Princess on the way!

18 May

Our next event was a baby shower at Wolferts Roost Country Club in their Patroon South room. The day could not have been more beautiful,
and truly was fit for a princess.

Michelle, the adorable mommy-to-be was expecting a girl
(who has since arrived, welcome to the world Alexa!)
so naturally she wanted a royal celebration with plenty of pink and a little glitz!

Michelle described the color palette she wanted to use as Lily Pulitzer-esque (we loved that!) and had no problem translating those colors into her centerpieces. We used a variety of vases (both glass and light pink ceramic) filled with green and white hydrangeas and soft pink roses.

Handwritten place cards complete with rhinestone
were done by Michelle’s family.

We covered our bronze branches with tiny pink blossoms.
Look close, hanging off the branches are small crystal pacifiers!

Cinderella carriage doubles as a card box on this beautifully sunlit gift table, draped in pink tulle. Tiny teacups of pink carnations were scattered about, an inexpensive way to stretch your floral budget!

This pretty pink pop tower looks quite lonely
without its signature royal sweets!

Not to worry Double Dips to the rescue with
an assortment of white and pink princess pops!

Our cupcake tower decorated in pink tulle, was filled with Double Dips
first and fabulous cupcake endeavor.
Check out these adorable princess crown cupcake holders,
topped off with mini crowns.
Disclaimer: The crowns are to be worn, not eaten!

What a great way to celebrate a little princess’ arrival!
Enjoy the weekend and check back next week for more featured events!

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Curious Mikey Turns One!

16 May
Invitation designed by Brittany

You are cordially invited as we recap our most elaborate children’s celebration this year: My grandson’s First Birthday!

My daughter-in-law and myself came up with the idea but she didn’t want to do the traditional primary red, yellow and blue theme Curious George that you’ve seen before. It’s an incredibly popular theme – and we totally understand why, but we wanted to put a spin on it. We decided to change the color palette to a softer blue, yellow and chocolate brown – a little more baby friendly. After all, even though Mikey is already one we want him to stay our baby forever!

First, like any event – we needed a location. Having a party in March with 100 guests (did we mention that this is an incredibly adored little boy?!) kind of puts a damper on our usual backyard tent parties. We needed to find a venue that could hold that many people without breaking the bank. The Crossings of Colonie’s event room was the perfect solution! A huge space where you can rent tables and chairs and bring in your own food, is exactly what we needed.

Polka-dotted paddle balloons on top of our playful balloon columns were scattered across the room. There was even enough space for games and toys for the younger guests!

The centerpieces for the adult tables were covered with bright yellow and baby blue linens. Each table had a tall slim vase filled with Banana Runts and a Curious George stuffed animal hanging off! Balloons topped off our vases to create this palm tree look.

Mikey’s sign-in & goodie bag table. We used a Curious George book as a way for guests to leave special messages for Mikey on his special day.

Mikey’s message on his sign-in board!

Detail shot of Mikey’s thank you stickers on the goodie bags!

Small tables with mini folding chairs for Mikey’s guests!
Individual lunch bag and custom water bottles

Lunch Bag Tags

Custom water bottle labels

Now lets get to the sweet details..

Banana Runt cupcakes, birthday cake and smash cake
made by my mother Gladys.

From the looks of it Mikey likes it!

Rather than do a traditional candy table, especially with very young guests, we thought a banana split station would be a sweeter solution.

A party is not complete without monkey cake pops from Double Dips! At this point its safe to say we were on sugar overload.

The happy little family! My son Michael, Mikey and my daughter-in-law Tiffany.

Can’t believe it has already been a year having my grandson in my life. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and this party was no exception.
Up next is a baby shower awaiting the arrival of a princess!

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A tribute to Mothers

11 May

photo courtesy of jp elario photography

I’m going to take a quick moment to get a little personal as Mother’s Day is approaching this Sunday. As a mother myself and now a blessed grandmother, there truly is no greater gift.

