Confetti Foundation Launches to Provide Birthday Kits to Children in Hospitals

Confetti Foundation Launches to Provide Birthday Kits to Children in Hospitals

I am so proud of my friend Stephanie Frazier Grimm of Couture Parties in Newport, Rhode Island, who launched a non profit, the Confetti Foundation. The Confetti Foundation mission is to supply party starter kits to children who have to spend their birthday in the hospital. I am so flattered to be asked to be on her advisory board. I find that even though event planners are some of the busiest people I know, they are not busy enough to help out and give back and help various charities. I am so proud of Stephanie for starting this organization and can't wait to see it grow into all 50 states in the United States. 

Spring Wedding Bouquets with Peonies and Sweet Pea

Spring Wedding Bouquets with Peonies and Sweet Pea

I know that we all felt spring a little closer yesterday with the warm up of the temperature. This made me think of spring weddings! I love these bridesmaids bouquets from a spring wedding. The flower color complements the bridesmaids light green dresses so well. The florals are a mix of sweat pea and light pink peonies which are so readily available in the spring months for bouquets!

iHeart Radio Interview with Host Harmony Walton

iHeart Radio Interview with Host Harmony Walton

 I am so excited to be a part of Harmony Walton and Clear Channel's IHeartRadio. It will air today at 1PM Chicago time (CST) and can be heard here. Harmony Walton is the host and the owner of Bridal Bar and Jet Fete . You can follow her on Twitter @bridalbar and @iheartradio. 

A Chicago Botanic Garden Engagement Session

A Chicago Botanic Garden Engagement Session

Brrrrr, it is cold out there in Chicago today but not to worry, spring is around the corner and will be here in 72 days. Today I am happy to share this dreamy engagement picture session by YazyJo of our clients Chinnu and Ed who tied the knot last year. ( I can't wait to share their wedding pictures with you soon). So grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy these gorgeous summer engagement session pictures at Chicago Botanic Gardens and know that warm weather is right around the corner. You can also find great engagement photo tips on our blog! 

Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago Chapter Gala Raises $29,600 for charity

Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago Chapter Gala Raises $29,600 for charity

Monday, November 4th was the 4th annual Blissful Wishes Ball benefitting the Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago Chapter at The Sculpture Garden at Bridgeport Art Center. Two hundred fifty wedding and event professionals in Chicago gathered, celebrated and also supported Wish Upon a Wedding. Often called the "prom" of the Chicago wedding industry, this year was just an amazing night to remember. I am the Founding President of the Chicago Chapter and also the National President and this cause is so close to my heart. In four years we have granted seven weddings in Chicago and sixty weddings nationally for deserving couples facing terminal illness or life-altering circumstances. With the attendees support in the silent and live auctions, the Chicago Chapter was able to raise $29,600 for the charity. 

Wedding Business Education in Chicago

Wedding Business Education in Chicago

My friend Beth Bernstein from SQN Events is bringing a great wedding education opportunity that will take place on Monday, November 18th called Toss the Bouquet: Educate, Exchange, Elevate at the W City Center in Chicago, Illinois. My good friend Liene Stevens on Think Splendid is the keynote speaker and Beth has an amazing line up of speakers for some of the top designers and event planners in the country. 

Chicago Wish Upon a Wedding Gala on Monday, November 4th

Chicago Wish Upon a Wedding Gala on Monday, November 4th

The Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago Chapter Invites you to The 2013 Blissful Wishes Ball benefiting Wish Upon a Wedding on Monday, November 4th, 2013 at Sculpture Garden Gallery at The Bridgeport Art Center at 1200 W 35th Street Chicago, Illinois. Cocktails will begin at 6pm, followed by the program, dinner and dancing to the MFO Entertainment Group. Tickets can be purchased online here. 

Destination Wedding Planner A-List by Destination Weddings & Honeymoon

Destination Wedding Planner A-List by Destination Weddings & Honeymoon

I was so excited and honored when I got the call from Destinations Weddings & Honeymoons magazine, of which I have been a fan for so long. They had named me this year on their A-List of Destination Wedding Planners. Having started planning weddings in Chicago ten years ago, my love of travel and wanderlust for the world found me planning my first destination wedding in South Africa. I was hooked on the first destination wedding I did and have been doing weddings all over the world since then. I love to travel to distant lands, learn new cultures and traditions and work in some of the most magical and beautiful places in the world! 

How to spell Honor on Wedding Invitation

How to spell Honor on Wedding Invitation

I have been busy writing up my client's wedding invitation wording for my fall Chicago wedding clients and one question that keeps coming up is how to spell honor on a wedding invitation. The question I hear a lot is, do you write honor (the American English way) or honour (the old English spelling) on the wedding invitation? And the answers is that you can do either one. Both ways to spell it are correct. I always recommend if brides and grooms are trying to evoke a formal and traditional feeling to their wedding invitation, that they use honour. But really the decision is up to you and would come down to your personal preference. So pick which one you prefer and know that either way you go you are doing it correctly. 

