: Check out these fab cupcakes that I keep hearing about. They were showcased at a 250-guest baby shower in Honolulu. These little treats are from a place called the Hokulani Bakeshop. Yumm..

Congratulations to Rumbi who will be having a beautiful baby boy AND girl next month!!! Please keep us posted and send us pictures!

...on to Lavish Chicago: Stacey knew she wanted to do it BIG and upscale for her pre-nuptial bash! So she rented out an entire NIGHTCLUB for her best girls only! From what I hear the Lavish Chicago gals enjoyed themselves thoroughly....and had their hands full! Check out the sexy drinks Lavish created using HER energy drinks (a pink-lemonade flavored no carb, no sugar beverage), champagne, and a little bit of vodka and garnished with a fresh strawberry.

So that's all for my Lavish updates for now! As I get more images from these events I will post them! Congratulations to all of our couples and celebrating clients! Stay tuned from more...

Ava & Tuan...a beautiful Asian inspired wedding!

Although I couldn't be there, our top Chicago planner Stephanie had the honor of putting on a fabulous Asian-inspired wedding for Ava and Tuan! These two "take the cake" for being the sweetest couple! We don't have all of the images yet, but here's one of the happy couple and of the CAKE! That cake was amazing...and from what I hear it tasted spectacular!

Stephanie has been working with this couple for the past 6 months picking out color schemes, fabric, favors, the whole nine yards. Lavish created a lounge area fit for royalty for guests to relax with a private covered area for the bride and groom only! Tray passed Chinese dumplings, mini egg rolls, pot stickers, and hot saki helped to set the mood for the 4 course dinner that, when described to me, made me drool!

Congratulations to Ava and Tuan! We will post many more images in the near future!!!

18th Birthday Party, Vegas Style!

Last night Lisa and I headed down to the Holiday Inn on McKnight Road in Pittsburgh to help set up and oversee an 18th Birthday Party. The theme for the evening was VEGAS. Guests showed up in flashy dresses and feather boas to celebrate Courtney Davis' 18th birthday. The night was a hit with the photobooth and casino games including roulette, craps, blackjack, and poker...not to mention the non-alcoholic daquiris, pina coladas and the chicken nugget buffet! So fun! The cake was fabulous, and was made by Matt & Christy of Gracie Cakes.



It was a fun night! Happy Birthday, Courtney!!!

Lavish Events Launch Party- Vendor Update

As the Lavish Events Launch Party and Bridal Gala rapidly approaches, our vendor participation list is ever-expanding! We do still have a couple of spots left for industry vendors to display their information, and we have plenty of room for anyone who wants to attend at no charge (just please RSVP) !

Check out the list of participating vendors thus far:

Lavish Events *Donating a Prize: $100 off planning services for each guest that attends and a grand prize of $500 off planning services!

Craig Photography
Wenning Entertainment

Annie O'Neill Weddings

Studio Bash

Olive or Twist

Alex's Flowers

Toast Letterpress

Serendipity Salon and Spa

Natalie's Invitations

Eye Magnet Jewelry *Donating a Prize: Up to 4 bridal party jewelry sets and 1 bridal jewelry set

Goodeelicious.
JoAnne Bartone Photography *Donating a Prize: Engagement Experience to a couple getting married in 2010 or beyond that includes an 11x14 Fine Art Print and a $500 Print Credit to a couple that reserves my services for 2010 or beyond
Harper's Bazaar

Be sure to get your RSVP in ASAP! It's sure to be a fun event! RSVP by April 15th to Lavish@LavishEventsOnline.com