Only a mom will love you unconditionally and at 49 I know that I still need my mom. Pictured above is my mother Gladys with my oldest daughter Tiffany in a moment I will never forget. My mother spent months hand sewing every individual rose onto my daughter’s wedding dress, which was one of two dresses she made for her very special day. There is just no limit to the lengths she will go to for her children, grandchildren and now great grandchild! It’s such an admirable quality that I have tried to emulate in my life as well.

I won’t go on and on, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the hard-working moms; those who work in the home (I remember how hard it is chasing four little kids in four different directions!) and those who that go to work, wishing that they were with their children. You give your all and don’t ask for much in return and although we don’t always show it, we know that we wouldn’t get very far without the constant love and support of our Mothers. It’s the hardest job in the world (just ask the Today Show they’ve put a dollar amount on the value of a stay at home mom, it’s in the six figures!) and also the best job all rolled into one and I wouldn’t trade my mother or this job for anything.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Mom’s out there, enjoy your day.
 You deserve it!

Go on, leave me breathless..

10 May



All puns intended on this one. I just couldn’t help myself, the use of baby’s breath in this February wedding created an unbelievable atmosphere – one that even left me gasping for air. Ok enough with the jokes, lets get to the details.

Sarah and Brian’s wedding was such a fun way to start off the year. It was held at one of our very favorite venue’s The Franklin Plaza Ballroom. With a list of All-Star vendors, many of which I have not had the chance to work with before:
Katie O • Wedding & Events kept everyone flawlessly on task, Julia Zave Lifestyles photography captured every moment and Grand Central Station got the party started!  Not to mention the gorgeous gold chiavari chairs and white HOT lounge furniture provided by Total Events. Sounds like the perfect ingredients for an amazing evening right? You got it!

This event was a year in the making with Brian’s radio segment The Knot Nazi on Fly 92.3 which followed the adventures and challenges of planning a wedding. With weekly check-ins on their progress from his fiancé Sarah – I have to say this couple is very brave for letting the whole world tune in!

Like most brides Sarah only wanted to use flowers if she could use a huge amount of them, so when she came to me with the idea of using baby’s breath only I wasn’t sure a flower, traditionally used as a filler, could hold its own and create the look she was imagining. But once we started creating these baby’s breath bushes, (large ones featured on the head tuscan table & smaller versions for the guest tables) I quickly realized that even having been in the business 20 years, there is always something new to learn. The way the centerpieces filled the room was better than I had expected for sure!

The wedding ceremony was also held at The Franklin Plaza, complete with candle lit aisle and our traditional Chuppah. The Chuppah was draped with sheer fabric and crystals and featured subtle hints of the signature baby’s breath.

The lovely couple celebrating after their vows. Which by the way I was there to witness,  forget it not a dry eye in the house! (photo provided by Julia Zave)

Sarah’s bouquet was the soft touch of pink she wanted sprinkled throughout, complete with blush feathers and a few embellishments to make it shine.

Metallic striped table linens adorned with crystals and small teacups of roses.

Mini wreaths made of baby’s breath served a dual purpose: first flanking the chair’s along the ceremony aisle and then every other chair on the head table. It’s a great way to re-use elements from the ceremony,
at the reception in a different way!

Placecard, program and menu design by our in house graphic designer Brittany, check out the extra bling!

One of their Signature Cocktails – love it!

We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented people on this grand celebration, from the couple themselves to every last vendor! While I know this is image overload I had a hard time narrowing it down to just a few great moments from this night.
Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a special tribute to my mom and all other mom’s that deserve more than just one day of recognition for all that they do!

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Challenge Accepted: The Big Red Freakout 2012

1 May

It’s been a few weeks since our last post and we can’t believe how fast time is flying! Before we know it were going to be knee deep in weddings and thats just the way we like it. But before that happens we need to continue catching you up on what we were up to, at the beginning of this year.

The Big Red Freakout is an RPI Alumni Event – held during hockey season, every year. We have had the pleasure of decorating this event for quite some time now. The challenge of decorating the same event year after year is keeping it fresh. We like to keep the balloon decor as exciting as the event itself and all the positive energy surrounding it. But this year that was not our only challenge.

