Debbie and Jared

The 19th of December was probably busy for most people as it was the last shopping weekend before Christmas, but it was especially busy for me as I was setting up Debbie and Jared's wedding reception.

I adored this wedding for many reasons, not the least of which was because the colors and winter theme were identical to my own wedding, three years ago. The colors were ice blue and gray, with a lot of white. The bride's dress was ivory, which made for a beautiful contrast with the white linens and curtains on the backdrop. *Side-note: many brides feel that they cannot have ivory and white together, that they must choose one or the other, especially when the bride's dress is ivory. The truth is, the ivory looks more, well, ivory when everything around it is white. It shows that you chose this color of dress on purpose. Also, ivory linens look dirty, end of story.

The wedding reception was being held in a very large cultural hall; one of the biggest I have ever decorated. My three engineers spent a solid hour just figuring out how to best erect the dropped ceiling. Their planning really paid out as this was arguably one of the most gorgeous ceilings we have ever done.



A fun addition I have been dying to do was adding what I call, 'panel accents'. These involved a panel coming down from the ceiling to the floor and putting an arrangement in front of it. By spot-lighting the twiggy arrangement, we actually enlarged it and took it up the panel to make it seem taller. The light also added a great accent to the feel of the room.





The backdrop was created using our Wrought Iron Arch and the Pipe and Drape. I loved the end result.



Finishing off the clean, crisp feeling in the room was the floor length chair covers with blue or gray organza sashes. The tables had alternating blue or gray runners and were finished off by a centerpieces created by Tickled Pink Floral.





Of course, the final touch was the pathway markers, alerting guests to the entrance. We used our black lanterns to create a nice, sophisticated contrast to the white snow.

Elsie and Matt

Elsie and Matt were married the day after Thanksgiving. They had their reception in one of the loveliest greenhouses in the Valley, Highland Gardens. The greenhouse hosts a special reception area filled with tropical plants and stonework. An added bonus is the full-sized caterers kitchen.



Elsie chose willow green and white for her colors, a very fitting combination with the beautiful gardens.

Elegantly Expressed was responsible for decoration and providing the chocolate fountain and the dipping foods. The room needed very little in the way of extra decoration, but we accented with candles everywhere and tall statement vases. This combination softened the room, but added a great deal of elegance. To accentuate the color, we used willow green organza table overlays and chair sashes.









The centerpieces consisted of 3 vases, the tallest with calla lilies, and the shortest with candles. I loved what it added to the room. The head table was stunning with hydrangeas and candle arrangements.





The chocolate fountain was a lot of fun that night. We brought in pineapple, green apples, gummy bears, pretzels, and cream puffs for the perfect dipping foods. I also think the setup was quite lovely, but I might be biased ;).

Donna and Dave

I was so excited to work with Donna and Dave on their wedding. Their colors were dark blue and brown, very tasteful. I was able to have a lot of fun with their decor and they allowed me quite a bit of creative leeway.



I think that my most favorite decoration of the evening was the cake backdrop. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to put up one of my newest favorites for the first time. It pulled a real contemporary elegance into the whole affair. I understand that not everyone has the same decor style and tastes I do, but I honestly adored this backdrop. Please someone ask me to do it again! ;)





We used the brass arch set in the lobby at the entrance to the cultural hall. We wrapped shimmery, sheer, white fabric with lights through the arch and accented with blue and white flowers. This set was completed with the two brass flower stands on either side, also accented with the same flowers.



Of course, the dropped ceiling cannot be forgotten; it was lovely and completed the room.



I am pleased to introduce the newest member of the entrance/pathway markers: White Frosted Lanterns. Aren't they darling?




The centerpieces were delphinium and white gerbera daisies with our trademark beads and lights.



I also created this rather simple but modern accent piece to go in the lobby and gift table areas.



Yes, I think this was another win for us. ;)

More Than Just Weddings: The Halloween Carnival

Did you know we do more than just weddings? As an experienced event planner, I have been the creator and facilitator of dozens of events, including conferences, seminars, reunions, and parties. Most recently we were able to host a Halloween Carnival mixing cute and creepy decor for a very complimentary atmosphere. With custom-made games, a compelling soundtrack, and prizes for all, the event was a success (and so much fun!).

The games were created by our master-mind, the chief engineer, Mel. Mel is the builder and brains behind the frameworks of backdrops, ceilings, and any other prop a client may request. For the Halloween Carnival, Mel spent hours building unique games reminiscent of what you would find on a summer boardwalk. We had Skee Ball, 7-11, Baseball Tic-Tac-Toe, and more, all built in self-contained, sturdy structures. These games were the essence of the carnival and were a lot of fun to play.



The decorations, as previously mentioned, were planned to be a mix of fun, kid-friendly pictures and creepy drapes, hung strategically over the walls. We also included black lanterns with red lights hanging from the walls for an extra touch of sophistication. We tried hard not to overdo it, but did just enough to create the right atmosphere.






