I have never really gotten into social media. I think that part of the reason might be that I am not really that social:) I have been happy to have my other business half speak on our behalf. However, I have entered into a love affair with Pinterest! I love that I can keep things that I see online organized. I love having a way of tracking ideas without having to clutter my desk or desktop. Not only do I plan events for a living, but as a freshly minted newlywed living in a new apartment, I also am looking forward to entertaining a bit more at home. This is the perfect place to keep menu, drink, and decor ideas ready to pull up at a moments notice. For you as a bride, I think that this is a great way to keep track of ideas for your big day!

Now, one of my favorite things to pin has been drinks! I love to have a signature drink at events. It is a cool way to give people a fun drink, while at the same time preventing the bars from being slammed. Though I may not be so into fruity drinks on the day to day, I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you!

1. The Paloma- My absolute favorite! The drink of choice at family events, this combines tequila,  grapefruit soda, and a twist of line. Easy and fizzy without the sour taste of Margaritas that tends to make me feel sick. This is absolute summer perfection! Everyone knows that this is my favorite drink, and have had it whenever they have been over to my place for a BBQ, so when it came time to choose a signature drink for my own wedding day, the choice was obvious.

2. Sangria- Want something tame that will be well received by the crowds? Then Sangria might be just the thing for you. Light and easy, you can always make it a fruit variety to add some flair. A big hit at events both home events as well as weddings. You might also want to think about a nice Sangria for bridal showers. A punch bowl filled with this signature drink can double as both decor and fun cocktail! This recipe from Food and Wine gives you a Peach and Mango version. Also, this looks great in regular all purpose wine glasses which are commonly the glasses used at venues for drink service.

3. Spiced Cider- I know that the weather is starting to warm up and so we have started to thaw out and forget about winter. However, if you are planning a winter event, then a spiced cider might be perfect for you. What is better than walking in from the cold to a warm beverage? Exactly. You can offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options and still keep the look. I love this in a glass mug with a small cinnamon for garnish. However, this is one of those drinks that I think can tend to go awry. I would suggest you try a few versions and let your caterer know which one you prefer. This is one of my favorites from the Martha Stewart site!

4. Pinapple Cilantro Serrano Goodness- Now, are you looking for something a little more exotic and with a bit of a kick? Then you might want to taste this lovely cocktail. I love that the sweet base of the pineapple cuts some of the other strong flavors. Now, this is a harder sell for a large crowd, so make sure that your guests are adventurous before choosing something like this. You might want to whip some up when friends come over to congratulate you on your engagement and see how it goes over!Try this recipe from CookieandKate.com and test it out!

Are you thinking of having a signature drink? What do you have in mind?

One of the coolest things about Pinterest has been looking to see what OTHER people have found interesting and inspiring.  One of the items from the ARCHIVES of A.a.B. History that lots of brides seem to have enjoyed was an event that we put together a few years ago called the “New York Fantasy Shower” with Morgans’ Hotel in their AMAZING Penthouse. I thought that I would RE-post it, so that you non-pinning gals can take a look.  If you want to see even MORE of this shower, check out our dusted-off and re-branded Facebook page HERE.

Here was the concept:  We wanted to host the event so that brides like you could have an afternoon to hang with the ladies in their wedding party, AND get some great ideas on how to make a bridal shower a little bit sleeker and just a wee bit sexier!

For starters, we picked a great theme: Naughty and Nice. Inspired by Agent Provocateur (who provided the gift bags) We used a pink and black color scheme and ran with it. To add to the decor, we wrapped “gifts” in the colors of the event- (hint, when hosting a shower, this is a great way to dress up the room!). We had an awesome location…. the weather was amazing and the views were out of this world. The Morgans’ provided lite bites via Asia de Cuba and Mark Joseph Cakes designed a cake around our theme that set the stage. Elana  of Melangerie did an OUTRAGEOUS job of creating a guestbook , favors and signage to make the whole thing seem a little more special. For favors, they offered up a simple black scarf, but created these great display cards where it was either a “naughty” blindfold, or a very “nice” necktie. The guestbook were little fortunes for what you’d like the bride and groom to do “in bed”. Rather than use a paper plate hat, Anika from our team bought a cheapo Target sunhat and be-ribboned it (another simple upgrade).

We wanted to offer up some great activities/ ideas for activities, so we asked the Ladies from My Hair and Make Up to come and give make up lessons….. it’s a really fun way to do something a little different for a shower and they will come to your home to give a class. We also asked Jessy of Fleurs to come and give floral lessons… she taught some great DIY lessons for bouquet making and more to the ladies in attendance (as well as providing the gorgeous blooms). Here are some of the pics that Karen Mordechai took of the event! Karen, by the way has JUST announced the Re-launch of her Sunday Suppers series.. so if you  and your BOO or you and your girlfriends are looking for some springtime cooking action, sign up now!

Some of the amazing flowers AND the scenic terraces at the Morgans’ Penthouse.

No party is anything without great guests! I was amazed to see how many great ladies came out on this gorgeous day to enjoy the party! Here some of our guests sipping the great Pink Champagne cocktails, enjoying the terraces and grabbing up gift bags. The ladies from Always a Bridesmaid and the Morgans’ Group were greeting guests while they enjoyed some of the tastes and treats of the shower. For more pics of detail shots, guests and more from The Fantasy Shower, please visit our Facebook Page!

