A Big Day at the Beach!

We are delighted, excited, thrilled, that our styled shoot at Aquamare, Virgin Gorda, has hit the newstands in the new Brides Magazine (October). Six beautiful pages -- please pick it up and enjoy!

Beaches in the Turks & Caicos

I am truly impressed.

We've never done a wedding at an all-inclusive resort, and didn't know what to expect. But when Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Weddings invites you with your family -- how can you refuse? And when I told my boys about the resort the water slides were all they could talk about for a month!

It started out well when we were greeted at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort & Spa, with cookies, treats and beverages. It got better when we were shown to our ocean front suite, complete with bunk beds for the boys. The rooms are impeccable, beds comfy and amenities great. Perfect for a family wedding.

But by far the biggest and most pleasant surprise is the "all-inclusive". Breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails, cotton candy and gratuities are all covered by the room rate -- no worrying about even signing a check to your room. From the simplest to the finest dining, even the great California wine we had was covered. What a relief and I think perfect for the family footing the bill!

What was not a surprise was the Martha Stewart wedding packages. So pretty, straight out of the magazine. We were treated to a sample of one of the settings and you'll see it is perfection. To have the degree of detail, care and taste applied to your wedding by the Martha Stewart Weddings team seems like a dream.

One of my favorite settings -- the tables look exactly like the photos!

Although it's a big resort, we never felt crowded or that it wasn't private enough.

Here's our actual table setting, pretty and so fitting for the beach.

I love this touch and the "stones" are actually chocolate!

I appreciate that orchids are hardy in the heat, and the exotic fruit looks great.

The overall effect is lovely -- the linens, table settings and colors are pure MSW.Granted, a Martha Stewart staff member set up the candy bar....

Jennifer and handsome Special Projects Editor, Anthony Luscia, take a moment on the beach.

Darcy and me with some of our brood. Kids will love this wedding destination -- so much to do they won't even mind dressing up!

The ocean was crystal clear. We managed to go snorkeling and parasailing with the kids -- our fish count included manta rays, dolphins, turtles and plenty of fish!

The Beaches catamaran is a great wedding weekend excursion...

A Martha Stewart staffer and guest finally get a break!

NY Times Sunday Styles

I was asked by New York Times reporter Eric Copage to name the most significant trend in weddings and I immediately thought about how bridal bloggers have changed the face of our industry over the last couple of years. After a few interviews and passing on a few great bloggers, Eric captured the spirit of this trend in the Style Section this Sunday. Read the full article here!

How Great! Non-Wedding Press!

We've been following the brand new e-magazine of our stationery Ceci Johnson and are delighted that this week's is all about the Mandell School and the party we planned for them. My partner Jennifer orchestrated the event with a team of our amazing vendors. Olivier Cheng produced the Hudson Valley region menu, Stone Kelly opted for potted plant centerpieces with the decoupage pots decorated by the school children, and Elan Artists provided the keepsake photography.

Here's a hint of what you'll see in Ceci's new weekly style letter.

The invitation doubled as a hand crafted work of art and an invitation. With our great team, Jennifer hand delivered each box to ensure the coveted gift would reach each recipient.The school children created the amazing wrapping on recycled paper. Needless to say, the party had a great turn-out!
All images courtesy of CeciStyle.