Noah's Bar Mitzvah: Made for Movies

I love when my job allows me the opportunity to visit New York's best/coolest/most unusual cultural spots that ordinarily I don't get a chance to see. I didn't even know that the Museum of the Moving Image existed until we were looking for the perfect venue for a movie-buff teen with film biz parents. What could be a better fit than this unbelievably sleek space with something for everyone who has ever liked any kind of movie - ever. Star Wars gallery? Check. Silent film theater? Check. Animation studio? Check. Retro video arcade ('cuz who didn't play arcade games while you were waiting for your parents to pick you up from the movies!)? Check!

Noah's family didn't want a traditional, sit down meal with a lot of program formalities for their celebration, so we created a cocktail environment in the MMI foyer and cafe which provided lots of seating and food stations, but allowed guests to move and mosey throughout the night. Cocktail hour was in the galleries so guests could experience all of the cool stuff that the museum has to offer and the kids loved having a second opportunity to hit that arcade later in the night while the adults enjoyed a little "grown up" time. 

 For a Bar Mitzvah, I always like to use unusual, funkier flowers so that they don't feel too feminine. Here we used green antherium, dendrobium orchids and cymbidium orchids along with green and white parrot tulips and steel grass.  This fun vase was slightly reminiscent of a film reel - or so we thought!

 

Smaller tables had cocktail-sized arrangements with cymbidiums and spider mums. We were fortunate that the museum was furnished with these cute triangular white tables that looked a bit like "play" buttons and fit right into our design! All vases were detailed with vinyl film strip appliques. 

The cocktail bar was in a totally white space, so we kept it super-sleek with only a film reel vinyl applique that we custom designed for Noah.  

 Ottomans were enhanced with custom pillows for extra seating.

 Long communal tables detailed with black vinyl film strips allowed guests to hang out together in a relaxed setting. 

All photos by Gustavo Campos

This innovative video wall exhibit really set the scene and added the flavor of the museum to the party as it changed throughout the night. 

What I can't show you here (mostly because I am somewhat technically inept) is the absolutely unbelievable films that Noah and his parents created for both the video save the date and for the night of the party which premiered in the Museum of the Moving Image's stunning theater. When I think about this family and this venue, I cannot fathom a more perfect match. Boy, do I love it when a plan comes together...

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Checkerboard Fusion Album: Inspired by Invitations, Part 3

This next design for the Fusion shoot was just plain fun... instead of putting together a traditional wedding dinner setting, we designed a rustic dessert table inspired by the "Entwine" collection from the Checkerboard Fusion Album. 

I wanted to incorporate as much texture as possible so we used bushels of hay for the benches (covered with pashminas), burlap ribbon and fabric on the table and wrought iron trays and lanterns. 

 We featured more tote bags accented with the Love logo and personalized tags along with monogram favor boxes from the Fusion album. 

 When creating a great dessert table or any type of food station, I think it is important to use varied containers and trays on various levels, but to maintain some symmetry in the design so that it doesn't feel busy and haphazard. Treading the fine line between interesting and chaotic is sometimes a challenge!

 

 I loved these "canoe" bowls from Mikasa!

Checkerboard introduced these adorable cookie cutter favors - and what better place to display them than amongst the desserts!

 

 Throw pillows can have a place at a wedding or special event and then you can continue to use them at home. If your venue has existing furniture - even if it doesn't match your color scheme - you can accessorize it with your own pillows and throws (pashminas are always easy and inexpensive) to give a personalized touch.

 Also available in the Fusion album is event signage and gorgeous framed wall art so you can have a piece of your wedding beauty at home.

After the shoot, we got to stock the Checkerboard breakroom with all of these amazing goodies, so have no fear - not a morsel went to waste!

Checkerboard Fusion Album: Inspired by Invitations, Part 2

Next up in our series showcasing our fantastic collaboration with Checkerboard, is a soft and romantic design inspired by the "Harmony" collection from the Fusion Album.  The invitation itself has a very classic feel and the floral accents give it a softness and femininity that I wanted to carry through to the tabletop.

