Because the memorable moments in your life should be nothing less than Fabulous

Vendor Spotlight: Belvedere Films

2011-07-19T07:36:00.001-07:00

Belvedere Films (named after the dog :))is owned and operated by the husband of an old school friend :) Kaila and Joey were Belvedere Films very first client and I have no doubt that they will be around for a very long time. Ed Ballart's creative talent and ability to capture the most memorable moments in the most perfect way are going to make Belvedere Films one of the TOP choices in his industry.

If you need a cinematographer for you Wedding day, Engagement, Save the Date or any other life occasion, contact Belvedere Films or find them on Facebook

kaila + joey from Belvedere Films on Vimeo.

Ceremony Venue - Grand Beach Hotel - miamihotelgrandbeach.com
Reception Venue - Ronald W. Shane Center - shanecenter.com
Planner - Fabulous Fêtes & Events - fabulousfetesandevents.com
Photographer - Fola Adewole Photography - folaadewole.com
Flowers - Gil Sosa Floral Design - gilsosadesign.com
DJ - Ubi's Music Productions - ubimusic.com
MakeUp - Lutz Karpf - lutzkarpf.com

Jennifer + Warren 5.28.11

2011-07-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ceremony and Reception: Douglas Entrance, Coral Gables
Catering: Parties by Pat
Rentals: Hitched Event Rentals
Flowers: Gil Sosa
Photo: Photos by ME
Video: Pinnacle Bride

Jennifer + Warren Same Day Edit from PinnacleBride.com on Vimeo.

Jamie + Cory 11.6.2010

2011-07-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Ceremony & Reception: La Siesta Resort, Islamorada
Catering & Rentals: Paella Party

All the decor was DIY

Been gone for a while......

2011-03-30T21:20:00.001-07:00

and for a good reason. This is why I left the wedding world last July....

to have my beautiful boy. After 2 years, lots of pain. tears, and help from an AMAZING Dr., I finally got my miracle.

It was a long journey, but it was totally worth it.

There will be some changes to the "look" around here. I figured since my whole life has changed, Fabulous Fêtes should too.

So be on the look out! We have some special coming out in honor of being "back in business"!

Lots of love to all of you.

-J

Kaila + Joey 7.10.10

2011-03-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Even though I was SO disappointed I could be there for this one, since I was in the hospital after just giving birth to my son, I was able to be part of the entire planning process and put all the pieces together. SO glad Kaila & Joey had a beautiful day. Big thanks to Ursula Ballart of Belvedere Filmswho took the reigns that day and to all my wonderful vendors who did an awesome job executing all the elements.

Credits:

Ceremony Venue – Grand Beach Hotel

Reception Venue – Ronald W. Shane Center

Planner – Fabulous Fêtes & Events

Photographer - Fola Adewole

Videographer – Belvedere Films

Flowers – Gil Sosa Floral Design

DJ – Ubi’s Music Productions

MakeUp – Lutz Karpf

Felicia + Michael 6.26.2010

2011-03-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Credits: Ceremony: Saint Patricks Catholic Church, Reception: Miami Beach Resort & Spa, Photography: Unique Design Studios, Music & Lighting: Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions

Jennifer + Jorge 6.12.2010

2011-03-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Credits: Church: Coral Gables Congregational, Reception Venue: Rusty Pelican, Dress: Anne Barge, Shoes: Grazia, Flowers: Gil Sosa, DJ: DJ Ubi, Video: Artistry Wedding Films

Natasha & Michael 5.15.10

2010-10-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Natasha and Michael are a sweet, loving couple that I had the pleasure of working with back in May. They are the perfect example of couples I LOVE to work with. You can tell they are so very much in love and their families adore them. Everyone, especially Natasha's mother wanted this couple to have the most perfect day.
The ceremony & reception took place @ the Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables.
Here are some pictures by photographer Joseph Casal of their beautiful day.

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Westin Colonnade
Photography: Joseph Casal
Video: Reinhardt Productions
Music: Ubi's Music Productions

Omaira & Jason 4.24.10

2010-06-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Professional photos by Michelle Morales Photography

Some additional detail shots by us :)

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Shane Center, Miami Beach
Flowers: Gil Sosa
Music & Lighting: Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions
Catering & Rentals: Americaters

Minerva & Marlon 4.18.10

2010-06-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Credits:

Ceremony & Reception: Rusty Pelican
Flowers: Landy's Flowers by Gerardo
Linens: AB Covers
Music & Lighting: Liquid DJ's

Christina & Ben 4.10.10

2010-06-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Christina & Ben came down to Miami (where Christina is originally from) from New York to get married on South Beach. SoBe seems to be a THE place all my NY brides want to get married and why not?! There are lots of amazing hotels and venues to choose from and being in the heart of all the action gives all the guests lots to do the rest of the weekend.

The ceremony & reception both took place at the South Beach Marriot. I love this venue for smaller events because it's accommodations are perfect.
The ceremony took place on the terrace. The aisle was lined with giant orange tissue pomanders and at the "altar" 2 beautiful arrangements in the wedding colors of hot pink and burnt orange. The ocean provided the perfect backdrop. After the cocktail hour which also took place on the terrace guests moved in to the ballroom for the reception. The tables were dressed in dark pink linens, silver chargers, Silver chiavari chairs & white satin cushions. The centerpieces were gorgeous arrangements of hot pink, orange and fuchsia colors roses, white hydrangea, purple & orange orchids and curly willow branches. Fuchsia colors up lighting was placed around the room and a pin spot was used to illuminate each centerpiece as well as the cake.
The cake was set atop glass cubes and flowers and was lit from underneath with acolytes. It was one of my favorite cake setups thus far and I was really excited to do all florals on the cake and for the base.
The ballroom looked beautiful and really gave off that South Beach feel.

Below are some pictures by 13:13 Boutique Wedding photography of Christina & Ben's beautiful night.

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: South Beach Marriott
Florals: Vivian Colls
Photo: Ashley Colhouer 13:13 Boutique Wedding Photography
Rentals: Hitched Event Rentals
Music & Lighting: Visions DJs

Carolina & Geo 3.27.10

2010-06-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

Carolina & Geo travelled down from Tampa to be married on March 27, 2010 in from of their family and friends....plus 3 very special guest their children :)

Both ceremony & reception took place at the Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables. The tables were dressed in white linens with silver chiavari chairs and chargers. The florals provided by Gil Sosa consisted of white roses and hydrangea and orange mokara orchids.
The decorative accents were all orange and teal.

Below are some pictures of their wonderful night

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables
Flowers: Gil Sosa
Photographer: Jonathan Dann

Jodie & Casey 3.13.10

2010-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Jodie & Casey were married on March 13, 2010 at the Addison in Boca Raton. I was looking forward to finally working at this venue since I had never been there and it did not disappoint. It's a historic building with lots of character and we really loved it there. The ceremony took place in the courtyard under the Banyan trees.
Afterwards, guests were escorted to the fountain area for cocktails.
The weather was perfect for the outdoor activities.

After cocktails, the party was moved in to the ballroom for the reception. The tables were dressed in gun metal gray crinkled linens, black chiavari chairs and silver beaded glass chargers. All the flowers were different shades of pink.
One of my favorite elements was an overlay that was created with old family pictures. Guests made their way to the cake table to look at the pictures all night.

Jodie & Casey congrats on your marriage! and on the upcoming arrival of your little boy!

Below are some amazing pictures from Gregory Paul Photography and the higlight reel created by Blueshore Video Productions. Enjoy!

Jodie + Casey from BlueShore Productions on Vimeo.

Credits:

Venue: The Addison, Boca Raton
Flowers & Linens: Daniel Events
Chairs & Chargers: Brelex
Photography: Gregory Paul Photography
Video: Blue Shore Productions
DJ: Vision's DJ

Allison & Roberto 3.6.10

2010-06-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Allison & Roberto are fun loving and laid back couple who love all things "natural" :)
They met @ work, working Miami-Dade Agriculture. Their goal was to have a wedding & reception with their closest family and friends with small reflections of them and the things they love.
They got just that!

The ceremony & reception both took place at the Miami Rowing Club in Key Biscayne.

Credits:

Venue: Miami Rowing Club
Linens: AB Cover Designs
Flowers Vivian Colls

Tanya & Javi 2.13.10

2010-06-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tanya and Javi were married on Saturday February 13, 2010 at The Palms Hotel in Miami Beach. The hotels garden and gazebo served as the location for the ceremony and the reception immediately followed on the veranda. The weather was great that night and what better way to enjoy one of our few "winter" days that with a wedding!

The party proved to be lots of fun! The dance area was packed all night and on the night before Valentine's Day (as cheesy as this may sound) love filled the air!

The party did not end there after the reception the crowd headed out to an after party at the re-vamp Fountain Bleu Hotel.

For a change of pace instead of pictures here is the amazing highlights reel by the awesome video team at Freemind Studios

Tanya and Javier Wedding Trailer from Free Mind Studios on Vimeo.

Credits:
Venue: The Palms Hotel
Cinematography: Free Mind Studios freemindstudios.com
Photography: Manolo Doreste/InFocus ifstudios.net
Makeup by: Zenab
Hair by: Gregory White hairdragonsalon.com
DJ: Jorge Antonatos Vision Dj's
Cermony Music by: Celebration Musicians celebrationmusicians.com

Katie & Gene 1.16.10

2010-06-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Katie and Gene are an amazing Navy couple I had the pleasure of working with last year. They met overseas, while serving our country and fell in love :)

At the time they hired me they were both based in Italy and needed someone to take the reigns to pull together the remaining details of their January 2010 event. I was honored to be a part of it.

Katie loves the color blue and was happy to have it everywhere, along with Bom Blue Orchid she fell in love with online that she new she had to have. So her wish was my command. Everything was done in different shades of blue. I created invitations, menus, programs, table numbers and mini seating charts for this event as well. All of the elements included this favorite color.

The end result was a lovely event for about 60 guests with a ceremony @ St. Hugh and reception at the Rusty Pelican.
Best moment of the night for me? Seeing my one seemingly conservative Navy JAG Lawyer breaking it down with her new husband on the dance floor :) They had an amazing time and that truly makes all the hard work worth it!

Here are some pictures I took of the evening as well as some professional pictures by Mayfly Photography.

Credits:
Ceremony: St Hugh Catholic Church
Reception: The Rusty Pelican
Flowers: Gil Sosa
Music: The DJ Connection
Photo: Mayfly Photography

Melissa & Jeff 1.9.10

2010-03-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Melissa and Jeff contacted me all the way from Minnesota to plan their wedding in South Florida. They would be honeymooning from here and wanted to have a small intimate ceremony and reception for close family and friends before departing on their cruise.

The whole week leading up to the wedding the weather forecast seemed to get worse and worse but this bride & groom was determined to have their beach wedding. So my dear husband and I, with ponchos, umbrellas and lots of layers of clothing braved the rain and "freezing" cold weather that day. Anything to make a bride happy!

The 25 guests were provided umbrellas and watched the bride and groom get married :)

The ceremony took place on the Deerfield Beach boardwalk and was followed by a dinner at Brooks Restaurant.

Credits:

Ceremony: Deerfield Beach Boardwalk
Reception: Brooks Restaurant
Flowers: Gil Sosa

Here are a couple of pictures from that day:

Casey & Nakia's NYE Masquerade Bash

2010-03-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

When I first spoke to Casey one of the things she told me was the most important thing for her was for her wedding to be a great party! Having your wedding on NYE kinda puts you in a spot where it better be awesome or else you're gonna have some pretty disappointed guests. Casey & Nakia's wedding totally met any expectations their guests might have had!

The ceremony took place on the even of December 31st in the Courtyard at the Hyatt Coral Gables. After the lovely ceremony performed by a really good friends of Casey's family, guests enjoyed the cocktail hour in the same courtyard.

Following the cocktail hour was the Masquerade themed party! The reception was held in the Hall of Ambassadors. The tables were dressed in Gun Metal Gray Dupioni linens, square black acrylic chargers and the same gray dupioni napkins. The Chairs had a black satin chair cover and gray dupioni sash. The centerpieces consisted of black baccara roses, orange roses, blue & purple lilies and long black ostrich feathers and sat atop a silver candelabra type stand adorned with hanging crystals. Each place setting contained a custom made menu and a mask for each guest.

The room was up lit in purple LED lights and up by the DJ and big screen specifically for the count down was an all white lounge area.

Guests had a really great time....and that was the point!
Right around midnight Las Vegas style dancers came in to get the crowd moving before the big ball drop.

All in all it was a successful evening :) Alexis and I haven't done anything for NYE in a few years so it was nice to get out! Lol.

Below are some picture from the evening's photographer Elizabeth Monge of Studio Elizabeth and a bunch of pictures we took of all the other details! Enjoy!

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Hyatt Coral Gables
Linens, Chair Covers, Chargers: AB Cover Designers
Flowers: Dalsimer Florist
Photographer: Studio Elizabeth
DJ: Mike Sipe Entertainment
Las Vegas Dancers: Dance South Florida
Menus, Sweetheart Table Decor: Fabulous Fetes & Events
Lounge: Hitched Event Rentals
Cake: Divine Delicacies

Meg & Joachim 12.27.09

2010-02-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

I remember my first year in planning all of my brides pretty much came from one place. Now that I've been in the game a little longer I've been lucky enough to have bride find me a bunch of other ways.
My next couple came referred to me by word-of-mouth and are by far my farthest of far away couples yet! I really don't think anyone else will beat them.

Meg & Joachim reside in India :) Yup, the country on the other side of the world! Joachim is German and Meg is Haitian and her mother lives in Miami. The couple had a wedding in Germany for Joachim's family last August and then decided to have one in Miami to accommodate friends & family in the States.

This was going to be a small affair for about 30 guests. Meg & Joachim needed me to take care of all the arrangements because I would only get to meet with them once. All other communication took place via email and 2-3 phone conversations. Her trip over was very successful. We managed to nail down a venue, florist, DJ and officiant.

Meg & Joachim wanted an event that was very representative of them. The couple has literally travelled all over the world today. They met in one country, had their first date in another, got engaged in a third....you catch my drift. So at her request we did a wedding of understated elegance with an underlying travel theme.

The ceremony took place out on the lawn of The Palms Hotel and was all red & white.
Passports created to replicated American & German passports served as programs.

After the ceremony guests moved in to cocktail hour. The sign n table was decorated with small suitcases and some of the many old travel poster signs we had scattered about. Each sign was of a place the bride and groom visited together.

We did one long royal table set for 24 (the final count) with ivory fortuny linens and gold chivari chairs. Meg loves red roses so florist Gil Sosa incorporated them in to the florals along with white hydrangea and greenery. the florals that decorated the ceremony served double duty and were used at the Royal table decor. The menus were postcards that had personal travel photos of the bride & groom on one side and the menu on the other. The place cards were printed with passport stamps and the remainder of our travel poster signs were place along the length of the table.

One thing that we definitely were not short on at this wedding was cake! In honor of the different heritages, a German cake (Black Forest) and a Haitian Cake (Rum Cake) we put out for guests to enjoy along with the traditional wedding cake & cupcakes.

Several toasts were made through out the evening or guests telling stories of the bride and groom. It was a very intimate night of dinner, dancing and story telling. Exactly what they wanted.

