CT Wedding Planner

A Rustic Love Bird Wedding | Ambiance Chic Wedding Design

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Major love going out to this love bird inspired wedding featured by Connecticut wedding planner, Ambiance Chic Wedding Designs.  I can’t even contain my excitement about the decor for this wedding.  Well done, Ambiance Chic Wedding Designs, well done.  I have fallen madly for the “two” pillow .. what an adorably creative idea, especially with the definition and pronunciation on the back!

So I’ve come to the realization that I will A. never get enough of those love bird chair linens and will always want to B. cook up a tall stack of pancakes when i see that amazing maple syrup.  Maple syrup = New England; New England = Happy thoughts thus by default, Maple Syrup = Happy Thoughts : ) ( i took logic in college, no biggie).  Check out these great details below and visit Ambiance Chic Wedding Designs Blog for the full wedding.

Visit Ambience Chic Wedding Designs on my Kate Parker Wedding

A Connecticut Wedding with DIY Details | Sixpence For Your Shoe

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

This DIY wedding was featured by Connecticut wedding planner, Sixpence For Your Shoe.  This is a DIY bride after my own heart – the details she included are spectacular!  The rustic garden atmosphere is so perfect.  David (the groom) and his groomsmen had set up all of the lighting and details and hung the curtains for the ceremony.   Seeing all of the work that this couple put into the wedding makes me realize how much this day really meant to them.  The more a bride and groom personalize and work on their wedding together – the more it really feels intimate and unique to the couple.

Okay – now my favorite part .. lets talk about the details!!  First of all, there were butterflies everywhere – on the table, the cake, and the brides bouquet.  What is more whimsical than butterflies?!  This wedding totally reminds me of Cinderella.  The garden accents with the butterflies, the mini silver pumpkins, the big old key details, the whimsical star lighting, and the love notes.  I really love when newlyweds ask their guests, instead of singing a book or picture, to write a little note of love or a recipe for a successful marriage.  The bride also wore shoes with little notes on the soles from her girlfriends wishing her luck and love.  The romance in this wedding is just overflowing!  Well, before i get too carried away going into details – check out the wedding below and be sure to visit Sixpence For Your Shoe’s blog to see and read about the full wedding!

For more on Sixpence For Your Shoe, visit their vendor directory on my Kate Parker Wedding.

A Bridal Shoot in Paris- Part I from The White Dress by Shore

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

At the end of March I had the amazing opportunity to fly off to Paris with my  friends and colleagues, Robert and Kathleen Trenske , Candice Dowling Coppola from Jubiliee Events and my dear friend and partner in crime, Sarah Gleason (aka: Marsie) to put together and style a photo shoot in Paris! Clearly, it was a dream location. I cannot think of a better group of people to explore the city of lights with—the creative energy was flowing like the seine and it was an experience of a lifetime!

Candice and I worked on coming up with a design board for our shoot, as we usually do, and were really inspired by a photograph that Robert and Kathleen took on their first trip to Paris. We wanted to do a monochromatic, black and white shoot, where the images felt like classic black and whites – even in color. I really think we achieved that! I had a vision for fashion that was heavily influenced by runway, vogue, and of COURSE Sex in the City and Candice pulled together romantic and unique elements for a fabulous tablescape.

Throughout the process we worked with Kim Peytet of Parisian Events, who helped us source all the wonderful Parisian venders that collaborated with us! Kim introduced us to so many wonderful people who I will introduce YOU to throughout this post!  We could not have pulled this shoot off without the efforts of Kim!

During our short (count 4 days!!!!) time in Paris, we did two days full of shooting and one day full of scouting. The other day was the day we all arrived—so we really hit the ground running! This shoot was recently featured on Style Me Pretty, and was part of Robert and Kathleen’s brilliant photography seminar for international wedding photographers – Taking Off.

