{promotion | end of year promotion 2012}

Help us spread the word about this awesome end of the year promotion!!!!

{ideas| guestbooks and more}

What are guestbooks? Do I have to have one? Brides always wonder if guestbooks are necessary for their wedding. It's always nice to have something at your wedding where your guests can express themselves as they write down their sentiments and well wishes for you on your special day. Guestbooks doesn't always have to be in the form of a book. It seems like one of those things that most brides wait until the end of their planning phase to pick up a guestbook to use. From the wishing tree to the puzzle guestbook, I'm sharing with all of you a few of my favorite guestbook ideas:

Envelope Guest Book

Transform a store-bought album into a guest book that has a handmade feel. Use double-sided tape to affix envelopes in assorted sizes and colors to the pages of a plain-paper photo album or scrapbook. Leave cards and a pen on a table for guests to write wishes. When they're done, they can tuck their cards inside the envelopes for the bride and groom to enjoy later.The bright hues of these small gift cards can't help but beguile the eyes of wedding guests; their small size gives well-wishers just enough space to write a sweet thought, quip, or hope; and the envelopes, allowing for privacy, encourage them to get a little sentimental.

courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings

 Hearts

I love this idea and wish we could have done it for our wedding. Let your wedding guestbook be a conversation piece for your family & friends as they sign the hearts of this art piece.This unique wedding guestbook comes in a 20x20 white shadow box frame with recessed glass that comes ready to hang or can be placed on a mantle. The example above has 3D hearts for signatures and a light yellow heart which includes the bride and grooms initials and wedding date on a white background.

photo courtesy of Etsy

Puzzle Guestbook

This is a unique guestbook alternative that would be fun not only for the guests but also for the couple to put together after the wedding.  A wedding guest book puzzle is a very personal work of art, a family heirloom that will be treasured forever, and an enjoyable, memorable experience for everyone.

photo courtesy of Etsy

Wishing Tree

A wishing tree is a great addition to your reception venue. Guests can write their notes and wishes for the couple on a card stock that can be tied or clipped to the branches of the tree.

photo courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Wishing Stones

Wishing stones are an Irish wedding tradition wherein they have their wedding guests write their best wishes on smooth stones. You can put together a wedding guest book table with plenty of pebbles and a glass vase filled up with water. After the guest signed with a permanent marker, they can put the stones inside the vase. This represent and bring back the tradition of throwing stones into a river or pool.

photo courtesy of Pinterest

{bridal show | bridal show aboard the queen mary | long beach}

Hello All! I'm fresh from my recent bridal show aboard The Queen Mary last Sunday. I had such an awesome time getting the opportunity to meet the hundreds of brides that attended the event and their fiances/family members. I met some great vendors as well that I'm looking forward to working with in the near future. I was really limited to the table space in my booth so I wanted to maximize the space and be able to showcase my work. Flower Allie was so generous in providing 2 arrangements for me to use in the table scape and I incorporated my favorite Moroccan lanterns from Z Gallerie along with a sample table setting. A big THANK YOU goes out to Bridal Showplace for organizing a successful bridal show, Allison of Flower Allie for coming to my rescue with the most eye catching arrangements, the brides who stopped by my booth to chat and share their wedding visions (I was really excited to see so many prepared brides with their name labels to put in the vendor sign up sheets :)) and most of all, thank you to the best assistant ever who was super helpful and supportive!

{ideas | signature wedding cocktails to keep you cool}

Signature wedding cocktails are a fun way to personalize your wedding. It's also a good way to work around your budget if you're not able to do a full hosted bar.You can save on the drink tab by offering wine, beer, champagne, and just the signature cocktail, rather than a full bar.With the warm and sticky summer months upon us, I thought I should post some of my favorite signature wedding cocktails to keep you all cool.

Summer Fruit Sangria (courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups assorted fruits (such as mango, pineapple, cantaloupe, and apricot), sliced or cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh basil or mint leaves
• 1/2 cup orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
• 1 bottle crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• Ice

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or pitcher, combine fruit, ginger, basil or mint, and orange liqueur. Mash gently with the back of a wooden spoon until basil is bruised and fruit releases juices. Add wine and lemon juice and stir to combine. Refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 1 day). To serve, fill eight glasses with ice and top with sangria.

Marital Bliss Cocktail (courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

• 2 parts gin (we used Hendrick's)
• 1/2 part St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 1/2 part fresh lime juice
• 4 parts soda water to top off
• Lime slice or wedge for garnish
• Mint sprig, for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine gin, liqueur, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake. Pour over ice in glass. Add soda water, and stir. Garnish with lime and mint.

