I am back! I wanted to write a quick blog post today to thank everyone for all of the wedding well wishes! I have now had the opportunity to live the AAB Creates wedding experience for myself, and it was everything I had hoped for and more. My bestie outdid herself in creating a magical night for us. I know I was not always the best client, and like most people could only semi-explain what I liked. A huge hug to her for not reaching over her desk and smacking me when I got into my bridezilla mode.

I can not get over what an amazing day we had. I also can’t begin to tell you how the wedding events, followed by a wonderful honeymoon on Peter Island, re-invigorated me to come back into the office and help our couples have a day as amazing as the one I was able to experience.I want to write a much more lengthy post about some of my great take-aways from the process as a bride versus a planner, but my inbox is bursting, so I will get that over to you a little later this week.

The one thing that can not wait is a HUGE thank you to all of the people that made it happen. It was pure happiness to be surrounded by all of my wedding friends on the day of the event and in the weeks leading up to it. My friends and family were blown away by a seamless event, and I have my team of vendors to thank for it! There is a reason why I have sung your praises all of these years. You really are the best!

I leave you with peach and gold eye candy until I get around to a more detailed post!

Jimmy Choo Garland glitter heels from Net-a-porter, Peach Love sweater from Miss Selfridge, Large lace chandelier earrings from Etsy, Paper Flower trend as seen on Brooklyn Bride, Peach Moroccan style living room shown on The Lennoxx, DVF dress on Shopbop, Light Peach Crystal stud from Polyvore,

I never get tired of telling people that I am a native Californian. Or that I grew up in a teeny town in the Central Valley (frankly the only valley) surrounded by farmland. Xochitl and my fiance tease me about how often I can bring up a fruit reference. The thing that I miss the most about my hometown (besides the people) is being surrounded by an abundance of fruits and vegetables. My favorite time of year was always the end of summer where the tears grew peaches, apricots and nectarines. When it came time to pick wedding colors, the choice was obvious!

Now, the great thing about planning a wedding when this is your profession (and trust me there are a also a few bad things) is that I knew exactly what I wanted and who to call to help me with it. I turned to Meredith at Regas NY to help me create something unique and personal. Meredith works with us constantly and after helping us design our AAB Logo, she knows what I am drawn to and like. Now, it wasn’t easy! I knew that I wanted the invite to have the information within a “frame”, but was unsure about the pattern that I wanted surrounding it. Meredith was so patient as she presented us with a few different options. We wanted to see Mexican lace, abstract patterns and floral motifs, which all made the invite look different.

After a few rounds we were not quite sold on any pattern. While staring at all of the versions, Xochitl suggested that since we were having our ceremony at his alma mater, we should incorporate the Van Wickle Gates from my alma mater into the pattern. I feel in love as soon as I saw the design. I thought it looked a little like the human genome sequence, and that sold me! The fact that this is what it made me think of is what sold my fiance, and our invite was set!

But there was a problem. The other thing about growing up, was that everyone around me spoke Spanish. It was my first language and until I left for college, it was the main language that I spoke. It was only at school that I spoke English and Spanglish with friends. So, when it came time to choose invitations, I was at a bit of a loss. I could not accept that my invites would only be in English. However, how does one do a bi-lingual invite well? Should I make a fold over card? Should I print on both sides? Should I clutter the main invite with both versions? How to do this without making it look silly OR cleaning out the bank? Meredith presented me with the perfect option…a belly band!

The one thing that clients often have a hard time with, is the fact that when you are ordering invites you don’t get to see the actual invite before you approve your proof. This makes the process of custom very difficult for some people, as there are no versions that you can see before you order. I can tell you that as much as I loved my proof, I was blown away when the invites arrived at my door. The images below were taken with an Iphone, so they don’t quite reflect how lovely they are in person, but they exceeded my expectations.

And last but not least, I think that everything about your wedding can have a touch of your personality. Now that doesn’t mean that everything has to be expensive! I have used my lovely monogram on everything, so I decided not to use it on a stamp for the invites. Instead I choose a duo of Tejano star Selena alongside John H. Johnson, founder of Ebony and Johnson Publications.