Ceremony & Reception: The Palms Hotel, South Beach
Linens & Chairs: Hitched Event Rentals
Florist: Gil Sosa
Programs, Placecards, Menus, Signage: Smashing Cards
Officiant: Eddie Rodriguez
Hair & Makeup: Lutz Karpf

Playing catch up! Nydia & Eddie 12.26.09

2010-02-23T16:12:00.001-08:00

The last few months have been rather crazy and I have seriously neglected my blog! Sorry to those of you that check it often or use it as a way to "pass the time at work" Lol
As of right now I am 6 weddings behind! and I'm going to try to post at least half of them tonight.

Let's start with Nydia & Eddie!

Nydia came to me as a referral from a previous bride and hired me for our "A Little Luxury" package. This exists basically to give the bride peace of mind that all will be set up according to her wishes on her wedding :) without the added expense of having someone there the entire night (which for some is necessary). We arrived and did just that!

The lovely ceremony was followed by a reception @ the Rusty Pelican.

Below are pictures of the lovely setup! along with a highlight reel from Artistic Film Productions.

Nydia & Eddie from Artistic Film Productions on Vimeo.

Ceremony: Saint Raymond Catholic Church
Reception: The Rusty Pelican
DJ & Lighting: Ubi's Music Productions
Linens & Chairs: AB Cover Designers
Cupcakes: LA Sweets

Sara & Ben's South Beach wedding.....

2009-12-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

Having been a bride that had 46 guests at her wedding I love the idea of more intimate events. So, when Sara emailed me earlier this year and told me she needed someone to plan her 50 guests event, I was excited!
Plus, Sara was already great to chat with over email so I was very much looking forward to working with her!

The requirements were that it be on the beach or on some type of water and that it offer a space that would be perfect for that # of guests. I had my list of venues that I would be contacting and some others. In my search I found that the Hilton Bentley on 1st and Ocean had recently started putting on weddings again. The space they had was absolutely perfect for the # of guests Sara & Ben would be having. The pool area was perfect for the loungy feel they wanted fro the cocktail hour. Plus, the resort was directly on the beach so we added a check to beach ceremony too.

The colors for the event were a deep turquoise/peacock blue, lime green, chocolate brown and hints of white.

The ceremony took place on the beach and the bride and groom were married under a beautiful ivory oraganza canopy with hanging garlands of white dendrobium orchids.

After the ceremony guests walked back to the hotel where the cocktail hour took place alongside their very SoBe pool area which had all been made private for this event.

Once the cocktail hour was over, the guest were escorted in to the ballroom. The tables were dressed in the dupioni linens in that deep turquoise/peacock blue shade, mahogany chiavari chairs, lime green dupioni cushions and napkins. The napkins sat a top rattan chargers and had the menu tucked in. The beautiful centerpiece created by Gil Sosa consisted of 3 cubical vases. The tallest filled with white hydrangea, green and white dendrobium orchids, bells of Ireland, hanging amaranthus and curly willow branches. The middle vase had a bundle of green dendrobium orchids on top of beige river rocks and the smallest vase a bunch of hydrangea with a green cymbidium orchid. Square votives were also placed on the table to accent.

Ubi's Music & Lighting not only kept the dancefloor PACKED all night but he also provided the customized turquoise uplights that were placed around the room and the pin spots that were placed on the florals.

Toward the end of the night a dessert table was put out with yummy raspberry and pineapple puree desserts that we topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut provided by La Marquise Desserts. Sliders were also put out as part of this late night snack. They were both a hit.

Sara & Ben, I can tell by the fact that neither of sat for more than 5 minutes at a time the entire night that you had a blast! I truly hope that the night exceeded any and all expectation that either of you had for your special day! Sara, it was so great chatting with you on a daily basis over the last 7 months. You made an absolutely stunning bride! Be, it was great to finally meet you. I'm sorry you didn't get your "weinie tots" but I hope you enjoyed the rest of the food! lol
We wish you both nothing but the best in everything you do. May every day of your lives together be even better than the last!
Congrats Mr. & Mrs!!

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Hilton Bentley, South Beach
Florals: Gil Sosa Designs
Dj & Uplighting: Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions
Photo: Stephanie Sokol
Video: Focused on Forever
Rentals: AB Cover Designers
Dessert Table: La Marquise Desserts

Priscilla & Ben's Deering Estate affair....

2009-12-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Priscilla & Ben were another out-of-town couple from California. Originally they hired us just for the Day-Of but as the event got closer added our design package so that we could take care of all the aesthetics of the event.

The ceremony & reception both took place at the beautiful Deering Estate in Palmetto Bay. The color they chose were chocolate brown and shade of pink and rose.
Because I, ofcourse, was running around like a chicken without a head I have no pictures to share of the ceremony but to give you an idea...we decided to go all white with some hints of the rose and gold in the petal cones and programs.

After the ceremony & cocktail hour guests were taken in to the court yard for dinner. All the tables were dressed in chocolate dupioni linens, gold chiavari chairs with gold cushions and napkins that that a menu tucked in. The tables were all square and had beautiful arrangements of flowers in different shades of pink with hanging crystals.
The bride and groom and their bridal party sat at a royal table that was placed parallel to the Stone House which provided a beautiful backdrop. The favors were little box with truffle inside, wrapped in a gold damask paper and tied with a rose colored ribbon.

After dinner guests were encouraged back in to the house where lounge furniture and a cocktail hour style area was set up. Hazel R. Photogrpaher played an AMAZING slideshow of the days pictures and then the dancing began.
All in all it was a beautiful evening!

Here are some pictures of the event.

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Deering Estate
Florals: Nevot Flowers
Rentals: Hitched Events
Photo: Hazel R. Photographers
Dj & Lighting: Ubi's Music Productions
Catering: Pepe Luzarraga Catering

Jackie & David's beautiful Biltmore wedding...

2009-12-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

Well I can't take credit for very much on this one because I came in to the mix about two weeks before the event. Jackie was a bride who is originally from Miami but is living in NY. She felt like she needed some extra help tying up all the loose ends and that what we did!

The wedding took place at the beautiful Biltmore hotel. Now my friend Mrs. Jackie Ohh is always gushing about this venue and I was very excited to finally get to work there. The Biltmore definitely did not disappoint. The staff there is absolutely wonderful and beyond capable. It made my job that much easier.

The event was stunning. Dalismer provided all the amazing florals for the event and Heatwave kept the dance floor placed all night.

Jackie & David, it was such a pleasure meeting both of you and your families. You were truly wonderful. We wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

Enjoy the pictures!

Credits:

Ceremony & Reception: The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables
Band: Heatwave
Flowers: Dalsimer Florist
Photographer: Magdalena Photography
Video: Michael James
Afterparty DJ & MC: Roy & Jazz Grant

Joet & Ralph....Take 2

2009-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well after much begging Carmen submitted to my request and posted some amazing pictures of last Sunday's beauitful event for Joet & Ralph.
Thank you my friend, you did a beautiful job with the pictures.....AS USUAL!

Joet & Ralph.....Yay!

2009-11-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

Wow. Where to begin? I've been looking forward to writing this entry since early this year when the planning began. I was totally honored to have Joet & Ralph trust me to plan this most special day in their lives. It's not often that a bride lets you have free reign to create something so important.

Joet was an easy bride to "get". She told me that she could put the whole event in my hands and never know anything and know she would totally love everything in the end. That's an awesome working relationship.
Once the location and date was nailed down (which was the hardest part, lol) , the only request was that it be different. So that's what we did. The ceremony and location both took place at the Douglas Entrance in Coral Gables. I've done several events there that all followed a common theme. Round tables, elegant and something that compliments the historic building. All stunning, all very fitting in that location.
But, Joet is not that kind of girl Lol
She wanted something Modern, glamorous and something that was not common for that room. She wanted people to walk in and know hands down they'd never seen anything like it.
I had my hands full.

For the ceremony and cocktail hour we went all white with hints of silver and purple.

The bride and groom were married by the fountain and their "altar" has 2 large displays of white flowers. Tall cylinder vases or purple vendela orchids lined the aisle.

The cocktail hour was all white.

The lounge the bride really wanted was setup with a white leather serpentine sofa, ottomans and coffee table. Purple and pale blue silk pillows were used to accent.

The sign-ing table was decked in a silver satin linen and adorned with an amazing white flower display in different white vases.

For the reception we came up with a pale, muted color palette

a big deciding factor was this cake the the bride fell in love with. We also brought in a little of the cocktail hour color (the purple) in to the reception to add a pop of color.

The layout at Douglas was done with all square and rectangular tables and received confused looks from all the vendors who walked in and said "Oh, this is different". Mission accomplished!

In the 4 corners of the room we put 24ft Royal tables. In between, a combination of four 60" squares and a 72" square.

For the head table we used a rectangular table and sat the bride and groom and the 6 members of the bridal party.

The tables were draped in an Ivory Fortuny linen, silver chiavari chairs, and silver beaded glass chargers satin ivory napkins. Each place setting had a custom made menu created by myself, tucked inside the napkin along with the favor, a cupcake in a box with custom label created to compliment the menu. A purple vendela orchid was also placed at each setting fro an extra touch.

Gil Sosa and his team of 10 created some amazing florals for the event. The Royal tables were accented with 2 large displays of calla lilies, hydrangea, purple dendrobium orchid, purple vendela orchids, curly willows branches and crystals. Additional vases of purple vendela orchids, green cymbidiums and small arrangements of mixed coordinating flowers were used in these tables as well.The 60" squares had a combination of 4 different vases containing all the different flowers that were used through out the event. The two 72" tables on each side of the room had an amazing display of casablanca lilies, calla lilies, hydrangea, purple dendrobium orchid, purple vendela orchids, white phalenopsis orchids, curly branches, silver wire swirls, 2-4ft crsytal strands and stood 10ft on top of the table. They were stunning!
The head tables was a little more simple but equally as beautiful.
The cake was set atop glass cubes contain orchids and surrounded with more orchids and ivory roses.

Ubi's Music & Lighting provided the purple up lights that went around the room and the pin spots that accented all the big arrangements, head table and cake. Lighting truly transforms any event so it comes highly recommended from this girl!

Joet was floored when she saw the room. She actually jumped up and down in her 3" fuschia heels :) Nothing could make me feel better!

The night went fabulously. The bride was glowing and the groom could not look more in love. Life is good!

Joet, the past 9 months have been so much fun. I honestly could not have asked for a better bride and I'm so glad that through it all I made a new friend. You are such a sweetheart and beautiful person and I'm honored that you trusted me with such an important day in your life. Alexis and I wish nothing but the best for you and Ralph as you embark on this new adventure may you only grow more in love everyday! Have an amazing time in Mexico. Love you!

A special thanks to all the vendors contributed to this event. Couldn't have done it without you!

and now for the important part!

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Douglas Entrance, Coral Gables
Floral: Gil Sosa
Tables, Chairs, Linens etc.: Hitched Event Rentals
Music & Lighting: Ubi's Music and Lighting Productions
Caterer: Pepe Luzarraga Catering
Photographer: Studio by Carmen
Wedding Cake: Divine Delicacies
Cupcakes: Misha's

Erika & Tom

2009-10-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of working Erika & Tom's wedding and boy was it fun! I laughed so much that day the muscles in my face hurt.

Erika & Tom are a fun, loving couple who after 3 years together decided to get married on October 10, 2009, surrounded by all their family and friends! The ceremony took place at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, followed by a reception at the Signature Grand in Davie.

The ballroom at the Grand was totally transformed in to a beautiful space for the event. Special Event Decorators provided the swag draping that adorned the ceiling and the amazing crystal backdrop for the head table. They also used a combination of LED and standard can up lights strategically placed to accent all the draping.

The white satin crushed linens were provided by the Grand the Chiavari Chairs were provided by Hitched Event rentals.

Gil Sosa provided all the beautiful florals for the event.

Since both the Bride and Groom are diehard Red Sox fans, a grooms cake was ordered to suit and the Bride surprised her new husband with an ice sculpture as well.
Helmets that served as a guest book were used to decorate the table after cocktail hour.

Erika & Tom, thanks so much for allowing us to be a part of your special day! We had THE BEST time :) We wish you both many years of love and happiness! Have fun on your honeymoon!

Credits
Ceremony: St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl
Reception: Signature Grand. Davie, Fl
Flowers: Gil Sosa
Photography: Ryan Droze
Video: Reinhardt Productions
DJ: Liquid DJ's
Draping & Lighting: Special Event Decorators
Chairs: Hitched Event Rentals
Ice Sculpture: Ice Occasions
Photobooth: Event Photo Favors

WEDDING DO's and DON'Ts

2009-10-04T08:42:00.001-07:00

Here are a few smalls do's and don'ts that can make a BIG difference!

DO TRY TO INVOLVE YOUR FIANCE IN THE PLANNING.
Even though they may not want to be bothered it is a good time to learn more about one another’s likes and dislikes.

DO TRY TO BRING BOTH FAMILIES TOGETHER-invite each others parents over to talk about wedding plans - if they live in separate cities set-up a conference call so everyone can be together to share the excited! …this will help everyone feel as though there’re all involved in making this wedding very special.

DON’T WASTE TIME WORRYING ABOUT PLEASING EVERYONE …try your best, but remember this is your and your fiance's big day.

DO ELIMINATE SOME OF THE LEG WORK BEFORE YOU REGISTER. It is a
good idea to narrow some of the gift choices before you ask your partner to join you for the final decisions.

DO YOUR GIFT REGISTRY WITH YOUR PARTNER. It’s more fun when your
fiancé can share in the excitement of actually receiving gifts you both chose together.

DO REMEMBER TO SELECT FLOWERS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF YOUR WEDDING. You may have a favorite flower you hoped would be in your bouquet but the seasons play an important role when designing your florals.

DON’T ORDER YOUR INVITATIONS TOO EARLY. Four months before your wedding date is ample time. Wedding invitation companies are constantly coming up with new designs. Ask your stationer for the most current catalogues. Always request a proof in case of last minute changes and to correct any errors.

DO ORDER EXTRA THANK YOU NOTES. It is not expensive to increase the thank you note amount at the time of the initial order. These notes will surely come in handy even after all the notes for the wedding have been written.

DO CHOOSE A SONG FOR YOUR FIRST DANCE THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO BOTH OF YOU. This will make your first dance together as Mr. and Mrs. very special.

DO MAKE ONE OF YOUR FIRST DECISIONS HOW FORMAL YOU WANT YOUR WEDDING TO BE. This will help with later decisions such as décor, menu planning and attire.

DO MAKE A GUEST LIST FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEOGRAPHER. This list will enable your photographer and videographer not to leave out specific guest when taking pictures and interviewing for video.

DON’T CHOOSE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND OR VIDEOGRAPHER BASED ON THEIR WORK ALONE. It’s important that you feel comfortable with his/hers personality- a friendly relationship will make for better end results.

DON’T FORGET “SOMETHING OLD.” Allow your families enough time to find something meaningful for this age old tradition. Maybe an old lace handkerchief or a memorable item from their own wedding.

DON’T FORGET TO TEST YOUR BOUQUET FLOWERS FOR COLOR FASTNESS.
Some deep colored flowers bleed, and can stain a wedding dress.

DO TAKE ENOUGH TIME TO PACK FOR YOUR HONEYMOON.
With all the excited of the wedding day, this can be overlooked and important items may be left out of your suitcase.

DON’T TRY ANY NEW COSMETICS OR FACIAL PRODUCTS WITHIN A WEEK OF YOUR WEDDING.