(cue the ominous music)

This year, as apart of RPI’s Operations and Sustainability they have banned the use of helium on campus. Helium is what makes our balloons fly..
see our dilemma?

But not to fear – we love a challenge, any chance to rise to the occasion? We’ll take it! Even when our trusty air compressor unexpectedly explodes and it seems we might have to resort to blowing up the balloon the old fashioned way (you guessed it – our mouths!) we figure out a way to get the job done. We’ve got you on the edge of your seat now, don’t we..

Bring in the beast.

I can’t even tell you how long I’ve had this baby sitting in my garage – he’s been waiting for a chance to prove he’s still got it! This vintage air compressor saved our butts in an otherwise, grim looking situation.

We used air filled balloons and attached each centerpiece to metal posts, creating the height that were used to with helium balloons – minus the helium.

Our solution was to combine ribbons, 260 q’s (the thin curly balloons)
and a little bit of sparkle to our simple air filled balloons.
All of these extras helped to create movement
that was absent due to the absence of helium.
PROBLEM SOLVED.

Maybe this is more story than you bargained for,
but it’s challenges like these that make me love what I do.
Next up on The After Party is Sarah & Brian’s wedding.
It is sure to take your breath away.

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Color Evolution

3 Apr

Following last week’s bright posts, I figured we’d keep the color wheel spinning and showcase our latest Bridal Show display.
This display is from Franklin Plaza’s Marriage & Bridal Show, Celebrating Marriage for All which took place at the Plaza on Sunday, February 12, 2012.

We’ve participated in two shows this year and I have to say we have such a great time talking to couples, seeing what they’re interested in and building new relationships! Its also a great opportunity to design new themes and floral concepts without boundaries.

The ombré trend has been in full force lately, everything from clothes to nails and hair so it was only a matter of time until it hit the wedding scene. It is definitely a daring trend to try, but when you’re looking to draw attention the transition from
wedding white to fierce fuchsia certainly gets the job done.

Paddle balloons add height and a whimsical element to any celebration, think of the photo opportunities!

Color coordinated custom candy bar? Don’t mind if we do! Jars of all shapes and sizes, with an assortment of ribbons and labels help make these sweet treats even more appealing. Not that they needed it!

We were also very excited to show the print accessories we now offer. Our goal is to help our couples from start to finish and really make their vision complete.

Circle die-cut menus fit perfectly in our gold chargers!

We had such a great time at this show and we love any chance we get to show some of the ideas we’ve got cookin’. Lets face it any day you can be surrounded by this much pink is a good day in our book. Hope we inspired you!

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Kathryn’s Garden Bat Mitzvah

30 Mar

Happy Friday!
Here’s hoping this post will bring some spring like temperatures our way,
something like the 70 degree weather I had grown accustomed to all last week!

Join us as we look back on Kathryn’s Garden themed Bat Mitzvah!
What a playful concept with endless possibilities.

Kathryn’s special day was held at the Glen Sanders Mansion and we transformed the room into a planter’s playground. This theme was perfect for the occasion just the right amount of whimsy without being too childish, as this is a celebration for a young woman!

Balloon clusters that resembled flowers were planted on every table in
terra-cotta pots filled with artificial grass. Each table was named after a different type of Garden (all printed party accessories designed and printed by our in house designer Brittany). We even managed to find some mini terra-cotta pots to use as votive holders!

Guiding the guests to their tables was a garden of die cut flower placecards, each planted in their own pot. Not to mention there was an endless amount of bedazzled butterflies on hand. You know how we love the bling!

Go Bananas!

The most playful part of this Bat Mitzvah was Kathryn’s custom candy bar. Flower pots filled with gummy worms and garden gummy lollipops were just a few of the sweet treats being offered to these lucky guests.

Most likely the only time you’ll be happy to see all these creepy crawly creatures!

Watering cans, picket fences, sand pails were a great way to contain the candy; nice change from the typical glass jars.

Its safe to assume with this much sugar in one room, all of the guests at Kathryn’s Bat Mitzvah enjoyed themselves!

Have a great weekend – look for more posts next week!

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