Oh, Baby! Shower by Chandelier

 

 

 

We love it when our Chandelier couples have little bright lights of their own. When we planned Annmarie and Brian's wedding at the Altman Building a few years back, we had so much fun incorporating their fun personalities into a nuptial bash. The night featured everything from a graffiti-filled pre-wedding shoot to a full-fledged Foo Fighters finale, all with a dash of luxury (hey, we draped every inch of the loftlike Chelsea space, pressed hydrangea petals under lucite chargers, and lit that event with the stylings of lighting-guru Bentley Meeker).

So, you can imagine the delight I had when Annmarie called with news that a baby girl was on the way! It wasn't long after her test was positive that the shower planning began. Our goal--to find a private, outdoor, urban space with insanely delicious food. Enter The Urban Garden at the James Soho Hotel, with catering by in-house chef David Burke (of David Burke Kitchen). We knew the menu would blow all of Annmarie's equally-foodie friends away.

Guests were invited with a beautiful letterpress invitation by Smock, an amazing company we were introduced to by Jaye at Village Invites. Actually intended as a birth announcement, we had fun replacing the monogram with a statement that truly was perfect for Annmarie: "Oh Baby! Annmarie's going to be a Mommy."

Upon arrival, the ladies sipped elderflower-champagne cocktails and lychee martinis in the hotel's executive suite--which we quickly dressed up with a dramatic rug, hand-sewn silk throw pillows, and draping. See the details -- and all the fabulous images from the day -- take by Stacey Ilyse (with the exception of the mini-ice cream cone pic I snapped!).

The James' impeccable staff passed HD's like sugar-maple bacon skewers, truffled chicken salad sandwiches and lobster rolls as the guests rolled in. For the three-course sit-down late afternoon meal (call it, Lupper;), Annmarie and her friends took their seats in under a modern clear-framed tent (NY Tent Company) at tables we designed with our dear friend Anne Miller (Little Flower Shoppe, Ridgewood, NJ). The steel grey linens and succulents played off the Urban Garden's concrete atmosphere, while sterling roses and hydrangea made the space chicly modern, yet feminine. I fell in love with the fabulous icy chargers I pulled from Party Rental Ltd., and found the succulent to be the perfect little placecard holder.  

As the girls dined on decadent black bass, angry spaghetti (spicy!), and the heartiest steak I've seen ladies sink their teeth into--the room filled with laughter, joy and elation at Annmarie's baby-to-be. 

As Annmarie opened her myriad of gifts (including teensy weensy Burberry and Polo fashions, everything on her registry, and baby Stuart Weitzman booties), the venue topped off the day's festivities with cappuccinos and the restaurant's famous cheesecake lollipops and mini ice cream cones.

Annmarie's little one Riley has now arrived! .... and we only hope we get to be a part of the many birthday bashes to come. 

Chandelier Event: NYC Nightclub Nuptials at Hudson Terrace (Sally & Andy, Part Duex)

All Images Reserved: Max Flatow Photography

 

Last week, I promised I would fill you in on Part II of Sally & Andy's wedding weekend. As you learned in our North Fork Nuptials post, the ceremony and intimate feast took place out east at Jedediah Hawkins Inn in a bucolic country setting. Part wine-country, part bride's backyard, Friday night's festivities were warm, elegant and understated. Here are the details, along with more photos from Max Flatow.

But the fun did not stop there! On Saturday night, Sally and Andy headed back into their other home, Manhattan, where they hosted over 130 of their closest friends at a raucous cocktail party to celebrate their new status as Mr. & Mrs. Hudson Terrace proved the perfect venue to watch the sun set over the Hudson River (and Intrepid!) with wrap-around views of the NYC skyline, as guests wined, dined and danced the night away.

The evening had it's very own invitation. Together, we customized in deep red velvet to match the venues dramatic hue (Village Invites) and added a touch of black and white to the multi-layered paper to take the otherwise traditional format to a sexier place. Speaking of sexy, we wanted to pour a little hot sauce on the wedding decor. So I sought out the gorgeous floral stylings of my friend Grayson Handy at Prudence Designs who helped us pull together a reception featuring deep lipstick shades in red mercury glass, as well as a showstopper white orchid arrangement that was all the talk of the rooftop cocktail hour that started off the evening just as the sun set. Tables of flickering gold linens and red hot florals were an optional seating place, as Sally and Andy encouraged their guests to hit the dance floor all night long.