DO HAVE SURPRISES WAITING ON THE CHAIRS AT THE END OF THE AISLE FOR THE CHILDREN IN THE WEDDING. This will make it fun and enticing to get down the aisle for the younger children.

DON’T EVER FORCE A CHILD DOWN THE AISLE. If there is no way of convincing your flower girl or ring bearer to walk down the aisle just give up. There is nothing worse then a screaming child right before the bride walks out.

DO INCLUDE YOUR PARTNER WHEN GOING OUT TO TASTE WEDDING
CAKES. Not only is it fun, come the big event you may be so excited you won’t remember how delicious it was.

DO PRACTICE YOUR FIRST DANCE. Make a room in the house romantic by
dimming the lights, and lighting some candles. When the magical moment arrives at the
wedding you’ll remember the romantic time spent practicing together.

DO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR AISLE WILL BE WIDE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR WEDDING GOWN. A lot of today’s gowns are designed with very full skirts. You don’t want to be caught on anything down the aisle that could have been moved earlier.

DON’T LET ANY UNEXPECTED PROBLEMS RUIN YOU’RE DAY. Stay calm, each problem has a solution. Your calmness will spread to others and everything will work out.

DO TAKE YOUR VEIL OR HEADPIECE TO YOUR HAIRDRESSER. It is always advisable to have a practice run before the big day. Make sure you take your Polaroid and take pictures of the front and back of your new do. Even your hairdresser can get so excited that they may forget what the two of you created.

DON’T FORGET TO TELL YOUR MAKE-UP ARTIST IF YOU ARE WEARING YOUR HAIR UP OR DOWN. It will make a difference. Always have a trial make-up run. You want your guests to be able to recognize you on your big day.

DO GO WITH YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND TO CHOOSE HIS TUXEDO. He may not know that there are specific tuxedos for day and for evening. It’s more important that the groom gets the right one for him and then choose a coordinating one for his
groomsmen.

DON’T ORDER YOUR WEDDING GOWN A SIZE SMALLER IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO LOSE WEIGHT. Order your current size. Your dress can always be taken in.

DO PRACTICE YOUR WEDDING VOWS. If you are planning on writing your own vows it is a good idea to try and memorize them. There is nothing more romantic than being able to look into the eyes of your loved one instead of a piece of paper.

DO CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING PARTY GIFTS EARLY. This will give you time to creatively wrap them and to write each member of the wedding party a personal
note.

DO PRACTICE WALKING AROUND IN YOUR WEDDING SHOES. If your shoes are feeling tight but looking great it is a good idea to have a comfy pair waiting
under your chair at the reception.

DO BE PREPARED WITH AN EMERGENCY WEDDING KIT. Bring an extra pair of stockings, safety pins, breath mints, bottled water, aspirin, nail file, nail polish for unexpected chip and tissues.

DO HAVE FAMILY MEMBER OR BRIDESMAID GO WITH YOU ON YOUR LAST FITTING. This is the time to learn how to bustle the back of your dress. You’ll need an extra pair of hands for this task. Have your helper practice a few times so it can be done quickly at the reception.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE OFF YOUR WATCH. On the day of your wedding…
Time Stands Still.

DO GO LISTEN TO YOUR BAND OR D.J. Before you hire them make sure they know and can play your favorite songs.

DO TAKE ALL YOUR BRIDESMAIDS INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN CHOOSING THEIR DRESS. You may not find one dress that will make everyone look great but try to choose a style that compliments a thin or overweight woman.

DO REMEMBER TO HOLD YOUR BOUQUET LOW AND WITH STRAIGHT ARMS. This allows for your waist to show and in turn look very shapely in the pictures.
(This is also a good tip for bridesmaids)

DO JOT DOWN SONGS YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO ON THE RADIO. Keep a pad in your car or bag. Traffic is a great time to remember oldies and present hits.
Make sure you make an extensive list for your band or D.J.

DO ASK YOUR FLORIST FOR A SAMPLE CENTERPIECE. Your vision and the
florist could be totally different.

DO ORDER A FEW EXTRA BOUTONNIERES. Sometimes the groomsmen will take
off their jacket while they wait for the ceremony to begin and crush the flower.

DO PLAN YOUR HONEYMOON EARLY. This will guarantee good prices, good seats on an airline and preferred rooms at hotels.

DO ASK YOUR OFFICIANT WHAT HIS SCHEDULE FOR THE CEREMONY WILL BE. Ask him/her what to expect and the length of time.

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR MARRIAGE LICENSE. You can get your license as early as 2 months. Often couples wait to the last minute….

DON’T FORGET TO GIVE YOUR GROOM A LITTLE EXTRA ATTENTION.
Often the bride is the center of attention. Send him love notes or even roses! Let him know you are counting the days until you are husband and wife.

DON’T FORGET WATERPROOF MASCARA. Test the mascara first so there are no reactions.

DO MAKE SURE YOUR UNDERGARMENTS ARE AS COMFORTABLE AS YOUR WEDDING DRESS. Nothing worse that a fidgety bride.

DON’T TRY A NEW FRAGRANCE JUST FOR THE BIG DAY. Some scents are ultra sensitive to sweat glands. This can make the fragrance become stronger. You don’t want to experience any headaches—and you want your groom to smell the familiar scent of his bride.

DON’T BE SHY TO SUGGEST THAT THE “MOTHERS” OF THE BRIDE AND GROOMS DRESS COMPLIMENTS THE COLORS OF THE WEDDING PARTY. It’s a good idea that they each talk to one another to coordinate what they are wearing.

DON’T LEAVE ANYTHING TO THE WEEK OF THE WEDDING. This week should be devoted to pampering yourself. Nothing is better than an organized bride who can relax days before her big moment. Last minute changes will not seem so drastic if
that is all you have to deal with.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT BIZARRE DREAMS BEFORE THE WEDDING.
Everyone has them and they never come true

Must-Have Photos List

2009-10-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Before the big day you will meet with your photographer to discuss what you want from them on the big day. Most photographers will ask for a "must-have photo list". This leaves a lot of brides unsure as to what exactly should be on this list.
While it's a great idea to give your photographer a list of shots you want taken (you don't want him to miss your grandparents, friends who traveled far to attend or that special shot of you and your mom), you shouldn't feel required to write down every last one. After all, you want the photographer to be creative and comfortable capturing special, spontaneous moments. That said, here's a list of traditional and nontraditional shots of importance. Choose the ones you want, add any others you can think of and hand the list to your photographer. Voila -- you're all set!

Bride, groom and wedding party getting ready

Bride and groom, separately, just before the ceremony

Bride and groom when they first see each other

Outdoor shot (if possible) of bride and groom together before or after ceremony (preferably walking across a lawn or city street, for instance)

Bride and groom with her immediate family

Bride and groom with his immediate family

Bride with parents/stepparents or with each parent separately

Groom with parents/stepparents or with each parent separately

Bride with her grandparents

Groom with his grandparents

Bride with her honor attendants

Groom with his groomsmen

Bride with her maid/matron of honor

Groom with his best man

Bride with flower girls

Groom with ring bearers

Bride with her siblings

Groom with his siblings

Groomsmen affixing their boutonnieres (this usually requires some struggling)

Bride and groom with his attendants

Bride and groom with her attendants

Bride with her bouquet

Bride showing off special details of her gown or other attire (such as the train or bows on her shoes)

Usher escorting guests to seats

Bride arriving at seat, especially if she is arriving by special transportation (horse-drawn carriage, limousine, etc.)

Groom walking down aisle or close-up shot of him at place at altar, before the processional

Each member of processional, during their walk

Bride walking down aisle

Bride kissing her parents upon arriving at altar

Bride and groom at altar (if photography is allowed during ceremony)

Bride and groom lighting unity candle

Parents lighting unity candle

Bride and groom exchanging rings

Close-up of bride and groom as they say their vows

Special religious or ethnic customs during ceremony

Groom lifting bride's blusher

Kiss at end of ceremony

Bride and groom during recessional

Bride and groom holding hands, showing off their wedding rings

Bride's attendants as they help bustle her train

Bride and groom entering reception area

First dance (and the dip, if there is one)

Toasts

Table shots

Bride and groom sharing private moment during the celebration

Parents dancing together

Members of wedding party dancing together

Mother-son dance

Father-daughter dance

Bride tossing her bouquet and person catching it

Single women huddled together on dance floor before bouquet toss

Groom tossing garter and person catching it

Garter ritual (man sliding garter up woman's leg)

Single men huddled together on dance floor before garter toss

Bride and groom spontaneously hugging parents/best friends/siblings during celebration (ask your photographer to keep an eye out for these special moments)

Bride and groom cutting and feeding each other wedding cake

Any children who happen to fall asleep at the reception

Candid, wide-angle shot of celebration in full force (if possible, have your photographer take a picture of the reception from above)

Guests throwing petals or blowing bubbles at bride and groom

Close-ups of food table (if buffet), ring pillow, cake and any other special items (Kiddush cups, seating cards, favors, invitation, etc.)

Ceremony and reception sites, inside and outside

A posed snapshot of everyone you can fit into the frame at the very end of the evening, all waving good-bye.

We will be @ the Dreams of the Heart 3 - Bridal Show in Coral Gables, FL, Florida

2009-09-28T09:01:00.001-07:00

Dreams of the Heart 3 - Bridal Show in Coral Gables, FL, Florida

Shared via AddThis

Come visit us!

Michele & David...Take 2

2009-09-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

I previously posted about Michele & David's wedding here.

They were married at the beautiful South Beach Marriott on June 6th.

Well, thanks to the amazing Carmen of Studio by Carmen, I now have some professional pictures of the event.

Enjoy!

"his" table provide by Us. There was also a "hers" Candy buffet.

Bridal Shower Invitation + A Good Cause = One Fabulous Hostess!

2009-09-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

If you're hosting a Bridal Shwoer anytime soon check out these lovely invitations by Invitation Consultants.
These invitations were designed by the creative geniuses over at Invitation Consultants in support of the Pink Initiavtive.

Pink Initiative is a collection of wedding industry professionals and private donors dedicated to funding awareness, outreach, education and research for breast cancer.
Profits from the sale of these invitations are donated to the Pink Initiative.

For my NC DIY Brides.....

2009-09-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Spend a day with the DIY Bride

Click here for more details and to sign up for the workshop

Behind the cost of Weddings.....

2009-09-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yuck.
Money.
The subject no one wants to talk about but we all have to deal with, especially when it comes to weddings. And it's no secret that weddings are expensive - even an intimate, backyard ceremony with a handful of guests can stretch the wallet fairly quickly. I wanted to get into the reasoning behind some of the common pricetags and help put some of the sticker shock at ease.

But it's just some pretty paper: Invitations
A good rule of thumb when budgeting for invitations is this: a decent (read: nice quality, but not necessarily elaborate) invitation should cost around the same price as a greeting card. While we may buy greeting cards here and there as the occasion calls for it, you normally don't purchase 150+ greeting cards all at the same time. If you want a custom invitation, you can expect to pay more because you are compensating the artist for her designs, proofs, revisions and edits, assembly and general labor.

All you're doing is pushing a button: Photography & Videography
If all you want from your wedding are pictures that look like snapshots your slightly inebriated Uncle Frank took, then there are plenty of moonlighting hobbyists-who-call-themselves-professionals to choose from. If you want art and photographs that will capture the emotion of the day, then realistically you need to expect to pay more. Photography can easily be one of the most spendy parts of the wedding and for good reason - when all is said and done, that is what you will have left (well, that and your spouse of course!). I have met many, many married women who regret going cheap with their photography. Also, the final product usually doesn't come out of the camera ready to go - a lot of behind-the-scenes editing and design goes into producing great photos. If you're having video, you can count on hours of editing, including finding the right moments to splice things in, cueing the appropriate music to match, etc.

So you're like JLo in that movie: Wedding Planners
No, I'm not like JLo and wow, did she make my job look easy! Hollywood has a knack for doing that though, don't they? The biggest thing you are paying the planner for is her time - the average wedding takes more than 250 hours to plan and there are only 52 weekends in a year. Both of these facts limit how much we can take on and commit to. It may seem like you are paying the planner for one day, but in reality 250 hours translates into more than six 40-hour work weeks. And that's just for your normal, run-of-the-mill wedding. If you want something unique and special, even more time is involved.

They are just going to die tomorrow anyway: Flowers
Even flowers from the grocery store can be pricy - that is just the nature of a live element. When purchasing flowers, you are paying for so many things - the grower's cut (planting, growing, watering, feeding, harvesting), the packaging and shipping of them in a manner that they will not wilt or die on the way to your location, and then the florist's fees (design, watering, prepping them with special concoctions that prolong their lifespan, arranging, delivering, etc). Yes, a lot goes into those pretty bouquets.

It's just some fancy chicken: Food
Hands down, food is usually the most expensive item on the budget, and again quantity plays a big role. A nice dinner for two can sometimes be a splurge and when you're feeding 150+ mouths - well, I'll let you do the math. It is also important to look at quality when you are choosing your menu, and quality costs more, just like it does in every other part of life.

There are lots of areas of weddings that I didn't cover here, but I wanted to give a quick overview of some of them. The time-tested adage "you get what you pay for" has been proven over and over again with weddings. You don't need to break the bank on your wedding or try to keep up with the Joneses - but it is important to go into the wedding planning process with an understanding of where your money is going so that you can best prioritize its use.
Thanks Blue!

20% OFF @ OhMyBride.com!

2009-08-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Listen up ladies! Here is a FABULOUS new offer for all Fabulous Fêtes Blog readers being offered by OhMyBride.com!

Christina & Carlos...Take 2!

2009-08-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

I recently posted about Christina and Carlos's wedding Here....

I didn't have as many pictures as I wanted because I accidentally deleted half of them. Anyway, I had the pleasure of working with my dear friend Carmen of Studio by Carmen for this events and she recently posted some pictures of the event that I wanted to share on here.

The pictures came out amazing. I'll also be updating my website gallery with them as well.

Michele & David....June 6, 2009

2009-08-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

So I'm waaaaayyy overdue with this post but since I knew I was having a slow summer I decided to drag it out a bit.

Michele and David concluded my mini-marathon of NYC brides. They were tons of fun!
Michele was a beautiful bride, even though in reality as much as she wanted to be married had no interest in all the fuss that's made over a bride on her wedding day!

The wedding was a smaller affair for about 50 guests and took place at the South Beach Marriott. Rain threatened the beach ceremony but in the end it the weather held up. After the ceremony guests moved to the cocktail hour in the downstairs terrace. The dinner took place in one of the hotels small ballrooms.
A royal table was set up to seat 25 people on each side. Gil Sosa provided the beautiful florals that decorated the table.
A "his & hers" station set up by us incorporated the 2 things they couldn't decided on. The candy buffet for the bride and the cigar bar for the groom. We decided doing a small selection of each was a great compromise. :)
It was a lovely intimated reception with delicious food which is exactly what the bride and groom wanted.

Studio by Carmen was there to photograph the night and I'll update with some of her pictures soon!

Here are some pictures we took:

Sign-in Table

Royal Table

His & Hers

Cake

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: South Beach Marriott
Rentals: Hitched Event Rentals
Music: Liquid DJ's
Photographer: Studio by Carmen

Elissa & Tim ...A Wedding at The Palms

2009-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

May/early June was full of destination couples from NY. Elissa and Tim were one of them.
When I first met Elissa I knew she was going to be lots of fun. She is just a genuinely sweet and good hearted person that you just can't help but love to be around and she's lots of fun! I didn't get to meet Tim until the day of the wedding but it was apparent from about the first 30 seconds why these 2 are so perfect for each other.
I think if there is something I will always remember about their wedding day is how much I laughed. Elissa, Tim and their bridal party made for a great time!