 There is no time like the present to acknowledge the importance of font selection. I am CRAZY about fonts and choosing just the right one can truly set the tone for your celebration. I personally look for script fonts that have a very thin point/weight and that have a more calligraphic/hand drawn feel. The font used for the bride and groom's names is what initially drew me to this collection.

Elements like the gold chiavari chairs, neutral colors and crystal candlesticks give this look a classic vibe, whereas the geometric accents on the linen and china along with the use of a stemless wine glass, offer a modern touch.  The drape of the napkin in the gold ring is a nod to the soft cinched ribbon on the invitation.

 A crystal, footed vase is filled with ivory garden roses, blush and pink roses, white hydrangea and hyacinth.

 The tone on tone polka dot tablecloth from Party Rental Ltd would be perfect for a daytime wedding; for an evening affair, you could use a champagne dupioni or bengaline for added formality. Mikasa provided the contrasting pattern rimmed china accented with a blush shimmer personalized menu.

 One of my favorite offerings from Checkerboard in this album are the personalized guest books. My clients always find it so hard to find a great one and this is simple and beautiful.  Behind it is an amazing keepsake platter that can help you bring a piece of your wedding design into your home.

Stay tuned for more from this fun photoshoot! Happy weekend!

Checkerboard Fusion Album: Inspired by Invitations, Part 1

I was endlessly honored when I was approached by national invitation and stationery company Checkerboard, Ltd. to collaborate with them on their newest collection of invitations and their newest innovation to accompany them.  The Fusion Album by Checkerboard is not only filled with beautiful wedding invitations but also what they call "Event Adjacencies" - items that accompany an invitation suite to carry the look of the invitation into the event itself.  This is, as Checkerboard says, is "The Future of Inviting."

It was so exciting to be a part of the creative process with the Checkerboard design and marketing teams, giving them insight into what my clients look for when creating the designs for their events, what types of products are absent from the "adjacency" market and how an invitation can become true inspiration for an entire event. I loved learning from their teams about the development process of an invitation suite and watching this album be built from the ground up... and then watching it launch into the hands of stationery dealers around the world at the National Stationery Show!

As a way to show stationery dealers and customers how the adjacencies worked to created a holistic event concept, my team and I produced a HUGE multi-day photoshoot at the Checkerboard headquarters in West Boylston, Massachusetts. Along with the Checkerboard team, we selected five invitation suites to use as inspiration for a wedding look.  Here's our first look... others to follow in coming posts!

The "Vast" invitation ensemble was our inspiration.

And this was the look we created!

 Printed tote bags with personalized hang tags are one of the Checkerboard adjacencies available.  Perfect for hotel welcome gifts or bridesmaids' thank yous. 

 Layered navy patterned plates were provided by Mikasa. Wave place cards and monogrammed favor boxes are featured - both available from the Fusion collection.

 Silk runners from Party Rental Ltd. ran crossways on the table adding contrast between the white linen and white napkin.  Personalized coordinating menus just lay simply on the plate.

Bright yellow spring flowers added a contrast color to the palette. We detailed the vases, candles and chairs with navy and white striped ribbon from our last nautical-inspired event!

A little tip on using your invitation for inspiration... you don't have to match everything to the invitation in order to build a design around it.  Allow yourself the freedom to add new pops of color (in this case, the yellow flowers) or other graphic elements (the wave on the placecards or the polka dots on the plate) to add depth and interest. Give your design a little room to grow and you'll be amazed!

Surprise Winter Birthday Soiree

With only a few weeks' notice, we were invited to create a glimmering holiday-inspired SURPRISE birthday celebration at one of New York's most storied restaurants. The guest of honor's favorite spot is the famed Four Seasons restaurant in NYC so we used some of the best qualities of the space to design a sparkling winter dinner party.

The "water table" escort display that I originally designed for Lauren and Nick was a natural fit for this party since the miniature pool surrounded by lush white flowers echoed the large, beautiful pool that stands as the centerpiece of the Four Seasons restaurant. 

The private dining room at the restaurant is defined partially by its large and dramatic Pop Art pieces. To counter that and create a warm and serene environment, elegant lighting was crucial. We washed the room in amber light and then used a candlelight colored pattern wash over the entire space to create a sparkly effect.