App for Wedding Photo Sharing

App for Wedding Photo Sharing

I am in LOVE with this cool new app for weddings! The Wedding Party Appis an easy way for all of your guests to share the photos of your wedding and wedding events! We have had our clients use it at the last two weddings (see a recent wedding I had in Turks and Caicos)  and guests just loved it! It was a fun way to see photos of the weekend and the bride and groom loved being able to look back after the wedding to see the photos. It is very simply to set up! You register online at their website or download the app at itunes. Then your guests can instantly start snapping pictures and upload them. And guess what? It is free for you and all your guests to use! 

When the Unexpected Happens on Your Wedding Day

When the Unexpected Happens on Your Wedding Day

Pinch me! I am so excited to be a blogger for Huffington Post Weddings this week. I wrote an article about "When the Unexpected Happens on Your Wedding Day". You can read the article here. I have always been a fan of Huffington Post and when they launched their wedding blog I had in my mind I wanted to some day write for them. Well YAY my dream came true. Be on the lookout for more blogs to come. As a Chicago wedding planner and destination wedding planner for the past ten years I have a lot to share with their readers. 

Martha Stewart Magazine Wedding Party in Chicago

Martha Stewart Magazine Wedding Party in Chicago

This Sunday, the Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine is hosting their Wedding Party event in Chicago and Editor, Darcy Miller, will be here to speak. I have seen Darcy speak many times at the Engage Conference and it is not to be missed. The event will be hosted at the gorgeous Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago from 10am-3pm. You will be able to meet the finest vendors and see the top bridal fashions, visit the destination and honeymoon lounge and enjoy speakers to help you plan the perfect wedding and honeymoon. 

Chicago Wedding Cake Bakers at The Special Event Show in Chicago

Chicago Wedding Cake Bakers at The Special Event Show in Chicago

On January 17th, seven hundred event professionals attended The Wedding Event for The Special Event Show in Chicago that I Co-Chaired/Produced with Anthony Gowder of Gowder Designs. We featured all of the company names of the amazing sponsors on the blog last week and today I am sharing the wonderful wedding cakes that were baked by local Chicago wedding cake bakers. We told them we wanted them to do whatever they wanted for the design and to show off their amazing talents and that they did!! Not only were the cakes gorgeous to look at in the cocktail hour but also delicious to eat for dessert. Thank you to the amazing Chicago wedding cake bakers for their participation in the incredible  Wedding Event in Chicago. 

The Wedding Event Sponsors in Chicago at The Special Event Show

The Wedding Event Sponsors in Chicago at The Special Event Show

Last week I co-chaired with Anthony Gowder of Anthony Gowder Designs, The Wedding Event for The Special Event Show which was in Chicago for the first time in 25 years. I was flattered to be asked to chair this event and represent the city of Chicago and all that we have to offer for weddings and events. The evening seated dinner was for a sold out crowd of 700 and the guests were treated to a delight of design, awesome music by The Becca Kaufman Orchestraand Sasha Souza's Favorite Things presentation at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile. 

Volunteers Needed For Special Event Show Wedding Event January 17th

Volunteers Needed For Special Event Show Wedding Event January 17th

On Thursday, January 17th in Chicago, I am co-chairing The Wedding Event at Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile for The Special Event Show that is coming to town from January 15th-18th. Seven hundred event professionals from all over the world will be attending to enjoy inspiration, amazing design and hear the always amazing Sasha Souza showcase her "Sahsa's Favorite Things". 

How to write Junior and Senior on your Wedding Invitation

How to write Junior and Senior on your Wedding Invitation

This question came up this week when we were working on writing up the wording for a Chicago wedding I have in April. The father of the bride is a Junior, so the question came up on how this is properly done on the wedding invitation and I thought I would share this common question with my readers. 

Chicago Winter Wedding Engagement Pictures

Chicago Winter Wedding Engagement Pictures

Jennifer and Eric will say I do in just two weeks from today at Cafe Brauer in Chicago. We planned the wedding in record time (eight weeks) and are putting the finishing touches on the wedding next week! The wedding will be a gorgeous celebration with a winter theme. 

The Breakers, Engage 12 Recap Part 1: Christmas Came Early

The Breakers, Engage 12 Recap Part 1: Christmas Came Early

I got an early Christmas gift last week, it was the gift from Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce of Engage!12. It was the most wonderful gift they have given of spending four powerful days with the best and the most inspiring people in the wedding industry. Engage!12, a luxury wedding business summit, has changed my business for the better, helped me develop friendships all over the world and has opened doors for me that have changed my life as a wedding planner, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a sister and aunt.