Counting down.... 5, 4, 3, 2....

This time between Christmas and New Year's Eve is, I think, a universally great week, regardless of what holidays you celebrate. Time off from work, time to be with family, vacationing somewhere warm or maybe on the slopes, a few extra dinners out with a few extra glasses of something to keep the holiday spirit going... And I do love this time for all of those reasons, however, I have a major confession to make - my absolute FAVORITE thing about this week is the release of every possible configuration of a "best of" or "countdown" list reliving the highlights from the past year.

I could watch the top 10 music videos of the year on VH1 on repeat, having not seen even one of those videos the entire year - nor even knowing what channel on which to find VH1. I made my family wait an extra twenty minutes for me on December 26th as I perused CNN's top 100 images of the 2013 - one of them was a horse itching his back on a gravel path (???) but I was, nonetheless, glued to my screen. And don't even get me started on the top 25 celebrity breakups... at least 10 of which I had to Google since, evidently, being a step-child of a Housewife makes you a celebrity. Top 100 songs, 10 best political bloopers... you name it, I love it!

So, since I'm a forever sucker for every countdown list known to man, I figured I'd give it a try and make one of my very own. This was an amazing year for LLE, so it is hard to choose, but take a look at the Lindsay Landman Events' 2013 Top 10 Moments of "Wow!"

Click on the photos to enlarge

10. Rainbow Soda Station for Milo's Bar Mitzvah

Milo was sweet and shy and had few requests... but a soda bar of some sort was one of them, so we created this eye-catcher that kids and adults loved just the same!

photo by Sharon Schuster

9. Custom Aisle Runner for Soumya and Aditya's wedding

Soumya sent me a Pinterest board loaded with images of Meenakshi Temples from the South of India that had simple stone structures and then the most stunningly colorful and elaborate chakra patterns all over the ceilings... so we recreated the look on the aisle runner to incorporate a touch of her culture. 

photo by Gustavo Campos

8. Alissa and Josh's Escort Card Display

The American Museum of Natural History was the inspiration for this unique display. As this sat in the shadows of the giant and iconic T-Rex skeletons, the bride specifically requested these dark manzanita branches to mimic the dark bones of the dinos. The table itself, like all of the tables in the cocktail hour, "displayed" flowers on the inside just as museum cases display artifacts. 

photo by Gustavo Campos

7. "Drive Thru" Food Station at Aaron's Bar Mitzvah

For a skater-kid having a Bar Mitzvah at a luxury car dealership, what else can we say but, "Roll With It?" We incorporated wheel installations and graffiti art in the bars and buffets, but the highlight was definitely this "drive thru" where kids could roll up, check out the menu [backdrop] and get their take out box for dinner. 

6. {Just} Fab Flowers for Hannah and Tim's Wedding

2013 marked the year that we began offering straightforward floral design for a select number of engagements per year and this lovely wedding at Studio 450 was a perfect way to kick it off! 

photo by Silk Studios

5. Escort Card Display Sculpture for Soumya and Aditya

Who knew PVC pipes could look this good? I had a fantasy that involved building a one-of-a-kind sculpture to set this escort display apart, so my team of wedding elves helped me to cut, paint and assemble 100 sections of PVC pipe and adorn the sculpture with fresh fall blooms. Just in case it wasn't funky enough, we set it on a copper sequined linen for good measure!

photo by Gustavo Campos

4. Compound Foundation East Hampton Gala

This is the view of the spectacular tent from behind the hosts, Ne-Yo (left) and Kevin Hart. The night sky effect on the ceiling of the tent brought the outside in, but with a major dose of glitz and glam.

photo by DJ D-Nice

3. Alex and Yaniv's Horah

This Brooklyn Museum wedding was amazing in a million ways with gorgeous details and a truly stunning couple, but this moment took the cake for me. This was an insanely busy and stressful setup (not so unlike any of the others!) and the bride wasn't feeling well (ack!) and by the time the ballroom opened for dinner, I was sweatin' the small stuff... but just for a second, I looked to the dance floor and caught a glimpse of two truly happy people completely and totally enjoying their wedding day, and I felt their joy to the bottom of my soul. And there's no better "wow" than that.

photo by Cava Weddings

2. Dining Under the Sea at Alissa and Josh's Wedding

There is nothing that isn't cool about having a dinner of any kind in the Hall of Ocean Life in the Museum of Natural History. But, to make sure sure wedding guests got the full effect, we brought in a white dance floor and lit it like the sparking ocean on a crystal clear night.

photo by Gustavo Campos

1. Shanique and Frantz's Oceanside Wedding Dinner

After some daunting summer rain on the island of Anguilla, the skies cleared just in time to set the warm, glowing dinner tables on the patio of a private villa set on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean. Need I say more?

photo by Allan Zepeda

There really is no greater honor than to be invited to share in the intimate details of someone's special event. Whether it is a wedding or a Bar Mitzvah or a gala celebration, I am touched and excited each and every time I am tapped to make it happen and make it beautiful. After more than twelve years, you would think it gets old, but I assure you it does not. I extend my most sincere thanks to all of the families this year and in years past who have shared their celebrations with me and who have helped to make my dream job a reality - and a career. 

