Chandelier Event: Winter Wonderland Wedding @ Gotham Hall, New York City

Melissa and I are so thrilled to share a sneak peek of the latest Chandelier Event, with an unbelievable winterscape pulled together by the incredibly-talented Tom Cawley of Tom Cawley Designs.

Our couple tasked us with creating a warm winter wonderland for 220 in one of New York City's most stunning venues, Gotham Hall, smack in the middle of the holiday shopping season in Manhattan. From design to execution, we worked closely with our bride and her mom to ensure guests had the full seasonal experience in New York City. With Tom at the helm, we worked to create a unique solstice event that elegantly reflected the season in a regal way, with just the right elements to warm up the vast venue.  

With the help of Gotham's Allan Kurtz and catering by our friends at Creative Edge Parties featuring Latin and Asian stations at cocktail hour, Short Ribs, Tenderloin and Roast Miso Cod, and handpicked wines, Chandelier worked hard to ensure that the event was a seamless evening filled with fun and love. We had an actual indoor snowfall during the ceremony, non-stop dancing led by a slamming band (Michael Hart of Hank Lane Music), divine food, and special touches throughout created by Bentley Meeker, Dazien Creative Fabrics, Party Rental Ltd and Classic Party Rentals. Below are images captured for Tom Cawley by our friend, the talented Stacey Ilyse. Stay tuned for more stunning images of this event by Braedon Photography in weeks to come!

We Love Winter Weddings: Snowing Inspiration

The final floorplans and timelines are wrapped up and ready for this weekend's winter wonderland wedding -- we are so excited to work with such an A-list team of vendors and share in this special day with our clients.

While putting together our plans, I came across an inspiration board I created for our client at the very beginning of the process (over nine months ago!).  This weekend's event promises to warm guests up on a chilly December NYC evening with 25-foot birch trees, luxe tablescapes glittering with snowy details and tons and tons of candlelight.  On the menu, guests will cozy up to braised short rib or roast miso cod and dessert, well, let's just say Christmas came early this year! And the WINES!

Tonight's post will be short and sweet: Wishing you a very happy holiday season. May your light shine extra brightly this year. Melissa and I are so grateful that we get to celebrate in the special moments of your lives. You inspire us every day.

Save the Date Goes Viral

Now, here's a delicious idea for a save the date for the urbanite set. Lovers of "Nick and Nora's Ultimate Playlist" and "Juno" may dig this cute way to invite their guests by DrawnStories.org, otherwise known as Georg Pedersen, a creative guy with a set of friends named John and Rose who actually met in an ice cream shop. Their improbable courtship was a popular tale with their friends and family, so much so that when they were planning their wedding, they asked Georg to create some kind of illustrated version of their story. The resulting video went over so well that Georg began getting requests for videos from other couples.

 

www.drawnstories.org

 

Georg offers strictly video or corresponding designs for printed companion invites, thank you notes, etc.! For pricing and more info on this entertaining alternative, click here. 

Now, what should I have for dessert?

Chandelier Event: 5th Birthday Tailgate Bash

 

It being Fall, I thought that it may be fun to host a sports-oriented birthday bash this year (I mean, how many Halloween parties can I throw?!). Besides, who isn't ready for some football?! This fun take on a kid-friendly tailgate party happens to be a little shindig I threw for my very spirited little (well, now big boy).

We hosted our bash at Bounce U -- a bounce house warehouse with various locations--that offers a great birthday party package sure to keep any pre-K tike occupied. I highly recommend their parties (Tip: spring for the extra $50 for a DJ to spin some tunes--it makes the jumping more fun for the parents standing around).

 

To take the post-jumping pizza party up a notch, I pulled together some inexpensive, easy-to-replicate DIY details.  The invite I designed boasted a primary color palette, the numbers 05 as an ode to his year and invited guests to join us wearing their favorite jersey. of course, it was signed "hugs & high fives from his biggest fans"....

On the tables, I gathered an assortment of balls and nestled them into flats of grass perched on a football field table cloth. I had the kids drink fruit punch out of a Gatorade cooler in solo cups--doesn't get more tailgate than that. And, pizza sufficed for this bash--but if you want to enhance the cuisine, mini hot dogs, hot pretzels, french fry cones, and mini cotton candy might be just the ticket! 

