Bridal Jewelry Rental

Yes, that's right... now you can be like a movie star, walking down the red carpet with thousands of dollars worth of diamonds on you but without actually spending the thousands of dollars!

I just came across this company - Adorn Brides, where you can spend just a few hundred dollars to rent these exceptional pieces for your special day:
This is the "Stevenson" necklace. It's 5/8 inches long, marquis shaped droplet patterns of diamonds topped by clusters of four small round diamonds and separated by baguette diamonds. Retail value: $26,000. Rental price: $960.

This is the "Spencer" necklace. This diamond drop necklace features clusters of round bezeled diamonds in an intricate lace pattern. At its center, the width of the necklace measures 3/4 inches. Retail value: $9,800. Rental price: $360.

This is the "Windsor" earrings. These stunning large round solitaire diamond studs are secured in 4 prong settings. The large stones are full of fire and sparkle. Retail value: $19,370. Rental price: $620.


This is the "Thurley" earrings. These princess cut diamond earrings have a total carat weight of 2.05 and each stone in a 4-prong setting. Retail value: $18,530. Rental price: $650.

Here is how it works from their website:

You enter your wedding date, then select the type of bridal jewelry you are seeking (bracelet, necklace, earrings) and find a style that suits your wedding style best.

Once your bridal jewelry order has been placed, a nonrefundable deposit of 25% of the total lease price will be charged to your credit card. Your wedding jewelry package will be shipped directly to you, arriving two days prior to the wedding event date. An amount equal to approximately 5% of the retail value of the jewelry will be reserved on your credit card during this time as a temporary security deposit.

After the wedding, simply pack up the bridal jewelry in the enclosed pre-addressed packaging. Just take the jewelry to your local UPS Store or UPS drop box the first business day after the wedding event to send it back. When they receive the bridal jewelry, they will remove the security deposit reserve from your credit card account. How easy is that?

The Blurb Book

A good friend of mine, Tara, showed me pictures of the "Blurb Book" that she created with all of her wedding planning ideas! I thought it was such a wonderful thing to do and wanted to share with all of you.

It's very similar to the coffee table book that you can create from all these other photo websites, but what's cool about the Blurb Book is that it can "slurp" all of your photos from most major photo storing sites such as Picassa or Flickr, and it can also "slurp" your entire blog if it's hosted on Blogger, Live Journal, Typepad or WordPress. You can also share the book with family and friends by linking it to social networking sites like Facebook and Digg.

The possibility is just endless... with such great ideas you have for your wedding, why not share it with the people you love? And when your wedding is over, you can make a Blurb Book of all the wedding photos for yourself, your wedding party, your parents...

Photo Credit: Tara D.

Melissa's Smitten

The talented Melissa Bumstead of Smitten Invitations had a wonderful write-up of one of my recent weddings on her blog - "Melissa's Smitten"! Thank you so much, Melissa!

Based in Los Angeles, California, Smitten Invitations is committed to delighting engaged couples. Founded in 2002 by Melissa and her husband Chad, they provide fine wedding stationery, stress-free shopping and attentive customer service. When you make a purchase from them, they will donate 10% of their profits to non-profit organizations such as Hope Gardens, S.O.S. of Malibu and World Vision. If you are looking for invitations and stationery products, please be sure to check out Smitten Invitations!

Photo Credit: Element Studios

Collage by: Smitten Invitations

Ceremony chairs and setup

It's always nice to see unconventional designs when it comes to ceremony and reception decor...

Beautiful and cushy benches can certainly substitute for individual chivari chairs:

Photo Credit: Aaron Delesie

The Wedding Planning Gurus

I was extremely excited to receive a phone call this morning from Ralph Mucci, the Executive Producer and Show Host of The Wedding Planning Audiocast. I have been invited to do an interview with them for the "Wedding Planning Gurus" segment, giving advice on wedding planning as well as on destination weddings here in Hawai`i.

I am very honored to be listed amongst all of these great planners from all over the country such as Mindy Weiss, Marcy Blum, Michelle Rago, Sasha Souza, Linda Kessler, David Tutera and Colin Cowie too! I really look forward to chatting with you all online. My interview will be in 2 weeks and I will keep you all posted on the release date of the audiocast.

Now I can use one of the PR photos that I took the other day for their website too! Again, much mahalo to all of you for your generous support!

Photo Credit: The Flirty Guide Blog

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend!

This post is in honor of one of my hubby's very good friends, Gabe, who just proposed to his girlfriend, Athena, while on an Alaskan cruise! Congratulations guys! We can't wait to be at your wedding next year... and we certainly can't wait to go back to the Bay Area to visit! =)

Even though my hubby wasn't the first of all of his friends to get married, he certainly isn't the last either. So for those friends who are just thinking about proposing or ring shopping, they would call up my hubby for advice on diamonds. I totally enjoy listening in on their conversations, and I have to say I am pretty impressed with my other half. He would explain in detail not just 4 but the 5 C's to them:

Carat; Clarity; Color; Cut; and COST!