No party is complete without good music and this event was no exception. Our music mix was put together by our technical wizard, Alexander. He tracked down the best Halloween music you can find and mixed it onto one CD. Ghostbusters, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Night on Bald Mountain are only a few of the 100 minutes saved onto that disk. The atmosphere immediately changed when the music began playing. Alexander has also created some of the best wedding mixes I have ever heard. This guy knows his music.

Naturally, the people who come to the event truly make it what it is. All the best games, music, and plans fail if no one shows up to the party. When focusing on dynamics for an event, advertising is carefully considered and planned. It's the first impression of the event and can really make the difference. Posters, fliers, and word of mouth insured that lots of families attended the Halloween Carnival. It was their attendance and personalities that really made it a fun and successful event. So thanks to everyone who showed up! We loved your costumes and appreciated your contribution to the carnival!

Courtney and Kyle

Less than one week before the wedding, I met with Courtney and Kyle to discuss a last minute backdrop. The focal point of the room was going to be the centerpieces on the table, hot air balloons. They were created using helium balloons covered in a wide rope netting with a wicker basket for the base. To tie the backdrop in with the rest of the room we decided on a light, airy feeling that still offered a large amount of room coverage.

We put up a pipe and drape backdrop with a honeydew green colored drape. We accented it with wisteria trees with green flowers.

Despite a small mix up including a wrong address and the BYU football game traffic that slowed us down, the night went really well and the wedding party loved it.

Autum and Colby

Autum came to me requesting a shabby-chic wedding. I was more than happy to oblige her. Her colors were hot pink, black, and white, which I thought was fabulous for her theme.

We worked with a damask pattern as a base accent to be used in table runners and the backdrop. I had my seamstress custom make the runners, which turned out to be beautiful and really pulled the look together on the tables.



The backdrop was one of our new designs, using rather dramatic pieces of fabric. We first put up a solid black curtain. We then put a panel of damask fabric in the center of the backdrop, and then placed white and pink fabric on either side.



To complete the look, white paper lanterns were hanging from the ceiling and wrought iron details completed the look.





I was thrilled with the end result and so excited that I finally had a chance to do this backdrop that I have been waiting to do for so long. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before I get to do it again. :)

Alyssa & Ryan

Alyssa & Ryan had their reception at a local church cultural hall. Alyssa's colors were cerulean (a lovely blue)and yellow, with sort of a tropical effect.

We put up what I call a spider-style ceiling with a central point and a "chandelier" of paper lanterns in the center. We completed the look by adding teal and white lights to the lanterns.





For the backdrop we constructed "the Jen" again. It always surprises me how many brides request this. No matter how often we do it, it always looks very elegant and it's fun to see the different colors of drapes.



We also put up a matching cake backdrop with a few minor changes to add variety.



The centerpieces were the popular shallow bowls with teal lights and yellow lilies. We placed them on yellow and blue square cloths for a final splash of color.





Finally, we marked the outside entrance by putting up shepherd hooks with paper lanterns with blue and yellow curled ribbon. I liked the simplicity.

Sydne & Michael

I finally had the opportunity to decorate the Provo Library Ballroom! I have been dying to decorate it for ages and on Aug 8, I finally got my chance. I was delighted to decorate for Sydne and Michael's wedding. Their colors were pink, black, and white in a very classy combination. We used the best of everything!

I met Sydne while I was doing Kimber and Nate's wedding back in April. She was delivering the cake right before the reception when I was finishing everything up. I was sort of going crazy, but she apparently liked what she saw so she called the next week.

We set up the Jen Backdrop again, this time with a pink drape. It was situated right in front of the windows to take advantage of the lovely afternoon light. The natural lighting really complemented the white curtains.



We also provided our full chair covers with black satin sashes, tied into perfect bows.





The tables matched perfectly with white floor-length tablecloths, black satin overlays, and small pink squares. They were topped with lovely centerpieces which I cannot take credit for, although I wish I could. :)




This was the grand staircase:


Sydne was one of the best clients I have ever worked with. She was very clear with her expectations and was always right on top of the ball on every aspect of the wedding and because she has such a delightful personality it was a pleasure to do anything I could to make her wedding exactly what she wanted.

Tyler & TaLisha

For Tyler and TaLisha's wedding we actually did very little decoration. In conjunction with Tickled Pink Floral we created the simple, yet lovely, centerpieces of square vases and hot pink daisies. These were lovely, but we were really there to do the catering of the reception. The bride and groom had chosen to do a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, gummy bears, pretzels, bananas, and of course, strawberries.

Centerpieces:



My staff and I actually really enjoy doing the chocolate fountains because it is one of the few times we get to witness the party in full swing. At Tyler and TaLisha's reception we had a lot of fun listening to the DJ's music and watching the bridal party dance. It was a really fun party!

We actually do the chocolate a bit differently than most in the area. We have constant attendees with the fountain who serve the chocolate into small cups which are then placed on the guest's plate. The guest can then choose what they would like to dip and take it back to their table, dipping into his or her own cup. This is good for a number of reasons. It keeps the chocolate clean and sanitary, avoiding any bits of food that would normally fall in. It also speeds up the line and is not nearly as messy. For these reasons our clients really appreciate our services.


Our expert staff serving up the chocolate into cups (yes, they look young but have already had a solid year of experience).