Ciroc Lola (courtesy of Delish)

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce(s) Cîroc Vodka
• 1 1/2 ounce(s) pomegranate juice
• 1 teaspoon(s) elderflower liqueur
• 1  splash champagne
• 1  orchid blossom

Directions:

1. Stir all the ingredients over ice to chilled and strain into a pre-chilled cocktail glass.
2. Top with splash of champagne and garnish with a Sonya orchid or, if unavailable, another food-grade edible flower.

Cranberry Kiss (courtesy of Delish)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 ounce(s) Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
• 2 ounce(s) collins mix
• 2 ounce(s) cranberry juice
• 1 wedge(s) lemon

Directions:

1. Add Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, collins mix, and cranberry juice to ice-filled highball glass and stir.
2. Garnish with lemon wedge.

Smirnoff Lemon Drop Martini (courtesy of Delish)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 ounce(s) Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
• 1/4 ounce(s) triple sec
• 3/4 ounce(s) lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a shaker with ice, add Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice.
2. Shake well.

{bridal show | bridal show 101}

Bridal shows are a fabulous opportunity for you to meet hundreds of vendors in your area and beyond. Attending bridal shows can be very overwhelming especially for your first time.  I'm happy to announce that Premier Soirees is participating in a bridal show at The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. The event is hosted by Bridal Showplace and will be hosting over 120 exhibitors. Here's some info on the upcoming bridal show.

Sunday, August  12, 2012 

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM 

11126 Queens Highway Long Beach, CA

In order to take full advantage of your day there are some things you should do and keep in mind when you attend the show. I have listed several tips below to help you on your bridal show adventure:


Tip # 1:   Dress Comfortably but Cute - Depending on the size of the bridal show, it usually has a lot of walking from booth to booth to visit different vendors and lots of standing as well. You wanna be sure that you're dressed comfortably at the bridal shows with some comfy shoes. You also want to consider leaving the purse in the car and just taking your keys, wallet and your labels to toss in the tote. The less stuff you bring to the show, the better and more comfortable it becomes for you.

Tip #2: Bring a Tote - Most bridal shows now give brides/guests a tote bag as part of their registration/admission fee for you to put all of your loot and fliers that you collect throughout the day. You can bring your own tote if you wish - but I suggest bring a larger tote since there will be a lot of stuff -- giveaways, postcards, magazines, samples, and business cards -- available to you during that day. When you return home after the show, you can sort through the wedding stuff and organize it however you wish.

Tip #3: Bring a friend!! - it's always fun to walk through the bridal shows with someone else - your mom, your sister, your maid of honor, your best friend, your fiance!! You can share the samples, the giveaways and the notes after the show is done. You can dish on your favorite vendors and ideas on your drive home.

Tip #4: View vendors ahead of time - most shows will list their vendors/exhibitors online so you should look at them to plan which ones you're really interested in. You can map out your route to prioritize those vendors first and visit the others afterwards. Doing some research before the show will help you make the most out of your day.

Tip #5: Create an ID - now this doesn't mean come prepared with your "Hello, My Name is" label but make sure you do come prepared with some contact labels. Make some contact labels out of the Avery labels with your name, email address, phone # and your wedding date.  Some brides are comfortable sharing their mailing address as well so definitely add the information that you feel most comfortable sharing. Most vendors will ask for your contact information so this will make it much easier to not have to write everything down. As for the email address, I suggest creating an email specifically for everything wedding related. I can almost guarantee that you will receive countless of emails from different vendors and having a separate email will avoid the overflow in your personal email.

Tip #6: Bring a camera - if you can bring a separate camera outside of your cellphone so you can take as many photos as possible of cakes, wedding dresses, flowers, invitations and even the vendors that you really enjoyed so you can remember them. Sometimes having a visual image of their booth or set up will help you remember which vendors your enjoyed the best.

Enjoy your bridal show adventure and remember that planning your wedding should be fun and exciting!

{press | invitation featured on lifestyle crafts}

It's been pretty busy lately around the Premier Soirees' office with the launch of the website, upcoming weddings and bridal shows this summer, I haven't posted much about my most favorite wedding as of this year.

I wanted to share some sneak peeks though since my bride took on the project of creating her entire wedding invitation suite and all her hard work has definitely paid off. Her wedding invitation was recently featured on LifeStyle Crafts' website for all of her DIY goodness. Special kudos to the wonderful design work of Darla Marie Designs and to the wonderful Kelly Mendoza of True Bliss Photography for capturing such great images of the invite.

