So fun to be a part of the Martha Stewart Spring Wedding To Do's article today! Read all the tips here on Martha Stewart Weddings!
I had so much fun writing about my business for The Estate Blog and being asked to contribute as one of their preferred creative partners. I got to answer some fun questions for them about me, my business and my love of the City of Chicago! Here are some excerpts below of that article. You can read the full article on The Estate Blog.
Get out the heart sweater and chill the champagne, it is Valentine's Weekend!! A chilly weekend is predicted in Chicago and here are my top picks for having a wonderful Valentine's weekend with your loved one!
In September, I was honored to be asked to speak by Sarah and Andrea from Cherry Berry Events at Camp Wedding at the Camp Wandewega, located in Wisconsin. This was their inaugural wedding retreat and I was looking forward to meeting some new friends in the wedding industry. I attend a couple of event conferences a year and I was intrigued by the concept of Camp Wedding, with wedding professionals being in a camp environment.
Want to learn about the event industry from one of the best wedding planners in Chicago? Ali Phillips of Engaging Events is looking for a great intern for the winter season. Intern should be available one business day a week and available on some weekends. Please send resume, 2 references and cover letter to info@engagingeventsbyali.com.
I am so excited that we are now selling tickets for the Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago Chapter 5th Annual Blissful Wishes Ball Gala that will be on Monday, November 3rd at 6pm. The Gala will be taking place at the Chicago History Museum which is an iconic location for Chicago weddings. The catering will be done by Joshua Yates and the amazing team from Pure Kitchen Catering with dancing by the Larry King Orchestra and decor by The Meetinghouse Companies, Inc.
I serve as the National President and Chicago Chapter President of Wish Upon a Wedding and we are thrilled to announce our newly redesigned website!!!! Thanks to the support of our entire team of board members and supporters across the nation and especially to The Knot, 99designs, AngelHack, Saliho Creative, Angelique Weger and Anne Chertoff Media for their help in making the new site possible. And special thanks to our marketing chair, Sarah Pease, who took this huge project on for us.
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.
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.
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.
I am a member of the Step Up Women's Network and we are needing about 20 more mentors this Saturday at a great event! Would you please consider coming to be a mentor for the day? Please give one day to make a difference in the life of a college-bound teen girl. Please email me at ali@engagingeventsbyali.com and I can get you all signed up. To read more about Step Up visit their website of their Facebook page.
Wish Upon a Wedding granted the 50th wedding wish in Chicago last night. This was a big milestone for the newer nonprofit that provides wedding and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. I am the founding president of the Chicago Chapter for this organization and also sit on the national board as vice-president and it is near and dear to my heart. Ashley and Brian said their vows in front of fifty of their family members and close friends at the Chicago Marriott O'Hare. This was the second wish a Marriott property has hosted and we thank them for their continued support of the organization.
Only ten days away until the second annual Wish Upon a Wedding Blissful Wishes Ball on Tuesday, November 1st at the Millennium Knickerbocker in Chicago. It's not too late to get your tickets! Last year was a sold out crowd and what a night it was! This year is going to have a "MOD" theme so think black and white and Austin Powers! Yeah Baby! I hope to see you there!
In case you missed it, last Wednesday we held our third annual Midwest Wedding & Event Professionals Charity Golf Outing. What first looked like might be a dreary day actually turned out to be a lovely fall afternoon filled with some good golf, great food, and lots of laughter as wedding and event professionals came together for a good cause. Keith Jorgensen of Poetic Productions and Kurt Gerber of Gerber Scarpelli Weddings co-planned this event with me and they did an amazing job!
As many of my followers know, Beth Burton Cortina passed away peacefully with her dear and loving husband, Nick, and her so by her side on Thursday morning. Beth fought a battle with urachal adenocarcinoma since January 2009. On April 18th, 2010, Wish Upon a Wedding was able to grant Nick and Beth's wedding wish and they celebrated with 50 family and friends at Giovann's, their favorite restaurant in Joliet, Illinois. The Chicago Wish Upon a Wedding Board and many wish granters of Wish Upon a Wedding pulled together, donated their time and services and created the most magical day for Beth and Nick where cancer and sickness and doctors were not part of the day.
Yesterday in Chicago was a very special day for Debbi and Wally. Debbi and Wally renewed their marriage vows and are the second Chicago Wish Upon a Wedding wish recipient. Debbi and Wally's story is very inspiring and Debbi and Wally are not letting the stress of the chemotherapy get them down. They stay positive and happy and had a wonderful day celebrating with their family and friends.
I am the Chicago President for Wish Upon a Wedding, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization started last year in the San Francisco Bay Area which by January 2011 will boast 25 chapters Nationwide. Wish Upon a Wedding provides weddings for couples faced with terminal illness regardless of sexual orientation at any of our National chapters. Each chapter has its own board of directors lead by the most trendsetting, committed, business minded people in the wedding industry. I'm proud to introduce to you an amazing way for you to give back to these courageous couples and allow healthy couples to secure your services for their own wedding.
Two very special people got married on Sunday, April 18th. Beth and Nick were Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago Chapter's first wedding wish recipient. Beth is currently battling urachal adenocarcinoma. But she and Nick still wanted to get married and Wish Upon a Wedding was there to grant that wish. Their love story is so sweet and their wedding day was magical. Beth loves cherry branches and that was weaved into the wedding cake, her invitations and her menu cars. Amy Crum from Blumen created the most gorgeous flowers of cherry branches, peonies, lilacs and roses. Guests enjoyed a lunch of grilled filet, homemade cavatelli pasta and chicken in a white wine sauce. Later, Beth and Nick took to the dance floor and danced their first dance to "Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden.