The day looked like it might be a little rainy but Elissa was not letting that get her down. She was actually jumping up and down right before I sent her down the the aisle at her ceremony at the lovely Ancient Spanish Monastery! Elissa was the picture perfect bride and totally rocked her gorgeous Alvina Valenta gown.

After the ceremony guests were shuttled back over to The Palms for the reception.

A cocktail hour awaiting them out on the veranda. The beautiful reception table was set up with trays of sand and the escort cards attached to starfish. Also on the table was a memorial candle custom made by me to remember the bride's father who was there in spirit. The table looked beautiful. Definitely one of my favorites.

On the way in to the ballroom guests got distracted by the very cool photo booth provided by Peek-A-Booth. The photo booth came with all kinds of hilarious hats, glasses etc. Guests loved it and there was a line waiting to get in there all night!

As for the the reception itself, the normally all white beach-house inspired ballroom was all lit up in a soft pink up lighting and the dancefloor with the couples monogram provided by Ubi's Music and Lighting. Top This provided the Tiffany Blue linens and Mahogany Chiavari Chairs. Natinel Designs provided the beautiful arrangements that decorated each table.

Everything looked beautiful.

Elissa & Tim, we had such a great time at your wedding and we know you did too! Lol I hope the after party was just as fun and that you are having an AMAZING time in Thailand on your honeymoon. I cannot wait to see pictures.
We both hope that each day only gets better and better for the two of you I am sure that your lives together will be filled with lots of love and lots of laughs!

Fabulous 1st's Mirian & Ray

2009-06-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Anniversary Mirian and Ray!

On June 13, 2008 Mirian & Ray were married at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Miami Springs. The ceremony was followed by beautiful reception at the Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom. It was a beautiful day that they shared with their family and friends. You can view their Wedding Day post Here :)

Mirian is the best :) She is a loyal blog reader and always shows the love. Needless to say, I was excited to send this questionnaire to her.

5 days shy of their 1 year anniversary, here is what she had to say!

FF: Time flies doesn't it? Seems like only yesterday my husband was putting out the fire at your wedding Lol

MR: Seriously, I can't believe we're at this point!! It's mind-blowing to me that it has been a year. It's gone by so fast. And there's a part of me that wants to redo it all again - the anticipation and excitement (and stress) leading up to the wedding, the amazing time we had the day of the wedding, the honeymoon, etc.

FF: I hate the question "How's married life?" but I'm gonna ask anyway.... How's married life?

MR: Married life is hectic but I'm thankful for the craziness because it really is something to be thankful for. We always have a million and one things going on and are trying to squeeze in as much as we can . . . but we're doing it together and I couldn't ask for more.

FF: Do you miss the planning?

MR: Yes!! I don't miss the arguments over budget and head counts with my parents but I do miss the rest! Um, hello, I still post on the knot and only lurk on the nest. LOL Thankfully, a good friend is planning a simple wedding for later this year and another good friend is expecting a baby. I've unleashed a little of my planning energy on them.

FF:Looking back...what is your favorite memory from your wedding day?

MR: This has to be the hardest question! I have sooo many wonderful memories . . . driving up to the Church in the Rolls with my dad and seeing the kids outside all dressed up and the guests arriving, I looked at my dad and was overcome with joy; grabbing Ray's hand at the altar when my dad gave me away; our priest's Homily (actually, the whole Mass) was so special and personal; my cousin singing during the Mass; the quiet time in the Rolls on the way to the reception felt like heaven; the beginning of the reception - seeing the ballroom all set up, introductions, dancing with my dad, dancing with Ray; partying the night away with the people we care most about; our sparklers and the fire we started . . .

FF:Would you have changed anything?
MR: I can honestly say that I wouldn't have changed anything. Yeah, I could tie this ribbon a little different or choose a different font for the menus but nothing meaningful. Even the fire at the end of our reception was perfectly timed and one of the funniest moments of our day. All kidding aside, it was everything I had ever dreamed of and much, much more!

FF: They say the first year of marriage is the hardest....any advice for brides-to-be as they start the journey in to Mrs.-hood?

MR: Oh man, oh man, I know that I have a pretty intense case of OCD but the hardest part for us has been learning to live with another person, their quirky habits, and their stuff. LOL We didn't live together until after the wedding and I moved into his house which we had just finished remodeling. Again, I'm as picky as they come and Ray is as laid back as they come so this year has been a lot of learning to see things from the other one's perspective and learning to let go. Things that are important to me are not as urgent to him and vice versa. I have learned to live with boxes and piles of papers - things that typically push me over the edge. :) My advice for brides-to-be is to be patient with him but also with yourself. Give yourselves time to adjust. This is a huge life change and nobody expects you to pick up right where you left off before the wedding.

FF: What has been the most exciting thing in your marriage this year?

MR: Hmmmm . . . . I definitely have to say that working on things around the house has been tiring but fun because we always love the end result, spending more time together than ever, having a car drive through our front yard was pretty exciting too, etc.

FF: How did/will you celebrate your 1st?

MR: Actually, we will be heading to Niagara Falls! We will be there for our actual anniversary so I'm definitely taking the top tier of our cake along with us on the plane (by the way, Ray thought I was kidding at first but no way is that staying behind). :)

Any big plans for year #2?
More plans for projects around the house and possibly start talking about babies (everyone is on our case!).

Hooray for babies! I distinctly remember having this conversation in your bridal room at the venue! SOO glad you may be giving in! :)

Mirian, thanks for playing! I'm glad we've been able to stay in touch this long and hope we will for years to come. Remember, we do baby showers!

Here is a recent picture of Mirian and Ray. Let's wish them many more years of happiness and love to come.

Summer Sale!

2009-05-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Dates now included:

June 26 - October 10, 2009

For information please contact us at:

info@fabulousfetesandevents.com

Jessica & Ollie's Damask Wedding

2009-05-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

I would like to start by saying that after this wedding I think I have caught the damask bug. I'm going to try very hard to not let this spiral in to something that may require some form of therapy. :)

Anyway, on to more important matters....on Saturday, May 23, Jessica and Ollie were married. Even with the rain it was a beautiful night. During the process I had dealt soley with Jessica. Seeing them together, for a minute on their wedding day made me totally understand why they were marrying eachother. Their love truly radiates and it's hard not to feel it when your around them. I always love to look at how the groom looks at the bride when she's not really paying attention and you can really tell how absolutely smitten and in love Ollie is with Jessica.

The ceremony took place at St. Hugh Catholic Church in Coconut Grove and the reception followed at The Rusty Pelican in Key Biscayne.

I am a total sucker for details. I love it when a bride has all those little things that they have DIY'ed and little treasures that match their theme that they have made and gathered to personalize their wedding day. Jessica was great at this!

Damask was the theme and it did not disappoint.
At the ceremony, damask lined baskets held the themed programs and tissues. Every other pew was accented with a damask bow.
All the tables had damask runners that Jessica had made using a fabric she loved. The remaining fabric was given to AB Covers who made bands to go around the teal dupioni napkins. The table numbers were DIY cylinders with a vellum wrap that had the table number and a damask chandelier accent. The menus created by me were made to match. Not to mention she found all of these great damask candle holders that we used in several places. Loved it!

Gil Sosa provided all the beautiful florals and the blue lighting that gave the room a romantic glow once the sun went down was provided by Ubi's Music Productions.

Devynn of DB Images took some beautiful pictures of the evening. I've included a couple in this post. Stay tuned to her blog for some more.

I leave with you with our pictures of the night...

and a quick recap by Javier of My Treasure Video!

JessicaOllie1 from Javier Medina on Vimeo.

Jessica & Ollie, hope you are having a wonderful time in St. Lucia!!
Thank you so much for allowing Alexis and I to be part of such a special day in your lives. We wish you an eternity of love and happiness.

Jeannette & Rob's "Glowing" SoBe Wedding

2009-05-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I'm the only one that feels this way sometimes but I can almost always immediately tell from the first email whether or not I'm going to "click" with a bride.
When Jeannette first emailed me I laughed so much I was almost in tears. I knew that this planning process with her would be lots of fun and it really was.
Jeannette and Rob are an out-of-town couple from NY so needless to say Jeannette and I exchanged countless emails and lots of laughs.

Even with a little rain before the ceremony the night was perfect. The weather held up and the couple truly enjoyed their night, which is really what it's all about.

The ceremony took place at the Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach. Gil Sosa decorated the entrance to the Cloisters and the Prayer Well area with Orchids, Hydrangea and Italian Ruscus. You really do not need to do much o the area since it's already so lovely but the floral really helped add to the beautiful garden setting.

After the ceremony were treated to a change of scenery. A chartered bus took all the guests from the ceremony to the reception site. The National Hotel on South Beach.
I love working at this venue, it's definitely in my Top 5 locations.
When guest arrived at the hotel they were welcome by the couples signature drink a Passion Fruit Mojito. Jeannette and Rob concocted this drink out of their kitchen a couple f weeks before the wedding. Many taste test were required in order to ensure that it would be something the guest would enjoy ;) Someone sign me up for that job next time!
After the cocktail hour guests moved over to the Aqua Pool for dinner and dancing.

The colors for the reception were Hot Pink and Burnt Orange. The tables were dressed in Burnt Orange Linens & Mahogany Chiavari Chairs with a white satin cushion provided by Hitched Event Rentals.
The centerpieces where tall white vases topped with white hydrangea, orange Mokara orchids and purple dendrobium orchids. LED lights were placed inside the vases and once it was dark out the vases lit up. The guests loved it.
The custom table numbers and menus were created by me.
Each chair had a box with a Cuban "cafesito" cup & saucer filled with chocolate espresso beans.
Dance South Florida provided the white acrylic dance floor that was placed under the canopy and Ubi's Music Productions provided a club lighting package that truly added to the SoBe experience.
Toward the end of dinner Alexis and I went up to the Honeymoon Suite and decorated it with flowers, candles and lots of goodies from the dessert buffet that was put out after dinner. I did not get any pictures of this but it looked beautiful. Hope you guys enjoyed it!
Honeymoon Suite decoration is an "a la carte" service we offer and it definitely provides that romantic and soothing atmosphere to come back to after the wedding day.

Jeannette & Rob, it was an absolute pleasure working with you on putting together your wedding day. Jeannette, it's been so much fun corresponding with you over the last 11 months. We'll definitely keep in touch! :)
I hope that the two of you had a fabulous Honeymoon and continue to have a fabulous life together!

Christina & Carlos' Beautiful Pink & Silver Wedding....

2009-05-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of coordinating the wedding of one of my long time brides Christina.
Christina had booked me over a year ago and already had her venue booked and several of her vendors. She was not wasting any time!

All of her planning finally came together on April 25th. The ceremony took place at the always beautiful Plymouth Congregational Church with the reception following at the Reception Palace. Christina has a few worries about her venue as the date approached but come wedding date everything was perfect.

Christina & Carlos wanted a very crisp clean look for their tables and wanted the flowers and lighting to do all the talking!
The tables were dressed in white linens with white chiavari chairs and white cushions. Each place setting had a silver acrylic charger white napkin and the custom menu. Favors were these adorable shot glasses with the couples monogram. If that didn't show you these two love to party, the tables were named after drinks they both love.

Party Sparks provided the awesome LED lights that flooded the room in a Hot Pink/Lavender glow.

Vivian Colls designed the beautiful flowers arrangements that adorned each table.

The bride and groom and all their guests had an awesome time. So much so that after the wedding they went to party some more!

Christina & Carlos, all I kept hearing all night from the vendors was how great the 2of you are and it's the truth. I always say I'm so lucky to be blessed with such great couple and the two of you were no exception.
I hope that you had an amazing time in Costa Rica and that you continue to have an amazing life together!
Congrats Mr. & Mrs.!

Introducing...

2009-04-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Our new website!!!

I'm very excited to announce that the new site is finally up and running! :)

Please visit:
Here

or go to www.fabulousfetesandevents.com

All emails can now be sent to info@fabulousfetesandevents.com.

There are so many blogs that cater to Brides.....

2009-04-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

now Bridesmaids have Twirl Talk!

I heard about this fabulous little site through another blog and decided to share it with my readers.
Being a part of a bridal party can sometimes be a task on it's own and first time bridesmaid can sometimes feel a little lost.

Well.......

Introducing Twirl Talk! a blog written by former bridesmaids, for bridesmaids.
Pass it a long to your girls, I'm sure they will be very thankful!

Twirl Talk Blog

Contest Winners: Katie & Cody's Beautiful "Backyard" Wedding

2009-04-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

You may remember that Katie & Cody won the Anniversary contest back in November. Since then it's been much excitement leading up to their wedding day.

Katie & Cody are an amazing couple. They are so sweet and loving and when you meet them it instantly makes sense why they fell in love and why you know that they're going to grow old together.
After meeting them together, I was even more excited to be a a part of their wedding day. The weekend started with the rehearsal and the wedding the next day.
Here are some pictures of the rehearsal.

The wedding and ceremony both took place in the beautiful Fox Ridge community of Parkland, Fl.

The community has a beautiful well kept park and the ceremony took place in a perfect spot next the lake near some gorgeous trees.
The reception followed at the house.
Cocktails took place next to the pool in the house's courtyard. Afterwards, guests were directed through the house in the the backyard. The backyard had been completely transformed.
Tables, chairs and linens were all provided by Hitched Event Rentals. The perimeter lighting which changed colors through the night, the pin spot on the centerpieces, dance floor, and dance floor light show were all provided by Dance South Florida.
The amazing flowers were all done by Gil Sosa. I can never say enough about his work he truly is incredible.

Steven of Screamin Entertainment kept the dance floor packed the whole night and Gregory and Heidi of Gregory Paul Photography captured every moment.

After a yummy dinner provided by Catering Concepts, guests were moved back in to the courtyard for the chocolate fountain and a very fun S'mores Buffet that all the guests raved about.

It was the perfect night for this fabulous couple.

Katie & Cody, I'm so excited that I got to work with the 2 of you on this special day. You're both wonderful and deserve every wonderful thing that comes your way.
We both that you have an amazing honeymoon and an even more amazing life together.

Here are some pictures of the setup (which Katie wanted) and the rest of their day :)
If it goes to slow just click on it to ope in a new window

Leslie & Adam's Hot (pink, that is) Deering Estate Wedding.

2009-04-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Leslie and Adam actually hired me about 18 months ago to coordinate their Deering Estate wedding. Plans started early for this hot pink and black affair that would take place at the beautiful Deering Estate. Great couple, great venue, it was sure to be a wonderful night.

April 4th started off a "little" wet. But, the bride and groom had faith that mother nature would bring on the good weather by the time it was time to say "I DO" and she came through.
After a beautiful Jewish and Christian ceremony on the great lawn, guests moved in to the courtyard for the cocktail style reception.
De la Flor Gardens created low and high centerpieces that included white hydrangea. pink and & hot pink roses and black feathers that sat on top of the black and hot pink satin linens.
Ubi's music provided that awesome music that kept the dance floor packed all night, as well as the hot pink and fuchsia lighting that light up the house and trees in the court yard.

It was a beautiful night for the Bride & Groom and all their guests.

