How To Add Personality To Your Wedding- Part One!

At the TSE Wedding Luncheon we were treated to hearing wedding design tips from Darcy Miller, editor of Martha Stewart Weddings. She spoke about innovative and cost-effective ways to transform weddings. She said that today's top trend in weddings is personalization. Guests should leave weddings with a distinct feeling of who's wedding they just attended. Here are some cute and on-trend ideas to incorporate personality into your wedding:

1) Colors! Don't think that just because it is a formal occasion you need to shy away from your favorite bold colors. Use them loud and proud! To keep it more traditional, use a black, chocolate, silver (gray) or gold "base" color as a neutral for your palette, whichever you prefer. Then add your complimentary colors, starting with a main color accent and then adding from there as you choose. Your color choices should reflect the mood and personality of you and your event! Guests will have vibrant memories of your big day. Also, don't be afraid to play around and mix and match different shades of your favorite color!

2) Monograms! With this idea you can incorporate your personality through colors, fonts, AND design. More traditional? Use block letters or a formal script. More trendy? Create a custom creation of your initials. If you need help graphically designing your monogram, go to www.etsy.com and request for graphic artists to bid to do your design! You can use your monogram in endless ways: a lighting gobo on your dancefloor, on your invitations and place cards, napkin rings, flower petal designs under acrylic bars, cupcake toppers and wrappers, drink stirrers... get creative! Below are two examples of a client of ours who used her monogram in a variety of cute ways.

3) Photos and Silhouettes! These are great ways to personalize weddings. Print a variety of your favorite photos of you and the groom from different stages of life; baby pictures, teen years, family photos, photos from throughout your dating years, and engagement photos. Display them in intricate and stylish frame displays around your church and reception, or incorporate as centerpieces. You can wrap ribbons around your centerpiece vases and secure photos over the ribbons. You can tie lockets onto bouquets to display pictures of relatives, pets or you as a couple. You can create photo confetti by going to http://www.photofetti.com to sprinkle anywhere you please. For a more traditional look, you can send in a photo of you and your groom's profiles and have them made into victorian-style silhouettes at http://www.artfulheirlooms.com/silhouettes.html. You can use these in endless ways as well. You could even send this to your cake chef and have him or her print it on fondant!

"One"derland Part 2

I've been staying up until the wee hours of the morning trying to work on all the little details for Juliana's big party! Here is an update on what I've been doing and what's to come :)

The CAKE- for the cake I’m going to do a traditional “MAD HATTER’S” topsy turvy cake, only the top tier will be a tea-pot with the top of the pot as a party hat! Just like the picture of my sketch that I posted on the last blog. The invite will also be the inspiration for the cake! For Jules special smash cake, I'm going to do a little tea cup (that matches the teapot on the top of the big cake) just her size :) I can't wait to see what she does with it since it probably won't look like a cake at all!! She has a toy tea set that she plays with every day so this should be interesting.

Invitations-the first impression folks will get of our shin-dig, so it has to be awesome! The custom invites are turning out so cute! I sent my sketch to a good friend who put her graphic touch to them and colored them in via computer. Thanks Natalie!! They really do look awesome now! I’m going to hand cut them and embellish them with a sparkling pom pom for the hat topper and add some jewels and glitter to some of the details.: The wording will be fun and in line with our party theme-“Don’t be late…. For this very important date!” Join us in “ONE-derland” to Celebrate the Queen of Hearts First Birthday! Location/Time/Date…
RSVP to Mommy or “OFF with your head!” All of this sealed in a hot pink envelope w/ some heart confetti and we are on our way to a very “Un-Birthday” tea party!



Favors-little mirrors & bedazzled heart sun-glasses in fuzzy purses for the girls and pocket watches and playing cards for the little boys tucked in some crazy top hats…. Along with some treats that say “eat me” and straws that say “drink me”. I keep adding to the favor bags but we have to keep some things a surprise!! Of course I’ll post pics after the party of everything.

Next week I’ll blog about the décor and food and our location-so flutter back by!
Love Love-Michelle

Fancy Faces...more than a lamp shade!

We fell in love with Fancy Faces at The Special Event Show in New Orleans. They are so fun and funky and can be used for great table centerpieces. They look good without adornments but with adornments and flowers they look FABULOUS! Check out these Fancy Face lamp shades decorated by Karen Harris of Haute Horticulture.

How to make a Giant Rose Ball!

So you want to add a little flair to your wedding without the big costs...then this is how you make a giant "silk" rose ball, that no one will ever believe is not real! We took a giant bouncy ball (sale them at Target for $4.99) and then covered it in duck tape (does not matter what color duck tape, but if you want to get the color that matches your roses, all the better). Go to Hobby Lobby when they are running their rose bushes 1/2 off and buy 12 - 15 bushes of roses. Chose a color that is natural to nature (don't do odd colors!). Snipe off the roses from the stem and hot glue it to the duck taped ball. Our recommendation is to start in the center and make an X on the top of the ball and then fill in each section as you go along! What floral designers will charge you $350 - $500 for a rose ball you can do for little as $60 - $70! As you can see from the pictures, this rose ball is beautiful and deceiving as it is a silk rose ball.

