Happy new year!

I know we all say this every year at this time... The year went so fast! Where did the time go? But, like always, that is how I feel as I sit here {trying to find an outfit to wear for NYE!} in awe that another year has flown by.

2015 was a year of amazing change and growth for Lindsay Landman Events. We settled into our new studio, welcomed an amazing, new full-time team, relaunched our website and rebranded. Amidst all that, we even produced some pretty amazing parties! In addition to beautiful weddings, of course, we also produced a record number of corporate and non-profit events along with birthday parties, baby showers and Bar Mitzvahs. I think this may have been our most diverse year yet!

As I look ahead to a 2016 calendar that is already dotted with events of every type and weddings in varied locations on the map, I am reminded how lucky I am, not only to work in this amazing business that carries me from celebration to celebration, but that I can always be truly in anticipation of what exciting professional adventures await.  I know that when I write my year-end post a year from today, it will be filled with recollections of parties and places I have yet to imagine and people I have yet to encounter.  For that I am grateful beyond measure. 

2016 will also mark a number of milestones in my life and career.  A big birthday, a big wedding anniversary... and the celebration of 15 years of Lindsay Landman Events!  So, at this moment, I resolve to make this year worthy of these benchmarks and to revel in the journey - hopefully with all of you by my side. 

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year full of reasons to celebrate!

xo,

Lindsay

photo by Abby Jiu

Sons of Anarchy 40th Birthday

I had never seen the show Sons of Anarchy, so when my client wanted to throw her husband a "Sons" themed 40th birthday party, I had a lot of homework to do! It took a little bit of thinking to figure out how to bring such a raw, gritty theme into a remarkably beautiful home, but with a few tweaks, we pulled it off!

Guests entered into the dramatic two-story foyer and found a collection of black and gold ombre painted wine and liquor bottles with custom labels serving as candle holders amidst funky floral arrangements detailed with pockets chains and leather cords. And speaking of leather... that is indeed a black leather tablecloth!

The cocktail napkins were the perfect canvas for our Sons inspired catchphrase for the evening "Fear the Eich" (using the birthday-boy's nickname) and for a classic quote from the show's main character.

The Anarchy symbol was incorporated in the number 40 throughout the party, including on these custom barrel matches which accessorized the cigar and scotch cart. 

Marcia Selden Catering did an amazing job with the food and this over-the-top cake!

Thanks to Robert Wagner for the fab photos!

:-) Lindsay

Beautiful Bouquets

One of the most intimate details of a wedding design is the bridal bouquet.  I really think of it as a fashion accessory for the bride, and since brides tend take their dresses pretty seriously, I take the task of creating the perfect accompaniment to their fashion statement to heart as well.  I think about the color, size, shape and seasonality as well as how we will accessorize the handle so that it is the ultimate finishing touch.

I have had many, many favorites over the years, but I wanted to share some recent beauties that have made me {and the bride!} a happy girl!

This huge, elegant cascade included standard and garden roses, calla lilies, phaelonopsis orchids and hanging amaranths. It was a major statement piece for this bride, but she will agree that a bouquet like this is quite heavy! If you want to carry a large bouquet, you better tone those arms before your big day!

*photo by Roey Yohai Photography

This was a delicate and petite bouquet made only of calla lilies and french tulips.  The bride's gown was quite slim, so the bouquet echoed the silhouette.  We tied the handle with powder blue ribbon to coordinate with the ceremony decor accents. 

*photo by Roey Yohai Photography

Peonies are amongst the most requested wedding flowers, but their availability can be quite limited. Since this bride's one and only bouquet request for her November wedding was peonies, we crossed our fingers and toes, praying for availability at the very early point of the winter peony season.  Good thing we got lucky because this round, lush bouquet is made solely of pale pink peonies. 

*photo by Allan Zepeda Photography

This gorgeous bride had a penchant for succulents, so the design of her bouquet began with those unusual blooms.  We added a variety of peach flowers including garden roses, calla lilies and dahlias for seasonality and tied the bouquet with fabric from the bride's gown as well as a sentimental locket showcasing a photo of her beloved grandfather. 

*photo by Brian Dorsey Studios

For this spring wedding, we featured white anemones along with peach garden roses and added white lisianthus to create an airy, whimsical feel.  The handle of this bouquet was covered with fabric from the bride's mother's wedding headpiece and was tied with a piece of blue velvet ribbon for her "something blue."

*photo by Christian Oth Studio

Even with all of these bouquets in a similar color palette, it is easy to see the amazing variety of styles and personalities you can create with just a small bunch of blooms.  

:-) Lindsay

Dancing the Night Away

Whew! My first "wedding season" with Lindsay Landman Events is complete! And our final wedding of the summer certainly did not disappoint. Well, how could a wedding at the Rainbow Room be anything but spectacular?

This bride and groom had a very unique back-story. And to make a very long story very short- they were partners in ballroom dance class when they were young, but fell out of touch and randomly met again years and years later at a bus stop! So as you can imagine, this story and their connection in dance was going to be a constant theme throughout their wedding.

It began with their save the date, which told their story to all of their guests.