Leslie & Adam, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your special day. I hope that you are having an AMAZING time in Bora Bora!

Here are some pictures of their day.

Credits:
Ceremony & Reception: Deering Estate
Catering: Mena Caterers
Flowers: De La Flor Gardens
DJ & Lighting: Ubi's Music Productions
Photography: Munoz Photography
Video: Artistry Wedding Films

The end of an era....Natikinz and Dany are FINALLY married!!

2009-03-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

and all the girls from our group of "knotties" that met in late 2006, early 2007 are all married :)

Needless to say, I was honored when Nathalie asked me to be her coordinator. Knowing how much time an effort and thought to every detail she put in to this event for Dany and herself...I was thrilled.

Dany's family is originally from Spain and the wedding's theme worked around that.
From the venue, the beautiful Douglas Entrance to the wooden hand fans, every detail has been thought out to the T for the last 2.5 years.

It was a very busy day :) I promised Nat I'd take pictures of the setup process for her, so here are a couple I managed to grab between the running around.

The details began at the ceremony. The initials N & D hung from the lamps outside the church. A beautiful white wrought iron arch adorned with flowers marked the beginning of the aisle, while the words of Corinthians 13 were written in both English and Spanish hung from the church pews, led the way to the altar.
The ceremony was beautiful and emotional.

When guests arrived at the cocktail hour, personalized wooden hand fans decorated the tables.

The ballroom was stunning. The tables were dressed in champagne dupioni silk linens with a battenburg lace overlay. Each place setting had a gold beaded Belmont charger, a linen battenburg napkin and a custom made menu that was printed on vellum and made into a scroll.
The tables had one of 2 beautiful centerpieces made by florist Jorge Nevot, both in trumpet vases with crystals hanging from the flowers.
The bride and groom decided to forgo the traditional "sweetheart" table and instead sat at a "head" table with both their parents.
After the ceremony the wrought iron arch form the church was transported to the reception and used to decorate the space behind the table.

The amazing cake was a design created by Nathalie's mom. It was a combination of her beautiful invitation and gorgeous wedding gown.

+

=

Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions, who provided the awesome music which kept the dance floor packed also provided the up lighting. Amber up lights were placed around the ballroom to give it a warm and intimate feel.

The night was perfect, Nathalie kept telling me the evening over exceeded any expectations she ever had for that day and it better than she ever dreamed.
When a bride and/or groom tells me something like that it truly makes my night.

Nat & Dany, thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart from trusting Alexis and I with this most special day in your life. I am so incredibly happy for the both of you. Having been through this planning process with you from the beginning not only as a coordinator, but for the majority of the time as a friend, has been wonderful. Seeing all of the hard work you put in to this day come together in such a beautiful way, with all the people that mean so much to you...truly makes the days hard work worth it.
I wish the two you the kind of happiness written in fairytales...no one could be more deserving of that. May everyday of the rest of your lives together be even more amazing than last night. Love you!

I leave you with this slide show of absolutely amazing pictures by the one and onlyMiguel Irias. Miguel arrived with a secret plan to surprise Nat with a slideshow of pictures of the day at the end of the night. We were all in cahoots, no one else had a clue lol.
Thanks to Miguel! who is truly fabulous I got some pro pictures to share with you the same night.
You rock my socks Miguel! xoxo

Credits:
Ceremony: St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church
Reception: Douglas Entrance, Coral Gables
Caterer: A Celebration of Life
Flowers: Nevot Flowers
Linens, Chargers, Chairs: AB Cover Designers
Photo: Miguel Irias
Video: Artistry Wedding Films
DJ & Lighting: Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions. DJ Ubi & DJ Gilbert

After 2+ years of planning...Marisol & Ellier are MARRIED!!!

2009-03-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

and expecting a baby to boot!!

Marisol and I met way back in 2006 when I got engaged and joined "The Knot". Marisol was already a "knottie" and was already making plans for her big day.

That year (and some lol) I was on the board, I met some amazing women. Some of whom, I am still friends with today. Marisol was part of our "little group" and one of the last 2 to get married. Needless to say, I was honored when she hired me to help with her special day.

Marisol always knew her wedding would be in March 2009. The ceremony and reception site were already picked out. As soon as her love of 11 years popped the question with her dream ring, the planning was on.

It was honestly a very exciting moment for me to see this special day finally come together in such a perfect way for Marisol and Ellier :)

The ceremony took place at the stunning Church of the LIttle Flower in Coral Gables. The reception, a zen chic affair for 80 guests at the historic and beautiful Deering Estate.

Marisol looked absolutely stunning in her linen and lace gown by Priscilla of Boston.

After a nice cocktail hour by the water, the guests were moved in to the courtyard of the Stone House. The sign table was accent with a tall arrangement of bamboo sticks, hydrangea and orchids. The escort card table was set up with bamboo trays filled with wheat grass holding the mini envelopes.

The square tables were dressed in a white weave textured linen, mahogany chiavari chairs with white satin cushion and a chocolate brown napkin. The centerpieces were multiple vases of different white flowers surrounding one larger arrangement in a bamboo "tray". This was the first time I've had to really put together centerpieces and I'm glad it turned out well.

The menus, which Marisol made herself, had their bamboo adorned monogram on top and a bamboo stick on the stick. It truly enhanced each place setting.

The beautiful and totally edible cake was made by Marisol's long time baker (he made her 15's cake) Heavenly Cakes by Neil. If you think the cake looks gorgeous, you should have tasted it! It was a Grand Marnier Confection with Hazelnut and Hazelnut cream filling. It was to die for!

For favors the bride and groom opted for their favorite cupcake from Lix by Misha.
During dinner, the escort card table was transformed in to a to-go cupcake table. Guest took home a custom designed red velvet cupcakes with a pool blue icing. the cupcake were placed in boxes that were decorated by the bride herself.

Everything was thought out to the last detail. It was truly the glamorous day she had envisioned. Ellier is a lucky, lucky man :)

Marisol, it's been a long road.....I'm so happy that this day finally came for you and that it was everything you hoped it would be. I wish nothing but the best for you and Ellier on your lives together and this new journey you're about to take as parents to the little blessing that is "Baby G".
You are going to be an amazing parents! Thank you so much for trusting me with this special day of yours that you have been looking forward to for so long. It means more than you know. Love ya babe!

and now the pictures! I know, I know, you were wondering when I was going to get to the important part!

Stay tuned for a "Photographer Love" post coming soon with some ultra fab professional pictures from Maloman Photographers!

Credits:
Coordinator: Justine Rojas assisted by Alexis Rojas
Ceremony: Church of the Little Flower, Coral Gables, Florida
Reception: Deering Estate, Palmetto Bay, Florida
Catering: Macy's Catering
Photography: Maloman Photographers
Videography: Artistry Wedding Films
Music: Ubi's Music Productions
Flowers: DIY by the bride and myself
Cake: Heavenly Cakes by Neil
Cupcakes: Misha's Cupcakes
Linens: Top This
Chairs, Dancefloor and Tables: Hitched Event Rentals

Suzette & Santi's Sweet Cocktail Reception. 2.28.09

2009-03-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

I love working in new venues. Suzette and Santi's wedding was no exception.

After a beautiful ceremony at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach, the handsome groom and beautiful bride in her Pronovias gown headed over to their cocktail reception at Quantum on the Bay.

Quantum on the Bay is a very modern residential building on Biscayne Bay. If you, or close relative lives there you can use their "club house" for private events.
The "club house" is a awesome bi level room with floor to ceiling windows filled with all kinds of modern and eclectic furniture.
Suzette & Santi played off the room's muted blue and gray color scheme and had floral genius Gil Sosa design several different beautiful and modern flower arrangements that fit the room perfectly.

Thank you to Martha from UDS for sending me pictures :) Always a pleasure working with you!

Here are some of the amazing pictures courtesy of Martha and her husband Jesus. You guys did an awesome job.

and here are some of my own pictures I took. This slideshow is actually mostly for a couple of girls that I know have been waiting to see pictures of these floral arrangements Lol.
Enjoy!

Thank you Suzette & Santi for putting your special day in my hands! May you both spend many wonderful years together. Let's also hope your first child is a boy so that you can get rid of all that extra blue candy!

Credits:
Coordinators: Justine Rojas assisted by Alexis Rojas
Ceremony: St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Miami Beach, FL
Reception: Quantum on the Bay, Miami, FL
Catering: Touch Catering
Flowers: Gil Sosa
Photography: UDS Photo
Music: Ubi's Music Productions
Cocktail Musicians: Trova Cubana
Cake, Cookies & Brownies: Joelle's Desserts

Nichole & Fred's Aqua & Red Fete

2009-03-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Nichole came to me as a referral from a very dear friend and I knew just based on who referred her she would be a wonderful bride to work with :)

She was.

Nichole has such a great personality, a ridiculously infectious smile and she and Fred compliment each other wonderfully.
Being part of their special day was definitely lots of fun!

The ceremony and reception both took place at the Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the windows all around both ballrooms truly allowed you to take it all in. Their aqua and red colors truly stood out.

Here are some pictures from their beautiful day!
The last picture is just for Nichole lol

Nichole & Fred, thank you for letting us be a part of your big day :) You were a pleasure to work with and your friend definitely made for a fun night lol (see: your guest book)
I wish you both many years of love and happiness!

Fabulous 1st's Giannina & Jason

2009-02-20T05:10:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Anniversary Giannina & Jason!

On February 23, 2008 Giannina & Jason were married at Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove. The ceremony was followed by an amazing reception at the Mayfair Hotel & Spa (also in Coconut Grove). It was a beautiful day that they shared with their family and friends. You can view their Wedding Day post Here
Giannina is a doll :) and I am glad I have been able to keep in contact with her since the wedding. Needless to say, I was excited to send this questionnaire to her.

3 days shy of their 1 year anniversary, here is what she had to say!

FF: Congrats on your first year of marriage Mrs. Sardis!

GS: Thank you!!

FF: Time flies doesn't it?

GS: It sure does!

FF: I've grown to hate the question "How's married life?" but I'm gonna ask anyway.... How's married life?

GS: Married life is absolutely wonderful. I get to live with my best friend and hang out 24/7. What could be better?

FF: Looking back...what is your favorite memory from your wedding day?

GS: Our wedding day was so surreal. Coming into the church and seeing Jason waiting for me at the end of the aisle was such a memorable experience. The feeling we got when we popped the champagne and were heading to the reception - The love in the room when you walk in and realize everyone that is important in your life is there in one place sharing this moment with you - it's all such a wonderful memory to keep with you the rest of your life.

FF: Would you have changed anything?

GS: Our first dances were way too long. I danced full songs with Jay, my dad and my step-dad. I didn't realize till after that people were standing for a very long time. If I could go back I would cut the songs in half. Other than that I wouldn't change a thing. The little things that go wrong are the stuff you laugh about afterwards!

FF: They say the first year of marriage is the hardest....any advice for brides-to-be as they start the journey in to Mrs.-hood?

GS: Know all of each others quirks and pet-peeves. Know what you're willing to deal with and what you are not. Jay and I lived together for two years before we got married and I would have to say the first year of living together WAS the hardest. Figure each other out and know that you can handle it. If you do all this before your first year of marriage you will be golden!!

FF: What has been the most exciting thing in your marriage this year?

GS: Buying a house! Woohooo!!

FF: How did/will you celebrate your 1st?

GS: For our first we are heading to Ft.Myers for the weekend. We are going to watch some Red Sox spring training games and relax by the beach. Maybe treat ourselves to a spa.. who knows!?

FF: Any big plans for year #2?

GS: Italy and then kids! I've always said I won't have any kids until I get to travel to Italy. So for the summer of 2010 we are heading to Italy! Then after that -games on! ;)

GS: JUSTINE,
THANK YOU FOR BEING SO WONDERFUL!!

You're wonderful too!!
I look forward to seeing pictures of all your adorable Greek babies! :)

Elizabeth & David.... All Because Two People Fell In Love :)

2009-01-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

So I chose to title this post after the sign that decorated the couples sweetheart table. :)

Can I just say I love Elly & David?! I do. I could literally take them both, squish them till they're tiny and carry them around in my pocket forever. Something about them just makes me want to hug them. They both have these amazingly loving personalities that just radiates to you when you're around them.
I knew I would love working with Elly from the first time I met her.

I felt really good after this wedding. It always makes everything worth it when a bride tells me how wonderful her night was with tears in her eyes. I know I've really done something right when I get the same reaction from the groom :) These two truly enjoyed every moment of their special night.

The wedding took place on Saturday, January 24th. The afternoon ceremony took place at St. John Neumann in Kendall and was followed by a beautiful reception at the Douglas Entrance. The colors were rich reds, dark and milk chocolate.
The beautiful flower arrangements were done by Nevot Flower Designs and the beautiful red lighting provided by Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions completed the room with an intimate and romantic feel.

I'm going to start the picture portion of this entry with 4 AMAZING photos from the event's photographers Carmen and Favio of Studio by Carmen. I totally harassed Carmen for these pictures. Thank you my friend!!

and here are some I took myself. Definitely not as great I know, but hey...I tried :)

Sign-in table.

Old pictures

Engagement pics display

The amazing place card table that my husband did with no supervision. Yup, my man and I'm very proud of him.

The Ballroom

Mr. & Mrs waiting for their intro!

Their 1st Dance

Elly & David.....your wedding night truly embodied the beautiful love the two of you have for each other. We wish you all the wonderful things you deserve out of your lives together. xoxoxo

Melissa & Shawn .... a Wish come true *

2009-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Melissa works for the Make-A-Wish foundation and became friends with Shawn during their annual Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction.
Shawn ended up winning $3,100 for the foundation along with Melissa's heart.

About a month after the auction, Shawn asked Melissa out on a date. The rest has been a fun, love filled and excited ride.

Melissa and Shawn were married on January 17, 2009. The ceremony took place at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Coral Spring. The reception took place at the Renaissance Ft. Lauderdale. Everything was lovely and the couple totally WOW-ed! their guests with a choreographed first dance!

Melissa & Shawn, I hope that you both enjoyed Hawaii!! I wish you both many more wonderful years together!

Here are some picture from their beautiful night!

The beautiful and yummy cake from Passion for Pastry

Bride's surprise for the Groom. A vodka luge :)

Fabulous 1st's Erin & Jorge

2009-01-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my husband's brilliant idea...I'd like to introduce a new series to our blog called Fabulous 1st's.
Basically, we're going back to former brides and "visiting" them on their 1 year anniversary and catching up. We look forward to hearing from all of you girls and learning what you've been up to in the first year of the awesome adventure called marriage!

Happy Anniversary Erin & Jorge!

Erin and Jorge were married on January 19, 2008. The ceremony took place at St. John Neumann and the reception at the Doral Park Country Club.

We caught up with Erin and here is what she had to say!

FF: I've grown to hate the question "How's married life?" but I'm gonna ask anyway.... How's married life?

EA: It's good! At the end of the day I come home to my best friend and to me that is what makes life worth living.

FF: Looking back...what is your favorite memory from your wedding day?

EA: My favorite memory was having every single person who means something to me and Jorge in the same place at the same time.

FF: They say the first year of marriage is the hardest....any advice for brides-to-be as they start the journey in to Mrs.-hood?

EA: Marriage is not 50/50, it's two people giving 100/100 all of the time.
And I couldn't leave out...Never go to bed angry, that is timeless advice that really makes such a difference.

