Calling all Wedding Vendors!

I am delighted to invite all Wedding Library Vendor Members and their guests to hear about how small business owners manage growth and build companies on their own terms. The wedding industry is full of talented, passionate artists -- this is an opportunity to learn how to balance that creativity and love of weddings with running a business. Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster have just published "The Big Enough Company" where they profile small businesses (like the Wedding Library) and reveal the lessons learned by these entrepreneurs. Join me and your peers as we discuss creating a business that works for you.

Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster are the founders of In Good Company, a collaborative workspace for women business owners in New York City. They also work as consultants and business advisors, and their work has been featured in The New York Times and MSNBC. I've known these ladies for many years; they have a true insight into the entrepreneurial spirit!
Here's the book, it's available at Amazon, and at our event!
The event is this Tuesday, October 25 from 3-5pm.
There will be a special guest introduction by
Darcy Miller, Martha Stewart Weddings Editorial Director

Special Note: "The Big Enough Company" got too big! Due to (much) higher response than expected, we will email all respondees with the change of address:
Same day, same time, but we'll be at the lovely
Townhouse at Park Avenue Autumn, 100 East 63rd Street (at Park Avenue).

One Dress, Four Ways

I absolutely loved working on this project for New York Magazine's current Weddings issue. Four stylists were given this simple wedding gown to style in any creative way. I love the juxtaposition of high/low, simple/outlandish, leather and lace. My look is the biker chick (chic). Click on the image to see the details better. I paired our wonderful feather collar by Dana Michele with a leather tuxedo jacket -- it has tails!! Giant crystal stud Balenciaga earrings balance off the glam Untamed Petals sash. Gabriella New York helped us out with the shoes -- altogether a cool look, no?

One amazing part of the experience was working with the hair, makeup and model. As you can see, she is completely transformed in each look. The stylists whipped the model into shape in minutes and really captured the vibe I was looking for. Makes me think every bride should try out a bunch of looks for their big day...

Amsale Trunk Show, Get Excited!

A Nutty Favor

So, I might have gotten my bug and butterfly obsession out of my system now that it's fall. Plus, I have a new idea I can't get out of my head -- nuts. Well, nuts and seeds. I am finding acorns all over my property and I am remembering the little acorn creatures I made as a child. While brainstorming for a winter wedding, I came up with the idea of nuts and a custom nutcracker as an in-room gift. I would love that!

When I ran across these chocolate nut favors, I went (forgive me) nuts. You can find them and the little bags on etsy. Or you can get a rubber stamp and print your own muslin bags. Then you can customize the bag with your monogram, wedding date, or a cute image of a squirrel...

Chocolates from Andies Specialty Sweets and the bags are from Quotes and Notes.

Felted Pom Pom Arrangements

As winter weddings creep closer I am charmed by the idea of these felted pom poms as a cocktail table arrangement and this sweet acorn placecard idea.

WellWed Hamptons Feature

WellWed Hamptons has launched their Fall/Winter Issue and it's lovely. I mean really lovely. You can get a complimentary copy at the Wedding Library but here's a sneak peek of a piece on my collaboration with Hampton's planner Corinne Strauss and a spread on a styled piece I created in shades of red and white. Yippee!

Photo of Corinne and me by Philippe Cheng and photoshoot images by Mel Barlow.

Butterfly Cake

As a wedding planner, I have been seriously influenced by "everything Martha" for well over a decade. This holds true for many of my clients, too, who come to me clutching tear sheets from the magazine. Sometimes all they have to say is "do you remember that cover with the butterflies" and I know exactly what they're referring to. I see a lot of real weddings clearly modeled on images and ideas from the magazine, with varying degrees of success. An upcoming wedding client wants the butterfly cake shown on the cover here which I promised to deliver. When I saw Wedding Star where you can purchase butterfly kits that capture the spirit of the cover cake, I was delighted to find an easy resource to "get the look". What do you think?

I love the butterflies in shades of green, or any graduated hue!

What great execution!

Rehearsal Dinner Search, Check!

At long last! The genius behind NYC's Eataly, Joe Bastianich and Gilt City have teamed up to offer Dine Private -- a very simple way to find, research and book private dining rooms in 100 top New York restaurants. Clever, very clever.

Surreal Underwater Inspiration

Creative ideas are all around us. I was reading the New York Times today and was stopped short by this Credit Suisse ad campaign featuring the fashion designer Jen Kao. When I went to the bank's site to find images I discovered short videos on the creative process -- I am really inspired by both the process and the end result.

Love the idea of a floating, woodland, undersea dinner party!