Their invitations then had amazing custom artwork covering all 8 (!!!) spaces on this huge gate fold invitation, further detailing the story.

And of course, their first dance, accompanied by the Kevin Osborn Band, had to be very special… and it was!

The bride’s mom even surprised the bride and groom later in the night with Julie's favorite ballroom dancing pair, Riccardo and Yulia. Julie was totally shocked and thrilled!

Thank you to Brian Dorsey Studios for these incredible pictures. What a special and festive evening it was!

~ Spenser ~

A Trip to the Berkshires

This November, I had the pleasure of being a part of the Berkshire Wedding Tour. Located just 2.5 hours outside of New York City, the Berkshires offers incredible opportunities for arts, vacationing and most importantly events!

Here are our top five reasons to consider the Berkshires for your destination wedding!

1.     Guest Rooms at The Kemble Inn

For our first evening in The Berkshires, we attended a welcome dinner at the super chic Kemble Inn in Lenox. Massachusetts. The in-house restaurant Table Six, prepared a delicious and decadent (6) course meal. While the food was unbelievable, my favorite part of the inn was the guest rooms. Each of the (12) rooms were uniquely decorated and designed in an unexpectedly modern way as compared to the more typical Berkshire vibe. It’s fun to surprise your guests with something unexpected, yet beautiful and luxurious!

Photo taken by Christopher Duggan | christopherduggan.com

2.     Ceremony Location at Jacob’s Pillow

Jacob’s Pillow is a very well known dance school and performance center located in Becket, Massachusetts. The grounds are truly lovely, but the real stand out was the outdoor performance space with the most incredible views. Just image a wedding ceremony taking place on this stage- breathtaking!

Photo taken by Parris Whittingham | fromparriswithlove.com

3.     Blooming Gardens at The Mount

The Mount, also located in Lenox, Massachusetts, was the home of author Edith Wharton. This venue is a very popular location for weddings and there is a reason why- the gardens are spectacular! The best part about these gardens is there is essentially built in décor when the flowers are in bloom. Not only are they beautiful, but they require little additional décor- allowing a designer to allot more of the budget to other aspects of the wedding!

Photo from The Mount website

4.     Historical Element at Chesterwood

Chesterwood was the home and studio belonging to Daniel Chester French, who most notably sculpted the Lincoln Memorial. The huge lawns allow for a tent of up to 500 guests. Chesterwood is unique in The Berkshires in its ability to accommodate such large parties. And the most special part of it all is that there is real history in this place- very cool.

Photo taken by Parris Whittingham | fromparriswithlove.com 

5.     Ice Cream at SoCo Creamery

I really love ice cream and have tried a whole lot of it. I have to say that SoCo Creamery may be the best I have ever had! For local events, SoCo can cater in their ice cream to make your event that much sweeter. While their shop is located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, I was so excited to find out that many of New York City’s grocery stores carry their products! Taste it for yourselves- you will not be sorry.

Photo from SoCo Creamery website

There are many other amazing venues and caterers located in The Berkshires and I highly recommend checking them out! Thank you to The Berkshire Wedding Collective for having me and to all of the incredible sponsors of the 2015 Berkshire Wedding Tour. It was an amazing experience! 

~Spenser~

Meet the Team!

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - it takes a village to produce a party.  And it is true. There are so many talented, hard-working people who support every project that I produce, and I could not do any of it without them. But, I REALLY couldn't do it without my every-day A-team... the ones in the office with me at all hours of the day and night, on-call on email, first to load-in, last to load-out.  And, as if I don't work them hard enough with regular event biz, they are now going to contribute to this blog too, so meet the lovely ladies of LLE!

Spenser Barnett is our Event Manager.  That means that she is in charge of the logistics that make things tick. What time are the limos coming? I don't know - ask Spenser.  How many names on the guest list? Great question - ask Spenser. How much is a makeup trial? I could check, or you could... ask Spenser.  See what I mean? She makes it happen, day-in and day-out, with a huge smile and the most enthusiasm that any woman could muster.

Spenser grew up in Jericho, NY and graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans.  She thinks Yoga Toes cure all ailments and is head over heels in love with her cutie pup named Leo.


Jen Gottlieb is our Design Manager. That means that she is in charge of the pretty visions in my head actually showing up at a party.  She creates the logos, chases the printers, counts the flowers and measures the walls {windows, floors...}.  Jen makes everything on a computer look easy which I find simultaneously enchanting and infuriating!

Jen is from Chappaqua, NY and graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Graphic Design.  She may or may not want you to know that she collects pig paraphernalia and loves everything ombre.  Jen is the queen of crafting and spends her free time knitting, beading and, for all I know, hand-etching glass murals in her living room!

It gives me great joy to watch my team enjoy their work and revel in their successes... it reminds me that I picked the perfect crew to help me steer this crazy ship!

:-) Lindsay

Getting back to the biz of blogging!

It has been longer than I care to acknowledge since there's been action on this blog, but now is as good of a time as any to get things back on track! The good news is that we have more than a year's worth of amazing events to share with you, so lots of goodness to come. Are you ready? Good. Me too!

:-) Lindsay