On-Line Wedding Expo

So, Martha Stewart Weddings is having an online bridal event, their Luxury Wedding Expo, on November 14 and 15. What a great idea -- be inspired by Martha Stewart editors, experts and vendor representatives from the comfort of your computer screen.
I'm super excited about it because I made one of the on-line videos! It's on Picking the Perfect Location. You can see it from November 14-February 28.

My friend Mark Ingram of the Bridal Atelier has a video on Finding the Right Gown, and Matthew Robbins will discuss Choosing Your Color Palette. Check it out!! (Buzz Bonus: it's free!)

Wedding Library Team

The Wedding Library team is the behind-the-scenes engine behind all the event planning, vendor referrals, stationery sales and bridesmaid dress fittings that go on behind our gates. Karen Hill, one of our favorite Wedding Library Photographers, took some time to photograph some of the ladies in action.

Clockwise from top left: Lydia Taplett, Planning and Vendor Referrals; Kristen Carnie, Lindsay Bonamassa, Lydia Taplett and Roey Mizrahi; Kristen, Bridesmaids; Lindsay Bridesmaids; Roey Vendor Referrals and Museum of the City of New York liaison.

Cover Girls

One of Darcy Miller's ideas for her 15th Anniversary Party was to allow guests to be on the cover of the magazine -- if only as a keepsake. We provided props like this bouquet and cake, and the Martha Stewart Weddings team produced the backdrop. Elan Artists provided a photo team who captured the covers, and printed them out on site for guests. To see the entire gallery, click here.

Jennifer, Darcy and me

The Wedding Library girls(from left to right): Roey, Lydia, Nicole, Karen (with bouquet). Backdrop photos are so popular right now for weddings, who's cover would you be on?

Anne Bowen at Bridal Week

My good friend Campbell invited me to a fashion show for Anne Bowen bridal at the Plaza during fashion week, which I was so sad to miss. However, I discovered that our peeps at Open Eye Documentary created a video for the show. It's so good that I feel like I was there. I know all the blogger images of the shows are great, but there's nothing like seeing a dress in motion. Check out the moving images by clicking the photo below. I think you'll like.

Plaza Party Martha Stewart Weddings 15th Anniversary

If you weren't there, (although it seems like the whole world attended), the Plaza Hotel rocked on Monday night for the Martha Stewart Weddings 15th Anniversary Party. I was lucky enough to be asked to plan the event, so here are some highlights. There are also more images on Darcy Miller's blog.

The Plaza in full swing -- we expected 600 guests and estimates top 1,000!

Martha was in California but sent a video message to guests.

Confetti Cakes beautiful design. Seven of my favorite bakers all contributed to the event.

Taylor Creative provided the specialty furniture, Party Rental provided linens and dishware -- it was really a group effort!

A sweet arrangement by Matthew Robbins.

Specialty drinks by Callahan Catering came out of the Martha Stewart archives.

Didn't see any blushing brides running around...

The famous miniature grilled cheese.

Okamoto Studios said it in ice.

Now for the before. Here's the Plaza mid-set up. We were there at 9am and finished shortly before guests arrived. Lots of work went on throughout the day!

Matthew Robbins' cute team during a mini break.

Audio visual was being tested by Bentley Meeker, Taylor furniture put in place and lighting adjusted.

Morimoto's team had a giant mound of rice before the evening began.

The team at the Plaza made sure every last detail was attended to -- here they are replacing a bulb in the giant chandeliers in the Ballroom -- perfection!

Plaza Party Pics

The Martha Stewart Weddings 15th Anniversary was a Who's Who of the wedding industry. It felt like a party thrown for my favorite people in the industry -- so here's a little peek at some of the luminaries in attendance.

Amsale Aberra, our favorite bridesmaid (and bridal) designer, sporting a pipecleaner ring with host for the evening, Darcy Miller.

Floral designer extraordinaire Preston Bailey looking dapper.

Cake diva Sylvia Weinstock eating -- sushi!

Me, band leader Greg Denard, Jennifer and Darcy in a group hug just before the party began.

Francesca Abbracciamento of Francesca Events posing with me.

Eventiste and friend Marcy Blum sporting the high heels at the Step-and-Repeat.

Delish passed hors d'oeuvres were passed all night by Peter Callahan's team at
Callahan Catering.

Couldn't resist this image of Matthew Robbins and me! Love him.

Darcy, Jennifer and me before the crowds arrived.

Jillian from 100 Layer Cake and the amazing Mel Barlow, the talent behind the photos.

Plaza Party Sweet Buffet

The wonderful Amy Atlas created a dreamy table of sweets for Martha Stewart Wedding's 15th Anniversary Party. The only direction we gave her was "soft pink and warm gold". She was off and running, running around that is. Sweets came from around the world and down the street -- here is a little re-cap of the generous vendors who helped to create the vision.

Our friends at Economy Candy provided rock candy, m&ms and jordan almonds. Groovy Candies went all out with pink grapefruit slices, Gummies, gold foiled chocolates and more. Baked by Melissa was generous with their mini buttercream cupcakes and Gail Watson provided the delicate petite fours. Love Street Cakes baked up mini fondant cupcakes, Papabubble made addictive, custom colored hard candies, and Hammonds Candies provided straws and pillow mints.

Juliska generously donated the gorgeous glassware in which the candy was displayed.

What do you think?

Plaza Party for 1,000?