Photo Credit: Jessica Claire

{I love this picture taken by Jessica Claire. It's actually not so much the rings, but I just love the Tiffany blue boxes and the white ribbon! It's so classic!}

Photo Credits: Cartier, Chanel, and Harry Winston

Now you are wondering how and where my hubby got all that knowledge from. No, no, no... it's definitely not from me! After we got engaged back in 2004, we spent about 3 months looking for my perfect diamond and setting. My hubby knew better not to choose a ring without me as I am very picky about EVERYTHING, especially something that I am going to wear for the rest of my life! He wouldn't dare propose with just any ring! =)

We had gone in to many different jewelry stores, and we learned so much every time we walked out. This was back when we were still living in San Francisco. The very first store we went to was Derco at the Gift Center. I knew what kind of setting I wanted, and the lady just brought out trays after trays of wedding sets for me to look at. Honestly after 15 minutes, they all started looking the same to me and that was JUST for the setting.

Then we sat at another counter to look at all the different loose diamonds. The staff handed my hubby and I the loupe to check out the inclusions, and we looked at each other like - what are we supposed to look for? I couldn't find anything, so was that a flawless diamond? After 2 hours of non-stop staring at all the blings, we were totally "blinged-out" and decided it was time to go.

We were so incredibly overwhelmed after that first weekend, but we got home and read up more about diamonds and how to choose a diamond. After weeks and weeks and weeks of looking at them, we were getting really good at picking the nice ones! And we learned about all the other things as well from the different certifications like GIA, EGL, IGI... to the proportions of the table, the crown, the pavilion and the girdle! It was quite an education.

I am not going to go into details of the 4C's here because you can find that on a lot of the websites out there, but for those of you who are just in the process of ring shopping, take your time and really educate yourself. Even though they always say diamonds are a girl's best friend, it truly is an investment and you want to make sure that the diamond or the ring setting that you are getting is the best value. Ask lots of questions at the store and don't be pressured by the sales staff just because they want to close on a deal.

Or... you can always call my hubby for advice and emotional support too! He is very good at it now! =)

Smile!

So here are 2 photos out of 18 from the photo shoot yesterday that Mike Sidney took - Thanks again, Mike! I am having a difficult time deciding which one I want to use. There are so many good ones... I even created a poll amongst my friends to help me choose! =) I will let you all know which one I end up with! Stay-tuned...

Photo Credit: Mike Sidney

Events by Evonne PR photo shoot

I had a great time this afternoon at the Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens in Wailuku, doing a PR photo shoot with the talented Mike Sidney. I will be featured on this one wedding blog under their "Meet the Planners" series, and I have to submit my professional photo with my entry.

Stay-tuned... I will let you all know when it's up. And thank you so much, Mike, for taking time today on the shoot. I can't wait to see all the wonderful pictures you've taken.

And this was where we took the photos... What a beautiful garden!

Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens

Wedding items by Mindy Weiss

When I was at the mall yesterday with my hubby, I went in to this card shop (used to be a Papyrus, but now it's an independent store) because I wanted to check out some cute cards.

As soon as I walked in to the store, they had a whole shelf of wedding items by Mindy Weiss, who is one of my favorite celebrity event planners and designers - file organizers, file folders, luggage tags, post-in notes, response card organizer, passport holder and many, many more... They sure are handy for all brides-to-be!

If you don't find them at a wedding supply store near you, there is always Mindy's online store. Have fun browsing and shopping! =)

Dressing up the chairs!

I am constantly thinking of creative ways to tie the chair sashes at my events. It makes such a big difference when you try to tie in the colors of the chair sashes with the rest of the linens and decor. Sometimes, you can even use an accent color to complement your main color...

Photo Credit: Pacific Event Group, Inc.

Photo Credit: Sieber Studio

Photo Credit: Wedding Themes

Photo Credit: Element Studios

Kate and Jeff's O`ahu Scouting Trip

This morning, I flew over to O`ahu to meet up with Kate and Jeff for their scouting trip. Their wedding is in July 2009, but I have been working with them since January 2008 and finally got to meet them in person.

They are such a sweet and fun loving couple from San Francisco - YAY... my hometown! Considering that they are both graphic designers, they are super creative and it just shows in their personality. I can't wait to work with them on their wedding design and decor.

Photo Credit: Polka Dot Photography

We had such a blast today. As soon as they picked me up at the airport, we went to check out Lanikuhonua. The security was tight over there. Rumor has it that this beautiful Hollywood star is going to launch a new fragrance next spring, and she was at Lanikuhonua filming a commercial for that. Apparently, her boyfriend and their 4-month-old baby girl were there as well. Too bad we didn't get a glimpse of them! Bummer!

After the site visit, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing food and cake tasting, and we also met with a photographer. It was a super productive day. Kate and Jeff are actually on the island attending Jeff's cousin's wedding this weekend, so hopefully they will take lots of notes this week.

The 8-hour day went by so fast. By 5 o'clock, they had to drop me back off at the airport to catch my flight back to Mau`i. I really look forward to their wedding next year!

We are listed on the "Alltop Wedding" site!

I was very excited to receive an email this morning from Neenz and Guy at Alltop, that the Events by Evonne blog made it to the list of the "Alltop Wedding" site! It's so cool to be listed among all of my other favorite wedding blogs and sites. Much mahalo!

Alltop is a collection from "all the top" sites on the web in different categories and topics, such as weddings, photography, environment, science, sports, politics, fashion, celebrity... etc. You can think of an Alltop site as a “digital magazine rack” of the Internet. So have fun reading!

Nina Kuna Designs Trunk Show

My wonderful and talented friend Nina of Nina Kuna Designs had her very first trunk show at Macy's - Queen Ka'ahumanu Center yesterday. My hubby and I stopped by to say hello and to show her our support.

Here is a picture of Nina with all of her beautiful designs on the Manzanita branches. What a great idea!?! I think the branches will make great centerpieces at weddings, or you can use them to create a wish tree or seating card tree...

And here is a picture of me with Nina, and her showcase of the new "Wedding" collection. For more information on how to order these one-of-a-kind "Mau`i-made" necklaces, bracelets and earrings, please check out Nina's website link above. They make great wedding gifts or bridesmaid's gifts!


And I am now the proud owner of this pair of Crystal Blue Coral earrings in silver... Thanks, Nina! I love it... it looks absolutely amazing on me! =)

My Wedding Library

Most people know that I LOVE weddings (of course I do), and they have been asking me if I have a "wedding library" at home. As a matter of fact, I do - at my home office. I have a bookshelf full of books, magazines, clients' files as well as all the wedding invitations and favors that I have collected from the weddings that I was a guest at and planned. Very soon, I think I need to replace it with a bigger bookshelf as it's almost running out of space, and the shelving is slightly warping already from the weight of all the books and magazines!

Throughout the years, I have started collecting all these wonderful wedding books and magazines; most of which are my favorites and I'd love to share them with you...

I absolutely love Colin Cowie, Preston Bailey and Martha Stewart. You can always get incredible ideas from them. Vera, the Queen of Wedding Gowns, has this exceptional hardcover book called "Vera Wang on Weddings" (her first and hopefully not her last), that details everything from the blings to the wedding stationery to the ceremony to the bride's bouquet to the toasts... and of course the wedding fashion. It's a must-have for those who are planning a wedding or love weddings as much as I do.

Then, there was Emily Post, the Queen of Etiquette. Even though she has passed on for close to 50 years, her great granddaughter-in-law Peggy Post continues to be the spokeperson for the Emily Post Institute, and she wrote the book on wedding etiquette which is an excellent resource for all of you out there. It details all the do's and don'ts of every part of your wedding from the engagement parties to the invitations to the ceremony.

As for magazines, my 3 favorites are Pacific WEDDINGS, Grace Ormonde and The Bride & Bloom! They are each very different and unique, and have wonderful editorials, photographs and ideas. I can sit at my desk or my couch for days just drooling over these publications. They are amazing resources not just for brides-to-be, but also for wedding planners and designers. Which are your favorites?

Cute maps for your invitations

It was an absolute delight to find a sample of these cute letterpress maps in my mailbox today. It was designed by the talented Stephannie Barba of Couture Maps™ in San Francisco, CA. With the amount of destination weddings that I plan, these maps do come in very handy for my clients as Save-the-Date cards as well as a map insert for their invitations.

Stephannie also designs invitations and other stationery products. Please visit her other website for more details.

As you can tell, I LOVE paper products and I blog about them constantly! =)

Pacific WEDDINGS and "The List"

Yesterday at our wedding association meeting, I received the latest Summer/Fall 2008 issue of one of my favorite wedding magazines - Pacific WEDDINGS. I am delighted to say that Events by Evonne is featured as one of their preferred vendors in their Little Black Book - "The List"!

The magazine will hit the news-stands and major bookstores in July, so keep an eye out for it. As always, it has tons of amazing photos, ads and editorials that will get you inspired.

Fun game with words...