Great Band = Great Party!!

One of the highlights of our trip in New Orleans was the Tuesday night event at Generations Hall where MoJEAUX (the band) rocked the house! They performed their song (that is sure to be a hit after tonight's football game)"Black and Gold"-written for the New Orleans Saints in hopes of them going to the Super Bowl. They are an awesome band if you want something fresh and new for your wedding reception or special event-check them out!! http://www.mojeauxband.com/

And look for their song on ITunes!!

Chic Table Decor

We are always on the lookout for innovative, over-the-top table designs. We think the possibilities are endless and with the 9 components of table design, the sky's the limit! That's why we were delighted to take a look at the table top design competition on display at TSE trade show. Check out the beautiful set ups, and use them for inspiration on designing your event!

Of course, being in New Orleans there had to be a Mardi Gras colored table. Love the incorporation of the peacock feathers and the nod to (but not blatant use of) the Fleur de Leif on the linen cap. The custom table cap is a great backdrop for the pop of the gold silverware and chargers. Gold, purple and green are such decadent colors!

This is a fabulous example of an Asian-inspired table top. Love the details of the teapot and saki bottles with cups. Colors are obviously important to play with when designing table tops, but fun, on theme accents add the finishing touches. The square black sushi plates tie it all together and the origami-style folded napkins add detail and pattern.

This beach inspired table was gorgeous. The designers used real drift wood from their beach home in Florida. Any elements from nature you can find in your own backyard will help keep prices down. Love the use of dramatic height and the white candles nested throughout the wood arrangement. The neutral shell and sand palette is on trend with the monochromatic look that is hot right now. It also looks so fresh and organic and is a nod to the go green movement, while still feeling elegant and over-the-top.

This burgundy, white and black damask table was hands down our favorite. The serpentine shape of the high bar totally stood out among the row of round tables. The custom table cap was the perfect amount of damask and the black and white accents really drew us in. Love the crinkle satin napkins folded like roses with rhinestone ties to hold them together. The tall chivari chairs were dressed in layered skirts and ties to add to the luxe feel of the table. Crystals hung from the candelabras and the entire color scheme was elegant yet modern. This was the winner of the table to competition!

Bridal Booth at Premier Bridal Show

Pictures graciously taken by our good friend, Donny Granger, Creation Studios, from our bridal booth at the Jan. 10th Premier Bridal Show! Thank you to Classic Party Rentals for donating the furniture, the bar, the flooring, the draping, and linens!  We also like to thank L & Jay Productions for the beautiful flower arrangements for our booth.  Everybody kept telling us how it felt so fresh and happy! It was aromatherapy (all the lemons) for The Butterflies!

The First Birthday Party!!

I can’t believe it’s almost here- my baby girl’s first birthday party!! Of course you know I never do anything small-it’s just not in my nature {or Social Butterfly style :) }! So Juliana’s first birthday is going to be no different. I decided on the theme of “Alice and Wonderland & the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.” Since this is a party primarily for one year olds, I had a lot of ideas and activities that I knew Juliana and her little friends would LOVE based on this Disney classic. And Jules loves her tea set so it was the perfect theme for a February celebration.

Here is a preview of what I’m planning as of now and there will be more to come all along the way!Location is still TBD- but I’m looking at a venue that will have the outside garden feel-inside.
Theme/Décor-although it’s Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatter style, Juliana is the “Queen of Hearts” as the birthday girl and we will go with lots of reds, pinks, black and white, butterflies (of course!), hearts, roses, and crazy-off the wall touches of whimsy!
From the venue entrance guarded by “Card Soldiers” into the garden style tea party- I will have rooms that entertain all age groups at the party. Pink Flamingo Crockett for the older kids and a mystery tunnel and crawling maze for the babies will keep them active-while Alice and the Mad Hatter themselves join us for a very “UN Birthday” tea party with cake and ice cream!! I’m thinking a live bunny petting area might be a good idea as well- because who doesn’t like bunnies!!
A face painting station and a big screen with the Disney version of the movie will be playing for additional entertainment.
And here's a sneak peak at the sketch I drew for our invites and cake!

Flutter back by for the details on invites, cakes,favors and special touches I’m working on!

Eventfully Yours-Michelle

Pic Flips - Latest craze in custom party favors!

One of the best things we saw at the The Special Event trade show was Pic Flips! They are so unique and give a new twist to photo booths. So instead of jumping in a photo booth you get in front of a video camera and dance/sing/goof off for seven seconds. They record your actions and then turn it into a printed flip book. It only takes them 90 seconds to produce the books. They can usually make up to 50 books an hour. These are great to give to guests as a personalized keepsake!

These are great for Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Corporate Meetings & Events, Proms, Holiday Parties, Milestone Birthdays, College Events and Non-Profit Galas!

Not only are they fun but they are super affordable and comparable to photo booths. Check them out at http://www.iloveflipbooks.com/. You will want them at your next event!

Can't wait to bring new party ideas home to Memphis!