FF:Did you eat the top of your cake? How did it taste?

EA: Yes, and I loved it! Even the icing tasted delicious still.

FF: How did/will you celebrate your 1st?

EA: We went on a cruise to the Bahamas. We got engaged on a cruise and they are our favorite form of vacation!

FF: Any big plans for year #2?

EA:
We bought a house and are our main focus has been filling it...we're working on furniture now, and someday children (:

Erin & Jorge in their new house :)

May you fill it with lots of love and good memories! We wish you both many more wonderful years together!

Videographer Love.....and a contest you should enter!!

2009-01-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

Meet Ray Roman.....

This is Ray and his camera....

This is the result.....

'Nuff said.

In my opinion, Ray's talent and creativity is unparalleled in this industry. His work is absolutely amazing and needs no hype because it truly speaks for itself.

As for this contest I speak of here are the details.....

Become a Ray Roman Films Fan

Alyna & Joel 1.10.09

2009-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

First, I'd like to thank Martha from Unique Design Studios who a long with her husband photographed this beautiful wedding for getting these pictures to me in record time! You rock!

Moving along.....

I was very excited for this wedding. It could definitely be due to the fact that I got to do a couple of little projects for this wedding. I'm huge on details...love them. The more the merrier and if I can help I'm happy to do so. When I first met Alyna one of the first thing she told me was she wanted her wedding to be a "fabulous fete" and she wanted it to be a wedding filled with all the little things that my weddings always have. This made the "Martha Stewart" in me very excited Lol.
So there were her mr. & mrs. letters (which she did a great job with), programs, I designed monograms (which when on everything, including these beautiful cookie favors!), menus, programs, and these adorable tables numbers that we spent way to much time on due to the Starbucks and gossiping in between crafting.
Good times.

No stone was left un-turned.

When Alyna & Joel first saw the ballroom they were in love. The guests shared the same reaction.
After guests walked up the stair case lined with candles, passing the tables filled with family pictures, the couple's beautiful sign-in book that UDS created in just a few days, the elegant seating chart, they finally arrived at the top.
The walls were up lit in romantic amber lighting and a gobo with the couples names and initial lit up the dance floor.

The night was great! DJ Ubi kept the dance floor packed and everyone had a fabulous time.

Alyna & Joel, Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your big day. Alyna, it was so much fun going through what was left of your short engagement process with you. All the emails, phone calls and linen appointments (LOL) were definitely worth it. Everything looked beautiful and you looked absolutely stunning!! I can't wait to catch up after you get back from your amazing honeymoon!

Here are some pictures of the ceremony, reception and the couple quick photoshoot in the Grove in the same spots they took their engagement pictures.
That photoshoot was filled with it's own little surprise "performance" lol

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs Bello!

And here are some extras I took

Credits:

Ceremony: http://www.st-hugh.org/
Reception: Douglas Entrance
Photography: Unique Design Studio
Video: Artistry Wedding Films
Catering: Mena Catering
Music & Lighting: Ubi's Music & Lighting Productions

Love is Sweet...and so are we :)

2009-01-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of a sweets buffet. Candy, donuts, cookies & milk whatever your heart desires. So......................
We are happy to announce that starting next month we will begin renting out the jars and scoops for you to create your own candy/sweet treats buffet. We can also assist in designing and creating bags or boxes for your guests to put the sweet treats in.

The rentals will start for a set of 10 jars and you will be able to pick which 10 jars you would like. We will have a selection of roughly 30 jars to chose from. We are happy to offer set up and break down service upon availability. Pricing is available upon request.
Please feel free to email us @ info@fabulousfetesandevents.com if you have any questions.

Bekah & Josh's Modern Asian Inspired Fête 1.3.09

2009-01-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

My first 2009 wedding was a little short notice...Bekah and Josh hired me 2 weeks before their big day. I will say that from our first meeting I immediately knew that this was going to be a very modern and unique wedding. It also helped that another one of my brides who is a good friend of the bride gave me an idea of what would be in store for me.

Bekah & Josh were going for something a little less traditional that totally embodied "them". The end result was an amazing looking reception, in a one of a kind space that I had actually not heard of until this event.
The ceremony took place at Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove. The reception took place at the Moore Building in the Design District Downtown.
The bride wore a beautiful Melissa Sweet gown and the men all wore Black suits with black ties and Converse sneakers....even the two dads. The bridesmaids were in short black Melissa Sweet dresses with their choice of black shoes.
Needless to say the entire bridal party was sleek and stylish!

Here are some pictures from their fabulous night!

The sign that directed guests to the cocktail area featured their dog Bo

The bamboo garden in which the cocktail hour took place was stunning

The bride's father is an architect, so the venue definitely had to be aesthetically appealing. It exceeded expectations. The Moore building and attached Bamboo Garden is amazing. The main focal point is the art piece "Elastika" which extends from side to side of the room from the bottom, 4 floors up. The concrete floors, exposed pipes and stark white walls provided a blank canvas to start from. The decor was modern and minimalistic with an Asian flavor. The round and rectangular tables were dressed in black linens with white pintuck runners. The centerpieces were potted orchids in tall rectangular vases. Square votives and rectangular white pillars provided candlelight. The last minute addition of Lime Green uplighting (Thanks Ubi!) pulled it all together.
Mena Catering set up an AMAZING spread for the buffet. The table was decorated with stone Buddhas and other Asian inspired statues, vases filled with water and floating candles, wheat grass patched and lots of orchids. It was beautiful and guests could not stop commenting on it. Most importantly the food was delicious and the staff friendly and accomodating. The service was top notch.

"Elastika"

Another amazing cake creation by Edda

Escort card and Sign-in table

The band "The Judge's Nephews" did an awesome job keeping the dancefloor packed

The second cocktail area upstairs

Other random pictures from the evening....

Bekah & Josh, you both are such loving and great people I hope that the rest of your lives are as amazing as last night. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of one of the most memorable nights of your lives.

Credits:

Ceremony: Plymouth Congregational
Reception: Moore Building
Catering & Rentals: Mena Catering
Band: The Judge's Nephews
Lighting: Ubi's Music and Lighting
Photographer: Brett Tyler

Happy 2009! Shirisa & Chad's Intimate Destination Wedding!

2009-01-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

First, I would like to start off by saying Happy New Year! to all my current and former brides and all my loyal blog followers!
2008 was an amazing year for us and we look forward to all that 2009 will bring!
The 2008 year ended with a beautiful wedding at the Four Seasons Miami which you will see below and 2009 will start with an amazing wedding this coming weekend!
Stay tuned!

My last 2008 couple was Shirisa and Chad. This beautiful couple actually lives in Texas. You may ask why they chose Miami. Well, Shirisa and Chad actually met in Miami and when it came time for Chad to propose he chose the Four Seasons as the place. Shirisa and Chad actually got engaged in the very spot where they said " I Do"! Her getting ready/honeymoon night suite was the same suite they stayed in that night. They asked 12 of their closest family and friends to join them for this special occasion. The result: a beautiful aisle lined with alternating height cylinder vases with floating candles....a very modern and sleek lounge area....and an absolutely stunning candle lit dinner for 12 under an organza canopy with flowers and crystals hanging from the top. The long rectangular table had different size and height vases filled with an abundance flowers and candles. Everything was black & white with tiny hints of pink. It was gorgeous. Jack from J. Morgan Flowers did an absolutely AMAZING job with all the decor.

Shirisa wore a beautiful lace fitted gown that was adorned with a white satin sash and crystal brooch. After the ceremony we went upstairs where we changed out the white sash for a black one. She looked fabulous. Chad wore a very modern pin-stripe black suit with a black tie. Think CK model-ish.
What a hot couple!

Shirisa and Chad, thank you so much for asking me to be a part of your day (even last minute!). Your families are so wonderful and it's amazing how closely knit you all are. I wish you both nothing but a lifetime of happiness!

Credits:
Coordinator: Justine Rojas
Ceremony & Reception: Four Seasons Miami
Officiant: Eddie Rodriguez
Decor: J. Morgan Flowers

Indira & Ernesto's beautiful Deering Estate wedding!

2008-12-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying I truly love the Deering Estate. The grounds are absolutely amazing. Even with all the rules I still love working there. Indira and Ernesto's wedding was no exception. I had been looking forward to this even for almost a year.

I was a little worried at the beginning of the day because it was a little cloudy and I kept being approached about what the back up would be in the event of rain because it looked very probable. I just stayed positive and insisted it would not rain that day! About 20 minutes later....the sky was blue.

The night was perfect, not too cold.
The tables looked stunning! But they definitely did not hold a candle to the bride.

Indira and Ernesto were so happy with everything....which made me very happy :)I wrote a mini- novel in your guest book so I will let you read all my sentiments there! Just know that I love you both and thank you so much for trusting me with your day! Have a blast in Europe!

So this time around no pictures....this time around I made a video instead. This kind of occurred because out of the 200 or so pictures I took. I decided on 60. So that was too many for a post.
I put them all in a video. Please excuse the "mis-spellings" in the credits. For some reason I can figure out why it's cutting off the last letter of some words.

The song I picked took a little inspiration from the couples first dance. They danced to "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. So I chose another Rascal Flatts song for the video :)

Enjoy!

Indira and Ernesto from Justine Rojas on Vimeo.

To view it larger go to http://vimeo.com/2527536

Monica and Anthony's Beautiful Backyard Wedding!

2008-12-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a very stupid question for anyone that reads my blog but....how many of you have seen this movie?

If you have then it's probably the first thing you are going to think of as you start reading about this wedding.

Monica and Anthony were initially a destination wedding couple. That idea shortly went out the window when they opted for a wedding at her father's house.
Monica's father has a beautiful house in Coral Springs that they turned in to a beautiful reception space for the wedding.

The guests at this wedding had an amazing time. The party was going till 5am!!! and that was only because by that point the Bride & Groom were ready to go! Lol

Monica and Anthony, I had a great time at your wedding and thank you so much for letting me be a part of it! I'm sure that your lives will be filled with love and lots and lots of laughs!

Here are some pictures from the evening

Credits:
Ceremony: St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Deerfield Beach
Reception: Father of the Bride's house is Coral Springs
Catering: Irresistibles Catering
Photography: Studio by Carmen
Music: Ubi's Music Productions, DJ Evi (Luis Evelio)
Flowers: Flowers and Things
Cake: Passion for Pastry, Boca Raton
Custom Menu & Monogram: Me (email info@fabulosufetesandevents.com for inquiries)

Photographer Love

2008-12-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

So I'm going to use this entry to not only give some love to a really great photographer but also introduce one of the amazing couples that won my contest.
Katie and Cody! They will be getting married in Parkland, Fl on April 11, 2009
Katie and Cody took their E-Pics with fabulous wedding and event photographer Gregory Paul.
Katie admits she never thought she could look that good but come on....they are a hot couple and these pictures are just that!
Gregory Paul definitely has a unique style that sets him apart from the rest. I love finding photographers that have a unique way of interpreting emotion and detail through photo. I 'm happy to say that I will have the pleasure of working with Greg & Heidi on a couple of events next year. I can't wait to see all fabulous pictures!

Check out Katie and Cody's engagement pictures!

For more visit www.gregorypaul.typepad.com

Danielle & Nick and their beautiful but windy beach ceremony :)

2008-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Ceremony: 9th Street Boardwalk, Deerfield Beach

So this event was a little different and it might help give some insight in to what we here at Fabulous Fêtes are able to do for you :)

Danielle and Nick hired me basically to coordinate and set up their beach ceremony. Their reception venue already had a coordinator and they just needed someone to over see the rehearsal and set up all the details they wanted for their beautiful ceremony.

The ceremony was held at the 9th Street Boardwalk in Deerfield Beach. Living in Miami I would just like to say that the beaches in Deerfield are amazing! The water was the bluest blue and the sand was a perfect tan color and sooo soft. The rock formations on the beach looked like something you'd see in California. It was gorgeous. The 9th Street Boardwalk basically give you a wonderful overlook on all of it. It was an amazing spot. You'll see from the pictures below.

Danielle and Nick, thank you so much for letting me be a part of a part of your special day :) Seeing you laugh and be with your families shows how happy I'm sure you two will be together for many many years to come!

Melissa & Michael....A New Happy Family :)

2008-12-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Ceremony: Coral Gables Congregational
Reception: Renaissance at the Gables

I think one of the sweetest things I've heard Melissa say was during a crafting session at my house. She said that she wanted to break the stereotype of bad step-parents because she wanted to always have a good relationship with Mikey (Michael's son). She always wanted to make sure he felt loved by her. :) If you saw Mikey attached to her hip the entire wedding you'd know she's definitely doing a good job of that!
An instant happy family that truly embodies love!
Melissa was very nervous in the moment leading up to her walking down the aisle (not to mention she looked stunning!) But as soon as she made it down the aisle and stood by her husband-to-be it seemed like all of that just went away. The rest of the night was spent laughing and having a great time with all her family and friends.
It was a wonderful night for a much deserved wonderful couple!

I also had the pleasure of booking Melissa and Mike's honeymoon! Which is definitely a first! I hope you two had a fabulous time @ Maxim!

Here are some pictures fromt their special day!

Happy Thanksgiving! and.......

2008-11-27T13:17:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank all the wonderful brides that entered! I really wish I could have picked all of you!
In the spirit of the holidays two winners were picked for the day-of package and all other brides that entered will still receive something!

Michelle Vega and Andrew Bolooki
August 1, 2009

Katie Stern and Cody Clark
April 11, 2009

Also, any other brides that entered will receive a $50 credit toward a Day-Of package upon booking!

Omaira Romero & Jason Dauta

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

Gobble Gobble! xoxo

Photographer Love

2008-11-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

Amy DeYoung

I had the pleasure of working with Amy for Mari & Pete's Wedding. We had a really good time. Lots of laughs and in between she took some amazing pictures of my bride and groom. You know there is dedication there because while Amy, Ubi and myself were eating dinner......she had food in her mouth and she was still snapping away LOL.

I thought Amy definitely deserved some blog love. She just posted some pictures in her blog from Mari & Pete's beautiful day. So I'd like to share them with you!

Amy is based out of San Antonio, TX but is available for travel!

The next day while Amy was lounging on the beach....the newlyweds showed up to enjoy some sun before checking out. Any was able to snap this pic using her iPhone

Must-Have Photo List

2008-11-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

Glamour on a Budget

2008-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

Tips for a Glamorous Wedding on a Budget

1. A monochromatic color scheme ups the glam quotient. Try a bold, bright hue like red to make a major statement.

2. Don't have the budget for full-on chair covers? Weave wide grosgrain ribbon through the backs of reception chairs for a softer, polished look.

3. All it takes is one standout glass to make a specialty cocktail, well, special. Ditto the glassware on the reception tables. Choose a rental company with lots of options, and add a colored glass to each place setting as an easy way to bring depth to your tablescape.

4. Give out-of-town guests a little goodnight treat by arranging for hotel staff to leave a small token on their pillows each night of their stay.

5. Take a cue from the silver screen with dramatic black-and-white photography. Black-and-white shots make everything -- and everyone -- appear more chic.

For even more inspiration, see the Spring 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, where the following ideas appeared.

6. Bring on the bubbly! After all, nothing says festive like Champagne. And it can serve a dual purpose, too: A vintage wine bucket with a bottle of the French fizz can make an inexpensive centerpiece, and a tower of coupe glasses lends drama.