Now, this process was a little more difficult than walking into a store and ordering out of a book, but I guarantee you that it was worth the process.

I have been a blogging delinquent. I promise that I am back.  Generally speaking, I like to think I do a good job of balancing work and writing and life, but the truth is we’ve been running on a 10+ here at the AaB offices since September in our busiest, most fabulous, grandest winter wedding season EVER culminating in the rather amazing wedding of Emily and Jason held over President’s Day weekend (more about that later).  I lost myself in the details of their awesome loft wedding – can’t wait to show you photos- AND then I had to get out of dodge for a little while to recharge my batteries.  I headed out west for a girls weekend in Palm Springs to catch our breath before our two big SPRING celebrations- our very own lovely Mayra’s wedding next month and something rather fun at Skylight One Hanson.

My first day out of the office I will, admit, dragging my feet around feeling a bit burnt out when I got the most exciting gift a planner/ designer can get after a wedding- FABULOUS PHOTOS of Carolyn and Scott’s New Year’s Eve wedding.  I promise, seeing the wedding in person is awesome, but having great images is almost as good! It reminds you of how all the collective hard work of the event payed off AND, in the case of Carolyn and Scott, it quite literally made me tear up seeing how HAPPY AND THRILLED they were with their ceremony, being married, joining their lives and throwing a pretty rockin’ New Year’s Eve party.

When Carolyn and Scott first called it was September and they said that they really, really wanted to have a wedding on New Year’s Eve.  THIS coming New Year’s Eve.  We said, No Problem.  Then Carolyn told us that their dream was to have the reception at The Grand Arcade in Asbury Park- an area of real significance for her and Scott as they have watched the rejuvenation of Asbury, live in the area and felt like it was their back yard.  They hadn’t really had many weddings in that space, but we said “No Problem”.  Then we found out that the area- which is generally open to the public- was going to have  a 30′ Christmas Tree in the middle of the room and could we “make that work” and we said “No Problem.”

The Grand Arcade at Asbury on a "Regular Day"

The Grand Arcade right before Carolyn and Scott's Reception

And so, the train to Carolyn and Scott’s New Year’s Eve wedding took off, we had an amazing ride along the way and an an even more amazing time at the party itself.  Carolyn and her mother were awesome to work with, and Mayra, who has probably never had quite the logistical challenge that this presented, pulled off an absolutely seamless event.  The team at Madison Marquette (who manages the property and does the sound and lighting) were amazing and Great Performances created a menu that was unforgettable and personal.  As the “Director of Pretty”, I think I did a decent job of working with a 30′ Christmas Tree and creating an intimate feeling for their friends and family in a rather large space.  A giant thanks to the lighting team, 29th Street Marketplace, Classic Party Rentals and Fernanda, our florist for making it all come to life.  AND a HUGE thanks to Inku for these amazing shots!  More images are available on his blog.

Cocktails and family photos were held in the adjacent, landmark theater.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful, nearby church. Before guests boarded shuttles to the reception, they saluted the newlyweds with giant Sparklers- a MAGIC MOMENT that set the tone for the night. The bride's AMAZING Lazaro dress was from Kleinfeld- they made miracles happen turning it around in no time!

The bride wanted PURPLE, but to tie it in with the already existing holiday decor, we used RED as a contrast color and worked with the team in Asbury to decorate with more reds and silvers. To make the space feel more intimate, we angled the tables INTO each other and used candelabras for a glamorous look that added height. We also used assigned seating and had guests break British crackers to break the ice and as an homage to Carolyn's years growing up in the UK. For escort cards each guest had their own glass of bubbly waiting for them to sip while they found their seat.