And, the piece de resistance was the downright scrumptious cake featured three flavors on different layers (red velvet, dark chocolate and carrot cake) covered in fondant featuring hand-painted red poppies. Of course, at Chandelier, we knew that cake (the only real "wedding" element of the night) needed more than just any cake stand! So, I sought out this lucite blinged-out cake stand through the totally talented and innovative custom crystal designer Tiers of Joy (love Etsy!!!!)--notice how we had to match the venue's chandeliers. We wouldn't have had it any other way!

Chandelier Event: Sally & Andy's North Fork Nuptials

All Images Reserved: Max Flatow Photography

Summer love has officially set in here at Chandelier Events. That's why we're totally swooning over Max Flatow's images of a recent North Fork wedding we planned this Spring. The Hamptons gorgeous sister, Long Island's North Fork proved a perfect backdrop for our couple Sally & Andy's April wedding. Not only was the evening a total culinary experience, with a five course meal prepared by Keith Luce and his team at Luce + Hawkins at Jamesport's Jedediah Hawkins Inn, but it was an elegant nod to the upscale, yet low-key atmosphere of Long Island's wine country that Sally and Andy (and we!) love so much.

Sally and Andy came to me about six months prior to the wedding date with a special wedding weekend in mind. They wanted an intimate ceremony and feast out East on Friday night, followed by a raucous cocktail reception in Manhattan (which we hosted at Hudson Terrace--we'll post those photos in Part II next week!) They had specific criteria for Friday evening's wedding: they wanted it to be special, delicious, picturesque, but in no way stuffy, formal or stodgy. Finding just the right venue became our biggest challenge and when we found Jedediah Hawkins Inn--an Inn that combined the best of old world Victorian Charm with the most modern luxuries and sensibilities (can you say woven leather ceilings!) -- we knew we had our venue.

The rest fell into place: ceremony in the gazebo out near the Inn's historic barn, cocktails in the original Speakeasy where they have Long Island Reisling on TAP!, and a five-course sit-down feast in the dining room complete withgorgeous mantel prepared just to their liking by Keith and his team. The florals were provided by Landscape Adventure in Riverhead (a family friend of the bride) and incorporated colors inspired by the Inn, the season (daffodils!), and lots of interesting containers indigineous to the environment from mason jars to milk jugs.

Guests dined on individual plates of duck wing confit ragu with cucumber raita, artisinal cheese and charcuterie and crudite served family style, fish, steak and smouldering pots of macked out mac 'n cheese--with wines handpicked by the couple. After dessert which included chocolate pudding with Peconic sea salt, homemade donuts, and a special strawberry shortcake, the entire family of 25 descended back downstairs to party the night away at the Speakeasy.

Next week, we'll post Part II of this special wedding weekend -- when our North Fork event moved into NYC Nightclub!

Spotlight on "Vintage Confections"

Stuffing an Easter basket or satisfying a sweet-tooth? We can hardly resist these gorgeous gems from Chicago-based Vintage Confections. 


From their mint-chocolate-chip lollipops to their whimsical candied moustaches to their series of candied birth gems, we're going crazy-for-Cocoa-Puffs over their inventive selection. They even serve up corn-syrup-free lollipops in fun flavors like citrus blossom, pomengranate, almond, clove and peppermint. I am hoping to find their rose-water marshmallows in my mother's day package (hint, hint)...We're also a big fan of their caramel collection (can you say, Lavendar Caramel!) and their monogram line which features 3" candied letters and numbers. What a great caketopper!


Right now, they're running a sweet promotion: get a free 1/4 lb. of ANY caramel of your choosing with ANY $10 order. Just put FREECARAMELS in 'notes to seller' on their Etsy shop checkout along with the caramel of your choosing. They'll include it free with your order!