Elegant yet trendy...Posh!

Well we can tell the Recession has hit the industry at this year's tradeshow. Three years ago in L.A. there seemed to be endless vendors. This year, the show was much smaller, although some of our favs were back and looked great! Despite the smaller size, we still found some great ideas to bring home to our clients.

So many choices!

We loved all the great new lines of designer linens and chair covers. New colors, textures, fabrics and shapes jumped out at us and we are excited to put them to use. There were also lots of cool new vendors offering party activities and entertainment! Can't wait to see them all in action with our clients and introduce these new trends to the Memphis party scene. Get ready Midsouth, the Butterflies are poised for yet another year of creative, trend setting design and innovative party ideas! Check out some of the stuff we loved:

Bedazzle my Bon Bons! Super yummy chocolates and lollypops with extra glam

Loved this frame as a photo op at receptions

So many new textures, styles, and chair covers!

Loved the whimsical feel of these lamps

Stay tuned for more tips, ideas and trends from The Butterflies...

Day Two: TSE Trade Show and Luncheon

The Butterflies get a sneak peak at what the 2010 Wedding Season Trends have to offer!

It's day two of our TSE New Orleans experience, and after blogging about our FAB night we hit the convention center to check out the vendors. There we some beautiful table displays and we are excited to bring new ideas to our clients! We also got "bedazzled" by our friend Sasha Vincent with Bedazzle My Bon Bons and I had a flattering sketch done by Butt Sketch. We lounged on the fabulous new furniture by Cort, and snacked on liquid nitrogen made ice cream. We are SO bringing liquid nitrogen treats to our clients back in Memphis!

After idea shopping at the trade show we headed to the Wedding Luncheon. The room decor was fabulous; the theme was a landscape painting. The center tables were serpentine with mermaid payettes topped with intricately stacked shallow circular vases, resembling a river. Surrounding the "river" were long tables topped with sage green cut velvet linens and rows of tulips nesting on hydrangeas. These tables resembled the rows of tulips on a tulip farm. To add height to the room and portray the wooded areas in the landscape painting, there were tables on raised stages to the far right and left of the room. The centerpieces were tall branchy "umbrellas." Below are pictures of each theme:

Although the room design was creative, there were logistical problems that we could not stop dwelling on. Tip #2: It does not matter how breathtaking you make your event space if the event logistics do not run smoothly. First of all, they oversold VIP seating tickets (unfortunately, we bought them!). When we arrived there were no more VIP seats for us, even though we paid substantially extra for them. When we told one of the coordinators, she simply told us that there were seating design flaws and that we needed to take a seat off in the corner. As experienced event coordinators, this really peeved us. The next logistical flaw was the entertainment; for a luncheon, the mic'ed horns and drums were far too loud to make conversation over. Although the food was gourmet and delicious, we were never offered rolls and the service was blah. We had to actively ask for coffee with dessert, rather than be offered. The speaker, Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Weddings was wonderful, but after she spoke no one thanked her immediately and there was awkward silence.

This is living proof that no matter how fabulous your food, decor, or entertainment is, the effort will be lost on your guests if they do not work together to enhance the event. Logistics are everything, and the comfort and enjoyment of your guests should always come first!

TSE Starts Here Cocktail Reception!

Tip No. 1 - Always hire a party starter as your wedding planner. We definitely know how to have a good time!

A phenominal job by Nick Nevaras and his team who executed last night's cocktail reception for The Special Event Show! Generations Hall was a great location, the food was awesome (perfect taste to New Orleans), and the band, Mo Jeaux, was a show stopper! They rocked "us all night long", literally! They did Beyonce, Micheal Jackson, Swagger, Def Leopard, Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rider, and all the other Top 40 singers. When your abs and legs hurt, you know you've had a great time on the dance floor.

The decor was a magical bayou like atmosphere with stretch lighted trees, stars and billowy clouds above your head. But once you journey into the back room where the band was you were transported to a New Orleans dance club with multi-levels (balcony viewing area) and exposed ceilings.

We can't wait for tonight's Welcome party given by NACE, they have a lot to live up to.

We're HERE!

We made it to New Orleans for The Special Event Show! Thought it started out rough since we did not have a reservation at the Hilton (that's what happens when you do online booking!). Then this morning my shower was cold, didn't think hotels ever had cold showers, but this one did! Lucky for Addie and Michelle that I warmed up the water heater for them because they had hot showers. Then to make matters worse, our hotel WAS NOT connected to the Convention Center even though it is the HOST hotel. We had to walk five blocks down the street to the Convention Center only to find out that the Embassy Suites is right across from the street. So we checked out of the Hilton and moved to the Embassy Suites. So now we are saving money on the hotel, valet parking fees and as an added bonus, we have Continental Breakfast! YAY! Life is so much better now. We are so excited to be here to learn new trends, see new sites, glean new inspirations from the Exhibitors and so much more.

Looking forward to tonight's cocktail reception to see all of our friends in the industry from around the nation. Tomorrow will be even more fun because we will be attending the VIP Wedding Luncheon....will blog tomorrow about that!