Inspiration: New Year's Eve

The time is nearly here (yikes!) to celebrate New Year's Eve - whether your night is spent at home with your fiance or husband, out at a fabulous soiree with dozens of friends, or celebrating with family, the night should be a truly elegant and fun one.

In thinking about table scapes for this year, I was inspired by a photo I took on a recent trip to Paris this fall - it's near the Louvre and captures the romance, elegance, and Belle Epoque style of the city, much like what I always envision New Year's Eve to be. I am also a huge fan of Veuve Cliquot champagne and their simple, yet dazzling color scheme of black, white, and tangerine. All of these ideas are simple, inexpensive, and will bring a sparkle to your holiday table or outfit.

Here are a few photos I've gathered for inspiration for a decked out bash.
Mercury glass ornaments from Smith & Hawken stacked in glass hurricanes reflect candlelight, like those from the black and white striped sticks from Watson Kennedy Seattle. Also from WK, the Roman numeral low-ball glasses and chic pewter salt containers will surely impress your guests.


An intimate, breathtaking 2006 winter wedding we coordinated in true black-tie style, complete with gorgeous, sparkling birch tree branches

For ultra-easy entertaining, contact your local caterer for a New Year's Eve pick-up of an assortment of snacks and desserts. Most caterers will provide delicious hors d' oeuvres without the price tag of providing catering staff, and you get to take the credit and enjoy your party!

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

We wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2008 - it's been a busy and fun year. A special thank you to all of our fantastic clients, and our fellow wedding "artists." It's been a great year working with you all!
As we ramp up for another busy year we wanted to post a few of our most memorable weddings from the past year.
Happy Holidays to you all!
*Photos by Beccy Hartman, Frank Ross, Kate McElwee, and La Luz Photography
Erica and Rodney's downtown wedding was so unique and colorful - their sparkler exit was fantastic!
Stephenie and Ryan were such a joy to work with; they are such a sweet couple and Nick and I had so much fun creating such a special day with them.
Chris and Mai Lee are an amazing couple. Mai Lee is currently serving her third deployment to Iraq and we planned most of the wedding while she was on her second tour. She and Chris are incredibly sweet and hilarious - our meetings were filled with non-stop laughter.
Stephanie and Tom currently live in Hong Kong, and did while we planned the wedding. Stephanie and I spent most of our time planning email back and forth and developed a fun and strong relationship. We still keep in touch and love to hear what they're up to in China!
Stephanie and Coby (we had a lot of Stephanies this year!) had a stunning wedding at a private home on the water. Frank Ross (who captured our wedding 5 years ago) did a breathtaking job capturing each well-thought out detail and we couldn't be happier. The photos speak for themselves!

Stephenie and Ryan were married on a clear and crisp fall day at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland. We couldn't ask for a nicer couple to work with - the four of us had so much fun planning, attending tastings, and laughing. It was a joy to work with them!

Their day was really a reflection of who they are as a couple - from the warm, fall colors to the delicious food and signature Sugar Plum Fairy cocktails, from morning to night the day was beautiful. We wish them the best and hope to see them soon to catch up! Congratulations, Stephenie and Ryan!
Photos by the always amazing La Luz Photography
The beautiful ceremony was officiated by Joel Whitaker
Flowers by Marine View Florist
Catering by the Woodmark Hotel
Stephenie's gown by the Wedding Bell

My Grandma's Marvelous 80th Birthday Party

My Grandma turns 80 next week and we threw her a fabulous bash to celebrate - with good food, drinks, and friends aplenty. We decked out the Yacht Club on Lake Union with rich chocolate brown textiles and ice blue accents, crystals draping silver tree branches, candles and candles, and seashells accents (she loves the beach).

We staged a backdrop with fun props for photos and her friends loved it! Too cute!
The hors d' oeuvres were fantastic - plenty of gourmet bites and goodies.
We also had angel food and chocolate cupcakes topped with ice blue butter cream and sugar crystals and pastilles for dessert. A very Happy Birthday to my very special Grandma!
*thanks to mom for the photos, Ruth-Anne Ford for the scrumptious cupcakes, and the lovely Cleo at Ravishing Radish for helping to make such an awesome and memorable party!

Happy 10th Anniversary, Economic Opportunity Institute!

The Economic Opportunity Institute contacted us in the spring to help them plan a unique and memorable event for their 10th anniversary. EOI is a great organization, pushing for greater rights, health care and pay, and much more for Washington residents. We were thrilled to be on board, and knew the perfect venue for this urban, yet sophisticated event, would be at SoDo Park, an awesome venue owned by Herban Feast.
We worked with EOI to develop an event that not only honored Bill Gates, Sr. with an achievement award, but it raised awareness, funds, and celebrated their 10 years of success and looked to the future. We heard raves from guests that it wasn't your "typical" non-profit event; the "economic comedian" was hilarious, and the surroundings, food, decor, and venue made for a magical and refreshing event.
It was rewarding to be in a room full of senators and other highly influential people honoring Aubrey Davis and Bill Gates, Sr. - two who have helped to greatly change our community.

When we talked about a non-floral centerpiece for each of the 21 tables, Nick came up with such a cool idea that tied in the union and working aspect of EOI (and their invitations). A big thanks to Herban Feast for catering a fabulous event!
Venue: SoDo Park
Catering: Herban Feast
Audio/Visual: AVMS
Rentals: AA Rentals
Wine: Esquin Wine Merchants
Photography: Jim Berry

Professional photos to come.

Marie & Emmett's downtown bash

Marie and Emmett are a super fun couple we've been working with for over a year. Marie's ultra fabulous hot pink shoes were the inspiration for the entire wedding!From the hot pink in the orchids placed on each setting to the escort cards and formal invitations all accented by crisp white and black, the palette for the wedding was most definitely elegant with a huge twist of fun!

We couldn't have gotten a better fall day for the wedding; the sun was shining and golden leaves were falling all around. Guests gathered at St. James Cathedral for an afternoon ceremony then headed to the Pan Pacific Hotel for a chic bash. The guests were all so much fun and we loved Marie and Emmett's family and wedding party! Nick and I sat back and watched them all dance the night away under the lights of the Space Needle...we made a special Dick's Drive-In delivery towards the end of the night which gave them all their second wind!

Thanks to our team of talented vendors who helped to make the day amazing:
Seattle Flowers created the serene orchid centerpieces
Flora Nova Design constructed the unique boutonnieres and breathtaking bouquets
Carol Harrold did a fantastic job photographing the day's moments
Drew Hobson kept guests dancing well into the night
Rowell from SparkLL who, as always, creates amazing paper designs
British Motor Coach for the limos and vintage Daimler
Congratulations, Marie and Emmett! Enjoy your long honeymoon in Hawaii!

Photos from Stephanie and Coby's big day

Here are a few amazing shots from Frank Ross Photographic from Stephanie and Coby's August waterside wedding. We had a ball during the entire planning process; especially at the wedding. Please refer to the older post for vendor information.