We mixed round and rectangular tables throughout the room to help the guest of honor and the host re-imagine a space that they had been to dozens and dozens of times. This is the best way to make a familiar space feel new again.

Simple white floral landscapes mixed with mercury glass finial trees integrated a nod to the holiday season with a simple festive design that was not overly feminine for the male guest of honor.

The host loved the antique silver chargers that the Four Seasons provides - they were the base of the silver and gold palette that we used for the entire event. Silver and gold was mixed throughout including the use of silver chairs and gold cushions and gold napkins with silver crystal napkin bands. 

Thank you to Judith Rae for these beautiful photos!

Trish and Rick: Destination Wedding TDF, Part 2

So, this windy, rainy gal named Sandy is hearkening memories of another nasty vistor not so long ago - dear, old Irene.  This time, I am lucky to be tucked in safe at home with my family and plenty of junk food, but when Irene came to town, it was a different story...

I started Part 1 of this wedding tale months ago before the mania of wedding season struck, but what a better day to finish it than when I am hiding out in my apartment with eleven different media sources comparing this hurricane du jour to the last one that pummeled the Northeast in late August of 2011.

In Part 1 of Trish and Rick's wedding at the beautiful Sagamore Resort on Lake George, you were witness to the glory of their Friday night welcome dinner.  Well, while the rest of the Northeast, and particularly all of our family, friends and colleagues in NYC were bracing for the worst storm in recent memory and canceling weddings by the dozen, we were bracing for.... the most fabulous, pristine, gorgeous Saturday of all time. Perfection. We watched the rest of the Lake George resorts clear out as hotel guests raced back to their hometowns to prepare their houses for the worst, but our team and the wedding guests settled in for a glorious day of outdoor events - ceremony, cocktails, tented dinner... and a late evening surprise. Lucky really wasn't even the word that day. Blessed was a bit more like it.

Trish's bouquet was composed of white dahlias and garden roses.

The ceremony overlooked breathtaking Lake George. The weather was so calm that the ribbon streamers we created didn't even blow in the wind as planned!

Ceremony program incorporated fonts and design elements from other printed pieces. 

Drink signage is so fun - coasters and bar signs provided info on the signature cocktail and drink flags used the monogram and anchor insignia.

Escort cards were embedded in a tabletop covered end-to-end with flowers... what you can't see here is that the flowers were arranged in thick pink and white stripes to continue the nautical/preppy vibe. 

The tent before dark... custom white dancefloor with huge monogram was the focal point and the ceiling was enhanced with 85 clear globes to create an ethereal sparkle.

And the tent after dark.  You can't really get a sense of how magical the globes really were, but I can't help but smile when I remember the bride's nephew entering the tent and saying "Wow! Look at all of those floating bubbles!"

We detailed the bride and groom's chairs with striped ribbon - the same ribbon used to create napkin rings at each place setting. The polka dot china from Party Rental Ltd created the perfect foil to the stripes. 

Custom upholstered lamps adorned half the tables and lush round centerpieces were on the others. 

The pastry chef at the Sagamore was remarkably ready and willing to mimic the design we painstakingly created with the bride and groom for their perfect nautical cake.

THIS was the late nigh surprise!  The best fireworks I have ever seen for a private event! Rick surprised Trish with a post cake cutting fireworks display over the lake and it was truly magical.

I'd be lying if I said the story ended with these spectacular fireworks.... there was, indeed, an awesome afterparty inside the Sagamore until about 1 AM.  At that is when Irene made her way to lovely Lake George. 

The rain continued through the night and into the Sunday morning brunch.  At 11 AM sharp (seriously - no exaggeration), the moment the brunch was scheduled to end, there was a "pop" and then the power was out throughout the whole hotel. It was strange and eerie - and kinda cool. Like there was some force that knew that 11 AM marked the end of this perfect wedding weekend. 

The story of how it took me and my team two days to drive home is for another post another time... we made it eventually - and if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... all's well that ends well. 

Special thanks to the amazing Sofia Negron for all of these photos and to David at Renaissance Floral Design in Albany, NY who was my production partner for this event.

Stay safe in the storm!