Kim secured a beautiful apartment for us to work from and for Robert and Kathleen to teach. It had a roof top deck that overlooked the eiffel tower, where Candice put together an amazing tablescape with the help of several talented people! The morning began with hair and makeup… our model, Segolene, is positively beautiful. Hair and makeup was covered by our new friend, Masafumi Matsuda, who also doubled as our Japanese / Parisian tour guide on day two. =) If you are looking for beauty while in Paris– look no further!! Masafumi is absolutely amazing!!! I styled Segolene in the most stunning Modern Trousseau gown (before it hit the runway at bridal market) and jewelry in layers, and layers of decedent pearls and diamonds!

Candice styled the gorgeous tablescape with white linen from our friends at Rentals Unlimited. The best part? They company’s president happened to be in Paris (randomly) while we were there, and stopped in to say hello! It truly was an East Coast destination. They also provided the lace-styled chair caps and white napkins.Catherine Muller put together a beautiful white and green arrangement in an antiqued pedestal. The arrangement was very gardeny, filled loosely with calla lilies and other beautiful white flowers. She did an amazing job! The paper flower garland fromKate’s Paperie down the center of the table was absolutely brilliant!
We got the table set up just in time to get a few quick shots before it started to pour rain.  We took that opportnity to take some stunning shots of our models indoors. At the first break in the weather, we made a mad dash to the eiffel tower to end our shoot.  We are so glad that the weather held off for us so that Robert and Kathleen could capture these stunning images!

Keep watching the blog for images from our shoots on day 2 when we shot in a traditional parisian cafe, in the metro and in the hills of Montmarte overlooking the city!

Shoot credits:

Photography~  Robert and Kathleen Photographers

Shoot and tablescape design~ Jubilee Events

Parisian coordination~ Kim Petyt of Parisian Events

Shoes~ Vouelle

Makeup~ Masafumi Matsuda

Fashion styling~ Beth Chapman,  The White Dress by the shore

Tuxedo~ Tuxego

Cake~ The Sugar Plum Cake Shop, Paris

Floral design~ Catherine Muller, Paris

Invitations ~ Posh Paperie

The White Dress by the Shore and Jubilee Events are both members of my Kate Parker Wedding, an online wedding planning tool for engaged couples.  To learn more about each of these amazing vendors, please visit their websites and directories on my Kate Parker Wedding:

The White Dress by the Shore

The White Dress by the Shore on my Kate Parker Wedding

Jubilee Events

Jubilee Events on my Kate Parker Wedding

Tips for a Kid-Friendly Gay Wedding from 14 Stories

Friday, June 18th, 2010

I’ve planned many weddings for gay and lesbian couples with children—or with children on the way—or where lots of children were welcome. You’ll want to be sure to hire one or more babysitters who can provide toys and DVDs for the younger children, in particular. Here are some more tips for planning a family friendly wedding:

  • Choose a venue that has a room where a babysitter can set up. If you can’t set aside a children’s room, set up a table for children’s activities. This table can include crayons and coloring books, toys and puzzles. Put the babysitter (or someone else) in charge of this area.
  • Communicate with your caterer about the number of children who will be attending, their approximate ages, and any needs you may have for high chairs, booster seats, cups with plastic lids and children’s food (pizza, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, sliced fruit and French fries are always popular).
  • Hire children’s entertainers to distract the children so the adults can play. I work with an outstanding entertainer who has a Jedi Knight Training show and a Hogwarts Academy show that is appropriate for kids under the age of ten. The shows are perfect for weddings.
  • Coordinate with your band or DJ to play kid-friendly songs (for example, you may want to pass on “Baby Got Back” in favor of “The Hokey Pokey”). I asked one band to play the theme song to the show The Fairly OddParents during the reception. The kids loved it.

There are some really creative ways to involve kids in the ceremony itself. If you do have one or more children, you can acknowledge them in your vows, or make a vow to the child/children. If you have a unity ritual, a third candle can represent the child/children. Your officiant can help you find the best way to incorporate kids into your wedding ceremony, should you choose to do so.

Are you inviting kids to your wedding?

14 Stories is a member of my Kate Parker Wedding, an online wedding tool for engaged couples.  To learn more about 14 Stories, please visit their website and directory on my Kate Parker Wedding:

14 Stories

14 Stories on my Kate Parker Wedding