Scrapbooking...

So I've started my very first scrapbook. I can see why everyone likes it. It's addicting! (But expensive!)

Since I'm a scrapbooking virgin, does anyone have any tips or ideas for me? I have all these supplies, but I'm freaking out that it won't come out how I want it to!!!

It's been too long!

Well, it's been a long time! Wedding season consumed my life, but it was a great one! We had some beautiful weddings! Here are some photo highlights of the year:

I am also very happy to announce that I have officially began my CWP classes. Finally took the leap of faith and started in. Hopefully by the end of the month I will be an official Certified Wedding Planner!

Two of my friends got engaged at the first of the year, so congratulations to my first two 2010 brides: Lindsey and Laura! Tommy and Nick are very lucky men!

I will try to update more often now, and if you have anything you would like advice on or would like me to talk about, feel free to leave a comment!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.