7. Let balloons rise to the occasion as a simple yet stylish way to fill a big space. The secret to a grown-up look? A simple color palette. Attach them to ribbons to make garlands for the ceiling.

8. What could be sweeter than confections that sparkle? Dim the lights, then fire up the night by topping cakes and other desserts with sparklers.

9. If you have the budget, do away with the deejay and opt instead for a live band to give your party a spontaneity that can't be bought with canned music.

10. Bid farewell in style with a candlelit path leading from the reception site. It lends just the right amount of romance, and simple glass containers holding candles are affordable as well as safe.

Fabulous Fêtes Anniversary Giveaway.....Last Call!!

2008-11-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

I have extended the entry submission date till Friday, November 21, 2008. I've had some brides that emailed me that wanted to enter but have not yet written their entry. So I've decided to give them a chance to! :)

For details on the contest please go here >> Fabulous Fêtes Anniversary Giveaway

Winners will still be announced on November 27, 2008

Good Luck!!

Mari & Peter.......from the mountains to the beach!

2008-11-15T19:28:00.000-08:00

Mari and Pete were originally from Miami, till business took them to Denver. When Pete proposed they decided South Beach would be the spot for their destination wedding. So with a few trips and lots and los of emails their Fabulous day went perfectly.
They chose The National hotel in South Beach as their venue. I'd like to add on a personal note that I absolutely love this hotel. The outside space is perfect for November wedding the breeze off the beach is amazing. I'd also like to acknowledge that Jamie and the staff there are awesome and always accommodating. Let's not even get started on the food. YUM!
November 9th was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding. The bride looking absolutely stunning in her Vera Wang gown.

After saying their I Do's in the sand under a beautiful chuppah the couple and their guests headed over to the hotel which was right behind the beach.
The cocktail hour took place at the terrace right off the lobby.

After some drinks and laughs guests were directed toward "Zee Pool" area where the reception would take place.

The Mr. & Mrs. waiting for their introduction!

The square tables were dressing in a brown peau de soie linen, ivory napkin, mahogany chiavari chair with a pistachio colored cushion. The simple and beautiful floral arrangements created by Petunia Flowers were multiple vases filled with tulips, orchids, and hydrangea. Each place setting was accent with a mini green orchid. The sweet heart table was draped and skirted with the same brown peau de soie linen and had a brown overlay embroidered with green swirls and leaves.

The cake was a yummy 3 tiered confection with chocolate bands around each tier and orchids made of sugar for accent. The table was dress in an ivory peau de soie linen with a green leaf overlay.

Here are a couple of more pictures

They danced the horrah

The bride had a little fun being bad lol

Mari & Pete, I hope your having an amazing time in Maui. Thank you for letting me be a part of your beautiful day. May you both have many wonderful years together!

Credits:
Venue: The National, Photographer: Amy DeYoung, Cake: Ana Paz Cakes, DJ: Ubi's Music Productions, Ubi, Linens & Chairs, AB Cover Designers, Florist: Petunia Flowers

Johanna & Javier.....Romeo y Julieta

2008-11-14T08:08:00.000-08:00

The reason behind the title of my post is the fact that the bride and groom....mostly the groom are huge fans of cigars. This wedding totally let you know that!
I met Johanna over a year ago when she had first started planning her wedding. There was a different venue and colors :) It's been a long road for her I know but the end result was a beautiful day that definitely embodied everything that that this couple loves.

We guests arrived at the Miami Rowing Club they first made their way on to the deck that it attached to the ballroom and overlooks the water. A cigar roller was set up and people did not wait to get the party started. Normally guests are always awaiting getting in to the ballroom, not this crowd. They were having a great time.
The place cards were attached to little bottle of red wine. They looked adorable.

The ballroom was lit with red uplights that truly gave it a romantic feel. The tables were dressed in ivory linens with a gold embroidered overlay and had one of two centerpieces.
The first was a low centerpiece of mixed flowers. The second a trumpet vase filled with cymbidium orchids and topped with a red lamp shade. All the tables were name after cigars.

The cake was lovely and very yummy!

The 12 ft candy buffet was a hit. The table had jars and cigar boxes all filled with different types of candy. We had to refill it 3 times!

Johanna aka ILUVJAVI :), it's been a great ride and I'm glad it ended with a perfect night for you and your hunnie. I wish you both nothing but the happiest of year together. I'm sure that party will never end!
Javier, it was so nice finally meeting you! I was nice to finally meet the "JAVI" in the name after almost two years of talking about you LOL. I know the two of you will be very happy for a very long time.
Have fun in Vegas next month! and for the rest of your lives!

Jen & Jeff.........& Brayden :)

2008-11-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

So in the middle of planning their wedding Jen and Jeff encountered a little bump......literally. Jen found out that she was pregnant with their first baby. A baby they later found out was a boy and they will name him Brayden Cole :)
After many efforts to try to postpone the wedding and it not working on they decided to keep their date. Jen was 8 month pregnant on November 1st when they said their "I Do's" and she looking stunning by the way!

The ceremony and reception both took place at the Doubletree Grand Biscayne Bay. The view from that spot always does it to me. I must admit it made me feel a little nostalgic being that it was right next door to where my husband and I had ours and would be celebrating our first anniversary 9 days later.

Jen and Jeff, thank you for letting us be a part of your day. Your family had a blast and I think they could have kept that party going all night! lol I wish you both nothing but the best in your new adventure with your little boy! Please send pictures!!! xoxo

Here are a few pictures from their special day!

The tables were classic and elegant decorated with linens from A Blooming Touch and flowers from De La Flor Florist. The one thing I did not get a picture of was their canopy under which they got married. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Custom Menus made by Me.

The beautiful and yummy cake.

The candy buffet was a huge hit! as always.

And I leave you with this beautiful picture taken by Studio by Carmen

Fabulous Fêtes Anniversary Giveaway!!!

2008-11-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

Starting this business was a dream of mine for a long time. I’m happy to say that with the support of family, friends and all our wonderful clients that have put their special day in our hands we have had a very successful first year. We hope to have many many more. To show how grateful we are to all of you that continue to support and read this blog and thought maybe they could not afford having wedding coordinator…we are giving back!

Here’s how it works!

Brides and/or Grooms will be entering for two possible prizes. You may submit and entry for both. You will be asked to write a short story for the topics listed . All entries must be submitted no later than November 17, 2008 and winners will be announced via the blog on November 27, 2008.

Entries can be emailed to contest@fabulousfetesandevents.com

Please include your:

Name & Fiancé’s/Fiancée’s name:

Wedding Date:

Venue (if selected):

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

#1

Entry: During planning sometimes we have a tendency to get lost in it. The decisions, budgeting, decisions, spending, decisions, family, friends…it can all be very overwhelming at times. Sometimes we need to take a step back and remember what this day is truly about. It’s a celebration of love between two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Topic: What does your “Beautiful Day” mean to you?

*Wedding must be between February 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 on available dates*

What you win:

“It’s a Beautiful Day” Day-Of-Coordination Package
Package information available upon request

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

#2 The BIG Prize

Entry: Do you believe in fate? I do. When I look back at how I met my husband and the little things in life that drew us together. I definitely can’t explain it but I thank God everyday that it happened. I truly believe that you may fall in love more than once but there is only one person in this world for everyone. Sometimes it just take a few toads before you find your prince :) Yes, cheesy I know.

Topic: Tell us about your amazing love story and what winning this would mean to you as a couple.

*Wedding must be between June 1, 2009 and June 1, 2010 on available dates*

What you win:

“A Fabulous Fête” Full Service Coordination Package
Package information available upon request

&

A portrait session of your choice from Studio by Carmen Photography
Your choice of 1 of the following: Bridal Shower, Boudoir, Engagement and Trash the Dress

So start writing!! And good luck to all of you!!

Xoxo

Vanessa & Brent's Lovely and Laidback Beach Wedding!

2008-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Vanessa, Brent and their family and friends were a trip!
I actually did not meet this couple till the day of their rehearsal. They could not wait to get it over with so they could get back to the hotel and party. Lol, my kinda crowd! The guests came from as far as Australia(Vanessa's home). The wedding was definitely all about the couple and what they love. I love little details that make a wedding special!

I received the custom invitation in the mail and absolutely loved it! The couple actually made the invites and al the inserts at home.
The Ad Lib RSVP was definitely my favorite part!

The ceremony took place on this beach next to the Dania Pier.

After the reception the guests made their way up to the Beach Watch Restaurant (which was RIGHT there) for the cocktail style reception. The reception it self took place on the back half of the restaurant. The decor was simple but fun :) Orange and yellow lanterns hung from the inside and outside. The table were dressed in white linens and accented with little bowls of yellow-purple tip carnations.
Custom coasters that the couple made decorated also decorated the tables.

They decided to for-go the original cake idea and use cupcakes! The ones with the white frosting were filled with Key Lime pie the Chocolate frosting cupcakes were filled with fudge!

For favors the couple gave out wine charms they made out of Scrabble pieces.
The couple love the game so much.....it is how Brent asked Vanessa to marry him :)

Next to the favors was the sign-in mat.

The couple shared their first dance to "Anyone Else But You" from the movie Juno.
Love it!

Here is a video of the song if you have never heard the song or seen the movie.

Photographer Chelsey Boatwright had a photo area set up.....think prom. Lol. That made for some hysterical pictures!

Please take a moment to admire the bride's AWESOME hair piece!

and Finally....our happy couple the Mr. & Mrs.!

They will be having another reception in April in Australia then going on a honeymoon that is sure to be amazing to Thailand and the South Pacific!

Vanessa and Brent, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your day!
I had a wonderful time hanging out with your family and friends! And finally meeting the two of you! I know that together you will have a wonderful live together filled with love and LOTS OF LAUGHS!

Diana and Orly's Sweet Day!

2008-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Diana hired me over a year ago to coordinate her wedding over frappaccino's at Starbucks! After having to do all the running around for her brother's wedding she knew she did not want to put that burden on any of her bridesmaid's on her day. Awesome bride!
I knew from the very beginning that this wedding was going to have lots of personal unique touches, which I love!!

The theme was always candy, then Diana found out October 18, 2008 was considered "The Sweetest Day" and went all out. The result: a beautiful candyland-ish event that I think sent most guests home in a sugar coma!!

The reception took place at the Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne.
When guests arrived for the cocktail hour their first hint at what was ahead was the escort card table. The place cards were on little sticks which were then placed in little chocolate frosted vanilla cupcakes that had a little "cherry" (fondant with a licorice stem) on top.

Guests then walked in to a romantic red room. Red up lights were placed all around the room to give t a nice glow. The tables were dressed in chocolate brown crinkle and red satin linen and napkins. The chairs covered with a chocolate brown sating cover with red satin bow. The tables were names after all different kinds of chocolates. There were high and low centerpieces. The low center pieces were a candles holder in a rose ring. The candle holder held a hersheys kiss candle!

The favors the guests took home were coasters and a personalized shot glass. They also took home CD's which were later placed on the candy buffet.

The AMAZING cake that had been talked about all day and night was definitely the focal point. Rosie of Elegant Temptation gets a standing ovation from be for putting together this awesome confection!

For height purposes, here is the happy couple cutting their yummy cake!

The candy bar was a total hit!!!!
Here are some pictures of the candy bar all set up before guests walked in the room.

Here is the candy bar before the couple even finished their first dance!!

Yup, we couldn't believe it either.

In honor of the couple being huge sports fans, these bobble heads were made and placed on their sweetheart table.

Diana also had a big surprise for Orly. The UM mascot Sebastian made an appearance at the event. The guests totally loved having them.

A photo booth was rented for the evening. It was packed all night. I'm sure once they get that CD there will be all kinds of hilarious pictures to look at. Including ours!

Brig and I and our boyfriend Sebastian.

Us and the lovely Bride!

Diana and Orly, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special day. It definitely was a long road but through it all a beautiful and much deserved special day for the both of you. We couldn't be happier for the two of you!

Credits:
Event Coordinator: Justine Rojas, Assistant Coordinator: Brigitte Aleman for Fabulous Fêtes, Venue: The Rusty Pelican, Key Biscayne, Fl Church: St, John the Apostle, Hialeah, FL, Photographer: JR Photography Cinematography: Dream Video, Cake: Elegant Temptations, DJ & Lighting: Ubi's Music Productions, Linens & Chairs, AB Cover Designers, Florist: Terra Flowers, Photo booth: Party Booths, Cupcakes: Sugar Cups

Brides get ready!

2008-10-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

In honor of the 1 year anniversary of our first official event as Fabulous Fêtes and Events coming up next month and celebrating over 50 events booked we will be holding a contest! The details of this contest will be posted within the next two weeks!

The prizes will be a Free Day-of-Coordination Package and a Free Full Service Planning Package.
The Full Planning package will also include a bonus prize that will be offered by Studio by Carmen Photography.

So stay tuned!

The fabbies,

Justine & Brig

Betty and Lyonel....

2008-10-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

My very own Mr. & Mrs. Smith!

Where to begin!

Well, in February Betty contacted me. She and Lyonel had been dealing with a long distance relationship and planning a wedding. They needed help. I met with them in the beginning of March 2008 they already had a venue that Lyonel picked out while she was stationed in the southwest. It was a banquet hall that Betty was not happy with. So 6 months before the wedding we cancelled and changed it! Her only request was not to have a "regular wedding", I promised to make that happen.

In less than 4 weeks we had a new venue and caterer. Everything else followed.

The result: a beautiful red and gold fête that over-exceeded any expectations that Lyonel and Betty had for their special day!

The ceremony and reception took place at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
We set up the ceremony in the Great Lawn. A tent was put up in the event of rain that had been threatening to spoil the day that week. A beautiful white organza chuppah was the absolutely stunning focal point under white the bride and groom would be married. Strands of orchids and crystals accented the opening in the front of the chuppah and rings of cymbidium orchids tied the organza back.
The aisle carpeted with a red runner and shepard hooks with carnation pomanders led the way.
On the white padded chairs were the ceremony fan programs made by me.

The new Mr. & Mrs!

After the cocktail hour the guests were moved in to the Banyan Room for the reception.
The couple was introduced to the Mission Impossible theme then shared their first dance.

The inside space was draped in white organza with red up lights accents the walls. The tables were dressed in gold satin linens, gold chiavari chairs with red satin cushions and red napkins. In each napkin was a custom menu made by me that complimented the custom table numbers I also made.
The tables were accented by one of 3 different centerpieces that were made for the event. The inside tables with tall airy centerpieces of red mokara orchids on trumpet vase. The outside tables were a short centerpiece of multiple vases of roses, and tall centerpiece of mixed flowers.

The sweetheart table was a long table for the bride and groom and his two children. The new happy family. The table was dress in a gold crinkle linen and decorated with the carnation pomanders that were moved over from the ceremony.

On one of the sweetheart table were the memorial table that was set up in honor of Betty's dad who passed away 2 years ago and her best friend Emily who passed shortly after. This table was later covered in votive candles.

On the other side of the sweetheart table was the cake table. The 3 tier vanilla brandy cake was delicious.

After dinner guests were treated to a Junkanoo band performance in honor of their Haitian and Jamaican back rounds. This was a special surprise from the bride and groom for their guests and something that were decided from the very beginning we needed to have!
The guest loved it!!

After that their respective fraternity and sorities sang song special songs for them.