Growing up deep in the heart of Brooklyn (meaning NOT anywhere that is currently chic, cool or hip today) the trend was to bestow your best-est girlfriends with golden charms.  Birthdays, graduations, any milestone, really… a charm was the perfect gift for a friend and we would wear them on bracelets, necklaces and more.  So, it’s with great nostalgia and glee that I notice the trend of charms making a comeback, and what a FABULOUS gift for your M.O.H, bridesmaids, or even for yourself to commemorate the occasion of being engaged.

Probably the best charms I’ve seen around have been from Charmco.  From the humorous to the astrological, they have an icon for seemingly everything and they are just adorable.   Here are a few under their “wedding and marriage” heading that I thought were fantastic!  The fabulous flutes, OR your own “charming” save the date!

When I got married, I had the best bridesmaids ever.  Seriously, the marriage was so-so, the wedding was fun, but the bridesmaids were AMAZING.  I wanted to give them each something that they would think of me when they saw it, and our fun time together leading up to the wedding.  I used to wear a vintage “Faith, Hope and Charity” charm all the time, and I scoured NY looking for one for each of them.  So, obviously it was the first thing I looked for when I went onto Charmco.

They also have a fantastic number of “destination” themed charms, which are a perfect way to commemorate your wedding weekend with your friends, OR, the locale of a favorite girls’ weekend, where you went to college or whatever city or place has significance to you.   For me, I’d probably give my girlfriends a Taxi charm to commemorate the many, many nights in my 20′s spent with nutty cab drivers and one or two trips to taxi court.

In any case, I realized while I was writing this, that part of the reason I do LOVE the idea of gifting charms is that it’s  a way to inject some sentiment into a gift that is sometimes a little lack luster.  After a gal has gone through the trouble and expense of being a bride made, the THOUGHT really does count.

While I love wedding magazines and blogs, in my personal time, I find myself seeking inspiration for our client’s weddings from other sources.  Lately, since my Man Friend is about to buy new dining chairs and I’m desperately trying to convince him against going with dark leather upholstery on this set, I’ve been scouring design mags.  So, it was fun/ and striking when I saw a VERY familiar wedding face peeking up from my ipad this morning from a non-wedding site!

The fabulous Darcy Miller Nussbaum and her husband were profiled after finishing a massive renovation and re-design of their apartment. The result is amazing.  Since Darcy is the EYE of Martha Stewart Weddings, and her own wedding launched a million trends, it was super exciting to see what her home space was like.  It’s as perfect as you might imagine, and delightfully serene and neutral.  I can understand… after spending each day inundated with images and inspiration, it must be lovely to come home to such a fresh, sophisticated space.  Here are a few pics of my favorite parts, while Architectural Digest shows off the rest including the delightful play room! Get ready for some eye candy!

Years ago, I was a bridesmaid in a series of weddings all of which took place from late October through January.  I wore a red bridesmaid’s dress to all of them, and at least two out of the three had a “holiday theme”.  And I totally understand why that is. As a bride when you decide to have a winter wedding, it’s hard to come up with creative ways to embrace WINTER without just putting out white birch branches or embracing a red holiday-esque color scheme.  So, I thought I’d share some of favorite details to make your winter wedding feel COZY without adding in a cheesy factor.

TEXTURE AND COLOR! While everyone knows that the look of snow is obviously winter, texture in general can create a cozy atmosphere, especially if it involves knit details, lace details, woven fabrics or… for lack of a more technical term… things that look fluffy.  People tend to think white and blue for “snow” and reds and greens for “holiday”, but neutrals and metallics can often create a more warm atmosphere than any of the former.  Here are two tabletops: one by Nuage and the other by MDS Floral Design (via Grace Ormond).  I adore the use of texture on the Nuage table mixed with mettalic woven fabrics.  The MDS table is successfull in it’s use of white, greys, vintage lace, unprocessed cotton (fluff!) and soft toned colors to create an atmopshere that makes you want to take a cozy nap by a fire. 

Speaking of Neutrals… I just loved this bride’s choice to put her bridesmaids in this cool grey. There was something classic winter about it, without the girls looking like holiday candies. And it was topped off nicely with the faux fur stoles.

  I love using Jewel tones at Winter Weddings.  They don’t need to be heavy handed, but think purples, ruby reds, deep turquoise and metallic and you will have a festive atmosphere with minimal effort. Consider using Moroccan glasses for wine or even as votive holders… They add a bit of sparkle and flair to the tabletop in a subtle way.   Or even just work your tones into your stationery.  For our NYE wedding where we wanted to try and NOT go “holiday” we worked with a pewter, gold and plum palette.

Peaches and Pinks are ALSO awesome winter colors… Sometimes pale and warm tones are MORE effective at creating romance than bright, bold colors.  This season, I’ve been in love with Peaches and Pinks with metallic accents.  Below an amazing winter bouquet via Once Wed, a fabulous centerpiece in peach and mercury glass from Saipua and the floral arrangements I made for Mayra’s November engagement party (with wood and gold accents)….

In general, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box for winter inspiration. Think of what tones and textures make you feel cozy, warm and festive and it will definitely take you in the right direction!