Click here to see the entire feature on the wedding invitation. Make sure to check back on the blog for more feature on this special wedding for Leah & Kevin!

{premier soirees website launch}

So thrilled -- beyond thrilled to share some awesome news with all of you. Our Premier Soirees website is here!!! It's been quite a journey that I took with a good friend who worked on the design and layout of the site and I'm glad that it is done and ready for all of you to see. Thank you to Donald Quitangon for his great work and patience working with me through this process.

Come visit us at http://www.premiersoirees.com/ and let us know how you find our new website. Happy Wednesday to all!!!

The "ONE"

I know this is probbaly the most randomest post I've posted so far but I just loved this photo when I saw it so I've been posting it on Facebook and Twitter. It reminded me of that feeling when I married my hubby 4.5 years ago and knowing that it was him - it's always been him that was meant for me. I think this is the feeling that everyone gets when they've met the ONE.

Happy Tuesday to all!

Monique Lhullier Spring 2013 Bridal Collection

Monique Lhullier is defintely one of my favorite couture designers specially in bridal wear. She's of Filipino and French decent and was born and raised in the Philippines. She studied design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). She started out her first bridal collection in 1996 due to the lack of fashionable bridal options that she discovered while she was shopping for her wedding dress back in 1995. Although she is very well know for her bridal collections, Monique Lhullier collections also includes ready to wear, evening gowns, bridal bridesmaids and even linens, fine paper and home fragrances.

Monique has become a celebrity favorite and her A-list clientele includes includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Kristen Stewart, Drew Barrymore, Hilary Swank, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood & Catherine Zeta-Jones to name a few.

I can't quite get over of how gorgeous Monique Lhullier's Spring 2012 Bridal Collection. Each design feels like it just stepped out of a fairytake and is ready for a princess.

 

 

 

 
<Photos courtesy of Pinterest>


For the full collection, please visit Monique Lhullier.

8 Simple Steps to a Glowing Wedding Skin

Every bride wants a glowing skin especially for their wedding day. Who doesn't right? Brides.com posted an article online on 8 simple steps on how to achieve that glowing skin for your wedding.

1. Don't Starve - most brides tend to really starve and stick to that diet as it gets closer to the wedding day but this is not doing any good to your skin. You should make sure that you eat lots of protein, avocados and almonds to help create that glow.

2. Pill Pop - there are some supplements that are available that contain Vitamin C which is key for healthy collagen. There are also several corrective dark spot solutions that are out in the market that will help clarify the skin without taking any medications.

3. Hydrate - make sure that you are drinking your 6-8 glasses of water daily in order to keep your skin hydrated. Water will help smooth out the wrinkles in our skin.
4. Sleep - brides gets so busy and stress that they depreived themselves of sleep. Sleep is vital for our skin.

5. Perspire - it is mentioned in the article that increased circulation boosts detoxification and cell renewal. Having cleansing cloths handy in your purse or in your gym bag will be great in keeping your pores oil free especially after a workout. 

6. Ditch Coffee - this maybe is one of the toughest for some of your coffee lovers but isn't it worth it for those wedding pictures.
7. Scrub - exfoliating scrubs is one of my favorite products to use since they help shed millions of our dead skin cells that will usually clog our pores with bacteria. For those of you that are DIY brides, you can even create your own salt/sugar scrub to use. There's many different recipes available online that you can try out.

<Photo via Pinterest>

8. Depuff - applying a vitamin C eye serum the night before the wedding will help depuff those eyes especially after all of the teary moments during your wedding day.
If you want to read the entire article, check out the Brides' article to see the different products they recommended for the different steps. Happy Friday!

Promo: Summer Promotion

Summer is here!!! The official first day of summer was just a few days ago so why not celebrate the summer and all those newly engaged couples with a summer promotion. We're excited to share with all of you our first ever online promotion that Premier Soirees is offering.

Premier Soirees is offering 20% off any of our package prices to all brides that book our services from now through Friday, August 31st. We know that all the details matter and we're in the business of helping brides create their own memorable moments.

Contact us for a complimentary consultation or for more information regarding this promo. This promo is also available in our Wedding Wire site. 

Tips for the Bride: Hair & Make Up - Leave it to the Pros

Hair and Makeup are the finishing touches that completes the wedding day look for the bride and her bridesmaids. More often than not, more brides are now opting to do their own hair and makeup in order to save a few dollars off their wedding budget but my first tip is to leave this up to the pros.

When scouting for a hair & makeup artist, research is the key. Check with your wedding planner to see if they have any recommendations that you can start with. Wedding planners are gonna be your best resource for vendor recommendations so they're always a great starting point.

<photo courtesy of True Bliss Photography>

You always want to come prepare with ideas and pictures of examples of the look that you would like to achieve for your wedding day in order for you to maximize your time with your chosen stylist.

• Your personal salon - check with the person who styles/cuts your hair to see if they would be able to do your wedding day hair. Typically this stylist already knows your personal style especially if you've gone to them frequently for regular appointments so they would understand the look you're trying to obtain for your wedding day.
• Local bridal shows/expos - attending bridal shows is an awesome way to meet wedding vendors like hair and make up artists. usually they will have portfolios of their past work laid out in their tables/booths for you to see so you can and meet the artist first hand.
• Local mall salons/makeup counters - take a day with your one of your girls and visit the mall! Plan visits to several make up counters located in your favorite department stores (Nordstroms, Macys, Bloomingdales).
• Your friends and family - you might be one of those lucky brides that have a family or friend that is talented with hair & make up that would be able to do your wedding day look for you. The best thing about this is that they know you and what you like so they're not there to up sell you on any products that they offer.

<photo courtesy of Makeup by Karen Lee Facebook page>

What to Remember:
Once you've narrowed down the vendor(s) that you'd like try, make sure to schedule a hair and make up trial before the wedding to make sure that the results are what you are expecting. Remember to schedule these appointments ahead of your wedding day (months before if possible) so that you can have plenty of time to make any changes.

Vendor Recommendation:
When I started this blog, I mentioned that I would provide some local vendor recommendations for any local brides that are following the blog. I've had the opportunity to work with Karen Lee in many occasions and she has been my go-to hair and make up artist that I've recommended to several of my brides. She was by far the best hair & make up artist person that I have worked with in my experience. Karen really manages to make you feel and look beautiful. Her kindness, easy going personality, ability to put you at ease, make you feel comfortable, promptness, quick response time, reliability and efforts to please you and make sure to achieve what you want speaks volumes of her professionalism. She was always open to suggestions and explained to everyone everything she was using to achieve the look her client wanted. Her skills are just flawless all the way around. She was just so amazing with what she did and was a great person to have around. She was also very professional in answering all my questions. Being a professional in the wedding industry, I know how important it is to have a trusted vendor to handle your hair and make up. The hair & make up simply completes the look of the bride that then sets the tone of the day. If you want to see more of Karen's work, check out her blog and her Facebook page for more pictures.

Makeup by Karen Lee
http://makeupbykarenlee.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MakeupByKarenLee/122483694440464
626-228-6296

Scan for a Grand Contest

Came across this really awesome contest that Macy's is running that I wanted to share with all of you. Registering for gifts is always a fun activity for couples to walk around the department stores with scanner in tow shopping to your hearts' desire.

If you're a bride/groom planning your wedding, mark your calendars now because on Wednesday, June 20th, Macy’s Wedding & Gift Registry  is hosting Scan For A Grand, an event where you can win one of the hundreds of gift cards ranging in price from $100-$1,000 and all you have to do is scan your dream wedding registry!

Scan for a Grand is happening on Wednesday, June 20th at 5 p.m. and lasts until stores close. All you need to do to enter is RSVP online then head to a participating Macy’s, along with your spouse-to-be, and scan your little hearts out! Jump start your registry online today so you can hit the ground running on June 20th. They’ve even made registering easier with the Macy’s app for your iPhone or Android. Simply download and scan right from your phone! And when you scan the QR code on posters located in participating stores, you’ll even get winner alerts sent directly to your phone! There’s no waiting to see if you’ve won and we LOVE that! You’re going to register with Macy’s Wedding & Gift Registry anyway, so why not Scan for a Grand while you’re at it?

One: Portmeirion Sophie Conran White Large Salad / Two: Portmeirion Sophie Conran Large Pitcher / Three: Portmeirion Sophie Conran Medium Platter

*Scan for a Grand abbreviated rules:NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 U.S., D.C. and Puerto Rico, 18 or older. Void where prohibited. Ends 6/20/12 11:00pm PST. For Official Rules, including odds, prize descriptions, and website means of entry, visit http://macys.promo.eprize.com/scan/. Data rates may apply.

How Sweet it is...