We had prayed all day for no rain and we got lucky.....until about 10pm when it started pouring. Guests did not seem to mind. Some stayed in the tent enjoying the sound of the rain other moved in side. Most did not seem to notice.
All in all was a beautiful day. Guests kept telling my husband and I what a wonderful time they had. The bride and groom were glowing!

Betty & Lyonel, I have had a wonderful time putting this all together with you two! You are an amazing couple who do amazing things for our country and for that you truly deserved and amazing day!!
This experience with the two of you has been wonderful.
Lyonel, Congrats on your graduation this week! Betty, don't forget my badge picture lol

xoxoxoxo

The Myrthil Family :)

Thanks to all the vendors who came together with me to make this day truly special. Special thanks to my husband who came out and helped me on Saturday with everything. You are great man to put up with all of it :)

Credits:
Event Design and Coordination: Justine Rojas, Venue: Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, Miami Beach,Fl Catering: Pepe Luzarraga Catering, Photographer: Jonathan Scott, Cinematography: Hollywood Films, Cake: Todo Dulce, DJ: DJ Ace, Linens & Chairs: Top This, Florist & Lighting: Petunia Flowers, Junkanoo: Bahamas Showtime Junkanoo

Claudine & Lubens.....Highschool Sweethearts!

2008-10-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, I actually went to high school with this couple :)
Claudine found me via Facebook's classmate finder and asked me to be her coordinator! I happily agreed!

Lubens and Claudine met at G. Holmes Braddock high school. They were both Magnet students and spent a lot of time together in the school Magnet office. They finally fell in love in college.

The reception took place at the Bank of America Tower in Downtown.

This was my first time doing an event there and it is a beautiful space.
In light of the fall season the couple decided on orange, gold, chocolate brown and small hint of red for their colors.

When guests arrived they came in to the first room which had the escort card table and gift table. The cards were bookmarks made by the bride and groom.

that place card table was later flipped and turned in to a midnight snack table filled with hatian desserts. Yum!

The back wall of the ballroom was draped in brown and gold satin fabrics.

The tables were adorned with iridescent brown crinkle linens, gold chiavari chairs with orange satin cushions, orange satin napkins and gold acrylic chargers.

The beautiful arrangements of hydrangeas, orchids and calla lilies sat atop the tables. Several small vases of different flowers decorated the sweetheart table.

The beautiful 5 tier cake made for a great and yummy focal point!

Claudine and Lubens, thank you for allowing me to be a part of this day with you! It was definitely a treat to see both of you again after so long!

Thanks to the great team of vendors that help put this fabulous event together!
Venue: Bank of America Tower Miami,Fl Church: Seventh Day Adventist, Miami, FL, Cake: Ana Paz, Linens: Coral Gables Linens, Chairs: Brelex, Florist: Gil Sosa Flowers

Chrissy & Jeremy's Destination Wedding in South Beach!!!

2008-10-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

The bride wore white the bridesmaids HOT PINK!

This wedding is just a tad late but with good reason. My friend Miguel Irias has had a CD of the pictures from this wedding waiting for me for almost two months. I was finally able to pick them up this past week!

Chrissy and Jeremy live in Arizona, her family lives up north his family lives here in Miami.
They opted to come down down to say their I Do's!

The ceremony took place at St. John Neumann in Kendall. Jeremy's mom works there and his family has attended mass there for a long time so it only seemed fitting.

After a lovely ceremony they moved the party over to a reception at The Palms in South Beach.

When guests arrived they were directed to the sign-in and "mini seating chart" table. The table was decorated with a lovely hot pink and orange table arrangement that sat on top of a vase filled with limes. On the table were the wedding pictures of the bride and groom's parents and grandparents. Guests loved looking at the pictures!

The tables were dressed in white linens which allowed the hot pink and bright orange flowers to pop! From the ceiling hung hot pink and orange lanterns that definitely gave the all white room a splash of color.

The yummy cake was made by Ana Paz. It was all white until I tried out my cake decorating skills and dressed it up a bit.

Chrissy and Jeremy decided to for-go favors. Instead they made a donation on behalf on all their guests to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation in honor of his niece and nephew who both have the disease. Guests wore their bracelets all night.
It was a beautiful and fun evening.

Chrissy, I so enjoyed the entire planning process with you. The countless emails, the hilarious nicknames, fun meetings.....goodtimes!!!
Jeremy, I learned a little bit more than I cared to know about you from your college friends at your wedding! LOL! But you are great and I know you will continue to make #1 happy for a very very very long time!

I wish you both many many years of happiness!

Thanks to the entire team of vendors that made this night Fabulous!
Credits:
Venue: The Palms, South Beach Miami,Fl Church: St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Miami, FL, Photographer: Miguel Irias Cinematography: Roman Empire Productions, Cake: Ana Paz, Flowers, Chairs & Lanterns Chairs: Petunia Flowers

Favorite Fabulous Moment.....

2008-09-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said there would be new things on the blog?
Here is one of them

We're going to be starting a new series of posts called " Favorite Fabulous Moment".
In these posts we'll be asking some of the fabulous photographers that we have worked with to pick their favorite fabulous moment from that wedding.
I'll be posting these at least once a week.

This first fabulous moment was sent to me by Miguel Irias. I have had the pleasure of working with Miguel on a couple of weddings and not only is he an amazing photographer who's work totally speaks for itself but he is a trip to work with.

I asked Miguel for a picture he sent me 3! :)
The pictures below are from Chrissy and Jeremy's Wedding on August 2, 2008. It was a beautiful destination wedding that took places at The Palms on SoBe.
That is one event I have not posted the pictures of yet because I have been lazy and not gone to pick up the CD of pictures he made for me. I promise I will get them soon!

Here were Miguel's favorite fabulous moments....

and why?

"Well, why they are my favorites?

First of all, she has a smile that says it all!

The chemistry between them just captivated me!

Perfect pair!

Full of love!!"

Fabulous New Website!!!

2008-09-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Is finally up!!
Well the first page at least!

FabulousFetesandEvents.com

More pages will be up in the coming weeks. So please be on the look out. To all our former brides, you may see your beautiful event there.

We'd like to that Carmen of Studio by Carmen who's amazing pictures were used to create the slide :) Your the best my friend!

Our blog also has a new address fabulousfetesblog.com

Like I said last month.....there will be a lot of new things coming and we are very excited about them.

xoxoxo

The fabbies,

Justine & Brig

Hello Fall...I missed you!

2008-09-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

So yesterday marked the first day of fall and it is my favorite time of year. My husband's as well, that's why were chose to get married in the fall of 2007.

In light of my favorite season, I have decided on a little vendor spotlight.

One of my favorite elements of my wedding were all the paper items. Menus, escort cards, programs and most of all my invitations.
My Menus I made myself picture by Studio by Carmen.

I highly recommend adding details such as menus. They make the settings look that much more elegant.

My invitations and escort cards were created by Ashley Wendus and her amazing little staff @ Smashing Cards . I decided to use Ashley after seeing invitations she had made for two of my friends. At that moment I had to have her do mine. I got lucky since I was having a small wedding because Ashley was no longer taking orders for the Fall/Winter season aka peak wedding time.

In the initial design consult Ashley asked me to send her pictures of all the inspiration for my wedding. Centerpieces, venue, my dress, bridesmaids dresses, basically anything had. The end result was an amazing and stunning Tri-fold invitation in gold and dark bronze.

I added red rhinestones to the seal to tie in my red accents.

This is a picture of my escort card taken by Studio by Carmen. Smashing Cards made the card and envelope that I later embellished with rhinestones as well.

Ashley has an incredible way of making the vision you have for your wedding and turning it in to an invitation. She can take inspiration from just about anywhere and create an invite that truly reflects that.
Here are two invites she created that she has posted on her blog.
One from a bridesmaids dress for a bride, the other from a room that she created for her portfolio.

So if you still have not found an invitations vendors contact them....you will not be disappointed.

I leave you with some beautiful fall and winter bouquet ideas.

The Banquet Event Order

2008-09-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

I often find myself emailing brides about two weeks prior to their event asking if they have received a copy of their BEO so that I may look it over for them.

About 95% of them have no idea what this is. I found this in other planners blog who I love to read and wanted to share it with all you lovely ladies that read mine.

Thanks Liene!

When you get married, there is one piece of paper that is probably of equal or more importance than your timeline and that is the Banquet Event Order (more commonly referred to as the BEO).

The Banquet Event Order is what your venue or caterer will use to set up everything for your reception. This document is separate from your contract and you won't receive it until closer to your wedding date. The BEO includes exactly what you are eating, the number of tables you've ordered, the number of chairs at each table, the exact times food will leave the kitchen to make it to your guests while staying hot, etc. It is prepared for you by your venue, so you don't have to worry about creating this.

You or your wedding planner will have to sign off on this document prior to the wedding. Before you sign, make sure you go over it with a fine tooth comb. While you should read every document thoroughly before signing, this is definitely one to pay special attention to. For many catering managers and banquet captains, the BEO is essentially their bible for your wedding day.

If something is not on there, it will likely not be happening during your reception. If something is on there, but you don't want it to be, make sure it is removed prior to signing off on it. The venue staff will execute set up and service according to what is stated on the BEO. It is the document they use to make sure that all staff are literally on the same page.

If you are using a wedding planner, they will take care of reviewing this for you. If you are using a day-of coordinator, make sure they have a final copy of the BEO. This will help them ensure that everything runs smoothly on your wedding day.

Question: What do I tip my wedding vendors?

2008-09-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

I get this question from brides all the time. So I figured what better way to provide an answer than to post it on my blog for everyone to see. This is part of our new Questions & Answers feature. If you have any weddings related questions you'd like answered please submit them to questions@fabulousfetesandevents.com

Answer:

Though you may think you've accounted for every imaginable wedding expense, there is one fee that might elude you: the tip. Rewarding vendors with a tip is expected, and it will serve as a thank-you for a job well done. But figuring out whom to tip, how much to pay, and when to offer it can be tricky.

While some vendors include gratuities in their fees, many will leave the amount up to you -- and the level of service they provide can influence what you give them. Tips can add up quickly, costing you a few thousand dollars. Gratuities for caterers alone can be $200 to $600 or more, for example, depending on the number of guests, your catering costs, and where you live. Most tips should be handed out the day of the wedding, so it's wise to assign the job to a friend or family member. A follow-up thank-you note is often a valued tip in itself, as your word can be a recommendation for the vendor.

Officiants
While it isn't necessary to tip priests, ministers, rabbis, or other religious officiants (many of them, in fact, won't accept cash tips), if you want to thank them for their services, consider making a donation to their organization or house of worship. A typical amount is $75 to $100, separate from any fee you may be charged for the officiant's time.

If you belong to a church, your own minister or priest may perform the wedding at no charge. In this case, you could make a donation to the church, and as an extra thank-you, consider sending something personal, such as a gift certificate to a nice restaurant.

If your wedding is performed by a civil employee such as a judge, clerk, or other nonreligious official, then forgo a gratuity. Such officiants are paid a flat rate and are usually not permitted to accept tips or donations -- local law may actually prohibit it. A thoughtful card, however, is always appreciated.

Catering Staff
Many caterers include a gratuity in their contract to be divided up among the workers, but be sure to ask. If the gratuity isn't included, plan on tipping all staff members, including the catering or banquet manager, waiters, bartenders, chefs, and other essential workers who help serve guests.

"Most catering staff members receive a decent hourly wage, however, so you needn't go overboard on their tips," says Joe Piane, sales manager and executive chef at Piane Caterers in Wilmington, Delaware.

You can calculate the tip as a percentage of the cost of your total catering bill. Figure on paying about 15 to 20 percent of the amount for the banquet manager to share with the kitchen and serving staff. Another way to compute the gratuity is to offer a flat amount for each worker, which is often a more economical method, especially if your catering company is expensive. You'll want to give roughly $100 to $200 for the catering or banquet manager, $50 each for chefs (and bakers), and $20 to $30 each for waiters and kitchen staff, divided into separate envelopes.

Tips can be paid in advance to the director of the catering company, or you can hand them to the banquet manager toward the end of the evening.

Musicians and Deejays
Tipping customs vary, depending on whether you hire an independent band or deejay or book through an agency. For independent bands that book their own gigs, tipping is not customary.

"No matter what your deejay or band is charging, the money is going right into their pockets, so don't feel like you have to give extra, unless of course they really went above and beyond," says Kelly Scriven, owner of the Bride's Maid, a wedding consulting business in Whitman, Massachusetts. Valerie Romanoff, owner of New York City--based Starlight Orchestras, adds, "We're always pleasantly surprised when clients tip us and recognize the entertainment value of what we provide, but it's not expected."

If you employ your band or deejay through an entertainment agency, the company will usually either include a gratuity in the contract or suggest that you give each band member or deejay a little extra in cash. If your contract includes a "service charge," don't assume that it is the gratuity. "The service charge often goes right back to the company," says Scriven.

Musicians should be tipped about $20 to $25 apiece; deejays get at least $25. Many bands offer a vocalist for the ceremony at an additional cost. Tip him or her the same amount as you would one of the other musicians. Hand out the tips in cash at the end of the night.

Stylists and Makeup Artists
Even though it's a particularly special day, you can still tip stylists and makeup artists as you would for a regular appointment -- 15 to 20 percent. For each assistant who helps with secondary tasks, such as shampooing, plan on giving a gratuity of $3 to $5.

You can hand out tips in envelopes directly to stylists, or leave them at the salon's front desk. If you're short on cash, it's fine to tip by check or include it on a charge. If a stylist comes to your home or the wedding site, tip as you would at a salon, but in general, makeup artists and hair stylists who own their own businesses are not tipped.

Photographers, Videographers, Florists, and Wedding Coordinators
For people who own their own businesses, as many of these vendors do, tipping isn't necessary. "They've already negotiated their fees and expect only that amount of money," says Jeremy Faryar of LIFEstories Film, a New York City videography company that specializes in weddings. For photographers, videographers, and florists who do not own their own businesses, tip $30 to $50; wedding coordinators should be given about $50 to $100.

If you feel that the service you received from one of these vendors was extraordinary (say, if the videographer stayed and took footage of an after-wedding party even though it wasn't in his contract), an additional 10 percent tip would be a nice gesture, says Ruth L. Kern, an etiquette consultant in Barrington, Illinois. Or you might send a thank-you gift such as flowers or a print from your photographer showing the vendor in action at your wedding.

Site Staff
Wherever you have your wedding, there will likely be many behind-the-scenes workers, such as coat checkers, powder-room attendants, or parking valets. Make sure you do not overlook these people -- while you may not have much contact with them throughout the celebration, they help keep guests happy. Sometime before the wedding, ask the site manager to instruct workers not to accept any tips from guests. Instead, plan on tipping them yourself. At the end of the evening, pay coat checkers a total of $1 to $2 per guest, which they can share. Powder-room attendants should receive 50 cents to $1 per guest, to be divided among them. Set aside $1 to $1.50 per car to give to the parking manager, who can then divide up the cash among the valets.

Seamstresses, Delivery People, and Drivers
Though they won't actually be at the wedding, these workers' preparatory roles are just as important, so be sure to thank them in some way.

The people delivering the flowers and cake should receive at least $5 each at the time they make their deliveries. A gratuity for your limousine driver may already be included in your bill, but if it's not, consider giving a tip of 15 to 20 percent of the cost (pay it in cash when the driver picks you up). For seamstresses, a cash tip is not expected, but sending a small gift such as a photo of you in your dress is a wonderful way to show your gratitude.

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings