Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Wedding Season at the Four Seasons...

"What do you like better, Christmas or Wedding Season?"
"The answer would be, um, Wedding Season?"
"YES!" (from the movie Wedding Crashers)

Ahhhh the social season has begun. The smell of love, buttercream, and expensive floral arrangements is in the air. Especially at the Four Seasons hotel here in St. Louis. We've been having huge galas for several weeks now and last weekend we had our first of 28 weddings! I thought I'd share some pictures from the events we've been having lately!
Contemporary Art Museum Gala
Contemporary Art Museum
Lumiere Place "Fear No Ice" event
Fear No Ice sculpture
Loeber-Diemer Wedding groom's cake
Loeber-Diemer Wedding
Loeber-Diemer Wedding
Loeber-Diemer Wedding Cake
Ice Bar for Loeber-Diemer Wedding
We have two weddings this weekend, and I'll try to take pictures but we have a tight turn on Sunday so I probably won't be able to get pictures of that one!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

New Ideas?

So I am curious as to how many people this blog gets out to. If you have any questions, comments, want any opinions/advice, have a blog idea, or whatever... please don't be shy and leave me a comment! I'm kind of looking for some new topic ideas!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Dresses that Impress us!

I watch every bridal show known to man (or at least broadcast in the US), and sometimes things really amaze me. One show I've been caught watching is "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. I, myself, have worked in a bridal salon and know the ins-and-outs of dress selection and tuxedos. I just can't imagine walking into a dress shop and dropping $12,000 on a dress I'm doing to wear once. The truth of it is, you're probably going to be the only person who knows that's a Vera Wang or Monique Lhullier gown. As long as you look and feel fabulous, that's all that matters. And, if you can afford to drop that kind of dough on a dress, more power to you! But here are some fabulous and gorgeous dresses that only LOOK like you've spent a fortune! And since some designers have dresses that look like other designers' dresses, only YOU have to know how much you spent, and who it's by. Why, yes, Vera DID do this especially for me! (Shhh... we'll never tell!)

Designer: Paloma Blanca.
Style: Clean, classic, lacey (glamed down, little sparkle)
Similar to: Melissa Sweet, Monique Lhullier
Average price: $1300

Which dress is Paloma?


(Paloma is on the top! The other is Monique Lhullier)


Some of my other favorite designers? Mori Lee is my all-time favorite (I'm a sparkle girl) and Maggie Sottero is also gorgeous! They both range around$700, depending on the store. It pays to shop around!



Mori Lee dress style 2101. It has the best of both worlds- lace AND lots of sparkle!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Have your cake...




So, I got a few cake decorating books for Christmas thanks to Adam's parents. I'm trying to get into cake decorating, and so far it's lots of fun!


For my Super Bowl party yesterday, I decided to make a cookie cake instead of a regular cake because it's easier to shape. I think it turned out quite well for my first try ever!


Sunday, January 25, 2009

Color Me Pretty

Well, we are all settled in our new abode. We love it so much here! I'm looking out my patio door at the field full of hundreds of geese outside (seriously, I had to take a picture yesterday, it's the craziest thing ever), and the beautiful white snow on the ground. Looking at all the white gave me inspiration for this post.

Why is it that brides are so afraid of color?

When I worked for a bridal salon, brides would pick these bold, BEAUTIFUL colors! They would gush about the dresses and flowers and how pretty they are going to be... and that's it. The cake- white. The linens- white. White on white on ZZZzzzzz. Sorry, I dozed off thinking about all the white. But seriously, it's like a sterile, white hospital.

I'll admit, I'm a little bit nontraditional with what I want for my wedding. The only thing white at my wedding will be my dress, and even that will be ivory. But I'm not afraid to integrate color into an event. Maybe it's because I think about how it transforms the entire look of the room and really ties the event together. Some brides get so scared when it comes to putting color on something other than their bridesmaids. I think it's because they are afraid it will ruin the elegance of the evening.

One of the first weddings I worked at the Four Seasons was a gorgeous color scheme of tangerine and a hot pink. I was so excited to see the cake! They had wonderful bright flowers and our fiber optic chandeliers were lit up pink. And when pastry brought down the wedding cake, I felt like someone had just told me my dog died. Don't get me wrong, they do a beautiful job and the piping on it was exquisite. But it was white. White white white. And so was the next wedding's cake, and the next one, and the next one. Come on ladies, am I getting through to anyone yet????! And linens come in every color under the sun now. So, there's really no excuse at all. You, as a bride, actually stand out more in the room when everything else is in color and you are in a white dress.

So, what are some great, bold color combinations?

Tangerine, fuchsia, and lime
Teal and bronze
teal and lime
navy and lime
Merlot and turquoise

And my favorite (because it's mine!) raspberry, tangerine and grape.

And the worst color combo I have ever seen? Gray and baby pink. Yeah, like a stuffed elephant. Blah.

So color your wedding, and don't be afraid to color outside the lines!

OH... and the geese. Crazy. I couldn't even get them all in the picture there were so many.



Thursday, January 8, 2009

Movin' on up!

So, Adam and I are moving to Illinois in 6 days and I could NOT be more excited! (Ask anyone, it's pretty much all I can talk about!) I'm absolutely in love with the area, and I drive there everyday. They have tons of shopping and restaurants, which is much different than downtown STL. It's so much safer and more of a community like I'm used to. And I'm sure no one will scrape our '09 tags off our liscense plates there. Yeah, that happened to both Adam and myself. But, I've been doing some shopping to give our new abode a new attitude. And I can't wait to unload all of my goodies in my new place!

During Christmas I got these amazing mosaic red chargers from Dillards for $15... marked down from $50! They are gorgeous and they are perfect for year-round elegant entertaining, not just for Christmas! So, these chargers are my new dining room inspiration. I'm trying to go with an asian infused dining room. I'll have to take pictures next week once we get everything in.

But JCPenny's had an incredible sale this week- I got 4 of these plates for under $20! SO cute, and perfect for mexican night, caribbean night, or those summer BBQ's!






I also got these great votive holders for $2 each... I couldn't find a picture because it was from the "Holidays" but I bought 2 red and 2 gold to go with my asian theme. They have a little swirl hook with a coordinating dangling crystal off the edge. Pics to come!



But these are my new dishes I got from Bed Bath and Beyond... not on sale sadly, but they are perfectly asian inspired!





Pier1 was also having an amazing sale last week, and I got a bamboo table runner for $4, and these black plastic branches with clear crystal leafs on them. EEEK I can't wait!

So in the spirit of moving, I have to get back to packing up and cleaning. I'll be back next week with lots of pictures of our new place!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Going Green!

If you are "Eco-Maniac", there's a way to incorporate your lifestyle into your wedding. In fact, it's the latest (and a very fast) *growing* trend in the wedding world. Here are some ideas you can use to infuse your wedding with good vibes!

1. This is my very favorite idea! There is actually paper that you can PLANT! Send your invitations on this paper, and it actually has wildflower seeds embedded in the paper that your guests can plant after the wedding! The paper is bio-degradable so it dissolves and the seeds grow into beautiful flowers! To save even more paper, ask your guests to RSVP by phone or email. (Saves you some postage on those return envelopes as well!) My absolute favorite site is http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com - their invitations are contemporary and beautiful!

2. Make a donation in honor of your guests to your favorite eco-friendly charity- WWF.org is a personal favorite.

3. Instead of trash bins, set up recycling bins for your bottles and cans at the reception.

4. Use locally grown flowers instead of having them shipped from all over the World. Many foreign countries use pesticides when growing flowers, and some are illegal in the US. If you must import your florals, make sure they are organic and not sprayed with pesticides.

5. Make sure your rings have conflict-free diamonds! Ask your jeweler if you're not sure.

6. Donate your leftover food to a shelter, and your flowers to a nursing home! I can't tell you how many brides just leave their flowers at the reception to die (or for the staff to take home! I have soooo many vases. It's kind of scary.) You spend thousands of dollars on these flowers for one day, and just leave them behind. Take them to a nursing home or hospital so that it brings someone else joy! Personally, I think real flowers are a waste of money. Most of them look like funeral flowers, and they cost more than a car sometimes! Plus, many guests probably have allergies like I do and if there are too many flowers they are struggling to breathe all night. (Stargazer lillies are the death of me!) If you use silk flowers, you can reuse them to decorate your new love nest, and it's a great way to remember your special day-everyday!

Hopefully you find some of these ideas inspiring. It's a great way to make a statement, you're helping to make the earth a better place!