 

 

The ice cream cake was dressed up with a transposed graphic I designed that matched the invite.

And, as a takeaway, we filled popcorn bags with sports-themed accouterments (babe ruths, mini trophies, whistles, cracker jacks, circus peanuts and more!). Order candy in bulk at www.sweetcitycandy.com, and find lots of these little takeaways at Party City or Oriental Trading. 

 

Got a kid's party to share? We take submissions to Chandelier! Email us at inquiries@chandeliereventsny.com.

Wedding We Love: Monique & Eric (Glen Cove, Long Island)

Photos by Ryan J. of Julie Newman Photography  

Facebook makes the world go round--or at least, makes it a whole lot smaller. I am sure we've all reconnected with many a'friend from our childhood through this social networking phenom. For me, that childhood friend was my very best gal pal in kindergarten (before my family's big move away). She taught me that Madonna was the new Cindy Lauper; that Stephanie from Grease 2 was a cooler pink lady than Grease's Sandy ("I want a rider that's cool...."), and I still remember eating Laughing Cow cheese at her kitchen island watching She Bop. Oh, the days.

Well, lucky for me, when we connected on Facebook, Monique was chin deep in planning her wedding. We had so much to catch up on and so much to talk about. AND, the beauty of the whole deal was that I actually got to instantly see her wedding photos when they popped up online.

Alas, why I wanted to share them with you. Not only is the purple palette divinely chic (from the Lavendar escort cards to her fab! shoes) but the amazing photography of Monique & Eric's pre-wedding jaunt in the lovely Glen Cove Long Island is simply inventive yet classic. I particularly LOVED the moments in the barber shoppe. 

PS: I heard the DJ I recommended rocked the dance floor all night--as always, Eric Visa is a sure bet!

I hope you enjoy her style as much as I enjoyed reconnecting with my childhood friend on Facebook. Here's a download on her details:

DJ - DJ Eric Visa

 

Florist - Spitz & Peck

 

Venue - The Metropolitan (Glen Cove, Long Island)

 

Hair/Makeup - Paragon Salon on Glen Cove Road

 

Shoes - Pour La Victoire

 

Lavender Placecards ... According to Monique she stole the idea from Martha Stewart! Found an old pic online and bought the lavender from Lavender By The Bay (they had a booth at the Farmer's Market in Union Square).

 

Photography - Julia Newman Photography

 

We Love Boho-Chic Venues: Spotlight on Angel Orensanz

Just this week we signed on fabulous couple throwing a November 2011 wedding at The Angel Orensanz Foundation on the Lower East Side in New York. We are beyond excited to get started--and wanted to share this special place with those of you who haven't had the pleasure or the proximity of knowing about this urban gem.


Smack in the center of the LES (lower east side) renaissance (Norfolk near Essex, Delancey, Rivington & Clinton Streets) this vestige of a time past (when my ancestors were slinging bialys on a street cart), Angel Orensanz has become THE spot for the off-the-beaten path bride. In fact, it was the VERY polar opposite alternative to my own country-club wedding (we came THIIIISSSSS close).  


For our couple, this venue had everything they wanted rolled into one: warmth, history, COLOR, and that irreplicable boho-chic vibe that represents their  vibrant view of the world. It is SO them--and we cannot wait to create their little world in which they'll walk down the aisle.


The Foundation, dedicated to an open forum for artists, writers, thinkers and the world's intellects, prides itself in maintaining the building at 172 Norfolk St., the former Ansche Chesed Synagogue (1849) (0ne of New York City's oldest) in its architectural integrity and in the tradition of the German Reform Movement of the mid 19th century.  It also happens to be the spot where SJP (Sarah Jessica, of course) tied the knot with Matthew Broderick.


For more delicious photos of this drop-dead gorgeous space, click here.


Happy Weekend! 

Dear You, Love Me: Vintage Typewriter Guestbook

So, maybe you two met at the university library. Perhaps you connected over graveyard shifts at the local paper. Or, maybe you wrote love letters throughout your long distance courtship. Whatever the reason, there's gotta be SOME reason to incorporate this trend into your wedding! It's too darn cute and clever not to.