It was REALLY a magical and fun night! At midnight the bride changed and they toasted in 2012! Our team passed out noisemakers and more fun and dancing ensued. It was a blast! (and we were working)

About a year ago, I was home for the holidays and found that my family kept mentioning people that I didn’t know. When I asked who Kim and Khloe were and how we were related, my cousins rolled their eyes and told me to get with the program and that I should start watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I turned my nose up at them and ignored talk of these new family members for the rest of the weekend. I did however watch them all On Demand when I got back home. Now, I am officially an addict. Say what you will about their fame, the truth is that they are famous with no real skills…and THAT is a skill! I have a soft spot for hustlers, so I am now as obsessed as my family.

So, of course I was online all day Saturday keeping up with Kim as she married Kris. I have been talking about the details constantly around the office, so I thought I would share my thoughts. Here are the some of my favorite items!

1. The Headpiece- Love it or hate it, this was Kim’s big statement piece. If you are even going to wear 65 carats on your forehead, then I say your wedding is probably the best occasion for it. I hated it when I first saw it, but the more I stare at the photos, the more I admire her for going for it.

2. The Dresses- With 3 custom made Vera Wang gowns, Kim really got to experience very different looks on her wedding day. I was not a fan of the first dress, which I thought that made her look a little like she was wearing a cast on the top, but it certainly achieved the “princess” look that she was trying to create. The second dress, with its mermaid bodice and ruffles, was my favorite. Flattering and dreamy, this was more in line with what I was expecting from her. The last gown, a satin dress “cut on the bias” was amazing, but something that looked like she might wear to a red carpet event. I think I would have loved it more on a friend than on a celebrity. Kudos to Vera Wang for creating 3 such different looks!

3. Keeping it in theme: Kim Kardashian must love a monogram, because it was all over the place at her wedding! From the program to the menu, there was not an item that was spared from the elaborate art deco KK monogram. If you love monograms, then this is amazing. If you don’t then you probably thought this was overkill. I am going with the latter.

4. America’s Royalty: So I am taking offense to this whole “America’s Royal Wedding” non-sense talk going on at the moment. I have watched too many documentaries that had already given that title to the Kennedy’s, so this doesn’t work for me. However, if your look is to go royal, then I applaud it. Why can’t everyone have a royal wedding? We all deserve it! (Well, most of us:) My favorite royal bite was the bridesmaids in white. This is a trend that started picking up steam after Pippa Middleton donned a lovely white gown as she carried her older sisters train, and now it seems that it is officially the new wedding hotness. Way to make your sisters feel special:)

Run over to your nearest newstand and pick up a copy of People Magazine to see all of the lovely photos of Kim’s Fairytale Wedding! Send over your thoughts? What did you love?

When we first met Marni, because she and her fiance Josh were living in Sydney at the time, we had actually already booked the fabulous Locusts on Hudson venue. So, months later when she was in town we finally had a chance to really sit down and talk about HOW we were going to make this amazing venue reflect their personal style. Once we got a glimpse into Marni and Josh’s cool, easy-going and slightly quirky style, we knew exactly what direction to take the design of the event. Something with some fun, surprise elements, while at the same time being beautiful and unpretentious.
The design started out as this mood board:
And with months of detailed collaboration with our seamstress, an intense relationship with Ebay and the collaborative  team of vendors including Sperry Tents, Luminous Lighting, Party Rental LTD and most ESPECIALLY Meredith of Regas New York  we were able to create what you see below.  I really can’t thank Regas enough because they took the time to hand screen EACH and every single table’s 8′ runner with the SPECTACULAR menu that we created with Great Performances.

It was critical to Josh and Marni that we have as much Farm to Table food as possible and Great Performances created a series of food flights with as many ingredients from their nearby Katchkie Farm as possible.  Marni’s brother, an industrial designer, made the amazing table numbers and we used the fabrics from the napkins and the chuppah to create boards to display the escort cards calligraphed by Laura Hooper Calligraphy. This is probably one of my favorite tents… because it actually FELT magical inside. Another thanks to Melanie and Justin at Stillmotion.
Later, I’ll show you some of the CRAZY fun we had during the reception and the after party at the spectacular Barn on the property.  This was a weekend I know we’ll never forget!