Off to Bali for my friend's wedding

My college friend, Karen, is finally tying the knot and of course I wouldn't miss it for the world. Not to mention that her fiance is Indian and I have always wanted to attend an Indian wedding. This would be a wonderful opportunity to see how weddings are done on the other side of the world. The lovely wedding will be held at the Villa Bayu Sabbah in Bali, Indonesia, and the night before they are going to have a huge Sangeet party.

Watch for my update and photos when I return on March 10. Have a great 2 weeks everyone!

Lesley's Scouting Trip

It was very nice meeting with Lesley, her mom and her friend Linda today. They are such wonderful people. I can't wait to see them again in September when they are back for the wedding. Her ceremony is going to be at the Saint Theresa Church and the reception will be at the Five Palms Beach Grill.

We spent the morning checking out a few locations and the rest of the afternoon meeting with all the photographers. Next Monday, she will be meeting with all the florists and Tuesday is the food tasting day. I am definitely keeping her very busy while she is here. Hopefully when she gets home, she will have a better idea of which vendors she'd like to hire for her wedding.

"Centerpiece of the Week"

I just helped my friend Beth with a wedding at the Seawatch Restaurant this past weekend, and they had some lovely centerpieces. It worked really well because the vases were tall enough that guests could talk, plus the vases were clear and only a few orchids were submerged. Then they had some smaller and lower arrangements that added more color to the table. It was absolutely stunning.

Monique Lhuillier China Collection

My favorite wedding gown designer, Monique Lhuillier, has launched a new collection of fine china, stemware, flatware and crystal giftware with one of my favorite English bone china companies, Royal Doulton.

Now, THAT'S a match made in heaven, I'd say! I am not surprised if Monique is going to follow Vera's footstep and start designing lingerie, fragrances, home decor and even mattresses!

Thank you, Nicole & Kristen!

My 2 wonderful, talented friends - Nicole and Kristen made some complimentary notecards for Events by Evonne, LLC. Nicole got the orchid stencil and did her own embossing with my company colors, and Kristen used my company logo and the chartreuse color for her letterpress plates. They all look so lovely that I don't want to use them and just keep them to myself! =)

Kristen has her own stationery business in Washington State - Crybaby Ink and her website should be done very soon!

Thanks so much, Nicole and Kristen! I am so blessed to have friends like you gals. You are the "bestest"! Love you both! =)

Eri and Aris' Scouting Trip on O`ahu

It was so nice meeting with Eri and Aris today. Their wedding is going to be on O`ahu in November 2008. I took an early morning flight out to Honolulu today and spent the entire day with them meeting with vendors and checking out some of the sites. They are such sweethearts and we had so much fun together. Eri and I both have the same taste in terms of flowers and wedding gowns (we picked the same designer)! We are going to have a great time planning the wedding together.

They really like Lanikuhonua and hopefully it will be available on their wedding date. As for photographers, they are definitely going with one of my favorites, Visionari. They are also planning to have a Polynesian show with a few hula dancers and one fire dancer right after their sit-down dinner. It will be such a fun wedding... can't wait to see everything coming together for them.

Oh, and by the way, Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhh... Linens & Flowers!

Photo Credit: Wildflower Linen

Lately, I am having a blast working with my brides on their linens and flowers. Even if you only have a handful of tables, they add so much color and depth to the table top, and can totally transform your entire event.

My favorite "mainland" linen companies are:

Wildflower Linen
BBJ Linen
Resource One

And here are the different types of linens and fabrics:

BENGALINE
- A fabric with a crosswire rib made from textile fibers (as rayon, nylon, cotton or wool) often in combination.

BICHON
- A fabric with a crinkled silk feel to it.

BROCADE
- A heavy, exquisite jacquard type fabric with an all-over raised pattern or floral design.

DAMASK
- A glass jacquard fabric, usually made from linen, cotten, rayon, silk, or blends. The patterns are flat and reversible.

DUPIONI SILK (my favorite)
- An elegant fabric woven with slubbed yarns, medium weight with a crisp, scrunchy hand, a beautiful luster and uneven texture.

LAMOUR
- A smooth, matte-satin fabric.

ORGANZA
- A crisp, sheer, lightweight plain weave fabric, with a medium to high yarn count commonly made of silk, rayon, nylon, or polyester.

SATIN
- A smooth fabric of silk or rayon; has a glossy face and a dull back.

TAFFETA
- A lustrous, medium weight, plain weave fabric with a slight ribbed appearance in the filling (crosswise) direcction.

"Centerpiece of the Week"

This is a very creative way of utilizing the Chinese lanterns as centerpieces for your reception. Normally you see them being strung on trees for an outdoor wedding, but you can definitely use them indoors as well.

Here you can see that each individual lantern is being supported by this one pole in the center of the centerpiece. It totally transforms the entire ballroom, giving it a very dramatic feel if you have them on every other table. It also adds a lot of colors to the space.

Maui Bridal Fair

For those of you who will be on Mau`i doing a scouting trip during the weekend of March 22 and 23, you should stop by the Maui Bridal Fair. Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, March 22, 2008
Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Place: Maui Tropical Plantation

For more information, please click here.

For directions to the Maui Tropical Plantation, please click here.