Back from hiatus....

Hello all... or the few that are left. Sorry for my abscence. I needed some time to reflect on life... but I am ever so thrilled to announce my return- and even more anxious to reveal the projects I am working on in order to transition from one stepping stone in life to the next... I'll be making up for lost time this week with double and triple posts each day so check back often to get your fix of wedding addiction.

To You... From Me

Sorry that I have been a little MIA. My paternal grandpa passed away this week. It was expected and he lived a long and prosperous life, leaving behind 7 children and a plethora of grandchildren... but I've been spending time with family (it is our tradition to have a "Celebration of Life" in lieu of a mourning period)... I have a list a mile long of posts that I intend on getting to... so hopefully I'll be back sometime over the weekend or next week... for now- I leave you with a slice of yumminess via Vanilla Bake Shop- in celebration of a wonderful man's life and the ripples that he has sent out into the world.

Sarah- this is for you...

I am often confronted with trying to make a theme- well- not so theme-y... I try to tell my brides to remember that less is always more- and that quality will outshine quantity any day... that being said- when I heard that Sarah of Toast and Tables was on the hunt for "Game Night Wedding" ideas... I was thrilled to start searching... there is soooo much that can be done to really take this theme over the top- the real challenge is in editing the ideas to create a seamless and TASTEFUL flow... here are a few little touches that I would love to contribute to the planning process...

1. Save-the-date Spinners.... I love the idea of printing your information on a spinner- what fun! {and so easy- this could be a DIY... take a vintage spinner template... add information... and use a fun bracket to attach the spinner... and voila!}
2. Scrabble Guest Book... have plenty of scrabble letters available... and guests can spell out their message atop a scrabble board.... keep a camera close to document the message-

3. Custom Maps- I really love the idea of making your maps (to rehearsal dinner/ceremony/reception).... mirror the look of a boardgame... put the direction into the squares ( go forward 5 lights.... Make a Left and Loose a Turn... Go forward 1.2 miles)

4. I have always fancied gardens of grass in a checkerboard pattern. I love the idea of taking this a step further and making checkerboard tables for the cocktail hour-complete with oversized floral checkers to make them functional
5. Place crossword puzzles at each guest's place setting- with fun facts for them to fill in (our first date... where we were engaged... his mother's maiden name... her father's occupation)

6. Bring in elements from Candy Land to your own Candy Bar... with Peanut Brittle, Cotton Candy, Fudge, etc.

7. Make the entire wedding cohesive by carrying a common "branding" through all of the elements... I love subtle hints.... such as two puzzle pieces that fit into each other- two candyland people holding hands... a king and queen chess piece.... the list goes on and on.... and when you package the items- why not have a customized version of the game "Life" printed atop a box that holds all of your wedding suite in it... what fun to receive the entire invitation and inserts in the form of a game! I would suggest the lovely work of Lily Darby- just the creative edge you will need to pull this off...

Alright... fearing that I may go into overkill soon enough- I'll leave it at that and hope that you'll find a bit of inspiration amidst my madness....

My Announcement...

I am young and driven... I have interned and designed under some of the most talented floral and event designers that I know.... I have had amazing mentors from all facets of the industry... and I have dedicated countless hours to industry-related research and trends... and I do not expect a pat on the back because this is all part of the job description... but this summer something really interesting happened. I had a lot of changes in my personal life and this allowed me to take the slow summer season off to reflect on where I am and where I am headed... this blog was a result of my reflecting...

And my decision to return to school and finish my degree was the final outcome. Thus, I have decided to take the next year or so to really focus on accomplishing a task that has taken the back seat to my career endeavors for a little too long.... during this time, I decided to leave Riverside Event Design but am excited to announce that I will take my design background with me to First Coast Weddings and Events... and will act as an Independant Coordinator under the amazing Heather Trimboli.

First Coast Weddings and Events is located off the coast of Ponte Vedra Beach and boasts five years of accomplishments. Heather and I are collaborating on a package for brides that are needing creative direction and overall styling cohesiveness in addition to their coordination. I am excited to utilize my design background and black book of vendor recommendations in order to provide a tailored and well-edited "wedding coordination" experience. For all you brides in Jacksonville or destination brides eyeing the Sunshine State, I am now booking my schedule for 2008... and can be reached here.

The Princess Collection

I have been hearing all about Disney's Launch of the Princess Bridal Collection ... and it seems that everyone that I speak to has a favorite princess that they have secretly idolized since childhood- and this caused me to reflect upon my own idols... and I found that I have been more inspired by the Princesses of the Silverscreen... I have always had a strong love and appreciation for their timeless beauty- and they each have a very special influence on so many aspects of my life from my wardrobe to my own event designs.... so I present to you my own Princess Bridal Collection- just a few women whom I feel have transcended the decades and continue to give brides hope that their choices for that special day- will infact - cause ripples for years to come...

C'est la vie...

I can't believe it's been 6 years... I was a junior in high school... and we had just finished talking about special effects in film... someone turned on the tv... and there it was... it didn't register at first- almost as if I believed this was an extension of the lesson... but then it all started to unfold... I sat there so green to the world- everyone around me seemed to immediately go into a panic... and I just sat there frozen in time... the impact had reached my little corner of globe- and I wasn't sure how to take it all in... and here I am- years later... and still not knowing what to make of it... so many of those kids that sat there that day have went to Iraq never to return... so many of those faces on the tv still inhibit my thoughts from time to time... I'm not sure if I will ever really understand what I feel about the whole thing- and perhaps it is for the best...

may each of you feel the warmth of the funny little things in life that bind each of us- even if only for a moment in time...

To: You... From: Me

Yesterday was ever so productive- and alas I am renewed and ready to get busy on some great creative sessions. The "new" set of old episodes of Sex in the City showed up on my ONDEMAND today... AND bonus- there's a marathon of Project Runway Season 2 on Bravo... what a lucky gal I am! The Garden Party was my favorite episode- and has spawned pages and pages of sketches and ideas... and Carrie's short hair- just the fresh vintage-revival that I needed (though I love all things timeless, I am getting a little burnt out on making vintage new lately)... I promise a beautiful eye candy of a post later this evening.. just wanted to stop in and say hello.

To: You ... From: Me

Alright... not even a week into this blog and I am overwhelmed with the kind words and support that I have been so fortunate to receive... and I have to say that this blogging thing is really addictive and sometimes I know I can overdo it- but that was the reason that I started this blog in the first place... to harness all these thoughts and give reasoning for my daily researching the internet.... that being said.... I am NEW to the scene and I do not want to even try to pretend that I have it all figured out.... I have HORRIBLE spelling issues and often use "..." way too often- infact I make up my own rules when it comes to grammer all togther... these are things that I openly acknowledge.... so be it

but there is a whole world of things that I don't realize that I do- or fail to do- and am SOOO open to your constructive criticism and comments and suggestions... such as one WONDERFUL reader brought to my attention that I really never put links in my posts- and I NEED to know these things... and any blog-etiquette that I may overlook as well....

Loving you all and loving what I do... and hoping to share this for many many moons to come- and just asking for your thoughts on how to improve along the way...