Wish Upon a Wedding Comes to NYC

It is no secret that weddings are my true passion. If you told me twelve years ago that I would spend the rest of my life thinking about, dreaming about and fully immersed in the world of weddings - and never tire of it - I would have thought you were crazy. But it is true. I believe in the power of weddings and in the true value of expressing your love for another person for real, in public, in the environment of your choosing under any circumstance. It is a powerful moment in life and one that universally connects you to billions of people throughout the world and across time. I love to make pretty parties, but I am truly driven by the root of that beauty that lies far beneath the surface of flowers and fluff.

With that in mind, I am so proud and honored to announce that I have gathered a group of my most esteemed colleagues and friends and launched the New York City chapter of Wish Upon a Wedding. WUW was founded in 2010 as the first wish granting organization to provide no cost weddings to couples facing terminal illness or other life altering circumstances.  There are now 17 active chapters across the US and the New York City chapter is finally joining the ranks! Please, please, please take a moment to read more about Wish Upon a Wedding -  I know you will be as moved as I was by the couples that are being helped by my wedding industry colleagues across the country.

Hopefully some of you are wondering how you can help... there are lots of ways to make a meaningful contribution to WUW:

1. Spread the word! We want to be able to help as many couples as possible, but they need to know that this resource is available to them.  If you have connections with hospitals, houses of worship, hospice facilities, community groups or any other organization which may serve individuals who are facing life altering circumstances, please help make it known that WUW NYC is at their disposal.
2. Donate your time! If you provide a wedding related product or service (professional credentials and experience required) and you would like to contribute to a wedding wish, please send an email to newyorkvolunteer@wishuponawedding.org. Please note that your information will be added to a database and you will be contacted when a couple for whom we are granting a wish requires your services.
3. Send money! We have so much work to do and limited resources with which to do it. If you are able to assist with our fundraising efforts your donation will go directly to underwriting a wedding for a couple in need. Email me at newyorkpresident@wishuponawedding.org for secure online payment information or write a check made out to Wish Upon a Wedding (with NYC in the memo line) and send it to Wish Upon a Wedding, PO BOX 1141, Santa Clara, CA 95052.
4. Raise money! If you are getting married or know someone who is getting married, please consider donations to WUW "in lieu of favors." Our website offers information on how to do this and provides guest notification cards at no cost.
5. Become a sponsor! If you are part of a business or organization looking for a long-term partnership with a charitable organization, please email me at newyorkpresident@wishuponawedding.org to discuss how we can create a mutually beneficial and meaningful relationship.
6. Keep in touch! Follow our progress and updates on Twitter @WUW_NYC and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WUWNewYork. 

I so appreciate all of the support we have already received and am looking forward to sharing with you the forthcoming journey to help New York area couples.

With gratitude,

Pow! Diego's 5th Birthday Bash

I can't lie... I am pretty much mortified that I have a backlog of awesome events from nearly a YEAR ago.  I can make excuses (busiest year ever! sold my house! new business projects in development! launching an industry charity!) but there really is no excuse except that I haven't carved out the time. I'm trying to change my ways... really.

So, here it goes! Let's turn back the clock to last August when I did yet another spectacular party for one of my long-standing clients.  You've seen Ines and Augusto's wedding, Ines' birthday party, Diego's 4th birthday, and now... his 5th!  Diego had not lost his love for all things superhero, so my challenge was to do a superhero party, but one that looks totally different than the one we did the year before. Spiderman was the star for birthday number 4, so I thought I'd mix it up a little bit by going retro. We didn't focus on any one particular superhero, but instead channeled a little bit of my inner Lichtenstein for a funky comic book inspired look.

There aren't too many instances in which a polka dot tablecloth and yellow chairs will do the trick, but this hot summer day was the one!  The combo made the party feel youthful and fun and it was engaging for kids and adults alike. Colorful, funky flowers in lime green vases were accented with comic book exclamations for added whimsy.

We did a killer dessert/favor station at Diego's 4th birthday, so we had to top ourselves with this one while not repeating the same components. So, I created a lollipop tree display with the birthday cake as the centerpiece.  I used a Martha Stewart tutorial to create the ribbon covered cones (kinda harder than it looks!) and inserted all sorts of pops (cake, lolli, cookie, etc.) into each of the cones on the table.  I once again called upon Cakes by Mona to create the world's cutest birthday cake for the world's luckiest kid.

There was tons to do to keep busy on this gorgeous summer day... swimming, bounce house, climbing wall - you name it! While the guests enjoyed the activities, they munched on popcorn and cheese puffs from these cute customized bags. Below: you can't go wrong with a pinata - and my favorite part of the day - a craft station at which the kids could make their own superhero capes and masks!

All photos by Sharon Schuster

I'm looking forward to more great celebrations with this wonderful family.  What else can we do for birthday number 6??

Thanks for reading!