Sponsor Party at 333 Belrose Bar & Grill

 We enjoyed the Sponsor Party at 333 Belrose Bar & Grill last evening. It was for the various people working on the upcoming Notable Kitchen Tour & Chef Showcase, which benefits The Philadelphia Orchestra. Come on the tour on November 7th and see the home we will be decorating!

For information and to purchase tickets go to notablekitchens.com

DESTINATION UNKNOWN

Destination weddings have become more popular in recent times. Now the party abroad has trickled down from the usual jet-setting crowd chronicled in magazines to the average person. The idea of flying off to a distant, exotic locale to celebrate your wedding with family and friends sounds like a fantasy come true. But is it just that – a fantasy?

Would a destination wedding work for you? Firstly, think about the people you would be inviting – do they have the funds to pick up their bags and go? Do they have kids to bring along? Are they too elderly to travel? With your particular group, is traveling to a tropical island the reason that Honeymoons exist?

It is a similar situation to the “Holiday” wedding. This is when you choose to have your nuptials on a holiday, like New Year's Eve, which can be tricky. People oftentimes have longtime traditions associated with certain holidays, in which they either can't or simply aren't inclined to break. It's the same with vacations. If someone has their plans arranged for one trip and now you are suggesting another, it can be a conflict.

Sometimes a destination wedding is motivated to accommodate family and friends. We decorated the stateside wedding for a couple where the bride was abroad. In this case, they decided to have two celebrations, one in each of the two homelands. I think this is a gracious way to handle guests who might not be able to attend your celebration otherwise. But technically it's not a “destination” wedding, just one that happens to be in a distant location depending on which of the two events you attend. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to attend both!

But if you have your heart set on some far flung locale and don't mind perhaps a smaller group at your wedding, then ring up that travel agent! There are businesses or wedding planners that can assist with your long distance planning too. Of course, be sure to research their credentials before you leave all the planning of your special day to them. Also, be prepared to add this extra expense into your budget.

Utilizing a reputable professional is good, but still have your own check list as well. You wouldn't want your special day spoiled because of forgetting any necessary things - like a current passport! Perhaps set up a website or a blog for you and your guests to keep everyone updated with details and suggestions, like various hotel room blocks or flights available. Beyond travel information and your wedding itself, consider arranging other group activities or excursions for your travel mates. Maybe outings that reflect the culture of your location. Your guests have traveled a long way to celebrate with you, spending more time with them can only enhance all the great memories. Bon Voyage!

The Knot Industry Party at Top of the Tower

Went to The Knot's industry party at one of the best venues for views of the city - The Top of the Tower on the 50th Floor at 1717 Arch Street. Each of the two rooms, as well as the joining hallway, allow you to see stunning sweeps of Philadelphia. That along with the decor of neutral tones with sleek metal finishes make for a stylish party site.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG WEDDING!

Amongst all the possible elements decorating your event – beautiful florals, attractive linens, opulent table settings – lighting is often an afterthought. Or even worse, overlooked all together. This is a huge mistake, as proper lighting can really set the mood and elevate the entire look of a room. Let's put it this way. How do you feel on a veranda on a sunny afternoon? How do you feel at a special candlelit dinner? How do you feel in an office with fluorescent lighting? More than likely your venue will not have fluorescent lighting. But if it does – change venues immediately!

Perhaps your event will be held during daylight hours outside or in a room that lets in good light. Then you don't have to do anything - but pray for sunlight! But it's always important to at least consider what light you have at your site, natural or otherwise. Viewing your site at the same time of day as when your event is to be held and at the same time of year is best. You can then determine whether you will need to add any candles or special lighting. See if there is any already available, like uplighting on columns around the room or existing pinspotting.

What is pinspotting you ask? Pinspotting is when lights (either permanently mounted on the ceiling or that have to be brought in and mounted on stands) are directed right on your centerpieces. Generally there should be two lights on tall centerpieces and one on low ones. And candlelight should still be incorporated on your tables. Other key areas, like your place card table and cake table, are also usually pinspotted, as well as having a gentle light wash over your dance floor. You could even have a custom gobo made (like perhaps your monogram) to be projected on the dance floor.

If you have your heart set on just a candlelit event make sure of your venue's open flame policy. Some venues will allow real flame, but enclosed within a holder. Other venues, like museums and galleries, will not permit any flame whatsoever. So, if your venue does not allow any real flame an alternative could be using LED votive candles - some even flicker a little. Static LED lights, which come in a variety of colors, can also be attractive.

I recently incorporated LED lights into arrangement designs at a low light site with no flames permitted and no pinspotting to be utilized either. Because the theme color was red I nestled several red lights amongst glass beads that filled tall glass cylinders. It gave a soft, glowy look that didn't look gimmicky or detract from the florals placed on top of the cylinders. For the cocktail tables I put individual lights in small cylinders also filled with glass pebbles, each with a single flower tucked in. I think it was a fun way to add a needed bit of warm light to the room. But no matter what tack you take, specialty lighting, hanging lanterns or an array of candles, just be sure to consider your lighting options. And as they say, let there be light!

Style Me Pretty Feature

A wedding we decorated is featured in Style Me Pretty! Please take a look at http://www.stylemepretty.com/2011/04/14/philadelphia-wedding-by-our-labor-of-love-chill-weddings/

NOBLE

Recently we discovered a stylish site perfect for smaller events, Noble: An American Cookery www.noblecookery.com. It is located at 2025 Sansom Street in Philadelphia, which is just a stone's throw from Rittenhouse Square – read convenient to good photo sites, assorted houses of worship and hotels.

After experiencing a delicious and well served dinner we were lucky enough to meet the owners, Bruno Pouget and Todd Rodgers. Bruno graciously gave us a tour and told us more about the beautifully designed space. He explained the efforts they went to in using naturally fallen 400-year-old African Rosewood for the first floor bar. He also pointed out the reclaimed Oak timbers used to make the grand staircase, an attractive juxtaposition of rustic wood with modern metal railing.

As we gazed through the three large skylights above the second floor seating area, he told us that situated in between are rooftop herb and vegetable gardens, cultivated for use in their kitchen. Just another well thought out and charming aspect of a restaurant that truly lives up to its name.

July 18th Wedding

Decorated a wedding at the Racquet Club. Whites, Cream, Golds with Teal as the counterpoint. Even the signature drinks were Teal! Very fun!