Well, there's much to tell about the blockbuster Martha Stewart Wedding's party last night -- but for the moment suffice it to say that I think we reached the thousand mark with an expectation of 600! Keep checking our blog and the Bride's Guide by Darcy Miller for more information on this spectacular event! Here's a picture Darcy took while my friend Matthew Robbins and I are preparing for the event!

We're Giving It Away!

The Wedding Library is planning the Martha Stewart Weddings 15th Anniversary Party at the Plaza! What a treat!! I will definitely be posting about the creative process, all the amazing vendors involved, and the logistics involved with organizing a little cocktail party for 700 of our closest wedding professional friends.

But for now we're giving away two tickets to the event for you and a guest. Post a comment for the chance to win, but tomorrow's the deadline. Join Editorial Director Darcy Miller and leading experts from the wedding industry on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 at 6pm at New York City's Plaza Hotel to mark this milestone in the magazine's history.

Experience the Plaza's Grand Ballroom with floral designs by Matthew Robbins and event production by the Wedding Library. Taste treats and culinary creations from Peter Callahan, Morimoto, and Great Performances. Oh, it's being talked about. Check it out on Style Me Pretty, too! And check out Amy Atlas' posting on the event, she'll be creating the candy table -- lucky guests!!

Charming Interfaith

So many of the weddings we coordinate are between couples from different faiths. They often find it a challenge to meld the two religions -- I see it as a way to celebrate both traditions to form stronger ties to both. My friend Dana was inspired by this challenge too. The result is a cross and a Star of David in one 14K yellow gold pendant set with a star-shaped moonstone and diamonds. Aptly named Connect Your Faith. What a perfect symbol for an occasion where two people, two families and two faiths are melded!

Image courtesy of Dana Michele Jewelry & Accessories.

A 100 Percent Chance of an Outdoor Wedding

We're in the New York Times today! Check out the great article on tips for a wet wedding. Note, we carry great white umbrellas and the Sole Mates heel protectors that are mentioned in the article.

Wedding Salon, Compliments of Us!

Trunk Show Extravaganza

Our good friends at Amsale have done it again. This weekend and week we've got three new colors of their best-seller chiffon styles: vanilla, blush and charcoal. We'll also be the first store to show four new promotional chiffon styles and four promotional colors which will retail for a new lower price point of $280. So rush to the Wedding Library to check it out -- order placed before October 17 will receive our 15% trunk show discount.

This weekend, the amazing Lily of BridalGal will be offering mini-makeovers, gratis!

For those of you planning a wedding elopement or Italian honeymoon, our friends at Bric's Luggage are offering Wedding Library friends a 20% discount on purchases over $250 until November 30. Love it!

One of my favorite things about Bric's is their fabulous colors -- come by this weekend to see for yourself.

No, she's not smoking a cigar. This is magical makeup airbrushing -- flawless. See for yourself at the Wedding Library this weekend. Don't forget to call for an appointment 212.327.0100. (Buzz bonus: Just checked the calendar and it looks like we are all sold out for the weekend -- call to coming in weekday evenings or to get on the wait list. Don't want you to miss out!)

This Made Me Smile

How about you?

Made by Lollipop Workshop.

Pop Up in the Press

We've had lots of questions about our Pop Up Wedding Chapel over the months. A superb stationery industry magazine, Stationery Trends, loved the paperie aspect of the Pop Up and wrote a wonderful article about our experience. The photos were the best, and can only be seen in the hard copy, but the text is pretty great too. Check it out!

From the above link you can subscribe to the magazine if, like me, you have an unnatural love for beautiful paper.

Darcy's Family Show

As promised, more about the Family show by Darcy Miller, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

So Darcy told me she was putting on a show at Andy Spade's new space, Partners & Spade, and could I help? She was planning a section of the show to be interactive -- each guest who donated to Mt. Sinai hospital would receive a family photo, taken on the spot, an illustration of the family drawn by Darcy and a caption by master calligrapher Bernard Maisner. An instant shadow box for all! My job was to coordinate the "assembly line" and production of the process.

I went over to Darcy's home one night to get a better idea of the project. As I entered her lovely apartment I encountered a sea of scrapbooks, images, drawings, shadow boxes and momentos that Darcy was collecting for the show. My jaw dropped at the enormity of the project and the ambition of the work -- incredible. Darcy's dedication to memorializing her family life is impressive, and her illustrations, charming and precious.

Hundreds of guests came to the show, and thousands were raised for pediatric endocrinology and diabetes by Darcy's clever keepsakes. Everyone was bowled over -- the show was a hit! So if you weren't incredulous over her enormous role in shaping the wedding world -- now you can be impressed by her artistic talent, her loving parenting and prolific artwork.

The Partners & Spade gallery is filled with esoteric and personal collections.

A photograph of my Partner, Jennifer, and her son, Beckett. Darcy's sketch is posted nearby. A charming cake topper from the show.

Lucky guests received stunning images by the extremely talented Donna Newman and her technologically significant other, Ian.

Some of the shadow-box keepsakes in the show.

The famous wedding scrapbook, every wedding nuance, captured!

Darcy's darling daughters and images under glass.

Guests received buttons stating, "Mom Rules", "I look like my dog", "Favorite Child" and "Problem Child." Guess which one I took?

Full size illustrated blow ups greet guests.

Guests received cute boxes topped with fashionable families -- there were lots of those attending the show!

Chocolate lollipops with The Kate & Andy Spade family and Darcy & Andy Nussbaum family smoothed small visitors waiting to have their photo taken.

Just in case you forget...

Martha and me -- lots of the Martha Stewart Weddings and Living family were there to enjoy the show.