The vintage typewriter guestbook has smart written all over it! What a fun way for guests to record their words of wisdom.  Add colored paper like a peachy-pink or a icy blue to take the retro up a notch. At the end of the night, roll up the scroll and tie it with a ribbon for a lifetime of love notes from those you love most.

  

Not getting married? This idea doubles as a great guestbook for the holiday season. Leave one perched at the front door and ask house guests to leave a note for the new year. I would imagine the messages would get especially saucy (or illegible) when the spiked egg nog and champagne runs out.

Take a Seat: Our Chic Small Wedding Solution

We recently had the honor of planning an intimate affair for our friend Dana (Goodman) Fisher, long-time producer at ABC's The View. 

After months planning a farflung destination wedding at Half Moon Bay Resort in Jamaica, Dana suddenly found herself planning stateside nuptials in New York City when her mother fell too ill to travel. Quickly, we pulled together a chic, low-key, urban-romantic Manhattan-affair-so that her mother would be there to celebrate with friends and family. 

We called a number of fabulous venues with private rooms, and in the end, Dana and Josh 
opted for one of their favorite neighborhood eats, Landmarc at the Time Warner Center. 
With a small list of 50 to host and going for a the more casual vibe Dana desired, we thought going outside of the escort-table box would be ideal. Inspired by all of the chalkboard seating charts we've seen popping up in the wedding blogosphere, we opted for a seating chart with a bit more formality and enlisted the super-talented Two Paper Dolls to create this one.

 The result added style and substance to the Fisher wedding--and a keepsake for their married home. Here are some more shots of this super special event with florals by Diane Wagner/Surrounding Flowers, music by Elan Artists, cake by Lulu's Cake Boutique, all captured by the awesome Allan Zepeda. And the favor? Fresh-baked cookies from Bouchon Bakery (the site of their first date and Landmarc's next door neighbor).

"Wonder"-ful Photography by Stacey Ilyse

                                                                                                        All images courtesy of Stacey Ilyse Photography

I heard a bit good news about my old hood Brooklyn on the news today! Coney Island’s renewed amusement park Luna Park drew more than 400,000 visitors this summer, more than any summer since Steeplechase Park closed in 1964. In May, as part of New York City’s Coney Island Revitalization Plan, the City and Central Amusement International opened Luna Park – a new 3.1 acre amusement park featuring 19 traditional and cutting-edge state-of-the-art rides. The new park drew more than 400,000 visitors, who took more than 1.7 million rides during its inaugural season, and it helped bring about Coney Island’s most active summer in decades. More than 14 million people visited Coney Island’s Beach and Boardwalk – almost four times as many as in 2009. Perhaps the dog days are over after all!


If that was not enough to make me cheer, I received these GORGEOUS images to feature from one of my favorite photographers, Stacey Ilyse of Stacey Ilyse Photography. 


What we love most about Stacey--beyond her adorable, down-to-earth, creative nature--is that her work truly goes beyond just being a documentarian.  As she told us, her clients want her to capture their moments candidly using natural elements already present at the location. With Stacey, nothing is ever too posed or contrived. According to her, whether she's shooting a couple at Coney Island or their own backyard, she looks for the “moment within the moment” to get that great shot. She thrives on the challenge of spontaneity because it forces her to think on her toes and really take that image to another level. That’s how I make what could be just a standard wedding photo into art. And Stacey pours over her images for weeks to ensure that they received just the right treatment to bring them to life. 

These drop-dead gorgeous images are from Stacey's recent clients, Michele and Dave, who  were married on their 10-year anniversary. They met at Michele's prom: Dave grew up only a few blocks away but went to a different school out in Brooklyn. He went to her prom with a friend of hers (all as friends) and after a chance encounter having something to do with his resemblance of TRL's VJ Carson Daley (and her crush!), they soon went on their first date to Coney Island. It was only natural they'd end up doing their wedding day shoot in front of the Wonder Wheel and Parachute Drop. Doesn't get more fun than that!



For more of Stacey's amazing images, visit www.staceyilysephotography.com.