Wishing you a new year filled with joy and goodness and many, many reasons to celebrate!

Ne-Yo's Big Night

Since we spend most of our time producing fabulous weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and social parties, it is no surprise that many of you may not know that we have a long history of producing highly successful fundraising galas and events as well. And while many of these events are great fun, I'm not shy to admit that one of the highlights of the year is producing this amazing gala for music superstar Ne-Yo and his important charitable initiative, The Compound Foundation.

This past August was our second time working on this star-studded event at a to-die-for private home in East Hampton. The homeowners are unendingly gracious and let us come in and take over their entire property for a week... 'cuz that is how long it takes to set up an event of this scale!

This event is a little bit of everything - a beautiful dinner by Chef Roble and Great Performances, a raucous live auction, performances by Estelle, Mario, and, of course, Ne-Yo - with Kevin Hart as the hilarious host to boot. So, with all that glamour, the stakes are high for me and my team as we work to coordinate every one of those nerve-wracking details. Nonetheless, you'll know why it is all worth it when you peek at the gorgeous setting - not to mention when almost $500k is raised to help kids in foster care.

6000 square foot tent with decking floor from Starr Tent filled with lounge style furnishings from Luxe Event Rentals and New York Lounge Decor.

Branding is crucial at any charitable event so we made our mark on the pool around which guests enjoyed cocktails.

Chic centerpieces in mirrored vases carried through the black, white, cobalt blue and mirror palette. 

VIP tables got their own bottle-service mini-bars featuring Ne-Yo's own Malibu Red liquor.

The tent after sunset featuring a real starry night effect!

Porsche is a title sponsor of this event... what could make a beautiful tent for a beautiful cause on a beautiful night look even more... beautiful? A brand new red Porsche at the entrance, of course!

A huge thanks to the talented Allan Zepeda for these stunning photos. 

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season!

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!

A Spectacular Summer Spiderman Soiree

I almost said no when my wonderful former clients Ines and Augusto asked if I would design a Spiderman-themed birthday celebration for their 4 year old son Diego. The truth is, that beside planning relatively low-key parties for my own kids, I really don't generally work on children's parties. But, when Ines told me that she wanted something as fabulous as their wedding was 5 years ago (one of my very favorites!), I couldn't turn it down. Needless to say, I am so thrilled that I was able to reunite with this family for a beautiful, warm and absolutely adorable party. Bring on the birthdays!

Diego is a major Spiderman fan, but as you probably already know, I am not much for over-theming any sort of party (even for a 4 year old - sorry folks), so I used Spiderman as my inspiration for this laid-back, red and blue bash. I found a gem of a location in the Planting Fields Arboretum on Long Island. We used the lawn of a beautiful mansion and erected a dining tent and two small activity tents. Since it was a gorgeous August Day, guests didn't even use the mansion except for the restrooms! My favorite part of the whole design was the styled dessert and favor table, but it wouldn't be a great kids' party without the requisite bounce house, face painting, build-a-bear station, and of course, the web-slinger himself... Spidey!


Guests were welcomed to the party by a pair of skywalkers.


The sweets and favor table featured all red and blue candies and treats along with thematic toys like Spiderman bouncy balls, bubbles and custom-made pinwheels.


I used lucite trays flipped upside down as well as styrofoam boxes wrapped in white paper to give some dimension to the surface.


What could be more perfect than red velvet cupcakes?


Kids could take these gable boxes to store all of the loot they collected throughout the party.


The birthday boy undergoes his transformation with the real Spidey looking on!


Imperfections in the tent ceiling were disguised with inexpensive paper lanterns in the theme colors.


Simple summery centerpieces were perfect for a kids' party with a lot of adult guests.


All great parties have great cakes - and this one was done by Cakes by Mona.

All photos by Sharon Schuster.

This party was nothing but fun and I look forward to my next kidtastic celebration! Wonder Woman, perhaps?