Candy buffets have been such a big trend that's been around for several years now. I remember when I got married almost 5 years ago and they were beginning to pop up every where. What is it about a surplus of a variety of different candy that is so appealing to our guests? Is it the idea that they can take something home in lieu of a favor? Or is it the idea of bringing in a whimsical factor to your event that brings adult to that time when they were kids? The idea of a sweets table has definitely evolved since then.

Amy Atlas is to me the guru/goddess of any sweets table. She's taken the concept of desserts and taking it to a whole new level. I was really thrilled when I heard that she was writing a book and had to run to the nearest Barnes N Noble to pick up a copy the Tuesday it was released. Sweet Designs is such a fun read not only for the colorful images but just so inspiring with all the ideas that Amy was gracious enough to share with all of us. I didn't know this but Amy was a former lawyer who is now a sweets stylist - she knows how to re-invents all kinds of stunning dessert tables displayed to perfection. Her designs are always very vibrant & eye-popping which make her a favorite in the dessert styling world! These dessert tables are perfect for any events - weddings, birthdays, engagement parties, baby showers & more!

One of my favorite chapters in the book is this bee inspired table. So gorgeous!! Reminds me of one of my good friend - The Beeson's!!

Can you believe that runner is made out of Necco candy? Who would've thought? Just an imagineer like Amy of course.

<images via Amy Atlas, Amy Atlas' Pinterest & the book>

George & Michelle are married 10.14.2011

All of the events that I've worked are all special since I get to see my design elements come to life. But Michelle & George's October wedding holds a special place in my heart since it was the beginning to all of my dreams coming true with this business.

George & Michelle's wedding was romantically set in the harbor of Newport Coast and their ceremony was rightfully scheduled with the setting of the sun which gave their ceremony space that natural amber glow. The couple had a lot of  their personal touches to their day including the personalized table numbers with a different picture of the couple in each table to the lace wrapped bouquet of the beautiful bride. They infused their love for the Southern California beaches into their wedding by bringing aspects of the outdoors like seashells and sand in their wedding cruise. The guests enjoyed their buffet dinner cruising along the harbor for several hours and dancing the night away. A gondola was waiting for the bride and groom to whisk them away to enjoy their after party.

Thanks to George & Michelle for letting me part of your very special day!

Vendor Love:
Day of Coordination: Premier Soirees Event Design & Coordination
Wedding Cake: Cinderella Cakes
Floral Designs: Gary David Designs

Modern Pink Meets Vintage Bridal Shower

Bridal showers are one of my favorite events leading up to the special day along with wedding dress shopping and the very FUN & CRAZY bachelorette party also of course! I had the amazing privilege to design and plan a very special bridal shower for a very detail oriented bride. One of the things that I had to make sure from the beginning of my design & planning process is the overflow of details that I know she would love - from the delicious food, fun for all of the guests in attendance and a yummy dessert buffet station. Started with the concept of using bright pinks and deep reds as the color palette that I wanted to incorporate in the party. The colorful pinwheels are one of my inspirations for this event and made a great backdrop for our dessert buffet station. We got started in making over 40+ pinwheels in different sizes to use for this backdrop. Pinwheels were super easy to make and I promise to post a DIY tutorial soon. The bride is crazy about the Turtle Chex Mix trail mix so we used those and packaged them in small mason jars topped with a plaid pink fabric as the perfect favors.   Tonality Designs made the coordinating escort cards, favor tags and the cutest cupcake toppers. Lavender and Bloom created an imaginative centerpiece with the use of bird cages and birchwood branches in each table that captured the guests' eyes as soon as they sat down. A smaller manzanita tree branch was used as a centerpiece for the escort card table where guests can hang their advices/wishes for the newlyweds as they came in. The bride got the opportunity to read through some of the advices and picked out a few of her favorites where the guests received prizes. 

My favorite moment was watching the bride walk around the room in so much awe at all the details that wrapped up her bridal shower. Perfect shower for such an amazing bride! 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendor Love:             

Venue: Café Hidalgo – http://www.cafehidalgo.com/

Photographer: True Bliss Photography – http://www.trueblissphoto.com/

Florals: Lavender and Bloom – http://www.lavenderandbloom.com/

Pinwheels: Premier Soirees – http://www.premiersoirees.com/

Cupcake Toppers/Favors/Escort Cards: Tonality Designs on Etsy – www.etsy.com/shop/tonality

Desserts: Frost my Cake – http://www.frostmycake.com/

Invitations: Michaels – http://www.michaels.com/

Event Design/Coordinator: Premier Soirees – http://www.premiersoirees.com/