Thanks, Critsey for sending me WORDLE. It's been fun coming up with words that describe my personality as well as Events by Evonne... and this is what I have:

It's a great way to design your save-the-date cards or thank-you notes! Try it out and I promise you that you will be addicted! =)

Inspiration #5

As I was checking my mail the other day, I felt extremely honored when unexpectedly I received a package from celebrity videographer - Brett Culp of The CVP Experience. He has become one of the most respected event video producers in the nation capturing many of the top weddings and luxury events in the world.

Brett has won twenty-four prestigious WEVA (Wedding and Event Videographers Association) awards, and has impressive clients such as Author Tom Clancy, Singer Howie Dorough of The Backstreet Boys, Actress Delta Burke, New York Yankee Johnny Damon, NBA championship player Horace Grant, General Manager of the San Francisco Giants Brian Sabian... and the list goes on and on...

For those of you who are not familiar with Brett and his work, you HAVE to check out his website above. His work is exceptional and as he puts it:

YOU ARE A STORY
CELEBRATE IT
EMBRACE IT
CAPTURE IT
SHARE IT
!IVE IT

Thanks, Brett... for giving me my daily dose of inspiration! I look forward to the opportunity to work with you someday!

Martha Stewart Weddings, Collector's Edition 2008 issue

For the past 2 weeks, I have spent a lot of my free time enjoying the 2008 issue of the Martha Stewart Weddings, Collector's Edition. It's chock-full of amazing ideas for your bouquets, centerpieces, decors, favors, cakes, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, stationery... and so much more. It's a must read for all brides-to-be. I highly recommend it.

Colored Wedding Gowns

Brides are getting more non-traditional these days with their wedding gowns... gowns that are not in the usual white or ivory color palette. It's actually quite refreshing to see something different and unique. For example...


This is a one-piece, strapless, full A-line gown in GOLD with lace-up closure. Grand in design, this style features a scalloped neckline and an asymmetrically draped bodice enriched with floral beaded embellishments. The dramatic back treatment is created by cascading draped bustles caught up with elegant beaded motifs:

The is a one-piece, corset, strapless, A-line gown in SCARLET featuring soft ruching at the side waist bodice. The skirt is richly caught up with hand placed flowers. Bugle beads and Swarovski crystals spray the center of the flower motifs. The gown features a chapel train:

This is a one-piece, strapless, full gathered skirt with corset closure in LIGHT BLUE. This luminescent satin gown features a scoop neckline, asymmetrically ruched bodice, and gathered skirt highlighted with sparkling lace motifs:

This is a one-piece, strapless, A-line silhouette with corset back in MIDNIGHT LAVENDER. Intricate draping, creates the dramatic effect of this style created in our Capri Taffeta. Side godets of varying sizes accent both sides of the gown, and are embellished with Swarovski crystals, pearls, and seed beads. Includes matching purse:

This is a one-piece, A-line silhouette with corset closure in BLACK & WHITE. Tiers of beguiling lace create this classic style accented at the waist with a contrasting satin ribbon sash:

Photo Credit: Maggie Sottero

Buh-bye old Polaroid, and Hello new PoGo!

For those of you who are thinking about using the Polaroid cameras as guests sign-in at your reception, you better stock up fast as the company has announced that it will cease production this year:

BUT, no sweat... the old fashioned camera will actually be replaced by the new Polaroid Pogo (Polaroid-on-the-Go)! The $150 camera is an inkless printer that churns out 2 x 3-inch photos sent to it via Bluetooth devices like cell phones, or from plugged-in digital cameras. It uses technology created by ZINK (Zero Ink) Imaging Inc. to activate paper-embedded dye crystals. It will be in stores on July 6th, 2008. Can't wait to see one of these at my weddings:

Ice Cream for your reception?

A few months ago, one of my September brides asked if she could have an ice-cream truck at her wedding reception, so all of her guests can just order their own individual ice-cream. Of course she can have whatever she wants, it's her wedding after all... but the challenge is, where do I find this ice-cream truck?

It happened that a week right before she emailed me, I got an email from this company called Real Fruit Ice Cream Hawai`i, promoting their products AND their ice-cream truck. The timing couldn't be more perfect.

They charge a base price which includes:

• travel from their store to the wedding location;
• set up the trailer; and
• up to 50 ice creams!
  

Those 50 ice creams are custom and made-to-order. They supply 10 different varieties of fruit and the guests can select their own custom blends right on the spot. The next 50 ice creams will be at a discounted rate... so on and so forth.

That really sounds like a fun idea, and who doesn't like ice-cream?

A New Face Lift!

My blog, that is... =) A big shout out to my wonderful and talented friend, Nicole, who put together my lovely blog header. Four months ago, she made me these beautiful dry-embossing note cards with the green cymbidium orchids on them. I still haven't used them yet 'cuz they are in this amazing package and I didn't want to open it and untie the lovely ribbon! =)

What have I done to deserve such a great friend like you, Nicole! Thank you so much! You are simply THE BEST!